local Daily Devotions

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Healing Before Ministry





"And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed." - Joshua 5:8



Before the nation of Israel could go into the Promised Land they had to be circumcised. Circumcision is painful, bloody, and personal. God requires each of us to be circumcised in heart before we are allowed to enter and receive the blessings that await each believer in the Promised Land.



This circumcision can often be very painful. Circumcision requires losing our old way of life. The process of spiritual circumcision may mean a loss in areas that have been a part of our lives in order to draw us to the Savior. God understands this. Consequently, like the people of Israel, we must wait until we are healed before we begin to be effective in our calling. If we launch out too early, we will be ineffective and may risk infection and disease and will not be at our full capacity. God wants each of us to walk in His healing grace.



The people of Israel fought only two battles when they were coming out of Egypt. In the Promised Land they fought 39 battles. Each of us must be prepared to enjoy the benefits of living in the Promised Land. However, we must also be prepared to wage war against the enemy of our souls. Make sure the Lord has provided the needed healing to your circumcision experience before you enter the Promised Land.

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A FRIEND

Proverbs 18: 24 "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

My focus today is on "a friend." Are you a friend to anyone? How far would you go to help your friend? The Writer in Proverbs said that there is "A FRIEND THAT STICKETH CLOSER THAN A BROTHER." The phrase, "that sticketh closer" comes from the Hebrew word, (Dabeq) which is also translated to the English words, clinging, adhering, and cleaving. I believe that the Lord is telling us that HE will CLEAVE to us; HE is a true friend, a dear friend.

What a wonderful example the Lord is giving here in the Word of GOD of a true friend. Peter, a friend of Jesus writes in 1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all you care upon him, for he careth for you." Peter knew the clinging of his friend Jesus Christ. Peter knew that even when I am bad, Jesus is Adhering to me. Peter knew that even when you are warming your hands in a backslidden condition, Jesus will still cleave to you.

I love the old Hymn, "What a friend we have in Jesus," originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland. I can tell you, it has and still bring comfort to me to know that Jesus is not somewhere far off, but he is clinging, he is adhering, he is cleaving to me. Let’s find the many that are lost and broken hearted and let’s be a true friend

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REJECTION



But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:7)



Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you (1 Peter 5:7)



…He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5)



Lord, help me to not base my job or happiness on what others thank about me. Let me not be resentful or offended toward others, no matter what they may say or do to me.



Help me to not be discouraged or become emotionally distraught because of a suffered wrong. Heal my heart and emotions, Lord. Fill my soul with Your love, joy, and peace.



I refuse to be bitter or angry; I choose to walk in love and forgiveness. I will pray for those who have hurt and rejected me. Lord, speak to their hearts and minister to them. I will not retaliate or hold a grudge, but I cast the care of this situation over on You. I will not speak evil of them or gossip about them.



I thank You, Lord, that You will never leave me or forsake me. You are my best friend. You uphold me, You sustain me, and You have accepted me. Even though I may have been rejected by an individual, I know that I am accepted by You. Thank You for accepting and loving me, in Jesus’ name, Amen

[04ctd]

Marketplace Forgiveness





"See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:15).



Bill had a partner in business who took advantage of their relationship and embezzled money from his firm. He was caught and convicted. However, Bill decided to drop the charges if he agreed to repay the money. This allowed both men to gain freedom from a wrong committed.



In business and life the opportunity to harbor bitterness for a wrong suffered is great. We are given plenty of opportunities to grow bitter from relationships that bring hurt and pain. The writer of the Hebrews passage above admonishes us not to miss the grace of God so that we won't take up bitterness as a response to life's pain. He cautions us against this because he knows that a bitter root grows and grows until it eventually defiles many others through a wake of bitterness. If bitterness is allowed to take root, we become imprisoned to it. God's grace will no longer have as great an effect in our lives. We become ineffective, insensitive, and spiritually dead. We can even become physically ill from it. God does not live in bitterness. He lives in grace. He has provided grace for every person to walk in.



