Growth Daily Verses

Scripture Of The Day - September 21, 2021

John 3:8 tells us, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

We were born of the Spirit, but sometimes we want to live out of our heads instead of our hearts. We need to determine in our hearts that we're going to ride the wind of the Spirit no matter what our reasonings say, no matter what the naysayers say and no matter what the devil says.

Sometimes we need a fresh baptism of the Spirit. Sometimes we need a fresh baptism of fire. Instead of moaning and groaning in the flesh, sometimes we need to start travailing in the Spirit for that new thing He wants to birth in our lives.

Scripture Of The Day - Learning Obedience


"...Because His heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be His, He endured the agony of the Cross and conquered its humiliation..." (Hebrews 12:2 TPT)

Before Christ endured His final wrestling match on the Cross, He learned obedience through the things He suffered. He grew His spiritual muscles by resisting a barrage of weighty temptations, including forty grueling days in the wilderness. With God's Word as a double-edged sword in His mouth, Jesus dispelled satan's lies in exchange for His Father's truth. Our Savior presented a glorious picture of submission, which now helps us choose life-giving obedience to ask, knock, and seek until we understand and implement His purpose for our life in our own wilderness.

To see yourself rooted in Christ, like a branch in a vine that bears fruit in every season, is to see yourself pursuing Kingdom advancement and moving out of the confines and limitations of what you have experienced in the past -- abandoning passionless, feckless living -- being possessed by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Even as you're surrounded and championed by ministering spirits and the great cloud of witnesses, in Jesus' name, may you picture Emmanuel, God with us, more clearly today. For to see Him is to trust Him, and to trust Him is to be one with His Word.

Scripture Of The Day - Entering Our New Season

In Song of Solomon 2, the Lover (Jesus) is wooing His Beloved to a new place in verse 10, "Rise up, my beloved, my fair one, and come away," he invites.

He then goes on to declare that "the winter is past…the flowers are springing up, and the time of singing birds has come…the fig trees are budding, and the grapevines are in blossom," and then he repeats his invitation for her to arise and come away with him (Song of Solomon 2:13).

NEW THINGS AND NEW PLACES

The Lover (Jesus) is announcing that it is a new hour, a new season, and that he has new things to show her, new places to take her, new heights for them to soar to together. She is hearing him on some level (Song of Solomon 2:8), and yet at the beginning of Song of Solomon 3 we see that while she is yearning for her Lover, she is still reaching out for him where she has always found him – and discovers that he is no longer there (Song of Solomon 3:1).

STEPPING INTO THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE UNKNOWN

She has a choice to make. She can continue to search for him where he has been, or she can respond to the invitation to arise and step into the uncertainty of the unknown, discovering him in new places and in new ways (Song of Solomon 3:2-4). She chooses the latter, and in doing so embarks on a journey with her Lover in which she comes to know him, rely on him, and lean into him to such a degree that she is completely transformed – so much so that her peers do not even recognize her when she returns (Song of Solomon 8:5).

CALL TO ARISE INTO A NEW PLACE WITH HIM

Like in the Song of Solomon, we have entered into a new season. The Lord is beckoning us, wooing us, inviting us to come away from where we have been and arise into a new place with Him – a place of greater revelation and demonstration of all that He is.

If you have noticed lately that things seem different, or you're not quite finding God "how" or "where" you have in the past, do not despair; do not be discouraged. He is simply answering your prayers. He is moving. He is inviting you to come along with Him.

Arise Beloved!

Scripture Of The Day - Equipping The Saints

1 John 3:16 - "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
There is something the Church seriously needs to attain to today. Somehow preaching has seeped in that makes one believe that believers have to get good first before graduating from being a baby Christian. Well, that happy day is never going to come if all they are doing is sitting at home, reading the bible-- trying to please God by improving their attitudes and behaviors, and thereby living unto themselves.

The best way to cultivate a love walk is through personal ministry to others (helping others with their spiritual life). That requires action, time, and involvement.

At the root of this problem is poor preaching ie. preaching that does not exhort the congregation into equipping its members to disciple new believers -- promoting the idea that they are inadequate or not ready for some reason. This has got to change.

