February Blessings
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February 2: Do Not Become a Slave to Sin“DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT IF YOU CONTINUALLY SURRENDER YOURSELVES TO ANYONE TO DO HIS WILL, YOU ARE THE SLAVES OF HIM WHOM YOU OBEY, WHETHER THAT BE TO SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH, OR TO OBEDIENCE WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?”(Romans 6:16 AMP). We all have life patterns of sin…where we continually get disturbed by the same set of circumstances and we always react to them in the same way. Satan did his job well. He suggested unworthiness and we accepted. He introduced shame and we received. He offered hopelessness and we bowed to it. There is a special threat to accepting everything the enemy offers: If you continually accept unworthiness, you will be taken captive by it. If you continually conform to darkness, you will become trapped. If you continually respond to the lies and deceit of the enemy, you will be hobbled by them. Be aware that if you continually succumb to sin, you will become ensnared by it. You will be obligated to wait upon the enemy hand and foot, as you perform his duties. Allow condemnation to be your master and it will shackle you. I bless you today to realize the consequences of giving in to the father-of-lies. I bless you |
February 3: The Holy Spirit Makes AliveIF YOU THEN, THOUGH YOU ARE EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO YOUR CHILDREN, HOW MUCH MORE WILL YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THOSE WHO ASK HIM!" (LUKE 11:13). This verse has become much alive to me during the last few weeks. I went on my daily prayer walk and asked my Father about some issues and He answered, “Ask me for the Holy Spirit.” But I thought I had the Holy Spirit in my heart? “Yes, you do, but ask for Him and He will help you.” “….. THE [HOLY] SPIRIT MAKES ALIVE” (2 Corinthians 3:6). I have since realized that I really need the help of the Holy Spirit, my Perfect Father’s gift to me, and I need Him quite often. You see, the Holy Spirit can do something very supernatural…He can make things that are dead come alive. He can change darkness into Light…brokenness into Wholeness…guilt into blamelessness. What do you have that needs the supernatural touch of your Father’s gift, the Holy Spirit? Is it hopelessness…brokenness…confusion? Maybe you need love for someone you have not been able to love. Maybe you need to forgive someone you have not been able to forgive. Maybe you need patience for your circumstances. My Father assured me that He is the Perfect Father and that He will not hold back His gift, the Holy Spirit, whenever we ask for Him. I bless you to ask.
I bless you |
February 4: May You Love God Enough to Obey HimThere came a point in my life when I yearned to experience my Father’s presence all the time…when I longed to hear His voice every day. I asked Him how that was possible…and He answered, “Obey Me.” ”WHOEVER HAS MY COMMANDS AND OBEYS THEM, HE IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME. HE WHO LOVES ME WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER, AND I TOO WILL LOVE HIM AND SHOW MYSELF TO HIM" (John 14:21). I bless you today with an anointing to love God May you believe that God wishes to be loved by obedience.….moment-by-moment obedience. Obedience to the advising and counseling of his Spirit….. obedience to the promptings to follow His Light.…obedience to the urgings to accept His Truth… obedience to the pressings to avail of His Hope….. obedience to the admonitions to appropriate His Wisdom….. "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching…. I bless you to grasp that God desires to be loved with an acute moment-by-moment obedience to the promptings of His Spirit, because God yearns to be revealed to you moment-by-moment. May you embrace that your Father longs to unveil and unfold His Love to you….to manifest His Wholeness to you…to demonstrate His Power to you….to expose His Righteousness to you…but He needs your obedience. Your moment-by-moment obedience “SO NOW WE SERVE NOT UNDER [OBEDIENCE TO] THE OLD CODE OF WRITTEN REGULATIONS, BUT [UNDER OBEDIENCE TO THE PROMPTINGS] OF THE SPIRIT IN NEWNESS [OF LIFE]” (Romans 7:6 AMP). I bless you |
February 5: Allow Your Father to Love YouI bless you today with an anointing ”WHOEVER HAS MY COMMANDS AND OBEYS THEM, HE IS THE ONE WHO LOVES ME. HE WHO LOVES ME WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER, AND I TOO WILL LOVE HIM AND SHOW MYSELF TO HIM" (John 14:21).
