Love you all, praying for you,
When was the last time you thanked God for that thing you didn’t do? Do you have any recent examples? The Holy Spirit will always prompt you. God promised He would send the Holy Spirit to lead you in all truth, and to tell you things to come. It’s the Holy Spirit that leads you in the way God has chosen for you. That includes things to do and things not to do, or not to do yet… One of the first ways He does that is that still small voice that prevents you from saying that thing that you were about to say. You thought it and you want to, so you say it. But as you grow in the Spirit – you are getting better at hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying to you right now, in this moment, and doing it or not doing it depending on what He says. Have you thanked him recently for that thing you didn’t do? Because He said, “Wait, it’s not time for that yet?” Maybe in a conversation with someone, it’s just time to listen, not time to share that thing they’re missing that’s so obvious, but it’s not time yet, because they are not ready yet. God will tell you – by the Holy Spirit. Some people don’t heed, they keep going. And without obeying that still small voice of the Holy Spirit – you walk into something He was trying to give you a heads up on, or you miss out on something that’s a timely word or act that will bring blessing, impact, like that timely word, like apples of gold in settings of silver. Whatever you feed grows – flesh or spirit. So every time you obey that prompting of the Holy Spirit – the louder that still small voice becomes. Sometimes it’s a door that He’s trying to close for you. Stop! Don’t even continue that thought, don’t go down that thought path, or have that ‘internal conversation with yourself’ – it’s not faith, it’s doubt. And without faith it’s impossible to please Him. Even that small thing – that you didn’t do, that’s worth thanking God for! It’s how He is growing you, and maturing you. He’s teaching you to heed, so you can be directed by Him – into the good that He has for you. Sometimes it’s a bigger decision. Maybe even something that God has for you – but the time is not yet. Acts 16:6 – Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in the province of Asia.” This is something God said, “Don’t do,” and they didn’t. How did they know? Was it like Balaam – whose donkey crushed his foot against a wall because an angel with a drawn sword was standing in the path to destroy him, and he just couldn’t see it because he was so operating in his fleshly desires and wants, that he missed what was happening in the spiritual world around Him? No, the Bible doesn’t say that… Paul knew just like you and me know… The Holy Spirit prevented him. He spoke in Paul’s spirit – and it came across his mind. And Paul had a choice to obey or press forward anyway… But Paul was an apostle, he was doing what he was called to do – his life’s purpose – go to new areas to preach the good news of Jesus, and plant churches that would reach the entire region with the hope of eternal life… True, but that’s not what God wanted him to do right now – it wasn’t time yet, God’s fullness of time. Rather than keep going, He obeyed that prompting of the Holy Spirit in the moment, and changed course immediately. It became the thing that He didn’t do. One of the most important skills to develop in the Kingdom of God – quick obedience. Your effectiveness depends on it. It comes down to faith – without which, it’s not possible to please God. Faith that the still small voice is really God, and that this command to go, or stay, or say or refrain – is really what He said… Faith always grows by action – doing immediately what He prompted you, or immediately not doing… because He told you not to, and choosing to do what He told you - instead. Whether thinking, speaking, praising, going, staying – The Holy Spirit will direct you and guide you – if you listen and respond in faith. It’s that instant in obedience that confirms His voice. My wife shared something with me a few days ago. The number seventeen, and it’s meaning and significance in the spirit… Because the date was the seventeenth and God prompted her to look it up. But in that moment the Holy Spirit also prompted her – ‘don’t look ahead at the number 18.’ So she didn’t – she told me what He said, and I said, “You better not.” That’s the instant – that moment of truth - where you decide to obey – or not. Did God really say that? Was that really Him, or not? Was it Him speaking or just my imagination – (let me look up and see what 18 says – to see if that was really Him – I’m just curious…) Be careful… Do you see how easy it is to doubt and do what God says – “It’s not time for yet?” and end up doing it anyway. Is it really that important? Absolutely. How can you go where God leads, if you don’t stay when God says stay? And how will you ever do the big things, if you don’t first prove faithful in the little? Those who don’t understand the things of the Spirit of God, who haven’t been filled with the Holy Spirit – would think that is silly or crazy. But when you have walked with Him, and learned to hear His voice – you just know it’s Him, you get better with practice. Don’t do it – if He said wait. Trust Him. But what if that wasn’t really Him? That’s not your business. Anything thing He tells you will take faith… Just do what He said, that’s the faith that pleases Him. He will reveal the why… soon enough. Just do what He leads in this moment, and you will grow in your ability to hear Him again. You will get the blessing of obeying - whether a blessing added, or the blessing of a pitfall avoided. That’s His business – your business is to just obey what you hear, and trust what He says. Can you remember when you were completely