Online Journals

Rhema:

Isaiah 61: 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.[b]
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,[c]
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

Inspect:

When Jesus started his public ministry, He read from this passage and declared that this applied to Him. I believe that it is the same for the rest of us as well.

We can declare that the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to all of us.

We are now equipped to bring the good news to everyone. The Holy Spirit will give us the words to say at the right time and right place in the right way.

We are privileged to be able to bring God’s comfort to others through our words, our hands, our feet, our love and care.

We are sent to tell those that are bound by addictions and habits that they will be freed.

We are empowered to then break these addictions and habits that imprison them.

We are to go to those that are in mourning that God will come and bring His favor on them.

We see the amazing things that Jesus did in His ministry, we too can do this because the same Spirit that anointed Jesus can anoint us as well.

Commit:

I need to get this anointing every day. Then I need to go out as Jesus did to preach, to free and to bring courage.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me the same anointing as you gave your Son, Jesus. Please help me to remember this so that I can preach, free and encourage. Help me to do as Jesus did.

In the name of the one who was anointed to save me, who anointed me to save others, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Isaiah 59: 1 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
Because of your sins, he has turned away
and will not listen anymore.

Inspect:

What a sobering thought! So often I think the Lord’s not paying attention to me. Or even, that He’s not able or willing to help me out of this situation. Wrong! The Lord does hear us. There is nothing the Lord cannot do save us, there is no weakness in Him.

However, God may not be willing to save us, because we separate ourselves from Him by our sin. I believe that if we don’t turn away from sin and toward God, He won’t save us. Why? I believe it is because He wants us looking at Him and not the sin. We may not be able to break the hold of sin in our lives because of our weakness, but I believe we always have the ability to turn away from it and look at God. We might say that sin is too powerful, too tempting, it has been so long that we cannot imagine life without it. That may be true, the addiction that chains to the sin might be so strong that we can’t break it, but I believe we all have what it takes, no matter how little it is to begin to turn away from it, even though its holding onto us, but turn and start looking at God.

I believe that as soon as we do that. We turn away from our sin, and start looking at God, start trying to struggle away from the sin, things will change. We may not be able to move an inch closer to God, but the minute God sees us looking at Him instead of the sin, He’ll come running, He’ll listen to us, His arm will reach out to us.

Let’s keep looking at God.

Commit:

I need to stop looking at sin. It may be tempting, enticing and satisfying, but I need to turn away and look at God. It is He that listens. It is He that saves.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this reminder on where to keep my eyeballs. Help me to realize that if I start wondering why you’re not listening, why you’re not helping, it is because I’m not looking at you. Help me to realize that I’m staring at sin, and that I need to turn away and look at you!

In the name of the one who will listen, who’s arms are able to save me from everything, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Isaiah 53: 1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.[b]
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.[c]
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Inspect:

This prophecy by Isaiah points to the Lord Jesus. It describes the life sacrifice that He led so that we would be redeemed for our sins. I am not sure about my theology, but I believe that this prophecy applies to us as well. In the New Testament, there are many scripture that tell us that if we are followers of Christ, then we are to endure the same things that He has. If that is true, and I believe it is, then we need to understand what we can expect from this life of following Christ.

- There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
o Jesus was not beautiful or majestic in the eyes of the world. He was born in a manger, He had a common profession. We too need to expect the same. Many of us are not beautiful or majestic in the eyes of the world. We shouldn’t expect to be recognized more than Jesus was.
- He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
o Jesus went through rejection that causes sorrows and deep grief, we need to expect the same. We must realize that many will turn their backs on us and reject us.

This passage goes on and on about how Jesus suffered, and I believe that it indicates that how too we will suffer. Why?

- Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
o It is all for others. We suffer because we care. We suffer because we work to save. We suffer because we struggle that others would not suffer.

Is it worth it? Absolutely! Is the worth of a soul worth the suffering that we need to endure? I think so. At the end, God will recognize what we’ve done.

- He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.

Our Heavenly Father will see all the sacrifices we have made. He will see the good we have accomplished. He will honor us. There is no greater honor than the honor of our Heavenly Father, there is none more generous, none more satisfying.

Commit:

I must endure the difficulties I go through. I need to realize that it is worth it, if just for one soul. I may not see the results, but the Lord does, and that is what counts.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you that I can suffer as the Lord Jesus did. Please equip me to handle this life successfully. You know the limits of my strength, my courage and my spirit. I pray that you send your Holy Spirit to give me what I need to get through this in a way that pleases you.

In the name of the one who has gone through all of this and so much more, the one who will help me succeed at following Him, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

2 Peter 1: 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Inspect:

Can’t stop at faith. We are commanded here to build on faith.

