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My Treasure

Isaiah 33:6 (AMPC) And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His.

I love this verse. This verse has been on the cover of my Facebook page off and on for the past few years. How much do you desire stability? Stability in our lives makes us feel more secure and safe. You may be saying, ‘look at the things going on in the world, do they look stable?’ Right now there is a war in Israel. The United States just launched an air strike against Iran in retaliation for the attack that killed three American soldiers. Let’s not talk about the price of everything going up and the interest rates. Are those the things we look at to gauge stability?

John 14:27 (AMP) Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

An abundance of salvation. This my heart leaps for because I want to see the captives set free. As I have written before, ‘Sozo’ is the Greek word for salvation. It means to save, deliver, heal, restore, to be made whole. In Hebrew it means deliverance and redemption. We cannot separate salvation from the need of repentance. I grow in my salvation when I realize I have a great need for Christ. I have to remind myself of that daily, because Amanda still likes to live. I so much want to surrender to that Sozo life.

John 10:10 (AMP) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

How many of us would like more wisdom and knowledge? I know I would. That is why I read every day, if I am able. Most days I am able to spend a couple of hours to read. I know that it is a something that not everyone is capable of doing. I did not start out with a couple of hours. I started out with maybe five to ten minutes. I had to make it a priority in my life. I make sure that i am at least reading a few verses from my Bible every day. When I am at the gym, I am listening to the Word being taught. I love the Messenger X app. It is completely free and is tool from Messenger International, a ministry of John and Lisa Bevere. Reading without application really is a form of disobedience. I will go further in that in my last point.

Joshua 1:8 (AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.

The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His. This is where i want to sit for a moment. This fear is not of failure nor of punishment. It is ‘God, am I honoring You?’ Once we receive salvation we become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am now called into the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). I am now an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus gifted us with five fold ministry (Ephesians 4:10-11) and the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). The fear of the Lord is also a gift. It is even a treasure. I take the Word very seriously, even the commands that Jesus left us. I am constantly allowing the Holy Spirit to put me in check because of the fear of the Lord. One verse really stood out to me this past week:

Exodus 20:7 (AMP) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the Lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].

Most of us were brought up with warning of not saying ‘oh my God’ or ‘Jesus Christ’ as response to be startled or in the heat of an argument, as in taking the Lord’s name in vain. How about how we live our lives as Christ’s ambassadors. Are we selfish? Are we self seeking? Do we put others down? Are we putting ourselves first? Do we take an account of a suffered wrong? Are we slandering? Do we stir up gossip and strife? All of these are taking the name of the Lord in vain. I have started to take this very serious in my life. I have written before that my prayer this year has been for God to increase His love in me, so that it is all that flows out of me. That requires me to submit to His cleaning some things out of me. Boy has this been an eye opener and stretching of my faith. The love walk is not an easy one. However, with the right training, it can become something we enjoy. I have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. FYI, those who just talk it and do not live it actually come off unloving. It is truly a humbling thing to go back and apologize. Asking for forgiveness is an essential part of our love walk. I have to continually die to the rights of Amanda.

I go to the gym five days a week, not because it helps me looks good. I go because it gives me strength that I am going to need one day (we all get older). That is why I submit to the Lord. It is not about me looking good. Every day I need that strength to go through some really tough things. I know that I am being watched by people. I know they are writing down my words. That can be a really scary thing. In James it talks about the great weight it is to teach the Word (James 1:1). People hold you to a higher standard. Then it talks about if anyone who does not say the wrong thing then they are perfect (James 1:2). I am not perfect. I do misquote things, not with the intention of twisting their meaning, but in my zeal for the Word. Why do I do it then? Honestly, I would rather not be doing it. Like Paul, I am a bond-servant to it (Galatians 1:10). Even if my words are judged, it is His Word that brings freedom. I am in awe of who He is. I cannot keep it to myself.

When I focused on the reverent fear of the Lord, as my treasure, things began to change in my life. Stability is in my time. I am not afraid for the future or what is going on around me. I am quicker to repent and put into practice what the Word says (James 1:25). I take it seriously. I have an abundance of salvation. I have more life, more hunger, more thirst, more contentment, more wholeness like never before. Wisdom and knowledge started to chase after me. The light bulbs started going off. The way I present the Word changed. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight (AMP).” My relationship with God is so much deeper than I could have ever imagined. He is not some distant God. He is not a God that cannot be reached. He is my secret place. I am surrounded by Him. The more I enter in, the more I am consumed by Him. He desires to meet with us face to face. He desires to commune with us like we read about with Abraham and Moses. We can have that. I do not need anyone to write books about me, when He has written the best one (Psalms 139:16, Ephesians 2:10). His authorship did not do away with my free will, I will still have to give an account (2 Corinthians 5:10). Focus on Him. Honor the Lord. Let Him be your treasure.

