Thanksgiving
20 Feb 2010

And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. John 6:11

Thanksgiving is an extremely powerful key to spiritual breakthrough. There are four reasons why we give thanks: Firstly, thanksgiving is a command from God. It is neither a suggestion nor an option, it is a command. The Bible says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).
Secondly, thanksgiving is a sure indication that the Holy Spirit is in you. We are told to “be filled with the Spirit … giving thanks always for all things to God” (Eph. 5:18-20). The measure of the Holy Spirit within you can partly be gauged by seeing how often and sincerely you give thanks to God each day. When you cease to give Him thanks, it is an indication that you are probably “leaking” the presence of the Spirit.
Thirdly, thanksgiving is the will of God for you. Paul says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18).
Finally, thanksgiving is part of bringing your prayer requests before the Lord. The Bible says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). God does everything by prayer and nothing without it. Remember, never bring a prayer request to Him without first giving Him thanks. When we do that, two wonderful miracles begin to happen:
(1) Thanksgiving opens the pathway for you to come into God’s presence. Without thanksgiving, there can be no access to God. We enter the gates of His presence through thanksgiving (Ps. 100:4). Many people pray for a long time and still feel so distant from Him. The reason is because they are not praying His way. You can stand outside and shout loudly to God. But you are still not going to have access to His presence unless you come through the gate of thanksgiving.
(2) Thanksgiving is a key that unlocks God’s supernatural power. In John 6, Jesus wanted to feed 5,000 men. He didn’t pray a verbose prayer. All He did was to give thanks for the five loaves and two fish. Immediately, the power of God came to multiply the food for the multitude. Many times, we miss out on the power of God simply because we do not release it through thanksgiving!

The Ten Trials
19 Feb 2010

Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Deuteronomy 9:7

There were 10 trials in the wilderness, and the Israelites failed them all. After they failed the 10th test at Kadesh Barnea, the Lord said, “They have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice” (Num. 14:22). Here are the 10 tests:
(1) Murmuring against God. The Israelites accused God of deceiving them into a trap so that the Egyptians could kill them. There is always a tendency to blame God in the midst of crises.
(2) Bitter water at Marah. The Israelites murmured at the bitter water. Every believer will be tried by bitter experiences and disappointments.
(3) Hunger. This represents economic times of testing. We will all experience times of shortages and lack during which our faith in God will be tested. Our faith in God will then be tested.
(4) Gluttony. By taking more manna than they needed for the day, the Israelites willfully disobeyed the Lord.
(5) Thirst at Rephidim. Thirst speaks of dry and boring experiences. The Israelites murmured again.
(6) Idolatry of the gold calf. Inordinate desires and lusts must be conquered. Anything that replaces our reliance upon God is idolatry.
(7) Complaining about misfortunes at Taberah. Complaining about adverse circumstances doesn’t help us to find favor with God.
(8) Unthankfulness. The appetites of the Israelites were not consecrated to God. They detested God’s provision of manna and gorged themselves with quail.
(9) Criticism of leadership. Aaron and Miriam criticized Moses, the man who saw the face of God.
(10) Unbelief at Kadesh Barnea. The Israelites were right at the border of the Promised Land. The 10 spies all agreed that it was a good land, but that the enemies were too great. They infected the whole congregation with fear and unbelief. They had failed the 10th and most important test. Finally, God said, “You will not enter in.” No teacher ever creates a test for the purpose of trying to fail the student. Every test should be a stepping stone for greater glory. Instead, Israel made each Aof their tests a stumbling block into defeat. The Holy Spirit was always around to show God strong on their behalf whenever they were met by diffi culties. But they didn’t lean on Him. Let’s remember the Scriptural exhortation: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (Heb. 3:15).

