Reading Isaiah - Prophetic Grace

This year one of my goals is to study the prophets. There are 5 major prophets and 12 minor prophets (the last 17 books) in the Old Testament (OT). As I have mentioned before I have had difficulty in the past reading the OT. Particularly because there is a lot of wrath and judgement and if you do not have a solid foundation of knowing your salvation, it can be a scary read.

However, that is certainly not the case anymore. I actually like and look forward to reading the OT. There is a wealth of revelations hidden in it.

I have been studying the first of the major prophets, Isaiah (the Lord is salvation). He was a willing and bold servant, which I want to model in my own life. 

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

This is my favorite passage from Isaiah. It clearly shows his boldness. He did not know what he was volunteering for, only that God was calling for volunteers! His only desire was to be used by the Lord.

Isaiah holds a wealth of information on what is to come in the day of the LORD more than any of the other prophetic OT books. It is a early look at God's grace, way before the time of grace came.

Three things that I have learned from Isaiah:

• Be eager to be used by God. Sometimes we want God to use us in the way we want. But if you want to be used to the highest expression of God's will, let him use you in his own way, regardless if it is what you wanted. It will be more fulfilling in the long run.
  
• Leave the rest to God. Go and do as God has commanded you and leave the details and consequences to God. If he sent you, he will be faithful to keep you. Seriously, do not worry! You have to consciously dismiss thoughts of worry and anxiety. It is difficult at times but keep saying to yourself, "My God is greater than this issue." And keep moving on.
  
• Good service to God does not necessarily mean big, grand ministry. Honestly, this is one of my biggest challenges. I am definitely in the Benjamin Generation! I like to do it big, but big does not always mean better. We must be willing to do it small. Sometimes small makes a more vital impact than big.

So that my short study on Isaiah. I will be moving on to Jeremiah for February. I am very excited!

*******I LOVE to find the names of God in my readings, here are 2 that I found in Isaiah******

Isa. 54:5

Challenge Accepted!

A challenge was put out to read the Word daily and to put our thoughts on our readings up on our social media sites. Well, I love any excuse to put my thoughts about the Lord up for people to see. You really had to twist my arm there!

Today I read Deuteronomy 28:1-14:

This and other books of the Old Testament {OT} used to be very difficult reads for me because I didn't know how to rightly divide the Word and would put myself in the wrong place. But now I love to search through the OT to find the many blessings that are 'hidden' there.

Deut. 28 is one of the greatest blessings in the OT. It says...

You will be blessed in the city, the country, the fruit of your womb, crop of your hands, livestock, your basket, kneading bowl, when you come in, when you go out...man this is a thorough blessing!

My favorite part is verse 7.

The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come in one way...but they will flee from you in seven....talk about scattering the enemy!

{I also love to meditate on verse 7 before my Tae Kwon Do workout...KIIIYA!}

Some people believe that the blessings of the OT are just for the Jews. I beg to differ but I won't get into that now. I have heard a lot on this and other topics from a wide range of pastors and preachers such as Derek Prince, Joseph Prince, Charles Stanley, Erwin Lutzer and others.

So you may not believe it but I do and I claim it! And if you don't want your portion of it, give it to me! LOL! God is so good He just might! 

You are a child of the Most High God and He has blessed you richly.

Claim it! Live it! And teach others to do the same, so that the name of the Lord Jesus will be praised richly.

Amen!

Update - Getting Excited

Hello everyone, thank you for bearing with us as we get everything straight.

We are deciding upon the blog post titles. On one hand we want them numbered, on the other titled.

Numbered and Titled? Such heavy decisions. What do you think? Leave a message or send us an email. We enjoy getting email from you all.

Again thank you all for your support. The Ebook is being edited and the path is being made level.

I am excited! Are you excited? You should be. God has good things in store for you and the things he has for those who believe are great. Praise him!

Even if you are doing the mundane, thank God for the work that you have to do and he will invigorate it for you. He will light your fire.

Coaching Today 20141209

Coaching Question :

What do you feel God has revealed to you about your own destiny or call?

In 2 Peter 1:10 we are told to make every effort to confirm your calling and election.

Have you stopped in your attempts to succeed and achieve to confirm your calling and election? Has what God revealed to you in line with your life now?

It is interesting to note that when we put our trust and love in Jesus, our paths almost lay themselves down. It is amazing.

Today worship him in your own words. Tell him how great and wonderful he is. Lavish praise upon our savior and let him know how amazing he is, how good God is. Tell the Lord your God how awesome he is.

**Remember God is a God of abundance and life and prosperity. His dreams for us are bigger than we could ever dream or imagined. Are you looking to God for his plans for you? Look up to God, his plans maybe bigger than you are thinking. Open up to the possibilities by letting go of the details.

**Jot down any ideas, concepts or thoughts that come to mind. On the day that you have chosen, take time to review your notes for last week. What breakthroughs did you have?

Need an uplifting message? Check out Joel Osteen Ministries.
Here's a video....

 

December 8 Joy of the LORD

What is the joy of the LORD?

Nehemiah 8:10 says 'the joy of the LORD is your strength'.

What is meant by the joy of the LORD?




Hebrews 12:2 says that for the joy set before him, he was able to endure the cross.

The joy of the LORD is powerful. It is what helped enable Jesus to endure the cross and shame. If we can find what the joy of the LORD is then we can find strength.

Let us think on this today. What is the joy of the LORD? What makes Jesus joyful? And how do you think his joy differs from your idea of joy?

Don't know where to begin, do a keyword search on your favorite Bible search engine and read some of the verses that relate to the joy of the LORD. Joy is a big topic to search, but ask the LORD to lead your understanding.

**As always, take notes, jot down ideas, doodle thoughts or mind map concepts.**

**Set a day where you can review your notes weekly.**

Day 5

Today, let's just relax a second. Take a deep breath and realize, God Almighty, loves YOU!

He is your heavenly Father and he loves YOU! You individually, personally, uniquely. He loves you as you are right now.

He wants you to know that you do not have to be ashamed. Proclaim his name and he will vindicate  you. In fact, His victory has already been won. It is finished.

Beware.....Goodness and Mercy will overtake you!!!

In fact, sin has no dominion over you. You can walk in no condemnation as Jesus did. That is what Jesus died to give you. A pure heart and a clean conscious.

So today, go about your day in peace, knowing that this day has already been won. You do not have to overexert your own will. Live in peace with your circumstances and let God deal with the details.  You 'job' if ever we had one, is only to praise the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in all you do.

Day 4

Good Morning!
Today is a day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad about it. As God's children we do not have to worry. We put our trust in Jesus and he has blessed us abundantly.

Day 3 we thought about our relationship to Jesus as a romantic love affair. Like in the Song of Songs. We read how she described her beloved. Outstanding among ten thousand. Did you write a poem to your beloved? If not, I urge you to do the activities. God sees every effort you put into your relationship with him.

Do you see Jesus as your husband?

Today we learn a name of God. On of my favorites.

This is one of my favorite names of our Father. It signifies his highest preeminence. Most Exalted One. Extreme Sovereignty. Extreme Majesty. It is wonderful and amazing to think, El Elyon is your father. Mind blowing.

Today think about how amazing it is to have a El Elyon as your father. A father that you can call upon and hears you and answers you.

Say a prayer and use this name of God. Let him know how grateful you are to be his child. Jot down or doodle any impressions or interesting thoughts you are given in your notebook.