Jesus admonished the disciples, "...take heed what ye hear.." (Mark 4:24). We should not sit under teaching we know is in error, because that spirit of error is being transmitted -- even though we may know that it is wrong-- it will eventually affect us if we hear it long enough.

Churches, that are not encouraging and equipping its members to disciple other believers, should be turned away from.

Now is the day of salvation!
Now is the day of the equipping of the saints!
Now is the day of Jesus Christ!

I’ve not been around much lately. Like for three years. Since Nancy died. Lots of twists and turns in my life. Yesterday was a depressing day. Taking care of mom is 24/7.

that said, I know God has good things in store. I’m trying to hold on to that.

God bless!

Scripture Of The Day – Sea Of Glass

Revelation 4:6 - "Before the throne, there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal."

The glass sea is a symbol: there are no ripples, no waves, no anxieties troubling God. The Lord is never worried, never in a hurry nor without an answer. The sea around Him is perfectly still and totally calm. All our victories flow out from being seated here with Him.

We are postured to behold the glory of God, the image of the invisible God (see Colossians 1:15). The more we dwell in His glory, the greater the revelation of His nature in our lives. It's through restored intimacy that we discover our truest nature in Him.

If we want to live in the experiential knowledge of the power of God, we have to posture ourselves in intimacy. There is no shortcut. Christ is the source. Just as in Genesis, where the mist watered the whole earth, so too He desires to continually water our life in His glory, nourishing our entire being, so that when we step into the world, they see His fiery glory on us.

Scripture Of The Day - Unfolding Revelation

John 14:6,7 - "Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him."'

Unless we can be corrected, unless we are seeking God for an unfolding revelation of His son and His purpose for our life, our so-called "faith" may be, in reality, just a lazy indifference, a deception concerning the things of God. Subconsciously, we may actually want a dead religion so we do not have to change. True faith is freighted with the power of God.

Timothy 3:5 - "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

It is imperative to always remember that God is exact truth and faithful. One of the names of God is Faithful and True. To move forward into our DESTINY, we must completely disconnect from the disappointments, limitations, frustrations, and failures of the past. If we are open to Him. The Holy Spirit will give us dreams in the night or streams of thought during the day to bring revelation and direction concerning our calling in Christ.

Scripture Of The Day - Understanding Your Identity

"Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom." - Song of Solomon 2:15

Ask the Lord to reveal to you the little foxes that are trying to crush the vine that will bring forth the new wine. Get an understanding of your Christ identity. Ask the Lord to send a new wind and blow upon your garden.

Ask the Lord to come into your vineyard. Let Him prophetically reveal to you the fruit you are going to bring forth in the future. Enter into His PURPOSE for your life.

Allow the Lord to set you apart for the future. Let new joy and gladness arise. Declare you will bear fruit for His Kingdom in the coming season.

It's time for new wine. It's time for the new wineskin. Enter in!

"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me; I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; I have set the Lord continually before me; In your presence is fullness of joy." - Psalm 16:5-8,11

Scripture Of The Day - FACING OUR NEED FOR GRACE

Matthew 6:13 - "And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

There is no temptation or sin in heaven. This prayer does not imply that God wants to tempt us. We know from James 1:13 that it is impossible for God to entice us to sin.

This kind of praying is important because it requires us to face our need for grace. It helps us to align our heart with heaven -- one of absolute dependency on God.

The phrase "deliver us from evil", as it is traditionally rendered, actually means, "deliver us from the evil one." A heart modeled after heaven has great success in spiritual warfare. Jesus was able to say, "satan has nothing in me."

The believer is to be completely free from all satanic influence and attachments. That is the cry voiced in this prayer.

CHRIST CAME TO TRAIN AND EMPOWER WARRIORS

Christ not only came to set captives free, He came to TRAIN and EMPOWER the recently freed to be warriors. How can we, imperfect Christians, walk triumphantly? The Bible says we overcome "because of the Blood of the Lamb and because of the word of [our] testimony, and [we do] not love [our lives] even when faced with death" (Revelation 12:11).

