Tag : god
Tag : god
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)
I just spent a week at a national religious broadcasting convention. It is a week full of blessings. I see old friends. At corporate meetings we are inspired by messages from both political and religious leaders. We also have access to great interviews for our POP Talk media outreach. The days start early and end late. Going in, you know that you will be sleep deprived, but because of the intense schedule there is very little space for a morning quiet time with God.
When I returned to my morning ritual of putting God first, I realized that it is not as much about getting back into a routine as it is spending time with my heavenly Father. I had missed Him! At the convention I was surrounded by people who love God like I do but it was not the same as hearing from Him directly— praising Him at the start of the day, reading his Word, and lifting up all of those I care about. There is nothing more important than sharing a cup of coffee with God.
The question I am toiling with now is how can I put God first even in the busy times? I think it boils down to making Him a priority no matter what. Because I missed Him so much, at next year’s convention I plan to set my alarm a half-hour earlier (even if it means less sleep) so I can begin the important convention days with Him. I have to trust that He will rejuvenate me throughout the day if I make this small sacrifice. Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other Gods before me” (ESV). When we put our schedules ahead of God, that supersedes His rightful place in our lives.
How difficult is it for you to start your day with God? What do you have to do to put Him first?
Heavenly Father, the Bible says we are all sinners and fall short of your glory. Not putting you first is one way we can fall short. Help us to do what it takes to place you at the start of every day, at all times, no matter how busy we get. You are worthy of that position in our lives. Amen.
Categories: Blog
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:16-17, NIV)
Elisha, referred to as the man of God in 2 Kings 6, was a prophet that was protected by an army of angels when the king of Aram (now Syria) sent his earthly army to capture him. Ancient Aram was at war with Israel and the king of Aram was disturbed that Elisha was predicting where Aram’s army was going and warning Israel’s king—thwarting the king of Aram’s plan to capture Israel. He decided to send a strong force of horses and chariots to surround Dothan, the city where Elisha and his servant were staying. When the servant got up, and went out early the next morning, he saw the earthly army surrounding the city and he was afraid. In verse 17, Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” In the next sentence we are told, “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” At first, being surrounded by a large army with seemingly no escape terrified the servant, who could only see the earthly army through earthly eyes. After the Lord opened the servant’s eyes he could see the army of angels that were protecting him and Elisha.
“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’”
(Acts 26:15-18, NIV)
When Jesus spoke to Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, He said, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light.” Like Paul, when you encounter and follow Jesus, the Light of the world, you will start seeing things more clearly through spiritual eyes. Jesus says in John 12:46, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” When the Holy Spirit is in you and is guiding you, you start seeing things that His Spirit wants you to see. He warns you of eminent danger. The result is a keen perception or a discerning spirit that empowers you to be victorious against the spiritual forces of evil in the world.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
(Ephesians 6:12, KJV)
Recently, like Elisha, while in the middle of a personal spiritual battle, I was rescued by an army of angels led by my Lord and Savior, Jesus. While battling against the dark powers that surrounded me, I enlisted the prayer team of Pearls of Promise. I was fighting the rulers of the darkness of this world, and miraculously, an army of angels stepped in. I knew it was because our Pearls of Promise Founder, Lisa, my POP team members, and the prayer team were praying against this spiritual wickedness that was surrounding me. In 2 Thessalonians 1:7, the Bible says. “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.” In Psalms 91, I am told He will command His angels to guard me in all my ways. Because I love Him, they will lift me up in their hands, so that I will not strike my foot against a stone. He says He will rescue me and protect me because I acknowledge His name. He will be with me in trouble, deliver me and honor me. What a gift salvation is! I know I did not do anything to deserve it, except to love and acknowledge Him as my Lord and Savior.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”
(Psalms 91:11-16, NIV)
Categories: Blog
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.“
(1 John 4:1, NIV)
The Bible clearly tells us to test the spirits to see if they are from God. We live in a world full of lying spirits and we must test every spirit for truth. But what does it mean to test the spirits? And how do we discern a Spirit who is from God and a spirit who is not? In 1 John 4:1-6, two different spirits are identified. The first is called “the Spirit of God” or “the Spirit of Truth.” The second is called “the spirit of the antichrist” or “the spirit of falsehood.” The Spirit of God which is the Holy Spirit, will never deceive us or lead us astray. He will always lead us to Truth; Jesus, and a closer walk with God the Father. The second spirit is a fallen spiritual being that has attached itself to something or someone, and is a lying, deceitful spirit. This spirit may look and sound very appealing or might tug at your heartstrings, but under their sheep’s skin, they are vicious wolves looking to devour a sheep in Jesus’ flock (Acts 20:29).
