Online Journals

Rhema:

Ezekiel 11: 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them,[f] and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.

Inspect:

The Lord promises to give us unity with each other. He promises to give us a new spirit. He promises to take a heart, a heart that is stony which an unfeeling heart with a heat that is made of flesh. The difference? A stone is hard, without feeling and just sits there. A heart of flesh is the source of life, of feeling, of passion. With this heart of flesh, and with His new spirit, we can then walk in God’s will. It takes a heart of flesh and it takes the Spirit to be in the will of God. This is opposed to those that follow their own desires. They have a heart of stone, that doesn’t recognize the desires of the Lord and others. We need a heart of flesh that desires to have a relationship with God. Then we need a new spirit that lead us to Him, that teaches us about Him, that helps us to communicate with Him.

If we don’t walk in His will, then we will face His judgment. We cannot get away from His judgment. We shouldn’t want to, because His judgment leads us to Him and His blessings.

Commit:

I must allow Him to change my heart. I must allow Him to change my spirit. I desire to walk in His ways and keep His judgments. I want to be His and I want Him to be my God.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank for showing me how to be yours. I ask you to give me a new heart. Take my heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. Take out my spirit and replace it with your own. Help me to follow your judgments and walk in your ways. I want you to be my God, my only god. I want to be yours and no one else’s.

In the name of the one who gave His heart for me, who sent His spirit, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Ezekiel 4: 1 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. 2 Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.
7 “Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8 And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.
9 “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 11 You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”

Inspect:

I don’t intend that anyone read through this entire passage, the gist is that God asked Ezekiel who His spokesman (prophet), to not just tell the people, but to illustrate what was going to happen to them if they continue their sinful ways. Ezekiel would graphically show their city coming under attack. Ezekiel physically demonstrated the suffering they would go through in having their movements limited by a siege around them and having to experience rationing of food, water and fuel. The rhema for me is two-fold.

The first is to realize what lengths our Heavenly Father goes through to make sure we get the message. This was a multi-media experience with not just audio, but visual and physical as well! God will go through great lengths to bring us warnings about sinful behavior and the way to be blessed. God doesn’t want us to miss the blessing or how to turn-back the judgment. He loves us and wants the best for us.

The second is that prophets or spokesman of the Lord sometimes must go through great efforts and difficulty to convey the message to the people. It is not just the content, it is also how the message is to be delivered. It wasn’t enough for Ezekiel to speak the message, He had to illustrate it and demonstrate it as well. If we are to be used of God we must submit to His ways of doing things, His way is the best way.

Commit:

I must pay attention to the Lord. He will tell me in a variety of ways what I need to do to change my behavior. Sometimes it comes in words, sometimes it comes graphically and sometimes it is demonstrated, I need to pay attention. I must also be willing to be used of the Lord to bring the message out His way. No matter what effort it takes, no matter what sacrifices it takes, I must submit to it. God knows what method will work for that particular audience, and I’m to be used, I need to do it the way He wants to.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for amazing care for me, for taking the effort to use multiple ways to deliver the message to me. You go out of your way to make sure I will get your truth so that I can obey it. I ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to help me to be alert and attentive. I also ask that you equip me to deliver the message how you want it to be delivered. Please help me to take your message no matter what I takes, embarrassment, method or style, doesn’t matter. I need to trust that you care and know your audience much better than I do.

In the name of the one who speaks to me and shows me the truth, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Ezekiel 3: 16 Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
20 “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

Inspect:

Like Ezekiel we are called to be the watchman on the wall. Why? The watchman wall is someone assigned to stand and watch over the situation. They are given the position, a vantage point that allows them to see what is going on. They are then given the responsibility to report what they see, so that appropriate action can be taken to address the problem. If they do not report what they see then they are held responsible for the consequences. If however, they report the problem, and those being told of the problem, don’t change their behavior, then the watchman having carried out his responsibility to see and report is absolved of the consequences.

We too are given a vantage point. We who are saved, now has the curse of sin lifted, and where we were blind we can now see. We have a vantage that others don’t. But given the vantage, we are also given the responsibility. When we see a wicked man sinning, when we see a righteous man sinning, we have the responsibility to report what we see, so that they can ask forgiveness and stop what they’re doing. If they don’t stop what they’re doing even after we’ve warned them, we have still fulfilled our responsibility. If on the other hand we don’t tell them, we have not fulfilled our responsibility and the fault lies on us.

Commit:

I must do my job. I am saved, I can see. So I must warn. I must do it in love, but I must do it. I must bring them the truth that will set them free. I must trust the Lord that He will help me say the right thing, in the right way at the right time.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me of my job description. Please help me to see clearly, what is going on around me. Please give me the courage, the wisdom and the spirit of counsel that I might bring the warning in a way that causes the wicked and righteous to repent. I need your Holy Spirit to equip and guide me in this.

In the name of the one who has warned me and will equip me to warn others, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalm 143: 8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.

