Thu, Jan 15th - 11:02AM
A Link to My Articles
Thank You for coming by! I have chosen to post my articles at: www.praize.com where I began my blogging journey. Due to the lack of time, I can no longer post here, so please do visit me at my Praize Blog at:
http://www.praize.com/cgi-bin/members/blog.cgi?userid=9980207770429
I wish You all many blessings & Love,
Eve
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Mon, Dec 1st - 2:48PM
Dwell & Say
"He who dwells in the secret place of the most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]." (Psalm 91:1)
Those where the words that came flooding to me in a song, in the end of October, while driving out of Tallinn towards our Summer house on the island of Saaremaa. I began to sing them to the Lord. I felt an urgency to repeat the powerful words again and again and again.
A day before driving to the country, I had felt in my heart that there were going to be some obstacles - possibly an accident organized against me - on the way. I felt the need to drive carefully. I am a good driver but I tend to speed... though, knowing full well that when I go against the law the protection of the Lord is not fully able to cover me. So, I was driving out of town, Psalm 91 on my lips. About 30 kilometers out of Tallinn, I was still singing the verses to the Lord.
There was a huge truck in front of me that drove quite slow. So, I prepared to drive past the truck. As I began to increase my speed to pass the truck, the truck suddenly slowed down even more. In order to not crash into the truck, I began to pass it. What I had not noticed was a small car doing the left turn in front of the truck. Goodness, now I was speeding right towards it. I quickly turned the wheel to the left. My car skidded a long way and stopped just a few millimeters between the car and my car. Had my car not stopped, I would have crashed right into the driver's door.
With a bit shaky knees I turned back to the main road. This was the accident that the devil had prepared for me... but the Lord spared me. I knew in my heart that there would be no more obstacles on the way.
A few days ago the Lord led me yet again into the Psalm 91. It is a very, very powerful portion of Scripture, containing vital instructions for us at this time. So, I hope You don't mind walking through it with me.
The first two verses contain the directions we need to fulfill in order to reap the promises of God. Verse one says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty, Whose power no foe can withstand." Those were the words that literally kept me safe and sound in danger.
Verse two says, "I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!"
Notice, in order for us to be protected and kept safe, we have to first "dwell in the secret place of the Most High" and second, we have to "say of the Lord" what He is for us and what we expect Him to do for us, in this case, "He is my Refuge and my Fortress, My God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I confidently trust."
The third and fourth verses confirm that those two steps are required of us in order for the Lord to be able to do His part, "For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler."
So, when we abide in God's presence and speak out His promises for us, He is released to move on our behalf. "His truth is a shield and buckler" for us. Sometimes we expect God to do His part without first doing ours... and then when things go wrong, we wonder what happened! ...at times even blaming God or believing His promises to simply be fiction.
The truth is God's promises are rock solid! Every single one of them. Though, this does not mean that they simply drop on our laps like ripe apples. No. We have to do our part. We have to spend time with the Lord and we have to speak out His promises. His promises work for every single born again believer who takes time to put them to work.
Next verses contain powerful pledges of protection when we do our part. Verse 9 yet again stresses the importance of dwelling in God's presence, "Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, there shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent," continuing to promise in verse 11, "For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]."
Most of the time when I pray Psalm 91 or read it, verse 11 captures my attention. God gives His angels especial charge over us to accompany and defend and preserve us in all our ways of OBEDIENCE and service. The word "obedience" almost always springs out for me, stressing the importance of it.
God has a special place for each and every one of us - be it a work place or ministry. We can only be fully protected, defended and preserved when we walk in obedience to the guidance of the Lord. This goes also for the "waiting times"... for we all are given special "waiting times".
How often does the Lord lead us to do things completely opposite to the "common sense"!? "Common sense" is exactly what it expresses to be - common human way of sensing things or thinking - in short, not too smart way. So, why on earth should we go along with it! But when instead we choose to obey the Lord's leading, we will experience His abundance and blessings... yet, when we begin to analyze and reason - a sure trap of the devil - and disobey as a result, we will miss the good the Lord has put ready for us.
Goodness, it is hard for a human mind to stop reasoning and analyzing! But, if we won't stop, we will walk into the traps of the devil 99% of the time. God shows us the right path - a road to blessings. But if we begin to reason and analyze how it looks from the outside or what would others think of us, we will make our own decisions and thus also miss His protection and provision. This results in complete distrust towards God - as we do not experience His blessings - so, we reason, they simply must not be true!
Crap! God's promises are rock solid and true and work for every single believer when we do our part... beginning with casting away reasoning and analyzing thoughts when we sense the Lord's leading or read His promises. We have to simply trust like little children and obey. C'mon, we should have learned by now that God does not move according to our extremely limited human understanding. He moves according to the wisdom that created the whole universe and holds it all together. We couldn't even create something much more simple. So, we should by no means argue with God nor doubt Him.
God's angels accompany us when we walk in the ways of obedience and service. God has an income for every one of His children when we walk in obedience and service. I've seen and experienced it over and over and over again. When the Lord led me into ministry, I had no idea how my bills would get paid. I had to blindly learn to trust Him one step at a time. Yes, fear tried to overtake me for a time, but when I hung on to Him and thanked Him for His provision, I began to see His miracles of provision... and I continue to live in them. I am a living proof that His Word is true and His promises rock solid, working for all who are ready to trust the Lord completely.
