God is faithful. You can count on Him. Just as He sends the rain and it blesses the vegetation of the earth, so He sends forth His Word to water our lives to bless us and give increase for His glory. His Word is true. He never fails...and He will never fail you.
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Jeremiah 1:12
The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."
God is faithful to watch over us. He is faithful to perform His Word in our lives. When we need help, He is always there because He loves and cares for us. We can have peace and rest knowing that He is always faithful...
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
The word, Yasha, is a Hebrew verb which, in English, means "to deliver" and "to rescue". It is also the Hebrew word for Savior. Yasha means that God is, by His nature, a rescuer and deliverer. There can be people who rescue and deliver others, but it is not their fundamental nature to do so. However, concerning God, it is definitely His nature. He is also the source of all deliverance and rescue.
In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus says: "...The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." The freedom God provides, as illustrated in this verse, is to those held captive to sin, all mankind, and to release (rescue/deliver) them from the stronghold of the enemy, who is satan. Jesus accomplished this when he died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead. Also, Colossians 1:13-14 says: "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins".
Once saved, while we are free from the captivity of the enemy, there are times when the devil oppresses us and tries to lead us back into captivity. He comes as a thief and tries steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10a). His goal is to rob us of our faith, kill our joy and to destroy our testimony and relationship with God. But the Bible makes it very clear that greater is he (Jesus) who is in us than He (satan) who is in the world (1John 4:4).
There are also people and situations that oppress us and threaten, at times, to undo us. There are examples of many righteous people in scripture who cried out to God to rescue and deliver them from their enemies. King David was an example of a man who, when in trouble, turned to God and poured out His heart, and cried for help.
Psalm 18 is a wonderful portion of scripture we can hold onto when we are awaiting rescue from God. Read this psalm, meditate on it, and pray it. Watch God, who is Yasha (Savior), yasha (save, deliver, rescue) you. Can you be sure that He will rescue and deliver you? Yes, because it is both His nature and desire to do so! As you are waiting for your deliverance, thank and praise him because help is on the way. Thanksgiving and praise is a powerful and effective tool to usher in God during a dark hour.
Psalm 18 (NIV) 1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies , great bolts of lightning and routed them.
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.
22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
29 With your help I can advance against a troop ; with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD ? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.
44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me.
45 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,
48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.
50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
"It is a sobering thought to think that you will become like who you judge -- God help us!"
Rom 2:1 "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
Matthew 7:1-2 "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
"When we criticize and judge another person, we are not only full of pride, but we are exalting our self over God; who has given us, by His grace, everything good we have and are."
Romans 15:1 "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." 1Peter 4:10 "As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), employ it for one another as [befits] good trustees of God's many-sided grace [faithful stewards of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians by unmerited favor]." James 1:5 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (aptness to alter), neither shadow of turning."
"Fear is a fruit of holding onto your life -- faith will be there when you let go."
Geri McGhee Abiding Life Ministries www.abidinglifeministries.org Lindale, TX
John 12:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat (representative of our life) falls into the earth and dies (to the flesh), it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (Galatians 5:22,23)."
Gal 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Gen 22:2-13 "And he (God) said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son." (ABRAHAM LET GO OF HIS LIFE. HE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A MAN WHO HAD THE PERFECT LOVE THAT CAST OUT FEAR)
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love (trust) casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. I John 4:18
"Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, and looks to God alone; laughs at impossibilities, and cries it shall be done!"
-Charles Wesley
Mark 11:23-24 - I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Let's be honest, sometimes we all have moments when we wonder if God's promises are true for us and if they will really be fulfilled in our lives. When we give way to these thoughts, we give way to doubt and fear and question God's faithfulness and integrity. But, enough of what we think, what does God have to say:
Isaiah 55: 10-11
(10) As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
(11) so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
So, don't look at your life and circumstances. Instead, look at the author of life itself. The One who is MASTER of ALL circumstances; the One who transforms you and your life. He is ALWAYS faithful!
Romans 6:8-12 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Repentance is critical and indispensable. It is the door through which we access Jesus and receive restoration, forgiveness, and love. When we repent, we also receive the blessings of God, which nourish and build us in our faith.
It is tragic that we often shun "repentance" because, in doing so, we shut the door and lock ourselves out from God. As a consequence, we are left in denial, shame and emotional/spiritual/relational confusion. As a result, we remain in the dark and are in danger of growing cold in our love for God and others. Tragically, in this state, we are cut off from the provisions of His grace, mercy and love - until we repent.
However, when we embrace repentance, we embrace God and thereby open the door to experience renewal, growth, and life – abundantly. Repentance is the key to our success in life. It brings us into the presence of God. The fruit of repentance is like the nourishing flow of sap that runs through the vine which produces very good fruit for harvest. Much repentance produces much fruit.
We need to let Jesus take away our sins...all our sins, continually and cleanse us deeply. With repentance, we are no longer ensnared by our sins and are, instead, set free. Isaiah 1:18 says "I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are as scarlet red but they will be made whiter than snow".
The more we let repentance do its work in our lives, the more we see the victory and blessing of God working through our lives. Rejoice! God has set us free!!
Every blessing to your Success in Christ and life!
Ross
Isaiah 30:15 – This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..."
Ezekiel 18:32 - For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!
Acts 3:19 - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
We, very unfortunately, think that God thinks and judges as we do. No, He is much better than that! Actually, and very fortunate for us, He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, He has very good purposes in store for us. His intention is that His promises be fulfilled in our lives, because He loves us.
How can we know that His promises will be fulfilled in our lives? By believing that He is a God of His Word (He doesn't lie), by actively turning from our sinful ways and obeying Him with all our hearts, and by standing on His promises and proclaiming them to be true for our lives.
Here's one of many wonderful promises God has for you: Isaiah 55:8-12, 6-7
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.
Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Ephesians 1:3-14
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
(Note: The Book of Isaiah spoke about Christ, the Messiah, 700 years before He was born)
"When we violate the Word of God through the sin of compromise, we open doorways of destruction not only affecting us, but our children's children."
Geri McGheeAbiding Life Ministries Lindale, TX http://www.abidinglifeministries.org/
NUM 14:18 "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."
2TI 3:16 "ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe."Proverbs 29:25
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 63:1-8
Thot: Sometimes, like David, we all go through a parched and dry time in our lives. Yet, as we admit this to ourselves and God, and then enter into His presence we find that He renews and strengthens us. The vitality and strength we need for life comes from abiding in Him. We need to make sure we take the time to abide. When we do, He will fill us and restore us because He is faithful. -Ross
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears... (NIV)
Thot:We need the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. So, let's delight ourselves in the Lord. We don't live by sight but by faith. Be careful not to trust and judge in what you see or hear. Trust only in the Lord and in what His Word says! Let that dictate what you see and hear. The true reality is what God says, not what we see with our eyes or hear with our ears.
