 
_We are Under Instruction_

by the Holy Spirit

Author: Debbie Rhodes

Published by Debbie Rhodes at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Debbie Rhodes

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Instructions

Week One: The Word is a Lamp to my Feet and a Light to my Path

Week Two: I Have the Mind of Christ

Week Three: I am an Overcomer by the Blood of the Lamb

Week Four: I Listen to My Fathers Voice; He Knows Me & I Follow Him

Week Five: Thy Word is a Lamp unto My Feet; a Light unto My Path

Week Six: The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

Week Seven: I am Healed by the Stripes of Jesus

Week Eight: God Made Me; He'll Keep Me

Week Nine: God has Supplied All of My Needs

Week 10: I Trust in the Lord with All My Heart

Week 11: I Lean Not to My Own Insight or Understanding

Week 12: I Acknowledge God in All My Ways & He Directs My Path

Week 13: Because I Keep My Mouth & Tongue; I Keep My Soul from Troubles

Week 14: I Have the Faith OF Jesus Christ

Week 15: Nothing Hurts Me Because I Have God's Power / Authority

Week 16: Nothing Hurts Me Because I Have God's Power / Authority II

Week 17: The Perfect Love of God Casts Out Fear

Week 18: I Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work

Week 19: I Can Do All Things Through Christ

Week 20: I Can Do All Things Through Christ, II

Week 21: The Lord is My Shepherd

Week 22: I Bring into Captivity Every Thought to the Obedience of Christ

Week 23: I am Reigning in this Life as a King & Priest

Week 24: I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus

Week 25: I am Accepted in the Beloved

Week 26: I Humble Myself in the Sight of the Lord

Week 27: I Comfort Others with God's Comfort

Week 28: God Always Causes Me to Triumph

Week 29: God Keeps Me in Perfect Peace

Week 30: Iniquity Does Not Have Dominion Over Me

Week 31: God Set Before Me Life & Death

Week 32: Grace & Peace are Multiplied to Me

Week 33: Whatever I Desire, When I Pray I Believe I Have Received it Right Then

Week 34: I Have an Unction from the Holy One & I Know All Things

Week 35: I Keep My Heart with All Diligence

Week 36: I Seek First the Kingdom of God

Week 37: I am a Doer of the Word

Week 38: My Past Mistakes Do Not Rule Me

Week 39: I Have Purposed that My Mouth will Not Transgress

Week 40: My Faith has Become Effectual

Week.41: I Study to Show Myself Approved unto God

Week 42: I am What I Think I am

Week 43: God Delights in My Prosperity

Week 44: I am Redeemed from the Curse of the Law

Week 45: I Understand What the Will of the Lord is

Week 46: I Choose to Know No Man After the Flesh

Week 47: God, You Bless the Righteous; You Shield Me with Your Favor

Week 48: Patience is Growing within Me

Week 49: I Love the Lord with All My Heart, Soul & Mind

Week 50: I Know the Love of Christ

Week 51: I Succeed NOT by Might or Power, but by the Holy Spirit

Week 52: I Meditate on the Word of God

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Dedication

What a privilege to share what God has shared with me –I dedicate this work to Him because if it weren't for Him – it wouldn't have been possible. For You, Father – All the glory is Yours! I love You.

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Introduction

One year ago I set out to do what I had never even considered in my walk with the Lord – a one-year study on meditating in the Word and jot down all the insights that our generous God would be willing to share with me. Well, I followed through on my part and God did too. It started out on a website as part of a fitness regime to complete the total person – this study was the spiritual side of the exercise program. Now I have a completed work of 52 weeks of insights into the Word and I am forever changed. I trust that the contents within these pages will be a blessing to you; an empowerment to change so that you can renew your mind and think like God thinks and get His results in every area of your life.

Special Note: The journal entries evolved over the weeks and you'll notice that it became more organized as time went on. Please excuse some of the grammatical formalities and the formatting so that I can show this work in its truest form along with its progression. Thank you.

Instructions

There is a lot to cover so we'll just take it step-by-step. God wants to speak to your spirit, revealing what is in His heart for you specifically. He is going to empower you through His Word and give you Insights: and truly you will never be the same.

First things first ~ we are going to focus on one meditational quote for the week instead of one per day. We are going to squeeze all the goodness out of the scriptures that we can handle.

Now, here's what to do: Twice a day for five (5) minutes, find a quiet place whether it be at home or in your car on your way to work or wherever and begin with closed eyes, take several deep breaths; really make the effort to relax. Confess this truth to yourself and accentuate a different word each time you confess it. There is no magic number, just repeat the quote until you sense that it has begun to work into your spirit. Continue deep breathing and allow the Word to penetrate the atmosphere around you as well as within you.

A journal, a scrap piece of paper, a 3x5 card, or a post-it note along with a writing utensil is recommended to be close by; be ready to hear. You have God's unbreakable promise that you know His voice. "The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27 AMP

Additionally, take some time to look up words in the dictionary and/or the thesaurus. You'll be amazed at what you thought the definitions were and how the scriptures can expand in powerful ways to you.

We look forward to growing with you spiritually in the coming weeks. It is our deepest desire that you come to the fullness of righteousness, peace and joy by the working of the Holy Spirit within you because of your relationship with Christ Jesus.

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Week One: The Word is a Lamp to my Feet and a Light to my Path

Our meditational quote for the week of July 18th, 2010 was:

"The Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 KJV

Tuesday's Insights:

• In speaking with my 15-year-old nephew today about the movie The Matrix, it dawned on me how the main character Neo had programs downloaded into his brain and he would learn in a matter of minutes what it would take others years to learn in a conventional way. My light bulb moment was when I realized that meditation is just like that; when you meditate to the point of revelation ~ it is like God downloaded important information that otherwise would have taken me months if not years to get a grasp on. Not a bad insight for the day, eh?

Wednesday's Insights:

• I asked the question: 'why is the lamp just at my feet?' The answer was: 'So that you can see where you are standing and what you are standing on.' [Am I standing on the truth or a lie?] Later on in the day I asked what could I see with the lamp at my feet; the answer came to be: 'So that I can see His footsteps, thus knowing where to put mine.' Praise be to God!

Thursday's Insights:

• It's been rolling around in my mind today . . . how does the lamp work? How does the light turn on? As far as the lamp or lantern goes, without the oil, the wick and a source of fire to light the wick - we just have a nice looking door stop. The lamp requires electricity or power. It has to be plugged in to the outlet and then the switch turned on allowing the energy or power source to reach the light bulb and then illumination can, well, light be as it were. It won't be hard to make the connection that the oil and the power source is the Holy Spirit and without His infilling, we do not have the necessary connection for revelation. Hope we are all infilled today with His presence and understanding of God's Word.

Friday's Insights:

• Okay, the lamp is at my feet and now I can see where I am standing and what I am standing on. But what about the light? Where is it and what is it doing up ahead? Well I guess that's the point ~ it's up ahead a little, giving me enough to see the path that I'm walking on. I can see if it's narrow or wide or winding, or if it's full of debris, obstacles, pitfalls, or potholes. Now that I'm sitting here rolling this around in my mind, it just occurred to me that a lamp does not give off as much illumination as a street light does. If you didn't already know, the Word of God is known as the Logos or written Word, one level of revelation (the lamp). And then there is the Rhema Word, a word or an illustration God speaks directly to us, and it addresses our personal, particular situation (the light). A deeper revelation for those who are willing to take the time to meditate like He instructed us to do in Joshua 1:8. I find it deeply comforting that God's got all kinds of ways to keep us in the light and out of the dark.

Saturday's Summary:

• Meditation is like downloading a computer program that allows us to learn at the fastest rate possible. The illumination that the lamp provides allows us to see where we are standing, what we are standing on and where to put our next step ~ in the one God already took for us. The lamp and the light work by being plugged into the source of its power which in this scenario is the Holy Ghost. That the lamp is Logos, the written Word and the light is Rhema, the spoken Word. Two forms of revelation, one much deeper and more intimate than the other. Both are necessary for illumination and change.

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Week Two: I Have the Mind of Christ

Our meditational quote for the week of July 25th, 2010 was:

"I have the mind of Christ."

"For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart." I Corinthians 2:16

Monday's Insights:

• To have: to hold in possession; to hold in one's use, service or affection; to be competent in; to use, exercise, experience, maintain.

• Confession: "I hold in possession the mind of Christ. I hold in my use, service and affection the mind of Christ. I am competent in the mind of Christ. I use, exercise, experience and maintain the mind of Christ."

Tuesday's Insights:

• Definitions of mind: a part of the soul, the thinker; the part of an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills and especially reasons; intention, desire; opinion, view; the normal condition of the mental faculties; intellectual ability.

• What thoughts does Christ choose?

• What does His belief system consist of?

• How does He respond in crisis?

Wednesday's Insights:

• Q) How does one develop the mind of Christ? A) By renewing the mind with the Word of God. The following points were gleaned from messages presented by Dr. Creflo Dollar:

o Renewing the mind means to exchange your thoughts and/or your way of thinking for His thoughts and/or His way of thinking.

o Like a thermostat, you set your thoughts on the Word. You set your mind first, and then you execute or follow through on what you set your mind to do.

o You cannot separate your mind & heart; they are one.

o Choose to let your intellect be impacted (the power of making a strong, immediate impression) by the Word.

Thursday's Insights:

• Here's something to consider when meditating on having the mind of Christ . . . it is to consider what having the mind of Christ is NOT. The mind of Christ is NOT double-minded, NOT full of fear, doubt, worry, unbelief or guilt or condemnation. It is NOT or does not waver or second guess the belief system of the heart. Remember, the heart and mind are one. What is in one will be in the other. The mind of Christ is NOT weak, or subject to evil influences or evil infections. The mind of Christ is NOT full of contradictions to the Word of God.

Friday's Insights:

• It occurred to me strongly this morning that Christ's mind is full of honor and mindful of honoring God and His Word. Clearly, now we can see why Jesus' ministry and life produced so much for the kingdom. His mind and heart were full of honor to God the Father. To honor someone is to allow their influence to weigh heavily in your life. Can you hear the reference . . . willing and obedient? Jesus' mind was bent continuously toward making God and His Word first place in His life; making sure that His influence was the heaviest in every capacity; guiding His every thought, word, action and motive.

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Week Three: I am an Overcomer by the Blood of the Lamb

Our meditational quote for the week of August 1st, 2010 was:

"I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb."

"And they have overcome (conquered) him by means of the blood of the Lamb and by the utterance of their testimony." Rev. 12:11a AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Definition of Overcomer: subduer; someone who overcomes and establishes ascendancy and control by force or persuasion. Definitions of Overcome: get the better of; win a victory over; deal with successfully; overwhelm; get the best of; to surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over; to win (a battle); TO MAKE HELPLESS; TO MAKE EXHAUSTED!

Tuesday's Insights:

• The blood of Jesus has made Satan helpless! The blood of Jesus has made Satan exhausted! The blood of Jesus has made me the subduer instead of the one being subdued! I like the odds, don't you?

Thursday's Insights:

• Saw a commercial last night for a carpet cleaning product and the tagline at the end of the commercial was 'Reverse the Stain.' I thought to myself that I need to remember that. I have been trying to incorporate that tagline with our meditation for this week and here is what I've got so far.

• First, reverse can mean 1) to turn completely about in position or direction or 2) to undo or negate the effect of. There are other definitions but those are the two that stand out to me and here's why. Jesus' blood has made us overcomers; it has put us into a position of complete and total victory. His blood has reversed the stain of our sin; it has negated the effect of our sins, our sinful nature and our sin-consciousness. Under the stain of sin, we had no victory because we were ruled by sin and its consequences. Satan had us backed into a corner and there wasn't anything any of us could do about it. With a sin consciousness, we have no standing but are in bondage and do not have the energy or the force necessary to break free. But now that the blood of Jesus has been shed for us and placed on the mercy seat, we have a righteousness consciousness, a right standing with God. From that righteousness consciousness, with His power and with Jesus' standing before the Father, we can vanquish and completely conquer Satan in this life. Yes! The stain has been reversed . . . Hallelujah!

Saturday's Summary:

• Well, it was a big week for discovering what God had to say regarding our overcomer status and Satan's permanent position of being subdued. Here's the recap along with some additional insights that were given last year during a time of meditation of this same scripture.

• The blood of Jesus has made us the subduer instead of the one being subdued.

• The blood of Jesus has made Satan helpless, weak and exhausted. (I think this is just about my favorite insight ever!)

• The 'stain' of my sin and its power over me have been permanently reversed and its power and force to keep me in bondage is broken forever. So nice. :-)

• Rev. 12:11 can now by definition from above means that we, the believers have made Satan helpless, have made him exhausted by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony of what that blood has done for us. We have taken our place as Jesus' partner by believing the Word of God and by speaking, declaring, decreeing, and pleading it and now have allowed His blood to cover us. The result is Satan is revealed. He is a lump on the floor, over in the corner - wiped out! Exhausted! Made helpless! WOW! We are no longer surviving this world and the circumstances that it throws at us. We are no longer keeping our heads above water with nothing to grab hold of and pull us to a safe and sturdy place. We are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us and shed His blood for us! How we go from being a survivor to being more than a conqueror is to take hold of our end of the partnership that we have with God and His Word (Jesus). Our part is to believe and act on what we have accepted as the truth. Let His blood cover you, heal you, pull you up out of that 'keepin' my head above water' place and stand with Him in a place of victory and peace. Now take whatever 'it' was and go from being under it to being on top of it; from being controlled by it to being the one in control of it. Sure looks different from up here, huh? Let's give Satan a case of "conqueror-itis". It will give him the quivers and shivers until Jesus comes back!

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Week Four: I Listen to My Father's Voice; He Knows Me & I Follow Him

Our meditational quote for the week of August 8th, 2010 was:

"I listen to my Father's voice; He knows me and I follow Him."

"I listen to my Father's voice; He knows me and I follow Him." John 10:27 NLT

Monday's Insights: Definitions:

• Listen: hear with intention; pay close attention to; to accept or obey oral instruction; the act of hearing attentively.

• Know: to be aware of specific details; to have an inside tract and firsthand knowledge of states, situations, emotions, or sensations; know the nature or character of.

• Follow: adopt; choose and follow as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; comply, to act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes; to go after; to imitate in behavior; to take as a model; to trace; to watch, follow with the eyes or the mind; to perform an accompaniment to.

Thursday's Insights:

• Listening is a choice, an act of our will. Hearing is the physiological function provided by the elements of our ears and all their components. To hear with intention ~ intention to do what is the question that has come to mind. One has to lean in to the person speaking, maybe not physically but with attention, with eye contact, with the purpose of understanding what is being said. Is God getting our eye contact, our attention with the purpose to understand what He is saying to us? And if we are, are we willing to obey His oral instructions

Saturday's Summary:

• This week has been more challenging than the previous three. Perhaps it is because I have allowed other distractions to become important rather than investing the time to listen to the voice of the One who loves me unconditionally. I have some confidence in the fact that the enemy of our souls did not want me to gain any more insights with regards to listening and obeying the Father's voice; therefore, he had his fair share of input to lure me away from doing what my heart most wanted to. Just like Paul stated, the good things he wanted to do - he did not and the evil things he vehemently opposed - those are the things he found himself doing. In summary, it is more important than ever to take the time to meditate on God's Word. Revelations are not just going to happen; they are a return on the investment that we are willing to make - but we have to be willing to make those investments of time, and willing obedience. Please accept my sincerest apologies for not having more to share this week. Next week holds many treasures within the scriptures. Let's make a fresh commitment to dig up all that we can and share the rewards with everyone we encounter.

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Week Five: Thy Word is a Lamp unto My Feet; a Light unto My Path

Our meditational quote for the week of August 22nd, 2010 was:

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet; a light unto my path."

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet; a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

Monday-Tuesday's Insights: Definitions:

• Lamp: a vessel to produce illumination; to improve or make vision possible. Logos, the written Word; an unshakable, unbreakable foundation on which to stand in faith; a source of illumination to help you see where & what you are standing on.

• Word: the unbreakable promises of our covenant which have been paid for by the blood of Jesus and cannot ever be broken.

• Light: Rhema, the spoken Word; personal, intimate divine revelations; more light; can see the path up ahead a little.

• Path: a passageway, a course or a route.

Wednesday's Insights:

• Proverbs 31:18 refers to the lamp not going out but that it burns on continually through the night of any privation {a state of extreme poverty}, or sorrow; and that it warns away fear, doubt, and distrust {I like to add, divorce, adultery and death when I am confessing this over my life.}. The more I think about the lamp or light, it boils down to one thing - revelation. And those revelations are keys. Keys to unlock the various doors that we come to in life that are hindering our progress. With those keys, we can unlock the door and move onto the next glory that God has for us. I have come to realize that my key chain could truly use more keys. How about you?

Thursday's Insights:

• Revelations repel darkness! A revelation means to show plainly; an astonishing disclosure; open up to view. Repel means to cause to move back by force or influence. Therefore, revelations brought about by meditating on the Word of God causes the darkness and the dark works of the enemy of our very lives; spirit, soul and body, to be moved back by force, to be moved out of our way by the influence of the Word. Amen!

Friday's Insights:

• Revelations produce revolutions! When I get a new insight from God, it's like I've won the lottery and I've just got to get the Word out. It produces life within my spirit and it keeps on producing more freedom than I thought I could ever have. To have a revolution means to have a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving. There it is! The insights we receive as a result of meditating will bring about drastic and far-reaching change in our ways of thinking and behaving. We'll be in the living process of renewing our minds which means to exchange our thoughts with God's thoughts. God is good!

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Week Six: The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

Our meditational quote for the week of August 29th, 2010 was:

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

"Then Ezra told them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet drink, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold." Neh. 8:10 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• What does joy mean? To rejoice: feel happiness or joy; the emotion of great happiness; gladden: make glad or happy; something or someone that provides a source of happiness.

• What is strength? The property of being physically or mentally strong; military capability: capability in terms of personnel and material that affect the capacity to fight a war; force: physical energy or intensity; forte: an asset of special worth or utility; persuasiveness: the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty; intensity: the amount of energy transmitted; potency: capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects; the condition of financial success; lastingness: permanence by virtue of the power to resist stress or force.

• What is a stronghold? A house of thoughts; a governing belief system that strongly influences your way of thinking, being, and doing.

Tuesday's Insights:

• Questions: 1) What did the people want in Chapter 8 of Nehemiah?; 2) What were the results of what they were pursuing?; 3) How did they respond to God after Q2 was accomplished?; 4) What was God's response?; 5) According to this account, what is the 'joy of the Lord?' and 6) Why do I need the 'joy of the Lord' and strength? Hint: Read Nehemiah, Chapter 8.

Wednesday's Insights:

• A1) They wanted to get back to the Word. Verse one recalls that they gathered themselves together as one man \- that is what I call unity! They RALLIED together for one purpose. A2) This rallied effort resulted in them coming to understand the Word that was read to them. They received REVELATION as a return on their investment of taking time to understand the Word of God that was available to them at that time. Check out verses two, three, seven, eight, twelve and thirteen. All make mention of their gaining understanding = Revelation. A3) In verses five and six there is an outpouring of praise and worship, REVERENCE toward God for His Word. A4) God's response through the priests that were reading the Word to the people is found in verse nine and ten. The day was proclaimed holy and for the people not to mourn nor weep. They were instructed to eat, drink and give to those who were without. Also, to not be sorry or depressed because the 'joy of the Lord' was their strength. A5) The progression of this account in the history of God's people has led me to the conclusion that the 'joy of the Lord' is when His children understand His Word and respond to the revelation of the Word with reverence. They allowed the revelation of His Word to become a stronghold or a strengthening in the way that they were going to live. A6) We need to walk and live in the revelations of the Word because they will provide the stronghold in the battle against the enemy of our souls, who is relentless in his pursuit to steal, kill and destroy any substance of God in our lives, period. We require this deep foundational strength {the lastingness; the permanence by virtue of the power to resist stress or force} to sustain us until our race is finished.

Thursday's Insights:

• Correction: In my re-reading of Nehemiah 8, I discovered that their REVERANCE for the Word came before they received REVELATION.

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Week Seven: I am Healed by the Stripes of Jesus

Our meditational quote for the week of August 29th, 2010 was:

"I am healed by the stripes of Jesus."

"He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [a] [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed." I Peter 2:24 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Heal: to make better; to revive, recover, or cure; to become better.

• Healing: the natural process by which the body repairs itself.

• Healing: curative: tending to cure or restore to health.

• Mend: heal or recover.

