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  • Let’s Go And Tell The Good News

    2 Kings 7:9 “Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now, therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.””

    When you have what other people need and you do not share it you are doing wrong. The starving lepers found food and as they enjoyed the blessings that had come their way they realized it needed to be shared. Realization turned to resolve (come, let us go and tell) and they returned to share the good news.

    Soul-winning is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.

    Make this real personal: Having received the greatest blessing of salvation who do you need to go and tell so they might know the Savior? With your answer, go and tell!

    You might want to recall a few verses about being a soul-winner
    Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
    Daniel 12:3 “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
    2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

    Continue Strong sharing the good news,
    And remember to DATE the Word 

  • O Lord, Judge Me

    Psalm 7:8 “The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me.”

    One of the great roles of God is that He is a judge. In Psalm 7:11 David writes He is a just judge. As David is being pursued and persecuted by Saul, David will plead with God to judge him. David is not speaking of being judged here for salvation but rather for the present situation. He wants God to review his actions. He wants God to examine his actions in order to point out he is innocent and that he is being falsely accused.

    Judge me, O Lord. What a request. Judge my attitude and my actions. In some ways, one can see this as asking God to hold you accountable. Like asking God to examine you from Psalm 139:23 asking that God would examine if there is any wicked way in you.

    Spiritual maturity rises when one truly wants God to examine, to judge day by day one’s life. This can be painful as God does reveal the flaws and faults that need to be corrected.  Thankfully we can also say cleanse me – wash me – restore me as He most surely will point out things that are not up to His standard. 

    Add to your prayer time judge me, O Lord!

    Continue Strong Seeking A True Examination From The Lord,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Micah’s Bold Declarations

    Micah 7:7 “Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.”

    During the dark and difficult days, Micah makes 3 bold declarations regarding his relationship with God.  First, he declares that he will look to the Lord.  This declaration to look to the Lord reminds us of Psalm 121:1-2 as the Psalmist says, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence comes my help? 2  My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 

    Who are you looking to in dark and difficult days?

    Second, he declares he will wait for the Lord.  To wait is to be patient and allow God to work.  Seeing the word wait reminds us of Isaiah 40:31. Recall it says, “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

    With his 2 declarations of  “I will” he now makes the boldest declaration of all in stating that God will hear him! 
    Micah had a tremendous conviction about God with a tremendous confidence in God.
    Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

    Look up to God who listens! Wait on god who works!
    Who do you look to when life is a mess?  Someone wrote:
    If you want to be dismayed – look ahead
    If you want to be defeated by life – look back
    If you want to be distressed  – look within 
    If you want to be distracted – look around
    If you want to be discouraged – look to others
    If you want to be delivered – look up!  Look up, my brother, look up to the Lord.

    Continue Strong Looking Up To God & Waiting On God Who Does Answer As You Ask,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Hand Of God Was Upon Him!

    Ezra 7:6 “Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. The king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.”

    Ezra was a difference-maker because he was a vessel in the hand of God. It is not our hands that make us powerful in the work of God. It is His hand. We are to abide in Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. May you know the good hand of God upon your ministry today! May you be a vessel in the hand of God to impact those you come in contact with for His glory!

    Another verse for July 6 is 2 Corinthians 7:6 “But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.”

    As the Apostle Paul ministered he himself became discouraged and needed to be encouraged. Along comes Titus and Paul writes that Titus encourages him. Titus gave to the discouraged Apostle Paul the Titus Touch.

    Today, be alert to give the “Titus Touch” to someone by giving a word of encouragement. 

    Continue Strong with the hand of God on your life, and receiving encouragement and giving encouragement,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Wise Can Be Corrected

    Ecclesiastes 7:5 “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.”

    One of the tools for conveying wisdom is the contrastive method where the words “better than” are used. Solomon, in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, will numerous times say something is better than. Here we have a contrast between hearing a rebuke and hearing a song. The song is enjoyable/pleasurable while a rebuke may be excruciating/painful. The challenge of the verse is how one will receive and respond to a rebuke for a rebuke is going to challenge the actions/attitude of a person. The rebuke says what one is doing is wrong and needs to stop.

    How do you respond to a person stepping into your life with a rebuke?  You should know that how you respond to the rebuke and rebuker may tell more about your character than the wrong action. Proverbs 9:7-9 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. 8  Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. 9  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.” 

