Song, Quotes and Tip of the Day
Have you been isolate, it’s time liberate. Recently the Lord impressed upon my heart to launch my devotional Youtube Channel and I can tell you, I was extremely nervous. But in all obedience, I have launched out. So I invite you to celebrate with me, my first post.
If you do visit the channel, I would dearly appreciate if you subscribe, like and share. The world needs much encouragement, upliftment and most importantly, the word.
Be blessed.
“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord ’s release.
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 NKJV
In the old Testament times, G-d gave a stipulation called The Lord’s Release. It was considered the pardoning (forgiving) of a neighbours debt after seven years. It’s amazing that the number seven is used because in Matthew 18, Peter asked Jesus if a neighbor should be forgiven seven times. Jesus then said,
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV
They were addressing forgiveness. The releasing of a neighbour, which in this case is an individual and not particularly the person living next to us. Immediately I asked myself, “Am I daily doing the Lord’s release”? Life after Jesus don’t require us to operate by the Law but it is still set as an example and pattern for us to follow, while walking in our freedom through the blood of Jesus. Therefore the Lord’s release is still applicable in our everyday living.
I remember being hurt by someone seven years ago and even in recent times found myself regurgitating the hurt. Wallowing in sorrow, although I thought I’d release the person. It made me realize that though we speak with our mouths and say we release, true release comes from the HEART. Over the seven year period, the many sins I would have committed may be difficult to number. What if G-d held me ransom?
It takes me back to the story in Matthew 18, about the king who pardoned the servant of his debt but the said servant dealt perfidiously with his fellow servant. The same fate he was excused from was what he placed his neighbour through. When the king heard, he got angry and in turn threw him into a place of torment. Sounds familiar? There is a place of torment that no one wishes to go – hell. We then need to walk circumspectly before the Lord.
It’s often said that forgiveness is not for others but for us. Each person has to sort out his salvation and thus forgiveness IS FOR US (emphasis added). We daily require forgiveness of the Lord, how then can be hoard the works of our “neighbour”?
Yes I know that there are some things which seem unpardonable. How dare you to this to me? Especially if TRUST was solid and was deeply betrayed. When those thoughts rear it’s head, think about Judas. He was a disciple, entrusted to Jesus, yet he betrayed him. Compassion was still felt for him by Christ. As difficult as it may be sometimes, may we remember Christ is our example and how he walked, so should we.
I admonish you to exercise the LORDS RELEASE. For your hearts sake. LET IT GO! If an injustice was done to you, allow the Lord to avenge but as for you, let your heart be pure before him.
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord ? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.
Psalms 24:3-4 NKJV
ARISE!
This morning as I asked the Lord what should I share, he took me to Psalms 96. I thought okay Lord, which verse should I expound upon? But in my reading I realize I just had to share the word and not my own. So together, let’s sing before the Lord and praise him
Shalom
Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord , all the earth. Sing to the Lord , bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Give to the Lord , O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.” Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord . For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth.
Psalms 96:1-13 NKJV
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord , And whose hope is the Lord .
Jeremiah 17:7 NKJV
In today’s society the word TRUST, is not used loosely. Actually it has become a thorn in the flesh of many. Due to reoccurring hurt patterns and negative experiences, especially in “love” relationships, this word left a bitter taste in mouths and anger in hearts. However, we see in the word, that the man who TRUST in the Lord is BLESSED.
For many, trusting in something we cannot see seems farfetched. Although, we do it everyday, by breathing in oxygen, (though not seen). We believe every inhalation is a breath that gives life or the ability to continue living. Therefore it should be easy for us to believe in the one G-d.
Jesus said to him………….Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:29 NKJV
The beauty of trusting in the Lord is, we are blessed. There is no pain or hardship when we put our trust in him. No disappointments or rejection, being lied too or being abandoned. There is a guaranteed hope that he will be with us. His character is one that can be trusted, since he is a G-d that cannot lie.
Trust: Assured reliance on the character.
The nature of G-d is one of unconditional love and affection to his children. Wrath is also constituted in his love WHEN we disobey. The same pattern used in disciplining today’s children. We are His children and therefore because he loves us, we will be chastised when necessary.
