Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 278

Day 278

Daniel 2:20

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:"

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Although he forgot it, he was still troubled by it. He wanted help remembering it and understanding the meaning of it. When the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans were summoned to help the king, they were unable to offer an interpretation without the king telling them the dream. The king threatened to kill them if they would not help him. The endangered men pleaded with the king to be reasonable and to realize it was humanly impossible for them to tell him what his dream was. The king thought they would make up an interpretation if he could tell them the dream, and he wanted to be sure they actually had the power to help him. So, he demanded they tell him both the dream and the meaning.

Daniel was considered a wise man, so his life was in danger also. He requested that the king give him time to come up with the interpretation of the dream. Then, he spoke with three of his Hebrew friends whose lives were also threatened and asked them to pray with him for God's mercy to deliver them. God revealed the secret to Daniel in a night vision. Daniel responded with praise to God. He said, "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his."

If we need the answer to something that is troubling us, we need to tum to God. If nobody has been able to save us from the suffering brought about by negative circumstances in our lives; we need to call on the source of wisdom and might. We always need to rely on God, but there are times when we more desperately need Him to show up than at other times. As the songwriter wrote, "If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now!" As Daniel did, we must be prepared to allow time to get a response from God. It is not that God has to send the answer a long distance or has to try to figure it out Himself. It is simply that we must prepare ourselves to receive. We would not understand some things if we received them "fast food" style. God usually needs us to settle down and allow our minds to be quieted, because the natural mind cannot comprehend spiritual things. Sometimes, God has to show us step by step. There may be some basic things we need to understand before we can understand other things. Some things must be taught to us line upon line and precept upon precept. As we seek assistance in the natural arena, speaking with doctors, lawyers, or other professionals, we must not forget that wisdom and might are God's. He can reveal our answers to us directly or through someone else, but the answer ultimately comes from Him. Then there are times we will ask and receive fairly quickly. There are other times when we must seek diligently to find our answers.

I will seek the Lord for the answers I need. I will quiet my mind and body and listen with my spirit to what God will reveal to me. I will diligently seek the Lord until, through a vision, a dream, a quiet voice, another human instrument or some other means, He gives me the answer I need. I will praise Him who is the source of all wisdom and might.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 277

Day 277

Ephesians 1:la

 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God... "

As Paul began his letter to the saints at Ephesus, he referred to himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. It is so important that our ministry, or what we do on a regular basis to participate in building the church of Jesus Christ, be established by the will of God, whether we are called as full-time ministers or not. It is also important that we keep before us that whatever position we hold is only what God has allowed us to have. Awareness of these things will help us trust in and rely upon God continually. It will also help us act and live more responsibly.

Paul took his calling seriously. He accepted the responsibility to give the gospel to those God sent him to and to set a good example to them. In I Corinthians 9:27, he said, "but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Our personal lives will either help or hurt our witness for our Lord. We must see ourselves as ministers by the will of God 24 hours a day. This view should motivate us to fellowship with God and allow him to perfect us on a daily basis. We should want more of Him and less of us to be seen.

 I will take it seriously that I am privileged to  serve God in whatever way He directs or permits. I will endeavor to stay in the will of God and highly respect my calling. I will order my behavior accordingly. I humbly acknowledge that I am honored  to serve the Most High.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 276

Day 276

Matthew 16:18

"And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

In response to Jesus' question about who his disciples thought he was, Peter declared that Jesus was the anointed Son of God. Jesus responded by telling him that his answer was revealed to him by God the Father. He went on to say that the revelation Peter received would be the foundation stone for His church. He said, "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

If Jesus is the Anointed One (Christ), the son of God, then His instructions to the church are of utmost importance to its success. As long as we follow Him, we will be invincible. Jesus speaks to us through His Word and by the Holy Spirit. We must follow His instructions carefully, because only He can build His church. He is the Anointed One, the Son of God. The foundation has been laid, and it is up to Him to build the rest.

Throughout history, since the beginning of the church of Jesus Christ, the gates of hell have endeavored to prevail against it. Through persecution, Satan has attempted to destroy the church, but he has not been successful. He has attacked the church with apathy, corruption and unbelief. But God has always had a people who will not compromise or water down their faith, and the church has survived. From time to time, moves of God stir up those who are asleep spiritually and gather in those who would be saved. The church continues to march on. Jesus said he would build His church, and he has never failed.