    So, are you teachable? Coachable? Correctable? A wise person wants a wise person speaking truth into their lives so they can be a wiser person. 

    Are you willing to pray Psalms 141:5 which says, “Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it.”

    Those who would be wise must make wise decisions and in order to make wise decisions one must be wise enough to receive rebukes from someone who is wiser. 

    Continue Strong Receiving Rebukes,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Do You Serve Only God?

    1 Samuel 7:4 “So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only.”

    1 Samuel 7:4 is a response to Samuel’s challenge for Israel to put away their foreign gods and get serious about serving only the one and true God.   1 Samuel 7:3 states, “Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”

    In the NLT you will find verse 3 stating, “Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel,  If you are really serious about wanting to return to the LORD, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the LORD; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”

    Have you determined to serve and obey only the Lord?  Maybe you have decided to serve and obey the Lord but not only the Lord.  Instead of being wholeheartedly committed to the Lord you find yourself half-heartedly committed to Him.  It is a tremendous temptation to attempt to serve both God and other gods, like the gods of money and/or pleasure, and/or possessions, and/or fame.  Jesus knew about this temptation when He declared emphatically that you cannot serve both God and mammon. In Matthew 6:24 He said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

    As you consider how very serious you are about serving and living for the Lord only allow me to share an insight that I have gained over the years.  Most people don’t commit to serving an idol but rather they allow an idol to creep into their lives and it then slowly takes control.  We are prone to wander.  We drift away from the Lord and to a devotion to an idol.  

    You may question this idea of having an idol as a Christian but if it were not possible to have an idol or idols in our lives why did the Apostle John write in the last verse of his first letter for us to “keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” (1 John 5:21).  Is there something that has crept into your life and it now has your devotion and with your devotion to the idol you have pushed God away?   Just as Samuel spoke to the Israelites in 1 Samuel 7:3 it is time for you to return to the Lord and you return by removing the false idols.  May you have the testimony of 1 Samuel 7:4 on this fourth of July that you are serving the Lord ONLY!

    Samuel would have to repeat his call to serve the Lord only.  In 1 Samuel 12:24 he preached, “Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

    Also, Happy 4th of July – Happy 248th Birthday America!!   May we pursue righteousness for righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people!  Proverbs 21:21 and Proverbs 14:34

    Continue Strong Serving And Loving God Only,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • A Beautiful Picture Of Worship

    2 Chronicles 7:3 “When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.”

    As the temple is being dedicated the fire of God came down and God’s people got a fresh view of His glory. That fresh view of God brought about a fresh response of adoration as they moved to a posture of reverence (they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement,) to a proclamation of praise (saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever”.)  

    What a scene this must have been.  I trust you can picture it in your mind.  As God displayed His approval of the temple’s dedication with a display of His power God’s people responded to being in His presence with humble worship and adoration and praise.   

    Individually and/or corporately we so need the fire of God to fall on us – to know His presence in our lives so real that our reverence and adoration and praise for Him grows. As we acknowledge the worth of God (Worthy is the Lamb) we will worship and we will walk (live) worthy of Him!! 

    Oh God, give us a fresh view of You. Let Your Word bring forth who You are afresh and anew.

    Continue Strong offering worship to our great God,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Two Extremely Essential Qualities to Have

    Nehemiah 7:2 “I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.”

    Delegating responsibilities demands choosing dependable people.  A leadership guru said that a leader’s most important decision is who does what.  As Nehemiah has to put others in charge of the work at Jerusalem he gives two reasons for the men he has chosen.  He chose them because of their faithfulness and their fear of God.  

    Faithfulness.

    Fear of God.

    Faithfulness speaks of dependability. To have someone say you are faithful means you have created a track record of doing what you said you would do.  You have kept your word.  You have fulfilled assignments.  You are responsible.   You show up when you are supposed to show up.   You do what you are supposed to do.  

    The Apostle Paul said that he was to be considered a steward of the mysteries of God and that one who was a steward was to be found faithful.  1 Corinthians 4:1 “Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2  Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”

    Fear of God is not being afraid of God as much as it is to be in awe of God.  It speaks of acknowledging there is God and that one is answerable to God.  There then is a reverence for God and a respect for God that leads one to listen and obey God.   A person who fears the Lord is bringing to their role that they have a greater accountability than just to the boss.  Nehemiah himself made decisions because he feared the Lord.  Recall Nehemiah 5:14-15 as it says, “Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. 15  But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.”

