Fri.'s Devo - Last dream of the Year

Read Matt. 12
I had a dream last night that I was watching a woman in a farm house that was old and rundown. There was a big lamb in the house that was usually tame but it went mad. The woman had on an apron and tried to shoo it away with the apron. It grabbed the apron in its mouth. I knew she needed to get the lamb out of the house so I helped her open the door and drop the lamb down the 3 wooden steps when it landed it let go of the apron and we were free. Now the lamb was loose in the pasture and I knew that we would have to round it up before it got on someone else's land.
Later I dreamed I was in an old farm house sweeping the wood floors and the TV was on. Obama was rebuking the nation for letting this man reek havoc when no one knew he was in the country. I heard a thump and looked over in the closet and this old dirty-looking cowboy was making his way through the insulation and all the junk in the closet where he had been hiding out. I knew he was the man they were talking about on TV.
I think that these 2 dreams are connected. I think the lamb in the first dream became the man in the second dream. Yesterday I blogged about if you cast out a demon and sweep your house but don't fill it with the things of God then he will bring in seven other spirits more wicked than himself and the state of the man is worse than at first. In my dream I started out with a sheep that was tame. He turned into a very angry sheep who turned into a man who was wanted all over the nation. There is a big difference between a tame sheep and an outlaw. So since this is the last day of the year, maybe we need to take inventory of our lives and see what "tame" sins or habits we have in our lives and cast them out. In their place we need to fill that area with scripture and words of faith. We have to watch our imaginations and our fears because we don't want our lives taken over by the enemy.
Lord, show us the things we need to clean out of our closets and show us what to replace them with.

Thurs.'s Devo - Wake Up!

Read Pro. 20:13
There is no such thing as coasting in our spiritual life. We are either gaining ground or losing it. Today's scripture tells us not to love sleep or we will end up in poverty. The word poverty in the Hebrew means to drive out the previous tenants and possess their place. So if we fall asleep spiritually we will be possessed by evil spirits. Jesus talked about this in Matt. 12. It was the sabbath, a time when they were to be resting but Jesus was healing people and casting out devils. The Pharisees had a problem with him healing and casting out devils on the Sabbath. Jesus set them straight by reminding them of when David was hungry he ate the shewbread which was only allowed for the priests and he lived. Then he told them how the priests profaned the sabbath by working in the temple and were blameless. He went on to explain that when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man he leaves for a time but comes back to see if their is any room for him. If that man has not replaced that evil with the righteousness of God then it will come back with 7 other spirits more wicked than himself and they will enter and live there. So we have to be constantly bringing in the kingdom of God in our lives by reading his word and filling our spirit with thoughts of faith and victory. Then we will possess our land and gain more territory.
Lord, open our eyes to doors we have opened to the devil so that we can close them and occupy our rooms with treasures of heaven.

Wed.'s Devo - The Hearing Ear and the Seeing Eye

Read Pro. 20:12
We have two kinds of eyes: natural eyes and spiritual eyes. Ezekiel rebuked the people because they had eyes but couldn't see. Only their natural eyes were working. (Eze. 12:2) In 2 Ki 6 Israel was warring with Syria. Ezekiel told the king of Israel all of Syria's ambush points which made the king of Syria so mad he sent his army to capture Ezekiel. They surrounded the city where Ezekiel was living. Ezekiel's servant awoke to see the chariots of the Syrians surrounding the city and he excitedly told Ezekiel. Ezekiel told him not to worry then prayed that God would open his servant's eyes to see. When God did, the servant saw the mountains full of God's horses and chariots of fire surrounding the armies of Syria. When the Syrian army came down to talk to Ezekiel, he prayed that they would be smote with blindness. Ezekiel told them that this was not the city and he was not who they were seeking but he would lead them to the right city and the man. They blindly followed him and he led them right to the middle of Samaria. Then Ezekiel prayed that God would open their eyes. They saw that were captives of Israel. The King of Israel came out and asked Ezekiel what he should do with them. Ezekiel told him to prepare a feast for them then send them back home which he did. These soldiers refused to come back.
It is God that can open our spiritual eyes and ears that we can see into the unseen world and be useful for God.
Lord, open our eyes to see and our ears to hear. Cause us to hear your voice and obey and see what you want us to see and respond correctly.

