Identification

Today’s teaching is based on Ephesians 1:12-14. We read in this scripture that we were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. We are sealed with Him. He has placed His mark upon us. He is the guarantee of our inheritance in the Lord God. A seal is placed on a document by an owner. In the days long ago, every important householder had a seal representing their family or kingdom. That seal was placed in wax on any important document, signifying the owner’s stamp of approval on the document. It became a legal document. Many times the ring of the family was the seal that was stamped in the wax. God is the householder; it is His Kingdom; the Holy Spirit is His own self sealed upon our lives forever. In a sense, we are God’s legal document for all of the spirit realm to see that we are His forever.

I am identified as God’s own child by the fact that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in me. He is the marker of my being God’s child. In the Spirit realm, I am identified by the indwelling Holy Spirit Who appears as Light for all to see. He is the One Whose indwelling points me out as one of God’s own, God’s chosen.

On this earth, to both God’s angelic spirits and to the demonic spirits, I am identified as God’s own child by the light and love and life of the Holy Spirit of God emanating from me. He is the One Who does the work here on the earth right now, even though the Godhead is dwelling in me. The Father is the Light; Jesus is the Love; the Holy Spirit is the Life.

The Father is all Love, Light and Life.
The Father is the expression of Light in the Godhead.

Jesus is all Love, Light and Life.
Jesus is the expression of Love in the Godhead.

The Holy Spirit is all Love, Light and Life.
The Holy Spirit is the expression of Life in the Godhead.

You and I are privileged to be filled with every expression of God inside our spirit man when we accept Jesus as our Savior. He made the way for us to be emptied of ourselves and to be filled with Him. Jesus is the Way. God has identified us as His own because of what Jesus did. He became sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He became sick that we might become healed and healthy. He became poor that we might become rich. He became the curse that we might walk in The Blessing of God.

Now, we are in the Lord and he is in us. Oh, for the spiritual understanding of Christ in us. Paul said that Christ in us is the hope of glory. Christ, the Anointed One with His anointing, is in us. He is the hope of God’s Presence being revealed in us for all the world to see. The more we identify with the Lord, the more of His Presence will be visible for others to see. Less of me and more of Him!

Who and what identifies us is so important to our lives. Why? We become like the ones with whom we identify. We act like them. We talk like them. We live like them. Usually the ones with whom we identify are the ones we spend the most of our time with. The more time we spend with God, the more we will look like Him and be like Him.

I want to be more like Him every day! How about you!

Rest

One of the greatest discoveries I have ever made is the act of resting. For me, as a “do bee,” rest has not always been an easy thing to do. It is something that I have had to deliberately make myself do. Now it is becoming an easier part of my life. Rest is vitally important for every human being. I truly believe that lack of rest is the reason for many illnesses, divorces, children going astray, etc. because rest implies sitting and enjoying others as well as ourselves.

God created rest for man, in order that we may balance our soul and body with our spirit. The body needs rest from physical labor. The soul (mind, will, emotions) needs rest from stress and strain. Since our spirit man is housed in this physical body and since the soul is the avenue by which the spirit communicates to the outside world, we must take care of both of them. Have you ever noticed that when you are tired and weary in your body, it is not as easy to operate from your spirit? Or how about this? When you are emotionally distraught, it is hard to get quiet so that you can hear what you spirit man is saying to you? And, yes, there is that mind to contend with. When the mind is questioning and doubtful and full of fear, there is not much room for faith and peace.

Jesus told us that we who are weary and heavy-laden must come unto Him and He will give us rest. We are told in Isaiah 16:3 that the Lord will keep us in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him. Jesus also told us: Let not your heart be troubled. Paul told us to think on things that are true and pure and honest and lovely and just and of a good report. There are so many admonitions to us to be peaceful and restful.

When I am at rest, on many occasions, that is the time I can hear the voice of the Lord clearly speaking to me. All is still, and I have an uncluttered time of tranquility. For many, that time is in the early morning, when the light is breaking and the birds are singing their best songs. For me, that time is in the evening, after my day’s activities, when I sit on my couch in my office and watch the night curtain draw around us for a time of rest and reflection. I love to listen to praise and worship music or quietly read my Bible, or sit there and meditate on how good God is to me.

