2-2-08 Deuteronomy 4:7 God IS Near to You

Deuteronomy 4:7 (NAS)
For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the LORD our God whenever we call on Him?
Deuteronomy 4:7 (NLT)
For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him?
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You are one of Adonai's chosen people, an esteemed member of the nation that He has established for Himself. In fact you are not behind in anything. The Lord has raised you up and has exalted you in triumph. Because He has lifted you, you are in a place to grow. In Him you are great and important. You have the power to do magnificent things.

You are truly blessed because the Lord your God is not a distant God, like the gods of other peoples and nations. Yahweh, the One True God, is mighty in nature; He is strong and powerful. He is your Leader and Chief. But even in His prominence and nobility, He draws near to you, desiring an intimate relationship with you.

When you call out to the Lord, you know that He hears you, for He has come close to you. You need not fear any encounter with Him, for He desires to help you. You are called by His name as His chosen child. He has appointed you to proclaim His will to those nations that are far from Him, so that they too can draw near to behold His splendor and majesty.

2-1-08 Psalm 69:13 God Will Answer at the Acceptable Time

Psalms 69:13 (NAS)
But as for me, my prayer is to Thee, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, Answer me with Thy saving truth.

Psalms 69:13 (NLT)
But I keep right on praying to you, LORD, hoping this is the time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
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There are times that you need someone to intervene on your behalf. You need a mediator who will judge your case righteously. You, therefore, turn to the only One that you know can help. You lift your voice in prayer to the Lord your God, for you want Him to intercede and grant you favor. You seek His pleasure and good will in your behalf.

You already know that you are acceptable to Jehovah and through the blood of the Son of God, His requirements have been satisfied. Because of this, you know that He will hear you and He will grant your requests. However, you are also learning that you sometimes have to wait for His acceptable time to receive your answers.

You know within Adonai there is an abundance of goodness, kindness, and faithfulness and you also know that He will respond and answer according to His nature.The Lord has already proved His faithfulness to you when He delivered and saved you. He spoke His truth to you and it made you stable and firm. As you relied on His Truth then, now you know that what He said will support and uphold you. You can trust in your God to give you the right and best things for your life. Even if you must wait, you can wait in peace

1-30-08 Psalm 32:1, 2 Your Transgression is Forgiven

Psalm 32: 1, 2 (NAS)
(A Psalm of David. A Maskil.)
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
Psalm 32: 1, 2 (NLT)
Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
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From the time of Adam, men have broken away from the just authority that was over them. Their sin and transgressions kept them in constant rebellion and revolt against Adonai. If He would tell them to go one way, these sinners would turn and quickly go in the opposite direction.

You, however, have discovered how happy and how blessed a man can be, for the Lord has lifted your transgressions from you. He has placed you on the straight and level path. He is leading and guiding you forward into a place of prosperity. You now know the relief that comes when your sins are forgiven, carried away, and burned up. You have been pardoned for you yielded to the will of the Almighty. Your crimes and offenses have been covered and hidden.

Jehovah calls you blessed and pronounces that you are happy. Why is that? The Lord has judged that you are no longer bent and twisted. When He looks at you now, He no longer sees any perversity, depravity, iniquity, or guilt. You are not charged with any wrong. You know that God esteems and values you. He has put His Spirit within you because you are no longer filled with treachery and deceit.

1-29-08 John 17:23 Jesus Abides in You

John 17:23 (NAS)
I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me.
John 17:23 (Philips)
I in them and you in me, that they may grow complete into one, so that the world may realize that you sent me and have loved them as you loved me.
John 17: 23 (NLT)
I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.
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Jesus was emphatic when He stated that He is in you because it is important that you know the commitment He has made to you. It is a fixed state, a position in which you can rest. Jesus Himself spoke from a state of rest, for He knew that His Father was abiding in Him, even as He, Jesus, is abiding in His disciples.

Adonai had a two fold purpose. First, He did this to make you perfect and complete. He wanted to bring you to fulfillment and maturity. It was His desire that you be filled with His goodness. As you abide in Yeshua and He continually abides in you, you become possessed of the very character of God. Such abiding brings you into union and concord with other members of the Body of Christ, who are indwelt with Jesus' Spirit.

The second purpose of the Father was to reveal His love to the world. He, therefore, sent and commissioned His Son. Since God's essential nature is love and since He is in Christ, Jesus is able to show that love to you and all mankind. Jesus received the Father's love, so that He could give that love to you. He knew that the Father loves you as much as He loves Him. God desires you to be well and He seeks to do you good. When others see the goodness of God revealed in your life, they desire to seek the Giver of such a great love.

1-28-08 1 John 4:6 Who Are You Listening To?

1 John 4:6 (NAS)
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:6 (Philips)
We are God’s children and the man who knows God hears our message; what we say means nothing to the man who is not himself a child of God. This gives us a ready means of distinguishing the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.
1 John 4:6 (NLT)
But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.
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You know that your origins are in Adonai. He began your life and He is the One who keeps you in motion. He is the author and finisher of your faith. Through that faith, you are continually learning to know Him more intimately. This knowledge is bringing you into a deeper understanding of His ways and you more easily recognize His leading and guidance in your life.
Because of your close relationship, you are able to hear His voice clearly. Your manner of life proves this to others, who see and know you. Those, who also share a similar relationship with the Lord God, know that you are hearing Jesus's voice and are confident that you are speaking for Him. They, therefore, listen to what you have to say.

However, those, who do not know God, do not listen to you. Adonai's words are foreign to them and they cannot understand them. But that should not deter you from speaking out.
Those who receive your words are those who are seeking after the truth. The Spirit of Truth, Himself, has lead these people to you. The others who are opposed to your words reveal the error of their thinking. These are full of deceit and fraud; they can only act according to their wrong thinking. They are corrupt impostors, who want to rule their own lives. They have turned their backs on God.

You, therefore, must continue to speak, drawing those who are God's nearer to Him. For you know that faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the Word of God. Perhaps your words will also turn others from the error of their ways.