Daily Devotional

Son, those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, will have many sorrows. Those  who say that evil is good and good is evil; who are wise in their own eyes, will have many sorrows. Those who take bribes and let the wicked go free, but punish the innocent, will have many sorrows.

 

I expected to find justice, but instead I found oppression. I expected to find righteousness, but instead I hear cries of violence. These people never think about Me or notice what I am doing.

These people have rejected My word and despise Me. Therefore, I will no longer rescue them!

 

Lord, my sins cannot be hidden from you, for I am a sinful man, and I live among sinful people. I am exhausted from confessing my sin; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen from weeping, waiting for Your help. I keep praying to you, hoping this time You will forgive me.

 

Son, do not call something unclean if I have made it clean. Your sins are removed and forgiven. The evidence of your sins being forgiven is in My blessings, and I have filled you with the joy of My Holy Spirit. I will challenge you by My word and My Holy Spirit to stay true to Me. Remember that My holiness will be displayed by My righteousness.

 

Son, I hear the cries of the needy; so who should I send as My messenger to these people? Who will go for Me?

 

Lord, I was poor and needy, and You came to my aid. You are my helper and my Savior. Therefore, who am I to stand in Your way. Here I am, send me.

Daily Devotional

Son, people are being oppressed every day. Young people insult their elders. Vulgar people sneer at the honorable. People display their sin and don’t even try to hide it. They utter threats at My Children. Therefore, they have brought destruction upon themselves. They are doomed, and will get exactly what they deserve.

 

Tell My children, that all will be well, because I will provide for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned! Their prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by Me as an offering! Let them know that when they accepted My Son and received My Spirit, that I gave them My peace. So listen to what My people are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Soon I will give you treasure from the very people who rebelled against Me. 

 

Warn My children not to boast about their own strength, because it will became a trap for them and their families. They need to remember all the good I have done for them. I am the One who gives them their power and strength. Now get up and start moving, and I will tell you what you must do.

 

Lord, may Your ways be known throughout the earth, and Your saving power among people everywhere. For Your Name is the “Lord,” and I will rejoice in Your presence!

Daily Devotional

Son, the land is full of idols, and people worship things they have made with their own hands. People don’t recognize My care for them. They are a stubborn people, and are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must they resist My Holy Spirit forever? Do they really think that I can be bought! They parade around with religious ceremonies, thinking this is how to approach Me. Stop!! I do not want your meaningless gifts; for they disgust Me! Soon, I will have a day of reckoning. I will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted by humans.

 

Come let’s settle this! Though your sins are like scarlet; I will make them as white as snow. Those who repent and believe in Me will be renewed by My righteousness. Give up your evil ways, and learn to do good. Seek justice by helping the oppressed. Provide for the orphans and help the widows. Never put your trust in mere humans.

 

Son, go with the strength you have, for I am sending you, and I will rescue you from all your troubles. I have given you My favor and My wisdom. Tell all who will listen to My life-giving words, “I am the only hope of everyone on earth!” Tell the world how glorious I am. How awesome are My deeds, and that I watch every thing people do.

 

Lord, when I was overwhelmed by my sins, I confessed them and You forgave them all. My life is in Your hands, and You will keep me from stumbling. I will tell everyone what You have done for me because You listened and heard my prayer.

Daily Devotional

Son, the human heart and mind are cunning, so listen very carefully to what the leaders of your country are saying, “What’s the use of serving God? What have you gained by obeying his commands and trying to show that you are sorry for your sins?” These leaders have devised a plan, and that is to dilute My word and destroy the family; so that children will be taught that it is okay not to follow My commands.

 

In My presence, is a scroll of remembrance with the names of those who fear Me and always think about the honor of My name. They will be My children and My special treasure. I will pour out My blessing on them, and I will provide for them.

 

The day of judgment is coming, and on that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed-roots, branches, and all. But My children will rejoice on this day and find shelter in Me. So be prepared and remember that I am marching ahead of you, and I will teach and strengthen you on how to survive.

 

Lord, help me to rejoice in that You counted me worthy to suffer for You. For You are my God, and I earnestly search for You. Your unfailing love is better than life itself. Help me to cling to You, and remember that Your strong right hand holds me securely.

