Aug. 05, 2014–Keep Paddling Upstream

August 9, 2014 By

paddling upstream(Be blessed by this DWOD for Aug. 05, 2014 by guest contributor Kenneth Copeland)

“Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

Do you really believe that you need to watch over your mouth? Most believers don’t. You can tell that just by listening to their conversations. They profess, for example, to be trusting God concerning their health. But you’re likely to hear them say something like this: “I’m just sure I’m going to get the flu. I get it every year. I’ll be sicker than a dog too, you’ll see….”

Do people like that have what they say?

Oh yes! Check with them a few weeks later and they’ll be quick to tell you that they got just as sick as they said they’d be. But, odds are, if you try to tell them there’s any connection between the words they spoke and the illness they suffered, they’ll look at you as if you were out of your mind.

Of course, if they’d dig into the Word of God and find out what it has to say about the subject, they’d realize that the words they speak have a tremendous impact on their lives. They’d see that it quite literally determines their future.

If you’re a born-again believer, you’ve already experienced the most powerful example of that. You believed with your heart and confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you changed the eternal course of your life. You know firsthand just how powerful your words can be.

Yet, even so, if you’re like me, you still find that speaking faith-filled words consistently is tough to do. I’ve been at it myself for many years now and, despite all the time I’ve spent on it and all the experiences I’ve had, it’s still something I have to watch all the time.

You see, the world around you is in negative flow. Like a rushing river, it’s always pulling at you, trying to get you to flow with it. Living by faith and speaking words of faith is like trying to paddle upstream. You can do it–but it’s a great deal of work. And there’s never a time you can afford to take a vacation from it. If you relax a little bit you’ll just start drifting right back down the river.

Make the decision right now to set a watch over your lips. Determine to consistently fill your mouth with the Word of God. “Attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings” (Prov. 4:20). Let God’s Word be your watch and everything you say will take you a little further upstream!

(This post appeared first in “From Faith to Faith”, a daily guide to Victory. To subscribe to this daily devotional and access other great resources, please go to www.kcm.org)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Aug. 04, 2014–Delegating Joab to do David’s Job

August 7, 2014 By

002I don’t know about you, but whenever I’ve heard anyone re-tell the story of David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the narrative usually begins with the second verse of 2 Samuel 11: Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.

His curiosity is aroused, he is overcome with lust, he sends for Bathsheba, the deed is done…and the rest is history.

But there is a telling detail in the first verse that is not always highlighted by most story-tellers. Here is how it reads:

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11:1)

Had David done what he ought to have done—which is to lead the army into battle—he would not have stayed behind in the palace, gone for a walk on the roof, taken out the binoculars…well, you get the idea!

On the surface, it looks as though there was nothing wrong with David deputizing Joab to lead the army. After all, under Joab’s leadership, they accomplished their mission successfully.

But the fact of the matter is that David should’ve been where the action was—on the battlefront. That is what the commander of the Army does. By choosing not to exercise the leadership that was rightfully his, he sets the stage for the big mess that follows. You cannot delegate Joab to do David’s job.

Are there times when we too are tempted to stay back in Jerusalem when we ought to be front and centre in Rabbah? After all, Jerusalem is a safe place to be, with no additional responsibility.

You may be familiar with the saying: “A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what a ship is built for…” Since you are part of a “royal priesthood” (I Peter 2:8), we could say that “A royal soldier is safest in the palace, but that is not what a soldier is meant to do!”

You are meant to be on the frontlines of battle, in hostile territory occupied by unbelievers and controlled by the demonic forces of hell. It is there that you show up wearing the armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) ready to handle everything the enemy throws at you.

Staying in the safety of your home base (e.g. church building or small group) could potentially lead to problems. You could give in to temptations of the flesh. They may not necessarily have to do with lust or other sexual sin (although that is a distinct possibility). At the very least, you could end up satisfying the carnal desire to play it safe when it comes to living out the Christian faith—to keep it all to yourself without sharing with others, thus fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

We could end up being behind closed doors all the time, debating the merits and demerits of evangelising a certain way vs another. Or we could get focused on simply getting our needs met with a particular style of worship, a certain version of the Bible, etc. No matter what we do, we could end up ignoring those who are caught in the clutches of the evil one.

