Life Above the Sun

John 10:10

"...I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."

Fill in the blank, "Life is__________."  Most of you will quote one of the greatest movies, Forrest Gump, by saying: "...like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." Some of you will get cliche on me by saying, "...not a dress rehearsal, you only get to live it once." Others will describe existence by filling in the blank with: a rat race, a bowl of cherries, amino acids, a series of choices, a paycheck, the weekend, a party...

Why is that we always want to reduce life in size? Reduce it to something measurable?

For many, life is nothing more than the time spent between birth and death. The drudgery of existence. The boring monotony of the routine. The hope of having enough until the end. Have these people bought a lie? Has their life been stolen from them?  Well, if we peek at the beginning or John 10:10, what does it say?

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy..."

Joseph Prince says,

When you are not enjoying abundant life, you will feel as if life is full of toil.  In your heart, life is meaningless and empty.  You feel like someone 'grasping for the wind' (Ecclesiastes 2:11).  It seems as if nothing you do adds up to much.  The Bible calls this life 'under the sun' (v. 11).  Someone who lives life under the sun may or may not know God, but God is either forgotten or not the center of things in his life.  His thoughts are earthly and he does things to gratify his flesh.  In the end, he finds life depressing and unfulfilled.  Life under the sun is full of despair.

There are many avenues down which we can travel that leads not to life but to destruction. While we would never call these pursuits thieves and robbers...they are just that. They, in there diabolical and methodical ways, attempt to destroy our attempts at life. Where do people go to find life to only discover despair?

The 5 P's:

1. Pleasure
2. Performance
3. Possessions
4. Position
5. Pursuits

 The enemy uses things that aren't inherently bad, but when we make them our idols, our life is robbed of true enjoyment and fulfillment.

Jesus said that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  But He came that we may have and enjoy life and life more abundantly!  The Greek word for, "may have" is, echō, which means to have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, to have (hold) possession of the mind, to hold fast, keep.  This is not an inconsistent, roller-coaster of emotion type life!

The Greek word for "more abundantly" is perissos which means over and above, more than is necessary, superadded, supremely, something further, more, much more than all, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent...I'm serious, look this Greek word up for yourself! It means all these things (there were actually more, but I figured you got the point).

We are meant to live a life above the sun!  For life with Him is filled with joy and pleasures at His right hand (Psalm 16:11). 

When you live life above the sun, your thoughts are heavenward and you become Christ-occupied.  You live for Him because you know that "all things were created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16).  When you life for His glory, your life takes on a new meaning and purpose.

 Colossians 1:17 says, "And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together)."  As you can see in the Amplified version, the Greek word for "consist" means "held together."  In Christ, all things are held together! Which is why when Christ is the central figure in our life, we have it all together!  Makes sense, right?!

Now, if you are wondering how to make Him the central figure in your life, just look back at yesterday's blog.  ABIDE, DWELL, SEEK, DIG, SET UP CAMP, MAKE YOUR PERMANENT HOME...in Him.  Find out who He is, what He says about you, what He has ALREADY DONE for you!

Your hopes, dreams, family, life, etc. will be held together perfectly.  Our lives will never be empty, but full of God's goodness!

Thought for you to dwell and meditate on: 

When Christ is the central figure in my life, I will have it all together!

The Lord Is Your Refuge

Psalm 91:1-2

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].  I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!"

     Everyone's favorite bible verse...but do we really understand the fullness of these words?  In the world today, we sure can use a place of refuge and someone to truly rely upon, no?   Putting our hope, trust, and security in man or worldly things is like leaning on a brick wall on wheels; it looks good and secure, but we will always end up picking ourselves up off the ground.

     I don't want you to get sick of hearing me say this, but it really is everywhere in the Bible...the if/then principle...again, it's not that we have to work for God's blessings/promises, but we must do our part.  If God didn't have the if/then's there would be no need for faith or relationship!  So, let's dive in...

     What is the "then" (the blessing or promise from God that we want):

• To remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty whose power no foe can withstand.

     So, in order to have this stability and fixed position, what do we need to do?  The "if" precedes the "then":

• "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High..."

     No, you don't need a special treasure map and key to access to this secret place, let's break it down...

• "He who dwells..."
• yashab - to dwell: remain, sit, abide, to be set, to stay, to make one's abode
• "...in the secret..."
• cether - protection, covering, shelter, hiding place, help
• The original Hebrew translations says, "He who dwells in the help of the Highest...

    He who makes their permanent home in God's help, He who abides under God's shelter, He who remains with God, He who stays with God...The secret place of the Most High is God's help, His presence, His will, His...well...HIM! If you ABIDE in HIM! If you LIVE in HIM!  If you SIT and STAY with HIM! If you make your permanent HOME in HIM...

...THEN...

you SHALL (I love that word...it's a promise) remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty whose power no foe can withstand!

     The key to the secret place of the Most High is faith!  If you read further into this chapter, this secret place is where you will see no evil thing can touch you, no fear can consume you, no sickness can come upon you, etc.  Because you have made Him your dwelling place, angels are watching over you right now (vv. 9-11)!

