Encouraging Notes

HONOR AND EXALTATION

Wisdom is essential to success! Those who are serious about gaining the wisdom of God will end up with promotion from God. Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, said, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.” Proverbs 4:7-9

It is interesting that wisdom is spoken of in the feminine form. She will exalt you – she will honor you. Though wisdom is so essential, tapping into it will challenge most to the core! Being granted the opportunity to gain the wisdom of the wise is life-changing! People travel the world to learn the wisdom secrets that cause abundant life, and many have spent their life savings to acquire it. But check this out – are you ready for these two wisdom keys? They are called Correction and Rebuke. Whoa! Look at what King David has to say regarding these two critical keys.

Ps 141:5 Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

Or listen to what the wise man Solomon said.

Prov 9:8 Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

Prov 15:31 He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.

Prov 25:12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

Wow! This is definitely not for the weak, proud, or arrogant! This kind of wisdom is for those who are mature and ready to step into higher levels of God’s blessing! Many times, pride keeps people from entering into the favor of God because their pride does not allow them to be corrected or rebuked! Solomon said, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

Apostle James said, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6b

What about you? Do you have a humble, listening, obedient heart? Your humble, teachable heart will determine how high you can go! Are you ready to experience new levels of wisdom? The wisdom that causes a person to gladly receive correction and rebuke is the wisdom that will cause…

HONOR AND EXALTATION

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YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS

God does not compare your success or even your failures to that of others. Your life will not be judged based upon what God told other people to do or accomplish but only upon what he has told you to do. When we obey God, devoting ourselves to what he has told us to do, something powerful happens!

Ezra 7:8-10 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king. He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. (NIV)

Ezra was devoted to doing what God had told him to do; study, observe and teach the law of the Lord. Because of this, God's gracious hand was upon him, and he succeeded in all he did. Don't ever forget this, When God calls you to do something, your obedience to that word will determine your future success.

What God has called you to do may be challenging and will most likely test your obedience because it will probably be something you cannot do without his help. God is not interested in your ability but instead your availability. Your skills and talents come from him – obedience to his divine guidance comes from you.

Remember, faith is what moves God, and as with everything, there is a cause and effect. Testing is sure to come your way, and it will determine the success of your future. The children of Israel spent 40 years in the desert because they were afraid of the giants in the land and therefore chose not to obey God. Like the children of Israel, there will be giants in the land God is calling you to conquer, but obedience to his divine instruction will unleash the power necessary to achieve success.

As you obey God by stepping out into what he has called you to do, you will face situations that seem impossible. During those times, you must be assured in your heart that if God called you to do it, success is inevitable! Your faith must be in God and God alone! It is of utmost importance that you choose ahead of time to truly trust God because what you do during the testing of your faith will determine…

YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS

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ALL ABOUT FAITH

When it comes to getting answers to our prayers from God, often we waver in our faith and give up too soon. Prayer that gets God’s attention is faith-filled and shamelessly bold!

Oh, how I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jesus was praying! I can only imagine what it would’ve been like to hear the tone of his voice, listen to the words he used, and experience the passion of his heart! I wish God would give me a dream sometime to let me experience Jesus praying! How wonderful that would be!

One day, after watching and listening to Jesus praying, the disciples came to him and asked if he would teach them to pray. After sharing what is often referred to as the Lord’s prayer, he told them a story to illustrate the importance of boldness and persistence in prayer. He said, “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. Luke 11:5-8

I believe that it is the spirit of faith that causes a person to relentlessly pursue what they know is the heart of God. In Luke chapter 18, we see Jesus again teaching his disciples to pray. Again, he used a story to illustrate his point, but this time it was about a woman seeking justice from a wicked judge. In the story, though evil and heartless, the judge finally gave in to the woman’s demands because of her shameless persistence. After telling the story, Jesus went on to make a very significant statement.

Luke 18:6-8 Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Looking closely at the Scripture, we can see that faith-filled prayer is what God wants. But what does faith-filled prayer look like? In verse seven, it says, “his chosen ones cry out to him day and night.” Many times we halfheartedly pray for something once and then wonder why we never received an answer. Faith is persistent! A person who believes they are praying the will of God will continue to pray until the answer comes.

Not only does the Scripture say they pray consistently (day and night), but they pray passionately. The passage says that they cry out. The Greek word used is boao, and it means to cry or to declare loudly as if one was in pain or fear.

Sometimes we don’t take God seriously! He longs to bless us, but often we don’t really believe what we’re saying. If only we saw God as our ONLY answer; how much more intensely we would pray!

