Day 80  More Power Words- Part III

Hebrews 13:5 (New International Version, ©2011)

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

   “Never will I leave you;
   never will I forsake you.”

What are the power words in the scripture above?  If you said, “never” you are absolutely right!  Do you really suppose that God actually means “never???”

I always say,  “God, You shouldn’t have said that unless you meant  it!”

Hebrews 13:20-21 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

If you made a list of “everything good” for doing His will, what would our list look like??  What would it take to accomplish His will??

Good health and vitality

Money and resources

Wisdom and understanding

Divine Connections and directions……etc.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (New International Version, ©2011)

⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Doesn’t sound like God is holding anything back, does it??

2 Corinthians 9:11 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

God wants us to be enriched in every way so we can be generous to others. How about if we just believe that God wants to supply our every need so we can do what He wants us to do??

Today’s Assignment:

 Look up Mark 5:36 and take it to heart.

Prayer Focus:

Look up Mark 9:24 and make it your prayer.

Day 79   More Power Words

Romans 3:23 (New International Version, ©2011)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

The scripture say that we are all sinners, and so we all need a Savior.

When we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, then we leave the sinful life and enter into the family of God.  Jesus opened the door for us through His blood that He shed on the cross.

When we ask forgiveness for being sinners and accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives, the next verse becomes activated on our behalf.

Romans 8:37 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

That doesn’t mean that we will never have problems because as long as we live on the earth, there will be problems.  But one thing it does mean is that when we bring our problems to Him, He will instruct us in how to move through them into victory.   Just as we wouldn’t want our children to be defeated, God doesn’t want us to be defeated in any way, but He’s waiting for us to come to Him.

Today’s Assignment:

1.       What do these scriptures mean to you?  Write the answer in your journal.

John 3: 1-7

I John 1:9

Ephesians 1: 3-5

Hebrews 4:16

Prayer Focus:

Ask God to examine your life (like a spiritual MRI) to see if there is anything that is displeasing to Him.  If He shows you something(s) in the next day or two, ask Him to forgive you and to help you live for Him every day of your life.

Day 78  Recognizing Power Words

Psalm 34:4-6 (New International Version, ©2011)

 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
   he delivered me from all my fears.
 Those who look to him are radiant;
   their faces are never covered with shame.
This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
   he saved him out of all his troubles.

Look at the three words above that I have highlighted.  I used to read over these words as if they didn’t exist.  One morning in my “meeting with God” the Holy Spirit had me look at these words.  These are very powerful words from God!  The scriptures are full of them!  Think of it:

 “….He delivered me from ALL my fears.”

 Not just some but ALL!!!!

Ever since that morning I am very aware that God means what He says and if He is using one of these words, it is a very powerful statement.

Let’s take another one:

Psalm 34:9 (New International Version, ©2011)

Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
   for those who fear him lack nothing.

Nothing!!  I didn’t say that—God did!!  He said if we will fear Him, we will lack nothing!!

Keep reading:  (Verse 10)

The lions may grow weak and hungry,
 but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Keep reading:  (Verse 17)

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
 he delivers them from all their troubles.

Keep reading:  (Verses 19)

The righteous person may have many troubles,  but the LORD delivers him from them all;

Keep reading:  (Verse 20)

he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Keep reading:  (Verse 22)

The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Whew!!  What powerful words!!

Today’s Assignment:

1.      If you haven’t already done it, read Psalms 34 and underline or highlight all the power words.  (Did I miss any??)

2.      Read the following scriptures and underline or highlight the power words.  Remember God is speaking here!! 

Some verses have more than one power word.

Psalms 91: 9-11

Isaiah 54: 17

Romans 8: 28, 32, and 37 (All verses contain the same power word!)

 

Prayer Focus:

Ask God to help you take Him at His word and not doubt Him.  Also ask the Holy Spirit to point out these power words to you as you read your Bible during your "meetings with God."

Day 76 and 77

Psalm 112:8 (New International Version, ©2011)

 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
 in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.

In the last five days we have learned—

·         We all go through difficult times

·         In difficult times we must encourage ourselves in God

·         The Lord is our rock, our fortress and our deliverer 

We learned--

·         How to pray effectively

·         That God always causes us to triumph

·         That triumph means being victorious

·         God’s promises to us are real

The above scripture tells us that our hearts do not have to fear because in the end we will look in triumph on our foes.  There is a process to victory and we are going to learn from the examples below, just how to win.

Spend these two days reading over the accounts of battles that turned into victories.  (NOTE: Don’t get caught up in names and details.  Just write in your journal those things that apply to you.)

EXAMPLE:  Genesis 14    The Message

·         Kedorlaomer and his three allies came out in full force

·         This second group of kings, the attacked….revolted

·         The war was on!!

·         The four enemy kings took all the possessions from Sodom and Gomorrah .  It looked like they were winning big time!

·         Lot was living in Sodom and Gomorrah at the time and they took him too.

·         Abram heard that his nephew was taken captive.  (Vs. 14)

·         Abram gathered his men and chased after their captors.

·         Note the strategy in Vs. 15.

·         Abram recovered all the plunder along with his Lot, his nephew. Vs.16 

·         You will also recover all that you have lost, including family members…etc.

·         God was on Abram’s side and when God is orchestrating your situation, you win!!

