AFTERNOON DEVOTION

[Godbetheglory]

[Godbetheglory]

[Godbetheglory]

40 day journey

AFTERNOON DEVOTION


"To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
- Isaiah 61:3a


The Thorn: "He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow." - Colossians 2:19

In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he confronted the false teachers who were infiltrating the church and adding unnecessary requirements to the body and leading the people astray. Having let go of a firm hold of the Head, they were grasping at counterfeit religious experiences that were weakening the body. Isaiah confronted the hypocritical religious leaders of his day, and Jesus repeated those same words of condemnation to the Pharisees: "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men" (Mark 7:6-8). As the Head of the body, Jesus is as much the vital influence of the church as the head is to the natural body. The head controls the body and keeps it functioning properly. The body of Christ, when properly connected to the Head, Jesus Christ, should have the mind of Christ, see through His eyes, hear with His ears, know His will, and speak His Words. "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing truths in spiritual words...But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:13-16).

It is difficult to progress spiritually when we continually do those things that feed our natural carnal appetites. We prefer to hold on to man-made rules and traditions because they help us to quantify our religious experience and feed our flesh. Our carnal appetites tend to be more developed and exert greater control because we give them so much attention. Food stimulates the other appetites. If we indulge in physical food the appetites of lust and greed will be increased, but if we feed the spiritual appetite then we are able to master the flesh and conquer the carnal nature. As long as the spiritual appetite remains subdued in believers the body suffers unnecessarily. We rob the body of Christ of vital spiritual power when we place religious tradition and worldly desires above the Word of God.

The spiritual appetite is insufficiently developed in most believers, because we are so busy with every day cares and business that we are unable to get into communion with God. The spiritual appetite is awakened when we pray and fast (with the Word of God), and will become even more highly developed and active at the conclusion of an extended fast. The prayer life of the believer becomes intensified when fasting is a part of the prayer process. Fasting puts us in a position to become empty and receptive enough to obtain greater things and reach deeper spiritual levels. Over a prolonged fast we become indifferent to natural things and every faculty is realigned towards heaven, and we become more attuned and receptive to the Holy Spirit (Psalm 24:3-6).

As we begin this season of prayer and fasting, let us take time this afternoon to humble ourselves before the Lord, and lay our physical body, with its' carnal, worldly appetites, on the altar, and repent that we have not been intimately connected to the glorious Head of the church as we should be (Psalm 51:17). Let us confess that we have failed to give proper attention to the cultivation of our spiritual appetite, having allowed our carnal appetites to usurp the reign of the life of the Holy Spirit in His holy temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). As a result of our neglect we have been robbing the body of Christ of spiritual power, which has contributed to our weakness and declining health as a whole, and has limited our influence and impact in the world. May this season of prayer and fasting lead us to deepening intimacy with Jesus Christ, and to renewed heights of spiritual growth and progress, as well as restored health and well-being for the entire Body of Christ, and spiritual healing for our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14).

"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore me to the joy of Your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."
(Psalm 51:10-12)
__________________________________________________ _________________
_______

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 2)

"To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."
- Isaiah 61:3a


The Thorn: "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

In this much repeated Scripture we find a promise of healing if God's people would simply do what it says. If we would humble ourselves, God would hear; if we would pray and repent, God would forgive; and if we turn back to Him with all our hearts, acknowledging that He is our only Source of hope and help, He would heal us. "When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance" (2 Chronicles 12:7a).

God had placed His name upon the temple that Solomon built, His eyes were upon the people, and His ears were attuned to their prayers. He had promised to answer the prayers of His people in that place, but they defiled God's holy temple and still they believed that the temple would protect them despite their sinful ways. "Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD" (Jeremiah 7:11). Jesus had these same words of rebuke for the money changes in the temple when He overturned their tables: "It is written...'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers' " (Matthew 21:12-13). The modern church needs a holy housecleaning and to have the tables of the world, flesh, sin and self turned over so that we can be a clear channel through which God's blessings can flow to the spiritual starved and perishing world. Let us take time this afternoon to humble ourselves before the Lord and repent of those sinful habits and attitudes which have polluted our tiny tabernacles and have contaminated His house and prevented it from becoming a house of prayer. May we turn from our wicked ways and return to the Lord with all our hearts, so that through us He would "show the holiness of His great Name" and the whole world come to know the one, true and living God (Ezekiel 36:23).