I love the verse 14 for it charges us the third time to dwell in God's presence, this time explaining exactly what it means. "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understand My name [has personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness - trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]."
Dwelling in the secret place of the Most High means spending time in His presence, reading His Word and meditating on it, and then praising and thanking Him for His promises because this is the only way we acquire "personal knowledge of His mercy, love, and kindness", learning to "trust and rely on Him" completely, "knowing He will never forsake us, no, never."
Do You have such confidence in Your Lord that You hold the firm KNOWING in Your heart that He will never ever forsake you, no, never!? This is the kind of attitude we have to acquire in order to go to the Lord in prayer - complete confidence in His love and good will towards us, knowing that every charge in the Word is for our good and not harm.
Verse 15 is the continuation to verse 14, meaning that we call out to God not in fear, not in despair, but in CONFIDENCE: "He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him."
He does not answer "prayers" that completely dishonor Him. Think about it. When You go to Him - to Your loving, caring Lord - in despair, in fear, being scared stiff that Your situation is greater than Him, that He is not able to help You... are You honoring Him? Are You being confident in His help? No, You are not. Instead, You are dishonoring Him.
So, we should do as David did. He was scared in many situations, crying out to God in despair... until he realized that it does not help. So, he began to worship Him and praise Him instead, thanking Him for His help. This is when David got his prayers answered... and so do we.
Many, many blessings & confidence to You all... for He is faithful,
Eve
Contributing writer of My Walk With Jesus newspaper & website
http://www.MyWalkWithJesus.net
Body-mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in a Biblical Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net
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Mon, Oct 27th - 3:35PM
Wealth Transfer - From the World to the Kingdom of God
"The blessing of the Lord - it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]." (Proverbs 10:22)
God is a GOOD Father Who desires to bless His children. No, we can't earn His goodness. We can't earn His blessings. He is the God of the whole universe Who has said to us that His blessing makes us rich. His wealth is different from the world's wealth because it does not bring any sorrow with it.
I've heard Christians too worrying about the financial situation of the world at present. We sometimes act as though all the money that once was in the world has suddenly evaporated into the outer space and here we are in the penniless world! But hey, the money that once was in the world is very much still here! It simply is changing the hands.
If we are listening to the news of the world, sure, we have reasons to sweat and threat... but if we choose to, instead, listen to the Good News of the Gospel, I promise You, we have no reason to worry. We simply need to understand what is happening, what is our part in it, and how to stay safe within the storm.
God promised us in His Word that He will let us know what He is doing ahead of time. He has been preparing the present financial situation for a long time and He is explaining it to us in Proverbs 13:22, "The wealth of the sinner [finds its way eventually] into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up."
We are living, yet again, the time of the transfer of the wealth of the world. For the past 2 weeks God has mightily been speaking to me about the present wealth transfer. There are some things we need to know about the move of God in order to move right along with Him. There are quite a few wealth transfers in the Bible to prepare us.
Supernatural wealth transfer no 1 happened during the time of Abram. God had told Abram to leave his home and go to the land that He was going to show him. It is interesting that the Amplified Bible brings out the fact that "the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your own country, from your relatives and your father's house, to the land that I will show you." (Gen.12:1)
Sometimes God needs to move us away from the midst of the people who surround us in order to bless us. Whatever God says to us is always for our own advantage - for our own good... even if we do not see it right away, which is often the case. Abram's family worshipped other gods and God could not prosper Abram where he was. So, Abram obeyed and traveled to the South (the Negeb). Verse 10 lets us know the situation of the land, "Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous)."
The famine in the land where the Lord led Abram to was oppressive, intense and grievous. Abram was obedient to the Lord and the Lord blessed him and "he acquired sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, she-donkeys, and camels." (vs..16)
Would we humanly think about moving away from the safety of steady income and warm home, plenty of food, and other perks? Probably not. But if God tells us to do something, it is always in order to bring us to a blessed place. He prospered Abram right in the midst of an oppressive, intense and grievous famine. God knows how to bless a soul obedient to Him.
The next transfer of wealth from the sinner to the righteous is possibly my very favorite. It is found in Genesis chapter 26: "And there was a famine in the land, other than the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father... for Abraham listened to and obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commands, My statutes, and My laws, so Isaac stayed in Gerar." (vs..1-3,5-6)
Isaac, just like his father, was obedient to the Lord. To him the voice of the Lord was more real than all the voices of the world. He was not led by people's opinions nor human logic but by the voice of the Lord. Everyone else left for Egypt because at the time there was plenty. Everyone else looked to the world for their supply. They might have got their needs met but that was all. Isaac obeyed the leading of the Lord and got blessed super abundantly... right in the midst of famine.
Verse 12 tells us the way Isaac got blessed. It is the same way we get blessed - by sowing a seed... and yes, right in the midst of lack. "Then Isaac sowed seed in that land and received in the SAME year a HUNDRED TIMES as much as he had planted, and the Lord favored him with blessings. And the man became great and gained more and more until he became VERY WEALTHY and distinguished; he owned flocks, herds, and a great supply of servants, and the Philistines envied him."
Isaac sowed a seed during an economic turmoil and reaped 100 times more the very same year... IN the famine. But this was not all. The Lord lets us know that He also - on top of the 100 times return - favored him with all other blessings too, until he became VERY rich!
