Amos 9:15

I will plant them in their land, and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them. Yahweh your God has spoken.

God intends for His people to be productive, and He has designed us and destined us to be fruitful. Although the enemy may attack and try to steal our harvest or prevent us from cultivating our fields, he cannot ultimately deter what God has planned because He will finish the good work He has started through us, according to Philippians 1:6.

Wherever God wants us to grow, He will plant us in that place. When He plants us, He will also nourish us and tend to us so that we may grow properly. As we grow, we will start to increase and multiply. If God is blessing you in an area, there is a good chance He has planted you in that place. We must look to Him as the Master Gardener and learn to grow where we are planted.

God has given you a land as an inheritance in Christ, and that land is your ministry. He wants to use you to further His kingdom in some way, and He will bless you, grow you, and multiply you in the area where He plants you to be productive. Sometimes, we just have to attend to our roots in Christ and stand firm in Him before we see the harvest. Pests always come along to try to steal what has been planted before the growth is fully ready to harvest, but God will drive them away. We just need to learn to endure some things without giving in to our surroundings. God is at work in us, and we must trust what He is doing in us and through us.

God will plant you in your land, and the enemy cannot uproot you. Stay firm, and stay faithful. He who is faithful will complete the work He has started in you.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 26:23-25

From there (open spaces) he (Isaac) went up to Beersheba, and the LORD appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of My servant Abraham.” So he built an altar there, worshiped the LORD, and pitched his tent there. Isaac’s slaves also dug a well there.

Isaac returned to the land of his childhood as the famine ended, and he found God to be as faithful to him as He was to his father, Abraham. God had promised to bless Abraham’s descendants, and this promise spilled over onto Isaac as God’s promised son. Isaac’s blessing was not in the well; his blessing was in the presence of God. Because God was with him, wherever he dug a well, he found water.

We have a tendency to think that a blessing comes from a certain place. When we have a good job, we tend to stay there as long as we are blessed, and we often forget that God is the source of our blessing and not a job. When we move, God moves with us. For this reason, we can let go of things, people, and places in order to hold onto God’s presence. If God starts a new chapter in our lives, He will be there with us. Trying to go back to the former chapter because you feel more comfortable there will not work. God knows just how to make you uncomfortable so you will move with Him.

Isaac’s response to God’s promise was the correct response. Any time we sense God’s presence, we should worship Him. Simply acknowledge Him for who He is, and place your trust in Him. He is with you, and He is working in your life even when you can’t see it. Don’t be afraid to try new things because God is with you. God can bring water from any place as long as we worship Him.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 107:29

He stilled the storm to a murmur, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

The preceding verses describe a storm the LORD stirred up simply by speaking. The men who were caught in its path were very skilled men, but they were no contest for the raging sea that threatened their very lives. They cried out to God in the midst of their distress, and He stilled the storm to a murmur, causing the waves of the sea to hush. When we have absolutely no control over the storms that hit us, He has absolute control.

Our talents, skills, abilities, and strength are no match for many of the storms that come our way. When we find ourselves in the midst of crashing waves and unprotected from mighty winds and torrential downpours of stuff, we realize just how weak and vulnerable we really are. Trying to overcome these storms in our own strength is foolish, though most of us try. In these times, we learn to cry out to God and depend upon His grace to see us through the chaos. We learn that we are loved by the heavenly Father, and our life must have some reason – some purpose for which He has called us and is guiding us to fulfill. When we won’t surrender in our strength, God will bring us to a place where we can do nothing but surrender in our weakness.

Do you feel the wind, the waves, and the pouring rain? Don’t try to weather this storm alone. Cry out to God. The storm is subject to His voice, and He can still it at any moment. The good thing about storms is that they are very temporary, and the key is simply to endure until it ends. We may have some cleaning up to do after a storm, but its work can also be very beneficial to us – especially if it gives us a new perspective and appreciation for the God who blesses and protects us. God is not trying to destroy you; He’s merely drawing you closer to Him.

Have a blessed day!

John 15:7

If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.

This verse has so often been misrepresented that I think we fail to believe it at times. We have all prayed for something that just didn’t happen the way we wanted or the way we asked. If we know God’s word is true, however, this verse has to be true, as well. If we haven’t always received what we wanted in prayer, just how do we explain this?

The Greek word for “words” here is the word rhema. It means “an utterance; matter or topic.” It should not be confused with logos, which means “something said.” The written word of God is His logos, but what He speaks to us through His word is His rhema.