I have discovered that when someone is mean to me, it is not the person’s meanness that bothers me the most, but my beliefs that result from the person’s behavior… that I am not good enough or that I am not loved. Usually, in times like these, I start defending myself to prove that I am good enough…good enough to be loved. That just makes matters worse. I bless you to understand that your perfect Father wants to tell you that you are good enough when someone is mean to you…that He does love you during the times when you feel unloved and unlovable. However, He needs your participation…to be willing to obey Him. This obedience means focusing on your own heart when someone is mean to you, admitting that you feel unloved and unlovable…and turning to the Father for help.
HE WHO LOVES ME WILL BE LOVED BY MY FATHER, AND I TOO WILL LOVE HIM And the Father will show you how much he loves you. I bless you |
February 6: God Can do More than What You Can Imagine“NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO IMMEASURABLY MORE THAN ALL WE ASK OR IMAGINE, ACCORDING TO HIS POWER THAT IS AT WORK WITHIN US, TO HIM BE GLORY…” (Ephesians 3:20). It is hard to let go of anxiety, is it not? Many times, I want to help God figure things out for me. I would ask, but then I would imagine the solution. I actually like to map out the whole plan for Him of how He can solve the problem. At the very least, I like to give Him some suggestions. Sometimes, I cannot visualize a solution and then I think to myself, “My Father must not have a solution either, since I cannot picture it myself.” I had to let go of this pattern and learn that the perfect Father…the God of Power… works things out in ways I do not understand. Just because I do not see and understand the solution does not mean God does not have one. He can do immeasurably more than I ask or the solution I imagine. “DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERY SITUATION, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD” I bless you |
February 7: May You be StrengthenedToday I bless you to listen to this beautiful message from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians. It is a encouraging message of Hope and Power. Listen. Absorb. Embrace. “I PRAY ALSO THAT THE EYES OF YOUR HEART MAY BE ENLIGHTENED IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE HOPE TO WHICH HE HAS CALLED YOU, THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS, AND HIS INCOMPARABLE GREAT POWER FOR US WHO BELIEVE. THAT POWER IS LIKE THE WORKING OF HIS MIGHTY STRENGTH, WHICH HE EXERTED IN CHRIST WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS, FAR ABOVE ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY, POWER AND DOMINION, AND EVERY TITLE THAT CAN BE GIVEN, NOT ONLY IN THE PRESENT AGE BUT ALSO IN THE ONE TO COME. For what or whom in your life do you need your Father’s incomparable great Power? Is it for something in your past…something in your future…something or someone right now? “THAT POWER IS LIKE THE WORKING OF HIS MIGHTY STRENGTH, WHICH HE EXERTED IN CHRIST WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS…” What is missing in your life… that needs to be raised from the dead and made alive? Is it your faith? Is it your love? Is it your strength…your desire to live? May the eyes of your heart be enlightened in order that you may know the Hope to which your Father, the God of Hope, has called you. I bless you |
February 8: All Authority Has Been Given to Jesus“THEN JESUS CAME TO THEM AND SAID, "ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME” (Matthew 28:18). I bless you to grasp that all rule and power has been meted out to Jesus by the perfect Father. The Father did this for you. Know that this Authority is genuine and not counterfeit and no other force can hold up against it. Be encouraged that the authority of Jesus applies to this present age in which you are living. “CHRIST… FAR ABOVE ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY, POWER AND DOMINION, AND EVERY TITLE THAT CAN BE GIVEN, NOT ONLY IN THE PRESENT AGE BUT ALSO IN THE ONE TO COME” (Ephesians 1:21). Know that you have an enemy who is an imposter and deceiver who loves to feign authority to dishearten and frighten you. He will try to convince you that your shame is the biggest authority in your life…that your pain is the authority that will always rule you…that condemnation is the authority that prevails. May you not fall for his deception. May you submit to Jesus all the counterfeit authority the enemy sets up against you….all abandonment….all unworthiness….all confusion. These are all fake. You do not have to live by them. Know that you can demolish any argument or pretention of authority that sets itself up against you with the authority of Jesus, because……“GOD SENT THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO OUR HEARTS…..” (Galatians 4:6).
