Tag Archives: Promise

Holy Habitation, Prayer

Morning Prayer: 2/26/23

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“…since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” (11:11b)

Amen! Yes. By faith. By faith to trust You, O God, we please You. That faith that pleases You is settled on the Promise Keeper. Not the promise.

Father, we tend to view Your promises from a fleshly standpoint, aligning our hope with our own understanding and desire. We too readily fail to see with Your eyes and realize that You do far above all we can possibly think or ask.

When things don’t go the way we think it should, we believe You failed us and fall into despair. This is sure sign our faith is setting on the promise as we see it, not on trust in You who have the full answer, know the full truth, and always do what is best, accomplishing Your best good for all. Father, forgive me this, and grant me faith that is fully and truly based in You: Your who, Your do, Your will, way, plan, and purpose. In Jesus, amen.

Holy Habitation, Prayer

Morning Prayer: 11/12/22

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Lord we need You. You are our first, most vital need and necessity whether or not we recognize our deep destitution apart from You. Please sweep across this nation bringing about a mighty spiritual awakening and great revival. Open our eyes to see You, our ears to hear You, our minds to know You, and our hearts to understand You and Your ways with believing faith. Make us to know our true need and our deepest shortfalls. Cause our hearts to turn to You through earnest repentance, truly seeking Your face. Remove our heart of stone and grant us a heart that is circumcised to You and pliable in Your hands. Forgive our great sin against You and, by Your faithfulness to Your word, heal this land. Restore our strength, renew our minds, and banish everything in us that is not of You. Then glorify Yourself, granting us godly leaders and making us a light of Your goodness, grace, and might in the earth. Until Jesus comes, we seek You with earnest expectation and hope in Your mercy made new every morning and Your unfailing love and compassion toward us who believe.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen!

Holy Habitation, Prayer

Morning Prayer: 8/8/22

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‭Genesis‬ ‭17:1-11‬ ‭‬‬ (read chapters 16-17)

“… You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭10:12-21‬ ‭‬‬

Thank You, Father, that You desire our heart – for us to be wholehearted toward You, practicing our faith through surrendered trust in Your faithfulness.

You have taught me that my faith can only stand firm on You when my focus is Your faithfulness. We too easily make our faith the god that determines our outcome. Faith to believe and trust You is important, for without faith, it is impossible to please You; but, as Your faithfulness did not stop because of Abram and Sarah’s faith that took a wrong turn, in their attempt to make their own way to the promise by using Hagar, so Your faithfulness will prove itself in us and our situations as we put the focus of our trust in You. You still kept Your word to Abraham. You – who know our hearts – will be found faithful by us.

It is Your faithfulness that must be our focus for our faith to stand in agreement and cooperate with You. I pray for discernment of Your promises, trust to take You at Your Word, and clear vision to follow Your lead as we keep our focus on Your faithfulness with earnest expectation and hope in You who will do it. You will accomplish Your Word. Not one tittle of Your word will fall or fail, for, however long the wait, You are faithful and will show Yourself strong. This I’ve seen. This I know of You. In You I trust. In Jesus, amen.

Holy Habitation, Prayer

Morning Prayer: 7/14/22

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“Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16-18‬ ‭AMPC‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/8/1th.5.16-18.AMPC

Father God, thank You for teaching me the joy of a grateful heart. Thank you for instructing me to know that no one can take that joy from me, and that, even in grievous circumstances, the joy of a thankful heart flourishes, for that heart knows You. That heart believes the truth about You and Your faithfulness at all times. That heart trusts Your Word, believes Your promises, accepts Your ways, walks with You in earnest expectation and hope, knowing that You always work for the good of the one whose heart loves You and who is living a life that follows You with heart desire to fulfill Your purpose.

We can always give thanks from a truly grateful heart because You are the source and cause of our gratitude. It is You we give thanks for as we remember You in every circumstance, rejoicing over the potential and assurance of experiencing You in this life, through the troubling and the good. You never leave nor forsake us. You are for us and not against us. Even in hardship and tribulation, You grow us strong as we trust in You, making us ready for the fulfillment of Your purpose and plan, as You bring us to completion, made ready and adequately prepared for our Bridegroom and King. Thank You that You are always the one we can be grateful for in every circumstance.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for loving us all the way to the cross, and for showing us the way to take up our cross of obedience to God at all cost, and to daily follow You with every step committed to the Father’s will and way. Thank You for taking all sin onto Your shoulders and experiencing the turning back of God’s rejection for us, so we who believe and receive Your gift of eternal grace never have to know that fate. And thank You, Father, for loving us and desiring this Parent-child relationship so much that You gave Your only begotten Son to accomplish it. May we forever keep our eyes on You with grateful heart. In Jesus, amen.