- Moral Excellence – we need to be excellence in morality. Our motives must be pure in everything we do.
- Knowledge – we need to continually build our knowledge. We need more knowledge in order to be more effective at obeying the Lord.
- Self-Control – we need to be sure that we are in control of ourselves. We must not react rashly, instinctively, instead we must be thoughtful and be controlled by love.
- Patient Endurance – we need to endure patiently trials that come our way, understanding complexities and awaiting validation.
- Godliness – we need to grow in maturity in the spirit. We need to grow in purity and understanding of our spiritual lives.
- Brotherly Affection – we need to learn to like everyone. We need to realize that God values every individual that He has created, and so must we.
- Love – we need to sacrifice ourselves so that others may grow. Jesus gave His life to save and model for others, and so must we.

If we are to be productive and useful in saving and helping people to grow and save others, we need to not stop at faith.

Commit:

This is like working out. I must not stop at pushup. I need to train every part of my body so that my strength is balanced and in harmony. The same must be in my service for the Lord. I must not just do faith, I must build myself up by adding all of these, so that I can become strong, balanced and in harmony in the service of the Lord.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how to train to become productive for you. Please help me to train every part of my ministry. Just as my fitness center trainer varies my workout to insure that I am building strength equally, please send your Holy Spirit to so that I can become strong in each of these areas as well.

In the name of the one who trains me to serve, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Isaiah 49: 1 Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The Lord called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name.
2 He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.”
4 I replied, “But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.”
5 And now the Lord speaks—
the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant,
who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me,
and my God has given me strength.
6 He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles,
and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Inspect:

This prophecy points to our Lord Jesus Christ, about his mission on earth to save us. However, I also believe that It points to us. We are given the same mission as our Lord Jesus, and I believe we are given the same spirit and direction as our Lord was.

- We are called before we were born, while we were still in our mother’s womb. Just as Jesus had a unique place in history to save mankind, I believe that God will use our uniqueness our individuality to perform a mission that we are the most suited for.
- You are my servant and you will bring me glory. What an amazing promise. We are called to be His servant, and it is us who will bring glory to the Lord. This is amazing. The Lord could bring glory to himself, but He chooses to use us.
- The reality is that we will face setbacks, times when all of efforts seem futile. But the promise here is that we need to just leave it to the Lord. We won’t be able to see all the results of what we do. We need to just trust that the Lord and He will honor us for us. The Lord is not stingy, He does not gain anything by withholding the blessing, He loves us, He wants to reward us.
- We don’t need to rely on our own strength, because the Lord promises to give us His strength. What more do we need. We’re worried that we’re not strong enough, we need to begin to trust in God’s strength. And why not, right here He promised it to us.

Just as God is without limits and His strength is without limits so our mission doesn’t have limits as well. The prophecy over Jesus and over us is that our ministry will go to the ends of the earth. God loves everyone and wants to save everyone, everywhere so He will use His Son and He will use us.

Commit:

I am willing to accept this prophecy, this calling. I believe that God will use my uniqueness to do something that I am uniquely suited at. I believe that God will give me all the strength I need to be successful at carrying out the mission that He has given me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what my mission is and how you help me to achieve it. Please help me to see your strength at work in my life. Help me to know that it is your strength and not mine which will bring the win. Help me to not look at results for encouragement, but to trust that you will see everything and that you will reward every good thing. Help me to know that my mission is without limits, that you will extend my borders to the end of the earth. Thank you for allowing me to serve you and to bring you honor.

In the name of the one who has chosen me and will give me strength, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Isaiah 43: 1 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia[a] and Seba in your place.
4 Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.

Inspect:

If this isn’t love, nothing is. God has made us. He knows every aspect of us. He created us solely for the reason of having a relationship with us. God doesn’t want anything else from us then to bless us and have a relationship with us. God has not only created us, but when we messed up and sinned, it was He who paid the price to ransom us. He has made us, he has ransomed us. We are not just one of the faceless masses to Him, we are an individual, He loves us as an individual.

So here God promises that He will be with us through all of our difficulties. He doesn’t promise to prevent us from having difficulties. It doesn’t matter if trouble threatens to overwhelm, or if trouble threatens to destroy us, God will be the one to make sure we go through it. God didn’t ransom us to lose us.

Commit:

I must trust the Lord. I must know that God made me, came after me and bought me back. God will never let me be overwhelmed or destroyed.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me again how precious I am to you. Please help me to hold on to the truth that you love me as an individual. Help me to know that you bought me back, even though you didn’t need to. Help me to remember that there is no trouble too deep for you to get me through. Help me to remember that there is no trouble too destructive for you to get me through.

In the name of my creator, my redeemer and my protector, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Isaiah 42: 6 “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.
7 You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison,
releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

Inspect:

This prophecy was written to describe the mission and the promise of Jesus Christ. It as if you will His Great Commission. I believe it also applies to each of us. We are all called to demonstrate God’s righteousness to everyone around us. God’s righteousness brings us abundant life right here on earth and it will give us eternal life forever.

