Gerald's 2018 Daily Messages

2018 Journal of Ministry Messages

This Year’s Collection of Words of Life Shared in My Daily Time Alone with God

By Gerald L. Prater

Copyright 2019 Gerald Prater

Smashwords Edition

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Foreword

I want to thank all of those people who my Father placed in my path (even before any of us realized it) to encourage me at times when He knew there would not be any wind in my sails. Thank you to everyone who recognized the depth of these messages and strongly encouraged me to write this book. You know who you are and more importantly, our Father knows precisely who you are. My next steps will be to go back and continue to edit the previous nine years of materials to make this book the first of a series.

Most of all, thank You Lord Jesus for all of the ways that You have gone out of Your way to bless me (even through pain) so that I could truly be blessed beyond measure by being able to be a blessing to others. My Lord is the ultimate inspiration and source of this volume and the entire series. That blessing and ultimately You, Lord, are and has always been what sustains me. I humbly surrender at Your feet.

Your servant

Table of Contents

Detailed Table of Contents

Foreword

Table of Contents

Introduction

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

References

Alphabetical List of Hyperlinks

About the Author

Introduction

This is not a typical book that you might sit and read end to end. It contains a collection of my daily journal writings and postings describing my quiet time with the Lord during this year. I have been writing and posting these messages on Face Book for the past 10 years (they are all still there online in my profile). Last year I commented that there was enough of this material in my profile that if it were compiled and edited it could make a book of several hundred pages. In late 2017 several of my friends encouraged me to take time to sit down and write that book. This first book represents the first fruits of that effort. It is not my intention to sell this book or profit financially from it, but to simply share with anyone who is able to get a copy and benefit from it. Through it I want to share about the wonderful things that the true and living God is still doing in the world today. Just as He did throughout the Old and New Testaments, our Father in heaven is still using simple things from surprising places to reach out to and get the attention of His children.

More Overview of the Book Series

After beginning this effort to consolidate and edit these writings from the past decade, I determined that it was best to break them up into 1-year books due to the size of the materials. Also, I decided to start with this year (2018) as the first volume and then go backward in the journey with subsequent volumes. My reasoning for this was two-fold:

1) The materials and messages from this year (2018) were very powerful and had a sense of urgency that the spirit showed me should not be put off and given a lower priority in this publishing effort. If done at the end of the series, these points could be lost in the details or overlooked completely.

2) As we are doing in my current study of the Old Testament at the Reveal Resource Center (food bank), I think there is great value and insight into going backward into the story and seeing how it developed while already knowing what was coming. When I started this Old Testament study at the food bank, I termed it Backing Into the Old Testament as we began with the last book of Malachi.

My next steps will be to go back and continue to edit the previous nine years of materials to make this book the first of a series.

Once again, this book is not the typical one you might find with the classical manuscript format and progressive story line. It is simply a log or journal documenting the things I discussed with my Father throughout the year in my time talking to Him and listening. Usually with me asking Him what do You want me to do or say today? There is no organized story line or methodology. You will simply see how the days played out in the year of someone focusing daily on being about the business of my Father.

When you look through the table of contents, you will see that the book is arranged in chronological order throughout the year. Each daily message is identified by a chapter heading consisting of the date of the message followed by a general title that describes the theme of the message. With that in mind, you can peruse in order my date or search topically through the titles. Note that in this year’s initial volume there were several series themes that I was led to research and write. One in particular is a series in the middle of the year with numerous messages on the topic of Truth today. There are also themes on other areas that were discussed to a lesser extent, including discussions on prayer. These topical areas are easily located by perusing the detailed table of contents looking at the entry titles.

There is not a message for every day of the year, but on a few days I published several messages. Some messages are very short or simple statements or video links that spoke to me in that moment. Some are lengthy discussions or narratives that delve into topic areas that I felt led by the Lord to research and discuss. At the end of the day, this is a living document which represents most of my prayer, devotional and communion time as it occurred throughout 2018. It is an intimate view into my spiritual journey in this, the eleventh year since the Lord got my attention and changed my life along with my vocation.

