The Savage Five

I stand amazed and in awe of God once again.  He is such a faithful and mighty God!  He is not quick to answer many times the cries of our heart because He know Oh too well the fruit that will be produced in and through us as we endure hardships.  He knows all too well what He is doing and He is very systematic in His approach that to our feeble minds seems so disjointed and haphazard.  His timing is impeccable and He will never give us more than we can handle. James 1 2  e Count it all joy, my brothers, 2 when you meet trials f of various kinds, 3  for you know that g the testing of your faith h produces steadfastness. 4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be i perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Beloved, His purpose behind his perceived delay is perfection!  Count is ALL joy!  He is perfecting that which is His own.  You are not your own! I Peter 2 9  But you are z a chosen race, a a royal b priesthood, c a holy nation, d a people for his own poss

A Living Stone and a Holy People 2  j So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2  k Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual l milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3  if indeed you have m tasted that the Lord is good. 4  As you come to him, a living stone n rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5  o you yourselves like living stones are being built up as p a spiritual house, to be q a holy priesthood, r to offer spiritual sacrifices s acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6  For it stands in Scripture: t “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, u and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7  So the honor is for you who v believe, but for those who v do not believe, w “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 1 8  and x “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, y as they were destine

The Command to Rebuild the Temple 1  a In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to b Zerubbabel the son of c Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to d Joshua the son of e Jehozadak, the high priest: 2  “Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord .” 3  Then the word of the Lord came f by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4  g “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while h this house lies in ruins? 5  Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: i Consider your ways. 6  j You have sown much, and harvested little. k You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who l earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 7  “Thus says the Lord of hosts: i Consider your ways. 8  Go up to the hills and bring wood a

The Lord is teaching me that many times after an intense time of fasting and prayer the enemy tries to come in like a flood.  But I love that the Lord raises up a standard against him.  If we can keep our eyes open to the tactics of our enemy, the devil, then we will have an advantage when the battle starts raging around us. Two of the biggest tools of the enemy against God's people are distraction and discouragement.  So I guard my heart and my mind and measure everything that happens in the natural against the light of His truth.  Yesterday the enemy reared his ugly head through my oldest son and for a moment I was fearful and the Lord quickly reminded me to trust Him.  I vocalize out loud that I trust Him and then I begin to battle on behalf of my children because I recognize the devil seeks to kill, steal and destroy everything that God has planned for their lives.  He also desires to sift them as wheat .  That word sift comes from the greek word siniazo which means to shake

The benefits of this fast have already been obvious.  One of the things I was praying for was that God would remove any and all pride from me.  I do not ever want to give satan an opportunity to make a mockery of what God is doing in my life.  I have realized over the years that pride is the single most destructive tool of the enemy that defiles the effective ministry of Jesus Christ. I not only want to be found faithful I want to be effective in all that I do for the Lord .  As I see the hand of God move in profound ways through prayer and fasting the enemy comes knocking and tries to tempt me to share the glory with the Lord.  God has been so gracious to me in protecting me from this temptation but I realize that no one is above the temptation of pride and for this purpose I fasted and prayed. Proverbs 29 e One's pride will bring him low, f but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. I want nothing more than to obtain honor for God and His kingdom.  I also have a gr

I Corinthians 10 31  So, whether you eat or drink, or u whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Jesus was tempted immediately after his fast so we can be assured that we will be too.  I have already been tempted to eat more than vegetables and water but today I have resolved to eat fresh fruit only.   I did not really stumble in eating anything inappropriate but my portions were too large.  We need to recognize that the enemy is lurking during this time to rob of us the physical rewards of our fast.  He cannot rob us of our spiritual rewards but if we are weak he can make us feel like we failed and I do not want to give him any place in my life . So I ask Father in the name of Jesus once again for grace as I slowly break my fast.  I commit to you to only eat fruit and water today and for the next week help me to eat tiny portions and not over indulge in the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.  I ask that you I not be lead into temptation but that you would deliver

