Arise and Shine

Daily devotional – Sharing God’s Word..

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  • Give thanks to the Lord

    “O GIVE thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!” (Psalm 118:1 AMP)

    “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP)

    It seems wrong to give thanks when you are facing difficult and challenging times. Your thanks is not based upon your current circumstances, but on the grace and glory that is coming because you KNOW and believe in God’s faithfulness. By expressing thankfulness help you to remember that God is in control.

    Thank God because even in your worst circumstances, He cares for you. He NEVER leave or forsake you, but will guide you through it.

    “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NIVUK)

    “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God… Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:1-5 NIVUK)

  • Let Him lead you..

    Be sensitive to and constantly aware of the leading of the Holy Spirit! Be more ready for God to interrupt your plans and follow His.

    Be willing to step out in faith even though it’s daring and brave to go beyond what you can see with your physical eyes.

    The Holy Spirit is a presence, a voice who connects you with God…and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all on the same page! When you follow the voice of the Holy

    Spirit, you will experience a new depth to your life, a new Spiritual dimension.

    John 14:18 says “I will not leave you as orphans”(Greek word is or-fa-nos .. Fatherless…which is translated as Comfortless in the KJV bible)

    and is also how the Holy Spirit is described… Our Comforter.

    The Holy Spirit have established Himself as the ruling principle of your life.

    “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25 NIV)

    “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV)

    When you are ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit, does not mean you have MORE of The Spirit inside of you, but rather that the Spirit has more of you. Your will surrendered to His will.

    He can lead you in so many different ways..

    He can be seen as working ‘behind the scenes’, brining revelation while you pray, reason, argue or pleading as you search for answers. He will steer you in the right direction and bring you on the same page as the Father. But you first need to seek His leadership with the intention to obey.

    You are led by the Spirit (His initiative) and it cause you to walk by the spirit (result). He leads you to produce godly desires.

    The “fruit of the Spirit” is what appears in your life when you “walk by the Spirit.” It is not your work; it is His fruit. What you do when you walk by the Spirit is simply fulfill the desires produced by the Spirit

    “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NIVUK)

    He can lead you through prayer, through Scripture, through teaching or sermons, through other people, or through daily experiences.

    But when in doubt, know that His voice will be consistent with Scripture, the character of Jesus and the fruit of The Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith….)

    “Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19 NIVUK)

  • God knows you..

    “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” Psalms 139:1-6 NLT

    These words really grabbed hold of my heart.. God knows you intimately and He understands you. Not only your dreams and passions, but also your pain, longing and fear. He is fully engaged in you.

    The heart of God is to have an intense personal relationship with you.

    It is sometimes easy to hide from others or even from yourself, but knowing that God sees you exactly as you are and STILL loves you unconditionally is powerfully freeing. It is a comfort and assurance that He will never leave or forsake you, never stop loving you no matter what!

    He knows you intimately and completely, and He loves you deeply!

    “But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.”Psalms 13:5-6 NLT

  • Unanswered prayers

    Unanswered prayers.. (This is a long one) but please read…

    The topic should rather be The MYTH of unanswered prayers, for there is NO such thing as Unanswered prayers. When God says no.. or yes,but later… It is still an answer! Unraveling the myth of unanswered prayers is in the art of listening.

    The word ‘prayer’ is to “exchange wishes, to interact with the Lord by switching human wishes for His wishes as He imparts faith..”

    When you exchange, you give, but you also receive.

    It also says “interact” which relates to a conversation rather than a monologue.

    So why don’t God give us EVERYTHING we ask for?(as in Matthew 7:7-8?) He taught the disciples to pray (Let Your will be done). So you have to ask IN HIS WILL, and His will is not always your will.

    In Matt 7:7-8 : “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone (no exclusions) who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

    He wants you to ask so that you can receive, seek so that you can find and knock so that things will be revealed to you.

    When you have a conversation with God (and He don’t want you to do ALL the talking), He will reveal to you what His will is! The Holy Spirit will guide you, for before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told His disciples that He would send one who would teach and guide us, lead us and reveal God’s truth.

    The most important way to recognise the Holy Spirit’s guidance is to be familiar with God’s word! The word is the sword of the spirit and the spirit will use it to speak to you and reveal God’s will for your life. So when you pray, ask God’s will but also seek him (through scripture).

    Even if you hear God say no, or yes, but not now… keep the conversation going. We all know what feelings we experience when God says no or not now. We always want a yes for why would we ask something if we don’t truly desire it in the first place?

    So Ask Him why? Read the Word and listen to what He wants to tell you. There is a reason behind the answer! Build a relationship so that you will understand His reasoning. With even more diligence… KNOCK!! And God will reveal to you and He will impart faith!

    Prayer is the vehicle to bring you into a close, intimate relationship with God! He wants to do more than bless you. He wants to transform you. He wants you to place your life in His hands as you come before His throne!

    So if you might think every no or later answer is an unanswered prayer.. Go back to what you KNOW is true. The Word of God! It says in Isaiah 30:18.. Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you. He wants only the best for you. The “No”or “not now” answer is not Him being angry with you or disappointed with you or Him not hearing you correctly or hearing you at all. He longs to be gracious to you. ASK, SEEK and KNOCK!

    “Great wisdom come to those who wait on the Lord!… Those who seek will find.. “

  • God is with you

    Today, God is with you, for the Holy Spirit dwells in you. And because He is with you, you will never be separated from His love. His love overcomes your worries, your fears and your anxieties!