Tues.'s Devo - Divers Weights

Read Pro. 20:10,11
In the Bible times the merchants measured with rocks they kept in their pockets. The unjust merchants carried two different rocks with the same measure written on them. One was lighter than the other. They would use the heavier rock to measure the sellers merchandise and the lighter rock to measure theirs thus cheating the seller. It was a common practice which God was always chastising them about. We also have these rocks in our judgment. We use them to measure a person's worth. We use the lighter rock on the people who meet our standards and the heavier one on the people we don't understand. Jesus spoke to the people about treating the rich and important different from the poor and meek. He sees everyone the same because to one he gave the ability to gain such wealth and to the other he didn't. It is hard for us to understand but I was reading today in Leviticus where God told them to treat the stranger that chose to live among them like they would treat a fellow Israelite. They were to have no respect of persons and neither are we. The next verse says that even children are judged by the way they act. Bottom line: God is the one that judges children and adults for their actions, not us. Our commandment is to love one another.
Lord, give us your eyes to see how you look at people and may we only judge ourselves and not others.

Mon.'s Devo - The Judgment

Read Pr. 20:8,9
What a picture of what God will do in the end when he judges the earth. Ecc. 12:14 says that God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Daniel 7 gives us a vivid picture of the judgment. If an earthly king can scatter evil with his eyes then what can the King of Kings do whose garment is white and snow, his hair like pure wool, his throne like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire do? He has a fiery stream issuing from his presence and more than 10,000 ministering before him. He has the books before him that do not lie. In them lies the fate of all that have every lived. We will be asking verse 9: "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" when we see God is holy righteousness. Our righteousness is not going to stand. But we have a redeemer who will step in and plead our case. His blood is our only hope and his blood is enough!
Lord, thank you for the blood of Jesus that covers and takes away our sin.

Fri.;s Devo - Christmas Greetings

Tomorrow is Christmas! Merry Christmas!!! I am in Shreveport spending it with my family. This is a special Christmas because both my daughter-in-laws are pregnant with my first grand children. I already know that one is a girl and we have not had girls in our family. I have two brothers and 3 sons so that is going to be a change - a good one. Caleb and Katy are in the process of moving to Texas which means we are getting more and more spread apart (that would be called "enlarging our territory" Jabez style). So Christmas is a wonderful time to all come together. The great thing about getting older is that you have more time to center around what is important. Every Christmas becomes a little easier and more peaceful. However, next Christmas with 2 babies might be a little more complicated and noisy... in a great way. Children do bring life and wonder to life so I am so looking forward to seeing Christmas through their eyes. I pray that each of you have a very blessed Christmas and the ability to open your eyes to the blessing all around you instead of the lack of or abundance of presents under the tree. God's blessing supersede all earthly gifts. God bless you everyone!!! Remember: Unto YOU a child is born!

Thurs.'s Devo - Passing the Torch

Read Pro. 20:7
I am reading the new series by Francine Rivers. It is the story of her own heritage. It is a lesson on inherited traits and spirits. Whatever spirit the mother had she passed down to her daughter and it just kept being passed down getting worse and worse and reaping bad fruit because no one knew how to break the cycle. Todays scripture gives us the reverse. If we walk in integrity then we will pass that down to our children and they will be blessed. What a blessing it is to hear people honor your parents or your grandparents. Reputations are very important and more precious than monetary inheritances.
So how do you break the cycle of your ancestors? You speak to that curse or spirit and you bring it under the blood of Jesus then you replace it with what you want to see happen. You do this out loud. The devil cannot read your mind but he has to bow to words. Jesus defeated him in the wilderness with the words of his mouth. Jesus used scripture to do this. There is a scripture for everything you could ever need one for. So find the one you need and use it against him. You can cancel his assignments and replace them with God's will. Then your children will be blessed and not cursed.
Lord, help us to see the curses that have been passed down to us and cover them with your blood and replace them with righteousness.