• Heal: get healthy again.

• Heal: bring around: provide a cure for, make healthy again.

• Physiological healing is the restoration of damaged living tissue to normal function. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area. Healing incorporates both the removal of necrotic tissue (demolition), and the replacement of this tissue.

• Cured: freed from illness or injury.

Tuesday-Thursday's Insights:

• So far this week, all I have is questions ~ trying to pry my mind open so that God can speak to me and pour into my spirit all the good parts of what this living scripture means. I have taken a look at Is. 53:3-5 and have noticed the following words used in describing Jesus' plight: wounded, bruised, chastised, scourged (this is how the stripes came to be upon His back), griefs, sorrows, and afflicted. Throughout Jesus' ministry, He healed many prior to the scourging and His ultimate demise on the cross for all humanity. Without a doubt, I know that whatever the revelation is for this passage of scripture it boils down to faith in God and His ability and willingness to heal - which is plenty for all of us to live off of until the end of time. Let's keep pursuing and digging, I know that God has more treasures for us to discover in this truth.

Saturday's Summary:

• It's been quite a week digging into this scripture. I trust that God has given those who made the investment of time a nice return. He's faithful that way. I'm sure that we'll hover over this truth again in the future, but for now we'll bask in the glory of knowing that our sins are forgiven and the curse that was a result of sin is abolished and we can now live a healthy life; spirit, soul and body. Love to all.

***

Week Eight: God Made Me; He'll Keep Me

Our meditational quote for the week of September 5th, 2010 was:

"God made me; therefore, He'll keep me."

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [reverently] and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well." Psalm 139:14 KJV

Monday's Insights:

• Psalm 139:14 The Message "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

• When I read this passage, I can feel the writer's excitement for what God has done. Hope that you will too.

• Made: make or cause to be or to become.

• Keep: look after, be the keep of, have charge of.

• Fearfully [reverently]: a feeling of profound respect for someone or something.

• Wonderfully: extraordinarily good or great.

Friday's Insights:

• Okay, here we go - it's been a bit of a dry week or at least it seemed that way until today. I happened across a video clip of a young gentleman who was born with no eyes and other maladies that prevent him from walking. He plays the most beautiful piano and trumpet, a remarkable young man with a positive attitude. One of his comments; however, struck a chord in me and I will admit it was a bit hard to hear. He commented that God had made him blind and put him in a wheelchair and so on; but that He also put within him the ability to play music.

• And then it happened, the insight came ~ God gave me this insight years ago but He added to it today. We are made by God in His image. Literally hand-crafted by the Almighty Creator. Can you see Him sitting at the potter's wheel? I can see Him, hovering over this lump of clay and moving it about. Then I can see His hands become fully submersed in the clay, disappearing into it. But then it was as if His hands and upper arms became liquid and began to seep into the clay, literally pouring His very being into His creation, you and me. How does this relate to the bullet point above? From my perception today, I was made in God's image ~ a spiritual image; one Spirit made another spirit. 1 Thes. 5:23 clearly states that we are a spirit, have a soul and live in a body.

• Now, let's think this through - my spirit has been infused with God's spirit. It is His spirit that has given me my life, my skills, my abilities, my personality, etc. If my spirit leaves my body, do my skills, abilities and giftings die? Or do they go where my spirit goes? Of course, they go with the source of life - my spirit. My body is just the means to an end, as they say. It is the vehicle to get those skills, abilities and giftings distributed throughout the earth. If the body I'm living in becomes damaged or limited in some way, then another means to get those gifts flowing will present itself (provided I have a good attitude that has been surrendered to God and so on.)

• God made me in His image to live His life in this earth to the full, til it overflows. And since He is the owner of His creation, I believe He has taken a vested interest in making sure His hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind treasure is well taken care of. He has done that by making numerous unbreakable promises in His Word. He has promised that He would always be with us; provide for us; protect us; deliver us; save us; speak with us and tell us great and mighty things; lead and guide us; and love us unconditionally.

• I guess this week wasn't so dry after all. Praise be to the Creator of us all! We love You Father, we love You.

***

Week Nine: God has Supplied All of My Needs

Our meditational quote for the week of September 12th, 2010 was:

"God has supplied all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

"And my God will liberally supply, [fill to the full] your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Meet: satisfy or fulfill; a quantity sufficient to satisfy; make full.

• Fill: a sufficient or more than sufficient amount; an amount that fills a container; the filling of a container.

• Supply: give something useful or necessary to; issue ~ circulate or distribute or equip with; provide ~ give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance; provision ~ the activity of supplying or providing something.

• Liberally: in a generous manner

• Riches: wealth ~ an abundance of material possessions and resources; money, goods, wealth, treasure.

• Need: a need is something that is necessary for organisms to live a healthy life. Needs are distinguished from wants because a deficiency would cause a clear negative outcome, such as dysfunction or death. A condition requiring relief; necessitate ~ require as useful, just or proper; anything that is necessary but lacking; indigence ~ a state of extreme poverty or destitution.

Wednesday's Insights:

• In His Love There is Provision! Provision for every area of our lives. For example, if we lack self-esteem, then there is confidence in realizing and accepting that our self-esteem comes from God. It was imparted into us when He created us in His image. With God's self-esteem, there is no more lack looking back at us in the mirror.

• The scripture states that perfect love casts out fear - perfect love is a mature, unconditional love ~ flawless. When we accept the unconditional love of God into our hearts and way of thinking, then fear has nothing to latch onto and drag us through the lies that God doesn't care about us or that He is not going to take care of us or that we're not good enough or haven't done enough 'works' to deserve God's help or provision.

• It seems to me that the enemy doesn't play around much anymore with the truth regarding God's ability to take care of us ~ that is pretty hard to get around ~ everywhere you look, you can see His abundance. He usually bombards us with the twisted thoughts that He is not willing to provide for us because of something we said or did or pinning it on our sinful nature or anywhere we may have missed the mark.

• 1 John 4:18 (Amplified Bible) "There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]."

• In my opinion, in order to be fully persuaded that God is a provider, one must get a hold of the Words of life listed above. A revelation of the love of God that is personally ours is an unbreakable, unshakable, and immovable foundation that we can firmly stand on to believe for all the other promises found in the Word.

Thursday's Insights:

• Here are some questions to ask yourself as a part of your reflection time: Is there significance to the phrase 'according to' as opposed to 'out of' His riches? Did you know that the first time the word glory was used in the Old Testament was during a conversation that happened between the sons of Laban? They were discussing Jacob's glory: his material wealth and possessions. Hmmm. . . .not the manifested presence of God. What does God own? What kind of resources does He have access to? Are His resources limited to just what is in heaven or just what is in the earth? Did you know that one of the definitions of blessed means to be empowered to succeed?

***

Week 10: I Trust in the Lord with All My Heart

Our meditational quote for the week of September 19th, 2010 was:

"I trust in the Lord with all my heart."

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." Proverbs 3:5 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Trust: confidence; complete confidence in a person or plan; the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others; believe; be confident about something; reliance; certainty based on past experience; allow without fear; have confidence or faith in.

• In: directed or bound inward.

• All: wholly; to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent; completely given to or absorbed by.

• Heart: kernel: the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience; center: an area that is approximately central within some larger region; the courage to carry on; the locus of feelings and intuitions.

• Singular: single: not divided among or brought to bear on more than one object or objective.

• Purpose: an object to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal; a result that is desired; an intention; the act of intending to do something; resolution; determination; the subject of discourse; the point at issue; the reason for which something is done, or the reason it is done in a particular way; an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions; the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose.

Tuesday's Insights:

• The first thought that came to me was in order to trust in the Lord with all my heart was that it had to be with a singular purpose. A quality decision or choice that I am going to have to make in order to do my part so that God would be free to do His. We have to be all in on this one; there is no half-n-half here. All is very simply, A-L-L. But when we give our all, doesn't God give His all?

Wednesday's Insights:

• What does it mean to trust in someone? It would seem like making an investment in the worth or value of the one being trusted, doesn't it? So, we ask ourselves ~ what is this person's character like? Do they have a good reputation in the community and with others? What kind of skills, abilities and talents do they have? Are their motives pure? If we can answer these questions regarding whether or not God is trustworthy without any reservations, then I think we have a 'target' worth investing our trust in.

Thursday's Insights:

• Why do we need to trust in the Lord? Are there any other options? Unfailing ones that is. My first response is that this is a commandment, not just a loving suggestion; so, in order for me to mean what I say when I say that I love God, then I must keep His commandments. However, is there really any other unfailing place or person to put my trust in? I've tried putting my trust in myself and my limitedness and I've tried putting my trust in others and their limitedness . . . but to trust in the One who has no limits, or hindrances or shortcomings, no failings ~ to put my trust in God is an investment that will not and cannot fail me.

Friday's Insights:

• Q) Are there rewards to trusting in the Lord with all our hearts? A) Absolutely! They that trust in the Lord shall have their strength renewed. Check out Isaiah 40:31.

• Q) How do I trust in the Lord with all my heart? A) By choice. Choosing to put the Word of God into your heart on a daily basis; reading, studying, meditating and confessing.

• Q) When and where can I apply this spiritual truth to my life? A) When, everyday ~ all the time. Where, in every area of your life.

***

Week 11: I Lean Not to My Own Insight or Understanding

Our meditational quote for the week of September 26th, 2010 was:

"I lean not to my own insight or understanding."

"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding." Proverbs 3:5b AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Lean: To rest with confidence, as when fully satisfied of the veracity, integrity, or ability of persons, or of the certainty of facts or of evidence; to have confidence; to trust; to depend.

• Insight: penetration: clear or deep perception of a situation; a feeling of understanding; grasping the inner nature of things intuitively.

• Understanding: the cognitive condition of someone who understands; Mental, sometimes emotional process of comprehension, assimilation of knowledge, which is subjective by its nature; reason or intelligence, ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge, ability to infer; opinion, judgment or outlook.

Tuesday's Insights:

• First thought, it's the other half of the commandment. Love God ~ obey Him.

• Second thought, why would I lean on something that is fragile, finite, limited and guaranteed to break at any moment, especially during emotional duress?

• Third thought, what if my mind/spirit was not renewed according to the Word? What am I really leaning on; my experiences, hurt feelings, grudges, judgments, unforgiveness? Scary platform to put my trust in, eh?

Wednesday's Insights:

• What does leaning on my understanding look like? I think it would look like you were about to lean on a table that looks like all four legs are stable, but in reality, one of the legs is broken. And wouldn't you just know it, it's on the side that you are about to lean on! I hear 'I've fallen and I can't get up!'

• How do I know if I'm leaning on my Insights: instead of God's Insights:? Let's check the following: Am I reasoning? Am I in pride? Are my motives inwardly directed to gain something for me, my, and mine? If you aren't sure what it is your heart, then check the words that are coming out of your mouth. It is one of the best indicators of where someone is at in keeping this side of the commandment.

Thursday's Insights:

• Leaning on my understanding. That would mean that I am leaning on or allowing myself to be supported by my ability to grasp the full meaning of knowledge regarding all the details of a situation. Even if I had 20 PhD's, I still couldn't begin to grasp the full meaning of knowledge regarding all the details like God can. His Insights:, His understanding goes beyond what I can see, what I can perceive, or what I can figure out ~ He knows what is in the heart of every person and can see the outcomes far beyond what our imaginations could conjure up. It is just like God to protect us from ourselves by putting this bountiful, life-giving commandment in His Word for us to fully lean on Him to bring it to fruition in our lives. He is wonderful!

Friday's Insights:

• Just as I was lying down for a much needed time of sleep, our loving Father gave me this thought, 'You cannot lean in both directions at the same time.' God is so good. How clear it is now ~ we have to choose; lean on God (trusting in him, leaning on Him, relying on Him) or, we have to choose to lean on ourselves (our limited knowledge, experiences and emotions). For those who are trying to do both and are standing in the middle, not leaning in either direction - that was quickened to me that God considers that just like being lukewarm and according to Rev. 3:16, that is not the reputation you would want before the Lord. What a great week in the Word. Love you.

***

Week 12: I Acknowledge God in All My Ways & He Directs My Path

Our meditational quote for the week of October 3rd, 2010 was:

"I acknowledge God in all my ways & He directs my path."

"In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." Proverbs 3:6 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Acknowledge: accept someone to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority.

• Know: know the nature or character of.

• Recognize: show approval or appreciation of; be fully aware of.

• Ways: manner ~ how something is done or how it happens; direction; a course of conduct.

• Directs: command with authority; intend something to move toward a certain goal; be in charge of; lead, take somebody somewhere; give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction.

• Path: an established line of travel or access.

Tuesday's Insights:

1. Who am I acknowledging?

2. What am I acknowledging?

3. When do I acknowledge God?

4. Where do I acknowledge Him?

5. How do I acknowledge Him?

6. Why should I acknowledge Him?

Thursday's Insights:

1. God.

2. My utter and total dependence on Him.

3. All the time.

4. Everywhere - in my heart, in my mind, will and emotions and even in my body.

5. In prayer - every day conversation with the One who loves me.

6. Because He is the Lord [The master of a household; A person having formal authority over others, a ruler] of my life.

Saturday's Summary:

• What does it mean to know, recognize, and acknowledge God? It means to accept His power and authority. It means to give Him honor, which means His input/direction/instruction carries the most weight or influence in our lives.

• So when we honor Him in our ways (which is the manner in how things are accomplished; how we think, say and do things.) Our ways - our way of living life, the manner in which we think, choose and feel.

• As we honor Him, He will direct - or give direction to us as to which paths we should take. Notice the scripture states paths, plural. I missed that earlier this week, my apologies to you. There are going to be multiple paths to take to successfully finish our part of the race. It is like being in a maze and only God knows which paths will lead us to our next destination/assignment.

***

Week 13: Because I Keep My Mouth & Tongue; I Keep My Soul from Troubles

Our meditational quote for the week of October 10th, 2010 was:

"Because I keep my mouth and tongue, I keep my soul from troubles."

"Whoso keepeth his mouth & his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." Proverbs 21:23 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Can you sense it? This week's meditation is going to be huge. Oh Praise His Name! Well, let's get started. Here are some definitions to consider this week while digging deep into this scripture.

• Keep - restrain: keep under control; keep in check; guard; implies or requires self-control [fruit of the Spirit], self-discipline, composure, and boundaries that are enforced within one self.

• Mouth - a gate or gateway; the point where a stream issues into a larger body of water; a pipeline; an opening to a well.

• Tongue - the tool with which the streams [issues of life] from within you are ushered out or directed; a faucet that turns the streams on; a pump or bucket.

• Soul - the mind, will, emotions [the thinker, the chooser, the feeler].

• Troubles - perturb: disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; an event causing distress or pain; to cause inconvenience or discomfort to; fuss: an angry disturbance; disturb: move deeply; a source of difficulty.

Tuesday's Insights: [Here are some questions to get you thinking:]

1. Who is supposed to keep the mouth and tongue?

2. What are we keeping or guarding our mouth & tongue from?

3. When do we keep it?

4. Where do we keep our mouth and tongue?

5. How are we supposed to keep the mouth and tongue?

6. Why are we to keep our mouth and tongue?

7. Why are they listed separate?

Wednesday's Insights:

1. I am supposed to keep or guard my mouth and tongue. It is my job. It is my responsibility to guard what comes in and what goes out.

2. We are guarding our mouth and tongue from contradictions to the Word of God from getting in or out.

3. There are moments in conversation with God, with oneself and with others that the mouth and tongue will be challenged to be guarded. We certainly do not ever need to spew out any negative or contrary words or beliefs until the working of the Word and the Holy Spirit have finished their assignment in us.

4. We keep our mouth and tongue in the Word; and, we keep our mouth and tongue in conversations, while praying, during meditation time, while confessing the Word.

5. The guarding of the mouth and tongue is going to take training and this will come as a result of daily discipline. One of the ways we can keep or guard our mouth and tongue is to confess the Word. When there are contrary circumstances in your body and it is feeling weak or injured, then confess the Word that you are healed and how God sent His Word to do so.

6. We are to keep our mouth and tongue because if we don't, the enemy will be happy to take care of it for us. We have a flesh and it has a voice and its voice is in agreement with the enemy of our souls. Do not allow the entrance to your well of life or your garden to be overrun or unkept - the enemy will take up residence there if you neglect this very important area.

7. They are listed separate because both are vital. If you were at a well and had no bucket on a rope to pull the life-giving water up to you, then what good is it to be at the well? Your mouth is the opening to the well; the opening that leads to the well of life within you or the garden. Your tongue is the bucket that keeps it refreshed with the Word of God through confession, meditation, praise & worship, thanksgiving and repentance. It is also the means by which negative or contrary words, images or beliefs can hitch a ride out of the well and keep it from getting contaminated.

Friday's Insights:

• As I was getting ready this morning, it dawned on me that another why opened up to me as to 'why' we should guard our mouth and tongue. What does the Word say? It says when we do that, that action will keep or guard our souls from troubles [turmoil, chaos and in my opinion the curse and all its affects]. Why is it so important to guard our souls? ~ the mind, the will, and the emotional parts of who we are. Where does Satan like to work the most and is the most diligent in his efforts to wear us down? Yes, that's right - in the soul. He will bombard our minds with tormenting thoughts; he will drag us around by our emotions ~ up and down ~ extremes to the left and extremes to the right; he will ignite our pride and our selfishness so that we can forge our own way. An unguarded mouth and tongue will allow the enemy to play and toy with us and our lives as he wills. And we know his will; according to John 10:10 - to steal, kill and destroy. That's it! There is nothing good in his mind's eye for us. His loathsome hatred of God and God's creations is his driving force and if we do not guard our mouth and tongue, then our hearts or our gardens are susceptible to his destruction.

***

Week 14: I Have the Faith OF Jesus Christ

Our meditational quote for the week of October 17th, 2010 was:

"I have the faith OF Jesus Christ."

"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith OF the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20 KJV

Monday's Insights:

• Faith: the firm persuasion that God is who He says He is, that He is well-able and willing to do all that He promised to do in His Word.

• Christ: the Anointed One and His Anointing; [the power and ability to change, rearrange or wholly transform any person, place, thing or circumstance.]

• OF: belonging to or associated with; made from; containing; comprising.

• I live by the faith [belonging to or associated with] the Son of God!

Tuesday's Insights:

1. What does Jesus' faith consist of?

2. What does He believe about the Father, His abilities, His character, His nature?

3. What are His expectations regarding His prayers being answered?

4. How did Jesus respond in crisis?

5. Does His harmony with the Father affect His faith? If yes, how?

Wednesday's Insights:

1. Jesus' faith would consist of what He believes about the Father's ability and willingness to carry out His Word. He would have an unlimited number of experiences to draw from to recount all the times God came through.

2. It would be my assumption that Jesus would believe God unconditionally; He said it - and that would settle it for Him. I think Jesus would take God at His Word without a single doubt or question.

3. I often say this with regards when reminding God and myself about something that I've already asked Him for - "I thank You that you heard me the first time." The implication is simple, I asked believing - God answered providing whatever it was that I asked for.

4. I noticed in the scriptures that Jesus was at peace regardless of the turmoil around Him. Being firmly or fiercely persuaded about His Father's character and abilities must have been a very firm foundation to stand on indeed.

5. He and the Father really are One; so close \- intertwined would be a good word to describe them. With no separation of wills or motives, it is easy to see that the harmony they shared clearly impacted Jesus' faith in God's willingness and abilities to enforce the Word He promised.

Thursday's Insights:

• As I ponder on Jesus' fierce persuasion, or His firm positioning, His harmony with His Father - it is obvious to me that the platform He is standing on or grounded to is literally unshakable, unbreakable, immovable, unchanging, firmly fixed, and stable. Jesus and the Father are One - He is in the Father. We are in Jesus; therefore, we are in the Father also. Are we not standing on the same foundation as He is? Looks like it to me that we are - Hallelujah!

Friday's Insights:

• My thoughts pondered today regarding how Jesus never fainted. As we read the accounts of His life, we can clearly determine that He had times that He was weary or tired. Here is what the Word says in Galatians 6:9 (King James Version) "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." What comes to the surface of my mind is this, to 'faint not' would be equivalent to 'believing without wavering' or 'believing without stopping.' It seems right to me that to stand on the Word means to believe in it. And in the natural world, fainting usually involves falling over or falling down or being moved from the place where that person was standing. If we stop believing or standing, then we are well on our way to fainting or falling from believing what we believed previously. To have the faith of Jesus means that we have His standing ability or believing ability in God until the Word is manifested, especially when the circumstances are contrary to what we've believed for. Praise the name of Jesus!

