Author Archives: MEL

Those Who Hear Live

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‘”The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.'”Acts 22:14

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” John 5:24-25

Do you hear what I hear?   Do you hear what I hear?

He’s declaring His life over you.

He’s declaring His power over you.

He’s declaring His love for you.

He has chosen you.

He has chosen you to know his will.

He has chosen you to feel His love.

He has chosen you to see Jesus and to hear directly from Him.

He has gifted you to do so.

He has equipped you for the journey.

He is preparing you even this moment to respond to His voice….

Do you hear?  His love is calling….

He Will Come!

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 Take a moment, be still and just receive today.  Let Him wash the weariness of this world away……

“Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

With the recompense of God;

He will come and save you.”  Is. 35:4

 

He died for you.  He will not tarry.  He will come.

Receive your strength today, and let His pure love drive away all fear.

I Arise and Declare today, My God Will Come!  He will not in any way fail me nor give me up nor leave me without support.  He will not!  He will not!  He will not in any degree leave me helpless, nor forsake nor let me down, nor relax His hold on me!  Assuredly not!  So I take my comfort and my encouragement today and I CONFIDENTLY and BOLDLY say, The Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with alarm-I will not fear or dread or be terrified.  What can man do to me?  MY GOD WILL COME!

(Modified from Hebrews 13:5b-6)

Trust and Help

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Psalm 23

“The LORD is my shepherd (I trust that He is leading me to good and purposeful destinations)

I shall not want;  (I trust that He hears my wants and meets the needs that inspire my wants!)

he makes me lie down in green pastures. (I trust that it is okay to rest, that I do not need to work myself to death)

He leads me beside still waters; (I trust that is okay to be still, to wait upon Him, and to just enjoy a life of peace)

he restores my soul. (I trust that He knows how to restore me and I will allow Him to restore me in His own way and timing)

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  (I trust that He will keep me in right standing with Himself and that the way He has created is safe)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; (I trust that He has more power than this valley, death itself and that He loves me and will never leave me alone)

thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  (I trust that if I go down the wrong path that He will let me know for my own safety and comfort!)

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; (I trust that all of my enemies are watching me eat my victory supper!)

thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. ( I trust that He has given me everything I need for life and godliness in Jesus)

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; ( I trust that they are gifts to me and always apart of me)

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” ( I trust that I will be with Him forever and ever!  AMEN!)

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.”  Psalm 28:7

Receive your help today!

 “I lift up my eyes to the hills– where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip– he who watches over you will not slumber;  indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The LORD watches over you– the LORD is your shade at your right hand;  the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;  the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121

HE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!

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“[What, would have become of me] had I not believed to see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living! 

 Wait and hope for and expect the Lord;

be brave and of good courage,

and let your heart be stout and enduring. 

Yes, wait and hope for and expect the Lord.” 

Psalm 27: 13-14 AMP

This scripture was a real turning point in my life.  A friend gave me a CD with some songs her sister had written and sang on it.  This scripture was the lyrics to one of those songs.  I listened to it for days, wanting to believe that I would see God’s goodness, when all I felt was pain.  Meditating on this scripture, I went from not believing it was even true, to hoping that it was.  That, in time, turned to knowing that God was able to make it true.  To where I am today; that it is true, that God is able to make it a reality, that God wants it to be a reality in my life, to my personal everyday reality!

Wait, hope for, and expect God’s goodness in your life.  You can’t ever work for it, you can’t ever disappoint Him so as to lose it, and He will never take it away.  His goodness is His gift to us.  His goodness is Jesus and the increasing revelation of WHO He is and WHAT He has done for us individually and corporately!  Add to your waiting, hope, and to your hope add expectation. 

He will not disappoint!

 

HERO

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” And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans….”  John 14:16-18a

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  John 14:26-27

We are helped in every way!!!!  We do not accept Jesus and then are abandoned to our own….No, no, no!  God always completely covers His bases.  He is not only the author of our faith, the Bible says He is the finisher.  Do you think that He went into this thing with all of His eggs in one basket……us?  No way!  All of His eggs are definitely in one basket……His!  He has set us up for complete success because of His victory.  He has not abandoned us to ourselves; He has given us a Helper who helps us in our weakness and

  • will be with us forever
  • will teach us all things
  • will remind of what God has said to us

This is why we don’t give ourselves permission to be too troubled with this life or scared of moving forward into all that God has for us!  We are completely and utterly set up for success!

You are not alone today, no matter how you feel or what the circumstances of your life looks like.  You have been given a Helper.  Let Him teach you today, receive His companionship,  let Him remind you of God’s constant abiding love.  Jesus is our Hero in every way!

Did you know?

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Did you know?

Moses stuttered.
John Mark deserted Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea’s wife was a prostitute.
Amos’ only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
The widow was too poor.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a persecutor of the church and murderer of Christians.
Moses was a murderer too.
Jonah ran from God’s will.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wart.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul – well, lots of folks did.

But God doesn’t require a job interview for salvation. He’s our Heavenly Father. He doesn’t look at financial gain or loss. He’s not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need. He knows who we are and what we are and loves us in spite of ourselves.

SATAN SAYS, “YOU’RE NOT WORTHY.”
JESUS SAYS, “SO WHAT? I AM.”
SATAN LOOKS BACK AND REMINDS US OF OUR MISTAKES.
GOD LOOKS BACK AND SEES THE CROSS.

He doesn’t calculate how you failed in ’99. It’s not even on the record.