Realize that the Person
I bless you |
February 9: God Provides a Way Out“NO TEMPTATION HAS SEIZED YOU EXCEPT WHAT IS COMMON TO MAN” I bless you to understand that when your enemy tempts you, he does not appear as a little red man with horns, using black magic. He uses deception. Although his ways are disguised, they are not mysterious and insolvable. The father-of-lies will use your own thoughts and reasoning…your own understanding…as bait to lure you into sinful behavior patterns. He will intercept your thoughts and imbue them with his own lies, attempting to draw you farther and farther away from your Father. Then he routinely repeats the customary moves, familiar to him, on everybody else worldwide. I love the movie Sherlock Holmes, released in 2009. The bad guy appears to have magical powers with which he threatens panic-stricken people. However, in the end the detective, Holmes, exposes the villain’s black “magic” as mere deception. “AND GOD IS FAITHFUL; HE WILL NOT LET YOU BE TEMPTED BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN BEAR. BUT WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED, HE WILL ALSO PROVIDE A WAY OUT SO THAT YOU CAN STAND UP UNDER IT” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Keep in mind that although your enemy desires to stay hidden and secretive, his ways are not mysterious and hidden to God. Be convinced that God knows with certainty how your enemy entices, cajoles, seduces and ensnares. And He knows the way out! When you stand at the battlefront and the pain is in your face, God stands ready to be your Sherlock Holmes…to expose the deception and lead you out of the pain. Will you take His hand? I bless you |
February 10: God Made You for Himself“WHAT AGREEMENT IS THERE BETWEEN THE TEMPLE OF GOD AND IDOLS? FOR WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD. AS GOD HAS SAID: "I WILL LIVE WITH THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY WILL BE MY PEOPLE” (2 Corinthians 6:16). One day on my prayer walk, I asked God why he made me. What was the main purpose He brought me into this world? He answered, “I made you for Myself. I delight in you.” Then I realized that to My perfect Father it is all about the relationship. He made us so that He could live with us and walk among us…to be our God and for us to be His people. I have further come to realize that the perfect Father went to a lot of trouble to make this relationship possible. He sent His son, Jesus, to save us…for Himself. Jesus did not come on His own accord. He came because the Father sent him. FOR GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON INTO THE WORLD TO CONDEMN THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM” (JOHN 3:17) The perfect Father is also the One who sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did not come on his own accord. He came because the Father sent him. “BUT THE COUNSELOR, THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOM THE FATHER WILL SEND IN MY NAME, WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS AND WILL REMIND YOU OF EVERYTHING I HAVE SAID TO YOU” (JOHN 14:26). I bless you to know that the perfect Father longs to have a relationship with you and He sent His son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to help Him make this relationship possible.
I bless you |
February 11: May you Experience the Love of Jesus“MAY YOU EXPERIENCE THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THOUGH IT IS TOO GREAT TO UNDERSTAND FULLY. THEN YOU WILL BE MADE COMPLETE WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF LIFE AND POWER THAT COMES FROM GOD. (Ephesians 3:19). I live in the mountains and I love to take a walk each day on one particular road that forms a complete circle. During my walk, I always talk to God about everything and everyone in my life. Sometimes I have specific questions. Sometimes I feel hopeless. Sometimes I talk to God about mean people. Sometimes I walk around the whole circle crying. Sometimes I laugh. Whatever happens in my life, I share it all with God on my walk around the circle. Do you know what? I have noticed that God has been walking with me around the circle. There is this one spot in the circle where Jesus told me that everything I did mattered. Then there is the other spot where He told me He wanted me to obey Him. Then there was the time He just embraced me with His presence when I was going through the valley of the shadow of death. Another time He told me that I was accepted. The whole circle is marked with spots where Jesus met with me. May you, too experience the love of Christ, so that you can be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that come from your Father. I bless you |
February 12: Your Worth is Established by GodHe had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, I bless you to believe that your perfect Father is the One who established your worth. He is the One who settled your value. He put the price tag on you. On the price tag, Your Father wrote…Jesus. Jesus was pierced…for you. I bless you |