***

Week 15: Nothing Hurts Me Because I Have God's Power / Authority

Our meditational quote for the weeks of Oct. 24th & Nov. 1st, 2010 was:

"Nothing hurts me because I have God's power-authority to tread on serpents & scorpions and over all the power-ability of the enemy."

"Behold, I give unto you power [authority] to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power [ability] of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke 10:19 KJV

Monday's Insights:

• Authority ~ the power or right to give orders or make decisions; the right to command.

• Ability ~ the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment; a delegated skill designed for a specific purpose.

• Tread ~ stomp heavily or roughly; crush as if by treading on.

• Serpents ~ snakes - literal; emotions - figurative; lies or deception could also be considered here.

• Scorpions ~ In my opinion based on some reading, there is a leaning toward a demonic or demon based reference here.

• Hurt ~ give trouble or pain to; cause emotional anguish or make miserable, injury: any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.; cause damage or affect negatively.

Tuesday's Insights:

1. Who gave the power?

2. Whose power / authority is it?

3. Why did He give it?

4. What is the result of using this power-authority?

5. What is the difference between power-authority and power-ability?

6. How do we use this power-authority?

Wednesday's Insights:

• As I was preparing for this week's lesson it dawned on me that I have the power-ability to go out into the middle of oncoming traffic, hold up my hand and attempt to stop or re-direct vehicles. My next thought was, well, I don't have the power-authority to do that. Someone with road rage might find my presence just irritating enough to move me off the road, if you know what I mean. I would need a uniform, a badge of some kind or better yet, an authorizing agency stating that I have the power-authority to do what the situation calls for. An authorizing agency, now that is something to ponder for a while.

Thursday's Insights:

1. Who gave the power? JESUS

2. Whose power / authority is it? THE FATHER'S

3. Why did He give it? TO SUBDUE THE ENEMY & HIS PLANS

4. What is the result of using this power-authority? NOTHING HURTS US

5. What is the difference between power-authority and power-ability? REFER TO WEDNESDAY'S INSIGHTS. In addition, I was thinking about what authority meant and here is what I got: Authority - a delegated representative of the original source with the same power, resources and influence. Ability - a delegated skill for a specific use or purpose. Authority always trumps ability. In our case, we have both - glory to God!

6. How do we use this power-authority? BYSPEAKING GOD'S WORDS, WITH THE FAITH OF JESUS.

Friday's Insights:

• Please check out this commentary regarding this scripture. I hope that you will find much illumination in your efforts. <http://biblecommenter.com/luke/10-19.htm>

***

Week 16: Nothing Hurts Me Because I Have God's Power / Authority II

Our meditational quote for the weeks of Oct. 24th & Nov. 1st, 2010 was:

"Nothing hurts me because I have God's power-authority to tread on serpents & scorpions and over all the power-ability of the enemy."

"Behold, I give unto you power [authority] to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power [ability] of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Luke 10:19 KJV

Monday's Insights:

• I am going to hang out on this scripture another week. I did not give myself fully to last week's meditation and it just seems like that there is so much more that this scripture could tell me. I have dug out of my boxes, a handful of books on authority and hope to glean some rich nuggets from within the pages. I'll be sure to post here all the good stuff that is going to come forth this week.

Wednesday's Insights:

• I have been re-reading some of my study materials trying to get a better grip on what God is saying to us here in this verse. Yesterday it did occur to me that the authority that God has given to us through His Son works from the platform of love. His love, of course, not our version of conditional love but His unconditional love. I will also share with you here a quote from an article written by Jerry Savelle: "I am a believer and I have been given the authority to lay hands on the sick. I do not have the ability to heal them. I do not have the ability to remove disease, but I do have the authority. And, I know that God has the ability. If I can get the person on whom I am laying hands to believe and receive it, then miracles will happen. The Word says they shall recover. Again, I have authority as a believer, and God has the ability. God is able and is wiling. But, He will not do what he is able to do until the believer releases his authority. God has the ability, but you have the authority to call His ability into action if you will exercise it."

Thursday's Insights:

• Recommended Reading: The Believer's Authority - Kenneth E. Hagin; Authority in Three Worlds - Charles Capps; The Triumphant Church - Kenneth E. Hagin

Friday's Insights:

• Well, it's the end of the week and I am almost through re-reading The Believer's Authority. I will keep after it and the other books and share relevant points with you as they are highlighted to me.

• This dominant thought has come my way via God's grace over the last couple of days - 'Authority is summed up in one word . . . Love'. How's that for a topper to the last two week's meditations?

• Think about it; when you know that you know that God is for you and not against you - doesn't it cause you to feel stronger, braver, more confident? Knowing that God has my back because He loves me gives me the invincible attitude I need to exercise His authority. To choose to believe that God loves me gives me the military position spiritually speaking necessary to tread, stomp and cause the enemy to flee from me and my family. Glory!

***

Week 17: The Perfect Love of God Casts Out Fear

Our meditational quote for the week of November 7th, 2010 was:

"The perfect love of God casts out fear."

"There is no fear in love, dread does not exist, but full-grown, complete, perfect love brings with it the thought of punishment, and so he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love, is not yet grown into love's complete perfection." I John 4:18 AMP

Monday's Insights:

• Perfect: being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish; precisely accurate or exact; a state of completeness and flawlessness.

• Love: a strong positive emotion of regard and affection; any object of warm affection or devotion; have a great affection or liking for; beloved: a beloved person.

• Casts: project: put or send forth; hurl: throw forcefully; shed: get rid of.

• Fear: be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event; be afraid or scared of; be frightened of; concern: an anxious feeling; be uneasy or apprehensive about; an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight; F.E.A.R.: false evidence appearing real.

Tuesday's Insights:

• It seems to me that perfect love would be equivalent to unconditional love. And ONLY God can produce and freely give this kind of love because He is PERFECT and UNCONDITIONAL in His love toward us.

• I wanted to refresh myself in the definitions of conditional and unconditional and I have posted them here for you to read. It's quite an eye-opener.

• UNCONDITIONAL: absolute, and without conditions, limitations, reservations or qualifications; not conditional; categoric: not modified or restricted by reservations; not contingent; not determined or influenced by someone or something else.

• CONDITIONAL: something that is withheld or kept back; a limiting qualification; qualified by reservations; reservation - a statement that limits or restricts some claim; mental reservation: an unstated doubt that prevents you from accepting something {or someone - in my opinion} wholeheartedly; imposing or depending on or containing a condition.

• All right, so that brings us back to the scripture ~ 'perfect (unconditional) love casts out fear'. When believers accept God's unconditional love for themselves - it sweeps the house clean, leaving no dark corners for the enemy to hide in, to attach to or work from. And when fear has no place to work from, then the real issue or root of the problem can be revealed and dealt with. If fear is present and working us over, then there is an unresolved issue of unbelief supporting that fear. Fear and unbelief are what I call the 'Wonder Twins' - frantically working in us to get us to doubt or wonder whether or not what God said is true. Fear is the smokescreen, keeping us in the dark, keeping us in confusion, keeping us away from the root so that it can keep growing and digging itself in deeper.

• Now when it comes to dealing with demoniacally supported strongholds and working in the ministry area of deliverance - believers better have the perfect, unconditional love of God operating in their hearts. When someone is in need of deliverance from demonic forces, we can rightly determine the following: 1) their minds are more than likely un-renewed; they have not been taught how to renew their way of thinking according to the Word and, 2) they are dominated by their flesh (which is a way of thinking that is contrary to the Word and in line with the world's way of doing things). Now, as a result of #1 - the domination by the flesh is inevitable.

• If there is fear operating, then dark forces are going to be looking for a familiar spot to camp out; they are going to be looking for a hiding place. But, if the house/heart is truly swept clean, then they have no place to go but OUT!

• It is my expectant hope in God that tomorrow's insights will show us How-To allow the perfect, unconditional love of God to cast out fear. Very exciting!

Wednesday's Insights:

• How do I allow the perfect love of God to cast out fear?

Thursday's Insights:

• The first thought that came to me with regards to Wednesday's question was this: 'by my words' - I allow the perfect love of God to cast out fear by my words. Then I was reminded of this great way that God showed me to remember how to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

• Check this out - spell sword, s - w - o - r \- d. Now take the 's' from the front of the word and move it to the back, w - o - r - d -s. Cool, huh? I'm smiling now reflecting on this simple but profound truth. I really appreciate God keeping things easy for me.

• The second thought: 'by my choices' - I was taught that there are already built-in consequences or rewards to the choices we make in life. So that whenever I make a choice and then follow through on it ~ the consequence or reward is released my way and we shall soon meet. If I make a choice based in fear, then the consequence will manifest from that resource.

• To wrap up the day, I wrote out the quote with the expanded definitions and here's is what it looks like: 'Flawless, mature and unconditional affection and tenderness hurls or forcefully throws out the following: anxiety, apprehension, feelings of being afraid or scared, being overly concerned, uneasiness, feelings of impending danger, doom or panic, and all false evidence appearing real.'

Friday's Insights:

• It is a good habit to read the scriptures before and after a passage that you might be focusing on - it can provide perspective. Let's check out verses 16 & 17: 'And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, . . .'

• I hope you have caught what I caught as I read and re-read this passage. Keep in mind that the verse numbers were added later and the scriptures should be read more like a letter. So the beginning statement in verse 17 is directly connected and referring to the previous information mentioned in verse 16. Herein is our love made perfect or mature by having known (personally experiencing) and believing in the love that God has toward us. Resting or trusting in His love assures us that He is for us, not against us - not some anger-ridden God who would crush us if we miss the mark of living right; therefore, giving fear no place or platform to work from.

• Here are some closing thoughts:

• We must have a revelation of the perfect love of God for ourselves. We must accept God's acceptance and approve of His approval for ourselves. How do we do this?

• By choosing to believe in our hearts and with our mouths - confess. Salvation comes this way - why is it that we think that other hoops must be jumped through, as if we could earn His love by works or some other way?

• Allow Perfect Love to govern our souls - what we think, what we say and what we do. Ask Him, ask Perfect Love to do that through you. You see, Perfect Love is a person - not a feeling. It's Him. He is Perfect Love and He's living inside us; waiting for us to ask Him to take the lead.

• Let's make the following a part of our confessions of faith: "Father God, I accept Your acceptance of me as a person, your daughter/son. I approve of Your approval of me through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I believe and receive Your love, Your perfect love, working on the inside of me, governing my every thought, word and action. For Your glory Father, in Jesus' name. Amen."

***

Week 18: I Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work

Our meditational quote for the week of November 14th, 2010 was:

"I let patience have her perfect work. Now I am perfect & entire, wanting nothing."

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." James 1:2-4 The Message

Definitions:

• Let: permit: consent to, give permission.

• Patience: the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties.

• Perfect: precisely accurate or exact.

• Work: cultivate; shape, form, or improve a material.

• Entire: constituting the full quantity or extent; complete; entirely - wholly: to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent.

• Want/lack: be without, lack; be deficient in; the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable; miss, be without.

• Nothing: a concept that describes the absence of anything at all.

Tuesday's Insights:

• Trials and tribulation are our employees - they work for us. Don't let the trial tell you who you are ~ tell the trial who you are and who you belong to! Check out Luke 21:19: 'In your patience, possess ye your souls.' KJV or 'By your endurance, you will gain your lives.' I let patience, the state of endurance under difficult circumstances to have her perfect work.

• I let the state of endurance under difficult circumstances to have her precisely accurate and exact work. I let the state of endurance under difficult circumstances to have her precisely accurate and exact cultivation, the shaping or re-shaping, the form or re-forming and the improvement of my way of being.

Questions:

1. What does the 'trying of your faith' mean from verse two? According to the scriptures, it is what works patience and so we need to know what that means so that we can get into agreement and not hinder the process - because we all ultimately want to get to the 'wanting nothing' or 'lacking nothing' part but we've got to get a hold of the first part of the process.

2. Who has the responsibility to allow patience to work?

3. How do I count it all joy?

4. Define: Divers Temptations (Hint: check out other translations at http://www.biblegateway.com to get some other views on what that phrase means.)

Answers:

1. To try something or someone means to test, which means to ask and bring to remembrance the knowledge of a subject. So, to try our faith means that our faith (what we are persuaded about God and His ability and willingness to fulfill His will for our lives) is going to be tested. We are going to be 'quizzed' if you will, about what we can bring to our remembrance about what we believe. A True and False test is like this; an absolute true statement is TRUE; an absolute false statement is FALSE and a true and false statement is absolute FALSE. This is where our enemy works to bring about contradictions to God's Word; if he can slip in just a smidgen of false, and we don't catch it - then we are going to miss that mark. Know what God has said in His Word so that you'll be ready when the test comes. With each test or each question answered correctly, it builds confidence within us - a staying power, an invisible force holding us in our place of faith - waiting until the Word comes to pass in this realm. This invisible force could be named patience. There are few Greek words used in the NT for wisdom and one of them is sophia. Sophia wisdom is defined to be the ability to discern what is happening in a situation and to look ahead, with hope, to a good end. Sophia wisdom "sees through" what is happening and inspires patience. How cool is that?!?! So, let's say that our faith has been tested and we've passed and now our passing grade which is patience is now causing us to stand still - we are immovable; we cannot be moved off of God's Word - those unbreakable promises He gave us and sealed them in His Son's blood. Outstanding!!!

2. I have the responsibility to allow patience to work. It is my duty, it is my privilege to get into God's Word and prepare for the tests that are coming my way so that I can pass and get my patience reward.

3. Counting it all joy is a choice my dear brothers and sisters - just like everything else in this life - pure and simple, a conscious act of my will. I have the power and ability to choose how I am going to react in a situation or to another person. Check out Deut. 30:19. I find that when I am in a place where I have do that conscious thing, I remind myself which choice leads to the life of God and then the obvious choice makes itself very clear. Perhaps the expression 'No Brainer' would be well placed here :-).

4. Definition of 'divers' temptations': trial[s]: an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; test[s]: examine someone's knowledge of something; challenge[s]: a demanding or stimulating situation.

Insights: / Reflections:

• A couple more questions surfaced this morning as I was going over my notes: 1) What is patience trying to cultivate or grow on the inside of me? and 2) What are the results of the perfect work of patience?

• Here's what came to me: 1a) Patience is cultivating, growing or developing within me a way to respond to contrary conditions that lines up with the Word of God.

• And, 2a) The results of patience's perfect work is a fierce persuasion, an unshakable foundation of belief in God and His Word. I was also reminded that it is with faith and patience that we, as believers, obtain or possess in this realm the promises of His Word.

• Hebrews 6:12 (King James Version)

• "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

***

Week 19: I Can Do All Things Through Christ

Our meditational quote for the week of Nov. 21st & Nov. 28th, 2010 was:

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."

"Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Phil. 4:13 The Message

"I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]." AMP

Week 19 Part One

Definitions:

• Christ - the Anointed One & His Anointing.

• Strengthen - make strong or stronger; reinforced: given added strength or support; strengthening: the act of increasing the strength of something.

• English/Greek/Definition:

• Things / Panta / Things, all, every.

• I can do / Ischuo / To be strong, have power.

• Through / En / In, on, at, by, with.

• Which / To / The.

• Who strengthens / Endunamounti / To empower.

• Me / Me / I, me, my.

Scripture Confession:

• "I am strong; I have power to do all things through Christ, the Anointed One and His Anointing (a visitation of the presence of God in manifestation) which strengthens, or empowers me."

Questions:

1. What was Paul writing about in the scriptures before verse 13?

2. Being content in whatever state he found himself, I believe.

3. Does being content have anything to do with gaining strength?

4. Let's take a look at the following words and their Definitions: Content: satisfy in a limited way; [satisfying - comforting: providing freedom from worry; hearty: providing abundant nourishment; to do enough; to meet (needs); to fulfill (wishes, requirements);]

5. Contentedness: the state of being contented with your situation in life. Seems like there is a connection, doesn't it?

6. How do I do all things through Christ? (His hands, His feet, His mind, His way, His response.)

7. Still working on this one.

8. What are the results if I do things in my own power?

9. This one came with hindsight - Exhaustion! Sheer exhaustion my friends.

This Week's Summary:

• Well, I have nothing to summarize. This week has been one of the toughest I have ever had - so many distractions and emotional pressures. As I am typing this, I have discovered the answer to the last question listed above ~ the results of doing things in my own power - Exhaustion! I have been squeezed inside and out this week; some by the enemy and the rest can be divided amongst self, family and outside sources. Needless to say, I am going to camp out on this scripture next week and hope that you'll join me. That is, if you didn't get the chance to meditate as much as you would have like to either. I would deeply appreciate your company and participation. We can make it ~ together!

• The one thing that did come to surface this week was how it must look in the spirit realm when we do things through Christ. In my imagination I can see me standing behind Him and stepping into His shell or His body to the point that I could not be seen anymore - just Him. And the movements that are being made are actually me within His body doing this or that, as the Holy Spirit instructs, of course. Completely engulfed and hidden within His person - a nice place to pause and pick up here next week when I actually give myself to this scripture and then watch God give back to me in the way that only He can. Love to all of you, very much love indeed!

***

Week 20: I Can Do All Things Through Christ, II

Insights:

• Here are some thoughts / questions that I have been jotting down in my journal: Being content is an attitude. Attitudes are located in the soul. Being content is a position of belief. An attitude is a belief checker. Contentment is a learned or trained behavior or a learned/trained attitude. To learn something means one has to have had experiences or lessons in order to gain the learning from it.

• Why was Paul content? IMO: Because no matter what circumstance he found himself in - God provided, God protected, God delivered, etc. His contentment position or foundation was based on his belief in God's ability and willingness to make good on His Word.

• Are we convinced of God's intentions toward us like Paul was in this text? Is God really for us or against us? Our answer determines whether or not we have a foundation to stand on to declare ~ 'I Can Do All Things!' Being content builds a foundation to declare the "I can do" attitude, belief or a firmly persuaded conviction. Do all things ~ what are some of the 'all things' that we can do? Naturally and spiritually?

Summary:

• Choosing to be content, choosing to believe that God is enough, that God is my portion builds me a rock solid foundation to stand on to do whatever 'it' is.

• How does it strengthen me? Attitudes are soul-located; I believe doing things through the Anointed One would strengthen the soul of a person (the mind, will and emotions.) And because the attitude I now have is in line with God's Word; I am thinking in line with His thoughts; I am now plugged into the source of strength by being in agreement with His Word (which are His thoughts also). This connection is now nourishing me, feeding me, providing for me, and sustaining me.

• All things - let's check this very small list: I can raise the dead, lay hands on the sick, cast out demons, pray with new tongues, forgive, love, serve, worship, praise, teach, preach, work, live, move, breathe, and so on.

***

Week 21: The Lord is My Shepherd

Our meditational quote for the week of December 5th, 2010 was:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."

"THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1 AMP

Definitions:

• Shepherd: Someone who watches over, looks after, or guides somebody; To watch over; to guide; One who provides food, protection and care.

• Feed: Serve as food for; be the food for; Support or promote; Give food to.

• Guide: Usher: someone employed to conduct others; Steer: direct the course; determine the direction of travelling; Someone who shows the way by leading or advising; Lead: take somebody somewhere; Be a guiding or motivating force or drive; Use as a guide; Scout: someone who can find paths through unexplored territory; A guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country.

• Shield: A protective covering or structure; Protect, hide or conceal from danger or harm; Armor carried on the arm to intercept blows; Carapace: hard outer covering or case; A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or by glancing a blow to the side of the shield-user; A force field, sometimes known as an energy shield, force shield, or deflector shield which is a barrier, typically made of energy or charged particles, that protects a person, area or object from attacks or intrusions.

• Lack: Miss, be without; the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable; A defect or failing; moral or spiritual degeneracy; A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want; To be without, to need, to require; To be short (of or for something); lacking - deficient: inadequate in amount or degree; lacking - nonexistent.

Scripture Confession:

• "The Lord is my shepherd; the One who watches over, looks after, guides, provides and protects me; He also feeds me, guides me through all territories known and unknown; and shields me by intercepting attacks of all enemies; therefore, I do not lack; I am no longer without; I am not deficient in any capacity - naturally or spiritually."