   When you are in this place, God can use you and you can experience His direction, blessings and miracles in your life.  But it is our choice to be here and stay here.  At anytime, we can choose to find another refuge, and God can't work in our lives when we are away from Him.  The great thing about God is that He will let you do what you want, He can't force you to stay under His wings...but He is always wooing you back to them and when we decide to return, He is there with open arms, ready to bless again! Praise God!

I encourage you to read the whole chapter with the if/then principle in mind.  All the blessing and protection this chapter promises is for you!  And now we know how to access it!  Go forth and be blessed!

Thought for the day: The Lord is your refuge from every evil known to man.

God's Love Makes You Strong

Ephesians 3:19
"...know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

I love this, it is another one of God's if/then's but it's not something we need to do, it's something we receive, celebrate, get absorbed in - the LOVE of Jesus!

As we receive, celebrate, get absorbed in and thank Jesus for His love in our lives we will find ourselves changed.  Changed how, you ask?  Read on...

I want to go back a couple verses from Ephesians 19.  Starting at v.16 the Amplified Bible says:

¹⁶May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].
    ¹⁷May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,
    ¹⁸That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];
    ¹⁹[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

Note the bold text, "May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love." "That..." That..." "That..."

See, it's an if/then thing!  IF we are rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, THEN we receive all of the "That..."s!

1. We will have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp the breadth (how wide), length (how long), height (how high), and depth (how deep) of His love.
2. We will really come to know through experience the love of Christ which far surpasses mere knowledge
3. We will be filled through all of our being with the fullness of God; the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself!

Wow! Do you want to be wholly filled and flooded with God Himself?! Have the richest measure of the divine Presence?!  Who wouldn't!  The best thing is, I haven't even gotten to the best part!  Let's read further to v. 20:

²⁰Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]--

There is an if/then within the if/then - In consequence of all this (being rooted and grounded in Christ's love), God is able to carry out His purpose in us and do SUPERABUNDANTLY, FAR OVER, AND ABOVE ALL that we could ever ask, think, or desire!  How can there be any doubt that He loves us?

So, going back to the original question of how we can be changed: Look at David...when he was soaking himself in God's love for him during his times of worship, wasn't he changed from a puny shepherd boy to a lion killer, bear killer, giant killer, and a king of Israel?  That is change, no?! David was rooted and grounded in God's love for him.

As you feed on Jesus' love for you, you will be filled with the fullness of God and therefore, He can carry out His purpose in us and do more than we can ever imagine with our lives...how great is He?  Like David, we have our own spiritual lions eating our sheep! But if we are rooted and grounded in God's love, like David, we will have the power and strength to tear them apart! Amen?

Feel free to listen to this song by Acapella.  They are singing from verses 14-19 of Ephesians. Enjoy :)

"Fullness of God" by Acapella

Thought for the day: Feed on Jesus' love for you, and be filled with the fullness and power of God to tear your spiritual lions apart!

Discerning the Lord's Body

1 Corinthians 11:24
"and when he had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.'"

Communion...oh how the misconceptions have robbed so many Christians/believers of an important God-ordained avenue of healing and wholeness.  One of the most man/religion-contaminated acts that our Heavenly Father has provided for us. 

• Who is worthy to receive it?
• Eucharist? Holy Communion? The Sacrament of the Altar? The Blessed Sacrament? The Lord's Supper? - What do we call it?
• Should people take it themselves? Or should it be given to them?
• On their tongue? Or in their hands?
• How should Communion be given to those wearing gloves? 
• What action should be taken if dropped or spilled?
• Is the bread to be dipped? Or do we eat and drink separately?
• What kind of bread? Wafer or Wonder?

I seriously was shocked that there are actually rules about all of these things!  Where did the church come up with the answers to these?  The Bible?  NOPE! And the most upsetting part of all this is that midst all the bells and whistles the church puts on over Communion, they are missing one of the best attributes; HEALING!

Let's look at this scripture: 

1 Corinthians 11:27-30

So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of [profaning and sinning against] the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ's] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself. That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason many of you are weak and sickly, and quite enough of you have fallen into the sleep of death.

Most of the church today preach that a person is guilty of sinning if the Communion is taken "in a way that is unworthy," this means that the person was unworthy because he didn't "examine himself" beforehand; i.e. wasn't in a state of grace with the Lord and didn't confess of all his sins. - This is not what is meant by discerning the body!

Everyone is worthy to eat and drink!  It's the manner in which you do so that can be unworthy, not the person! So what does discerning the Lord's body entail?  I'll show you...

One of the most common breads used for the symbol of Christ's body is Matzah bread.  The Jews eat it during Passover, and much of the church is using it today because it is unleavened (and tastes better than a wafer, ha).  If you have never seen this bread, it is flat like a cracker, pierced with rows of little holes that form stripes, and is slightly burned around the edges...sound familiar?!

Joseph Prince puts it, "My Friend, the bread (speaking of the Matzah) that you hold in your hands when you partake of the Lord's Supper speaks of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ when He bore our sins and sicknesses on the cross.  

Like the bread, He was pierced in His brow by the crown of thorns as well as in His hands and feet by the nails.  He was also pierced in His side by a soldier's spear.  The prophet Isaiah says, 'He was pierced for our transgressions...' (Isaiah 53:5).