Wed.'s Devo - Walking With the Wise

Read Pro. 20:5,6
Have you ever been around someone who you knew held great wisdom and understanding? We had a man and his wife to dinner one night and although they thought they were coming for fellowship, we wanted to pick this man's brain about his understanding of God. So the whole night we asked question after question and listened as this man unfolded his wisdom. He probably left exhausted, and thinking back, I guess it was a selfish thing to do but if I had Jesus eating at my table, I'm afraid I would have to pound him with questions too. Sometimes that is what it takes to get wisdom from the wise. The Bible is the book of wisdom but many of the great truths are hidden in plain sight. You have to draw them out. The disciples had to do that with Jesus. He told parables to the people but they asked him in secret to explain them. It is the simple that want to spill everything they know, but the wise hold it in and contemplate it till they know it is right, then they feel free to share it in the right time. Which takes us to the next verse that talks about the person who brags about all the good things he does to be esteemed of men but it is the man who is consistently faithful with out the need to tell everyone. The faithful man just does good things naturally without thought of how it looks to others.
Lord, help us to dig deep into your Word for hidden truths and surround us with mentors laden with understanding. Help us to be faithful in our walk in public and in secret.

Tues.'s Devo - Get Off the Couch!

Read Pro. 20:4
Lazy people will always find a reason not to do what they are suppose to do. They won't carry their weight and will expect others to help them when they don't want to help themselves. The problem is they can't even see that they are the problem. They have been taught this concept from childhood. One of the worse thing that happened to this nation was welfare. It was initiated by Pres. Roosevelt to help us get out of the Great Depression. It was only suppose to be in place for a few years to help people get back on their feet. But people became dependent on it and it would have been too much of a political disaster to take it away. So now, we have people that can't make over minimum wage or they will lose their welfare. Something is wrong. The answer lies in the Bible. The Bible says that if you want to eat you need to work. Even people with disabilities have talents they can be helped to use. Instead of paying people to manage welfare handouts, we need people managing jobs for people. I know there are programs out there for this and I am glad. We need more. Bottom line: if we can get the Bible principles in the hearts of people they won't be impoverished and needy; they will be part of a heavenly family that needs their gift and a place to be used.
Lord, thank you for your provision and the joy of working. May we do everything to your glory.

Mon.'s Devo - Stand Up for Jesus

Read Pr. 20:3
It is honorable to choose not to stand up for yourself. I'm not saying we should never fight but there are times to fight and times to retreat. Everything in us wants to get what is ours and not be violated but there are times to walk away. I know a little about this because I just walked away from making thousands of dollars because it was what I was suppose to do. God has angels that are assigned to each one of us to write down everything we do, every offense against us and our reaction. God repays us more than man can ever repay us. I am already seeing how God is going to restore what I have lost without the stress of the other job. It is better to trust in God and let him guide your path than your own understanding. The second part says that you are a fool to be obstinate. God is not interested in our "rights" because rightfully we should be condemned to hell but graciously he has offered us eternal life. If we have died to ourselves then no one can hurt us. Jesus was despised and hated by men; he spent most of his life being misunderstood but instead of defending himself he retreated to a quiet place and spent time with God. The only people he stood up to were the religious leaders because they were leading the people astray. He spoke truth and let the chips fall; he was not a people-pleaser.
Lord, help us to learn by your example. Help us to love our enemy and be at peace with all men. We stand up for You.

Fri.'s Devo - Under Authority

Read Pro. 20:2
Everyone lives under authority. If you have no boss there is always your parents or your spouse or God and according to this verse you don't want to get on the wrong side of them. To offend your superior on purpose is to sin against your own soul. God places people in authority that are not always the nicest most deserving people but God has a reason for letting them be on top. Many times it is to test us in some way. Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered. He was born under a strict ungodly Roman rule where justice was unjust and the wrong people were in office. But he submitted to their law and even paid taxes. He honored the authority of the land even though he had every right to disobey...after all he was the son of God, the creator of this world. He totally laid his position down and humbled himself to the rules of the government. The only people he defied were the religious leaders. We tend to get this entitlement attitude which if anyone was entitled it would be Jesus. Maybe we need to learn to be more humble and teachable.
Lord, I know I need to learn this lesson so open my eyes to opportunities where I can choose to lay down my rights for the sake of the kingdom.

