A Season Of Miracles 21 Days Of Prayer & Fasting January 3rd 2021 through January 24th 2021
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18
Point Of Grace Church Pastors Ken & Renee Gibson
Fasting Guidelines… For many years, Christians have fasted from food and observed other self-denying acts. The Bible teaches that some things come only by fasting and praying (Mark 9:29). Remember, you can pray without fasting however; you cannot truly fast without praying. Combining prayer with fasting connects the natural to the supernatural.
Before Jesus started His earthly ministry, he went away and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. So, if Jesus in all His deity fasted, being that He is:
• Omnipresent – is everywhere at all times.
• Omniscient – is all knowing in every situation.
• Omnipotent – is all powerful in every fight.
How much more should fasting be a common practice in our lives?
When we deny ourselves the comforts, we are accustomed to—whether a full plate of food, or some other part of our daily routine (TV, coffee, Internet, etc.)— we are more mindful of our great need for God. Also, when we deny our sinful desires, we become more acutely aware of them, for when they are not fed, they tend to surface in more noticeable ways. Most importantly, these practices make us mindful of our need for salvation by Jesus' death on the cross.
The “Daniel Fast” is a great way to begin each year with the expectation of miracles and blessings throughout the entire year. The Point Of Grace Family and Friends, we will begin our fast Sunday, January 3rd and end Sunday, January 24th. Watch and see what God does as we come together in unity and show love for Him through fasting.
As we think about God’s purpose for Fasting, I want to draw your attention to a particular passage of scripture (Isaiah 58:3-9).
This passage gives a plethora of warnings as well as positive results that can occur when we submit ourselves to the discipline of fasting.
God’s people in Isaiah’s day had been fasting, but without results. The reason, God says, is that they ignored the way fasting should change their lives, treating it as an empty ritual. God’s people considered worship (fasting) to be merely a private, inward act. All of the focus on fasting was on the personal dimension. So, the Lord issued a word of rebuke in verse 5.
Let’s not be like the people of Isaiah’s day. Please note that the purpose of all worship, including fasting, is to change the worshiper in ways that have social and interpersonal impact. We worship not just to gratify ourselves, but also to become empowered to change the world!!!
Benefits of Prayer and Fasting… • Fasting and prayer helps to focus your heart on God who alone can release his supernatural power in your life. He will give you wisdom and direction. • Jesus encourages fasting and prayer for deliverance from evil spirits. • Fasting and prayer breaks the darkness that overwhelms and hinders the nations and defeats the territorial spirit that hinders world evangelism (Daniel 10:13). • God will take our problems as we fast and pray in humility. Our battle becomes God’s battle (2 Chronicles 20:15).
The Daniel Fast… Simply stated, biblical fasting is refraining from food for a spiritual purpose. According to the Bible, there are three duties of every Christian: give, pray and fast. Fasting takes a lot of discipline and strength – strength which you can only receive from God. Your private discipline will bring you rewards in Heaven, says Matthew 6. When you give God your first through fasting, prayer and giving you set the course for the entire year.
Why Should I Fast? 1. Are you in need of healing or a miracle? 2. Do you need the tender touch of God in your life? 3. Is there a dream inside you that only He can make possible? 4. Are you in need of a fresh encounter? 5. Do you desire a deeper, more intimate and powerful relationship with the Lord? 6. Are you ready to have heightened sensitivity to the desires of God? 7. Do you need to break away from bondages that have been holding you hostage? 8. Is there a friend or loved one that needs Deliverance or Salvation? 9. Do you desire to know God's will for your life?
Fasting Focus… You should decide personally what the focus of your fast is and pray on it daily. In the case of a corporate fast find out what the prayer focus will be.
Starting The 21 Day Daniel Fast
Step One: Be Specific Daniel was not vague in his objection to the Babylonian diet. He defined the problem immediately. 1. The king's food was against dietary laws. 2. Daniel and his friends had vowed against wine. 3. The king's food had been offered up to idols/demon
Step Two: Fast as a Spiritual Commitment The Daniel Fast involves a spiritual commitment to God. "Daniel proposed in his heart that he would not defile himself" (Daniel 1:8) Step Three: Reflect Inner Desire by Outer Discipline Many people have an inner desire for better health, but they can't discipline themselves to avoid junk food, and other foods that are not good for their health. The physical health you seek from God may be more than an answer to prayer.
Your physical health can be linked to any of the following factors: 1. Your food choices. 2. The level of your spiritual commitment as reflected in constant prayer during the fast. 3. Your time commitment. If you determine to fast for a certain time, keep it. For example, if you determine to fast 21 days, don't stop on Day 14. 4. Your testimony commitment. Your fast is a statement of faith to God that you want Him to heal your body, and faith is foundational to the Daniel Fast.