It is  up to  us to  choose to  be  on  the winning  side. The "look alike church" that does its own thing and finds ways to appease the world and compromise with them will not succeed. It will either fade away or lose its identity completely. Only those who will follow Jesus all the way will be a part of the church He talked about in Matthew 16:18. It is important that we flow with our Lord and Master so we can march forward confidently. We must not go about building what we think is good, no matter how full of good works or how spiritual it seems to be. The good things we do are not necessarily the "God" things to do. A great plan is not necessarily the right plan. Jesus promised that only what He builds will be invincible to the gates of hell.

I will stay tuned to my Lord and Master to hear and follow His instructions. As He leads me, I will follow. The gates of hell will not prevail against me.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 275

Day 275

Ezekiel 36:33-36

"Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and wastes shall be builded.

And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.

And they shall say, this land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.

Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God prophesied the changes that would take place in the land of Israel and among its people. These changes would occur for His name's sake. The Israelites were the people who were called by His name. They had turned away from God and were scattered, and their land had been destroyed. The heathen around them knew about their God but could only form their opinions about him based on what they saw. The Israelites did not represent God accurately and had brought judgment on themselves. However, God wanted the heathen to know the truth about Him. So, He moved among His people and changed them and their land to show that he was one who would restore what was destroyed.

When God sends us on a mission to build, to plant or to restore, it is important that we realize the assignment is to show God off and not to receive glory for ourselves. We must shun opportunities to focus attention on ourselves and tum the heathens' attention toward God. We must also be very confident about what can happen, because it is not we, primarily, who want the mission accomplished - it is God's idea. We may feel like we want this project accomplished. We may even want to boast about our compassion for those we are about to help. However, although we may have great motivation, even the desire and compassion we have has been given to us by God because of what He wants to do through us.

Whenever God gives us a project that seems impossible - one where everything good seems to have been destroyed and hope seems unreasonable, it would be a good idea to research the history of the situation and find out what used to be there. In many instances, God worked in that area, at one time or another but the wickedness of people caused it to become desolate. God, however, is a restorer. He rises up for his own name's sake and moves to rebuild what has been broken down. He inspired the rebuilding of the temple in Ezra's day, the rebuilding of the wall in Nehemiah's day and the rebuilding of the nation of Israel in our day. Destruction comes because of man's wickedness. Restoration comes because of God's goodness.

So, when we are assigned to restore and rebuild, we must not think twice about whether or not it can be accomplished. As long as it is God's assignment, it will be done. He will not do it because of our goodness or the goodness of the people we reach out to. He will do it for His own name's sake.

I will humbly accept every assignment God gives me to restore and rebuild I will remain confident that the work  will be accomplished. I will remember to give Him all the glory, even for the desire and compassion he has put in my heart to accomplish the task.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 274

Day 274

Psalm 105:14,15

"He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."

In Psalm 105, the psalmist told the story of God's care for His people from the time of Abraham. Before the Israelites became known as a nation, God protected them and even rebuked kings for their sake. In Psalm 105:15, the psalmist said God told people not to touch His anointed or cause any harm to His prophets.

I John 3:27 NIV says, "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you." We are God's anointed. His attitude toward His anointed is, "Don't touch them!" We should confess that we are God's anointed, because His anointing lives in us. We should allow that confession to help us learn how valuable we are to God. Our attitudes should be great toward life and its challenges. We are going to win! God is on our side! No weapon formed against us will prosper. Regardless of whatever bad thing anyone says about us, God says, "Don't touch them!"

In Matthew 25:40 NIV, Jesus said, " ... Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." He loves us so much that He takes personally how others treat us. Let us consider how God feels about us today and allow it to affect the way we treat ourselves, as well as the way we treat other members of the Body of Christ.

I appreciate how God feels about me and all His family. His high regard for me will influence the way I treat myself and other Christians in my home and outside my home.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 273

Day 273

Psalm 26:2

"Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart."

 With the words he wrote in Psalm 26:2, David was opening himself up completely to God's examination. Those words were powerful. It is not an easy thing to expose our hearts and minds to God in such an unlimited way as this.

Those of us who have grown in Christ over the years may understand that we do not automatically open up to God in such a complete way unless we have humbled ourselves before Him continually and allowed Him to have more and more of us. When we first received Christ as our Savior and Lord, we acknowledged our helplessness and surrendered our lives unconditionally to Him. We realized there was no way we could save ourselves or help in saving ourselves. We had to simply accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us. All we could do was give up and tum our lives over to Him, and He transformed our spirits. We were born again. Once that initial surrender took place, God began the work of conforming us into the image of Christ. There is a part we play in this process, however. After the transformation of our spirits, we must, as Paul said in Romans 12:1-2, present our bodies as living sacrifices and renew our minds. When we were saved, we got all of God. After we were saved, we began the process of giving Him all of us.

