Day 134    Help Is On The Way!

Hebrews 1:14  NIV

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

We ended up on Day 131 with talking about “angels,” so I thought today we could talk more about angels. 

What promises do we have regarding angels??  Let’s go to the Word on it!

Psalm 91:1-2

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

I do not know the actual situation that David was facing when he wrote this but I would say that he had a revelation of staying close to God.  From past experience, David knew where his help came from.  That’s why he could say:   God is my refuge and my fortress.  I can trust in my God!

We know that Psalms 91 is talking about angels because of verse 11.

For He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

God sees the situations that we are in and as we come humbly to Him for help,  He sends angels to lead us and protect us in our time of need.

We are going to spend a few days studying angels so they can become a reality to us and we can wrap our faith around what God would have us to know.

GPS  (Directions)

·         Read the following scriptures and let them minister to your heart.

II Kings 6:16  Angels are a reality

Psalms 103:20  Angels move when we speak the Word of God

History of Angelic Accounts

Genesis 19: 1-26   Angels came to deliver Lot out of a corrupt culture.

I Kings 19: 1-9   The angel brought instructions and provision for what God wanted Elijah to do. 

Isaiah 37: 17 and Isaiah 37:20    Hezekiah was in a tight spot and was totally dependent on God.   The result is found in verse 36.

Prayer Focus:

Father, open my eyes that I may see all that You want me to see regarding angels.

Day 132 and 133

The truth that God is good has to be in the foundation of your core values.  So many times we have learned that God has sent illness, accidents and disease so we can learn something.  I just want to say to God, “I am sorry that we still believe that after all You gave that we might be healed—after the agony that You must have gone through in watching Your own Son die on the cross.  I am so sorry, God that we are still saying that You bring on bad things.  I know it is just not possible because You are only good.”

            James 1:17

            Nehemiah 9:25

            Nehemiah 9:35

            Psalms 23:6

            Psalms 27:13

            Psalms 116:12

You can go to www.biblegateway.com and put in the word “Goodness” and enjoy lots of words about God’s goodness towards us.  That’s what He wants us to learn!!  He also wants us to learn that He will take the bad things and turn them into something GOOD.

            Romans 8:28

Prayer Focus:

Thank Him after you read each of these scriptures.  Each one is a personal word to you!

Day 131  Keep Your Eye On The Word

Psalm 103:20

Praise the LORD, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word.

Reading what the Bible says about healing will increase your faith.  Speaking what the Bible says about healing increases your faith exponentially!!  (i.e. by tens and hundreds and thousands, rather than by ones!!)

The Bible says In Matthew 18:10 that our children’s angels are beholding the face of the Father.  Since we are all His children, thats for us too!

One day I said, “God, I would rather have the angels looking at my children.”  He showed me right then that they look to the Father and they are ready to move when the Father hears us speak His Word.  They do the Father’s bidding and they obey the Word that we have spoken.

When we say, “Father, thank You that You are my healer” (based on Exodus 15:26 and I Peter 2:24), the Father nods His head to the angels who are patiently waiting to be sent to do His bidding.

God graciously gave us His promise for healing and He wants us to speak what He promised into our atmosphere.

Like I mentioned before, many times we don’t receive our healing instantly.  But rest assured that the Word of God does not fail.  When you fellowship with God, agree with His promise and thank Him for His faithfulness to you, you are creating an atmosphere where angels can deliver your healing.

GPS  (Directions)

·         The shed blood of Jesus was for the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our bodies.  Read and meditate on:

Isaiah 53: 4-5

Mathew 8: 17

I Peter 2:24

·         Here’s an example of a prayer which declares God’s promises for healing:

Father, thank You that You sent Your Son to the cross for the forgiveness of my sins and for the healing of my body.  Thank You that You do not have favorites but that we are all Your favorites.  You want to heal all who are sick so the Old Testament prophecy can be fulfilled.  Thank You for healing my body.

 

·         You may write your own prayer declaring God’s Word if you like.  Keep it handy so whenever you “meet with God,” you can begin by thanking Him.

Prayer Focus:

Thank God for showing you His truth.

