Author: daughtersofz

Good Morning,

     I was thinking how hard it is sometimes to keep our eyes on our own track.  Obviously, we can all benefit from learning how to 'keep our eyes looking right on.'  "Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you." (Prov. 4:25) We tend to look around at others to see if we are far enough along on the path that has been laid out by the Father for us.  You know, judging ourselves by ourselves, hmmm.  I like this verse from the Amplified Bible, because it puts in the words 'fixed purpose.'  Fixed denotes fastened, attached, or placed so as to be firm and not readily movable; firmly implanted; stationary; rigid.  Rendered stable or permanent, set or intent upon something; steadily directed.  Purpose means the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used, etc. an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.  Our Father's purpose for us is to bring us to the desired result that He has planned for us and that is for our 'good.'  So we should learn by practicing, keeping a fixed purpose in our view.  We have to become steady, and intent, to go toward the plan that God has for us constantly, not being easily distracted or manipulated, by circumstances or situations in life.  We have to become rigid with the purpose for which we exist.  That is the equalizer for keeping our eyes looking right on.  The next verse says, "Consider well the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established and ordered aright. Turn not aside to the right hand or to the left; remove your feet from evil." (Prov. 4:26-27) In other words, [my words to be exact], we have to keep our eyes on our own path the majority of the time.  Who can run someone else's race while trying to run their own?  You can't keep your eyes successfully on your path while minding someone else's.  Establish means to install or settle in a position or place.  So, we must be settled in our position and place, our very own steps that God has ordered for us to bring us to our destiny.  "The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." (Psalm 37: 23-24) You know that our Father directs our steps, as long as we stay in His hands, and yield to Him.  Otherwise, we orchestrate our own steps and plans, they are usually crooked and full of holes.  To direct means that Abba Daddy manages us, and guides us with His counsel {His Word, Holy Spirit, fivefold ministers, etc].  He regulates our course and supervises us to help maintain the steps that have been ordered for us.  Wow, it would be hard to fail with that kind of expert help!  Why not just receive that help?

 

Good Morning,

     We have the power of prayer that is fervent and earnest because we have the Holy One living on the inside of us.  "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:26-27) Precious Holy Spirit is our teacher and guide to direct us in our prayer life.  He teaches us what to pray for and how to pray, and intercedes [to act or interpose in behalf of someone in difficulty or trouble as by pleading or petition; to attempt to reconcile differences] on our behalf.  We have expert help in our prayer life.  He also helps our infirmities [want of strength; weakness; frailty; and lack of capacity].  He takes the place of us saying that we can't do it or we are not smart or gifted enough too.  Holy Spirit is helping us to pray the will of God, as we yield to Him.  "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.  And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him." (1 John 5:14-15) It is important to line our prayers up with His will, that is why the Holy Spirit comes alongside to aid and assist us.  When we pray according to his will, we have power/authority.  Which silences the voice of the enemy.  Remember part of the definition of earnest was, 'enough power to get results.'  Power is the sense of ability; force, capacity, competency, mastery, freedom {superhuman, potentate, token of control}, delegated influence, authority.  The Word tells us that we have power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt us.

     As we learn how to be more effective in our prayer life, confidence [full trust, belief in God's ability], will continue to be established in us.  We will believe that He hears us and answers us, this is not something set aside for the 'special few', but for all who practice prayer and bulid up their confidence, as they see the answers manifested in their own lives.  "Thus says the Lord Who made [the earth], the Lord Who formed it to establish it–the Lord is His name: Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)." (Jeremiah 33:2-3)

     Not only does He listen and hear us, He answers and reveals more of Himself and His works.  Secret things that we didn't know before we prayed.  Revelation comes as we communicate/pray to God, He wants us to be aware of some hidden things that are going on in our lives!  Sounds like prayer can open some doors in our lives.  Let's be about it. 

 

Love,

Pastor D.

