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Wednesday - February 28, 2007 Right not we’re in the devil’s world. Although we talk about this being God’s world, and yes, He did create it, for now there’s a different landlord name Satan. God owns the building; the landlord just happens to be the devil for a time. The devil stole the right to have it, but there is coming a day when that landlord’s lease will be up and God will not renew it! When that lease comes due, Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years and eventually into the lake of fire for all eternity! At present, Satan has one tenant he hates: the Church. The reason he hates the Church is because we oppose him everywhere he turns! Satan is causing plagues, sickness and disease around us, but we don’t have to receive any of these. Why? Because we’ve been given the weapons to fight them off. In the meantime, Satan will attack, but as we keep marching on in faith and walking in the authority we have through Jesus Christ, victory will be ours in the end!
Tuesday - February 27, 2007 I want to invite you to join us tonight for a taping of my Real Answers television broadcast. We will be taping from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Kaffe Bona in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is located at 8303 E. 81st St off of 81st Street between Mingo and Memorial. Come with questions about God and the Bible. Invite a friend or someone you know who doesn’t know Jesus or is not in church, for coffee and a pastry. This will be a great opportunity to invite someone who knows little or nothing about the God we serve! It is only one hour in your day and it could be the hour someone receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!
Monday - February 26, 2007 People often ask me to explain the difference between “head” faith and “heart” faith. Normally, if we will look at the areas where we seem to consistently be struggling, we have God’s Word in our head, but not in our heart. People say they know the Bible says they are healed, but they are still sick. They know all their needs are supplied by His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, but they are still pressured financially. We must believe God’s promises despite what our mind tells us. The Word says Jesus already took our infirmities and bare our sickness. Therefore, we must believe we are healed and confess we are healed with our mouth before we receive the manifestation. Many argue, “I can’t say I’m healed until I feel like it.” That is like Thomas. Many people will not say they are healed until the symptoms disappear. That is head faith and not heart faith. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that believe and have not seen.” You are blessed when you believe, even though you have not yet received the manifestation. This is heart faith and heart faith results in the manifestation!
Friday - February 23, 2007 If you remove the supernatural from the Church, you remove the power. Jesus said in the last days many would come who would have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. That’s the leaven of the Sadducees spoken of in the Bible. Denying the power thereof in our day is denying tongues, healing, and miracles. The leaven of the Sadducees tries to remove the power of the supernatural from the church. To replace the power, this leaven puffs up the church with great programs, great oratories, and great music, which are all void of power. We need to renew our minds with the Word so we don’t become victims of Satan’s tactics. We need to renew our minds with the Word so we are able to discern legalism and don’t fall into bondage or become the victims of any of Satan’s tactics, internal or external. Have you prayed in the Spirit today? Have you read the Word of God? Are you meditating on His promises? Don’t partake of the leaven of the Sadducees today. Allow God’s supernatural power to work in you and through you today.
Thursday - February 22, 2007 The glory of any nation is its children, the next generation in whom we place our hopes and dreams for a stronger, happier, and more prosperous world. But when a nation leaves the principles of God’s Word and worships the idols of materialism, power, and sexual lust; when legislation and government regulation strive to quiet the voices of those who proclaim the gospel; even natural laws go into upheaval. The hope of our nation is not in government, special interest groups, or task forces, but in the hearts and lives of the people who know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. We need to pass this spiritual heritage on to our children and our children’s children. As we teach the next generation how to live according to God’s principles, they can be trusted by Him to handle and pass on the wealth and spiritual stability to future generations.
Wednesday - February 21, 2007 John had a call from the Lord which was announced in the Old Testament. Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 are two passages announcing the coming of John to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus. This calling was confirmed to his mother when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb. When this happened, John leaped in the womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. A calling is something God ordained from before the foundation of the earth. It is a part of our make-up from conception. God does not place a calling on us when we get born again. Our calling and our ministry are there from eternity past. Whether a person ever receives the Lord, God has a ministry for them. Just as surely as John knew his calling, you can know yours. You may not have an angel announce it to you, but God still desires to reveal His will to you as strongly as He did to John and his family. While a ministry is not something you can pick, choose, and then believe for, it is something you can depend on God to reveal. He knew you before you were ever born and He also knew where He wanted to place you in the body of Christ.