If you would like to see a brief introduction to the author, please don’t overlook the Reference section at the end of the book and the About the Author page.

Thanks again,

God bless and keep us all.

January

1/1/18 – New Years Day Message

I was up again very early this morning praising my Father in heaven for this new day of a new week of a new month of a new year (see a pattern?) Indeed new opportunities for a new beginning and a new life. I have so much to be thankful for even though I would not have chosen much of it. You are always on your throne and You know what You are doing (Your plan is always perfect). Thank You for allowing us to be able to see Your hand at work and to KNOW THAT IT'S YOU!!

Thank You for all of the awesome things that You are doing right here in and among Your children.

How's that for a New Year's greeting?

I wish you a Happy and Blessed New Year's beloved family and friends. I am looking forward to it!! God bless!!

For Every Mountain - Kurt Carr

1/1/18 – Father’s Love Letter

This is a beautiful video-poem about the depth of our Father’s love for us.

Father's Love Letter Video

1/2/18 – Physics and Spirituality

As the new year of 2018 started, I found myself dealing with a situation that caused me to feel highly frustrated, emotionally injured, and attacked. As a result of this pain, I felt desires toward tendencies to fall back on ways that I used to respond in the past before my rebirth in Christ. Remember, I am a retired Air Force master sergeant who at the height of my military career could easily tell you how things were going to go with very loud, expressive, and colorful language. Yes, there is still an old, fleshly, foul-mouthed man inside of me that wants to come out during times of stress and pain.

As I contemplated this response and asked God why this was happening, He reminded me of a few things He had just in recent days been showing me. He reminded me of this movie that He had pointed me to as the year came to an end. The name of the movie was The Privileged Planet (I posted a free link on my wall at the end of 2017). I had watched it several times during the weekend noting the powerful message that it spoke about the earth and its special position in God’s creation. I noted how it’s in the ideal spot for not just life to inhabit it, but also a perfect location for us to be able to observe His creation (the universe). Finally, the physics connection…

Along with this ideal position and ability to observe, God gave us the ability to analyze and understand many complex properties of this very vast universe through the science of physics. Hang with me for a sec, this is going someplace…

When I was in school, I took some advanced classes and studies, but never took on physics or the advanced math classes that support it like trigonometry and calculus. Today I did some research into introductory physics and found that it reinforced the general theme and message from that Privileged Planet movie and how God is making His presence and His hand at work so very obvious. He is showing us at the sub-atomic level and all the way out to the universe level. Through noted scientists and physicists like Albert Einstein and others, He has allowed us to be able to gaze into the vastness of His creation, to understand these laws and principals that hold it all together, and to document it with mathematical formulas.

Yet with all of the vast areas of knowledge that we have gained through the study of physics, there are acknowledged areas where science can not prove through testing what is obviously there. One example is who created or designed this delicately balanced system of universal laws? There are some things that are obviously there that the science of physics can’t prove (we call them metaphysics). In these areas of metaphysics, based on what we can observe and understand undeniably about God’s hand through physics, we are called to just trust Him. Again, we don’t understand how or why it all works, but we do see clearly that someone is making it all work (He is making it obvious all around us). See Psalms 19 and Romans 1:19-20

Let's return back to my struggle in the beginning of this post… He reminded me again that based on what I have already seen and known about Him, I should trust Him even when I don’t always understand. His plan is good (universal… bigger than just me).

May the God, the creator of the heavens and the earth keep you in perfect peace tonight… rest assured. Shalom

1/4/18 – The Presence of the Lord is Here

This is a powerful devotional and testimony – it is worth the read. I will Praise You in this Storm!!

My Father in heaven spoke to me so very powerfully and clearly this morning confirming again that He is here with me, indeed with all of us, His children in an intimate and very personal way. He confirmed that when we pray in His will, He is listening very attentively and focusing on us as if He (the all-powerful God of the universe) is alone with us right in the same room. THAT is the kind of love He has for each one of us, His children.

