local Daily Devotions

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i apologize for being late on these, but we went to NC for vacation, and i been busy.

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Running Persistently
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect, He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. 2 Samuel 22:33-34

When God puts a desire in your heart to achieve a specific goal, you can have the confidence that He will give you the strength and the ability to accomplish it.

Every person has their own obstacles to overcome in life. We all face difficulties and challenges on the road to success and the difference between those who succeed and those who fail is simply persistence.

Life is not a level, smooth path, but rather a series of hills and valleys. There are times spent on the mountain top, when everything seems clear and perfect. Then there are those times when we feel like weÔÇÖre wandering around in a dark cavern, feeling our way along and trusting God for every step of faith.

A runner gets a ÔÇ£second windÔÇØ after forcing himself to go on when he feels like he canÔÇÖt. We feel the joy of GodÔÇÖs Spirit lift us up and carry us on when we choose to continue in faith, no matter how we feel or whatÔÇÖs going on around us.

Take a moment and set your heart to be persistent in your faith, faith in God to lead you, pick you up when you have fallen, give you strength to go on, and ultimately bring you victory. Be blessed, God is there and He loves you.

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Seeing Through God's Eyes


"They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword." - 2 Samuel 1:12

How would you respond if you heard something bad happened to someone who had been trying to cut off your head for several years? King Saul had been seeking to kill David for many years before Saul was thrust into battle against the Amalekites. In this final battle, a sword killed Saul. When the news reached David, instead of rejoicing that his enemy was no longer a problem for him, he responded in a totally different manner. He mourned. Imagine that; he mourned for the one who sought to kill him.

This is a sign of one who can look past an individual who is the source of pain and consider how God views him. God looks on that individual and sees his needs and knows why he responds the way he does. When we begin to see people as God does, we'll no longer look at them as enemies, but as souls in need of grace. This is how Jesus could give of His life for us. He saw our great need, not what we did to Him. When someone wrongs you, do you seek to retaliate, or do you pray to understand the need behind the offender's actions? For several years a person was a source of constant pain and retaliation toward me. There was nothing I could do to change it. God allowed me to go beyond the person's actions to understand what the source of his need was. When I gained that understanding, God gave me a picture of this person inside a prison cell and in bondage. This bondage made him respond to life in this way. I was able to pray for him and genuinely love him in spite of the fact that he persecuted me. This is the kind of love Jesus wants us to have when He tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us.

I believe God does a special work of grace in those who go beyond the realm of normal response to persecution. He brings us to a level of grace we never thought possible. Describing how God worked in Joseph's life, Francis Frangipane reveals what happens when we tap into this grace:

God made him fruitful in the very things that afflicted him. In the land of your affliction, in your battle, is the place where God will make you fruitful. Consider, even now, the area of greatest affliction in your life. In that area, God will make you fruitful in such a way that your heart will be fully satisfied, and God's heart fully glorified. God has not promised to keep us from valleys and sufferings, but to make us fruitful in them.

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Appearing to the Little Child


"At that time Jesus said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure'" (Matthew 11:25-26).

It was a typical Sunday morning church service. Twelve-year old Jordan was deaf. She was the daughter of the pastor and took her regular first row seat opposite her mother across the isle. She liked to sit with her friend on the front row even though she could not understand the message without a sign language interpreter. On this day, there was no interpreter for the service. However, sitting next to her were her friend and her friend's mother, and they both knew sign language.

They often had visiting preachers at their church. This day, the visiting preacher asked people to come forward to be prayed for. The message that day was on "Getting into the River of God."

Jordan asked her friend if she saw what she was seeing. Jordan's friend asked, "See what?" Jordan replied, "The angels and Jesus!" The friend said, "Where?" Jordan again pointed to the platform. "There! By the guitar!" It was then that her mother saw the girls talking. Pattie knew her daughter was seeing something because of her face and her reactions.

Jordan never took her eyes off the platform. Jordan began describing what she was seeing to her friend's mother who then began telling Jordan's mother what she was seeing. Jordan was seeing Jesus on the stage and a host of angels surrounding Him. Jordan described the scene in every detail. As Jordan looked on the stage at Jesus who was standing behind the minister, Jesus looked back at her and signed to her, "I love you."

Jesus appeared often to the disciples after His resurrection. Over the centuries, there have been reports of personal appearances of Jesus to both believing and unbelieving individuals are you looking for Him.

