John 3:3 - Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
What does it mean to "see" the kingdom of God?
Jesus urged us to do an about-face in our approach to reality because His Kingdom is at hand. He brought His world with Him, and it's within our reach. He wants us to see reality from God's perspective, to learn to live "from" His world "towards" the visible world. But we have to change
1 Samuel 3:1 -- "In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions."
If Eli (the High Priest of Israel) could not hear from God, the people would not receive messages from Him.
The only words that we receive that are of help to people are words from God. If we don't spend time LISTENING to Him, then we will receive not words by which we will bless and encourage his people.
1 Samuel 3:7 -- "Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had no
Song of Solomon 4:16 - "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits."
This is a new day, let the Son arise with healing in His wings and let the wind of God take you to a new realm of faith and understanding in this hour for such a time as this.
Choose life, and to live that life abundantly. It's not too late, it's time to begin again. It is the time for a new season
John 10:27 - "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me."
Isaiah 50:4 - "He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned."
Hebrews 5:11 - "Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your (spiritual) hearing and sluggish (even slothful in achieving spiritual insight)."
This is a time not only to hear God's voice more clearly but also for us to activate the things God is speaking to us.
Romans 8:28 - "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Why is it that all things work together for good?
Romans 8:29,30 - "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these who He j
Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
We are creating memories every moment. The past is moving by and we are stepping into the future. God desires us to be people of the present, not of the past or even the future. He is re
Song of Solomon 8:5 -- "Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?"
In order to learn new ways to walk, we must first learn to lean.
Proverbs 3:6 -- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Leaning on our Beloved often requires us to lean away from our own understanding. His ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. T
The cave of Adullam is where David hid with his band of distressed, indebted and discontented men (1 Samuel 22). From these 400 came David's mighty army. After David was anointed King, the Philistines came against him and he went into the "hold" (2 Samuel 5:17), which 1 Chronicles 11:15 indicates was the cave of Adullam. David sought the Lord and had victory. The Philistines regathered and David once again sought the Lord.
"Therefore David inquired again of God; and God said unto hi
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:17
We start out in simple faith, trusting Him regardless of the circumstances. Then God makes a way when there is no way. We possess our promised land (see Joshua 6:1-5) with step by step obedience.
When you come up against your spiritual Jerichos, you've got to have the Word of God in your heart. Without it, marching around Jericho won't do any good. But with the Word in y
Matthew 16:6 -- "Watch out! Jesus warned them. 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.'"
Ephesians 1:17 -- "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him."
The Pharisees emphasized knowledge over revelation and their blatant disregard for God's voice. Of all the people that Jesus encountered, His harshest statements were toward the Pharisees and Sadducees. He called them "dead to
Genesis 3:1 - "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
When we succumb to guilt and shame, we give in to the single oldest temptation in the Bible - the temptation to question our identity and God's identity.
The very first temptation in the Bible was not to partake of forbidden fruit, but to question what God had said. The serpent said,
1 Corinthians 1:31 -- "As it says in the scriptures, 'If anyone is going to boast, let him boast only of what the Lord has done.'"
If someone were to ask us, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" we would probably tell him, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."
A rich young ruler asked Jesus the same question but instead of telling the man to believe in Him, Jesus gave him the law (Mark 10:17-22).
CONSCIOUSNESS OF LIVING BY THE LAW
Jesus saw that t
We must not perceive things the way they are in the natural.
The Body of Christ is entering a time of transition and God is about to raise up a new breed – a Jonah Generation.
Sometimes, the Western Church can look more like an institution; maintaining an appearance of having its act together when the reality is that many are backslidden in their hearts. Many others are caught up in a merry-go-round of being slaves to the system rather than being heirs of the Kingdom.
This Jonah Gen
"They said to one another, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?' And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, 'The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.' They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread" (Luke 24:32-35).
When we discover wh
"He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.'" - Ezekiel 37:3
God is always standing by, ready to breathe new life into anything lifeless when we ask. He is there in our spiritual springtime and in the cold, winter months. And He is even closer, hovering nearby in our darkest hours, according to Psalm 34:18 where it says: "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
This scripture asks the question, "...can t
"And Goliath cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field." - 1 Samuel 18:43,44
Goliath first used fiery darts against David (his words of negativity), believing that the negativity alone would cause David to cower down! Yes, Goliath's negative words were meant to be a "first-blow" against David to weaken him so that Goliath could move in quickly for the kill!
For us today, a Phi
"The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me." - Acts 20:24
There are no shortcuts and there are no other paths. There is only your CALLING in Christ and it is this path. If you stay on it, it will lead you straight to the top of the mountain; and to make the climb, you have to lay down all your baggage. It will also change you from the inside out. This journey will do a work of humility within. If you stay steady in the midst of the steep cl
"God put His stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised...so that your minds may be opened to see His light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you...and how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power in us is the same as the mighty strength which he used when he raised Christ from death." - Ephesians 1:13,18-20
Shall we stop short of what He says we ought to be -- shall we cease to come into line with the Min
Luke 17:20,21 - And when He was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
The word "observation" in verse 20 literally means to stand beside and watch. This accurately describes the posture of many who are looking for a rescue or a revival. They stand beside as life passes by and watch passively for th
Ephesians 1:18-19 (NASB): "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe..."
We know that unless God enlightens the eyes of our heart, we will never arrive at the hope of His CALLING in Christ, nor will we have any comprehension of the riches of His goodness towards us.
SEEING
Luke 24:5,6 - "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."
Jesus is not among the dead, lifeless religions of the world. He is where the action is: saving the lost, healing the sick and raising the dead.
If He is alive, then His Word is alive.
Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
Genesis 3:1 - "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
When we succumb to guilt and shame, we give in to the single oldest temptation in the Bible - the temptation to question our identity and God's identity.
The very first temptation in the Bible was not to partake of forbidden fruit, but to question what God had said. The serpent said, "Has G
Matthew 6:13 - "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen."
A temptation can be a difficult situation or a pressure. Contrary to popular belief, God is not the source of our temptations.
James 1:13 - "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone."
When we are under pressure, it is important to realize that God is not
Joshua 5:11, "And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year."
The day the children of Israel ate of the food of the Promised Land the manna ceased the day after. Now they were living in a place of breakthrough because they had cros
"Behold, you are fair, my love; behold you are fair; you have doves' eyes. - Song of Solomon 1:15
The Lord sees in you two kinds of beauty -- one outward, the other inward. Christ encourages you to find strength in knowing that all your present imperfections establish humility within you; yet He will perfect you so that you will be entirely without blemish. You already have 'doves eyes' -- you are simple within and without. Simplicity is the surest sign of spiritual progress. You will le