One day I was challenged to deal with an individual who hurt me terribly. I was faced with a decision. Would I choose bitterness or would I choose grace? Oh, how my natural tendency wanted to choose bitterness. But God provided the courage to choose grace. With that grace came freedom - a freedom to love and even accept the person who was the source of such pain.


This is the real place where Christ's power is most revealed. We cannot live without His supernatural grace. Are you in need of grace today? It is there for the receiving. It will take courage to accept it and walk in it. This will be your step to freedom

[04ctd]

Worship and Work





"One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike" (Romans 14:5).



Avodah (Ah??-voe-dah) is a Hebrew noun used in the Bible that has two distinct yet intertwined meanings: worship and work. It is also derived from the Hebrew verb L'Avod which has two meanings; to work and also to worship. The dual meaning offers powerful wisdom for modern times for how we are to view our work lives.



Work, if done with integrity and unto God, is a form of worship in the biblical Hebrew context. There has never been a concept of segmenting our work from our faith life in the Bible. It is in the realm of the sacred to bring God into our everyday life. Hebrews did not set aside a "day of worship," such as Saturday or Sunday, but everyday is a place and time of worship. They did set aside a Sabbath day of rest.



It is a western idea to segment one's faith life from our work life. In the Middle East and Asia, their cultures would never separate their faith from their work life even though their faith foundations might clearly contradict Christian beliefs. When someone comes to faith in Christ from this area of the world, they have an easier time of assimilating their faith into their work because they have always done so.



God calls us to do our work as an act of worship to Him. Our work is not to be a place of sweat and toil, but an expression of our love, faith and adoration of Jesus Christ. Today, before you work, ask God to help you see your work in a new way as worship to Him.

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here are three verses that I have been using recently to keep myself in check:


John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.


Psalm 27:14
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!


Psalm 46:10
10 Be still, and know that I am God;

[04ctd]

Is there Hierarchy in Calling





"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it (1 Corinthians 12:27)."



All legitimate work matters to God. God Himself described himself as a worker. In fact, human occupations find their origin in His work to create the world. Work is a gift from Him to meet the needs of people and the creation. "You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas" (Psalm 8:6-8).



However, there is often an unspoken hierarchy that positions clergy (missionaries and evangelists, pastors and clergy) at the top, and occupations such as of the "helping professions" (doctors and nurses, teachers and educators, social workers) next, and "secular" workers (business executives, salespeople, factory laborers, and farmers) at the bottom.



So what determines the spiritual value of a job? How does God assign significance? The hierarchy assumes sacred and secular distinctions, and assigns priority to the sacred. But does God view vocations that way? No, He does not.



God creates people to carry out specific kinds of work in order to meet human needs. God uniquely designs each of us, fitting us for certain kinds of tasks. He distributes skills, abilities, interests, and personalities among us so that we can carry out His work in the world. That work includes "spiritual" tasks, but also extends to health, education, agriculture, business, law, communication, the arts, and so on.



Paul was a tentmaker by occupation, along with his friends, Aquila and Priscilla. Other church leaders practiced a wide variety of professions and trades. There's no indication that God looks at vocations in the form of spiritual hierarchy.



The next time you consider your vocation a second-class spiritual calling, consider what God says. Your work matters to God and is valued by God equally to other forms of work.

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Road Construction





"The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together..."(Isaiah 40:4-5 NKJV).



I don't know about you, but I hate road construction. I live in a growing city and it seems like there has been ongoing road construction for years. Everything is a mess, you can never plan your trips because of delays, and sometimes you get caught off guard when traffic signs are placed in unusual places and the natural flow of traffic takes you off the main road onto bumpy surfaces.



Recently one of our main local roads discovered a sink hole in the middle of the road. The road was closed for more than a year. We had to take alternative routes that were inconvenient and it took longer to get places.