Like the bread, He was scourged on His back until His flesh was all torn and bloody, and His bones were exposed, so that today, you can say, 'By His stripes I am healed!' (Isaiah 53:5)

What about the burn marks on the bread?  The full fire of God's wrath fell on Jesus, burning up our sins into ashes, and at the same time, bringing out the fragrance of the offering of Jesus.  Today, your sins and lawless deeds are but ashes, and your Father in heaven remembers them no more! (Hebrews 8:12)"

Discerning the body is recognizing these precious truths about Jesus' body.  When you do, you are receiving Communion in a worth manner.  Verse 30 says that this is why many are weak, sick, and dying; because we are not recognizing that what the body does for us!!

Now we know that Jesus was pierced for our sins and scourged for our healing.  He bore God's fiery judgement so that we will never be judged for our sins!  He also bore our diseases and carried our pains so that we can walk in divine health!  Hallelujah, huh?!

Thought for you to ponder today: Jesus was pierced for your sins and scourged for your healing so that you can walk in divine health today!

Jesus Is Willing, Be Healed!

Matthew 8:3
"Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'"

One of the most devastating misconceptions about my God is healing:
#1. That it is not His will to heal everyone.
#2. That he uses it sparingly and only on His favorites (or those who do the most "good works") whom He has big plans for and absolutely need to be healed.
#3. That He is the one who gave the infirmity and until you learn your lesson He won't take it away or maybe even at all.
#4. Chalking healing up as something that could only happen when Jesus was physically walking the Earth and could physically lay His hand on you or speak words directly to you.

I would really like one of those neuralizers from the movie Men in Black so that I could erase these teachings from Christian's brains! Talk about renewing your mind...wouldn't that be nice.

It is God's will for you to be healed! Everyone is included in that "you". If you really don't believe me...read the Bible, then compare it to the teaching above, you will surely agree that it is incorrect. Notice that Jesus always healed the sick who came to Him - the blind, lame, maimed, mute, deaf, and demon possessed - all of them. Read Matthew 8:16...

"When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick."

Can you please find me a scripture where Jesus said anything to the affect of, "Umm...I could heal you being God and all...buuuut...I don't feel like it/you deserve it because of that lie you told yesterday/I am trying to teach you something so you'll just have to suffer...sorry, but dem's da breaks!"

Joseph Prince paints the perfect picture: "Unfortunately, there are some Christians who say, "It is God's will for me to be sick. God has some purpose, some mysterious purpose for my situation. It is all part of His divine plan and we shall all know in the sweet by and by, the reason why!" But these same people go to their doctors to get well. They take their medication and rest. Why do they do that if they really believe that God wants them sick? Doesn't make sense does it?"

No, but what makes perfect sense is the fact that God wants you well! He wants you whole. It is always His will for you to be healed! He is so WILLING that He sent Jesus to take all our sicknesses and diseases upon His body, so that we don't have to suffer them today! Look at Isaiah 53:5...

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole."

Notice the tense here...we ARE healed...this means we, today, are healed! Since He has already suffered the sickness on our behalf, why should you suffer it today?! Just receive it!

So, if you are sick in any way, know that God did not give you this disease. See how Jesus is the Lord who heals you by reading every healing miracle that He did in the Gospels. Hear Him saying to you, "I am willing, be healed," and know that these words are just as much for you today ans they were for the leper in Matthew!

Thought for the day: Jesus took all your sicknesses and diseases upon His own body so that you don't have to suffer them today!

The Power of Your Words

Proverbs 18:21
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, those who love it will eat its fruit."

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." We all can remember uttering this phrase (or at least being reassured with this phrase by an adult) during our playground days. It was supposed to help us see that words can do no physical harm to us, so we should not care if people are bashing us with hurtful words intended to damage our spirits. As kids we were supposed to have enough self esteem to look beyond those words and feel compassion for the bully; for he must have some sort of hurt in his life to make him feel the need to hurt others.

Yeah right! Just like sticks and stones, words are weapons too! Not only in the sense that they can bruise ones psyche and cause them to read a shelf-full of self help books, but they have the power to change physical bodies and circumstances! And weaponry speaking, words can be used both offensively and defensively.

More positively speaking, let's think of words as seeds...the Bible does! Whenever I think of my words, I remember in 1st grade we went on a field trip to my best friends house for a big end of the year picnic and party. Among the many activities to join in, one of them was a watermelon seed spitting contest. Now, whether I won or not is beside the point (I won), the point I am trying to make is that we need to think of our mouth as being full of seeds. In these seeds holds a potential harvest. Once a seed is spit out of the mouth and lands on the ground, it has no choice but to reap a harvest of what was contained in that seed. If you spit watermelon seeds you will reap a watermelon vine, if you spit a corn seed, you will reap a corn stalk, if you spit an apple seed, whether your name is Johnny or not, you're gonna get an apple tree.

If you spit a blessing seed you will reap a blessing, if you spit a curse you will reap a curse. If you spit restoration, if you spit loss; if you spit healing, if you spit destruction; if you spit delight, if you spit despair; if you spit life, if you spit death...

