Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Our Father is constantly communicating to us through His Word and through His Spirit within us. Do you hear Him? It’s hard for many because our lives start frenetically in the mornings rushing to meet the demands of the day. Sometimes we never seem to stop rushing. Other times we hear Him, but we immediately start second guessing if it is God we’re hearing, Satan, or just our soul speaking. Here is some encouragement for us to start our day with every day.
Psalm 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way.
The Holy Scriptures tells us a good, or a righteous man or woman’s, steps, or direction and activities, are ordered by our Father God. But why are a righteous man’s or woman’s steps ordered by our Father?
Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
When we, as Believers, commit our works unto our Father God, He establishes our thoughts. What thoughts does God give us?
Psalm 37:31
The law of his God is in his [righteous man] heart; none of his steps shall slide.
God wants our thoughts and our ways to be the same as His thoughts and His ways. Therefore God’s Spirit within us communicates The Word of God to us. We then have a choice of committing God’s Word to our heart.
Psalm 119:11
Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.
We have a choice as to what enters our heart and what comes out of our mouths. The Psalmist tells us he hides or commits God’s Word to his heart. Why? So he has weaponry to battle against Satan’s attacks during each day. God’s Word spoken in faith will overcome ALL of Satan’s attacks.
As God has grown me in His Word, I’ve really come to see my Father in a new light. No longer do I see Him in the light of religion, which duped me for years. Remember, we allow ourselves to be duped (II Timothy 2:15). God clearly tells us in I John 4:1 to “try the spirits.” Jesus told us in John 6:63 that “words” are spirits. Jesus’ Word is “Spirit and is life.” Satan’s, or the world’s word, is “spirit and death.” We’re not just to blindly accept what we hear. We’re to line it up against the full counsel of God. If it fails, we’re to discard it. If you’re ignorant, you’ll follow whatever sounds good. And, it can lead you in a path of destruction if you don’t take the time to measure it against The Word of God.
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
My growing in God’s Word and seeing my Father in a new light has opened God’s Word to me. Now, instead of seeing the judgment and harshness of religion, I see the love, joy, peace, and beauty of my Father. This is proven by the following wonderful verses from Psalm 36:7-9. I’ve given you the Hebrew meaning for the old English words used in The Scriptures inside the brackets within each verse below.
Psalm 36:7-9
7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.
9 For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light.
Verse 7
How excellent [precious, rare, splendid, weighty] is thy lovingkindness [goodness, kindness in redemption from our enemies and troubles], O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow [protection] of Thy wings [protector of His people].
Verse 8
They shall be abundantly satisfied [saturated] with the fatness [abundance, luxuriance, oil] of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink [cause to drink, give to drink] of the river [torrent, like water rushing in a narrow channel] of Thy pleasures [delicacies, delights, pleasures].
Verse 9
For with Thee is the fountain [compared to a spring of water] of life [alive, living]: in Thy light [illumination] we see light [Truth].
Wow, just amazing! Just sit and meditate on each verse. Do you even begin to realize how VALUABLE you are to God, our Father? Valuable enough that He, THE CREATOR of all things good and perfect, gave of Himself to have a relationship with you. Is this valuable enough? Now, do you really believe your Father, Who gave of Himself FOR YOU, doesn’t want His child living like Him – IN THIS EARTH? This is exactly what God says to us in I John 4:17.
I John 4:17
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.
When we realize that our Father God wants us to live at His level, IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIFE, I John 4:17 makes sense. When we realize our Father wants us living at His level Spiritually, financially, physically (health), materially, relationships, marriages, businesses, ministry, etc., WE LOVE HIM EVEN MORE – our love becomes more Godly mature every single day we walk this earth. When this happens, we have GREAT BOLDNESS when a trial, a persecution, an affliction, etc., comes against us. We’re bold because of The Word we speak back to the trial, persecution, aflliction, etc. Notice the colon after The Word “judgment.” What follows? “Because as Jesus is, so are we IN THIS WORLD.” How is Jesus at this present moment? More than a conqueror, triumphant, seated at the right hand of God, a King and a Priest, The Son of The Most High God, received power, wisdom, riches, strength, honor, glory, and blessing, and so on. Our Daddy’s Word said THIS IS WHO WE ARE – WE’RE JUST LIKE JESUS BECAUSE JESUS IS IN US!
In closing, notice God’s instruction to us in Zechariah 4:7.
Zechariah 4:7
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
This is how we battle Satan, his armies, and his devices. This is how we battle anything that tries to tell us we aren’t Children of God, heirs, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. The mountain spoken of in this verse is any THING that comes against you, your family, your health, your finances, your business, your job, your possessions, your ministry, your marriage, etc. What did Zerubbabel do? He shouted “Grace, Grace” to it. What is Grace? Unmerited, unearned, underserved favor. Who is Grace? Jesus Christ. Who does Grace belong to? All Believers. You want success in all areas of your life? Stand and shout God’s Word against the mountain. Soon you’ll be planting a headstone, a memorial stone, over the mountain. “Here lies another feeble attempt by Satan to destroy my love and faith in Jesus Christ.”
Spend time studying God’s Word and learning who you are in Jesus Christ. You have SO MUCH POWER within you. There is NO force in Heaven or the earth that can resist the power of God within us.
Don’t live inside the walls of mediocrity, which is another name for religion. Slaves don’t dream dreams. Live in The Word of God, Jesus Christ. You can’t dream big enough for Him.
In Christ,
Larry