Online Journals

Rhema:

Exodus 28: 6 “The craftsmen must make the ephod of finely woven linen and skillfully embroider it with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 7 It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders with two shoulder-pieces. 8 The decorative sash will be made of the same materials: finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
9 “Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel. 10 Six names will be on each stone, arranged in the order of the births of the original sons of Israel. 11 Engrave these names on the two stones in the same way a jeweler engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in settings of gold filigree. 12 Fasten the two stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that Aaron represents the people of Israel. Aaron will carry these names on his shoulders as a constant reminder whenever he goes before the Lord.

15 “Then, with great skill and care, make a chestpiece to be worn for seeking a decision from God.[a] Make it to match the ephod, using finely woven linen embroidered with gold and with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 16 Make the chestpiece of a single piece of cloth folded to form a pouch nine inches[b] square. 17 Mount four rows of gemstones[c] on it. The first row will contain a red carnelian, a pale-green peridot, and an emerald. 18 The second row will contain a turquoise, a blue lapis lazuli, and a white moonstone. 19 The third row will contain an orange jacinth, an agate, and a purple amethyst. 20 The fourth row will contain a blue-green beryl, an onyx, and a green jasper. All these stones will be set in gold filigree. 21 Each stone will represent one of the twelve sons of Israel, and the name of that tribe will be engraved on it like a seal.

29 “In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chestpiece[d] over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord.

Inspect:

God gave Moses very careful instructions in the dress of the priests and in particular the high priest. Why? I think perhaps because these were days when there wasn’t an infrastructure to publish and distribute a lot of written material, this was a way to spread the teachings of the Lord. As people saw the dress of the priest, the symbolism would be explained, and so would be passed around. And I think that this level of detail would remind the person who served as the high priest of his duty and role.

In the portion of scripture, it was interesting to note that the high priest would carry the names of the tribes of Israel in two places. In the first place, two gem stones that served to hold up portions of his priestly garments were fastened to the shoulder. On these two gemstones were cared the names of the tribes of Israel. It was to serve as a constant reminder that when the high priest went before the Lord, upon his shoulders was the responsibility to represent the people.

In addition to the shoulder, the high priest was also to wear a chestpiece, that had on it twelve gemstones, each of which had the name of one of the tribes of Israel. The instruction was that the high priest would wear this over his heart when he would come into the presence of the Lord to remind him that he represents the people.

The shoulders and the heart. Two places that God placed the names of the people, in order to remind the high priest that it was his duty to represent the people. I believe that the shoulder represents our strength, our ability to work comes from our shoulders. We lift, we push, we hold comes from the strength of our shoulders. I believe that God wanted the high priest to remember that the he needed to represent the strength of the people. God wanted the high priest to be able to represent to God the strength and the weakness of the people, and that God is the source of strength for the people.

The second place was over the heart. I believe that God wanted to remind the high priest that he needed to represent the feelings and emotions of the people. He needed to represent the joy and passion as well as the frustration and sorrows. It is not enough to just represent the external, but the need to represent the internal as well, the heart. We are made in God’s image which is internal and external.

God wants to minister to all of us, to our shoulders which is our strength, and to our hearts which is our spirit. He doesn’t want any of us to be lacking in strength and spirit. So as priests, as ministers for God to the people, we too must be reminded that we need to help both in every one, their shoulders and their hearts.

Commit:

I must represent not just the external needs of the people, but their internal as well. I must be sure that I understand their feelings, the condition of their spirit, so that I can represent to the Lord. As I am to be God’s shoulder and heart to the people, I must not neglect their shoulder and heart as well.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me of my mission. Please help me to be sensitive to the needs of the shoulder and the needs of the heart of those around me. Send your Holy Spirit so that I can minister to their shoulders and hearts.

In the name of the one who has my name on His shoulder and over His heart, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus

25: 9 You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

40 “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain

26: 30 “Set up this Tabernacle according to the pattern you were shown on the mountain.

27: 8 The altar must be hollow, made from planks. Build it just as you were shown on the mountain.

Inspect:

When God gave Moses the instructions for the tabernacle on the mountain, it was the full expectation that His instructions were to be carried out. And it shows in these three chapters. The Lord says four times to Moses that he is to build according to the pattern that God showed him.

I think this is a lesson how God relates to us. With God’s wisdom and knowledge much higher than ours, He knows the best way for us is His way. That’s the challenge. If we want the best, we need to be humble and submit ourselves to God’s way.

God has the solution, He gives it to us. It is up to us to make it happen.

Commit:

I need to do this. I need to go up to the mountain and get God’s pattern for my life. Then I need to just adopt it and not adapt it. I need to just do it, anything I adjust, is going to take away from the will of God.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how to succeed. Please help me to hear and see you clearly, so that I can get the pattern right. Then help me to humble myself, and just build it as you shown me.

In the name of the one who shows me the way to live and will help me to live it faithfully, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 23: 19 “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.

Inspect:

The Lord’s instructions are very simple, but will stretch us to obey it.