You will notice that I am not talking about a time of intercessory prayer or listening to teaching CD’s or taking notes from God’s Word. I am talking about relaxing. To many of us, that is a foreign word in this present-day world. There is so much activity swirling all around us. Everybody is in a hurry to do what they think they just have to do before their day concludes.

I went to my eye doctor today and had to go to the city for my appointment. People are so frenetic in their activity. They have to pass you on the road. They have to have the highest speed. They have to get ahead of you. And what for? So that they can save a couple of minutes in the next line of traffic while they fretfully look at their watch, ticking off the delay time for their next appointment. Fret! Stress! On the edge! God never intended for mankind to operate like this.

I have some advice for me and you. Take time to sit at the breakfast, lunch and dinner table to digest your food well, to have some pleasant conversation with your loved ones. Or if you can only have one time a day, deliberately choose that time to enjoy yourself. I guarantee you will have less doctor visits and still get as much done as you would have accomplished otherwise.

Time is a gift. How have you been using it? Are you using it at the direction of the Holy Spirit? Or are you setting your own busy pace, oblivious to the unction of the Holy Spirit? What is done for Christ will last; nothing else will be of any value. It’s evaluation time for all of us. Your time will be spent (just like your money) on what is most important to you. Rest is a vital part of our lives. It determines our well being. It must be factored into the equation of time. REST!

Abounding

God is a God of abundance. Everywhere He goes; everything He touches; everyone He encounters is subject to His overflow. The outflow of His entire being or nature is increase and multiplication.

If you and I are not experiencing that abundant flow in our lives, we need to ask the Holy Spirit where we are clogging up the pipes. I have been doing some asking lately and “boy” is He revealing and cleaning. It is such a clean sense of connection to the Lord.

Today I did a study on the word “abound” and discovered some beautiful scriptures which I would like to share with you.

How about starting out with this one? A faithful man shall abound with blessings (Proverbs 28:20). Are you faithful? Then you should be abounding with blessings.

In Romans 15:13 we read that the God of our hope is going to fill us with so much joy and peace as we believe Him, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we may abound or be overflowing, bubbling over with hope.
I like that scripture because our hope is being attacked in these end times. Hope is our foundation for faith. Remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for.

God is able to make ALL grace abound toward us, come to us in abundance, that we always having ALL sufficiency in ALL things, may abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).

In Philippians 1:9, Paul prayed that our love may abound yet more and more until it is fully developed in knowledge of God’s love and comprehensive discernment of it.

In Philippians 4:17, Paul prayed that a harvest of blessings would abound or accumulate to our account. He was talking about increase in our financial realm. Why? People with money are able to finance God’s projects. It is not about our accumulating wealth for our own gain. It is about the end-time harvest. God will bless us also as we unselfishly allow Him to use us as His distribution center. He is looking for more distribution centers. Would you like to be one? I want to be one. What fun it is to give!

The Lord will make us increase and abound or overflow in love one toward another and toward all men (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

The power of God and the gift by grace, which is by Jesus Christ, has abounded to and for the benefit of many (Romans 5:15).

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

God has abounded toward us in all of His wisdom and prudence (ability to regulate and discipline ourselves wisely) (Ephesians 1:8).

We thank God, which is fitting, that our faith grows exceedingly and our love toward others abounds (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

It is such a joy to walk with the Lord and watch Him lavishly pour out on every one of us His bountiful supply of health, prosperity, love, joy, peace, contentment, kindness, His power and goodness, and the very privileges and rights of His Kingdom. We are so honored to be called His own. I love being His child. How about you?

God Has Established Us

God has established us as His children in His Word, in His name, in His blood, in His righteousness, in His Truth, in His covenant, and in His Spirit. He has made us steadfast and immovable in Him. Isn’t that awesome!

We are established in God. He has firmly fixed us in Himself. We don’t have to be moved or changed or altered or shaken from our position. Satan uses every means of deception and lying in his world of influence to convince us that we are not personally established and fixed in God. He points out our weaknesses and puts doubt in our minds and tells us we are not going to make it. He is a liar and the father of liars. We must remind ourselves of that all the time. He has no power except what we give him with our fear.