Thurs.'s Devo - Wine

Read Pro. 20:1
I grew up in a non-alcohol family and married a man who grew up the same so we don't drink at all. I know the men in the Bible, even Jesus, drank wine on occasions and that the Bible says that to get drunk is a sin but here it goes a little deeper. It tells the symptoms of certain drink. Wine makes you cynical and intoxicants make you loud and out of control if abused. We have all seen this play out and I choose to not have it in my life. If you do drink you need to consider the side affects. The Bible says that if you are mourning that wine will soothe your pain. Jesus turned water to wine because it was a joyous celebration where people should forget for one day all the problems and stresses of the day and rejoice. But beware, it dulls your senses and exposes your heart. If you are open enough to bear it then go ahead and drink. The last part of the verse says that alcohol can deceive you and if you let it you are not wise. It will distort your senses and ability to react which is why you shouldn't drink and drive. It can also cause you to become dependent upon alcohol if you have an addictive problem. But the wine of the Lord is life and joy and addictive in a good way.
May we be filled with the wine of the Holy Spirit.

Wed.'s Devo - Discipline and Instruction

Read Pro. 19:25-29
I dont' know about you but I hate to be disciplined; I just want to do it right the first time. Verse 25 says that if you discipline the teacher then the students will understand. That is so true. When our pastor tells us of his failures and the way God disciplines him, it helps me to learn. If you are teachable then you can learn by watching, not by having to go through it yourself. I seem to have to go through it myself to really get it. On the other hand, there are people who have advise that isn't worth hearing and will only hurt you. The world is full of wisdom that is foolishness to God. If the tree is bad then the fruit will be bad. A bad tree cannot produce good fruit. So if you are being influenced by a person who is not a professing Christian you need to find another mentor. I don't care how famous or how much "good" they have done in society. You don't walk with them in their secret lives and you don't know their innermost thoughts. The ungodly have nothing but judgment to look forward to. We have been given the Word of God to give us all the right advise and wisdom we need. It is better than any wisdom the most wise of the world can give because it is written by the creator of the world.

Tues.'s Devo - Use Your Gifts

Read Pro. 19:24
If there is one thing I don't want to be it is slothful. A person that is slothful is lazy and takes the gifts that God has given him and hides them. He doesn't use them for anyone and few even know he has these gifts. Our gifts are given to us to share them with the body and the world. What if Jesus had hidden his gift of healing? He used his gift of healing to bring the people to him so that they could hear his message of the kingdom. Our gifts get us into places we could have never gotten in on our own and it we can use it to share the Lord. I have seen this happen countless times in my business. Yesterday I was able to help a friend decorate her daughter-in-law's house for a Christmas present. I received no monetary reward, in fact, it cost me but I needed to do that. In my own life I was behind this month financially in my business so it was a perfect time to plant seed. Doing for others takes the self-pity away and replaces it with gratefulness. Isn't that what Christmas is all about....doing for others. So let's not be slothful with our gifts but let's give them out freely and let them open doors of ministry.

Mon.'s Devo - Kindness

Read Pro. 19:22-23
I don't know if I understand this verse correctly but what I get from reading it is this. What we really desire in our inmost being is to bless God and give him back something. We all want to please our heavenly father so we do it by being kind. God desires us to be truthful and honest with our feelings. We can't hide anything from him anyway so we might as well be honest. He loves that because it means humility. We all have wrong motives and selfish ambitions but I think if we will be honest and tell God this he will take our sin and selfishness and change it when we confess it. It is always better to be poor before God than try to lie and trick him. He won't be tricked or manipulated so we might as well be honest with him. That is the mark of a relationship. The next verse says that fearing God gives you life and satisfaction and you will not be visited with evil. I don't know about you but I don't want evil visiting me. I would rather have a visitation from God or his angels.
Lord, help us to be honest and kind to you and our fellow men.