For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
Hebrews 12:6 NKJV
Even in this,we see a nature that can be trusted because of his inexorable love. Look at the picture above. Two things can happen; the person standing on the rock can either help or release the other. With man the possibility of him letting go is more likely to happen than G-d. His word is his bond to us and he will never let us go.
It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.
Psalms 118:8 NKJV
I can guarantee you, once you totally surrender to the Lord, placing ALL your confidence in him (for he cares for you) you will be…
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:8 NKJV
When heat comes, you won’t fear but in the word you will be confident and will be able to say,
Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.
Psalms 27:3 NKJV
G-d is not like man, so I encourage you to trust him TODAY. He wants to guide your life into the most beautiful fulfilling path. There is no need to be timid of trust when we can trust in an eternal love.
ARISE!
The emotion in the above picture is enough to upset you, especially if you daily encounter a CEO, manager, supervisor or co-worker with said attitude. No homo sapien likes to be disrespected and in the work environment, motivation should be a key factor for great performance. How does one then function at their best through coperate abuse? What a tough question, yet we find a very simple answer in the word.
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
I Peter 2:18 NKJV
I can see you penning the letter now.
Dear Lord,
This is your humble servant and I love you with my entire heart BUT LORD, HOW HOW HOW, HOW do I SUBMIT to a egotistical and arrogant boss?
I had to write this prayer on many occasions and though the flesh wanted to come alive, I strived to OBEY. Was it the easiest task then? NO! (emphasis added). There are days I felt like going crazy, taking G-d out of my thoughts and using persons as punching bags. The strong conviction however, is what kept me steady.
You see, though the boss is froward, once we profess Christianity, it is expected of us to be different. Sometimes we are intentionally tested. I remember a supervisor saying to me, after I lost control during a disagreement, “and you say you does go to church. Waste ah time”. I did not curse or disrespect her but I raised my voice to make my point and that was enough to be ridiculed.
I went home in tears that day. Feeling like the worst Christian. It took days to overcome those heart wrenching words because it became like a stuck record in my mind. However, it also ignited a fired within me to stand up for righteousness. Being pushed into a time of fasting and pleading the blood of Jesus, she eventually came one day and said, “I can’t work with you anymore”. I was then removed from under her and placed in another department. The battle was won once I submitted. Yes! Submission. I submitted to God first, understanding I had to do my job, not unto man but unto G-d.
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
Colossians 3:23 NKJV
This led the way for me to be gentle to my froward boss and she could not stand it. The break through didn’t immediately come but it still came. Patience was also a key factor. Despite what we may face in our different walks of life, especially our people encounter, we have to keep in mind…
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 NKJV
This is the aim. For Christ to shine through us, so men will be saved. I was an ardent believer in that, it’s easier said that done but I’ve realized, that said mindset made it difficult. So now I say, it’s doable. Condition your mind to think it’s doable, knowing that you can do ALL things through CHRIST (even loving that miserable boss or co-worker) and it shall be done.
I encourage you today, if this is your battle, switch your position on the “wall”. Fight from a different angle. Say good morning with a smile, buy lunch if you can, and become the person Christ wants you to be. Watch God elevate you because of your submission. Submission is a form of humility and will yield elevation.
ARISE!
In the words of Erica Campbell,
I luh God
You don’t luh God?
What’s wrong with chu?
If you’re a fan or know the infamous song, I’m sure you may have sing along consciously or subsconsciously to its rhythmic beat. However, have you paid attention to the potency of its content or rather question asked? Do you LOVE G-D? If your answer is a vehement yes, then it’s save to say, you HATE EVIL.
You who love the Lord , hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalms 97:10 NKJV
The word says if we love him; hate evil. When we think of evil, the thoughts of scary movies, witches, warlocks and whatever we were taught is evil, comes to mind. Attributes such as lies, disobedience and rebellion just to name a few don’t mentally project but do you know it is written,
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
1 Samuel 15:23 KJV
It’s therefore safe to say that rebellion and it’s aforementioned associates can be considered evil. Epiphany! Have you ever found yourself rebelling? I sure have! We are however mandated to put away the former things. Put away the evil. HATE IT and love G-d.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
I Peter 1:13-16 NKJV
NB: Lust mentioned not only implies sexual connotations but rather desire.
