Sunday May 19, 2024: Seeking Benefits Could Cause Your Demise Monday May 20, 2024: Keep Your Confidence In The Lord Tuesday May 21, 2024: Your Word Is Your Bond Wednesday May 22, 2024: Say "No" at the Right Time Thursday May 23, 2024: How Long Have You Been Waiting? Friday May 24, 2024: Do Your Children Know Who Made the Difference? Saturday May 25, 2024: Equipped to Produce Pleasure for God Sunday May 26, 2024: Force Them Out or Make them Slaves Monday May 27, 2024: Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit Horizons Unlimited PDF Archive 
Sunday May 19, 2024
Seeking Benefits Could Cause Your Demise Mark 14:10, KJV: And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. While the chief priest welcomed Judas' assistance in arresting and destroying Jesus' influence, they did not initiate contact or approach Judas for his help. Judas never learned to protect his heart. As a result, his greed led to his own destruction. John 13:2 reads, “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;" Judas had a chance to put away thoughts of betrayal, but he chose to entertain thoughts of greed and envy until he eventually formulated a plan to act on those thoughts. Once that plan was embraced, he opened the door for satan to enter into him (John 13:27).
Jesus told His disciples how they would know the identity of His accuser (verse 26). Instead of Judas rejecting the sop of bread, he took it, knowing his heart was not right towards Jesus. The deception he entertained is what gave satan entrance into Judas' heart. Jesus already knew one of them was a devil even though He had personally chosen all twelve. Once Judas fully yielded to satan's control, what Judas thought would benefit him (the 30 pieces of silver), became his demise.
"What will you give me?" is not a question any of us should ask. When it comes to being loyal to Jesus, our focus should always be, "What can I do for Him?" Judas' betrayal of Jesus was bad enough, but for him to merchandise their friendship was terrible. Guard your heart against greed lest it leads to your own demise.
Back to list Monday May 20, 2024
Keep Your Confidence In The Lord Judges 4:7, NKJV: And against you I will deploy Sisera the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the river Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand. Though Deborah the prophetess, delivered this message to Barak after sending for him, he said, "If you will go with me then I will go; but if you will not go with me I will not go."
This was outright rebellion to the Lord. God had said to Barak, "I will deliver him into your hand." To say you will not go at the Word of God is not a good thing. Barak's confidence was in Deborah, not in the One she represented. Because of his comment (which revealed his own misplaced trust in Deborah rather than in God), Barak would get no credit for Sisera's defeat, but a woman would be credited for the victory.
It was Jael, Heber's wife, who took a tent peg and a hammer and went softly to Sisera and drove a peg through his temple into the ground while he slept. It was in that manner that Sisera died.
How often we try to choose how God must work after He has already spoken? Barak's confidence was in Deborah, a prophetess, judge, warrior, and God decided to use another female with no military experience at all. In fact she didn't go looking for Sisera, he in fact arrived at her tent and she lulled him to sleep with kindness. But because God was delivering him into Barak's hand, she used what she had, a hammer and a nail.
Stop thinking you'll never be used for anything important. You don't need to concern yourself with finances, investments, stock, or property. Just make sure you are obedient and in position to be used at any time by God for His purpose.
Back to list Tuesday May 21, 2024
Your Word Is Your Bond Genesis 25:33, CEV: But Jacob said, 'Promise me your birthrights, here and now! And that's what Esau did. A person's word was so respected at one time it was as though it was a written contract. Esau, like so many of us, allowed his flesh to cause him to disregard his God-given rights. Although God was in this arrangement to accomplish His purpose, I believe He would have honored Esau's rights if Esau had honored them.
How many times has our tongue allowed us to respond to our flesh's desires, which resulted in our loss of what was rightfully and divinely ours? Death and life are in the power of our tongue (Proverbs 18:21), which is why I preach, "Before you make choices in the way you speak, listen on the inside for the correct answer, because one thing you and I cannot do is manipulate the Holy Ghost." The Holy Ghost only says what He hears the Father say (John 16:13). He does not speak of Himself. His job, though, is to speak for the Father, which He always does.