- Bring the very best. We are always tempted to take the best for ourselves, or even for others, but not for the Lord. If we give the Lord less than the best, why would he continue to bless us with the rest? If we are unable to give the Lord the best, we will be unable to give others the best to others as well, because we have ourselves at the center. Why would God stop giving us the best? Because if we kept keeping the best blessings to ourselves, we would keep keeping, and eventually be never satisfied again. So, because the Lord loves us so much, He wants give the best to Him, so that we learn to give the best to others. When we do so, He will encourage us by giving us more and more of the best.

- Bring the first harvest. We are always tempted to take the first for ourselves, and then giving what is left over to the Lord. I believe it is the same pattern. To give the Lord the leftovers, will lead us to give the leftovers to others. Pretty soon again we become so self-centered that there are no more leftovers. We keep everything to ourselves. We cannot be a blessing to others. We cannot show the generosity and grace of God.

- To the house of the Lord your God. WE are always tempted to do things ourselves. But here the Lord instructs us to bring the harvest into God’s house and let those that manage God’s house to take care of it. If we were to control everything ourselves, we would limit God, who’s ways our way above our own. So this will train us to trust the Lord.

We need to bring the best. We need to bring if first into God’s house where God will use it to bless others. When we do so, God will give us more and more of His best.

Commit:

I must give God the best. I must give it up first. I must give it to God’s servants. If I do so, God will be able to demonstrate His generosity and His love for us and others.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank for showing me how you grow me and bless others. Please help me to give you my very best. Please help me to give it to you first. Please help me to give to your servants to manage.

In the name of the one who will bless me to bless others, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Acts 4: 27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

Inspect:

Too often we feel that we are up against all odds in trying to further the kingdom of God. And we’re right! The devil and all if his forces are against us. However, as Peter stated here, everything is happening under God’s control. With all the opposition, God used it motivate the church to spread out and spread the Word. So it is interesting to see what Peter prayed about. Peter did not pray for protection or removal of the opposition, instead Peter prayed for boldness and that miraculous sign’s and wonders be done to make Jesus famous. And God answered this prayer. We see in the following verse that God answers Peter’s prayer. God brings a miraculous sign by shaking the place. God helps them be bold in their witness by filling them fresh with the Holy Spirit.

Are we praying for the right thing? Are we praying against the opposition, or are we praying for boldness and the miracles?

Commit:

God cause me to be bold in witness. Let miracles and signs and wonders be done in the name of Jesus!

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me this truth. Please help me not to focus on the opposition, but to look at myself. Give me your Holy Spirit so that I may speak with great boldness. And let miracles happen with healings and signs and wonders so that you will be glorified.

In the name of the one who I want to lift up, so that men will be drawn to, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 18: 13 The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.
14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. 16 When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.”
17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. 18 “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. 19 Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. 20 Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. 21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 22 They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. 23 If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. 25 He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 26 These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.

Inspect:

What a great lesson in leadership! Here Moses was a great leader, he stood up against one of the most powerful men in the world, the Pharaoh of Egypt. Against powerful odds, he kept his faith and God delivered the entire nation of Israel. However, Moses didn’t know everything, he didn’t have the wisdom to lead a large group of people. So his father-in-law Jethro gave him some advice. At first, Moses could have been proud and dismissed Jethro’s advice. Moses could have said to himself, I lead over a million people, how many people has Jethro lead? That’s why the Bible called Moses the most humble man on earth. Without this humbleness, Moses would not have listened to Jethro, and if he didn’t, Moses would have gotten burnt out and his people would not be served well.

I think that’s the main lesson here. Yes, Jethro gave very practical leadership advice on teaching and modeling the right behavior so that the people could guide themselves. Jethro also went to tell Moses how to select leaders and give them assignments according to their abilities. The result would be sustainability for Moses and blessings of peace on the people.

But the main lesson is on teachability that comes through humility.

Commit:

I must be humble like Moses, willing to listen to advice, even though it would appear that the source does not have credibility. God sends wisdom through many sources, I need to be willing to accept and learn.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I ask thank you for this lesson in Moses. Please send me your Holy Spirit to help me to be humble. Please help me to see your wisdom no matter what the source is. Also help me to learn the lessons of Jethro to teach and show the people so they may learn to govern themselves. Also let me know how to select and assign leaders. Help me to lead a sustainable level of activity and yet bring blessing of peace to people around me.

In the name of the one who sends wisdom to me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 15: 22 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).
24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25 So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.
It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

Inspect:

The Lord is an amazing teacher. The people of Israel was freed from slavery, lead through the Red Sea and now put through three days of desert without water. The Lord leads them to water but it is too bitter to drink. The people start to complain, which is a sin, because the Lord knows what He is doing. The Lord shows that He is capable of providing all of their needs because the Lord through Moses makes the water drinkable.

The Lord then teaches the lesson. If they would listen to the Lord and obey His commands, He will provide all of their needs and protect them from diseases that disobedience brings.

