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“I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I beseech You, save my life!"”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭116:1-4‬ ‭NASB‬‬
http://bible.com/100/psa.116.1-4.nasb

God is meeting me in my grief and there is healing. I’m blessed.
 
Scripture Of The Day - STRONGHOLDS

2 Corinthians 10:4 - "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to tear down strongholds."

Wherever a stronghold exists, it is a demonically induced pattern of thinking. Specifically, it is a "house made of thoughts" which has become a dwelling place for satanic activity.
The strongholds upon which demons rely consists of our own thoughts, attitudes, and opinions which are in agreement with evil.
The strongholds that affect us most are those which are so hidden in our thinking patterns that we do not recognize them or identify them as evil.


Matthew 12:37 - "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."


AFFIRMATIONS:

Today!.... I make up my mind that I'm going to speak life to my situation and circumstances. I am going to the word of God to find out what He has to say about me and my situation, and I'm going to say what He says.

Today!... I curse the wrong words I've spoken over my life and begin to speak the words of life I'm supposed to speak.


Proverbs 6:2 - "You are snared (trapped) with the words of your lips, you are caught by the speech of your mouth."

Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."


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Scripture Of The Day - SUFFERING

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness...for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:10
Outwardly when we are persecuted or suffer abuse - inwardly we experience "heaven" as God deals mightily with our soul, breaking its addiction to man's approval and liberating us to truly live for Christ.


1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

The Scripture instructs us to give thanks IN all things, not FOR all things. When tragedy or calamity strikes we are not to thank God for them. He is not the author. He's the One who provides our way out from them, and that's what we thank Him for.

VISION OF GOD'S PURPOSE FOR OUR LIFE

Proverbs 29:18 - "Where there is no vision, the people perish."


Vision makes suffering and disappointment bearable. Vision generates hope in the midst of despair and provides endurance in tribulation. Vision inspires the depressed and motivates the discouraged. Without vision, life would be a study in cyclic frustration within a whirlwind of despair. Vision is the foundation of courage and the fuel of persistence.

SICKNESS AND DISEASE ARE NOT THE INHERITANCE OF THE REDEEMED


Philippians 3:10 - "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,"

An incorrect view of suffering has allowed the "Trojan Horse" of disease to come in through the gates of the community of the redeemed. The sufferings of Jesus were realized in the persecution He endured and in the burden He carried for people. He did not suffer with the disease. That must be removed from our idea of Christian suffering.

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Thank you!
 
Scripture Of The Day - FAITH BUILDING OF YOUR SPIRIT

Matthew 12:34,35 -- ....."For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things."


Words won't work without faith any more than faith will work without words! It takes them both to put the law of faith in motion.
As Matthew 12:34-35 says, it's the words that come from the heart that produce results. The person who just throws in a couple of faith words now and then isn't speaking them from the abundance of his heart, so they're not effective.

Does that mean you shouldn't start speaking words of faith until you're sure you have the faith to back them?

No! Speaking words of faith is good spiritual exercise. If you want to receive healing by faith, for example, fasten your mind and your mouth on the Word of God where your health is concerned. Instead of talking about how miserable you feel, quote Isaiah 53:5. Say, "Jesus was wounded for my transgressions. He was bruised for my iniquities. The chastisement of my peace was upon Him; and with His stripes, praise God, I am healed!"

If you'll continue to meditate on those words and continue to say them, the truth in them will begin to sink in. They'll take root in your heart (spirit) and begin to grow. And eventually, you really will be speaking from the abundance of your heart (spirit).

When that happens, it won't matter what the circumstances look like. You'll know you have what you've been believing for and the devil himself won't be able to talk you out of it. You'll cross the line from hope to faith, and you'll start seeing those mountains move.

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Scripture Of The Day -TUNING IN TO GOD'S VOICE

Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear" (Mark 4:9).

He also said that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27). Not hearing the Father speak, not understanding the voice of the Holy Spirit, is the root of many of life's problems. If we would only linger a little longer in His voice, then perhaps we would live great lives of blessing and purpose that yields fruit for the Kingdom instead of frustration.

REMOVING THE BLOCKAGES -- WHAT KEEPS YOU FROM HEARING?