Opening ourselves up for God to examine us is not for the purpose of showing ourselves to Him, but rather for allowing Him to show us ourselves. Because such a revelation will not always be positive, we can unconsciously close off areas we do not want to deal with. In essence, we can be saying, "God, you may look in this room and that room, but please do not open that closet door." God will only expose to us what we ask Him to expose. We can therefore only excel in the areas we choose to allow him entrance into. The only time He will surprise us by exposing areas we are not aware of is when we ask to go higher, or when we yield ourselves for a stronger anointing. Then He has to show us the things that hinder us from receiving what we long for. It is then up to us to shut the closet He opens, or bow in acknowledgement of His will and surrender.

Because God's examination is thorough, and the results may prove painful or humiliating, we must worship and love Him to have the courage to say what David said. There is no point in asking for a thorough examination if we do not plan to respond with an acceptance of the repair work that may be necessary. We have to love God enough to say, "Regardless of how much I have to humble myself or discipline my mind and body, I am willing to have my total insides exposed before me, so I can cooperate with you in correcting whatever needs to be corrected."

I love the Lord and will have the courage to reveal my insides before him. I will not fear His examination, but humbly submit to his work in me to have me conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. He deserves my complete and total surrender.

4

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 272

Day 272

Ephesians 5:25-27

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Relatively few Christian husbands are honestly making an attempt to fulfill the scriptural mandate in Ephesians 5:25-27. Yet, all married Christian men will be judged by the standard of God’s Word. Those who fail in this area will lose a heavenly reward. They will also miss much of the blessing God has in store for them on earth because they neglect to be good stewards over the wives God has placed in their care.

Christian husbands can receive much from this passage to help them fulfill their God-given roles. It can also help us understand the love of God, as we study it. The scripture tells us that Jesus loved the church (us)so much that He gave Himself for it. To do what Jesus did for us demonstrates great love. What Jesus did showed the love of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit because they are one. These verses tell us that God desires to cleanse the church and set us apart for Himself, making us holy, glorious and blemish free. No one would take the time to work with someone in such detail by paying a price like God paid, unless they have a deep love for the person they are doing it for.

God loves us very, very much. If we love someone so much, we want them to know it and respond to us accordingly. May we talk to God and respond to him with that in mind.

I will acknowledge the love of God for me and interact with Him accordingly.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 271

Day 271

Matthew 12: 11-12

“And He said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it our? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days.”

Jesus encountered religious leaders who constantly complained that He was working on the Sabbath day when He would heal someone on that particular day. This, according to their law, was not permissible. Jesus tried to show them how foolish their thinking was by comparing what He was doing to what any of them would do for an animal if it fell into a pit. Although rescuing it could be considered work, none of them would leave his sheep in a pit until the Sabbath was over to avoid working on the Sabbath day. He explained that it would be just as absurd to see a human suffering and wait until the Sabbath was over to help him.

There are people in this world who will exert great effort to save animals and at the same time encourage the destruction of human life through abortion, euthanasia or other means. God cares about animals, and so should we. However, He has made it plain that He cares much more for man then He does for animals.

Seeing God’s view should not only help us care more for people than for animals, but it should also cause us to care more for people in general. God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power to go about doing good and heal all that were oppressed by the devil. Jesus’ entire mission was for the benefit of humanity.

Finally, helping people should not be seen as work, but as a normal reaction to seeing a need. If we saw an animal in trouble, although it would require some effort to get the animal free, we would not think of it as work at the time. Once, Jesus and His disciples were so busy helping people that, He had to tell them to stop. They had not taken time to rest or eat. May God help us to grow to the point where helping people becomes such a normal thing, that we will have to tell ourselves to stop and rest. Most people only have time to tell themselves to stop and rest when they have been very busy doing things that benefit themselves.

I am getting closer to God and God is getting closer to me. As a result, it is becoming more and more natural for me each day to help people.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 270

Day 270

Deuteronomy 28:7

"The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways."

God told the Israelites that as they were obedient to his Word, they would see their enemies smitten before their faces. Their enemies would flee before them. In other words, they would see what would happen to their enemies.

We realize our enemies are not flesh and blood, and we should not be looking to see people hurt. However, it should be our desire to see the real enemy hurt. Just as he tries to hurt and embarrass us while he watches, we should want to see him suffer while we watch. God will avenge us of our real enemy. We can ask to stand and watch, as the lost are saved, the sick are healed and the oppressed go free. This will happen, as we pray and minister to others.