9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.[a]
10 Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Inspect:

King David was so transparent in his prayer. Because he was, we can learn and be encouraged. This psalm was written when David needed encouragement from the Lord.

The King pray that he is able hear God assuring voice in the morning. God constantly wants to assure us of His presence, especially perhaps when we’re down. He wants to show us the path that we need to go in. And why not, with God’s infinite knowledge, wisdom and love for us, He knows exactly the way we need to go that is the best for us.

King David, the great warrior he was, knew that the Lord is the impenetrable fortress that no enemy can conquer. The lesson is that the fortress doesn’t come to us, we go to the fortress. That is why David prayed that the Lord teach him His will. Because when His will is followed, we are in His fortress. Within His fortress we are protected, we will be provided for.

God is goodness, He promises to lead us in the path of righteousness. He promises to lead, I must promise to follow.

Commit:

I must follow. God will not protect me when I am not in His will. Why not? Because He doesn’t want to encourage me to be self-sufficient outside of His will. So I He promises to lead me, I must promise to follow. I must listen for His voice. I must recognize it because it is full of encouragement and love. I must hear Him. I must follow Him. If I do, I will enter into the fortress that is His protection and provision.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your promise to me. Please help me to obey you. I need your Holy Spirit to help me to recognize your voice and to obey it. I want to be in your will. I want to be in your protection and under your provision.

In the name of the one who speaks to me, who protects me and blesses me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

3 John 1: 11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but[d] he who does evil has not seen God.

Inspect:

Why is it that we like to imitate what is evil but not good? Is it because we don’t see God?

We need to keep our eyes on God. When we do, we see good. We then must imitate it. We must do good as He does. If we don’t it would as if we never saw Him.

Commit:

I must keep my eyes on God. I must see all the good that He brings. Then I must go beyond just seeing, I must imitate it. I must obey it.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this simple but critical instruction from you. Please help me to keep my eyes on you to see you constantly. Help me to imitate your goodness.

In the name of the one who I must watch and imitate, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

2 John 1: 4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father.

Inspect:

This is the test of discipleship when those that you disciple are found walking in the truth. It is not enough that the disciples hear it or even learn it, they need to walk or really obey it. And more so, they need to be obedient to God’s truth, and not anything else.

It is not good enough that you alone are obedient, we must lead others in obedience as well.

Commit:

I must lead others to obey the Lord.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, thank you for another way of reminding me of your Great Commission. Please help me to lead other to obey you. I really need your help to do this. Please send your Holy Spirit to equip me to lead others, to win their heart, minds and hands to obey you Lord!

In the name of the one who will help me to lead others to obey the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 33: 6 Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

Inspect:

God’s promise is awesome. We have read that He has promised to bless us with all of His heart and soul. But because He loves us, He also promises to judge us when we disobey Him. Why? Because when God asks us to stuff, it is for our good and when we don’t it is for our bad. God loves us so much, He doesn’t want us to go down the paths that aren’t good for us. So He brings judgment, so we will realize our errors and correct it. In the Old Testament where this passage is written, judgment could come in many forms, sometimes attack from the enemy, sometimes with disease, sometimes with natural disasters. Eventually, when we realize what is going on, we come to a place where we know we’ve sinned, we repent. At that point, when we turn from disobedience to obedience, God will bring health and healing. God will restore us to better than before. He will show us that through peace, and through truth, we have abundance.

Commit:

I must always remember that matter what happens, God will always bring health and healing back to me. I must know that through His truth and through His peace, I will have abundance.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your promise. Please help me to know that you will always restore my health. You will always bring abundance through your peace. You will always bring abundance through your truth. Help me to remember that abundance only comes from your truth and your peace.

In the name of the one who’s peace and truth will heal me and bring me abundance, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 32: 38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. 41 Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’

Inspect:

God’s promises are extraordinary. When He declares His love for us, it is a love that is complete, not just a notion, but a covenant. God promises to give those that He loves a unity of heart and purpose. He promises that they would fear the Lord forever. Why fear? I believe that it is because fear of the Lord’s judgment would keep them away from sin and the consequence that it brings. By fearing God, they would bring blessings upon themselves and their children. He promises that He will always do us good. But He uses fear. Why? Because He knows that love motivates us, but not completely. There are situations that it takes fear to stop us from sinning. When love doesn’t stop us, perhaps fear will. But God will celebrate in joy over us. God will take us to a place where He can bless us. And imagine, God Himself will do it with ALL of His heart and soul!

Commit:

God will always keep His promise. He will always look to bless me, but He loves me too much to leave me alone when I mess up. God puts fear in me so that I will not sin. I must be in one heart with the Lord and with others.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your covenant with me. I ask you to help me to not just remember your love, but fear of your judgment as well. Help me to remember that you desire to rejoice to me with all of your heart and soul.

In the name of the one who will plant me in the land, who joys over me with all of His heart and soul, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 29: 4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.