The third wealth transfer from the sinner to the righteous is found in Genesis chapter 30. Jacob had served his extremely crooked and unrighteous father-in-law faithfully for many years and now he was ready to leave. But Laban did not want to let Jacob go for he knew that the Lord's blessing had been upon his household due to Jacob. "And Laban said to him, if I have found favor in your sight, I pray you [do not go]: for I have learned by experience and from the omens in divination that the Lord has favored me with blessings on your account."
Jacob said to his father-in-law, "For you had little before I came and it has increased and multiplied abundantly; and the Lord has favored you with blessings wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own house also?" (vs..30) Jacob was ready to leave and the Lord gave him ideas how to multiply what Laban was ready to give him as his pay. The result was, "Thus the man increased and became exceedingly rich, and had many sheep and goats and maidservants, menservants, camels, and donkeys." (vs.43)
So, the Lord prospered Jacob by giving him ideas how to do business, so much so that, "Jacob heard Laban's sons complaining, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's; he has acquired all this wealth and honor from what belonged to our father." (31:1)
Laban had dealt dishonestly and unfairly with Jacob, exploiting him and now the bad seed that he had sown was coming up. The Lord transferred Laban's dishonest gain to whom it truly belonged - to Jacob... multiplying it exceedingly greatly. Jacob, in turn, had been faithfully serving his father-in-law and now his great reward was coming in. God did it in ways that humanly we could not even conceive... but He is the creator of the heaven and earth. All creative, awesome ideas come from Him. He is ready to prosper business people through ideas that they could humanly not conceive.
The fourth wealth transfer in found in Genesis 41 and 42. It is yet again a story of a man completely obedient to the Lord. Joseph had unrighteously suffered due to the lies of others. He was now in prison. The world had doomed him but the Lord knew the faithfulness of His servant and made a way for him to be lifted from a dungeon to great honor and wealth.
God looks at our obedience and faithfulness. The world might forget us... even the church might forget us, but He never ever forgets the righteous acts and faithfulness of His servants. Never. He is the God Who can, with no great difficulty, bring His people out of dungeons and put them into palaces. He can do it when we allow Him to... through our obedience and waiting for His vengeance, instead of "setting the scores ourselves."
So, He gave a dream to a Pharaoh that he could not understand. None of his "wise" men could understand nor interpret the Lord's dream. Suddenly Joseph was remembered, as someone who had interpreted dreams correctly before, and brought out of the dungeon in order to translate the dream... which he did in a way that so impressed the ruler and all the people that, "Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch as [your] God has shown you all this, there is nobody as intelligent and discreet and understanding and wise as you are. You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word [with reverence, submission, and obedience]. ONLY in the matters of the throne will I be greater that you are. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his [signet] ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in [official] vestments of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck; he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had, and [officials] cried before him, Bow the knee! And he set him over all the land of Egypt." (vs..39-43)
God never ever forgets our faithfulness. Even when everyone else forgets about it, be encouraged, God does not forget. He will indeed multiply the seeds we sow. He will indeed bless abundantly our obedience. When we honor Him by doing what He tells us through His Word and personally, He will honor us. What a testimony is Joseph's life! Had he given up on faithfulness during the time he suffered in the dungeon, thinking that God too had forgotten him, he would have missed the abundant, amazing, supernatural blessings that God had put ready for him.
The fifth wealth transfer took place when God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt (where they had been taken as prisoners because of their disobedience to God). Now, when His people were crying out to God to save them, He sent them a deliverer. But God made sure that His people would get paid for their hard labor. Israelites only wanted to be delivered from the midst of the darkness of the world... but oh, how the Lord's heart rejoiced when He heard His people crying out to Him, surrendering their hearts and lives to Him... He immediately began to move on their behalf in ways they could not even have dreamt in their most beautiful and wild dreams.
Exodus 12 tells the story. "The Israelites did according to the word of Moses; and they [urgently] asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver and of gold, and clothing. The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked, And they stripped the Egyptians [of those things]."
Think about this: if a slave would go to his master and ask him/her for all their jewels and gold and silver and all their best clothes, would they hope to receive anything more than a real good beating? Yet, this was exactly God's way. He does not do things the way we would. He said just go and ask them and you will receive an abundance. God knows HOW to get the money to us that we need. He has ways... but we have to listen to Him and then obey.
God knows no lack. God's Kingdom does not suffer famine. Can You picture God sitting and wringing His hands, thinking, where on earth can I get the money to provide for My people!? Never! He knows no lack! And neither should we. The Word tells us that we do not live in this world but in His kingdom. Colossians 1:12-14 promises, "Father has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light. [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins."
God has delivered us out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love. God has drawn us out of this world's system and into the abundant supply of His Kingdom. Why do we keep stepping back into this world's systems? They are crumbling all over the world! The ONLY system and the only kingdom that does not and will not ever suffer any lack, is God's kingdom.
Doesn't it make sense to finally step into the ways of His kingdom? Why is the Body of Christ holding on to the ways of the world? We will only go down with them!
God's blessings and provision belong to each and every one of His children. They do... but they are not automatic. There are certain laws that govern God's financial system. The first is trust... for it sure does take trust to always bring the best, the first to His priests in the form of a tithe. This is the law that even many worldly businessmen have adopted, reaping its rewards... and yet, so many of the Body of Christ do not obey, thus also reaping the negative results.
We are still arguing whether we should bring the 10th out of our gross income or the 10th out of our net income to the Lord, when the Word is very clear about it! Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income; so shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine."
