Daily Word – Page 13 – Daughters of Z

Ears to Hear

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.

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

This morning I was awakened with a shout in a song, this is what was being song over me; "Run with patience, run with patience the race that is set before you." Sometimes I am awakened with songs about His eternal love or faithfulness, but this was an urgent cry! So you know what we do next, we go to the Word and look into the verse. We are reminded in Zephaniah 3:17, "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Usually I get the,'quieting with His love', part of this verse, but this time it was as if it belong to a war tune. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us…" (Hebrews 12:1) We must be alert soldiers of God, the enemy's tactic is to keep us so weighted down with cares and worries, [no matter how legitimate these things may be] that we can barely walk, forget about run. Weight means an oppressive heavy burden; an encumbrance of mass that is prominent. All of us at one time or another have allowed ourselves to carry burdens that we are not suppose to carry, let alone try to run the race with them. The Word tells us,^"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5:7) and ^"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Care and careful means to be troubled with cares, to be anxious; anxiety that distracts. Well, we can see how it would be possible to run and be distracted by cares that come from being burdened down with a mass that is prominent. In other words other things that have our attention other than our race, which causes us to stumble while trying to run!

Run means to move with haste; to act quickly; to spend ones strength to attain something; to require the exertion of all of ones effort to overcome. "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:" (1 Corin. 9:24-26) Now, we must learn to separate what is precious to our race from the things that have the heart of God verses the vile things that hinder us or causes us to stall. We must keep our minds focused on the Kingdom matters, not the things of earth. The crown [the royal prize given to victors; an honor; the reward of the righteous], we run to receive is not of this world. So let us cast down every vain imagination, every thought that tries to weigh us down with earthly cares, and stay focused on the goal. Remember, that with each new level, the weights may try to appear easier, or more worthy to carry. Don't be fooled, let us cast our cares, those weights on God, for He cares for us!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

"I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy; for you have considered my trouble; you have known my soul in adversities. And you have not given me into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a broad place." (Ps. 31:7-8) I have been thinking on 'God knowing my soul in adversities'. Quite often it is not only the troubles that touch our lives personally, but also those that we are connected too, that cause us anguish. Such as, family members, loved ones, church family, and close friends, sometimes even those that you don't know personally, like the people in Japan that are going through a time of extreme life-shaking troubles. We have empathy for them and can identify somewhat with them, we feel their hurt and loss. Everything is more relative when it is your own sphere of circumstances, it may seem like the earth is quaking and hurricane force winds are devastating your gardens of life. It seems, when you are engulfed by trouble that people seem to vacate the premises, and leave you there alone to deal with the aftermath. Sometimes your friends may become as Job's friends, council that bring you guilt and condemnation, then you wish they would leave you alone! There are a few genuine people who have learned to comfort others with the comfort that they received from God or God-sent ones, when they were going through difficult times. I like what the psalmist says here, that you (God) have known my soul in adversities. Known means to be acquainted with; to perceive and discern; understands and differentiate, and realizes. Soul is the seat of emotions and appetite; self, mind, desire, emotions, passion; it is the activity of mind, will, and character. Adversities denotes troubles, distresses, afflictions, anguish, and tribulations. Putting it together then it means that God understands, and makes a difference when I am distressed, or going through troubles and afflictions and He differentiates and understands my emotions, desires, and my mind. That is why He is so merciful to His children and He is not so hard on us as we are sometimes on ourselves, when we miss it with our emotions, as we are going through troubles. Of course, this knowledge is not an excuse to act ungodly or have a spiritual 'baby tantrum', because you are having a tough day. Yet, we can see as long as we don't curse God or Holy Spirit, that God is so compassionate and longsuffering toward us, especially during times of trouble or anguish. We should be so thankful that He doesn't give us over into the hand of the enemy, right. "My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me and persecute me" (Ps.31:15). Remember hands indicates power, means and directions. We are in God's power, His means, and His ability not the enemy's. He is aiming us for the target, and He never misses.