February 13: Put Your Trust in God's Love“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them” I bless you to trust in God’s Holy Love. God’s Love never ends. God’s Love never fails. God’s Love is perfect. I bless you not to put your trust in the future. Put your trust in God’s love. Do not put your trust in the present. Put your trust in God’s love. Do not put your trust in your own power. Put your trust in God’s Love. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). I bless you to put your trust in God’s love. Do not allow someone’s rejection and condemnation to convince you that God does not love you anymore. Do not let someone’s abandonment convince you that God has abandoned you. Do not allow shame to convince you that you are not good enough for God anymore. “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).I bless you |
February 14: Love Rejoices with the TruthLove is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, never fails” How do you love when someone is unkind to you…when someone sets forth his own weakness…when someone fails you? What helps me the most is not to delight in evil, but rejoice with the Truth. You see, when someone fails you, that person is hurting. All kinds of thoughts are swimming in his or her mind, “I am not good enough. I am not loved. I have no purpose.” He might even be angry with you because he feels that God favors you above him. The reason he is unkind…rude…self-seeking, is that he is trying to fix evil beliefs that come from the enemy, with evil solutions. So, what do you do when someone fails you? What do you do about the evil thoughts the enemy throws at you…the beliefs that you are not good enough…that you are not loved…that you have no purpose? Are you going to fix evil beliefs with evil solutions and become angry…self-seeking…rude? Or, are you going to rejoice with the Truth that nobody can separate you from the Love of your perfect Father…and that is all that really matters. I bless you to rejoice with the Truth…and you will be able to meet the evil with love that will not fail. Help the person who failed you to see that he too is loved by the perfect Father…and the Truth will come full circle. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
I bless you |
February 15: Only He Who Does the Will of My Father"NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, 'LORD, LORD,' WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT ONLY HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. MANY WILL SAY TO ME ON THAT DAY, 'LORD, LORD, DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND IN YOUR NAME DRIVE OUT DEMONS AND PERFORM MANY MIRACLES?' THEN I WILL TELL THEM PLAINLY, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU. AWAY FROM ME, YOU EVILDOERS!'” (Matthew 7:21-23). God has a set of good works that He has chosen just for you. That is called your purpose in this life. The important thing to know is that this specific set of good works…your purpose, is the will of the Father for you…and the only thing that matters on this earth is doing the will of your Father who is in Heaven. God created you for this specific purpose by matching everything you are to this purpose…your personality…your talents…even your voice. For example, God made me with a specific voice and He wants me to speak blessings over you with this voice. He gave me specific desires…to want to help people receive Hope and Truth for their lives. I am being me…the person God made me to be. I bless you to focus on who you really are. Stop focusing on who you are not. Focus on the will of the Father. FOR WE ARE GOD'S WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO DO. I bless you |
February 16: Stay Out of Hopelessness"AS THE FATHER HAS LOVED ME, SO HAVE I LOVED YOU. IF YOU OBEY MY COMMANDS, YOU WILL REMAIN IN MY LOVE, JUST AS I HAVE OBEYED MY FATHER'S COMMANDS AND REMAIN IN HIS LOVE. I HAVE TOLD YOU THIS SO THAT MY JOY MAY BE IN YOU AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE COMPLETE” (John 15:9-11). I have struggled with hopelessness a lot during my life and have found out that many other folks do too. I have been talking to our perfect Father about that and have been asking Him what I should do to stay out of hopelessness. His answer has been, “Obey me. Stay in my love. My joy will be in you.” “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them” Since the enemy does not have authority to snatch you from the Father’s hands, he will try to lure you away with deception…believing thoughts that are not true. His goal is to drive you to the low place of hopelessness. Once you are there, the enemy can steal, kill and destroy. It is a place of hatred, envy and anger. It is a place of murder and suicide. It is a place of sin. I bless you not to obey the enemy when he tries to lure you into hopelessness. Those thoughts with which he is luring you are not true. Obey God instead by putting your trust in His perfect Love…and you will be like Jesus, who said, IF YOU OBEY MY COMMANDS, YOU WILL REMAIN IN MY LOVE, JUST AS I HAVE OBEYED MY FATHER'S COMMANDS AND REMAIN IN HIS LOVE. 1I HAVE TOLD YOU THIS SO THAT MY JOY MAY BE IN YOU AND THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE COMPLETE”
I bless you |