To be established is to be settled or fixed without wavering or doubt or weaknesses (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary). God Himself has established us. He has fixed us in a position of steadfastness. He has placed us in a firm position of unwavering faith and strength. We are strengthened in Him.

Do you see this picture? It is God Who establishes us and fixes us in our position of faith. It is not we who do it. When we finally realize this fact, believing and receiving will be so much easier.

Let’s look at a few scriptures on being established.

In Isaiah 54:14 we read that we shall be established in righteousness. Well, that is our position in God. That is our place as His children, with rights and privileges in Father’s household.

When we roll our cares and works entirely on the Lord, He will cause our thoughts to become agreeable to His will and our plans to be established and succeed (Proverbs 16:3).

It is God in Jesus Christ Who establishes us and has anointed us (2 Corinthians 1:21).

Our children shall dwell safely and their descendants shall be established before God (Psalm 102:28).

When we believe in the Lord our God, we shall be established (2 Chronicles 20:20).

Our hearts can be established and strengthened with God’s grace (Hebrews 13:9).

We shall decide and decree a thing and it shall be established for us and the light of God’s favor shall shine upon our ways (Job 22:28).

In Colossians 2:6,7 we see that we are rooted and built up in Christ Jesus and are established in the faith. We abound and overflow in the faith with thanksgiving.

Through Godly Wisdom our houses, our lives, our homes, our families are built and by understanding they are established on a sound and good foundation (Proverbs 24:3).

In Psalm 112 we read that our hearts can be established or fixed, trusting in the Lord and having confidence in Him to take care of us without fear or dread.

God is faithful to establish us, build us up, strengthen us, and set us firmly on His foundation of love which is unchangeable and perpetual (Psalm 89:2; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; James 5:7,8; 1 Thessalonians 3:12,13).

What promises we have in God’s Word about being established. Our hearts, our families, our homes, our words, we ourselves and our children are established by God. He establishes us in Himself forever.

God's Instructions for End-Time Living

I don’t know about you, but I firmly believe that we are now living in the end times, the end of the ages. Jesus is coming soon. We have heard this for a long time, but in my heart I sense that His return is right here. We can almost hear the trumpet call.

During a time of prayer, the Lord showed me in Matthew 24 and 25 what His instructions are for us who are living in these times. As with everything that God says, His words are so simple and to the point. You will also notice that the understood subject is you. It is a decision you make. Each one of the instructions requires a decision. He sets before us His way of life. Today, we choose His life and way of doing things.

Be not deceived.

See that you are not frightened or troubled.

Watch!

Be faithful.

Be ready.

Stay filled with the Spirit.

Go about your Father’s business without fear.

Pineapple Tidbits

Have you ever bought a can of pineapple tidbits? They are little bite-sized pieces of the slices of the juicy pineapple. I enjoy pineapple. It is one of my favorite fruits. I buy quite a few whole pineapples so that I can have fresh pineapple slices. Canned is OK, but there is nothing like the freshness of a whole pineapple.

Today I have some bite-sized pieces of the Word of God that I have written this week from my time with the Lord. Enjoy!

Proverbs 10:16
The earnings (labor) of the righteous lead to life.

Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich….

Psalm 92:10b NLT
…How refreshed I am by Your power.
KJV and Amplified
…I am anointed with fresh oil. (We know oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit.)
TLB
…How refreshed I am by Your blessings.

Psalm 75:10 NLT
…I will increase the power of the godly.
KJV and Amplified
The horns (power) of the righteous shall be exalted.
NEB
The horns (power) of the righteous shall be lifted high.

Psalm 89:17,16, NEB, KJV, Amplified, NLT
Personalized for confession----Your righteousness shall lift us up. Our power is based on Your favor. In Your righteousness shall we as Your people be exalted or lifted up, elevated.

Psalm 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation or two strong pillars of Your throne.

Psalm 148:14
He has made His people strong, honoring His Godly ones----
Jewish Bible
He has increased the power of His people.