That brings me to the other verse that I have been meditating on. "I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember — the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God's loyal love couldn't have run out his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over) He's all I've got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It's a good thing to quietly hope for help from God. It's a good thing when you're young to stick it out through the hard times. When life is heavy and hard to take, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear. Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face. The "worst" is never the worst. Why? Because the Master won't ever walk out and fail to return." (Lam.3:19-31) Think on that, especially the bold words. The worst is never the worst, we have God on our side, so God is really protecting us from the worst. God's mercy is new for you every morning, that is the only reason we are here to walk in victory another day. Waiting doesn't diminish us, no we are enlarged in the waiting! The longer we wait, the larger we become and the more joyful our expectancy!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Once again we are at the season that we as Christians celebrate the Passover. Passover denotes liberation from slavery as God forgives our past and looks at the blood that is applied over the door (our heart). The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint, exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. the power to determine action without restraint. It is also the time where we recognize our Lord's resurrection, and the resurrection that He made available to all who would believe. Resurrection is to raise from the dead and restore to life; to bring to view again something that has been forgotten or hidden; to bring to the surface; a rising again from disuse or decay; a revival. Can you see where I'm heading with this? We must apply the blood afresh and anew as we arise to some things that have been hidden and bring to the surface the restored gifts and anointings that have been in disuse or decaying. It is time for a revival from confinements, restraints, and interference from the enemy. When we line our thoughts up with God we can experience a season of open doors to heaven. Revelation and insight to the times and the seasons that we are in. The death angel passed over the Hebrews that had the blood over the lintel of their doors, read Exodus 12:1-13. Verse 13 says, "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are and when I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." This represents an open heaven where they were spared and protected because of the blood and the passover lamb. Jesus was raised from the dead so He fulfills our 'passover lamb' that was eaten during the passover. The unleavened bread represents our hearts being free from sin. We are now the house and our hearts are the doors. "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." ( 1 Corin. 5:7-8)

As we prepare our hearts for this passover to a new level of resurrection, let's keep our hearts purged from the old leaven, and let's walk in sincerity and truth. Remember that a blessing is always attached to the 'passover to resurrection'. On the day of Pentecost the saints were celebrating the passover in the upper room, when they experienced an open heavens.
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2: 1-4) Here is another supernatural encounter of an open heaven. As you gather to celebrate this "Passover to Resurrection" you must believe to see the heaven's open over your life. In Exodus chapter 23 there are blessings that accompany keeping the Passover. "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared; if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries; and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee; None shall lose by miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days;" (Exodus 23: 20,22, 25, 26) This is only a few of the promises as we celebrate Passover-Resurrection with hope, expectation, and obedience. We need everyone of these blessings to open up over our families, our churches, our individual lives, as well as with our surrounding territories. Let's bring to view again some things in our lives that has been forgotten or hidden and experience new liberties in our walk with Christ! Revival!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

God is always an on time Deliverer for us. We have to believe that, since God's plans for us, His children, is the best. "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome." (Jer. 29:11)

Our Father's thoughts and plans for us is to give us hope in our final outcome. Maybe you are in the middle of transitioning and you are not able to see clearly now. Maybe circumstances and situations have clouded your view. That is why we must lean on God's Word in troubled times as much as we do when all is going well. "But I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands; deliver me from the hands of my foes and those who pursue me and persecute me." (Psalm 31:14-15) God as our Deliverer means that He is our defender, rescuer, preserver, and savior. He snatches me away from, rids me of my enemies, He plucks me out and causes me to escape from adversities, calamities, distresses, displeasures, grief, harm, trouble, sorrows, pressures, burdens, frustrations, and persecutions. Throughout the Word the character of God remains unchangeable by times, and, or circumstances of the lives of individuals that we see as our examples. God is stable and His character can be depended upon, because there is no shifting and changing in Him. The psalmist said that he was confident that God would bring him to his outcome of good, because his times were in God's hands. Times here denotes, 'my whens, my nows, and my due seasons'; it means your own private, appointed, and fixed moment; a period set apart in some specific way from others. Your whens, nows and due seasons are in the Father's hand. Hand here specifically refers to an 'open hand' which indicates power, means, and directions. Power is God's force, strength, ability, energy and influence. Means is God's ability to set us up; thrust us forward; to help us achieve and reach and extend beyond ourselves. He has the tools, devices, measures, and plans for accomplishing and furthering His purpose for us. Directions here is God's ability to aim us to the course of His purpose; to guide and order specific steps and instructions to progress and develop us.

