IN GOD’S PRESENCE IS JOY

Psalms 16:11 (NKJV) You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

God, our Father, has shown us the path to true life.  True life can only come through a relationship with the Father, through Jesus.  This life is so full and so rich, yet so many born-again Christians lose out on it by getting so caught up in the lower life of this world. 

This verse says that in God’s presence is fullness of joy.  As we take time to hang out in His presence, it brings such joy and fullness to our being.  God is the One who created us, and He knows what makes us tick. I have found out that what makes me tick is knowing Him, and the only way I can get to know Him is by spending time with Him.

Our Heavenly Father yearns for that.  As He came down in the cool of the day to hang out with Adam and Eve, so He wants to come down and spend time with us.  Jesus showed us that the Father now lives within us, by His Spirit.  So take some time, even now, to say hello to Him, and to acknowledge His presence in your life.  If you start doing this on a consistent basis, your life will be so full of joy, because our Father is Joy.

Confession: In my Father’s presence is fullness of joy!  At His right hand are pleasures forevermore!  Oh, what a day it is going to be, as I acknowledge Him.  The Greater One lives in me, so today will be a day of blessings and fullness.  I go forth as a conqueror, in Him!

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.

FEAR IS NOT OF GOD

Psalms 34:4 (NKJV) I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

As we take time to seek the Lord and look to His face, our Father delivers us from our fears.  There are so many fears in this life, and without the Lord’s goodness and His being true to His Word, we would live in torment in our lives. 

As we look at this verse today, we see that God did not deliver us out of some of our fears, but He wants to free us from all of our fears.  There are some who would say that this is not possible.  Well, why would God put it in His Word if it were not possible?  

For those who say that it is not possible to live without fear, it is not possible for them, because Jesus said that all things are possible to them that believe.  It says in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”  Again, we see that there is no fear in love. 

So today, let us declare what God has said in His Word, and not what our minds think or what others have stated.  If He said, “I have delivered you from all your fears,” then let us receive it today!

Confession:  Today, I am free and delivered from all of my fears.  God’s Word declares that all things are possible to them that believe, and I choose, this day, to believe my Heavenly Father’s Words about fear.  Today, I declare that I am free from the fear of _________________.  Thank You Father for setting me free!

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.

WE ARE GOD’S DWELLING PLACE

Haggai 2:5-9 (NKJV) “’According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!' 6 "For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts. 8 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of hosts. 9 The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts.”

God, our Heavenly Father, is such a good God.  In these verses, He tells us not to fear, and that He will give us peace.  In these last of the last days that we are living in, God’s glory is going to shine brighter and brighter in those who stay close to Him.  He says that the glory of the latter temple will be greater than that of the former.  You might ask, “Where is this temple?”  We are the temple!  We are God’s prizes.  We are the ones that He dwells within.

In the Old Testament, the glory of God was within the temple in Jerusalem, but today His glory is within us.  He chose to dwell within every person that receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Think of it.  The One who created the universe, and the One that created us, now lives within us!  Look at how it says it in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”

So today, do not see yourself as a nobody.  See yourself as a child of the King, and that His very Presence lives inside of you.  Yes, you are God’s temple (or dwelling place).  You have His Presence with you, no matter where you go!

CONFESSION:  I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, and God’s Presence lives within me.  Today, I choose to let His love flow through me so that I am a blessing to others.

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.

THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY

2 Corinthians 9:6-9 (NKJV) But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."

God, our Heavenly Father, is a Father of generosity.  He has given to us not just what we need, but an overabundance.  He has given to us so much food, so much beauty, so many stars, so many birds, and the list goes on and on.  God wants us to be a generous people.  As we let a spirit of generosity guide our life, it is truly amazing how everything comes together, and we have an overflow of abundance.

The Scripture is clear that if we hoard up and do not share, then even what we have is taken away.  But when we have a liberal spirit, a spirit that wants to help and be a blessing, then it seems to just come right back to us.  Think of it.  If a farmer says, “No, I do not want to plant.  I want to keep all of my seeds in these bags in my barn,” he will not get a harvest, and he might even lose what he has from rodents getting into the sacks.  But if this same farmer takes his seed and scatters it into the fields, look out!  His seed can multiply even a hundred-fold.

So today, have a generous spirit.  That does not mean you give all you have away.  It means that as God puts things on your heart, and as He blesses you with the means, you give!  You will see that you truly cannot out give God.  You will see the harvest come right back to you, so that you will have more.  Then you can be a continual blessing throughout life.

