August 19

"Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made the holy." I don't think I have ever thought about the Sabbath in those specific terms - a sign between us. Not between me and the world, but between the Lord and I. There are multiple Sabbaths, but the one that came into my head was the 7th day. It is a sign to God that I trust Him and not myself. It is a sign to me that He is my supplier and He has made me "set apart", different than the dog eat dog world.

We all must work - even if you don't have a job. Work is mandatory under the curse of sin and we will work in heaven under no curse. I will gladly farm some great fruits and vegetables in heaven! (I digress) When I cease from working - earning money - I give a sign to God that I trust Him and not me. When I spend my day specifically around God centered activities, I say to Him that you are my all - you deserve a day! Hey, even more than that for me - when I rest from my works in this life I give a sign to God that I trust in the blood of Jesus to attain righteousness, miracles, provision or anything else.

Think for a few moments of how it is a sign from God to us. What does that mean?

August 18

I once saw Cindy Crawford interviewed on the Jay Leno Show. Jay was asking her about her beauty and how she isn't conceited. She said, “I did nothing to look like this, I was born this way.” I thought that was a marvelous statement, which I was reminded of as I read this Word about the prostitute in today's reading.

Sometimes we not only think we are something because of what God has given us, we use it for our own gain. It is a like a rich person who lavishes on himself instead of lavishly gives. Who do you think gave you the anointing to become rich? Use your riches for God! But instead of thinking about someone else and what their problems are, what about us? What about me? Where have I misused what I have been given, or even this ---- what have I not used? The prostitute used her beauty to advance her idolatry through sex and seduction, when she was supposed to use her beauty to glorify God and attract people to the Lord – not to her.

Show me where I have done this Lord. Show me what I have buried as well. I want to bring glory to you – not me, for my greatness is found in You!

August 17

The has been much said about false prophets, but I saw something today about them. The Word said that they “prophecy what is in their own spirits” and not from God's Spirit. That gave me pause. That gave me some caution! Prophesying is something we should do when God speaks to us and not we speak to ourselves. These prophets spoke what they wanted to have happen, not what God was going to do.

So now what? Do we not prophesy? God forbid! This passage gives me a clue into discerning my own “spirit” from God's Spirit. (Fortunately in us as believers, our spirit is indwelt by God's Spirit). The question I want to ask myself is, “Is this what I want?” There could be times that I want the same as God's Spirit, hopefully most of the time! But within me, when I wait on the Lord to tell me to say something or not, there is a depth of knowing and a conviction that I need to say it that is stronger than my own desires.

God help me to never to give a prophecy that isn't from you. I want to speak your Words, not mine. Quicken me and teach me your voice.

August 14

The King decreed something good – don't hold fellow Hebrews as slaves. It was in the law and was not the will of our King (Jesus) to hold other brothers and sisters in slavery. So the people obeyed the king and let all of their Hebrew slaves, their fellow partakers in the covenant of God, go in freedom. After they let them go, they enslaved them again. They couldn't handle letting people be free because of their personal cost or their perceived rights.

I can't help but think about letting people go from our jail, our criticism, our punishment, out from under our control. Not only does God want us to forgive and free people, but He wants us to let people be free to be themselves! Free to not conform to what we think they should be like. Life is too short to spend our time running other people's lives. It is an arrogant spirit that thinks it knows best for everyone.

Oh God remove my pride that thinks I know best for everyone. Lord you know best, you handle your servants! Me, I'll major in setting them free!

August 13

My Redeemer is strong and He will defend my cause. This morning I need you to do that Lord. I need healing Lord! I need you to defend me against this enemy! Bring your Kingdom and take from my body this vexing. I will take refuge in you - who else can I go to? Even in pain I throw myself at your feet, not understanding your delay. Yet I will praise you. I will believe that you love me in the midst of my agony. You are God, I trust in You.