unaware of these things? What a landlocked, gravity-bound life that was! How boring. Praise God He leads you even in the little things! Those are what prepares you for the big things. Praying that you will get really good at quick obedience, instant in obedience in what God tells you by His Holy Spirit leading you. That you would remember even those little things you didn’t do…and thank God for them. You don’t need to understand them all, but obedience will always grow you – and it will always start with the little, and prepare you for the big. How do you get better at this? PiVAT before dinner is the best place to start - Get God’s plan for you for tomorrow – you really need it anyway! Know the times He has assigned, just do it, on time, don’t miss – it’s Holy Spirit listening and obeying practice. It means the difference between the miracles of God, or the plans you can come up with – not even close! PRISM – your time in His Word – those five things you can do – will only reinforce your ability to hear with the ears of your spirit, and see with your spiritual eyes – not your natural ones which can’t see the real, only what appears real. Praying that you will be instant in obedience today, that you will remember to thank and praise Him for the things you didn’t do – because He said, “Not time for this right now,” and the things you did because He said, “Now’s the time!” Because you are getting better at doing today – what He said at this time, in this hour, with joy and faith and the praise that draws Him. Praying that your day would be a supernatural day, because you are walking in the Spirit, not your understanding. It removes the limits, raises the ceiling, and opens the door to the impossible things – that He wants to do in you! Praying that you have that kind of day today, so you can live that kind of life. His life in you! It’s so much better! Love you all, dad
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Love you all, praying for you,
Psalms 25:12 – Who, then, is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. Why learn the fear of the LORD? It’s worth it! You are not fearing God for nothing! If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will take pleasure in you, God will keep his eyes on you, God will instruct you in the way chosen for you. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will bless you, God will provide food for you, you will lack nothing, God will fulfill your desires. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… His love for you will be greater than the heavens are higher than the earth, God will confide in you and show you his covenant, God will make His Salvation near to you, God will raise a banner of victory for you to fly in the face of reality, God will encourage you by His Holy Spirit. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will hear your cry, God will save you, God will help you, God will deliver you. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will give you wisdom, God will give you knowledge, God will give you good understanding, God will make wisdom and knowledge the firmness of every season of your life, God will instruct you in wisdom, God will bring you the riches of salvation, deliverance, victory, and prosperity. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will give you wealth, honor, and life, blessing and prosperity will be yours, your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children will be like olive shoots around your table, yes, this will be the blessing of the man who fears the LORD. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… the Angel of the LORD will encamp around you, God will give you life, God will give you contentment, trouble will not touch you. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will show himself strong on your behalf, God will have compassion on you as a father has on his children, God will hold victory for you, He will be your shield, He will guard your course, He will protect your way, His great goodness will be stored up for you, and He will accomplish it in full view of everyone! If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will make you pure in His sight, God will help you depart from evil, God will make you escape from the snares of death, God will make you dwell in safety, you will not fear evil, or harm, or disaster, God will cause you to live in confidence, God will give your children a place of refuge. If you will learn the fear of the LORD… God will make sure things go well with you, God will make His glory dwell in your land, God will make sure you always prosper, God will give you long life, God will increase His Kingdom through you, God’s mercy towards you will endure forever, God will make the Fear of the LORD to be your treasure, your children will be mighty in the earth, and your generation will be blessed. God will give his righteousness to your children’s children. You are not fearing God for nothing… It’s worth it! Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
