The Daily Dose

Righteous Acts

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  Revelation 19:8

I can’t wait to get to heaven!  Not that I want to die and leave my life here, but as I read through the book of Revelation, I can’t help but notice the awesome time we will have when we get there.  From what we have read throughout this book, it looks like there is constant celebration and rejoicing.  A continual release of our expression of gratitude and admiration for all God has done in His creation and for delivering us from the evil clutches of sin.

In today’s reading there is once again a loud cheer of praise.  Thunderous voices of a great multitude crying out “Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns!”  Then the celebration goes into overdrive because the wedding celebration of the Lamb begins.  The bride of Christ has gotten herself ready to meet her groom, the Lord Jesus Christ!

I like how this is phrased here: “His wife has made herself ready.”  It doesn’t say, He has made her ready by His blood and sacrifice and it doesn’t say that God has made her ready by rescuing her from sin.  Those are the ways of salvation, only. The passage actually says that she gets herself ready and the way she does that is in the very next line.  She is wearing fine linen, clean and bright, which is the righteous acts that we do. This is not to be confused with good works for salvation. There is only one way God saves people and that is accepting the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and receiving His payment of His blood and sacrifice for the penalty of our sin. These righteous acts are for preparing the bride for His coming to get her for the wedding.

Tada!  Here it is, what we are to be doing to get ready for the wedding to come.  The day when we will be united with Jesus our Lord.  We are to be putting on righteous acts or doing what is good and right in the eyes of God our Father.  We are not to be condemning the world because of the sin bondage that it is under, and we are not to be squabbling with each other over doctrine and denominations.  There is no question what a good deed is and that is what our days here in this world should consist of.  When we are doing righteous acts, there is no room for the arguments and disagreements that blemish His bride, there is only joy and peace as we put on the robe of righteousness and fine linen.

Upon doing a search in the scripture of what “righteous acts” are, I was not surprised to find out that they are things we do beyond ourselves.  It is not going to church, being baptized or taking communion.  Righteous acts are the things that Jesus taught us to do for others.  Things we do in secret and not to be seen or praised by important people. In Matthew 6, Jesus taught us the things we are to do for others.  Things such as: giving alms to the needy and beggars.  Giving anonymously, generously and cheerfully. Praying for others in secret, not loud and repetitive for others to see how spiritual we are.  Fasting, a practice that is not so common in the church today, but one that is still most effective in purifying your heart and purging out distractions and unhealthy habits, either food or something else.  Jesus taught us to do unto others what we would want others to do for us (Matthew 7:12) and the things we do for those who are hurting and lost, we are doing it as unto Him. (Matthew 25:40)

So today I want to encourage you to get yourself ready by coming into agreement with the Word of God and God’s people.  Even if it seems impossible to get into agreement with others, you can do this with the empowering grace of the Holy Spirit.  Ask Him to show you areas where you can put on righteous acts such as giving, praying and fasting and begin doing those things today.  Get a plan in place to be ready to give when an opportunity presents itself and then when you do, remember that you are doing it unto the Lord, too.  Don’t walk right by the hurting people around you, share the love of God with them in a kind act, just as Jesus did.  Then encourage other believers to do the same thing.  You can influence believers that you are around and help them to get ready also.  Put on the robe of fine linen today and continue to wear it until the day the Lord Jesus comes back to get His glorious bride prepared without spot or wrinkle.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 19:6-8

6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 

7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 

8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Righteous Acts

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  Revelation 19:8

I can’t wait to get to heaven!  Not that I want to die and leave my life here, but as I read through the book of Revelation, I can’t help but notice the awesome time we will have when we get there.  From what we have read throughout this book, it looks like there is constant celebration and rejoicing.  A continual release of our expression of gratitude and admiration for all God has done in His creation and for delivering us from the evil clutches of sin.