Inspect:

Israelites were captured and moved to Babylon. The instructions given to Israelites were unusual. Instead of resisting and being passive against the enemy, the instructions were to take full advantage of the situation.

They were to build houses and live in them. This was instruction to plant roots, build permanent structures and live in them. This would be different if they weren’t going to be there for a while, and not intended to transform the culture. In this case, the instruction would probably have been to build temporary structures such as tents, and be ready to move.

They were to plant gardens and harvest the fruit. This reinforces the notion that they needed to fully embrace that they would be staying there. Planting fruit trees and harvesting would take years.

Take wives and have children. Let the children marry and have children. They were not to shrink the population while in Babylon, they were to keep multiplying and grow stronger.

They were to seek peace and prosperity for the country that that they were taken, because as the city became peaceful and prosperous, they would be blessed by the peace and prosperity from the city.

I believe this speaks to us today. We are in our “Babylon’s” today. We are being held “captive” in the enemy’s land until we can to go back to heaven, our home! So we need to apply the same instructions for us.

We are to build homes and live in them. We are to make ourselves a permanent part of the society. We are to live there, work there, become a part of the community. This is the way to transform the community, from the inside out.

We are to plant gardens and harvest the fruit. We are to become productive members of the workforce. We are to bring value not only to ourselves but the community. In this way, we can gain credibility and influence.

We are to multiply. We must continue to expand the kingdom, we must not shrink away. We are to multiply, and those we multiply must be taught to multiply as well.

We are to make our community successes, blessing it with our peace and prosperity. Because as the community grows in peace and prosperity, we are in turn going to be blessed by this as well.

Commit:

I must be like a captive in Babylon. I must make the best of out of the situation that I’m in. I must fully engaged, fully intending to be a valued member of the community. I must do what I can to make community prosperous and peaceful.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me my purpose in the community. Please help me to become a permanent, valued member of the community. Help me to bring peace and prosperity tot eh community, that’s the only way it can be blessed. And through the community, I would be blessed as well.

In the name of the one who will help me to bring peace and prosperity, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 24: 2 One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 3 Then the LORD said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?”
And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.”
4 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. 6 For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

Inspect:

There are good figs and bad figs. Good figs are figs and are very good. The bad figs are very bad. They are so bad that they just don’t merely taste bad, they are not edible.

God is using the good figs as a metaphor for those that God loves. Although they are taken away, He will never forget them. They will be returned. Though the enemy wants to pull us down, God will build us up. Though the enemy wants to pluck us up, God will plant them. He will put within our hearts a desire to know God. And we will return to God with our entire hearts.

Commit:

I must be a good fig! I must ripe, that is ready to serve. If I have a heart for the Lord, He will bring me back. He will protect me when everyone else tries to destroy me. He will plant me, when others try to uproot me. He will bring me back. I want to give Him my whole heart!

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this assurance. I pray that you help me to be ready to serve, to be ripe. Please help me to have a heart for you. Send me your Holy Spirit so that I will trust that you will return me, you will build me up, you will plant me, when everyone else is trying to destroy me and uproot me. Please help me!

In the name of the one who will give me a heart to return, the one who will protect me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 48: 10 Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

Inspect:

Wow what a warning.

God actually curses those that do the work of the Lord deceitfully. Other versions describe as slackfully, or refusing to do the work. Those that hold back his sword from drawing blood. Other versions describe that as not executing the Lord’s judgment when we are supposed to.

I believe that God is warning us that we need to do His work with full diligence and with sincere motives. Any less will result in a curse from Him, because He cannot permit this kind of work to continue.

I believe that God is warning us that we need to be obedient to do the work that He gives us to do, even if the work seems to be unpleasant. If we’re called to discipline, then we need to discipline. If we’re called to clean toilets, then we clean toilets.

Commit:

I must submit to obeying the Lord in doing the work that He’s assigned me to do. I must do it no matter how I feel about it. I must do it with full diligence and pure motives.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this command. This is really tough for me. I ask that you help me to submit to this command. I need to submit my will, my logic and my spirit in this. Please take the rebellion out of my heart.

In the name of the one who submitted Himself totally to the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 45: 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 ‘You said, “Woe is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.”’
4 “Thus you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,” says the LORD. “But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”’”

Inspect:

This is an incredible teaching.

Baruch was Jeremiah’s scribe. He had the tough job of recording some very tough prophecies and having to take them to King that was not going to be happy to get them. So we can understand that Baruch was not a happy camper. He is recorded here as being sorrow, fainting, sighing and unrestful. So the Lord reminds him that, whatever the Lord puts up, He can break down. God is a just God, and He will bring judgment on the disobedient. God also cautions Baruch to not seek great things for himself. Perhaps Baruch being in the presence of greatness, in Jeremiah God’s chosen prophet, and perhaps being in awe by the riches of the king, began to covet. God warns him not to, because God will bring adversity, teaching us that there is no constancy in anything but Him. It is so comforting to see that God assures Baruch that no matter where he goes, God will guard his life. Everything else doesn’t matter.