We bring the secondary to the Lord and then wonder how come our storage places are not filled with plenty and our vats are not overflowing with new wine. The answer is - we do not honor the Lord with our FIRST-FRUITS. We dishonor Him with the tithe off of our net income. This does not honor the Lord. How could He honor us back? He can't. Just like we, He too is bound by the spiritual laws. If we dishonor Him, He can't but dishonor us. Oh, goodness, HOW He desires to overflow us with His abundant blessings. But He is limited through our lack of faith. It sure is not faith when we are scared to give the Lord the 10% off of our gross income.
It is interesting that just a few verses before He says, "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." ...I guess He knew how hard it is for us to understand some of His ways... if we do not know His heart... His heart that so desires to bless us, to do good to us, to shower us with His loving-kindness.
There are spiritual laws that work whether we know them or believe in them or not. Tithing is one of those immovable spiritual laws. One of the reasons we bring our WHOLE tithe to Him is that it shows what is in our hearts - do we trust His ways or do we believe in the ways of the world? He said in Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 say that where our heart is, there is also our treasure. Our tithing shows very much about where our trust is. If our trust is in ourselves, how can He come and help us?
His heart's desire is to overflow us with His blessings. From the above examples we can see that He has no problem at all in getting the necessary finances into our hands... but He can only do it when our trust and hope is in Him and not in the world or in ourselves. He is practically begging us to put His faithfulness to test. Malachi 3:10-11 says, "Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts."
Sometimes we wonder how on earth does our money manage to disappear so fast... even though we bring in quite a good pay. Here is the answer: it is devoured by all kinds of extra needs that we have not foreseen. Why? Because we are stealing from God and He cannot protect nor bless our finances. Malachi 3:8-9 says, "Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? [You have withheld your] tithes and offerings. You are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me."
No, God does not curse us. The curse comes automatically upon those who defraud God, withholding the whole tithe, the 10 % off of our gross income. It belongs to the house of God, to provide for God's priests, for God's work. God is calling us out of the curse and into the blessing. Do we trust Him enough? Shall we put His faithfulness to test as He is asking us to? Are we ready to step out of the crumbling and shaking systems of this world and into the forever standing and forever prospering kingdom of God. He is calling us to leave the ways of the world and step into the ways of His forever unshakable Kingdom... what is our answer?
The second step towards financial security, and especially at this time the great transfer of the wealth of the world, is our attitude towards our spiritual leaders and those Who the Lord sends to us to minister the Word. If someone shares the Word with us and then an offering is taken or when a TV preacher - who we joyfully listen to - says that we can send an offering to their ministry, what is our attitude? Do we think, gosh, again they are asking for money! They keep asking for our money! Well, I didn't like them that much, really!
Did You ever think that our attitudes rob us of our blessings? They do! The Word teaches us that. Remember when Jesus' listeners thought negative, condemning thoughts - only in their hearts - about Jesus? Mark 2:8 says, "And at once Jesus, becoming fully aware in His spirit that they thus debated within themselves." Jesus hears our condemning, critical, fault-finding and other negative thoughts towards those whom the Lord has sent to share His Word with us, and this robs us of our blessings.
John Bevere said something that cut straight into my heart. He said that many men and women of God who see humongous miracles happening in African and South American countries through their ministry, come to America and Europe and only some people get healed. Why? Because they are greatly honored in Africa and South America... but are not respected by western believers. And hey, we send even more disrespect towards them when we are unable to receive what we desired. But what about the attitudes of our hearts?
"Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." (Matt.13:57) ...and the result of not honoring God's prophets, teachers, preachers and others He sends to minister to us is: NO results for us. Even the Son of God Himself could "not do many works of power there, because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in the divine mission of Jesus)." (vs..58)
God honors His chosen servants and priests. 1 Corinthians 9:14 says, "[On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the Good News (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel." If we think in our hearts, they only want my money! Again they are asking for money, do they have no shame! ...we are casting away our own blessings. We are dishonoring God by dishonoring those God sent to us, perhaps even simply because they were not dressed the way we imagined they should have been.
If God asks us to do something, it is always, always, always, without an exception, for our good. He does ask us to give... for if we give, He is able to give more to us. We have to understand the main reason behind the transfer of the wealth at this time. It is to preach the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. This is God's Father's heart - to save the world... and besides what other news does the world need at this time of the collapse of economy? More bad news?
God loves every person in this world. He desires every person to hear the Good News and as a result put their trust in Him. His Kingdom is the ONLY kingdom that is not shaken during this economic turmoil. In His Kingdom there is NO lack, no want. Of course He longs for every person to come to this safe haven. This is what God is doing at this time - He is seeking for men and women who would be able to faithfully handle large sums of money, having been or being first faithful in little, in order to finance His work. This is God's Father's heart.
Paul understood that when he asked for support, he didn't do it for himself but for the givers. He taught, "Not that I seek or am eager for [your] gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit [the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account." (Phil.4:17) And yet, when we hear the heralds of the Good News of the Gospel of Christ asking for an offering, in order for the fruit to increase to our credit, the harvest of blessing to begin to accumulate to our accounts, we think, again they are asking for money. No wonder there is nothing accumulating to our accounts!
God says to us, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways... For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Is.55:8-9)
It is time we renew our thoughts to God's thoughts. It is possible. That is why God gave us His Word - so we can learn to think like He thinks and act like He acts. He is the greatest Giver. He gave the very best He had in order to usher us into the safest and securest and most loving kingdom - His Kingdom. Now He wants to usher in those who are lost and scared. Are we going to be part of His work?