We must trust the Lord that where He leads us He will provide. When we come across bitter water, when we are desperately thirsty, we must not complain, we must ask. The people didn’t ask, they complained.

Commit:

I must listen to what the Lord is saying to me. I must do what is right in the sight of the Lord. I must keep all of his commands.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what you look for in faithfulness. Please help me to hear you clearly. Please help me to do what is right in your sight. Please help me to keep all of your commands. I can only do so with the help of your Holy Spirit.

In the name of the one who will help me to pass the test of faithfulness, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 13: 17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[f] Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.

Inspect:

The Lord know us so well. When the Israel was released from Egypt, God knew exactly how they would behave and so directed them with His amazing wisdom. Human logic would dictate that the shortest, most direct path would be the best since the people needed to get our as quickly as possible. However, God knew that if the people who had just exited hundreds of years of oppressions were to run into another obstacle, that of an opposing army, they would run back to the protection of Egypt. They would forget the oppression of their slave masters, when they faced the opposition of the enemy and go back to their comfort zone. So God picked a route, that although longer would give the people time to develop the faith and strength that they would eventually be able to defeat the enemies.

Commit:

I must trust the Lord and obey his direction. I must trust that the Lord knows me and knows what I can and cannot handle. Though a way seems to be shorter and more direct, the Lord knows that, that particular path will lead me to failure. I must put my feet where God wants me to go. He knows what path will allow me to defeat the enemy and claim the blessing that is meant for me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing the wisdom of your ways. Please help me to walk on the path that you have laid out before me. Please don’t let me be tempted to take the easier path which will not lead me to victory, but to defeat.

In the name of the one who will lead me to defeat the enemy and to victory, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 24: 32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

Inspect:

On the road to Emmaus Jesus explained the scriptures to the two disciples. The disciples were looking for an explanation for why the events of the day occurred as they did. They could not understand why the Lord had to die. But Jesus explained the reason through the scripture. That’s why their hearts burned. That’s why the Bible says that His Word would be written upon our hearts. I believe that we see here what it means to have God’s Word written on our hearts. Our hearts are burned, our hearts are changed. And there’s only one person who can do this, Jesus Christ. He is the Living Word and He knows our hearts, so as we invite Him into our hearts, we have the Word!

Commit:

I must not just read the Word. I must invite my Lord Jesus Christ to burn it into my heart. I must allow the Lord to burn my heart and change it with His Word.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this revelation. I realize now it is only your Son that can write your Word into my heart. Please make that happen. I want you to change my heart.

In the name of the one who I want to burn my heart with His words, Jesus!

Amen.

January 22 - Seat at the table? Nope, that's not where the action is at...

Rhema:

Luke 22: 24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

Inspect:

We all want a seat at the table. We want to have a voice and we want to be served. But here Jesus speaks about His way. Jesus said that in order for us to be great, we should not try to have a seat at the table. We should not strive to have a voice, or seek to be served. Rather we should seek to be a server. We shouldn’t worry about having to have a voice at the table. Our greatness, our influence does not come from our voice, it should come from our service.

Commit:

I must not look for a seat at the table. First of all it would be coveting and that is a sin. I must be satisfied with the position that God has put me in and do my best where I’m assigned. God will honor me in his time and place, and with God, His honor will exceed all others. Second, I must not seek to have my voice heard, I need to be satisfied with speaking where I’m at. I must put seed where I am, not where I’m not. Finally, I must not seek to be served. I must not look for someone to serve me, instead I should look for opportunities to serve.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me the action is at the table, but not in the way the world thinks. The world thinks the action is sitting at the table, but You’re telling me the action is serving the table. Please change my heart to pursue your view and not the worlds. Send me the Holy Spirit to change my perspective, my passion and my position. I want to be great your way.

In the name of the one who served, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

Exodus 7: 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pay close attention to this. I will make you seem like God to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, will be your prophet. 2 Tell Aaron everything I command you, and Aaron must command Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. 3 But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. 5 When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

Inspect:

In the preceding chapters its interesting to see that Moses being the humble guy he is, just kept telling the Lord that he didn’t have the verbal skills to do the job that God asked him to do. All the way from the burning bush to getting ready to see the Pharaoh, Moses kept telling the Lord that he was a clumsy speaker. But we see the Lord respond. The Lord gives Moses an instruction with an awesome promise in that if Moses does what the Lord tells him to do, Moses will seem like a God to Pharaoh. Here’s the instructions:

- Tell everything I command you. That’s it! We are to say what God commands us to say. I think the key is “everything,” we are not to hold anything back.
- “But I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn…” So we are to keep saying what God commands even though the situation looks really bad. It took 10 plagues before Pharaoh let the people go. I believe that Moses was tempted to stop at each one, but instead Moses was obedient and “told Pharaoh everything.” We see the results that Pharaoh eventually considered Moses a God and granted the people freedom.