In an impure world, how important is purity? – Very. God says, the pure in heart will see God. Pure is always better… Impure is always of less or no value. That means it’s a requirement to enter His presence, and if you don’t have it, God is hard to see. Just like a ticket or reservation, without one, you can’t get in. What is purity? Pure – unmixed, untainted, having no extraneous matter. Like pure gold – no fillers or foreign substance mixed in. Most people think of pure as it applies to sexual purity – all physical and emotional desires, actions and thoughts and imaginations, kept within the bond of marriage alone. Job says, “I’ve made a covenant with my eyes, not to look lustfully at a woman.” And purity also refers to foreign gods, idols, or anything that competes with the One True God for your affections and the Lordship of your life. A pure heart… Loving money more than God is friendship with the world, and enmity towards God. Perversity is not perverted, it’s perverse - thinking something other than what God said, turning it over in your mind until you justify the contrary. Perverse lips – that give credence to perverse thoughts, other options than what God said, is what makes you that double-minded man – unstable in all He does. Pure faith – not mixed, not strong one day and shrinking back the next, not giving up when things don’t look good or seem impossible. Praying that you will review the PRISM Topic – Purity. The power of God’s Word on a single topic, and this is a powerful one. God tells you what purity is, how to walk with it, and the power to do it. Praying that you will be single of mind, single of heart, and know the grace that God gives to say no to anything less than pure. Praying that you will stay strong in His Word will, that it will make you single minded, single of heart, completely faithful to the LORD in every way, that the fear of the LORD would keep you from all evil or compromise, doubt or double-mindedness... so your life is unmixed, untainted, undefiled, so the Holy Spirit can flow through you without hindrance. His Word is the secret weapon. Taking heed is the requirement, and His Grace is the power you need for it. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you noticed that the devil has tricks and traps that are so easily to fall into. If you walk in the flesh – by your natural mind, and desires – you will easily fall into them. But if you walk in the Spirit – by the Holy Spirit giving you the mind of Christ – they become obvious. The devil always wants to make minors majors, and majors minors. First, if you think what God deems important, as unimportant – you’ll miss it, and be held accountable for it, or at the least, miss out on the blessing it brings. And if you believe the minors are major – you will be misguided and frustrated, and your misplaced efforts and beliefs will keep you from what could really move you forward. I’m so thankful for PRISM Read the Word – just reading in context, more than just a verse or two, but getting a broader picture of what God is saying. If someone asked you, “Do you live by Matthew 18?” Hopefully you will say yes. The clear instruction of how we are to handle and manage offenses and disagreements between brothers and sisters in Christ. The Godly way of going first to the person who offended us, and create the opportunity between just the two of you to make things right, and maintain relationships. Not go to others first, and create turmoil in the whole community. The equal and opposite command, if you know you were the one who caused the offense, leave your offering at the altar and first go and make things right, then come and give your money offering, or your praise offering. This is not talking about those who will hate you because they hate the righteous, it’s when you think you’re right, but you are not guiltless, or you treated someone in a manner that does not reflect God’s love for them, make it right. These are clear instructions from God. I just love how practical God’s Word is… But did you notice the assumption we made? His Word is true and powerful. But who said that was the takeaway, or even the major truth or principle from Matthew 18? Matthew 18 has several parts – and they are all true, they all give clear instruction – on issues as important as the most remembered. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” How disappointing. It’s already chapter 18, He’s half way done with His ministry – and the question most stirring in their minds and arguments is wondering who gets to be the greatest. The opposite of the humility that Jesus walked in and was trying to teach him. How discouraging. He made it clear. The one with child-like faith is the greatest, and unless you become like this child in humble belief and obedience, you won’t be operating in the Kingdom of Heaven, you’ll still be stuck in the kingdoms of earth. He gave another clear warning – never be the one who causes others to sin, you’d be better off without hands or feet, than leading others to sin. He also spoke of the good shepherd who will leave the ninety nine, to go after the sheep that strayed. That’s how much He loves you and others… It was to teach us His love for those who can wander away if they do not keep their eyes on Him. It also speaks of how many times we should forgive – not seven times, but seventy times seven, and if you do not forgive others, neither will your father in heaven forgive you. The parable God gave about the servant forgiven thousands of dollars, yet threw the one in jail who owed him only a few bucks – was then treated as he treated others. It’s pretty important that we forgive as we have been forgiven. And in that chapter God also said this… I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Most people do not understand what that means, they neither bind nor loose, or they do both, without thinking, to their own peril. “Again I tell you, that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two of you come together in my name, there am I with them.” Some gather together in two’s but His Name is His fame, His plan, and His power, His testimony of what He did and does and will do, based on what He wants, and what He promised. It’s easy to gather in our own name, rather than His name – on our wants and desires instead of what He wants and what He’s planned.. Praying that you will know the majors and the minors, and those things that are all important, that God will reveal, that you will read His Word – and understand the full picture of what He has for