Commit:

I need to guard myself, so that I don’t fall into the same traps that Baruch has. I am always tempted to feel sorry for myself when things are going tough. I covet at what seems other’s easier lot in life. But I hear God warning me just as He is Baruch. God is telling me that He is in charge, what He gives, He can take away as well. I need to trust that God has my best interests in mind. I must not strive for great things for myself. If I do, I will not only not get it, but God will bring adversity to teach me that He is the source of greatness, vs. anything that my efforts can accomplish. I need to be more than content that God promises to guard my life no matter where I go.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for such an awesome lesson. Please help me to know that everything that happens to me is under your control. You build, you take down, all under your knowledge and wisdom which is way beyond my understanding. But also under your unlimited love, which I can never deserve. Please help me to be trusting in you, to not seek promotion for myself, but to seek you. Send me your Holy Spirit to assure me that you will promote me when it is absolutely the best time for me. Thank you for guarding my life. With that assurance, I need nothing else. There is no power than come against you, there is no weakness that will cause you to hold your unconditional love for me.

In the name of the one who will build me up, and take me down, and will guard me wherever I go, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 36: 27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written at the instruction of Jeremiah,[e] the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying: 28 “Take yet another scroll, and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29 And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘Thus says the LORD: “You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and cause man and beast to cease from here?’” 30 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: “He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. 31 I will punish him, his family, and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the doom that I have pronounced against them; but they did not heed.”’”
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the instruction of Jeremiah[f] all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And besides, there were added to them many similar words.

Inspect:

We can never get away from God’s Word. King Jehoiakim read the first scroll of God’s Word, and as he did, he cut the scroll apart and burned it. Obviously the King didn’t agree with the Words, didn’t want to see them again so cut it apart and burned it. However, getting rid of the recording of God’s Word, does in no way go away, just because what it is written on goes away. Jeremiah not only re-writes the scroll with the Word that is originally given, God adds additional Words. The Lord doesn’t want to conceal His ways from us, He wants to reveal it, and if we don’t get the first time, He’ll add to it. The Lord wants us to understand both the curse of disobedience and the blessing of obedience.

It is up to us to listen to His Words and then to obey them. We must not ignore it, we must not try to put it out of our lives.

Commit:

I must accept and obey God’s Word no matter how disagreeable it. I must accept it. I must obey.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how to deal with your Word. I know you know when I have difficulty in accepting it, much less obeying it, it is at this times that I pray that you send me your Holy Spirit to help me. I want to obey. Help me.

In the name of the one who’s Word will never go away, the who has spoken them in warning and in blessing because of His love for me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 23: 28 “ The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream;
And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully.
What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the LORD.
29 “ Is not My word like a fire?” says the LORD,

“ And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

Inspect:

The instruction here is that when we have dreams, we tell our dreams.

However, when we have God’s Word, we are to speak it faithfully. That means accurately, that means clearly, that means timely.

There’s a difference between the two. What is chaff to wheat? The chaff is the part of the wheat that has no nutritional value. It must be separated from the wheat, so that we can get the full value of the wheat. I believe the same is for the dream and the word of the Lord. The dream may bring the Word, just as the chaff brings the wheat. But we must take care to separate the dream from the Word just as we separate the chaff from the wheat. We don’t want to let anything get in the way of the Word of God. We need to remove all distraction, dilution and distortion. It’s the Word that nourishes not the chaff.

His Word is like fire, it burns, it heats, it lights, it purifies.

His Word is like a hammer, it breaks, it shatters and it shapes.

Commit:

I must speak God’s Word faithfully. I must speak it when it needs to be heard. I must say it clearly, accurately and in love. There is no other way. It is God’s Word that is the fire and the hammer. It is not my words. My words cannot purify and shape, only God’s Word can. I must also submit to His Word to be burned by it and to be smashed by it. Unless I go through the fire and the hammer, I am in no shape to be used by the Lord. How can I expect others to be transformed, if I do not allow myself to be transformed.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the power of your Word. It is fire and it is a hammer. I submit to the transformation, burn me, smash me. I ask that you help me to share your Word faithfully, without delay, distraction, dilution or distortion. Your Word transforms me and then others!

In the name of the one who is the fire and the hammer, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalm 112: 1 Praise the LORD!

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
Who delights greatly in His commandments.

2 His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is established;
He will not be afraid,
Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.

9 He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever;
His horn will be exalted with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be grieved;
He will gnash his teeth and melt away;
The desire of the wicked shall perish.