Holy Habitation, Prayer

Morning Prayer: 6/28/22

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Father, thank You that You, knowing our frame, are mindful that we are but dust. We are Your creation, given breath, life, strength, and purpose by You. We can do nothing of eternal worth and true goodness apart from You. Only with You as our true supply of wisdom, direction, and power sourcing can we accomplish the work You prepared for us to do and succeed at fulfilling Your divine purpose and plan. You know how difficult it is for mere dust to maintain focus and not be blown off course by every wind.

Thank You for making The Way of redemption through The Truth of Christ, giving us The Life You desire we possess. He is our anchor that holds us, the wind of Your Spirit directing us on paths of righteousness, uprightness, and right standing with You, for Your Name’s sake, as pleases You. Thank You that our past is behind us, covered by Christ, and You use the lessons from it to bring us to a good end. May we not be stuck in the mud of dead dust. In Christ, we are free indeed.

Holy Habitation

Be On the Alert

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“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. … What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ” Mark‬ ‭13:30-33, 37‬ ‭

Prophecy can be confusing to us because some speaks of things specific to the hearer, and some for an age yet to be. And some, like here, speaks to both: direct warning to His disciples and warning for future generations. He is telling the disciples things they will see in their lifetime signaling the death of this world and the coming new Kingdom of God. But He is also speaking prophetic, beyond them to all who come after them. Each generation will see these warning signs until the instant of His return.

Like that first generation, we will all ‬‬see these signs ebb and flow like birthing pains, getting stronger, longer, harder, and more severe until the the end is here. We are warned by these signs to be ready and alert so we are found fully prepared for Him when He comes. What’s the sign we’re looking for that tells us this is it?

“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. … the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” Matthew‬ ‭24:27, 30-31‬ ‭‬

Like birthing pangs lead to an opening for the emergence of a child, so the harsh, hard, pressing things around us will lead to parting skies and the returning Christ, bringing in a new and eternal age. Are you ready and alert?

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Sons (and Daughters) of the Living God

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“THEREFORE, SINCE these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God.” ~ 2 Corinthians 7:1 AMPC

Led to this verse of the day, the question I must answer for complete understanding is “What are the promises Paul references that I must remember if I am to fully consecrate myself to Christ, thus perfecting holiness in me?” The answer in this case is found in chapter 6, verses 17-18.

“So, come out from among [unbelievers], and separate (sever) yourselves from them, says the Lord, and touch not [any] unclean thing; THEN I WILL receive you kindly and treat you with favor, AND I WILL be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” ~ 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 AMPC

God receives kindly and treats with the favor of a Father to sons and daughters those who separate themselves from the ungodly, the evil, the unrepentant. We consecrate ourselves, working in agreement with the Spirit’s perfecting work of holiness in us, when we desire to please our Father by acting like sons and daughters should, desiring to rightly represent Him and His interests.

When we separate ourselves from worldly pursuits and those who chase after evil (evil being all that rebels against God and His will and way), we prove ourselves as God’s children. The Spirit of God then has full sway to accomplish His purpose in the heart, mind, and life of one fully surrendered to pleasing God above all, just as a small child loves and lives to please their Father. That is the life seen in those who are perfected in holiness.

“Just as He says in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved [I will call] My beloved. [Hos. 2:23.] And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the living God. [Hos. 1:10.]” ~ Romans 9:25-26 AMPC

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Receiving God’s Promise

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“For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘BECAUSE they have called you an outcast, saying: “It is Zion; NO ONE CARES FOR HER.” ’” (Jeremiah 30:17 NASB)

This is a promise from God to Israel at a time when their enemies noticed God’s judgement against them and began to say of them that they were outcasts because “no one cares for them,” which was and still is a lie. God cares for His people, including us. The Amplified classic version says He cares about us watchfully and cares for us affectionately (1 Peter 5:7). God will not let the enemy speak such blasphemy concerning His care for us, so for Israel, even in the midst of their sin state, God assured them of His healing.