Yahweh, Elohim, our Master, our Creator, You are Holy. We do not need anything but You. Thank You for Your Son. Thank You for the Way that You provided, established at the beginning. You are the Author of the beginning and the end. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. We are alive in You because of that great gift. Thank You for the gift of Your Word, of the five fold ministry, of the body of Christ. We are sorry for the times we took these gifts for granted and did not hold them dear. Thank You for the gift of the righteous fear of You. You said that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. We desire Your Wisdom. We desire Your ways. We desire the stability that only You can bring. We repent for seeking out anything or anyone that would take attempt to take Your place. Thank You for the gift of salvation, for restoring us to wholeness. Thank You for forgiveness, let us be courageous in giving it away freely. We choose hope today. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Who do you say I am?

2 Samuel 22:47 (AMP) The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.

Psalms 46:10 (AMP) “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”

While in prayer yesterday, I kept going back to “I exalt You, Lord.” There is a reassurance within yourself when you are rooted and grounded in the knowledge that He is our Rock. Why not exalt Him? It comes from what we say He is. We often limit the greatness of God in our lives by filtering His awesomeness through the lens of our view of the world. How can you tell? It is by the words that we speak, by our actions and by the way we respond verbally or non-verbally (your attitude).

Luke 6:46-49 (AMP) “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not practice what I tell you?  Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words and obeys them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a [far-sighted, practical, and sensible] man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and yet could not shake it, because it had been securely built and founded on the rock. But the one who has [merely] heard and has not practiced [what I say], is like a [foolish] man who built a house on the ground without any foundation, and the torrent burst against it; and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

We are going to have times when the waters of life comes against us. We can either collapse under the pressure or be secure in who we are in Christ. Christ is our Rock. Be still and know (recognize and have a deep understanding) that He is God. We often want God to take us out of the storm or to cancel the storm. How can we exercise our faith or our peace if we never have to use it?

When I read the word foundation, and remembered the rock that it was lain on, I had to go back to Jesus’ question: “who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:15-19 (AMP) He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus answered him, “Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, favored by God] are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood (mortal man) did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ]. I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.”

The word rock is not singular in meaning throughout these verses. In Hebrew, as referred to in the old testament verses, it is tsur, meaning a word that describes God’s constancy, strength, power and presence. In Greek, it is petros, sharing origins with Petra and Peter. Often we reference “rock” here as revelation knowledge (knowledge that you now live by because you understand it). If we are referring to Jewish tradition, they often referred to Moses, so Jesus being the Rock would be God’s provision for us (the grace and goodness of God flowing through Jesus as released through the Holy Spirit).

So which it is? It is all of it. When we try to make the definition singular, when we try to limit to just one aspect, we limit who God can be in our lives. Jesus is asking, “who do you say I am?” If He is Lord, then act like it, stop running the show. If He is your Savior, do you really know what that means? “Sozo” is the greek word for salvation, but it is way deeper than the forgiving of sins. It means wholeness of spirit, soul and body. Is He Immanuel, God with us, then invite Him in to every part of your life. If He is your Prince of Peace, then lay down the anxiety and worry. Can He be your Everything? Can He be the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Immanuel, our Rock, Prince of Wholeness, our Healer, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father…Everything? If you are not ready to take it all in, I understand, it can be so much. I made up my mind a long time ago that I wanted everything God had for me, so that meant I could not limit who He was in my life. I want that for you life too. Be still and know is the confidence in me to do the hard things. He is my Rock, a firm foundation.

Abba, Father, Creator, God, You are so Marvelous, You are so Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy is Your Name. Thank You for sending Your Son. Thank You for providing the Rock of our Salvation. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Thank You for our Wonderful Counselor. We repent for not laying the correct foundations in our lives. We are sorry for the times we put in our own reasoning along with Your Goodness and Mercy. We repent for the times we have allowed bitterness, unforgiveness and self pity to take part in who we allowed You to be in our lives. We are sorry for limiting You. We want Your fullness, You make us whole. Our redemption is not just for ourselves, it is for all. Give us the courage today to step out in boldness and proclaim Your Great Name. You are our Everything. We are secure and grounded because of You. Let us not speak anything contrary through our lips. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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What am I seeking for?

Matthew 7:7-8 (AMP) Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.

What is it that we are to be seeking after? Is it health? “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; the punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, and by His stripes (wounds) we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). My health is secured in His work, I do not have to seek after it. The Apostle John even speaks about our health in 3 John 1:2, “Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually].“

Is it that my needs will be met? Are my bills going to be paid? Are we going to have food to eat? Will we be able to fill up the gas tank this week? Will we have clothes for our growing children?

Matthew 6: 25-33 (AMP) Therefore I tell you, stop being worried or anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted) about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, as to what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the harvest] nor gather [the crops] into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by worrying can add one [l]hour to [the length of] his life? And why are you worried about clothes? See how the lilies and wildflowers of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin [wool to make clothing], yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor dressed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Therefore do not worry or be anxious (perpetually uneasy, distracted), saying, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ For the [pagan] Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; [but do not worry,] for your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

Do I need to be seeking after relationships? “For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit]” (Galatians 5:14). In order to have relationships we have to be willing to meet people. I am a recovering introvert. I do know this, His Word is true. All of it! Since belonging to a church and actually getting involved (which is not the same as attending and walking in after it has started and leaving as soon as the service is over), I have grown to put into practice this commandment. When people know that you genuinely care for them, without seeking a benefit for yourself, then we have the type of relationship that produces for the Kingdom.

