The Lord's Counsel

Psalm 32:7,8 Amplified Bible

You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance.
I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalm 33:11

The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Personalized Confession:

Lord, You are my hiding place. I rest in your secret place, the place of the Most High God. I abide, I rest in you. You preserve me from trouble. When trouble comes, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. I will bless You, Lord, and sing songs of praise to you and shout until the walls of trouble come down. Yes, You deliver me.

Thank You, Lord, that you will instruct me and teach me in the way that I should go. You will guide me in the path of life that I am supposed to take. Your perfect will is done in my life. You counsel me----it is Your counsel that I hear and obey----with your eye ever watching my footsteps. You keep me in Your pathway that you have designed for me. It is a pathway of peace and joy. In You there is life forevermore. Your counsel stands forever. Your thoughts are ever toward me and my family forever.

Holy Spirit of Truth

In John 14:26 and 16:13-15 Jesus spoke some powerful statements about the Holy Spirit. One of the most important statements that Jesus made is for us especially in today’s world. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. We need Truth more than we have ever needed it before. The Truth will keep us from being deceived. The Holy Spirit of Truth will expose lying spirits and those who tell lies. We must be aware at all times of the Truth of God so that we can offset the lies of the enemy.

Holy Spirit, You are the Spirit of Truth. You give me the Truth of God’s Kingdom.
You are my COMFORTER
COUNSELOR
HELPER
INTERCESSOR
ADVOCATE
STRENGTHENER
STANDBY
You teach me all things.
You bring all things to my remembrance.

Holy Spirit of Truth, the Truth-giving Spirit,
You will guide me into all Truth, the whole, full Truth.
You will give the message given to You by the Father.
You will announce and declare to me things that are to come, that will happen in the future.
You will honor and glorify Jesus.
You will receive or take of what is Jesus’ and reveal, declare, disclose, and transmit it to me.

Focus on God’s Word of Truth and His Spirit of Truth. That is our keeping power.

Success

The Lord has spoken to me recently not to let the failures of the past determine my future. Success today is determined by you and me focusing on the Lord and His goodness. Every day is a new day in the Lord. His mercies are new every morning.

I am sure that every one of us have had times when we thought we were following the Lord and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. It is supposed to be the opposite. We are to be in the right place at the right time with the right people. Well, that is what God desires for each of us. He walks with us every step of the way. So what if you miss it. He will correct things for you as you repent and go in the direction He indicates. Unlike man, God does not view failure as the end of the world. He sees it as an opportunity to teach us how to avoid that mistake the next time. We as His children can also view it as an opportunity to learn from the Lord.

The only time success is mentioned in the Old Testament is in the book of Joshua when he is stepping into the role as leader which Moses had assumed. At Moses’ death, Joshua became the leader. He had some big shoes to fill, but God showed him the secret to his success. A successful person spends time with the Lord and His Word. He ponders or meditates God’s Word all the time, instead of man’s opinion. Then that person shall have good success and deal wisely.

Success is coupled with wisdom----not man’s wisdom, but God’s wisdom that is from above. God’s wisdom comes from His word. As we spend time in God’s word, we will walk in God’s wisdom and be successful people, achieving the desired excellence of the Lord.

Enjoy your life today as you focus on God and His word. He will take care of your life and bring you into that field of success you have been reaching toward.

Healing Without Pause

Everyone knows the story of the woman with the issue of blood, who came to Jesus. She came because she had heard of Him; she had heard that He was healing the sick. She had come to the end of her rope. There were no other options open to her. She had had her infirmity for 12 years and had spent all that she had to get better but grew worse. When she heard of Jesus, she went to Him to be made whole. Perhaps you are at that place today in your life. There are no other options. There is nothing else.

You will notice that she said what she would get. She said that if she could touch His clothes, she would be made whole. Thank God, we don’t have to do that today. He has given us His Word. We speak His Word, which is Who He is. We touch Him through His Word and we are made whole. Whole----what an important word. Everyone wants to be made whole with nothing missing and nothing broken in their lives. I am sure that today each of us could echo that statement. We want to be whole----whole in our spirits, our souls, our bodies, our relationships and our finances. Jesus is the One Who has opened the way for that wholeness in each one of our lives.

After she spoke, she took action on what she had spoken. She went in the crowd to get to Him. By doing so, she was placing her life at risk. She could have been stoned by Jewish law, since she was not to be out in the public at all with her issue of blood. She risked everything to get to Him. “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” She thought she could do it quietly and slip away. But, immediately, Jesus perceived that the healing power had been drawn on in His body. The woman in fear and trembling, knowing that she had been discovered, fell down before Him and told Him the truth. At that point, she did not know what would happen to her according to their law.

Only Jesus could do what He did. This was His response to her----so beautifully reassuring. “Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.” Mark 5:34, Amplified Bible.

In essence, what Jesus said to this woman was this. You are a member of the household. It is your faith that has restored you to health. It has come from God’s faith; your confidence and trust in God has sprung from God’s faith. Now, you go into peace. What is peace? It is that state of wholeness in God that all of us want. It is a place of knowing that all is well, regardless of what is going on around us. It is that place of assurance that those things in our lives which are broken are being taken care of and we are mended, without even the evidence of former brokenness. Isn’t that awesome!