I saw this Promise today as a stand alone truth the person was leaning on for their little one. As I read it, “I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD.” It spoke clearly to me for my husband. What tells me I have the right to trust this as truth from God for Johnny. The assurance that our God cares for us and that He is the One who determines our lifespan and the boundaries of our habitation (Acts 17:22-28).

Casting the whole of our care on You Lord, all our anxieties, all our worries, all our concerns, once and for all on You, we trust You to bring Johnny back to health of body, mind, soul, strength, and spirit, and to heal this wound that refuses healing. We trust You to respond all because You care for us affectionately and You care about us watchfully. This is our hope and cry in Jesus Holy Name, who imparts righteousness to us by the power of Your grace sufficient, amen.

1 Peter 5:7 AMPC

ACTS 17:23-28 NASB

Psalm 55:22 AMPC

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

The “Then” Keys

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“Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’” (Isaiah 58:8-9 NKJV)

I love Isaiah 58. It is one of my favorite passages of scripture, filled with promises from God and instruction to us for a sincere heart of fasting before the Lord.

In verses 1-7 begins instruction on the fast, which expresses the “Then Key” to obtaining the Promises. It expresses the fast God has chosen, which in short is to die to self; laying down one’s own life for others; counting the lowest, most destitute above self; taking up our cross of self-denial to follow Jesus.

And what are the promises we can unlock and possess with these keys?

Then keys unlock:

🗝 your light which breaks forth like the morning.

🗝 your healing, springing forth speedily.

🗝 your Righteousness, going before you;

🗝 The glory of the LORD as your rear guard.

🗝 you shall call, and the LORD will answer;

🗝 you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

The chapter is full of keys of selfless fasting that gains the keys to unlock the BLESSings of abundant life. Read it often. Practice it with every breath. And watch in scripture for other Kingdom keys.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Desires Fulfilled

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Read this blessing of God to Abram, then consider the boast of Babel.

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”” (Genesis 12:1-3 NLT)

“Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”” (Genesis 11:4 NLT)

Do you see the similarities? The people of Babel wanted to settle down into a place of their own. They wanted to be a great nation of great renown. Then here comes Abram, following hard after God, and what does God promise to him? A territory of his own in which to settle down and grow into a great nation, with a name of great renown.

It begs the question: did God just pick something out of the blue to gift to Abram, or was this the deep desire of Abram’s heart? It was an obvious desire for the people of Babel. Was their desire wrong? What’s the difference between them and Abram? What do the answers to these questions say to us concerning our desires?

I believe God plant’s the seeds of His desire in all off us. The problem is what our minds and hearts do with those seeds. For example, God “wishes none to perish, but all to come to repentance.” The seed of desire for eternity is in most all of us. A desire for God resides there. Problem is in what feeds, nourishes, and waters that desire. Are we delving into Truth and searching for the Real with understanding that their is a Mind, a Power, greater than self to find and humbly tap into? Or do we see self or some other pathway as the solution?

God wanted the earth populated. He wanted all to find their place in the scheme of God’s plan. So He planted desires toward that end into the heart of humankind. I believe Babel was the result of God given desires being twisted by self-centered minds, aided by enemy potencies. They were working out of the wisdom of the flesh, the world, and the demonic. And fleshly weariness in the journey may well have been a factor. Seeing the area and liking what they saw, failing to seek God’s opinion and provision, they were willing to stop there rather than find the greater plan of God.

In Abram, on the other hand, we see the following:

“Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.” (Psalms 37:3-6 NASB)

I believe this call on Abram’s life and the desires in him began with his father, Terah. The journey to Canaan began in the heart and at the leading of Terah, indications being that he was, at the first, following God.

However, along the way, Terah’s son, Haran, died. When they reached the city named Haran, Terah settled there. One, well known Bible teacher, (I’m thinking it was Beth Moore, but don’t quote me on that because my brain is unsure), but that Bible teacher made the observation that Terah got stuck in Haran out of his grief over the passing of his son, Haran, and he could not make himself go on, so God passed the baton to Abram. I believe that is true.