In today’s reading there is once again a loud cheer of praise.  Thunderous voices of a great multitude crying out “Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns!”  Then the celebration goes into overdrive because the wedding celebration of the Lamb begins.  The bride of Christ has gotten herself ready to meet her groom, the Lord Jesus Christ!

I like how this is phrased here: “His wife has made herself ready.”  It doesn’t say, He has made her ready by His blood and sacrifice and it doesn’t say that God has made her ready by rescuing her from sin.  Those are the ways of salvation, only. The passage actually says that she gets herself ready and the way she does that is in the very next line.  She is wearing fine linen, clean and bright, which is the righteous acts that we do. This is not to be confused with good works for salvation. There is only one way God saves people and that is accepting the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and receiving His payment of His blood and sacrifice for the penalty of our sin. These righteous acts are for preparing the bride for His coming to get her for the wedding.

Tada!  Here it is, what we are to be doing to get ready for the wedding to come.  The day when we will be united with Jesus our Lord.  We are to be putting on righteous acts or doing what is good and right in the eyes of God our Father.  We are not to be condemning the world because of the sin bondage that it is under, and we are not to be squabbling with each other over doctrine and denominations.  There is no question what a good deed is and that is what our days here in this world should consist of.  When we are doing righteous acts, there is no room for the arguments and disagreements that blemish His bride, there is only joy and peace as we put on the robe of righteousness and fine linen.

Upon doing a search in the scripture of what “righteous acts” are, I was not surprised to find out that they are things we do beyond ourselves.  It is not going to church, being baptized or taking communion.  Righteous acts are the things that Jesus taught us to do for others.  Things we do in secret and not to be seen or praised by important people. In Matthew 6, Jesus taught us the things we are to do for others.  Things such as: giving alms to the needy and beggars.  Giving anonymously, generously and cheerfully. Praying for others in secret, not loud and repetitive for others to see how spiritual we are.  Fasting, a practice that is not so common in the church today, but one that is still most effective in purifying your heart and purging out distractions and unhealthy habits, either food or something else.  Jesus taught us to do unto others what we would want others to do for us (Matthew 7:12) and the things we do for those who are hurting and lost, we are doing it as unto Him. (Matthew 25:40)

So today I want to encourage you to get yourself ready by coming into agreement with the Word of God and God’s people.  Even if it seems impossible to get into agreement with others, you can do this with the empowering grace of the Holy Spirit.  Ask Him to show you areas where you can put on righteous acts such as giving, praying and fasting and begin doing those things today.  Get a plan in place to be ready to give when an opportunity presents itself and then when you do, remember that you are doing it unto the Lord, too.  Don’t walk right by the hurting people around you, share the love of God with them in a kind act, just as Jesus did.  Then encourage other believers to do the same thing.  You can influence believers that you are around and help them to get ready also.  Put on the robe of fine linen today and continue to wear it until the day the Lord Jesus comes back to get His glorious bride prepared without spot or wrinkle.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 19:6-8

6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 

7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 

8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

A voice from the throne

Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”  Revelation 19:5

This phrase struck me as I read through the passage for today.  A voice from the throne said, “Praise our God.”  As I stopped reading to consider it, I asked myself, Who is saying this?  It didn’t make sense that God would be saying from His throne “Praise our God.”  If it were God speaking, He would have said, “Praise Me!” 

Then I considered the fact that God is not the only One on the throne.  Even though there is one throne, it is occupied by three.  The triune God.  God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus the Son.  The voice coming from the throne here is Jesus. 

Hebrews chapter 2 explains to us that Jesus is one with those who receive salvation.  Verse 11 proclaims He is not ashamed to call us brethren.  It goes on to say in verse 12 that He, Jesus declares God’s name to us and sings praises with us to God our Father.  Jesus leads us to the throne of God to praise and worship God right along with Him.  The passage in Hebrew even goes so far to say the Jesus puts His trust in God, just like we need to. He is truly the example we need to follow and the first and last in all things.

