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John writes: ”This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us” (1 John 4:10).Walking in love is all about understanding and believing in the love God has for you. A principle of the heart is as a man thinks in his heart, so will he be (Proverbs 23:7). What you believe in your heart will be reflected in your life. If you struggle with believing God has forgiven you, it will be a battle for you to forgive others. If your heart isn’t established in the love God has for you, it will always be a battle for you to love others.“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The issues we have in life, positive or negative, are often related to what we do or don’t believe about who God is to us.The simple truth is walking in love isn’t about your performance but a lifestyle based on living in the reality of God’s love for you.I John 4:8 says, “He that loves, knows God and he that loves not, doesn’t know God!” It doesn’t say, “He that lives holy knows God or he that keeps the Ten Commandments knows God or he that rebukes and corrects false doctrine knows God.” It says, “He that loves knows God.” Someone who truly knows God, will out of love for Him, do what pleases Him. The believer’s life and character will replicate God’s presence because faith works by love. The believer’s life will be a reflection of that unfailing and life-transforming love God has for us. Then, the world will see what Jesus declared, “They shall know you by your love.” What a beautiful identity to have!God’s Perfect Will Is for You to Be HealedBeloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 Look no further than 3 John 1:2 for a prayer that reflects God’s heart. That’s how you know that He wants you healed, healthy and never sick, as much as He wants your soul to prosper! Don’t go by human experiences to know if God wants His people healed today. If you say, “Well, I know of Christians who are sick,” I can point you to many others whom God has healed. We’re not called to base our believing on human experiences. We’re called to believe God’s Word. Beloved, never put your eyes on people and their experiences, even good ones. The basis of your faith must always be God’s Word. Believe that God still heals today because His Word says so!Joseph PrinceTHE POWER OF THE BLESSING (Part 2)Kenneth Copeland Ministries
BLESSED shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.BLESSED, shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.BLESSED shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.BLESSED shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.BLESSED shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.”“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.The Lord will command THE BLESSING on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will BLESS you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Deut. 28:1-8
Talk about these to yourself. Let the truth about the power of THE BLESSING become more real to you than anything else in your life.!SEE HIS SUPPLY!Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right was withered…And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. Luke 6:6,10It must have drawn many looks–some curious, some sympathetic, some possibly of disgust. For the owner and all who say it, the withered hand must have spelled “challenging”, “Difficult” and very likely, “impossible to heal”.But where others saw the witheredness, Jesus saw only God’s supply of healing and wholeness available to the man. That’s why He said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” Jesus didn’t see the lack others saw. He only saw the Father’s superabundant supply of grace all over that withered hand. He saw the Father’s heart to heal and bless the man!Today, don’t focus on the pain, symptoms or the doctor’s negative report. Whether it’s an aching back, ailing heart or barren womb, see His healing power enveloping your body. See His grace supplying life and health to you!Joseph PrinceGod of the Valleys TooThen the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they…Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “the Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” I Kings 20:23, 28In the darkest moments of our lives, we often feel like God is a thousand miles away. God is with us on the mountaintops, we think, but in the valleys, we’re all alone.Nothing could be further from the truth. In I Kings 20, the Syrian king was told that Syria had fought Israel on the hills and lost because Israel’s God was the God of the hills. So if they fought the Israelites in the valleys, they would win. Of course, the misinformed Syrians lost again because God is a God of the valleys too!My friend, there’s nowhere you can go where you’re not covered by God’s mercy and grace. Whether you are in the pink of health or terribly ill in the valley of the shadow of death, He is with you and will never leave you nor forsake you. So don’t lose hope. The God of the valleys is your strength. He will uphold you with His righteous right hand and deliver you from your enemies!Joseph PrinceOnly One Truth can Change You!In the story of the prodigal son, the critical elder brother related to his father based on his performance, as did the Prodigal Son. One believed he deserved his inheritance and the other knew he was undeserving of ever being a son again.While one son boasted he had kept and obeyed his father’s laws and commandments, the other son confessed his sins and failures.You aren’t accepted by God based on how holy and good you have been or rejected by God based on how sinful you have been. It isn’t your performance, positive or negative, that earns you anything from God. it is all about the Father loving you as you are. The incredible thing about God’s love is it never leaves you in the same condition it found you.Ed and Laurie ElliotGod is a Practical GodTherefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.Matthew 6:31-32Our God is a practical God, who is interested in providing for your practical daily needs. Take a look at Jesus throughout the four Gospel accounts.To those who were hungry, He provided food by multiplying the loaves and fish. To the fishermen who toiled all night and caught nothing, He gave them more than a boatload of fish. Jesus didn’t stop there–whoever encountered Him received from Him what they lacked. He healed the broken hearted and gave sight to the blind. The sick who came to Him were all healed. Even the dead received His resurrection life!My friend, Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever! He is still providing. So whatever you need today, whether it is wisdom, favor, healing or diving strength, go to Him. HE IS A PRACTICAL GOD.Joseph PrinceJohn 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, ‘Behold, thou art made whole: sin not more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.’In saying this, Jesus shows that sin causes the tragedies that come into our lives. The reason for holiness in the life of the believer is that when we obey sin, we yield ourselves to Satan, the author of that sin. Yielding to sin is yielding to a person–Satan. God doesn’t impute the sin to us but the devil does. Our actions either release the power of Satan or the power of God in us.Andrew WommackPURPOSE OF PRAISE!Ed EliotSome teach that praise and worship are the pathway to the presence of God for the believer, but the truth is praise and worship bring you into the awareness of God’s presence in you.Praise isn’t going on a journey to find God but living in the reality you and God are one. That truth alone is worth praising and worshiping God all day long.REMOVING DISTRACTIONSJoyce MeyerOne of Satan’s more cunning weapons is distraction. He knows if we become sidetracked by the cares of the world that, more than likely, we will begin to neglect our time with God.To keep us faithful and in close fellowship and communion with Him, sometimes God wants us to remove distractions that are separating us from Him, even if it hurts.For example, if our career or desire for money or social status are more important to us than pleasing God, we need to get our priorities straight. Or maybe a relationship is keeping you from spending time with God or you’re looking for that person’s attention and approval more than God’s. The bottom line is, any situation or desire in our life that keeps us from being led by the Holy Spirit or living for God is an unhealthy distraction that’s not good for us.God wants to be moved by His Spirit, not by distractions. So today, set aside all of the distractions of life and purposely focus on God. When you seek God first with your whole heart, you will find HIm. He’s always there waiting for you.PRAYER STARTER:Lord, I ask You to help me remove all of the distractions in my life, even if it hurts. Help me to seek you above all else and be led by the Holy Spirit in my daily life. I want to live for You.Ed and Laurie Elliot The Secret to Supernatural Strength Ed and Laurie Elliot When Peter walked on the water, as long as he kept his focus on Jesus, he could do the impossible. But as soon as he lost his focus and concentrated on the storm, he became overwhelmed and started sinking. When his focus changed, so did his circumstances. He left the realm of the miraculous and returned to what was normal. Law, aka legalism, keeps the focus on you. Grace keeps the focus on Jesus. Paul was adamant about not mixing law with grace because he knew it changes the believer’s focus from Jesus to himself. You will either draw strength or fear from whoever you focus on. Peter became fearful when he saw the storm’s power, but when he looked at Jesus, the storm was never the focus; only Jesus was. Don’t lose your focus. The lens of grace will keep you focused on Jesus, not the storms of life around you. “When I am weak, He is strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9). START TODAY EXPECTING GOOD! Joseph Prince“As you have believed, so let it be done for you.” Matt. 8:13Wake up every day expecting good. Keep your thoughts and mind positive, full of joy, full of hope, and full of anticipation of all the good things God has in store for you, His beloved!Spring up from your bed, stand in front of your mirror and boldly declare, “I am the disciple whom Jesus loves. I am the apple of His eye. Everything I do and touch shall be blessed! The Lord’s wisdom, favor, and provision flow mightily in and through me. Amen!”When you do this, you are accessing the Lord’s abundant provision for you, and all the stress, negative emotions, and anxieties will fade away.Perhaps today, you have to make an important presentation to your biggest client, or go for the final interview for a job you really want. Perhaps you are way behind the curve in completing an important project at work. Whatever the demands on you, start the day expecting good and to see His provisions flow!GOD’S LOVE HATES SIN! Ed and Laurie ElliotGod’s love in manifestation is not only unconditional, it also hates the sin that kills, steals, and destroys people’s lives.Actually, God hates sin with the same passion and intensity that He loves because of the immense damage it does to those He loves so passionately.Occasionally I run across people who choose to live in sin. They claim they know God loves them as if that justifies their lifestyles. Unarguably, God loves them but evidently, those people are clueless what it means to know and trust in God’s love. My two boys don’t question my love for them. Whenever they were afraid, they would run to me knowing I would protect them because I loved them.Believers who entertain sin and see nothing wrong with it, have yet to grasp God’s love for them because we all know God hates sin. He is love. So the God-kind of love flowing from our hearts will also teach us to hate sin because sin is death.. God does not want you to live in sin. It will destroy you and harden your heart to Him. People who know and experience God’s love will, like God, hate sin, too.