(Be blessed by this DWOD for March 01, 2014 by guest contributor Os Hillman)

“They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” (2 Samuel 1:12)

How would you respond if you heard something bad happened to someone who had been trying to cut off your head for several years? King Saul had been seeking to kill David for many years before Saul was thrust into battle against the Amalekites. In this final battle, a sword killed Saul.

When the news reached David, instead of rejoicing that his enemy was no longer a problem for him, he responded in a totally different manner. He mourned. Imagine that; he mourned for the one who sought to kill him.

This is a sign of one who can look past an individual who is the source of pain and consider how God views him. God looks on that individual and sees his needs and knows why he responds the way he does.

When we begin to see people as God does, we’ll no longer look at them as enemies, but as souls in need of grace. This is how Jesus could give of His life for us. He saw our great need, not what we did to Him.

When someone wrongs you, do you seek to retaliate, or do you pray to understand the need behind the offender’s actions? For several years a person was a source of constant pain and retaliation toward me. There was nothing I could do to change it. God allowed me to go beyond the person’s actions to understand what was the source of his need.

When I gained that understanding, God gave me a picture of this person inside a prison cell and in bondage. This bondage made him respond to life in this way. I was able to pray for him and genuinely love him in spite of the fact that he persecuted me. This is the kind of love Jesus wants us to have when He tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who spitefully use us.

I believe God does a special work of grace in those who go beyond the realm of normal response to persecution. He brings us to a level of grace we never thought possible. Describing how God worked in Joseph’s life, Francis Frangipane reveals what happens when we tap into this grace:

God made him fruitful in the very things that afflicted him. In the land of your affliction, in your battle, is the place where God will make you fruitful. Consider, even now, the area of greatest affliction in your life. In that area, God will make you fruitful in such a way that your heart will be fully satisfied, and God’s heart fully glorified. God has not promised to keep us from valleys and sufferings, but to make us fruitful in them. [Francis Frangipane, Place of Immunity (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Arrow Publications, 1996), 93]

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

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 28, 2014 by guest contributor Kenneth Copeland)

But [Christ Jesus] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:7)

The truth of this verse hasn’t really dawned on most people. They mistakenly think that Jesus was able to work wonders, to perform miracles, and to live above sin because He had divine powers that we don’t have. Thus, they have never really aspired to live like He lived.

“Oh my,” they say with great humility, “I could never live like Jesus did. After all, He had an advantage. He was God!”

They don’t realize that when Jesus came to earth, He voluntarily gave up that advantage, living His life here not as God but as a man. He had no innate supernatural powers. He had no ability to perform miracles until after He was anointed by the Holy Spirit as recorded in Luke 3:22. He worked wonders, not by His own power but by the power of the Father, saying, “The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14:10).

And when He prayed, He prayed not as a divine One who had authority as God, but as a man who walked obediently with God. And, as Hebrews 5:7 says, “His prayers were heard not because of His deity, but because of His reverence toward God” (AMP).

Jesus, the divine Son of God, set aside the privileges and powers of deity for a time and lived as a man on earth. Once you grasp that, it will absolutely thrill your soul! Why?

Because it means that you, as a reborn child of God, filled with the same Holy Spirit as Jesus was, have the same opportunity to live as He lived on earth. In fact, that is exactly what He intends. In John 17:18 He said to the Father, “Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.”

Jesus has sent you into the world to live as He lived. Through the new birth, He’s enabled you to exchange the sinful nature of Adam for the sinless nature of God.

He’s given you the ability and the command to live above sin, to live in fellowship with the Father, to preach the gospel, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cast out demons, and to make disciples.

Once you realize that, you’ll throw off the shackles of doubt that have held you back. You’ll begin to live as Jesus meant for you to live–not as a sin-ridden son of fallen man, but as a reborn child of the Most High God. Then those around you will actually begin to see Jesus–in you.

(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)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 26, 2014 by guest contributor Kenneth Copeland)

A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. (Proverbs 18:7)

We have what we say. As believers, we know that’s a vital biblical truth. We can see it in Mark 11:23, Matthew 21:21, James 3:2, and many other verses. Yet we often let it slip.

We allow ourselves to begin talking like the world instead of talking the Word. And eventually we get what we’ve been asking for–a big mess.