Commit:

I must tell people everything that God tells me. I must not hold back. I must trust that God has the perfect message, at the perfect time, with the perfect delivery for everyone. I must trust that and allow myself to be used. I must also be persistent. God warned Moses that Pharaoh would not be receptive, but encouraged Moses that at the end God will prevail. So I must keep telling everything, no matter what. It took Moses ten attempts. I must be patient and persistent and keep trying.

Exalt

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how to be effectively used by you, how to have others see me as God. I believe that if they can see me as God, they will want a relationship with you. So please help me to carry out your instructions to tell everything for as long as it takes. Give me the faith, the courage and the persistence to continue until they will accept you as God and be willing to be freed from their sins.

In the name of the one who will give me the perfect words at the perfect time in the perfect way, who will encourage me not to quit, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 1: 8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.[b]”
11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. 13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. 14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.

Inspect:

Multiplication under pressure. This is amazing. The people of Israel began to outnumber the Egyptians and even became stronger than them. So in order to try and reduce their numbers and strength the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites, taking away their freedom and trying to break them through physical labor. However, the more the Egyptians pressed down on the Israelites, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread. Before they were outnumbering and stronger, now through greater oppression they were multiplying even more and they were spreading out. This cycle continued where the Egyptians pressed more, and the Israelites multiplied more.

I believe that’s what God expects our influence to be. Through God’s favor, our influence multiplies and becomes stronger than the enemies of the Lord. The enemy then becomes concerned about our influence and then seeks to oppress us. We go through persecution, frustrations and trials. The enemy hopes for us to lose favor with God and thereby reduce our influence. But if we stay with the Lord, what will happen is that our influence will continue to multiply, grow stronger and spread.

Commit:

I must not resist the pressure. I must continue to be obedient. I must allow God to multiply, strengthen and spread my influence.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your Word of encouragement. I ask that you send me your Holy Spirit so that I might not disobey you in the midst of oppression of the enemy. Help me to continue to multiply, grow stronger and spread my influence so that Your Kingdom will be advanced and overcome the oppressors.

In the name of the one who will help me in the midst of the oppression, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Genesis 50: 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Inspect:

Joseph’s brothers were afraid that after their father died, Joseph would take revenge on them for selling him into slavery. Certainly, Joseph had the ability to do it, since he was the second most powerful man in Egypt. However, Joseph told them that what the brothers had intended with selling him to harm him, God used this evil intention to save His people from starving to death.

We need to realize that what people has intended for our harm or for their own agenda, God will use to bless His people, including us! As we go through the situation, it won’t be obvious, it will be at minimal unpleasant and at the most life-threatening. However, we need to go through it. We need to be where God wants us to be so that God can work His will through us. So we need to trust that as God used a series of negative events against Joseph to result in the saving of a entire nation as well as Joseph. What God did for Joseph, He will do for us. What Joseph did for God, we can do also.

Commit:

I must allow God to work through me. I must stay where he wants me to stay. I must go where He wants me to go.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how you could by working through a single man, save an entire nation. Help me to do what you need me to do. Help me to endure the situation. Help me to trust that you will use me to save the lives of many people. Help me to know that you are using those around me, so help me to be patient with them, to love them.

In the name of the one who will use me as Joseph, who will help me to be a Joseph, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 19: Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

Inspect:

Wayne Gretsky once remarked that the reason he seemed to be so quick wasn’t that he could get to the puck faster than anyone else, he simply went to where the puck would be. This seems to be the situation with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus wanted very badly to see Jesus, but he was short and could not see over the crowd, so what he did was dash ahead to where he knew Jesus was gong and climbed a tree. We know that Jesus saw him in the tree and asked him to come down and lead him to salvation.

I think sometimes the crowd gets in the way between us and Lord. The crowd blocks us from seeing the Lord clearly and from directly having a relationship with the Lord. I believe that Jesus wants us to have a relationship first with him and then with the crowd. So how does Zacchaeus get to not only see Jesus, but have Jesus come to his house? He knows where Jesus is going, and runs ahead. When he gets there he climbs a tree.

How do we know where Jesus is going? We find out from Jesus. The Lord doesn’t try to make it difficult for us to know where He is going. Jesus reveals his plans and purposes through His Word, through His Holy Spirit and through the counsel of Godly Christians. We need to look for it and when we do, we will find it. And when we know, we have to get there. Through obedience we can get there.

When we get there, we can no longer stay behind the crowd. The crowd was on the ground and Zacchaeus climbed the tree. We need to climb the tree. We need to go beyond what everyone else is satisfied with. Jesus notices those that are desperate for Him and responds to them.

Get in front and get above.

Commit:

I need to get in front. I must search out His Word, listen to the Holy Spirit and to Godly counsel to see where the Lord wants me to be. I must not be satisfied with standing behind the crowd, I need to climb above. I need to do what it takes to see the Lord even if no one else is doing the same thing.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what I need to do to meet with you. Please help me to see where you’re headed. Then help me to go. Finally, help me to do what I need to do to see you. Don’t let me satisfied with standing behind the crowd. Help me to do what I need to do to catch your eye.