August 12

False prophets have been a topic for many years. The who hate, (maybe that is too strong), dislike anybody giving a prophetic word have said that we should not prophecy because the standard for a false prophet is death. Nothing like a little fear to quench the Spirit of God. How they can read 1 Cor. 14 and think that God wants us to be to "afraid" to prophecy is a wonder to me. Jeremiah 25 gives me an understanding of the kind of false prophets that God calls out and clearly judges. It is those prophets who fill people with false hopes.

They keep saying to those who despise me,
"The Lord says: You will have peace."
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say,
"No harm will come to you."

Clearly these people were not connected with God because people who despise the Lord or reject His Word from their heart are in for some tough times. So the caution for us who "eagerly desire to prophecy" is that we should not give someone a word from God that says, "yea, just keep on sinning, God is going to give you great peace and prosperity." Maybe this oversimplifies the issue, but is that so hard to stay away from?

August 11

The figs that were in exile are the good figs. That is interesting isn't it? It is in this context that the wonderful verse, Jer. 29:11 is given. What stuck out to me was that God said to the exiles, settle in, plant gardens, find wives, etc... He also said that they were to pray for the peace and prosperity of the land so THEY WOULD HAVE IT as well.

Larry Norman wrote a lyric for one of his songs; "I'm only visiting this planet." The exiles were only visiting and I see myself like them in a way. I am not exiled from the Lord, but this world is not my home - heaven is my home. Yet, the instructions given to the exiles are the instructions given to me. Pray for the land, pray for peace, pray for prosperity in the land - don't rejoice that America is going through a financial crunch, pray for to end it so MY FAMILY and I can live in peace and prosperity. Do you get it? By my presence, as the good fig that can be eaten, by my prayer that will be heard by the God who wants to prosper me, those around me will be affected in a positive way. The people of the world have no hope, nobody but themselves, I have the Lord and His heart is FOR me!

August 10

David prayed, “cast me not away from your presence.” In today’s reading God, the One who wanted to live among His people had finally been hurt enough and cast His people away from His presence. This could only come after years, decades even centuries of pleading and warning His people that this would happen if they didn’t turn from their wickedness.

The cool thing that I thought of today is that God’s covenant with me is different. He will never cast me from His presence. The debate over how far I could go from God (by my own decision) will be debated until He comes again, but what I am secure in is my sonship! My sins are paid for therefore He doesn’t treat me with wrath and anger. The only time I have prayed don’t take Your Spirit from me is when I have been wandering away from Him and I feel distant. It is me that walked away – it will never be Him and He will never take His Spirit from me. I am so thankful for the New Covenant! As the song says, “I am secure, I’m confident, that I am loved, I know who I am.”

August 9

As I was reading today I saw something that is elementary, but I never thought about it in the way I did today. It is the fact that nations are destroyed because they despised the Lord and they defied the Lord. They had their own strength, prosperity and their own gods that they worshipped, even when they worshipped (I say that loosely) the Lord. So God in His anger destroyed these nations and one day, some of them will be built again. It is as if God is sending them a message of humility to get them to turn to Him through destruction. I was thinking - God will use whatever means necessary to humble these nations even if He has to destroy them. Hmmmm….

Then I began to apply this to my life and I became a little afraid. Not in a fearful sense but in a cautious sense. God will destroy whatever need be to humble me so I won’t defy Him. I think the anti goes up when you are in ministry, or at least when you have been walking with the Lord for years. God would rather have us completely destroyed, devoid of any pride and sense of self ability because He could build us back up again to greatness. I am thinking – why don’t I just get rid of all sense of self anything so I don’t have to go through any kind of destruction or occupation by another.

Keep me humble before you Lord. I want my heart to be yours. I have nothing without you, but with you I am great and will attain greater greatness!

August 7

Today I had to work a little – be quiet before Him – wait for a Word. Nothing stood out in this short day of reading. Then it came to me, in pain it came to me. God gives us His Word, and there are some who would try to burn it up. They tear it piece by piece until it is all burned in the fire. We have to be on guard and watch out for the stealers of God’s Word from our hearts.

I not only experience people who triy to take or mitigate God’s Word in my heart, but I most often experience “thought bombs” from the enemy designed to rob me of God’s Word. Sometime I feel like people are working with the enemy, but either way the scheme is to get me to doubt and to be pre-occupied with the “other” thoughts that have bombed into my mind. I have got to put God’s Word on my mind all the more when the enemy comes in and tries to distract and discourage me. I am in the middle of that right now, but now this word has come to me – put My Word on your lips! Even when someone burns God’s Word, He will write it again on our minds and hearts.

August 6

Out of the blue we are told the story of Jonadab and his sons. His sons obeyed him – period. It doesn’t really matter what they obeyed, but that they obeyed. (Although what they obeyed was NOT unrighteous, which I think was important). God is now asking why His people couldn’t do the same. This speaks to me about my ability to obey and to obey is better than sacrifice (and going to church).

Often times in ministry I wonder about the capacity of people to actually choose what is right. The toxicity of their past seems to so pollute them that they can’t choose correctly. I think there is some truth in that, however it is clear to me that God holds people accountable for obedience and therefore we can obey if we choose. Therefore my proclivities to do things because of the way I was raised or because of things that happened TO me only make obedience harder not impossible. I have the power to choose righteousness and when I don’t I am without excuse even though in my humanity I can understand the reason I didn’t. In addition, when I am so bound by sin that I myself chose to embrace, that was my choosing and therefore my responsibility.

Lord, don’t let me ever excuse myself from responsibility for any reason. I know you have freed me to live righteous before you – and I am FREE! Don’t let me be deceived to think I am not.

August 5

The Lord will use whatever He wants to get His point across to us. He will speak through whomever He wants and will chastise us using whatever means He chooses. There is no doubt to the above facts, but what I heard in today’s reading is that God’s deliverance will come, but we have to wait. That means that we have to be in the “storm” until He delivers. I don’t like the storm, but want to be driven safely to shore - immediately, but God at times, has ordained that I stay on the sea in the storm for His purposes. To be honest, I don’t like that, especially the analogy with the sea all churned up until I am sick, but I guess this is where I am really challenged to submit isn’t it. Submitting to blessing or even to some act of obedience seems easier than waiting for His deliverance while in the middle of difficulty.

Remember me, your son Lord. Don’t delay too long, but deliver me. Sustain me while I wait.

August 4

Egypt was full of themselves, and so was Babylon. God was saying to them, you cannot and will not be able to sustain yourselves because I will be against you. You think you have it all together and are strong, but not strong enough for my will!

I can’t imagine even being at a place where I think I have conquered so many things and am “something else” and can sustain myself. But pride is sneaky! I must understand my enemy wants me to think I am “all that” so I will forsake God to ANY extent. He will settle with the smallest forsaking. I must keep watch over my heart.

God when you bring me successes, remind me that I am nothing but clay in your hands and a tool within your Kingdom. I am satisfied to be used by you and to partner with you, don’t let me think more highly than I should about myself. I am your son, keep me in that thought – that is high, a good high!

August 3

Josiah did so many great things. In fact he almost single handedly averted the judgment of God towards Judah. But as we will see, their hearts really had not turned towards the Lord with conviction as they will go back to the old practices under a new king. It is the end of Josiah’s life that interests me.

He picked a fight with Egypt and lost. Neco told him that he wasn’t coming against him so back off, but Josiah felt like it was his job to stop this bully king. It was an honorable thing to do in a way, but without God, it was simply dumb. He died because of it.

There are so many causes, so many ministries, so many people groups that I could minister to, but God is warning me to stay on vision – stay on task. If I try to fight against the wrong evil, I may die because of it. Whether it is in ministry, as I am taking it, or elsewhere, ONLY FIGHT THE FIGHTS YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED TO FIGHT! Seek the Lord and ask Him if you will have victory. Ask Him if He has called you to this ministry – if not, stop immediately – if so, go for it!

Give me wisdom, prudence and vision for what I should be doing and to whom. There I will find Your strength and Your victory.