If that’s happened to you, remember, whatever you have in your life is a product of what you’ve been saying. In order to change what you have, you must change what’s coming out of your mouth. To head your life in a different direction–from death to life, sickness to health, failure to success–you must take charge of your words.

That’s a lot easier said than done. But that’s the key: It must be said in order to be done!

How do you start?

First, realize that it can’t be done just in the natural. This is a spiritual law, so it must be handled with spiritual power.

James 3:7-8 says the tongue can’t be tamed with the same power with which man tames animals. It takes God’s wisdom from above. God’s Word is His wisdom (Prov. 2:6). He also said His words are spirit and life. That means it takes God’s words to tame our tongues.

Second, repent before God for ever allowing your tongue to be used by anyone except the Holy Spirit. Then give Jesus your tongue. Be determined to speak His words of love, faith, joy, peace, and grace. Words of faith stop the fiery darts of hell.

The third thing to do is what Jesus said in Mark 4:24: Take heed, or listen, to what you hear. Listen to yourself! Think, Do I want what I just said to come to pass? If the answer is no, then stop and correct yourself right then. Replace those negative words with praise (Ephesians 5:4).

If you’ve gotten sloppy about what you say, change your course today by changing your words. Ask God to help you set a watch over your mouth (Ps. 141:3). Put the power that’s in your tongue to work for you instead of against you. Stop using it to make messes, and start using it to make miracles. There is a miracle in your mouth!

(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)

(Be blessed by this post from guest contributor Leif Hetland)

WHY YOU ARE BEING TESTED

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…(James 1:2)

Is your life full of adversity?

Like you, I’ve been betrayed. Hurt. Had physical challenges, including a terrible car accident and fighting a tumor. I’ve endured financial crisis. Like you, I could make a list so long that someone reading it would need anti-depressants after reading it!

But despite these hardships, I can say with an honest truth that I am smiling, not frowning. I’ve become better, not bitter. I am shining, not whining. Like you, I’ve been hit down so many times. But let’s continue to rise up. I pray that even as you read these words, there would be a grace from God on your life to be relentless and never give up.

Fight relentlessly. Choose to love, because love never gives up. Love never fails. Don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It will be well worth it in the end. We have no control over others, but we do have control over ourselves. We make the decision to fight, or to quit.

My heart is to see everything that God has placed within you to finish well. In my own life, I want to hear him say “Leif, you have pressed towards the goal for the prize that was set before you, and you have finished the race well. Well done, faithful servant.”

Friend, let’s consider it an honour and privilege when opposition comes against us. It is so interesting that hell would be so enamored to oppose us, or stop our destiny. Here is a new perspective: judging by how much hell wants to stop you, it is obvious you are so valuable and have been entrusted by the Father with so much!

Here is the one thing you must remember about being tested:

ONLY A WELL-TESTED PRODUCT HAS HIGH VALUE.

Like a high-performance car, or innovative technology, or architectural marvels–only that which is well-tested is proven to be valuable, reliable, and relentless.

You are great. You are called. My friend, consider it all joy when trials come against you. Your reliability continues to go up in value. My heart for you is that you will never give up, and you will finish well. You are being tested because you are valuable!

(Leif Hetland is founder and president of Global Mission Awareness. A forerunner in modern-day missions, Leif has brought the gospel into the most spiritually dark areas of the world. Over one million souls have been saved through his ministry. This post was first published at: www.globalmissionawareness.com/blog)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 21, 2014 by guest contributor, Barry Adams)

Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 16:13-17)

 

Jesus was as much a son when He was lying in swaddling clothes in the manger as when He was doing amazing miracles. In His heavenly Father’s eyes, it didn’t matter whether Jesus was doing great exploits in full time ministry or helping His earthly father (Joseph) run the family’s small carpentry business. Jesus was the only begotten Son of the Father who was loved completely and unconditionally all the time.

 

Jesus’ sonship was not defined by what He did, but who He was. His place in His Father’s heart was based on relationship and not on His accomplishments. In the orphan world system that we live in, often the measuring stick we use to find our value is rooted in some form of achievement. Whether it is through getting a good report card as a child, or going the extra mile at work or church. In the culture that we live in, often there is a direct correlation between achieving and feeling loved and accepted.

 

It is not that the desire to achieve is wrong because it isn’t. Jesus Himself told His disciples that they would do greater works than Him because He was going to His Father.