Day 130  Building An Atmosphere Of Faith

Hebrews 10:23 (New International Version)

 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

When God gives us a personal promise, He wants us to “partner” with Him.  It is true that sometimes He provides healing all on His own, but more often than not, He wants to work with us.  In doing so we grow in faith and in our relationship with Him.

Hebrews 3:6 (New International Version)

But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.

God is saying in this scripture that we must “hold firmly to our confidence” in the Word that He has spoken.  The best way to do that is to have your daily “meetings” with God and continue to ask Him to confirm His Word.  He will fulfill your every request for wisdom.  (James 1:5)  He will help you to build an environment of faith around you.  In this environment, healing comes forth.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (New International Version)

³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

 ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.

The way to persevere through pain, through fatigue, through irritating symptoms is to keep your eyes on what God has spoken to your heart from His Word.  Keeping a journal is so important because you can look back each day on what you learned the day before.  You are building faith one day at a time.  At a certain point, your healing will be more real than your symptoms.

GPS  (Directions)

·         Write a prayer in your journal using healing scriptures.   You can start with the scriptures in Days 127 through today.  Pray the prayer daily.

·         If you don’t already have a prayer partner, ask God who it should be.  When you know, follow through and call them to set up a regular time of communication.  You can use the phone, email, face-to-face meeting or a combination of all three.  It will be a rich time for both of you!

Prayer:

Thank God that He is teaching you and that He is faithful to what He has promised.

Hello Friends,  I want to apologize for the delay in posting a current blog.  "Life" has gotten in the way this week.  However, when you think of the alternative, "life" is good!!

I will be back with you shortly.  Until then I want to share with you the scripture that has impacted my life the most in the last 29 years of my relationship with Christ.  It is this scripture that has taken my prayer life to a whole new level.  My prayer is that as I share it with you, you will embrace it---grab it, hold on to it, ask God about it (as it pertains to your life), and love God for it!!

The scripture is......drum roll please!!

Matthew 6:10 (King James Version)

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

For those of you who read from the New International Version.....

Matthew 6:10 (New International Version)

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

So many times our focus is on "Your kingdom come, your will be done" because we don't know what is going on.  In our confusion, hopelessness, fear.....whatever--- we say "Your will be done" and we stop right there. 

One day in my prayer time, the Holy Spirit (my Helper) instructed me to focus on the last seven words:  "as it is in heaven."  I had to think about how it is in heaven. Is there sorrow there?  Is there disappointment there?  Is there confusion and fatigue there?  Is there sickness there?  Is there loneliness and depression there?  Is there lack in heaven?

So you can see this is a very powerful prayer.  We are praying for heaven to come to earth.  God's ways, God's plan (Eph. 2:10),God's will for us -- to come to earth.

If we take the time to stop and take this to heart (and not look around us), I believe it will empower us to have faith that our circumstances will change and line up with what heaven is like.  All too often we look around and form an opinion by what we see.  Then we say, "That must be all I can have." 

There is a new saying out now:  "It is what it is."  I agree!!  It is what God's Word says it is!!

For example:  Isaiah 53: 4-5, Philippians 4:19, Isaiah 61:7, Ephesians 3:20, Isaiah 60:1 and II Timothy 1:7

These scriptures explain God’s way--(i.e. God's kingdom).  It is what God says it is!!

GPS  (Directions)

Spend a little time over the next three days and put your greatest concerns about your life into the context of this scripture.

Prayer Focus:

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done (in my circumstances....in my life....in my decisions) as it is in heaven.

P.S.  (Can you add a P.S. to a blog????)  Anyway, I'd love for you to write and tell me the results of your three day adventure with God.

Day 129  What’s The Good Word?

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (New International Version)

 ²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at a portion of this scripture in the Amplified Bible.  (The Amplified Bible amplifies the scripture with the Greek meanings so we get a clearer understanding.)  Here we go:

“……and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).”

The word “sound” from www.dictionary.com means:

free from injury, damage, defect, disease, etc.; in good condition; healthy; robust:

What do you suppose God means in I Thessalonians 5:23?  Do you actually think He means what it says?  These are questions you have to ask yourself.