    So, if you are looking to be hired you should be cultivating faithfulness and the fear of God in your life, and if you are looking to hire someone look to see if they have a track record of faithfulness and of being one who fears the Lord.  

    Continue Strong Faithful To The Lord And Fearing The Lord,
    And remember to DATE the Word 

  • Pursuing Personal Holiness

    2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

    Having received Jesus Christ by faith that brings about salvation where we experienced regeneration, and redemption, and justification, and adoption, our salvation now calls for sanctification. With the penalty of sin taken care of, we need to realize the power of sin is broken and we are to no longer obey any temptation. Our new pursuit is a life of holiness.  To be sanctified is to be set apart from sin to live holy, righteous lives. 

    Our verse calls for us to cleanse ourselves.  We don’t clean up to get saved, we clean up because we are saved. 

    Our new relationship brings about a new reverence for God. He has set standards for us. From Colossians 3 we are to put to death certain actions as well as put off certain behaviors. But not just put off things, we are to put on a whole new set of behaviors. And by walking in the Spirit we make changes. 

    We must not miss the “Let us” of this verse. We have a responsibility to cooperate with the Spirit of God to clean up our lives. 

    A tip for spiritual cleaning:  Start with Psalm 139:23-24 asking God to examine you and see if there is any wicked ways (filthiness) in you. As He points the sins out confess them (I John 1:9).

    Continue Strong in Pursuit Holiness,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Resting is Part of Your Responsibilities

    Mark 6:30 “Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.”

    Our verse reveals how the apostles returned from the ministry assignment Jesus had given to them a few verses earlier (Mark 6:7-12) and gave Him their ministry report.  One can imagine the excitement as they told Jesus what they had been doing and what they had been teaching.  I liken it to hearing testimonies from a group from our church after they returned from a mission trip.  Regardless of any challenges they may have faced their testimonies are filled with what God did through them and in them.  It is a glorious and wonderful time.  

    As you consider Mark 6:30 I invite you to picture the full scene.  Picture first Jesus with His disciples as they receive their assignment.  Hopefully, you can see the anticipation on their faces as He sends them out to share the good news. Picture them responding with obedience and going out to preach and minister.  

    While we are not sure how much time goes by, picture now the return of these busy disciples to the feet of Jesus to give Him a glorious report.  Can you picture Jesus listening?  Can you see Him seeing them as they told their stories of being used to impact lives?  One must wonder if Jesus is smiling as they tell of people repenting and people being healed.   I think He was.  

    While Mark 6:30 does not reveal a response from Jesus, in the next verse (Mark 6:31) we can tell Jesus was very interested and involved in hearing what they had been doing as He responds with, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” 

    The reporting by the disciples of fulfilling their responsibilities brought a reply of recognition from Jesus that they now needed to rest. 

    Please pause to picture what took place here.  Please!!!  See Jesus sending His disciples out with responsibilities. See them fulfilling their responsibilities. Now see Him listening to their reports!  See Him now sending – instructing – His disciples to rest!   In response to hearing the report of fulfilling their responsibilities, Jesus tells them to get some rest!

    Personal note:  I read once a story that I could readily personalize.  It goes, “I used to think that since the devil never takes a vacation, neither should I. But then I remember that the devil is not my role model nor my teacher!” 

    Friends, Jesus is your role model and your teacher.  Jesus fulfilled His responsibilities. (John 17:4) As He fulfilled His responsibilities Jesus took naps. (Luke 8:23 NLT).  Jesus told His disciples to come apart and rest.  Mark 6:31

    So, as you fulfill your responsibilities, I trust you will have the opportunity to share your report of what God did through you and in you.  As well, as you fulfill your responsibilities, there must be times when you come apart and rest or you will come a part.  

    How well do you rest?  Do you understand that getting rest is part of your responsibilities?

    Mentoring note:  We must “work” at resting.  Be intentional to relax and rest and restore and replenish.  And you must rest and do those other things as He has more for you to do!!  (See Mark 6:32)

    Continue Strong Fulfilling Your Responsibilities Which Include Resting,
    And remember to DATE the Word