MATTHEW 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Let me tell you a true story I heard. There was a pastor whose young child was diagnosed with cancer. The day his boy was scheduled for an operation, this father cried out to God, “God, I’m almost 30 years old, but my boy is only about three months old. Why don’t you just take some years off my life and give them to my boy?” Then, from deep within him, he heard the voice of God say, “I am not like that.” When the man heard that, he realized immediately that his son’s sickness was not from God. He also realized that if he, who has faults, could want his child well, how much more his heavenly Father. So he changed his prayer and said, “Father God, I come against this sickness and I ask you for healing for my child.” That day, on the operating table, the surgeons could find no trace of cancer in the child! Today, God wants you to know that He is not the kind of Father who wants you sick and defeated, keeps you poor and wanting, refuses to provide for your needs and denies you your blessings. When my daughter Jessica was younger, I bought a beautiful teddy bear for her. Teddy bears are her favorite toys and I could not wait to see her joy when she saw it. My joy is to see her happy. When she is sick and has difficulty sleeping at night, it hurts me to hear her cry. When she is crying, I cannot ignore her cries. I enter into her discomfort and pain even though I know that her sickness is something that will pass shortly. When she is in pain, I feel the pain too. When she is sad, I am sad too. I believe that God gives us children to help us understand what His Father-heart is like. His joy is to enter into your joy and see you happy. If you, in spite of your faults, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to you when you ask Him! My prayer today is that you will know just how much your Father loves you! In 'n onderhoud met Christianity Today het dr James Dobson gesê: "Die jongmenskultuur het heeltemal verander. Meisies raak te vining groot. Hulle word vreeslik beïnvloed deur die vermaaklikheidsbedryf, en ervaar dinge wat hulle ma's nooit ervaar het nie. Jong meisies word heeltemal te vroeg soos tieners. Dit veroorsaak dat hulle te vroeg aan dinge soos seksualiteit
begin dink en dit plaas enorme druk op hulle. Hulle het ernstige emosionele probleme soos eetversteurings; 90% van eetversteurings word onder meisies aangetref. Daar is ook gevalle van laerskoolkinders wat hulself sny en gaatjies op allerhande plekke laat inskiet, asook seksuele aggressie, terwyl hulle vroeg betrokke raak by dwelms en alkohol. Meisies drink net so baie soos seuns, en daar is ook baie geweld onder jong dames. 'n Derde van alle kinders is slagoffers van, of skuldig aan 'n afknouery. Ons het al in die nuus gesien dat meisies hulself hang nadat hulle gespot is. Dit was nog nooit maklik om kinders groot te maak nie, maar vandag is dit moeiliker as ooit." As jou droomhuis en suksesvolle beroep vir jou as ouer beteken dat daar 'n kans is dat jy jou kinders gaan verloor, is dit nie die moeite werd nie. Jy het net een kans om dit reg te kry. "Hierdie gebooie wat ek jou vandag gegee het... moet [jy] inskerp by jou kinders en met hulle daaroor praat as jy in jou huis is en as jy op pad is, as jy gaan slaap en as jy opstaan." (Deut. 6:6-7 NV). Sielekos: 1 Kron. 26:20-29:30; Luk 14:1-14; Ps 119:65-72; Spr. 21:10-13 The Father says today that My blessings are in hot pursuit of your life. My favor and blessing is not elusive or unattainable. My blessings gravitate toward My glory and My glory is in you. The blessing that came upon Abraham and changed human history is in pursuit of you and will continually make its mark in your life. You are not estranged from Me for the blood of the Cross
has drawn you near to Me in bonds that cannot be broken. Because you are in Me you are the beloved and the blessed one. Do not be dissuaded by circumstances or situations because these are subject to change but My promise endures forever. Your heart is the anchor point of My blessing and they are overtaking you indeed the blessing is taking hold of you with a tenacity that will not relent. There are those who presume to say who I will and will not bless but they are not in charge says the Father. I rain upon the just and the unjust so even when you exclude yourself from My goodness through shame and guilt I still include you and renew My mercy every single morning in your behalf. So fret not says the Father neither be dismayed. I can do anything I want any time I want and I don't have to check with anybody. You are the blessed of your Father and I declare this day is the day of favor in your life. Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Most people, when they desperately want something, will say things like, “I am dying for that piece of cake!” Few will say, “I am living for that piece of cake!” What is worse is that we are quick to mention death when things go wrong. We Singaporeans are quick to say things like, “Die lah! Die lah!” at the drop of a hat. Nobody says, “Live lah! Live lah!” Yet, the truth is that every word you speak has power—to build or destroy hopes and dreams, to restore or cause loss, to heal or break the spirit, to bring delight or despair, to bless or curse—for God’s Word says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. So stop lining your words up with the negative circumstances. Instead, start lining your words up with God’s Word and release the power of His Word to work for you. For example, instead of speaking lack and poverty, say, “God’s Word tells me that the good things are already here. I therefore pronounce my life blessed. I pronounce my life successful. I pronounce my life great. Darkness and gloom, poverty and sickness, defeat and depression, will not be in my life!” Instead of speaking sickness and death, say, “I will live long. I will not die young. Jesus died young for me so that I can live long for Him. I am the righteousness of God in Christ and God’s Word declares that no evil befalls the righteous. So no evil will come on me now and in the future!” Instead of speaking fear over your children, say, “God’s Word declares that the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. Therefore, my children are delivered from every curse, every power of darkness and every evil. In the name of Jesus, I call forth a great, bright and blessed future for my children!” God wants you to have a life filled with good days and an abundance of every good thing. So say, “In the name of Jesus, I command blessings, favor, health, provision, protection, dominion and power to fill my life!” The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage
(Psalms 16:6). 16:11). …In your presence is fullness of joy We were born right in God's presence, where there's FULNESS OF JOY, and we dwell with Christ at His right hand, where there's ENDLESS PLEASURE. Therefore, our CONFESSION ought to be like the psalmist's who said, "YOU MAKE MY LIFE PLEASANT, and my FUTURE IS BRIGHT!" God has ALREADY done ALL that's necessary for you to have a PLEASANT LIFE today and a GLORIOUS TOMORROW. Make this your REGULAR CONTEMPLATION and CONFESSION, and EVERYTHING in life will LINE UP with your CONFESSION. PRAYER: Dear Father, I thank you for beautifying my life with your grace and adorning me with glory. I bask in your ever-abiding presence and love, knowing that my future is bright and secure in you, in Jesus 'Name. Amen...... HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY IN FATHERS' PRESENCE........... I don’t know his name or what he looks like. I only know what he gave. He gave a donkey for Jesus to use on the Sunday he entered Jerusalem. An interesting bit of history is found in Matthew 21:3. It is the story of the man who gave the donkey to Jesus. The scripture says, “If anyone asks you why you are taking the donkeys, say that the Master needs them, and he will send them at once.”