And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.” – Hebrew 2:13

This is not a new thought for me but one that always causes me to be in awe of Him.  Jesus, our Savior, the perfect Lamb of God, the man part of the Godhead, worships God with us.  He leads us in praise to our Father and He is only complete with His whole body, the church.  Together and as one being, we trust in God our Father. Think about that.

Today I want to encourage you as you spend time in praise and worship, remember that Jesus is right there with you worshiping our Father and leading you in praise to Him.  Next Sunday when you go to church with your brothers and sisters in Christ, keep in mind that Jesus is worshiping with you.  He is the head of the body of believers, and He is the One that leads us to the throne, the One Who directs our steps.  So today, lets praise our God together with Jesus all those who fear Him both great and small.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 19:4-5

4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

Finally!

His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.” – Revelation 19:2

It has been some time since I wrote the Daily Dose blog.  Over two weeks now.  Although it was nice to have a break, I have to say that I miss writing each day and sharing with all of you the thoughts and encouraging words that come to my heart as I read the Word of God.  My husband and I had the great privilege to tour the travels of the apostle Paul through Greece and what a great treasure it was to see many of the places that I have written about over the past three years.  Included in our trip was a visit to the island of Patmos, which to me was one of the greatest highlights of the trip.  Now as I read and write out the final chapters of Revelation, my memories of the island come flooding back as I consider the place where the Lord Jesus revealed God’s plan for the end of this age to the apostle John.  After John wrote the words and images that were revealed to him, I am sure he had many questions and thoughts about the message he was given.  Probably one of the most frequent questions was: “How long before these things come to pass?” or “When would his suffering end?”

Maybe you have looked at the issues going on in the world today or the stresses that you face in life each day and asked similar questions.  “When will all the pressure end?” And “How long before all is made right?”

In today’s reading, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and that this time of great tribulation is finally wrapping up.  Chapter 19 starts out with a celebration in heaven.  The hosts of God’s kingdom are shouting and praising God with all that is within us!  Our praise is that judgement has come on the earth and punishment for the corruption and the murdering of His servants has finally been executed.  No longer will God’s people in the world wonder how long they must suffer and is it finally the end of the government of perverse men and women.  The end of this time is here and now we will return with our Lord to take it all back!

So today if you are wondering how long it will be until things are made right, remember the time is near.  Look up to the One who has it all planned out and is lining up all things on His scheduled timeline.  Seek out His part of the plan He has for you and begin to step into your calling to get the work done.  It is only natural to want to be free from the pressures of life that we face day to day, but when you are living life in your designed space and calling, you will enjoy the time you spend here because your mission will bring others into the Kingdom of heaven with you forever.

Today I want to encourage you to change your focus from asking “How long oh Lord?” to “What is my assignment today, my Lord?”  As you purpose in your heart to fulfill God’s plan, you will have a sense of satisfaction and desire to not only do your part, but connect with others and grow along the way.  Start today to daily get the plan and then receive His empowering grace to complete, down to the last detail every step God’s Spirit points you to.  You only get one chance to live a life of purpose so start walking out that purpose today.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 19:1-3

1 After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

2 His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

3 And again their voices rang out: “Praise the Lord! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!”

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let you all know that the Daily Dose will be off the grid for the next two weeks. I will give you a full update when we are back up on the week of May 19th. We will finish up the last four chapters of Revelation at that time.

Enjoy the beautiful weather of May!!

What now?

The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived.  Revelation 18:23

I’ve heard stories about what the world was like during the time of the great depression.  The system of finance in the country hit an all-time low and many who had all their wealth tied up in it lost everything.  It was so bad that there were some that ended their lives because of the devastation and loss of hope for the future.

Since that time, things have changed some in that banks and financial institutes are now insured against such calamities to protect it’s investors.  So, once again, people trust in their wealth and resources to secure their future here in the world.  It is amazing to me that people are so caught up in their bank accounts and financial portfolios even though they know the day is coming when they will be gone from this world and in no way can take their funds with them.  Even today, people are truly blinded by the “security” of having great wealth.