Power To Get Wealth
18 Feb 2010

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18

We all know that money can’t buy us happiness, a good name, a happy marriage or lasting friendships. Money certainly can’t buy us eternal salvation or the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But nevertheless, God still wants us to have money—the more the better!
There is a reason why Jesus, for your sakes, became poor that you, through His poverty, might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Deuteronomy 8:18 says that He gives you the power to get wealth for the purpose that His covenant with all mankind can be established. So, the reason why God wants you to have money is so that you can use it to bring the gospel to the whole world. No wonder the psalmist says, “Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Ps. 35:27).
Because the more we prosper financially, the more we can preach the good news and magnify our Lord. There are two contrasting covenants in the Old Testament. One is God’s covenant with Abraham which is eternal, and the other is God’s covenant with Moses which is temporal. Under the Abrahamic covenant, God blesses you to be a blessing to others. God told Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).
But under the Mosaic covenant, there is another set of promises found in Deuteronomy 28. It is about God’s favor and blessing for our individual lives. Now, you have to be very careful which covenant you lock your mind onto. If you focus exclusively on the temporal Mosaic covenant, you could become self-serving and greedy, and end up destroying your life. But if you mature to focus on the eternal Abrahamic covenant, then the more prosperous you are, the more you can be effective for the cause of the kingdom.
The truth is this: you can’t be a blessing if you haven’t been blessed. If you can’t even feed yourself, how are you going to feed the hungry? If you can’t even clothe yourself, how are you going to clothe the naked? If you have no money for your church projects and world missions, how are you going to take the good news to the world? Meditate on this thought right now: “God has given me the power to get wealth, that I can use it to bring the gospel to the world!”

The Wind Of The Spirit
17 Feb 2010

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and
where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

The Holy Spirit is often symbolized by the wind. The Hebrew and Greek words used in reference to the Spirit are ruach and pneuma respectively, which means either “breath” or “wind.” Like the wind, the Holy Spirit may be invisible, yet He is nonetheless very real. Many agnostics find it hard to believe in the Holy Spirit because they have not seen Him, tasted Him or smelled Him. Now, no one has seen pain, tasted pain, or smelled pain. But nonetheless, we have all felt pain one time or another. In a similar way, when the Holy Spirit moves, we can feel His presence around us and in us. Four truths about the wind of the Spirit: [Read more ...]

Spirit Of Excellence
16 Feb 2010

For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us? … And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? Deuteronomy 4:7-8

In Deuteronomy 4, Moses was explaining to the children of Israel why they needed to live out the Word of God when they come into the Promised Land. Moses exhorted them, “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess” (Deut. 4:5). The Law (Torah) in the Scriptures was given not only to bless the Israelites, they were given to help them stand out powerfully among the heathens in the land. [Read more ...]

Attracting The Holy Spirit
15 Feb 2010

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” … And John bore witness, saying,“I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” John 1:29, 32

When John the Baptist first introduced Jesus to the masses at the Jordan River, he made two analogies from the animal kingdom: Jesus was represented as the Lamb, and the Holy Spirit was represented as the dove. What can we learn from the relationship between them? A lamb suggests to us of three things: purity, meekness and sacrifice. And that is what the dove, the Holy Spirit, is attracted to. He is looking for the lamb nature to settle and remain in. The Holy Spirit does not approve of arrogance, self-seeking, boastfulness or aggressiveness. He is looking for purity, meekness and a life sacrificially laid down for God.
Jesus so attracted the Holy Spirit that the dove didn’t just descend on Him, the dove remained upon Him! In the natural, the dove is somewhat a shy bird that can be easily scared away. That is very true of the Spirit in a spiritual sense. The Holy Spirit, like a dove, is so gentle He is almost “shy.” If you say or do anything that He cannot accept, His presence will leave you immediately. Like a dove, He will fly away. The marvelous thing about Jesus is that He never scared off the dove. In His entire ministry, Jesus never said or did one thing that drove the Holy Spirit away.
Not only did Jesus attract the Holy Spirit, He depended on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This relationship with the Holy Spirit is the key to the entire ministry of Jesus. There was not a single sermon that Jesus preached in the Gospels, or a single miracle that He performed, without Him fi rst feeling the Holy Spirit coming upon Him. He was totally dependant on the Holy Spirit. The whole public ministry of Jesus came out of the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon Him (Acts 10:38).
How did Jesus maintain such closeness to the Spirit? Paul says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). What are the things that grieve the Holy Spirit? They are bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking (4:31). What are some attitudes that attract the Spirit? When we are “kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” (4:32). When the Holy Spirit doesn’t find the lamb nature, He cannot abide. As such, cultivate the lamb nature of Christ in your life today.

see also in konghee.com, daily devotion