Never allow your mouth to utter anything you don't want to live with. Although the world today says, "If it's not in writing, it doesn't exist," that simply is not accurate. The world operates on that premise; however, the spirit world still operates on the basis of our words being our bond. We may be able to alter a contract, but we can't alter our spoken words. We will give an account for them someday.
Make sure you say what you mean, and mean what you say. Your word is your bond. Don't let it become worthless.
Back to list Wednesday May 22, 2024
Say "No" at the Right Time Daniel 1:8, KJV: But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Every spiritual battle is either won or lost in the heart. Our conviction determines our choices. Every day we are all presented with choices that we can make, and either fear or faith will dominate the dictate of our hearts.
Like us, Daniel was presented with a choice, and his heart chose for him. When he was offered the food from the king's table, not wanting to desecrate, pollute, or stain himself by eating it, he chose to ask for something else. He chose the honor of God over the honor of man.
Most of us would have considered it an honor to be fed by the king. How quickly we forget that it is the enemy, or the one who has put us in fear or bondage, who now wants to feed us. By the Spirit, we must know when it is the right time to say "no" to seemingly good offers. We must purpose in our hearts what is right for us according to the Word of God and our valued relationship with God.
Never be afraid to request what you want, even though you are not in a favorable setting. If your heart is right to do what is pleasing to God, He then will bring you into favor and tender love with the One who has the power to give you permission.
The devil will try to convince you that you have to court the enemy to obtain favor. He tries to keep you from understanding that you, as a believer, always have options-and you always have good ones. Resist the devil, and refuse to entertain his lies. The best way to do that is to humble yourself before God's mighty hand, because the battle is not yours but the choice of weapons always is. Remember: Sometimes the best weapon to use is to say "no" at the right time.
Back to list Thursday May 23, 2024
How Long Have You Been Waiting? Isaiah 7:13, NKJV: Then he said, 'Hear now, O house of David! It is a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?' Following this question to King Ahaz, the prophecy came forth, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (verse14).
For most of our lives, many of us have heard the story of the birth of Immanuel, His name meaning God with us. We understand the significance of the promise as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. But did you ever stop to really meditate on the power of the promise itself? Hebrews 11:11 said that Sarah, Abraham's wife, received strength to conceive seed because she judged God faithful who had promised. Although she was quite old and past the season for childbearing, Sarah and Abraham received the fulfillment of the promise.
Yet still it took 25 years to become a reality, and Abraham had to get involved for the promise to be fulfilled. But the conception of Jesus did not require Joseph to be active with Mary at all. It took 750 years before the promised birth occurred, but Jesus was to carry a larger responsibility than Abraham and Sarah's beloved Isaac.
Isaac was only the head of a tribe. Jesus was to take on the headship of all future generations. Although it took 750 years, the Holy Ghost was busy lining everything up to cause it to be so. Neither Mary nor her parents had been born when this prophecy was first spoken.
So you have yet to receive what has been spoken to you? An old woman becoming pregnant is one thing. A virgin becoming pregnant is even more miraculous. It mattered not to the Holy Spirit. It had been promised; therefore, He had a job to do. He has not forgotten your promise either.
Back to list Friday May 24, 2024
Do Your Children Know Who Made the Difference? Psalm 44:1, NKJV: We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old. "You never told me that before." "Why didn't you share that with me?" "This is the first I'm hearing of this." How many of us have made these statements to our parents or heard our own children say them to us later in life? What an injustice to keep faith-encouraging truths from our children.
What did the children of Israel hear from their forefathers? Verses 2 and 3: "You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples and cast them out. For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword. Nor did their own arm save them. But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them."
That is powerful. When did we stop telling our children about the Almighty God in our midst? They often have no hope because we neglected to tell them of His mighty power and faithful love.
Often I share with employees in the condominium where I lived as I observe them sweeping or mopping floors, "That is how I got my start." I tell them that in the summer of my twelfth year, I operated a hotel elevator to help purchase my clothes. I scrubbed nearly 32 floors every Saturday for eight dollars.