This is truly what today’s reading was talking about the nations being deceived by the security of great riches.  The difference is that in the days of the great tribulation the deception will be far greater, and the collapse will be final.  There will be no getting back what was lost and the people will turn to their world leader to be their security in those final days.  Truly blinded by the darkness that has covered the entire planet.

It is sad and hopeless when we see this happening in our world today.  All around us and even those we love, have put their trust and security in the monies they accumulate.  It doesn’t matter how small or how great the amount, what a person has is what they ultimately depend on for their security.  Even though we all know that none of us are getting out of here alive and not one person gets to take any material thing with them when they go on to eternity, people still work an entire lifetime to accumulate things.  What we need to be doing is using every resource to reach souls.  Our security is in bringing people into eternity with us.  What we need to be striving for today and every day is rescuing those who are lost in the darkness of this time and walking them into the presence of a loving heavenly Father that has the greatest plan and mission for them to spend all their days working on.

Today I want to encourage you to examine your heart motive where your possessions are concerned.  Ask yourself if you truly trust in God or if your security is tied up in the things you own and the savings you add to.  Be honest with yourself and if you find that you are happy when your funds are high and depressed when they are low then chances are that your heart only finds security in what you put in the bank.  Surrender that over to your heavenly Father today and trust in Him.  He is the One that can protect you from the tragedies of the world and He is the One that will add all that you need to you when you seek Him first.  Make a shift in your heart posture today so that when you get to the end of your life you can hear from the Father “Well done, good and faithful servant!” instead of “Well, what have you done for the kingdom of heaven?”

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 18:21-24

21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. 

22 The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. 

23 The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

What are you trusting in?

“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour, she is made desolate.’  Revelation 18:19

I don’t spend a lot of time looking at current events and the news around the world, but I do try to keep up with what is going on.  Especially with countries that are at war like the Ukraine.  This nation has suffered attacks from Russia for years and the destruction on that region is devastation.  People have been driven from their homes and many cities and buildings now lay in ruins.  However, if we are not looking at it on the news or internet in this part of the world, we barely even notice what is happening.  Millions of people are suffering from the brute forces coming against them and we are pretty much oblivious.

It is sad really, that we don’t take a more proactive stance when we see countries around the world being wiped out.  I am as guilty as the next person of thinking there is little we can do to help.  But there is a big thing we can do and that is to pray. We can pray for God’s provision and salvation for those being oppressed and pushed from their homeland and we can pray for the peace of those regions.  I know that it is scriptural that in the last days there will be wars and rumors of war, but that doesn’t mean that we just stand by and watch.  These destructive forces coming against countries like the Ukraine and Israel are nothing more than demonic deceptions hardening the hearts of those who want to rule the world.  Our prayers in this time are the very thing that will make an impact to change the circumstances in a positive way.

Today we are reading about the fall of the great city Babylon to come.  The entire city falls in just one hour.  It is hard to imagine such devastation that can flatten an entire city in just a 60 minute time period.  People will stand and watch this catastrophic display from a distant. They will mourn and lament for the rich city that they love so much.  All the riches in the world are not enough to save the great Babylon from the desolation that will come on it in that day.  But this destruction will be for the apostles and prophets to rejoice over because they will be avenged at that time.  All the resources and wealth that have been gathered to build and support Babylon the great will also be destroyed with it.  There will be nothing salvageable at the end. The kings and merchants of the world trusted in the great wealth and riches of that city but at the end of that day, it will all be gone.

