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June 27, 2007

Word for Today...Brought Out That He Might Bring Us In

Scripture:  And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.  Deuteronomy 6:23


And He brought us out from thence, that He MIGHT…bring us in


What a testimony! “And He (God) brought us out!”   The children of Israel had been delivered from the hands of Pharaoh and were embarking upon their journey into the Promised Land.  Because of the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart, the Lord sent many plagues to Egypt; the last being death of the first born.  When the death toll began to rise, the Egyptians wanted no part of the Jews and simply wanted them to leave.  The bible says that God commanded them to make a memorial of the deliverance which they called The Passover, because the death angel had passed over those with the blood on the door post.   The Lord commanded them to keep his statues and his ordinances, so that they can be brought into the land of promise.  The obedience of the blood was not enough to take them into the promise.  WHEW!  How many times do we obey in one area, but fall short in another?  But when God brings us out, it not for us to get sidetracked and think that our obedience assignment is over.  But we must obey until the end.  It is not a matter of whether God can or will take into our promise; it is whether we can STILL love God even when we are in between.  Can we still obey God even, when our situations look bleak.  It is always wonderful to be brought of something.  But the scary part for us should be the place where God says He brought them out so that He “might” bring them in. God rescues us and brings us out with His mighty hand so that He “might” bring us in.  There are conditions to being brought out and brought in.  God brings us out because we call out to him in distress, but He brings us in when we trust & obey Him.  As we all know, not ALL of those brought out of Egypt were brought into Canaan.  WHY?  Because going into the promises requires more out of us.  Walking in obedience during those “in between” or wilderness times will determine if we actually get “IN”. 

You can go out of Egypt, THRU the wilderness and head straight for the Promised Land, or you can get preoccupied in doubt and disbelief and die in the wilderness. The “might” has more to do with you than with Him. God is faithful to keep His promises; it is your part that is in doubt.  The solution is simple: press through that wilderness. Remove the “might” in the “in-between” place. Push on to the other side of “in between” and watch God bring you into your promise.

Be Blessed!!!

© 2007 (L.O.W) Lifestyle of Worship Ministries.  All right reserved

 


 

Posted by donna at 06:56 AM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

June 22, 2007

Word for Today....The Fight of My Life!!!

Scripture:  And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  Gen 32:26


The fight of my life!


Jacob had already been through a lot.  He ran from his murderous brother, worked for 14 years for a women he didn’t want, worked another 14 years for the love of his life, and was deceived by his uncle.  Now he had yet another battle to fight.  But this was the fight of his life.  He had to have something that only God could give him.  There was no second guessing or second chances.  He wasn’t taking any chances that he would or could get it later.  He had the angel of the Lord there all night and he wasn’t willing to let him go until he received a blessing.  Jacob was on his way to meet his brother Esau, who before had wanted Jacob dead for stealing his birthright.  So Jacob was now at a place where he HAD to meet with God.  He had to get blessed in order to move into the next phase of his life. 


There are many times in our life that we ask God for stuff and He develops us in the “waiting process”.  However, there are those times that we have to be persistent enough to not leave or let go of the presence of God until we receive what we need.  Jacob’s name meant supplanter or trickster, but because he was in the fight of his life he received a new name, a new anointing, and a new identity.  His name was changed from con-man (Jacob) to Holy prince (Israel).  It was hand to hand combat.  How many of us are up for the fight in order to be blessed.  I am not saying that you aren’t fighting already, but to be persistent in your praise, persistent in your prayer and persistent in your search for God means that you will HAVE to fight.  You will have to be willing to be in pain.  You will have to be willing be uncomfortable. 


Jacob kept his ground; though the struggle continued long.  The bible says the angel prevailed NOT against him (Jacob).  The struggle didn’t shake Jacob’s faith, nor silence his request.   The fight didn’t cause him to be discouraged, or tuck his tail and run home.  NO!!!  It made him more determined to receive what God had for him.  The angel HAD to bless Jacob, because the breaking of day was coming.  The bible says that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (paraphrased)  So at the breaking of day or the morning, there was joy on the horizon for Jacob and HE knew it!  So, if we can just wrestle long enough, tussle hard enough and fight until the morning; we are guarantee to get blessed.  We are in the fight of our lives and the devil is trying to discourage us with financial, emotional, family and physical problems.  BUT GOD……is able to do (to complete with great accomplishment) exceeding, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think according to the power that is at work in us.  

 

Be Blessed!