Dear DWOD friend, let it never be said of you that you delegated Joab to do David’s job. Whenever you are tempted to stay back in Jerusalem, may you rise up and head on to Rabbah or wherever the battle may be raging that particular day. The price you pay for playing it safe could very well exceed the cost of waging war.

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Aug. 03, 2014–My God Shall Provide

August 4, 2014 By

(Be blessed by this DWOD for August 03, 2014 by guest contributor Os Hillman)

Os Hillman 2014“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Have you ever gone through a time of complete dependence on God for your material needs? Perhaps you lost a job and could not generate income on your own. Perhaps you got sick and could not work. There are circumstances in our lives that can put us in this place.

When God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt through the desolate desert, they had no ability to provide for themselves. God met their needs supernaturally each day by providing manna from Heaven. Each day they would awake to one day’s portion of what they needed. This was a season in their lives to learn dependence and the faithfulness of God as provider.

By and by, they entered the Promised Land. When they did, God’s “supernatural provision” was no longer required. “The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan” (Joshua 5:12). In both cases God was the provider of the need.

For most of us, we derive our necessities of life through our work. Like the birds of the fields we are commanded to go out and gather what God has already provided. It is a process of participation in what God has already provided.

Sometimes it appears it is all up to us; sometimes it appears it is all up to God. In either case we must realize that the Lord is our provider; the job is only an instrument of His provision. He requires our involvement in either case.

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

Acknowledge the Lord as the provider of every need you have today. He is a faithful provider.

(Reprinted by permission from the author. Os Hillman is an international speaker and author of 15 books on workplace calling. To learn more, visit http://www.MarketplaceLeaders.org)

Filed Under: Guest Authors

Aug. 02, 2014–Do Not be Deterred by Detours

August 3, 2014 By

QEW CrashAnd having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:12)

Our Canadian subscribers may have heard about an unexpected event that happened on one of the busiest stretches of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) that connects Toronto to Niagara Falls on Thursday, July 31.

A dump truck driven by an impaired young man tried to speed through the Burlington Skyway with its bucket raised. Needless to say he was not successful in his attempt. The bridge’s overhead trusses impeded his progress. Unfortunately, due to the structural damage caused, the bridge was closed indefinitely to Toronto-bound traffic.

This would have been simply filed under the category of “just another news item” in my cranial cabinet…except for the fact that I had to take that route twice over the weekend—once on Friday and again on Saturday. The Friday trip would see me in the vicinity of the Skyway around 9 a.m., which would be shortly after rush hour. On Saturday I would have to contend with heavy traffic as many motorists headed to cottage country or other destinations on this “long weekend”.

Traffic reports on the radio were not very encouraging when I headed out Friday morning. The most logical alternative routes were simply jammed with the unexpected increase in volume. One was moving along at the pace of a parking lot. The other was infinitely faster, at snail’s pace.

The announcer very calmly suggested that all motorists should allow themselves an extra hour at least to make it through the gridlock.

How was I going to make it even remotely close to the scheduled time of my meeting? Should I cancel or at least postpone it to a later date?

Detours. No one likes them at the best of times. You simply detest them when they crop up unexpectedly. Yet, they cannot be avoided, whether you are travelling on the Queen Elizabeth Way en route to cottage country or the King’s Highway on the road to your destiny.

Just as an impaired driver was responsible for this particular detour, so also it is in life. It is the stupidity, cruelty, frailty or naiveté of others that can delay your progress. You end up paying the price for their mistakes.

Sadly, such unplanned detours often deter travellers from pursuing their destiny. Unable to handle the prospect of a seemingly infinite delay, discouraged by the need to take a previously untraversed route, many simply do not make the decision to keep moving, detour and all.

So, what do I do? Pray, of course and seek Holy Spirit direction.