Good Morning,

     Let's talk about prayer and our authority and privilege to do so.  We discussed last week about praying/communicating especially during the times of testing and trials.  How important it is for us to keep coming near to God in worship through our prayer life in times of hardships.  We must make our requests known to God.  Philippians 4:6-7;  "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Supplication and requests means need; wants; petition; a seeking, asking; to voice ones petitions; asking for the action desired.  As we pray we make our request, then we must also resist the enemy, remember the goodness of God in times past.  Then we must offer up thanksgiving and rejoice by faith that He never changes, His plan is always for our good.  "Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.  Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.  Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you." (1 Peter 5:6-10) Withstand is to make an effort to oppose; to resist with force, to exert oneself to counteract; to strive against the enemy.  Remember James 4:7 says; "So be subject to God.  Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

Good Morning,

     Our communication with our Father must be kept at all cost, for we must lean heavily upon our heavenly insight and information more than anytime before.  Prayer means to come near to God in worship, to draw near in supplication.  Supplications denotes to voice ones petitions or requests; a humble prayer of what one wants; asking for the action desired.  We must always keep our asking in line with the Word of God, we cannot afford to go off on a selfish tangent.  "You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it.  You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.  Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.  And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4:2-3).  Motives are our goals or our object for our action; the reason behind what we do.  Therefore we must keep our motives in line with the Word because God keeps His Word.  As we keep our prayer clear of selfish motives and make sure they are established by The Word, we will be confident about our prayers being heard and answered.  "And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.  And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)

  

Good morning,

     One of the major sickness that attacks the Body of Christ is becoming lukewarm in our love and service to the Lord.  It usually sneaks up on one without too much fanfare.  Once allowed in our lives, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that we are the same.  Therein is the dangerous thought.  Why?  Because we should be constantly growing in our love and service to Him, not staying the same.  How does God feel about our half-hearted love?  "I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot.  Would that you were cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!  For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." (Rev. 3:15-17)  Spit us out of His mouth, that is pretty strong language!  We want to make sure that we are never lukewarm.  Lukewarm means tepid or a soul that fluctuates between a torpor and a fervor of love.  Torpor means sluggish, inactive, or inertia; lethargic, indifferent, apathy; dormant as in hibernating; suspended physical powers and activities.  Fervor is an intense heat of love; great warmth; earnestness of feeling, passionate and excitement of love.  Now which of these define your relationship with the Lord as of today.  Are you sluggish, indifferent, or apathetic, toward the things of God?  Have you placed your work for the Lord on the back burner?  Do you just show up, and then give a little of your power to Him?  We should never go backwards or stand still in our love or our service to Him.  Let's not wander around in the wilderness of our faith, but grow on.  Listen to this: "Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even slothful in achieving spiritual insight].  For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God's Word.  You have come to need milk, not solid food.  For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!  But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law. (Heb. 5:11-14) When we become lukewarm it hinders us from being effective and from ministering unto God and to others.  We lose the ability to distinguish between right or wrong.  How do we end this cycle before we lose the ground that we have covered.  What do your works for the Lord look like?  Works is business; that which one is occupied with; that which one undertakes to do; an act, deed, or thing one busies himself with.  "Rouse yourselves and keep awake, and strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight." (Rev. 3:2) Rouse means to stir or incite; to bring out of a state of sleep, inactivity, unconsciousness, apathy or depression.  "But you have walked away from your fist love–why?  What's going on with you, anyway?  Do you have any idea how far you've fallen?  A Lucifer fall!  Turn back!  Recover your dear first and early love.  No time to waste…" ( Rev. 2:4-5; The Message Bible) Shake yourself, wake up, and get busy about the Father's business.  Do not follow those who do wrong or have lost their fervor.  Do like Paul said, "follow me as I follow Christ."  Most people tend to follow those who are doing wrong.  Why?  Usually it is easier to float downstream, [doing wrong] than to fight to go upstream [doing God's Word].  If you follow anyone follow those who have intense love for God and are actively doing His work.  You have to stir yourself up too, don't be caught waiting for someone else to come along and ignite you.  Now is the time to stir up our love towards the Lover of our soul!  Get active in the work of the Lord, invigorate your love for Him.  You know how to, just do it.