Questions:

1. Who is the shepherd?

2. What is his job?

3. And how does he do it?

4. Why do I need a shepherd?

Answers / Resources:

1. The Lord is the Shepherd. Love is the Shepherd.

2. His job is to feed, guide and shield me.

3. He does His job through His Word by His Spirit.

4. Why do we need a shepherd? - please check out this resource; a really great article about the parallels of sheep, natural and spiritual. <http://shepherdshillfarm.home.mindspring.com/id6.html>

Insights: / Reflections:

• "LOVE is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. LOVE makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; LOVE leads me beside the still and restful waters. LOVE refreshes and restores my life (my self); LOVE leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for LOVE'S sake. Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for LOVE, YOU are with me; LOVE, Your rod [to protect] and LOVE, Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. LOVE you have prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies. LOVE, YOU anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over. Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of LOVE [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place."

***

Week 22: I Bring into Captivity Every Thought to the Obedience of Christ

Our meditational quote for the week of December 12th, 2010 was:

"I bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

"The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." 2 Cor. 10: 3-6 The Message Bible

Definitions:

• Bring: cause to come into a particular state or condition; bring into a different state; to transport toward somebody/somewhere.

• Captivity: the state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved.

• Thought: the result of using your mind to consider something carefully.

• Obedience: the act of carrying out commands, or being actuated; obey: to do as ordered.

• Christ: the Anointed One & His Anointing.

• Every: all of a countable group, without exception.

Scripture Confession:

• "I cause all thoughts to come into a different state by enslaving them and then transporting them to Christ's obedience."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

Sited from http://www.biblecommenter.com

• "And bringing into captivity ... - The figure here is evidently taken from military conquests. The idea is, that all the strongholds of paganism, and pride, and sin would be demolished; and that when this was done, like throwing down the walls of a city or making a breach, all the plans and purposes of the soul, the reason, the imagination, and all the powers of the mind would be subdued or led in triumph by the gospel, like the inhabitants of a captured city. Christ was the great Captain in this warfare. In his name the battle was waged, and by his power the victory was won. The captives were made for him and under his authority; and all were to be subject to his control. Every power of thought in the pagan world; all the systems of philosophy and all forms of opinion among people; all the purposes of the soul; all the powers of reason, memory, judgment, fancy in an individual, were all to come under the laws of Christ, All doctrines were to be in accordance with his will; philosophy should no longer control them, but they should be subject to the will of Christ. All the plans of life should be controlled by the will of Christ, and formed and executed under his control - as captives are led by a conqueror. All the emotions and feelings of the heart should be controlled by him, and led by him as a captive is led by a victor. The sense is that it was the aim and purpose of Paul to accomplish this, and that it would certainly be done. The strongholds of philosophy, paganism, and sin should be demolished, and all the opinions, plans, and purposes of the world should become subject to the all-conquering Redeemer."

Questions:

1. Who is responsible for bringing the thoughts to the obedience of Christ & Why?

2. What does it mean to 'bring into captivity'?

3. What are we supposed to bring & where are we supposed to bring it?

4. How do we do this?

5. What would happen if we left all our thoughts alone and let them run their courses?

6. What is the obedience of Christ (the Anointed One, His Anointing)?

Answers:

1. I am the one responsible to bring the thoughts into the obedience of Christ because I am the speaking spirit that God put into the earth. He put His authority into me through His Son Jesus.

2. Bringing into captivity means to cause whatever it is to come into a different state by enslavement.

3. We are supposed to bring every thought and we are to bring them to the obedience of Christ.

4. We do this by declaring the thought contrary to the Word and expose it by speaking the Word to replace it. I asked myself the following Questions: What is contrary to the truth? A lie. What is contrary to a lie? The truth. When a thought is not in line with God's Word, then it is a lie and you confess the contradiction to it, which is the Truth of God's Word.

5. If we left all our thoughts alone and let them run their courses, then we would be a big mess; spirit, soul and body. Not every thought is from God and not every thought should be acted on. Our lives would be like a pile of laundry – some clean and wearable and some not so much. But because the clean clothes were left with the dirty ones, those odors and stains transferred over to the clean ones and now we cannot tell which outfit is wearable because everything looks and smells the same – dirty! Do the laundry and sort your thoughts and put them in the appropriate basket or trash can. :-)

6. When I think about the obedience of Christ, I am pulled toward the Word; whatever is in line with the Word would be in obedience. Christ defined means the Anointed One & His Anointing; also referred to as the manifested presence of God. If I am going to bring something into God's presence, then it better be something that He would want. He wants me in His presence and He wants whatever is in me to be in line with His Word because that is what is best for me.

***

Week 23: I am Reigning in this Life as a King & Priest

Our meditational quote for the week of December 19th, 2010 was:

"I am reigning in this life as a king & priest."

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Revelation 1:5-6 KJV

Definitions:

• King: a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom; a competitor who holds a preeminent position; baron; a very wealthy or powerful businessman; preeminence in a particular category or group or field.

• Priest: a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities; a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders.

• Made: successful or assured of success; make or cause to be or to become.

• Reign: authority, rule, or prevalence; currently ruling or holding a position; exercising power or authority; a period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful; have sovereign power; the period which a monarch is sovereign; predominate; be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; royal authority; the dominion of a monarch.

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

Sited from http://www.biblecommenter.com

• "And hath made us kings and priests unto God - In 1 Peter 2:9 the same idea is expressed by saying of Christians that they are "a royal priesthood." See the notes on that verse. The quotation in both places is from Exodus 19:6; "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests." This idea is expressed here by saying that Christ had made us in fact kings and priests; that is, Christians are exalted to the dignity and are invested with the office, implied in these words. The word "kings," as applied to them, refers to the exalted rank and dignity which they will have; to the fact that they, in common with their Savior, will reign triumphant over all enemies; and that, having gained a victory over sin and death and hell, they may be represented as reigning together. The word "priests" refers to the fact that they are engaged in the holy service of God, or that they offer to him acceptable worship. See the notes on 1 Peter 2:5. And his Father - Even his Father; that is, the Savior has redeemed them, and elevated them to this exalted rank, in order that they may thus be engaged in the service of his Father. To him be glory - To the Redeemer; for so the construction Revelation 1:5 demands. The word "glory" here means praise, or honor, implying a wish that all honor should be shown him. And dominion - This word means literally "strength" - κράτος kratos; but it here means the strength, power, or authority which is exercised over others and the expression is equivalent to a wish that he may reign."

Questions:

1. What are the duties / responsibilities / authorities of kings & priests?

2. Who made me a king / priest?

3. Why, for what purpose?

Answers:

1. I surfed the web for some answers regarding the duties and responsibilities of kings and priests and here are some of the responses: 1) Represent the nation to others and itself; and, 2) He has to take care of the people in his kingdom. He should remove poverty from his kingdom. The priest is the person authoritatively appointed to do homage to God in the name of society, even the primitive society of the family (cf. Job 1:5), and to offer Him sacrifice (in the broad, but especially in the strict sense of the word); and 2) Teach the Gospel, Baptize, Administer the Sacrament (communion elements), Visit the Members, Ordain Others to the Aaronic Priesthood, and Assist in Missionary Work.

2. My initial thought was the king/priest person is to keep everything in order, naturally as well as spiritually, so that the people of the kingdom could flourish. Who & How? Jesus, of course through His finished work at Calvary. Why? To reign on the earth. To remind Satan of his complete and utter defeat and Jesus' victory for us. To govern over our flesh & emotions to keep ourselves in line with God's Word. To provide an inspirational example of how to live in victory and not stay a victim. To be a witness to the saved and unsaved.

3. Define Sovereign: greatest in status or authority or power. "Through Christ's victory, I have the greatest status, authority and power to live with complete peace, internal as well as external, provision and protection."

***

Week 24: I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus

Our meditational quote for the week of December 26th, 2010 was:

"I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus."

"Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you. How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God." 2 Cor. 5:17-21 The Message Bible

Definitions:

• Righteousness: in right standing and right doing with God; someone who is free from Sin and lives a life conformed the will of God; the quality or state of being righteous; holiness; purity; uprightness; rectitude; righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it chiefly occurs, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law.

• Christ: the Anointed One & His Anointing; the manifest presence of God.

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words: Sited from [http://www.biblecommenter.com]

• Barnes' Notes on the Bible: "For he hath made him to be sin for us - The Greek here is, 'for him who knew no sin, he hath made sin, or a sin-offering for us.' The design of this very important verse is, to urge the strongest possible reason for being reconciled to God. This is implied in the word (γὰρ gar) "for." Paul might have urged other arguments, and presented other strong considerations. But he chooses to present this fact, that Christ has been made sin for us, as embodying and concentrating all. It is the most affecting of all arguments; it is the one that is likely to prove most effectual.

Questions:

1. What have we traded God for Christ's righteousness?

2. What is the significance of accepting God's love to being persuaded that we are His righteousness?

3. How was this 'right standing' accomplished?

Answers:

1. We have traded our sins, our iniquities [our weaknesses], and our transgressions for His right standing with the Father.

2. The significance of accepting God's love is that it is the very reason we have any opportunity at all to be righteous. It is the love of God that brought us salvation through Christ Jesus; His life - His death - His resurrection; and now His continual intercession for us at the right hand of the Father.

3. The 'right standing' we now enjoy was accomplished through Jesus' sinless life. He walked this earth and not one time did he ever break fellowship with the Father through sin {missing the mark}, or bending or breaking under the pressures of weaknesses, nor did he miss the mark against others in his every day dealings with them. Then he placed his pure, sinless blood on the mercy seat before the Father allowing us the opportunity to be washed and made right.

Insights: / Reflections:

• I have thought about 'trading posts' during this week. I took my junk, my weaknesses and every worthless item I had to the 'trading post' and in return I got Jesus' right standing with the Father. So instead of him buying my 'gold', he bought my sins and gave me his righteousness account or righteousness card in return - like American Express only better - way better. Now anytime I put a charge on my account that doesn't line up with the terms and conditions of the Holder on the account, Jesus says that I can put those charges on his account, wiping my bill clean - again. I don't leave home without my Righteousness Card.

***

Week 25: I am Accepted in the Beloved

Our meditational quote for the week of January 2nd, 2011 was:

"I am accepted in the Beloved."

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Eph. 1:6

Definitions:

• Accepted: acceptance - adoption: the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception.

• Beloved: the born again believers; the church; those who have called Jesus Savior, Lord and King; An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship. It can be defined by these characteristics: enduring behavioral interdependence, repeated interactions, emotional attachment, and need fulfillment.

Scripture Confession:

• "I am approved of with favorable reception in the body of believers who have called Jesus their Savior, Lord and King."

Questions:

1. Who has accepted me?

2. What was being discussed in the scriptures before & after this verse?

3. How was this made possible for me?

4. What are the benefits of being accepted?

Answers:

1. God the Father has accepted me.

2. The scriptures leading up to verse six were discussing how God had planned our adoption by Jesus; to make us a part of His family. The verses following elaborated on our redemption, our forgiveness and being privileged to know God's will for our lives.

3. God's acceptance of me was made possible by Jesus' pure sacrifice of his life's blood.

4. The benefits of being accepted includes: being set free from people-pleasing; being highly favored by God; I have a family heritage that is rooted and grounded in unconditional love.

Insights / Reflections:

• Last night I pondered the following: 1) what factors could prevent me from accepting the acceptance that God has put out there for me? And, 2) who is the beloved?

• Here's what I jotted down in my journal: 1) lies, deception, distraction, ignorance, rejection, ungodly belief systems, pride, false humility, walking in the flesh (a way of thinking that is contrary to the Word and in line with the world's way of thinking); and 2) Verse 7 is a continuance of the subject from verse 6; I automatically assumed that the word 'beloved' referred to the Body of Christ; however, verse seven states 'in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins', and so on. With all due respect to the body of believers, no one but Jesus has done those things mentioned above. Therefore, I am accepted in the Beloved or Beloved One, which is Jesus. YAY!

Week's Wrap Up:

• I am accepted in Jesus.

• I am accepted in the Son of God.

• I am accepted in Christ.

• I am accepted in the Anointed One & His Anointing.

• I am accepted in the manifested presence of God.

• Now, those are really nice thoughts to end the week on.

***

Week 26: I Humble Myself in the Sight of the Lord

Our meditational quote for the week of January 9th, 2011 was:

"I humble myself in the sight of the Lord & He lifts me up."

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." James 4:10

Definitions:

• Humble: marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful; To bring low; to reduce the power, independence, or exaltation of; to lower; to abase; to reduce the self-sufficiency of.

• Sight: the act of looking or seeing or observing.

• Lift: raise from a lower to a higher position; take hold of something and move it to a different location; raise in rank or condition.

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• http://biblecommenter.com/james/4-10.htm

• http://www.biblecommenter.com

Questions:

1. Who humbles who?

2. Why is it my responsibility?

3. What does it mean to humble someone else?

4. Is this what's being described in this scripture?

5. What does it mean to 'lift up'?

6. 'In the sight of the Lord' ~ what significance does this have?

Answers:

1. I humble me ~ my choice to lower myself in my own eyes, perceptions, etc.

2. It is my responsibility because it is an act of my expression of love toward Him and there isn't anyone else that can do that for me.

3. To humble someone else comes through humiliation ~ to put someone down in your sight.

4. No ~ this is not what is being described here. It would contradict God's nature to humiliate someone, especially someone He unconditionally loves.

5. To lift up means to raise from a lower to a higher position and/or rank; so God lifts me from my sorry, sin-filled state and lifts me to Jesus' position and rank. Looks a whole lot better from up here. Eph. 2:6 "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

6. 'In the sight of the Lord' ~ The significance to this is that we must be in His presence to be in His sight. He can see me and I can see Him. He is always present with us, but we are not always aware of His presence.

Insights: / Reflections:

• With each passing week, it is becoming more clear why the scriptures before and after should be considered when meditating on a specific passage. In the verses preceding verse ten, particularly verses six through nine reveal some of the differences and rewards to living life with humility and living life with pride or a prideful heart. I have a topical study Bible and these verses are highlighted with two swords crossing in the middle, indicating that these verses are in the Victorious Living category.

• I listed some of the pro's and con's in my journal yesterday and here is what it looked like when I was finished:

o Humble (pro's): God gives grace, submitting to God empowers you to resist Satan, the Devil flees from you, you get to draw near to God, God draws near to you, you are cleansed, hearts are purified, and the Lord lifts you up causing you to be significant and giving you a significant life.

o Pride (con's): God resists, a person is double-minded, afflicted, mournful, weeping, laughter turns into mourning, joy turns into heaviness, and their rejoicing in their boastfulness is evil.

• Check out these characteristics of someone who is humble versus someone who is prideful:

o Humble: patient, long-suffering, meek, modest, not pretentious - not excessive in their displays, not haughty - not overbearing, not lordly.

o Prideful: conceited, excessively high opinion of oneself, appearance and abilities, selfish, self-centered, talks down to others, places importance on self, egotistic, patronizes others, snobbish, arrogant, superiority complex, condescending.

• Seems like choosing to humble yourself is the way to God, the way to living a successful life. The outcome or results of the alternative drives me away from God and that is not an appealing path, (in my opinion.)

***

Week 27: I Comfort Others with God's Comfort

"I comfort others with God's comfort."

The Rescue 3-5All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. 2 Cor. 1:3-5 The Message Bible

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 New International Version 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Amplified Bible 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), 4Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God. 5For just as Christ's [[a]own] sufferings fall to our lot [b][as they overflow upon His disciples, and we share and experience them] abundantly, so through Christ comfort (consolation and encouragement) is also [shared and experienced] abundantly by us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 New Living Translation 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 GOD'S WORD Translation 3Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort. 4He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God. 5Because Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from him.

Definitions:

• Comfort: something relieving suffering or worry; A cause of relief or satisfaction; lessen pain or discomfort; alleviate; give moral or emotional strength to; satisfaction or physical well-being provided by a person or thing; a feeling of freedom from worry or disappointment consolation: the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction; a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain.

• Tribulation: trial: an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event; Any adversity; a trying period or event; tribulate - oppress or trouble greatly; Trouble or affliction of any kind; A condition of affliction and distress.

• Trouble: a source of difficulty; disturb: move deeply; fuss: an angry disturbance; to cause inconvenience or discomfort to; an event causing distress or pain; perturb: disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; an effort that is inconvenient; trouble oneself: take the trouble to do something; concern oneself; worry: a strong feeling of anxiety; cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed.

• Sufferings: agony: a state of acute pain; misery resulting from affliction; distress: psychological suffering; troubled by pain or loss; feelings of mental or physical pain; miserable: very unhappy; full of misery.

• Abound: Abounding - Ample, plenty, abundant; Abounding - existing in abundance; To be plentiful; to be very prevalent; to overflow; To be copiously supplied; to be wealthy in; to teem with; be abundant or plentiful; exist in large quantities; be in a state of movement or action.

Questions:

1. Who is verse three all about?

2. What does He do for us in verse four?

3. Why?

4. How does He do this?

5. How is our level of comfort calculated?

Answers:

1. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; the Father of all mercies; the God of all healing comfort; the Father of all mercies.

2. He comforts us.

3. Because He loves us and so that we would be equipped with His comfort to help those who are hurting; to develop in us His compassion and His mercy for without it, we have no connection or understanding to be able to help the one who is sorrowful.

4. Throughout the years God has used laughter, words of encouragement from other believers, bringing to my remembrance His goodness and all that He's done for me, hugs, notes, gifts, and His all-consuming comforting presence.

5. According to verse five, the measure of comfort is in direct proportion to the level of suffering that Christ endured for us and his level of consolation is as great. I appreciate the way The Message Bible states verse five: "We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort - we get a full measure of that, too."

Insights: / Reflections:

• I have pictured Jonah's whale as the image of God's healing comfort. Jonah, of course, would represent the trial, the tribulation, the pain, the suffering, the deep, aching hurt that doesn't seem to go away, the trouble or difficulty. The whale of comfort is an all-consuming whale, leaving no remnants or evidence of Jonah, whatsoever. Jonah is swallowed up by the whale until he is completely out of sight - enough said.

***

Week 28: God Always Causes Me to Triumph

Our meditational quote for the week of January 23rd, 2011 was:

"God always causes me to triumph in Christ."

"In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse." 2 Cor. 2:14 The Message

Definitions:

• Always: AT ALL TIMES; ALL THE TIME & ON EVERY OCCASION! Constantly, without variation or change, in every case; at any time or in any event.

• Triumph: Prevail; prove superior; be ecstatic with joy; dwell on with satisfaction; to have the victory \- a successful ending of a struggle or contest;

• Christ: the Anointed One & His Anointing; the manifested presence of God.

• (Amplified Bible) "But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere."

Scripture Confession:

• "God, at all times and on every occasion, constantly and without variation or change and in any event causes me to prevail, to be ecstatic with joy, to dwell on with satisfaction, to have the victory, to have a successful ending of any struggles or contests in the Anointed One & His Anointing, the Resurrection Anointing."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

Sited from: http://www.biblecommenter.com

• Which always causeth us - Whatever may be our efforts, and wherever we are. Whether it is in endeavoring to remove the errors and evils existing in a particular church, or whether it be in preaching the gospel in places where it has been unknown, still success crowns our efforts, and we have the constant evidence of divine approbation. This was Paul's consolation in the midst of his many trials; and it proves that, whatever may be the external circumstances of a minister, whether poverty, want, persecution, or distress, he will have abundant occasion to give thanks to God if his efforts as a minister are crowned with success. . . . For the rest of this commentary, please go to the site listed above . . .

Questions:

1. Who is causing us to triumph?

2. How does He do this?

3. Why?

Answers:

1. God is causing us to triumph.

2. He does this through Christ's finished work - His shed blood.

3. Because He wants to show us off as trophies and keep the devil reminded of his eternal defeat and Jesus' eternal victory.

Insights: / Reflections:

• With regards to Q2, I have pondered what does this look like on this side of glory - in the natural. We have triumphed through Christ's triumph through His shed blood, which has the power, the ability and the willingness of God to make us into triumphant people.

• Just what would it look like - to be a trophy of God's . . . perhaps when we have victory over fears; walking in integrity and honesty when there's pressure to conform or cheat, lie and steal; when we get a breakthrough from a demonic stronghold; when we choose to read and study the Word; when we encourage someone else; when we walk in love and forgiveness toward ourselves and others; when we choose courtesy over selfishness and there are many other examples of being a real-life trophy. Of course, there is the obvious - being born again, being filled with the Spirit and all the bonuses of eternal life. Now that is a pretty picture.

***

Week 29: God Keeps Me in Perfect Peace

Our meditational quote for the week of Feb. 6th, 2011 was:

"God keeps me in perfect peace because my mind is stayed on Him because I have trusted in Him."

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." Isaiah 26:3-4

Definitions:

• Keeps: to watch; guard; preserve; to protect, maintain.