[04ctd]

well, somehow, my email deleted the text of a few, and just kept the pic,
and just in case a pic is worth a 1000 words, here ya go:

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Pride that Leads to Arguments


"Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned" (Titus 3:10-11).

Have you ever had to deal with a person that just wanted to argue with you, no matter which position they took? This person usually has a strong opinion and draws conclusions quickly, rarely giving credence to other's viewpoint.

The apostle Paul knew how to deal with such people. Once he saw this pattern, he confronted the person. If they continued, he cut off fellowship. However, if this person happens to be your boss, you will not be able to avoid the person.

The root stronghold of a person who is argumentative is pride and fear. This person is not secure in who they are as a person. They mask their inadequacies through a need to always be right.

I had a business partner once who was deeply hurt by lawyers in a corporate take-over. Ever since that time he was argumentative with every lawyer he had to deal with. One time, I had to confront him and tell him what was behind his behavior. Thankfully, he had the grace and humility to repent and renounce his stronghold of pride, insecurity and fear. We proceeded to finish our project.

When you run into this in the workplace, pray for understanding. Negative behavior is like the warning light on your car dashboard. It's telling you there is something going on under the hood. Realize this person is in a prison guarded by a root stronghold that has been a part of his/her life for a long time. Unfortunately, it usually takes a significant crisis for that person to examine themselves and become free.

Pray that God gives you grace to work with such a person and pray that God will deliver them

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Fostering the Right Environment


"Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herd" (Proverbs 27:23).

Janice was a high level executive who required excellence and exceptional performance from those under her leadership. She was the general manager of a credit card unit when five of her 2,000 employees were found to have deliberately hidden $24 million in losses that she was accountable for. Her "no failure" policy brought great pressure upon her employees and she failed to recognize how this leadership style affected others. It discouraged employees from bringing problems to her. She was an intense perfectionist whom others saw as intimidating and confrontational. She was extremely opinionated. Her subordinates were fearful of reporting any bad news so they lied about it.

Do you feel like what you accomplish is never quite good enough? Do projects have to be just right? Do you feel you must give more than 100 percent on everything you do or else you will be mediocre or even a failure?

Perfectionism refers to a set of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors aimed at reaching excessively high unrealistic goals. Perfectionism is often mistakenly seen in our society as desirable or even necessary for success. However, studies show that perfectionist attitudes actually interfere with success. The desire to be perfect can both rob you of a sense of personal satisfaction and cause you and others to fail to achieve as much as people who have more realistic strivings.

Janice lost her job over this situation but was later offered another chance to salvage one of the company's smaller businesses. She realized that she needed to be much more understanding of people around her. She learned from her experience and succeeded in her next assignment with the company. The solution to becoming a transparent person is to get feedback from those around us. This is the only way we will avoid perfectionism. We must ask for the feedback and be willing to respond to input.

What would others say about your management style? Do you foster dialogue and encourage others to bring issues to your attention? Are you willing to work with your team to solve problems together?

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Understanding the Roadblock


"And Joshua said, 'Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!'" - Joshua 7:7

Have you ever felt like you were doing what God wanted you to do, but your plans were totally frustrated? This was how Joshua felt.

The Lord had been with the people of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. They defeated every enemy because of God's blessing and protection. They had just taken the city of Jericho. The next battle was the city of Ai. They scouted the enemy and determined it would require only 3,000 men to defeat them. They attacked, and soon the reports came back that they were being routed. Joshua could not understand this. He cried out to God asking why this was happening.

The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated My covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction" (Joshua 7:10-12).

Whenever we open ourselves up to sin, we become liable. God removes His protective shield from our lives in order for the sin in our lives to be purged out. He often uses the enemy of our souls to accomplish the task. If you feel you are being thwarted in some way, examine your life to see if there is any sin that is the cause of the problem.

Adversity is not always due to sin, but it can be. Ask Him. He will show you. As with Joshua, God immediately answered this prayer when Joshua asked. He desires for His children to live in a right relationship with Him.