“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).”Shielded from Every Device of the EnemyJoseph Prince“His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4Psalm 91:4 starts with “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge:” and ends with this proclamation: “His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” What is the shield and buckler? A buckler refers to a small, round shield used for close-contact fighting. A shield is much larger, one you can dig into the ground and hide behind when spears, arrows, or rocks are being launched at you in a bigger attack. So whether it is a small or big attack, His truth–your shield and buckler–covers you completely!In Ephesians 6:16, it tells us to, above all, take the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Why? Because the shield of faith will cover you all around. Amen! That is why the devil is after your shield of faith–he wants to make you doubt God’s Word, which is His truth. Once you take up the shield of Faith, his attacks against you cannot prosper. So lift up your shield!As you listen to messages about Jesus’ finished work and your faith is being built, your shield is also being built. Even if you are found in the wrong place at the wrong time, the Lord can protect you when His shield of faith surrounds you and you are placed under the shadow of His wings.Eastern Meditation vs. Biblical MeditationOften the Holy Spirit inspires me to meditate on a particular verse or verses for a few days or longer.Some believers get creeped out by the term meditation and think you have replaced Jesus with a guru. The truth is God’s Word instructs us to meditate on His Word.This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall read (and meditate on) it day and night, so that you may be careful to do (everything) in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. (Joshua 1:8) AMP.The difference between eastern meditation and biblical meditation is where we focus our attention. Eastern meditation advocates that you empty your mind. One way it does this is by getting you to repeat a word or mantra over and over again. Biblical meditation is the complete opposite. God doesn’t want us to empty our minds but fill them with His words. When we fill our thoughts with God’s Word, those words will enter our hearts, shape our thinking and emotions and give us vision and direction for our lives. Eastern meditation opens you up to influences you don’t want in your life. This is why Paul describes God’s Word as the believer’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-17). It guardes our thoughts–the helmet. It protects our hearts–the shield, and it gives us a solid foundation to take a stand on –the shoes. We are surrounded by truth wrapped in truth. The sword drives back our enemies from messing with us.There are so many amazing benefits to meditation on God’s Word. If you haven’t made it a spiritual discipline in your life, what a way to start off the New Year!WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SPIRITUALLY MATURE? Spiritual maturity doesn’t come from what you know, but who you know. Paul’s greatest desire was to know Jesus intimately. Spiritual maturity is simply measured by love or knowing God who is love. I know a lot of people who have a wealth of biblical knowledge; a few have masters and doctorates in theology, but they are not very loving or even friendly people. Some are downright prideful. They perfectly exemplify what Paul says about knowledge that isn’t tempered by love. We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (I Corinthians 8:1) In 1 Corinthians 13, which is often referred to as the love chapter, Paul teaches that though great faith, in-depth knowledge, and the ability to operate in the spiritual gifts are essential, the fruit is greater! What matters is love! A spiritually mature individual is simply someone who understands God’s love and walks in the reality of it. Paul closes Chapter 13 by saying, “abide faith, hope, and love but the greatest of the three is love.” Why is love greater than faith and hope? Simply because you can trust or have faith in someone who is able to love you perfectly. When your heart is established in God’s love for you, faith and hope are rooted deep in the ground that produces an abundance of fruit. Knowing Jesus reveals His Father to us and knowing God is always expressed in how we love people. Ed and Laurie Elliot PRACTICE JESUS’ PRESENCE IN YOUR CAREER“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12Wherever you are, whatever it is that you do, with the Lord’s presence and His unmerited favor covering you, there is no way you will not be a success.Whether you are a chef, driver or consultant, it doesn’t matter. God is on your side to bless and make you a success. Of course, you understand that I am referring to only morally upright professions. You cannot depend on God’s unmerited favor if you are in an industry that requires you to compromise on your Christian morals. If you are involved in a morally corrupt industry or a job that expects you to lie, cheat or deceive, my advice to you is to get out! You do not have to depend on a job that puts you in a morally compromising position for your income. God loves you intimately and He has something so much better in store for you. Trust Him.God is here to save you from destroying yourself. He wants to give you good success and He loves you too much to see you remain in a job that forces you to compromise. The Bible says, “ A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and god.” ( Proverbs 22:1). God has a higher way and better plan for your life. You can walk in it today by depending on His unmerited favor to provide for and prosper you!
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