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Genesis 48 The value of a father’s blessing.

Joseph was in reality the ruler of Egypt, a powerful and significant man. However, in this chapter near the end of Genesis we see Joseph bringing his young sons to his elderly, poor sighted father, Israel, for his blessing.

This was a moment of destiny in the lives of these boys!

“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked(starting with God fearing family line),
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day(Israel’s personal walk with God),
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm(Divine protection)
— may He bless these boys.
May they be called by my name(grafted back into the family line)
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac
and may they increase greatly upon the earth”.

Manasseh was the elder son, but Israel crossed his hands and pronounced the greater blessing on the younger boy, Ephraim. The normal order was reversed by an ancient patriarch who could hardly see.

He blessed them that day and said,

In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing:
May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.

so he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

It is strange in our culture today to think that destiny could be settled by words spoken by an elderly father figure but Joseph, great as he was, sought this blessing for his sons born in Egypt. He knew his elderly father was coming near his life’s end and the bible records this meeting for us.

Genesis 49 gives the last words of Israel to each of his sons, speaking into their destiny.

Some of us may not be in a position to get a father’s blessing but perhaps we have spiritual parents who can fulfill that role for us.

John Paul Jackson before he died, put up a father’s blessing on YouTube, 3 minutes long but powerful and I believe that many in this generation need to hear it repeated over your own lives.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel bless you and may you walk in His destiny for your lives. Be blessed today.

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

James and Jude were half brothers of Jesus but both referred to themselves as, “servants of Jesus Christ”. They acknowledged Him as God, not just family.

To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by/in Jesus Christ.

The little book of Jude is written as a warning to the church, a warning of the danger from within! Ungodly, or we might say godless people, will rise up.

V15 in the NIV, …to convict all the ungodly of all ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way and of all the harsh words words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him(Jesus). 4 times in this verse the word ‘ungodly’ is used.

V16 refers to them, ‘these men are grumblers and fault-finders; they follow their own evil desires, they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage’. Their character description is negative and clear.

V17&18 Apostles foretold, “In the last times(NOW!) there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires”.

V20 But you dear friends, BUILD YOURSELVES UP IN YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH AND PRAY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. KEEP YOURSELVES IN GOD’S LOVE as you wait for Him.

They say that people who are trained to detect forgeries, forged bank notes, spend a lot of time looking at the REAL THING. They become so familiar with the genuine that they can instantly recognise the fake. In the day we live in, there is so much false teaching and doctrine within the body, we must train ourselves to know the truly spiritual from the ungodly.

Ask the Lord today to give you discernment and pay attention to any warnings in your heart if things are questionable.

V24,25 To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore. Amen, YES!!!

Psalm 37 begins with the words, “Do not fret”.

This implies we have a choice and we can CHOOSE NOT TO FRET. In verses 1, 7 and 8, three times in all, we are told not to fret.

The word fret means, to eat into, to corrode, wear away by rubbing
also to disturb, to vex, to irritate. The first three meanings suggest being severely stressed and the next three being harassed and troubled.

David is the writer of this Psalm and he certainly knew what it was to be under stress, fleeing for his life, continually being hounded by Saul. He wasn’t writing from just head knowledge or theory, his very life was under threat.

In the other verses at the beginning of this Psalm we see a number of wonderful verses pointing to the Lord;

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord
and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness
shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be STILL BEFORE THE LORD and wait
and wait patiently before him.

David had to learn these lessons, that God was with him, in the midst of terrible difficulties. He had to learn to trust God no matter what the circumstances he faced.

Take some time today to tell God that you love Him and trust Him in your situation. Think on the verses David wrote by inspiration of the Spirit.

May you find comfort and encouragement today as these words fill your soul.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things(not just a few things) will be given to you as well.

As I looked in an old Bible today I saw that a friend called Sven Uno had given me this verse of scripture in a Christmas Card on 16 December 1995, a long time ago now. I had travelled with him on a prayer team around Spain in 1991 and later met with him in Gothenburg, Sweden. He was a faithful brother with a wonderful servant’s heart, always looking for ways to help others. The other thing I remember was that he was a very skilful driver, picking his way in a large Chrysler people carrier full of intercessors through the heavy traffic in cities like Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. The driving in Spain was very different from Ireland, a lot more aggressive with drivers contesting every piece of ground.

So this friend, the skilful driver, sent me this verse, with a direction for my life. You see there can be a lot of contesting in the traffic of our lives, a lot of pushing and shoving going on and we can become caught up in it. Our hearts can be influenced by the spirit of those all around us and suddenly we’re in there, fighting for ‘our ground’. Sadly, this is especially true during Christmas time.

Jesus said, ‘seek first the kingdom and righteousness of God’ and the other things we need will follow. Don’t allow yourself to be sucked into the race for things/possessions.

In a parallel reference to this section of Matthew in Luke 12:32-34, Jesus says, where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. Our hearts will follow our treasure, there is a drawing power in what we value and prize.

May you be blessed today and may your heart seek security in the Father’s Love, the true way to receive all our needs.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AMERICA

O give thanks to the Lord,
All you His people,
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
Let us praise, let us thank,
Let us celebrate and dance,
O give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

Isaiah 63:7 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,
The deeds for which He is to be praised,
According to all the Lord has done for us
– yes, the many good things He has done for Israel,
According to His compassion and many kindnesses.

I once read a story about a missionary who had undergone a very difficult time in their service on the field for the Lord. They had tried everything but nothing had worked and so they were sitting in a mission station, getting ready to leave their field of service. Their eye fell upon a text on the wall of the station and a slogan which read, ‘have you tried PRAISE’? So they did just that, thanking Him for all His goodness and they cancelled their application to leave.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!