Inspect:

Those that are afraid of the Lord’s judgment and therefore obeys His commandments will get tremendous blessings:

- They will receive not only blessings on themselves, but blessings on their descendants as well. Makes sense, if their DNA passes on to the next generation, and the fear of the Lord and obedience, then they too will be blessed.
- They will be blessed with wealth and riches forever, because wealth and riches are natural and supernatural outcomes of those that fear and obey the Lord.
- When all is dark, there will be light.
- The righteous are full of compassion and graciousness. We need all of these. Can’t just be righteous. Without compassion and graciousness, we cannot pass on the fear and obedience of the Lord.
- The righteous can stand strong and long against evil. No matter what comes up and how long it takes, they will come out on top at the end.
- The righteous is generous sharing their abundance both near and far.
- Their righteousness will be recognized and honored by the evil as we as the good.

Commit:

I must fear the Lord. I must not just obey His commandments, I must delight in them. I must not just be righteous, I must be gracious and compassionate. To that I must add generosity.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me the blessings of fearing you and delighting in your commandments. I ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to help me to not just fear and obey, but to add compassion, grace and generosity. Help me to pass on the DNA to the next generation.

In the name of the one who delights in the commandments, obedient, gracious and compassionate, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 18: 1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!

Inspect:

Sometimes God needs to show us as well as speak to us. Here God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house. God wants to show Jeremiah something. Jeremiah must be a “visual” guy . The scene that unveils is a potter making something. During the creation process, he sees the potter not doing something “good,” so the potter starts all over. No telling how many times the process repeated it itself, but in the end the potter wound up with a creation that he considered good. God then comments on what just played out. God compares us with the lump of clay being formed, and He is the potter the one doing the forming. God explains that He is the one that is molding us. I think the lesson here is that God will keep working, and keep working till we are considered good.

At first, I am thinking that the scene as described can’t be God, because the Word seems to indicate that the potter made a mistake, the potter “marred” the creation. I don’t think it is meant to mean that God made a mistake, rather I think as in the process of working with clay, sometimes the clay has problems, being too soft, too hard. I think in the creation process, there is interference from someone or something that doesn’t want the clay to turn out good. The lesson I think that is trying to be conveyed is that we as clay are sometimes not ready to be formed by God, either or stubbornness or immaturity gets in the way. I think as well the enemy is always trying to interfere with the process.

But the Lord doesn’t give up. He will work with us, work with us until we wind up where He wants us.

Commit:

I need to allow the God to make me, and remake me. I need to be patient and realize that it is not once and done. This process of making, may not be the final result. This maybe one of many, this may be the last one. Don’t know. I need to trust that God as the potter will not stop until I’m in a shape that he considers “good.” And when God considers me “good,” nobody else’s opinion matters.

Exalt:

Heavenly Potter, I thank you for allowing me to view this scene. Please send your Holy Spirit to remind me that you are always trying to mold me into something better. Please help me to be the right kind of clay, willing to be made in your hands into the vessel that you want me to be. I ask that you keep the devil away from me, so that He doesn’t interfere with the process.

In the name of the one who will mold me, an re-mold me, until I am fit to be used as a vessel of the King, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 16: 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

Inspect:

Our walk with Christ will not go purely through zones that are free from problems or danger. We will go through sorrow, times that are tough for us. But we need to remember that God’s Word says to use that when we do go through sorrow, God promises us that we will get though it. God promises he will give us a joy that nobody can take away from us.

What kind of joy is this? This is a joy that arrives from God. This is not the world’s joy which may come from a circumstances or rewards, this is a joy that comes directly form God, a gift that involves the sacrifice of His very own son. This is the real-deal, this is sacrifice. This is the act of giving up the most precious thing that He had. We receive this promise freely and without reservation, and gather Jesus Christ into the very core of our lifestyle. When we do so, He living in us will give us a joy that cannot be taken away from us. The only way that it can be taken away is that we give it up ourselves.

Commit:

I need to tough out this season. I must realize that this season is a time of character building, and there will come a day when the lesson is over, not sooner. I must at this moment, since Jesus is in my heart right now, I must allow His peace to rule over me right now. I must not let my heart be troubled or fear. His joy is in me now.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me that you may not take away the sorrow, but you will bring the joy back. Please send your Holy Spirit to open up my spiritual senses so that I know that Jesus is inside of me, no matter what is going on outside of me.

In the name of the one, who died that He might live inside of me, the giver of joy, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

Jeremiah 15: 16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,

Inspect:

What a great picture!

We need to find God’s Word. We need to actively look for it and not wait for it come to us. Ancient Chinese proverb, “Man who waits for Peking Duck to fly into his mouth, will wait for a long time!” We need to be hungry for God’s Word, go out and get it.

After we find it, we need to eat it. So many times, people come out church the same they went in. Same can happen when we go into a restaurant. We can come out as hungry as we went in. Why? If we just go in and read the menu, not order anything, not wait for the food, and not eat it, then is it any surprise that we’re still hungry? We need to grab God’s Word and take it into us. We need to chew the meaning out of it.

When we do, just as a great meal, prepared by the best chef, served by the best waiters and eaten by an appreciative diner, joy and rejoicing will be experienced.