...you will surely reap the harvest

For God's Word says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. The second part of the beginning scripture is key its basically saying...

...we will eat the fruit of the seeds we spit.

We will get whatever comes out of those seeds. We need to stop lining our words up with negative circumstances. When negative circumstances come, this is the time we need to use our seeds as weapons! We need to start battling Satan's circumstance with our words, butwhen we speak words that are in line with his circumstance we are letting the enemy gain territory! We need to fight back with lining our words with God's words and promises and let the power of His Word fight for us! The enemy has no choice but to retreat!

For example, instead of speaking lack and poverty, speak, "God's Word tells me that the good things are already here. I therefore pronounce my life blessed. I pronounce my life prosperous. I pronounce my life great. Darkness and gloom, poverty and sickness, defeat and depression will not be in my life!"

You can also speak words that will affect other people. You can bless or curse someone or something else. Just like Jesus spoke to that tree that bore no fruit and it died. He cursed it. Now, this story has a much deeper meaning, but you get my point. Whether it's speaking over your children or over your enemy, your words will reap what they sow. In this case, I think we could take a lesson from Mr. Spock from Star Trek...bare with me here...what were the words of the famous Vulcan saying accompanied by the famous Vulcan salute? "Live long and prosper."

Interesting note: Leonard Nimoy wrote that he based the salute on the priestly blessing performed by Jewish Kohen (priests) with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin here stands for Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)".

The accompanying spoken blessing, "Live long and prosper," (the less-known reply is "Peace and long life.") is similar to common Middle Eastern greetings (Salaam alaykum in Arabic and Shalom aleichem in Hebrew), meaning "peace be upon you", and its reply, "upon you be peace".

Speak: "I will live long, I will not die young. Jesus died young for me so that I can live long for Him. I am the righteousness of God in Christ and God's Word declares that no evil befalls the righteous. So no evil will come on me now and in the future!"

Now, remember, you can speak these words over you not because everyone's favorite Vulcan said them but because our Daddy, our Heavenly Father, our Creator said them first! You can speak life, prosperity and every other promise and blessing He has for us over your life and others.

Joseph Prince says, "God wants you to have life filled with good days and an abundance of every good thing. So say, 'In the name of Jesus, I command blessings, favor, health, prosperity, protection, dominion, and power to fill my life!"

Thought for the day:

Line your words up with God's Word and release the power of His Word to work for you.

Rejoice, O Barren!

Galatians 4:27
"...Rejoice O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor..."

This devo topic is pretty close to my heart. When I was going through my treatments for Leukemia when I was 12 years old, the doctors told me that I would be barren the rest of my life. When I was 12 I didn't necessarily care too much, but as I have gotten older it really bothered me. I was hurt and frustrated that in fixing my one condition, it ruined something else; something that turned out to be very important to me.

I became a Christian, truly, when I was 12 after my diagnosis my family and I quickly realized that we couldn't fix this on our own, and stopped trying to do so. So, I was a baby believer when I needed great healing! Not really knowing who I was in Christ or the power and authority that I know that I have now, I remember reading scriptures over and over that my Mom showed me about healing. The healing that Jesus provided for me on the cross, I was just speaking constantly, most of the time not really knowing what I was saying! But with many other people praying for me, I am totally healed today! Praise God.

It has been so neat to see that God has healed everything, not just the cancer, but all that it ruined in my body! I am no longer barren and am completely able to bear children when the time comes! Hallelujah!

In Isaiah 54:1 it says for those experiencing barrenness to REJOICE!

Why?

Because in the previous chapter, it tells us that the chastisement for our peace fell upon Jesus! The word, "peace" in this context literally means: completeness, soundness, health, and prosperity. In other words, all these benefits are yours today because Jesus has already been punished at the cross for your peace. THIS IS WHY YOU CAN START REJOICING!

Now, "barrenness" doesn't just have to mean barrenness of children in women! Financially barren, health barren, peace barren, job barren etc. Whatever area, start rejoicing! Rejoice as if the fruit or yield you want to see has already come! "He wants you to start speaking, acting, thinking as if the barrenness is no more!" - JP

Joseph Prince says to, "Tell God, 'Father, because of the sacrifice your Your Son, I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. You have already given me everything. So I am going to act like it is so and rejoice!'"

Thought for the day: Start thinking, speaking, and acting as if your barrenness is no more.

Right Believing Produces Right Living

Luke 19:8
"Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.'"

Tax collectors...ew...they were despised because they were deceitful and cheated people out of money. They resorted to false accusation to get what they wanted.

This was Zacchaeus. All of the above.

One day, Jesus visited him. This is what I love about Jesus, instead of rebuking him for his dishonest lifestyle, the whole time He was there, He makes no mention of it!! On the contrary, Jesus showed him grace and honor by spending time with him. Before long, Zacchaeus stood up and declared that he would restore four times the amount he had taken illegally from someone, and even give half of his goods to the poor.

Just a moment with Jesus completely changed his heart! Joseph Prince says, "A moment with grace in person - without accusations, condemnation or judgment - caused such and inward transformation that in a short time, Zacchaeus was doing outwardly what was right and in a measure no man would have expected of him!"