As long as we stay in His hands, we are progressing toward His purpose for us, as we work along with Him, by trusting and having confidence in Him. Sometimes we prolong the thoughts and plans that God has for us by jumping in and out of His hand. One day we trust Him and the next day we want Him to step aside, in order to do it our way. We end up in a vicious cycle, because we are not consistently trusting. But since we know His plans are good, it would be foolish for us to keep altering our time by meddling. "He has made everything beautiful in His time, but though God has planted eternity in the hearts of men, even so man cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." (Eccles. 3:11) It sounds like trust has to be the main component here since we cannot see the whole scope of God's work in our lives. We may know the end is good, but we are unaware of what it will look like as we encounter the middle of it. That is why the Word encourages us to build our trust in God's Word by looking at His faithful and dependable character. "Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting." (2 Corin. 4:18) So don't be too worked up over the things that have transpired up to today, for as long as you are in His hands your days are being tailored into the final outcome that will give you hope and good. Because God is faithful to turn all things to your good. "We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose." (Rom. 8:28)

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

For all of us that have decided that we will be doers of the Word, we realize that the Word is really our sword in this war. We cannot afford to let our sword hang down because of weights and cares that try to make us bend and bow. We must be persuaded that there is nothing in this world that can take our joy of loving God and doing his Word from us. We must have the same heart attitude that Paul had. Listen: "That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along." (Rom. 8:22-26; The Message Bible) Waiting means to stay, to abide and remain, to expect and anticipate, to look forward to, and to watch. We must not let our confidence be stolen from us because of the birth pangs of the world. They are mile markers that let us know that we are approaching our long awaited destination. You and I who are disciples of Christ know that in our heart that God is setting us up for a breakthrough into another level of our destinies. God is working with us to bring His Word to pass.

"Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward. For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised. For still a little while (a very little while), and the Coming One will come and He will not delay.. " (Heb. 10:35-37) So my dear ones keep your eyes on the prize, do the Word in order that the promises that you hold onto may be fulfilled. Yet, the greatest promise that we will enjoy to the full is the coming of the Lord! Do not draw back and don't shrink in fear, God takes no pleasure in that. "We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28) God is making it all fit together for GOOD, for all who love Him. Good denotes acceptable, agreeable, excellent, exceptional, first-class, gratifying, splendid, wonderful, and worthy. No matter what we face, we will do the Word, for our compensation is a great reward!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

As we move deeper into the plan of God for our lives, we must not forget to pray for Japan. Remember the families and lives that have been devastated by disaster there. As we pray for them, let us be thankful.

More than ever before we must be about living our lives for God. This is no time to be back-sliding, standing still, or looking back. "And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away. But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved." (Heb. 10:38-39; NLT) We need to run towards God, by simply obeying His Word. Being where God is, is imperative. Being where God leads and where His Spirit is, must be our primary goal. It brings to mind during the time of 9-11, when America experienced terrorist attacks on our soil. Afterward there was a heightened sensitivity to hear from God, and to be led by Him. We all seemed to understand the significance of being where He leads. That lasted for maybe a year, and then it was back to being our own god, directing our own steps. Only asking God what he thought concerning what we choose to do, when we mess up, or when we suffer some bad consequences of our choices. We as children of God must be led by the Spirit. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:12-14) Many times, people of God desire to hear a 'prophetic' or a personal word from the Lord, and that is fine, but we must be doers of the written word as well. It is like a parent who tells their children the same thing over and over again, and they don't obey. Yet, you have one child who obeys you, that child will end up with more. Now is it the parent, that is guilty of showing partiality, or is because the child that obeys receives the blessing that comes from obedience. Let's be obedient children!