• Perfect: being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish.

• Peace: completeness; SHALOM; soundness, welfare; the absence of mental stress or anxiety.

• Mind: the thinker; that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings.

• Stay(ed): to lean; lay; rest; support; relied; remaining in a place.

• Trusted: have confidence in / faith in; certainties based on past experiences.

Scripture Confession:

• "God watches, guards, preserves, protects and maintains me and my mind in a state free of mental stress or anxiety. He does this because I have decided to maintain or anchor my mind on Him. I choose to have confidence in and complete and utter certainty of His abilities and willingness to keep me because of my past experiences with Him."

Questions:

1. Who is keeping who? How? Why?

2. What are my responsibilities in verses three & four?

3. How do I do that and why?

4. According to verse four, where is everlasting strength?

5. How do I access and live by this everlasting strength?

Answers:

1. God is keeping me. With my mind stayed on Him, I would think that I am much more accessible to being kept at peace. How He does this ~ inner calm comes to mind. He keeps me with an inner calm. He keeps me because He is the only One who can.

2. My responsibilities are to choose to trust in Him; rely on Him; go to Him for everything and in every situation get His counsel.

3. By a conscious act of my will, I choose to trust in Him. Why ~ who else could I or would I trust with such a task?

4. Everlasting strength is IN the Lord Jehovah.

5. I access and live by His everlasting strength through my relationship with Him.

***

Week 30: Iniquity Does Not Have Dominion Over Me

Our meditational quote for the week of Feb. 13th, 2011 was:

"Iniquity does not have dominion over me because my steps are ordered in the WORD."

"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." Psalm 119:133 KJV

Definitions:

• Order: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority.

• Steps: the course along which a person has walked or is walking in.

• Word: the divine word of God; the unbreakable promises of God.

• Iniquity: a sin tendency that has not been dealt with that has passed on from previous generations; an area of weakness that one may bend or break in.

• Dominion: dominance or power through legal authority.

• Over: used as a function word to indicate one that is overcome, circumvented, or disregarded; used as a function word to indicate the possession of authority, power, or jurisdiction in regard to some thing or person.

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/psalms/119-133.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/psalms/119-133.htm>

Questions:

1. Who is ordering the steps?

2. Why should the Word be the source of my steps?

3. How does one follow through with the steps?

4. Where does iniquity have its power or dominion?

5. What are some examples of iniquities?

6. How does one get rid of sin tendencies?

7. When should a born-again believer get started with renewing their minds?

Answers:

1. God is ordering my steps.

2. The Word should be the source of my steps because God is the only one who can see the outcome of what's been ordered or what will be ordered. Other sources cannot guarantee me an outcome that would be favorable. I like my odds going with the ONE who can see all outcomes.

3. The follow through happens in our everyday lives; each thought, each word we speak, and each action we take will or should reflect the steps that have been ordered for us.

4. Iniquity has its power or dominion in our souls; our mind, will and emotions.

5. Iniquity examples: addictions to drugs, alcohol, pornography, eating; constantly pleasing people; lying habitually; relationship patterns that are harmful - emotionally and physically; laziness; worry; anger or behavioral extremes.

6. Sin's tendencies or iniquities can be conquered through daily meditating on the WORD; applying the blood of Jesus to the root cause and pulling it out of your family line; speaking the promises of God's Word over yourself and your family in the name of Jesus; and by renewing the mind with the WORD.

7. Born-again believers should start right away with renewing their minds; which means to exchange our ways of thinking and doing things with God's way of thinking and doing. The sooner we get started the sooner we can get onto living life God's way ~ the abundant way.

***

Week 31: God Set Before Me Life & Death

Our meditational quote for the week of Feb. 20th, 2011 was:

"God set before me life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore I choose life so that both I and my seed may live."

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." Deut. 30:19-20 KJV

Definitions:

• Set Before: fix conclusively or authoritatively.

• Life: a motive for living; the sum total of all events in a person's lifetime; God's way of thinking, being and doing.

• Death: the absence of life or state of being dead; extinguished or lifeless.

• Choose: pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; select as an alternative over another; see fit or proper to act in a certain way; decide to act in a certain way.

• Blessing: the empowerment to succeed in every arena of life.

• Cursing: the empowerment to fail in every arena of life.
• Seed: descendants; off spring; the Word of God.

• Live: exerting force or containing energy.

Scripture Confession:

• "God fixed conclusively or authoritatively before me a motive for living [His way of thinking, being and doing], and the extinguished lifeless opposite. He has instructed me to pick out, select the proper empowerment to succeed or fail so that I, my children and the Word of God within us can exert its force throughout the earth over the course of our lifetime."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/deuteronomy/30-19.htm>

Questions:

1. Who set life and death before us?

2. What are the rewards / consequences of choosing life or death?

3. When does this Word apply to our lives?

4. Where does the power of choice come from?

5. How do I know if I've made the right choice?

6. Why should I choose life?

Answers:

1. God set life and death; blessing and cursing before us.

2. The rewards of choosing life - simple, we get to live. Choosing death - I'm pretty sure the opposite would be true; not so full of life with this choice.

3. This Word applies to our lives - ALL the time.

4. Our power of choice comes from the Father; He made us in His image - a speaking spirit with the ability and authority to choose the outcome of our lives.

5. The evidence that we've made a life-choice would be that there should be fruit, healthy fruit. For example, we make the choice to eat right, exercise regularly, get some sleep, etc. It won't take long for the evidence to appear in our bodies - we're healthier, more vibrant, have clearer focus, radiant skin and so on. The same is true for our spirit man - feed on the Word, pray in the Spirit and it won't be long before the evidence comes to the surface; an inner calm / peace, a radiant countenance, wisdom and creative knowledge and so on.

6. Verse 20 makes it plain why we should choose life. Let's review the reasons why we should choose life: a) you and your descendants get to live, b) you will be alive to love the Lord your God, c) you would be able to obey His voice, d) you have the opportunity to cleave to Him and, e) you get to dwell in the promise land. [Sounds like a pretty good list to me :0)]

Insights: / Reflections:

• I did not realize that God had placed these choices before me two other times in the same chapter; in verse one and again in verse 15 ~ guess He was trying to emphasize His point. I hope we all got it - to choose life so that we could be given the unique and privileged opportunity to love Him, obey His voice, and cleave to Him and to enter into the Promise Land. Sounds clear to me that He has nothing but His best for us ~ lock, stock and barrel!

• And my closing thought is this ~ the scripture refers to my seed as being my descendants, my off spring. That's awesome - I choose life and both me and my children get to live the good life. The Word of God is also referred to as seed in Mark Chapter 4. How this for a reflection: I choose life so that I and my children AND the Word of God that is within us will live, bear fruit, flourish, and multiply throughout the whole earth to the glory of God!

***

Week 32: Grace & Peace are Multiplied to Me

Our meditational quote for the week of Feb. 28th, 2011 was

"Grace & peace are multiplied to me through the knowledge of God & of Jesus my Lord."

"SIMON PETER, a servant and apostle (special messenger) of Jesus Christ, to those who have received (obtained an equal privilege of) like precious faith with ourselves in and through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." ~ 2 Peter 1:1-2

Definitions:

• Grace: the free, unmerited, unearned favor or beneficence of God; His willingness, abilities and powers to accomplish His quality of life for ourselves and others.

• Peace: the absence of stress or anxiety ~ spirit, soul and body.

• Multiplied: to increase the amount of.

• Knowledge: expertise & skills acquired by a person through experience, education and practical understanding of a subject.

Scripture Confession:

• "The free, unmerited, unearned favor of God, including His willingness, abilities and powers and the absence of stress or anxiety in my spirit, soul and body are now increasing due to the experiences and education and practical understanding I have obtained in my relationship with God and Jesus, His Son."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/4129.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/2_peter/1-2.htm>

Questions:

1. Who is receiving the grace and peace multiplied?

2. What do I have to do to get in the receiving line?

3. When does this multiplication take place?

4. Where will I see the manifestation of grace & peace multiplied in my life?

5. Why would God multiply these to me instead of just adding them?

6. How does my knowledge of God and Jesus impact the multiplication factor?

Answers:

1. We are the recipients of the grace & peace.

2. I have to develop my knowledge of God the Father and Jesus.

3. The multiplication takes place as my knowledge increases.

4. I will see the manifestation of grace & peace multiplied in my life in every area - there will be a greater inner calm and results in my efforts to accomplish tasks, naturally and spiritually.

5. God doesn't think small - He wants me to increase. In my opinion, God is multiplying these in me / my life so that my testimony and witness is bigger also.

6. The more I know about them, intimately - the more persuaded I am about His love for me and thus, the more receptive I am to receive such empowerments.

Insights: / Reflections:

• There are some wonderful things brewing here in this passage; saw something really good in verse four today; will share soon. Also, there is a load of revelation in verses five through ten. I am looking forward to sharing what I have seen and heard.

• Let's turn some things over in some of the other verses in this passage: Anyone else notice in verse three what other goodies we get because we chose to get to know God? All things that pertain unto life and godliness, all things! And then in verse four - through the exceeding, great and precious promises we can be partakers of His divine nature and escape the corruption in the world that comes through lust.

• Verses five through seven lists the attributes that we should be adding to our character: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. If believers will work on adding these - look closely at verse eight - it says that when these 'things' are found in you and abound (bearing fruit), they make it so that you will neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!

• Developing in these attributes is the education, the personal experiences, and the practical understanding to knowing God and Jesus and as verse two clearly states - His grace and peace will be multiplied to us through the knowledge of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. In answer to the question, how do we get to know God? We give Him access to develop and grow these attributes in our inner most being.

• Verse nine outlines what happens or what we look and act like when these 'things' are not developed or added to us - 'he that lacks these 'things' is blind and cannot see afar off \- he has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.'

• In closing, verse ten says that when we give diligence to make our calling and election sure - we shall never fall! WOW - talk about a recipe for successful and victorious living.

***

Week 33: Whatever I Desire, When I Pray I Believe I Have Received it Right Then

Our meditational quote for the week of March 6, 2011 was:

"Whatever I desire, when I pray - I believe that I have received it right then."

"Therefore I say unto you What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." ~ Mark 11:24

Definitions:

• Desire: a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome.

• Pray: to talk to God for any reason; to petition or solicit help from a supernatural or higher being; to conduct business with God, personally or for others.

• Believe: be confident about something; accept as true; take to be true.

• Receive: get something; come into possession of.

Scripture Confession:

• "Whatever outcome that I am hoping for, I will talk with God about it, asking Him for His help, whether it is for myself or for someone else and I will be confident that I have come into IMMEDIATE possession of whatever it is that I have discussed with Him."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/mark/11-24.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/mark/11-24.htm>

Questions:

1. Who is doing the desiring / praying / believing / receiving?

2. What will I have if I follow Jesus' instructions in this scripture?

3. When will I have the thing that I have discussed with God?

4. Where does a desire come from?

5. Why is believing that I have received it before I can see it so important?

6. How do I keep on believing after I am done praying?

Answers:

1. Desiring - I am. Praying - I am. Believing \- I am. Receiving - I am.

2. When I follow Jesus' instructions ~ I will have whatever it is that I desired during my prayer time with God.

3. Immediately! Right then. Right NOW!

4. Some desires originate from God; others originate from our love for Him; and still others originate from our everyday basic needs.

5. Why - because faith is NOW ~ Right Now! To ask and then doubt will cause the answer or the manifestation to be greatly delayed or hindered. It is as if you didn't ask at all. It's like a True / False test. Statements that are listed with even the tiniest hint of false makes the entire statement false. A tiny bit of doubt makes the petition or the whole request null and void. There are some things operating here, such as, unbelief, definitely some lack of trust going on - deception is in operation here: the enemy wants you to take a second thought; 'do you really believe that what God said is true?'

6. We keep on believing after we've said, 'in Jesus' Name' by keeping our thoughts, words and actions in line with what we've asked for. Our focus is now 'it is finished', 'it is done now', and we now zero in on the outcome as being done. We can use our imaginations to see 'it'; to stare at 'it'; to linger on the images of the end result instead of the current circumstances or temporary conditions. We have the tools of praise, thanksgiving, worship, confession, and meditation (imagination stretches - mental exercise) and we can use these tools to keep blazing the trail so that the manifestation won't be hindered crossing over from the spiritual realm into the natural realm (where we live, eat, breathe, taste, touch and see!)

Insights: / Reflections:

• To round out the week, the only additional thought or question that I've had is this - 'how is forgiveness tied into the mix?' He said, 'and while you stand praying, forgive.' First thought, un-forgiveness is a definite blessing blocker. To choose not to forgive is, in my opinion, the same as choosing not to love God. He said, 'if you love Me, keep My commandments.' How can we expect the answer to our desire or petition if we've got our hearts full of unforgiveness? Let's get rid of the junk in the trunk so that God can get down to His end of making our desires come to pass. We have to ask ourselves, 'what do I want more - the answer to my prayer or carry around this junk in my heart which keeps my relationship with God at a distance?' I hope that we all want what God wants - unbroken fellowship and answered prayers.

***

Week 34: I Have an Unction from the Holy One & I Know All Things

Our meditational quote for the week of March 13, 2011 was:

"I have an unction from the Holy One & I know all things."

"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." I John 2:20

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." I John 2:27

Definitions:

• Unction: another term for anointing.

• Holy One: God.

• Know: be aware of the truth of something; have a belief or faith in something; regard as true beyond any doubt.

• All: wholly: to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent.

• Things: matter: a vaguely specified concern.

Scripture Confession:

• "I have an anointing from God and I am aware of the TRUTH to a complete degree, to the full and entire extent as it pertains to abiding in Him."

Questions:

1. Who gave me the unction?

2. What does this produce in me?

3. When is this unction in operation?

4. Where does the anointing abide?

5. Why is abiding so important? (Hint: Verse 28)

6. How do I abide in Him?

Answers:

1. God gave me the unction / anointing (the rubbing on or off of His abilities, authority, powers and willingness to get Kingdom of God results.)

2. The unction or the anointing produces in me the life of God; His way of thinking and responding to life's circumstances.

3. This unction / anointing is in operation any time that I give myself to Him; when I am drawing on the supply that is already within me by His indwelling presence.

4. The anointing abides in the Word and in me to the measure that the Word abides in me. How much Word I have in me is the measuring stick of how much anointing that I can operate in.

5. The importance to abiding in Him, according to verse 28, is so that we can have confidence at His appearing and have no shame before Him during that time. WOW! Here's another 'why': Jesus said in John 15:7, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Double WOW!!

6. I abide in Him by abiding in His Word. The scripture states that I do not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Luke 4:4.

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/1_john/2-20.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/1_john/2-20.htm>

• <http://biblos.com/1_john/2-27.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/1_john/2-27.htm>

Insights: / Reflections:

• A slow, smoldering thought in my mind - what is the anointing's foundation - what platform does it work or flow from? It's got to be LOVE.

***

Week 35: I Keep My Heart with All Diligence

Our meditational quote for the week of March 20, 2011 was:

"I keep my heart with all diligence."

"Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life." ~ Proverbs 4:23 KJV

"Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." ~ Proverbs 4:23 AMP

"Dear friend, listen well to my words; tune your ears to my voice. Keep my message in plain view at all times. Concentrate! Learn it by heart! Those who discover these words live \- really live; body and soul, they're bursting with health. Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust." ~ Proverbs 4:20-27 The Message

Definitions:

• Keep: look after; be the keeper of; have charge of.

• Heart: the center hub of our being {we are a three part being: we are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body I Thes. 5:23}; the communications and educational center between us and God.

• Diligence: a zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work, exemplified by a decisive work ethic, budgeting of one's time, monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness, and putting forth full concentration in one's work; conscientiousness or determination or perseverance when doing something; one of the seven contrary virtues, opposite the vice of sloth.

Scripture Confession:

• "I look after and am the keeper of the communications and educational center between me and God. I do this task with a zealous and careful nature in my actions and work. I budget my time and monitor my activities to guard against laziness and put forth my full concentration into this task of guarding my heart."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/proverbs/4-23.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/proverbs/4-23.htm>

Questions:

1. Who keeps the heart?

2. How does one keep the heart?

3. What am I keeping it for or from?

4. What is the importance of diligence?

5. When should I keep my heart?

6. Where can I find help or instructions to keep my heart?

7. Why?

Answers:

1. It is my responsibility to keep my heart. There is too much at stake to give that responsibility to anyone else, plus to do this willingly is an expression of my love toward God (keeping His commandments).

2. Let's check out the how-to list in The Message's translation - I found twelve steps: 1) attend to His Words, 2) incline your ears to His voice, 3) keep His Word in plain sight at all times, 4) concentrate on it, memorize it, 5) keep watch over your heart, 6) don't talk out of both sides of your mouth, 7) avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip, 8) keep your eyes straight ahead, 9) ignore all sideshow distractions, 10) watch your step, 11) look neither right or left, and 12) leave evil in the dust.

3. According to preceding verses, I am keeping my heart for life and healing, and by doing that, I am keeping my heart from death and sickness or a life 'less' lived.

4. The importance of diligence from my point of view is that it is directly connected to the Holy Spirit's work in developing within us His fruits of faithfulness and self-control. Every time we follow through [because that's what's happening when we are diligent - both components faithfulness and self-control are in operation], we give Him the access He needs to cultivate these fruits in our spirits.

5. When should we keep our hearts? All the time! We cannot allow ourselves to think that Satan is going to take a vacation or a break from bombarding the entrance to our hearts - he's looking for a way in, continuously! But, if we stay at our post, then he will find nothing but exhaustion in his future!

6. We can find all the help and instructions we need to keep our hearts protected in the Word. The Holy Spirit is always available to teach and to take us as deep as we want to go into the promises of God.

7. The never ending question - 'why?' We should keep our hearts guarded and well-kept because we love God and it is an expression of our reciprocated love toward Him when we keep His commandments. We should keep our hearts guarded and well-kept because we want a clean and pure atmosphere to continually conduct business for the Kingdom of God. We should keep our hearts guarded and well-kept because we want the communications and educational center to stay open, unclogged, and flowing with His presence and provision.

Insights: / Reflections:

• 'Above all that you guard' . . . the Amplified translation uses this expression and it jumps out at me; 'above all.' That should make it plain for us - what our priorities should be with regards to how important this commandment is to the fulfillment of living an abundant life. The conclusion is - God cares about our well-being; physically and spiritually. It is not His desire for us to have success here and there but in every area of our lives. Guarding our hearts is a life-long process. It is a part of the relationship exchange between us and God. Like making an investment, the returns from applying the Word are greater than I can describe here. Guard on!

***

Week 36: I Seek First the Kingdom of God

Our meditational quote for the week of March 27, 2011 was:

"I seek first the kingdom of God."

"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." Matthew 6:33 AMP

Definitions:

• Seek: to look for; to pursue intently in an effort to obtain information.

• First: before anything else.

• Kingdom of God: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost by Christ Jesus.

• Righteousness: right standing, right doing before God because of the blood of Jesus.

• Things: stuff; material possessions.

• Add(ed): to increase the substance of.

Scripture Confession:

• "I am looking for, pursuing intently - before anything else - the Kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost by Christ Jesus. As I do this, then the stuff - the material possessions of necessity and desire are increased in my life."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/matthew/6-33.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/matthew/6-33.htm>

Questions:

1. Who does the seeking?

2. What am I seeking?

3. What is the kingdom of God?

4. When should I seek the kingdom?

5. Where am I supposed to seek the kingdom of God at?

6. How do I accomplish this task?

7. Why should I pursue the KOG?

Answers:

1. I do the seeking.

2. I am seeking the Kingdom of God.

3. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost by Christ Jesus. Romans 14:17

4. Since the kingdom of God are attributes given to us by our relationship with God by His Holy Spirit through our salvation through Christ - then it is clear, the kingdom of God is within us.

5. We seek the kingdom of God in our relationships; with God and others.

6. We accomplish this task by keeping a keen eye and mind on opportunities within our relationships for these attributes to be developed within us. Every conversation or encounter has within it the potential to transform us into the image of Christ - from glory to glory.

7. Why? As long as there are scriptures to delve into, this question will never go away. Of all the questions we could ask ourselves, it's the one that really makes us dig into our reasonings and discover the foundation of what we believe or how we came to our opinions. So, here it is ~ why should I pursue the KOG? Other than the obvious such as, God promised that as I do, He would provide necessities; it is an expression of my love for Him - obeying His commandments; but now I can sense pursuing the KOG in myself and in others is the best path to being transformed into Christ's image, from glory to glory the Word says. Any one of these reasons could stand on their own, but when combined they are a powerful force within me to keep on pressing toward the mark of being a vessel that God can flow freely through, anywhere, anytime and for any purpose that He deems necessary.