If we truly do love our heavenly Father, let’s,
…… lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
No one likes to think of themself as an evil doer even if we do or think wrong but according to the word, once we are not righteous, then we are walking in evil ways.
It’s time to shed the evil. Let us exude pure love to our G-d by hating evil (unrighteous living) and walking circumspectly. I implore you to seek first the Kingdom of G-d and his righteousness.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord , And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:6-7 NKJV
ARISE!
Isn’t it a beautiful thing to be considered? It’s natural for us to feel special when there is someone or persons who display their level of consideration to us.
During my devotion, I found myself asking G-d, “Why do you consider me? I’m not worthy enough”. My mind could not fathom the all sovereign G-d, thinking of “lil ole me”. Then he answered me through his word by saying,
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I was now covered by the blood. The blood that washed away my stains (my iniquities).
Though it’s a veritable fact that we have been considered by G-d from inception, the context in which I asked the question, seeing my self as filthy rags, G-d had to reassure me, that I was seen differently. I am now seen as blood washed, guilt free, stain free, royalty, chosen and peculiar because of the work of the cross.
Often times we wear negative spectacles to view our lives but he wants us to know, that we are no longer the old person. For once we truly accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, paths are switched. The transformation is a continuing process but the act (the crucifixion) was already done. Jesus the Christ was crucified and resurrected, therefore we need not crucify ourselves time and time again.
REMINDER: There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1 NKJV
As you go through today and by extension this week, know that you are highly considered by our heavenly King. He loves us with an unfailing love and that will never change.
You are loved
You are considered
You are saved
You have life again….. So live.
ARISE!
This world is filled with millions of individuals who can praise God, yet not one can do it like me neither can I do it like them. It’s amazing just to think that God hears our individual praise. The freqency of my voice is quite different to that of another. I guess the Psalmist David knew that, is why he said:
“What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? – Psalms 30:9 KJV”
Isn’t it amazing. There would have been others to praise God but not like David. My testimony might be similiar to yours but the time of testing quite different, which in itself brings a unique praise. I admonish you this morning, let no one or nothing stop your praise. The word of God says, He inhabits the praises of his people. God knows and love the frequency of your voice, so praise on. If you feel too overwhelmed to give a praise, know that weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning. Faith it till you make it.
ARISE!!
Do you have a prayer request, send it to arisewoman@gmail.com – We will be happy to pray for you. All prayer request is kept in confidentiality.
You, Me, We….. do not determine when and how God will do something and if he will or will not do it. Our mandate is to remain faithful and trust God. Remain faithful and worship. Remain faithful and focus. God sees and knows all things and will do things according to his timing.
One thing I advise is, DO NOT open your mouth and blaspheme or say things that will grieve the heart of God when you don’t get an answer at the time you would have expected. Again, God knows best. Such a time will be a time to tap into God and hear what he has to say and understand where he is leading you.
Don’t give up. Don’t loose hope. Trust in God and he will bring it to pass. I decree and declare over your life in Jesus’s name. You just worship.
ARISE!
What is trust? Though there is a formal definition, I would say trust is believing in something that can sometimes be unknown. Why do I say unknown? Let’s look at trusting in God for example.
The word of God says :
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
Sometimes however, we have to trust blindly. This I know all too well. Presently I am faced with a situation where all I can do is trust God to bring a solution. However, the situation has no view. You know the little things we would love to see just to make an assessment? THERE IS NONE! I am literally learning to trust the unknown. Knowing that God will not stare me in the wrong direction. This trust test is sometimes difficult because I would like a little info. God, can I have a little peak? In such a time he would not even say no. There is total silence as he teaches my heart to depend on him. My mom always said “trust him where you can’t trace him” and oh boy I can’t trace him.
If this is you, don’t give up. For through it all he still deserves worship and praise. Remember he is an all sovereign God and his plans are NEVER to hurt us. So trust him, even when you can’t trace him. He will make a way for you.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. –Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
ARISE!
Arise Woman 