 

Daily Devotional

Son, this generation does not acknowledge Me or remember the mighty things I have done. They abandoned Me, when they started to worship the gods of the people around them. They refuse to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. They show contempt for My name and say, “It’s too hard to serve the Lord.” They make their living by extortion, and put their hope in taking what does not belong to them.

 

So tell them that I am bringing curses down against them. I will curse even the blessings they received in the past because they have not taken My warning to heart. Since they have dishonored My name by their actions, they will live their lives in great distress. Their country will be known as “The Land of Wickedness.”

 

What do I want? GODLY CHILDREN!! So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. If your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life. Make up your minds to honor My name. Pass on My truth you have received from Me to your children. Do not lie or cheat; but show your children that you walk with Me. Live such good and righteous lives that your children will see how blessed you are; that you have turned away from the sins of this generation.

 

Lord, my victory and honor come from You alone. I must listen carefully to everything You tell me. My prayer is that people will know that I am just an ordinary man with no special training in Your Word, but that I have been with You.

Daily Devotional

Son, America started out with Me, and received My blessing, and now it’s leaders have rejected Me. I am going to judge this land. Your judges, do they know the meaning of Justice? Look at what they decide; is it based upon the truth or politics? I told your forefathers that if this country breaks this covenant that they made with Me and start worshiping and serving other gods, then My anger will burn against this land. They will be amazed at how quickly My blessing will be taken from them.

 

Very soon I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth. The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red. People will become like walking corpses, with no passion, no love, and no future. They will have eyes but will not be able to see clearly. They will have tongues but not be able to speak the truth.

 

My children must choose whom they will serve; Me or this world? If they choose Me, then they will receive the power of My Holy Spirit. They will be My witnesses and tell everyone all the wonderful things I have done for them. They will cling tightly to Me, and deep in their hearts they will know that every promise I give them will come true, not a single one will fail!!

 

Lord, I cannot speak for others, but for me and my family, we will serve You. We will look to You for our protection, and hide beneath the shadow of Your wings. We will be filled with the joy of Your presence.

Kingdom Thinking – Part 13

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

 

It would seem that one of the differences between church and kingdom thinking (although, I believe, they should be compatible) is that kingdom thinking will lead us more towards the challenges as well as problems in the cities, countries and not just our personal lives and well-being (although that is important).

 

For example, before the Civil War we see the church heavily involved in drafting some our most important documents, starting schools (including our Ivy League Universities) and placing godly leaders into places of prominence in government, judicial system, media and the market place. In other words, the church took the lead in cultural reform.

 

However, after the war a sense of hopelessness came into the scene and the focus of the church was not so much on the kingdom, but on the return of Christ and the rapture. After the Civil War there were several Great Awakenings, but then came WW1 and WW2 that again began to focus our attention on the return of Christ and the rapture.

 

Not that the return of Christ and the rapture are not important, but the result has been that the culture has been lost to the secularists who stepped in when the church withdrew. God’s people began to isolate themselves from the threats of Darwinism, Sigmund Freud and psychology and the different phases our culture was going through like the Industrial Revolution and now the Information Age where knowledge doubles every one or two years. But, according to some estimates, by 2020 knowledge will double every 72 days.

 

Because of this isolation we see signs of decay all around us, but especially in America and Western civilization. We see the breakdown of the family. In 1960, 72% of adults were married. Today it is about 50%. Today we are discussing and debating what marriage is. Is marriage the union between a man and a woman, or now, between two men or two women?

 

Our education from our primary schools to our elite universities, have been educating our children on relativistic, immoral and statist ideas. It is said that 75% of youth raised in Christian homes who attend secondary public schools lose their faith (about 25% who go to Christian schools lose their faith). And for Christians going to secular colleges, somewhere between 71 – 88% deny the faith by the time they graduate.

 

Stephen McDowell cofounder of the Providence Foundation and president of its Biblical Worldview University said: “The family is God’s chief instrument of Dominion. It is God’s primary tool for extending His kingdom – His government – in the Earth. Children are arrows or weapons that God gives the family to prepare to shoot into the culture for the good of our future. (Psalms 127:4) “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.” If the family is faulty, the fulfillment of the mission wanes and the nation will decline.