That ‘s exactly what happens with God’s Word! The Word is prepared by God Himself, the most knowledgeable, wisest and caring in the universe! It is served through the Holy Spirit, who serves us just as we need it, the right place, the right amount, the right way. And then if we appreciate it, we expect it, we will be filled with joy and take delight in it!

Commit:

This is answered prayer. This is the Spirit of Revelation. I am experiencing joy and delight in the revelation of God’s Word!!!! Yeah!!! I need to realize that this is what it should be every time I read God’s Word. I need to do my part in looking for it and expecting it to be prepared by God and served by the Holy Spirit, and expecting to find Jesus in it! Yeah!!!!

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, your WORD is awesome, thank you! Please send your Holy Spirit to constantly feed me your Word. Help me to have a seeking heart. Help me to find Jesus in every Word that comes to me!

In the name of the one who is the living Word, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 14: 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Inspect:

The Lord wants to give us peace. But the Lord does not give peace as the world gives peace. The world gives peace by trying to remove conflict by compromise. God gives peace by changing our hearts. He removes the trouble, he removes the fear. Our hearts become troubled when we try and resolve our conflicts on our own. Instead God wants our heart to understand that He will remove the conflict. There is no conflict that can stand against the God that is all powerful and all caring. Our hearts are troubled when there is fear, because we are not in control. Instead God wants our heart to understand that He is control.

This is how God grants peace. He assures our heart that He is control He assures our heart that there is no trouble that He can and will deal with.

Commit:

I must surrender my heart to the Lord. I must surrender my fear to His control. I must surrender my trouble to His trust.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for offering me peace. Please help me to receive it. Help me to surrender my heart totally to you. Help me to submit and trust to you. Send your Holy Spirit to help me to give my heart totally to you.

In the name of the one who is control, who will resolve all conflict, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 9: 23 Thus says the LORD:

“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

Inspect:

It is so great that the Lord makes it clear to use what pleases Him. He wants to bless us, He wants us to learn what is good for us.

The Lord knows that we are limited, so He does want us to become dependent on ourselves.

Because our wisdom is limited, He does want us to glory in our wisdom.

Because our strength is limited, He does not want us to glory in our strength.

Because our wealth is limited, He does not want us to glory in our wealth.

We need to glory into something that is not limited. God is not limited in capability or dependability.

We need to glory in God’s lovingkindness, there is no limit, it is without condition.

We need to glory in God’s judgment, there is no limit, it is without error.

We need to glory in God’s righteousness, there is no limit, it is without any evil.

God delights when we take glory in Him, rather than ourselves.

Commit:

I have to stop looking at my wisdom, my strength and my wealth, it is so limited. I have to instead focus on God’s lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness. This delights the Lord.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what delights you. I now understand your heart, because what delights you is ultimately good for me. Please help me to put my glory in your kindness, in your judgment, in your righteousness. In these things, I will always be blessed, no matter the situation, no matter how long it takes.

In the name of the one who’s lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness will never fail me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 12: 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Inspect:

This is Jesus talking. In order for grain to have benefit, it must be eaten or buried. If eaten it gives value as food. On the other hand if it is buried, if it chooses to give up its visibility, then it will multiply. I believe that Jesus is saying that about our lives. If we choose to remain visible, above the ground, we will have value. However, if we choose to humble ourselves and give up our visibility, then God can multiply our blessing.

We need to do the same as Jesus. We need to serve. We need to be humble. As Jesus gave up the most glorious leadership position there is, to come to earth as a servant, we must be also. As Jesus chose to serve those in humility, God raised Him up a position of leadership. The same will be for us. If we walk the past of humble servanthood, just as Jesus was honored by the Father, the Father will honor us as well.

Commit:

I must seek humility. Willing to be buried to invisibility. Willing to serve anonymously. Just as Jesus did. I must not seek honor, I must not seek leadership, I must seek humble service and leave the rest to the Father’s timing.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, this is a difficult thing. I ask that you lead me with your Holy Spirit to a place of humble servanthood. Help me to seek service invisibly, like a seek planted underground. Please help me to not seek visibility or recognition. Put my heart in the right place. Plant me where I will multiply.

In the name of the one who died and was buried, and the who the Father lifted up, who multipled and produced much fruit, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 11: 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.[d] And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Inspect:

This is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

The key to seeing, experiencing the glory of God is belief.

Jesus prays a very simple prayer. He acknowledges that our Heavenly Father has always heard our prayers and will always hear our prayers. Then Jesus said that this is because He will be able to do what He is about to do.

Jesus then commanded Lazarus to come out.

And Lazarus did!

But Jesus went through the prayer, to make sure that those around Him realized that it wasn’t Him who did it alone, it was the Heavenly Father who always heard and will always hear our prayers!

Commit:

I must know that it takes my belief to reveal the glory of God. I must know that it is through the Heavenly Father that signs and wonders happens. I must be careful to draw attention to the Heavenly Father and not through myself.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for help me to see “behind the scenes” at a miracle that your Son has done. Help me to know that it begins with my belief. Help me to know that you have always heard my prayer, and you will always hear my prayers. It is through you that all work is done.