There are blockages that keep us from hearing. Perhaps you have fears. Perhaps you don't believe that God will speak to you. Maybe you are convinced that hearing God is not for today. Maybe you believe that God speaks to others but not to you. Whatever the blockage is, it needs to be removed.

The grace of God is such that He wants you to hear His voice more than you even want to listen. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He came for us. He saw us in our condition of deafness and blindness and sent His own Son in the earth to help us to see and hear again.

He begins to remove the blockages even before we desire for them to be removed. That is grace.

God who created the heavens and the earth wants to speak to us.

In His voice there is creative power. When He spoke through Ezekiel an entire valley of dry bones rose back to life and formed a mighty army. That is the power of hearing. When you hear and you speak what God says, then He does great things.

UNPLUG YOUR SPIRITUAL EARS!

Today, believe the Lord to unplug your spiritual ears and to tune you into the frequency of Heaven's voice. Begin to walk with Him and talk with Him and hear Him call you His own.

The grace of God is such that He always speaks to the hungry. He always opens ears to hear.

So just thank Him because your breakthrough is coming.

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Scripture Of The Day - STEPPING OUT IN FAITH

Exodus 19:14 - "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself."

In facing their threshold or brink, marching through the "GATES" out of captivity in Egypt, Israel has to make a leap of faith. If they took the leap of faith, would God come and bear them up on eagle's wings? God comes through for Israel and opens up the Red Sea. He swoops down and picks them up, carrying them on His wings. However, they had to leap first. Had they not taken bold, daring action, stepping out in faith, God could not have saved them.

Bold action is always motivated by faith of some kind. Faith-filled people of God take bold action, which opens a "GATE" and releases spiritual power.

Paul opened up a "GATE" in Ephesus when he boldly preached the gospel in the city. Not only were people changed but the socioeconomic system of the city was transformed as well. The city transformed (see Acts 19).

Bold action opens up a "GATE" of spiritual power and blessing from God. The heavens over an area are opened in a new way. It is at the "GATES" as someone steps onto the threshold that faith and perseverance are tested. It is at the threshold where either spiritual abortion or spiritual birthing occurs.

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Scripture Of The Day - FAITH MAKES ROOM FOR GOD'S EXTRAVAGANCE

John 2:3-5 - When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
"Why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."


Jesus attended a wedding where they ran out of wine. As yet He hadn't performed any of the wonders for which He would later become known.
Mary knew who her Son was and what was possible.....her faith so touched the heart of the Father that He apparently changed the chosen time to unveil Jesus as the miracle worker. Her faith just made room for the extravagance of God!

Faith moves heaven, so that heaven will move earth.


Psalm 78:23-25 - "Yet He commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven; And He rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them food from heaven. Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance."

As we read in John 6:31-35, Jesus is the manna from heaven. We must have a fresh encounter with Him, every day, and we must partake of Him every day.

We should be more addicted to the Son of God than a Junky is for His next fix.
If a junky does not get His fix He will soon begin to shake. Most of the shaking we go through in life is the result of our not having partaken of Christ, every day.

We, too, lose our spiritual strength, our vision, and soon go into spiritual convulsions when we do not partake of Him.

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Scripture Of The Day - STEPPING INTO STORM -- SILENCING DOMINION POWER

"And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid? Do You still have no faith?'"

In Mark 4:35-41, we see Jesus giving the disciples an opportunity to step into storm-silencing dominion power and divine authority, but they do not quite get it at first. He responds to their call for help by mentoring and modeling how to silence a storm. What we see is that when a storm kicked up, the disciples forgot the word they had from the Lord that they were to go to "the other side" (Mark 4:35), and instead of overcoming the resistance of the storm they allowed themselves to be overcome by it.

Jesus knew the word He had given them was true and certain – no matter what (the word of the Lord always is). He also knew that the disciples were able to handle any storm or resistance. But when the disciples did not step into the authority they had been given by Him as His agents in the earth, Jesus did what He always does – He came to the rescue! Not only does He save them but in the saving He also reminds them of the dominion steward power that is available to every "son" of God in the earth if we simply believe (Romans 8:29, Mark 9:23).