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ÔÇ£Just Finish ItÔÇØ

By Scott Hunter



Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. 2 He asked me, ÔÇ£What do you see?ÔÇØ I answered, ÔÇ£I see a solid gold lamp stand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.ÔÇØ 4 I asked the angel who talked with me, ÔÇ£What are these, my lord?ÔÇØ 5 He answered, ÔÇ£Do you not know what these are?ÔÇØÔÇ£No, my lord,ÔÇØ I replied. 6 So he said to me, ÔÇ£This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ÔÇÿNot by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,ÔÇÖ says the Lord Almighty.7 ÔÇ£What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ÔÇÿGod bless it! God bless it!ÔÇÖÔÇØ8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 ÔÇ£The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.10 ÔÇ£Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?ÔÇØ (Zechariah 4:1-10)

In Zechariah 4:1-10, there is a great account of what needs to be done to finish what God intends for your life. The prophet gives details of his encounter with the angel of God and his message to Zerubbabel. In his vision he sees several things. He sees a lamp stand made of gold with a bowl on top, seven lamps with seven pipes, and also seven lamps. Beside this, were two olive trees. In this season, I believe that this is the interpretation for us. The lamp stand represents our foundation, and gold represents purity.

I believe that God is allowing us to be shaken to our very foundation and His fire is removing all things that would hinder our growth. The bowl represents the place to receive and to pour out. We have to be willing to receive everything that God has for us, good or bad, so that we can be the vessel that He desires us to be. The lamps represent light. We are called to be a light in this world, but if we are not refined, our light is tainted. The pipes represent flow. God desires to flow through us, but if the previous steps are not met, this will not happen.

Finally, the olive trees represent being planted and fruitful. This has been a season where the enemy has tried to remove you from the place that God planted you. Remain planted and bear fruit until the times comes that God Himself moves you. He then goes on to say that Zerubbabel will finish what he started by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that mountains will become plains because of greater grace. I believe we are entering into a season of greater grace and That Himself is stepping in to fight our battles for us. Do not grow weary in this season.

Stand still and watch God move. Your faithfulness to stand will arrange a funeral for your mountains. That which has stood before you, will stand no more. Whatever the Lord has had you to start, you will finish!



Check out Scott new You Tube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/CFGMUSA and you can go to his website at www.compassionfireandglory.org and see all that God is doing through his life.

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The Cost of Broken Covenants

"During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord." - 2 Samuel 21:1a

There was a famine in the land, and David equated that famine to the blessing or lack of blessing from God. He sought God to know why there was a famine. The Lord did not take long to answer: "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death" (2 Samuel 21:1b). Many years earlier, when Joshua entered the Promised Land, the Israelites were tricked by the Gibeonites into believing they were travelers when they were actually enemies of Israel. The Gibeonites tricked Israel into making a peace treaty with them. It was one of the first major mistakes Israel made after entering the Promised Land. As a result of the peace treaty, the Gibeonites were kept as slaves to Israel. This was never God's intention for Israel. He had wanted Israel to destroy all their enemies, but they made an error in judgment that required that they honor a covenant with the Gibeonites.

Saul made a decision to disregard this covenant with the Gibeonites and sought to annihilate them. David sensed there was something preventing God's blessing on Israel. As a nation they had violated a covenant made before God. Now they were reaping the consequences.

There are two things we can learn from this story.

First, when we make a covenant, God expects us to fulfill it. God is a covenant maker. He made one with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He made one with each of us through Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are numerous regarding the importance of honoring our commitments.

Second, God is a very longsuffering God. He gave Israel many years of grace before He exercised judgment for their sin. However, there always comes a day when God must uphold His standard of righteousness.

Are you failing to walk in God's blessing due to some failed commitment? Calamities can befall us for many reasons; sin can be one of them. In the case of Israel, David had to make things right with the Gibeonites. When he did this, God removed the famine, and Israel again was prosperous. When you feel you lack God's blessing on your life, ask the Lord if there are any past - generation sins that you may need to repent of. He may be waiting on us before He can release His blessing on our lives.

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A VAST DIFFERENCE


Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

It is possible to grow up in a church, learn the catechism and have everything done to us, within reason. But after we have done all that, we may not know God at all, because God isnt known by those external things. We are blind and cant see, because the things of God no man knows but by the Spirit of God

We imagine that we can handle it by the flesh, and we do handle it by the fleshÔÇöthe Lord lets us do it. We can hold the creed and not know God in His person at all. We can know the doctrine and not know spiritual things at all. The fearful consequence is that many people know about God but donÔÇÖt know God Himself. There is a vast difference between knowing about God and knowing GodÔÇöa vast difference!

So it is that the human being can know about God, can know about ChristÔÇÖs dying for him, can even write songs and books, can be the head of religious organizations and hold important church officesÔÇöand still never have come to the vital, personal knowledge of God at all. Only by the Holy Spirit can we know God.