In the name of the one who shows me how to show the glory of the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Jeremiah 1: 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
5 “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

6 Then said I:

“ Ah, Lord GOD!
Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.”

7 But the LORD said to me:

“ Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
For you shall go to all to whom I send you,
And whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of their faces,
For I am with you to deliver you,” says the LORD.

9 Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me:

“ Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”

Inspect:

The “calling” of the prophet Jeremiah, helps to understand how God communicates His will to us.

We see that God plans our future even before we are born. God tells Jeremiah that even before he was conceived, God was planning to have Jeremiah speak to the nations.

When Jeremiah hears that God plan for him, he objects saying that he is too young.

However, God tells Jeremiah to go, his youth was not a factor, Jeremiah should go where God sends him and have no fear. God anticipates that there will be those that are listening to Jeremiah will give looks of disrespect, incredulity, disdain or worse and tells Jeremiah not to fear, because God will protect hm.

It is the Lord who puts the words in Jeremiah’s mouth. It is not the words of Jeremiah, it is the words of God.

It is when Jeremiah uses those words and speaks the words, is when he is put over nations and kingdoms.

Jeremiah would search out evil and pull down.

Jeremiah would break up and throw it down.

Jeremiah would build and plant.

Sin must be pulled down.

Then the kingdom must be built up.

Commit:

God calls me in the same way.

He know what He wants me to do before I am even conceived. He knows what I will be capable of doing. I must trust that whatever He gives me to do, I will succeed.

I must not look on my limitations as Jeremiah saw his own youth. Instead I must trust that where God sends me, He will prepare for success. I must not look into the reactions of those that He sends me to deal with, I must retain my courage in the Lord’s protection.

The Lord will give me great things to do. He will put me over nations and kingdoms. I must do things correctly. I must pull down the evil before I start building. Evil must be eliminated before good can be built. But building must happen, cannot just leave the evil torn down without building, otherwise the evil will return.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, thank you for showing me how Jeremiah was called. I know you’re calling me in the same way. Please help me to know take courage in you. When I look into the negative reactions that you will put in front of me, please help me to take courage in the fact that you will not put in any situation that you cannot and will not protect me from.

Please give the wisdom of the Holy Spirit so that I can pull down and destroy evil. Give me the power of the Holy Spirit to then build up and plant. I can’t do it without you. Please help me.

In the name of the one who has called me, who will protect me, who has put me over kingdoms and nations, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Zephaniah 3: 17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Inspect:

This is amazing!

The Lord comes into our midst. He enjoys our presence. He initiates the move into our presence.

He comes into our midst to save us. Not to condemn us, but to save us.

He rejoices over us. He does not do it out of duty but of gladness.

He comes to quiet us, not with his anger, but with his love.

He rejoices over us. He celebrates over us with singing.

That is the love of the Lord.

Commit:

I must come into the midst of the Lord. Not in front, not in back, not in side, but in the very center of His will. As close as I can get.

I must come in rejoicing, not in duty but in gladness.

I must come in love, allowing Him to quiet my anxiety.

I must come to Him with singing, celebrating Him with all that I have.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your amazing love. Help me to love you with the same kind of love that you love me with. I can’t do this on my own, I need your Holy Spirit to help me to do this.

In the name of the one who comes into my midst, who quiets me, who rejoices over me with singing, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 7: 37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing[g] in Him would receive; for the Holy[h] Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Inspect:

Jesus not only provides us with what we need, but He also gives the Holy Spirit so that we can provide for the needs of others. We need to first come to Jesus to take care of our needs. We then can invite the Holy Spirit to be within us, so that we can in turn bless others.

Commit:

I must come to Jesus to quench my thirst. I must come to Jesus to give me the Holy Spirit, I then can help quench the thirst of others. I can’t do this on my own. I can’t quench my own thirst with out the Lord. I can’t quench the thirst of others without the Holy Spirit in me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for quenching my thirst and for giving me the Holy Spirit so that I can quench the thirst of others. Please help me to come to you to you alone to quench my thirst. Please help me to be allow the Holy Spirit to be constantly in me, so that I can be a blessing to others.

In the name of my source and the one who plants the source within me, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

2 Chronicles 34: 30 The king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

Inspect:

This is leadership. The king publicly declared his commitment to the Lord’s covenant. He promised that would keep the commandments, testimonies and the statutes of the Lord. The King didn’t leave anything out. The King went on to declare that he would keep the covenant with all of his heart and soul. This was not a just a casual promise, the king said that we do it with all of his passion, all of his spirit. He also promised to not just keep the commandments but to do it, to perform it.

The king also lead those around him to also covenant to the Lord.

The leader not only takes himself to covenant to God, but he also leads those around him to the Lord as well.