The difference between the people of Babel and Abram is their seeking after God. Abram fed off of his desire to follow God over all other desires. His willingness to please God earned him the reward of a promise for his heart’s desire to be realized. All that the people of Babel wanted, Abram wanted to, and his heart toward God as first place made the difference.

God places desires in our hearts: desires for good, for future, and for hope. Seeking Him, chasing hard after Him, trusting His lead is key to seeing our desires fulfilled.

A blogger, using Proverbs 16:3, advises that once we commit to follow God, then, and only then, does God order our thoughts to direct our path to His desires being fulfilled in us (David Fischer). What’s the desires of Your heart, Beloved? A friend of mine often said it this way, “I know the desire. I’m seeking God to know what the journey to it’s fulfillment looks like” (Missionary Steve Cook). God will establish our thoughts to understand the ways and means as we first commit ourselves to Him and seek Him for it.

“Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3 NKJV)

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Finding Who We Are: Part 7

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Hebrews 6:1-20 NASB

“In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us….” (6:17-18)

Heirs of Promise! THAT is who we are, through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

I could say, “Rejoice!” and stop there. Enough said. But there’s gold in this here Word, so let’s mine it.

First we see in vs. 17-18 that as heirs of the promises of the Father with Christ, those promises give us hope. But hope set before us is nothing until we grasp hold of it. Grasping our hope in God’s promises requires us to “get it”. We grasp it through comprehensive understanding of the true meaning of each promise. We grab it and hold tight through comprehensive understanding of the fullness of God, recognizing His thoughts as higher than ours, and that His idea of a timetable is set to a different clock. With full understanding in hand, we grab to His promises by trusting faith, receiving them as our very own hope. They belong to us, corporately and individually, in Christ.

For the sake of the whole Body of Christ, it is vital that each part grasp God’s promises personally. We are all responsible to grow strong in faith, for the body is only as healthy as it’s weakest link.

We see it all the time, one member of the body, weakened by insecurity that comes to those with wavering faith and little hope, falls to sin-sickness. Infectious, it spreads to more and more, until the whole body of believers falls apart, and a church dies. The infection of sin-sickness is what led Paul to write 1 Corinthians 5. “…Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” (5:6)

Beloved, hope, the hope of promise made sure, is vital to health.

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (6:19-20)

The promises of God, possessed and trusted, anchor us, holding us stable and secure despite what our eyes see. Whatever storm in life, we are secure, unhindered by fear, never swayed by wind or wave.

Driving home after dropping hubby off for work this morning, my attention was captivated by leaves on the roadway. Being driven by the wind, they were dancing, free and unabated. It was beautiful and joyous.

When we have a firm grip on God’s Word to us, no storm in life can rob of strength, hope, Joy, and fervency. We carry on, fueled by faith’s assurance, able to dance in the Spirit before the God we trust.

“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.” (6:13-16)

God rewards faithfulness! As we bear the fruit of patience into the world and through every storm, trusting God for His promises fulfilled, we reveal Christ to those witnesses watching us. People need the Lord. Our right and good waiting moments proves character and shines the Light of glory into the Earth, making eternal use of the opportunity found in our wait. Doing so with joy, peace, and perseverance, captivates the audience: bringing rejoicing to those who know such hope; and drawing those who don’t into the fold, desiring to find it for themselves.

“But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (6:9-12)

Through diligence, we realize the full assurance of hope until the end. Hope is the product of assurance raised up in us as we believe in the promises of God by faith, trusting, as Heirs, that we will have our hope fulfilled.

Through our diligent faith, we become imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Our growth as heirs of promise assures that we leave behind the elementary teachings about the Christ to press on to maturity (6:1-8).

See also

2 Peter 1:2-4 NASB

1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Fruit Bearing Truth

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“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NASB

Throughout my life, this passage has brought teaching on the fact that we cannot bear eternal fruit apart from our union with Christ. This is a very true teaching that is vital to understand. But as I look at this today, my mind settles on the promise of this verse.

The one who abides in Christ and he in the one, that one bears much fruit! Period. The end.