God promises to take us by the hand and guard us. It can’t get any better, He can’t get any closer. By taking our hands, God is ready lead us, pick us up and guard us.

We are God’s gift to the world. It is through the visibility of our lives that reveals the unseen love and wisdom of the Lord.

As our eyes are opened, as we are freed from our captivity, we can then lead others to accept from God as we have.

That’s our privilege and our responsibility. Our lives are a gift to the world, to lead them to an abundant life now and forever.

Commit:

I must realize that this is my responsibility to lead a life to show others the way to God. I must not be afraid of this job because God promises to take me by the hand and guard me. With that I cannot fail.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me what my mission is. Please help me to live righteously for you. Help me humbly receive sight and freedom from you. Help me to know that you are taking my hand to guide me, to hold me to guard me.

In the name of the one who has given me to save others, the one who has taken my hand, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

1 Peter 2: 4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.

Inspect:

I think this verse struck me because I thought of all the materials that went into building the temple. There was a great variety ranging from woods to metals to fabrics to precious gemstones, gold and silver and last but not least stones. In thinking about all of these things it appears that it was the stone that provided the structural element of the temple. The woods were used to panel over the stones, so in effect they were there for appearance but did not serve to support the structure. The same holds true for the fabrics, the gemstones, gold and silver, beautiful and important as these other materials are, only stone was used to form the foundation, the walls and the roof.

So it was rhema that God called us to be living stones and not living wood, or living gemstones, or any other material. We notice that Jesus is also called to be a stone in God’s temple. So we along with Jesus are to be the structure of the temple. As such we form the foundation, the walls and the roof. We serve to support, to shield and protect. We see that Jesus is called a very special stone, the cornerstone. The cornerstone defines the structure of the temple. It is the first stone laid down and forms the dimensions and directions of the temple. Everything else is constructed in relationship to it. And so it must be for our lives. Jesus must be the first in our lives. We line ourselves up to Him. We don’t expect Jesus to line to us. We can imagine what would happen if the cornerstone had to be moved each time a stone was laid down, the resulting structure would be hopelessly out of alignment and potentially structurally unsound. No, just as the building stones line up with the cornerstone, we must line ourselves up with Jesus.

Commit:

I am called to be a living stone for God’s temple. I am not called to be decoration as wood paneling, as precious gemstone ornaments. No, I am called to be a foundation to support, a wall to shield and a roof to protect. I must be in an alignment with the cornerstone which is Jesus Christ!

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what I am called to be. Please help me to be faithful to the calling to be a living stone in your temple. Let me be strong, solid and stable in support of you and others. Let me be a shield and a protection. Let me be in alignment with your Son, the cornerstone.

In the name of the cornerstone, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

1 Peter 1: 13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

Inspect:

BIBLE = Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I just love this description of the Bible. God wants so much for us to live a life that leads us to be successful in every part of our lives. So He gives us very solid, doable instructions.

- Think Clearly – God wants us to think clearly about things. We must take the time to think clearly and not just act on emotion or on incomplete or incorrect truths.
- Exercise Self-Control – God wants us to act in a controlled way. God doesn’t us to react reflexively without thought. God is a god of order, that is His DNA and it should be ours.
- Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come – God wants us to live a life that is not for the present but focused on the day that Jesus will return.

If we do this, to think clearly, are self-controlled and living for the eternity then we wind up living a holy life. Because it is a holy life that will count for eternity. Only the holy things we do will survive for eternity. Things that we do to satisfy our own desires will not survive this life.

This is the amazing love of God. God wants us to live an abundant life not just for this life but for eternal life. So God is teaching us and helping us to think clearly, act with control and focus on eternity. If we do so, we will live a rich life here and for eternity.

Commit:

I need to take this to heart and more importantly do it. I must take the time to think clearly. I must not rush to just do. I need to act with self-control. I must take the time to consider consequences. I must change the focus away from what I want, to eternity. When I consider eternity, I think about others and I think about God’s judgment. This leads me to live a holy life.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank for showing me how to live a life that is blessed for now and for eternity. Please send me your Holy Spirit to coach me to think clearly, to act with control and to do things that will matter in eternity vs. the now. Help me to be holy as you are holy.

In the name of the one who will send the Holy Spirit to guide me to think clearly, act in control and build toward eternity, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

2 Chronicles 32: 24 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the Lord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.
27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and highly honored. He built special treasury buildings for his silver, gold, precious stones, and spices, and for his shields and other valuable items. 28 He also constructed many storehouses for his grain, new wine, and olive oil; and he made many stalls for his cattle and pens for his flocks of sheep and goats. 29 He built many towns and acquired vast flocks and herds, for God had given him great wealth. 30 He blocked up the upper spring of Gihon and brought the water down through a tunnel to the west side of the City of David. And so he succeeded in everything he did.
31 However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to ask about the remarkable events that had taken place in the land, God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.