Most of us want to live right. Great, lets go for it! However, the concern with right living makes us focus on themselves and the things we struggle with. We try to figure out how to fix things like: lusting, lying, getting jealous, having faith, receiving healing, receiving blessings, etc. in order to live right. But again, we can do nothing without on our own! Trying to fix things on our own is not going to produce right living...just a lot of confusion and frustration...which leads to worse things if not cleared up.

Here is the key: Right believing is what produces right living.

"If you keep trying to break free from an addiction that has bound you for many years, believe that Jesus loves you so much that at the cross, He paid the price for you to be completely free from any addiction. Believe that by His stripes you are healed and delivered." -JP

Here is a cool testimony:
"One member in our church had a smoking addiction. But each time he lit up a cigarette, he would believe that God was not judging or condemning him, and that he was still the righteousness of God in Christ. One day, he woke up impressed by the Spirit that that day would mark the start of a smoke-free life. Expecting to be assaulted by the usual cravings to smoke, he prayed this throughout the day: 'Thank You, Jesus, for by Your stripes I am healed.' Before he knew it, the day passed without him lighting up or suffering any withdrawal pangs! And since then, he has been totally free of this addiction."

If you want to experience right living, find out what Christ has done for you and what you have in Him, then...BELIEVE IT! :)

Thought for the day: Believe what Christ as done for you and what you have in Him.

God Helps the Helpless

Psalm 63:7
"Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of your wings I will rejoice."

"To thine own self be true."
"Money is the root of all evil."
"Once saved, always saved."
"The three wisemen."
"The Sinner's Prayer."

These are among many common sayings or things not actually found in scripture.

The false biblical quote that we will focus on in this devo is:
"God helps those who help themselves."

It is very common that Christians will ask for prayer like this, "Please pray for me! I can't see a way out of the mess I am in. I know that this whole thing in my fault. I don't even know whether God will hear my prayers!"

Most of our problems are from our own making, sure, but it is when we deserve the punishment and not the blessing that we can receive grace - undeserved favor and unmerited help from God!

"When we stop trying to be deserving of God's help, we find God more than willing to be our Savior. But when we continue to try to work things out, we are trying to be our own saviors. God will say, 'Save yourself because I can't help you when you don't need My help.'" -JP

Here is where some might reply, "Well, you know, God helps those who help themselves!"

False.

Contrary to popular belief, this saying, like the others listed at the top of the post, are NOT in the Bible!

Do you know who DID say this? It was Benjamin Franklin! Taking a slight detour from our devo here, lets look at this: Franklin was a deist and so he believed that God did not play an active role in men's lives. In his point of view if man was not able to help himself, then man was hopeless.

The Bible teaches something entirely different than the above saying, because God makes special provision to help the helpless.

Romans 5:6,8
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly....But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Proverbs 28:26
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
But he who walks wisely will be delivered.

Jeremiah 17:5
Thus says the LORD,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.

God does NOT help those who help themselves.
"He helps those who are helpless and dependent on Him. He helps those who look to Him as their only source of help for their problem." - JP

If you say your problem is that you are weak; no problem! He says He is your strength.
If you say your problem is that you are ugly; no problem! He says His face will shine on yours, He is your glory!
If you say that you are the problem, that you are a nobody; no problem! He says He has made you a somebody!!

Unfortunately, a lot of us are still trying to help ourselves, thinking that for certain matters, we don't really need God.

"But God says, 'Without Me, you can do nothing' (John 15:5). Do we really believe that? Or do we believe that without Him, we can still do some things to help ourselves?"

When, and only when, we realize that we can do nothing, and are nothing in and of ourselves, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). Joseph Prince closes with, "Then, we will see the undeserved, unmerited help and favor of God deliver us from every evil!"

Thought for the day: God helps those who are helpless and completely dependent on Him.

Believe and Act on the New Covenant

1 Samuel 17:45
"Then David said to the Philistine, '...I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."

Two people can hear the same thing and yet have very different responses to it. For the one person, what is said makes him afraid and discouraged. For the other person, his heart is so filled with faith that he dares to come against the devil and what he is doing...how does this happen?

"In the Valley of Elah, Goliath, the Philistine giant, taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days. When David came on the scene, he heard the same mockings of Goliath that the rest of the Israelites heard. But somehow, those same words that caused fear in the soldiers angered David. What did David know or see that the others failed to see? David knew that he had a covenant with God.

Now, King Saul and all the soldiers with him that day also had the same covenant with God, but only David believed the covenant. And he acted on his belief. So God caused his giant to come tumbling down.

If David had such a great victory even though he was under the old covenant, how much more you and I who are under the new covenant! Today, God is asking, 'Where are my Davids who will believe the new covenant?

What is the new covenant? It is the covenant of grace. And grace means unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. God wants us to know that He has cut this covenant with us through Christ, our representative. And according to the covenant, we have His undeserved favor. We are blessed because Jesus took our beating. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every giant." - Joseph Prince

We have the ability to stand before our "giant" and declare that in spite of what we are going through, in spite of what is happening, we believe that God is for you because of what Jesus has done for us. When we do this, we will see our "giants" of accusation, intimidation, condemnation, disease, debt, etc. fall flat before us!! Isn't that great news?!

