"Operation Rehabilitation"

Saturday, September 22nd> Hebrews  chapter 4

Once we have gotten our hearts into the place of captivity, how do we "rehabilitate" and re-educate it?  When I was a young girl, I had a cousin who would often come and stay the summers with us.  She was deathly afraid of getting injections, but was always coming down with something for which she needed medical attention. I can still see her now, having to be chased down the dirt road from our house just so she could be given something that was necessary for her to get well.  They would literally have to hold her down while she screamed at the top of her lungs just to give her that shot.  It was because of her carrying-on that  I vowed I would be brave and just stand obediently to get my shot whenever it was time for me to get one.

This whole discussion about our unruly, runaway hearts brought that childhood memory back to me.  We know in our hearts that God's Word is the best medicine for our sin-sickness.  And yet, we will not be able to get it to "rest" in God's Word and promises on its own.  It wants to follow and chase after every fleeting fancy because of the temporary gratification it brings.  So we must chase it down and capture it to ensure that it will  listen to the Words of life that God has given us. Can you see yourself chasing your heart down the dirt roads of life, calling its ungodly desires and needs into submission by casting them down?  That's the only way you'll be able to get it quiet long enough to begin reminding it of the promises of God that it's forgotten.  

In the place of captivity, where it loses its right to say what it wants, thinks and feels, you can now speak and declare God's Word and make the heart line up with that alone.  This process is life-transforming because it causes our minds to be renewed and our very lives to discover again what God's perfect will for our lives is in every season.  Without it, we fall further and further away from the mark of the high calling.  Watch for those moments when the battle between your will and God's begins.  No matter how "cute" your heart looks trying to strike out on its own path, DON'T GIVE IN.  You'll need to apply God's formula for transformation.  That's when "Operation Rehabilitation" can begin.

In The Presence of the Father

Saturday, September 15th> John 12: 23-28; Matthew 26: 38-45; 1 John 3: 20

How does Jesus exemplify our only option in response to our feelings?  Jesus was all man, even while all God.  He subjected Himself to every physical thing a  human being could feel, and yet never yielded to the sinful nature.  Every cry he gave as a baby was as a result of aches and pains associated with being in human form.  He felt tired, frustrated, angry, and weak-- just like we do.  But there is something awesome about how He went through all that just so we wouldn't lose out on the opportunity to look at the way He did things and follow Him.

Jesus showed us that it's possible to be in constant communication with the Father even while walking through the demands of this earthly life.  No matter how many miracles He did, He always spent time with God.   He obtained strength before attempting any spiritual task.  He knew that the enemy, although limited in his power, was free to operate in any willing vessel.  So He armed Himself with the supernatural strength to face and defeat the enemy.  We must arm ourselves with the same mindset that Jesus did if we want to experience the same victory.

Just like our Lord, every moment in the Father's presence must be cherished for the treasure it truly is.  Not one moment is wasted, because every ounce of virtue we need to walk in the supernatural is given out as we worship, praise and open ourselves up to Him in prayer.  Never should we take it for granted, or be deceived into thinking anything else on this earth has more importance, or will satisfy us any more than being with God does.  Commit yourself to the discipline of it at first, then watch as being in the presence of the Lord becomes like breathing fresh air or drinking the cleanest, purest water on earth.  And when you have to fulfill your earthly duties, the fragrance of having been with Him will fill you and fuel you like nothing else can.  Follow the Lord's example and stay in the presence of the Father.

Put The Heart In Its Place

Thursday, September 13th
Acts 26: 9-18

Because our hearts are subject to the enemy's influence,  how is the body of Christ affected when we "follow our hearts"?  The Lord gave me an image of a house much like the one on "Hoarders", the tv show where people hold on to everything.  The people look normal on the outside, but inside a storm is raging.  They may have had something traumatic happen to them, and their "hearts" begin to tell them how to respond to that situation.  Every object they come in contact with suddenly takes on an air of importance it never had before.  Sooner or later, their homes-- once a haven of rest and peace-- become a prison that someone has to free them from.

When trauma happens in our natural bodies, the whole body responds to nurture it until it is restored to its previous function.  But what occurs in the body of Christ?  We allow everything that shouldn't be important to our success take priority.  Our feelings tell us to push others away, so we do.  We don't reach out and let others know what's going on so they can be sensitive to pray for a breakthrough in our lives-- so they don't.  Before you know it, our spiritual homes become a prison cell where the enemy is free to keep us locked up, and we are paralyzed to function in our place in the body.

When we can't function, the body of Christ suffers.  There is something missing because our hearts are holding us hostage.  God's kingdom was never designed for us to operate in isolation of one another.  Only when we begin to GUARD our hearts-- taking authority over the thoughts and emotions that do not line up with God's Word-- will we truly begin to see breakthrough.  Let's ALL put our hearts in their place in Jesus' Name today. 

The Valley of Decision

Tuesday, September 11th> Genesis 22: 1-18

When we are in the "valley of decision", why does God "test" us rather than just use His power to make us do His will?  As a matter of fact, why does He even allow us to BE in the valley of decision?  Since He has all that power, why doesn't He just keep us in His will instead of making us have to choose?  God has this way of bringing us to a place where we HAVE to trust Him, and where we come face to face with the things in our hearts that are not in line with God's Word.

What is it that God, Who knows and has all things, really wants from us, anyway?He wants the very thing we find so hard to give away.  He wants our undivided devotion.  No matter what comes our way, He wants to know that we'll be trusting enough to let Him have whatever He asks, knowing He's already sacrificed everything for us.  He'll never ask us to give up anything He hasn't already given.  But in that process, what He has waiting for us is more than we could ever imagine.