Lord, it is humbling to consider the possibility that I could know all about You, and yet not know You personally. Impart Your Spirit, Lord, that I may truly know You. Amen

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He keeps me Singing

1 Peter 1:8 "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:"

Oh what Joy it brings my heart by knowing Jesus! I once was on my way to hell, but now, since Jesus came into my heart and life I rejoice and am forever thankful for the Love that Jesus has for me. What a joy it is to read Romans 5: 8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

WOW, now that is something to be happy about! Even when we did not love Jesus, JESUS LOVED US! You know, with all the awful things that is happening around the world and in America, I am glad that I still have something to REJOICE ABOUT!

I love the Hymn, "Everybody will be happy over there," but I am so glad that God's people can be happy over HERE! There is a Hymn that I can remember from a child that the church still sings today, "He keeps me Singing." There is a very encouraging story behind that song. The writer of the Hymn is "Preacher Luther B. Bridgers. He accepted an invitation to minister at a conference in Kentucky in the year 1910, so he left his family in the care of his father-in-law and made the trip to Kentucky.

There, two wonderful weeks of ministry resulted. The last service closed with great joy and he was excited to be called to the telephone. He couldn't wait to tell his wife about all the blessings. But it wasn't her voice on that long distance line. He listened in silence to the news that a fire had burned down the house of his father-in-law and his wife and all three of his sons had died in the blaze.

That distraught father leaned heavily on His Savior and expressed his faith in God during a tearful moment by penning words to the hymn, "He keeps me Singing." Hey, think how much the Lord has blessed you and me. Rejoice and be glad, JESUS IS ALIVE

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David Fulfilled His Purpose

"For David...served the purpose of God in his own generation" (Acts 13:36 NASB)

Imagine for a moment that you have just died and you are about to come before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Jesus is speaking to His angel about you. He then says these words: "David served the purpose of my Heavenly Father for his generation." Will God be able to say you served your purpose in your generation? Imagine being able to say that. God was able to say this about the life of David, even though David made some incredibly bad choices in his life that led to long term consequences. However, because David repented each time he erred, his purpose was accomplished on earth as God had designed it.

One of the prayers I often pray for people whenever I'm asked to pray for them is this; "Lord, may You fulfill every purpose for which You made them. May there be no inheritance left on the table that he/she is entitled to."

That is really the definition of success. Success is fulfilling the complete purpose for which God made you. It has nothing to do with wealth, accomplishments, stature in life, or standard of living. It has to do with living a life of obedience to the Father. And when we live a life of obedience to the Father, we will fulfill the purposes that God had in mind when He made you and me.

In 1924, Eric Liddle, a Scottish Olympic runner whose life was chronicled in a movie entitled the Chariots of Fire, was challenged by his missionary sister to forego running in the Olympics in lieu of going to China with her as a missionary. He responded by saying, "When I run I feel His (God's) pleasure. I was made to run and I was made to be a missionary too." Eric understood his complete purpose for his generation. As a result, he brought glory to the Father through his running and his missionary service.

Today, ask God to fulfill His purposes for your life in your generation.

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ItÔÇÖs Time for a Funeral


I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20).

"There's nothing wrong with you that a good funeral won't solve," I said to the woman. "I'll even send you flowers!" She smiled in response. I was speaking figuratively to the woman who was stressing out about an issue in her life.

Her problem was the same problem most of us have - too much of "us" and not enough of Jesus and the cross. Many of the daily problems in life can be solved by coming to an end of ourselves so Jesus can take over. I believe this is what the psalmist meant when he said: "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Psalms 116:15).

The apostle Paul recognized the need for a funeral too when he penned these words: "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:1-4).

Whenever we stress over a matter, get angry over a daily circumstance, or seek to have our own way, it is a sign there is still life in the grave. We need to fill it with dirt and smother the life of our flesh so that Christ may live freely, unhindered by the "old" man. Send yourself some flowers today. Have a good funeral.

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Our Labor in the Lord


"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

There is a paradigm shift going on among a remnant of workplace believers today. That paradigm shift is a focus on using our business and work life as a platform for ministry versus a platform solely for material success. There is a remnant of workplace believers throughout the world today who understand their birthright in the workplace is to reflect Christ fully in and through their work. It is reflected by a commitment to use their resources and skills to provide a product of excellence with the overall motive to affect people for Jesus Christ. The difference is that these individuals have an overriding ministry objective to their work.