Thought for the day: Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every giant.

Boast in God's Grace for You

1 Corinthians 1:31
"...He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."

This devo was very interesting for me. Just see what Joseph Prince noticed about Mark 10:17-22:

"If someone asks you, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' you would probably tell him, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,' wouldn't you?
Well, a rich young ruler asked Jesus the same question, but instead of telling the man to believe in Him, Jesus gave him the law. (Mark 10:17-22)"

Now, as I was reading this, I stopped here and got very confused. Why would Jesus give this guy the law? I know, technically the law had not been fulfilled yet since Jesus was still alive, but still, Jesus didn't teach the law! But then I read on...

"Jesus saw that the young ruler lived his life taking pride in his ability to keep the law to earn salvation and the favor of God. But because of His love for the man, Jesus had to show him that those who live by the law must realize that their self-efforts cannot save them."

Okay, clever Jesus, He is gonna school this guy!!...in love...read on...

"He therefore reminded him, 'You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery...'Do not steal...'Honor your father and mother.'" The young ruler showed that his trust was in his law-keeping when he replied, 'Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.'

Ooooo, this is getting good! Here comes the smackdown!!...in love...

"So Jesus had to tell him, 'One thing you lack...sell whatever you have and give to the poor...and come...and follow Me.' When the young ruler heard that, he walked away sorrowful."

I just love that! Jesus gave him the law, but to show him that it is not what is going to save him...only Jesus can do that.

Joseph Prince says this: "When we boast of having kept the law, it will always point out something we lack or have failed to obey. The law is so holy and perfect that if we don't keep even one iota of it, it has no choice but to judge and curse us. (Galatians 3:10). That is what the law was designed to do." Wow.

If we are going to have confidence and boast in anything at all, we are to boast in God's grace. Only His grace can completely keep, save, heal, deliver and bless us.

Boast in His grace! Boast that He is our strength, health, favor, prosperity, wisdom, hope, salvation, and glory!! "That is how we will see ourselves enjoying our inheritance of abundant life!" - JP

Thought for the day: Only His grace, not our works, can save, keep, heal, deliver, and bless us.

Everlasting Righteousness

Daniel 9:24

"Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for you holy
city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make
reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness..."

How true is this: "On Sunday, we hear a message that says, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." On Monday, we are still confessing, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." But come Wednesday or Thursday, we begin to confess our sins! Then, when Sunday comes, we get a fresh revelation of our righteousness in Christ and we start to confess our righteousness again. Why do we do that?" - JP

It can't be that we loose our righteousness from Sunday to midweek! Just because we started confessing our sins it does nothing to our righteousness! "...then a few days later, we become unrighteous because of sin, but are 're-righteoused' when Sunday comes again. No, our righteousness is an 'everlasting righteousness'! Jesus has obtained 'eternal redemption' for us. (Hebrews 9:12). - JP

Now, some of you are thinking, "But, if I have just sinned, how can I still be righteous?"

Here is the good news: It is not what you do that makes you righteous. It is what Christ has already done on the cross at Calvary.

Let's look at Romans 5:19 from the Amplified Bible...

"For just as by one man's disobedience (failing to hear, heedlessness, and carelessness) the many were constituted sinners, so by one Man's obedience the many will be constituted righteous (made acceptable to God, brought into right standing with Him)." [Bolding mine]

Breakdown:

• The first "one man" = ADAM
• The second "one Man" = JESUS

It is the obedience of Jesus and not your own obedience that has made you righteous!!

Joseph Prince says this, "God wants you established in what Christ has done. He wants you conscious of your everlasting righteousness in Christ. How do you do that? You can listen to anointed messages that remind you of your righteousness in Christ. And don't just know it in your head. Speak it. Every morning, tell yourself, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ!"

More scripture...2 Corinthians 5:21 from Amplified Bible...

"For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]."

You are the righteousness of God in Christ! Speak it! We need to start understanding who we are! The church today is so weak and powerless due to lack of knowledge of who they are and the power they have in Christ!

"You don't need a revelation of how sinful you are. You know it when you sin. The devil reminds you of your sins. Even your friends and loved ones sometimes point out your sins. What you need instead, is a revelation of how forever righteous you are in God's eyes, especially when you sin." - JP

Romans 5:17 -

"For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."

According to this scripture, when you are conscious not of sin, but of this gift of righteousness that is everlasting, you will REIGN in life!! You will reign over sin, bad habits, sickness, lack, and "everything that holds you back from a victorious life!" -JP

Thought for the day: It is not what you do that makes you righteous. It is what Christ had done at Calvary.

Worship God As You Are

Ephesians 5:27
"That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and without blemish."

Picture yourself in the worship service at your church.
You are standing with your arms lifted high ready to worship God...only to hear the worship leader say this, "Now, before we worship God, let's all search our hearts..." Then, as you search your heart, in no time at all you find something that you did wrong yesterday, and earlier that day, and even on the way to this very worship service! Before long, your hands are no longer raised, and you find yourself sitting down - you don't feel good about worshipping the Lord any
more. You feel unworthy and like He won't even hear the worship you were about to offer because He is too busy dwelling on how you've messed up.