Inspect:

The Bible is such an amazing book of life instructions. It doesn’t contain stories of superheroes who are beyond human temptations and weaknesses, instead it shows real people. People in the Bible show not only great ability but real shortcomings as well. We see in King Hezekiah a great man of God who sought to wholeheartedly serve and obey God in everything. However, we see that King Hezekiah like many of us had a pride problem.

In the verses above we see that he was miraculously healed by the Lord and shown a wonderful sign but making the shadow of the sun move backwards. However instead of showing humble gratitude, we see that the King became proud. Like many of us, he could have rationalized the healing and miracle as something he deserved through his own actions and value. So the Lord does what He does to those He loves, the Lord brings punishment with the hope that through these actions we humble ourselves and turn back to Him. And King Hezekiah did. He humbled himself, repented of his prideful attitude and the Lord honored that. We see that Hezekiah was blessed richly.

We see in the last few verses of today’s reading that the Lord did not stop trying to build King Hezekiah’s character. Foreign ambassador’s came to see the King. The Lord used this occasion to test if King Hezekiah would boast and claim credit for the wealth of the land to these distinguished visitors. The Lord withdrew His presence to see what the King would do. Would Hezekiah boast that the wealth was due to his own abilities, or would he give the glory to the Lord?

Commit:

I reflect on what I do when people speak about what I’ve done. Do I attribute the success to God, or do I boast of my skills and experience in making things of excellence? What is in my heart? Would I pass the test?

Exalt:

Heavenly Father I thank you for showing me how you build my character. Please help me to pass the test. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me to be humble. Help not to attribute and success in my life to myself, instead help me to give all the glory to you. I want to have good in my heart and not pride. Help me please.

In the name of the one who humbled himself before all, and will help me to do the same, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

2 Chronicles

29: Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.

30: 18 Most of those who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun had not purified themselves. But King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were allowed to eat the Passover meal anyway, even though this was contrary to the requirements of the Law. For Hezekiah said, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon those 19 who decide to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony.” 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people.

31: 21 In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.

Inspect:

What a great man King Hezekiah was. I am always looking for clues on how I can be successful in serving the Lord and others. Here we see the King being described as doing what pleased the Lord.

In the last scripture, King Hezekiah is described as someone who sought God wholeheartedly in the worship at the Temple and in obedience to God’s laws and commands. I believe this means that the King applied himself to be serve and obey without reservations, with the all of his passion, strength and will. The consequence was that he was successful.

In 30:18, I see what more of what it means to seek the God wholeheartedly. The letter of the law was that people could not participate in the Passover if they were not ritually purified. However, I believe that King Hezekiah sought God’s heart, and as a result realized that God saw that the people had humbled themselves to come to the Passover, and so instead of disappointing them and not allowing them to eat the Passover meal, the King asked the Lord for an exception. Since this prayer was in line with God’s heart, God accepted it.

I believe this means that we just do not just take God’s laws and commands at face value, but we with our whole hearts seek to understand God’s heart behind them. I believe that this seeking to understand pleases the Lord and help us to better serve Him and others.

Commit:

I must follow the example of King Hezekiah and with my whole heart try to serve the Lord and obey Him. I must try and understand how God thinks and feels, so that I might more fully please Him.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for showing me how to be successful through the life of King Hezekiah. Please help me to serve and obey with my whole heart. Please help me to not hold anything back. Help me to really seek how you think and feel, so that I can more fully please you. Send your Holy Spirit to create the hunger in me to know your heart more.

In the name of the one who gave me His whole heart, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

James 3: 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

Inspect:

What a great truth that I need to learn. There are so many areas in my life that I lack control. I’m a procrastinator. I’m undisciplined in my workouts. I don’t finish things. So I’m delighted to find out the key to getting control over my life. God’s truth is that if I can control what I say, I will be able to control myself in other ways as well.

God is telling me that what I say is the key to controlling all other areas of my life. This is starting to make sense.

- Creation – with a word God created everything. With my words, I will be able to create control in my life, to accept the responsibility for setting direction and then proactively set it.
- Reveals what’s inside – God tells us that our words reveals what’s stored inside. Just as a good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit, my words will reflect what is inside of me. I need to pay attention to my words and use it to check what’s going on inside, so I can take corrective action.
- Build Up / Tear Down – words can be used to give life or take away life. I need to speak those words that give me life and not take it away. I must speak truth in love, not only to others but myself as well. I must not tear down what God has built up, and that includes me.