8. Why #2: To pursue the KOG develops within us Jesus' ability to respond to God, ourselves, each other, and the enemy of our lives the way that Jesus responds - sounds good to me! WORK WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT TO DEVELOP CHRIST'S IMAGE, CHARACTER, ATTITUDES, AND ATTRIBUTES WITHIN YOU AND YOU WILL HAVE HIS RESPONSES WHICH LEADS TO HIS RESULTS WHICH LEADS TO HIS RECONCILIATION OF THE LOST TO THE FATHER!!!

Insights: / Reflections:

• More questions, I have more questions! To wrap up this week's meditation I have some questions to pose and answers to record. What are righteousness, peace and joy, where do these attributes come from and how do I get them?

• Righteousness = to be in right standing and right doing with God the Father. Obtained through Jesus' shed blood. I have it now because I am born again; Jesus is my Savior and Lord. A closing thought ~ righteousness is, for me, an assertive attitude of my position before the Father because of what Jesus has done for me. This assertive attitude would be a confident one, not one full of the consciousness of my sins but an attitude full of the righteous consciousness of Christ. So, instead of having a sin-consciousness, I now have a righteousness-consciousness.

• Peace = Jesus' state of inner calm and freedom from any and all disturbing thoughts and emotions. Shalom ~ nothing missing, nothing lacking, nothing broken. Obtained through Jesus will for me. He willed me His peace in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:" I access this peace through my relationship with the Father. Being it is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit and He lives inside of me, I have a direct connection to Jesus' peace at all times.

• Joy = a fruit of the Holy Spirit; something or someone that provides a source of happiness; a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy; happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. Again, obtained and accessed through our on-going relationship with God as it is developed within us by the working of the Holy Spirit.

• The KOG sure is a worth-while adventure; hope you'll choose to pursue it.

***

Week 37: I am a Doer of the Word

Our meditational quote for the week of April 3rd, 2011 was:

"I am a doer of the Word."

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." James 1:22 KJV

Definitions:

• Do: act: behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; practice: carry out or practice; perform: carry out or perform an action.

• Hear: learn: get to know or become aware of; receive a communication from someone; listen: listen and pay attention.

• Word: the Bible; unbreakable promises of God revealed in the scriptures; our blood covenant; will and testament of Jesus.

• Deceive: be false to; be dishonest with; cause someone to believe an untruth; to trick or mislead.

Scripture Confession:

• "I am conducting all aspects of my behavior to line up with the unbreakable promises of God which have been revealed to me in the will and testament of Jesus' life which have been recorded for me in the Bible."

Questions:

1. Who does the hearing and / or the doing of the Word?

2. What exactly are we supposed to do to be found being doers of the Word?

3. When would it be obvious that we are hearing or doing only?

4. Where can I find instructions on how-to be an active doer and not a passive hearer?

5. How do I apply these instructions in my everyday life?

6. Why should I be a doer and not a hearer only?

Answers:

1. I know that this answer is too obvious, but we do.

2. Exactly ~ by keeping the commandments, such as walking in love, developing a righteousness-consciousness, or by encouraging others. More could be listed here, but I think you've got the point.

3. Hearers only give off symptoms just like a doer gives off symptoms. Hearers only could be found full of excuses, dabble in laziness or blaming others for their lack of development. Doers of the Word would also show symptoms like the fruits of spiritual maturity - which is making decisions in line with the Word, or being well-developed in the fruits of the Holy Spirit; love, joy, peace and so on.

4. Instructions on how-to go from being a hearer to a doer of the Word are found in the Word! And one can also find examples in fellowship with other believers.

5. A believer would apply these instructions by making the quality decision to be doer of the Word and then when the opportunities present themselves, follow through on the decision you've made.

6. The scriptures clearly state that if I choose to be a hearer, then deception is the fulfillment of that choice. Another why comes to surface - I love God! I want to show that love by keeping His commandments - being a doer of the Word is not a suggestion, in my opinion. Sounds like a commandment to keep for my own good - like all the other commandments He's given to me in the Word.

Insights: / Reflections:

• I like to go over the scriptures before and after the main point that I've been focusing on because I know there is more to discover. Verse 21 gives us some instructions on how to prep for becoming doers of the Word, such as, lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word which is able to save our souls [mind, will, emotions].

• Superfluity = over plus or extreme excess. Filthiness = moral corruption or pollution. Naughtiness = tendencies to misbehave or act badly; flirting with impropriety and/or bad taste; morally dubious, especially sexually suggestive; evil, wicked, morally vicious.

• Renewing the mind with the Word of God, which is an action that a doer of the Word would be found pursuing, is the only way to lie apart what has been described above.

***

Week 38: My Past Mistakes Do Not Rule Me

Our meditational quote for the week of April 10th, 2011 was:

"My past mistakes do not rule me because the blood of Jesus has purged my conscience from dead works."

"How much more surely shall the blood of Christ, Who by virtue of His eternal Spirit, His own preexistent divine personality, has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the ever living God?" Hebrews 9:11-14 AMP

Definitions:

• Past: not pertaining to the present.

• Mistakes: These occur when actions follow a plan, but the plan deviates from the intended path to the desired goal. These errors occur when people do not have appropriate or sufficient information upon which to base their decisions or plans.

• Rule: govern: exercise authority over; prescribed guide for conduct or action.

• Conscience: the moral sense of right and wrong (governs actions).

• Purge: make pure, rid of impurities, flush, rinse, clean, clear of a charge.

• Dead: no longer having force or relevance.

• Works: performance of moral or religious acts.

Scripture Confession:

• "My past mistakes do not rule me. All points of remembrance that do not pertain to my present, especially the actions that deviated from the path that I intended; the errors that occurred when I did not have appropriate, or sufficient information to base those decisions or plans on - the memories of these consequences do not govern nor exercise authority over me; they do not guide my conduct or my actions."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/hebrews/9-14.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/hebrews/9-14.htm>

Questions:

1. Who benefits if I allow my past to rule me?

2. What is it about the past that is actually trying to take root?

3. When does the blood of Jesus take affect regarding my past mistakes?

4. Where is the enemy trying to gain entrance into my life?

5. How can the past govern my present or my future?

6. Why does the enemy want access?

Answers:

1. My flesh and the enemy of my soul would clearly benefit if I allowed my past to rule me.

2. The phrase 'history repeats itself' comes to mind; however, I cannot go back and recreate the exact scenario of any of my mistakes - what my soul would cling to is the emotional impression that it left behind. Therefore, it is the negative emotional memories that are trying to take root.

3. The blood of Jesus takes effect as soon as I apply it.

4. The enemy is looking for an entry point through my emotions, knowing full well that if he can get a hook there - he can very well drag me around by it.

5. If I allow the memories of my past to govern how I think, feel or make decisions, then the outcome will be the result of a perspective that's been scared and not based on the Word. There is no winning outcome for me if I base my footing for making choices on dead works, which is what my past is - a big pile of dead works.

6. The enemy wants access to my emotions because it would give him access to what he really wants - access to my speaking spirit with God's ability to create. He does not have a speaking spirit and needs mine to accomplish his will in my life. If I allow negative emotions to rule from the throne of my heart, then what comes out of my mouth will be contrary to the Word and thus, in agreement with the one who wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy me and my testimony for God.

Insights: / Reflections:

• The mental post-it note that I have hanging around in my head quotes the following: 'your past really isn't more than five minutes ago.' How about that? Five minutes ago is already my past! That's good because I don't want to wait any longer than I have to; I want to get the blood of Jesus applied to my past as quickly as possible.

***

Week 39: I Have Purposed that My Mouth will Not Transgress

Our meditational quote for the week of April 17th, 2011 was:

"I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress."

"You have proved my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and find nothing [no evil purpose in me]; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." Psalm 17:3 AMP

Definitions:

• Purposed: determination: the quality of being determined to do or achieve something; firmness of purpose; an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions.

• Mouth: one of the gates to the inner being of a person; the avenue by which words are released into our lives with either blessing or cursing.

• Transgress: act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises; to exceed or overstep some limit or boundary; sin - to miss the mark against another person according the Word of God.

Scripture Confession:

• 'I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. I have determined with firmness of thought that my mouth - the avenue which I release words of blessing or cursing - will not disregard the laws, rules or promises of God's Word, which in turn will guide my actions so that I will not miss the mark, or overstep the limits or boundaries that God has put in place to protect me from myself as well as the enemy of my soul.'

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://strongsnumbers.com/hebrew/5674.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/psalms/17-3.htm>

Questions:

1. Who benefits from making the decision of purposing not to transgress with the mouth?

2. What are my responsibilities for following through with this choice?

3. What does it mean to 'bless'; to 'curse'?

4. When would it be obvious that I transgressed?

5. Where can I learn how to speak words of blessing?

6. How do I guard my mouth from transgressing?

7. Why would I want to guard against transgressing with my mouth?

Answers:

1. Those who would benefit from this decision would include: myself, other people that I come in contact with and I believe God would be pleased.

2. My responsibilities include finding out what it means to transgress; study and learn how to keep my mouth in order and to act on my decision when the circumstances are pressuring me to transgress.

3. To bless means to empower or build up. To curse means to tear down or invoke evil upon.

4. It would be obvious that a transgression has occurred when there is conviction present, when there is offense or hurt feelings brewing or when emotions have been allowed to get out of control.

5. I can learn how to speak words of blessing by studying the book of blessings - the Bible.

6. I would guard my mouth from transgressing by putting the words of God in my mouth in place of anything contrary that would try to force its way out.

7. For love; love for the Father; His love for others - for the working and maturation of unconditional love within me and to inspire and show His unconditional love toward others.

Insights: / Reflections:

• Earlier in the week the first thing that jumped out at me was the beginning of verse four - 'concerning the works of men' - I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress ... concerning the works of men. Makes perfect sense to me because to transgress means to sin against another person.

• I was encouraged also from verse four when I read 'by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer' - His lips - His words. Nice to know that I can keep myself off the path of destruction and out of the way of the destroyer by putting God's words in my mouth.

• My sleepy-time thought last night was 'what does it mean to transgress against pursuing the kingdom of God?' which is {the development of these attributes or fruits] righteousness, peace and joy by the working of the Holy Spirit granted to me by my relationship with Christ. To transgress against righteousness would mean that I prefer my own works above the work of the blood of Jesus - Yikes! To transgress against peace would mean that I prefer chaos over Jesus' freedom from disturbing thoughts and emotions. And, to transgress against joy would mean that I would rather wallow in depression and misery. Eeegads!

• What does a transgressing mouth sound like? Here are some options to consider: 1) speech contrary to the Word, 2) doubt-filled words, 3) fear-filled, 4) worry, 5) anxious speech, 6) critical, 7) condemning, 8) judging, 9) evil speaking, 10) jesting, 11) sarcasm, 12) gossip, 13) bitterness, 14) whining, 15) murmuring, 16) rebellious, 17) selfish, 18) prideful, 19) complaining and 20) froward or perverse speech.

***

Week 40: My Faith has Become Effectual

Our meditational quote for the week of April 24th, 2011 was:

"My faith has become effectual because I acknowledge every good thing which is in me it is Christ Jesus."

"Hearing of thy love and faith which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in Christ Jesus." Philemon 1:5-6

Definitions:

• Faith: a firm persuasion that God is who He says He is, can do what He says He can do and is willing to do all things for me for my benefit.

• Effectual: effective: producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect.

• Acknowledge: accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority.

Scripture Confession:

• "My firm persuasions about God, His abilities and His willingness to positively impact my life have become effective - it (my faith) is producing the intended results that His Word promises me and has a striking effect on all the circumstances in my life. This has become possible because I have accepted & acknowledged Jesus, His power and His authority in my life as the absolute source; that He is the ultimate good within me and the One who makes everything good in my life."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/philemon/1-6.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/philemon/1-6.htm>

Questions:

1. Who does the acknowledging?

2. What am I acknowledging?

3. What does 'communication of my faith' mean?

4. When does my faith become effectual?

5. What does it mean to have faith that is effectual?

6. Where would effectual faith have the most impact?

7. Why is this important or vital in my walk as a Christian?

8. How do I acknowledge every good thing?

Answers:

1. I do the acknowledging.

2. I am acknowledging the good that is in me; it is Christ Jesus ~ His character, His faith, His beliefs, His faithfulness, His love and harmony with God the Father, His way of responding to circumstances and people, His abilities, His composure, His skills, His heart, etc.

3. Communication means to transfer information to another person. Therefore, the communication of my faith would mean that I am transferring the information that I believe about God and His Word to others through my daily witness.

4. My faith becomes effectual when I give all credit or recognition or place to the good traits and good accomplishments in my life to Christ Jesus.

5. Effectual faith means that your faith is producing the Word and people and circumstances are changing to line up with that Word.

6. Effectual faith would have the most impact in any area that is contrary to what the Word says it should look like.

7. Effectual faith produces fruit. When I bear fruit, then God is glorified. Bearing fruit means I have something pleasant to give back to God as an expression of my love for Him.

8. Acknowledging every 'good' thing could come through praise and worship, and thanksgiving. Acknowledgement could be accomplished by giving Him first place in all thoughts, words, actions and motives.

Insights: / Reflections:

• "Caught versus taught." I learned this phrase years ago during a church service and it floated to the surface of my mind earlier this week during the course of meditating on this passage. My faith is not effectual unless I acknowledge Christ as the author and finisher of it and it also will not refresh other believers. The caught versus taught mentioned above came to mind because spending time with someone who has effectual faith is likely to be caught just like when children with bad attitudes rub off on the ones that started out with a good attitude and then get 'infected' with the bad attitude. I hope that my faith is 'infectionally' effectual for the good of God's kingdom in other believers. May you catch something spiritually right very soon!

***

Week 41: I Study to Show Myself Approved unto God

Our meditational quote for the week of May 1st, 2011 was:

"I study to show myself approved unto God."

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

Definitions:

• Study: applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject; a state of deep mental absorption; analyze: consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning; think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes.

• Shew: prove: establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment.

• Approved: an expression of favorable acceptance and encouragement; approve - to sanction officially; to ratify; to confirm; to regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of; to make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically; to consider or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance.

• Ashamed: feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse.

• Rightly: with honesty, in a right manner. {Integrity}.

• Divide: to distribute in portions (often equal) on the basis of a plan or purpose.

• Truth: facts that have been verified; the scriptures; Jesus. {I am the way, the truth and the life.]

Scripture Confession:

• "I study to show myself approved unto God." I am applying my mind and spirit to learning and understanding the scriptures, absorbing them deeply in detail and meaning. This act of study establishes the validity of the intentions or motives of my heart toward God and His Word. It also grants me an expression of favorable acceptance and encouragement from God."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/2_timothy/2-15.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/2_timothy/2-15.htm>

Questions:

1. Who is studying?

2. What is being studied?

3. When does one receive that approval mentioned here?

4. Where does the approval come from?

5. Why would a person want to study the truth?

6. How does one study?

Answers:

1. I am the one that is doing the studying.

2. I am studying the Word, the scriptures, the unbreakable promises, the Truth.

3. The approval comes when the truth is rightly divided {honestly portioned out to others}.

4. The approval comes from God.

5. I want to study the Truth (Jesus) because I want to respond like He does to the Father, to Himself, to others and to the enemy.

6. I study the Word by meditating, asking questions, looking up definitions, reading other translations and talking with God about what it all means and find out how He wants me to apply the revelations to my everyday life.

Insights: / Reflections:

• Rightly divide, rightly portion - as I have held onto this thought it has been given back to me this way ~ when the truth has left an imprint in our spirits through prayer, meditation and studying by whatever means - there is now a portion that I could give out to someone who has not had that truth served up to them on their plate, as it were. Because I have dined on the truth, I now have 'left overs' to share with someone who is hungry. :-)

• In the verse immediately before and the one following our main text, the main instruction was to avoid babbling and vain repetitions to avoid ungodliness. Sounds like a good idea from my point of view; ungodliness doesn't appeal to God and if I was infected with it, my relationship with Him would be strained and I would be more apart from Him then I would want to be.

• Verse 14 states to 'strive not' about words to no profit and then Verse 16 states to 'shun profane and vain babblings'; for they increase unto more ungodliness. Shun means to avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of; banish. One of the definitions of profane: blasphemous: grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred. Vain means having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. Babblings: to talk foolishly; to divulge confidential information or secrets. In all of the above definitions, I have not seen any of these displayed in Jesus' witness throughout the course of His life. However, He did consistently study the Word and pursue His relationship with the Father. He rightly portioned out the truth to those who would receive it and they were healed, delivered and set free from the vile darkness that had consumed them previously. So, if we choose to live out verses 14 and 16, then the only result we can expect is more ungodliness. But, if we choose to follow in Jesus' footsteps in our pursuit of studying the Word, then we can expect the results in our testimony and witness that He had. I believe that the later choice is the way to go. I hope you'll choose to join me on this path of rightly portioning out the truth and allowing God to flow through us to feed and set free those who are held in bondage for whatever reason.

***

Week 42: I am What I Think I am

Our meditational quote for the week of May 8th, 2011 was:

"I am what I think I am."

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he:" Proverbs 23:7 KJV

Definitions:

• Think: use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; to calculate; to reckon.

• Heart: the center of a person's whole being (including the mind, will and emotions).

• Am: to be; equal: be identical or equivalent to.

Scripture Confession:

• "I am what I think I am." "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." I am equal to or identical with what I reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at solutions and judgments. For as I use or exercise my mind in this manner, it is a mirror image of what is already in my inner most being, including my mind, will and emotions."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/proverbs/23-7.htm>

• Barnes' Notes on the Bible Thinketh - The Hebrew verb is found here only, and probably means, "as he is all along in his heart, so is he (at last) in act." Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he, He is not the man his mouth speaks or declares him to be, but what his heart thinks; which is discovered by his looks and actions, and by which he is to be judged of, and not by his words.

Questions:

1. Who is the scripture referring to? Who is doing the thinking?

2. What does it mean 'as a man thinks - so is he'?

3. When should a person check on what's they are thinking?

4. Where does this depth of thinking taking place that it would determine our character?

5. Why should a person be concerned about what they're thinking?

6. How does one check on this level of thinking or where can we find good thoughts to think deeply on to make a character impression?

Answers:

1. The verse is referring to me; I am the one doing the thinking.

2. 'As a man thinks - so is he' means that whatever is in the depth of a person's heart; then that is what they really are; a mirror image or a reflection of whatever image they are holding onto in their inner most being. Remember: thoughts are 'word-things', 'images.'

3. A person should check on him / herself often. The enemy is relentless; trying to infiltrate or influence how we think about ourselves; to skew the inner image that God placed on the inside of each one of us when He created us.

4. This deep thinking happens in what is known as a person's inner most being or the center of who they are. This would include a person's mind, will and emotions. Thoughts determine our emotions and emotions determine our actions and actions determine our habits and our habits determine our character \- everything begins with thoughts. Therefore, in the end - our thoughts are a pre-cursor to the character we will display.

5. As mentioned above, ultimately our thoughts are going to determine the type of person we are going to be; are we a reflection of God or a marred version of self and selfishness? ~ which would be demonstrated by self-destructive behaviors, attitudes and belief systems.

6. We would check on our deepest thought system with the best of the best resource available - the Word of God. Compare those deep impressions or images / thoughts / word-things with the impressions, images and thoughts of the Word and if they don't match up . . . then we know that we must replace ours with His, thus renewing our inner image or inner thought processes [also known as renewing the mind].

Insights: / Reflections:

• I heard a quote earlier this week by Dr. Creflo Dollar and it fits with this meditation so beautifully. I have included it here: "Your heart works through your head and your soul is the bridge." In my opinion I don't know of any other statements to conclude on better than that one.

***

Week 43: God Delights in My Prosperity

Our meditational quote for the week of May 15th, 2011 was:

"God delights in my prosperity."

"Let those who favor my righteous cause and have pleasure in my uprightness shout for joy and be glad and say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." Psalm 35:27

Definitions:

• Shout: Verb: (of a person) Utter a loud call or cry, typically as an expression of a strong emotion. Noun: A loud cry expressing a strong emotion or calling attention.

• Joy: Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness.

• Favor: Verb: Feel or show approval or preference for: "a policy that few politicians favor". Noun: An attitude of approval or liking.