Step Four: Pray to Perceive Sin's Role in Poor Health Notice James 5:13-16: • Sin is something related to the cause of sickness. • Lack of health/healing may be the result of spiritual rebellion. • Lack of health/healing may be due to sin of wrong intake, i.e., drugs, pornography. • Repentance is linked to health according to James. • Elders have a role in healing both spiritual and physical health. • Sick people must desire to be well. • The anointing oil could mean… 1. Medicine for healing, 2. Symbolic of the Holy Spirit, or 3. It could be baptism. • Prayer alone may not gain healing; faith is the major factor. • In Greek there are several words for "sick". James uses "Kanino", which not only includes disease, but also means weak or weary. • Attitude is important. James said, "are there any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms."
Step Five: Fast as a Statement of Faith to Others Daniel was making a statement of faith when he asked for only vegetables to eat and water to drink, then dared the overseer to compare the appearance of the four sons of Israel with the young men who ate the king's food.
Step Six: Yield All Results to God Daniel said, "as you see fit, deal with your servants" (Dan. 1:13). Remember: • The Daniel Fast will lead to spiritual insight. "to those four young men God gave knowledge". • The Daniel Fast is longer than one day. These young men fasted for ten days. • The Daniel Fast is a partial fast. They ate, but only vegetables and water. • The Daniel Fast requires abstinence from party or junk foods. • There is no indication that they ever began to eat the king's food.
Food Guidelines for a Daniel Fast…
Foods You May Eat: Whole Grains: Brown Rice, Oats, Barley.
Legumes: Dried Beans, Pinto Beans, Split Peas, Lentils, Black Eyed Peas.
Fruits: Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries, Cantaloupe, Cherries, Cranberries, Oats, Figs, Grapefruit, Grapes, Guava, Honeydew Melon, Kiwi, Lemons, Limes, Mangoes, Nectarines, Papayas, Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums, Prunes, Raisins, Raspberries, Strawberries, Tangelos, Tangerines, Watermelon.
Vegetables: Artichokes, Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chili Peppers, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic, Gingerroot, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Okra, Onions, Parsley, Potatoes, Radishes, Rutabagas, Scallions, Spinach, Sprouts, Squashes, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini, veggie burgers are an option if you not allergic to soy.
Liquids: Spring Water, Distilled Water, 100% All-Natural Fruit Juices, 100% All-Natural Vegetable Juices. You may also drink protein drinks.
Others: Seeds, Nuts, Sprouts. Foods To Avoid: • All Refined or Processed Food Products. • All Animal Products (Meat, Dairy, Fish, Etc.). • Meat (Beef, Poultry, Lamb, Etc.). • Bread And Other Baked Goods. • Dairy Products, Including Eggs, Milk, Cream, Butter, Etc. • White Rice. • Fried Foods. • Caffeine (including coffee of all kinds and herbal teas as they usually contain caffeine). • Carbonated Beverages. • Foods Containing Preservatives Or Additives. • Refined Sugar. • White Flour And All Products Using It. • Margarine, Shortening, High Fat Products. May God Greatly Bless You As You Fast! Remember that it is the attitude of a heart sincerely seeking Him to which God responds with a blessing (Isaiah 58, Jeremiah 14:12, 1 Corinthians 8:8).
Please Fast and Pray: • The manifest presence of God continues to be a habitation and not a visitation at Point Of Grace Church so, miraculous signs and wonders continue to be manifested. • That every member accepts the power offered by being baptized in the Holy Spirit. • That Point Of Grace Church is a church of Godly order and Kingdom mindedness. • We never lose focus of God’s purpose for why we exist. • For harmonious and healthy marriages and families at POG. • Church body walk in God’s wisdom and His perfect will. • Continued spiritual maturity, discernment and unity among the church body, for all to move forth in their spiritual gifts and callings • God has free reign at Point Of Grace Church. • Continued teaching of God’s Word with clarity and truth. • Full manifestation of Spiritual gifts in the church body. • Salvation of the lost (harvest) is our supreme purpose. • Multi-cultural growth at POG. • POG is a body of believers focused on pleasing God rather than men. • Love is paramount in everything we do at POG.
Those in Authority • Our Spiritual leaders. • Our President and Government (Federal, State & Local). • Law Enforcement. • Military. • Employers, School Officials, Administration & Staff. Peace in Jerusalem • For the veil to be removed from the eyes of the Jewish People-Salvation for Israel. • Conversion of Muslim believers to covenant relationship with Jehovah God. The Body of Christ • To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind. And to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. • To walk in covenant relationship with the Father, growing in Christ. Living in peace and harmony with the body of Christ. Being light and salt in the world. • To have a spirit of discernment and wisdom. To let thankfulness, rule our hearts. And praise to continually be on our lips. Teach us to fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. • Produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. • Delight ourselves in the law of the Lord and to meditate on it day and night so that whatever we do shall prosper! • Our Prayers are always turned toward the church concerning truth and unity. We walk in wisdom and are not deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing. • Wear are hearers and doers of the rich word that God is feeding us! So much so that application of the word will change our lives.