Proverbs 14:34
Righteousness exalts (elevates) a nation.

Righteousness elevates you, exalts you, lifts you up to God’s position of power.

The word “exalt” in the Strong’s Concordance means to be high, raised. It is the root word “ruwm” which means to be high. The definition in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary is: To rise or raise; to raise high; to elevate in power, wealth, rank or dignity; to elevate with joy and confidence; to lift up; high

The Three in One

Father, God of Grace
Jesus, God of Righteousness
Holy Spirit, God of Authority and Power

The Three Most Powerful Communications with God

Praise, To honor God for Who He is
Thanksgiving, To acknowledge all He has done
Worship, To exalt God above all else

Confessions of A King

You and I are kings in this life. Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 tell us that Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests unto God. We are a royal race. We are royalty because of Jesus Christ. He is the King, and we are the kings. He is the King of kings. You probably need to stop right here and let that “sink in” for a few moments. In Romans 5:17 we are told that because we have received the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness, we reign as kings in life through Jesus Christ.

As I was reading Psalm 21 several days ago, I realized that David as a king was making certain declarations that I can make as God’s king on this earth. David was king over a natural kingdom. I am a king over a spiritual kingdom, namely, my home, my ministry, my life and the country where I live. As a king I have certain rights and privileges. I need to exercise those rights.

Let’s make some declarations from Psalm 21:1-7, 13.

I shall joy in Your strength, O Lord.
In Your salvation, how greatly I shall rejoice.
You have given me my heart’s desire.
You have not withheld the request of my lips.
You send blessings of good things to meet me.
You set a crown of pure gold on my head.
I asked life of You and You gave it to me----long life forever and evermore.
My glory is great because of Your aid.
Splendor, honor and majesty You bestow on me.
For You have made me to be blessed and a blessing forever.
You make me exceedingly glad with the joy of Your presence.
I trust, rely on and am confident in You, Lord.
Through Your mercy and loving-kindness, Most High, I shall not be moved.
Be exalted, O Lord, in Your strength.
I will sing and praise Your power.

Remember who you are the next time satan comes peddling his goods to your door. First of all, a salesman is not even allowed into your presence. Second, even if he is allowed, he has already been screened for weapons and has had to leave everything harmful outside the king’s chambers. Last, he is guarded at all times in the king’s presence. So what have we to fear!!!!!

The Blessing of Wisdom

Would you like to hear something that will absolutely make you the happiest person in the world? You said, “Yes, of course”, right! Here goes. Listen to this.

Proverbs 3 gives us a list of all that is ours as the consequence or blessing of the Wisdom of God operating in our lives. Are you ready!

Health, medicine, marrow and moistening to bones
Plenty and overflow
Length of days (Psalm 91:11 Days multiplied and years of life increased )
Riches and honor
Peace
Happiness
Pleasantness
Grace
Sweet sleep
Safety
Walk in confidence and trust
No fear of terror, panic, sudden destruction, storm, stormy blast and ruin of wicked
Not caught in trap or hidden danger
Sweet communion and secret counsel of Lord
Habitation blessed
Inherit glory

That’s quite a list, isn’t it! Spend the next weeks thinking about what you have been given by God, Who is Wisdom. It is all yours NOW!

Wisdom Is God's Hidden Treasure

Every day we need the Wisdom of God. His Wisdom gives us insight into the heart of a situation, which we would not otherwise know. There are times when His Wisdom will help us to circumvent a bad situation, avoid the difficulty altogether. Other times, His Wisdom helps us to deal with difficult situations and difficult people. He knows what is the ultimate best for you and for the other people involved in a situation. I stand in awe sometimes at how He will handle something that I had no idea how I was going to resolve. What a wonderful Father we have!

God stores up His Wisdom for us as His children (Proverbs 2:7). It is there in reserve waiting for us to tap into it. All we have to do is ask of God as James 1:5 tells us. When we lack wisdom, we ask Him for direction. He gives it to us liberally and doesn’t scold us for asking. We follow or obey, and all is well. Disobey or not follow and all is not well.