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your name be the glory,
because of Your love and faithfulness."
(Psalm 115:1)
_______

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 3)

The Thorn: "Abba, Father," [Jesus] said, "everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will." - Mark 14:36

Our Savior suffered great anguish in the garden those final hours before He was crucified. His soul was "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (Mark 14:34a). So great was His love for the Father, that the offensiveness of sin that kept man separated from God caused such intensity of prayer that He sweat drops of blood. And while our Lord agonized, His disciples slept. "Are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?" (Mark 14:37b). Jesus renewed His request before the Lord and returned three times to awaken His disciples to watchfulness and prayer. They could not stir themselves to pray, and when the hour of their testing came they lacked the necessary strength to stand their ground, and instead fled and forsook the Lord.

How blessed we are to have a loving heavenly Father who continues to watch over and care for His church while she sleeps. It must break His heart to know that the agony which His Son suffered in the garden over our sin causes His church so little concern and loss of sleep. We do not mourn and weep over our sin the way our Savior did. We do not share His anguish. If we did, the church would be given completely over to watchfulness and prayer, in acknowledgment of our utter helplessness and weakness in the flesh. "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak" (Mark 14:38b). May God revive His church and restore to her the heart of the Father and the spirit of prayer. We need to awaken to our need of God, and repent of our apathy and indifference. May we come boldly before the throne of grace to find the grace we need to not be overcome by temptation, and find renewed strength to begin cry out to our Father on behalf of the perishing all around us. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9a)

"Do not be afraid, little flock,
for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."
(Luke 12:32)
__________________________________________________ _________________
___________

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 4)

The Thorn: "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen." - Romans 1:25

When man abandons God and thinks of Him less than He is (or not at all), he puts himself on the throne and makes himself his own god. When man suffered his disastrous fall, he lost his head and has been walking in a moral fog and with spiritual amnesia ever since. We don't know where we are, who we are, or whose we are! "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The Creator's first question to man, after he disobeyed His command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). God, who sees all and knows all, knew exactly what man had done and how tragically far from God he now was, and so He asked the question for man's benefit; but all man could see was his nakedness. The voice of God had become fearful instead of friendly. The world around him became his hiding place rather than his home. His vision became blurred and he became overly concerned with his surroundings instead of the One who was surrounding him. Man lost sight of God and could no longer sense His presence. The loss is incomprehensible!

Man exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and that lie continues to spread increasingly today. When man first began his tragic decline, it was because he began to listen to the voices around him rather than the voice of God - the voice of truth (Genesis 3). God, the Creator, wants His creatures to know who they are and who He is, but man's ability to hear and comprehend the things of God was horribly damaged when he fell. All around us are the loud voices of godless people who tell us that we don't need to know who we are or what bathroom we should be using. They continue to perpetuate the original lie, and insist that we continue to live in this constant state of confusion and chaos. The unregenerated man continues to heap burdens upon the backs of mankind they were never meant to carry. Man in this state of confusion is in bondage to his flesh. Within him an epic war is waging and he can hardly hear the voice of his soul crying out to be set free. God has placed in the lap of His church the key which will unlock the door to life and liberty, that will set men free from the chains that bind them, and restore them to the image of God (Isaiah 58:6; 61:1). "Haven't you read," he replied "That at the beginning the Creator, 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and other and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh" (Matthew 19:4). In the hands of the church has been deposited a sacred trust to speak the words of life that will raise dead men to life. May we repent for hiding our light under a bushel when there is so much darkness in the land, and for remaining silent when we have the truth that all men need. "How, then, can the call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?...Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:14, 17).

"...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed
in knowledge in the image of its Creator."
~ Colossians 3:10
_________

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 5)

The Thorn: "O LORD, you have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways." - Psalm 139:1-3

Our God is the omniscient One, who sees all and knows all. He knows the end from the beginning. His eyes are everywhere. Nothing is hidden from His sight. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from our presence?" (Psalm 139:7). The eyes that look upon us are tender loving, and caring eyes. He is the Creator of all things, and cares for all that He has made. He knows us completely and He loves us abundantly. He is always with us to protect us and to refresh us. The eyes of the Lord are on the lookout for those whose hearts are fully yielded to Him, so He can show Himself strong on their behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9). His eye of favor is upon those who fear Him.