Tuesday - February 20, 2007 One segment of his congregation James saw change through God’s Word were businessmen. These were men who owned businesses in Jerusalem and traveled throughout that area of the world. They attended church and heard their pastor teach week after week. Jesus not only became a reality in their spiritual life, but also blessed them financially. These men entered into business with Jesus as their partner. They dedicated their businesses to the Lord and began each day with prayer, waiting on the direction of the Holy Spirit. From the outset of their financial ventures, they dedicated their tithe to the Lord. The church and the kingdom of God became the focus of their giving, and they recognized that the Lord had caused their businesses to prosper. They recognized they would never be successful in their own businesses if they could not be faithful working for others and being obedient to give. The purpose of every occupation is to give to the Lord. You who own businesses, have you made the same determination in your heart? If you want to see your business become a greater success than it is today, and you have not dedicated your business to the Lord or determined to give Him, why don’t you do so today?
Monday - February 19, 2007 Proverbs 17:14 says, “The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.” Strife and contention are always going to be part of the devil’s world, but it is part of our Christian testimony to end contention. This is a testimony to the world that the Greater One, the Holy Spirit, truly does live in us. We are different than the world, different because we have power over Satan’s devices, including strife. Solomon described strife as a small stream of water. When left to itself, it will grow like a crack in a dam and eventually burst, drowning those involved. Strife begins small and ends up bigger than all of the people it affects. When meddled with, strife and contention grow into consuming monsters! Is there contention in your life today? Why don’t you choose to end it? When you do, God will be glorified and the world will know the Greater One truly dwells in you!
Friday - February 16, 2007 Have you ever been confused? Of course you have! Just because you are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, does not mean you always know what to do at any given moment. I have discovered a great principle in my walk with the Lord Jesus. Confusion is never a time to make a decision. And confusion is never forever. Confusion is like a fog, or darkness. It will clear away soon. The light will shine again. Wait until the fog clears, the darkness is gone, and make a decision when you can see things more clearly. If you are upright, walking with the Lord to the best of your ability, there will arise light in your darkness. If you are presently confused, do not do anything. Be patient and wait on the Lord. He will soon direct your path. God never promised He would respond to you immediately. He just promised He would guide you. Just like the sunrise, guidance will come at the right time.
Thursday - February 15, 2007 On four different occasions it is said that Jesus, “…lifted up His eyes”: 1) Before teaching 2) Before feeding the multitudes 3) Before raising Lazarus from the dead 4) Before praying. This phrase is not just a natural description; it is also referring to the fact that Jesus would refocus His attention from the natural world to the spiritual world before ministering. When a need presented itself, Jesus, like a camera refocusing, looked into a world with no limits on resources or power. Each day you walk by those in need of Jesus or spiritual help. Are you more in tune with the natural world than the spiritual? Do you know more about the Wall Street and the Dow Jones averages than the leading and power of the Holy Spirit? Could you predict the recession or financial upturn better than you could detect coming revival? Choose at the beginning of your day to see people and situations through the eyes of God. Choose to draw from the kingdom that is unlimited in power. God does not know the word impossible. Like Jesus, regardless of what your day holds, why don’t you refocus and LIFT UP YOUR EYES.
Wednesday - February 14, 2007 Jesus did not tell the disciples they would go through a storm when he told them “…let us pass over to the other side.” (Mark 4:35) The disciples were not only surprised when the storm rose up, they were also afraid and began to accuse Jesus of not caring for them. I don’t know if Jesus knew the storm was coming, but He left us a great example. He was asleep on a pillow when the storm hit. Whether or not you are facing a storm today, you should be resting on the pillow of the promises of God. No storm is greater than the rest you have of knowing God’s love and provision. Hebrews 4:3 says, “For we which have believed do enter into rest…” Why don’t you enter into the rest of God today?
