Good Gifts

When God gives us gifts, He always gives the perfect gift, for the right reason, to the right person, in exactly the way they need. 

  He looks on us as an adoring parent looks at a beloved child. He gives us lean gifts for times of plenty, a bountiful harvest in times of need, and every myriad of all His other wonders and beauty, new every morning, and always ours for the taking... 

  But we aren't so good at the taking part. The lie we most often accept, that of self-deprivation, is that which speaks the half truths our enemy has been relying on for thousands of years; "We don't deserve any gift from God, therefore we could never have been worthy to begin with." What the liar and would-be robber of our Joy always fails to mention is that, while the former about us is all but true, the Grace of God is always the means by which our gifts arrive. 

  You see, we may never be worthy, but to us Love imparts Abba Father's favor all the same. We are entitled to His good gifts because through Jesus it is His good pleasure to give them. We have only to reach out, pull on the big red bow and do exciting job of unwrapping.

  Now I want you to do one last thing for me. Have a look at the book of Mark chapter 11, verse 24, with a fresh set of eyes and know this: Anything you have ever received, or will ever receive from God, is none other than that which you have already been granted by Him. It doesn't matter why, when, or how it happened, only that He delights to see the lights go on inside you and to hear your heart open up to Him and ask.

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." (Mark 11:24 NASB)

Connecting The Dots - Week 28 (Spiritual Warfare)

        Connecting The Dots – Week 28      

                (Spiritual Warfare) 

Key Verse: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB)

Whether we like it or not, as Christ-followers we have an enemy (Satan). He seeks to derail, confuse, and ultimately destroy our ability to live out God’s desire for us on earth. The good news is, Satan is a barking dog with no teeth unless we come into agreement with him. The single greatest weapon we have against him is to obey God and be like Jesus in this world (1 John 4:16-20). The darkness has neither known Him, nor does the enemy have any part with Him.

• “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:4-5 NASB)

• “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]” (John 14:30 AMP)

We have Godly armor that fits each of us perfectly. We are called to put in on, and to stand firm in it. We are also called to be renewed daily, clothing ourselves in the new nature we’ve been given by Jesus.

• “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:14-17 NASB)

• “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23-24 AMP)

Last, but not least, we do battle in prayer. We are called to pray by the spirit of God, to actively oppose every spirit that contradicts God. We have authority to bind each one by name and to forbid their influence upon our lives, upon the lives of our family members, and upon any of our circumstances.

• “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:18 NASB)

• “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)

We have the “mind of Christ” for this purpose; so we are able to know what the will of God is. Rejoice!

"...do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20 NASB)

Questions to consider:

1. Have you ever found yourselves feeling aggravated, menaced or depressed for what seems like no reason? Have you ever considered that you may have been under spiritual attack?

2. Did you know that Satan can only bring fear, accusation, and deception unless you come into agreement with your circumstance rather than with the truth of God?

Connecting The Dots - Week 27 (Prayer)

     Connecting The Dots – Week 27 

                       (Prayer)

Key Verse: ”Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)

Prayer is simply a conversation with God. Apart from the instruction Jesus gave when asked about praying (Matthew 6:9-13), there is no prescribed way to go about it. As with any good exchange, it begins with the central idea of our turning our focus toward Abba Father, opening our hearts and our mouths, then speaking to Him.

• “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV)

We may not even not know how to talk to God, what to say or how to begin. But even then He will meet us there in fellowship and intimacy. He is always there and always waiting, if we just take the time.

• “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27 NASB)

In any two way conversation there are both talking and listening. Prayer is an opportunity for us to hear God’s voice, to know His thoughts, to hear His answers to our questions. If we are going to fellowship with God, an essential part of that fellowship is being still and listening to what He wants to say.

• “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5 NIV)

The two most important things to remember about prayer are, that God always hears you, and that He will always answer. What you pray, how you pray, why you pray, are all contingent upon knowing that God’s thoughts and ways are not ours. The subject of the conversation is always secondary to our realizing that the One to whom we are speaking knows everything, literally. Yes, He will answer, but in His time, not ours, in His way, not in the way we expect, and according to what He knows is best rather than what we may desire from Him at any given moment.

