Let God Pay You Back~Joyce Meyer

Let God Pay You Back

August 2

And forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
—Matthew 6:12 (NLT)

Any time you are hurt by another person, there is always the feeling that he owes you something. Likewise, when you hurt someone else, you may have a sense that you need to make it up to him or pay him back in some way. Unjust treatment, abuse of any kind, leaves an "unpaid debt" in the spirit realm. Such debts are felt in the mind and the emotions. If revengeful feelings from what others owe you, or from what you owe them, become too heavy or linger in your heart too long, you may even see unhealthy results in your body.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven (left, remitted, and let go of the debts, and have given up resentment against) our debtors." (Matthew 6:12). He was speaking about asking God to forgive our sins, and He referred to them as "debts." A debt is something that is owed by one person to another. Jesus said that God will forgive us our debts—release them and let them go, act toward us as if we had never owed Him anything. He also commanded us to behave the same way toward those who are in debt to us. Once again, let me say that this may sound difficult, but it is much more difficult to hate someone and spend your entire life trying to collect a debt that the person can never pay.

The Bible says that God will give us our recompense (See Isaiah 61:7,8). I never paid much attention to that scripture until some years ago while studying in the area of forgiveness and releasing debts. Recompense is a key word for anyone who has been hurt. When the Bible says that God will give us our recompense, it basically means that God Himself will pay us back what is owed us!

Leadership: Have you spotted any specific problems that need a leader to take action? (78-1)~Barry Werner

Have you spotted any specific problems that need a leader to take action? (78-1)

July 13th, 2009 in Courage/Risk-Taking, Judges, Leadership Principles, Obedience to God, Old Testament,Problem Solving, Purpose/Passion | leave a response

“These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (He did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience)…They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands which He had given their forefathers through Moses” (Judges 3:1-4). God desires the success of His people and will give the necessary resources to win and even teach, train and test His people. God also provides the leaders and leadership needed to help His people succeed. Effective leaders find a way to help their team win. Read Judges 3:1-33.

Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz, found his people surrounded by enemies from Mesopotamia. God put His Spirit on Othniel and he stepped forward, led the armies of Israel and prevailed. This victory led to 40 years of peace until the leader died.

Later, after Moab formed an alliance with the Ammonites and Amalekites, they attacked Israel, won and forced Israel to be their servants for 18 years. God raised up Ehud, gave him great courage and a stealth plan and equipped him as His leader to lead the people to victory. The peace lasted 80 years.

Israel’s third judge was Shamgar who “killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad” and rallied the people over Philistia.

Each of these leaders was called by God. Even though they were called by God each leader had to use their free will to choose to follow God. Each of these leaders had some elements in common that we can learn from:

• Each of these leaders spotted a specific problem that required action.
• Each of these leaders had the competence to address the need.
• Each of these leaders had the passion to act.
• Each of these leaders had the ability to influence others and persuade them to join them in God’s cause.
• Each of these leaders employed whatever measure it took to accomplish the desired goal.

Have you spotted any specific problems in your area of responsibility that need a leader to take action? If God has allowed you to see the problem and yet you have not taken action, have you asked yourself why? In almost every case it will be a perceived lack of competence, a lack of passion, the fear that you will not be able to influence others to join you or the fear of failure. If God allowed you to see the problem, can you trust Him to use you to be His person to lead your team to win?

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Tags: Competence, Influence, Leadership, Passion, Problem Solving, Success, Work

Even More on God's Promises and God's Law~Bob Hoekstra

Even More on God's Promises and God's Law

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was notto Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through therighteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect.(Romans 4:13-14)

These words from the book of Romans provide further consideration ofGod's promises and God's law. Abraham is again the person around whom the insights unfold.

God promised Abraham blessings beyond measure. "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 28:14). These promises were not contingent upon Abraham's ability to follow God's holy law. "For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law." When God made these promises to Abraham, the law was still hundreds of years from being revealed. Likewise, these promises were not contingent upon circumcision (the sign of this covenant with Abraham). "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of thefaith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe" (Romans 4:11). Circumcision was added after Abraham heard the promises and believed.

