YOUR WORKMANSHIP IS MARVELOUS

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it."
Psalm 139:14

While getting an eye exam recently. My doctor hauled out a piece of equipment that I hadn't seen before. I asked him what the device was, and he responded. "I'm using it to take a picture of the inside of the back of your eye "
    I was impressed that someone had invented a camera that could do that. But I was even more impressed by what my doctor could learn from that picture  He said, "we can gather a lot of details about your current health simply by looking at the back of your eye."
    My doctor's comment amazed me. It is remarkable that a person's overall health can be measured by the health of the eye. What care the Lord has taken to place these details in the bodies He has created it immediately brings to my mind the words of David, the psalmist, who reveled in God's creativity: "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well" (Psalm 139:14).
    The enormous complexities of our bodies reflect the genius and wisdom of our great Creator. The wonder of His design is more than breathtaking it gives us countless reasons to worship Him.
   Lord, we are in awe of You! Thank You that You created us with such complexity and care and that You know us with such intimacy. We love You and trust You with our lives.

REVIVAL

"I have heard all about you, Lord, and I am filled with awe by the amazing things you have done. In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as you did in years gone by. Show us your power to save us. And in your anger, remember your mercy."

Only God can restore life no something that has died. If you find that your heart had grown cold to God, that the spiritual life of your family or church has waned, call out to God to revive you, for only He can give life. It is not your activity but your relationship with God that brings life!
    Spiritual fervor can ebb if left unattented. We all begin our walk with the Lord enthusiasticall., with an excited sense of anticipation. But over time, busyness creeps in. We become distracted and let our sin go unchallenged. We may take our relationship with God for granted and not notice the gradual decline until we find ourselves drained of spiritual vitality.
    This decent can happen in your church just as it doies in your personal life. Do you remember a time when the Holy Spirit was moving nightly in your church, and tgd members sensed God leading in an exciting direction? Are the service now lifeless and the power of God only memory?
     At a time like this it is futile to try to bring back life yourself. You can organize many activities and exhort those around you, But only God can resurrect what is dead. If God has initiated something in your life, or family, or church, only He can sustain it or revive it. If you sense that spiritual vigor gas gone out of your life or the life of your church, this is God's invitation to pray.  He wants you to intercede with Him so that He might revive His work. Jesus said that He is life.  It is unnecessary to remain spiritual lifeless when He has promised vibrant, abundantly life if you will claim it.

Conditional Promises

"If you remain in me and words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you."
John 15:7

Certain promises have strings attached. Like this one from John 15:7 true, we may ask whatever we wish, but Jesus qualifies our prayers with two important condition: we must be living in close fellowship with Him, and our requests must be in line with His will.
     Some Christian think that prayer is like a blank check. Just fill in the amount whenever you like, no matter what your spiritual condition, and God will cash it for you. Not so. When Jesus says, "Remain in me," He's talking about a consistent lifestyle of closeness to Him, not a sporadic spirituality.
    And as far as the other condition, "If my words remain in you," Jesus doesn't mean that you have to have a seminary degree or a Bible school diploma, You can known tons of theology without ever letting it grip your soul. Jesus was referring to running Scripture through your mind over and over again in order to find new ways to please Him and bring Him praise. Whatever we ask will be given to us if we walk closely with the Lord and remain consistently in His Word.
    One more thing. For years I applied this prescription to my own prayers request for divine healing. I have sought to remain in the Lord and have His words remain in me.
    1John 5: 14-15 says, "If we ask anything according to his will, he bear us. And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him."
Lord, I'm asking only that Your will be done in my life. I have the assurance that You will always say "yes" to that prayer!
   

"FOUND IN HIM"