you, that you won’t put one thing over another – like the Pharisees, who focused on the unimportant – like tithing down to their paperclips, but missing mercy and justice, and Jesus. Praying that you will Read the Word – for context and let the Holy Spirit lead you one step at a time, so you grow into the maturity that comes from hearing and obeying. Praying that you will rejoice in every little step. And know that God is refining you, that He’s helping you become more like Him, and what He has destined you to be. Praying that He will give you discernment from His Word – and joy in the journey of becoming, that minors and majors will take their right place in you. And that you will reflect the love that He has, that you will hate what He hates, and love what He loves, and become who He has called you to be. That you will know the whole counsel of the Word of God, the difference between majors and minors and when God has called you to each. So you walk in all that He has for you, and help others believe and walk in all that He has for them. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It’s so simple. It’s so practical. It gives you what you need exactly at the right time. God’s like that, His understanding has no limit, He sees you, He loves you, and He will give you just what you need in the moment you need it. That’s why your PRISM time is so important! Nothing is too small for Him, and nothing you go through is outside of His compassion and love for you. He cares. That’s rare. That’s Him! Psalms 25:15 – My eyes are ever on the LORD, for only he will release my feet from the snare. Have you ever seen the greatest run that never was. The running back miraculously escapes three or four or five near misses, where his head could have been knocked off, and against all odds, finally hits that hole of daylight where there is nothing but highway all the way to the endzone… and that last tackler dives and just catches his foot – and he trips and falls. The devil’s like that – rarely a head on assault, he just trips up your feet. That’s why King Julian was right – it’s all about the feet. Since you were little, you’ve heard… “If your feet are in the right place, your hands never get dirty.” But this verse gives the key to the feet. The devil is trying to make you stumble, he wants you to trip and fall, and he will use anything to trip you up. But your feet go where your eyes look. Most people look at their feet instead of looking at the LORD! Don’t fix your eyes on the snare, and try to back away, you’ll remain caught… Fix your eyes on Him, and He will make the ground rise to meet your feet. Don’t look at the problems or the waves. don’t look at the mountains or the impossibles. David said, “My eyes are ever on the LORD.” Sometimes the challenge you face requires work, and steps to take, but look to the LORD and He’ll give you the steps, He’ll direct you, and guide you, He will accelerate you and provide for you. Praying that your eyes will ever be on the LORD. How? Look up, Look at Him, Look at His Word – and speak it out loud into your heart and your life and the atmosphere will change. Praying that you will take the time to Praise today. That your prayers would be praise, not complaints. Some people don’t pray they commiserate, telling God how terrible things are. He’s not commiserating with you – He doesn’t do that. He’s working behind the scenes, He’s doing things you don’t even know about. He’s just looking to find faith in the earth. You will either falter, or stand in faith. Praying that your Praise would set your eyes, and jumpstart your faith, that your eyes will ever be on Him. It’s easy to change course. Just praise, turn on a worship set, and begin to declare His faithfulness. Just open your Bible, and begin to praise the Word. It will fix your eyes on Him, it will release you from the ankle biters – those snares that try to trip you up and stop you. God is bigger than this! God already has an answer for this, and plans for your good, and joy in the journey. If you’ll just look up and keep your eyes on Him, He will bring victory every time. Your eyes will see His glory, You will see Him coming, and you will See His faithfulness this time, just like last time, and the next time, and every time! Your eyes on Him, will get your feet free, and your life free, and you will walk on the heights where He walks. You will go with Him from grace to grace, and glory to glory. Every situation you face isn’t happy, but His joy is deeper, and His deliverance is His promise. Praying that you will keep your praise and your eyes on Him! Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever noticed one of the hardest things in life is to know what time it is? God said there is a time and season for everything under the sun. Those who walk with God, in His plans and His ways – always know what time it is. A time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to work and a time to rest. Most people rest when it’s time to work. That’s why so few people finish. They lose sight of the purpose. Some people never start, but most people start but never finish. They start well, but don’t finish well. They are starters, not finishers. A well-known children’s story was about a tortoise and a hare, who decided to have a race. a turtle versus a rabbit. The rabbit was supremely confident, he talked a good game. The tortoise didn’t really say much, he just kept going. The rabbit was so far ahead, that he decided to rest. He wasn’t a finisher. That’s why he fell asleep, while the turtle crossed the finish line. The best starter in the world is God, and there is no better finisher than Him. He worked for six days, then He rested. God knows when to work and when to rest, and He doesn’t rest when it’s time to work, neither does He work when it’s time to rest. The principal of the Sabbath is what He gave to man. Most think it’s about resting. But really, it’s about working, then resting. Knowing what time it is, and what it’s time for. The tortoise worked for a while and then rested, just like the rabbit, it’s just that the rabbit didn’t know when it was time to rest. He didn’t know the time, he didn’t understand time, and what it was time for. God talks about the tortoise and the hare. The diligent and the sluggard. The sluggard doesn’t plant in season – by reason of the cold, so at harvest he looks and finds nothing. For the foolish God says – “Let no sleep come to your eyes, plead your case with your neighbor.” It’s not time to rest, it’s time to work til the job is done. Jesus said, which of you intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost? To see if he has enough to finish, otherwise people will look and laugh and say – this guy started, but he didn’t finish. God finished – and He said it is good. Jesus – “It is finished.” David – fulfilled his purpose in his generation. Paul – “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished my course. Now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness...” Men and women of God, they finish what God said, when God said to, because they do in this hour, what God says to do. The sluggard does not finish, and they always have a reason. They don’t know what it’s time for, they are like the rabbit who is always resting when he should be working, turning over on his bed. And they foolishly boast, talkers not doers, starters not finishers. So what Has God told you to do? Have you finished? Or is your life strewn with unfinished things, things undone? You can tell un-finishers, their bed is undone, their things are undone, their promises are undone, their responsibilities are undone, like their life is undone. Uncompleted projects, many starts, few finishes. Say what you want, and you’ll think what you want, but the Godly – finish, because that’s what God does. They don’t leave things undone, they don’t leave it to someone else. They know what God told them to do, and they do it - til it’s done! Praying that you will finish today. But be careful – if you are working on something that God didn’t tell you – then finishing doesn’t matter. Your ladder is on the wrong building. Before you start or finish, make sure you have started what God said, make sure you know what time it is, and what it’s time for - what He has assigned for you, for this time. Praying that PiVAT will help you learn what God wants you to do, at what time, and when to finish. Praying you will seek Him with PIVAT Weekly, PiVAT Monthly, and that you will seek Him with PIVAT Projects – that you will know the finish dates that He has set for you, and know what He requires today – so you finish then. So you can say like He did… It is finished. So you can say like He did, “It is good,” and realize it’s the goodness of God, that directs your steps – in the Good that He is, and the good that He has for you. So have you left something unfinished that God told you to do? What has God called you to finish today? Love you all dad Love you all, praying for you,
I had a dream last night… I was at a conference of some kind in a major city, maybe a college campus as well. I was supposed to meet someone I had known in the past, who had helped me greatly. And this appointment was to go with them somewhere, that would have honored them. But they left without me, I wasn’t ready, I had no way to contact them, I wasn’t dressed for the meeting. I couldn’t remember where my room was, or the last room I stayed in, I didn’t know where my rental car was. I had no keys (no room key or car keys) and I had lost my cell phone, and I had no money, my pockets were empty. I couldn’t find anyone I knew, and was trying to borrow a phone to call someone I knew to remember where my room or my car was. And I was missing out on where I was supposed to be. Strange dream, disjointed in many ways – and I was frustrated. And then I awakened. I instantly recognized it was just a dream, I knew exactly where I was, exactly where my phone was - I reached out and touched it on my night stand. My awakening then became my reset. Every reset starts with an awakening. Have you ever gotten into a rut in your life, maybe you are now, but you haven’t even noticed it. Some unprofitable habits may have crept in, time wasters, or mis-pursuits that God never told you. Or maybe, things God told you are just not getting done. You’re starting but not finishing. Or maybe even some things that God told you, in your doing them, you have neglected the other things that still remain a need, and a requirement. You can even be going through the motions, even PiVAT or PRISM. These tools aren’t magic buttons, just a track to run on. Their power isn’t in the tool, the power is in the Word of God for you, and they only work if you then obey what He said. If you ask, God will answer. He will set the times and seasons for you, His assignments for today – but you still have to obey. One of the biggest indicators of a follower of Christ – one who yields the plans of their life to Him (like true servants, and true followers do) – is you do what He tells you at the time He said, and you stop when He says ‘times up.’ You reject distractions – either internal thoughts, or external interruptions. You don’t get caught up in other things, you fully finish what He told you. And you continue those things that need to remain. One indicator of a reset needed. Is your life in order? Is there order in your life – or disorder? Are you in His rhythm or out of rhythm with Him? Do your patterns match His instruction? Or have different patterns taken over? Before any reset, there must come an awakening. You must realize – this is just a dream, I’m now awake, and God… What would you have me do now? I’m praying that you would take time with the LORD and ask Him… Am I dreaming, is my life in your order, or my disorder? And then… praying that you would return. Awakening preceeds reset, and reset is always followed by a return to the things that God has for you in this season. The other things go, His things stay. PiVAT before dinner – those things He tells you at the times He reveals - become His instruction, not His suggestion. You don’t just check out after a certain time of the day, you check in with him throughout the day, all time belongs to Him, from the time you awake, until the time you go to bed. The things that haven’t been getting done, are now what you finish before anything else. There is an awakening, a reset, and a return. The young man suddenly realized, the pigs ate better than he did, that even the servants in his father’s house – lived better than he did. And He awakened to his fallen position. And the reset began. He quit that thing He had no business doing, and started the journey back home to his father. Not what he had been doing every day, not what he would have done that day, he just woke up – and started the journey home. And when he reached the road that led to his home, and turned into the long driveway that led up to the house on the hill… Here came his Father running towards him, throwing his arms around Him in a long embrace. He fell to his knees and begged to just be with the hired servants in his father’s house. But his Father had other plans for him. He got knew clothes and a crown on his head, his long awaited return was a celebration, and then… he served in his Father’s house – not as a hired servant, but as a son. Praying that if God has an awakening for you – that you will wake up, reset, and return. That you will know and do His PiVAT plans for you. That your obedience will be in His thing only, at His time, that you would leave behind any other thing that occupies your mind or time that is not what God has chosen for you – or told you to do. Praying you would repent, and return, that the devil would not have you mourn, but that you would celebrate with your Heavenly Father and return to exactly what He has for you at this time. There is mercy in the awakening, there is grace in the reset, and there is joy in the return. God will establish your steps in the center of His will, as we enter an unprecedented window of opportunity of a lifetime - as the Almighty God resets this nation, and brings it back to it’s original kingdom purpose. This is no time to be wandering, pursuing pleasures, or slopping pigs… God has things for you to do, to join Him in an unparalleled end time harvest. Praying that you would return every day to Him, be fully faithful in every task, and every time that He calls you to rest - that your obedience would never be just going through the motions, but it would be God setting you in motion in the express purpose that He has for you in this day, in this hour, and this week, that your joy will be full, your fellowship with Him will be sweet, and your fruit would remain. That your hand would do what He has assigned you today for His glory and your good. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever thought of some things you gotta have? That you can’t live without? Maybe your favorite pair of jeans, your favorite eye-liner, your teddy bear, your expresso machine? God says there are some things you gotta have, don’t leave home without it. Here’s one… Faith. What’s so important about faith? First what is it? God says faith is certainty, being sure of what you hope for, and certain of what you do not see. God commends people for it. It’s not only believing that what God says is true, but acting like what God says is true. It’s one of the big three… Faith, Hope, and Love. Faith speaks – your faith is a what you speak and what you do. It counts as righteousness. It’s not what makes you righteous. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus – He makes you righteous… but faith is righteousness in action. And what you say and what you do – is faith in action. You can’t have faith without doing something. James said your works prove your faith, you can’t have the first without the second. Faith changes everything – what you say, what you do, how you think, and how you treat others. You can’t please God without it. It’s not something you need, you already have it, God gave it to you at birth. It’s just small or large depending on how much you use it. It comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Whether He speaks in your spirit, or through the pages of scripture, the more you say what He says, the more your faith grows. Every time you pray in the spirit, you’re growing it. Words are the key to faith. If you believe – you speak. If the Word is near you and in your mouth, it’s in your heart, and from the overflow of your heart – your mouth speaks. Faith speaks. Jesus said on several occasions – according to your faith – it will be done for you. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit – if you’re walking in the spirit – you will walk in faith. It doesn’t have to see something – to believe it. It’s evidence in and of itself. It’s based on God and what God said, or it’s misplaced faith. I can hope to win the lotto, even have faith for it, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. Faith for something God didn’t say or promise, won’t make it happen. God said you have not because you ask not, and when you do ask, you just ask to spend it on your own pleasures – this is friendship with the world – and makes you God’s enemy, not his friend. It expresses itself through love – obeying God, and preferring others. Grace comes with it, it’s a shield that protects you, God pours it out abundantly on you, it’s what justifies you and gives you access to His grace. It gives understanding, it results in action, it works, it grows more and more, and it only takes a little to move mountains. Praying that you will review the PRISM Topic – Faith. It is just straight Word of God that will build your faith. It’s an investment in what pleases God. So what are you hoping for? Faith is the evidence of it. Is it what God wants you to hope for? Is it what God wants you to have faith for? Praying that you will ask God what to hope for, and have faith for in this season. Praying that your faith is growing, that you are reading, saying, hearing, believing, so you grow in the faith God has given you. Praying that you will know what He’s given you that faith for, that you are praying in the Spirit, so you grow in your understanding. Pray in the Spirit and you will walk in the Spirit. Praying that you will keep coming back to PRISM – those five things you can do every day in God’s Word - because when you do, and speak it from your own mouth it will get into your heart, that you overcome with – it’s what helps you go from victory to victory. You have faith – God said He gave it to you. It’s all you need, and it strengthens with use. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word – not only is it light and life and truth, there is power in every word. Proverbs 12:1 – Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. God is so direct, simple. Truth… take it or leave it. Whoever – This verse is for anybody – but not everybody, only whoever. Any time you see that Word in God’s Word – there’s always a question that goes with it. Are you the who? If not, don’t worry about it, it’s not for you. Only for those who are humble, who have ears to hear, who will hear and obey, and walk in the truth that God gives and the blessing that follows it. Loves – affection, emotional attachment, of high value, priority, can’t stop thinking about it, want to do it more than anything else. Discipline – both correction and structure, a change required (different from what you have been doing), and a new structure, process, a new sequence of steps, an established rhythm, an order – the set of steps that lead to success, and a continuance in them, that’s discipline. Knowledge – know how, the knowing that comes from experience. “Knowing and doing” kind of knowing… Most people want knowledge without discipline, but you can’t love one, without loving the other first. Hates – to consider of little value, to despise, turn away from. Correction – the confrontation of wrong, with the adjustment of course needed. Stupid – lacking sense, devoid of wisdom, absent of understanding. Anyone who determines to make God’s correction and structure, His process, His ways… their priority, who welcomes His correction, and loves the discipline of choosing and walking in His plans… They will be established in righteousness, everything God assigns them will be completed, they will walk in the way chosen for them, they will fulfill the purpose for which He created them in their generation. Praying that you will get God’s plan, that you would be consistent in PiVAT before dinner – He said the evening and morning were the first day… the best time to get his plans for you for tomorrow. Praying that you would welcome His correction, love His discipline, love His Word, and take joy in the very next step of obedience, whatever He tells you. That you will be faithful in prayer, and in faith, that you will be faithful to declare what He has declared. Praying that you will constantly check in with Him, so you don’t just run off and do… but you walk with Him step by step throughout the day. It’s where the joy is. It’s where the fruit is, it’s where the reward is. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word – it’s how you get the mind of Christ, because it is the mind of Christ. Jesus is the Word of God – in a human suit. His mind is the mind of a winner. Because Jesus wins, the devil loses - you can count on it! Most people lose. Because they think like losers think, they talk like losers talk, so they act like losers act. Even what motivates and drives them, is what motivates and drives losers, self-gain, rather than self-sacrifice and others service. Get the mind of Christ, you get the mind of a winner. PRISM is how you get the mind of Christ – PRISM – those five things you can do every day in God’s Word. It starts with humility (humble yourself to obey God – no matter what… and humble yourself to serve others - the guest of honor washing servants’ feet.) Humility then works itself out in obedience – whatever your Heavenly Father has planned for you and tells you to do. That’s why PiVAT is humble practice, and PRISM is mind-of-Christ practice. Jesus humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Obedient for a while, or obedient once in a while, is not obedient unto death. And obedient unto death doesn’t mean you have to obey and die (other than die to yourself – that’s the life of Christ… to save your life, you have to lose it). Obedient unto death - means you will be obedient for the rest of your life! No shelf-life or expiration date on obedience… you decline the choice to go your own way – and choose His way instead - for the rest of your life – obedient unto death. One thing I just love about God’s Word - obeying God is surprisingly practical, highly unusual, and extremely beneficial. Colossians 3:23-24 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the LORD rather than for your boss. (Always) Remember that the LORD will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. One of the principles of obedience to God - is the command of work. And when you work, you’re working for God. One key principle of work is to serve. First you serve your master – that’s what servants do. And when you serve your master – you can also serve your customers. And everyone is your customer – your target – to prefer others and serve them is to show the love of Jesus – and it’s good business. Boss Principle #1 - Make your boss look good. Help them succeed, because if they succeed, you will succeed. Boss Principle #2 - You are there to serve. Paul teaches this regarding spiritual leaders – and it also applies to any leaders. Hebrews 13:7 - Obey your leaders and come under their authority, for they watch your your souls as those who must give an account. Do this so their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. Have you ever thought about what God would have you to do to make your boss’s work a joy? No one thinks that way… God does, it’s how He wants you to think. Anyone who will have to give an account of you – whether spiritual leaders, or your boss at work… Help them succeed, because it honors God, and if they succeed, you will succeed. Make their job easy, not hard, and God will reward you. Joseph, Daniel, David, they all made their boss look good, because they knew their real boss. The first principle of serving your boss is know who your real boss is. The second principle of serving your boss is know their vision. Know what their goals are and what they are trying to accomplish - and do everything you can to help them achieve it. It doesn’t matter if you fully agree or not, or would do it a little differently if you were the boss, come alongside them, and help them succeed. Make their job easier! Make it a joy! The third principle of serving your boss is bring solutions, not problems. Every problem is an opportunity – not for you, but for God to show what He can do. Most people on their job or in their life, bring problems. They come to their boss with a problem. They don’t know how to serve. Your boss isn’t your problem solver – that’s your job… They are your barrier remover, and information provider. They often know what you don’t know because they are more experienced than you (be humble) and if nothing else, they are privy to more information than you are (they are in higher level meetings). Your job is to help them make the best decisions - by identifying the problem, and bringing alternate solutions, with the due diligence on each… So they can make the right call, having the due diligence already provided by you. It helps them include the factors their higher exposure gives them, and combine it with your due diligence which enables them to make the best decision. Serving your boss, making them look good, it means expediting them to the moment of decision – through the risk and benefit analysis of options… possible solutions. Every time you bring a challenge with optional solutions – they will usually have another set of questions for you, or even some further due diligence they will request - to confirm that option as the best solution. Great servants (employees) run the details for each one, and are prepared to produce the further information their boss may request, on the spot where possible. This is called the spiritual gift of anticipation. Did you just make that up? No. Jesus said, the Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and will show you things to come. Asking the Holy Spirit to anticipate your boss’s next question – is “things to come,” so you can have the research already completed for them to analyze deeper - without having to go away, and come back later. It won’t always be possible, but when it is, do it. That means you will need to bring potentially several options with further detail. There’s a risk they will make a quick decision on the first option, with the second and third becoming a mute point – tempting you to regret the effort expended to prepare them… But the research you had ready “just in case” – wasn’t a waste of time, it was an investment in success - bringing solutions, not problems. Jesus many times asked the disciples what they should do, or to do something – that they then said was not possible. Whether giving the crowds something to eat, or casting out demons. Jesus always asked them for solutions to help them grow in faith, and in hearing the solutions God gives. There is not one problem you will ever face in your life, that God doesn’t know the answer to, the key to, the exact attitude you should have, the exact response you should give, and the exact action you should take. I recently lost a microphone screen – that I carry with me to record… Upset at myself for forgetting on a road-trip, I spoke to my daughter about the kind of screen needed. And mentioned, "I’ll have to research it." Two days later – I hadn’t even gotten to that task, (I used a workaround), and on the kitchen table was a delivered package with a new microphone screen. My daughter had done the research, ordered it, had it shipped to arrive before we even had a follow-up conversation. That’s the spiritual gift of anticipation, servants of God under-promise, and over deliver. They anticipate, and take the immediate action that the Holy Spirit prompts them to, to bless their boss, and make their job easier… to make it a joy! That’s just the excellence of Christ. It’s the mind of Christ. It’s seeking opportunity, in the midst of challenge or setback, asking God, taking action, and bringing solutions. It’s just Godly. Praying that you will ask the Holy Spirit to help you develop that spiritual gift of anticipation. That you would bring solutions, not problems, Because if Jesus is in you – He is the answer, He has answers for you, and when you call – He answers. Love you all, dad |
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