• Say: Noun: An opportunity for stating one's opinion or feelings. Verb: utter words so as to convey information, an opinion, a feeling or intention, or an instruction.

• Continually: Seemingly without interruption; continuing indefinitely in time without interruption; recurring in steady usually rapid succession.

• Magnified: extol, laud; to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect; to increase in significance.

• Delights / Pleasure: The state or feeling of being pleased or gratified; a source of enjoyment or delight.

• Prosperity: The state of flourishing, thriving, success, or good fortune including finances but also relationships, reputations, health and influence.

• Servant: A person in service of another.

Scripture Confession:

• "God delights in my prosperity. God is in a state of being pleased or gratified and has found enjoyment and delight in my state of flourishing, thriving, being successful and having good fortune. This includes my finances but also my relationships, my reputation, my health and my influence in the community."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/psalms/35-27.htm>

Barnes' Notes on the Bible "Let them shout for joy - That is, Let me be delivered; let my friends see that God is on my side, and that they have occasion to rejoice in his merciful interposition in my behalf. That favor my righteous cause \- Margin, as in Hebrew, "my righteousness." The reference is to those who considered his cause a just one, and who were his friends. Yea, let them say continually - Let this be a constant subject of grateful reflection - a perpetual source of joy to them \- that God has interposed in my behalf, and has shown that my cause was a just one. Let the Lord be magnified - Be regarded as great, exalted, glorious. Let the effect be to elevate their conceptions of the character of God by the fact that he has thus interposed in a righteous cause, and has shown that he is the friend of the wronged and the oppressed. Which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant - Who delights to make his friends prosperous and happy, Let them see that this is the character of God, and let them thus be led to rejoice in him evermore."

Questions:

1. Who is the servant in this verse?

2. What is the significance of the first part of the verse?

3. When does God delight?

4. Where or what areas can a person be prosperous in?

5. Why does God delight in our prosperity?

6. How can we prosper?

Answers:

1. Not too much of a stretch here for me, I am the servant in this passage.

2. There are two descriptions given in the first part of the verse: 'those who favor my righteous cause' and 'have pleasure in my uprightness.' The significance, in my opinion, is that those who walk in unity are in line to be empowered or prospered.

3. God delights when I am prospering, which means to not have any lack in any area of my life.

4. Where: A person can be prosperous in every area possible; spiritually, physically, financially, relationally, mentally, emotionally and so on.

5. I am a parent and want my son to be successful at all he puts his hands to. I want this for him because I love him. God is our parent, does He love us any less than we love our children and would He want less for us then we want for our own? The answer, of course, is no. His love for us is why He wants us to prosper. It also shows others His love and provision for those who've never had that testimony in their lives. We, as believers, can use our testimony of God's prosperity in our lives to encourage them along the way as they are building their own testimony.

6. There are at least a dozen 'how-to' manuals out in the marketplace for anything we can imagine; cooking, sewing, mechanical engineering, home repairs, home-schooling, write a children's book and the list goes on and on. How we can prosper will be determined by how willing we are to take the manual God has given to us and renew our minds with the Word of God and exchange our ways of thinking, being and doing with God's ways.

Insights: / Reflections:

• A closing thought; it's a good idea to confirm the Word with the Word. Psalm 35:27 clearly states that it is the Lord's pleasure for the servant to prosper or have prosperity. Psalm 103:20-21 states the following: 'Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his that do his pleasure."

• What's His pleasure? MY PROSPERITY! Hallelujah!

***

Week 44: I am Redeemed from the Curse of the Law

Our meditational quote for the week of May 22nd, 2011 was:

"I am redeemed from the curse of the law."

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ: that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14

"Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it." The Message Bible

Definitions:

• Christ: the Anointed One & His Anointing; also referred to as the manifest presence of God.

• Redeemed: to buy back; to get or win back; to free from what distresses or harms; to free from captivity by payment of ransom; to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental; to release from blame or debt; clear; to free from the consequences of sin.

• Curse: the empowerment to fail in every arena of life; the offspring of sin, which includes the operation of sickness & disease, poverty - lack in any area and separation from God, which is referred to as spiritual death.

• Blessing: the empowerment to succeed in every arena of life.

Scripture Confession:

• "The Anointed One and His Anointing have freed me from what distresses or harms; has freed me from captivity by His payment of the ransom; has extricated me from and helped me to overcome all detrimental circumstances; He has released me from blame and debt; He has cleared me and my reputation and has freed me from the consequences of my sins. He has delivered me out of the empowerments to fail in every arena of life and has translated me into the empowerments to succeed in every arena of life."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/galatians/3-13.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/galatians/3-13.htm>

• <http://biblos.com/galatians/3-14.htm>

• http://biblecommenter.com/galatians/3-14.htm

Questions:

1. Who is the one getting redeemed and who is the one doing the redeeming?

2. What have we been redeemed from?

3. When were we redeemed?

4. Where did our redemption take place and where can it be seen in our lives today?

5. Why did God redeem us?

6. How were we redeemed?

Answers:

1. Clearly, we are the ones being redeemed and God is the one doing the redeeming.

2. We have been redeemed from sin and all of its offspring; the curse and its offspring; sickness & disease, poverty - lack in any area and spiritual death - separation from God.

3. In my opinion, the beginning of our redemption started as soon as Jesus accepted God's will for the plan of salvation, but was not solidified until He had finished the work and returned to heaven.

4. Our redemption truly took place once Jesus placed His blood on the mercy seat; ransom paid. We were then free to inherit what He had paid for. His redemption for us can be seen in our lives every time we walk in love and faith; when we exercise authority and dominion; when we draw near to God and resist the enemy and so on.

5. God redeemed us so that we could have our relationship reconciled with Him. There was no other way for us to be made right in His sight.

6. We were redeemed when Jesus laid down His life and allowed Himself to be made the sacrifice, by the shedding of His pure blood and then by placing it on the mercy seat on our behalf, thus paying the ransom for the fall of man, which brought sin and the curse into all of our lives.

Insights: / Reflections:

• In my reading of Galatians 3 this week, God was gracious to share with me the following: Deception and disobedience did the two-step tango in the Garden of Eden (Eden means abundance, by the way); their little dance number produced sin and then sin, in turn, produced the curse. The curse then had to have its offspring which is sickness & disease, poverty - lack in any area and spiritual death, which is separation from God.

• He showed me in verse three, (this is really cool), that there is only one letter difference in the words 'word' and 'world'. Yep, you guessed it, the letter 'l'. I pondered that and almost right away knew that the letter 'l' represented love, or the lack thereof. When we choose to walk outside of love or the Word, we are automatically choosing to walk along the same pathway that the world walks.

• A thought to close on . . . Because I believe in the power of the shed blood of Jesus, I am redeemed from sin; therefore I am redeemed from the curse; since I am redeemed from the curse, then I am redeemed from the symptoms that the curse produces (I do not have to tolerate the curse operating in my life whatsoever!) And last but not least since I am redeemed from the symptoms, then that means that I am redeemed from the source(s) of those symptoms!

***

Week 45: I Understand What the Will of the Lord is

Our meditational quote for the week of May 29th, 2011 was:

"I am not unwise; I understand what the will of the Lord is."

"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:17 KJV

"Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is." Eph. 5:17 AMP

Definitions:

• Unwise: showing or resulting from lack of judgment or wisdom; foolish - devoid of good sense or judgment; unwise: unwise - not appropriate to the purpose.

• Thoughtless: showing lack of careful thought; inconsiderate - lacking regard for the rights or feelings of others; without care or thought for others; uncaring, unthinking.

• Foolish: Lacking or exhibiting a lack of good sense or judgment; silly: foolish remarks; Resulting from stupidity or misinformation; unwise: a foolish decision; Immoderate or stubborn; unreasonable: foolish pride; foolish love; Embarrassed; abashed; Insignificant; trivial.

• Vague: Not clearly expressed; inexplicit; Not thinking or expressing oneself clearly; Lacking definite shape, form, or character; indistinct; Not clear in meaning or application; Indistinctly felt, perceived, understood, or recalled; hazy.

• Understanding: The quality or condition of one who understands; comprehension; The faculty by which one understands; intelligence; Individual or specified judgment or outlook; opinion; A reconciliation of differences; a state of agreement; A disposition to appreciate or share the feelings and thoughts of others; sympathy; Characterized by or having comprehension, good sense, or discernment.

• Firmly: Resistant to externally applied pressure; securely fixed in place; Indicating or possessed of determination or resolution; Constant; steadfast; Not subject to change; fixed and definite; UN-Fluctuating; steady; Strong and sure; to make or become firm; without wavering; resolutely.

• Grasp: To take hold of or seize firmly with or as if with the hand; To take hold of intellectually; comprehend; To make a motion of seizing, snatching, or clutching; To show eager and prompt willingness or acceptance; The act of grasping; A firm hold or grip; An embrace; The ability or power to seize or attain; reach; Understanding; comprehension.

• Will: the Word of God.

Scripture Confession:

• "I am not unwise; I understand what the will of the Lord is. I do not show a lack of judgment, neither am I devoid of a good sense of judgment. I am not inconsiderate nor do I lack regard for the rights or feelings of others. I am not lacking good sense. I possess the condition of one who understands or comprehends. I am securely fixed in place with regards to the will of the Lord. I have taken hold and seized firmly with my intellect the will of God, which is His Word."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• http://biblos.com/ephesians/5-17.htm

• http://biblecommenter.com/ephesians/5-17.htm

Questions:

1. Who is supposed to grasp the will of the Lord?

2. What is the will of the Lord?

3. What are the symptoms of one who is unwise?

4. When would a person have to firmly grasp the will of the Lord?

5. Where does one find the will of the Lord?

6. Why should a person understand the will of the Lord?

7. How does a person understand the will of the Lord?

Answers:

1. I am. The believers in Christ are supposed to be firmly grasping the will of the Lord.

2. The will of the Lord would be what is in His heart for me and I can find what's in His heart for me by studying the Word or the Bible.

3. The symptoms of one who has 'chosen' to be unwise would be someone who could not or would not show good judgment; someone who would be applying a square peg into a round hole; applying solutions that will never work out.

4. A person would have to firmly grasp the will of the Lord especially when the circumstances are contrary to what the Word says.

5. The will of the Lord is found in His Word, the Bible. This is where He has begun to reveal His heart toward us; the deeper and more intimate details of His will for us are found in His presence which can be accessed through our daily prayer life with Him.

6. I would answer this question with a question; 'why would a person NOT want to understand the will of the Lord?' If you are unclear about His will, how can you make decisions or choices that will line your way of thinking up with His? If you don't know His heart toward you, you are likely to fall into every trap and/or deception that the enemy, Satan, has for you. If you don't understand the will of the Lord, then you will not grasp that He loves you unconditionally. Any one of these reasons would be motivation enough for me to find out what His will is for my life; hope it will be for you also.

7. To answer this question, we are going to look at verses 18 through 21. To understand the will of the Lord, we must be filled with His Spirit (verse 18). Verses 19 through 21 tell us how to be filled with His Spirit; here's the list: 1) speak to yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 2) sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord, 3) give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and last but certainly not least; 4) submit yourself one to another in the fear of God.

Insights: / Reflections:

• Thought we could wrap up the week with some definitions to help us go a little deeper into verse 19.

• Psalm: a sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in the biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship; a book of the Bible comprising a collection of religious verses, sung or recited in both Jewish and Christian worship.

• Hymn: a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word hymn derives from Greek μνος (hymnos), which means "a song of praise." Collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymnbooks; a hymn is a prayer set to music.

***

Week 46: I Choose to Know No Man After the Flesh

Our meditational quote for the week of June 5th, 2011 was:

"I choose to know no man after the flesh."

"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." 2 Cor. 5:16

"Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]." AMP

Definitions:

• Choose: Pick out or select (someone or something) as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives; decide on a course of action, typically after rejecting alternatives.

• Know: Be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information; have knowledge or information concerning.

• Flesh: a way of thinking that is contrary to the Word of God and in line with the world's way of thinking.

Scripture Confession:

• 'I choose to know no man after the flesh. I have picked out the best and most appropriate course of action, which is rejecting all alternatives to having knowledge of other people's ways of thinking, especially with regards to thinking that is contrary to the Word of God. I will now choose to observe and inquire about a person by their spirit.'

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• http://biblos.com/2_corinthians/5-16.htm

• http://biblecommenter.com/2_corinthians/5-16.htm

Questions:

1. Who is this scripture addressing?

2. What does it mean to choose to know?

3. What does it mean to walk in the flesh / walk in the Spirit?

4. When would this principle apply in our lives?

5. Where could one find instruction on how-to walk in the Spirit?

6. Why is this important?

7. How does a person do this?

Answers:

1. This scripture is addressing the saints; the believers in Christ; the church; born-again believers. Chapter One Verse One confirms this for us when Paul addressed this letter \- 'unto the church of God which is at Corinth'.

2. 'To choose to know' means that I have evaluated the best course of action with regards to becoming aware of another person's ways of being and doing, which includes their thinking.

3. To walk in the flesh means to evaluate all life around you and then respond to it in a way that is contrary to the Word and in agreement with the world; to have a mindset that is contrary to the Word; to think in opposition to the Word and then act out that opposition; To walk in the Spirit means to evaluate and then respond in a way that is in agreement with the Word and contrary to the world's way of thinking, being and doing / to have a mindset that is aligned with the Word; to think in agreement with the Word and then act out that agreement in our thoughts, words and actions (attitudes). Read: Galatians Chapter 5 for more details on what the works of the flesh look like and what walking in the Spirit would look like.

4. This principle would have to be applied between our relationships with others (remember to include yourself) over the course of our lifetimes; day-in and day-out, practicing getting to know someone by their spirit rather than their flesh.

5. There is no better place to find instructions on how-to walk in the Spirit then from the Word of God.

6. There are a couple of reasons that surface as to why this scripture must be acted upon with diligence. First, the scripture instructs us to judge ourselves lest we be judged, yes? Romans 14:13 says it best: "Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. I'm convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it." And all the people said, 'AMEN!' So, reason one – if we are going to saturate our minds with the weaknesses of someone else's flesh nature, then we are sure to cause some serious stumbling, for ourselves as well as anyone else we may have contaminated along the way. Reason #2: The opposite rule would apply here; it is important that we saturate our minds with the potential that lies within someone else's spirit, including our own, so that the Holy Spirit can have a non-stop work in developing us into Christ's image. And, we want to develop into Christ's image so that we can respond in this life the way that He does.

7. The answer to the 'how' lies within the second word of our meditation . . . 'choose'. I choose, you choose. It all boils down to obeying the Word. Study for yourself what the scriptures have to say about the flesh and the spirit and then pray and ask Him for help in making this scripture a living testimony within you, radiating outward and drawing the lost to Him. The lost, hurting and dying have been pushed around, held down, abused and torn apart by the flesh nature, some of which was self-inflicted but some of it was by the flesh nature of others. Let's come into agreement with God's nature and let His unconditional love display itself throughout the whole earth.

Insights: / Reflections:

• It is a priority for me to pray along these lines upon approaching the Word: "Father, please help me to see what I have not yet seen, to hear what I have not yet heard and to perceive and understand what I have yet to grasp. In Jesus Name, Amen." He is very gracious to honor that prayer. Hope that you'll use it in your adventures to grow deeper in your understanding of God's Word. To make a short story shorter – I prayed the above with regards to finding the topper for the week and through His eyes I saw the following: Verse 16 is the key that unlocks the understanding and the ability / power to walk in the revelation of Verse 21. Remember verse 21? I am; you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. In order to stand before God in the fullness of that verse, we have to practice living verse 16 to the point that it becomes natural to us to not respond from our flesh to another person's flesh but from our spirit to theirs.

***

Week 47: God, You Bless the Righteous; You Shield Me with Your Favor

Our meditational quote for the week of June 12th, 2011 was:

"God, You bless the righteous. You shield me with Your favor."

"For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." Psalm 5:12 KJV

"For You, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with You]; as with a shield You will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favor)." Psalm 5:12 AMP

Definitions:

• Bless: to empower to succeed; to speak good about or over.

• Righteous: to be in right standing and right doing with and before God through Jesus' shed blood.

• Shield: to protect, hide or conceal a thing or person from danger or harm.

• Compass: to enclose within an area; to encircle or surround; hem in.

• Surround: to enclose on all sides.

• Pleasure: enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight.

• Favor: in one's favor; to one's credit or advantage; a condition of being regarded with approval or good will.

Scripture Confession:

• "God has empowered me to succeed. He speaks well about and over me continuously. He does this because through His Son Jesus I have been made righteous. I am in right standing and right doing with Him through Jesus' shed blood. God now protects and hides and conceals me from the enemy and all his schemes for danger, chaos and harm. My Father has enclosed me on all sides within an area that provides me with safety, protection and provision. I am surrounded by God's enjoyment and satisfaction that He gets from watching me prosper. It is His delight for me to be engulfed with His favor, working for me His advantage and credit leaving me in the condition of being regarded with approval and His good will.'

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/psalms/5-12.htm>

• http://biblecommenter.com/psalms/5-12.htm

Questions:

1. Who is the 'bless-er' and who is the 'bless-ee'?

2. What is the 'bless'er' doing for the 'bless-ee'?

3. When does a person qualify for this type of attention from the Lord?

4. Where is the shield?

5. Why does the Lord favor the righteous?

6. How are the righteous blessed?

7. How does a person become righteous?

Answers:

1. The Lord is the 'bless-er' and the righteous is the 'bless-ee.'

2. The Lord is blessing the righteous with favor.

3. A person would qualify for this type of attention from the Lord if they were righteous.

4. The shield is found encompassing the righteous person.

5. The Lord favors the righteous because He loves them.

6. The righteous are blessed or empowered to succeed by the Lord's equipping to have victory in every arena of life.

7. A person becomes righteous when they become born again through Jesus Christ, which means to accept Him as your Savior.

Insights: / Reflections:

• As I sit here I am wondering if anyone remembers the movie with the 'Bubble Boy'? It occurred to me earlier today as I pictured myself inside of God's bubble that it would be permeable to His favor – meaning that the shield would allow His favor to pass through to me and outwardly to others. The barrier would also be impermeable to other things, like the enemy's attempts at getting me to walk outside of the bubble where he could then attack me with full vengeance. I think the atmosphere within the bubble is just right and there really is no need for me to go outside of it.

***

Week 48: Patience is Growing within Me

Our meditational quote for the week of June 19th, 2011 was:

"Patience is growing within me."

'But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].' Gal. 5:22-23 AMP

'But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.' Gal. 5:22-23 The Message Bible

Definitions:

• Patience: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset; good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence; Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties.

• Even-temper: Not easily annoyed or angered; equable: not easily irritated; remaining calm even in unusual situations.

• Forbearance: Patient self-control; restraint and tolerance; refraining from acting; patience: good-natured tolerance of delay; Restraint under provocation; A refraining from the enforcement of something; forbearing - showing patient and unruffled self-control and restraint under adversity; slow to retaliate or express resentment.

• Growing: Undergo natural development by increasing in size and changing physically; progress to maturity; Germinate and develop; Produce by cultivation; Allow or cause (a part of the body) to grow or develop; (of something abstract) Come into existence and develop; Become larger or greater over a period of time; increase; Cause (something, esp. a business) to expand or increase; Become gradually or increasingly; (of a person) Come to feel or know something over time.

Scripture Confession:

• "Patience is growing within me. The capacity to accept or tolerate delays, trouble and / or suffering without getting angry or upset is becoming larger and greater over time within me. This is possible through the working of the Holy Spirit."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• http://biblos.com/galatians/5-22.htm

• http://biblecommenter.com/galatians/5-22.htm

Questions:

1. Who is growing patience within me?

2. What is patience used for or during?

3. When is patience being developed within me?

4. Where does patience grow?

5. Where would patience be seen in my life?

6. Why is patience important?

7. How does the Holy Spirit grow patience within me?

Answers:

1. The Holy Spirit is the grower or the gardener and I am the one in which patience is being grown in.

2. Patience is being used to keep our senses cool and collected while our insides calm down and line up with the Word and the Spirit. Patience is used during intense pressure or contrary circumstances.

3. Patience is being developed within me when the outside (emotional) pressures are being applied; attempting to move us outside of walking in love.

4. Patience grows within my inner man which, in turn, has the capacity or potential to influence my way of responding (think, say, do) to the situation.

5. Patience would be seen in my composure [the state or feeling of being calm & in control of oneself; steadiness of mind under stress]. It would be seen in my attitudes, my speech and my actions.