Many Christians are awakened spiritually, but they do not know God's promises in the Bible. To be successful, we must know God's Word, believe it, MEDITATE on it, and SPEAK it with faith. We overcome by the "word of our testimony."

Scripture Of The Day - DESIRE TO KNOW THE TRUTH

John 8:32 - "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free."

SOME HAVE THOUGHT BEING NICE WAS OF THE SAME ESSENCE AS KNOWING THE TRUTH. IT IS NOT. WE CAN THANK OUR PARENTS THAT WE ARE NICE BUT, IF WE WOULD KNOW THE TRUTH, WE MUST SEEK GOD AND BE WILLING TO OBEY HIM.

ESTABLISHING THE REALITY OF GOD'S KINGDOM

The weapon God has given us to combat the lies of the enemy is the Word of God, which the Scriptures refer to as the "sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus said His words "are spirit and are life" (John 6:63), which is to say that the substance or meaning in Christ's words represents an actual reality: the living Spirit of the Kingdom of God.

The ancient Greeks, in whose language the New Testament was written, had no word for "reality." To them "truth" and "reality" were the same essence. If we seek to experience the true work of the Holy Spirit, we should understand that the Spirit has been sent to establish the reality of God's Kingdom in the lives of Jesus' followers. Thus, as we become one with the Spirit of Truth, and as we fully embrace the Word of Truth, we are brought into the reality of God Himself!

This point is essential: in our war over who controls man's world, the singular weapon God has given the Church is His Spirit-empowered Word. The living Word of the Spirit is the truth.

Scripture Of The Day - Avoid Sightseeing

1 John 2:15 - "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Someone said, "You can look, but don't touch." This is bad advice. There is much visual distraction today. It's easy to be lured away into worldly thinking and be deceived by the enemy by (continually) looking at something that is beneath a Christian's dignity.

Job 31:1 - "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?"

What we allow ourselves to see will dictate what we think.

The scripture says, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). But the verse right before it says "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye.."

It has been said, "If you hang out at the Barber Shop long enough you are going to get a haircut." If we allow our eyes to see things they shouldn't, we will eventually wind up doing it. Satan gives a very bad haircut, and in the long run it will turn out to be an expensive one.

Don't have a bad hair day.

Scripture Of The Day - Positioning Myself To Hear God

1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

OBSERVATION:

When the word of God is abiding in me and functioning properly, it works on me first before it works on my circumstances, "separating" my spirit, my soul (mind, will, and emotions), and my body and getting my spirit into a position where I can hear God without the influence of my soul or body

As Christians under the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit will let us see beyond things in the natural, and look into the eternal, if we choose to see through His eyes. When we see, it becomes a reality, and we can announce what already exists in God's mind. It will then be a reality in the natural.

We should pray with expectation. We must be adamant in prayer and call forth results. Usually, people are surprised when a prayer is answered, but we should be surprised when it is not.

Scripture Of The Day - The Power Is Always Present

Ephesians 1:17,19,20 - "That He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him. And so that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength. Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. "

Remember that as Believers in Christ we carry that same abundant, transforming spirit of Jesus to resurrect dead souls into the light and life of Christ!

We can now demonstrate that power to transform things that have not been fulfilled into completion by the quickened Spirit of Resurrection authority deposited into us through Jesus Christ! There is no limit to this abiding Resurrection Spirit within every Believer!

Christians must now use their resurrection authority to raise souls of this earth back from spiritual atrophy and the dead life they have subjected themselves to for too long!

Affirmation:

THAT SAME POWER THAT RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, ENABLES ME TO RISE OUT OF MY ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES AND STEP INTO THE PURPOSES OF GOD FOR MY LIFE.

Scripture Of The Day - Loosing

John 11:44 - "And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'"

It is the responsibility of the people of God who witness spiritual resurrection to loose those who get saved by the power of God so that they can go. God wants us to fly like eagles but we can't do it if we're still bound by the grave clothes of our old life and lack of TEACHING about our identity in Christ.

Who will teach the new believers?

Isaiah 6:8 - "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I, Send me!"