 

But how do we feel when we are not achieving? Do we feel any less loved and valued? When we are not able to contribute to society in the ways that our society expects, then what? Who are we then? If there was ever a haven of rest from this performance-based life, you would think it should be the church, right? After all, we are called to love each other and prefer one another just as Jesus has loved us, right?

 

While the church should be the safest place on earth for people to feel loved for who they are and not what they do, it is not always the case. Often the need to sustain all of the programs of the church creates an atmosphere of guilt and shame for those who are not ‘pulling their own weight’ to keep the hamster wheel turning and turning.

 

Instead of teaching new believers to truly learn how to receive the unconditional love and acceptance from God, we prepare them for battle, emphasize their servanthood, and challenge them to do, do, do. Again, I will reiterate that doing in itself is good! Doing great exploits for the sake of the kingdom is good! Seeing the kingdom advance is good!

 

However, may we never forget that our value to our Father is never based on what we do. May we always know that the priority of His heart is that we would know that we are His kids, that we are loved and accepted because of the finished work of our elder brother and not by our own works.

 

Like any proud papa, I believe God loves it when we fulfill our destiny, whatever that may be. For some of us, especially those with a ‘type A’ personality, the greatest work that we can do for the kingdom may be to stop trying to work for His kingdom and simply ‘be still and know that He is God’(Psalm 46:10) and rest for a while.

 

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would accomplish what our Papa created us to do because we are loved…not in order to receive His love. I pray that the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation would convince us more today that God loves us simply because He is love and He created us to be loved. No matter what we do or don’t do in this life, that won’t ever change.

 

(Barry Adams is the humble vessel chosen by God to bless the world with the revelation known as the Father’s Love Letter. Along with his wife Annelise, Barry ministers the Father’s Love all over the world. Today’s DWOD is from a post he wrote for A Son’s Life Blog. Please check out his new website: http://www.aboutfathersbusiness.com)

(Be blessed by this thought-provoking DWOD for Feb. 19, 2014 by guest contributor, Lance Wallnau)

It is a peculiarly American virus – the unquenchable thirst for success and the assumption that ‘Success = The will of God’.

Never occurs to us that success can be of the devil and failure of the Lord.

IF THE DEVIL CAN’T STOP YOU, HE WILL ‘SUCCESS’ YOU OUT OF THE WILL OF GOD.

I hardly know a person who would discern that a sudden promotion, an open door and more money is a TRAP to get you to leave the place of God’s anointing. Seems that if we were smart we would first go to the new geography and see if there is a company of believers we are called to be part of in that location. We treat church like it was a thing we shop for, rather than what it really is–a divine placement by the Holy Spirit.

How many marriages fall apart after the promotion? How many kids fall into the wrong crowd after one of the parents move off to where the family was never sent?

Success is “convergence” into a role that frees you to do what you do best. It’s an alignment in the place where you have authority to impact a particular people group in the geography of your assignment.

Success isn’t always God. The reverse can also be true. Failure and frustrated efforts can be of divine origin. Heaven-sent failure is designed to get you to the right alignment and positioning.

Paul sought to go to Asia and surprise, surprise, he was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia”so he pressed on trying to go into Bithynia, “and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas…”

While in Troas, Paul and his team were trying to sort out exactly where they were supposed to go. Finally he had a “vision in the night” and saw a man urging him to come to Macedonia. Now they had a breakthrough! (Read Acts 16:6-10)

SOMETIMES YOU SEE BETTER AT NIGHT!

There are seasons where the ‘night’ has to wrap around you before you get the vision clear. And sometimes you can’t get the vision until you fumble your way into the wrong place that is actually the right geography for an answered prayer.

The idea is to get going and keep going till you hit it, but the key that precedes it is Antioch! Paul was growing in his gifting as a teacher and prophet where he was stationed in Antioch. This was the anointed location to be in until the Spirit commissioned him to GO! Once “sent forth by the Spirit” he was able to get frustrated into the perfect will of God.

The HEBREW YEAR 5774 is the year to watch for the “open door.” Before God gives you Isaac, the devil will send an Ishmael to exit you out of the place of divine frustration. Let frustration do its perfect work and produce the patience to discern, for some successes lead to failure and many a seeming failure will position you for YOUR OPEN DOOR.