6. Patience is important because without it, we may very well lose our testimony and/or our witness with those around us. I was impressed in my inner man years ago to keep my composure because it would help me keep my witness. Too many people are dying, lost without Him – is it really worth it to just let it all go and fly off the handle?; especially when we have the Greater One within us to come to our aide and let us borrow His ability to process the rampant emotional state we've found ourselves in. The risk of what would be lost is too great; we must allow patience to grow so that when the situation calls for it we can then turn to the Holy Spirit and ask for the fully developed fruit of patience to take a bite out of, which in turn would sustain us through to victory.

7. Let's take a walk through the garden, shall we. In order to grow anything successfully, which means it will bear fruit (something edible or usable); the ground has to be prepared first. We've got remove the rocks, the debris and the weeds; get out the tiller and break up the dirt and add ground additives to improve the quality of growth. Then we would water regularly, keep an eye open for weeds and pull them out immediately. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spirit – in order for patience to bear her precious fruit, being edible / usable – the ground of our hearts have to be prepared first. Renewing the mind, the exchanging of our thought systems with God's thought systems, would be a proper gardening tool to prepare the ground of our hearts. It would also accomplish the removal of contrary beliefs, attitudes and deceptions, which would prevent the fruit from growing or at best, producing fruit that is not usable. We water regularly by taking what we have learned, and turn it into a confession. What a great day in the garden . . . 'and He walks with us in the garden.'

Insights: / Reflections:

• A couple of great highlights have surfaced this week. The end of verse 23 where it states that 'against such things there is no law that can bring a charge.' I asked myself what the connection was and this is what I saw: 'against such things' = the development of the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, etc. Secondly, 'no law that can bring a charge.' The accuser of the brethren is always looking for a way to charge us with some fault or weakness or transgression, but according to this verse – when the fruit is developed, then there is no law or works or accusation that can stick to us! The sentence structure could easily read this way ~ 'There is no law that can bring a charge against love; there is no law that can bring a charge against joy, etc.

• Patience in a word = composure; the state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself. When I saw this connection that this is what patience would look like to me, I felt a great release because knowing what patience looks now empowers me to pull on that image when I need it. In other words, when I choose to keep my composure, it is the fruit of patience that I am snacking on in my inner man.

***

Week 49: I Love the Lord with All My Heart, Soul & Mind

Our meditational quote for the week of June 26th, 2011 was:

"I love the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind."

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all your mind (intellect). This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matt. 22:36-40

The Most Important Command – The Message Bible

'When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: 'Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important? Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them.'

Definitions:

• Love: an intense feeling of deep affection.

• Heart: the inner most part of a person's being; the processing center for education and experiences.

• Soul: a person's moral or emotional nature or sense of identity; the part of a person that helps to identify who they are; includes the make-up of the mind, will and emotions.

• Mind: the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.

• Intellect: the faculty of reasoning and understanding objectively, esp. with regard to abstract or academic matters; the understanding or mental powers of a particular person.

• Intelligence: the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.

• Might: great and impressive power or strength.

• Prayer: a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship; conducting business with God via a two-way conversation in which both parties are exchanging thoughts, feelings, experiences, concerns and plans.

Scripture Confession:

• "I love the Lord with all my heart, soul and mind. I have an intense feeling of deep affection for God. I use the inner most part of my being, my processing center to show Him my affections. I use my mind, my consciousness and thoughts to express my love for Him. I can also display my love for Him through my faculties of reasoning, understanding and the abilities to acquire and apply knowledge and skills that He has given me. I also use my might to demonstrate and display my deep commitment to Him."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/matthew/22-37.htm>

• http://biblecommenter.com/matthew/22-37.htm

• 'He loves God with all his mind (intellect – διανοια) who applies himself only to know God, and his holy will: \- who receives with submission, gratitude, and pleasure, the sacred truths which God has revealed to man: - who studies no art nor science but as far as it is necessary for the service of God, and uses it at all times to promote his glory – who forms no projects nor designs but in reference to God and the interests of mankind: - who banishes from his understanding and memory every useless, foolish, and dangerous thought, together with every idea which has any tendency to defile his soul, or turn it for a moment from the center of eternal repose. In a word, he who sees God in all things – thinks of him at all times – having his mind continually fixed upon God, acknowledging him in all his ways – who begins, continues, and ends all his thoughts, words, and works, to the glory of his name: - this is the person who loves God with all his heart, life, strength, and intellect. He is crucified to the world, and the world to him: he lives, yet not he, but Christ lives in him. He beholds as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and is changed into the same image from glory to glory. Simply and constantly looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of his faith, he receives continual supplies of enlightening and sanctifying grace, and is thus fitted for every good word and work. O glorious state! Far, far, beyond this description! Which comprises an ineffable communion between the ever-blessed Trinity and the soul of man!'

Questions:

1. Who is supposed to do the loving?

2. Who are we supposed to love?

3. What do we love with?

4. When should this type of love be applied?

5. Where would we find help and instructions on how to love?

6. Why should we love God, ourselves and others with all that we have?

7. How do we do this?

Answers:

1. Believers are the ones doing the loving.

2. We are supposed to love God, ourselves and others.

3. We love with God's love. With His love, loving with all our heart, soul and might is no longer impossible.

4. This type of love should be applied all the time.

5. We can find help to understand how to love with God's love from His book, the Bible.

6. We should love God, ourselves and others with all that we have because that is how God loves us.

7. There are a lot of examples in the how-to love God category, such as obeying His Word. Walking in love toward others would be another. The other day I was preparing to make my confessions of faith over myself and family, including all immediate and extended as well as adopted family members when it was brought to my attention that confession of the Word over another person is a dynamic way of loving them or myself for that matter.

Insights: / Reflections:

• My thoughts lingered today on the 'how-to' with regards to loving God, myself and others. How is this accomplished? What does this look like out here where we are living from day-to-day? Then I reflected back to when I first chose to believe that God loved me, specifically. John 3:16 clearly states that He loves the world, but at some point you have to put your name in that verse and choose to believe that what God said is the truth and that He really meant what He said – He loves me; He accepts me; He approves of me, etc.

• So, that is the first step of the 'how-to' love God, myself and others – I have to first choose to believe that He loves me, and then confess with my mouth. Check out Romans chapter 10; it reveals to us how to become born again by believing with our hearts and then confessing with our mouths, and so on. If the single most important eternal spiritual event in my life is accomplished this way; it makes sense to me that I should approach all the other spiritual truths in the same manner. I chose to believe with my heart that God loved me and then I confessed with my mouth; 'God loves me.'

• Once a believer gets that revelation; that they are loved individually – then you realize that you are equipped to love yourself and others. It is an all-inclusive package, but the steps are the same. After that initial breakthrough, then you have to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that you love you, that you accept you, and that you approve of you – all with God's standards, not yours. Can you see what's next? I'm sure you can. Choose to believe that God loves you; choose to love yourself with God's love; here's the grand finale – now you are ready to love your neighbor as you love yourself. The progression cannot be rearranged. You must love you like God loves you (with His empowerment, it is completely achievable) and then you'll be equipped to love your spouse, your children, your neighbor, your brothers & sisters in Christ, strangers and enemies. God loves me, you and the neighbor – all with the same kind of love, the love He loves Jesus with – He loves us with the same intense, unconditional love.

***

Week 50: I Know the Love of Christ

Our meditational quote for the week of July 3rd, 2011 was:

"I know the love of Christ, which passes my knowledge and NOW I am filled with all the fullness of God."

"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:19 KJV

"That you may really come] to know [practically, [a]through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses [b]mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] [c]unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and [d]become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!' Eph. 3:19 AMP

Definitions:

• Know: be aware of through observation, inquiry, or information; to have knowledge or information concerning; an intimate level of experiencing another person.

• Love: an intense feeling of deep affection; God's unconditional affection.

• Christ: the Anointed One & His Anointing; the manifest presence of God & His unconditional love.

• Passes: go beyond the limits of; surpass; exceed.

• Knowledge: information and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject; what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information.

• Filled: to supply or provide to the fullest extent; to put into as much as can be held or conveniently contained; become full of.

• Fullness: the state of being filled to capacity; complete in every particular: a full account.

• Now: at the present time or moment.

Scripture Confession:

• "I know the love of Christ, which passes my knowledge and NOW I am filled with all the fullness of God. I am intimately aware of the Anointed One's intense feelings of deep and unconditional affection for me through my observations, inquiries and the information that I have gathered throughout the course of my relationship with God. This level of revelation has gone beyond my human limits and has surpassed and exceeded all my skills, my experiences and my education. Therefore I am at the present time, in this very moment, am supplied and provided to the fullest extent with the full account of God Himself and all His faculties."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/ephesians/3-19.htm>

• <http://biblecommenter.com/ephesians/3-19.htm>

Questions:

1. Who was this passage of scripture written to?

2. What happens when we know the love of Christ?

3. When does the education or experience take place in our lives?

4. Where would being filled with God be obvious?

5. Why would a believer want to reach this level of fullness?

6. How can we be filled with all the fullness of God?

7. What is the fullness of God?

Answers:

1. This passage of scripture was written to the believers that gathered in Ephesus, also referred to as the early church.

2. I pondered on the word intimate with regards to this question; what happens when we are intimate with the love of Christ? What happens in our relationship with Him when we choose to be intimate? One of the aspects or definitions of being intimate means to involve oneself in a very close connection. To me, this means that I have to choose to change the boundaries for the relationship so that this connection can go from casual to a deeper and more meaningful connection. It also means that I have to remove my 'masks' so that the other person can really see me and their mutual 'masks' must also come off. If not, then the relationship is not mutual and cannot move beyond being casual to the deeper knowing of someone.

3. The education and experiences happen in our courtship, that part of the relationship where we are getting to know one another and find out our likes, dislikes, common interests and passions.

4. Where: Being filled with God would be obvious in our responses; how we think, how we feel, and how we act toward God, ourselves and others. Walking in love is the response or evidence that you are filled with Him, because if we're not, then the response would be the opposite – a response that is full of self or selfishness.

5. There is probably an endless list that could be plugged in here, but the one primary reason I could muster up as to why I would want to reach this level of fullness is because I want to be as close to Him as possible. I do not desire any agenda, motive or will apart from His. I want harmony with Him, as He has with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. A life-long transformation, I'm sure.

6. We can be filled with all the fullness of God by starting with being filled with His Word. Reading, studying, meditating and praying the Word are great places to start the infilling process. We also have His Spirit living on the inside of us to lead, guide, comfort, teach and correct. Giving place to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis by asking Him to reveal to us what's in the Father's heart and mind for that day – looking at people and circumstances through His eyes; hearing with His ears; processing the issues of life with His heart seems to me a clear path to being filled with all the fullness of God.

7. All this talk about being filled with 'all the fullness of God' and I realized that I hadn't asked the question – what is that? The fullness of God is love; unconditional love. And within His unconditional love reside all of His abilities, His character, His authority & power, His ways of being and doing, His unmerited, or unearned favor, all His provision and all His willingness to make sure that our quality of life is brought up to His standards, His abundant till it overflows standards.

Insights: / Reflections:

• Fill a glass with water and then fill it again. Not possible, is it? All right, fill the glass with water and then pour it out over the sink and when you are finished pouring out the liquid you are left with an empty glass or vessel. Since the glass is now empty, it has the room required to be filled again with another substance, such as an ice-cold Dr. Pepper.

• In order to be filled with all the fullness of God, which indicates we are a type of glass or vessel that can be filled with something or in this case, someone; we must first empty out the container of whatever it is currently holding because if we don't, then there won't be any room to add anything else. We like the glass have to pour out our pride, our selfishness, our wills, agendas, motives, and so on, so that He can fill up the space within.

***

Week 51: I Succeed NOT by Might or Power, but by the Holy Spirit

Our meditational quote for the week of July 10th, 2011 was:

"I succeed not by might or by power, but by the Holy Spirit."

"Then he replied, "This is the word the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel: You won't succeed by might or by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Armies." Zech. 4:6

Definitions:

• Succeed: achieve what one aims at; attain success or reach a desired goal.

• Might: great and impressive power or strength.

• Power: the ability to do something or act in a particular way; the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.

• Holy Spirit: the Comforter, the Teacher, the Helper, the personality of the Anointing, the One who reveals to our spirits what is in the Father's mind and heart.

Scripture Confession:

• "I succeed not by might or by power, but by the Holy Spirit. I achieve what I aim at and attain success and reach my desired goals NOT by my abilities to do something, nor by any abilities to direct or influence the behavior of others or any course of events; BUT by the Holy Spirit within me – the Comforter, the Teacher, the Helper, the personality of the Anointing, the One who reveals to my spirit what is in the Father's mind and heart – leading me into His perfect will."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/zechariah/4-6.htm>

• http://biblecommenter.com/zechariah/4-6.htm

Questions:

1. Who benefits from the success end of this verse?

2. What are we succeeding in?

3. When would it be obvious that the success is coming from the Holy Spirit?

4. Where would others see this success?

5. Why would anyone want to succeed in this manner?

6. How do we work with the Holy Spirit in achieving success?

Answers:

1. It is my opinion, but I really don't see any losers in this scenario except for Satan. God wins, we win and others win when the Holy Spirit is free to do what He does best; which is reveal the Father's love through us because of our relationship with Him through Jesus.

2. In pondering on this question, here is what came to me – walking in love is probably the best success anyone could ever accomplish. Other areas of success, forgiving someone or ourselves, growing in the fruit of the Spirit, gaining revelations from the Word, being a blessing to someone else, ministering or serving others, and the list goes on.

3. Obvious success from the Holy Spirit – please refer to the list above which also includes being filled with the love of God, walking by faith, wearing and showing real humility, putting our flesh under and so on.

4. Others would see this type of success in our lives in our daily witness.

5. There are two systems of success – the world's way, rooted and grounded in selfishness and God's way, rooted and grounded in love. Succeeding in the world's system only benefits one and even at that, there is no peace or security because at any moment it could all be taken away by someone who is pursuing the success the same way with only one thing on their minds – succeed at any cost and run over anyone who gets in their way. Succeeding God's way benefits everyone; there aren't any losers on this side of the fence. God gets to establish His covenant of prosperity, making sure we are successful in every arena of life and then He empowers us so that we can give to those in need. Like I said - no losers here except for Satan.

6. The 'how-to's' of working with the Holy Spirit begin with our pursuing our relationship with Him first thing in the morning. And then carrying ourselves with a consciousness that He is always there, leading and guiding or at least, waiting for us to ask for His help. We need to initiate the partnership of involving Him in everything we think, say and do – our motives and our ways of handling circumstances. Remember, He knows what is in the mind and heart of the Father – who better to ask who, what, when, where, why and how. Doing this consistently will build within us an 'it comes natural' to go to Him first and find out how to respond in life and when He's in the lead – how can there be anything but success at the end of that path.

Insights: / Reflections:

• Acknowledging the Holy Spirit's working within us is the key in this passage and in our daily lives. Truthfully, we cannot carry out God's plan or will for our lives in our own strength. We all know that even on our so-called best day that we would not be able to do it on our own. There are lives at stake, maybe our own, to fiddle-faddle around with this verse – let's just accept that He is the one doing the work of the ministry through us and be grateful for the partnership that He has allowed us to participate in.

***

Week 52: I Meditate on the Word of God

Our meditational quote for the week of July 17th, 2011 was:

"I meditate on the Word of God, day and night, and now I am faithfully doing everything written in the Word. NOW I am prospering and succeeding!"

"Only be strong and very courageous, faithfully doing everything in the teachings that my servant Moses commanded you. Don't turn away from them. Then you will succeed wherever you go. Never stop reciting these teachings. You must think about them night and day so that you will faithfully do everything written in them. Only then will you prosper and succeed." Joshua 1:7-8

Definitions:

• Meditate: Hebrew word – hagah; to moan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak; to roar, growl, groan; to utter, speak ; to meditate, devise, muse, imagine; to utter; to mutter.

• Recite: to repeat aloud a passage of text.

• Word of God: the Bible; the unbreakable promises of God; God's will.

• Teachings: ideas or principles taught by an authority.

• Day & night: the course of our life from sun-up to sun-down and into the wee hours of the night and back again.

• Faithfully: in a loyal and steadfast manner.

• Prosper: succeed in all arenas; financial, physical, relational, spiritual; flourish; thrive: make steady progress; booming: very lively and profitable.

• Succeed: achieve what one aims at; lead to a desired result; become the new rightful holder of an inheritance, office, title, or property.

• Now: at this precise moment in time.

Scripture Confession:

• "I meditate on the Word of God, day and night, and now I am faithfully doing everything written in the Word. NOW I am prospering and succeeding! I speak to myself by repeating aloud the unbreakable promises of God's will which is His teachings & principles of which He is the ultimate authority thereof. I do this throughout the course of my life, sun-up to sun-down in a loyal and steadfast manner. I am succeeding in all arenas of life; prospering, and flourishing, making steady progress, booming and teeming with life and profitable. I am, at this precise moment in time, achieving what I am aiming at for I have become the new rightful holder of Jesus' inheritance, His office, His title and His property."

Commentary / Greek & Hebrew Words:

• <http://biblos.com/joshua/1-8.htm>

• http://biblecommenter.com/joshua/1-8.htm

Questions:

1. Who is the scripture referring to?

2. Who is the one who is supposed to meditate?

3. What is the meditation material?

4. When should the Word be meditated on?

5. Where does the fruit of meditation reveal itself?

6. Why should believers meditate on the Word?

7. How should meditation be done?

Answers:

1. This passage of scripture was addressed to Joshua, the leader of the people of Israel after Moses' death.

2. He was being instructed to meditate on what Moses had taught him so that he would be prosperous and succeed wherever he went.

3. The meditation material for Joshua was all that Moses had taught him from the Torah, or the first five books of the Bible. That's all they had available at the time. As believers, we have access to the entire works of the scriptures and can choose to meditate on any given passage at any time.

4. According to this passage, night and day are the times that meditation should be conducted. In other words, do not let the words of the Word get out of your mind through thoughtlessness but on purpose think, speak and go over them in your mind until they begin to become a part of your recall easily.

5. The fruit of meditation reveals itself when the scriptures begin to speak to you; you are getting to the author of the passage of text in the Bible and not just the words that have been printed on the surface. There is a difference between Logos and Rhema; Logos being the written Word of God and Rhema is a spoken Word from God. Both are essential in our walk with God; it's a part of our courtship – getting to know the One who loves us.

6. As far as I can tell, meditating on the Word is the only way to dig up the treasures that are hidden beneath the surface. In all my years of developing my relationship with God, I have never received the amount of Rhema that I have in the last year while investing the time to meditate on His promises. He has been very generous to share Insights: with me even when I wasn't taking the time to meditate, but Oh!, when I have done my part to sit still for just a few minutes throughout the day. It is a sure fire way to practice His presence and a viable and successful way of getting to know His voice.

7. Meditation can be done in a variety of ways. I have found that keeping things simple is best for me and the busy every day duties of being a wife, mom and so on. I started out just keeping the passage on a card or a piece of paper in a personal confession format, making it as personal and as present-tense as possible. Then I would take five minutes to close off the rest of the world and speak or whisper the confession to myself; I would take in some deep breaths because it is great for relaxing and clearing out any distractions. Most of the time, Insights: would not come during this time of input. I would get them throughout the day or during prayer while talking with God about it; finding out what He wants me to know and then apply those revelations to my life. It has expanded throughout the year to include looking up definitions and then inserting them into the personal confession and looking up commentaries and the Greek & Hebrew text – just digging around to find any gems that God had set aside for me to find. The questions and answer sections also evolved out of what I was asking myself about the passage and moved it all to paper so that I could keep up with it.

Insights: / Reflections:

• Anyone else notice that the words prosper and succeed are both used in this passage? They don't have the same meanings, but I'm guessing you've figured that out from reading the definitions section above. God is complete. He doesn't just want us to have one side of the victory; He wants us to have it all. It's all a process of course, and it is only complete with Him being at the center of the endeavor.

***

Conclusion

It's been one full year of meditating on the Word of God. I'm in awe of His faithfulness and His abilities within me to keep me moving toward the target of following through until the project was complete. Hope you have gained as much or more during our digging into the treasure trove of God's Word this year. You have been a source of strength and encouragement, just knowing that if only one person was going to go to the website and follow along – it was going to be worth the investment and the follow through on my end, no matter the obstacles. To God be all the credit and glory; He alone is the One who makes all things good come to pass in our lives. God, we love You! Thank You for all You have revealed to us this year during this study – it has been a great adventure and very exciting getting to know You on a more intimate level than ever before. Thank You, thank You!