Scripture will always support scripture, so let’s read these:

Exodus 15:26 (New King James Version)

²⁶ and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

This is from the Old Testament.  It was back before we had a Savior--when a person had to follow the law to the letter.  Thank God that we are New Testament people and we can enjoy our relationship with God.  He gave us a much better covenant.  (Hebrews 7:22)  

How about this one?

1 Peter 2:24 (New International Version)

²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been healed.”

GPS  (Directions)

·   Spend time with God and just ask Him to show you,      because He certainly will.

·   Here is a starting place for you. 

Genesis 18:14

III John 1:2

Hebrews 6:18

Matthew 15:31

Hebrews 13:8

Prayer Focus:

A good father will take the time to answer his child’s questions.  God will do the same for you as you thank Him for meeting with you today.

Day 128    Walking By Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7 (New International Version)

⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight.

God is calling us to live by faith in what He has said to us in His Word and not in what we feel, what we have heard or what we see all around us.  Faith in God’s Word should be our focus.

It’s a constant discipline for me to keep my thoughts and my words on what God has said and not in what I think, feel or see.  (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

The best way to do that is pray the Word of God out loud so my own ears can hear it.  (Romans 10:17)

Also, I know by experience that it is very helpful to have a prayer partner who I can agree with. (Matthew 18: 19)  Our agreement must be based on what God has said in His Word.  I encourage you to find  someone who has the courage to believe what God has said—and believe me sometimes it takes courage!

The Bible says we can ask God to help us believe.  In Mark 9:24 the boy’s father said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”  That must have meant there was a level of unbelief there.  He cried out, “Help me, God” and we can too!!

Whenever you sincerely go to God and ask for help, He is there and he will scoop you up in His arms and help you.  Thank God forever.   What a loving Father we have!

Speaking the Word, either to yourself or to your prayer partner, creates an atmosphere of faith where God can work.  You are inviting the Almighty God into your air space to accomplish what He so desires to do—heal you.

This may not happen in an instant.  Sometimes it’s over the course of time, but each time you speak the truth of God’s Word, your faith increases and the atmosphere becomes saturated in the very presence of God.

GPS  (Directions)

·         Go back over the scriptures in this blog and talk to God about them.  I always say, “God will be as personal as you want Him to be,” so go ahead and ask!

·         What does “taking every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5) mean to you?

Prayer Focus:

Thank God for being personal to you and for showing you the truth regarding His provision for healing.

Day 127   He Heals All Your Diseases

Psalm 103:2-5 (New International Version)

² Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

God is asking us not to forget His benefits.  The Bible says that He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things.  (Romans 8: 32 NIV)  Whew!  That is a mouthful from God!!  Beyond saving us from hell, He forgives our sins and heals all our diseases!!  Those are the benefits that go beyond the free gift of salvation!

Jesus was pierced for our transgressions (sins), He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.   (Isaiah 53:5 NIV)  What an exchange that is!!   We give Him our sins and iniquities and He gives us His peace.  He takes a whipping and we are made whole.  Talk about amazing grace!!

Do we feel healed when we have pain??  Do we feel healed when the doctor gives us a negative report?  Do we feel healed when we can’t move freely?  The Word of God says, because of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, “we are healed,” even though we may not feel healed.

So here’s how I look at it.  My circumstances have to change and line up with the truth of God’s Word.  I can rely on how I feel or I can trust what the Word of God says.  The choice is totally mine.

GPS  (Directions)

·         Read Isaiah 53:5 in the Amplified Bible and really think about what God is saying to you.

(Note:  You can access many different versions by going to www.biblegateway.com)

·         Let Romans 8:32 be part of your thought process.  Ask God to confirm this truth to you.

·        

·         Read James 1: 16-18 in The Message

Prayer Focus:

If you still have doubts, ask Him to show you the truth regarding healing.  Be sure to thank Him for His faithfulness to meet with you each day.

Day 125 and 126

·        Go over the last five days in one sitting.  That means spend a little extra time letting the Word of God and the love of God sink into your bones!!

Read the scriptures again and let God minister His heart to you.