God gives us Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6). He reveals to us His Wisdom. By the power of the Holy Spirit God gives us His vision to see what we should do. We pray that the eyes of our understanding are opened (Ephesians 1:18). We receive the Holy Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. It is the Holy Spirit Who searches the deep things of God. He teaches us to interpret spiritual truth (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). He gives us understanding of the way in which we are to go. He is our Helper and our Guide. We must totally rely on Him for our life’s journey on this earth. With the Holy Spirit’s direction, step by step, we walk out the destiny God has prepared for us. And, yes, it is a good walk.

How do we access this hidden treasure of God’s Wisdom? We pray much in the spirit and spend time with God, fellowshipping around His Word. The secret is time spent with Him. It is called intimacy. The more time we spend with Him, the better we know Him and the clearer we hear His voice.

It is our responsibility to seek the Wisdom of God, to ask for the Wisdom of God. We hearken to the Wisdom of God, and we dwell securely, in confident trust and shall be quiet without fear or dread of evil (Proverbs 1:33). We make our ears attentive to the Wisdom of God. We include and direct our hearts and minds to understanding, applying all our powers to the quest of it (Proverbs 2:2). We pay attention to God’s Word. We incline our ears to; we consent to; we submit to His Word. We don’t let His Word depart from our sight. We keep His Word in the center of our hearts. Why? His Word is life to those who find it and health, healing, medicine to all their flesh (Proverbs 4:20-23).

We are to keep God’s Word continually in our heart and life. His Word (of Wisdom) shall lead us, keep us when we sleep and talk to us when we wake up, for His Word is a lamp and the whole teaching of His Word is a way of life (Proverbs 6:20-23). His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). His Word is perfect, restoring us to wholeness. His Word is sure, making us wise. His Word is right, rejoicing our hearts. His Word is pure, enlightening our eyes. His Word is true and righteous and more to be desired than fine gold. It is sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. By His Word we are warned, reminded, illuminated and instructed. In keeping His Word of Wisdom, there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11).

As we learned yesterday, Christ is the Wisdom of God. He is the gift to us. He is also called the Word. We have the Wisdom of God in us if we are born again. What we must do is yield to Him Who is called the Wisdom of God----Christ Jesus, the Word, the Wisdom of God. Yielding is an action word; it is something we practice. When we hit a bump in the road, let’s yield to the Wisdom of God Who is in us. He knows the way.

Wisdom: The Gift of God

According to the book of Proverbs, the Wisdom of God is the main thing that we are to get, and with His Wisdom we get understanding and insight to live a prosperous life on this earth. In God’s Wisdom we are led to do what we ought to do and to say what we ought to say and to think what we ought to think. The Bible, which is the Word of God, is a treasure chest of His Wisdom explained.

Christ is called the Power of God and the Wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians 1:24. The Anointed One with His anointing is the Wisdom of God. He is called Wisdom. What is wisdom? It is insight and understanding of knowledge that we have been given. It is the ability given to us to use the information we have gathered, usually with a purpose in mind. In God’s Kingdom, it is insight and understanding into God----His ways, His thoughts, His plans, His purposes, and His strategies.

In Christ, the Anointed One and His anointing, are hidden or stored up all the treasures of God’s Wisdom. In Christ are hidden or stored up all the riches of God, all the knowledge of God (Colossians 2:3). In Christ we have everything that God is. What a divine privilege we have been given! We have access to the Wisdom and knowledge of God. Of course, we must understand that we don’t have all the wisdom or knowledge of God. He gives us what we need, to do what He has called us to do, whether it is on a daily basis of living or for a longer-term plan. We must trust Him to give us what we need to get the job done. That’s really what faith is. It is trusting God to take care of us and lead us through our God-given assignment, fulfilling the destiny He has designed for our individual lives

Wisdom is the gift of God. We did nothing to earn it or deserve it, just like everything else God gives us. What a giver He is! Today, accept His gift of Wisdom. It is remarkable to me what opens up for us when we ask for and accept God’s Wisdom.

The Gospel, The Power of God Unto Salvation

Romans 1:16 talks about the gospel of Jesus Christ being the power of God unto salvation.

