Online Journals

Rhema:

Acts 19: 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
“‘I have made you[f] a light for the Gentiles,
that you[g] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[h]”
Inspect:

Paul and Barnabas was speaking about themselves in this scripture, and I believe we should be doing the same. The Lord sent us bring salvation to everyone. It is our job to bring light to the darkness, to show the lost the way to the Lord Jesus. Light is brought to darkness and not darkness to light. We must go where there is darkness. It is in the darkness where the lost are.

Commit:

I need to be light to the lost. I must not just stay where there is light, I must go where the dark is.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me what my job is. Please help me to shine brightly, not to draw attention to myself, but to draw attention to you. Please give me the courage to take your light to the dark.

In the name of the one who will help me to be the light for the lost, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 40: 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

Inspect:

When the Israelites were wandering around the wilderness they were directed by God through the movement of his cloud of glory. When the cloud stayed in place, they stayed in place. When the cloud moved, they moved.

I believe that since God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow he wants to direct us along the same lines today. God wants the best for us, he knows what place we need to be at what time to maximize our blessings. Where in the days of wandering the wilderness, God lead them through the movement of the cloud, I believe today he gives us the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit tells us to stay, we need to stay, when the Holy Spirit tells us to move we need to move.

Today the Holy Spirit gives directions through the Bible, in devotion times like this where a verse will pop us as rhema, speaking to our spirit direction. It may come through a sermon, a word from brother / sister, or directly from the Holy Spirit. It may an audible word, a vision or a nudge. We need to look for it, expect it and try to follow it. The Holy Spirit is a gentle dove and will not force us, he is like the cloud showing us the will of the heavenly Father.

Commit:

I need to look for the direction of the Holy Spirit. I must know that the Lord does not want me to wander aimlessly, moving without purpose, wasting time and energy. I must know that the Holy Spirit will direct me to stay or to move. I need to spend more time in the Bible, more time in prayer, more time with Godly ohana, so that I can better recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how to better follow you better. Please help me to hear and recognize the leading of your Holy Spirit better. Help me to see it in your Word, hear it in words of brothers and sisters and directly from the voice of the Holy Spirit. Then please help me to obey.

In the name of the one who leads to be in the best place at the best time, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Psalms 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

Inspect:

It is amazing how God’s creation testifies to the God’s glory and his workmanship. They constantly express the knowledge, wisdom and love of the Lord for us. Even though they don’t audibly speak, their message goes everywhere to everyone.

I believe this applies to us as well. We are God’s creation, the work of his hands. We too are called to express the knowledge, wisdom and love of the Lord. We can do it not only with our words but with our actions as well. Through our actions we can express the excellence and creativity of God’s knowledge and wisdom. But most of all, we need to express the love of God to all. As God’s creation is constant in doing this, we must be constant as well.

Commit:

As creation points everyone, everywhere, every time to the knowledge, wisdom and love of God, so must I. I must reveal God to everyone that I deal with not myself. It is God’s knowledge, wisdom and love that will save and bless others and not mine. I must not do it only with speech, I must do it with my actions.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how I must show others your glory and workmanship. Please send me your Holy Spirit so that I can draw others to you by not only speaking but showing your knowledge, wisdom and love. Help me to do it constantly to everyone and everywhere.

In the name of the one who created me and who will help me to draw all men to the Heavenly Father, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Acts 10: 27 While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. 28 He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

Inspect:

The Lord died for everyone, absolutely everyone. There is no one too impure or too unclean. God died for us what we were yet sinners. He accepts as we are. We need to do the same as well. We need to accept everyone. No one is too impure, no one is too unclean. We must not raise any objection. We must just go.

Commit:

I must not consider anyone impure or unclean. First off, who am I to judge. Only the person who is absolutely pure or clean can judge. I am not, so I must not. I must not object to anyone that God accepts and God accepts everyone.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me who I should be ministering to. Everybody. Please send me your Holy Spirit to help me to go wherever you send me. Help me to remember that there is no one impure or unclean.

In the name of the one who died for me when I was impure and unclean, Jesus!

Amen.

Rhema:

Exodus 33: 12 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”
14 The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Inspect:

This is a great lesson in leadership. Moses had just gone through a leadership crisis. Having left the people for a while, he came back and discovered that they had built an idol to worship. So here we see him speaking to the Lord.

- You have been telling me, “Lead these people,” but you not let me know whom you will send with me – I believe we are all called to lead others. It may not be obvious who it is. It could be our families, colleagues at work or school, friends in the community, we may not know who, but God will send us someone to lead.
- You have said, “I know you by name and you have found favor with me” – God knows each and every one of us as individuals. He has made us all unique and loves us as individuals. We have favor with him, otherwise he would not have sent his Son to die for us. God’s favor to us is totally by grace, we do nothing to earn it, we can do nothing to lose it.
- If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you, remember this nation is your people – Moses prayed that God teach him his way so that he can continue to please the Lord and so that he can lead his people to please the Lord. I find amazing that in the midst of a leadership crisis, Moses could have asked the Lord for anything, but he chose to ask God to teach him his ways.
- The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” – God promises that he will be with us no matter where we and where we go. And what a great blessing, he promises to give us rest.

Commit:

I need to be like Moses. I know that God wants me to lead, first my family, then those at work and those at church and in the community. I need to lead whoever he sends my way. I don’t choose my followers, God does. I must always remember that God knows who I am, he knows my strength, he knows my weakness, after he made me. He loves me for myself. I want the Lord to teach me his ways. I must have a hunger for the Lord’s way and nothing else. His way is the only way that will work all the time under any condition. I need to learn to sense the Lord’s Presence no matter what. He promises to be near me, so I need to trust that and sense it. Then I need to rest. His giving me rest, I need to receive it.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for showing me how leadership works. Please help me to accept whoever you send my way. You know much better who I can lead than I can. Help me to know that you love me for what I am and who I uniquely can be. You don’t want me to be like anyone else. Teach me you ways. Give me a hunger to learn more and more of your ways. Help me to sense your Presence in every situation. Help me to receive the rest that you have for me.

In the name of the one who will help me to lead your people, Jesus!

Amen.