For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NASB1995
This morning, I heard the bell ring, summoning me to my corner. A necessary ‘time-out’ has been called due to some unfair treatment. My ‘Trainer’ came up behind me, giving me refreshment, comfort and words of advice. I heard these words whispered in my ear, “Remember, I’ve already defeated this enemy. He’s just trying to convince you that he’s bigger and better, just like Goliath when he faced little David. But as I stood with David, so I stand with you. He’s already lost this fight. The victory has been handed to you. Just dance around the ring until his time runs out.”
David didn’t allow Goliath’s words to stay in his head. He knew his covenant and his God.
No matter what you face in your ring today, the Greater One lives in you and He’s won this round and the next. In fact, He holds the championship title and it cannot be taken from Him. You can rest in that knowledge.
Regardless of devils agenda, he will not have the last word. That Word has already been spoken and it cannot….CANNOT…return to God without it coming to pass.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3
As I read these verses, I kept thinking about all that Jesus came to bring and this thought occurred to me; Jesus came to do these things through His body—us. Creating a hunger to hear and steering them to those who will speak. Creating worshippers who put on the garment of praise to lift the hearers out of their heaviness.
I told our church yesterday that God is bringing mission fields to us. Wherever He’s placed you, be sensitive to hear what the Spirit is saying, follow His promptings, don’t second guess if you’re hearing right. He’s doing a new thing and He’s doing it through you and me.
I’ve never wanted to be a ‘missionary’. I served on the mission field of Haiti for 3 years as a teenager. My mom and stepdad served there for over 40 years. I know sacrifice. I seen closeup what all of it entails and I didn’t want any part of it until God began bringing people to me who needed Him. It was so humbling to watch as one by one, God brought the mission field to me.
God has brought you into a place that needs you. Look around and see the world He’s brought you to and the hundreds you see or speak to on a daily basis. It could be on your job, in the grocery store, on the phone, even on social media, God is bringing the most uncommon people into the most unlikely places who are ready for answers God has already placed inside of you. Will you be available? Will you answer the call?
Father, You have called me Your own for purpose. Regardless of what’s happening around me, help me to remain sensitive to Your Spirit, it’s not about me, it’s about them. You have brought me into the kingdom for such a time as this. May I put aside all my fears and anxiety and surrender to Your plans and purposes. Nothing else matters.
O God, hear my prayer. Listen to my heart’s cry. For no matter where I am, even when I’m far from home, I will cry out to you for a father’s help. When I’m feeble and overwhelmed by life, guide me into your glory, where I am safe and sheltered. Lord, you are a paradise of protection to me. You lift me high above the fray. None of my foes can touch me when I’m held firmly in your wraparound presence! Keep me in this glory. Let me live continually under your splendor-shadow, hiding my life in you forever. Pause in his presence You have heard my sweet resolutions to love and serve you, for I am your beloved. And you have given me an inheritance of rich treasures, which you give to all your devoted lovers. You treat me like a king, giving me a full and abundant life, years and years of reigning, like many generations rolled into one. I will live enthroned with you forever! Guard me, God, with your unending, unfailing love. Let me live my days walking in grace and truth before you.And my praises will fill the heavens forever, fulfilling my vow to make every day a love-gift to you! Psalm 61 TPT
May He keep you in His unending, unfailing love, held firmly in His wraparound presence!
“And I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30
What a sad scripture. This always breaks my heart to know that there are so few in the world who will take time out of their busyness and do what God asks of them.
Who among us will stand in the gap, pray for this land that God would not destroy it, build up a standard of values and morals to pass on to future generations? Everyday He asks, everyday we turn away. For those who don’t, thank you!
I constantly hear people say that our nation is in such a horrible state of affairs, yet they refuse to intercede and pray for God to not just heal our land, but that He won’t destroy it. Don’t complain about things you’re not willing to pray about.
It doesn’t take an army, it only takes you being willing to stand in the gap. You may not be able to change everything or everyone, but you can change you.
The Lord answered me, “Write down what I show you. Write it clearly on a sign so that the message will be easy to read. Habakuk 2:2 ERV
Why do you think that writing something down is so important? It’s an argument not easily won in our household. I’m married to a list person. For as far back as I can remember, Walt has always walked around with a small spiral notebook and pen, tucked neatly in his shirt pocket. The fact is, if I bought him a new shirt and it didn’t have a front pocket in it, I had to return it for one that did.