 

Kingdom thinking sees this problem and will take action. It sees not just the salvation and repentance of an individual, but also the transformation and restoration in our culture and country. Can this be done? The answer is yes! We have seen it in the past and we can see it today.

 

Patrick of Ireland was about 58 years old when God sent him back to Ireland to fulfill his destiny and over the next 28 years brought about the great transformation in a nation that anyone has seen in his lifetime. Not only did he see the transformation of the nation but the fruit of his work not only transformed a nation, but a continent.

 

We look at a man like Wycliffe who translated the Bible into the English language in 1382 that brought a revival that was so great that up to half of the population of England became followers of Wycliffe’s teaching. We see the same thing with Martin Luther of the Reformation, as well as men like John Calvin, etc.

 

In the United States we can look back at the first great awakening spurred on by men like John Wesley, George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards and many others.

 

Looking back at history we see that ‘now’ is the time in our Western Hemisphere to see another Great Awakening.

 

Frank Dietz – OM International – Minister at Large

http://dean74blog.wordpress.com/

Daily Devotional

Lord, please listen and answer me, for I am overwhelmed by my troubles. Everything seems to be falling apart; threats and cheating are the standard.

 

Son, listen to me, “Every promise I have said to you will be fulfilled; everything will come true.”  So walk in My ways, obey My commands, hold firmly to Me, and serve Me with all your heart and all your soul. I keep track of your sorrows; they are recorded in My book, and I have everyone of your tears stored in My bottle. Remember who I am: I am the One who gave you life, I stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and I gave you My spirit. So give Me your burdens and I will take care of them. 

 

Lord I am trusting that what You have promised will take place. Help me to find the strength to do what You have told me to do. Help me not be faithless any longer, but to believe in the power of Your name.

 

Son, here is a simple saying that will keep you on the right path, “I said, you do, I will bless.”

Daily Devotional

Lord, I recognize that my rebellion is against You, and You alone. For there is nothing righteous in me. I desire to do what is evil in Your sight. I was born rebellious from the moment my mother conceived me. I know that You will never reject a broken spirit and repentant heart. I know that Your blood will purify me of my sins. I know that when I am washed in Your blood I will become whiter than snow.

 

Son, now that I have washed you, I give you My word and it is the truth. By the power of My word I will make you strong, and you can go wherever you wish. With My word you can go safely through the sea of distress that is coming.

 

So let all My children know that when they are united the world will know who I am and the love I have for them. I came into this world to prove that My word is the truth. All who want to know the truth will recognize that what I am saying is right. Remember that this world hates the truth, and you can recognize anyone who rejects My truth because they trust in their wealth, and become more and more bold in their wickedness.

 

Lord, I know that life is a choice. Therefore, I choose to always trust in Your unfailing love. I choose to praise You forever, for all You have done for me. I choose to trust in Your word for it is the source of my life.

 

Daily Devotional

Son, don’t be afraid of what you hear is happening, but be strong and finish the task! I am determined to bless you and your family. I will prune your life so that you will bear even more fruit. The key is to remain in Me and you will produce much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing. When My words direct your life, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! Remember, you didn’t choose Me, I chose you.

 

This world will hate you because I chose you to come out of it, but remember that it hated Me first. This world loves those who belong to it, but you are no longer part of the world’s system. Call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you. My Holy Spirit will guide you, and tell you about the future. My Holy Spirt will grant your request because you use My name. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart because I have overcome the world. Remember giving thanks in all circumstances is a sacrifice that truly honors me.

 

Son, everyone in the world will die. So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid. These people who boast of their wealth don’t understand; they will die just like animals. They have made their hearts as hard as stone so that they can not hear My word, or hear My messengers that I have sent them. Since they have refused to listen I will not listen when they call to Me on judgment day.

 

Lord, I will wholeheartedly follow You. I am still strong, so give me the land You promised me and my family. I will not fear when trouble comes, but my desire is to finish the task You have for me.