In these encounters with God, Abraham was being asked to put his trust and confidence in the Lord. "For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." When Abraham believed in the promises of God, at that moment, God declared him righteous in His sight. "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him forrighteousness" (Romans 4:3). Abraham trusted in the Lord, and this gave him a right standing with God and allowed him to enter into God's promises.

The only other option to "God-dependent faith" would be "self-dependent law performance." Such an approach to God would be totally unacceptable. "For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is madevoid and the promise made of no effect." Attempting to merit God's promises by law performance says we view faith in Him asmeaningless. Striving to earn what God has pledged to provide says we consider His promises as ineffectual.

Dear Lord, forgive me for my frequent attempts to accomplish by my performance that which You offer by promise. Lord, I see that this shows disdain for faith in You and for Your promises to me. Please give me a fresh new awareness of the excellence of faith and the power of Your promises, Amen.

Having predestinated us ... Ephesians 1:5 ~Jon Courson

Having predestinated us ...
	Ephesians 1:5
Is there a pre-determination concerning salvation? Yes. But guess what? God is never seen anywhere at any time in the Bible predestining someone to go to hell. He only predestines people to go to heaven. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels (Revelation 3:5). The implication of this passage is enormous, for it seems to suggest that every man’s name is written in the book of life — until he makes it clear that he has no interest in the Lord, that he doesn’t want to walk with the Lord, that he wants to turn his back on the Lord. Only then is his name is blotted out. Thus, when the book of life is opened at the Great White Throne Judgment, when all of the unbelievers are brought before God and discover their names absent from its pages, it’s not that their names were never in the book. It’s that their names were blotted out because they chose not to accept God’s plan of salvation for their lives. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). Before the world was even spoken into existence, God saw the people who would respond to His love — not those who would initiate a search for Him, for none seeks after Him (Romans 3:11) — but those who would be inclined to respond to Him. Whom He foreknew, He predestinated, saying, ‘I can see that Mitch is going to respond when I make Myself known to him, when the Gospel is shared with him. Therefore, I predestine Mitch to be part of My eternal Kingdom.’ ‘Well,’ you say, ‘then why was someone who God knew wouldn’t respond to Him allowed to live in the first place?’ The answer is that if a person was not allowed to play his life out to the fullest extent, he could protest at the Great White Throne. ‘I got rid of you early because I could see that you weren’t going to respond to Me,’ God would say. ‘Oh, but I would have,’ the unbeliever would protest. ‘No, you wouldn’t,’ God would say. ‘Yes, I would have,’ the unbeliever would insist. And there would be a perpetual argument. So even though it is His desire that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), God lets Joe Schmo live his 70 years to prove that righteous and true are His judgments (Revelation 16:7). Then why does hell exist? Jesus gave us the singular reason: Hell exists for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41). It was never God’s intent to allow anyone on earth to spend eternity in hell. In fact, the only way anyone can get there is over the dead body of His Son.

Don’t Grow Weary~Mark Balmer

Don’t Grow Weary

Posted:

Based on “iServe” by Pastor Dean Corns; 7/25-26/09,

Message #DC129;

Daily Devotional #6 - “Don’t Grow Weary”

Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:9-10) It certainly is easy to grow weary in this fast paced world. What with inflation, recession, gas prices, and just the stress of daily living, it’s hard to keep a smile on our face and do good. Just trying to survive each day with a victorious attitude has become an art form. Yet along with all of this stress comes the unique "trials of life." From health issues to financial disaster, we must all battle the ups and downs of living in this fallen world. Yet, unlike the unsaved, God has empowered us to be victorious during these exhausting times. His Spirit within us will allow us to soar on eagles’ wings over frightening situations in our lives. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to embrace, appropriate, and share with the family of believers these eternal Promises as we follow the example of our Christ!

Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): We can be disobedient and choose not to accept His plans for us. Or, we can walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) and believe in His Promises, serving wherever He directs. It’s absolutely our choice. My five-year-old granddaughter faced such a situation recently. Against her better judgment, her parents encouraged her to remove the training wheels from her bike. After only going a few feet she ended up under the bike in the middle of the sidewalk. Immediately she got up, picked up the bike and walked it back to the garage. She threw it on the floor and told her dad to put the training wheels back on! The next day she walked out into the garage and asked her dad to take the training wheels back off the bike. Her dad, reluctant to relive the horror of the previous day, asked her if she was sure. She assured him she was! Once the training wheels were off of her bike, she sailed off down the sidewalk without one mishap and never looked back! For her, it was all about determination. She didn’t give up! How about us, are we as determined to ride down the sidewalk of life, without training wheels, totally dependent on God? Or are we living life the safe way by keeping our training wheels on and depending on our own abilities to keep us safe? Are we afraid to step out and try something new?

Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): Our Heavenly Dad wants us to remove any "manmade" ideas and schemes we have to get us safely through life. His plan is always the best plan. I know this firsthand. Burdened by an insatiable desire to control my life and the lives of others, I have secured loans, manipulated people, and have even tried to manipulate God! But even my best plans failed, and I would always end up on my knees repenting for my actions of unbelief. Thankfully, He is a forgiving God and continues to remind me of His Promises, because His Word is the only thing in this world that we can trust! Governments will fall, friends will fail, and loved ones will leave, but Jesus Christ will never abandon us! He has given His very life for our success, and it is His will that we trust Him completely, following His plans for our lives, serving Him and others wherever He places us. So don’t grow weary doing good!

Cultivating (Additional Reading): 1 Peter 4; Galatians 6:14

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Look! God's lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) Voice of the Lord

The Voice of the Lord

Look! God's lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world!

AV 12 You're going to have to sit down for this one because it's going to be tough. I have to have a word with you about the life of crime you've been leading. You've been pulling off some big heists lately. And you have to stop! The jig is up! It's time to come clean. "But I'm not a thief!"—you protest. The truth is you are. We are all thieves. You see, a thief is someone who takes what doesn't belong to him, but belongs to someone else. So what is this big heist you've been pulling off? When Messiah died, he took all your sins, guilt, and burdens. But you're still carrying around your sins, your past, your guilt, worries, and the burdens of your life! Do you see now why you're a thief? In taking them back, you're stealing from Messiah! Messiah took your sins and the burdens of your life. They are his. They don't belong to you anymore. If you are in possession of them, you're in possession of stolen property. So my fellow thieves, burglars, and criminals, remember Gulgolta (Golgotha)—the place where Yeshua died—and give back all you have stolen. Hand over your failures, worries, guilt, sins, and regrets to their rightful owner. The jig is up! It's time to renounce your life of crime and come clean!

...write down one worry, one burden, and one sin that I've stolen back from Messiah. I'll give these to the Lord in prayer and destroy the paper, allowing them to remain forever in his hands.

The Lamb that was slain.~Daily Light

The Lamb that was slain.

"Your lamb shall be without blemish . . . and . . . the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. . . . And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.--The sprinkled blood.--Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.--"Delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God."--Because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.--Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Rev. 13:8; Ex. 12:5-7, 13; Heb. 12:24; 1 Cor. 5:7; Acts 2:23; 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 4:1, 2

EVENING

"I have trodden the winepress alone."

"Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?"--[The Lord] saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.--He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.--Becoming a curse for us.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.--He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.--Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

"March on, my soul, with might!"--We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.--"They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony."

Isa. 63:3; Ex. 15:11; Isa. 59:16; 1 Pet. 2:24; Gal. 3:13; Ps. 98:1; Col. 2:15; Isa. 53:11; Judg. 5:21; Rom. 8:37; Rev. 12:11

2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13 ~ Romans 15:23-16:9 ~ Psalm 25:16-22 ~ Proverbs 20:16-18

2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13 ~ Romans 15:23-16:9 ~ Psalm 25:16-22 ~ Proverbs 20:16-18
~ Listen to today's Scripture on DailyAudioBible.com (podcast) or OneYearAudioBible.org ~

Old Testament - Well, it was bound to happen. Assyria conquered Israel. They were bound to go after Judah / Jerusalem soon enough. Tough to stop an ego / power like that. It's "never enough". So, we get the bold boasts before the walls of Jerusalem by King Sennacherib of Assyria's representatives in Second Chronicles 32. Verse 14 includes this boast, which probably didn't make God too happy: "Name just one time when any god, anywhere, was able to rescue his people from me! What makes you think your God can do any better?"

