Jan 6, 2022
Remind yourself that God knows exactly how much you can take, and he will not permit you to reach a breaking point. Our loving Father said, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV).
The worst kind of blasphemy is to think God is behind all your hurt and pain, that it is the heavenly Father harshly punishing you, that God thinks you need one or two more heartbreaks before you are ready to receive his blessings. Not so!
It is true that the Lord chastens those he loves, but that chastening is only for a season, and it is not meant to break us. God is not the author of confusion in your life. The enemy often tries to hurt us through other humans, just as he tried to hurt Job through an unbelieving wife.
Your heavenly Father watches over you with an unwavering eye. Every move is monitored; every tear is bottled. He feels your every hurt, and he knows when you have been exposed to enough harassment from the enemy. He steps in and says, “Enough!” When your pain no longer draws you close to the Lord and, instead, begins to downgrade your spiritual life, God moves in. He will not permit a trusting child of his to go under because of too much pain and agony in their soul.
God will lift you out of the battle for a while. He will never allow your hurt to destroy your mind. He promises to come, right on time, to wipe away your tears and give you joy for mourning.
God’s Word says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever” (Psalm 30:11-12). God will strengthen our hearts as we go through pain, and he will give us reason to rejoice in his glorious power in due season.
Jan 5, 2022
It is impossible to live a holy life without spending much time on your knees, seeking God for the power and authority to lead such a life. We see this in Daniel’s life, as well as God’s response to such a seeker.
“I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes…. Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering” (Daniel 9:3, 20-21, NKJV).
Don’t be mistaken; faithful praying will not keep you out of a crisis. On the contrary, it will most likely bring you to a furnace of trials, but prayer will prepare you to face it all with trust, to become a living sacrifice for Jesus’ sake.
Daniel’s praying led him straight to the lions’ den, and this test came when Daniel was in his old age, after years of faithful service to his king and dedication to his God. This may frighten you, especially if you wonder how long it will be before you stop having crises. Perhaps you thought you’d learned all your “important” lessons after a certain number of years in the Lord, but here God is allowing one of his greatest prayer warriors — a man of a quiet, tender spirit — to face the crisis of his life after decades of faithful intercession!
This is why Paul, in his command for believers to put on their spiritual armor, ended with “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
Beloved, the testing only ends when Jesus comes or when you die in Christ! This is why prayer is so important. You can make a commitment to live an undefiled life, but that commitment is impossible to fulfill without also having a commitment to seek God.
Jan 5, 2022
Throughout history, only two nations have been tied together by covenants with God.
“God made a covenant with Israel, but America made a covenant with God,” says Rev. Kevin Jessip, founder and president of the Global Strategic Alliance and co-founder of “The Return.” “America has broken the covenant made by our forefathers. As we know, from the Bible, God takes covenants very seriously. This has brought our once blessed nation under the judgments of God.
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Jan 4, 2022
When Daniel and his three friends were taken captive along with thousands of their countrymen, what they saw when they first arrived in Babylon must have shocked them beyond belief. It was a society so loose, immoral and full of idolatry that these four men’s spiritual sensibilities were assailed.
Daniel and his friends made a commitment. They told each other, “We dare not compromise. We dare not adopt these moral standards. We will be separate, and we will be disciplined in our walk of faith.” These four men did not go about preaching their way of life to others. It was strictly a matter between them and God, and I believe they had something more in mind than avoiding anything ceremonially unclean.
“Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8, NKJV).
The word ‘defile’ in this verse suggests “freeing through repudiation.” Daniel was saying, in other words, “Any compromise of my standards will rob me of my freedom.” When he told the chief of the eunuchs this, the man answered, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king” (Daniel 1:10).
Rather than backing down, Daniel invited the chief of eunuchs to test him and his friends, and God honored them. “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17).
When you’re in a crisis, do you cry out, “Lord, where are you when I need you? Aren’t you committed to my deliverance?”
What if in that moment, the Lord should say to you, “Where are you when I need a voice? I need voices in these sinful times, pure vessels through whom I can speak. You say you want me to come to your crisis, yet you remain a part of the wicked, worldly system. Tell me, are you committed to my purposes? Will you allow yourself to be tested and trust that I will preserve and bless you?” How will you answer him?
Jan 4, 2022
Carter Conlon, general overseer of Times Square Church in New York City, founded by David Wilkerson, has a critical word for you about “The Renewal,” set to take place on Jan. 8, 2022, in Plant City, Florida.
“I’m going to be speaking to you about this covenant that God made with America and America made with God,” he says of his part in the event. “What does it look like today? What are the essential elements of this covenant? How is it kept; how is it broken? What is God’s part in the covenant with you and with me and what is our part?
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