Tag: #Isaiah55:11

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Authentic Heart

God’s Word wisely advises us to not be anxious about our lives in general (Lk 12:22). To not be anxious about tomorrow (Mt 6:34). To not even worry about what we will say (Mk 13:11). Or worry about how we will defend ourselves (Lk 12:11).

We strive to be daughters and sons after God’s own heart, like David, and to be courageously wholehearted, like Caleb. Because we know that God has given us the ability to move from anxiety to authenticity with His help as He constantly works on our behalves to bring us into wholeness.

So, how do we get from anxiety to authenticity to live out God’s abundant life for us as a battle of good over evil, light over darkness and Holy Spirit over flesh (Jn 10:10)?

His Word offers us a strategy against an anxious heart in Philippians 4:6 AMP, which says, “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”

Therefore, God’s process to go from anxiety to authenticity is to pray and petition Him with gratitude. No matter what, everything we face in life can be willfully processed in this faithful attitude.

It begins with the heart of Jesus in us, His spiritually born-again ones, and ends in the fullness of victory when we return home to Heaven.

The middle involves diligently growing in holiness by increasingly receiving God’s virtuous characteristics and ways into our souls to become more like Him and see ourselves from His perspective so we can know and do His will.

Colossians 1:23 TPT wisely advises us to “…continue to advance in faith, assured of a firm foundation to grow upon. Never be shaken from the hope of the gospel you have believed in.”

So, our best life is firmly rooted in a foundation of faith in our One True God, on which we can choose to stand and trust that He and His ways will work out His goodness for us, no matter what comes and goes.

It’s a lifelong journey that includes a timeline of trusting God enough to give up lesser things and reach higher to become like Him; and partner with Him to fulfill His calling and complete specific divine assignments (Ma 25:21).

On the contrary, anxiety works with the enemy to facilitate lack. Anxiety is propelled by fear and rooted in lies. Acting out of fear and lies is the opposite of operating out of love and truth, which causes us to move in a wrong direction from what God originally intended.

Since we reap what we sow, living in lies grows weeds of falsehood, including insecurity and pretense. This pretense is a facade of sin that works against the powerful shield of faith Jesus died to give us. This sin produces death in various forms.

But we don’t have to bring trouble on ourselves. Proverbs 28:26 TPT says that “when you lean on the wisdom from above, you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making.”

Therefore, we will come to know God’s abundant life as we choose Him as first priority in all things (Ma 6:33).

To do this, we must “set” our “minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Co 3:2 NIV). This means remaining in God’s Word and Spirit of Presence.

So, since we become what we worship and attract what we worship, our best life comes from worshipping the only authentic High God worthy of worship.

We don’t have to settle for less.

Our wise, truthful, eternally gracious and merciful God, who is Love Himself, is for us, not against us. He desires that we experience Him in such depth of relationship that we release false burdens and find perfect rest in our dependency on Him as our faithful source to meet all of our needs.

It’s not about figuring it out on our own, which would be self-reliant. Proverbs 28:26 TPT tells us that “self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools.”

And, we don’t have to step on others to achieve anything. This would involve a lack mentality.

Rather, it’s about humbling ourselves before God to agree with Him and partner with Him His way. It’s about exploring, with enthusiasm, His how as we journey with Him. We can enjoy the adventure when we believe Him at His Word.

We must remember that His very life covenant, for which He died, was to bless us—to enable us to receive greater life than we deserve or can even imagine on earth as it is in Heaven. It’s a choice we make every moment of every day.

He invites us to invite Him, as the source of faith in us, to prove out His faithfulness in all areas of our lives.

So, do you trust Him at His Word for this true flow of life?

If not, ask Holy Spirit to reveal what you are believing that is working counter to His best plan for you. Then repent of having believed that lie. Renounce it. Turn back To God and His truth. Decide to take courage and agree with Him above all else, no matter what. And walk out your best life with your best attitude in agreement with Him.

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your love for us. We renounce all lies of the evil one and choose to agree with You. Thank You that Your Word is faithful and true. It does not return void. It will go forth to accomplish the purpose and mission You sent it out to do (Is 55:11).

Show us Your glory, Lord, and help us to “feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill” our “thoughts with heavenly realities…not with the distractions of the natural realm” (Co 3:2 TPT).