Today I want to encourage you not to put your trust in uncertain riches.  Don’t depend on your things and possessions to comfort and support you through this life.  Trust in God and hope in His provision and wisdom.  Let His Spirit guide your steps each day.  He will lead you to your place of purpose and fulfilment and if you lose some things, you will still have the security of His love and kindness to get you through to the next provision He has for you.  I also want to encourage you to pray for nations today that are being attacked by enemy countries like Ukraine and Israel.  Pray for resolution and the end of the aggression coming against them.  Pray for the people to have hope and be brought to salvation through this trying time.  Pray for aide and support to help them rebuild and reestablish their cities and that the attacking countries would pull back and take care of their own people.  We cannot control all the crisis of the world, but we can lift them up to our Father in heaven and trust in Him to bring resolve.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 18:9-20

9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 

10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: 

12 merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 

13 and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men. 

14 The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. 

15 The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 

16 and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! 

17 For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance 

18 and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’

19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’

20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

Come Out

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.  Revelation 18:4

Throughout the course of time there have been hundreds and even thousands of civilizations that have risen to power and then fell or taken by the next world superpower.  Superior military men lead their armies into great conquests and overtake heads of states and governments time after time after time.  In the day we live in, we have seen some countries rise up and try to take lands and territories away from other countries bordering them, but I can’t think of anyone in my lifetime that has tries to take over the world.  Still there is always some that have the secret desire to rule the entire earth, they probably just don’t have the resources or the guts to try to get it.

Thank goodness, there has been restraint of a one world leader and we have never had to live under the tyranny of a government that imposes all its beliefs and system on the entire earth.  However, in today’s reading we read that the world has fallen under one great city and leadership.  It is the city of Babylon.  Not the same Babylon that once ruled over the known world of its time, but a world system that covers the face of the planet.  This great city and government system will utterly crash and burn in one day.  It is a system of extravagant luxury and passion.  A world system based on pleasures and competing for the greatest wealth and comforts.

The apostle John heard a voice from heaven saying “Come out of that system and be separate my people and do not be a part of the sins of that city so you will not be punished with those who are.”  It is that same thing we have been called to since the beginning of time as God’s people.  He has called us to live differently than the rest of the world.  This is not to say that we cannot have nice things or comforts, but it is to say that we do not seek those things first and foremost in our lives.  He has called us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and then trust Him to add everything else we need to us.  God is not trying to keep goodness from us, but He knows how deadly it is to be caught in the trap of demonic oppression and the deception of loving the things that this world has to offer.

So today I want to encourage you to separate from the world’s way by seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness.  Begin to view the world as the mission field you have been called to shine His light on.  Be a blessing to those around you and let them know that the God of heaven loves them and will provide whatever they are needing.  Share how the goodness of your Savior has shown up in your life and come out of the worlds ways so you don’t have to have a part of the plagues and results of the sin that the world does.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 18:1-8

1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 

2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 

3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 

5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 

6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 

7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 

8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

How much more

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11

This verse compares our heavenly Father to how we love here in the world.  When you consider how much you love your own children, or if you do not have children yet, how much your parents love you, why would anyone think that God wants to harm or do anything but help us and show us how much He loves us.

It says that if we as fallen, imperfect people know how to do good for our own children, certainly God has so much more love for His children.  It actually says He gives good things when we ask for them.  Not just the good things that are in His heart to give. This message is reinforced throughout scripture.  Romans 8:32 says it this way: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  He didn’t even hold back the most precious and treasure, the blood of His only Son, Jesus.  Think about it, if He was going to keep something from us, wouldn’t it be the One thing that was most valuable to Him?  Or look at it the other way.  He made provision for us in Christ Jesus, the greatest, perfect gift.  Is that gift lacking in anything that we need in this world?  Our salvation includes forgiveness, but it also includes His Spirit, His love, goodness, power, blessing, strength, peace and well being.  There is nothing lacking because He is our good Father that has given us all things the pertain to this life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3)

Jesus even goes a step further in the very next verse.  He said: so whatever good things you want people to do for you, do that for them.  I consider this in my own life.  Because I like to give, I am now asking myself are the gifts that I give the things that I want or like or are they things I want to get rid of and am finished using.  Are they things that don’t cost a lot so I can give the appearance of being a giver, but I don’t want to give what I want for myself first?  This is a tough question and one that deserves thorough examination, especially when it comes to loving those who are not children of God, yet.  Am I willing to be a generous giver to show people what God, my Father, is really like?