This is how He spoke to me and confirmed His message and presence early this morning. Last night as I prepared to lie down, I found myself once again meditating on Jeremiah 29:11. This is the famous passage where He had me to begin about a month ago with my exploration of the life of Jeremiah. I continued on and took in the verses that come immediately after this verse. Here God told the people of Judah, who were in a bad situation in captivity, that they would call on Him and that He would hear them (verse 12, one of God’s promises). He goes on to say in verse 13 that they will seek Him and will find Him when they diligently seek Him (another promise). Finally in verse 14 He seals the deal and reinforces that they (we) will find Him and that He will bring them back from the bad situation they are in (captivity). He showed me that His promises are unconditional and never changing. Therefore when we pray based on His promises, our prayers can be powerful and highly effective. If we believe and our prayers and based on a detailed understanding of His word and promises, then our response should be faith and trust that is also unconditional and independent of the situations around us or anxiety that we may feel. That, my brothers and sisters is faith that truly saves!!!

Then it got better when I received further confirmation. Early this morning when I took part in my daily devotional and prayer, the word that was given was from Psalms 63:1-8 where David prayed from the wilderness. David sought Him early in the morning with his whole heart. He did this in spite of the situation that was going on around him (he was running for his life in that wilderness). He demonstrated unconditional faith and gave praise in advance even before deliverance came. In verse 5, David says that the presence of the LORD is the only thing that satisfies him (remember he is running in the wilderness) and that he would praise Him with joyful lips (unconditional praise). THAT is the kind of faith that saves.

By the end of this morning’s prayer call, I was about ready to explode from the joy of knowing that the presence of the LORD is right here in this room and that He is making it so very obvious.

So what can I say? Here I am LORD, send me!!

MARANATHA!!

1/5/18 – Inspiration (It’s Very Personal)

This is the word of the Lord that came upon me last night and early this morning. As I laid down, He reminded me of the last verse in 2 Peter chapter 1 where Peter says that none of the scripture prophesy is by interpretation of man (although it was indeed written by men), but it is the true word of God that He spoke using the Holy Spirit to speak through holy men (2 Peter 1:21). As I laid down, I pondered this point and then I woke up early this morning to read and meditate on all of chapter 1. And this is what the Lord spoke to me once again about His precious promises for us, His children.

Peter starts out the letter praying for the believers and assuring them they will have the amazing grace and peace of God. How would this grace and peace come to them? It would come through the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowledge is the key here. This is knowledge that is very personal. It is not based on something that someone else has told or taught us, but it is intimate knowledge we have obtained. This is intimacy that He (the Lord Jesus) initiated when He came here to be a living example for us. The Word (the creator God from Genesis) was made flesh and dwelled among us so that He could be an example for us to observe and learn from.

When we do that (gain knowledge of Him), Peter says in verse 4 that we are given exceeding great and precious promises of God and are able to be partakers of His divine nature. We are able leave behind the evil lusts and self-centered tendencies that are in our nature.

Then Peter goes on in verses 5-7 to show how we take the path of growth in our spiritual walk by earnestly seeking help from Him to go from faith to virtue (goodness), to more knowledge of Him, to the ability to exercise self-control (temperance), to the ability to be patient and wait on God (endurance), to the ability to live godly lives, which leads to care for our brothers and then ultimately Godly love.

This is the journey that this knowledge of Jesus leads us on as we grow from just believing with simple head knowledge to being able to love like God loves (unconditionally). If we grow in this way, we will bear much fruit in our lives demonstrating the benefits of the knowledge that we have received of the Lord Jesus as we grew. So we should do this (seek to learn and grow in His grace) earnestly and not to be distracted by the temporal and unimportant things of this world. And we can ensure ourselves of an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God and help others around us… things that are most important.

He reinforced to me the importance of the intimacy of this knowledge of Him. This should be important to us because it (intimate relationship) is so very important to Him. He showed me how in Genesis He (the Word) created everything in the universe by just speaking the Word of power and it came into being. But when it came to creating man, He got very personal and intimate, using His hands to create us in His own image. And that same creator God came into this world in the New Testament (the Word became flesh and dwelled among us) to once again demonstrate that intimacy and to allow us to see Him, learn from His example (gain knowledge of Him) and to grow in His grace. He wants us to learn the extent of what we can do in our lives as we live following His example. (Assuredly I tell you that you will do these things that I do and more).