Commit:

I need to focus on controlling what I say vs. just trying to control what I think and do. I must speak of responsibility and direction. I must not speak words of blame. I must not speak words of wandering, I must determine the Lord’s plan for my life and speak it. I must listen carefully to what I say, and see what areas of my life need to be built up. I must then ask the Holy Spirit to help me to build them up. I must speak words of building up and encouragement even to myself.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me this truth about how to gain control over my life. Please help me to speak the right words not only over others, but over myself as well. Please send the Holy Spirit to help me to speak words of construction and creation. Then help me to listen to my words, so that I may confess my weaknesses to you and ask that you build and strengthen those parts of me that are broken and weak.

In the name of the one who created me, redeemed me and keeps with me with His words, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hebrews 11: 32 How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. 33 By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.

Inspect:

The Word of God here in Hebrews is trying to instruct and inspire us to a life of faith. The first verse of this chapter defines faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. So it is by this faith that enabled these that are mentioned here to do the following:

- Overthrew kingdoms – these men were defeated much more powerful armies because they believed in a God they could not see. Where the enemies has superior forces, they believed in a superior god and defeated the enemies.
- Ruled with justice – after the defeat of these armies, they ruled their kingdoms justly. Resisting the temptation to take advantage of the people and derive material gains, they obeyed the Lord and ruled with justice, knowing that obeying God will bring blessings to their kingdoms.
- Received what God had promised them – Through their belief in God’s promises and doing what God wanted them to do, they got what God promised them. They received God’s blessings of supplying their needs, of peace and joy.
- They shut the mouths of lions – I believe that like Daniel, that they were thrown into the den of lions, that by faith, they took the authority of God, and commanded the lions mouths to be closed. There is no danger to us that will not be under the command of God. We need to hold on to that truth with our faith.
- Quenched flames of fire – We need to believe as they did, that not only were animals under the authority of God, but things as well. Fire, wind and waves will obey God. Through faith, we need to hold onto this truth.
- Escaped death by the edge of the sword – through faith we need to hold onto the truth that man cannot harm us, no matter what the weapon. There is no sword or weapon made that can put us to death without God’s permission.
- Their weakness turned to strength, they became strong in battle, putting entire armies to flight – God takes our weakness and turns it into strength if we believe that He would. In the middle of the battle, instead of becoming weak, we become strong. It is because we believe that our source of strength is God and not ourselves. Even against the strength of entire armies, we will prevail, if we believe that the strength of God is greater than the strength of men.

I believe that this is our mission to take back the kingdom from the enemy who is seeking to destroy the people. We rule it with justice, so that the people will not destroy it themselves. We persevere, knowing that we will receive God’s blessing. We take courage in knowing that the God who loves us and sacrificed everything for us has authority over animals, things and people. We hold onto the fact that God takes us as we are, with all of our weaknesses, and makes us stronger than any men or group of men.

Commit:

This promise if for me. I can defeat kingdoms, rule with justice, receive God’s promise. I can do all this against all opposition. I can do this not through my strength, but through God’s strength.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me the importance of faith. Please help me to carry out the mission you have given me. Help me to believe in you that you will help me in every step of the way. I thank you that you take me as my am, with all my weakness and through faith, will give me the strength to overcome anything and anyone.

In the name of the one who will help me to defeat kingdoms, rule with justice, overcome all obstacles, who will use my weakness, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Micah 5: 7 Then the remnant left in Israel[c]
will take their place among the nations.
They will be like dew sent by the Lord
or like rain falling on the grass,
which no one can hold back
and no one can restrain.
8 The remnant left in Israel
will take their place among the nations.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a strong young lion among flocks of sheep and goats,
pouncing and tearing as they go
with no rescuer in sight.
9 The people of Israel will stand up to their foes,
and all their enemies will be wiped out.

Inspect:

I believe we are called to be the remnant in the land. Yes, you who are reading this. A remnant is a small group, not the majority. A remnant is not a comfortable place, but a place of challenge. Someone once said that great changes in history have always been started and carried out not by the majority of the comfortable, but by the remnant of the challenged.

Here’s the promise of God for those that are in the remnant.

- The remnant will take their place among the nations. We the remnant will take our place among the nations. We are promised to take a role to lead and redeem the nations. We will not be left out.

- The remnant will be like the dew or like the rain falling, which no one can hold back or restrain. No one can stop the dew or the rain. The promise is that we the remnant will not be held back. Just as God brings the dew on the rain wherever He wants, God will bring the remnant to whatever place He wants, there is no place, authority or time that will be taken away from the remnant.

- The remnant will be like lions among the other animals. The other animals will not be able to stand against the lion, there will be nobody coming to rescue them. With the Lord sending us, there is no one greater than can defy the remnant.

- The remnant will not be knocked down. The Lord promises that all our enemies will be wiped out. In the end the remnant will be standing and there will be no more enemies.

So let’s go, let’s not stop. Those around us need to be rescued. Those against us are not lions, they are sheep and goats. They don’t have our teeth and claws and most importantly, they don’t have a rescuer as powerful and loving as our Lord. We must defeat the enemy who seeks to destroy. In their defeat is life for others.