Exodus 14   The Message

(NOTE:  I love this story!!  It’s all about God wanting to show that He is GOD and He is well able to take care of our enemies!  “Egypt” is anything that has held you in a place of loss, of depression, of working hard for nothing, etc.  “Israel” are those that are part of God’s family—those that have Jesus in their hearts and are attempting to follow Him.  As you read this story, keep in mind that when you put God in charge of your situation and you resist “fear,” God will have the last word!!)

Judges 6  The Message

(NOTE:  I don’t read only The Message Bible, because it is an interpretation and not a translation, but it certainly brings some clarity.  If you don’t have a Message, consider getting a parallel Bible with The Message on one side.  Makes for some great reading!)

Jericho was already given to God’s people but they couldn’t get in.  (Vs. 2)

Once again, God gave them specific instructions.

They had to break through “the rock of most stubborn resistance.”  (Jeremiah 23:29)

God empowered Joshua for this “assignment” and gave him a testimony in the end.  God takes us from a test and a trial to a testimony so we can say, “God is good!  God is able!  God has made me victorious once again!!”

If you have time, continue your study on victorious battles.  Remember not to get bogged down with names and details.  Find a version of the Bible that is easy to understand and jot down the things that jump out at you.  God was in the midst of all of these battles because someone prayed.  It’s good to rehearse the victories!!

Joshua 10: 1-15

Judges  7

I Samuel 7

I Samuel 11:1-11

I Samuel 17

II Samuel 10

II Samuel 23: 8-23

Prayer Focus:

Ask God about winning your battle and thank Him that He is with you as He was with these!!

Day 75  God’s Word Is Sure

Luke 21:33 (New International Version, ©2011)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

This scriptural promise alone should be enough to motivate us to read His words.  In this day and age, we can’t count on much.  Those things that we thought would be there forever seem to be crumbling around us.  We, however, don’t have to fear because we can always count on God’s promises to us. 

I always say to God, “You shouldn’t have put it there if You don’t mean it.”  The fact is—He does mean it!!  He is not a teasing God or One that tries to lure us into a place of trust only to have it broken.  God is the One who comes to bless, to encourage, to strengthen and to always cause us to be victorious.  It is the “thief” that comes to steal, kill and destroy.  (John 10: 10 and 2 Peter 5:8)

Today’s Assignment:

1.       Read the following scriptures and take them as God’s personal words to you.

I Kings 8:56

Psalms 111:7  (Note: The word “precept” also

                         means instruction and direction.)

Matthew 5:18

Psalms 119: 89

Psalms 119: 152

Isaiah 40:8

Prayer Focus:

Use Matthew 24: 35 as the basis for your conversation with God today.  Ask God for specific promises for the situations you face.  Be sure to write those “situations” down so you can stay focused on finding God’s solution for each one.  The more specific we are with God, the more specific He will be with us!!

Day 74  God Always Causes Us To Triumph

2 Corinthians 2:14 (New King James Version)

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The dictionary meaning for the word triumph is:

• the condition of being victorious
• joy over success
• to triumph over fear
• to be glad
• to rejoice over a victory
• to conquer

It is amazing to me that God always wants to bring us through our difficulties victoriously so we can rejoice that He is good, that He is faithful, and He is powerful.

And why?  So that we can share this good news with others!!

God is the ultimate parent!  Just like any well meaning parent would do anything for his or her child, so it is with God. 

Will we go through difficult times??  Yes!  We live in a fallen world and difficulties are all around us and sometimes they come on us.  Because we have a relationship with God, we can go immediately to Him and say, "Explain this to me and help me move out of it as fast as possible."  The next thing we do is trust Him.  Sometimes we see the victory immediately and sometimes it's a process.  In the process our relationship goes deep in Him.  What an opportunity to get to know God in a more intimate way.

Then there is the word "always."  If I as a parent said to my child, "I will always help you through your difficulties" and then not do it, what kind of parent would I be??  Not a very good one. 

God being a much better parent than anyone on earth, will do far more than any earthly parent would even conceive of doing--loving far more than any earthly parent can love his or her child.  In reading the Word of God with this mindset, we can see that everything in God's Word is pointing to Jesus who was God's answer for us in times of trouble.

Today's Assignment:

1.       Go to your dictionary and look up the word “good.”  You will find a list of synonyms.  Write them in your journal.   You can do it online at:

http://dictionary.reference.com/

2.      Look up these scriptures and apply them to your situation:

Nahum 1: 7

Psalms 34:8

Romans 2:4

Prayer Focus:

Begin to thank God for all that He is done for you.  Continue thanking Him until you have broken into a place of pure joy.

Day 73  On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

Matthew 6:9-10 (New International Version, ©2011)

This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Are you afraid to pray BIG prayers?  In the above passage Jesus is giving instructions on how to pray.  These instructions are meant for us too! 

Sometimes the will of God is not always spelled out for us, so we pray "Thy will be done."  The words that follow that phrase in our Bible are "on earth as it is in heaven."  These seven little words are very powerful.  When you pray like Jesus is saying, you are praying God's will into your situation "on earth." 

Let's go a step farther.  The next five words are "as it is in heaven."  That gives us even more of a definition of God's will.  If it isn't in heaven, you don't have to have it on earth.  And all the wonderful things that are in heaven are available and waiting for you on earth.

Today's Assignment:

1.  Open your journal and write out Matthew 9:9-10.  Underline on earth as it is in heaven. 

2.  Make a list of those things that are not in heaven, such as cancer, poverty, sickness, strife, etc.

3.  Then make a list of those things that are in heaven, like peace, joy, fellowship, laughter, etc.

Prayer Focus:

Pray along these lines, thanking God that "heaven" has come into your earthly situtations.