Be blessed today as you turn your eyes to our wonderful Lord.

Daniel 5, Royal banquet leads to royal death and division of the kingdom.

At the beginning of Daniel, 2:28, God is called ‘the Revealer of Mysteries’ and the book of Daniel is full of mysteries. It appears that this is a major aspect of God which is demonstrated throughout Daniel and he was given a special gift to interpret these mysteries. We are told that it’s God alone who reveals mysteries, so we know where to go for our answers, whether direct from God or through someone like Daniel who is gifted to interpret them. God often speaks in ways that are not totally clear and require us to seek Him further for more revelation.

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
to search out a matter is the glory of kings

Treating the holy things as common, and using them to praise other gods leads to a swift and final judgement for Belshazzar.

Daniel wasn’t in the picture until the writing on the wall but he’s once again called to interpret the mystery of the message.

5:17 Daniel didn’t grasp for power even though he had a unique gift but agreed to explain the riddle.

His explanation of WHY the writing has appeared, beginning with God’s dealings with previous gentile king, Nebuchadnezzar. His authority was delegated authority 5:18,19. Delegated authority from God himself.

5:22,23 But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this, God’s disciplining of Nebuchadnezzar, instead you have set yourself up against the Lord of Heaven…. You did not honour the God holds in HIS HAND all your life and your ways

Mene, Mene(your days numbered, finished)
Tekel(weighed and found wanting)
Parsin(kingdom divided)

5:29 Daniel once more promoted to third in the land, God continued to raise him up in the alien Babylonian court system. We have a saying, ‘you can’t keep a good man/woman down’. Maybe we should say you can’t keep God’s good one down, those who know Him and His favour.

Does God want to share a mystery with you today? Does He have something unique to speak to you or show you? Daniel’s circumstances were difficult, living in exile under foreign rulers but he received things for his time and even our day.

May you be blessed and may God reveal some of His mysteries to you today.

Continue reading “Submit to God’s trials and we will love Him more”

In Daniel 1, we read about four children of exile from Jerusalem who were moved to positions of influence in the court of a foreign king.

Training period of three years, like studying for a university degree today. They remained kosher, wouldn’t eat the king’s food there. They sat their finals, interviewed by the king and were appointed to his service. Training was over and their working lives had begun.

I wonder how many of us today feel strangers in our own workplaces and other areas of our lives. We have the call and destiny of Heaven on our lives but ‘our place’ seems far removed from that.

V17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning . In addition, Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

God prepared and equipped these four exiles to function in the court of the king of Babylon, which symbolises the world system. Daniel was also given a supernatural gift, he could function in two realms and so can we today. We too have a connection and understanding in the realm of the Spirit.

It is important for us to know we are in the ‘right place’ today! It may or may not be the best paid area and it may seem to be totally at odds with our Kingdom calling but we need to be where we’re called to be. The exile of Judah to Babylon placed the people of God and His plan for mankind under the hand of a foreign king who had the power of life and death in his hands, but God kept them.

God is able to keep us where He’s placed, even in the heart of the enemy camp. Don’t be discouraged today, serve Him and His plans for your life will bear eternal fruit.

Be blessed as you walk out your calling today.

Lean harder upon the Lord, draw more upon Him

1Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety upon him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 Amplified Bible (AMP)
7 casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].

I was talking to someone today about an old well that had once produced good, sweet water. The secret of a good well is that the water has to be continually drawn out of it so that the water is replaced and refreshed. In the Middle East water often means life, where you get water you get vegetation and life. An oasis of life, like the city of Jericho near the Jordan valley.

I believe that the Lord in a sense is the sweetest, freshest water we could ever find. But how much are we drawing from him in our daily lives? Many of us may be existing on stale water, not fresh water because we’re not drinking from the well of Life.

Some of us may think it’s too good to be true that we can cast ALL our anxieties or cares on him, but that’s what it says in this last chapter of 1 Peter. He really does care for us and want to help us. Don’t be a stranger to the well that you have such an invitation to drink from. Go to the well often and drink your fill!

Why exist on stale water, the more you drink the sweeter it will become to your taste.

May you press in today and get something fresh and refreshing to your soul.

Often it’s our failures that qualify us more than our abilities.

I’ve been reading Peter’s first letter to the scattered and often persecuted church. How much he had matured since the earlier days with Jesus, how his faith had developed. We have to grow into our calling, it takes time and much moulding by the Spirit before we can be useful to Him.

Only in Matthew, 14:22-33, do we learn that Peter alone left the safety of the boat to walk on the stormy sea of Galilee. Unfortunately at that time his faith didn’t take him all the way to where Jesus was waiting. Jesus chided him but at least he’d stepped out and probably learned a lesson that remained with him all his life.

Similarly in the pre crucifixion scene, Peter tried to stay with Jesus in His trial but once again fear overcame him. His strength failed him, but later when Jesus restored him, he confessed three times that he loved Jesus.

It was Peter who led the early church in the beginning of Acts(Paul in the latter section). He addressed the crowd at the day of Pentecost, later he went to the house of Cornelius and witnessed the outpouring of the Spirit and birth of the gentile church. The man who had some of the greatest failures was used in some of the mightiest moves in the early church.

Our mistakes don’t disqualify us from being used mightily by God, they can be the springboard to launch us into the greater works, provided we repent of our shortcomings and love the Lord.

I’d like to end with an exhortation from a famous Irish poet and writer, Seamus Heaney;

“Even if the last move did not succeed the INNER COMMAND says move again”.

Your dreams are not lost, the Lord still has a future and a hope for you. Be blessed as you step out again today.