That list thing, doesn’t work for everyone. I can make a list and forget where I put it. I can make a grocery list, take it to the store and forget to look at it. It takes more than making a list, it takes forming good habits as well. Walt created habits based on his need to remember multiple tasks because of his job.
Evidently God knew Habakuk well because He instructed him to write it clearly on a sign so the message would be easy to read. When God speaks to me, I think I’ll never forget it, but time and circumstances dictate otherwise.
I know based on God’s Word that He is my healer. But let sickness come and BAM! That Word is the last thing you think on. Why? Because a bad diagnosis screams loudly, much louder than the truth you know inside.
That is one of the reasons I believe it’s necessary to write it down so that I have it before my face when I need it. I don’t need to talk about it, I just need to know He is with me, taking me through it one step at a time.
It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” Romans 1:16-17 Message
All of the people Jesus encountered were just going about their business, living life as they had always done. Some under oppression, some in fear, some bound by sickness and poverty, but all of that changed for those who paid attention to His message and followed Him. It was unusual, at best. They were hearing words of life, hope and love. An unconditional love that threatened their very existence. What would happen to their ‘normal’ lives if they followed Him?
What about you? What would happen to your life if Jesus came to you and said, “Follow me!” Would you respond with, ‘Wait until I retire ’or ‘I need to take care of my parents first’ or ‘I have no talent or gift’. Or would you just follow and trust Him to equip you with what you needed, to do what He’s asked you to do? He has heard every excuse in the book, yet He keeps asking, “Will you forsake everything, pick up your cross and follow me?”
Let me be clear on something; this call to follow will involve sacrifice, rejection, humiliation and heartache, but its reward is, unconditional love, forgiveness, power to overcome, provision and eternal life. His peace and joy will be your guard. You will gain fellowship with God on a deeper level then you could ever imagine. Your faith will grow exponentially as you learn to trust in the unseen rather than what you see in the natural.
Here’s the jarring truth; He’s already called you and equipped you. He’s only waiting on you to lay down your ‘normal’ life for His Kingdom. How long will you keep Him waiting, till you get strong enough to lift your cross? You can’t wait until all your ducks are in a row or your 401K get’s big enough to support you. It won’t get easier if you wait, it will only be harder to let go. Your excuses will turn into complacency, which will turn into procrastination, which equates to disobedience.
Father, may we burn with passion for Your purpose, a passion for souls. The things that make us uncomfortable are the very things You’ve called us to. You didn’t go to the rich and well fed, You went to the poor, the lost and the hurting. You weren’t concerned with who would fund the Great Commission. You even told the disciples not to take anything with them, that You would provide everything they needed. What’s wrong with us? Do we think You’ve changed? Become poor or needy? Are we so accustomed to providing for ourselves that we no longer know how to be dependent on You? Forgive us for our selfish ambition and lack of compassion. We will follow You and know that You’re in us. We will trust You so that we can really live. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10 NASB
Another version says, “Be still” but the message is clear; STOP TRYING TO DO IT YOURSELF!
God must be in a perpetual head shaking mode as He watches us from above. It’s as if I hear Him say, “There she goes again! I give her a nail and she’s hunting for something to hammer it in with. If she’d just wait, I’d bring someone to her that has a hammer.”
It’s almost laughable when you read it like that. Perhaps we don’t want to look foolish holding our nail, answering questions about our nail so we try to hide it, make it less conspicuous to those around us. By the time the hammer arrives and the purpose is revealed, we’ve already made some sort of jewelry out of it.
Be still! He has a plan for that thing in your life that makes no sense to you right now. He has a plan for it! Be still! Just be faithful reading His word, cuddling up in His presence and being still with Him. Watch and see what He does while you’re there being still. You’ll be changed!
Oh YES LORD! Change me and I will be forever changed. I am yours, I will listen, I will obey. Great and mighty deliverer, you have ordered each of my steps and connected me to your own body that I may be a part of you and your plan. So as I wait, reveal yourself to me.