Commit:

I must not be discouraged in realizing that I am part of the remnant and not the majority. I must not be discouraged in thinking that there are lions around me. I must not be discouraged in thinking that the enemy will be rescued by a great savior. Discouragement comes from not holding onto the truth.

The truth is that with God, I am in the majority. The truth is that I am the lion and there are only sheep and goats around me. The truth is that God my rescuer and no one else’s. With truth is encouragement.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for encouraging me with your truth. Send me your Holy Spirit to remind that I am a lion. Remind me that you are my rescuer. Remind me that at the end I will be standing and not the enemy.

In the name of the one of the who is my encourager and my rescuer, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hebrews 6: 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers,[a] as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.

Inspect:

What struck me in this scripture is the emphasis of loving and caring for others. God promises here that He will remember how we care for others because in doing so, we’re demonstrating how much we love Him. The apostles are also desiring that the one that they will not stop doing is to keep loving others. We also see that by loving and caring for others it will keep us spiritually sharp and engaged.

The key is then as we love others and care for them without stopping.

Commit:

I need to know that this is the core of the making disciples. We do it as an act of love to the Lord, because we are caring for those that He loves. God will not forget what I do. I must do this otherwise I’ll get lazy and dull.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what really matters to you. Please remind me that I need to love and care for others as long as I live. Help me to love them and care for them as you do.

In the name of the one who has always and will always love and care for me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hebrews 5: Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

Inspect:

This scripture talks about Jesus being called to be the high priest. It explains why Jesus came to earth so that He could experience our weaknesses. By knowing our weakness He is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward, because He experienced these same temptations.

This help us to understand why Jesus is called to be the great high priest.

- He represents other people in their dealings with God. He helps people to understand how God views their dealings. And I believe He helps to intercede on behalf of the people, much as Moses did. Many times imploring God to have mercy and patience with the people. As Jesus did, many time asking the Father to extend grace for our failures.
- He presents their gifts and offers sacrifice for their sins. I believe the example set in the Old Testament where the priest took the sacrifices of the people and helped them to present them in the a way that is acceptable to God shows us what the responsibility of the priest is for us. We help people offer their sacrifice. It is not our sacrifice it must be theirs, it is their time, treasure and talent. However, we must help them present in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. We must teach and show them how to offer these sacrifices with true sincerity and with excellence.

This was the mission that Jesus took on. This must be the mission that we take on as well.

Commit:

I need to learn to be a high priest for myself and for others. I must learn to be gentle as Jesus was in dealing with the people who are ignorant and wayward. I must help others to offer their own sacrifices and patiently help them to understand how God desires sacrifices. I must always remember that I have the same weaknesses that everyone else has.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for giving me Jesus as my high priest. Please help me to be the same as well. Help me to be gentle with everyone. Give me the giftings to help others offer their sacrifices in a way that is pleasing to you.

In the name of the one who is gentle with me, who helps me offer my sacrifice to the Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalm 73: 16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper.
But what a difficult task it is!
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.

Inspect:

This explains why I covet those that are more successful than me. Certainly I can reason that whatever success they have on earth will only be temporary and they will eventually be judged. And this should rationally allow me to NOT covet. But that isn’t always the case. Now I understand why, it is because my heart was bitter. My heart becomes like that because I feel that I was treated unfairly that God favored someone over me. I would beat myself up trying to analyze what I did wrong.

This is not the right way to handle this. I must realize that God will always give me exactly what I need at the time I need it so that it will be the best for me and for others. I must also realize that God will judge the sinner. This is truth. I must hold onto this truth. This is worship, recognizing the true nature of God. He loves me and wants the best for me. Then I must give thanks and praise the Lord, this is the antidote for bitterness of my heart. Worship is from the Spirit into my head. Praise is from the Spirit into my heart.

Commit:

Worship and praise, I need to learn this as my response to coveting. I must not tear myself up. I must worship. I must praise.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for helping me to stop coveting the success of others. Please send your Holy Spirit to me to stop the self-analysis and instead worship and praise instead. Worship to minister to my mind. Praise to keep my heart from turning bitter. Help me not to react naturally but supernaturally.

In the name of the one who will give me everything I need, when I need it that will be the best for me. Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hosea 8: 12 Even though I gave them all my laws,
they act as if those laws don’t apply to them.
13 The people of Israel love their rituals of sacrifice,
but to me their sacrifices are all meaningless.
I will hold my people accountable for their sins,
and I will punish them.

Inspect:

Too often we like to go through the motions because it makes us feel like we’re accomplishing something, making progress. God here warns the people that we need to do better.

God has given us His laws because when we obey them the natural consequences are that we will be blessed. Added on top of that obedience to the laws pleases the Lord, and the Lord will add blessings on those that please Him. So we must not just know the laws or study the laws, we must realize that they apply to us and live them.