In the name of the one who sees me and invites me to eat with Him, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 17: 7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? 8 No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ 9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. 10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Inspect:

What a great lesson in the relationship between a servant and a master.

A servant has completed his assignment and comes in before the master. What should the servant expect? Bible here says that he should not expect the master to reward him for completing his assignment. In fact the master gives him another assignment. And after the servant completes that assignment, does the master express his gratitude? No, the master is not expected nor required to. The servant should not expect any gratitude.

I believe the lesson here is to teach us how to serve and not to master. As servants, we cannot expect masters to behave how we want them to behave. We cannot expect our masters to express gratitude when we think we deserve it. We cannot expect masters to give us assignments that seem reasonable only to us. Masters can give us any and any amount of assignments they wish. We cannot expect gratitude or appreciation from our master.

Our duty is to obey. We do our duty, no matter what it takes. Without expectation for reward or gratitude.

Commit:

I must obey. I must obey even if it sounds dumb, immediately, as long as it takes, even if it takes sacrifice, even if there’s little expectation of reward.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how you want me to behave toward you and toward those that are put in authority over me. Please help me with the Holy Spirit to obey completely through duty and not for seeking reward or gratitude.

In the name of the one who obeyed without expecting recognition or gratitude, He did it because it was His duty to save us, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 17: 7 “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? 8 No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ 9 And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. 10 In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Inspect:

What a great lesson in the relationship between a servant and a master.

A servant has completed his assignment and comes in before the master. What should the servant expect? Bible here says that he should not expect the master to reward him for completing his assignment. In fact the master gives him another assignment. And after the servant completes that assignment, does the master express his gratitude? No, the master is not expected nor required to. The servant should not expect any gratitude.

I believe the lesson here is to teach us how to serve and not to master. As servants, we cannot expect masters to behave how we want them to behave. We cannot expect our masters to express gratitude when we think we deserve it. We cannot expect masters to give us assignments that seem reasonable only to us. Masters can give us any and any amount of assignments they wish. We cannot expect gratitude or appreciation from our master.

Our duty is to obey. We do our duty, no matter what it takes. Without expectation for reward or gratitude.

Commit:

I must obey. I must obey even if it sounds dumb, immediately, as long as it takes, even if it takes sacrifice, even if there’s little expectation of reward.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how you want me to behave toward you and toward those that are put in authority over me. Please help me with the Holy Spirit to obey completely through duty and not for seeking reward or gratitude.

In the name of the one who obeyed without expecting recognition or gratitude, He did it because it was His duty to save us, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 14: 25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

Inspect:

Jesus was very clear on qualifications to be His disciples.

- Disciples need to love Jesus so much, that everyone else would feel hated in comparison. Too often, we love others so much that Jesus would feel hated. This includes our own life. We need to love the Lord so much that we hated our lives in comparison.
- We need to carry our own cross. Nobody else can carry our cross, it is uniquely assigned to us, to our unique gifting. Similarly, we cannot carry someone else’s cross, it is uniquely assigned to their gifting.
- The Lord wants our commitments, but He wants a commitment that is thought through. The Lord wants us to think through and count the costs of the commitment, and be sure that we are willing to give it up.
- The Lord wants us to give up everything. We need to know what everything is.

Commit:

I must carefully count the costs. I do want to give up everything to become his disciple.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for making it clear the kind of disciples that you want. Please help me to really the count the costs, to identify the “everything,” so that I can commit it to you. I can’t do this without your help.

In the name of the one who counted the costs and gave up His own life, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Genesis 31: 4 So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. 5 He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know how hard I have worked for your father, 7 but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. 8 For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. 9 In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.

Inspect:

There is no harm that can come to us, because it would have to come through the Lord. There is nothing that can come through the Lord because there is nothing more powerful than the Lord. There is nothing that can come through the Lord because there is no one that cares more for us than the Lord.

No matter how much Laban tried to change the conditions, the Lord outmaneuvered him.

I believe the same thing applies for us, God will not allow anyone to take advantage of us. God loves beyond anyone else. God can never be out-maneuvered by anything or anyone.

Commit:

I must have the confidence that no one can out politic me, no one can out maneuver me, because I am under God’s protection. I must not act in desperation. Jacob behaved respectfully and loyally to Laban, and because of this God blessed Laban through Jacob. In the same way, I need to always behave in a way that is respectful and loyal to those that are put in authority over me. If I do so, God will bless my boss through me. God will be glorified and I will be blessed.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me the proper way to behave to authorities over me. Help me never feel threatened, because you are watching over me. Help me to be a blessing to those that you have put over me.

In the name of the one who will watch over me and never let any harm come to me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Genesis 30: 27 “Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for[n] the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”

Inspect:

Through Jacob’s obedience to the Lord and hard work, he was able to make his Father-in-Law successful.

I believe that this is the potential of every Christ-follower. If we are obedient to the Lord and work hard, we can bless our employers and in turn become blessed.

