Faith in God

Ezra 1; Psalm 84; Psalm 85; Luke 7

Luke 7:36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.

41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[d] and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Jesus was able to recognize how much this "sinful woman" loved Him. He forgave her sins even in knowing the depths of her many sins. He saw how much faith she had in Him and He pardons her many sins. Jesus also states that to the extent we love is the extent our sins will be forgiven.

I am a sinner. We are sinners. We must have faith in the abilities of God. We must remember that it is because of the grace of God that our sins can be forgiven and our sinful past can be pardoned. I will remember that it is by our faith we are saved.

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your grace. Thank you for forgiving my sins. I love You for that. You remind me consistently that it is by my faith that I am saved. Lord, You not only see the sins I have committed, You chose to forgive and forget those sins. I love You with all my heart.
Amen

What credit is that to you?

Daniel 11; Daniel 12; Luke 6

Rhema: Luke 6:43"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Inspect: What is in a man or woman's heart is what comes out of his/her mouth. Good things come out of a mouth whose heart is good. Evil things comes out of a mouth whose heart is evil.

Commit: I must commit my heart to be more like Jesus, for I know that what comes out of my mouth is a reflection of what is in my heart.

Exalt: Lord Jesus,
I pray for a heart that is more like Yours. I know that if my heart was more Yours, the more good will be stored in my heart and there will be no room for evil. Lord, I want what comes out of my mouth to be a reflection of what is in my heart, and in my heart I want You. I give You all the rooms in my heart, all the closets in my heart, I give You my heart. Let me reflect the goodness in You.
In Your good name,
Amen

Accountability by God

Ezekiel 33; Ezekiel 34; Ezekiel 35; Revelation 18

Rhema: Ezekiel 33:7 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for ^[a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.'"

Inspect: God has made us watchmen for others. When we assume the position of accountability over a person, we are accountable for his sinful ways that we know of. If we are told by God that what he is doing is wrong and sinful and we do not try to speak out to warn him, then we will be held accountable in the eyes of the Lord. However, if we do speak out to warn him, and he chooses to not turn from his sinful ways, we are safe and he will die for his sin.

Commit: I must remember to warn others of their sinful ways. I must listen to the word God speaks so that I am able to warn them for Him.

Exalt: Father,
Thank you for teaching me this great lesson from your word. I pray that I remember to not be a selfish Christian. I pray that You open my ears and my heart so that I can always hear what You want to tell me. Lord, I will listen to what You have to say and I ask to remember to listen to You and give warnings to those that need them. Thank you once again!

Amen

Humble your Boastfulness

Lamentations 1-2; Obadiah 1; Revelation 14

Rhema:
Obadiah 1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks ^[a]
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
'Who can bring me down to the ground?'

4 Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,"
declares the LORD.

Inspect:
The Edomites held themselves high on a pedestal, thinking they were better than the people of Jerusalem during the attacks of the Babylonians. God says that their pride was getting the best of them and they were being deceived. God declares that while they are on their "high", He was going to bring them down. Humble them.

Commit:
It is very common for there to be "prideful" Christians. It is important to remember that although we are currently not being punished by God, it does not mean we have a right to take the glory in our enemies shortcomings. It is not biblical. I will look at things with a humble heart.

Exalt:
Heavenly Father,
I ask you to humble my heart and keep me there. Lord, I know how easy it is for us to become boastful and take pride in your grace, however, I pray that I am reminded of the people of Edom and that I do not let pride take over.

He has warned us

Jeremiah 42-44; Psalm 48; Revelation 13

Rhema: Jeremiah 44: 2 "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3 because of the evil they have done. They provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew. 4 Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!' 5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.

Inspect: God is a fair and just God. He has commandments that he has set out for all to follow. He not only had those commandments, but He gave the people of Jerusalem and Judah warnings through His prophets. God HATES idolatry, for He knows that they don't personally know those other Gods. If one is to refuse to listen to what God has to say, one must feel the wrath of His anger.

Commit: I must remember to not hold anything or anyone higher than God. Idolatry can be in any shape or form: money, work, boyfriends/girlfriends, computers, etc. God did not just mean other gods, He meant anything that we hold higher than Him. I will put God first and not allow the world to try and step in to take His place.

Exalt: Father, You are most fair and just. You have sent your commandments onto earth through your servant, Moses and have given us many reminders through your word. I thank you for being patient with us and remaining there for us to fall back on when all the idols of the world prove to be faulty. You are the One that deserves to be held high, for You are the one that is always infallible. I thank You Lord, for your love and your fairness. In Your name, Amen.

Enraged Dragon

2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40-41; Revelation 12

Rhema:
Revelation 12: 13When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. 15Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Inspect:
Satan did not give up with just attacking the woman that had given birth to Jesus, he is in constant pursuit of those who follow God's commandment and believe in the Gospel. He will continue to try many ways to attack us, however God will find greater ways to protect us.

Commit:
I must remember that as a person having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I will consistently be attacked. I must remember that if I put all my faith in God, He will find greater ways to help me overcome the attacks.

Exalt:
Daddy,
I thank you for the reminder of how you are there to protect us. Lord, help me remember that you are greater and wiser than any shape or form of the dragon. You are there for me when I feel like I cannot continue. Thank you for giving me Your strength.

In your mighty name,
Amen