    “The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 AMP)

    Wherever you go, God is with you. You don’t have to wonder if God is paying attention to your everyday life, even though you might sometimes feel that He’s absent.

    God promises to never leave or forsake you. That feeling of absence is indeed what it is… “A feeling”.. And when that feeling comes again, cling on to what is TRUE .. Go to Scripture and read what God PROMISED to you and for you!

    God will never leave you alone in the ‘desert’

    “But now, this is what the LORD says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;..” (Isaiah 43:1-3 NIVUK)

    “….God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

    “Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 AMP)

  • Identity

    Your identity can often be a reflection of other people’s opinion about you. Sometimes your self worth is measured by the amount of ‘Likes’ you get on your Facebook status, about how popular you are or by giving in to the worldly game of favouritism!

    But that is not what God intended for you. Find your identity in the Kingdom of God. God’s opinion about you, is what ultimately matters. The one who created you, knows you best.

    How you see yourself will be how you live your life.

    You are loved, unconditionally.. all the time!!

    “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:8-9 NIV)

    Saturate your mind with the truth of God’s Word. Find your identity in His opinion about you. He says you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

    “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14 NIVUK)

    and nothing can separate you from His love…

    “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NIVUK)

    You are God’s masterpiece. Believe it! Don’t just read it… Speak it and live it! You are who God says you are!

    “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIVUK

  • Good soil

    Jesus told us the parable about the seed being sowed in different soils.

    The seed that is sown is the good news about Jesus and the soil are the hearts of people making a choice about the message.

    In every situation, the seed was the same but the condition of the soil was different.

    Some people hear the truth, but like hardened paths, they do not let it sink into their hearts.

    Some of the seed fell onto rocky places… They hear the message with great joy, but don’t let it take root and don’t let it sink into their hearts.

    Some are too easily swayed by wrong beliefs, taking up all the person’s time and energy (like weeds stealing all the nutrients from the plants). These people don’t produce any spiritual fruit.

    But let us be good soil…. Be the person who hears God’s word, believe it and put your trust in Him. Let the good seed germinate in you and take root.(Spend time understanding the Word) so that you can mature and bear fruit!

    Everyone’s fruit will look different, but if each person allows God’s truth to grow in their heart, it will be the right kind of fruit. It will be kingdom fruit!

    “It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.”” (Ezekiel 17:8 NIVUK)

    “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:8 NIVUK)

    “For as the soil makes the young plant come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.”(Isaiah 61:11 NIVUK)

  • Living water

    Jesus used the image of water many times while promising us “living water.” He says, “If you believe in me, come and drink..” and the promise is.. “You will never be thirsty again!”

    The (Spiritual) thirst is your strong desires after spiritual blessings. It draws your spirit into a search for a deeper meaning for your life.

    It is that thirst when your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth and ALL you can think about is.. Water!

    “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2 NIVUK)

    The Holy Spirit satisfies your thirsting soul for He knows your needs. Your soul don’t need to be shrivelled up and dehydrated.. That is when you draw from the wrong well, and the thirst wont go away.

    But Living Water (the Holy Spirit) shall be completely satisfying.

    So often people come to the bank of the river, see the water, but don’t drink.

    If you are tired of living without a spiritual passion for God, or tired of just going through the motions, God invites you to come to Him for spiritual renewal. Spend time with Him.. Pray, read His Word..

    His Words are simple…”if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”

    “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” (John 4:14 NIVUK)

    “And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought and in dry places and make strong your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not.” (Isaiah 58:11 AMP)

    “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” (John 7:38 NIVUK).

  • From God’s perspective

    Your decisions/choices and how you live your life is often based on your own perspective of where you find yourself.

    But be encouraged to see from another perspective.

    When you see things from God’s perspective, you will regard your circumstances from an accurate viewpoint instead of a limited human viewpoint. It will influence your choices, how you choose to live, and how you treat others. Isaiah 55 show that God’s ways and thoughts are beyond us. He sees things from a higher perspective, a higher altitude

    “‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9 NIVUK)

    When you spend time in His Word, seeking His wisdom in prayer, your perspective will shift. Your focus will be on His viewpoint.

    “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 NIVUK)

    Your life can be compared to a river that seldom go in a straight line for very long. You adapt to the ongoing changes of your circumstances, some of which come suddenly and others very gradually over time. When you look at your life from His vantage point, the truths of Isaiah 55 and Romans 8:28 become apparent..

    “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIVUK)

    An inaccurate, limited viewpoint in difficult times is to be fixed on the hardship. You will struggle to make sense and to see God’s plan in it. You will look for someone to blame and get angry at God for allowing this to happen to you.

    But stand back and shift your focus to God’s perspective. It is not His will that you suffer in your circumstances. It is also not His doing that you find yourself in these circumstances, but a consequence of wrong decisions (either by you or by people around you). Choose to stand firm and grab hold of His promise and trust in His faithfulness..

    “..in all things God works for the good..”

    (Accurate point of view)

    “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIVUK)

    Trust in His perspective..

    Nothing about your life is wasted or unimportant to God.

    He is creating something original with your life.. something of eternal significance!

  • His church

    When we think of church, we automatically refer to the building, but when God mention church He refers to me and you.

    We are viewed by God as ‘living stones’ build up into a spiritual household, with Him as your Cornerstone.

    And by using God’s blueprint (His Word) you build up the dwelling place of God.. me and you.

    “[Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. For thus it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen (honored), precious chief Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall never be disappointed or put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:5-6 AMP)

    “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22 NIVUK)