Did the man have any idea his generosity would be used for such a noble purpose? Did it occur to him God was going to ride that donkey? All of us have a donkey. Something that, if given to God, could move Jesus and His story further down the road. Maybe you sing or program a computer or speak Swahili or write a check. Whichever it may be…that’s your donkey. Do you give it? The guy who gave Jesus the donkey is just one in a long line of folks who gave little things to a big God. From And the Angels Were Silent “Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset — rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined]...” (1 Peter 5:9, AMP)
The very moment you first feel fear, you have to resist it. In other words, you have to act against it. If you make the mistake of dwelling on your fears and start thinking about all the reasons why you can’t do what God is telling you to do, then it won’t be long before you develop a negative mindset that will keep you stuck where you are. In the Bible, when God told David to go fight Goliath, it says that David moved quickly toward the battlefield. In other words, he didn’t think about it. He didn’t allow fear to grip his heart and talk him out of it. He just did what God wanted him to do. So many people today are just sitting on the sidelines of life. They have tremendous potential on the inside, but they keep letting the enemy talk them out of doing what God wants them to do. Every time they get a vision of victory for their life, the enemy brings fear; and they just swallow his lies hook, line and sinker. Don’t let that be you! Instead, obey quickly. Resist fear and boldly embrace every blessing the Lord has in store for you! Father, today I choose to resist fear. I choose Your Word. I choose Your love. I believe that with You, all things are possible. I choose to obey quickly and boldly embrace the victory and blessing You have for me in Jesus’ name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to come before You with a heart of grateful praise! So many times we seek You because life has assailed us with heartache or worry and we need Your comfort and Your guidance. We need to know that You are ever in control and that all things regarding our well-being are in Your hand. Knowing You are there for us is one of the reasons we shout for joy. It is one of the reasons we awaken to each new day with glad hearts and willing minds. You give us unending gifts and all we have to do is look for them.
Help us this week to discover Your mercies hidden in the kindness of another person's encouragement, echoed in the sound of a melodious bird or renewing our spirits with the sunrise. Help us count our many blessings every morning and every evening and sing for joy! In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read Psalm 92:1-4 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”(Proverbs 29:25, NIV)
Fear is one of the enemy’s favorite tools to keep us from going forward in our lives. As soon as we make a decision to step out in faith and do what God is telling us to do, immediately the enemy will bring fear. He’ll put thoughts in your mind like, “What if I fail? What will others think? Maybe I don’t have what it takes.” He’ll do his best to use fear to try to convince you to shrink back and just stay right where you are. The Bible tells us that fear is a spirit. It affects your emotions. But when you choose to put your trust in the Lord, no matter how you are feeling, you are combating fear. Today I encourage you, don’t allow fear to trap you and hold you back. Instead, take a step of faith knowing that God is on your side. He is for you and with you, leading and guiding you in the path of victory all the days of your life! Father, I choose to put my trust in You. I choose to press forward and overcome fear. I believe You are with me; I believe You love me, and You are leading me in paths of righteousness all the days of my life in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen GALATIANS 4:27 … “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor… Barrenness. What a painful and frustrating condition. Yet, in Isaiah 54, God’s Word to those who are experiencing barrenness is to rejoice — “Sing O barren”!
Why? Because in the previous chapter, it tells us that the chastisement for our peace fell upon Jesus. (Isaiah 53:5) The word “peace” here in Hebrew means completeness, soundness, health, safety and provision. In other words, all these benefits are yours today because Jesus has already been punished at the cross for your peace. That is why you can start rejoicing. So God wants you right now, in whatever area you are barren, to start rejoicing as if the fruit or yield you want to see has already come. He wants you to start thinking, speaking and acting as if the barrenness is no more. If you are financially barren, start planning for what you would do when your finances increase. I am not saying that you go out and spend recklessly, but start making plans for increase. The time to do this is when you are still in what your natural eyes see as a barren stage. You may say, “Pastor Prince, you don’t understand, the banks are chasing me!” God says, “Rejoice because you are well provided for in Christ.” In Christ, you are already blessed with every spiritual blessing, including financial provision. (Ephesians 1:3) “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) If you are sick, start planning to do what you have not been able to do. Don’t rejoice only when the healing manifests and the pain is no more. Rejoice now in your healing because Jesus has already borne your diseases and carried your pains, and by His stripes you have already been healed. (Isaiah 53:4–5) Whatever barren situation you are in, rejoice and tell God, “Father, because of the sacrifice of Your Son, I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. You have already given me everything. So I am going to act like it is so and rejoice!” |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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