Sure, there are lots of reasons why God shouldn’t call us. But if we are in love with Him, if we hunger for Him, He’ll use us in spite of who we are, where we’ve been, what we have done, or the fact that we are not perfect!
(Author unknown)

Of all the people listed above with their issues, pick the one that speaks to you, look them up in the Bible and look what God used them to do!  How do you feel about Him using you now?  Are you impossible for Him?  Too far gone? 

Think again!

Too Strong? For Who?

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“He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.  He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support.  He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.”  Psalm 18:16-19

No matter what you are facing today know that God is able to draw you out of it!  He is stronger than your strongest enemy!!!  And no matter what process you are in, YOU have to decide that God is stronger, that His word is true, and that He will give you the strength to overcome!  This may not always look ideal or pretty, but silence your need to walk by sight with His promise, and release your faith today!  Regardless of the taunting you hear in your head, Jesus will be your support and He will bring you out of this and deliver you to the place of rest, peace, and joy that He has in store for those He loves.  He loves you…..He delights in you….He is the lifter of your head.

Now Lord, I agree with You.  You are drawing me out of every circumstance that is contrary to Your best for me.  You are strengthening me daily with Your love and help.  You have given me strength that I have not tapped into and today I recognize your Sufficiency and Sovereignty in my life and I STAND! as You have instructed.  I will not waver through unbelief regarding Your promises any longer.   You have good plans for me and You love me and you have given me everything that I need!

3 Questions: 1 Answer

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“My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”  When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.  Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? HOPE IN GOD, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.” Psalm 42:  3-5

Question # 1.  Where is your God? 

Question # 2.  Why are you cast down, O my soul? 

Question # 3 Why are you disquieted within me?

This is not a new tactic of Satan….He taunted many of the patriarchs in Scripture with this same question and even Jesus on the cross…..so, it is completely normal and expected that this will be a taunt presented to you as well….but let Jesus’ response yield your victory today! 

When difficulties arise the first voice we hear is the devil and it conceals in the form of Question #1.   “Where is your God?”  Then, an even more subtle enemy arises in the form of your own voice. through the above Questions 2 and 3.  This appeals to your reason and so seems legitimate…”So, What is my problem?  What is wrong with me?  Why does God show up for everyone else but me?  Why does everyone else have this great life and mine stinks?  Does God really love me?”…………….This furthers the cycle of condemnation and mistakenly looks within oneself for the answer? 

BUT  Jesus promises that He will never leave you nor forsake you!  I absolutely love how the Amplified Bible communicates this:

“I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  [I will] not [I will] not [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake nor let [you] down, [relax My hold on you].  Assuredly not!    So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, I will not be seized with alarm-I will not fear or dread or be terrified.  What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:5b-6

Jesus response for your victory is everything!  He took upon Himself everything in life that could forsake you.  It was the final victory on the cross before it was finished.  Look at what He has done for you……Put your HOPE IN GOD! Silence the enemies voice and your propensity in the flesh to condemn yourself and receive Jesus’ victory on the cross for you….the lie has been revealed, the condemnation that imprisoned you has been exposed, and now see your hope today in Jesus Name like never before! 

Any Question:  Always 1 Answer…..Jesus!

 

COME!

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“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;  to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,  because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”   The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”   

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem,  the city of the living God. 

You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,  to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. 

You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,  to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” 

Hebrews 12:18-24

When you accepted Jesus into your heart and life, look what the Bible says you have come to:  a new home, a new inheritance, a new protection, a new security, a new helper, a new perfector, a new covenant, a new power, and a new sacrifice.  The old is gone and the new is come!  You have all of this right in front of you and all around you.  You have been relieved of the duty of making your own way, worrying about whether or not you are pleasing Him or not, being scared to mess up for fear you will be zapped with His heavenly ray gun,  reprimanded for not getting life done perfectly, or anything else that has to do with you preparing yourself for Him.  Look what He has prepared for you!!  Instead of wondering where your help will come from….know that it has come from the Lord! 

Now He beckons for you to come…..

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matt. 11:28

 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”   Mark 1:17

“Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine .”   John 21:12

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  Rev. 3:20

So COME!  and rest, feast, follow, and fish……it is the way of your King….

Immanuel

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For the last two weeks I have heard the word, “Immanuel” resonate in my spirit.  It was prophesied in Isaiah 7 and fulfilled in Matthew 1:23  “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.” 

This means so much to us for our eternal lives and peace, but also for our daily lives and peace.  It means that God was in our yesterdays but He is also in our tomorrows.  It means that if you allow Him to, He will hold your hand through the scariest event and will be cheering alongside you as you cross the finish line of the most exciting day of your life.  It means that no matter what you will face in this life you have the certainty that, through Jesus, He has already prepared “a way of escape” from the temptation to follow after old patterns of sin, mental battles, and your usual cycles of struggle that typically leave you hopeless, destitute, and depressed.  He has prepared a way for you to rest in His presence.  He has provided a way for you to feel loved when no one around you notices you, feel joy when everything in your life is sad, and feel hope when all looks lost.  He gives us a mental prompt in this passage, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33b  He is identifying with our struggle, yet He is telling us what His death afforded us…..His overcoming power!!!   But is not okay with Him for you to know only what He did for you because that would seem very impersonal and dying for you was very personal to Him.  He comes to reassure you of His constant companionship and love ....”And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matt. 28:20

Whatever you are facing today, you must know that you are not alone.  The same God that has worked out your eternal salvation is capable of handling your today.  If you don’t understand this your life will be a living torment, but with this knowledge and relationship comes the greatest peace imaginable.  With each presenting struggle, whisper to yourself…”God is with me, God will never leave me, God will never forsake me, I will call Him Immanuel.”