It's great to see that Hezekiah took all of this to God in prayer in verse 20 - "Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven." Good move! How often in our lives today, when challenges come our way, do we take the challenges everywhere else BUT to God? Wouldn't it be easier to take them directly to God? Why do we turn to alcohol or drugs or food or worrying or whatever - can we simply take our challenges to the one true living God who can actually do something with them? Below is a painting of "The destruction of Sennacherib and his army" by the artist Rubens (1577-1640), which is currently at the Alte Pinakothek Museum in Munich -

Hezekiah later in this chapter receives envoys from Babylon. You'll recall from our Second Kings readings (full details are in Second Kings 20:12-20) that unfortunately, Hezekiah is a bit too hospitable with these envoys. He believes showing off his wealth will prove that he has worldly power and that the Babylonians will respect him and Judah. Isaiah sees that Hezekiah is relying on worldly wealth and not God, and Isaiah delivers a word from God that Judah will be exiled to Babylon. Indeed, this comes true in 115 years from when Isaiah delivers this word. How about us, in our lives today – do we try to impress people with our worldly wealth or toys or stuff, like Hezekiah was trying to impress the Babylonians? And further, do we actually try to rely on this worldly stuff rather than rely on God?

New Testament - Paul's words in Romans 15 verse 30 stood out to me today - "Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit." The thing that stood out to me in these verses is Paul's encouragement to his brothers and sisters in Christ in Rome to pray for him. Not only to pray for him - but to "join me in my struggle." That is pretty powerful to consider. That we can actually join someone in their struggle - in their work for the Kingdom of God - by praying for them! And I'll be honest - I do not do this enough. I rarely join my pastors and family and friends and spiritual mentors in their struggle by praying to God for them. I rarely join my missionary friends in their struggle by praying for them. I rarely join my brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted in other countries for being Christian by praying for them. I simply do not pray for others enough. And in not doing so, I honestly think I am missing out on something powerful. I am missing out on joining them in their struggle for the Kingdom of God! My selfishness in not praying for others doing Kingdom work in this world is my loss. But - this actually sounds selfish - "my missing out - my loss." Sometimes I guess I try to trick myself into doing something good (praying for others) by attaching a selfish reason (so I won't miss out). The truth here is that our pastors and priests and missionaries and spiritual mentors need us to take up the struggle with them by praying to God for them. Even Paul needed this prayer coverage - and he asked for it! I am afraid that too often our pastors and priests and missionaries and others doing God's work may not ask us for our prayers. But they need them! So - are you regularly praying for others in your life who are in ministry? Are you joining them in their struggle? Will you begin today / tonight by praying for someone in your life that you know who is in ministry? Will you take up the struggle with them?

Below is a great image for Romans 15:32 today -

Psalms - Psalm 25 verse 22 really stood out to me today: "O God, ransom Israel from all its troubles." As I read this, the Christmas carol, "O Come O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel" comes to my mind. Indeed, God would answer this prayer of King David's and send his Son to ransom Israel!

Proverbs - I love Proverbs 20 verse 17! What a great analogy - "Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth." Stealing is obviously a sin. And the spoils of this sin may taste sweet at first - but quickly turn to inedible gravel in our mouths. Well, I think this analogy works really with any sin we might commit. For one brief moment it seems sweet. But it quickly rots! Why do we sin in the first place? I think we're obviously looking for something. We're thinking the sin is going to deliver us something we're missing. But, of course, it doesn't deliver. It's empty. And sin can only pay the wage of decay and death. Only God can deliver what we mistakenly look to sin to deliver. Will you repent of sins you are committing? Will you instead turn to God to deliver what you are looking for? He will deliver. Will you stop building upon any mountains of sin in your life that turn quickly to nothing but mountains of gravel?

Worship God: I realize we're 5 months out from Christmas, but hey, it's never too early for Christmas carols is it?? :) Based on my Psalm 25 reflection above, here is a wonderful video produced by ChristianityToday.com of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" with some incredible artwork:

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture this week: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

Comments from You & Questions of the Day: What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!

God bless,
Mike

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