"And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
Philippians 3:9

The song says. .
Up from the ashes, your love has brought us
Out of the darkness into the light
Lifting our sorrows, bearing our burdens, healing our hearts
Not having our own work or our own plans, but resting in the omnipotent of God.
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5).
To abide in Christ, to be "found in Him," what an incredible reality! This is our goal, our purpose, and God's ultimate purpose for us. Abiding in Him is the other side of being possessed by Spirit of God, the fruit of brokenness, say I'm moving forward, and the beauty of the Christ life. When He truly reign s as King in us in all things, then we we will always be "found in Him"
     Paul talked about being "found in Him" in Philippians 3:9 and he went on to say in verse 12, "Not I have already attained...but I press on." Scripture tells us that we are already in Christ, but Paul was going a step further by talking about the full appropriation if this reality in his life. He "pressed on" with all his heart,  and so must we,
     When we live fully in His plan and not our plans, His ideas and not our ideas, His thoughts and not our thoughts (Isaiah55:8-9). His work and not our own, then our lives are hidden in Christ because we have reached the point of brokenness. You must find this place if you really know that He Is there.
     Every day must be a step toward living in this place, being to take over, where your thoughts cease and He fills you with his thoughts. Your devotional time is not just an opportunity to give God your list of request, but rather a time of change and transformation, a time of surrender and becoming one with God. Each day, set yourself a specific time of total surrender, of seeking God to take over your thoughts, plans, dreams, vision, feeings in short, everything.
     This is yielding; this is possession. You must know, thought, that God will not take over your will and force you into this place. You never lose your will. Possession us when your will is daily given to Him so that you may enter his rest, "the secret place" and be found in Him."

A Mysterious Work

"Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."
JOHN 3:8 NLT

Read John 3:6-16

In an earlier study, we saw that Jesus told Nicodemus, a Pharisees member of the Jewish council, that a person must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. Predictably, Nicodemus was stunned and bewildered by Jesus' declaration. "'How can a man be  born when he is old?"' he asked, then followed up with a crass question as to whether Jesus meant that a man must re-enter his mother's womb and emerge again. Here is bone of the moist learned men in Israel standing puzzled by theological concept expressed by Jesus. But his reaction is not unique. Many believers down through the centuries have struggled to understand the process of regeneration. They have fine so because regeneration is extremely mysterious. In fact, atitd root, it is impenetrable.
     Jesus acknowledges as much in His conversation with Nicodemus. "'The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it."' He says, "'but [you] cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So everyone in regeneration is something like the wind. We can hear the wind howling, we can feel the breeze against our cheek, and we can even see the devastating when the wind blows terrible. Force. But these are secondary things we cannot see the wind itself. Even so,bwe cannot detect the Holy Spirit as He comes to regenerate our hearts, for He leaves no footprints. We cannot even pinpoint the moment of our spiritual resurrection. Nevertheless, regeneration is a spiritual reality that takes place internally and transforms a person to meet the requirement for seeing the kingdom of God.
    Because of this mysterious nature of regeneration, many professing Christian struggle to find assurance that regeneration has truly occurred bin their lives. It can be very difficult to find certain about the states of our own souls, let alone those of others. But the regeneration wrought by the Spirit shows itself I changes to the nature of the person who is born again. At rebirth, the internal disposition of our souls is renewed, so that we come to have an affection for God we did not have before. Thus affection is far from perfect, but it is there  and bit is real. Our hearts begin beating for God and we begin to manifest the fruit of a changed of life.
     Do you struggle with assurance that you have been truly born  again? Scripture makes clear that God wishes His children to have such assurance. Study the verses below and apply them to yourself. Do you see evidence of supernatural change in your life? If so, rejoice. And rest assured that you will indeed see the kingdom of God.

"Produce much Faith "

"But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father."
JOHN 15: 7-8 NLT

"If ye abide in me. . . . " If we are born again, we do abide in Christ. If Jesus had said that and that alone, we would have had it made, but Jesus said,. . . AND my words abide in you. . . " Jesus' words abide in us in the measure that we act upon them
   If Jesus' words abide in us, we are bound to have faith, because the Bible says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the by the word of God" (Roman. 10:17). It would be impossible for Jesus words to abide in someone and that person not have faith!
   Unbelief, or doubt, is a result of ignorance of the Word of God. If we love the Word, then when we come to pray, that Word dwells in us so richly that it becomes Jesus' Word on our lips. It will be as the Father's words were on the lips of Jesus.

ARE YOU READY? LETS GO!

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.
2 Timothy 3:16

If you believe the Bible to be true, and that, this verse then we must admit that there is much in it that points to the devil as a personal entity. This book is written because there are millions of people who do not realize the actual presence, personality and power of the devil. Others are like the proverbial ostrich. They wish to hide their heads in the sand (in the sand mean there is a revelation in this). as they deny the existence of Satan altogether, even though they know better. Or, they protest that he should be neither discussed not disturbed. Not only writer of the New Testament, but Jesus Himself, tells us about the evil one. It is therefore, imperative that we understand who he is and what he is up to.
   The devil rules the kingdom of darkness, organize and command hordes of demons and fallen angels, possesses realms of power, and maintains stronghold s by deceiving nation, cities, groups, individuals. The gates of this kingdom seek to withstand and overcome the church of the living God.
   When Jesus declared concerning His Church that. . .the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt.16:18b), He was proclaiming that every formidable fortress of Satan falls flat before the legions of the redeemed marching victoriously under the banner of His cross.
May you do great thing as The Lord said, you Can Destroy the Gates of Hell, to move into the battlefield of victory in the Lord Jesus Christ, having divine assurance that, if God be for us, who can be against us! (Romans 8:31).
Christ said, Go ye into all the world. . . Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils. . . Lo, am with you always, even unto the end. . .(Mark 16:15; Matt.10:8;28:20).