Joel 2 Return to the Lord 12  “Yet even now,” declares the Lord , i “return to me with all your heart, j with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13  and k rend your hearts and not l your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, m for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; n and he relents over disaster. 14  o Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and p leave a blessing behind him, q a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? 15  r Blow the trumpet in Zion; s consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16  gather the people. t Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; u gather the children, even nursing infants. v Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17  w Between the x vestibule and the y altar z let the priests, the ministers of the Lord , weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord , and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. 1 a Why should they say

Daniel 10 2  In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for f three weeks. 3  I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I g anoint myself at all, for f the full three weeks. 4  On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing h on the bank of the great river ( i that is, the Tigris) 5  j I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, k a man clothed in linen, l with a belt of fine m gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6  His body was like n beryl, his face o like the appearance of lightning, p his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and q legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and q the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7  r And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8  So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and s no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, 2 t and I retained no stren

My heart is overflowing with a good theme !  Although the battle is raging literally all around me I have been saturated with the peace of God like never before in my life.  I have a distinct awareness of the  love and provision  of Adonai over my life right now.  He has provided sanctuary for me not only in His rest but in a literal manner as well. I feel God's everlasting love for me and am overwhelmed.  Today everything seems very clear and the sky is magnificent and the flowers are blooming in fragrant array.  I love you so much Lord! God's Everlasting Love  Romans 8 31  What then shall we say to these things? p If God is for us, who can be 9 against us? 32  q He who did not spare his own Son but r gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33  Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? s It is God who justifies. 34  t Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— u who is at the

Daniel 9 Gabriel Brings an Answer 20 x While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for y the holy hill of my God, 21 while I was speaking in prayer, the man z Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, a came to me in swift flight at b the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 c He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you d insight and understanding. 23 e At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, f and I have come to tell it to you, for g you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word h and understand the vision. In Daniel 9 we see an exemplary example of an intercessor.   Daniel and consecrated, holy man of God fully devoted to His purposes, yet he humbled himself and repented on behalf of his people taking responsibility for the sin of the nation. Then we see the Lord is so pleased and wanted Daniel to know this so He

The Lord reminded me today that although we feel weak during our fast that the opposite is true as we press in and pray because in our weakness He is strong and as we humble ourselves in prayer and fasting He looks upon us with intent eyes and He leans in to hear what we are saying. From the very first day of our fast He has heard us and although we feel powerless our prayers are power-packed.   I have seen such great turmoil as well as great breakthrough in a few of the people that I have been praying for during this fast.   I am so encouraged and reminded that while fasting the enemy would like you to get distracted by your physical state (frankly my clothes are hanging) or the turbulence that is kicked up in the spirit realm as a result of our fasting and pressing in to the Lord with resolution and perseverance.   I have encountered much warfare in my home through this fast and the Lord will have me go and get on my knees and pray and He has been keeping me focused on the task an

Father in Heaven you are sooooo amazing and your son Jesus is so beautiful and I love you for the way you are moving profoundly through this time of fasting and prayer. The Lord has really been moving over lives that I have been interceding for in a powerful way.  This does not come without much spiritual warfare of which I will not discuss because we are to focus on pure things .  But be assured that when you enter into an intense season of prayer and fasting there will be opposition but it is because the enemy knows his time is short and he is going about LIKE a roaring lion but he cannot stop the Lion of Judah! Psalm 27:3 l Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet 1 I will be confident. Isaiah 59:19 v So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; w for he will come like a rushing stream, 2 which the wind of the Lord drives. According to Revelatio

   Stewards of God's Grace I Peter 4:1-6   4  Since therefore z Christ suffered in the flesh, 1 a arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for b whoever has suffered in the flesh c has ceased from sin, 2  d so as to live for e the rest of the time in the flesh f no longer for human passions but g for the will of God. 3  For the time that is past h suffices i for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4  With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of j debauchery, and k they malign you; 5  but they will give account to him who is ready l to judge the living and the dead. 6  For this is why m the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. God continues to give me grace during this fast an although I have not been perfect during this

Daniel 1 :11-21 11  Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12  “Test your servants for v ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13  Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat k the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14  So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15  At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate k the king's food. 16  w So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them x vegetables. 17  As for these four youths, y God gave them learning and z skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had a understanding in all visions and dreams. 18  At the end of b the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs