To Give Is to Gain

Give freely and you will gain even more. Hoard it all to the last morsel and drop and you will lose even that. God's economy is counter-intuitive, but if you follow His principles, blessings in abundance, with peace and prosperity, surely will come.

July's Message, Day 8:

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25 NIV

Yes, here it is again. The "you reap what you sow" principle. Give freely of yourself and your resources and you will gain even more in abundance and be refreshed as well. That's how God's economy works. Keep it all to yourself and hoard every last morsel, and you will lose even that. Matthew 13:12 (NIV) states it this way: "Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." It sounds harsh and counter-intuitive, but remember, God's upside-down Kingdom is meant to confound the wise in their own eyes. Give and you will receive, bless others and you will be blessed, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Just follow God's principles, not the world's, and peace and prosperity will come.

Serve Him Not Self

Have you chosen your way yet? Serving Him or serving self? Serving Him brings glory, honor, peace, and immortality. Serving self brings wrath and anger, trouble and distress. It's an easy and free choice, and God shows no favoritism, He just asks each of us to come.

July's Message, Day 7:

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. Romans 2:7-11 NIV

Glory, honor, peace, and immortality apart from Him is impossible. Persistence in doing good is first and foremost following Him and knowing His truth. To reject Him and reject the truth, means you are self-seeking and self-serving, following the way of evil, and will ultimately bring about His wrath and anger, with trouble and distress. Choose you this day whom you will serve. It's a free choice and there are certainly consequences for each option. God does not show favoritism, He just beckons each of us to come. Which path have you chosen? Glory, honor, peace, and immortality, or wrath, anger, trouble, and distress? Seek and serve Him, not self.

By His Hand Not Yours

Revel in your accomplishments, revel in your successes, and revel in all the things that God has done and given to you. It is by His hand, not yours, that all this has come about. Freely He gives, but remember, just as easily can He take away. You best be pointing to Him.

July's Message, Day 6:

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NIV

Let's not forget the One who is our Maker and Source of all good things. Do not be deceived by pride and seriously think that simply by your own power, strength, and abilities, that you've acquired and accomplished all the successes in your life. God blesses and provides, He allows and enables successes, and He has given you those talents and abilities. Never forget, too, that in a single moment your health may fail, your possessions may be stripped away, job and career lost, loved ones gone, and you could be left with nothing and unable to start over. Sorry, but it is a reality check, for truly the Lord gives and has the ultimate power to take away. You are not in control, He is. Boast in Him and all He's done and given to you, for it is all by His hand not yours.

Have Confidence and Pray

Respect our leaders and be confident in them, for God has placed them in positions of authority just as He has placed us. Pray for them, pray for positive change, and pray that you’ll grow closer to God as well.

July's Message, Day 5:

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. Hebrews 13:17 NIV

We all must give an account to Christ, and His rewards or the withholding of such, will be done in perfect righteousness. We are called to be confident in those in authority, because God has placed them, too, just as He has placed us in our positions. Be responsible, submit to authority, pray for our leaders that God may guide and direct them, and pray for positive change. Never underestimate the supreme power of prayer. Prayer is our greatest tool for change, our greatest weapon against the evil of this world, and the greatest means we have to get close to God.

Independently Dependent

For Independence Day:  Be independently dependent on God. Without Him we are nothing. We were created that way. With Him we are victorious conquerors of this life, and nothing coming against us can prevail. Without Him we’ll be crushed by every obstacle and enemy that comes our way.

July's Message, Day 4: For Independence Day

But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten. Jeremiah 20:11 NIV

Independence from oppressors and persecutors is a wonderful thing, and we in America are truly blessed. But even better than independence is dependence on God. That is the way we were created. Apart from Him we are nothing. When He is with us, no one and no thing, can stand against us and prevail. So we must revel in our freedom and live dependently on Him. That will bring about great victories in our lives, and great joy and peace that comes with living our lives for Him.  

Most Importantly, Pray

For Sunday:  Pray wholeheartedly, pray consistently, pray with passion, pray with confidence, pray with anticipation, and pray effectively. Nothing is more important and nothing is more powerful than prayer. Great will be your reward.

July's Message, Day 3: For Sunday

It's all about prayer. It's about talking to God and letting your requests be known and letting your heart be seen. Just like anything else, to be proficient and effective, you have to practice it often. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your prayers answered in powerful ways.

Day 27:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7 NIV

Day 28:

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Colossians 4:12 NIV

Day 29:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:18-20 NIV

Day 30:

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16 NIV

Day 1:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:5-8 NIV

Day 2:

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NIV

The Divine Whisper is listening. Are you praying and talking to Him, and letting your heart be open? 

Pray, Cooperate, Press On

Be worthy, be transformed by His power, and let His glory shine through. Continually pray and press on, learning from the past, changing in the now, and hoping for the future.

July's Message, Day 2:

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NIV

The single most important thing that you should be praying for yourself and for others, is that God's Spirit would continually transform, mold, and shape each of us into the godly person that He wants us to be. We are made worthy by His power, bringing forth the transformation of the mind and the renewal of the heart. It is by this transformation that we bring glory to Him and His glory shines through us. Pray constantly for this change to take place and for your cooperation with this change. If you are not willing and resist, change will not take place, and you will live the life of a believer stuck in quicksand, never able to break free into the realm of spiritual maturity. You must throw off the chains daily and grab His hand to pull you out of the muck and mire of your past and press on toward the bright future He's prepared for you.