You might be thinking, I don’t know how to pray like that, or that is not personality. I assure you, the more you recognize God as your only answer, the more you will, by faith, passionately pursue him. The more you are convinced you are praying God’s will, the more you will boldly and shamelessly pursue the answer.

I firmly believe God is calling us to walk in his power! I believe that a significant increase of faith is coming upon us! Halfhearted, faithless prayers will soon be something from the past! Knowing God’s heart and praying his will with faith and passion will bring about amazing answers to our prayers!

Please understand this; powerful prayer is not about praying loud or trying to sound intense. Powerful prayer is…

ALL ABOUT FAITH

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THE SERVANT OF ALL

The kingdom of God is the opposite of the kingdom of Satan. Satan’s kingdom declares, “Do what thou wilt “… Meaning, do whatever you feel like, whatever will exalt self and empower self. God’s kingdom calls us to a low place – to humble ourselves and be a servant. Servants or slaves are the ones who take the lowest job for the sake of those they are serving. Many people feel they are above such a place, but according to our Master, this is where true exaltation comes from. Here are the words of our Master, Jesus.

Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

The life of humility is not looking down on myself but instead focusing on lifting others. Humility causes us to be so caught up with others that we are not in the equation of life, other than being the vessel through which servanthood happens. A genuinely great person will be the one who is always serving others!

The more I serve my wife and family, the more I become great in their eyes. Even Jesus, who was the greatest of all, did not come to be served but to serve.

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The proof of greatness is determined by how much a person causes others to prosper. My dearest friend, may you have the attitude of Jesus today! He didn’t come here for himself, but rather for you and I! The love of God compelled him to serve us even to the giving away of his very life for us. May we be so consumed with God’s love for us that it causes our lives to be a reflection of his love!

Because of his humility, Jesus is now seated at the highest place of honor, the right hand of the throne of God! To be great, we must become like Jesus, the servant of all! Lk 22:26 Make no mistake about it; the way up is the way down! Because I pray for you today, and asking God to embed this truth in your heart; do indeed go hi in life, you will go low and become…

THE SERVANT OF ALL

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COME INTO HIS HOLY PLACE

The most beautiful thought of my entire life is that God is in love with me! Wow! It is profoundly wonderful! God longs for us to experience his love along with all that he has for us! As a loving Father, he gives us clues to what people will be like who will live in His blessing.

Psalms 24:3-6 says, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

It is impossible for our works to gain the favor of God and invoke his blessing! Isaiah lets us know that our righteousness is as filthy rags before God. Isaiah 64:6 So then, where do clean hands and a pure heart come from? Becoming right before God is the act of receiving, not doing. Listen to what Paul wrote to the Galatian church, “Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” Galatians 3:11 Clean hands and a pure heart are the byproducts of faith, i.e., surrendering to the grace and love of God!

For a long time, I have argued that what you behold is what you will become! The thoughts that you allow to dominate your mind are where your life is heading. The current outcome of your life is a declaration of your dominant thoughts in the past. The power needed to transform your future and to have a life that looks like Christ is found in meditation on God’s thoughts towards you as expressed in his word. This is how you are transformed into one who looks and acts just like your Heavenly Daddy!

Rom 12:2 Do not conform any longer 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.

Don’t get caught up in the lie of trying to be good enough to deserve God! Use all your efforts to meditate upon and humbly receive what he thinks about you! The only way to have a life that exemplifies Christ is to humbly surrender to God’s way of making us right with him through Jesus. Are you willing and ready for this kind of life? Surrender to God’s amazing love and grace today because that is what people who send the hill of the Lord and…

COME INTO HIS HOLY PLACE

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LIVING TO GIVE

Have you ever heard the saying, “what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you?” That statement, coined by Mike Murdock, is accurate and verified by the word of God. There are ramifications for those who choose to live the life of serving and giving. The new covenant we have through Jesus Christ is the covenant of love. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (Jn 13:34)

those who are filled with God’s love for those who will be givers because the nature of love is giving! John 3:16 says, “God so loved that he gave.” At the center of the word, love is the word give. Take a look at this scripture.

Mk 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 23:11-12 The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus is the most loving of all; therefore, his whole purpose on earth was to give his life away. Consequently, he was exalted to the highest place, seated at the right hand of God!

Philippians 2:6-11 Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If Jesus was willing to be a servant, how much more should I! Yes! The fastest way up is the way down! Today is a gift to you! Is your opportunity to humble yourself to be a servant to those around you! What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you!

Since giving is at the center of love and we can only give away what we possess, we must set our hearts and thoughts on receiving God’s love for us. It is time for us to let go and rest in the love God has for us! If we will, we will find ourselves living like Jesus! Yes!…

LIVING TO GIVE

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