Let us not be satisfied until our enemies, the evil spirits, are defeated before our faces. May we stand our ground until they are hurt and embarrassed, as their captives are loosed and Jesus is glorified.

I will not be satisfied until I see my enemies, the powers of darkness, defeated before myface. Through my prayers and my ministry to others, many will be set free from ungodly bondage.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 269

Day 269

Psalm 123:1-2 NIV

 "I  lift up my eyes to  you, to you  whose throne is in the heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy."

 A slave can make no provisions for himself. He earns no salary. He depends on his master for shelter, food and clothing. The same picture exists with the maid the Bible refers to in Psalm 123:2. The psalmist compared his own dependency on God to that of a slave to his master, or a maid to her mistress, to show that he had no alternative plans in his pursuit for help. God, and God alone would bring him and his people deliverance.

Psalm 34:IO NIV says, "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." In other words, those whose eyes are on the Lord, as the eyes of a slave are on his master, will not be disappointed. Some people who look to God do so with the attitude that He may be one source of help if all else fails. They will take help no matter where it comes from, so help from God is just another option. If those people ever get God's help, it will probably come through someone else's prayers.

God is not a god. He is God. He is not an answer. He is the answer. He loves us very much and knows how to care for what belongs to Him. For us to experience a true love relationship and not a phony one where we have no choice but to have Him interact with us and respond to our needs, He has to give us freedom to involve Him or not to involve Him in our affairs.

Why is it important for us to look to God as a slave looks to his master? Although he may not know how or when his master will respond, a slave has to wait, with all his hope and faith in the master upon whom he is totally dependent. We cannot contact God with our natural senses. Therefore, as we seek His help, we must wait in faith. If we begin to consider other options, we will step out of faith and away from His power to act on our behalf. Hebrews 11:6 NIV says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." The scripture says we must believe God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. If we believe that, we will not look in any other direction. No matter how long it takes, or how impossible it seems, God must be the focus of our attention. Our attitudes will be like Job's, who said, "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." How will we respond when we hear the questions, "Where is your help coming from?" With single-mindedness, like the psalmist in Psalm 121:2, we will say, "My help comes from the Lord."

I will look to the Lord as my help today. He is the source of my total supply. It is He and He alone who will help me. Because I know He has my best interest in mind, I will allow Him to choose which way He will help me, as well as the vessel He will use to come to my aid. I will wait patiently for Him. He will never fail me. He is God. He is my God.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 268

Day  268

Ezra 7:10

"For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statues and judgments."

How do we prepare our hearts to seek the Word of God and to desire it with the intentions of doing it? We may go to church services, assuming we want to hear the Word of God and do it. However, there may also be times when we hear a message we do not want to receive or do, and after it is all over, we do not act on what we have heard. Later on, we might respond more positively to the same message, because we are better prepared to receive it. (Unfortunately, we sometimes realize we should have been obedient after we have learned the hard way.)

Before we come to church, or after we have arrived and are taking part in the preliminaries, we have an opportunity to prepare our hearts to receive the Word of God with the intentions of practicing it. (At some point in time, we should reach a point in our growth where we live ready to hear and do the Word at all times and do not need to make preparations for each individual message.) To get ready to receive and respond properly, we must worship God humbly and sincerely. When we worship sincerely, we properly recognize who He is. We acknowledge who we are and who we are not. We remind ourselves that we owe our all to Him ·. and he is worthy of our worship, which entails strict obedience, not just singing beautiful lyrics to a song. It is more than singing in the spirit - it is yielding our spirits, our souls and our bodies to His command. It is surrendering all.

We will know how well we are doing in getting our hearts ready to receive and being obedient to what we hear, when we measure our responses afterwards. Just having an emotional reaction that makes us feel as though we will do all we have heard is not good enough. Days later, after the emotions have worn off and the thrill is gone, we will see how prepared we were. If we find ourselves not applying the Word we heard, then we need to do a better job of preparing our hearts.

I humbly acknowledge that God, my Father, is the Almighty. He gave His best for me, and I owe Him everything. I will listen to his Word with the intentions of receiving and doing what I hear. With His help, I will consistently be a doer of the Word.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 267

Day 267

Exodus 14:15-16 Amplified Version

"The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward!

Lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the Israelites shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea."

After the children of Israel left Egypt, they reached the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's army began to pursue them. They  began to panic, and Moses tried to calm them. He did not know how God would deliver them, but He knew that after such a mighty deliverance from Egypt which the Lord had wrought, the Egyptians could not defeat them.