February 17: There is a Way Out“AND GOD IS FAITHFUL; HE WILL NOT LET YOU BE TEMPTED BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN BEAR. BUT WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED, HE WILL ALSO PROVIDE A WAY OUT SO THAT YOU CAN STAND UP UNDER IT” (1 Corinthians 10:13). I would like to continue talking about the lowest place on this earth…the place of hopelessness. If I could define hopelessness, I would describe it as the place where there is no way out. When I am hopeless, I feel that I am at a dead-end. I feel that I am stuck. I feel that I am trapped. There is no way out. The enemy is cunning. He is ready for his next move…to suggest that I have been tempted beyond what I can bear. Then the evil one suggests his way out -- hatred…suicide…murder. God has been showing me that there is no such thing as hopelessness. He does not want me to accept the belief that there is no way out...that I am tempted beyond what I can bear. He wants me to realize that He always has a way out…His way out, so that I can stand up under it. “I PRAY ALSO THAT THE EYES OF YOUR HEART MAY BE ENLIGHTENED IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE HOPE TO WHICH HE HAS CALLED YOU...HIS INCOMPARABLE GREAT POWER” (Ephesians 1:18,19). May you know the Hope to which He has called you…His way out through His own Power. May you stand up when the father-of-lies tells you that you are at a dead-end and there is no way out. God ALWAYS has a way out, and is ALWAYS ready to show you His way out. I bless you |
February 18: A New Lifestyle!“DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU OFFER YOURSELVES TO SOMEONE TO OBEY HIM AS SLAVES, YOU ARE SLAVES TO THE ONE WHOM YOU OBEY—WHETHER YOU ARE SLAVES TO SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH, OR TO OBEDIENCE, WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?” (Romans 6:16). All my life, until four years ago, I lived a lifestyle of obeying the lies of the father-of-lies…moment-by-moment…a hundred times a day. When a thought came to mind, I accepted and believed that thought and reacted to it in a sinful way. But do you know what happens if you continually obey certain thoughts…you become a slave to those thoughts. They start ruling your life. I found out there are three big thoughts I accepted regularly—I am not loved. I am not good enough. I have no purpose. Four years ago, God asked me to change my lifestyle…Instead of accepting, believing and reacting to these negative thoughts, God asked me to surrender them to Him…moment-by-moment…whenever they entered my mind...a hundred times a day. He asked me to become a slave to His obedience. By doing this, I would open my heart to receive God’s Truth…God’s Love…God’s Revelation. Today, when I feel I am not loved, I offer this belief to God in obedience. I found out that God has infinite different ways of telling me that He loves me, but it requires this kind of obedience to receive His Love. What a difference it makes in my life. I bless you with a desire to change your lifestyle too. I bless you to offer your negative thoughts to God instead of accepting, believing and reacting to them. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6:22). I bless you |
February 19: It is for Freedom that Christ Set Us Free“IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE. If you offer yourself to God to obey His Counsel….His Wisdom shall set you free from the deception of the father-of-lies, who always suggests beliefs that are not true. If you allow your mind to be controlled by the Holy Spirit……His Power shall set you free from the sinful nature of death that reigns in your mind. If you take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ…….His Truth shall set you free from negative thoughts that can destroy you.
“IT IS FOR FREEDOM THAT CHRIST HAS SET US FREE.”
Today I bless you to throw your arms wide open and receive the freedom that Christ holds out to you. Know that it is for freedom that Jesus has set you free….freedom from helplessness….freedom from hopelessness…..freedom from powerlessness…..freedom from shame……freedom from guilt……freedom from fear……freedom from abandonment…..freedom from unworthiness….freedom from condemnation…..freedom from sin.
“SO IF THE SON SETS YOU FREE, YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED”
I bless you |
February 20: Jesus, the Much More of Your Salvation“FOR IF, WHEN WE WERE GOD'S ENEMIES, WE WERE RECONCILED TO HIM THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON, HOW MUCH MORE, HAVING BEEN RECONCILED, SHALL WE BE SAVED THROUGH HIS LIFE!” (Romans 5:10). I bless you today to clearly know that God so longs to have a relationship with you…..that He was willing to offer His Son, Jesus, to win you over and gain your trust. He did not hold anything back but did everything possible to bridge the gap and patch up the differences between Him and you…..He surrendered all. May you come to understand, though, that there is more…..much more. God is not just content earning your confidence…..restoring harmony. Recognize the much more…..to be saved through His Life. I urge you to ask yourself the question, “Am I being saved by the Life of Jesus…..every day……every moment?” Celebrate that Jesus is alive……and He in Person longs to become your “much more.” He yearns to take hold of your being and exchange it for His victorious Life…..your hopelessness, for Himself…..your darkness, for Himself…..your sorrow, for Himself. He surrendered all. May you not be counted amongst those who are missing out on the “much more.” May you understand that Jesus Himself is “the much more” of your life.