In the end, He desires that we (all of us) could be one with Him with lives just like the writers of the bible, writing and speaking the precious and living words of the living God (not what we ourselves feel or think).

Have Your way in us, to us, and through us Holy Father as You continue to carry out Your plan. Hallelujah!!

This is all indeed very personal

1/5/18 – The First Week

As I prepare to lie down for the night and close out this first week of 2018, I just want to shout to the hills that I believe in God the Father!! I believe in Jesus Christ the Son!! I believe in the Holy Spirit!! Our God is Three in One!!

I believe that the LORD created the heavens and the earth and delicately designed you and me right down to the molecular level. We were intricately designed as beings in His own image so that we could know Him and the power of His sufferings. He did this so that we could know Him not just with head knowledge, but could know Him intimately and could want to be just like Him.

I believe He came here and lived among us as a normal man (fully God but also fully man) to demonstrate for us an example of how we could/should live and be like Him. I believe that as a man, although He lived a perfect (sinless) life, He also demonstrated for us that (like us) He had vulnerabilities and struggles (like when He prayed to the Father if it were possible to take that cup – the cross – away from Him).

I truly believe that as God, He is sovereign on His throne and in control of all things, carrying out the plan for good that He established since before He laid the foundations of the world.

I believe in the cross of Jesus Christ and therefore I surrender all to Him!!

Have Your way Lord Jesus!!

Good night all and God bless.

1/7/18 – God of Wonders

Last week I told you about how God had led me to look into the study of the science of physics and how science that allows us to understand everything around us (God's creation) is making His presence obvious to us so that we do not have any excuse for not believing (Romans 1:20). I gave you that link to the movie that I watched several times last weekend (The Privileged Planet) and hope that you got a chance to watch it. This weekend, He brought to my attention another movie that further shows how God is making His presence so obvious. He is showing His presence not just in the heavens, but also right down to the design of all plants, animals, the delicately designed eco system, and even us (mankind). This is an excellent movie for increased understanding (it has some really excellent bible references for us to ponder). I am watching it again this afternoon with my 13-year-old son Evan. I highly recommend you watch it with your family and then discuss it afterward.

The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth displays His handiwork. The universe reveals God's omnipotence and omnipresence. And a clear understanding of this changes everything!!

Glory to God forever. God bless.

God of Wonders movie

1/8/18 – Even If the Healing Doesn't Come

I woke up thanking my Father and my Lord this morning for giving me understanding. We will wait on You and not rely on our own flesh, our own understanding (verily not the understanding of any flesh), but our trust is in You LORD. Thank You for giving us patience even when the healing doesn't come right away. We can thank You because we understand that we have already been healed. Therefore we will glorify You. Oh come and see what the LORD has done!! His blessings are forever!!

Amen

God's delays are not God's denials. You had a plan and I had a plan... But God has a plan too. Now which one of us do you think has the best plan? Trust Him. Selah.

1/9/18 – Unconditional praise is so very important my brothers and sisters

I woke up early this morning with this word on my heart about the importance of praise in demonstrating the trust and faith of God’s children (that we are in fact His). Psalms 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of Israel (His people). As I reflect on this, it brought me back to the promises of God which are yes and amen. One of the constant promises that God makes to His people is that He will be with them and that they should not fear (no matter how the situation may appear). Remember Joshua as he prepared to lead the people into Canaan or the people of Judah when they were in captivity in Babylon? These are a few of many cases where God promised that He would be with His people, that He would not abandon them.