Let’s focus on this scripture today and let it soak into and become a part of us. Here in this word Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He was proud to proclaim the good news of the Anointed One and what He has done for all mankind. It was his privilege to declare the word of the Lord.

And what is this word of the Lord that Paul was not ashamed to declare, to proclaim? He went about declaring that in this Jesus, in this word, the righteousness of God is revealed from one level of faith to another to another to another. He was declaring God’s kingdom----the way God does things, the way He operates. Paul was revealing God’s plan for man to walk in a place of love and joy and peace in the middle of earth’s temporal conditions, with the eternal understanding of the word of God. Paul was showing us a way to live that was greater than we had known before. He was showing us how to live in the position of righteousness that our heavenly Father has given us as children of the heavenly household (born again----born into a new household).

He goes on to state that this declaration, proclamation of the good news of Christ, The Anointed One, is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes—to the Jew first and then to the Greek, or all of mankind.

The word of God is the power of God. It is God’s dunamis power in operation. It is His miracle-working power in operation, unto salvation. What does this word salvation mean? Does it just mean being born again? Is that the exclusive meaning of this word? No, it actually is not limited to being born again. Being born again is part of a package of benefits that the Anointed One has purchased for every one who believes in Him. It is the word “soteria” which comes from the word “sozo.” It is one of my favorite words. It means deliverance, rescue, safety, health, healing, preservation, safety, protection, wholeness, wellness. It means all of these words to him who believes. These are our rights or privileges as children of God’s household of righteousness.

Every one who believes in the Christ, the Anointed One, Jesus, has access to these benefits. They are not exclusive for just a select few. They are for whosoever will come and partake, come and believe.

We make it so hard to believe for anything other than being born again. People even make it hard to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Exactly what is believing? Believing is a decision you make, based upon what you know, that what you have heard is true and it is true for your life. When you decided to get born again, you didn’t base it upon whether you felt born again or not. You based it upon the information you had been given. That was it.

Then why do we make the rest of the receiving of this package so difficult? It is difficult because we have to contend with outward circumstances here on this earth such as pain and sickness and disease and lack and doubt and unbelief and fear. Our minds have been exposed to so much negative input that we have to renew our minds daily to God’s positive input from His Word. God is a good God. He has only good things for us. However, since we have an enemy named satan, there is a battle going on for our lives. He wants to wipe us out. God wants us to see that we have the weaponry in Him to overcome anything that is thrown our way. What we must do is make a decision to believe God and His Word, to believe that His Word does work in our lives. We must believe that His word works for us personally, not just for our family and friends.

This walk with God is a personal walk. Everything with the Lord comes down to a personal decision. It starts with a personal decision to take Him as our Savior. It is also a personal decision to take Him as our Healer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Prosperity. It is a personal decision to take Him as our safety. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Baptizer. It is a personal decision to take Him as our Deliverer. In every instance, it takes a personal decision of our believing that it will work for us.

Today you and I need to make some personal decisions and stick to them. Only believe!

He Is Greater

Over the weekend I was directed to look at 1 John 4: 4 again, to take a fresh look at what John was saying to those of us who would read it centuries after he wrote it.

He starts by reminding us that we are of God.
Say this after me:
I am of God. I belong to Him.

Then he reminds us that we have already defeated and overcome the agents of antichrist. How is this possible? We are in Jesus Christ, the One Who defeated and overcame the agents of antichrist (devil and demons) and He is in us. Hallelujah! Because of that, we are more than overcomers, more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, He Who loves us so tenderly and dearly.

What is it that is starring you in the face today and defying you? What is it that is shouting that you are defeated? What is it that is yelling that you are not an overcomer? What is it that is trying to steal, kill and destroy you today? Stand up tall, take a deep breath and look that thing in the face and say: I am of God. I belong to Him. I have already defeated and overcome you (and fill in the blank) ________________ because He Who lives in me is greater, mightier than he who is in the world. After saying that the first time, you may not feel any different, but keep saying it, keep saying it. So what if on the 1,120th time you say it, something happens. If you had quit at 1,000, nothing would have happened. Why does it work that way? Why so many times? I truly believe it takes that much to work the doubt and unbelief out of us. Some of us have more of it than others.

