MONDAY, September 6th:
Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Walk in the Truth
Tragically, Satan has deceived the vast majority of our churches into imbalance regarding its power in bringing a threat to his illegitimate kingdom. Too often, Christians tend to give the devil too much credit or not nearly enough regarding the current condition of their spiritual state. I am not talking about Christians or churches that are allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to move; however, for those that are not—the enemy has prevailed long enough.
I cannot emphasize this enough—it is imperative that believers walk in truth and soundness of doctrine. Discipleship includes the word discipline that believers so desperately need applied to their daily lives.
Satan knows the biblical signs of Christ’s imminent return, and he is furious because he knows his time is short. A war of unprecedented proportions is waging against the church and the people of God. We must put on our armor, learn our weapons, and fight with confidence as soldiers who know they are destined to win because God says so!
When we speak God’s Word aloud with confidence in Him—rather than in our own ability to believe—we are breathing faith! Believing and speaking the truth of God’s Word is like receiving CPR from the Holy Spirit.
“Since we have the same spirit of faith in accordance with what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak.” (2Corinthians 4:13)
SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 7:1
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TUESDAY, September 7th:
Psalms 63:1, “O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”
Pursue God’s Heart
The Bible has much to say about fighting the good fight of faith and becoming a well-trained soldier, but it has far more to say about the pure pursuit of God, His righteousness, and His plan for us.
I believe that in these last days that it is vital that our emphasis should be to pursue the heart of God rather than the hand of God. In 2Chronicles 7:14 the word states, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” God is longing for the body of Christ to look upon His face and see the concern that He has for humanity.
There is no doubt that His heart is saddened to see the state of the church and the infiltration of the world into our everyday lives. With a saddened heart, His face depicts a look of concern, compassion, and eagerness to step in and heal the church…
if only the church would ask for His providential hand to do so.”
Religion (that denies the power), political, and social indifferences have plagued the church far too long and it is time that the church go back to the Bible and the promptings of the Holy Spirit so that the strongholds that have been built can be broken and aligned with the Word of God.
My prayer today is that we would wake up to the heartbeat of God. His heart longs to supply the church with the blood of the lamb that will heal the church of the sickness of sin!
God, let us hear and know your heart!
SCRIPTURE: Acts 15:8
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WEDNESDAY, September 8th:
Acts 2:43, “43Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”
Keep an Unabashed Openness to Supernatural Ministry.
The Lord calls us to embrace the risks of the dynamic—to live in constant availability to His miracle presence. We must accept the sovereignty of God as to when and where He will manifest the miraculous because the miraculous does not happen all the time. Even though it does not manifest on every occasion, this should never demise our expectancy in prayer for God to perform miracles. He has called us to be people of miraculous expectancy—a person of power, moving whole-heartedly in whatever manifestation His Spirit He gives.
When God parted the water for the Israelites, or when He saved Israel in Egypt through the Passover, God revealed His character; and the Israelites were convinced that God was working for their salvation. The good news is that He is still working for our salvation!
One of the greatest miracles ever witnessed among men is the transformation of a person’s life from eternal destruction to eternal life. Man cannot explain away the portrayal of a changed life that has been miraculously born again into the Spirit of Life! I am a witness of this transformation and the continual work of God molding me daily in the imagery of His Son!
In Matthew 11:4, Jesus said, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see.” He was referring to the supernatural phenomenon that superseded natural law, which ultimately revealed God through the eyes of faith by the onlookers of His day.
Dear God, miraculously heal your people! Touch the spiritually blind, death ear, and the heart of stone by Your presence!
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 12:8-10
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THURSDAY, September 9th:
Matthew 16:18, “18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Do Everything on the Unshakable Bedrock of the Scripture.
The Lord is still fulfilling His Word, always ready to pour out grace wherever He can find people who will hear His voice and respond. He wants to restore love and unity to the Body of Christ.
Far too long, the church has attempted to add to the kingdom by works, rather than upon the foundation in which Christ declared He would build His church. When the Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ the Son of the living God.” We have the message that changes people’s life, the message that we must ask ourselves the same question asked by Jesus to His disciples—
“Who do you say that I am?”
The revelation that Jesus is the Son of God empowers His church with power over the powers of darkness; in so much, the enemy will not prevail!
We need not whimper in the fight during this crucial midnight hour battle. We must remind ourselves that God is on our side and if God be for us…who shall stand against us!
(Romans 8:31)
Stand today, and declare that He is the Son of the Living God and He rules and reigns…forever and ever—in your heart and in your life!
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 20:10
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FRIDAY, September 10th:
Acts 1:8, “8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Respond Passionately to the Great Commission.
The Lord is calling us as a congregation to vibrant action and participation in the world. When we do ministry, I believe one of the first things we should do is check our motives for what we are doing and if the tone is not resounding with a passionate desire to fulfill the great commission—something should change!
Our emphasis should always be to find an opportunity to present the gospel message. The church has too often limited its evangelism efforts to the physical location of a structure—namely 5071 Percival Rd. However, evangelism, for the believer is a part of life!
Just imagine waking up in the morning excited about the opportunities that God is going to put in your path to minister to that day! Almost daily, Christians pass by more people that need to hear about the gospel message than what churches generally have the opportunity to minister to on Sunday morning.
Passion is contagious because with it comes excitement, transparency, and faith in the product being presented. There are people that passionately promoted their product that have made millions of dollars!
If the world propagates passionately a product that will make life better for the consumer, then why would Christians not likewise offer Christ—not that Christ is a product!
We have the message that the world is longing to hear! Our message, heals, delivers, and brings abundant life and the best part about the gospel message is—it is FREE!
Father, let our hearts burn with the passion to see the world living life victoriously! May our spirit be fine-tuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He leads us though this day!
SCRIPTURE: Romans 8:14
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SATURDAY, September 11th:
1 Corinthians 1:11, “11For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Conflict/Contention
Conflict is a word that no one likes to think about. Just to mention the word conflict and another word closely follows—stress! Today as I write this devotion my season of conflict is upon me and with it comes a responsibility to handle it properly because how I handle it determines my future. Biblically speaking, it is vital that we call upon the strength of the Lord to help us through a season of conflict.
Paul, an apostle, a leader, mentor, and minister of the gospel worked feverishly to maintain order within the body. When conflict would arise he would use sound doctrinal truths to refute error among the people of God. Why?—because Biblical truths are foundational in helping us destroy strongholds that cause conflict.
Today you may be in one of the biggest battles of your life and if you are I want to encourage you to stand solid on the Word of God! In the midst of your conflict, examine yourself in the mirror of God’s Word and if you find yourself in right standing, do not waver—stand up, role your shoulder’s back, hold your head high, speak when God tells you to speak, be quiet when He tells you to be quiet and watch the hand of the Lord bring order!
Father, I pray today for every person that is in conflict/contention. Give them wisdom and strength and power that only comes from You! Amen!
SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:24
Reflection: Of what eternal benefit was my day?
Reflection: What eternal truth(s) did I observe today?
Reflection: Did my behavior match my values?
Reflection: What am I thankful for today?