Then when you read on down in Psalms 22 and put this verse into context, you see that it is describing the scene that Jesus is going through where He is suffering in the middle of His ultimate sacrifice to pay for the sins of us all. Most of this psalm is a description of what went through His mind as He suffered and felt for the only time in all of eternity that the Father had forsaken (separated Himself from) Him. See verse 1. This separation had to take place as Jesus bore the weight of all of our sin and our Father can never be in the direct presence of sin. The psalm describes all of what He went through and shows how Jesus suffered as a man (just as we do today). But then starting in verse 22, He starts to praise God even in the middle of all of this (giving an example for all of us). He ends the psalm with fervent praise and worship for God, praising Him for all of the world to see.

Summation – This psalm started out in verse 1 with Jesus asking why God had forsaken Him. I truly believe that when Jesus bore the sin weight of the world, there was a spiritual separation between Him as a man and God the Father. But where was God all of this time? He was right there with His Son encouraging Him along saying Son, I’ve got this!! He was keeping His promise to always be with Him just as He does with us, His children.

Praise is the key. He does inhabit the praises of His people and He is not a man that He should lye.

Oh come and praise the LORD with me!!

Have a blessed day. Shalom

1/11/18 – The Real Battle Today

Beloved brothers and sisters, there is a real battle going on today that it is important for each of us to recognize and understand. It is a battle with two-dimensional attacks by the enemy.

First, the enemy comes to accuse us and to make us feel unworthy. He points out our flaws and tries to make us feel unarmed and unable (indeed unworthy) to be warriors of God. He tries to get us to focus on just how truly broken we are.

Second, the enemy tries to tempt us through our weakness in our sinful nature to say and do the wrong things. He tempts us to do things that will not bless but will curse, hurt and discourage others (to advance his fallen kingdom).

But GOD!!

Our Father in heaven is holy. He has already seen our faults and weaknesses and is keenly aware of them all. Yet He has chosen us anyway to be His warriors to fight His battles. Early this morning, the Holy Spirit showed me several examples of this. He showed me how God called King David a man after His own heart even though He already knew how much he would succumb to the attacks of the enemy and severely hurt other people. Yet, in spite of David’s weaknesses (and because of his humility), God chose him to be a powerful warrior in His battle and a faithful witness to many others of the greatness of God. That powerful witness even continues on today through David’s writings in the psalms.

The Spirit also showed me a New Testament example of this in the apostles of Jesus (especially Peter). Notice how Jesus knew how weak Peter was and that he would fervently deny that he even knew Jesus that same night when He was betrayed. Yet in spite of what Jesus already knew Peter was going to do, He called him the rock (foundation) of His new church and elevated Peter to be one of the strong warriors to take the Word of God forward to many and to feed God’s people.

God is doing the same thing today through many of us. In spite of our weaknesses and attempts from the enemy to get us to make mistakes and then to shut up, God has called us to fight the good fight of faith. We fight this battle by trusting in Him, putting on the whole armor of God and being His warriors in a dark world today. We follow examples like King David and the apostles of Jesus. Even though the 12 disciples initially ran scared for their lives, these same weak vessels eventually went on to die as martyrs for being warriors spreading God’s word with their lives.

The first step in this battle is recognizing the presence of this enemy (accuser and deceiver) in our lives. Selah

LORD we surrender to you today as your warriors. Have Your way in us as we fight in the power of Your might and in spite of our weaknesses.

AMEN

1/16/18 – What kind of love is this?

Last night as I was serving in our local food bank in a late-hour rush to get food to as many people as possible before the bad weather set in, I was visited by a client who had recently immigrated here from Venezuela. He shared with me with great emotion how deeply touched he was to see this small army of volunteers serving like this, at this hour in the wake of a storm to help and love on others. He described it as an incredible act of love that was not always demonstrated and needed to be seen by other countries (including his own). I told him we were all volunteers from various area churches endeavoring to give a picture of the Body of Christ. I continued that one of our primary goals there at the food bank was to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

As he left my position to go and receive his food, it occurred to me that he had just been used as a vessel by the Lord to confirm a word of the Spirit that had been on my heart over the last few days. It was a word about love… loving unconditionally like Christ loved. You see, at the end of our exchange, I thanked this gentleman for his words of acknowledgement and appreciation for the sacrifices that were being made by so many. Unfortunately, the attitude of thankfulness that this gentleman had is not universal. There are clients there who come with the egocentric attitude of just do your job and give me what’s mine!!! But as Jesus’ children and followers, we are called to love like He loved, even to those who despitefully use us, persecute us or don’t appreciate our sacrifices (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28, John 13:34-35).