God is looking for receivers - those who He can trust with large sums of money to support His work. He has NO problem to bless us superabundantly with all good - no problem at all - but can He trust us? Will we be the faithful channels He is looking for to transfer the wealth of the sinner to? Of course it does not mean we have to give away everything. He wants us to have beautiful houses and good cars and fashionable clothes and even wonderful vacations! He is the Good Father. He desires to overflow us with His blessings... but will we know His heart? Will we care enough for those His heart is grieving for?
Besides, giving is exactly the way He is able to usher the wealth to us. God is calling us to think like He thinks and act like He acts. Giving is a way to unshakable wealth for the Word says, "There are those who [generously] scatter abroad, and yet increase more; there are those who withhold more than is fitting or what is justly due, but it results only in want. The liberal person SHALL be enriched, and he who waters others shall himself be watered." (Prov.11:24-25)
If You are thinking, I want to give but I have nothing to give. Don't worry. He is the provider of even the seed. Can You believe this?! He desires us to be blessed so much that He even tells us that HE will provide the seed for us to sow. "And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]." (2 Cor.9:10) ...all we have to do is ask for the seed... and then make sure we won't eat it all up along with the food He provides... for food we can consume but once... but seed will increase 30, 60, or 100 times according to His promise.
"Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38) ...we cannot outgive God.
I know some of You are in the place I was - the only seeds I had to sow were my prayers. So, I prayed. I really prayed for the blessings to be conferred over those who blessed me with the Word of God. This too was a precious seed. Now I do both, I sow my prayers and I sow finances. We all have something to sow... for sowing is the only way to reap. If we sow not, we reap not.
Just a few days ago the Lord told me to sow everything I had. Oh, boy! I did. I sowed absolutely every dollar I had... and the Lord told me that we are no longer living the times of only 30, 60, or 100 fold blessings... we are living 1000 fold blessing-time.
He promised that in Deuteronomy 1:11, "May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you as He has promised you!"
When we increase in this world, it can easily dwindle away... but when we increase in the Lord - according to the laws of His Kingdom - it will be unshakable wealth and it will bring no sorrow with it. This is a promise! Are You ready to step out to a new level of blessings? Are You ready to step fully into the abundance of His Kingdom, trusting His ways above what You know and understand humanly? Are You ready?
I know I am ready. I hope You are too! We will never be the same.
Many, many blessings to You all,
Eve
Contributing writer of My Walk With Jesus newspaper & website
http://www.MyWalkWithJesus.net
Body-mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in a Biblical Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net
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Mon, Oct 20th - 4:01PM
Powerful Gift of God to Us
"The [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought... the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will." (Romans 8:26a,27b)
Hello dear Friends, it has been quite a while since I managed to post here... and I am sorry. Life has been so incredibly busy. But, here I am again. For quite a while it has been on my heart to talk about the work of the Holy Spirit within us. So, obeying the leading, I hope You will be blessed by what the Word teaches about this matter.
The Bible talks about two separate baptisms that are available for every born again believer. When we get born again, the Father gives us His Holy Spirit to live inside of us. John 14:16,17 says, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever - the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you."
God has put a part of Himself within every born again believer. Through the Holy Spirit now residing within our spirits/hearts, we are connected to God. We cannot be united to God through our minds or bodies. Our spirit parts are the parts of us that are connected to the unseen realm around us. Proverbs 20:27 says, "The spirit of man [that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God] is the lamp of the Lord."
Through His Spirit living within our spirit, God imparts His wisdom, ability, understanding, intelligence, knowledge and all kinds of craftmanship to us. Even during the Old Testament times God imparted to His people what they needed in order to fulfill His purpose in their lives. In Exodus 31:3 God says, "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and ability, in understanding and intelligence, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship."
So, whatever kind of wisdom or understanding we need, in the New Testament times we have the Holy Spirit living right within us to teach us and lead us. The Holy Spirit also translates the Truths of the Bible to us. Without Him we would translate the Bible with our human minds... and get a wrong picture, for "God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality)." (John 4:24) John 16:13 promises us that, "He (Holy Spirit) will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him]."
We should get into the habit of daily praying for the Spirit of God to lead us and guide us and reveal the Truth to us. Romans 8:14 says, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." God desires to lead us through His Spirit.
I have seen on Sunday mornings, before going to church, the beginning of Joel Osteen’s service on God TV. He has taught his congregation to speak out certain words before a service...something like this, "I open my heart to what the Spirit of God has for me today. Lord, speak to me. I am open to Your Spirit. My mind is clear, my spirit is receptive." Joel Osteen speaks those words together with his congregation. It automatically opens our spirits to the wisdom the Lord wants to share with us.
The Old Testament examples are written for us as small beginnings of the better things to come. When in the Old Testament God's people had to offer a sacrifice for their sins, in the New Testament we have Jesus Christ who has once and for all washed away our sins through becoming a sin offering for us. We have a better covenant. We have more wonderful blessings. In Deuteronomy 34:9 we learn that "Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him." In 1 Samuel 10 we read that Samuel – the spiritual leader over Saul – anointed Saul to fulfill God’s purpose. Samuel tells Saul in verse 6 that when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, he will become a completely different person, saying, "Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you will show yourself to be a prophet with them; and you will be turned into another man."