Within your heart you can make plans for your future, but the Lord chooses the steps you take to get there. Proverbs 16:9 TPT
Have you ever met someone who had their entire life planned out? I should rephrase that; Have you ever met someone who thought they had their entire life planned out? You can definitely make plans and everybody needs to have one, but how you get there may boggle your mind.
I remember attending a seminar one time where they had us grab a empty piece of paper and write down our goals. I sat there for some time thinking. You see, I’m a thinker, but sometimes thinking is not enough. Give me a problem and I’m pretty sure I can come pretty close to finding a solution if given the right amount of time and answers. But a goal?
I remember my high school guidance counselor asking what I wanted to be when I grew up? What? I have to grow up? My answer was that I wanted to be a wife and a mother, two of the greatest callings in life. I didn’t realize how much work that would entail though. Back then, I just wanted something easy, something to glide though life without taking college courses.
It’s really too bad there weren’t courses on how to be a wife and mother. It wasn’t until 7 years into my marriage and a close call with divorce, that I discovered there were actually books I could read on how to be not only a good wife, but the best wife. I made it my goal to not just be one, but to mentor how to keep it real, fight fair and build a long lasting marriage.
I’ve found that most people who have been married over 20 years, survived by going through some hard times and jumping through some pretty big obstacles to get there. I’m not foolish enough to think everyone can make if they try. It takes two to tango, not just one.
I’ll say this though, we had God in our marriage and it was still hard. But we planned to make it and left room for Him to lead our steps to the finish line. It wasn’t my goal to go through so much struggle, but neither one of us would quit and next month we celebrate 46 years. Not wedded bliss by a long shot, but with a deep faith in the God who we trusted with our steps.
One day, Jesus came to be baptized along with all the others. As he was consumed with the spirit of prayer, the heavenly realm ripped open above him and the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove and landed on him. Then God’s audible voice was heard, saying, “My Son, you are my beloved one. Through you I am fulfilled.” Luke 3:21&22 TPT
Baptism is being immersed and what better way then to be soaked in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Two things happen; you are made clean and everything is washed away. Emptied of all, you become a recipient of everything He has for you. He fills you with His strength, peace, love, mercy, and grace.
When you allow yourself to be completely empty, it’s not you who ministers, but Christ ministers through you. That’s why when you stand before man relying on God, Holy Spirit fills your mouth to say the right thing at the right time, a just right word in a just right season.
So let’s get our morning right. Let’s not come asking, rather empty of need and offer our seed.
All my worship is Yours this morning, Father. My heart overflows with love for You. Gracious, faithful, all knowing, all powerful, holy and mighty God. Saturate me. Wash over me. Fill me up with more of You. I’m not satisfied with visiting You at church once or twice a week. I must have more of You! Without You, I am incapable, but with You, I can do all things.
I plug into You, my Power source this morning. I will be sensitive to Your voice leading and directing. Yes, thats right, You direct my life, not me. I am a member of Your body but You are the head.
And God-Enthroned spoke to me and said, “Consider this! I am making everything to be new and fresh. Write down at once all that I have told you, because each word is trustworthy and dependable.” Revelation 21:5 TPT
Wouldn’t you love to have a fresh start? Just wipe away the past and begin all over again? Well, that actually did happen to me when I chose to believe in Jesus. He wiped my slate clean and made me new. It was at that point that my life truly began. That’s why Jesus said you must be ‘born-again’, it was not a physical rebirth, but a spiritual one.
A new beginning simply means I’m ready to let go of what was and focus on what is to come. I can’t take my old mindset with me into new Beginningsville. When my new birth began, I had to recognize who my Father was and how I wanted to be like Him. I had to shake off who I was and adapt to my new status, adopted daughter of the King.
Every morning when I rise, I thank God for a new beginning. It’s a new day, what happened yesterday won’t repeat itself unless I allow it. I expect God to show up again, I expect provision, I expect health, I expect blessings, I expect protection. I expect that I shall have what I believe in my heart and speak with my mouth.
I expect the devil to be stay defeated, because what Jesus did once, doesn’t have to be repeated over and over and over. I expect you to read this and say, OMG, will she stop going on and on already! LOL It’s ok! I expect not everyone gets me but I expect God will.
remnantposts by sandy gregory 