Salvation/Missions • God to expand our territory for sharing the Gospel & that we will be fishers of men. • For God to draw all men unto himself. • For labors of the harvest to be working-knowing our time is limited and the harvest is ripe.
Healing • May the Spirit of the Lord be on us and anoint us, to proclaim good news to the poor, send us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, • to set the oppressed free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. • Healing for all looking to the Lord for His manifested healing of their bodies and minds. • Healing for broken families and marriages
Deliverance • For those struggling with their flesh. • Freedom from the spirit of fear, worry, depression, pride and laziness. • From “It’s all about me” mentality let it be all about God!
Provision • For finances to be blessed in order that we imitate our Father in our generosity. That we can be lenders, givers to the poor and needy. Able to sow into the Kingdom locally and abroad. • Open doors for those looking for employment, promotion, better benefits, hours etc. • Give us our daily bread-met our physical needs. Let our “wants” line up with the word of God. Self-discipline for… • Those trying to lose weight and for all of us in maintaining these temples of the Lord • Those trying to develop better habits. Praise & thankfulness instead of complaining and discontent; a spirit of excellence instead of good enough; patience instead of impatience; learning not to be easily offended; mercy to replace a critical spirit, putting God first in our lives rather than trying to fit Him into our schedules.
DAY 1 Increased Multiplication Instead Of Limitation
“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 54:2- 3)
God’s Word to you is not a word of “breaking down” but a word of “breaking out.” The 17th day of Tammuz was a day of breaking down the walls. Nehemiah 1:3b says, “The wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.” God promised Zion that the walls would be rebuilt. The “breaking” on the 17th day of Tammuz is not a breaking down for destruction. Instead, it is a day of breaking out for reconstruction and expansion of new territory.
The Lord will comfort the barren places in your land. He has promised that you will break out of this limitation on the right and on the left. He has promised you a “Manasseh” miracle. Manasseh means “God has made me forget” (from Genesis 41:51). Isaiah promised that Zion would break out of limitation into a place of miraculous multiplication. This means you will break out in expansion and stretch forth into a new place of destiny.
Isaiah 54:1a “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing...”
Isaiah 54:2 “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes.”
Prayer Lord, I claim this breakthrough promise of Isaiah 54:3, which says: “You shall break forth on the right hand and on the left.” I believe the blood-bought promise of Yeshua (Jesus) has already guaranteed that the “place of my tent” shall be stretched forth into a new place (Isaiah 54:2). Instead of the breaking of the walls, there will be a breaking out of the boundaries that have kept me in the land of limitation. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Are there any dry or barren places of unfruitfulness in your life? 2. Do you realize that all of the barren places shall be awakened and anointed for the glory of God? DAY 2 Renaming the Places of My Pain: Places of My Pain Have Become Places of My Destiny
“Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.” (Isaiah 60:18) In Isaiah 60:8, the text teaches us that the rebuilding of ruins commands us to give a new name to every area that has been devastated and annihilated. The walls that were charred and burned with fire were given a new name; they were called Salvation (Yeshua). The gates that were destroyed, broken down, and ruined were called Praise.
Today, God is renaming your territory with prophetic purpose. He has said in Isaiah 62:4, “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.”
This means that God is changing everything in your land. Your land is your destiny. The Lord is covenanted to your land in fidelity and love, much like in a marriage. He is saying that fruitfulness, abundance, hope, refuge, and tower of strength are the new places in your land, which has been renamed and rebuilt— for the latter shall be greater than the former.
Haggai 2:9 tells us, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Prayer Lord, I thank You for transforming the places of my pain into places of destiny! Please show me the areas of my life that you are renaming. Thank You for leading me into the fullness of my destiny. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. What are the painful places in your past that have been renamed in your land? ______
DAY 3 No Longer Driven Out of Destiny: My Spiritual Exile Has Ended
“Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:19-20)
Did you ever feel like the crisis was so strong that it felt as though your destiny was driven right out of your life? Each of us have different ways of dealing with a dilemma. Severe and sore trials affect us all differently, but the Lord promises that difficulty shall not disqualify us from our destiny. We may feel distanced and separated, even isolated, from what we know God wants to do in our lives. But God has promised comeback after the crisis. No matter how dark the desolation, He has promised consolation. You will come back after this crisis. God promised Zion return and comeback. Again, Zephaniah 3:19-20 says, “Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.”
This is the promise of Tisha B’Av. It is a promise not only to return, but to also come back and regain taken territory.
Jeremiah 31:17 says, “And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.” God’s promise to you can be found in Ezekiel 36:11b, which says, “I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.”