Sometimes God takes us through our own life re-construction project. Our lives get disrupted, we can no longer depend on the things we did before, and we don't have control over our circumstances or timetable. God is doing major construction.



However, even in the midst of the re-construction the glory of the Lord is revealed in that place. For some, it is the first time they've ever seen the hand of the Lord in their life to the degree that this process allows them to experience Him. It is a process they would never choose to go through voluntarily, but it is an experience they value for the rest of their lives because the glory of the Lord was revealed in the process.



Once the process is complete, things begin to flow better. Just as the new roads allow you to drive on a smooth, more spacious area, so too God paves a way for you to move into an expanded place with Him. Isaiah tells us: "He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows" (Isaiah 30:23-24).



Be patient with God's re-construction project. You will like the finished project.

[04ctd]

Evaluate or Compare



Psalms 25: 8”Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. 9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way."

I believe I would have plenty of support from everyone when I say, "THE LORD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!"I believe I could get a big AMEN right there. Not only is the Lord good, but the Lord has been, IS, and ALWAYS WILL BE GOOD AND UPRIGHT! The word, "Upright" here means JUST or Straight. I believe it was Rev. Charles Spurgeon that said something to this effect, the best way to tell how crooked something is, lay something straight beside it. Each and every Child of God should look everyday into their own heart and their own life and evaluate or compare it to the life of Jesus Christ. Now I know those standards are quite high, but your life will only be as good as what you try to live up to. I don't want to compare and evaluate my life to my friend’s life, nor my neighbor’s life, nor would I want them to evaluate their lives to mine. I pray that we look much higher, that we would look up to Jesus, and then pray Lord, help me to please You with my life today.

[04ctd]

The Truth

Psalms 25: 5”Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."

Many Christians and those lost today DO NOT WANT THE TRUTH! Because the truth is this, the Christians are not seeking the Truth of God, nor are the Lost seeking the Truth of GOD. The truth of God convicts and condemns the life style of the Lost and the Saved of today. It is a shame and disgrace how some Christians are living their lives today. There is no wonder that it is so hard to witness to the Lost today. I have had many lost people tell me that they are living just as good as many Church members. And the truth is, they are telling the truth, because some lost are living just as GOOD as the Church members.

So what will we do? Will we seek to have GOD teach us the TRUTH or will we continue to live ungodly lives. WE NEED REVIVAL!

[04ctd]

i been busy, so here's some catch up:


Teach Us Your Path

Psalms 25: 3”Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths."

Folks as I look at America and the Church, I believe you will agree with me that we have gotten off the path of God. If there was ever a need for Revival, it is TODAY! Many may say, "Yes sir, this young generation is taking us all down!" Folks I am here to tell you that it is not all the young folks fault, I see a greater problem with the old saints of God. I see a lot of Senior citizens that have never been taught the WHOLE WORD OF GOD. Now, if the parents don't know the WAYS of the Lord, how can they TEACH the ways of the Lord? That is why our churches all across this land are so messed up and don't operate in the Way of God. My prayer is this, that God would somehow show us, America, the Church His Way. May God teach us His Paths.

[04ctd]

looks like Glenn sent out two on Saturday, how bad have we been, that we need TWO devotionals?

Being an Overcomer





"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" (Psalms 13:1-2).



Have you ever heard someone jokingly say, "It's not easy being me?" This expression is poking fun at their unique personality or challenges they face in life. Well, it wasn't easy being King David

.

His life was a life of extreme highs and extreme lows. He was a shepherd, a political leader, a builder, a prophet, a businessman, a warrior, a lover, a giver, a murderer and a worshiper. He must have been criticized by others as being hypocritical in his early career. In each of these roles he achieved things for God but he also failed God on many occasions. He had a creative-type personality, which is often very passionate with many mood swings. We see this side of him when he unabashedly danced before the Lord in front of his subjects almost naked (2 Samuel 6:14).



When David wrote his psalms he was honest about what he was feeling. When he feared his enemies he expressed it. When he could not understand why God was silent, he expressed it as in the psalm above.