What do you think? Ever see someone run after the golden opportunity that ended up being a trap?

“Try the spirits….for every spirit is not sent of God.”

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 17, 2014 by guest contributor Lance Wallnau)

WATCH and pray is often watch and wrestle!

Paul watched the Romans wrestle and compared the warfare of believers to a wrestling match. “We wrestle not with flesh and blood but with Principalities and Powers.” We wrestle disembodied spirits that attack our circumstances in order to grab hold of our minds and emotions.

The Romans learned this sport from the Greeks. A wrestler would go into the arena with hours of massaging with thick oils pressed into the skin, the idea being that when the wrestling got intense you would work up a sweat and the sweat would mingle with the oil and make you so slippery your opponent would have a hard time getting a hold of you.

We, likewise, are anointed for our wrestling and when the battle gets tough we have an authority and anointing that corresponds with our assignment. Let the oil of the Lord make you slippery in your battles.

I like what Dalene R Black had to add to this post: “Anointing also means to massage, to rub and smeared with oil…Let the oil of His presence saturate our whole being from the inside out…so when the “heat” is on… we become too slick for the enemies stronghold.”

Let that presence take the heat off your heated spirit….cool down and get refreshed. Then as a behavioural strategy –move in the opposite spirit. When pressured to be critical, find what’s working. When pushed to look at what people do or fail to do, use it as an opportunity to put your attention and affection on the Lord and what He is doing.

This dual “presence and behavior” strategy makes you hard to get a hold of and after a while you will slip right out of this battle and hit a season of being “restored, established and strengthened.”

This is the rhythm of the life of someone who changes spiritual climates. Of course there are lots of other parts, but this is key.

I just arrived in China for some significant meetings. I’m half jet lagged and gonna practice this…

“Oily to bed and Oily to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Join God’s Army. “Be oil you can be!”

(Dr. Lance Wallnau is a world-class trainer and consultant whose students span the globe. From bestselling authors, pastors, and billion dollar CEO‘s, he has helped to transform the lives of thousands. Please check out his resources at www.lancelearning.com)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 15, 2014 by guest contributor, Fabs Harford)

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:2)

Thursday night was one of those nights. You know the kind.  Racing pulse and mind snowballing at a terrifying speed: replaying past events and planning for future ones.

 

I texted a friend in a panic: Everything feels so out of control.

 

And the response came: Get some sleep.

 

My first instinct was to push back.  How could I sleep right now?  Do you even know what hangs in the balance?  I have to DO something!

 

But I heard the whisper of God in that simple text message.  A couple of weeks ago I skimmed this article and in this completely unexpected moment He resurrected it in my mind and said to me the same three words: Get some sleep. 

 

So I went to sleep.  Not because there was nothing to be done, but because there was only one thing to be done: Worship God.

 

Sleep is not simply surrender, it can be an act of worship.  Sometimes it is the most powerful declaration and demonstration we can make that we are not in control.  Our God is.  And we trust Him.

 

I am not in control.

 

There’s something about staying awake planning or prepping or trembling that reveals that in deep places of our hearts you and I think that we can control our world.  If I could just get this one email done…if I could just find the perfect words for that upcoming conversation…if I could just figure out what went wrong…then what?  Then we would be able to control our pain and our fears.

 

On Thursday night I was worried about the safety of a precious friend.  But I was absolutely helpless to help.  The terrifying and (thank God) truth is that I have no power to save or deliver. All that was left to do was declare my helplessness.

 

My God is in control.

 

I’m a creature, and God is not.  I sleep and He does not.  He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep(Psalm 121:3-4). He alone can stay awake for eternity.  Which is good, because He alone needs to stay awake.  He alone upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).

 

I can sleep because He doesn’t. I trust Him.

 

This is maybe the hardest for me.  Because two months ago, as I lay sleeping a friend was shot and killed while I was ‘trusting’ God.  But trusting God doesn’t mean trusting Him to make everything work out as I think it should.  It means trusting Him to make everything work out as it actually should.

 

In light of December 5th, the most challenging and honouring thing I could do this past Thursday night was say to my God:  I trust you enough to sleep while lives I love are in your hands to do with as it pleases you.

