Victory in the Word!--February
We are continuing in our weekly scripture discipline to encourage you to read and study God's Word more and also meditate on the key thoughts of our recent articles. We pray this will encourage and assist you as you grow in the Kingdom.
February--Week Eight
Article: Living in Faith of the Word
- Living in the Kingdom of the Lord God means walking by faith in His Word. Obedience to His Word is the key to living a victorious life. And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!” Luke 11:27-28
- Our priority is to always stay connected to the King. He prunes away all the "branches" and growth that isn't like Him. His Word purifies us. This is why it is vital to stay in His Word, reading and studying it. Once you see His Word as your nourishment, your strength and your lifeline, your faith will be your unshakable foundation. It gives you victory over EVERY thing that is not like Him! “I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.” John 15:1-3 NLT With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:10-12
- Faith in the Lord God and His Word lights our path. When darkness closes in on you, His Word will lead you out. Whatever you are in the midst of today, it is your faith in Him and obedience to His wisdom that will take you through the darkness into His Light! Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of Your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept Your commandments. I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to Your Word. I haven’t turned away from Your regulations, for You have taught me well. How sweet Your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life. Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again: I will obey Your righteous regulations. Psalm 119:97-106 NLT
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on Philippians 2 and Psalm 47. Philippians 2: Paul's writes about unity through humility and how to be His bright shining light in a dark and perverse world. Psalm 47: A praise! Read this one aloud, giving the Lord God all the praise that is in you for He is an awesome God! Feel it!
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
February--Week Seven
Article: Man's Misplaced Priority Part 2
- What is your motivation? What drives your prayers? When you talk to the Father, how much time is focused on the Lord God and His goodness and power in your life and how much is spent praying for needs and requests to Him? I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 7:17 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that He saves. Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround Him; strength and joy fill His dwelling.
O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come into His presence. Worship the Lord in all His holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before Him. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:23-34 NLT
- In the Kingdom of God, the number one priority is to worship the Lord God through obedience to His Word and our worship and praise to Him because of who He is, not what He can do for us! If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. John 14:15-17a NLT His Word will stand when everything else is gone. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Mark 13:31 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:23-24
- The Lord Jesus said, "Don't worry"! Yet that is exactly what many of us do—worry! Our days are filled with anxiety about the very things the Lord Jesus said not to worry about—all the basic necessities of life. How often are our prayers merely speaking our anxieties out loud? We have worry and fear over those things because we are trying to make it on our own and focusing on “self” rather than our mighty Father. If we truly knew how great our Father is, we would never worry, but totally trust Him! That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
So don’t worry about these things, saying, "What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?" These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:25-33 NLT
All scriptures are NKJV unless noted.
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on Philippians 1 and Psalm 46. Philippians 1: Paul's thankfulness and prayers for the people. Living your life for the Lord Jesus. Psalm 46: The Lord God is our strength and our refuge. He is our help in every situation!
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
February--Week Six
Article: Man's Misplaced Priority Part 1
- Before the fall of mankind due to his disobedience, the Lord God commissioned Adam to Kingdom rulership--the management, stewardship and governmental administration over earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28
- As long as mankind walked in full and open fellowship with the Lord God, their Creator, they had no concerns. He provided for all their needs. Adam and Eve’s first priority was to obey the Lord God’s command: to rule over the garden and all God’s creation and commune with Him. Everything that man does outside the Kingdom of God is motivated by the drive to meet his personal needs. In mankind’s never-ending struggle for survival and significance living in this fallen world, they realize that they are separated in spirit from the Lord God who created them. Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33
- We were created to worship the Lord God. That is our true purpose above all. Our words, actions and obedience should always be worshiping Him and proclaiming Him to all. “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on Ephesians 6 and Psalm 45. Ephesians 6: Putting on the whole armor of God. Psalm 45: A psalm of the glories of the Messiah and His bride.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
February--Week Five
Article: Religious Debates and Arguments Are Unfruitful
- Present the Gospel! The parable of the banquet is an example of how we are to present the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and our Savior and Lord Jesus. We prepare and present—we set the table and prepare the food—but those we tell are free to accept or reject what we are giving them. Jesus said, “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’
“The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” Luke 14:16-24
- There is only one way to come to Jesus Christ. That is by being drawn by the Holy Spirit. I believe that when we don’t truly understand the Holy Spirit and the line between where our responsibilities end and what the Holy Spirit “handles”, we feel the need to debate and convince people, doing it in our own strengths and abilities. But what if those debates and arguments only drive a wedge between the lost and the Holy Spirit? What if they feel disrespected and close themselves off completely to salvation through Jesus? We are to present the Gospel, the Holy Spirit draws them and prepares their hearts. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. John 6:44-45 NKJV
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:26
- So then, what should we do to spread the Gospel? Tell people about Jesus. Tell them about the Kingdom of God that Jesus’ preached. Speak God’s Word into every situation that you can. And most of all let your life be a walking, breathing testimony of what life in the Kingdom is like. Show them peace in the midst of chaos, joy through hard times, God's provision in difficult financial times, and smile through a bad day. Plant Kingdom seeds wherever you go! You plant the seed but the Holy Spirit brings the rain and the sunshine. “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s Word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s Word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Matthew 13:18-23
- There may be times, especially in today's world, when you will need to protect the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must know God's Word and protect it from being twisted and changed by false teaching in the church. Don't bow or stay silent to false teaching. Speak God's Truth without being pulled into arguments. Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 1:3-4
All scriptures are NLT unless noted.
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on Ephesians 5 and Psalm 44. Ephesians 5: How we are to live our lives as Believers, guided always by the Holy Spirit. Also, having a Spirit guided marriage and comparing it with Christ and the church. Psalm 44: Lamenting current situations to God, while also telling of past victories from Him.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!
As you read your Bible (God's Constitution for the Kingdom), highlight key scriptures and phrases as the Holy Spirit guides you. What scriptures touch you and minister to you? We have also included links to Bible Gateway in case you don't have a Bible with you at the moment.
This week, read and meditate on Ephesians 5 and Psalm 44. Ephesians 5: How we are to live our lives as Believers, guided always by the Holy Spirit. Also, having a Spirit guided marriage and comparing it with Christ and the church. Psalm 44: Lamenting current situations to God, while also telling of past victories from Him.
Have a victorious, fruitful week! We pray your hearts are filled with gratitude for His grace and mercy! Keep seeking the Kingdom!