JESUS' EYES

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
MATTHEW 9:36 ASV

We were in line at the ice cream store when I noticed him. His face bore the marks of too many fights a crooked nose and some scars. His clothes were rumpled, though clean. I stepped between him and my children, using my back to erect a wall.
   The first time he spoke, I didn't hear him I scarcely made eye contact with him. Because my wife wasn't with me thought I was a single parent and gently said, it's hard raising them alone, isn't it?" Something in his tone made me turn to look at him. Only then did I notice his cgildren, and I listened to him tell me how long his wife had been gone. His soft words contrasted with his hard exterior.
    I was duly chastened Once again I had failed to see beyond outward appearances. Jesus encountered people whose outward appearance could have turned Him away, including the demon possessed man in our reading for today (Mark 5:1-20). Yet He saw the heart-needs and met them.
    Jesus never fails to see us with love. Even though we have scars of sin and rumpled nature that shows in our stutter step faithfulness. May God help us to replace our haughtiness with Jesus heart of love.

THE TURNING POINT

Jesus replied, " You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
MATTHEW 16:17 NLT

This is the turning point of the Synoptic Gospels. From this moment on, Jesus begins to fulfill the prophecies of His death.
Peter had not come to this decision by study or by instruction, not by nature or by education, neither by with nor by human wisdom. Flesh and blood had not revealed it to him. God the Father in heaven revealed it to him by His Spirit. It was revelation knowledge, and Peter, therefore, was blessed because of it.
The Apostle Paul also confessed that he conferred not with flesh and blood (Gal.1:16), but received revelation knowledge of the gospel directly from God
   There are things we learn from heaven that we can never learn here on earth. There are truths from heaven that are not taught in school. If we were to learn them, we must receive them straight from God.
   When we speak by divine revelation, we are all blessed. Any time we can tell what God is thinking, what God is doing, what God is going to do, we are blessed by bringing forth revelation knowledge from God to the people.
   No one truly knows Christ except by divine revelation. We do not get to know Him through a sermon or by studying a book. True, we can get to know him in a personal way only when the Holy Spirit reveals Him to us as the unigue Son of God.

Grace and Truth

the law was given through Moses; God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.
JOHN 1: 17

With my soul I will bless the Lord with every though and purpose in life. A daily devotion  I read story about, when W.P. MACKAY Left for college, his mother gave him a Bible. On the front page she inscribed, "To W.P. from your mother."
    In college, W.P.began to think of himself as an atheist and even became the first president of the atheist society in Canada. One day Mackay was in the emergency room when a young man was brought in whose body had been badly crushed by a fall, still conscious, the boy inquired about his chances. Dr. Mackay replied, " young man, you don't have two hour to live."
    Calmly, the young man said, "That's akk right, Doctor. I'm ready."
     Is there anything I can do for you?" Mackay asked. "Yes," he said, "in my pants pocket is my paycheck. Send it to my landlady for my last two weeks' rent. And also ask her to send my book."
    Dr. Mackay dispatched an aide from the hospital and began his rounds. At the end of the day, he went back to inquire about the boy. A nurse told him that he had just died. "Did he get 'the book' he asked for?" "Yes she said, " it'd under his pillow," and Mackay walked into the room and reached beneath the pillow.
     There was an old Bible and Mackay opened it s!Owly. The first page was inscribe, "To W.P. from your mother," it was the Bible he pawned years before.
    He took the Bible, went to the doctors' lounge, kneeled, and begged for God's mercy and forgiveness. Dr. Mackay eventually became a Christian apologist and author. The Bible he had abandoned many years before changed his life, just as it has the lives of untold millions. And this nook can change tour life too.

Is God a Conversationalist?

"Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."
Psalm 46:10 NLT

ARE THERE ANY PARALLELS between being a good conversationalist  and talking with God in prayers? Is prayer conversation or simply letting God know what you want?
     Some people believe that God talks to them when they pray. I think of that old hymn about coming to the garden early in the morning where God "walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own."
    One of the heroes, in this story, Mary Slessor, was a Scottish woman who spent most of her life in Nigeria, Africa  then known as the Calabar. When Slessor returned home, some people observed her frequently muttering under her breathe. A few assumed her mind was slightly addled.
    When confronted with her behavior, she responded that she was simply talking with Jesus, explaining that she carried on conversation with Him constantly.
    Good conversationalists are also good listeners. But most never really stop to listen to God something vital for a real conversation. How do you hear His voice? Do you expect it to be accompanied by thunder and uttered in a deep tone that will cause the walls to shake? Or might His voice be a still, gentle voice inside? Looking back, my spiritual life in my early days as a Christian could have been more meaningful if someone had taught me to speak less in prayer and listen to God more.
     God tells us that we should be still and know that He is God. For many of us, its hard to be still while we are talking. But take heart. If you want to be a good conversationalist, learn to listen with your heart, and if you want to be effective in prayer, keep listening. Are you listening?

Who is in Control

I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide all his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people and not for a reward! I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken!"
ISAIAH 45:13

At one time in my life statement like that made me cringe and become resentful. Not until I released my grip on my horizontal perspective did I find any comfort in God's sovereignty. Little by little, it began to settle in my mind, bringing relief instead of fear. God is in charge.!
"Wait a minute, wait a minute," I hear you saying, "I've got a question." We all have question about this. I told you it was profound. I told you we couldn't understand it. We want to be in charge. We want to say, "No this is up to me. I choose my own friends. I choose my own interests. I decided where I wanted to go to college."
Now it's my turn to say, "wait a minute." Who sent out the proclamation that you are now in charge? It's not up to you. You're the clay; He's the potter. Remember? You're the branches; He's the Vine. You're the servant He's the Master. It's all in His hands. What a wonderful way to live! What may seem at the time like a series of mysterious, illogical events is, in fact God at work in ways too deep to explain, too profound for you to grasp. . . right now.
   What about the future? Can I know any part of God's determined will for my life in the future? Your spiritual position and your eternal destiny are the only two things you can know with certainty. If you are in Christ now, you can know for certain you will remain in Christ at every moment in the future. The remainder of your future is hidden from you until it happen. Your career, your marriage partner, your home location, your grade in school, your sickness, accidents, honors, travels, income, retirement are all part of God's determined will but are not revealed ahead of time. Apart from your spiritual position and external destiny, all will happen in your life cannot be predicted with absolute certainty. Mark in the margin of your Bible beside these verse: "Decreed will of God." His decreed will is at work in your life. He's chipping away in your life, causing you to take on the character of His Son. And had You to access became  victorious. Psalm 115:16 ; The heaven are the LORD'S heaven, but the earth he has given to the children of man. God degree and God permit!

HIS LOVINGKINDNESS

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man whom the Lord flies impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long, for day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah,
Psalm 32:1-4

When you deceived those around you, you're living a lie. And when the child of God tries to hide sin, the guilt virtually eats him or her alive. But when you finally come to terms with your sin, and you make your confession, when you declare yourself guilty, God "surrounds you with His lovingkindness" His magnificent chesed.
I acknowledge my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgression to the Lord"; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. .  
Many are the sorrows of the wicked; But he who trust in the Lord, lovingjindness [chesed] shall surround him. (Psalm 32:5,10).
We see this same pattern in Psalm 51. Same context. Same man. Same set of sins. In fact, look in your Bibles and you'll see in the superscription, just below the title, that this is " A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he [David] had gone in to Bathsheba. " So this is month after David had committed adultery and had Bathsheba "s husband, Uriah, placed in the fiercest point of battle where he surely would be killed. David hugged his secret sins to himself until that day when Nathan courageously looked him in the eye and said, " You are the man!" And David response, recorded in  this psalm, is "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your chesed"
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out transgression. Psalm 51:1
"Lord, I'm  at Your mercy," And God granted it to him.
Do you remember the part of David great Psalm 23?
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever Psalm 23:6
God's goodness and lovingkindness-- His chesed His mercy Some quaint commentator once suggested that since this psalm is written from the viewpoint of s Shepherd and his sheep, that last verse could represent God's sheep dog named Goodness and Mercy. Sheep of God, do you realize that these two faithful "dog"  watch over you and care for you? Their presence reminds us that relief has come. They nuzzles us back into the shadow of the Shepherd, who graciously welcomes us and forgive us.