I have learned this weekend that there are things in me that only God knows and only God can reveal, so let Him reveal it to you. Don’t blame God for your circumstances. Don’t say it is too hard. He didn’t make it hard. It is we who make it hard with all of our questions and “why’s.” I am learning to rest in Him and trust Him, even when nothing makes sense in the natural. It doesn’t have to make a lick of sense in the natural. What does the Book say? That is what is important. If the Book, the Word of God, the Bible says it, then it is just as true for you as it is for the greatest preacher in the world or the great men and women of faith in the Bible.

Connect 1 John 4:4 with the part of Acts 17:28 that says that in Him we live and move and have our being. In Him, Who is Love; in Him Who is Light; in Him Who is the Word, in Him Who is everything------in Him we live. We dwell, live, abide in Him. That is where we live. Since in Him is the Word and according to Proverbs 4:22 the Word is health and healing to us, then in Him is health. In health we live. That is the place where we live. We move in health. We have our well-being in health.

I am giving you these scriptures and building you up in faith to believe. Don’t wait until a crisis hits before you make a quality decision to believe the Word for yourself. Don’t put off developing your faith in God and His Word. You are too precious to God. None of us must allow the massive taking of our time to rob us of the most wonderful, the most rewarding, the most beautiful relationship in our lives. It is not just about benefits. It is about relationship. Time with Him is the most awesome thing that can happen to us. And the benefits are part of the deal. They are just there because He loves us and wants to bless us. What a deal we have.

Make a quality decision today to take time for the Master. As one of the authors I know titled her book: THE MASTER IS CALLING. Will you answer the call today and every day of the rest of your life? Take time to fellowship with Him around His Word and learn the truth of what He is speaking to you. Put aside your earthly knowledge and understanding. It is a poor substitute for God’s knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Let’s all take Ephesians 1:17-23 and confess it every day concerning Godly understanding. You will live a better life when you walk in the results of believing God’s word.

Chosen

I know I have probably used this scripture in an earlier Pearl, but I so enjoy the way it speaks to me every time I read it. Let’s read it together in the New Living Translation.

Ephesians 1:3-14

“How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. LONG AGO, EVEN BEFORE HE MADE THE WORLD, GOD LOVED US AND CHOSE US IN CHRIST TO BE HOLY AND WITHOUT FAULT IN HIS EYES. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure” (Emphasis added).

Think about this: The awesome and mighty God, Creator of the universe, loved you and me before He even made the world. Not only that but also He chose us in His Son Jesus Christ to be just like Himself and, therefore, without fault in His eyes. Does that bless you! It blesses me! My dear Heavenly Father has given me all the blessing of His household because I belong to Him as a result of being in Christ. His plan, which has not changed, is to adopt us into His own family. He planned to bring us to Himself through His Son Jesus. This gave God the Father great, great pleasure. He thoroughly enjoyed what He was doing. He was about to have a B-I-G family!

“So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

Would you look at this! God Who is so kind and so good and wise and understanding, poured our His goodness and kindness and wisdom and understanding upon us. In the vast richness of His kindness, He paid a price for setting us free from satan’s grip. That price was the blood of His Son Jesus. The blood of Jesus was poured out that we might have our sins forgiven. Hallelujah! We are free!

“God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ----everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.”

God has a plan. Everything in heaven and earth will come under the authority of Jesus Christ. We as His children share in that authority and inheritance from God. We are His. He is our Father. Jesus is our brother. He has purchased us as His brothers and sisters to live with Him forever. This is Good News. Jesus Christ saved us from the pit of hell and satan’s authority. We belong to the Lord. He has purchased us and identified us as His own by sealing us with the Holy Spirit, Whom He promised long ago, even before He made the world and chose us as His own. The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that we are His people and that He will give us everything He has promised.

Aren’t you glad you have been told the Good News that you can be free from your sins and walk in the fullness of God’s provision for your life! I’m glad and I am so thankful for my freedom!