The people of Israel had no weapons that would match the weapons of the Egyptian army. They had no vessel in which to sail away and escape from them. Yet, they were not stuck. They had God. God always has advance technology to do whatever needs to be done. He told Moses to stretch his rod over the sea and divide it so the people could cross over on dry ground. Moses had no idea how God could use a rod to create a system that would separate the Red Sea and dry the sandy path that was created. He did not care. He was just proud to be associated with the God who could do it. To us, that was supernatural. To God, it was no big deal, because He knew exactly what He was doing and could do it again anytime he wanted to. He is awesome!

As we follow God, let us stay mindful of the fact that He is never taken by surprise. He is prepared for every challenge we will face. We simply need to ascertain the mind of the Lord and follow Him. When we run into impossible situations, we need to look to Him in faith, realizing He has the answer already. When we follow His instructions, we will experience what is supernatural to us, but just natural to God.

I am very proud of my God, who can do anything within the boundaries of His Word. There is nothing too difficult for Him. If I need something that is not already available in the earth, He can make it for me on the spol Through Him, I have access to futuristic technology that cannot be comprehended today. My Father is awesome!

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 266

Day 266

Job 38:35

"Can you send lightnings, that they may go and say to you, Here we are?"

After God had listened to Job and his friends argue back and forth, He began by revealing to Job how little he knew and how unqualified he was to speak with authority about God. He asked many questions that let . Job know how great He was. Questions like the one in Job 38:35 told what God could do He could send lightnings forth and they would obey and say, "Here we are." God is totally awesome!

Our God is not to be compared  with any  other. We stand ignorant in His presence, for His wisdom is fur beyond ours. We stand weak before Him, for He is the source of all strength. When our accomplishments amaze others and we act proudly about them, we look silly  in His eyes,  because  His technology  is  light years ahead of ours. Whatever we can invent or imagine is limited to what is already out there in the realm of the spirit. For example, doors that automatically open is a fascinating invention to those who first encounter them, but Peter witnessed a superior version of that same operation almost 2,000 years ago. He went to the city gate, and it opened without anyone touching it. God's secret agent, who was sent to rescue Peter from prison, used remote control and created a temporary automatic system that opened the city gates, which did not even have electrical wiring. To us that was supernatural, but not to God. He knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it again anytime He wanted to.

Every scientist who says there is no God thinks he is smart. Some of them think man is the ultimate source of intelligence. Today, many are being forced to admit there is a power beyond their human comprehension and a source of strength and ability that humans cannot contend with. What they choose to call it and how they respond to it will determine their eternal destiny. If they do not bow their knees and respect God now, one day He may jerk the slack out of them after they have tried to explain Him away and say, "Can you send lightnings, that they may go and say to you," Here we are?"

Let us be glad we already know God as our Father. Let us be proud of Him and allow the knowledge of His greatness to inspire and encourage us, for this God is our God, and He has made His grace available to us. God's grace is His willingness to use His power on our behalf, even though we have done nothing to deserve it. Because of His grace, which we can obtain to assist us in our times of need, we have all we need to overcome every obstacle and defeat every enemy.

I am very proud of my God, who can do anything within the boundaries of His Word. There is nothing too difficult for Him. I will not be intimidated by anyone or anything. Whenever someone or something tries to intimidate me, I will respond, "Can you send lightnings that they may go and say to you, Here we are?"

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 265

Day  265

Psalm 78:6-7

"That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:"

In Psalm 78, the psalmist talked about our responsibility to pass on a godly heritage to the generations that follow us. He indicated that it is important to think not only of our current descendants, but also of those who have not yet been born.

If we are going to pass our heritage on to our unborn, we must not only tell the stories to our children and grandchildren, but also rehearse these stories, making sure they can tell them back to us. So sometimes, instead of just telling them the stories, we should ask our children to recount some of the stories we have told them in the past. In an effort to preserve our testimonies, we can see if we have done a good enough job of communicating them.

It would be great if we would record some of our testimonies and keep family records. There are several ways of storing information today, such as recording it on paper, on audio or video tapes or on computer diskettes.

Of course, we will pass on our personal testimonies, as well as the teachings of the Bible. We will make sure each of our children owns a Bible and knows what is in it. Adding our personal testimonies is important, because it lets our children know how the Word of God has worked for us thousands of years after it worked for the saints we read about. They must know that the scriptures are relevant for all times.