Help us to take courage and yield to Your spirit, not our flesh. Help us depend on You, not on our own understanding (Pr 3:5). Help us to see as You see, to walk with You and to dwell with You every moment of the day. Help us to experience complete freedom in Your truth as You continue to establish it in our lives.

Thank You, Lord, for Your grace upon grace for taking us from glory to glory, from victory to victory. Thank You that we don’t have to worry about our days ahead, because You are faithful to Your Word.

Have Your way, Lord. Get us precisely where You desire we be. For Your glory.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

Amen.

And now, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Ro 15:13).

This devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Sacrificial Love: John 3:16

God has been highlighting John 3:16 to me as a foundational scripture for such a time as this. 

As God continues to restore our foundations both individually and as a nation, I believe He is working this precept more deeply into our souls as a stabilizer. 

I believe we are about to experience abundant life more than ever.

Yes, I believe we are about to enter through big, open doors. 

Yes, doors (plural). 

I believe we are entering into a time with many opportunities to rejoice and shine like never before—For God’s Kingdom.

I believe the economy of the USA is about to experience an explosive re-launch in the highest way, as God continues to shine His light, re-seat His people and guide us (Da 2:21-22).

God’s Word tells us that He “…uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light. He makes nations great, and he destroys them; he enlarges nations, and leads them away” (Job 12:22-23 ESV).

The Lord also highlighted Job 12:22 to me for several days. These “deeps” in this verse are defined as “exceedingly mysterious,” which means “extraordinary” and “exceptional” (NAS Exhaustive Concordance, Dictionary.com). 

I believe The Lord is exposing the dark root of evil schemes while simultaneously revealing more of Himself, His wisdom and His ways to us that will help us rise and overcome hindrances. Where we have been previously stuck or delayed—individually and as a nation—we will be loosed to continue forward by the Light of Christ.

I believe that He will subdue darkness for a time, as He extends a special grace for John 3:16 to be realized exponentially.

For those who will receive, I believe He will bring us out of every pit into new life on levels that transcend what we can fully comprehend right now. 

I believe we can expect God to bring what we hold most dear in our hearts full circle, beginning now and extending into the years ahead. 

Some manifestations will take longer than others. But know that God is moving and will fulfill the Godly desires of our hearts as we honor Him in obedience.

Also, The Lord has revealed to my heart that He has extended His mercy seat to us for lost things to be recovered.

Lost souls are a given. 

But there’s more… I believe The Lord will bring some past relationships full circle to re-establish them in our lives as He has brought reform.

By His great love for us. 

You can ask Holy Spirit to reveal who these people are, as well as His timeline to you. 

He will reveal His secrets as He can trust you. 

Treasure His truth in your heart, and sync your thoughts and expectations with His Word above every other voice.

God’s Word will never return void, even if it seems like it’s impossible. Even if it unfolds in a way that we didn’t expect, His Word will accomplish what He sent it to do (Is 55:11).

Therefore, always believe!

I believe His Spirit of Revelation will open the eyes of our hearts to see deep personal treasures He has for our lives.

In regards to John 3:16, the salvation scripture many of us have memorized, The Lord had me pause and drill down into each Word.

John 3:16 AMPC says, “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.”

Dividing this scripture, we see that:

God, our Creator and Divine Magistrate, who owns all things and sustains all things by His grace, settles us in accordance with His will and spoken Word so that we may experience Him (who is Love) as our deepest welfare, on earth and even into eternity. 

This is the same love with which He regards His Son, Jesus (Jn 3:35). The same love that He committed to offer and deliver His one and only perfect Lamb (Christ) to suffer, die and ascend to secure our full-circle salvation with Him (Ga 2:20). This is the same love that brought conviction to our souls to bring us to conversion. And it’s the same moral love that now lives in us as Holy Spirit fills us with good will toward God and others; even while others are still caught in a dark system that works against Christ  (1 Jn 3:16, 4:11; Ro 5:8). This is love that knows no bounds and can do what is impossible for us. God (as Love) persuades us to believe Him as He releases His faith in us and keeps His promises. 

He grows us in salvation, enabling us to experience “days of Heaven upon the earth” as our hearts commit to Him (De 11:21). He grows us in His character as He fulfills His purpose (nature) in us. 

He enables us to receive our full inheritance as His sons and daughters. He brings the pieces of our lives together to make a beautiful whole among His body of believers as we come to know Him. 