However, David never stayed in the place of despair. He often ended his psalms like this one. "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me" (Psalms 13:5-6).



David chooses to focus on what God has done for him, and not on what He had not done. If you are waiting for a breakthrough with God, be honest with Him about your hopes and dreams. However, also affirm your faith and trust in Him to accomplish His purposes through your life. Be an overcomer.

[04ctd]

sometimes, I think cars/bikes/boats are the idols of guys like us.





Worthless Idols





"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." - Jonah 2:8



Have you ever exercised your will over the will of God? Have you ever been so willful that you were going to go your own way no matter what God said? If so, you have been at the same place as the prophet Jonah. God called Jonah to deliver a message to God's people as a warning. Jonah flatly refused. It was Jonah's will over God's. Guess who won? Talk about willpower; Jonah had it! In fact, he was so rebellious toward God's will that he got on a ship to go the opposite direction. But he couldn't go far enough. The omnipotence of God caught up with Jonah, and he was hurled overboard when the seas became rough and the ship's crew figured Jonah was the source of their problems. Overboard he went and into the belly of that big fish.



God has a way of getting us to rethink our decisions, to reconsider our position. In fact, we see the extent of Jonah's willfulness by the amount of time he was willing to hang out in the belly of that fish - three full days. Then, Jonah decides enough is enough! Obedience is better than this fish belly and seaweed.



From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.



He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and You listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all Your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, 'I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to Your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you." Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh (Jonah 2:2-3:3a).



In the midst of realizing his own calamity, Jonah made a seemingly out-of-context statement: "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah was thinking of the sailors who threw him overboard and how they prayed to worthless idols. In the business world, we rub shoulders with those who cling to worthless idols every day. How tragic.



But this story's primary message is for every believer. And I can identify with Jonah. There's been many a man placed in the "belly of the fish" to encourage him to fulfill the purposes of God for which He called him. Jonah's situation changed immediately upon his obedience. Obedience is a mysterious thing. Jesus had to learn it through the things He suffered (see Hebrew 5:8). If Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering, what does that mean for you and me? Sometimes willing obedience requires encouragement.

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i had JURY DUTY one day, so that is one reason for me being behind...


What To Do In Uncertain Times





I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for

myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die (1 Kings 17:12).



The scripture above comes from a story in the Old Testament that demonstrates that God's provision sometimes comes from the most unlikely places. That is important to keep in mind as we are bombarded daily with bad news--the mortgage crisis, the Iraq War, the drop in home prices, the slowdown in home sales, and an American election that seems to give us few choices for godly leadership. News like this can depress the average person. However, as believers, we must see beyond the news reports and keep our eyes on God.



In the book of Kings, the Lord directed Elijah the prophet to a widow's house to receive provision. "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you" (1 Kings 17:9-10). And yet, when we discover her situation, we learn that she is ready to eat her last meal. My human logic says, "There is something wrong with this picture!"



The rest of the story….



Now if this isn't bad enough, read the instructions that Elijah gives the widow, who is probably in great emotional distress as she realizes this may be her last meal. "And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son'" (1 Kings 17:13-14). It almost seems selfish of Elijah to make such a demand.



It all comes down to hearing and doing the will of God.



What we must see in this story is that Elijah had a dynamic walk with God. He heard God tell him what to do and how He was going to provide for the widow. "For thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah" (1 Kings 17:14-16).



No matter how bad the situation, God has a solution!

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I like this one, because everyone wants to be in the SPOTLIGHT and in CONTROL, POWER, and AUTHORITY in the church. But it cant be like that. Second Fiddle is where some of us do our best work. Just get in, fit in, and work hard for God



ROPE HOLDERS



Acts 9: 22 - 25 "But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. 23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket."

How many Christians today only do things for the Lord and the Church when others are looking, just to look glorious in others eyes. Here in the Book of Acts, we find some ordinary godly Christians, the Bible calls them "disciples," that are helping the man of GOD. WOW, today there are very few that will HOLD THE ROPE for the man of GOD unless there is something in it for them.