What Jesus shows them then – and each of us right now – is how to silence any storm that would attempt to interrupt, delay or interfere with a promise of God. The simple steps are this:
(1)Trust and
(2) rest in the Word of the Lord (Mark 4:35, 39).

Know that He is always with you and empowering you, even in the midst of a severe storm He is right there with you (Mark 4:36). Do not take any storm lying down, but instead stand up to the storms sent against you, your promises, your family, your city, nation or world (Mark 4:39). Speak to the storm and command it to "be still!" Do this until you see the storm obey and bow – because it must (Mark 4:41, John 14:12).

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Scripture Of The Day - FAITH THAT APPROPRIATES AND MANIFESTS

Luke 19:12,13 - He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.'

A mina represents the truths of God's word, our inheritance in Christ, the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, and the covenant blessing that are given to each believer. Each individual has the same; no one is given extra to start with.

This parable speaks of what every one of us as believers possess in Christ. These blessings are ours in Christ, but it is our faith that appropriates and manifests them here on earth. And it's our obedience and giving that causes them to multiply. This is why the nobleman, who represents Jesus, says to his servants (us) - "Do business till I come". We are to take what we have been given and multiply it to the glory of God.

Luke 19:20,24 - "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'"

The master said, "For I say to you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
More revelation will be given to him that has. This involves asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7:7,8).

This parable shows that each man had the potential of multiplying his mina many times over. In regard to our personal lives, THERE IS NO LIMIT TO HOW MUCH WE CAN AFFECT AND BUILD THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

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this one is particularly helpful. that parable always confused, even mystified, me....and now...not so much. thanks for clearing things up for me.
 
Scripture Of The Day - STARTING AND FINISHING OUR FAITH

Hebrews 12:2 - "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Notice Jesus is the "Author." What does that mean?
It means your faith originated with Him. And not only is He the Author, He is the Finisher too.
"From faith to faith" in Romans 1:17 means we are to begin and finish in faith. We are to start in faith and stand in faith until that which we are believing for arrives. We go from "faith to faith" not faith to feelings. So if you are believing God's word for something, that Word is the Starter and the Finisher!
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Mark 4:26,27 - "And Jesus said, 'so is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.'"

Faith is a seed. When we are dealing in faith, there is a timing for the manifestation. It takes time sometimes for our faith to pull things into the natural realm. That's why the bible says it's "from faith to faith." We have to stay in faith even when we don't see any changes. In our faith, we have to get above seeing or feeling something.
 
Scripture Of The Day - FIGHTING FROM VICTORY


Psalm 78: 9-11 - "The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle. They did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in His law; they forgot His deeds and His miracles that He had shown them."

The apostle John wrote, "They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death" (Rev. 12:11).
The elements of victory are recounted to us in this passage. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb: This means we no longer fight FOR victory but we fight FROM victory. Winning is assured when we enter the battle.

Matthew 11:12 - "Violent men take the Kingdom by force."

It is to be understood that our battles are to be the manifestations of His victory. The ultimate challenge is not the battle itself but the decision to participate.

Notice that the "armor of God" in Ephesians Chapter 6 has no protection for your back. We are ill-equipped for retreat.

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Scripture Of The Day - SPIRITUAL DROWSINESS

"Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14).

Just because we walk and talk does not mean we are truly awake. Zechariah was not sleeping when an angel roused him "as a man who is awakened from his sleep" (Zechariah 4:1).
Perhaps we too need to be shaken from our slumber to possess the promises of God! Amazingly, in spite of all the signs, wonders, and warnings announcing that we are truly in the last days, Jesus also said there is a mysterious drowsiness that we have to overcome. Indeed, immediately after highlighting the various evidences of the end (see Matthew 24), He compares the Church to virgins who "all got drowsy and began to sleep" (Matthew 25:5).

OUR VISION TAKES A BACK SEAT

Virgins sleeping at the end of the age: this seems incomprehensible with all the signs in the Heavens and wonders upon the earth, not to mention the increasing presence of Christ. Yet this phenomenon is something we each battle: the tendency to become spiritually drowsy and lose our focus as we wait for the Lord's return.
There is a subtle activity of the enemy that dulls our perception and seduces our zeal. Our vision takes a backseat to other less important aspects of life. From the beginning, the voice of satan has had this lulling effect on mankind. Eve's excuse for disobedience was, "The serpent hath caused me to forget" (Genesis 3:13 Young's Literal Translation).
This sense of spiritual forgetfulness, of drowsiness, is the cloud of blindness that we each must discern and overcome.