Does this sound familiar? Well if it does then I have good news...COME AND WORSHIP HIM AS YOU ARE! Come into His presence not sin-conscious but Jesus-conscious, forgivness-conscious, and grace-conscious! "Come into God's presence bringing only Jesus, the spotless lamb of God, as your offering." -JP

Joseph Prince revealed something new to me in this devo,

"Your worshipping God is like the times God's people in the Old Testament brought their offerings to the priest. The priest examined the animal sacrifice to ensure that it was without blemish. The priest did NOT examine the sinner. If the animal was without blemish, God accepted the animal sacrifice as well as the offerer who brought the animal."

Even in the Old Testament God did not look at the sinner! He only looked at what the sinner was offering! So when we come into God's presence, don't do any self-examination and be discouraged when you find faults in your life. GOD DOES NOT EXAMINE YOU. HE SEES YOU THROUGH THE FULL VALUE, AND ALL THE LOVELINESS AND ACCEPTANCE OF HIS SON. (Ephesians 1:6) He sees you HOLY and WITHOUT BLEMISH!

Joseph Prince reminds us of the woman who was referred to as a sinner, possibly a prostitute. She went to the house of the Pharisee who was hosting Jesus and wiped Jesus' feet with her hair (Luke 7:36-50). That was her act of worship.

"She came to Him as she was. Yes, she knew that she had sinned, but she worshiped Jesus first because of who He is. She was Jesus-conscious. Then she heard Jesus say, 'Your sins are forgiven.' (v.48). She received the forgiveness she needed from Him.

Whatever you need from teh Savior, come to Him as you are. Worship Him for who He is and then you will hear Him say, 'Go your way. Your restoration has come. Your prosperity is here. You are healed. You have been made whole!'"

Thought for the day: God sees you in Christ - holy and without blemish.

The Sure Symbol of God's Love

Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

One of the most common questions posed to Christians is, "If God loved you so much, how come bad things happen to you?" For Believers, this should be a very simple question to answer. We should know not to judge God's love for us based on our circumstances. When bad things happen, it is only the Enemy trying to get you to doubt, be depressed, get sick, suffer, lack, complain, hate, etc. As Believers, we should know that we have authority over our circumstances AND moreover the Enemy! It is not God punishing you, or causing you pain because He doesn't love you...in fact, it's not Him at all! He is only, always giving you good things.

Still need convincing? Well, how about the cross? The cross is the sure symbol of God's love for you. It is at the cross that "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans

In the Greek, the word "demonstrates" is "synistēmi" which means: to show, prove, exhibit, establish, etc.

The word "toward" is "eis" which means more than just "forward to," more than just "extends the offer to" but more "into us" or "onto us"

Joseph Prince says this,

"A teenager learned that the cross indeed spoke of how much God loves her. At one point in her life, she was contemplating suicide as the only way out of her loveless, messed-up life. She had intended to take some pills with a lethal dose of alcohol. She was all ready to die when she started clicking aimlessly on some MP3 songs on the internet. And of all the songs that were on her screen, she picked a beautiful song written by one of our church musicians.
The lyrics of the song, sung by one of our church vocalists, spoke of being held by God's love and being treasured in His sight. They touched this teenager. Sensing that an awesome God with His amazing love was reaching out to her, she abandoned her plan to kill herself. Not long after that, she found our church and even met the person who had sung the song. She eventually came to know how much God loves her and how He has demonstrated His love for her through the cross."

If you find yourself looking at your life and wondering if God loves you...really loves you, look to the cross and see God's outstreched arms. It will remind and reassure you of how much He loves you!

Thought for the day: Look to the cross and see God's outstreched arms - that is how much He loves you!

Superabundant Supply in Your Area of Lack

Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"

Quick breakdown to the Greek:

• "...shall supply..." = "plēroō" =
  

• to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full

• to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally

• to render full, i.e. to complete

• to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim

• to make complete in every particular, to render perfect

• to carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out

• of matters of duty: to perform, execute

  of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish

• to fulfill, i.e. to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfillment

• "...all..." = "pas" = each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything

If you are lacking in any area of your life (finances, health, relationships, etc.) "... know that our Daddy has ALREADY prepared His superabundant supply which will abound toward you, and on top of that, His grace and more of His grace!" - JP

I can't even describe the way my spirit felt when I read what plēroō means. How amazing that God doesn't let anything slip through the cracks! This is an all encompassing supply! Everything is covered! Amen!

In John 6:1-13, Jesus is with that large crowd of people who were very hungry. The problem: lack of food. But, praise God, "Jesus knew that where there is lack, there is superabundant supply in His Father's kingdom to overcome that lack." - JP

His disciples, however, were not aware of this...of course...they didn't think the same way Jesus did. In verse 9 they say, "What are the five loaves and two fish among so many?" They could only see the problem, the lack. Jesus took the little they had, lifted it up to heaven and gave thanks to His Father, whose supply is much more than we can ever ask for, and the little was multiplied into much more than they could ask for.