Commit:

This is what I want to do. I want to become a blessing to my employer. With their success, I will be able to increase the influence of the kingdom.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me a way to increase your kingdom. Please help me to be a blessing to my employer. I’m not looking for the blessing, I’m looking to give you the glory, so that you will draw people to you.

In the name of the one who will bless my employer through me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalm 4: 4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you.
Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Inspect:

The Bible is so great. A command or instruction is given, and then it tells us how to obey it.

The command is that we should not have anger control us. Jesus got angry when the temple was misused and cleared it. But now I understand it wasn’t that Jesus was controlled by anger, it was Jesus who controlled the anger.

The how is that we should not fly off the handle, but rather to think about it overnight and think about it before we act. We need to think before we act. We are to think about it overnight. We are to remain silent and not rant and rave.

Commit:

To be controlled by anger is a sin. I must not sin. I must take the time to think about it. I must think about it in silence.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for telling me that being anger-controlled is a sin. Help me to control and anger by thinking about it. Help me to be silent about it. Fill me with your Holy Spirit to help me not sin against you.

In the name of the one who did not let anger control Him, Jesus!

Amen

Rhema:

Luke 10: 1 The Lord now chose seventy-two[a] other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.

Inspect:

Jesus sent out disciples to prepare the towns that He would visit. The instructions were very interesting.

- Pray for more workers. Don’t be satisfied with just trying your hardest. Ask the Lord to send more workers. The focus should not be on self, it should be on the harvest.

- I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. The Lord is warning that the workers need to be careful as lambs among wolves. Lambs don’t have the strength, size or teeth of the wolves. So we won’t have the natural advantages of the predators. However, we have the Lord at our side.

- Don’t take any money, bag or extra sandals. Don’t take any provisions, God will provide our needs through those we minister to. We need to trust God and not ourselves.

- Don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. Our mission is to minister to not to travel. This not to say we ignore the lesson of the Good Samaritan, but I believe the Lord is warning against those that would result in a distraction and not those that have a need.

Commit:

I must be like the ones that Jesus sent. I must heed the instructions given to them as if they applied to me as well. I must not be satisfied with my own efforts, I must pray for more. I must recognize that I am lambs among wolves, I must rely on the Lord’s strength and not my own. I must rely on the Lord for my provision. I must keep my focus o the ministry.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me the instructions to go out and prepare my world for your return. Help me to follow these instructions so that I may defeat the enemy. I want to work miracles.

In the name of the one who sends me and equips me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Genesis 24:

26 The man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. 27 “Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,” he said. “The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard their answer, he bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord.

Inspect:

It just struck me as being unusual. Here was Abraham’s servant sent on a very important but difficult assignment to find a wife for Isaac. When the servant found a girl who was not only attractive, but demonstrated great character in providing water for the camels, he realized that his prayer was answered. Here’s what caught my attention, it is what the servant did at that moment. The servant bowed and worshipped the Lord right there.

Then it happened again. When the girl’s parents give the servant permission to take the girl home as a wife, he bows again.

I like this guy, whenever prayer is answered, he doesn’t hesitate to bow and worship the Lord. He knew it wasn’t luck, his skill, it was the Lord who brought about the answer to his prayer. It was the Lord who allowed him to fulfill the assignment that was given to him.

We need to be the same, we need to remember that it is the Lord who allows us to accomplish the assignments. So we need to be careful to give God the glory and not think that we did it ourselves.

Commit:

I must keep this servant in mind. I need to keep in mind that it is the Lord that is the source of all success. I need to give the Lord worship immediately. He is deserving of it.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how I need to worship you. You made me realize that worship should be given, immediately and wherever I am. And why not, your blessing is everywhere and at any time, so must be my worship.

In the name of the one who blesses me everywhere, every time, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 8: 49 While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”
50 But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”
51 When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. 52 The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
53 But the crowd laughed at him because they all knew she had died. 54 Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, “My child, get up!” 55 And at that moment her life[h] returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.

Inspect:

I always wondered why Jesus took only Peter, James and John with Him in the healing of the girl that died. I believe that it was these three that provided the faith to make this amazing miracle happen. We read previously that when Jesus went into His own hometown that he could perform only a few miracles because the people didn’t have any faith in Him. In the community where Jesus grew up, they couldn’t believe, they couldn’t visualize that this boy that they grew up with could do amazing miracles, and guess what, no belief, no faith, no vision means no miracles.

So that’s why I think Jesus took only Peter, James and John. He took those three disciples that had the strongest faith. These disciples Jesus was depending on keep their belief amidst the doubt that was in the room. There were those in the room that amazingly laughed at Jesus in this situation. They had given up their hope, they could not ever imagine that Jesus would heal this girl. In this room of hopelessness, faithlessness and blindness we needed the strong faith of a few men to allow the miracle to happen. That’s why Peter, James and John were there. That’s why the miracle happened. Jesus allowed the faith of these men to help make the miracle happen.

Question is, would Jesus want you in the room with Him when there is a miracle that needs to be done? Do you have the faith in the midst of hopelessness, faithlessness and blindness to bring about the miracle? Does your belief, faith and vision overcome?