Tuesday - February 13, 2007 Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, “…whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39) Jesus was instructing His disciples about how to handle their testimony before the world. He was explaining to them their actions spoke as loudly as their words when witnessing for the Lord. If they were struck for being a believer in the Lord and attacked for their testimony for Him, they were not to retaliate. God would defend them. When it is for the sake of the gospel, vengeance belongs to the Lord, not to us. When we are attacked for our stand for Jesus Christ, we should not retaliate. Jesus did not take up arms against His own crucifixion. He could have called legions of angels to His defense. Paul was persecuted for the gospel as well as Stephen, Peter, John and others. They left their defense in the hands of God. Are you facing persecution today for the sake of the gospel? Are you tempted to defend yourself against the false accusations and judgment of others? Remember today, God is your defense and He can defend you much better than you could ever defend yourself!
Monday - February 12, 2007 All men come to a specific point in their lives when they ask themselves the question, “Why am I here?” The sad thing is many people grow up and die and still never know why there were born. God placed man on the earth to have dominion over all of God’s creation, both spiritual and natural. Man was placed on the earth as God’s representative to care for the earth and protect it from the attacks of the enemy, Satan. Once man fell, he lost this authority and the right to exercise spiritual domination. Man himself was now under the feet of Satan and demons. Satan was the lord over man. But through the new birth, man has regained this authority by faith in the finished work of the cross and the shed blood of Jesus. Jesus has returned man to his rightful position under Himself and over all creation, both natural and spiritual! Isn’t that good news?
Friday - February 10, 2007 The Word of God is filled with hope. Romans 4:8, speaking of Abraham, says, “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.” There are two types of hope mentioned in this verse: natural human hope and supernatural hope. Against all natural hope Abraham found supernatural hope. In the natural there was no way for Abraham and Sarah to have a child, but God gave him supernatural hope. Aren’t you glad when the doctors say “There is no hope,” God says, “Oh, yes there is!” There is a limit to man’s hope, but not to God’s! The New English Version of Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is giving substance to hope.” Faith must give substance to hope because in and of itself hope has no substance. Hope is a lot like a dream. Have you ever had a dream that was so real you were sweating when you woke up? You were chasing after a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and finally reached your destination. You were just about to dip your hand down into the pot of gold when the alarm clock went off! Then you realize it was just a dream and come to the conclusion that your dream had no substance even though it seemed so real. The Bible says faith gives substance to hope. When faith is combined with hope it will begin to take on substance and you will see your hope realized!
Thursday - February 9, 2007 Many of you have a call on your life and a God-given dream in your heart, and you feel as if you have messed up the plan of God. You may feel that He is through with your life. I have a good test for you to see if God is through with you: Put your hand over your heart, and if it is still beating, God is not through with your life! When you are dead, God will remove his will from you. Until you die, however, the plans, dreams, and hopes God gave you many years ago are still intact. God’s Word tells us that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance. (Romans 11:29 You may have messed up and feel like the dream God has placed in your heart has died. Or you may be like Abraham was, trying to help God bring about His plan for your life. I can assure you God’s will and calling for your life can still come to pass! You are not too old, nor has too much time passed, because the same Holy Spirit that energized Moses, Joshua, and Caleb can still revive you and the dream God has placed in your heart! If God could raise Jesus from the dead, your life and calling is a piece of cake!