When the apostle Paul tells us to fully work unto the Lord, he does not mean we must be working as missionaries in "full-time Christian effort." He understands that all of life is holy and sacred to God. If our motive is to serve God where we are, then our labor "in the Lord is not in vain."

As you begin your work today, ask God if you are working with the primary motive of reflecting His life and character through your work on this day. Let nothing move you from this motive being central to your activity. The Lord will reflect His power and leading in and through your life when this becomes your primary motive.

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Confessing Sin


ÔÇ£If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.ÔÇØ I John 1:9

I John 1:9 is a very powerful promise. It consists of two parts: our part and God's part. Our part is to confess our sins. Jesus Christ has paid the full price for our sins (Romans 5:15-19). That enabled our confession to be effective.

It is because of the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross that God is able to promise to forgive us our sins. The reason this is a continuing ongoing effort on our part is to maintain clear lines of communication with God. We do not want our sin to become a block in our relationship with God. Thus, taking advantage of this promise is something we need to do on a daily basis.

God's part is divided into two parts: "forgiving us our sins and purifying us from all unrighteousness". The first part, "forgiving us our sins", is somewhat expected. Jesus Christ paid a very high price to grant us this incredible privilege of being forgiven our sins. To have the incredible privilege of going before God and having Him forgive us of our sins is amazing, and not to be taken lightly.

The second part, "purifying us from all unrighteousness", is unexpected. God is promising that, upon confession, all of the unrighteousness that was related to that sin will be removed. He foretold that He would do this in Isaiah1:18 & 43.25. We are taught: ÔÇ£Be holy for I am holy"(I Peter 1:6). I John 1:9 is how that is achieved. When we confess our sins He not only forgives us but completely removes the unrighteousness is associated with that sin. That God would choose to do this is an example of the incredible breadth of His grace and His love for us, Praise God.

We cannot run our lives or companies for Christ with any effectiveness without the Holy Spirit doing the work through us. It is critically important that we remove all hindrances to that work. Therefore, the second major part of our prayer time in the morning is confessing sin, so that the unrighteousness is removed, and the Holy Spirit is free to work with us and in us to accomplish the FatherÔÇÖs purposes. In our prayer time, first adore God for who He is, and then confess sin. It's critically important.

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GodÔÇÖs Timing


"Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 'See that you don't tell this to anyone'" (Mark 1:42-45).

Have you ever had a problem keeping a secret? Especially if that secret involves good news, we are sure to want to blurt it out to the wrong person at the wrong time.

There is a timing that is ideal for releasing information or moving forward with a project. Jesus understood the importance of timing. When He performed His first healing miracle He instructed the man he healed with leprosy to not tell anyone. Now that would be difficult - not to share being healed from leprosy with your friends who have known you and your condition. He could not keep the secret.

As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. Jesus desired to do more things in that city, but because the man could not keep quiet, He could not do so.

How often has Jesus not been able to move in your situation because you have failed to honor the right timing of the situation? Perhaps you have moved ahead when you were not supposed to move. In the Old Testament, David was fighting the Philistines. He won the first battle, but they were coming against him again. He inquired of God and God said, "Go to battle, but not until you hear the marching in the balsam trees" (2 Samuel 5:23). There was a strategic timing associated with his actions.

Early in my writing career I wrote a book before I should have. I was called to write it, but my enthusiasm kept me from releasing it in the right timing. The premature release resulted in not having a complete understanding of the topic that I would gain later, had I waited on His timing for release.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven?" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Ask God for His timing in your projects or promises to be released.

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Selling Your Birthright


"Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright." Genesis 25:34

Esau was brother to Jacob. One day he came back from hunting in the fields. He was hungry and tired. His brother Jacob was preparing some stew and Esau asked Jacob for a bowl. Jacob used this time to negotiate for what seems unimaginable - the family birthright.

Why would Esau take his birthright so lightly? Because he did not understand its value. Every business day countless men and women exchange their birthrights for worldly goods, because they see what the world has to offer as more valuable than what God might offer.

This is not all their fault. Satan has blinded the minds and hearts of men and women for centuries. He does not want them to know the tremendous gold mine that awaits the child of God. Their inheritance is filled with meaning, purpose, and rewards that await them both here and in Heaven. Satan keeps men and women from seeing the real value of their own godly inheritance.