Today I would encourage you to do two things:  First, become more aware of how much God, your heavenly Father loves you and wants to give you the good things you need and desire in your life.  He is not holding back, and He is not hiding them from you.  Ask today for the things you require and the things you even want.  Then ask Him to show you the path to take to get in line with all the blessings He has stored up for your life.  Second, ask Him to strengthen and empower you to be a generous giver also.  Ask Him to show you when and what you can give when the opportunity is there.  Show the world around you the love and generosity of God by being a generous giver of all things like He is. And don’t forget about being thankful for all He has done for you and for showing you how to be more like Him.

Today’s scripture reading: Matthew 7:7-12

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 

10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Who’s your influencer?

For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.  Revelation 17:17

People are fickle.  In today’s culture, most people are interested in only one thing, “me”.  We live in a day when the first question people ask is “What’s in it for me?” or “How does what is going on affect my life?”  Hopefully, as believers, we recognize this mind set as ungodly and are intentional about not falling into it.  Still, it can be very easy to choose the “me” mentality.  Very few people are loyal to anyone or submitted to any authority other than #1.

As I read through today’s passage, I noticed that the demonic spirits seem to have the same mentality.  There is no loyalty among them.  I have to admit that I have always envisioned Satan and his forces all in agreement and that gave them strength to deceive and seduce people away from God.  These verses in Revelation talk about the people turning their allegiance over to the beast and away from the great harlot that had just been a dominant spirit in the world. That is when that spirit was made desolate and laid to waste as the kings of the world turn their power over to the beast.  This world system that was powered by an evil spirit of wealth and pleasures has grown to such a degree that the whole world is under its influence.  Then all at once, everyone shifts to the leadership of one world ruler, the beast.  AKA Satan in a human body.

We know that this is all part of the plan and are assured that it is true by the key verse today.  God put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose.  Satan will rise up and think that he has finally achieved the body and leadership that he has been seeking since his creation, but it is just another part of God’s plan to put him away forever.

What I take away from this passage is that demonic forces are not joining up to overpower me but rather they are in direct competition with each other to destroy my soul.  When I give into the temptations around me, their grip on my life tightens, but again I have the ability to resist one but at the same time can yield to another.  Each time I give in, that spirit’s grip on my life becomes greater and I am empowering it to direct and influence my daily attitude and activities.  It doesn’t even have to be things that we feel are totally evil like killing, lusting or coveting.  It can be something as simple as complacency or giving into the spirit of “I don’t feel like doing that right now.”

It is the same way with the Holy Spirit of God.  When we yield our lives to that spirit and begin to step into every opportunity that He puts in front of us, we are giving Him the power and influence over our lives that will strengthen our relationship with our Father in heaven and in return, we will be empowered to complete down to the last detail every assignment that He has designed up to fulfill.

God does not possess people, but He does put things in our heart so that He can get His plan accomplished in this world.  His plan is good, and His plan is for our benefit because He loves us.  He will direct our path and lead us, but we must decide that we are going to follow so we do not give the enemy an open door to get into our lives to take us out.

Today I want to encourage you to examine your life and identify any strongholds that the enemy may have you in.  He takes hold of us through addictive habits that are not building us up in our faith.  These habits may not even be evil things, they are simply something that dominates your life and takes your focus away from your calling.  As you admit these vices, surrender them to the Holy Spirit.  He will give you the discernment and show you if they are out of your control and if you need to purge it from your activities.  Don’t assume you already know.  It’s often the practices that we think we have a handle on that are really leading us down a path of complacency and distraction.  Turn every area of your life over to your heavenly Father today and begin to resists those demonic forces that are stunting your work for the kingdom of heaven. Only then will you accomplish every good work that He has designed you to achieve.

Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 17:15-18

15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 

16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 

17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 

18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”