I do not want them to think that I always was as they see me today. God has done some mighty things to bring me from then to now and I am grateful. As the faces of the employees in our building light up when I tell them of my beginning, I want our granddaughter and others to hear also and be glad.
We rob others of a lesson in faith when we give the impression that life has always been good and fair. It has not, but the grace of God has been enough to see me through. Therefore, I have neither fear nor regret. Please tell your children the truth and show them the One who makes the difference.
Back to list Saturday May 25, 2024
Equipped to Produce Pleasure for God Hebrews 13:20, NLT: ...now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing His will. Listening to some preachers, we could be led to think that this Christian life is for our pleasure. God has one thing in mind for us and that is to bring us to Himself. Scripture reads, "May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him..." (Hebrews 13:21, NLT).
God understood that without a spiritual mediator, man could never be pleasing to Him. Before sin, Adam could have pleased God, but the Fall set in motion a deterioration in the mind and heart of man. We began to think that God created us for our pleasure instead of for His pleasure. Today we are so into what we want, that we forget our original purpose. Thank God that the second Adam, the Man Jesus Christ, has come to live in us, to reawaken us as to why God created man in the first place. Without Jesus, God cannot be revealed to us.
You do not have to struggle in your Christian walk. You simply have to yield and submit to the Spirit of Christ in you. It's sort of like floating on water. I never learned to swim, but I did learn to float. Learning to float has brought me safely to shore many a day when others became weary from swimming. A tired swimmer can drown. A floater who trusts God knows he can't swim-that's why he became good at floating. Become good at trusting God.
Back to list Sunday May 26, 2024
Force Them Out or Make them Slaves Joshua 16:10, CEV: Ephraim could not force the Canaanites out of Gezer, so there are some Canaanites who live there among the Israelites. But now these Canaanites have to work as slaves for the Israelites. At age 85, Caleb completed his assignment and received the promise God gave him when he was forty. He attacked the occupants of his promised land, forced them out, then started another war (Joshua 15:13,14).
45 years passed between Caleb's assignment and its fulfillment. What do you mean you are going to retire? Not if you plan to possess what God has promised. The promise of God to you has nothing to do with your age. However, if you want what He has promised, you will have to apply effort to possess it. How bad is your "want to?" God makes a promise, but His people have to possess it. Caleb and company had to physically fight for what God has promised and given to them.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. We can and will receive all that God has promised, if we apply the effort to possess it through faith in His Word, prayer and thanksgiving, exercising patience. That is the will of God for us. And when we do His will, we will obtain His promises.
Caleb waited 45 years, than still had to contend for what was his. Most believers don't want to wait 45 months or days. At 85, a modern day believer would have already been retired for at least 20 years. God told me that I get to retire when He can have a day off.
Are you going to be an Ephraim or a Caleb? If you have not yet learned how to dispossess the enemies of your flesh, at least make them slaves to the promises of God for your life. Wake up, get up, and go get what God has promised you, using your spiritual weapons.
Back to list Monday May 27, 2024
Quitters Never Win and Winners Never Quit Luke 18:1, CEV: Jesus told his disciples a story about how they should keep on praying and never give up. One of the words for "pray" here is interrogate, which is derived from the word that means speak or say. Sadly, we often think prayer is only petitioning God for our desires, which are often selfish. In prayer, we do at times ask of, or beseech, the Lord. But that is just one kind of praying. I never have to pray for what I have been authorized to claim based on my oneness with Him, which is the seal of my covenant with Him.
Verse 2 of Luke 18 speaks of a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man. This widow understood persistence so she continued with this judge until he wanted to get rid of her before she wearied him (verses 4-5).
The devil does not have the power to wear us out; he deceives us in our ignorance of our identity in Christ Jesus, the knowledge of which is where all of our strength comes from. When you know who you are in Christ and what He has promised and provided, you will "ding dong" the devil until he releases what he is illegally holding that belongs to you. His greatest fear is that you will become a believing believer who refuses to give up until you have received all that has been promised to you.
Become a winner that will not quit. The Greater One lives inside you. The devil can't win unless you quit.
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