Prayer Lord Jesus, in these 21 days of Messianic miracles, I claim that You will give me the power and the grace You obtained for me on the cross to come back after my crisis. Give me the strength to face the unknown with faith, assurance, and confidence, knowing that You are the Author and Finisher of my destiny. grace obtained for me on the cross to come back after my crisis. Give me the strength to face the unknown with faith, assurance, and confidence, knowing that You are the Author and Finisher of my destiny. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. What decisions or actions for destiny have you made today?
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Day 4 Opening the Gates of Glory Over My Life
“Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” (Ezekiel 1:1) Just as Ezekiel saw the heavens opened and beheld the visions of God in the fourth month (Ezekiel 1:1), even so, shall God open the heavens over you in the fourth month of Tammuz and release everything that was taken captive back into your life. The Bible says in the fourth month that the heavens were opened and Ezekiel saw the visions of God. The “heavens were opened” also means that the gates were opened. In the Hebrew language, the word for “heaven” (shamayim) and the word for “soul” (neshama) have the same numerical equivalence. This means they are related. The heavens opening are also like the gates reopening in our interior souls during this fourth month. We claim that all gates that flow from heaven into the soul will be restored and rebuilt. May the Vision Gate reopen over your life and in your soul. May the Revelation Gate reopen to hear and, in your soul, to fully recapture your highest prophetic purpose. The Lord promised this to Zion in Isaiah 60:11: “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.” This means that nothing is going to block the heavenly flow of worship coming down from heaven into your soul. God is saying to you today that the gates—those that were barred, locked, and shut up so that you could not hear His voice—have opened. The gates of iron and brass that have blocked your prophetic purpose are destroyed. Isaiah 45:1-2 prophetically parallels the Cyrus anointing. It is the anointing to open heavenly gates and break in sunder the demonic blocks and bondages over your life. Isaiah 45:2 says, “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.” Today God is breaking the bondage of your barred up gates. The heavens will be opened over you. The Gates of Vision and Revelation are being restored and rebuilt in your soul by His Word. Gates of Praise have been reopened and they shall not be shut. God’s Word for you is that the Victory Gates have opened! These are the gates He will enter through with victory over every enemy. Psalm 24:7-9 says, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”
Prayer Lord Jesus, I thank You that the heavens are opened over my destiny in the fourth month, just as the heavens were opened in the fourth month during the days of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1). I claim today that all the gates in my soul that have blocked out Your presence in my life will be restored. I claim and believe that the heavenly gates of revelation, wisdom, and knowledge will be opened in my soul. I ask You to come in through these gates with the message of victory and overcoming the enemy as the King of Glory in my life. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Which gates in your life have been blocked? 2. How did these gates become blocked? Ask the Lord to show you what you need to do to make sure that these gates remain open!
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DAY 5 Deliverance is A Decision
“Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.” (Zechariah 2:7)
Today, we make a decision for deliverance. This means we are going to disconnect from any strife, strongholds, or ways of thinking that can damage our destiny. Above all, we want to confront every crisis in truth and not be in denial. Again, Zechariah 2:7 says, “Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.” Isaiah 52:1-2 tells us, “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no longer come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” Deliverance is something we choose. Sometimes deliverance requires the choice to sever a soul tie that has held us hostage to our past. Deliverance as a decision also requires that we never stay stuck in denial. There may be some areas in our lives that we need to take accountability for. We should never be afraid of the truth because Jesus said the truth shall make us free. David said in Psalm 51:6, “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
This means deliverance as a choice comes from evaluating our thoughts in proper perspective. We should always take accountability for emotions that control our thoughts—those that are not pleasing to God and are contrary to a Christlike character. Let us decide today for deliverance. In both texts, we are admonished to make our own decision for destiny. In Zechariah 2:7, the own decision for destiny. In Zechariah 2:7, the 2, the emphasis is: “Shake thyself… O Jerusalem, loose thyself from the bands from off thy neck” and “O Zion, put on your beautiful garments.” In a Hebraic sense of thinking, garments can be compared to character traits. Our decision for deliverance means that God will teach us His Word so that we will no longer allow our thoughts to be programmed by our pain. We have made our choice to not let our emotions dictate our destiny. Prayer Lord, I ask You to pull my emotions up out of the pit. I believe You are restoring my ruins, and I know I shall give You praise over this pit because You are the God who turns my mistake into a miracle. Help me make my decisions for deliverance. As Psalm 51:6 says, “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.” Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Have you allowed God’s Word to reveal any personality patterns to you that are not Christ like? 2. Are you ready to surrender to the Lord?
DAY 6 Restoration of Taken Treasures
“Also, Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.” (Ezra 1:7-8)
The Babylonians came and violently raided the house of God and took the treasures of silver and gold to Babylon. All of the treasures that were taken to Babylon were the vessels used for service and sacrifice. The Babylonian exile is an exile of taken treasures and of the anointing. The prophet Ezekiel teaches us that, as the vessels were taken into Babylon, its supernatural elements were also exiled and taken back to heaven.