Hebrews 10:23-25 (AMP) Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]; and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.

I do not need to seek after health, finances, nor relationships. They are all promises to me (not to say we do not need to pray regarding them). They are a part of the SOZO package. SOZO is the Greek word for salvation. It means wholeness. Wholeness in spirit. Wholeness in soul (mind, will and emotions). Wholeness in body. Seeking after would be where we are putting our focus.

Revelations 3:20 (AMP) Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

Now that I have been made whole, what is it that I seek after? I seek to know Him more. I want to dine at His table. The banquet has been made ready. I walk in wholeness because those are the clothes He prepared for me. I do not need to seek after them. I need to recognize who I am securely in Him.

Philippians 3:10 (AMP)  And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did]

This was the word that I heard yesterday in prayer. What is is that you are seeking after? I was praying over those that serve in our church, and this is was what He wants to know. What is it that we are seeking after? I want His heart. I want His face. I do not need to seek after His hand. He says that I can come boldly into His throne room of grace (Hebrews 4:16). There I can find His amazing grace to help in the time of need. This is not something I have to keep knocking for. He wants me to come after Him over and over again to dine in His Presence. He wants me to hunger for nothing but Him. This is what we need to be seeking after. Both of us are knocking. When He knocks will we answer? When I knock He always does. He wants me to come time and again. The door is always going to open. That is what it is like for friends. To quote Fuller House, “It’s always open!”

Here is a promise when we seek Him: “Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). “Whoever is of God and belongs to Him hears [the truth of] God’s words” (John 8:47). Those people are doers of the Word (James 1:22). His Word is our direction.

King of all, Creator and Adonai, we honor You with our praise and thanksgiving. We are ever so thankful for Your Son. We are thankful that because of His sacrifice we can walk in wholeness. We have been put into right standing with You. We are thankful for the Holy Spirit, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells within us. Wholeness is not something we have to seek after, wholeness is a part of the promise of being in Christ. We repent for worrying and striving for the areas that you have already provided for. We repent for seeking Your hand instead of Your face and heart. We repent for making our prayer time all about our needs and not about seeking after You. We desire to establish Your Kingdom here on earth. We are choosing to surrender to You. We are choosing to forgive. We never want to lead others away from You. When we come into Your throne room we know that Your grace and mercy is there. We know that whatever we ask in prayer, if we believe, we will receive (Matthew 21:22). We trust in You. We repent for striving to make ways that You never intended. We repent for taking advantage of Your goodness and trying to manipulate outcomes. We honor You with everything, because without You there is nothing. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose faith today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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How I think of myself matters

Romans 12:2 (AMP) And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

Yesterday I had the privilege of ministering the word to my church. It was called “Mirror the Glory.” This is an excerpt from it. I believe our minds are the biggest battle we face to keep us from walking in the command to love, just as Jesus commanded us to. It all starts on how we see ourselves. The NIV starts off the above verse with “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.”

What is the pattern of this world? “I am the result of my upbringing.” “I cannot move ahead because I was not set up to succeed.” “I was not loved as a child so I do not know how to show love (or receive love).” “I grew up in dysfunction so all I know is dysfunction.” “I was abused so I seek out relationships that abuse.” “I have been through too much.”

1 Corinthians 7:23 You were bought with a price [a precious price paid by Christ]; do not become slaves to men [but to Christ].

Do not become slaves to this thought pattern. Do not allow this to keep you from the abundant life that He came for (John 10:10).

1 Corinthians 6:12 (AMP) Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].

We are held in bondage by the thoughts we have. This has nothing to do with His love for you. I can be held in emotional bondage and He still loves us.

Romans 8:38-39 (AMP) For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This has nothing to do about whether you are saved (going to Heaven), whether He loves you, this has to do about the SOZO. SOZO means to save, deliver, heal, to make whole. The devil’s goal is to separate us from God’s love, because God’s love is the main factor in our emotional healing.

Ephesians 3:17-19 (AMP) So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself].

In order to full experience this amazing and endless love, you need to go through the process of giving Him what bounds you. It is through this process that you experience the love to the fullest. The Holy Spirit was given to us to Comfort us through the process. It is going to hurt, but it is a good hurt. Let the spiritual roots of bondage be set free. Receive the wholeness that He came to bring you. It is a continual thing. It is not a one and done.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

Look yourself in the mirror today and make this declaration: I am fully loved by God. He adopted me into His family. The pain of my past does not determine my future. The spirit that now dwells in me has full access to my life. He has permission to search within me and clear out anything that the enemy can use to hinder the call that He has on my life. I am free! I am healed! I am whole!!