Your role as a workplace Christian is to be the key that unlocks this prison that keeps so many, in captivity. You may be the one to reveal the truth that allows them to enter into the inheritance God desires for them. Pray that God allows you to see each unsaved person you encounter as one who needs the key you hold in your hand. Then you will add to your own inheritance laid up for you in Heaven.

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Trust and Obey

Proverbs 3: 5 - 7 ÔÇ£Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."

Every Christian needs to Trust and Obey the Lord with their life.

One of the greatest problems with Christians is that we say we trust the Lord and Obey the Lord, but do we really? Many of our Christian marriages are ending in divorce because as long as couples have sufficient funds to live very High Cost lives everything is good. The problems come into the marriage when couples live HIGHER than their means and when the money runs out or runs low, that is when the trouble begins. Christians need to learn how to be content with what they have, trusting and obeying the Lord's will for our lives, will bring contentment. When Christians start truly trusting and obeying the Lord, it is then that Life at its fullest will begin!

Next, Trusting and obeying the Lord will lead to absolute Joy and Peace in one's life.

Jesus clearly tells all people in John 14: 27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not you heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." There is nowhere else to find Peace except the Lord! Money can't bring it, Houses can bring it, and BIG gains on your stock can't produce it. Only Trusting and Obeying Jesus can move us into a life of Absolute Joy and Peace!

Last, Trusting and obeying Jesus is the only way to be Born Again!

In Romans 10: 17, Paul said "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of GOD!" It is by hearing the instructions of GODÔÇÖS WORD that mankind are saved! The Philippians Jailer cried out to Paul and Silas, "Sirs, What must I do to be saved?" Paul gave the Jailer THE biblical answer to his question, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be SAVED..." Trust and Obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!

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PEACE
Galatians 5: 22 - 23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Out of the nine Fruit of the Spirit, I would like to focus on one, PEACE. There are so many people today that are looking for Peace in their lives, but they are looking in all the wrong places for it. Some have looked so long for peace that they may even be asking, "Is there such a thing as peace?" I would answer that question with this, "Which peace are you looking for?"

You see, there are two types of peace, one that is temporary and one that is everlasting. Jesus pointed out in John 14: 27 that there are two types of peace which comes from two different sources. Look at this verse, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

The peace that Jesus gives is the peace that is everlasting, it is fulfilling, it is the peace that calms our hearts and our minds in terrible situations of life. Satan and the World has a peace that it offers, but make sure everyone understands this fact, the peace that satan and the world gives is temporary and it leads to more despair.

There are many examples in the Bible of people that chose the Peace that Satan and the World gives, Lot, King David, Achan, and Elimelech, but how did that peace work for them? It was only temporary peace, which lead to the sorrows of death. The PEACE that Jesus gives is much greater than the peace that the World gives.

Paul said in Philippians 4: 7, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The Peace of God is beyond any peace that this world can give. It is a peace that even in a time of sorrow and pain, a Child of GOD, that ask for the Peace of God, can have calm, a quietness, a tranquility that surpasses anything this would can imagine!

HOW CAN ONE OBTAIN THE PEACE OF GOD? Read Luke 9: 23 and focus on these three things; deny yourself, take up YOUR cross daily, and follow me. These three are the keys to a Peace that surpasses all understanding. In Jesus is where one will find REAL PEACE!

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WE BEGIN WITH GOD

By Him were all things created, that are in Heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisibleand He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-17)

Now, I know that some have said about me; ÔÇ£That man is always talking about God!ÔÇØ I can only say in reply that if that is the only charge that anyone can properly bring against me, I will be quite a happy man. I know that I talk a lot about GodÔÇöabout the triune God, because I still believe in God. I believe in Him as God Almighty; the Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son and our Lord; and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

We do begin with God here, where all truth begins, for God is the one true and absolute reality. Back of all, and underneath and supporting all things, He girds the universe and holds it up and guides it.

God does that. That is the only explanation for the universe and the only explanation of human life, for as Creator He gives to human life its meaning and significance.

He is the sacred meaning that gives validity to all meaning. Exclude God from your thinking and you will find yourself with no sense of moral valuesÔÇöyou will have no standard of right or wrong.

Lord, may I also talk ÔÇ£too muchÔÇØ about You. May I keep You first in everything I do, think or say today. Enable me by Your Spirits, I pray, in JesusÔÇÖ name. Amen