God tells the people that He sees them loving to go through the ritual of sacrifice, but because they don’t take accountability for their sins, the sacrifice is meaningless. If we don’t accept the responsibility for the sin, than the sacrifice is empty, because it is not an act of humility, confession and repentance. It is just an act. However if we do take accountability for our sin, we accept that we have disobeyed and we sincerely realize the damage we have done to ourselves and to our relationship with God, then a sacrifice means something. It means a confession where we acknowledge that we have sinned. It means humbling ourselves that we are no better than any other sinner. I means giving up something, a signal that we are repenting from the sin. Then God will forgive.

Commit:

I need to not just know the law, I must live it. I must realize that God’s law applies to me. Them I need to know that I have the accountability for my actions. Sin is a result of my disobedience and no one else. I need to come to confession and repentance. Only then will God forgive me.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for reminding me that I must not just go through the motions. Please help me to realize that the laws are for me, they are to help me be blessed in the natural world, but more importantly, they draw me closer to you. The law is the guide back to you. Help me to be accountable for my sins. Help me to humbly confess and sincerely repent from my sins. Please forgive my sins.

In the name of the one who sees my heart for what it is and will transform my heart to what it should be, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Hosea 1: 10 [c]“Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’ 11 Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be—the day of Jezreel[d]—when God will again plant his people in his land.

Inspect:

We are just like the country of Israel. There are times that we are bad and we need to be punished so that we realize our mistakes and turn back. There are times when we are humbly obeying God and he blesses us to encourage us to stay in obedience. In both cases God’s love for us is unconditional. His judgment and blessing are both expressions of His love. Without judgment, our stubborn human nature will prevent us from coming back to obedience. If we don’t come back to obedience, the consequences is our eventual destruction, not from God, but the natural outcome of doing things that are not good for our health, family, others, our ourselves. But when we do, when we realize the errors of our ways and humbly turn back to God, He will welcome us. God will restore the blessing to us. God will multiply our influence, our wealth, our power. We become blessed, so that we can be a blessing, to draw others back to the Lord.

So we need to never doubt God’s unconditional love. We must recognize when we are under judgment and quickly and humbly come back to the Lord in obedience.

Commit:

I need to pay attention. I realize that God wants to multiply my influence, wealth and power so that I can defeat the enemy and win the people back to the Lord. I need to be sensitive to Lord and know when He is disciplining me, signaling me that I’m going down the wrong way and need to turn back. I need to have the confidence that no matter what, God will restore me whenever I return back to humble obedience.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me no matter what. I realize that your judgment is your love, your way of bringing me back from going down the road to destruction. Please help me to know that your wish is for me to obey you, not only to please you, but because your way is the way to the abundance of life. Your way is the way to bring blessings not only to myself but to those around me. Your blessing will show others your love and what they too can have when they too come back in humble obedience.

In the name of the one who loves me no matter how long it takes for me to come back, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Isaiah 6: 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.”
9 And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,

Inspect:

I can only imagine what Isaiah was experiencing. He has just seen the awesome glory of God fill the temple. The presence of God was overwhelming in the fullness of power and glory. Those that were worshipping in the temple were wondrous / amazing heavenly beings who were continuously declaring the holiness of God, and they were doing it with such power and beauty that the place was shaking. So in comparison, Isaiah saw how beneath he was relative to God and these beings. Isaiah realized his sinfulness and filthiness not only of himself, but humankind as well.

I believe God responded by sending the seraphim to remove the sin and filthiness. This is done by taking a burning coal from the altar and touching to the lips of Isaiah. I believe this symbolizes that cleansing comes from the altar which the sacrifice was made. Cleansing can only come from sacrifice. I believe that the lips need to be touched, because purification must begin and end from the lips. The word from the lips pronounces the way to purity and the word from the lips must accept and acknowledge repentance.

At this point, the Lord calls to ask who would go deliver this message of purification and repentance to the people. Isaiah responds, “Here I am, send me.” To which the Lord responds, “Yes, go…”

What a great lesson for us. It begins with humility recognizing our sin and filth. Then we must be willing to come to the altar and be cleansed. Finally, we need to respond when God calls us.

Commit:

I must continuously humble myself and recognize my sinfulness and filthiness. Then I need to come regularly before the altar of God and accept the whatever it takes to make me pure. Finally, I must be attentive to the call of the Lord and have the courage to go.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what I need to do to be an effective messenger for you. Please humble me and don’t let me forget that I am sinful and filthy. Please don’t let me fear to come to the altar to be cleansed. Then give me courage to go where you want me to go.

In the name of the one of the one who convicts me, cleanses me and commissions me, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Titus 20 But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,[g] 21 and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
22 And you must show mercy to[h] those whose faith is wavering. 23 Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,[i] but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.[j]

Inspect:

This book of Titus is such an awesomely practical book for leaders. Here Paul writes of some very pragmatic things that leaders must incorporate into their lifestyles.