Fri's. Devo - God's Counsel

Read Pro. 19:20-21
We can come up with the best ideas and the best counsel but if it is not God's ideas or God's counsel then it is not the best. God created us and has planned out the future for us in very detailed form. All our "great ideas" cannot compare to his infinite wisdom and plan. He says that our eyes have not seen nor our ears heard nor has it even entered into our hearts all that he has planned for us. His imagination goes much further than ours. And what is better is that he has arranged how to pay for it and who is to help us and what the end result will be. Jesus was born into a world full of injustices and political unrest but he came preaching the kingdom of God which is not of this world. There is a way we can live in the kingdom of God and still live in this world. There is a way we can prosper when the world is falling apart economically. There is a way we can raise Godly children when the masses are bent toward sin. There is a way we can have a great marriage when the divorce rate is appalling. There is a way.... it is called the Kingdom of God.
We are to seek him first and all these things will be added unto us. In the end it is God's counsel that will stand anyway so why not take it now and have joy and peace and prosperity. Lord, help us to live in your kingdom.

Thur.'s Devo - There is Still Hope

Read Pro. 19:18-19
I love to watch mothers with their children out shopping. I remember those days when my patience was about gone and no amount of coaxing seemed to work. I was in Target the other day when a mother spanked her daughter's bottom and she said in a very exasperated voice, "I told you that would happen if you didn't sit down." She appeared hard-hearted and mean but I knew as a mom she wasn't. She was trying to teach her daughter to obey. Today's scripture says that we are to instruct and punish our children while there is still hope and not to be manipulated by their crying. There is a better way to discipline and that is not out of anger. Easy in theory but not so easy when your child has just broken your favorite dish. We have a few years with our children and we need to make them count because the way we discipline them and love them will affect their future. I deal with people all the time that have such deep hurts from their parents that they are stunted in their maturity and can not grow past that hurt. In Jesus there is always healing and growth, it just takes digging up that bitter root and replacing it with the root of love and forgiveness. If we don't then we become the man in the next verse that says a person who is full of anger will always be punishing himself for it and even when he is helped the help is futile. Only through the Holy Spirit's healing can a person be set free of the spirit of anger.
Lord, help us to be able to receive discipline and know how to give discipline in love.

Wed.'s Devo - Giving to the Lord

Read Pro. 19:17
This is a great time of the year to give to the less fortunate. In the midst of seeing the word "Christmas" under such attack and manger scenes being illegal it is great to see the heart of God's people as they give and sacrifice for others. The scripture today says that when we have pity and give to the poor it is like lending to the Lord because he is going to pay back. His payments come with dividends; you can never out-give God. He loves to bless us so when we give him the opportunity he goes over-board blessing us back. We got a picture of this this week-end when we went to one of our favorite restaurants to eat. Dave's steak was real tough, which was not the norm for this place. When the server gave him the ticket Dave told him about his steak. Our server got really upset and told us we should have said something then wanted to do something for us like give us a free cheesecake. We told him we didn't want anything, just to let him know. He felt terrible and we kept assuring him that we weren't upset and would come back it just was one of those things that happened.... not big deal. When we got our ticket he had knocked off $5. I said, "Good, let's give it back to him." We did in the tip and we watched as we left the retaurant his reaction. He was shocked. We left feeling so good and I know that is how God feels when he bless us. We never deserve any blessing from God but he loves to reward our meekest efforts.
Thank you Lord for the opportunity and the heart to give.

Tues.'s Devo - A Prudent Wife

Read Pro. 19:14-16
Material things can be passed down from generation to generation but only the Lord can make a person wise. It actually says a "prudent wife" but since we all hope to be the bride of Christ then we are all wives. How do we become a prudent wife? If all the rituals our forefathers went through were a dress rehearsal for the real thing then our lives must be the dress rehersal for heaven. So we live on earth as we think we should live in heaven. Jesus prayed that God's kingdom and his will would come on earth as it is in heaven. We are to bring heaven to earth. In heaven there is no lack, no sickness, no depression, no fear. We are to have that here. We are to be wise virgins who keep our lamps full of oil. The oil represents the Holy Spirit. We are the lamp that needs the oil of the Holy Spirit to keep our light burning. The foolish virgins let their oil burn out. They lost hope of the bridegroom ever coming and got slothful. We can do that if we don't stay in the Word and our thoughts toward God. Not reading our Bible will cause us to be spiritually asleep; drugged. We will be starving spiritually and not even know it because we have allowed our senses to be dulled. But is you read and obey the Word then you will live an abundantly satisfying life that glorifies God.
Lord, we choose to stay awake and dwell in Your Word and your presence. May we be prudent wives for you.