Among the taken treasures was the visible presence of the glory of God (Ezekiel 1 and Ezekiel 10). The holy fire that fell from heaven onto the altar in 2 Chronicles 7:1 never returned after the destruction of the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant has never been found after it was taken to Babylon. The breastplate of the high priest, the choshen ishpat, which consisted of the urim and the tuvim (Exodus 28 and Numbers 27:18) was never recovered. These were treasures that demonstrated God's presence in the Temple and in the elements of service, marking His communion with His people.
By the time of the Messiah, the Babylonian exile had ended. Today, the Holy Spirit is returning every taken treasure out of your life. The consecration of a holy life is returning greater than ever. Prophetic gifts— those that operated through the high priest by means of the urim and the tuvim—are fully restored and given to you for everything you need in spiritual warfare. All of the vessels of sacrificial service for offerings and sacrifices are restored back by God’s grace. Your desire will be to give everything you have unto Him for His glory.
Prayer Today, I claim that all of the treasures taken out of my destiny shall return. Lord, I ask You to return the dreams, the vision for Your work, and all the gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit that lie dormant in my soul because they are not activated. Today, I claim and receive the grace of service and sacrifice to be restored to its proper place. I claim a return of all the creative, innovative gifts to be operative again in my life. They will not be in caves of darkness, hidden and unreachable, lost in the trials of life. They will emerge back into my destiny for Your glory. Not one will remain in the darkness of exile. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Which gifts of the Holy Spirit or graces of service and consecration have become dormant in your life?
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DAY 7 Getting the Glory Back
“Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.” (Ezekiel 11:22-23)
The cherubim came down from heaven to lift the glory of the Lord off of the holy city before the Babylonians invaded it. As long as the glory remained on the holy city, the enemy could not destroy it. The glory of the Lord is a protection over our lives against the wicked one. The departure of the glory is one of the most grievous reasons why tears flowed down like rivers from the eyes of the captives on Tisha B'Av. The glory of the Lord was the visible manifestation of His presence on the city, but especially in the Temple. The words of consolation after this degradation were given 175 years before the burning of Zion. God promised Zion that the glory of the Lord would be seen visibly upon her.
The glory of the Lord is the highest level on the earth of God's presence known to man. When the glory of the Lord is seen or experienced, the atmosphere of miracles is made manifest in the midst. The glory of the Lord brings divine order. It causes rest from enemies. It heals sick bodies. It makes all things new. It brings in abundance and blessings. It is because of the return of God's glory that Isaiah prophesied the future glory of Zion.
These promises are yours today. The glory of the Lord is returning upon you. Isaiah 60:1-2 says, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.”
You may ask the question, “How is the glory of the Lord going to be seen upon me?” The trials and tribulations that you have suffered have brought the glory of the Lord back into your life. 1 Peter 4:14 says, "If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part, He is glorified.”
You may not see it and you may not feel it, but if you continue to serve God in the midst of your tribulation, God will bring supernatural divine multiplication of what He has promised you in your life. Therefore, do not worry or fret; you have no idea of the glory that God is going to get out of what you have been through. You have no idea of the blessings that are coming out of this battle. God does not intend for you just to win the battle; He has ordained that you will bring blessings out of the battle. The victory that God gives is not just contentment that the pressure is off and the situation has changed. It's much more than that. God has promised that you will have spoil out of your toil. This means the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Romans 5:3 tells us, in part, that “we glory in tribulations.” And Romans 8:18 proclaims, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
God made a promise to Zion that the glory would return. He is making this promise to you. Your life will be completely changed, restored, and made new. The enemy cannot destroy your destiny when the glory of the Lord rests upon it.
Your word for today can be found in Ezekiel 43:1-2, which says, “Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east: and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.”
This is your promise that the glory of the Lord is returning to every area of your life!
Prayer Today I claim by the grace of God and the finished works of Calvary that the gates in my soul and the floodgates of God’s glory over my life will be restored and reopened. Father, heal the doors and gates that were burnt with the fire of disappointment that took my hope captive. My God, rebuild the gates in my soul that were violently invaded by trust that was breached, or by betrayals from loved ones. Help me never to repay evil for evil, but only fight evil with good. Let the glory be restored in every area of my life. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Is there an area of disappointment in your life that has shut up hope and taken it captive? 2. What surprise came against you like a violent invasion of the enemy? 3. Are there areas that have barred up your soul from forgiving others for grievous offenses? 4. What is the Holy Spirit asking of you?