Have you ever read a verse a million times, but the next time you read it, you see something you’ve never before seen? That word is a rhema to you. Have you ever read Scripture, and God just placed something in your heart from it? That word is a rhema to you. Has the Holy Spirit ever nudged you while reading Scripture that showed you how to apply that word? That is your rhema.

The Greek word for “abide” means “to stay.” If God’s rhema word stays in you, and you believe it enough to act upon it, you can ask whatever you want, and God will do it.

In Matthew 13 we find the Parable of the Sower. Much of the seed sown fell on ground that could not hold the rhema word of God. We see, however, that when the rhema word of God fell on good ground, it produced a harvest of 30, 60, and even 100 times what was sown.

What is God saying to you through His word? This word is alive and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It is able to separate even bone and marrow and permeate to the inner most parts of our being. God will speak a rhema word to you if you are in His word daily, and if this rhema word stays in you, you can ask whatever you want. God will perform His rhema word to you! May our hearts be good ground to receive the word He has for us today, and may it produce 30, 60, and even 100 times what was sown in our hearts!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 105:37-38

Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among His tribes stumbled. Egypt was glad when they left, for dread of Israel had fallen on them.

God’s people had endured slavery in Egypt for hundreds of years before God finally sent Moses to deliver them. As they were leaving Egypt, Pharaoh gave them silver and gold from the land. God will never let you go through trials, difficulty, or testing without gaining something from the journey! When He delivers you, He gives you something of value to bring with you into your promised land!

Egypt was glad to see them leave because the acts of God in the plagues. With the Israelites gone, Egypt lost its work force and its treasures. Inflicting hardship on God’s people will certainly cost you in the long run, and the Egyptians learned this the hard way. Pharaoh refused to let God’s people go, so God sent consequences by damaging the land with plagues and killing the first born. Letting go of slaves and a little treasure may have seemed like a small price to pay in comparison to all they had already lost.

If you are enduring hardship, cry out to God. He knows how to free you, and He will not let the enemy get away with harm he has caused you. God can bring you out with treasures and make the enemy glad to see you go! Your testimony is extremely valuable, and God can use it to bring you good and Him glory. Embrace the good that God gives you on your journey out of bondage, and use it to glorify Him. You are a testimony to His grace and very valuable in His sight.

Have a blessed day!

1 Thessalonians 5:24

He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

God calls us first to relationship with Him through salvation in Jesus Christ. The first calling we hear is one of repentance to follow Jesus. This calling gives us eternal life, and God will be faithful to grant it when our time on earth is complete.

The second calling we hear is a calling of purpose. Here we find the specific place where God wants to use us to further His kingdom. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, as well as our future successes and failures when He calls us. In spite of the places where He knows we will stumble, He calls us anyway. He is faithful to us in His call, even if we are unfaithful to Him. In the places where our failures create a gap, His grace is sufficient to cover us and to enable us to overcome the weakness that deters us. Through grace, we receive forgiveness and the power to continue in our calling.

Romans 11:29 informs us that God’s calling is irrevocable. Once He issues it, He will bring it to pass. He calls us, and He will bring forth what He has placed in us. While we may not trust ourselves at times, we can always trust Him. If God put it In you, He will bring it forth from you! We fail most when we place faith in our own strength, rather than in the God who called us in the first place. He did not call us because of our great ability; He called us out of His great love for us and the purpose for which He created us. We have no say in the matter, except to accept or reject His call. Once we accept it, He will do what He has proclaimed He will do for you.

Trust God’s call upon your life today. His faithfulness to you comes with it. While the Devil may try to discourage you and cause you to doubt your calling, God will be faithful to confirm it. Trust His word over you, and walk forth in full assurance that He who calls you is faithful. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 85:12-13

Also, the LORD will provide what is good, and our land will yield its crops. Righteousness will go before Him to prepare the way for His steps.

In order for crops to produce, they need sunshine, rain, and nutrients from the earth. God controls all of these. We can expect Him to give us what we need to be productive. We can work the ground, plant, and take out the weeds, but we can’t turn on the sunshine or the rain. We must depend upon God to give our seeds what they need to grow. We can trust Him, however, to give what is good so our land will yield its crops.