• “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)

• “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NIV)

Prayers are not a series of memorized verses, or a magical formula of “Holy” words. Perfectly, they are as He intended, the building blocks of heavenly wisdom, the daily practicing of intimacy with the One true God and lover of our souls.

 

Questions to consider:

1. In what area of your life have you seen God answer prayer in a tangible way? Was it in the way you expected?

2. When you pray, how often do you remember to stop and listen for God’s response?

Scripture References: (James 5:15-16 NIV), (Mark 11:24 NASB), (Psalms 142:1), (Ephesians 6:18-19 NASB), (Psalms 42:7-9), (Hebrews 4:16 NASB)

"Teach us how to pray"

When Jesus' disciples asked for direction in approaching Abba Father, He gave them what we now call "The Lord's Prayer". Anyone of us who has attended a church, been around a church a few times, or even watched a fair amount of TV has heard it recited verbatim at least once. I want to give you a deeper look at that prayer, what Jesus told us, and why.

    Many well meaning Christians take the exact text and use it as a recitation. However, what Jesus said when He answered His disciples, "Pray, then, in this way" (Matthew 6:9 NASB), speaks to the posture of our hearts before God when we come to Him in prayer. 

   In other words, the condition of a renewed heart made perfect, (Hebrews 10:14), has by nature the following characteristics:

It calls God "Father" (Romans 8:15, (Galatians 4:6).

It knows He is in heaven and regards Him as Holy. (Isaiah 6:3)

It desires that His will be done on earth. (Hebrews 13:15)

It is continually being offered and receiving life and daily bread through Jesus (John 6:35).

It has been forgiven by the shed blood of Jesus and the confession of faith (1 John 1:7), (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

It is continually helped in every temptation, and has been (by Jesus shed blood) delivered from the evil one, (1 Corinthians 10:14), (Hebrews 4:15), (Hebrews 2:14-18).

We come to Abba Father in prayer, each of us in our own way, according to the way He crafted our souls. We come to Him at different times, for different reasons and He always responds with open arms. His response to a heart that seeks is, "Here I am! I am so glad you've come, hop up here in my lap and let me hold onto you a while." So then, we approach our gracious, loving, truthful, faithful Heavenly Father with boldness. We know that He will always listen and never find fault with our hopes, our dreams, or our fears, because when we speak He is not concerned with our many words, but with the condition of our hearts.

"God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 NASB)

Connecting The Dots - Week 26 (Obedience)

        Connecting The Dots – Week 26.           

                     (Obedience)

Key Verse: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV)

You may be asking yourself, “Why is obedience so important to God?” The simple answer is, because He Loves us so much. God doesn’t ever give us commandments as a liability, but always as a blessing. When anyone comes into alignment with the truth of God, then acts upon it, His favor follows. In fact, our very Salvation came through an act of obedience. (Philippians 2:5-8 NASB)

• “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:7-8 NIV)

• “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 NIV) 

• “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23 NIV)

Obedience to God equals life, His commands are not burdensome. Not only do they produce life for the one who receives, but also for the one who moves into alignment with God’s appeals and yields to them, because His eyes are always on those who hope in His love. And after all, that is really what obeying God is about in the end, Love. (John 13:34-35 NASB)

• “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…” (Psalms 33:19 NIV)

• “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28 NIV)

• “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” (2 John 1:6 NIV)

God has no burning need for us to obey Him, He requires nothing from us apart from faith (Hebrews 11:6 NASB). It’s sort of like, “What gift do you give the Dad who has everything?” Our obedience to God is our blessing, because He always desires our good. Our obedience to God is for our blessing, because whenever we do the things He says, good things happen. His words to us are an instruction manual, His Spirit transforms them into a love letter, and all of His love poured out to us is preparation.