Commit:

I want to be the kind of man that Jesus wants in the room when there is a miracle to be done. I want to have enough belief, faith and vision to overcome the hopelessness, faithlessness and blindness so that my Lord can work the miracle. To do so I must grow my knowledge to increase my belief and faith. I must be obedient to grow my vision.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for an amazing revelation of your Word! Thank you for showing me why you need the presence of strong faith to make the miracles happen. I want to be that kind of man that you want in the room with you. I want to have the kind of faith that can stand up to laughter so that you can defeat the power of sin. Help me. I don’t this will be difficult, but I know for you to work more, I need to be that man in the room as Peter, James and John were.

In the name of the one who will prepare me to be taken in the room with Him, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalm 3: 7 Arise, O Lord!
Rescue me, my God!
Slap all my enemies in the face!
Shatter the teeth of the wicked!
8 Victory comes from you, O Lord.
May you bless your people.

Inspect:

King David wrote this Psalm when he was on the run for his life from his son Absalom. I love the transparency of King David. Despite his accomplishments and his position, he is so transparent with his feelings. In the beginning of this Psalm, he describes his desperation by being surrounded by enemies, and that everyone was saying there was no hope. But the King maintained his trust and hope in the Lord. He not only was confident that the Lord would protect him from his enemies, but in these verses, the King is asking God to defeat his enemies.

At first this may seem cruel, but if people see God’s people being defeated, it brings no glory to God. That’s why God grants victory and blessing to his people and defeat and curses to the enemy, it is because God wants us to draw toward Him. God wants to be with Him, because He knows there is no better place.

Sometimes in our workplace and perhaps even in our neighborhood and families we feel we are surrounded by enemies, or at least people who don’t care about us. We need to have this same confidence that David had. We must not lose hope when there are those at work who are trying to out maneuver us through unscrupulous tactics. There may be neighbors in our community who are trying to take advantage of us. Even the family is not immune from members trying to do evil to each other. But we just need to do as King David did, to cry out for help to the Lord for his protection and the defeat of the enemies. We know that God in all his mercy will give the defeated another chance to make their lives right with Him.

Commit:

I must be like King David. I will trust the Lord in protecting me and defeating those that plot against me. I know the Lord will be on my side and will bless me. Why? I am His people!

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for allowing me to be one of your people, through the sacrifice of your Son. Please help me to trust you to protect me and to give me victory over them. Help me to know that will bless me, not because what I’ve done, but simply because I am one of your people. I know this will apply at my workplace, at church, in the community or with my family.

In the name of the one who will always protect me, give me victory and bless me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 5: 36 Then Jesus gave them this illustration: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment.
37 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins. 39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say.”

Inspect:

This portion of scripture always intrigued me because I didn’t understand it. Now after doing some research, I’m amazed by it. It basically talks to me about trying to hybridize the new and old. Jesus used these metaphors to explain why it is impossible to try and put together religion and relationship. Religion being the works we would need to do to earn our salvation vs. relationship being who we need to know to earn our relationship.

The first example is tearing a piece of cloth from a new garment in order to patch an old garment. Jesus explains that it would wreck that new garment, and the repair on the old garment would not be excellent. If we were to try and make religion work from a relationship, we would first ruin the relationship, because relationship is not based on works. The “working” would devalue the relationship and render it useless. The religion would also no longer be the same because it would not have the integrity of the works. What we need to do is to just put on the new garment, and focus on the relationship.

The second example is putting new wine into old wineskins. The old wineskins would no longer have the capacity and flexibility to deal with the new wine and would burst. The old wineskins of religion could not handle the dynamic needs of a relationship and would be wrecked. The relationship although needing flexibility, would still need some boundaries. If put into the rigidity of religion, it would soon break the boundaries and would be lost. Jesus goes on to say that those that are accustom to the old wine, does not want the new wine. Those that are accustom to the predictability of religion, don’t want to put up with the taste of that relationship will bring.

Commit:

The lesson for me is that you can’t hold onto both religion and relationship, trying to do so will ruin both. I need to put on the entire garment of relationship. I need to stop trying to fit the flexibility of relationships into the rigidity of religion. I must instead adopt the flexible boundaries a relationship needs. I must not try to make the new wine taste like the old.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what your Word means on trying to combine religion and relationship. Please help me to stop trying to fix the garment of religion with the patch of relationship. Please help me to stop trying to hold the changing needs of the relationship in the stiff walls of religion. Please help me to stop longing for the taste of the old and accept the taste of the new.

In the name of the one who provides the new garment, the new wineskin and the new wine, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 3: 10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?”
11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.”
12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?”
13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.”
14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.
John replied, “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.”

Inspect:

When the crowds came to John the Baptist they asked “What should we do?” I think there is a great lesson here, when we come to a great man of God, a mentor a teacher, we should ask “What should we do?,” instead of telling them what they can do for us. The Bible records three examples for us.

The crowds ask “What should we do?”

