Stay the Course

I Corinthians 15:58
With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

Every time I get discouraged, God sends me a similar message. I must keep at the work that He has laid out for me to do. Jesus, thank you for the work.

For His Glory

Judges 7:2
God said to Gideon, "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this—they'll take all the credit, saying, 'I did it all myself,' and forget about me.

God is using this time of forging to burn this concept into my soul. Any success is because of His grace and for His glory. Thank you Jesus for the trials and the testing. I know that you are making me stronger and that your path leads to freedom.

Promise Fulfilled

Joshua 23:14
You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

Joshua 24:13
So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.

These two concepts have popped out several times the past few days in my reading. Our God keeps His promises, and He gives us blessings that we did not construct with our own hands. He loves to perform miracles when it seems impossible and all hope is lost. All He asks us for is obedience.

Thank you Jesus

Take the Promised Land

Joshua 18:3
So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?

I believe that fasting is my act of Faith to slay the giants and take possession of the land. I have been doing well, but my family struggled over the weekend. I guess I failed to research and teach them about fasting. Since I prayed about fasting and He downloaded a passion in me, I assumed that the rest of my family was on board as well.

We are fighting Spiritual Battles, and Satan wants nothing more than to use this fast to create dissension and split our family up. Thank you Jesus for helping us to recognize the attack so that we can fight this battle together.

Eat Meat

1 Corinthians 8:8-9
But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. NIV

But fortunately God doesn't grade us on our diet. We're neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can't stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track. MSG

Food is an inanimate object and consuming it is not sinning. Ignoring the Holy spirit and consuming in excess is sin. God is only concerned with our obedience and our relationship. Praise Jesus, only 11 days left until we can eat meat!

Supernatural Provision

Joshua 5:11-12
The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

The Israelites ate from fields that they did not plant, and the reaped a harvest that they did not sew. God provided for their needs supernaturally, and He exceeded their expectations. I am excited about His plans for me beyond this fast.

Trust in Him

Psalms 37:7&25-26
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

Jesus, I thank you for providing for our needs even when we can not see the answer right in front of our faces. I know that your ways are not my ways, and your thoughts are not my thoughts.

By His Strength We are Saved

1Cor 1:26-29
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Thank you Jesus that we are saved by your strength and not our own.

Promised Land

Deuteronomy 11:8-15

Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.

All I must do to inherit the promised land is to trust and obey. Why is that so hard?

Humility

Deuteronomy 8:2-3

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Just when I think I am humble enough, God humbles me some more. Thank you Jesus for your love and gentle correction.

Promised Land

Deuteronomy 6:10-12
When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Thank you Jesus for your promises. How easy it is for me to become distracted from you when life is easy and things are good. Nothing that I do by my own hand will bring me into the promised land. Thank you for forging me with trials so that I will always remember that the promised land is a gift from you.

Daily Choices

Deuteronomy 1:22
Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to."

If the Israelites had jumped into the fight with confidence instead of tip-toeing in fear, they would have received the promised land.

Trusting God and walking in Faith is a daily choice. I choose to trust Him and know that He has my best interests at heart, or I don't.

Speak your promise out loud! There is power in the spoken word. It re-programs your brain for faith and it repels the enemy. Declare your promise!

Life of Service

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

I have been called to a life of service.

We wrote down as many miracles as we could remember from 2009, and we are keeping track of the miracles for 2010. This is helping me to remember that He takes care of me daily and that He has not forgotten about me. It keeps me from grumbling or looking back to Egypt. Thank you Jesus for the daily mana.

Unbelief

Mark 9:22-24
It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes.
"Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

The Disciples have already seen Jesus drive out evil spirits, heal the deaf and blind, feed thousands, calm the storms, and raise people from the dead. This must have been a minor task for the majesty of Jesus. Why didn't the Disciples encourage the father and help him overcome his doubt prior to Jesus' arrival?

Are faith and doubt mutually exclusive? If you are going through a trial, if you have been robbed of the relationship, the life, and the security you were supposed to have, the following sermon may be an encouragement.

http://www.baysideonline.com/13259/five-questions-got-faith/

Jesus, I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.

Deny Yourself

Numbers 29:7
On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. (NIV)

Ten days later, on the tenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly. On that day, the Day of Atonement, the people must go without food and must do no ordinary work. (NLT)

Tithing is a way that God humbles my heart and helps me to focus my attention on Him. God does not need my money, He needs humble servants.

Numbers 12:3
Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.

Perhaps fasting, denying my human nature, is the next level of Spiritual maturity. Praying, Praising, Reading, Tithing, and Fasting are ways that God uses to help me take my focus off of me and my problems. When I spend my time seeking Him, then human wisdom does not interfere with my communication with God.

I am excited about the things that God is sharing with me during this time of fasting.