I will rehearse the testimonies of God working in my life to my children and make sure they know how to tell those stories to their posterity. I will make sure each one learns the Bible stories and teachings well enough to pass them on to their children and grandchildren. I thank God for His Word that has stood the test of time and works as effectively today as it always has.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 264

Day 264

Genesis 1:11

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."

God said the seed to produce a fruit tree is in the fruit. Inside every seed are the ingredients to produce another tree. In the natural world, the kind of seed we plant will determine the kind of tree we will produce. It is the same in the spirit world. The seeds for everything we produce, whether positive or negative, begin inside us.

Many times, we miss getting the answer to our challenges, because we look all around us and fail to look inside ourselves. Psalm 46:!0a says, "Be still and know that I am God." To look within ourselves and get an answer from God, we must be still. We must calm our flesh and our minds down and allow our spirits to reveal to us what is going on. The Bible says in Proverbs 20:27, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching the inward parts of the belly." Our spirits must be allowed to take over for us to get insight into what is going on deep inside and affecting our everyday lives.

When Joshua was losing a battle, he cried to God for help and God told him the problem was inside his camp. Someone in the camp of the Israelites had been disobedient to God's instructions and was causing their army to lose. Joshua had to get rid of the person inside the camp to win in battle against the enemy outside the camp.

Sometimes, evil spirits have caused problems in our homes, and the key has been something that was in the house. God told the Israelites not to bring cursed things into their houses, because they would end up cursed like the things they brought in. When they conquered territory, they would be tempted to bring cursed objects back to their houses because of their value. (Sometimes these objects were made of gold or silver.) God told them not to desire the gold or silver from the items. They were told to destroy them.

Before we go hastily looking on the outside for the cause of a problem, let us be still and look inside. Before we embark on a project we hope to be successful with, let us look inside and make sure the right seeds for success are there. The most important seed is a healthy relationship with God, which causes us to seek His direction and to be submissive to His will and guidance.

I will look within for seeds of blessing or cursing, seeds of success or failure. With God's help, I will eliminate the bad seeds and cultivate the good ones.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 263

Day  263

Matthew 21:16 NIV

"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?"

As Jesus went to the temple at Jerusalem, children shouted praises to Him. The chief priests and the scribes, who were political as well as religious leaders, heard them and were repulsed by their praises to Jesus. They wanted Jesus to stop the children from praising Him. Jesus quoted from the book of Psalms, as He showed His approval of the children.

It is so wonderful to watch children in action. They react honestly. They are not concerned about being politically correct. The children in the temple that day did not stop to examine what they were about to say to make sure it would not offend the leaders in the temple. Their praise was spontaneous. Their attention  was on nobody else but Jesus.

According to Psalm 8, which Jesus quoted, what the children were doing was ordained by God. The psalm said praise, or strength silences the enemy. Adults have a tendency to be concerned about their dignity when it comes to spiritual things. They may act the fool at a sporting event, but that is socially acceptable. It is not as acceptable to react wildly to the things of God. The same excitement people show at sporting events would appear undignified to them, if their.actions were in response to something spiritual. Therefore, adults are generally not as free to express themselves about the things of God as children are. So, God ordained praise, which is strength, to come forth from the lips of innocent children who would give it forcefully and without inhibitions.

Jesus said we must be converted and become as little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. We must forget what the world and religious people think and respond spontaneously in praise to God, as we become more and more aware of who He is. If a child receives something he considers special from his father, he would excitedly say to someone, "Look what Daddy gave me!"

When we experience the goodness of God, we must not keep quiet and dignified about it, but rather brag about our Father and His goodness. Let us tell someone today what God has done for us. Let us show excitement over the best Father in the world - our heavenly Father. When we look at the words, "Do you hear what   these   children   are   saying?"    may    we    respond, "Yes. They are showing us what we should be doing."

I will boldly and unashamedly show my excitement about my wonderful God. I will have no concern about what disapproving persons think. I will help someone else learn to appreciate the God I serve. Through my praise, God will be glorified, and the enemy will be silenced.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 262

Day 262

Ezekiel 37:9-10

"Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army."

God took Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones and told him to prophesy to the bones. When Ezekiel prophesied, the bones came together to form skeletons. Then, flesh came on them to make complete bodies, but there was no life in them. God then told him to prophesy to the wind and command breath to come into the bodies. He obeyed, and the bodies came to life and became a great army.