The One whose eyes are upon us wants us to look to Him alone. He is the all-sufficient One who wants His children to trust in Him. God desires that His children rely on Him alone. God even forbade the kings of Israel from building an army of horses, because He knew they would depend on the creature for their strength rather than their Creator who has all power and is mighty to save (Deuteronomy 17:16). "A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its strength it cannot save" (Psalm 33:17). This afternoon let us repent of those idols in our lives that we have been clutching to for our daily strength and security, rather than throwing ourselves at the feet of our all-seeing, all-knowing, all-caring God. Something as simple as our daily dependence upon a cup of coffee can keep us from experiencing the power of His all-sufficiency. Let us ask God to open our eyes to see Him at work and to increase our faith, and to allow Him to be our eyes in all situations. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). Let us exercise our faith muscle and develop spiritual strength and energy as we continue in prayer and wait on God for the grace and mercy that we need. "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7).


"The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good."
(Proverbs 15:3)

__________________________________________________ _________________
_____

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 6)

The Thorn: "So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:20-21)

When God revealed His extraordinary plan to His servant Abraham, he fell facedown and laughed in disbelief. "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" (Genesis 17:17). A mountain of impossibility loomed before Abram. But God had just revealed Himself to Abram as El Shaddai, the Almighty. He placed before His servant the mountainous wall of His protection and power and commanded him to walk before Him (v. 1b). This renewed vision of the glory of God was meant to give Abram the courage he needed to walk boldly and obediently before God, so that God could fulfill His purposes through His faithful servant. God even changed Abram's name to represent the call on his life and set him before the people as a symbol of His promise to make him a great nation. "I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you" (v. 6). Abraham simply needed to get his eyes off of the mountain he had erected in his own mind, and redirect his focus to God, the Mountain One, and trust in His Almighty power to fulfill His promises He had personally spoken to His servant.

God placed His own name on Abraham to distinguish him among the people's in a special way. In ancient times, when a name was given it was a sign of ownership. God placed His name on Abraham and promised to honor and bless him. "...wherever I cause My name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you" (Exodus 20:24). God chose Israel out of all the nations of the world to be His chosen people through which He would display His power and presence, but they failed to maintain their separate and distinct position. Praise God His plan cannot be thwarted by man's unfaithfulness; His powerful name, once associated with a place, would now and forever be associated with a person - Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:9-11). God gave His Son the name that is above every name, and has promised to place this distinguishing mark on all who come to believe in His name (Romans 10:9-13). "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God" (1 Peter 2:9, 10a). The riches of Israel have fallen into the lap of the church for a time, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). God's promise to His servant Abraham will be fulfilled. God Almighty will be true to His word. "And so all Israel will be saved" (v.29a). As believers, it is our sacred responsibility, in this day of God's favor, to diligently steward the light that has been given to us while we still have it (John 12:35-36). Let us repent of our unbelief in the all-sufficient power of God to fulfill His promise in His perfect time and perfect way, and may we continue to display our faith and trust in His Almighty name by walking every day in His perfect will and seeking Him in unceasing prayer. "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19).

"Jesus looked at them and said "With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible."
(Matthew 19:26)

_______

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 7)

The Rose: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Heavenly Father, "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of Your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds. They will celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and compassionate slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O LORD; Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made" (Psalm 145:3-13). Father, help us to number our days so that we will have sufficient time with You. The busyness of our lives has robbed us of the blessings of intimate communion with You, which Your Son paid the highest price to restore that vital connection with You. Forgive us for all our idolatry which has usurped Your rightful place of preeminence in our lives and reduced You to being a priority on a long list of other things we have to do. Lord we submit our schedule and our time into Your eternal hands and ask that You would give us more time in Your holy presence every day. Use the time we have left to prepare us for the eternal home we will one day have with You. Lord, we long for that blessed day, help us not to waste a single moment now that we could better spend with You. With gratitude we humbly bless and honor Your everlasting name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
____________

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 8)

The Thorn: "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).

Before His departure the Lord promised that He would be with us always, and gave the promise of His Holy Spirit who would allow us to experience God's continual presence on a more deep, indwelling, and intimate level. "If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:15-17). The promise of the abiding life in Christ is dependent upon our love and obedience to God's commands. It's been well said that if God isn't Lord of all, He isn't Lord at all. If we truly allow God to have complete possession of our hearts and lives, a life of loving obedience would flow like a fountain from our hearts.

The name of the Lord, Yahweh, is associated with His saving acts in the history of Israel. He is the always present God who intervenes on behalf of His people. "I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them..." (Exodus 3:7, 8a). He is indeed the compassionate, gracious, forgiving, and redeeming God who revealed Himself to Moses, and has revealed Himself today in Christ Jesus. He invites all men today to call upon His wonderful name and be saved. "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10). Let us lay our hearts bare before the Lord today and repent of not fully obeying His Word, and for not fully surrendering ourselves so that God can have complete possession of our lives.

