And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out. Leviticus 6:12-13 Recently I had a dream encounter where the Lord spoke to me that there is a greater need for more "fire on the altar." In this it was apparent that there was a need for prayer to permeate and infiltrate the atmosphere of the region. I could literally sense that the atmosphere was not what it needed to be - more prayer was needed.
God gave Israel the Promised Land. It was theirs as far as God was concerned, but they had to seize the God-given opportunity to possess it. God told them that He would send an angel to drive out the enemies before them. But an angel wouldn't do it on his own, God's people had to be obedient in order to get angelic help. (Exodus 23:20-23) They knew what God said, but they didn't take advantage of their opportunity to possess the land of promise. They fixed their attention on the problem rather than God's promise.
I think before I got sick, I didn't realize how often God actually allows us to endure the heat of the battle. I also didn't know how many battle scars come with that, but I can better see now how valuable those scars really are. I see how these scars, in the hands of our nail-scarred Savior, can be used for the purposes of His Kingdom and to help others who are going through things we already have or are still in the process of. I can see how our scars speak to where we've been, what we've been through, and the depth of our healing journeys; it is all painful but precious in His hands.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6 NIV Prayer: We thank You, Lord, for Your unfailing love! We praise You and sing to You for Your goodness. For surely, You have been good to us! As we continue to worship the Lord with joy and singing, and focus on the good things He has done, He will open up greater understanding.
Many try to keep The Ten Commandments, which no man can live by The Law. If you break one of the laws of the Old Testament, you are guilty of breaking all of it, which the penalty of it is death. That is why they continually covered their sins with blood sacrifices. Jesus is the One and only sacrifice that is eternally received for the forgiveness of all our sins, granting us eternal life with Him. Iââ'¬â"¢ve been studying on The Ten Gates of Nehemiah, and it is the spiritual growth of a believer in a nutshell. It is amazing how they all flow together, and if we strive to make sure all these Gates are strong in our life, we will never go wrong. It is like putting on our Armor because we will be putting on The LORD Jesus in obedience to Him.
In the book of Daniel, the LORD allowed King Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem. He ordered the court officials to bring in young Israelite men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. These men were renamed to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel purposed in his heart and requested not to be defiled with the portion of the king's delicacies or wine. After ten days Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were healthier and more nourished than the young men who ate the royal food.
What do you want out of life? Do you have a dream for your life, your children, your finances, or your marriage? Is there something you are hoping for - an idea, a goal, a plan, or vision? Whatever it is that you want, what is it going to take to reach it? We need to be reaching toward our dreams all the time because God didn't create us for passivity or to be static in life. So, if you've got your life in park, you need to get it in drive and start moving toward the dreams God has put in your heart. See, the things you want are not going to just fall into your lap.
Today's preaching from Christian pulpits is filled with compromise, often because of the wrong presentation of biblical love. Since love is a powerful motivating force that can drive people to the limits of their abilities and existence, it needs to be defined correctly in the church lest believers fall into grave error regarding our teaching and ethical standards. John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son." This illustrates the power of divine love! In this article, I will attempt to demonstrate why love does not define God, but God defines love.
In March of 2022, as I was going about my day doing some household chores, seemingly out of the blue, the Lord spoke to me, "It's time for restoration." His statement stopped me in my tracks as I felt the words permeate my entire being. In that moment, His tangible presence filled the atmosphere, and I knew that restoration for me personally truly had just begun. Upon receiving this word and having His presence invade my space in such a tangible way, I was excited and right away wanted to share the word with His people. Although I partially shared it with a few close friends, He instructed me to wait before I released it fully. It was not yet His timing for me to share it publicly. For over a year, I've waited for Him to give me the green light to share this word, and now it's time!
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Psalm 3:3-4 When we are going through a difficult time or dealing with a heavy burden of stress, anxiety, fear, or condemnation, it's extremely challenging to make the paradigm shift from self-occupation to Christ-occupation. So how do we do it? To answer that question, let me show you how David encouraged himself in the Lord whenever he was fearful, anxious, or depressed.
