Author: Prudence
Today’s Encouragement 5/12/22
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36 NKJV).
With our nation being as divided as it is in almost all areas, we may be upset that others don’t see or feel like we do. We may become so focused on all the depravity, greed, corruption and deceptive news and feel frustrated that others aren’t seeing it for what it is. This, too, is a tactic of the enemy. He is an attention hog and the more attention we give to what he’s got going on, the less we will pay attention to what Papa is saying and doing. This will cause us to pray from a fearful position and not our rightful authoritative and victorious one.
It does not matter how many times we write, speak, watch documentaries or quarrel with each other or those with opposing view points. It will be of no avail because it is earthly reasoning at work and that does not penetrate the spirit. It is the Gospel that sets people free and dissolves the veil of deception. We must remember that our fight is not in the natural but in the spirit and we must stay focused on the spiritual things of heaven.
It is the influencing spirits behind the people that we need to battle,but the people themselves need the Gospel. Not the happy clappy, diluted version that we have become so accustomed to, but the Holy Spirit infused truth. Where the demons gather, we must also gather to preach the gospel and resist the devil and make him flee in terror. We must remember who we are and walk in that authority and power to see people truly set free.
Proper Alignment
This is a repost but still relevant and timely.
Three words kept repeating themselves as I drove to work this morning. Power. Position. Presence. Over and over, realigning as they repeated until they were in this order:
Presence-Position-Power.
The Lord is speaking something quite amazing and simple. When we seek His PRESENCE – to come up higher, dive deeper, dwell with Him, commune intimately with Him – then He POSITIONS us. Like a master chess player, He puts us right where He purposes us to be. What this looks like is not the same for every person – remember, we are a unique portion of a whole, but we each have a specific POSITION. It is in this position where we are given POWER. Power does not look the same for each person either, we are not clones of each other, but different facets of our Father. We are made in His likeness, in His image, but we are not cloned.
Because the words kept realigning themselves as I listened, I realized that many of us are out of alignment with God. Many of us search for position first. This is because we’ve been taught that we must be in the right place to receive power or Presence. Oh, how we have strayed by believing this! Position does not guarantee the presence or power of God, nor does it make us more effective in our purpose.
Some of us seek power first. We believe power gives us the ability to do what we think we should be doing. This is why there are so many “uncalled” leaders and people in the wrong ministry area. Ooh, did I just say that? Yes, I did. Throughout the Body, there are many trying to function in places they are NOT called to be in. This is one of the reasons for weak or failed ministries and why we often see religious tyranny within ministries.
There are some who seek the Presence first, but want power before position and lose sight of the journey. This is a dangerous place, and one that often breeds a hard heart toward the things of God.
Church, we must come back into proper alignment. Scripture gives examples. Joseph was intimately acquainted with the Lord, yet he was sold into slavery and ended up a servant in Egypt. Yet, everywhere he wound up, he was giving a position of power. God’s Presence in Joseph’s life Positioned him to be Powerful and ultimately led to the growth of the Israelite people. Had God not positioned Joseph in Egypt the way He did, the Israelites would have compromised themselves in Canaan and not become the people God desired them to be.
David was another. He was described as a man after God’s own heart, and he was continuously in the Presence of the Lord. Because of this, he was anointed as King. However, it was years of Positioning before he stepped into Power.
Christ, who ultimately is the One we should strive to be like, came from the Presence of the Lord and walked among us. Even while He walked the earth, He was in constant communion with our Heavenly Father. While we do not know the details of His childhood, I believe this was His Positioning period and when He was in Position, we know He walked with Power!
Wake up, stand up, get into alignment with what God is doing! Seek His PRESENCE, let Him POSITION you and walk in POWER!
Shalom 🙂
Today’s Encouragement 5/10/22
Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ (Colossians 3:22-24 NKJV).
Whether an employee, volunteer, caretaker, or homemaker we each have jobs to do. We also will have days or moments when we don’t really feel like or want to do those jobs. We may slack off or do the bare minimum, all while thinking no one is watching. Well, Papa is. And while He knows our motivations and reasons for doing, or not doing, what we are supposed to do, He desires to reward us for a job well done.
Ultimately, Papa is our employer. When we understand that there is nothing He does not see we can strive to please Him with our work. And as we please Him, we will find favor in the eyes of our earthly employer or led to a better opportunity.
Matthew 10:10b says a worker is worthy of his food. To eat we must work, to eat well, we must work well. We must shake off the cultural definition of work as drudgery and necessity and see it as a service to the Lord. Ministry is not just serving a local church, it is also serving God in the workplace, as a volunteer, as a parent, etc. Ministry is serving people.
As our perspective changes regarding the work we do, we will begin to feel contentment and satisfaction and peace. We will see the blessings our work produces, encouraging us to keep going. Work is not a bad thing, it is a blessing.
Our bosses or supervisors may not see all we do, but Papa does and He rewards accordingly. Bless Him with your work!
Today’s Encouragement 5/9/22
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20 ESV).
We have all heard “You are what you eat.” If we eat unhealthy food, our bodies will become unhealthy. This principle applies elsewhere as we can see from today’s Scripture. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, says “Bad company ruins good morals”. We behave most like who we hang around with.
It is often easier to lower our standards when we seek to please those around us. We must be wary of doing so as when our standards begin to fall, it can be difficult to raise them up again. Pay attention to the people you are with and how they affect your spiritual health and growth.
If you want to grow spiritually, surround yourself with people who are spiritually strong and healthy, who encourage your growth and cheer you on. Do not allow someone to bring you down, instead offer to elevate them to your level.