THE NAME OF THE LORD (Part 2)

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Yesterday we looked at the power of the Name.  Today, I want to look at the second part of this verse.  It says, "The righteous run to it and are safe."  As I look at this, I have to say that this verse is talking about us.  We see from God's Word that Jesus has made us righteous, and that through His shed blood on the cross of Calvary, my sins have been forgiven, and I have been restored to the place in Him of right standing with God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus Christ (who never sinned, and no sin was ever found in Him) was made sin with our sins and our unrighteousness.  When Pilate examined him he said, “…I find no fault in this Man.” (Luke 23:4)

No sin was found in Jesus, yet my sins were placed on Him so that I can now be in right standing with God.  Jesus has brought us to a place of acceptance with our Heavenly Father, so that we can enjoy intimacy with Him.

So today, as you ponder who you are “In Christ” and all that Jesus did on that cross, remember that He is a strong tower to us that believe in His Name, and that He is our protector throughout life.

Confession: Today, not when I get to heaven, I stand before God as if I never sinned.  God, my Father, sees me and accepts me, all because of the blood of Jesus.  Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross for me, and washing my sins away.

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 45:11 - 48:11
Ephesians 4:1-16
Psalms 68:19-35
Proverbs 24:3-4 

THE NAME OF THE LORD

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV) The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

The Name of Jesus, to us that believe in that Name, is a very strong place to be.  In His Name there is protection, in His Name there is provision, and in His Name there is safety and comfort.

It is to the Name of Jesus that demons must bow.  It is in that Name that prayers are answered.  Let us look at a few scriptures today that show us these great truths:

Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Mark 16:17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.”

John 14:13-14 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

These are just a few of the many Scriptures that show that all power is given in that Name.  No wonder satan tries to downgrade the Name.  But we, who are called by His great Name, love and respect His Name: THE NAME OF JESUS!

Confession:  Today, I look at the power in the Name of Jesus, and I proclaim that He is Lord!  Through His Name I can cast out devils, and I can speak with new tongues.  In that Name I see my prayers answered.  Praise to His Name!

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 43:14 - 45:10
Ephesians 3
Psalms 68:1-18
Proverbs 24:1-2 

WE’RE WONDERFULLY MADE

Psalms 139:14 (NKJV) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

When we look at this verse, we get a full insight into what our Heavenly Father is saying to us.  We are not made from the slime of this earth, or evolved from some animal.  No, we are fearfully and wonderfully made!  We are special and loved by our Creator. He formed us and made us in His image.

God, our Heavenly Father, made us like Himself; not like an ape, or frog, or whatever else they want to say we were made from.  No, our very image reflects Him.  Our very life shows us the Father.  He created us like Himself, and He loves us dearly.  He made us special and unique.  We were made to bring joy to His heart.

So when the devil, or even another person, says to you, “You are no good.  You are not worth it,” do not listen to those lies.  Say, “No!  I am made in the image of my Heavenly Father, and if no one else loves me, He does, and He is the most important one in the whole universe!”

When we start seeing ourselves like He sees us, it changes everything.  Like the scripture says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."  We need to think the way that our Father thinks about us.  He thinks good thoughts about us!  Today, I am going to think His thoughts about me, and that is that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and I am loved and special.  Declare that today, and see a great change in your life!

Confession:  I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  My Heavenly Father created me and loves me.  I am loved by the Creator of the universe, and He numbers the very hairs on my head.  I am special, and I see myself that way!

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 41:17 - 43:13
Ephesians 2
Psalms 67
Proverbs 23:29-35

BUILD YOUR HOUSE

Matthew 7:24-27 (NKJV) 24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

Jesus tells us here that in order build a strong house, we need to be doers of His Word.  We see in this story that the storms of life come against everyone, but those who built their house on the Rock (those who took the time to dig deep and get God’s Word in them) were able to withstand the storms when they came.

Troubles come against everyone who is alive.  As one minister said: a woman came up to him after a meeting and asked if he would pray that the devil would leave her alone.  The minister replied, “Do you want me to pray that you would die?”