I bless you |
February 21: Be Released From Condemnation“…BECAUSE THROUGH CHRIST JESUS THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE SET ME FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH” (Romans 8:2). Today I bless you to be released from condemnation. Maybe you have grown up with a lot of disapproval, criticism or accusations. The enemy will use this as an opportunity long after the occurrence, to tell you that you are evil…guilty…unfit for life, because you are condemned. I urge you to inspect your heart to find out if you have been living as a slave to condemnation, making you subservient to the control of the enemy…the law of sin and death. “THEREFORE, THERE IS NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS” (Romans 8:1). I bless you to understand that a new power is available. Recognize that the perfect Father sent His son, Jesus, to exchange the Law of sin and death for a new law… the Law of the Spirit of Life. This law can do what you cannot do through striving…it can set you free from condemnation. Christ Jesus has come to exchange condemnation for acceptance. Understand that you have a choice: to live according to the belief that you are unfit for life because of who you are…or to live under the new law of the Spirit where there is no condemnation. Jesus has deprived condemnation of its power over you if you allow your beliefs to be governed by His law of the Spirit of Life. This is an everyday moment-by-moment decision. Please pray with me: I bless you
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February 22: Live in the Way of Christ“SO I TELL YOU THIS, AND INSIST ON IT IN THE LORD, THAT YOU MUST NO LONGER LIVE AS THE GENTILES DO, IN THE FUTILITY OF THEIR THINKING. THEY ARE DARKENED IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND SEPARATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD BECAUSE OF THE IGNORANCE THAT IS IN THEM DUE TO THE HARDENING OF THEIR HEARTS” (Ephesians 4:17-18). I have noticed in my life that I need Jesus continually to liberate me from my own mind. I have noticed that although I am a Christian, I need Jesus daily to rescue me from a hardened heart. I have noticed that I need Jesus around the clock to guard me from sinful habits and patterns. I have noticed that I need Jesus dawn to dusk to keep saving me from myself…that I cannot make it on my own, although I am a Christian. What have you noticed about yourself? “YOU, HOWEVER, DID NOT COME TO KNOW CHRIST THAT WAY. SURELY YOU HEARD OF HIM AND WERE TAUGHT IN HIM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TRUTH THAT IS IN JESUS. YOU WERE TAUGHT, WITH REGARD TO YOUR FORMER WAY OF LIFE, TO PUT OFF YOUR OLD SELF, WHICH IS BEING CORRUPTED BY ITS DECEITFUL DESIRES; TO BE MADE NEW IN THE ATTITUDE OF YOUR MINDS; AND TO PUT ON THE NEW SELF, CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD IN TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS” (Ephesians 4:20-24). I have noticed that I need the Truth that is in Jesus, day and night, to rescue me from my darkened understanding. I have noticed that I need Jesus moment-by-moment, to put off my old self, which seems to be corrupted with wrong beliefs…many wrong beliefs. I have noticed that I need Jesus a hundred times a day to change my attitude. I have noticed that I need Jesus, the Savior, to create in me a new self…one that is like God in true righteousness and holiness. I have noticed that I cannot put on this new self by myself, but that I need Jesus to put it on me. I bless you to notice that you, too, need Jesus every day, moment-by-moment, to keep saving you…even if you already are a Christian. I bless you |
February 23: Jesus, the Tree of Life"I AM THE VINE; YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. IF A MAN REMAINS IN ME AND I IN HIM, HE WILL BEAR MUCH FRUIT; APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING” (John 15:5). I have noticed that there are two separate “worlds” out there…the “world” of Truth and the “world” of deception. I would be living in the Truth until suddenly a negative thought enters my mind; I accept it and fall into a deep pit of pain. Everything is fine one moment and utterly awful the next. Once I have fallen into this pit of pain, nothing seems to come together for me. Other negative thoughts start bothering me and soon despair enters. This pit seems like a different world than the one of Love, Hope and Truth that I was just living in a minute before. "IF ANYONE DOES NOT REMAIN IN ME, HE IS LIKE A BRANCH THAT IS THROWN AWAY AND WITHERS; SUCH BRANCHES ARE PICKED UP, THROWN INTO THE FIRE AND BURNED” (John 15:6). Be aware that as soon as you are severed from the Tree of Life, you enter the world of deception, where the father-of-lies rules. Here there is only hopelessness, hatred and lies. Here it is easy to wither very quickly. “I HAVE GIVEN THEM THE GLORY THAT YOU GAVE ME, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE AS WE ARE ONE: I IN THEM AND YOU IN ME. MAY THEY BE BROUGHT TO COMPLETE UNITY…” (John 17:22, 23). I bless you to stay connected to the Tree of Life at all times. Consider The Perfect Father to be the root of the tree….and Jesus, the trunk…..and you, the branch. Know that in this Tree of Life, is available all the sap--Truth…Hope….Love-- that you will ever need. I bless you |
February 24: Take up Your Cross“…..AND ANYONE WHO DOES NOT TAKE HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME IS NOT WORTHY OF ME. WHOEVER FINDS HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, AND WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT” (Matthew 10:38, 39).