If we truly are in Christ and Him in us, there will be eternal fruit evidenced in our lives. If there is no fruit – the ever growing and glowing image of God shining forth from us as born out of the Spirit – there is reason to question our true alliance.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

God’s Parameters of Protection

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I hear people all the time saying “God works all things together for good,” and they stop there. These often get a deer in the headlights look when the parameters for God’s good work is pointed out.

Don’t miss the “to those” of this promise. God works good in all things “to those who love God”; and, “to those” who are walking out His purposes according to His calling. If we go outside of God’s calling and purpose, or if we act without love for God, we step outside of this hedge of His protection.

With most of God’s promises there is a parameter, a hedge that sets the boundaries for remaining in His field of promise. Step outside of that, we face consequences God’s hedge is set to spare us from suffering. Don’t get caught in the headlights of danger, Dear. Watch for the parameters set by our loving Father.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation, Trust

Only Fear Falling Short of Rest

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“…Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.” Hebrews 3:18-19, 4:1 NASB

Entering God’s rest: it is a vital posture for us to obtain if we are to move safely through the harsh environs of this world. Two things hinder us from entering the rest God has for us to possess:

One is disobedience. When we fail to obey God, we are constantly fretting because of the hurt and turmoil that comes as a consequence of sin.

The second hindrance to entering God’s rest is failure to truly trust God; which, in itself, is sin. Symptoms that tell all we are not truly trusting God include:

⁃ An ungodly fear, that denies the goodness of God’s Sovereignty and unfathomable wisdom, failing to acknowledge His vision for things we can’t know or truly understand. Fearing the unknown, instead of trusting the God who knows all.

⁃ Anger, as in a temper tantrum over not getting our way: thinking we know best how a situation should go and not trusting God’s better judgment from His station of all knowing wisdom.

⁃ A hopelessness that says we or the situation are beyond God’s power to help, protect or to work good in it.

⁃ Depression that traps us in said hopelessness.

⁃ Trying to fix what we feel God failed to accomplish, as if we know better than He what is good, right, and needful for eternal purpose.

These are but a few symptoms of failure to truly trust, thus failing to enter God’s rest.

The greatest hindrance to entering God’s rest is failure to believe His promises and the truth of His self-revelation to us found in His Word.

By God’s Word, I know that God is good, He works for my good, and He is always faithful. I know that truth about Him, but when I fail to believe and trust these truths, I go my own way and try to fix things I only think I fully see and know the truth of.

Taking God at His Word and trusting His promises are vital to our obedience and trust. Without these foundational blocks seated firmly under our feet, we stumble and fall more readily into the things that keep us from His rest.

Faith that God can do what needs done often sees what we believe is the best solution or what we desire most to happen and seeks Him for that. There is nothing wrong with seeking God in this way. The only wrong is when we do so without complete trust in Him.

Trust in God recognizes His Sovereignty, with faith in Him to work a good I may not understand in the moment. Trust knows God is faithful, loving, caring, and working our destiny for eternal purpose. Even when things don’t go the way we hoped, trust remains strong in the Lord, and His rest is our waiting room while we watch with earnest expectation and hope of seeing His good bring all into His glory.

Trust rests in God being God and working His good, not in our idea of what “good” should look like. No one and no thing can disturb the rest of one whose trust is securely set in God and His righteousness.

Enter His rest, Beloved, and be at peace beyond the comprehension of a world in turmoil. Like Paul, May our only fear be in failure to please God, thus missing the rest He has for us.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Surefooted

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“The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19 NLT

Wow! I am so excited for this Promise from God. What a glorious Word for us who desire more than anything to please our God.

Think about it. Scripture teaches that though we make our plans, it is God who directs our steps (1). His Word instructs us to know that He assures our heart (2). Then this verse assures us that our God makes us “SUREFOOTED”!

~ Surefooted – unlikely to stumble or slip. CONFIDENT and COMPETENT. ~

Wow. Through faith in God, who directs our path and assures our hearts, we can press forward with surefooted fervor, confident and competent to accomplish the glory of God in the path of His choosing.

Through faith’s assurance, we can press on in Christ, despite the accuser who would cause us doubt and fear, whether demon or those who work as Satan’s advocate. Beloved, from experience, I know this assurance of heart that comes when my foot is where God wants it. So can you. Seek Him in faith today, then press forward in trust to do the good He inspires in you.