This is the verse that for two nights I have awaken with on my heart. "Many a man proclaims his own loving-kindness and goodness, but a faithful man who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6) I desire to be faithful to God, by being obedient to His written Word as well as any personal word that I have received. Faithful here means dependable, reliable, loyal, constant, firm, dutiful, ardent, and obedient. Proverbs 28:20; "A faithful man shall abound with blessings…" All of us want the blessing of God, for we need peace, spiritual blessing, bodily blessing, blessings on our relationships, financial blessings, among many others. Then here we see if we are obedient, dependable, reliable, constant, firm, to God's Word and to our calling, then blessings will abound. We can be found by God as faithful. Just as the enemy seeks whom he may devour, God is seeking the faithful to bless. Many of us proclaim (announce, herald, broadcast and profess) our own loving-kindness and goodness, but God sees and knows the faithful by their acts of obedience. So in order to be a faithful obedient child, "Trust in the L ord with all your heart do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the L ord and turn away from evil." (NLT; Prov. 3:5-7) "Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self–distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). (Phil. 2:12) Remember, what trusting in our own mindset, (our own understanding) have gotten us in the past, fleshly results. No more flesh, we desire results from being faithful!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

The Lord has been teaching us about enduring tests, trials, and many familiar struggles. We must learn how to go through and come out stronger and more mature. We have been learning that, "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but (except for the fact) the Lord delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19) When we encounter different tests and trials we tend to forget that we have an enemy that seeks to kill, steal and destroy. He goes low and tries everything. We also often forget that the Lord has told us that we would encounter adversities, calamities, distress, grief, trouble, sorrows, displeasure, pressure, and frustration, which sums up tribulations and afflictions. We must war against him at all times with the Word of God as our sword. Since the Lord has promised that He will deliver (snatch away, defend, escape, pluck out, preserve, recover, rescue, rid of, save). You can testify yourself, that our Father God has at many times delivered you in one of the various ways, from the differing tests and trials that you have encountered, right?

Read through the Word of God and each and every time that a child of God faced something that appeared to much for them, God rescued, recovered, preserved, caused them to escape, plucked them out, defended them, snatched then away, and rid them of their enemy. Think on a few, like Daniel in the lion's den, Joseph in the pit, or prison, remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:8-27; Genesis 37:12-24; Daniel 6:10-23) How about Hannah believing for a child, Ruth and Naomi, who lost their loved ones, but received a kinsman redeemer. All of them were delivered. We always win! As long as we trust God and believe His Word, for He is watching over His Word to perform it. "Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations." Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience." (James 1:2-3) These are 'light afflictions' when compared to the glory that is about to be revealed in us.^"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.." (2 Corinthians 4:17) So, no matter what the afflictions are, if we believe that God will turn them around and we will experience a level of glory that we have never known heretofore. When our deliverance comes, it comes with more of God's glory being revealed in, and upon us. God's glory is weighty because it is all of His goodness. Remember that when Moses asked God to show him His glory, God's response was about His goodness. "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And He said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy." (Exodus 33:18-19) Prepare yourself to see all of God's goodness as you come through afflictions with God. For He never leaves or forsakes us. "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and delivers (rescues, rids of, saves, plucks out, snatch from, preserves,recovers,defends, and escapes) them out of all their distress and troubles."

Love,

Pastor D.

The Message (MSG)