We need such power for doing God’s work... for we cannot ever be effective for God in our own human power or understanding. It is a powerful act when our leaders put their hands on us and bless us to do the work of God. But, having a better covenant, we have the infilling of the Holy Spirit that belongs to ever born again believer. During the New Testament times the Holy Spirit should be our constant companion Who helps us in decision making, comforts us during the times we need comfort - there are times when I have specifically asked the Lord to comfort me... and He does that - Who counsels us in situations, helps us, and strengthens us. Holy Spirit also assists us in interceding for our loved ones according to the will of God.
Holy Spirit is within us and with us all the time, standing ready to lend us supernatural power and wisdom for every situation. He is a living being Who perfectly knows the will of God. He also knows and understands each of us personally and intimately and knows how to help us exactly the way we need Him to. That is why it is so important for us to listen to His guidance and counsel in every situation. As He is a Person, He actually wants us to consult Him before making decisions. But instead of turning to Him, we too often begin to analyze and weigh things, turning them over and over in our minds. This shuts off the counsel of the Holy Spirit. We have to learn to consult Him daily. It is especially important during the times we are living.
Now, during the New Testament times there is even more powerful thing available to us, believers. It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Bible talks about two different kinds of baptism - the water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, manifesting in praying and speaking in tongues. Here is what the Bible teaches about the baptism of the Holy Spirit:
John 1:33 says, "He Who sent me to baptize in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."
Luke 3:16 says, "John answered them all by saying, I baptize you with water; but He Who is mightier than I is coming... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression."
Acts tells us that we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands of another spirit-filled believer. Acts 19:6 says, "And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied." I have laid my hands on several believers, asking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and they have received it and started to pray in tongues.
Why would we want the baptism of the Holy Spirit when we have His counsel available to us as believers anyway?
One of the greatest benefits of praying in tongues is that it edifies us spiritually. It fills us with great inner strength... especially in situations that are so tough and hard that humanly would just crush us... when we pray in the spirit, it will fill us with supernatural strength and wisdom. 1 Corinthians 14:4 says, "He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself." Acts 1:8 promises, "But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."
When we get baptized with the Holy Spirit, we actually receive the power, the ability, the efficiency and the might of God Himself. This means we can daily, even moment by moment stir up the power of the Holy Spirit within us by praying in tongues.
Romans 8:26,27 says that when we pray in tongues, we always pray the perfect will of God over a situation... and God is free to move powerfully on our behalf. It says, "So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but he Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf... the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will."
When we pray in tongues, our minds do not understand what we are praying and thus also are not able to interfere ... especially when we are praying for things that our minds couldn't even believe for or fathom... but our spirits can. So, we allow our spirits to pray, keeping our minds from interfering. 1 Corinthians 14:14 says, "For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody]." We give an opening for God to move in our situations and in the lives of people through our prayers.
I believe we all have sensed things in our spirit far before they have actually happened. It was the Holy Spirit who revealed those things to our spirit/heart. John 16:13 says, "He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]." Sometimes we sense something but we don't quite understand what it is or what the Spirit is saying. Our minds immediately cut in and begin to translate the cognition in a limited human understanding. That is when it helps such a great deal to pray in the spirit. When we pray in the spirit, we open our spirits up to God's Spirit to minister to us and show us things we need to know at this time. We no longer have to get by only with mere human wisdom... we have the wisdom of the All Knowing and All Powerful God Himself at our disposal.
1 Corinthians 2:9-13 says, "The Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him.. to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man's scrutiny]. For what person perceived (knows and understands) what passes though a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God. And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit]."
If You haven't yet been baptized with the Holy Spirit, here is what Gloria Copeland says about it in her book God's Will For You:
After You have asked another believer to pray with and for You to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit: "As hands are laid upon you, expect the Holy Spirit to come upon you just as He came upon the believers at Ephesus, and you will begin to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives you the words.
"In the accounts of believers receiving the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with other tongues. Nowhere in the New Testament does it say the Holy Spirit does the speaking. The believer speaks as the Holy Spirit gives him utterance.
"You must supply the sound as the Holy Spirit supplies the words. These words will be unknown to you. The Scripture teaches us that in the spirit we speak mysteries unto God. (1 Cor. 14:2)
"When you pray in tongues, you are praying in the spirit. Just as English is the voice of your mind, praying in tongues is the voice of your spirit. Therefore, after you ask, speak no more English. You cannot speak two languages at once."
When I dedicated my life to the Lord, I heard pastor Casey Treat say that he prayed at least 1 hour in tongues every single day. Then I heard some other successful ministers and business people say the same thing. I too wanted this powerful gift that would give me the deeper connection with my Lord. I asked for it and another believer prayed with me and I got filled with the Holy Spirit and started to pray in tongues. Since then I have made it a habit to pray in tongues daily for a certain period of time. I can pray in the spirit while cleaning or washing dishes or even during a walk. It not only brings me creative ideas or ideas of how to solve a problem but it fills me with peace and calm... it calms the storms within and around me.
It doesn't matter what our calling in life is. We need the wisdom of God daily. We don't even know what obstacles lay before us... but God knows and when we pray in tongues, He is able to move on our behalf and completely eradicate some problems... without us even knowing there was one coming our way.
I remember, years ago, waking up one morning and having a really bad feeling inside. I had no idea why! I did not know what was happening, but I took time to pray in tongues. After praying for about an hour, complete peace filled me again. During my evening walk I was crossing the road. At the same time a car was making a turn. I did not see the car. The driver was talking to his passenger and did not notice me... until his car touched my leg. He managed to hit the brakes at the last moment. That is when I realized, had I not prayed that day until peace came, I would have been run over. I did not know it... but the Lord, Who knows the future and the plans of the devil, knew it. I would not have known how to pray with my mind... but my spirit, being connected to the Spirit of God, knew how to pray. I prayed the perfect will of God and I was spared from a horrible accident.