There were 5,000 men, and they didn't even count the women and children that were there!! And every single one of them ate as much as they wanted for as long as they were hungry!!

The supply kept flowing as long as the need was there. And after they were so filled, there were 12 baskets full of leftovers! That is God's superabundant supply. In God's kingdom, there is no such thing as the Father not having enough or not wanting to give abundantly to His children. No, He promises that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!" - Joseph Prince

We must always be conscious of His grace abounding toward us and totally enveloping us.

"So let us, like Jesus, acknowledge God's superabundant supply by thanking Him for it and for whatever is in our hands. Let us believe that His superabundant supply will flow and multiply the little that we have, and fill us up to overflowing!" -JP

Thought for the day: God's supply is so much more than we can ask for.

What a good Daddy :)

Your Father's Heart

Matthew 7:11
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

Hmm, this one has to potential to be challenging for some readers. If you have not had a good relationship with your earthly father, a lot of times you find it hard to trust and believe in a heavenly Father. Especially when most people think that our heavenly Father is the cause of so much sadness and destruction in this world.

When I was younger, I used to think these same things, "Why is God punishing the world with all these tragedies? If He wanted to, he could just fix world hunger, extreme poverty, natural disaster destruction, violence, sickness, etc. And how could He send His children to Hell if He really loved them?!" It made sense to me being taught that God is all powerful and supposedly loving.

Have you thought these things before? Ha, are you thinking them right now? Well, step into the light, my friends, because this is going to blow your mind:

GOD ISN'T THE ONE CAUSING THE DESTRUCTION, PAIN, SUFFERING, SICKNESS AND PASSING OUT ONE WAY TICKETS TO HELL!!

I know that was a lot to chew on, but I want to give you more...so fasten your seat belts, hold on to your hat, take a deep breath, and other "get ready" phrases:

GOD WON'T DO ANYTHING MORE ABOUT IT!!

Now, before you start writing me a nasty comment that I will immediately delete....read on...

Joseph Prince has a true story to share with us:

"There was a pastor whose young child was diagnosed with cancer. The day his boy was scheduled for an operation, this father cried out to God, 'God, I'm almost 30 years old, but my boy is only about three months old. Why don't you just take some years off my life and give them to my boy?' Then, from deep within him, he heard the voice of God say, 'I am not like that.' When the man heard that, he realized immediately that his son's sickness was not from God. He also realized that if he, who has faults, could want his child well, how much more his heavenly Father. So he changed his prayer and said, 'Father God, I come against this sickness and I ask you for healing for my child.' That day, on the operating table, the surgeons could find no trace of cancer in the child!"

God wants you to know that He is not the kind of Father who wants you sick and defeated, keeps you poor and wanting, refuses to provide for your needs and denies you your blessings!! What kind of a father would do that!?

The reason that God cannot do anything NOW for us is because He has ALREADY DONE IT!!

This is such good news! He has already provided our healing, provision, forgiveness, etc.

He loves you so much! All we have to do is receive it!

"His joy is to enter into your joy and see you happy. If you, in spite of your faults, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to you when you ask Him!" - JP

REALIZE HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU!

Thought for the day: God's joy is to enter into your joy!

God Wants You Cross-Conscious

1 Corinthians 2:2
"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

Paul is being cross-conscious. Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, had his mind full of Jesus and His finished work.

What exactly does "cross-conscious" mean, you ask?

Well,

1. "To be c-c is to see Jesus, who loves you so much that He willingly died for you on the cross."

2. "To be c-c is to look to Jesus, who offered His own body to be punished, so that your body can be free from all punishment."

3. "To be c-c is to fix your eyes on Jesus, who has provided for your deliverance and victory at the cross."

"At the cross all you enemies were vanquished. All your diseases were destroyed. Your poverty was removed at the cross. Your sins were wiped out at the cross." -JP

Let's look at some examples:

1. "When the Israelites tasted bitterness in the waters of Marah, God showed Moses a tree, which he cast into the waters, making them sweet. (Exodus 15:23-26).

Breakdown:

• The tree represents the cross (Calvary's tree).
• The tree turned the bitter waters sweet.
  
• Today, the cross has turned your bitter situations sweet. You can expect to see the sweetness!

1.

2. "When the Israelites were bitten by serpents in the wilderness, God told Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole ."

Breakdown:

• The pole represents the cross
• Bronze symbolizes judgment.
• Those who beheld (saw, looked, fixed eyes upon) the serpent on the pole lived because they saw their problem - the deadly serpent - nailed and put to death on the cross. (Numbers 21:6-9)

When you are c-c, you too will not die but live!

When you see, look at, and fix your eyes upon the cross, here are some of the things you will see:

• ALL of your sicknesses
• ALL of your diseases (DIS - EASE)
• ALL of your pains (physically and mentally)
• ALL of your failures and defeats (Yes...all of them!)
• ALL of your sins

ALL THAT IS DEADLY IN YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN REMOVED!! The word "all" here, obviously, cannot be stressed enough!

It has ALL been judged on Jesus on the cross.

Thought for the day: At the cross, your sins were judged, enemies vanquished, diseases destroyed and poverty removed!