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.

Daily Devotional

Son, your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My children. Trust what I said; that I am going to prepare a mansion for you. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me.

 

When I left this earth to go and prepare your mansion, I sent you the Holy Spirit, who will never leave you. He will lead you into all truth. The world cannot receive Him because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him because He lives in you. The Holy Spirit will teach and remind you of everything that has been written about Me in My word. My gift of the Holy Spirit will give you peace of mind and heart, and the peace He brings the world cannot give.

 

So don’t be troubled or afraid, just remember what I told you: “I will come back to you again.” Now that you know I am coming back, I will bless you if you do what I say. Remember that I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through Me. You can ask My father for anything in My name and He will do it for you. All who love Me will do what I say.

 

For who is greater than My Father? He is the Lord Most High and He is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth, and He says, “Look up and see what’s coming, it is a basket and it’s filled with the sins of everyone that has lived or will live, and I am coming to judge every person that has refused My Son’s gift.”

 

Lord, help me to love and worship You as Your name deserves. Help me to meditate on Your unfailing love.  Thank You, that Your strong right hand will protect me and guide me until I die. For there is nothing and no one like You!

Daily Devotional

Son, the accuser, Satan, is making accusations against you saying, “This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire, and look at his filthy clothes.”  I have rejected his accusations, because I have taken away your sins and have given you fine new clothes to wear. So follow my ways and carefully serve Me. Then someday soon you will walk among these others standing here with Me.

 

I have anointed you, by pouring My oil of joy on you. I have given you My eternal blessing. So don’t ever be afraid or discouraged, but be strong and courageous. Defend My truth with humility. Go perform awe-inspiring deeds, but always love My justice and hate evil.

 

Do not despise small beginnings, for I rejoice to see My work begin. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Remember that My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. So put your trust in My light while there is still time; then you will become a child of the light.

 

Look at the nations of the world, they are in chaos and their kingdoms are crumbling. So be still, and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation; I will be honored throughout the world. All who reject Me and My message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.

 

Lord, You are my refuge and strength, always ready to help me in times of trouble. Therefore, I will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea, for my Lord is with me!

Daily Devotional

Son, I call My sheep by name and lead them. I walk ahead of them, and they follow Me because they know My voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice. Those who come to Me will be saved, and they will be free to find good pastures. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one can snatch them away from Me.

 

Son, when people refuse to listen to Me, they will listen to the evil one, and his purpose is to steal, kill and destroy their life. If they continue to listen to him they cannot walk with Me. To walk with Me they must confess that they are sinners; that I am the only One who can save them. They must listen to My voice and follow Me, and I will give them a satisfying life in this world, and eternal life with Me!

 

Lord, I will listen for Your voice because it is the source of all my joy, and Your words give me hope.