Think what it means to be a loving Father.

·         Read the following scripture and talk to God as you go.  I suggest you use THE MESSAGE since that version uses the term “fresh start.”  Look up as many as you can in one sitting.  Then prepare to move on to Day 127.

I Corinthians 6:9-11

II Corinthians 5: 16-20

Galatians 3:25-27

Psalms 32:1  (Substitute the word “lucky” for “loved.)

Psalms 51:7

Prayer Focus: 

Ask God to help you forgive others like He forgives you—even before you ask!  How great it is to say, “I have already forgive you.”

NOTE:  I would love to hear from you.  You can email me or post a comment below.  God bless you!

Day 124   Times Of Refreshing

Psalm 19:7 (New International Version)

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Remember how when you were a kid and you told that lie that blossomed out of nowhere until you were in big trouble??  And then remember how good you felt when you finally went to your parents and said you were sorry, and they hugged you and it was all over??  That’s the kind of refreshing this verse is talking about. 

Remember that our souls are our thoughts, (what is consuming our minds,) our emotions (fear, confusion, etc) and our choices.  That part of us experiences refreshment because our slate is wiped clean and we are free to enjoy our lives once again.

I was thinking about how when you truly love someone, you always believe the best in them no matter what they have done.  You forgive them because you love them.  Then when they finally do come to you and ask forgiveness, you say to them, “I have already forgiven you.”  That’s true love—the God kind of love.  It’s a supernatural love. 

What beautiful words those are, “I have already forgiven you.”  Those words bring lots of things to an end—like guilt, pain, frustration, justification, etc.  Finally your slate is cleared and it’s time for refreshment.  A cleansed soul is a refreshed soul!!

Take the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.  He was a notorious sinner—one who cheated people on their taxes.  The minute he came into contact with Jesus, he repented and said, “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Can you imagine how good it felt to have his slate whipped clean?  I can imagine because God has given me a fresh start many times.  It feels so good!

GPS  (Directions)

·         Ask God if you have any “unfinished business” that He might like to talk to you about--any excuses, justifications and denial of sin in your life.

·         Read the following scriptures and make them your own:

Colossians 3:10  Amplified Bible  

Psalms 51: 10-12 NIV

Acts 3:19  NIV

Prayer Focus:

Thank your wonderful God for His redemptive heart towards you.  Thank Him for making all things new and fresh for you.

Day 123    Don’t Believe The Liar

John 8:44 (New International Version)

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

On Day 122, I talked to you about how our wonderful God made provision for us.  Through the blood that Jesus (our Advocate) shed on the cross, we were made clean. (Romans 5:19)  What an amazing truth!!

Do we always feel righteous?  No!  As soon as we sin, the devil comes right to us with a heavy load of condemnation and says, “See!  You are a sinner.  Look what you just did!!”

What he doesn’t realize is that we have already been forgiven.  Because we are flesh, we will sin but because of our relationship with Jesus, we have already been forgiven. 

All he can do is lie.  It’s his vocation and he is good at it.  The “father of lies” loves to screw up our thinking so we see ourselves as failures. 

It’s very difficult to feel victorious (2 Cor. 2:14) when thoughts of failure move in and take up residence in our souls.   Our souls are our thoughts, our emotions and our choices. That’s where he comes in to do his work.

It is up to us to know who we are in Christ and know our authority to kick him off of the premises.  (James 4:7)  If we are filled with the truth, we will not believe the lies.

Isaiah 26:14 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁴They [the former tyrant masters] are dead, they shall not live and reappear; they are powerless ghosts, they shall not rise and come back. Therefore You have visited and made an end of them and caused every memory of them [every trace of their supremacy] to perish.

That’s the absolute truth!!  You don’t have to feel like a puppet on a string any more.  The puppeteer can’t keep you dancing to his tune any longer.  Because at the cross, the strings were cut --- and you have been set free!!

Now that’s good news!!

GPS  (Directions)

·         Read the following scriptures and spend time relating them to your situation. 

Revelation 12:10

I John 2:1

Luke 10:19

Prayer Focus:

Thank God that your sins are forgiven!!