Wednesday - February 8, 2007 “Where there is no vision the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18) What is vision? It is our hope! A vision is the goal or dream set before each one of us. It is the target for our life. Without hope, a goal, we are aimless and without purpose in our Christian life. We have nothing to shoot for. Even though we may have all the faith in the world and know a great number of scriptures, if we have given up hope, these things profit us nothing. Many times hope is lost because the desires we have had in our hearts have not come to pass when we thought they would. What we must always remember is God has never failed any of us and He cannot fail us. If God’s promises are not being fulfilled in our lives, the problem is not with God, the problem is with us. Maybe we set our own time frame for when we thought His promises should come to pass in our lives. Then, when the promise did not happen according to our time table, we felt as if God had let us down. But if we seek God and walk in simple obedience to His Word, eventually we can do nothing but succeed!
Tuesday - February 7, 2007 Proverbs 1:8-9 says, “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.” The chains referred to in this verse were actually chains of gold. They were very beautiful chains. But this doesn’t mean the Word of God will just be a decoration around your neck. Today we put a chain around a dog’s neck and attach a leash. The leash is for guidance. What is the purpose of a chain around the neck? Parents, you may be concerned about your children leaving home to live on their own because the world seems to be getting more evil every day. You’re not always going to be around your children to lead them and guide them. When they leave the house, what are you going to do? Turn them over to the Word! Let the Word lead and guide them. By faith you can have confidence that when your children face a difficult decision in the world, the Word will lead them. You can’t always be with your children, but the Word can. The Word is Jesus, and Jesus promised to never leave us nor forsake us!
Monday - February 5, 2007 The final present day ministry of Jesus is Advocate. This ministry is unlike the others. This one is only needed when the believer is carnal, out of fellowship with God the Father. An advocate is a defense attorney. Jesus is called our Advocate in 1 John 2. We have an Advocate when we sin and confess the sin. Satan is our accuser. When we sin, he goes to heaven and accuses us before the Father just as he did with Job and Joshua the high priest. If we do not confess our sins, we have to defend ourselves. But if we do confess our sins (1John 1:9) Jesus fights our case for us. Because all of our sins were judged at the cross, when we confess our sins, they are cleansed by the blood shed 2000 years ago. Because they were judged at the cross, they cannot be judged again. The case is thrown out of court by the Judge, God the Father, on the grounds of double jeopardy. You cannot be tried for the same sin twice. If we confess our sins, we are guaranteed to win and Satan is guaranteed to lose! Stay current on confessing your sins to God. It keeps your slate clean and gives Satan no grounds to accuse you before God.
Friday - February 2, 2007 Jesus' office in heaven of Apostle over the Church is His foundational ministry. By that I mean He is the first in heaven to be resurrected from the dead. He is called the "firstfruits of them that slept" and the "firstbegotten from the dead." This means He is the first one born again. No one could enter heaven until Jesus became the first. After His resurrection into heaven, He led all Old Testament saints into heaven with Him. Everything we have in the Christian life came from Jesus who received it first. We are joint heirs with Jesus because He is the heir. We share His eternal life. We have a destiny with God because we share the destiny Jesus has. Our inheritance is secure because we share the inheritance of Jesus. We are joint heirs. An apostle in the book of Acts was one who began a church and eventually other churches began from that one. Since Jesus is the firstbegotten, I have been born again from Him. I have eternal life because Jesus is the possessor of God's life.
Thursday - February 1, 2007 There is a present day ministry of Jesus to the Church called the High Priestly ministry of Jesus. He is the High Priest because we are the priests. There must be priests to have a High Priestly ministry over. Through this ministry, our praise, worship and confession are taken to God the Father. This is more than our prayer life. There are times we do not petition God for anything, but offer thanks to Him for all He has done and worship to Him for who He is. God also enjoys hearing His Word quoted back to Him through us, His new creation. Jesus becomes the high priest of our confession. God wants us to magnify Him above the circumstances and thank Him for His deliverance in the past. This is also a good time to put God in remembrance of His Word. Like Jesus, we are to quote God's Word against the devil and circumstances and say, "It is written." It brings joy to God's ears and a stern warning to Satan's ears when we know and speak our rights and privileges given to us through our Father.
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