“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” (Hymn – Trust and Obey, written by John H. Sammis)

1. Proverbs 16:9 AMPC

2. Romans 8:28; Colossians 4:12; Hebrews 10:19-22; 11:1-2; 1 John 3:18-22

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Trust God’s Promises

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” Psalms‬ ‭32:8‬ ‭NASB‬‬

I posted this beautiful promise of God to friends today. One expressed gratitude for the truth of Father’s faithfulness to direct our path and asked us to pray for Him to direct her path in a decision she is facing. I started to reply agreement when this question hit my heart, “Why do we ask God for what He promises to do?”

It hit me that the need is not for God to do what He does; it is for us to have ears to hear, eyes to see, a mind to know with understanding, a heart to trust His faithfulness, and a willing spirit of obedience that believes His timely provision.

I noted a Scripture the other day that tells us to remind God of His promises. I asked, “Why, Lord? It’s not like You forget.” It dawns on me that the practice of reminding Him, reciting to Him what we know of Him, is not for His sake, but our own: strengthening our faith, solidifying our belief, lifting the muscle building weights of comprehensive understanding.

Got a need? Recite God’s promises with grateful heart, Beloved, and request your need so you can hear, possess, and walk out His directives with faith’s hope.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Be Strong and Courageous

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“Be strong and courageous…” Deuteronomy 31:6 NASB

Good morning! I don’t know if you’re like me, Beloved, but when I read passages or verses like today’s power thought, I often find myself thinking, “Ok, I must be strong today and walk in strength with courage.” That puts it all on me to accomplish the call I perceive, and I too often falter and fail, so I start shaking in my proverbial boots at the very thought of the challenge before me. I fail to consider the main point that signals my true need.

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”” Deuteronomy 31:6 NASB

The true need in this call to strength with courage is CONFIDENCE. As I remember with confident faith the promise part, that God is with me, and that HE WILL NOT fail or forsake me, strength and courage flow freely out of that confident faith.

So press forward, Mighty Warrior. God brought you to this day with a purpose. He is with you to complete it; and He will not fail or forsake you. Trust His lead. Make sure you’re cooperating with His will and way so you don’t inadvertently walk away from Him, and you will get through the challenges of this day victoriously, whatever that brings your way.

Devotional Series, Godly Principles, Holy Habitation

It Begins in the Heart

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“Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. …The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. So all the peoples of the earth will SEE that you are called by the name of the Lord… The LORD will make you abound in prosperity… The LORD will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. …” Deuteronomy 28:1, 9-14 NASB

A promise to the nation of Israel, yes; and we come under it through the bloodline of Christ. As a nation that has professed Christianity, making us one nation under God, we trust the promises of God are true for us who believe. In that faith, the world has long known us as a Christian nation and are shocked when they see we struggle as they do, and sometimes much worse.

Drought in large portions of our nation; fires bringing great destruction; some of the largest disasters in our history; and the political atmosphere, economic issues, cultural division, and ever rising national debt! Our scripture tells us that others “see” that we bear the name of the Lord by the obedience we give to His will done His way, thus, reaping the blessings He sends. Suffice to say, our nation is symptomatic of one who no longer understands the nuances of bearing the name of the Lord.

This passage in Deuteronomy 28 (above) and the call to prayer in 2 Chronicles 7 (pictured and quoted below) make clear the expectation God has in us being known by His name, but what does that mean? It is obviously something that can be observed by others. What does that look like?

Second Chronicles 7:14 reveals that those called by His name sincerely seek Him with repentant hearts that turn away from wicked ways. Repentance flows out of a heart after God’s own heart, desiring Him above all and choosing to follow His will instead of our own. This heart is the soil from which the image of God grows and matures, bringing about the bearing of the fruit of His Spirit in us.

That fruit born out of relationship with God blesses us first with increased strength in that vital relationship. Keeping God first, our love relationship with God sustains us. That relationship empowers all else: right and blessed relationships with others – mates, children; parents, siblings; employers, co-workers, employees; neighbors, friends, strangers, and other nations. Right and good relationships reveal God and His BLESSings in a people and their land.

God promises that He blesses those who abide in relationship with Him in this fruit bearing way. He supplies weather conditions that produce crops to feed us. He supplies work through which we gain wealth. He provides strength, wisdom, and prowess that makes our nation strong against any would-be enemy. He blesses the nation and its people, so they may lend, but never have to borrow.