So when the questions arise, and the enemy wants to plant doubts in our hearts about whether or not our test is worth it, we can look at the life of every believer who stepped out in obedience to Jehovah Jireh.  As we release our hearts to the process, we'll see that provision is already made to bring us out-- with blessing and rewards added.  No price is too high for the anointing and calling God has in store.  Let's ask for grace to pass the test, and let God use it for His glory.

Every Word Is a Seed!

Friday, September 7th> Ezekiel 37: 7-10

How does God expect us to use our creative tongues to heal our wounded when they are  in the valley?  The enemy knows how powerful words are.  He also knows a few of our patterns and things that have a potential to send us over the edge.  All the aggravation and heartache we walk through is designed to destroy the unity the Lord  established for us, as well as the destiny of everyone who may be already walking in their calling, as well as those who may not.

When we find ourselves in painful situations, watch out!  Those are the easiest times to lose it and speak death over everyone involved-- including us.  But those are the most opportune times to speak life rather than death.  Every word we speak during this season is very carefully collected and planted by God , Who then harvests it in due season.  With this revelation in mind, isn't holding our peace rather than releasing harmful words the better choice to make?

Yes, and even more important than that is having the vision to see beyond our circumstances and into the future-- which seems so far away when we're in crisis.  But as we've already learned, we must never give in to the temptation to lash out.  By faith, we must begin to believe that if the best out of us is being developed, how much will God restore and heal others?  I urge you to stand firmly on the Word of God, and declare what His Word says about not only yourself, but about that person.  Remember-- every word is a seed.  He gave us creative power to see those dry bones live.  But that part won't come without self-denial and courage.  Anybody can spew junk out out of his or her mouth in the heat of the moment.  But only the Most High God Himself can heal or deliver-- and He needs us to do our part and agree with Him.

AWAKE!

Friday, August 24th> Luke 4: 13; Ephesians 4: 27;  1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 2: 11

Because satan is an opportunist, what  are some "opportune" times in our lives to be watchful for his attack?  The alarm has gone out from God's people to AWAKE for a reason.  We are children of a most Holy, loving God Who has nothing but good towards us.  So even in our trials, the end result will produce good in us so that people can see us and give glory to our God.

But what tends to happen is we enter a season of trials, which God allows as His Fatherly way of strengthening and maturing us, and the thief begins to sneak his own purpose into the mix.  This perpetrator, whom we call satan, tries to find ways to shut us down, render us comatose and numb, and wrap us in this cocoon of despair until the trial passes.  Here's where God would not have us be ignorant, but understand (be enlightened about, come into the knowledge of, and AWAKEN" to)  His will in the middle of the situation (Ephesians 5: 8-21).

The enemy wants to use these aggravating, rough times to keep us silent about how faithful God is.  He wants us so consumed with our trials that we don't have the time or the compassion to see the needs of others and lift them up.  So again we sound the alarm: AWAKE! Don't be deceived. Don't fall for his numbing, paralyzing tactics.  In times of sorrow, distress and peril, God has given us the courage and strength to STAND with our WHOLE ARMOR ON while the battle is raging.  So we MUST do our part to STAND,  Be ALERT AND WATCHFUL.  We must SEE that if God is for us,  NO-ONE can be against us.  We have to keep our eyes open, become "opportunists" ourselves concerning the work of the Master.  Others are watching us closely, wanting to know how we will handle what we're going through.

So today we pray That "the eyes of your understanding [will be] enlightened; that you may KNOW what is the HOPE of His calling, and what are the RICHES of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the EXCEEDING GREATNESS of His POWER toward us who BELIEVE" in the MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS (Ephesians 1: 18-19).

WATCH OUT FOR THAT LIGHT!!!

Thursday, August 16th> 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15

Just as in a regular "lineup", what disguise does the enemy use that requires us to point him out?  He comes camouflaged in light, always with the outward appearance of good.  The more determined we are to grasp the things of God firmly, the more subtle and sneaky he becomes.  But there are some "red flags" that will immediately give him away -- if we are sober, alert and paying attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

One of the things we must watch for is the deviation of the enemy's counsel from the Word of God.  Whatever he's trying to convince us to do may APPEAR to bring God glory, but at a closer glance, the only thing it will accomplish right now is bring ME instant gratification.  For example, if I'm being tempted to purchase something that costs a lot of money, the enemy's counsel might be, "God wants you to be blessed.  He said He'd supply all of your NEEDS according to His riches in glory." What we may decide to do next when we hear that makes all the difference in the world.

The enemy is hoping that we will be so wrapped up in the fact that God's Word is used that we won't go any further.  But that is only the beginning of the process.  What about our motives?  WHY do we really want that thing?  Is it vanity, or something our family really needs right now?  Is this purchase something the family can afford at this time, or will we be set back because of it? Which leads to the question --how will we be paying for this?  Have we saved up for this item, or getting it on credit that will get in the way of our tithing and giving according to God's will?

It's not enough that the messenger talking to us seems bathed in light.  Today's passage warns us that the enemy can imitate light. It's what comes BEHIND that light that will reveal how true to God's Word the messenger is.  As we expose our motives to God's light through His Word, we'll be able to tell whose agenda is really being presented: God's, or the enemy's.  After this process, we still have to decide whether we REALLY want to do things God's way, or our own.  I pray that we've lived through enough destructive decisions to know that ONLY God's way works FOR us rather than AGAINST us.  But no matter what, it's time to "snitch" on the lying, scheming thief who only wants to steal from us, and destroy our lives.  So WATCH OUT FOR THAT LIGHT!!!