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Day 8 Repairing the Ruins and Rebuilding the Walls: Deliverance, Destiny and the Sheep Gate
“Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.” (Nehemiah 3:1) Beloved, today consider your great high priest Jesus Christ, whoever lives to make intercession for you (Hebrews 7: 25). Hebrews 4: 15 says, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Let us consider the deliverance and power of the High Priest. In Numbers 35:25, the text teaches us about certain cities in the land of Canaan that were specifically under the jurisdiction of the high priest. These were the cities of refuge. In these cities, persons who accidentally committed crimes worthy of death came to live in these cities without fear of the "avenger." These cities of refuge were places of safety where the avenger seeking payment and revenge for these peoples’ accidental crimes could not harm them. Even so, our great High Priest has brought us to a city of refuge by His Spirit. It is a place of mercy and compassion. Sometimes we blame ourselves for circumstances out of our control. We can be very ruthless to our own selves, holding ourselves culpable and responsible for matters that could not have been prevented. Others of us have allowed the "avenger of guilt" to get us to pay every day of our life. God sees our situation through His eyes, and He knows and understands our makeup. Psalm 103: 14 says, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” God wants you to know He has provided a haven of rest for you away from all of the oppressors and strongholds of guilt. Those who were exiled to the city of refuge had to remain there for the rest of their lives until the death of the high priest. Numbers 35: 25b says, “And he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with holy oil.” We know that we are released out of our past because of the death of the high priest. Those who took refuge and were exiled to the city of refuge had memories of days filled with pain and agony. They were traumatized from that one moment that they had no control over. You and I have been set free from the city of refuge which represents our painful past, because of the death of the High Priest, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. There is another miracle that the High Priest is giving you today. It is the miracle of the rebuilding of the Sheep Gate. In the book of Nehemiah, the Sheep Gate was the first gate to be rebuilt. The Sheep Gate is the sacrifice gate. It is the secret of rebuilding the ruins. The Lord is rebuilding the Sheep Gate in your soul, just as it was rebuilt by the high priest in the time of Nehemiah. Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, is rebuilding the Sheep Gate in your soul. It is His sacrifice that paid the price for the rebuilding of your ruins.
Prayer My Heavenly Father, today I claim the gates to be rebuilt in the wall in my life. Rebuild the Sheep Gate. Let my heart be always aware of the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb of God who for my sins and my pain bore it all on Calvary. I claim the miracle that took place at the Sheep Gate. It is the miracle of the “Bethesda Blessing.” John 5:2-3 shows us, “Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.” Lord, there are areas in my life that disenable me from going forward. I claim today, my beloved Savior, that I will go forward to the next dimension of my destiny. May Your healing hand open my eyes to see why I’m stuck. Show me where I always become afraid or stay stuck. Give me the strength to rise up again. I ask You to not allow me to stay in this place no matter how difficult the challenges or how hard the crisis. I will not depend on anyone to “fix” my problem. I receive Your grace to rise up and walk. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Is there something that pulled you down or disabled your ability to go forward? 2. Are your actions displaying courage in the crisis? 3. Have you fully received the grace to rise up and walk again? If not, why not?
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DAY 9 Prisoners of Hope
“As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.” (Zechariah 9:11-12) Zechariah 9:11 reveals the blood bought garments which guarantee that we are coming out of this “pit.” The pit is a place of hopelessness that leaves us without strength. Psalm 88:4 says, “I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength.” But God has promised us that “by the blood of the covenant I have sent forth prisoners out of the pit.” The pit is a very dark place. Many of us have experienced the darkness and the despair of the pit. Psalm 30:3 says, "O Lord, you have brought up my soul from the grave; you have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit." King Hezekiah said these words about his deliverance from the pit after the Lord healed him on the third day: "You have in love delivered my soul from the pit of corruption” (taken from Isaiah 38:17). King Hezekiah also said that the pit is a place without hope. It is a place without praise and it is a place that the enemy wants to pull us down into. Isaiah 38:18 says, “For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot celebrate you: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.”
Beloved, today your promise is the promise that through His blood and the blood of the covenant, He has sent forth prisoners out of the pit where there is no water (Zechariah 9: 11). Scripture tells us that when Joseph went back to the land of Canaan for a few days to bury his father Jacob, he had to pass through Shechem. This was the very place that his brothers had lowered him into the pit before they sold him into slavery. On his way back to the land of Canaan, he had to pass by that pit. The rabbis teach us that he stopped as he passed by the pit and gave praise to God because of the great wonderful miracles God did because of that pit. Today your word from heaven is that you will give praise over your pit. The pit represents the darkest day of your life. You cannot understand how God allowed this. This dark day does not make any sense to you whatsoever. Yet just as Joseph returned and gave praise over his pit, so shall you go back to the place of your pain and see the great things that God has brought out of that tragic day. For some of you, if it had not been for that day, you would not have the job that you currently have. For others, if it had not been for that dark day, you would not have met the new people that you know now, and experienced the changes that came forth in your life as a result of being in the pit. God promises His children that all things work together for good to those who love him and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8: 28). Just as God gave Joseph a double portion destiny, even so God has promised that he will render double unto you. God promises us that as prisoners of hope, He will render double compensation for all our tribulations. If we hope in the Lord, Romans 5: 5 tells us that “hope maketh not ashamed,” which means that we will not be disappointed for our hope in the Lord. To those who hang on to hope, the Lord has promised double. The Lord’s reward is so great for those who hold on to hope. Even if our grief is so great that there seems to be no comfort, God promises restoration and compensation for our tribulation. Jeremiah 31: 15-17 says, “Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord … And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border.”