This was a prophetic picture of what would happen to the nation of Israel. This prophecy has already been fulfilled, but we can learn a great lesson from it. The breath represented the Spirit of God. No matter how well-formed the bodies were, without the Spirit, they did nothing but look good. God was revealing that they could rise up and organize themselves, but they could not become a great invincible army until He moved by His Spirit to make them one. Today, in the middle east, Israel is the smallest nation - smaller than the state of Texas. It is surrounded by much larger countries that have been fierce enemies. These coward nations negotiate with Israel over pieces of their land, even though.Israel is so much smaller than they are. It is amazing to see how the Muslim countries in the middle east have failed in every effort to defeat and wipe out the Jewish state. It has frustrated them so much, that they are now trying to place themselves in a better position to win a war through peace negotiations. For most or all of them, however, their ultimate intentions are the same as they have always been. How is it that the tiny nation of Israel, not yet 50 years old, is able to maintain such a powerful position? As the book of Zechariah says, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

Many churches today are full of good-looking dead bodies. They have great organizations (like the bones and flesh) that serve almost every need that exists. There are ministries for the singles, singles again, men, women, seniors, youth, ex-convicts, ex-drug addicts, recovering alcoholics, and so on. Yet, many marriages have fallen apart, and the illegitimacy rate has almost caught up with the world's. Immoral living has become a practice of those who regularly sit in the congregations. Some leaders have set poor examples. Worst of all, murmuring and complaining have increased.

In Matthew 11:16 NIV, Jesus said, "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces  and  calling  out to others: We  played  the  flute for you, and  you did  not dance; we sang a dirge," and you  did not mourn." Jesus was describing a people that were so self-centered that they found fault with everything. A selfish person is a miserable person who is very hard to please. No matter what you add or organize to respond to their requests, the situation can only get worse. They don't need more bones and flesh. They need a move of the Spirit of God that will cause them to live right and begin to treat others properly. A Holy Spirit outpouring will cause people to love God and care more · about meeting the needs of others, than being pacified themselves. It will bring back a compassion for the lost that has been replaced by a lust for entertainment and things. Only God has the living water that truly quenches the thirsty soul and the living bread that satisfies the real hunger of mankind. There are no valid substitutes.

Just as this is true for a body of believers and the church at large, it is also true for individuals. It is sad to see people blaming something or someone else for their misery. Many blame their husbands or wives, and others blame their children, their jobs or their financial status. When we humble ourselves and seek the face of God diligently, we will see things quite differently. A woman who is constantly filled with the Spirit can serve God more fervently and with more joy, while she copes with an alcoholic husband. A woman who has a perfectly good husband but a carnal mind will have more difficulty. The first woman will always find a reason to praise God and be thankful despite her circumstances, while the second one will always find a reason to complain, no matter how well things are going.

When we find ourselves complaining, it is not time to look to any human being or organization to pacify '!s. It is time to repent that we were idle enough to find time to complain. It is time to examine our prayer lives to see what God thinks about our spiritual conditions. It is time to see if what we sing in church is a bunch of empty words to us. It is time to set aside more time to praise and worship God privately, because that alone will make a world of difference in our attitudes, as well as our outcomes.

I repent of all complaining and looking to human and natural sources for my answers. I will turn my eyes on the Lord, where my help comes from. I will pray more. I will praise and worship Him more. With His help, my prayers, praise, worship and godly living will be a constant fragrance ascending to His throne.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 261

Day  261

Isaiah 36:15 NIV

"Do not let Hezekiah pursuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, "The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."

The king of Assyria planned an attack on the Israelites and offered the citizens an opportunity to make an agreement with him to avoid a war. He suggested they ignore their king and follow him. He tried to frighten them with stories of his previous conquests. His efforts failed. The end of the story showed the king of Assyria losing and God's people winning.

It is so important that we be aware of the devil's tactics. Whenever we are encouraged to trust God, there is a possibility that the enemy will use our imaginations or someone else to try to frighten us. When we believe God is who He said He is and will do what he said He will do, opportunities to change our minds will present themselves. How should we respond? Our attitudes should be that we are personally offended that someone would question the integrity or greatness of our God. As long as we are walking in line with God's Word and not walking foolishly or presumptuously, we must maintain our ground and choose to believe God above all else.

One time Jesus was on His way to a man's house to pray for his daughter, who was dying. Someone interrupted them and suggested they give up and let Jesus go about His business, because the little girl was already dead and nothing could be done to bring her back. However, Jesus had already said he would come and heal her. He encouraged the man to continue believing what he originally believed, and they continued toward the house. When they arrived, Jesus went in where the child was and raised her from the dead.