CONFESSION:  Today, I declare and decree that I am a generous person.  I am a person that goes out of my way to help others, and to be a blessing to those in need.

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.

LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE

Matthew 22:35-40 (NKJV) 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the first and great commandment. 39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love God!  It sounds easy, until we think of what that means. God tells us that if we love Him, then we will love people.  Now that is where it gets hard!  Oh, it is easy to wake up and say, “Oh Father, I love you.  I love you so much, and my life is yours.  Anything that you ask, I will do.”  Then we hear His still small voice saying, “Ok, go and love so-and-so,” and that is when the challenge begins!

You see, people are made in the image of God, but we are still living with these bodies right now.  As much as His command is to love Him, it is just as much His command to love one another. We cannot just pick and choose which scriptures we want to live by.  His Word is complete, and His Word will always give us the victory!

When we make a decision to walk the true love walk, then we will be acting like our Father.  The Bible declares that God is love.  It does not say that God uses love, but that He is love.  When we walk in love towards the unloving, we are acting just like Jesus, Who loved us even when we were still in our sins.

So today, make a decision to love those that are unloving, and to fulfill His commandment on both ends.  Make a decision to be like Jesus, and to live with an attitude that every person is special and loved by the Father.  Remember that if we do our part, God will do His.  So go ahead: Love God and Love People!

Confession:  Today, I choose to love God, and to love others. Today, I choose to get out of my comfort zone, and to be a blessing to others.  When I love others, I am truly expressing that I love God.

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.

PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD

Psalms 20:7 (NKJV) Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.

Too many times, we put our trust in the arm of flesh, but God is looking for us to put our trust in Him.  It is easy to do this, because we can see people and things, but we cannot see God.  Yet the Bible, and even past experiences in our lives, proves to us that when we put our trust in the Word of the Lord, He never lets us down.

In Hebrews 13:5 it says, “…for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”  This verse does not say, “I will not leave you unless what you are going through is just too big for Me,” or, “I will not leave you unless you get yourself into a mess.”  No!  It says that He will not leave us or forsake us.

I do not know about you, but I have gotten myself into many jams, and if it had been left up to my ability to get out of them, it never would have worked.  But God, our Father, is full of grace and mercy.  He knows us.  When we mess up, we need to “fess up,” and He will always come through. 

I think that one of the greatest things we can learn in life is that God is for us.  He is on our side, and we should be on His side.  When we make a decision to trust in the name of our God (the name of Jesus), we see great deliverance and manifestation of the answers to prayers.

So today, do not trust in the strength of man, but in the strength of our God.  Do not look to others for answers.  Look to your Father!  Ask Him, share with Him what you are going through, and watch and see Him come through.  Take some time to start developing your relationship with Him, and then when others are trusting in the arm of flesh, your trust will be in the Mighty God, your Father!

Confession:  My Father God is for me and not against me.  If He is on my side, then I know that I will get through whatever comes against me.  Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.

SAY THE WORD ONLY

Luke 7:7 (NKJV) Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the Word, and my servant will be healed.

The centurion had faith in the power of the Word of Jesus.  Jesus even marveled at this Gentile who believed for healing for his servant through the Word of God.

God wants us to have this same kind of faith: a faith that will trust Him for what His Word states. As we saw yesterday, the Word of God is living and powerful, and when we say, “Father, I believe You because your Word declares it!” that faith moves mountains and removes things that have tried to harm us. Let God be true and every man a liar!

God is truth, so His Word is truth.  God cannot lie, so His Word cannot lie.  As we find the truth (which is His Word) and speak it out in faith, look out!  Mountains are coming down!  Many times, though, people do not see the situation change immediately, and they start to lose heart.  Do not give up!  The mountain will move, or will change, when you do not let go of the promise that God, your Heavenly Father, has given you through His Word.

So take some time today to find His Word on the matter that is coming against you, speak it, and then praise Him until the answer comes.  If you need healing for your body or a loved one's body, go to the treasure of the Scripture and pull out a gem, and watch the sickness disappear.  If you are in need of a financial breakthrough, go to the Bible and find out what God says on the subject, and then release the answer through your mouth.

This goes for any area of your life.  If you need peace, joy, contentment, friends, a mate, or a better lifestyle, whatever it is, as long as it is in the will of God (and we know that the will of God is His Word) then believe Him, speak His Word, give the seed time to mature, and watch it come to pass!

Confession:  The Word of God cannot change, but situations are subject to change.  Today, I make a quality decision to speak the Word, and to hold onto the promise of it, and these mountains will have to move!

Join us for our Bible Reading Plan this year.  Use the QR Code below.