Prayer Dear Jesus, Today I claim hope to be renewed in my thoughts, heart, and soul. You promised the prisoners of hope that You will render a reward of “double.” I declare along with Your declarations in Zechariah 9: 12 that “today You will render double unto me for Your glory.” I claim that I shall come up out of this pit with purpose and promise. Just as Joseph came up out of the pit into the prophetic destiny in Egypt, so do I trust and hope that You will pull me out of this place into the promise You have ordained for me. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Reflect upon God’s mercy. Is there hope in your heart? 2. Are you trusting God for the impossible? 3. Have you lost your hope? Have you allowed circumstances to take your hope?
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DAY 10 The Most Powerful Seeds of Your Destiny Are Sown in Sorrow
“Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.” (Jeremiah 31:16)
When God promised Rachel that her work would be rewarded, she had no idea that all of her travail would avail toward the promises in her destiny. Today, God wants to hold you in the palm of His hand and comfort you. Isaiah 49:14-16 shows us what He promised Zion: “But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” You are graven into His nail-pierced hands. When the Bible tells us that “thy walls are continually before Me,” we remember that the walls of Jerusalem were ruined, broken, and destroyed in the month of Tammuz in 586 BC. Isaiah prophesied consolation before their desolation 170 years prior to the destruction. This means that God already has your remedy before the ruin. There is great hope laid up for you today. He has promised you that the greatest seeds of your destiny are sown in the greatest sorrow of your life. You may not know how or when your destiny will manifest, but in this you can be confident. Psalm 126:5-6 tells us, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Prayer Lord, I claim the promises of Psalm 126:5-6. I thank You that there is great destiny behind this difficulty and I receive Your promise that the tears that are sown shall become a harvest. I shall come back after this crisis rejoicing and bringing my sheaves, my harvest, my dreams, and my destiny with me.
Diary for Destiny 1. Has the night been so dark that you have lost hope? 2. Write out your deepest sorrow and express the hope that He gives in His Word.
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DAY 11 God’s Promise to You Is Destiny Out of the Darkness
“And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 45: 3)
The treasures of darkness are the riches of destiny that come forth in the most difficult days of our lives. I believe God’s Isaiah 45:3 promise to you is alive. God is saying, “My child, I know your sorrow and your suffering. You have been faithful; great is your reward.” The promise of Isaiah 45: 3 is part of a series of promises that God gave the captives of Zion to end the days of darkness in Babylon.
The promises of Isaiah 45 are yours today. The month of Tammuz was the month that the enemies of God broke down the walls of Jerusalem in 586 BC and in 70 AD. But now, because of the Messiah, walls are broken down in Tammuz, but for the purpose of destiny and not destruction. The breaking is a shattering of strongholds that have locked you in limited places, unable to reach your destiny.
Isaiah 45:2 is the promise that the blocks shall be broken off: “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.”
Prayer Lord Jesus, in this fourth month of Tammuz, I claim that all the walls that are barriers and blocks to my destiny shall be broken. I claim that any generational bondages and captivity that are like bars of iron shall be broken off my dream. Lord God, break in pieces all demonic blocks and strongholds, all barriers that have prevented me from getting to the next level. I claim the treasures of destiny out of the dark days of test and trial. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. What barriers and blocks have been preventing you from reaching your highest place of destiny? Take authority over these situations and circumstances, in the name of Jesus!
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DAY 12 Pain God Uses to Train for Greatness
“Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?” (Nehemiah 4: 2b)
The stones out of the heaps of rubbish were the stones of the broken-down walls of Jerusalem. The stones under the rubbish of ash and ruin were evidence that the walls that surrounded Jerusalem were violently broken down, by a fierce enemy. In the rebuilding process year later, the enemies of Jerusalem constantly mocked the rebuilders of the ruins. They resisted the rebuilders. Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite (Nehemiah 2: 10,19 and Nehemiah 4: 1,3) were the primary perpetrators of resistance. They used weapons of discouragement to dissuade the rebuilders and to hinder their purpose.
The name Sanballat has hidden within it the name of Nabal, one of the most despicable individuals in the Bible (Nabal was called a son of Belial). Nabal means “foolish” or one who acts disgracefully. Nabal also means anger from perverse thinking. Nehemiah 2:10 tells us, “When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.”
Nehemiah 4: 1 and Nehemiah 4: 8 continues, “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews… and conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.”