If we want our nation to stand strong again, it begins in the heart. And that begins with knees bent in surrendered repentance to a Holy God we want and know the need of above all other desires.

“If…My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 NASB

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation, Trust

Maintaining my Streak with God’s Strength

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: Bragging on Father Today

Please bare with me while I do a little bragging on our God.

I have struggled with sweets addiction off and on since childhood. All the common triggers can knock me off my resolve, stress and tiredness topping that list.

The past three years have put me in the worst struggle ever as I care for my husband of 42 years and counting. He is in a fight against prostate cancer: stage 5. His goal is to work and live Life until he just can’t keep going. Our journey began with him at stage 4 because he had NONE of the typical symptoms, so it slipped up on us and last year it went to the bones. (Men, don’t neglect your health. Get your physicals.)

God faithfully strengthens him so he is still working and living, and my #1 ministry right now is to help him press on to live Life. For the most part, I do well, but when life gets hard for him – can anyone say “stressed and tired”.

When our journey began, Johnny begged me to promise I would take care of me and not let this journey destroy my health and strength. I have tried to do that, but throughout the stress and exhaustion that comes following hard days when I must pour into helping him, sweets overwhelmed my resolve and set up a stronghold.

Recently, as I cried out to God over my inability to stand against that addictive habit, He spoke clear instruction to me through Paul’s experience of Him in 2 Corinthians 12. Father assured me that the same grace made available to Paul is there for me as well. Thus began my journey of thanking God for His faithful provision to meet each temptation with the strength of His resolve. I tell you, I have never knowingly experienced such pure freedom as I am walking in because of belief in the truth that God’s grace is sufficient for me, too.

Today is Day 13: no sweets or bread. God’s strength prevails! And he has shown me another area in need of faith in Him for His gracious strength to flow through. My Strength is there for me and most days are good. For the days when I am exhausted from little sleep and too much activity, He is my rest. I am so grateful that He loves us and provides Himself for our overwhelming weakness.

What would you brag on God for today? Share it here or with someone today.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation

Mark of Discipleship: Word Symbiosis

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The original language word, translated continue, remain, abide, is a symbiotic word meaning to live in/with it while it lives in/with you.

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”” John‬ ‭8:31-32‬ ‭NASB‬‬

The Word is living and active because of God’s Spirit in us that enlivens our desire for God and empowers our comprehension of His ways. The Word given is our path to communication with God, and it’s His way of instructing us in the way we should go in serving His purpose for our days.

The Spirit draws the true disciple to desire God’s Word and seek out communion with Him. The more His Word is in us, the more prepared we are with wisdom to direct our steps through life as honors and glorifies God. Desire in us to honor and glorify God makes time in His Word a joy we run to every day – and often throughout the day.

If there is no desire for God’s Word, then truly we need to question our claim to discipleship.

Devotional Series, Holy Habitation, Trust

Trust in the Lord Keeps Doing Good, No Matter How Long the Wait for His Answer

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13 Days of Trust in the Lord and do good. Day 13 – Hebrews 10:35-36

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

The first part of our passage today instructs us to “not throw away this confident trust in the Lord.” When our wait on the Lord gets long, we too easily give up on Him and either wallow in self pitty, giving up on our Hope, or push to do what we think needs done ourselves. The author of Hebrews tells us a way to brace up our patient endurance. “Remember the great reward it brings you!”

Just in our little bit of a study on trust, we see that those who trust in the Lord are blessed by God. They are established and successful, lacking no good thing. These accomplish good things of Kingdom purpose, laying possession on their territories in life, finding God to be their help and shield. Trusting God provides true security and hope for eternity. That’s just half the days covered, and we’ve only scratched the surface of the promise God gives those who faithfully trust Him. There are many more verses that speak of rewards for trust than these 13 days we touched on.

Yes, keeping eyes on God with faith in Him and His promises brings longevity to times of waiting. Then the author writes, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Endurance is vitally important for our ability to keep doing God’s will in the wait. With endurance, we receive God’s promises. A radio announcer pointed out an interesting fact. He said that, to God, “a thousand years is as one day. That being so, our 80 years of life is only 8/100s of a day for God.” What seems long to us on this side of The Eternal, is a mere blink to Him. So hang in there, keep faith, and watch God be God.