I bless you with a special anointing today to take up your cross---your frustration….your affliction….your pain, and follow Jesus. He will show you what to do with it. Be determined to take responsibility for your own burdens. Acknowledge your own anger, not the other person’s arrogance. Admit your own pride, not the other person’s failures. Recognize your own hatred, not the other person’s faults. Be adamant not to hold others accountable for your burdens. May you never place your cross on your enemy’s shoulders. Take up your own cross and follow Jesus. This pleases your Father in Heaven. “WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT” Be convinced that Jesus, The-Light-of-the-World, will shine His Light on you as you take up your darkness and expose it to Him. Jesus, your Prince-of-Peace, will grant you Peace as you take up your anxiety and hold it up to Him. Jesus, Your Wonderful-Counselor, will counsel you as you take up your confusion and turn it over to Him. ….and you will find LIFE I bless you |
February 25: Look for God with All Your Heart“YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME WHEN YOU SEEK ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART” (Jeremiah 29:13). There came a time in my life when I realized that I could not live with myself anymore. How often did I want to save myself from feeling like an insecure little child, but I could not carry it out. How often did I want to rescue myself from irrational behavior, but I could not perform it. How often did I want to free myself from my own mind, but I could not succeed. Finally, I sank down in utter powerlessness. I could not live with my tormented self anymore. I had come to the end of myself…and I sought God with all my heart. I WILL BE FOUND BY YOU," DECLARES THE LORD, (Jeremiah 29:14) And I found God! I will never forget when I went through the valley of the shadow of death and I tried to explain to God what was wrong with me. I tried to explain something that I myself did not understand. And then a voice in my heart comforted me. God, through His Spirit in my heart, showed me that He was right there with me…that I was not alone. I sought God and I found Him I WILL BE FOUND BY YOU," DECLARES THE LORD, "AND WILL BRING YOU BACK FROM CAPTIVITY” And God brought me back from captivity. He really did. I used to belong to abandonment…shame…condemnation, but God brought me out of those awful places into His Love, Hope and Truth. It is the greatest feeling not to belong to abandonment any more, but to belong to God’s Love. I share my life with you to encourage you that God can be found. He really can be. And He will bring you out of captivity, no matter what it is that is keeping you captive. God is bigger than anything that is keeping you captive. May you seek Him with all your heart.
I bless you |
February 26: Doing Whatever is Right in Your Own Eyes“You shall not do according to all we do here [in the camp] this day, every man doing whatever looks right in his own eyes” (Deuteronomy 12:8). One of the biggest lessons I am learning is not to do whatever looks right in my own eyes. Doing what is right in my own eyes means that I would go straight into defense mode when someone is rude to me. Doing what is right in my own eyes means that I would believe every thought, positive or negative, that enters my mind. Doing what is right in my own eyes means that I am not relying on God for His opinion or guidance. Doing what is right in my own eyes means that I am led by my own desires and not by my perfect Father’s will. Doing what is right in my own eyes means that I am not subject to the control of God’s Spirit. “Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” I bless you to understand that you have an obligation…to do whatever looks right in your own eyes, or to be led by the Spirit of God. I have found that it does not pay off to do whatever is right in my own eyes, because it leads to death. I am not talking about death when you leave this earth, but death here on this earth--pain…heartache…depths of despair. I bless you not to do whatever is right in your own eyes, but to place your spirit, soul and body under the control of the Spirit of God…and you will live. I bless you |