© 2007 (L.O.W) Lifestyle of Worship Ministries.  All right reserved

 


 

Posted by donna at 09:12 AM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

June 15, 2007

Word for Today.... Open my eyes, oh God!

Scripture:  And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.  Gen 21:19

 

God opened her eyes…and she saw!

 

Many times we are placed in positions that are beyond our control and our ability to comprehend.  This was the case of Hagar, Abraham’s bondwoman.  Hagar had been placed in a position of despair not because she had done anything wrong, simply because she had been obedient to her mistress, Sarah and had given birth to a son by the name of Ishmael.  On another occasion, before giving birth to Ishmael, Hagar fled from Sarah because she was being treated wrongly.  The angel of the Lord told her to go back and submit herself because the Lord had caused her to conceive and that her son would become a great nation.  She returned in submission but only to be kicked out by Sarah and Abraham after the birth of Isaac.  This time she wasn’t running away from submission, but being driven into complete obedience and complete dependence on God.  Hagar assumed that there was no hope for her son, so she sat him far away from her because she didn’t want to witness what would become of him.  She weeps over the fact that her future is seemingly doomed.  She has used all her natural resources and the future doesn’t seem bright anymore.  Hagar has forgotten the word that she received the first time.  She has forgotten the fact that her son CAN’T die because a great nation hadn’t come from him yet.  How many of us have received a word from God, but because our present situations don’t look like our future, we cast away our future?  DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR PROMISE.  The bible says cast NOT away your confidence which has GREAT recompense of reward.  There is a reward for holding on to the promises of God.  There is also a bonus reward for holding on even when it seems that the promise won’t come. 

The angel assures Hagar that God has FULL knowledge of her distress: God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Though they are in the wilderness, God still sees them.  We have to understand that wherever we are, there is a God who sees all and knows all.  God is an ever present help to us when we are in trouble.  The angel REPEATS the promise made concerning her son, that he would be a great nation, and that she should not worry about her present condition because her future state will be greater than her present struggle.  He then did something that gave me an “OH MY!” moment.  The angel opens her eyes and showed her what was already there.  And then she saw a well of water….

The reason we don’t see our place of rest and comfort many times is because we are focused on what is going on instead of rejoicing in what God will do.  She had a resource available to her the entire time, but couldn’t see it because she was blinded by tears, helplessness, hopelessness and pain.  She didn’t see the well of water that was nearby, because she was too busy weeping about not having water in the bottle.  There wasn't water in the bottle, but there was a source greater than a small bottle.  There was a well that she could draw from continually. 

There has been given to all us a well of water, a contract of grace that we can draw from, but our eyes have to be opened in order to see.  Lord, open our eyes to see so that we can draw from your peace, your joy and your grace.

Be Blessed!

Posted by donna at 09:03 AM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

June 07, 2007

Word for Today...When my Who Becomes a What

Scripture:  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come.  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

Who shall separate us?
 
There are the Who's of everyone's life that we all must deal with, although we can't fight them in the natural.  Those are the people who allow the devil to use them to inflict tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, etc upon us.  But the victory is in the words, "We are more than conquerors through him that loved us."  The only way have victory over the workers of the flesh (the Who's) is when the who becomes the what.  What do you mean by that?  Glad you asked!  The word WHO implies and is associated with a person.  The devil uses people to employ and impose afflictions against the children of God.  The spirit of the devil is not a WHO, but a WHAT!   Paul asked the Romans, "Who shall separate them from the love to Christ?"  But what the Apostle Paul begins to list in the latter verses of the chapter is the WHAT!  The bible says that Satan comes to steal, kill and to destroy us.  BUT GOD!!!! (that is a shout right there!)  Jesus said "I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly."    Christ is the intercessor and mediator that takes our WHO, which we can't fight against and exposes them for the WHAT, which we have been given all power to defeat.  For the bible also says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood - The WHO, but against principalities, rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places, etc - THE WHAT!    We have the power to pull down EVERY stronghold and high THING or WHAT that exalted itself against the knowledge of God.  When we understand that the Who is influenced by the WHAT, we can say like Paul that these things have an inability to separate us from the love of Christ.  Shall they, can they, do they?  NO, by no mean!

A direct and positive conclusion to the matter is -- I AM PERSUADED, NOTHING SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD.  This denotes a full, strong and passionate resolve and arises from the experience of the love of Christ.   

Fight the WHAT and the WHO will come subject to the spirit of love that is abiding is us.

Be Blessed!

Posted by donna at 11:58 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


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