 

It was one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time.  With tears running down my cheeks, and my hands curled into fists I breathed in and out the words ‘You alone are God’.  And after an eternity of time, my breathing deepened and my fingers relaxed and by the power of the Spirit I worshipped my God through sleep.

(Fabs Harford is Director of Women’s Training at The Austin Stone Community Church, equipping the women of The Austin Stone to know God more deeply, love His Gospel more passionately and live out God’s mission. This post is from her blog “Thoughts from Fabs.”)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 13, 2014 by guest contributor Os Hillman)

“Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”(Exodus 14:15)

Moses had brought the whole nation of Israel, approximately 600,000, to a dead end in the desert. The only thing between Israel and Pharaoh’s pursuing army was the Red Sea. This was after ten plagues God had inflicted on Pharaoh to motivate him to free the Israelites. Finally, Pharaoh had freed Moses and the people, and they left Egypt.

They thought they were home free. “Freedom at last,” they said. But God did a strange thing. He directed Moses to take a route that led to the Red Sea, instead of the northern route around the Red Sea. God explained that He didn’t want them fighting the enemies they would have encountered on this route. But still, there was the issue of the Red Sea.

They finally arrived at the Red Sea, and the people were wondering where they would go from there. News hit the camp: Pharaoh had changed his mind. He was coming after them with his army. Panic set in. The defenseless Israelites cried out, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?…It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Ex. 14:11b-12)

God sometimes brings each of us to a “Red Sea” in our life. It may be a work problem that can’t be solved. It may be a marriage that seems to be failing. It may be a debilitating disease. Whatever your Red Sea, God tells us one thing: “Keep moving.” The Red Sea was before them, yet God was angered at Moses and told him to “Keep moving.”

“But Lord, the Red Sea is before me.” “Keep moving.” When we live by sight, we act on what we see. God sets this stage in dramatic fashion. God is into the dramatic. There is no way out without God here. That is just the way He wants it. No one will get glory except God.

A friend once admonished me when I was in the midst of an extremely difficult time in my life, “You must not withdraw from being proactive in your faith just because of this trial that you are in. God’s hand is on your life. There are too many who are depending on you to fulfill the purposes God has in your life. Keep moving! Keep investing yourself in others.”

I didn’t feel like it. I was in too much pain. But I did it anyway. God met me at the point of my greatest need once I decided simply to be obedient. Getting past myself by investing myself in others helped heal the pain.

There is great healing when we look past our own problems and seek to invest ourselves in others for the sake of Christ. This is when our own Red Seas become parted. We begin to walk to freedom. But we will never experience the miracle of the Red Sea in our lives if we don’t first “Keep moving.”

(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/)

(Be blessed by this DWOD for Feb. 07, 2014 by guest contributor Kenneth Copeland)

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)

When I was a new Christian, it was almost impossible for me to live at peace with anyone! Almost every time I opened my mouth, I said something ugly. I was constantly hurting the people I was close to. In fact, I spoke more harshly to them than to anyone else.

I criticized Gloria’s driving so much that she nearly refused to drive while I was with her. I criticized my children so much that they began to avoid me. I didn’t want to be so insensitive, but I couldn’t help it. I had a well-developed habit of speaking harshly and didn’t know how to change it.

Then I found Ephesians 5:4. It said, “[Let there be] no coarse, stupid, or flippant talk; these things are out of place; you should rather be thanking God” (New English Bible). When I read that, I realized I needed to replace the words I was used to saying with words of thanksgiving. That would solve my problem. After all, I couldn’t speak harshly and thank God at the same time. I couldn’t criticize those around me if I had a thankful attitude about them.

I immediately decided to put this principle to work in my life. Rushing into my son’s room one day ready to lambaste him about something he had done, I recognized my old behaviour pattern. I just stopped and said to myself, “The Word says this kind of behaviour is out of place, so I am going to stop and thank God.” I wasn’t nearly as angry after I spent a few minutes praising and thanking the Lord.

If you’ve developed the habit of speaking harshly, start changing that habit today. When someone crosses you on the job, at school, or wherever, and you’re tempted to tear into them with cruel words, stop! Then take a few moments to give thanks and praise to God. Once you begin thinking about how good God is, more often than not, those harsh, angry words will just slip away unspoken.

Instead of using your tongue to tear people down, train it to lift God’s praises up. Then living at peace with others will come easily to you!

(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)