Mon.'s Devo - Dew on the Grass

Read Pro. 19:12-13
We have a hard time understanding the wrath of God when we see him as a loving father but he is both. This verse shows the contrast. When the king is mad he roars like a lion scaring everyone but when you are in his favor it is like a safe covering. That is how it is with God. When we reject him he rejects us and when we run to him for salvation and deliverence he covers us and nourishes us. In the end we will see that contrast in bold letters. He will throw the evil into the lake of fire and bring into his glory those who chose to walk with him on earth.
The next verse talks about a son and a wife. I can see two different interpretations about the son. It could mean that the son is foolish because the father is foolish or it could mean that if the son is foolish then the father is ruined in his spirit. Either one are true. If the father is representing God then he is so pained when we are a foolish son. A wife that is full of anger and strife is like the drip, drip, drip of water; it will drive you mad. Anger is a strong spirit that usually comes from the root of bitterness. Bitterness is from the heart of unforgiveness. It is hard not to go through life without some form of bitterness but it is like kidney stones: so small yet so painful. It takes constantly forgiving and cleansing yourself through the water of the Word.
Lord, may we walk in your favor and salvation and forgiveness.

Fri.'s Devo - Our Light Afflictions

Read Pro. 19:11
We have all been the victim at some time. I am in the middle of a situation where I have been victimized. I went through anger and resentment, but have prayed through the whole thing asking God to give me the power to handle this in the right way and not be affected by it emotionally. It was a struggle but I finally let it go. Yesterday I got a call from another person who tried to stir it all back up again giving me the latest about what this person is up to. Many times when God is moving in your life the devil will send an ambush to side-track you and get you off the path. I saw the trap and decided not to take the bate. So I am not going to get upset or worked up about what this person is trying to do against me because I know that the Word says that "No weapon forged against me shall prosper". I am not going back but forward and feel unaffected by her. That is freedom! Today's scripture says that it is honorable and beautiful to God when we can look past a transgression and not get mad. It may not be the easiest thing to do but by far the best.
Lord, give us your grace to face transgressions like you did. You chose to forgive those who nailed you to the cross because you could see past the act and pity the person. Help us to do that too.

Thurs.'s Devo - Living a Life for God

Read Pro. 19:1-10
Proverbs speaks often of the "poor" in a bad sense. I don't think Christians realize that the blessing of God is to have wealth in every area of their lives. If you have wealth in your spirit then you will be able to handle wealth in your physical life. Wealth is a blessing from God. God loves to see his children without lack and with more than enough. These verses talk about the negatives of living a life of self-centeredness so lets look at the positives of living a life for God. First, you will walk with integrity which can be translated "complete, prosperous, perfect, and innocent". You have the wisdom of God not the foolishness of man. Your heart embraces God and his ways. Your witness is true and you speak the truth. You have many gifts to share with the world which endears people to you. You are generous to the poor and you have many friends. You are thirsty for God's wisdom and his understanding. You rise to the top in everything you do because you walk in the favor of God.
Lord, thank you for your blessings. Teach us to walk in them.

Wed.'s Devo - Eating Fruit

Read Pro. 18:20-24
The words we speak are like nourishment and food. We eat what we say. If we speak blessings and encouragement then our bodies will reflect that. If we speak curses and complaints then our lives will reflect that also. We can have life, blessings, health, and all manner of good things if we will train our mouths to speak hope and life. We can have misery, curses and sickness if we only speak of despair and hopelessness. Just think of the power you can have as a wife to bring life into your family. If you can learn the power of your words then you will be a very good help meet. You will walk in the favor of God and blessing will fall on your family.
Verse 23 changes the subject to contrast the rich and the poor. The rich have no patience for people who serve them where the poor learn to pray and receive their needs met by God. People that have learned to totally trust in God for their next meal are most fortunate as opposed to those that have never had to worry where the next meal will come from. Experience is worth all the book learning in the world. But even greater than experience is a friendship with Jesus. All we have to do is allow him into our lives and embrace his teaching and we will have a friend for eternity.
Lord, put a watch over our mouths that we would speak what is true and honest. May we always depend on you for everything we need. You are the best friend for all eternity. Wed.'s