• “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” (Deuteronomy 30:11-13 NIV)

• “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 Jon 5:3-4 NIV)

Questions to consider:

1. Do you view obedience to God as a burden or a blessing? Why?

2. What areas of your life need to be brought into alignment with God’s truth?

Ref. Scriptures: (Romans 10:8 NASB), (Hebrews 4:9-11 NASB), (1 Peter 1:14-16 NIV), (1 Peter 1:22 NIV), (Deuteronomy 11:1 NASB), (Romans 1:5 NASB), (James 1:25 NASB)

Connecting The Dots - Week 25 (The Holy Spirit)

      Connecting The Dots – Week 25 

                 (The Holy Spirit)

Key Verse: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” (John 16:13-15 NASB)

The Holy Spirit is our comforter. He is wisdom from Heaven and an immediate source of God’s unpolluted instruction spoken over our lives. We have but to declare His will by faith, to reach out with our hearts in asking, and the fullness of what God sees, along with all that He supports or gives are imparted to us in the person of His Spirit. (John 20:22 NASB)

• “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15 NASB)

• “…and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27 NASB)

• “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NASB)

Jesus says the Holy Spirit is our advocate, our helper, and our counselor. In the Spirit of God we have a baptism that is by fire, the power and fulfillment of His promise to us. God is faithful and desires that we have every bit of that power to carry out His will on earth. When we choose to live and walk by God’s Spirit, we will begin to bring dead things to life and to call upon things that do not yet exist as though they already do. Our reality and the reality of all those around us will be altered when we declare the thoughts and words taught to us by the Spirit of God in alignment with His will. (Luke 24:49), (Acts 1:4), (Romans 4:17)

• “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 NASB)

• “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13 NASB)

• “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13 NASB)

The Living Word of God says that He is “One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). So, the Holy Spirit is at all times our direct line of communication with Abba Father, intimacy with our Savior Jesus, and with Him is power and our inheritance guaranteeing all of His promises. (Romans 8:26-27), (Romans 8:16-17), (2 Corinthians 1:20)

“This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.” (1 John 4:19 NIV)

 

Questions to consider:

1. Do you take time during the course of a typical day to quiet your heart and listen for the voice of God’s Spirit?

2. When God’s Spirit speaks are you able to recognize Him? If so, are you willing to then act upon what He says?

Scripture references: (Galatians 5:22-25 NASB), (John 16:7 NASB), (John 14:16-17), (Joel 2:28-29), (Acts 2:17-18)

Connecting The Dots - Week 24 Notes

      Connecting The Dots – Week 24 

                 (The Living Word)

Key Verse: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” (John 1:1-4 NASB)

What does it mean to say that God’s Word is “alive”? Well, the most obvious answer is the beauty of synchronicity between our key verse and (Genesis 1:1-2, 26). All creation is, both now and from eternity past, a masterful symphony spoken into being by the perfect voice and perfect words of the triune “I AM”. (Job 38), (Isaiah 40:8)

• “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 NASB)

• “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB)

• ”It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63 NASB)

Where God’s life is indwelt, so then are His Spirit and His Words. Where His Spirit and Words are in operation, there are always liberty and power. Did you know that all of these abide in you through the fullness of God in Jesus Christ? (Colossians 1:19)

• “…you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23 NASB)

• “As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.” (1 John 2:24 NASB)

• ”For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NASB)

The living Word is in full effect when we have the faith and confidence to speak. When we put on the life of Jesus Christ, He becomes to us the sword of the Holy Spirit, the very power of God that creates reality when wielded in alignment with His will. Proverbs 18 says for good reason, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”, and we will never be more aware of it than by examining the fruit our own words produce. (1 Corinthians 2:3-5), (Ephesians 4:29), (James 3:8-12)

• “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.” (Deuteronomy 30:14 NASB)

• “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:17-18 NASB)

Yes, Jesus (The Word) is alive in you and me to realize God’s purpose. But to bring His Kingdom to earth we must first receive His power within us, then agree with it as we speak His words of life into the world.

“But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak…” (2 Corinthians 4:13 NASB)

Questions to consider:

1. How is the spoken Word of God most alive in your daily routine?

2. How is the Rhema, (Revealed) Word of God most alive in the way you relate to people, circumstances, and the choices you make?

Ref. Scriptures: (2 Peter 1:19-21), (1 Peter 1:22-25), (John 6:51), (John 16:13-15), (1 Peter 4:11), (Philippians 2:3-5)