- Build each other up – Paul has a reoccurring theme in the writing along the lines that his job is to build up believers and not to tear them down. In every thing we do we must build up. After all, Jesus died so that believers might live and grow, who are we to tear down what God has created and paid for with His Son’s death.
- Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit – we are to not only pray, but we need to have our prayers guided and amplified by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit know exactly what and how something needs to be prayed for. We need to submit to His leading.
- Await the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ – us anxious people often get impatient waiting for the mercy of God and take matters in our own hands. Wrong! Sub-optimal solution. We need to wait, God’s timing is never late. When He brings a solution it is not only perfect, it is beyond our expectation.
- Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering – I love the prophetic description of Jesus in Isaiah, when our Lord is described as someone who would not break off the bent reed or put out a flickering candle. So we need to do the same, with the weak we don’t put them down or give up on them, instead we need to build them up.
- Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment – there are those that are in real bad shape, and we need to pull them out of their situation, so that have a chance to respond to the Holy Spirit in a more conducive venue. We don’t try to heal a drowning man without first pulling them out of the water.
- Show mercy to still others – God is so merciful to us, He withheld from us the consequences of our sinful decisions, we need to do the same with others as well. It isn’t our job to punish.
- But do so with great caution, hating the sin that contaminate their lives – this is the line that we need to never cross. In showing mercy and compassion to those that are sinning and suffering from sin, we are to never like or fall in love with the evil that they are doing. Mercy does not justify. So we need to desperately love the sinner, but passionately hate the sin that they’re doing.

Commit:

I need to do each one of these things. I must never tear down. God has never torn me down, so I must never tear others down. I must build up. I have been shown mercy over and over, so I need to show mercy over and over! I need to be sensitive to the sinner but hate the sin that they do. I must not get this backwards in loving the sin, but hating the sinner.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the great Word. Please help me to live this. Help me to be merciful. Don’t let me be a wrecker, let me be a builder. Please let your Holy Spirit guide me to be merciful to the sinner but hateful toward the sin.

In the name of the one who builds me up, who snatches me out of the fire, who is always merciful, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Titus 3: They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

Inspect:

Paul is clearly defining how believers should behave.

- They should be obedient – If we aren’t obedient and do the things that we are instructed to do, how can we say that we are believers. We demonstrate our belief by our actions, we don’t demonstrate our actions by our beliefs.
- Always ready to do what is good – as our Heavenly Father is gracious and merciful, we must be too, so we should be on the lookout for opportunities to bless others.
- Must not slander anyone – We must never speak untruth of anyone. We are always to speak truth in love. Truth will set free, lies will bind.
- Avoid quarreling – As believers we need to look for ways to avoid quarrelling. We need to ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to resolve the differences in spirit and in truth and not with contention. Humanly seemingly impossible, but with the Holy Spirit everything is possible.
- Be gentle – We can be strong through our gentleness. In fact, I believe it takes strength and wisdom to be gentle because it takes those two traits to find a gentle way vs. a contentious way.
- Show true humility to everyone – Not false humility but true humility. We must truly feel that others are better than us. Just as God thought that we are better than His Son, which is why Jesus was sacrificed for us.

Commit:

I must strive to fit in this model for myself and to help others to do the same. I must live this, not just teach this.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how I need to behave as a believer. This are so difficult to do, I can’t do it without the help of the Holy Spirit. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit, to speak to me, to remind me, to encourage me.

In the name of the one who will help me to do what you want me to do, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Titus 2: 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. 8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.

Inspect:

This is what disciple building and leadership is all about. It doesn’t stop at teaching, we must set examples. We are told here that as leaders, we must do good things of every kind. I believe that this means we can restrict our good works to only certain areas, we must do as many kind of good works as we can. We need to everything in a way that expresses the teaching of the Lord. Integrity must govern everything we do, in that we every step needs to be done the best we can. Seriousness is also important in that the gospel deals with eternal life and eternal death. We have fun, we have joy, but we need to things with purpose. We need to do things truthfully, because truth cannot be criticized honestly. Untruth will always be eventually found out, truth will stand the test of time.

We’re not here to just impart knowledge to students, we are here to save lives, change lives and train others to do as we do. That’s why we need to go beyond teaching and go to showing.

Commit:

I want to make disciples that make disciples. So I need to go beyond teaching truth to showing integrity and seriousness in everything I do.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father I thank you for teaching and showing me how to make disciples that make disciples. Please help me not stop at just teaching. Help me to teach only your truth. Help me to go beyond teaching and do every kind of good work there is. Help me to have a spirit of integrity and seriousness in every single thing that I do. Let my work be worthy of being done by a child of the king. There is no way I can do this on my own, please equip me with your Holy Spirit.

In the name of the one who will help me to go out into the world and make disciples, Jesus!

Amen.