"Whoever has my commands and obeys them,
he is the one who loves Me.
He who loves Me will be loved by My Father,
and I too will love him and show myself to him."
(John 14:21)

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 9)

The Thorn: "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did no look after Me." (Matthew 25:41-43).

Once sin had contaminated the heart of man, he became unfit for the holy presence of God. Although His creatures chose to abandon Him, God in His love would not abandon them; instead He rose up from having completed His creative work and rolled out the blueprints of His great redemptive plan. God chose from among the peoples of the world one nation that would be set apart for Himself. Israel was chosen to be God's special instrument through which He would reveal His presence to man. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He chose for His inheritance" (Psalm 33:12). God purified for Himself a priesthood and instructed the building of a tabernacle, and then a temple, where He could dwell in the presence of sinful man. But even with their special covenant relationship with God, His commandments to keep them from going astray, and the sacrificial system to purify them from their sin, the heart of His people was continually bent on rebellion and sin. Left to himself, man would never choose to bend to the will of God, so God in His mercy provided the Man who alone would do the will of God and restore the rebellion, wandering heart of man back to perfect communion with God. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). The Son of God was sent to accomplish God's redemptive plan which, and through His sacrificial death on the cross He would break up the hardened ground of the original nature controlled by sin, and then plant a new nature within the heart of man, which would provide a temple where the presence of His Holy Spirit could dwell and fellowship with God would be restored.

There is no greater tragedy than to be separated from God's presence. We live in an environment on earth that unfits us for the heavenly life, but Jesus brought heaven to earth when He came and broke the power of sin and deposited within believers the power for a holy life so that we might enjoy His abiding presence on earth. In order that we might fully enjoy the abundant life God has promised us in His Word (John 10:10), one of continuous communion with Him, we must yield to the indwelling power and presence of His Holy Spirit and be led by Him moment by moment throughout the day. Someone once said, "to dwell with God and be indwelt by God is the greatest of God's blessings." "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20b). Let us repent for taking for granted the gift the Father has given, because we have not yielded to His holy presence and instead have polluted His temple with our sin. Let us repent that we have diminished His glory to the watching world by defiling the temple which bears His name. May we come to His fountain for cleansing so that we can be cleansed and restored to the joy of His presence. "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore me to the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me" (Psalm 51:10-12).

"Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers to you?
But I have been watching! declares the LORD."
(Jeremiah 7:11)

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 10)

The Thorn: "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:35-36)

Jesus Christ came to earth to model perfect humanity. The highest level of His nobility is seen in His humiliation. The Most High God took the form of a servant (Matthew 20:28); He made Himself nothing that God might be all (Philippians 2:7). Jesus showed us that the way to a life of joyful fellowship with God is to root out the pride that causes us to stumble and fall, and instead, in humility, root ourselves in the One who will lift us and seat us in heavenly places with Him and show us "the incomparable riches of His grace" (Ephesians 2:6-7).

When Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the desert to be tempted by the devil, He fasted 40 days; He did this to demonstrate His absolute dependence upon the Father (Matthew 4:1-2). "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work" (John 4:34). He acknowledged from the very onset of His earthly ministry His complete surrender to the will of God, and revealed that the first principle of the new kingdom would be one of total trust and dependence upon God. "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). God wants to make His children a channel through which the riches of His goodness and grace can flow to the world. May we begin to learn of Him, who is "gentle and humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29), and allow Him to take full possession of our lives, that He might teach us to walk with Him in complete humility and surrender through the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit who gives us power for a holy life. Let us repent of the pride in our lives that exalts self, rather than the high honor of God (whose death was necessary to redeem us from our sin and pride); and allow Christ's character to be formed in us that we would demonstrate His mercy and kindness to everyone. May we follow Christ's example and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of our Most High God, so that God can be all and the world may see His power. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10).

"Seek the LORD while He may be found;
call on Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for He will freely pardon."
(Isaiah 55:6-7)

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 11)

The Thorn: "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins." (Hebrews 10:11)

The death of Jesus Christ is our way to life. His atoning sacrifice on the cross for our sins rent the veil of the Holy of Holies and provided, by His precious blood, access to God. Jesus was taken outside the courts of the sanctuary to offer His life as the final sacrifice for sin, and has opened the "new and living" way into the inner sanctuary of heaven for us to have communion with God. We should no longer be satisfied with the outer courts of fellowship, when eternal riches are available to us in the holy of holies of intimacy with Christ, which He opened to us through His blood. "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).