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
(Matthew 7:15-16, NIV)
There are ways to test the spirits. The following are some ways you can distinguish between the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of lies.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us about wolves in sheep’s clothing and says we will recognize them by the fruit they produce. In Galatians 5:19-21, the fruits of the spirit of lies, which are acts of the flesh, are listed as: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Paul warns us, in verse 21, that those who live like this will not inherent the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus Himself says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” I know that I do not want to ever hear those words. Jesus is very clear that not all believers will enter the Kingdom of God, and says “only the one who does the will of my Father will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Many people today are confused by the verse in Ephesians that states that we are saved by the grace of God through Christ Jesus, and not by our works. The enemy has caused confusion and given many people an excuse to not hold themselves accountable for their actions. Scripture tells us Jesus will hold us accountable for our actions on the day He returns. We are saved by grace, His death on the cross washed away our sins and the sins of the world, however, we are to follow Him and live according to His ways and not the way of the world. Jesus Himself was tested in the wilderness for forty days. Satan quotes Scripture to Jesus and twists the Word of God to manipulate Him. Are we above Jesus? If Jesus was tested in the wilderness, then we know that the enemy is definitively testing us daily. We are to test the spirits daily. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, the Bible says do not treat prophesy with contempt, but test them all. Even when listening to your pastor, or your loved ones, hold on to what is good and reject every kind of evil.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.
(1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, NIV)
Categories: Blog
Our team is one week away from attending the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention where the who’s who of Christian media gather. In addition to taping eight POP Talk TV and radio shows with Michelle Burden and Renee Rollins, I will be pitching two documentaries at the convention, and I am praying through how to do that with humility.
When people promote projects or themselves, the tendency is to talk about their qualifications and experience to give them a snapshot of who they are, but I have found that boasting too much about myself, unsolicited, never feels good, and I generally regret it.
Instead, I believe we should pray for favor from God and that He will open the right doors. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up” (NIV). Ruth from the Bible provides an example of how actions can speak louder than words. After her husband died, she moved to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi and caught the eye of Boaz who was kind to her. Ruth asked, as she humbly fell on her face and bowed down to the ground, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Boaz replied, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before” (Ruth 2:10–11). Ruth did not have to pitch herself! It was taken care of by God as He provided favor with Boaz who she later married.
One of the other aspects of the NRB convention is that you can interview guests who are recognized worldwide. Even though we had booked our eight slots, we made time to interview a well-known Messianic rabbi, but the rabbi could not make time for us. This was a closed door and although disappointed, we are not fretting about it, because we’ve prayed through who we are supposed to interview. So as we get ready to enter this non-stop, high-energy media convention, I will look for the divine appointments, and will hopefully place others above myself. I am also praying the projects we have completed will speak for themselves.
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Join Pearls of Promise on our Tour of Israel January 9-18! It is going to be a fantastic journey to the Holy Land, with the covering of international tour company, Educational Opportunities. Click on the link to find out more.
Holy Land with Pearls of Promise Ministries – January 2024
Categories: Blog
Lane Jordan Burday is the newest member of our Pearls of Promise (POP) Team. and is serving as a POP Talk Radio Co-Host, is coordinating a Pearls of Promise 52-Week Devotional, and is our POP Prayer Co-Leader. Lane Jordan Burday is also an award-winning best-selling author of the 12 Steps to Becoming a More Organized Woman series of books. She is an international speaker, life coach, seminar leader, Bible teacher for 25 years, and an artist. She has served as the Associate Producer for the television program In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley. Her latest book, Evangeline, is a historical fiction based on the book of Esther. You can reach Lane at: www.LaneJordanMinistries.com or her blog at: www.PathwaysToOrganization.com , Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/164949369X Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58909052-evangeline
Forgiveness
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out (Romans 7:14-18 NIV).
Our little English Jack Russell, Toby, is one smart dog. But just like us, he has his faults. His worst fault is growling at us for no apparent reason at all! If we pet him when he does not want to be petted, he growls. If we pet him while he is on our bed, even after he has gotten his nighttime treat, he growls. If we look at him the wrong way, he growls.
Needless to say, we must discipline him. So, whenever he growls, we say, “Toby, no growl. Go to your bed!” He immediately jumps down and goes to one of his little beds placed around the house. But in about two seconds, he comes right back to us, but on his back legs with his little front legs dangling and a face that says, “Please forgive me!” Or he comes back and rolls on his back in the most submissive posture. You see, he knows he has been bad, but he can’t do the next thing until we say, “Ok, Toby, it’s all right.” Then he jumps up, licks our faces, and is now at peace.
And that’s just how we should be before our Lord. We try so hard to do the right thing, act and react the right way. And yet, we “growl” (complain, act in anger, covet, etc.) when we shouldn’t. But the beauty of walking with God is that He knows we will fail! And He wants us to know that He is always ready to forgive us. We just need to come to him in submission and ask for forgiveness. When we do, we get in right standing with our Heavenly Father, and peace and joy come into our hearts.
Aren’t we blessed to have a Father who loves us this much?
Categories: Blog