Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all
integrity a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
Isaiah 45:22-23
A promise is only as good as the one giving or representing that promise. Can they deliver what they promise? What has their track record been in the past? What happens if they change their minds?
God has sworn BY himself, there is no one higher. He is, as the saying goes, “where the buck stops”. He is God there is none above Him none equal to Him none that will save Him or make good His promises if He can’t. HE IS!!! His integrity is on the line with each word He has spoken. Likewise, each word He has spoken cannot be revoked or overruled by another—no one has that power. Not Satan, you, me…NO ONE. What God has said WILL remain, never to be erased, never to be improved upon, never to be changed…NEVER!
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times,
what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please…..
What I have said that will I bring about
what I have planned, that will I do.
Isaiah 46:10-11
No matter what circumstances have been brought into our lives, nothing can negate what God has spoken and put in to place before time as we know it even existed. Whatever we face today there is Someone who is above it all, perhaps even right in the midst of it waiting for us to open our closed fists and allow Him to work it all out for His purpose within us.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
CONDUITS
You are My witnesses," declares the LORD,
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
"I, even I, am the LORD,
And there is no savior besides Me.
"It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD,
"And I am God.
"Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?"
Isaiah 43:10-13
Our part:
KNOW…to perceive, distinguish, discriminate, acknowledge, confess, know by experience, be revealed, be instructed
BELIEVE….to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in, pillars, supporters of the door
UNDERSTAND…acted wisely, consider, diligently consider, discern, intelligent ,interpret, investigating, look carefully, observe, perceive,
God’s part:
DECLARE…to be conspicuous, tell, make known
SAVE… liberate, save, delivere, victorious
PROCLAIM… to hear, listen to, obey, to grant request
Reality is, God does it ALL but chooses to reveal Himself through you and me. We just need to be available and obedient, an open conduit. Sounds so simple…why do we make it so hard??
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
"I, even I, am the LORD,
And there is no savior besides Me.
"It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD,
"And I am God.
"Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?"
Isaiah 43:10-13
Our part:
KNOW…to perceive, distinguish, discriminate, acknowledge, confess, know by experience, be revealed, be instructed
BELIEVE….to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in, pillars, supporters of the door
UNDERSTAND…acted wisely, consider, diligently consider, discern, intelligent ,interpret, investigating, look carefully, observe, perceive,
God’s part:
DECLARE…to be conspicuous, tell, make known
SAVE… liberate, save, delivere, victorious
PROCLAIM… to hear, listen to, obey, to grant request
Reality is, God does it ALL but chooses to reveal Himself through you and me. We just need to be available and obedient, an open conduit. Sounds so simple…why do we make it so hard??
Thursday, January 6, 2011
SERVING AS EVIDENCE
Last year I used the Bible In Chronological order as my devotional source. This year I’m focusing on a Biblical theme each month: witnessing, salvation, healing, Holy Spirit, etc.
I would love to hear your thoughts on these life-paths we live every day, even though at times we may not realize or understand the path we are on.
Witnessing
My trusty old dictionary describes two words critical to this theme:
(1) witness as “evidence; testimony; a person who saw, or can give a first and account of something; to be present; see personally; to serve as evidence of”;
(2) evident/evidence as “easy to see or perceive, clear, obvious or plain; something that makes another thing evident, indication, sign; something that tends to prove.”
To “serve as evidence of” and “something that tends to prove” is more than just SPEAKING of evidence but living (SERVE) as proof of that evidence.
To be a good witness we must be credible or our testimony will not hold any weight. We must have firsthand knowledge of what we witness or else it is hearsay. In a courtroom others can rebut what is said. Likewise in the world others will try to refute our verbal testimony of a living God.
Because we not only experience His power but are evidence of His power (He lives in us), will we by our actions prove He does or doesn’t exist?
“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.” Psalm 96:4-6
As believers, confessors and followers of Christ, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19; Rom 8:11). It is His strength and glory that should be witnessed by the world around us…through difficult or peaceful times. Today let us serve to those around us as evidence of the resurrection and power of the one and only true Living God.
I would love to hear your thoughts on these life-paths we live every day, even though at times we may not realize or understand the path we are on.
Witnessing
My trusty old dictionary describes two words critical to this theme:
(1) witness as “evidence; testimony; a person who saw, or can give a first and account of something; to be present; see personally; to serve as evidence of”;
(2) evident/evidence as “easy to see or perceive, clear, obvious or plain; something that makes another thing evident, indication, sign; something that tends to prove.”
To “serve as evidence of” and “something that tends to prove” is more than just SPEAKING of evidence but living (SERVE) as proof of that evidence.
To be a good witness we must be credible or our testimony will not hold any weight. We must have firsthand knowledge of what we witness or else it is hearsay. In a courtroom others can rebut what is said. Likewise in the world others will try to refute our verbal testimony of a living God.
Because we not only experience His power but are evidence of His power (He lives in us), will we by our actions prove He does or doesn’t exist?
“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.” Psalm 96:4-6
As believers, confessors and followers of Christ, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19; Rom 8:11). It is His strength and glory that should be witnessed by the world around us…through difficult or peaceful times. Today let us serve to those around us as evidence of the resurrection and power of the one and only true Living God.
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