As His bride, He awakens us to have and to hold Him as our greatest heart’s desire. Better than Boaz, His constant love readies us to receive His covenant blessings, like Ruth, as we rest at His feet, agree with Him and co-labor with Him. He enables us to experience His life-sustaining power and authority that never wears out, even on earth, before it lifts us into eternity with Him. 

Friends, God assures us of His promises in 1 Peter 1:7 TPT, which says, “Your authentic faith will result in even more praise, glory, and honor when Jesus the Anointed One is revealed.” 

So, lets fasten our “faith and hope in God alone” (1 Pe 1:21 TPT). And “live each day with holy awe and reverence,” remembering that “the precious blood of Christ…was sacrificed for us” (1 Pe 1:19). From of a heart of love that never ends.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name. 

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Obedience Strategy: Signposts – Part 2

One day, as I prayed for a prominent evangelist, The Lord showed me a vision in my mind’s eye. This evangelist was driving alone in his car along a four-lane divided highway. He was moving at a steady pace with his eyes straightforward; and there were no other cars on the road. 

Suddenly, he came upon a roadblock—an orange and white striped barricade—just before the end of the asphalt. 

He stopped and pondered.

Then he backed up and turned onto an access ramp that he seemed to miss before. This access ramp led him onto a superhighway with many lanes.

Within seconds, the evangelist merged onto a new path with countless other travelers—all heading in the same direction and moving at a much higher speed than before. 

This superhighway was a perfect fit for the evangelist. He was happier in this momentum.

So, friends, what accelerated path does God have for you in this hour?

The Lord reveals His way to us so we can know and obey Him more for our benefit and the benefit of His Kingdom.

There is an inherent value in obedience. Where there is obedience, there is an alignment of authority, order and power—first inwardly, then outwardly.

Psalm 119:117 TPT says, “Lift me up and I will be safe. Empower me to live every moment in the light of your ways.”

Psalm 119:72 TPT says, “The words you speak to me are worth more than all the riches and wealth in the whole world!”

God’s revealed Words are “joyous treasure” when we love Him (Ps 119:111).

They are our heritage.

As we obey the revelation-understanding of God’s precepts, we become increasingly established in His ways to assert power over evil and take dominion—by His dominant Spirit.

Consider Joshua and Caleb, who were best known for their careful obedience and wholeheartedness, respectively.

These two leaders understood they needed to first reconcile with God’s truth before stepping out in great exploits.

They understood God’s Word to be a life guide to fruitfulness.

They understood God’s commands to be boundless and limitless and their adherence to them to be a requirement for Kingdom expanse (Ps 119:96). 

They understood “the regenerating power of God’s Word” works as a life preserver against degenerate forces, enabling them to overrule and accomplish divine purpose (1 Pe 1:23 NSFL Bible note; Is 55:11). 

They understood that to live and not die in battle, to be successful and prosper, to receive the fulfillment of God’s promise, they had to believe (cling to, rely on, trust in) God. They also had to yield the fullness of their hearts, their will to God at every signpost—His revealed and enduring commands for miraculous victory.

Joshua and Caleb knew there was protection in obedience and that they couldn’t lose when they obeyed God’s unique strategies for each battle.

From the beginning, The Lord instructed Joshua by saying (Joshua 1:7-8 MSG):

Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed.”

So, friends, our prayer should be “Make me passionate and wholehearted to fulfill your every wish, so that I’ll never have to be ashamed of myself” (Psalm 119:80 TPT).

Every shared strategy from God to His beloved is a beacon that leads to an expanded manifest victory. We experience this when we abide in The Lord.

John 15:7 TPT says, “But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done.”

God’s straight teachings affect the flow of life we receive. And our every step in light will be a step toward greater wisdom (Ps 19:7, 119:105, 107).

Proverbs 8:33-35 TPT reveal this by saying, “Listen to my counsel, for my instruction will enlighten you. You’ll be wise not to ignore it. If you wait at wisdom’s doorway, longing to hear a word for every day, joy will break forth within you as you listen for what I’ll say. For the fountain of life pours into you every time that you find me, and this is the secret of growing in the delight and the favor of the Lord.”

So, for our sake and the sake of the Kingdom of God at large, let Psalm 119:56 NIV be our prayer. It says, “This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.”

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.