You see, as long as we are alive the devil will bring things against us, but as we stay strong in the Lord and the power of His Word, they will not be able to knock us down.  Remember, if God is for you, who can be against you?  So go ahead and build a strong foundation and a strong house today.  Then after the problems have come and gone, you will still be around!

Confession:  I am making a decision today to be a doer of the Word.  I will read God’s Word and see what He wants me to do, and then do it.  After the storms have come and gone, I will still be standing!

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 39 - 41:16
Ephesians 1
Psalms 66
Proverbs 23:25-28

WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU?

Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NKJV) 5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

To have blessings in our lives, we need to trust in the Lord.  Too many times, we look to man for blessings, but the true blessings of life come from God, our Father.  He is the One who gives us the rain that we need, and the air that we breathe.  He is the One that gives us true friendship and relationship.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to be like a big healthy tree, and the way we do this is to seek Him.  His Word declares in Jeremiah 29:13 that we will seek Him and find Him, when we search for Him with all of our heart.  I want this, how about you?  I want to be a tree that has deep roots, and no matter what happens, I will not be anxious, because my trust is in Him!

Confession: Today, I declare that my trust is in God.  No matter what comes my way, my roots are deep.  I will not be anxious, because my heart is fixed on Him!

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 37 - 38
Galatians 6
Psalms 65
Proverbs 23:24

OUR TRUE SUPERHERO

Psalms 27:1 (NKJV) The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

There is so much comfort in this verse.  Our Lord is our light.  He is the One who gives us direction, even when things seem dark.  He enlightens our path so that we do not trip or fall.  He is there to give us salvation, or as this word means: safety, soundness, deliverance, and healing.

How can we fear anything that life, or the enemy, would bring?  Our Lord is with us twenty-four seven.  He promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us.

The Lord is the strength of our lives.  We see all the movies lately with all the superheroes in them.  Well, there is no superhero like Jesus!  He died for me and then conquered the greatest villain that there is: satan.  He defeated him and made a show of him publicly.  That is a true superhero; that is a conqueror!  Our Jesus did not just win the battle.  He won the battle and then gave us the victory!  That is why we do not have to fear.  The Greater One won the battle, gave us the victory, and told the loser, “You will follow the rules.”

So today, see Him as the strength of your life.  See Him as your light and comfort.  The clearer you see Him, the less you will see the enemy.  As God gets bigger to you, the devil, and the problems of life, get smaller.

Confession: I see my Jesus as big, and I see the devil and his lies as small.  I see my God as my superhero, and everything must bow its knee to Him.  He is the Greater One and He lives in me.  Today I see Him!

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 33:10 - Isaiah 36
Galatians 5:13-25
Psalms 64
Proverbs 23:23

OUR SHEPHERD

Psalms 23:1 (NKJV) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

What a simple yet profound statement.  The Lord Jesus is our loving shepherd, and our caring Savior.  A good shepherd goes all out for his sheep.  He protects them, watches over them, and cares for them.

When a sheep is sick, the shepherd is there to anoint them, to bring comfort to them, and to put oil on them to make them feel better.  Our Jesus anoints our head with oil and takes care of us.  Jesus is 100% God and 100% human, so He knows what we feel and what we are going through.  He is not there to judge us, but to love us and help us.

A good shepherd is there to make sure that the sheep have good clean water to drink, and our Jesus makes sure that our cup overflows.  Our great God did not just make enough for us; He makes it run over!  Think of this: The universe overflows with stars and planets and comets.  Our seas overflow with fish and all the wonders of the oceans.  Our wildlife is in abundance.  He made this world so full for you and for me!

So today, do not look at the lack.  Look to the Shepherd!  He promised that we would not have a want, because our Shepherd meets all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  He is a God of MORE THAN ENOUGH!  So rest assured that He will be there!  All He asks of you is to believe and trust Him.

Confession:  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  The reason I do not want is because my Shepherd provides all of my needs.  He loves me and watches out for me.  What a great Shepherd I have!  His Name is Jesus!

Today's Bible Reading
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Isaiah 30:12 - 33:9
Galatians 5:1-12
Psalms 63
Proverbs 23:22