There is great power in praying in tongues. God did not give us this gift for no reason. I believe all believers during those times should be baptized with the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues daily. We would be walking and living in so much greater protection and wisdom and blessings... we would truly be living in the power of God. This gift and power is Biblical and it is available to every single child of God. If You have not yet received this awesome gift of God, please do meditate on the above verses... and then step out and receive the gift Yourself. Your life will never be the same.
Praying in the spirit helps us to fulfill the calling to "walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)." (Gal.5:16) When we get baptized with the Holy Spirit, even our whole nature will become diffused with Him. It is so much easier to live a Christian life in the power of God... rather than in a human power.
Many, many blessings and power of God to You all,
Eve
Contributing writer of My Walk With Jesus newspaper & website
http://www.MyWalkWithJesus.net
Body-mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in a Biblical Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net
Comment (3)
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Tue, Sep 9th - 11:54AM
Open Persecution Versus Subtle Trap
"Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you. Receive, I pray you, the law and instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty [and submit and humble yourself before Him], you will be built up; ...put away unrighteousness far from your tents." (Job 22:21-23)
We had interesting visitors in our church a few days ago: leaders and bishops from Latvia, Byelorussia and Russia. The bishop from Byelorussia shared a powerful testimony of how they had had to defend their church from the persecution of their government and other ruling authorities. They literally put their lives on line... but as they stood up for their faith, God turned everything around and they won the kind of victory that was unheard of in their country.
It was an amazing story, making me think of the ways the devil comes against each of us to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). The devil literally had set himself and his evil forces to wipe out this congregation and all of Christian faith in Byelorussia... but an interesting thing happened. As those Christians stood up for their faith, they conquered their fear and become fearless. This, in turn, brought fear over their opponents.
Isaiah 54:14-15 promises us, "You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness, in conformity with God's will and order); you shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you. Behold, they may gather together and stir up strife, but it is not from Me. Whoever stirs up strife against you shall fall and surrender to you."
This Word became flesh in those Byelorussian believers' lives. They stood up for what they believed in, being ready to die... and God turned everything around for them.
The attack against those believers was a very obvious one. There was absolutely no way they could have ignored it. Although most of us do not have to defend our faith like that, still, it does not mean that those of us who have the permission to practice our Christian faith freely have rid ourselves from the enemy assaults. Unfortunately, the onfalls we come under are often so much more subtle... even so that we do not even realize that we are actually conforming to the plans of the enemy. Being blinded by his tactics, we ourselves allow him to come in and steal and kill and destroy.
Fortunately, there is the very same weapon that we all possess. Those Christians, being openly attacked, had the very same weapon we, being subtly attacked, possess. It is righteousness - rightness, in conformity with God's will and order. God has given us the Book where His will is written down. When we take time to renew our minds to His will and follow it, He Himself will fight our battles for us, bringing the enemy's plans to nought.
God has given us His Word, which is His will for our lives. His Word reveals to us how God thinks and how spiritual laws work. The Word shows us the way to victory, to health, to prosperity, to happiness, to contentment and fulfillment, to success in every area of our lives. The Bible also exposes the lies and deceptions of the enemy. God loves us so incredibly much that He has presented us with His loving will for our lives.
The main deception we, free Christians, so often fall for, is our own will, our own way. Yes, we do go to God and ask Him to reveal His will for our lives... yet, do we submit to the will He has clearly revealed to us through His Word? Far too often we choose our own way, being subtly tempted into the plan of the devil.
Let me tell You of a deception the devil used in my life... and this, only some years ago. Although I do not consider myself a weak Christian, spending time daily in His Word and prayer, still the devil had his subtle plan worked out for me. No, he is no fool! He knows each of us and each of our dreams and weaknesses... and he uses them against us.
Some years ago I met someone I really liked. I truly believed that he was the one for me... even though he was not a Christian. The Bible is very clear in this subject: "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?" (2 Cor.6:14)
I knew this verse... though, I did not meditate it nor did I turn to it while liking the guy who did not know the Lord. Sure, he believed in God... but he chose to believe in Him his own way. But the Word says that there is only ONE way to God - through Jesus Christ. I did pray to God about this relationship. Though, honestly, knowing the truth, I should have kept a safe distance. But, hey, I actually believed that I was right. I honestly believed that I was an exception to the law... that God allowed this relationship in my case. I believed I was mature enough to discern His voice and could handle the relationship.
So, instead of the Word of God being firmly rooted in my heart in this matter, I had my wrong thoughts firmly rooted in my heart. The Word tells us that our hearts lead us (Psalm 16:7). At times we feel something very strong in our hearts and we believe it to be the leading of the Lord... but often it is our own desire or our own wrong thinking that is rooted in our hearts that leads us. Our unrenewed thoughts, rooted in our hearts, lead us to make wrong decisions. Also, the moment we begin to think that God has made an exception in our case... we've fallen into the trap of the devil, believing a lie... which is one of his most effective ones too!
The Bible tells us that the Truth will set us free... which basically means that all that is out of the limits of the Truth will bind us. This is the Truth.