This encounter (poke by the Holy Spirit) prompted me this morning to get up and to write down these words that I had been contemplating over the past days. They are words that are very personal indeed. To follow His example and love like Jesus loved (read the passages above, especially John 13:34-35), is to love unconditionally without regard to what comes back in return. This is a kind of love that is not possible in our own weakness or flesh (when we depend on our own feelings). But, the payoff for being obedient to this new command is tremendous in the kingdom of God. Here’s why…

When we love like Jesus taught us to love, not everyone will appreciate it or even be capable of understanding it. Some will rely solely on their own understanding and not be able to return the love or appreciate the sacrifice. Picture the example of Jesus’ persecution before Caiaphas the high priest. Based on his own understanding of the Jewish law and God’s plan, Caiaphas was not able to see or appreciate the supreme act of love and sacrifice that Jesus was offering. Instead, he judged and condemned Him and then went on to persecute the followers of Jesus. In spite of this, Jesus loved him along with the other religious leaders and the Romans who put Him to death. Jesus loved them and others unconditionally even though most of them never changed their position or opinion of Him.

But there were some who were observing all of these events from afar who could see and appreciate the love and sacrifice that were being offered. Among many, Cornelius the Roman centurion is a great example (see Acts chapter 10). Although he was a high-ranking Roman officer, he witnessed Jesus’ sacrificial love and the acts of His followers and it deeply touched and affected him to where he became a believer and was baptized.

The example of Cornelius is an excellent closing point for this message. Our demonstration of God’s love (light) shining in us is never wasted. Our Father is indeed using all things for good and even if it is to benefit someone who is watching from far off (a Roman soldier or a servant girl), it is worth it and God’s love is amazing.

So in His power alone (we can not do it with our own ability), let us today endeavor to love like Jesus loved and commanded… unconditionally.

That is how His kingdom will come and His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN!!

1/22/18 – The blessed hope - Holding on to His promises

This is the word that the Lord placed on my heart as I laid down and slept through the night last night. It is a word about how we should pray and a reminder of God’s faithfulness to His children. He showed me about how the winter weather here in Texas in the recent weeks has gone from bitter cold (from our perspective anyway) to bordering on hot this weekend. He reminded me of the parallel example in the beginning of the book of Revelation where Jesus sent the letters to the seven churches through John.

When considering the sways and tendencies of going from cold to hot, the church of the Laodiceans (Revelation 3:14) was described as being at neither end of the spectrum, but lukewarm. I think of this as a church/servant who is hedging their bets… caught between being on fire for God or saying/doing things that pleased and were popular with people. The Lord threatened to spew this kind out of His mouth (a powerful warning and reminder). As with most sins, there is a very clear element of pride and arrogance involved with this church as well (see verse 3:17), one of the omnipresent dangers for all of us who are in ministry doing God’s work.

But God, in His love and mercy does not give up on them. He once again demonstrates His faithfulness by calling them out (rebuking them) and then patiently waiting for them to repent so that He won’t remove their candlestick. His faithfulness and love is once again demonstrated as He patiently waits for His children even when they are caught in apostasy and in the traps of caring more about the matters of this world than about His kingdom. Great is His faithfulness!! We are not desperately holding on to Him, but He is securely holding on to us in spite of our weaknesses.

Indeed, out of all of the seven churches, none were perfect. Some were in a much better state than others, but the Lord did not condemn any of them. Instead He rebuked, corrected, and encouraged all of them… just as He is doing today with all of us His beloved children. He is patiently waiting at the door and knocking. Don’t let pride and arrogance get in the way of the precious blessing that He so very much wants to give to us. This is a blessing of hope that far outweighs any situation or storm that may be raging around us trying to distract us.