God is the best “fixer.” But here is the best part. Jesus told her to be continually healed, not just once, but all the time. I looked up the word “continually” in the dictionary and this is what I found. Listen to this: without pause or cessation; permanence, lasting; constant; steadfast; without ceasing. Are you hearing this? Jesus said to her, and to us as well, since He is no respecter of persons: Go into wholeness and be healed constantly, without ceasing. Healing is flowing as a continuous, 24/7 virtue in our physical bodies as born-again believers. In fact, we are told in Romans 8:11 that the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in our mortal bodies and quickens or gives life to those bodies. The Healer is living inside us; He has taken up permanent residence. He is not a guest. He is a permanent owner. Christ in us, the hope of glory!

I don’t know about you, but this revelation excites me!

Purposer

God created you with a purpose in life. You were no accident. Before you were ever born, He had a plan for you, and it is a good plan. It is a plan created by God for your utmost happiness and satisfaction.

“For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship) recreated in Christ Jesus [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” Ephesians 2:10, Amplified Bible

You may be asking: Then what has happened to most people? They seem so miserable and broke and sick and dissatisfied. What has happened? What about me? Why am I struggling? I know God. I know His Word. I have been born again, and yet I don’t seem to be doing any better than the rest of the world. I can’t answer your question personally for you. Only God can. I know that for my own life, I have to spend time with Him every day to stay on track. I have to have quiet time to hear His voice. Whether that time is 30 minutes or 5 hours, all of us must take time to be with the One Who has the plan. As we walk with Him and talk with Him along the way, He unfolds the plan, step by step and detail by detail.

If we make some mistakes along this highway of life, God doesn’t crack our knuckles and tell us that we have blown the whole deal. No, no, no, a thousand times no. He has provided us with redemption from our failures through the blood of His Son Jesus. Failures do not spell an end to what God has for us to do. A mistake or a failed deal is our opportunity to believe that God will turn it around for us and help us to get back on track. Do not give up. He has so much for you. He loves you and has the best for you. These words are not old clichés. They are true. God loves each one of us and has good plans for us.

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” Jeremiah 29:11, Amplified Bible. The King James Version says that His thoughts are thoughts of peace to give you an expected end. I see that word “expected” and realize that I must expect to see the goodness of God in my life. I must expect to see God move on my behalf. I know that disappointments and discouragement from failures of the past can have an influence on expectation. What each one of us must do is make a determined stand and with purpose and expectation, believe that the best will happen to us and for us, regardless of what we may be standing in at the moment. It’s a tough world in which we are living, and sometimes it just takes plain old “gutsy determination” to believe God and choose to see that His Word is true and will work for us. His Word will work for anyone who puts it to work.

What determines whether you are a failure or success in life? I believe we must turn to God’s Word for the answer. “This book of the law (Word of God) shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8, KJV. This verse gives the key to success: GOD’S WORD! Keep the Word of God before you. Speak it day and night. Think on it day and night. Let it become your every thought 24-7. Do what it tells you to do. THEN, you will have a prosperous life and have good success. There it is; God has given us the answer to our question.

God has a plan, and He will direct you in it every day.

Thy Will Be Done

At this present hour in history, many people, particularly God’s children, are asking Him to lead them in His perfect will for them. There is so much in His Word regarding His will and His path for us. The Spirit of the Lord has given me a scripture recently which I would like to share with you. He gave it to me during a time of seeking Him for my life. We will look at it in various translations.

Psalm 25:4,5, KJV
Show me Your ways, O Lord.
Teach me Your paths.
Lead (guide) me in Your truth and teach me for You are my Savior, the God of my salvation.
My hope is in You all the day long.

NLT
Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord. Point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God Who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.

Moffatt’s
Let me see thy ways, O thou Eternal, teach me what are thy paths, lead me, as thou art true to thy word, teach me, for thou art God my help.

Complete Jewish Bible
Make me know your ways, Adonai, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth, and teach me; for you are the God who saves me, my hope is in you all day long.

The New English Bible – The Old Testament
Make thy paths known to me, O Lord; teach me thy ways. Lead me in thy truth and teach me; thou art God my saviour. For thee I have waited all the day long, for the coming of thy goodness, Lord.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long.

The Living Bible
Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk. Lead me;; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no hope except in you.

NASB
Make me know Thy ways, O Lord; lead me in thy truth and teach me, for thou art the God of my salvation; for thee I wait all day.

As you can see from all these translations, this is actually a prayer to the Lord for our lives.

“Lord, show me and make me intimately know Your ways. Reveal to me Your course of life and Your way of doing things. Teach me, train me, educate me in Your way of life. Lead me and guide me in Your Word of Truth, which is firm and stable, based on your faithfulness, O God. Teach me, train me, guide me, educate me, for You are my Savior. You are the God of my salvation (my deliverance, freedom, liberty, prosperity, safety, help, victory). You are my God. You are my Father. You defend me. You preserve me and free me into Your large place. I have plenty of room to move without feeling cramped. In You I am safe and secure. In You I find my place of security and peace. My hope is in You all the day long, every day, always, forever. I wait expectantly for You, for the coming of Your goodness in my life every day. Thank You, Lord, that I find Your plan for my life as I stay close to you. I pray Thy will be done in my life always.”

My prayer for every one of you is that you find God’s plan and will for your life and enjoy the fullness of His Blessing in your living. He is a good God and wants the best for each of us.