The Jews wanted to kill Paul and these disciples knew it! So, they took their place on the ROPE, Paul climbed in the basket and those UN-NAMED disciples, those disciples that did not want any glory for themselves let Paul down by the wall. Paul was then able to go and win many souls to Christ because of those ROPE HOLDERS.

You know that I am telling the truth. Today, people are discussed, aggravated, just downright hating the position of a ROPE HOLDER! I wish rope holders of today had the understanding that those rope holders for Paul had. You see, it does not matter WHO IS IN THE BASKET, WE ALL WIN! It's not about who is holding the microphone, it's not about WHO is the leader, what matters is that JESUS CHRIST IS LIFTED UP! That is what the saints of old KNEW! Sure, we all know Paul, Peter, John, but did you know this, they did not do anything by themselves. There were MANY behind the scenes, many that took the Apostles food when they had no food. So the next time you get a chance to be a ROPE HOLDER, DO IT WITH A SMILE, with joy in your heart!

[04ctd]

heres a diff version of the verse:

Ps 8:13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech. (NIV)

PRIDE and ARROGANCY



Proverbs 8: 13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate."

The Fear of the Lord, in Job 28: 28 the Word of God says, "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." Note that the fear of the Lord is wisdom. To have the wisdom is to live godly and accordingly to the Will of God. Notice also that to have a fear of the Lord is to have an understanding. A person departs from evil because they have understanding.

Now as I look at the rest of Proverbs 8: 13, a child of God that has a fear of the Lord, will hate evil, PRIDE, and ARROGANCY. These two characteristics should never be found in a child of God. Actually, an arrogant person is very hard for me to be around. I believe an arrogant person makes God sick on His Stomach. The true definition of a Prideful and Arrogant person is this; someone that is all BIG PANTS over what GOD has blessed them with. They say, LOOK WHAT I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, and all the time they are the only one that does not know the truth. Everyone else around them knows it is all about GOD and NOT ABOUT THEM.

The Fear of the Lord is to hate evil ways. I hate pride, I hate arrogance, and I hate a froward mouth. Not only do I stay away from those that possess them, I guard against those things coming into my life.
Search you heart, your life and make sure you don't possess something that GOD HATES.

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Powerful statement:
"90% of church members believe they are not being taught how to apply the Bible to the complex world of work where they spend 60-70% of their time. It is not a question of them being taught the Bible; it is a question of making it relevant to their world."




Subject: Devotion: Are You Becoming Secularized?

Are You Becoming Secularized?


"Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen" (Roman 1:24-25).

There is a story told about a frog in a kettle. The frog is placed in a kettle of warm water. The frog does not notice that the water temperature is being turned up gradually until it is too late. He dies from the heat of the water not realizing the danger he was in.

Societies are suffering from the "frog in the kettle" analogy. They make decisions that seem innocent enough, only to realize later the impact these decisions bring to their society. Whether the issue is gay rights, abortion, euthanasia, or simply a lack of spiritual influence over society, the changes seem logical to the unregenerate mind but reveals the moral compass of the nation has been removed.

In 1945, a book was written about the spiritual condition of England. "We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations." During the time of this writing, 30% of England attended church. Today, less than 7% attend church in England. It has become a secularized nation.

During this same time more than 40% of America was attending church. Today, less than 30% attend church and it is rapidly declining. The reason is that more and more believers are seeing the local church as irrelevant to the world they live in. Surveys reveal that up to 90% of church members believe they are not being taught how to apply the Bible to the complex world of work where they spend 60-70% of their time. It is not a question of them being taught the Bible; it is a question of making it relevant to their world.

[04ctd]

Treasures in Darkness





"I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." - Isaiah 45:3



"I have never been in this place before. It is new ground for me, and I find I am way out of my comfort zone. I am scared to death to trust Him at this level. I had to confess to the Lord I have not been able to accept or believe His love for me in this area." Those were the words I expressed to a friend when I was in a difficult place in my life. That day when I confessed those words, God led me to this passage of Scripture.