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter ‭3:9‬ ‭NASB‬

Assurance, Faith

According to YOUR Faith

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Matthew 9:22 ~ But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; YOUR faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

9:29 ~ Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done to you according to YOUR faith.”

God highlighted these verses for me this morning, encouraging me to entrust my current issue to Him, a flare of sciatica that doesn’t want to heal and is bringing to life the worst pain I have ever had.

Yes. I have birthed three children and I have suffered a kidney stone, both believed to be the worst pain sources known to mankind, but this leg issue far surpasses my experience of pain through these means. Realize too that when I had my babes, they were not yet doing epidural blocks to cut the pain. So my pain experience is great, and this is the greatest.

Today, despite the pain, I hear the Spirit say, “Daughter, take courage; YOUR faith has made you well, and it shall be done to you according to YOUR faith.”

Note here that it is my degree of faith God is looking at to determine His response. He also instructed me to “get up and walk”, casting off the cane in faith that my healing is coming in response to obedient faith.

My husband does not have the faith that I am healed. God didn’t tell him that I am. So he instructs me, “Take your cane with you.” God immediately instructed my heart that, out of submission to my husband in obedience to God’s word and to ease his mind, I am to comply, but I do so undisturbed by his doubt, walking with strength of faith’s supply, knowing that my healing is nearby through the power of God’s Spirit.

Beloved, has God highlighted for you what He is going to do in your situation, calling you to believe by faith? Are other people lacking faith and speaking words to discourage your faith?

Realize it is YOUR faith God will respond to on your behalf. If He spoke promise to you, believe God over the voice of dissension around you. Take courage beloved. Close out the words of doubt others spout realizing that He did not speak the word of promise to them. He spoke to you. The question is, whose report will you believe? God? Or man?

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” ~ Hebrews 11:1.

Assurance

Take Up Your Cross—Made Easy!

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For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith ~ 1 John 5:4.

God speaks so clearly to my heart today, and He does it through a picture search. My thoughts on “Take up your cross daily and follow me,” looking for just the right pictures to portray that thought, I come across two that add new meaning to my understanding. Before covering that, lets cover the usual thought people have in that and the understanding I have long held that was added to today.

Most people I hear from on the subject believe carrying our cross means accepting our lot in life and bearing up under it as pleases and portrays Christ. The problem I too often see with this ideology is the person bearing it most often hangs their head, shakes it, and says, “Oh, it is just my cross to bear.”

Now I have no doubt that ideology can be part of bearing the cross, but it falls short of God’s teaching in that passage we use as our instruction on cross bearing. The preceding ideology hears the words of Christ, “Take up your cross daily and follow me” while forgetting the rest of the passage, and they do so with a defeated spirit that oft does more harm than good to the cause of Christ. God taught me much about cross bearing through the rest of that passage, so we go there for my understanding to date and what I call cross bearing.

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” ~ Luke 9:23-24.

The clue to true cross bearing is the denying of self and the losing our life now so that we can gain it for eternity. It is to say as Jesus did, “Not my will, but Thy will be done, O God.” It is the practice of Philippians 2:1-8:

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;  do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Before today I would have said that this is cross bearing at its best. Then I ran across two pictures that added insight to my understanding of the best cross bearing, whether we are accepting our lot as Job did, or denying self as Jesus did.

Picture 1: Praise and Promise!

CrossDaily01

Taking up our cross is made better than best when we take it up as one who is grabbing hold by faith to the promise and praiseworthiness of God, trusting Him despite our lot, knowing that as we deny self for the sake of others, He will meet us at our need and we will not miss our sacrifice for His name’s sake.

Picture #2: VICTORY!

CrossDaily02

Taking up our cross means to walk out the challenges of this life realizing the victory is already won in Christ. No thing we face in this life can defeat us if we are bearing our cross in faith, believing Christ who says, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” ~ John 16:33.

Taking up our cross is not a drudgery to be born. It is not hard. Because as we learn how to take it up, it is done with hope of promise, assurance of victory, and joy of glory in Christ the King, and God our Father. So take up your cross daily, my friend, and press forward in faith with strength, believing.