BREAKING PASSIVITY - SETTING PRIORITIES

Today, God is awakening us to the reality of His presence.
The promises the Lord gives us in the Scriptures must become more to us than dream-like realities only reserved for the hereafter.
Moses frequented the glory of God! Israel's seventy elders ate and drank in God's resplendent glory (see Exodus 24:9-11). Jesus unveiled God's glory on the Mount of Transfiguration! Paul says that we all can behold the glory of God and be transformed by it (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).
If we truly want Christ to "shine" upon us, we must arise from the distractions that entomb us in lethargy and spiritual darkness.
Right at this moment, the presence of the living God is near enough to hear the whisper of your heart. But if we want our dream of standing in the presence of God to come true, we must wake up.

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Scripture Of The Day - FINDING OUR PLACE OF DEPARTURE


1 Kings 19:9 "Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Elijah had come to Horeb and lodged there in a cave. Soon, the word of the Lord came to him, “what are you
doing here Elijah?”


Three of the most important questions God can ever ask us are:
1. What are you doing here?
2. How did your service to me become so dry and desolate?
3. When was it that you left your first love?



Isaiah 43:18,19 - "Do not remember the former things: neither consider the things of old. Behold I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

As we find our place of “departure,” There are some things we need to leave behind. As we depart one phase or season, we will also see our place to enter; we develop new strength to run the race ahead. We seek Him like never before; as we leap forward we find ourselves moving in the perfect will of God! We replace our past with joy!

In the land of New Beginnings, we remove the masks and veils that have formed in the past season so we can now form our “true” identity for the future. There is a new identity and authority for us in the invisible world. This will allow us to display the wisdom of God to the powers and principalities that have blocked us in past seasons.

We are filled with joy; the Lord renews our strength; the power of barrenness is broken; the light and revelation breaks the power of darkness around us. As joy and laughter arise, our emotions are healed and restored and we are propelled into a season of deliverance.

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My verse would be on the only guaranteed teacher in the whole bible. The Holy Spirit that only quotes verses.

[Jhn 14:26
[26] "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.

[2Co 5:5
[5] Now He who has prepared us for this very thing [is] God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
 
Scripture Of The Day - SPIRITUAL SOUND

John 3:8 - "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The wind is known by its sound, and by its effect. Whenever the Spirit moves there is a spiritual sound coming from the spirit realm.
Spiritual sound is not random indefinite noise. It is a sound which speaks and reveals knowledge to those with ears to hear.

John 12:28,29 - "'Rather, I will say, Father, glorify Your name!' Then there came a voice out of heaven saying, I have already glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd of bystanders heard the sound and said that it had thundered; others said, An angel has spoken to Him!"


Jesus taught us to pray for earth to manifest what is already in Heaven.
How is it to be done?
God will use spiritual sound - sound that will be unintelligible to spiritual wickedness and hidden from man's natural mind.

Romans 8:22,23 - "And we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."

The creation is releasing a groan, which is not a word but the sound of a spiritual birth.
This sound is echoed in us as we yearn for the revelation of the glory of God.
We are like instruments that resonate the sound coming from heaven - the approaching rule of the King of Kings.


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Scripture Of the Day - FINDING TRUTH

Psalm 17:15 -- "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."

Many read the Scriptures simply to reinforce their current beliefs. Although they read the entire Bible, their mind only sees certain doctrines. Instead of believing what they read, they merely read what they already believe. Rarely do they find new truths in the Word.

Baptists see from their perspective, Pentecostals and charismatics each have theirs, while Catholics and other denominations often have a completely different emphasis.

The same way the Jews were "baptized into Moses" (1 Corinthians 10:2), so Christians are often baptized into their denomination. When they are fully indoctrinated, their minds have been immersed into a pool of teaching that leaves them more conformed to the image of their sect than to the likeness of Christ.

John 8:31,32 --"So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, ' If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.'"


AFFIRMATIONS:

As I study the scriptures I submit my spirit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I am open to different truths in the Word of God that may conflict with my present understanding.


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