Psalm 36:1 says, "Transgression [like an oracle] speaks to the wicked deep in his heart." ...we might have made Jesus our Savior, yet, unrenewed thoughts in our hearts speak to us like oracles, tricking us into believing it to be the voice of the Lord... for the Lord too speaks to us through our hearts.
In Hebrews 3:10 the Holy Spirit grieves, talking about believers, "They always err and are led astray in their hearts... they have not perceived or recognized My ways and become progressively better and more experimentally and intimately acquainted with them."
When we leave an area of our hearts unrenewed with God's thoughts ...or we believe that He makes an exception in our case... or we think certain laws do not apply during modern times, we are opening ourselves up to the deceptions and temptations of the enemy. The Word is clear: "God is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb.13:8). He does not change... and neither does His Word.
In Proverbs God truly pleads with us, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." (4:23) God calls us to keep and guard our hearts above all else, so that His Life may freely flow... after all, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." (Gal.5:1)
Christ went to the cross to set us free from the power of the devil. Our own way does not lead us to happiness. Psalm 37:31 shows us a way to certain victory, "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." We are firmly making right decisions and moving towards the right destination when we have the Truth abiding in our hearts and leading our hearts.
At times we experience God's blessings in some area of our lives and we believe we must be hearing the voice of the Lord in every area... but it is very much possible for us to make godly decisions in one area that we have submitted to the Lord, renewing our thoughts according to His thoughts... and yet, consistently make wrong decisions in another area of our lives. When things go well in one area, it does not mean that we are led by the Spirit of God in every area of our lives. He is the Lord over those areas of our lives where we have allowed Him to be the Lord. The areas where we are the lords ourselves, He leaves alone. He truly is a gentleman.
And then, even if we submit an area of our lives to Him sincerely, with all our hearts... though, still allowing the old mindset to remain... we will be led astray... the Word is very clear about the matter - our hearts lead us. If it is the Word of God that rules in our hearts, we will be making right decisions... if we continue to think like we used to when living apart from God, we will be making wrong decisions.
I did pray about my relationship. I did ask for the Lord to lead it and protect it... but at the same time I was seeking for confirmations about it being what I wanted it to be. And sure enough, I found the "confirmation"... so, I simply continued.
I so love what Psalm 1 says, "Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather, but his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]." (v.1-3)
Wow, we are promised to bring forth good fruit in all our doings and every one of our plans and undertakings would prosper and come to maturity... IF our delight and desire would be in the law of the Lord and IF we would meditate and ponder and study His law - the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God - day and night.
Verse 6 tells us why that is so important... and what happens when we choose to make our own decisions: "the way of the ungodly [those living outside God's will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought)."
When we read the word "ungodly", we immediately discredit ourselves as we belong to God... but can we discredit ourselves when we read the meaning of the word: "those living outside God's will"... we better be honest or ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Truth to us. There might well be areas in our lives where we live according to the ways of the world.
No, God does not love us any less when we do things that do not please Him. He still loves us dearly and tenderly. He is not punishing us... but, He cannot bless us either. He has told us what to do in order to prosper and do well in life... over and over and over again in His Word. Now, if we still decide to ignore the Truth, He is not at fault when we fall.
Joshua 1:8 exhorts us, "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success."
Job 22:21-22 charges us, "Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you. Receive, I pray you, the law and instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart."
Matthew 6:33, the verse we all know by heart, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
Good success does not come to us by simply being Christians. Good success comes to us when we dare to take a step further and make Him the LORD over every area of our lives, obeying His Word. He has not set the laws in place in order to limit us... He is the God of order and He created everything with a blessing or a curse in it. He exhorts us to "choose the blessing". He begs us not to go the way of the curse... but He has left the choice up to us. Psalm 1:6 tells us that our own ways "shall perish - end in ruin and come to nought"... no matter how lovely they seem to be.
You might have guessed it, my relationship with an ungodly man ended in ruin and came to nought... although it all seemed so beautiful and perfect in the beginning. It was not God's fault. It was my disobedience that caused it. I chose my plan instead of waiting for God's good plan for my life to take shape in His timing... and I simply wasted time... time that I could have spent learning to know Him more.
The devil is not stupid. His crafty and clever temptations are so subtle that often we do not even realize we are conforming to his will instead of God's will until it is too late. Every thought that comes to us, being not what the Word says, is not of the Lord. If we receive those thoughts, believing that we are exceptions to the law, we are well on our way to perish in this area of our lives.
What is the area You are struggling with? I have heard a lot of Christians struggling in the area of paying tithes. 10% seems a lot of money to simply give away, so, the devil whispers into the hearts of men to pay the 10% after the taxes, not before... so, a lot of us give not the best but the secondary to the Lord... not even realizing the devil is robbing us of our blessing. For when we tithe off of our gross income, we allow God to become our Provider, not the world... which means that even while the world is in recession and financial trouble, we will be satisfied (Ps.37:19)... and He indeed is faithful Who has promised.
God's laws are not set in place to limit our happiness... they are to expand our joy! When we step out in faith, trusting the Lord, He WILL prove Himself faithful. Do dare to submit the areas of struggle and fear and self-will to the Lord, trusting in Him. He will prove Himself faithful. He is a good, loving, caring Father. He is not mad at You... He longs to do good to You... allow Him to.
Many, many blessings to You,
Eve
Contributing writer of My Walk With Jesus newspaper & website
http://www.MyWalkWithJesus.net
Body-mind-Spirit Health, Fitness & Beauty in a Biblical Way
http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net
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