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Are you ready to be set free from 'issues' that have been holding you back, or, hindering your freedom and growth in Christ? Issues like these: fear of failure, fear of success, denial (everyone else has the problem, not me), being aloof and cold (I don't need anyone else), insecurity, jealousy, defensiveness, self-pity, isolation, chip on the shoulder; martyr mentality (why is it always me that have to give), depression, controlling and manipulative, victim mentality, loneliness, fear of intimacy, argumentative, pessimistic, anxieties, just to name a few of the issues that we can be guilty of allowing to dominate or control our lives. We must be like the woman with the 'issue' of blood. "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately." (Luke 8:43-47) Issue means a flow, to run like water; to rush or draw; the action of going out or flowing out; the action of coming forth from, or as if from something in which one is immersed. Isn't that indicative of the list of issues that was mentioned, they flow out, as well as immersing the person in them. What are the issues that have been flowing from our heart? What do you need to be healed and delivered of? Listen, this is how we can begin to see ourselves free from 'issues' of the heart as well as any other issue. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Prov. 4:23) This verse reads like this in the Amplified Bible; "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." You may not have a bloody issue that has kept others from drawing close to you as this woman had, but what issues has kept others from drawing close to you, or kept you from drawing closer to even God? These issues of the heart are more diseased than even the issue of blood, because a lot of the time they go without being healed. The issue of blood must have tainted every area of her life. It kept her isolated and separated from intimate contact. It had caused her to become hard, tough, and 'self-absorbed'. Yet, it also produced in her a fight to live and someday be healed. She recognized her need to be set free from what she was immersed in and what was coming out of her. Do you recognize your need to touch the hem of His garment and be made whole? Has that 'issue' caused you to be friendless, or have strained relationship? Has it separated you from your 'would-be' champions and cheerleaders in your life, by making you draw inward? Has it made you hard, callous, sharp, insensitive, or overbearing? Has it made you timid, weak, and afraid of challenges in your life? Are you tired of being tired? Will you dare to come closer to Him?

If you are, then one of the first thing we must do is; "My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh." (Prov.4:20-22) Of course, this is the answer to keeping your heart clean, that you are immersed in is His Word, so that all that flows from you now will be pure issues, not diseased ones. His Word will heal you of everything in the list of 'issues' and all that are not listed. The Word will put new life in, as the Word flushes the 'old issues' out. We must be diligent about keeping the Word in the center of our hearts, by reading, meditating, listening, and doing it. The Word can heal us of all issues of life, only we must allow it to, by being diligent. The woman with the issue of blood was diligent. She had to have been a student of the Word to know that Jesus would have healing in the hem of His garment. "But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams…" (Malachi 4:2) She knew that wings meant extremity, edge, border, corner, skirt, shirt, the corner (of garment). She kept the Word in the center of her heart and she was made whole. The Word that she meditated on moved her into action. She was willing to be vunerable and even exposed in order to be healed. She had to do something with the faith that was arising in her heart. She pressed into a crowd, that could have stoned her for her action of faith. She was made whole—–safe,delivered, protected, preserved, healed, made to do well and be sound, with nothing left out. So can you be made whole as well, choose to keep the Word diligently before your eyes and issues must depart!

Love,

Pastor D.

Ears to Hear

Good Morning,

Recently a friend and I were talking about the 'end times', and the importance of sticking to the Word. There are a whole lot of false teachings going around and a little leaven will blow things all out of proportion. More than ever we must be people who are built upon the solid rock of God's Word. It is not a new tactic, it is one that the enemy has had a lot of success with, so he continues to do what works. Listen to Paul's admonition: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Gal. 1:6-8) Pervert means to twist, deviate, to distort, and misconstrue.

We owe it to ourselves to be disciples of the Word, I can't express it enough, neither can God. "The entirety of Your Word is truth, and every one of your Your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160) "Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven." (Psa. 119:89) "But the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word which by the gospel is preached to you." (1 Peter 1:25) Everything in life can change and probably will change, but God's Word is reliable because it is consistent. Times and seasons change, our circumstances change, our relationships may change and slowly with the Word we can change, but God's Word must remain sure. Settled means to be resolved, completed, concluded, confirmed, established, and fixed. Endures means tireless, persistent, and to continue and to abide. In order to build on the Word, it must be stable, not movable, or shifting.

All of that said, then the Word is our plumbline. It is to help us to grow to maturity in the Word, so that we are not easily led astray. "So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead." (Ephes. 4:14) Without the stability of the Word, we will end up blowing around, easily moved, easily misled, by every corrupt and deviated learning, teaching, or instructions. Let's stay on course, by staying with the Word. Otherwise you will end up in error as spoken of the 'end-times'. "Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching. For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions." (2 Tim. 4:2-4) The love of God's Word must precede your own likings and be first to correct your own thoughts and feelings. Otherwise, you will end up looking for some teacher to say what you want the Word to say, in order to 'have it your way'. We must all kill pride when it rears it's ugly head and humble ourselves and yield to the rightness of God's Word. Keep the standard of the Word, especially at the 'end-times'.

Love,

Pastor D.