The main point was Jesus had already said he would heal her, and a less important person was contradicting the Word of the Lord. When we know we have heard from God either through His Word, in our hearts or through his servant, we must judge the qualifications of the person making the contradictory statement. Since that person would be less important and less credible, their words should never cause us to change our minds. How sad it would be for us to give up and lose because of a lie. The Bible said we should let God be true and everyone else a liar.

I will not insult God today by allowing someone to make me change my mind about His Word. I will leave Him alone be true. I choose to keep believing God.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 260

Day 260

Luke 21:1-4 NIV

''.As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth: but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

Jesus measured the giving of those who put money in the treasury by how much they lad left. That is how God judges our giving. That does not mean we all must go and empty our resources and try to become poor. However, as God directs us in giving, we must examine how much we still have of what He has asked us for when we have released our gifts.

God asked us to sanctify IO percent of our income for His work. Before the Jaw was instituted, Abraham and Jacob gave tithes. This is the way man acknowledged the source of his supply. Jesus encouraged tithing during His earthly ministry. He told the religious leaders they should continue to tithe, but to add justice, mercy and faithfulness to it. The author of Hebrews said Jesus, our High Priest, receives tithes today. If we give more than someone who is poorer than we are and we give only 5 percent of our income, then they have out given us if they give IO percent or more.

Also, when God directs us in giving beyond  our  tithes to the ministry or to help someone, are we willing to give only to the extent that it does not inconvenience us? Would we give something we wanted for ourselves? Could we do without something and be happy to see someone else blessed with it? The earth is the  Lord's and everything in it. We are simply stewards of what we possess. We must humbly Jay all we have at the feet  of  our  Lord  and subject it to His direction. Apart from the fact that we cannot outgive God, we must simply obey out of respect for who He is. We ought to give, recognizing that He gave us all we possess.

I humble myself before God. All I have is ultimately His. I submit all I possess to His direction. Although I know of His goodness and His Word, which guarantees a blessing for my giving, I will give first of all, because he is God.

Come Up Higher, Vol. 3 | Day 259

Day 259

Luke 21:1-4 NIV

"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," He said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth: but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

Many of us who have heard this story understand the principle of giving proportionately. God does not measure our giving by what we let go of. He measures it by how much we have left.

There are people who come to church because it requires little effort. They have no problem with transportation. They do not live too far away. Perhaps they have notable positions in the church and come whenever they have to perform, because it helps them look good. They will not let their work go down, because it would reflect on them. They care more about how they look than how the needs of people are met. It does not take much for these same people to stay away from church when they are not required to be there. To them, any excuse will do, because corning to church is a selfish thing. Although others benefit from what they do, that is not the primary reason for their labor. The truth will be revealed the first time they are offended by the pastor or another leader, or if God fails to answer them in the way they hoped He would on a particular issue.

Others have to go all out of their way and have inconvenienced themselves to get to church. They have no position of significance, so to speak. If they do any work, it is seldom noticed, and someone else usually gets the credit for what they do. Yet, they are faithful. If they are offended by the pastor or someone else, they forgive and keep going. They are conscious of serving as unto the Lord. As long as the Lord approves of them, they will give all they have.

Some people come to church regularly and give and praise the Lord with gladness. They cooperate wonderfully, because everything is intact in their lives. Their bills are paid, and all is well on the job. However, they would not be nearly as faithful or grateful to God if anything in their lives fell apart. They give out of their abundance.

Others are married to people who despise the church. Their spouses verbally abuse them because of their church attendance. Some are experiencing other kinds of turmoil in their family or problems on their jobs. Yet, they are faithful to come to church, and when they give financially or give through praise and worship, it is impossible to discern what they are suffering. Their countenance radiates the joy of the Lord. Their giving to God is not a convenience. They really love Him. Out of their want, they give all they have.

We do not have to be destitute or have serious family or employment problems to impress God with our giving. We must simply monitor ourselves and our attitudes when we are tested. No matter how well things are going, as long as we are in this world, we will be challenged in some way. When things are not going well and we feel discouragement pressing in on us, let us continue to do the things we know are right. Let us make sure we go to church, give, serve and praise and worship God just as much or more. We serve God because of who He is and what He has already done for us, not because of how things are going for us day by day. Let us examine ourselves now and, if we need to, repent and ask God to help us keep the right attitude toward Him, regardless of our circumstances.

I will examine myself regularly to make sure my attitude toward God is what it should be. With God's help, my giving will be pleasing in His sight, regardless of what my circumstances are. He is worthy of my all, whether I have little or much. He deserves the highest praise when all is well with me and mine. He deserves the same when there is trouble on every side.