What we perceive as dark periods in our lives is designed to be treasures from God. They are actually riches stored in secret places. We cannot see those times in this light because of the often-accompanying pain or fear that prevents us from accepting these times as treasures. They have a particular purpose from God's viewpoint: "...so that you may know that I am the Lord...who summons you by name."



You see, unless we are cast into times in which we are completely at God's mercy for breakthroughs in our lives, we will never experience God's faithfulness in those areas. We will never know how personal He is, or that He can be trusted to meet the deepest needs in our lives. God wants each of us to know that we are "summoned by name." Every hair of our head is numbered. He knows every activity we are involved in. His love for you and me knows no bounds, and He will take every opportunity to demonstrate this to us.



Has God brought you into a place of darkness? Trust Him today to reveal that hidden treasure that can be found in this darkness. Let Him summon you by name.

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“Atmospheres”

by Scott Hunter


6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:6-8)


You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3)

On a recent trip to the beach with my wife, the Lord spoke to me about how to protect our atmosphere. Too many times, we live in atmospheres of strife, confusion, division, jealousy and others instead of atmospheres of peace and joy. God’s desire is that we protect our personal atmosphere and then carry that atmosphere to those around us; but if we are not careful, we will absorbed into the negative atmospheres around us. Here are three important factors I learned that day at the beach. No matter how warm it is outside, there is always a refreshing breeze blowing at the beach. This breeze makes it bearable to be in the high temperatures. The breeze represents the wind of the Holy Spirit. Daily communion with the Holy Spirit makes it possible to handle whatever situations we face in life. Praying in the Spirit builds us up and gives us fresh perspective in our daily lives. Second, there are waves. Along with the breeze, these waves make a peaceful relaxing sound that causes us to be relaxed and enjoy ourselves no matter what is going on around us. While at the beach, there are always others around playing, talking and doing other things. The noise of the waves and the breeze drowns out the noise around us and gives us the ability to focus on the reason we are there. If you go out into the water, the current and the waves can easily overpower you. The waves are the love of God. If we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by His love, we can forget about the hardships and distractions around us. Gaining a revelation of His love will revolutionize your life. Lastly, there is the sun. If you are like me, you still want to look around to see what is happening around you. Fortunately, the sun is usually so bright that it affects your ability to see. The sun is the Son. If we will fix our eyes on Jesus, we will overpowered by His radiance and beauty, thereby remaining focused on what is important, and not that which a distraction. Put these three simple things into practice in your daily lives, and protect your atmosphere!



I encourage you to check out Scott’s new You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/CFGMUSA
and to his website at www.compassionfireandglory.org http://www.compassionfireandglory.org

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Living As If You Were Dead





"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6:11



What are the things that arouse the strongest emotions in you? Perhaps it is a rude motorist who cuts you off in traffic. Perhaps it is the anger you feel when you are wrongfully accused. Perhaps it is frustration that results from not having enough money to meet perceived needs. When do emotions turn into sin? Anger itself is not sin. Jesus had righteous anger when they sold doves in the temple.



Whenever our peace is upset over events and circumstances in life, we have moved past emotions into sin. Sin says that circumstances of life now dictate anxiety, worry, fear, or anger. Consider the attributes of a dead man. He does not get angry when slandered. He does not worry about the future. He does not fear what can be done to him. Why? Because he is dead. Nothing can harm a dead man.



Christ said we are to live as if we are dead - dead to the temptation of responding to stimuli in our life that are designed to stir up the sinful nature that resides in each of us. We do not have to respond to that nature; we can consider it dead. Christ said He is enough. When He is our all in all, nothing can move us. If we are moved, then Christ is not our all in all. This does not mean we cannot have strong emotion about our circumstance, it means we do not sin. Christ had strong emotions in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet He sinned not.