- To which John the Baptist replies: “If you have two shirts, give one away. If we have food, we need to share it with those who are hungry.” We can only wear one shirt at a time, so we need to give away to those have none. We have food, but there are those that are hungry, to those we need to share.

The corrupt tax collectors ask “What should we do?”

- To which John the Baptist replies: “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” We are not to cheat, we are to do what we are assigned to do. We must take advantage of our positions to seek unethical gains for ourselves.

The soldiers ask “What shall we do?”

- To which John the Baptist replies: “Don’t extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay.” The soldiers could take advantage of their authority and strength. They could threaten with their weapons or authority. They were told that they needed to be satisfied with their pay.

The lesson for us is that we need to share with those that are less fortunate than us. We are to do things properly and not take advantage of our authority or strength. We are to be satisfied with what we have.

Commit:

I must ask God, “What shall we do?” I must then listen and do what I’m told. I must be generous with what the Lord has given to me. I must share what I have to war and to eat. I must give to those that have less than me. I must not take advantage of my strength and authority. I must be satisfied with what is given me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what we need to do to be obedient to you. Please help me to be generous with what you have blessed me with to share what I have with those that have less than me. Please help me to not take advantage of my position or strength. Help me to be satisfied with what you have given me.

In the name of the one who will help me to obey with my life, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 2: 49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”[d] 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant.
51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
Inspect:

Jesus gave up everything to come down to earth to be born and to grow as a mortal human. So He had to grow in wisdom and influence. How did He do it?

I believe this section of scripture has two things that resulted in Jesus growing in wisdom and influence.

First, Jesus spent time in spiritual training in the Father’s house. The Bible said that the teachers were impressed with His attentiveness and understanding.

Second, Jesus was obedient to His parents and to authorities.

I think His wisdom grew through the study of the Word and in obedience.

I think His influence grew in the study of the word and in obedience.

There’s nothing “magical” about this, we too can grow our wisdom and influence through study of the Word and obedience of authority. If Jesus took this path to grow, then we must take this path as well.

Commit:

I need to grow the way that Jesus grew. I must learn in my Father’s house to grow in wisdom and stature. I must obey my parents and spiritual authorities to grow in wisdom and stature.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how your Son grew in wisdom and influence. Please help me to do the same. Help me to gain wisdom and stature in Your house. Help me to gain wisdom and stature in being obedient to authorities that you have put over me.

In the name of the one who will increase my wisdom and influence, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Luke 1: 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

Inspect:

This is what Elizabeth, mother of John, said to Mary, mother of Jesus. We know that Gabriel the angel of the Lord, came to tell that Mary that she would be the mother of the Jesus. I believe in keeping with the God allowing us free will, that Mary had a choice. Despite her youth and no doubt apprehension of the unknown, she consented and believed that Gabriel’s word would become true. Elizabeth affirmed this by reminding Mary that she is blessed because she allowed and believed that the Lord would do what He said.

I believe that this is a lesson for us. God has a plan for each of us to birth a blessing that will change lives and history. However, we must allow it happen, and we must believe that it will happen. If we don’t allow it to happen, it won’t, God won’t force us, He will find another way to do what He wants to do. If we don’t believe that the Lord will do what He says, then we won’t walk forward in faith. And without faith we will not achieve what the Lord has planned for us.

Commit:

I need to be like Mary. I must accept what the Lord has planned for me and allow Him to use me to change lives and change history. I must believe that the Lord will do what He has planned for me. I must allow Him in obedience. I must believe Him in faith.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your plans for me. Please send me your Holy Spirit to help me to obey you, to allow you to do to me what you want. Please help me to believe that you will do what you will. I want to be used by you to change lives and history.

In the name of the one who has great plans for me and will do what He says, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Revelation 20: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,[l] and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.[m] 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Inspect:

There is a day of judgment coming, and now with 2009 just over an hour from now, we are another year closer to it. We see that judgment will be based on the record of our works. Those who do not have their names written down in the Book of Life will be cast down into the lake of fire. Without confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, our names cannot be written in the Book of Life. All it takes is to believe and confess to have our names be written, and this grants us entrance to heaven.

We are going to be held responsible for the work that we perform. We are held accountable for the decisions we make. We have been given the freedom to choose, but the responsibility for the consequences. Everything we do has eternal consequences that are either credits or debits. Our credits will be eternally rewarded. Our debits will be eternally punished. The choices are ours, the consequence are ours.

Commit:

I must have the confidence that my name is written in the Book of Life but also know that my works will be judged. I must be grateful and not fear death, but I must have compassion to help others to get their names written in the Book of Life as well. I must work with urgency and excellence as my Lord has.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for watching me through 2009. I ask that you help me have the peace that comes from know that my name is written in the Book of Life. Help me to work with obedience, passion and excellence knowing that my work will be judged. Help me to work 2010 in a way that will please you to a level I never have before.

In the name of the one who died that my name is written in the Book of Life, the one who has shown us how to work to please the Father, Jesus!

Amen