Commit:

I need to learn how to do this. I must first commit myself to the covenant of the Lord, completely and without reservation. Then I must lead those around me to the same.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me the responsibility of the leader. Help me to keep and perform your covenant with all of my strength, heart and soul. Help me to lead others to you and to also keep and perform your covenant with all their strength, heart and soul. Please give me your Holy Spirit to help me.

In the name of the one who kept and performed the covenant, and lead those around Him to do the same, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 5: 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.’’

Inspect:

This an amazing scripture. Here we have Jesus talking. This almighty Jesus, the one who the waves and the wind obey, the one who with a word raised the dead or killed a tree. Jesus who was present from the beginning and created the universe with a word. And so it is amazing that Jesus says that He himself can do nothing. Jesus is saying that in order to do the things He did, to make the judgments He has, the only way He accomplished this was because He was in the will of the Father.

If Jesus said that He could do nothing by Himself, how much more does that apply to us! If Jesus couldn’t do anything on His own, there is no way that any of us can do anything on our own. No way. And yet we try. We must be as Jesus and be in the will of the Father. When we are, there is nothing that we cannot do, because there is nothing that cannot do. When the Father wills it, it is done, and if we’re in His will, then what we do will be done, what we judge will be judged.

Commit:

Oh Boy! I better stop doing what I want to do, or what I think is right, because if it is not in the Father’s will, then I’m doing it solo. And if Jesus said He could do nothing solo, there is no way I’m going to accomplish it either. I must seek the Father’s will and get in the middle of it.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this important, critical lesson. Please help me to seek your will. Please help me to know that there is nothing that I can do alone. It is futile, it is useless. I want to know your will. I want to do your will. You have sent me.

In the name of the one who shows me how to do the Father’s will no matter what, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 4: 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

Inspect:

Jesus said it is His food to the will of His Father and the work that the Father had started. Food sustains us, gives the energy and the raw materials to grow. So it must be that we too must rely on doing God’s will, on finishing the work that He has started, not because it is a nice thing to do, but because it is our sustenance, it is what we need to survive. It is what we need to grow. Nothing else.

We are part of a team effort. We must not only do those things that we can start and end on our own. We must be willing to start things that others will finish and we must be willing to finish things that others have started. Jesus said that He is finishing the work that His father has started. We must do the same. We must start and let others finish. We must finish what others have started.

Commit:

I must not get my food from any other way than from doing God’s will. I must not get my growth from any other way than finishing up the work that God has started. Nothing else will do. Just as eating the wrong food causes illness and the wrong type of growth, I must not look anywhere else than the will of the Father.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how what sustains you, your food. Please help me to be the same as you. Please send me your Holy Spirit to find my sustenance in doing the will of the Father. Please help me to find growth in finishing your work.

In the name of the one who shows me how to live and will help me to do the will and work of the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 3: 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Inspect:

The Heavenly Father, sent His Son not to condemn the world, but instead to save the world.

I believe the it is the same with us as well.

He didn’t set us into world to condemn it either. I believe God has sent us into the world to save it.

That means we are not meant to put the people of the world down. No we are here to save it and transform it.

Commit:

Just as God has send Jesus to save the world, He has sent us. Just as Jesus didn’t condemn those that needed saving, I must not condemn as well. Just as Jesus came to save the people and present them to the Father, I must take people and introduce them to Jesus!

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me of what my mission is. Please help me to not condemn the world. I must not put anyone down, instead I must save them. Please help me to direct them to Jesus who will present them to the Father.

In the name of the one who didn’t condemn me, but saved me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

John 2: 1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Inspect:

This the first miracle of Jesus, and it shows how God does miracles.

The first part is that we have a part in the miracles.

We have to ask for it. Jesus’ Mom asked Jesus to solve the problem. Asking for it demonstrates that we know where the solution comes from. We know the solution comes from God because He can do it and wants to do it.

We have to be persistent. Jesus at first said that it wasn’t yet time for Him to do miracles. But His mom was persistent. We need to be persistent as well.

We have to be obedient. Jesus gave very specific instructions. And they carried it out. We need to be obedient in doing what Jesus asks us to do.

Then when the miracle happens, it turns out beyond expectations, Jesus gives the very best. Jesus will give us the very best, never the inferior.

The result of the miracles was that belief in Jesus increased. God’s glory was increased.

Commit:

I need to learn this pattern of miracles. I must ask. I must not hesitate and wait till other alternatives are exhausted. I must go to Jesus first. I must be persistent. Although, there may be no encouraging sign, I must know that God will come through. I must be obedient to what He asks. I must be confident that in time, God will give me the very best.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for teaching me how you want to bless me. Help me to come to for help the first thing, to be confident that you are the answer to each and every one of my problems. Help me to be persistent in asking you. Help me to know that you will always bless me. Then Lord, help me to be obedient, to do what you ask of me. Then help me to wait patiently, knowing that you will give me your very best. Then help me to give you all the glory.

In the name of the one who will give me the very best, Jesus!

Amen.