Enter thought into conscience. Thought entertained and enacted. Use Google Maps to chart a route that avoided highways. Exit 1 km ahead of everyone else. Follow directions closely, driving where one had never driven before on roads one did not know even existed hitherto. Get back on the QEW. Voila! Destination reached despite detour with only a 15 minute delay.

Oh yeah, the extra time in the Buick provided me with the opportunity to listen to recordings of prophetic words spoken over me and Sulojana several years back. I thanked God for those that had already been fulfilled and those that were on their way to being fulfilled after unanticipated detours and the resulting delays. (Hint, hint!)

Dear DWOD friend, are you on a detour right now on the road to your destiny? Do not despair. Do not be deterred by the prospect of taking an alternate route.

In the verse quoted at the top of this post, it was the evil intentions of King Herod that forced the Magi to take the long way home. Yet, the detour was absolutely essential in the grand scheme of things for the purposes of God to be fulfilled.

Make good use of the additional time. Fill it up with praise and prayer and prophecies (did you get the hint…lol!) And you too will reach your destiny in good time. In God’s time.

Filed Under: Pastor Jeeva Sam

Aug. 01–Rejoicing…UP!

August 1, 2014 By

LOOK UP(Be blessed by this DWOD for Aug. 01, 2014 by guest contributor Peggy Kennedy)

“And, because of this I rejoice, Yes, I will continue to rejoice…I eagerly expect and hope…” (From Philippians 1:18, 20)

Nearly everything I write I sign the same way:  “With rejoicing…”  When that began several years ago I had no idea just how intentional that would be…and how prophetic, too!  For about the last 14 days the Lord has been speaking loudly about the inseparable “twins” of perseverance and promises.

Once again it is to the Apostle Paul’s testimony of triumph that I’ve been drawn.  That testimony of triumph definitely includes Philippians chapter 1.  The physical context is a Roman prison (not the normal place to be triumphant!)  However, that may be the “easy part” for what Paul is experiencing.

While he’s been there some very unscrupulous voices have been “preaching Christ” out of jealousy and rivalry. Their aim is to discredit Paul!  Ouch!  Yet, the apostle responds with that landmark declaration:  “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.”

But, it doesn’t stop there!  Paul declares that he is thus rejoicing and will continue to rejoice!  What a generous attitude!  He moves past personal vindication and chooses instead the exaltation of Christ as His central goal!  He clearly (and purely!!) states that he will also maintain “eager expectation and hope”. (vs. 20)  The Message Version renders this:  “I am going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out.”

I was in a service recently when a very young prophetic voice shared what I would paraphrase as “I see a picture of mailboxes…we are the mailboxes and He is able to deliver what He has promised.”  That prophetic word picture is powerful!

So is the Greek word picture in that word “expect”.  It has a literal dynamic of “the head”…and the sense of watching!  The words which flow out of this word “eagerly expect” combined with “hope” is “to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation or confidence.” (Strongs, G603,G1380)

So, as His mailboxes, whether in a Roman prison or in any context of the contrary motives of others (or even of the failure of any natural system), we can still have a confident expectation of “receiving”.   A vital requirement will be to set the direction of our heads and our hearts.

In a similar conversation about difficulty and resistance, Paul tells the believers in Corinth to “fix their eyes”. (II Corinthians 4:18 NIV)  That position of our heads and our hearts will mean we are still on location to receive!

The common popular phrase is to “change UP”.  As prophetic people, let’s adapt that and resolve to set an atmosphere conducive to receiving:  rejoice UP!

That’s a good word for us “mailboxes” in whatever moment we are in!  When others come near, let them see our heads bent upward with our eyes fixed on Him, and hear our hearts rejoicing…rejoicing UP! “I am going to keep that celebration going because I know how it’s going to turn out.”

(Peggy Kennedy is a respected member of the Canadian Prophetic Council. According to her pastor Matt Tapley: “Peggy Kennedy carries a powerful anointing to consistently bring the Word of the Lord in a way that is both powerful and timely…mantled to walk in a heavenly grace that brings people of diverse backgrounds together in unity.”)

Filed Under: Guest Authors
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