February 27: God is Your Covering“WHEN THE WOMAN SAW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD AND PLEASING TO THE EYE, AND ALSO DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM, SHE TOOK SOME AND ATE IT. SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE IT. THEN THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED, AND THEY REALIZED THEY WERE NAKED…” (Genesis 3:6, 7). The woman in our verse did what seemed right in her own eyes…she saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food…and she ate it. She accepted the suggestion the father-of-lies offered her…the bait to lure her away from her Father’s covering. “YOU SHALL NOT DO ACCORDING TO ALL WE DO HERE [IN THE CAMP] THIS DAY, EVERY MAN DOING WHATEVER LOOKS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES” (DEUTERONOMY 12:8). After the woman did what seemed right in her own eyes, something significant happened. She realized that she was naked...void of her covering. By accepting the counsel of the evil one to disobey her Father, she had moved out from under the Truth, Love and Hope with which the perfect Father had her covered. She was now exposed and vulnerable to the father-of-lies, who will futher inundate her with lies of hopelessness, shame and unworthiness. “HE WILL COVER YOU WITH HIS FEATHERS, AND UNDER HIS WINGS YOU WILL FIND REFUGE; HIS FAITHFULNESS WILL BE YOUR SHIELD AND RAMPART.” (PSALM 91:4). I bless you to not do whatever is right in your own eyes, but to stay under your Father’s covering of Truth, Love and Hope. Under His wings, you will be safe from the enemy’s words of condemnation, “You are not good enough!” Behind His shield, you will be protected from the enemy’s accusations, “You do not belong!” Behind your Father’s embankment, you will be shielded from the evil one’s charges, “You are a disgrace!” Remember, your perfect Father is faithful, but it is up to you to stay under His covering. I bless you |
February 28: The Covering of Hiding“WHEN THE WOMAN SAW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD AND PLEASING TO THE EYE, AND ALSO DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM, SHE TOOK SOME AND ATE IT. SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE IT. 7 THEN THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED, AND THEY REALIZED THEY WERE NAKED; SO THEY SEWED FIG LEAVES TOGETHER AND MADE COVERINGS FOR THEMSELVES” (Genesis 3:6, 7). I bless you today to be careful about the coverings you fabricate to cover your nakedness…to cover your feelings of shame…to cover your feelings of unworthiness…to cover your feelings of abandonment. I bless you to be on guard against the covering of “hiding.” For a very long time, I have covered my feelings of abandonment, shame and unworthiness with depression. Withdrawing into depression became a hiding place for me. I felt strangely safe there. The problem was that by hiding, my pain did not go away. I found myself dealing with the same pain again a week later…and then again a week after that. “LIVE AS FREE MEN, BUT DO NOT USE YOUR FREEDOM AS A COVER-UP FOR EVIL; LIVE AS SERVANTS OF GOD” (1 PETER 2:16). Then, one day, my perfect Father called me to an alternative. Instead of hiding from my pain, God asked me to face my pain and allow Him to see it too. He asked me to trust Him with my pain. At first, I did not want to face my pain. The enemy had me believe that if I faced my pain, it would overwhelm me. But slowly, I started trusting God until I decided to obey by exposing it to His Light. One day, when the feeling of being all alone and abandoned came over me again, I fell down on my knees and exposed it to Jesus and asked Him to help me. And He did! He showed me how the father-of-lies had deceived me into believing that I was all alone. Jesus brought His Truth straight into my heart. I experienced His Love for me. Do you know what happened? Because I faced my pain and exposed it to Jesus, my feelings of being abandoned left. I was set free. I bless you to stop hiding from your pain, but to expose it to Jesus so you too can be set free. I bless you |
February 29: Become Mature through Constant Use“ANYONE WHO LIVES ON MILK, BEING STILL AN INFANT, IS NOT ACQUAINTED WITH THE TEACHING ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS. 14BUT SOLID FOOD IS FOR THE MATURE, WHO BY CONSTANT USE HAVE TRAINED THEMSELVES TO DISTINGUISH GOOD FROM EVIL” (HEBREWS 5:13-15). “DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU OFFER YOURSELVES TO SOMEONE TO OBEY HIM AS SLAVES, YOU ARE SLAVES TO THE ONE WHOM YOU OBEY—WHETHER YOU ARE SLAVES TO SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH, OR TO OBEDIENCE, WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?” (Romans 6:16).
I bless you to understand that constant, continuous, persistent obedience leads to righteousness. I bless you to train yourself in seeking God’s counsel….hearing God’s counsel.…obeying God’s counsel. Know that you become acquainted with righteousness and maturity through constant training to heed God’s suggestions….through constant practice to yield to God’s advice ….through constant obedience to God’s counsel. I bless you to know that each time you obey God’s counsel counts…..counts toward maturity…counts toward righteousness until you are able to distinguish good from evil…the enemy’s lies from God’s Truth.
I bless you |
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