I say this message as an encouragement, not a condemnation. That pride and arrogance is easy for all of us… it’s in our nature.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

1/25/18 – Nutrition

I woke up in the wee hours of this morning with the LORD showing me this beautiful picture to illustrate for us the importance of nutrition in growing and gaining strength. He showed me how our heavenly Father loves and cares for us just like our earthly father does (given, He loves us infinitely more than our earthly father ever could). With that love and care, our Father encourages us each and every day to eat to get nutrition so that we can grow and gain greater strength. Our Father in heaven wants you and me to obtain that spiritual nutrition everyday in the form of His Word (our daily bread) so that we can grow spiritually. He does this just as our earthly parents encourage their children to eat physical nutrition everyday so that they can grow and strengthen physically.

Here are the two key points that He showed me this morning:

1) In both cases (spiritual and natural), while we are growing, our Father is the strength for us as we continue to eat and grow. He is always with us, protecting, encouraging, and providing.

2) In both cases, the nutrition must be obtained in a very personal way in order to benefit us and for growth and strengthening to actually take place.

Daily spiritual nourishment is vital for all of God’s children. Just as it is with natural food, we can not expect someone else to eat the food for us and then expect our body to receive the benefits of growth and strength. It is not sufficient for us to just listen to what someone else says or teaches about the Word of God, but we must partake of it ourselves to see how He speaks to us and gives us spiritual growth. Let His word grow richly within you.

In the times in which we are living today, this is all the more important. We each need to know God and His word personally and intimately. Don’t just rely on what I or anyone else says about the Word, but view these events as the Father prompting you to arise and eat.

WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST AND THIS IS FOR THE EDIFYING OF HIS BODY!!

To know You… is to want to tell the world about You…

1/25/18 – Our Roles in the Kingdom

I just returned home from doing some voluntary physical work in my community. While I was working and in a mindset of praise and worship, the LORD placed this word into my spirit to share with others. It is about commitment.

He showed me the old and well-known allegory about involvement verses commitment when it comes to making a bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Of the parties involved in making this sandwich come to be, the chicken is said to be involved but the pig is committed. He went on to show me that it would be easy for the chicken to not be able to understand the pig and to criticize him for making such an unthinkable sacrifice over a simple sandwich. Likewise, it would be also easy for the pig to berate and criticize the chicken for not knowing what real commitment is all about. In the end, who is right? Neither. They both have their roles and both are essential to achieving the ultimate goal of that breakfast sandwich.

We are all called to varying levels of commitment as part of God’s glorious plan in the universe and at the end of the day we should be most concerned about what He thinks about our contribution. Selah.

I was reflecting on some recent studies I had been doing into the life of the famous monk Martin Luther. I learned that he had originally started his life in pursuit of a career as an attorney. He was later called by the LORD to go into full-time ministry as a monk who is now well-known for his part in reforming the Catholic Church in the 16th century. I noted a couple of points about him that jumped out at me. He was by definition committed to his calling and the words that he was given to speak and write. When threatened by the emperor to be burned at the stake unless he recounted his words, Martin Luther refused before this high ranking government official. THAT is the definition of commitment. A second point that I remembered from my study was that in his writings, Martin Luther was known to be very brash and colorful with his words (bordering on vulgarity) because the Pope and other church leaders were not able to see or comprehend the spiritual things that he thought were obvious. What are your thoughts or comments?

1/26/18 – Word of God speak

I woke up this morning with praise and a prayer on my heart about holding on to the promises of God.

As I lay there in the early hours reflecting on my Father’s faithfulness, I took pause, pondered and remembered that His promises are always yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20) and we, His children simply have to hold on to them. As I further pondered His faithfulness through His promises, I remembered one of those promises was to provide all of our needs (Philippians 4:19 – But my God will supply all your needs…). That’s when I broke down and the praise started.

I thanked and praised Him for providing for ALL of our needs today. We sometimes have a tendency to think of those needs limiting them to the material things. But the promise that He gave is that He would supply ALL OF OUR NEEDS. This includes not only material, but spiritual, emotional and relational (the list goes on and on). He has promised to provide all of