Our Great High Priest is now seated at God's right hand in the place of power and authority where He continues in unceasing intercession. He has opened the way for all who believe to sit with Him in the heavenly places and lay hold of the spiritual blessings and eternal riches of heaven. His grace and power are at our disposal, if we are simply willing to ask. God has limited His work in the world to the prayers of His people who are willing to ask. He is infinitely willing to bless! "You may ask Me for anything in My Name, and I will do it" (John 14:14). Let us repent of the great sin of prayerlessness in the church, which has robbed us of the joy and peace found in moment by moment communion with the heavenly Father, and has depleted the body of necessary spiritual power and kept God's blessings from the world. May we confess our misunderstanding of this high and holy calling, which joins us with our Great High Priest in His work of intercession and lays hold of heaven and brings His blessings to the world, and ask our faithful Mediator to teach us how to pray. "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity" (Joel 2:12-13).

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through
the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the
house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance
of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies washed with pure water."
(Hebrews 10:19-22)

____

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 12)

The Thorn: "But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings of righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in the days gone by, as in former years." (Malachi 3:2-4)

God's love is a holy love. He is absolute moral perfection. Because God is holy He wants His people to be holy; this is the high standard He has set for His creation. "Be perfect, therefore, as Your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). When we are holy, we are healthy, and God places utmost attention on our moral health. He will destroy anything that seeks to weaken this blessed state of perfection His has purposed for His creation. But He also knows we cannot achieve this state of moral perfection on our own, so He sent His Son to destroy the power of sin and the grave, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to dwell within His children and give us the power of a holy life. "But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness" (Romans 8:10).

As, Consuming Fire, God sends His holy fire, not to consume His people, but to purify and restore us. He will rid us of everything that stands in our way of the most intimate communion with the Father. Let us repent today of any divided affections, and with humility and reverential fear and awe, ask God to come and apply the necessary heat of the refiner's fire so that all the dross of life is removed, so that He will see His perfect reflection in us. May nothing in us, or that comes out of us, rob our Lord of any part of His glory. "For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another" (Isaiah 48:11). May we be transformed through the sanctifying of His Word (John 17:17), that we may reflect His glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). May many more lost come to salvation and be able to escape the wrath that is to come. "Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!" (Romans 5:9).

"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor,
gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff
with unquenchable fire."
(Matthew 3:11-12)

__________________________________________________ _________________

[Godbetheglory]

CROWNED 40 Days (Day 13)

The Thorn: "The Lord says, "These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up of only rules taught by men." (Isaiah 29:13)

Nehemiah was a true servant of God. He saw the ruin and was immediately concerned for the honor of God's name which was being blasphemed. He began to cry out from the depths of his heart, seeking the Lord in mourning, fasting and prayer, in an earnest desire for the restoration of the city and revival of God's people. He knew who His Master was and wanted to serve Him, and he was willing to be used as a solution to the problem.

Jesus condemned the religious leaders who offered mere lip service to the Lord, and instead refused to obey His commands. They were more concerned with gaining the praise of men and serving their own purposes, rather than seeking the favor of God and serving Him with all their hearts. They wanted all the blessing that went with the office of God's servant, but none of the obedience the position demanded. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:36). When we call Jesus Lord, we declare that He is our Master and we are His servants. This relationship requires that we serve His purposes and not our own. His glory, honor, kingdom and will should be our utmost desire This afternoon let us lay our hearts bare before the Lord and ask Him to show us the true motivation for what we do. We need to ask ourselves if we are truly serving Him from a heart of obedience, or just serving ourselves and our own selfish plans. Do we say one thing and then do another? Even Moses, in talking to the Lord, was reluctant to fully obey God's command (Exodus 4:10, 13). In our time of repentance let us confess we have not fully obeyed God as we should. "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14). May He give us clean hands and a pure heart and make us a useful vessel for His holy purposes, so that we might be serviceable to this generation and be a help rather than a hindrance to His kingdom building plan. "In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument of noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared for any good work" (2 Timothy 2:20-21).


"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:
that You, O God, are strong,
and that You, O Lord, are loving.
Surely You will reward each person according to what He has done."
(Psalm 62:11-12)

______