We’ve all encountered a person whose reputation preceded him/her. Before we ever met that person, we knew what he/she was like. Righteousness is God’s reputation that goes before Him and prepares the way for Him to follow. When you plant your seed, you can know that God will give what is good to it because of His reputation for righteousness. Goodness is God’s nature, and He can’t help but be good to us. Righteousness is His nature, and He can’t help but do what is right by us.

If you are faithfully working, He will do the right thing by you. Now is not the time to give up or to get lazy. To do so reflects a lack of faith in His goodness, and He longs to be good to you. If you don’t plant the seed, the sunshine and rain He gives you are to no avail. The LORD will provide what is good for you today. Continue the work to which He has called you, and expect Him to provide the things you need to be productive. Your sunshine and rain will come at just the right time to nourish the seed you’ve sown, so believe God for a good harvest.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 17:1-2

When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and be devout. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

Ishmael is now around 12-13 years old. 25 years after God first promised Abram a son, He is now ready to fulfill His promise. In this move, God declared Himself to Abram as God Almighty. There was nothing He could not do. He gave Abram only one command as He established His covenant between them. He instructed Abram to live in His presence and be devout.

To live in God’s presence is to live knowing and acknowledging that He is with you. Read your Bible daily because it is the primary way God speaks to us. Talk to Him as if He were right there in the room with you. Listen and pay attention to things happening around you in expectation of a response from God. When temptations come your way, realize the presence of God is with you, and reject them. When trouble approaches you, live in complete faith and courage with assurance that His presence is with you. When you are hurt or offended, immediately turn to Him. You don’t need the approval of others because you have the approval of God Almighty, who is your close companion. Live in His presence and be devout to Him, and you will find His presence to be a comfort and a strength.

If we could only learn to live in God’s presence and be devout, we would see His promises fulfilled in us. God would move mountains before us and do mighty works through us. We need His presence more than we need His blessing. When we come to rely upon His presence, we find that His blessing resides in His presence, and that is really all we need.

Become determined to live in God’s presence and be devout. The enemy will attack you when you are doing God’s will, and living in His presence will help you overcome. If you look to your own strength or to another person or thing, you will succumb to the attack. His presence is your protection and your strength. He will establish His promise to you and make you very fruitful.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 32:25

Then the man saw the He could not defeat him, He struck Jacob’s hip as they wrestled and dislocated his hip socket.

Jacob was a strong man. Wrestling with God did not defeat him, so God gave him a limp. He could not go back to his old way of life without an obvious weakness, and everyone would see it. Someone could now take advantage of him and overcome him. He would have to move forward in his destiny dependent upon God and reliant upon grace.

There may come a time in your life when God battles your strength just long enough to touch your weak spot and give you a limp. Should He do this, HIs intention is not to destroy you but to lead you forth into your calling dependent upon Him and interdependent upon others. Grace comes to those who are weak and in need. The strong and self-sufficient don’t need it.

Paul declared that when he was weak, he was strong in Christ. God designs our struggles to move us forward into His plan and away from our own. Don’t despise your weakness. Your limp is an opportunity for grace. God has called you and predestined you according to His purpose. Sooner or later, you will have to trust His plan for you and depend upon Him to get you where you need to be. You cannot get there on your own, and you were never meant to do it alone. Surrender completely to the drawing love of the Father, and allow Him to fight for you, provide for you, and take you where only He can take you.

Have a blessed day!

1 Samuel 23:16-17

Then Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and encouraged him in his faith in God, saying, “Don’t be afraid for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. You yourself will be king over Israel, and I’ll be your second in command. Even my father Saul knows it is true.”

David’s anointing and favor from God were obvious. As much as Saul disliked it, he could not change things. Saul even sought to have David killed, but none of that could change the fact that God had chosen him, God had called him, and God had anointed him. Saul had no say in the matter.

Your calling and anointing will be evident. Others around you will see it because it will minister to them in some way. Regardless of how the devil may try to argue the fact and get you to doubt, God’s glory shines over you. Even Saul knew David was anointed to be king, and it threatened him. If God has called you and anointed you, it doesn’t matter who may not like it. That decision is up to God and no one else.

Like David, you may have to wait until God deals with some Sauls in your life before you can take the position for which He has called you and anointed you, but your delay does not detract from your destiny. Trust God to move things you cannot and guide you into the right place at the right time. Remain faithful and serve Him where you are. God will use everything you encounter as preparation. You are highly favored and dearly loved by the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. No one can take that away!

Have a blessed day!