Beloved, say this declaration out loud: “Today, on the twelfth day of rebuilding your ruins and taking back territory, I claim that the spirit of Sanballat that resists the rebuilding is completely brought under the power of the blood of Jesus. Just as the stones under the ash heaps considered as refuse were used to rebuild the wall, so do I claim that the most painful secret sorrow of my life hidden underneath so many layers in my soul will be elevated and consecrated as the stones elected and selected by God to be placed in the wall. I thank You, Lord, that what I considered to be shameful suffering, so that I buried all my brokenness under the piles of ash and refuse, will be used to train for greatness in the Kingdom. Today, I claim the boldness to stand up with persistence against the resistance of Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite. I am fully aware that the intimidating manipulating terror tactics of Sanballat and Tobiah are enemies to discourage me out of my destiny.”
Prayer Today, Lord, I rebuke the negative words and thoughts of Sanballat and Tobiah. I break the ungodly agreement of evil against my destiny and dream. Heavenly Father, my words are the words of Nehemiah over my dreams. Nehemiah 2: 20 says, “Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.” I thank You, Lord, that this pain will be used to train for greatness. Greatness will come out of this grief, in the name of Jesus!
Diary for Destiny 1. Have you listened to the discouraging lying words of Sanballat and Tobiah? 2. Are you willing to allow the Holy Spirit to dig underneath all the rubbish of your personal pain and issues? Will you allow Him to select the stones that are charred and burnt with fire and place them in the wall for the glory of God? 3. Name the pain. Identify each stone with an experience you wanted to “stuff” down under everything. DAY 13 Beauty for Brokenness
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61: 3a)
Beauty (tiferet) is the character of compassion. In Isaiah 61: 3a, the Lord is making a promise that our mourning will turn into a miracle when Messiah comes. Jesus the Messiah has come to comfort those who mourn in Zion. Those who mourn in Zion weep for the ruins reduced to ashes. God has promised to give us beauty for ashes. This means in the place of mourning, there will be miracles. God is promising consolation in the desolation. Isaiah 51: 3 says, “For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.” Isaiah 51: 12 tells us, “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass.” Isaiah 60: 20 promises, “Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.”
Jeremiah 31: 16 continues, “Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.”
God has made a promise that He will comfort you and make you rejoice from your sorrow.
God’s message to you is the same as the words He spoke to Hezekiah in Isaiah 38: 5b: “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”
God promised Hezekiah length of days. The promise was not limited to biological years; instead, “length of days” means “fullness” of days. This means that there will be no more destiny detractors that will diminish God’s perfect plan of highest design of destiny from your life.
Prayer Lord, I ask You to take my brokenness and bring forth the beauty of a destiny and ministry that I could never imagine. I claim the fullness of my days. I claim that the enemy has no more power to detract, exact, or rob me from the ministry that You have ordained for me. In the name of Jesus, amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Have you fully accepted that all the grief you endured will be used for good in the kingdom?
______DAY 14 Taken Treasures Returned: The Day God Has Chosen to Reverse the Adverse
“For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.” (Ezra 7: 9)
The very same month that Zion was destroyed and devastated is the same month years later that Ezra went up to restore the taken treasures. The first of Av during the time of Jeremiah was a day of devastation, ruin, and destruction. The days from the first of Av through the ninth of Av were days of dark lamentation and degradation. But many years later during the time of Ezra, it was on the first day of the fifth month (Av) that God brought reconstruction to the city by restoring the taken treasures. In Ezra 7: 9, the text teaches that the “good hand” of God was upon him. The “good hand” of God is the power of providence that shifts seasons and prepares our dates with destiny. Ezra went up out of Babylon during the same month that the children of Israel went up out of Egypt. He arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, which means that the curse went into reverse, for the glory of God.
Prayer Today, Lord, on the first day of Av, this first day of the fifth month, I claim that You will bring me back into the power of providence. I claim that whatever bars and bondages have restrained me from going forth, that according to Isaiah 43: 1-2, the two-leaved gates will not be shut. I claim Isaiah 61: 1-3, that You will open wide the prison doors that have been shut, to release me into my prophetic purpose. I claim Zephaniah 3: 19, that You will undo all that afflicts me, and You will gather me who was driven out, and You will give me praise and fame in every land where I have been put to shame.
Diary for Destiny 1. How have you seen the “good hand” of God at work in your life? Give Him thanks and praise!
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DAY 15 The Promise of Love Without Limits Toward You
He has Loved us with every kind of love. Great Love wherewith He loves us—not just in days of Faith, but also in days of failure. He loves us more than we will ever know. “The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built...” (Jeremiah 31:3-4a)
The love He has for us is incomprehensible. In Jeremiah 31: 3 He pledges His love to Israel and Judah at a time of their complete rejection of Him. Jeremiah teaches us that this is a love that longs for you. Remembering a love that once was is most painful. The lover longs that it would be as it once was.
Jeremiah 2:2-3a “Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the lovingkindness (chesed) of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his increase...” He loves us with every kind of love. His love to you is as a Father: He loves you as a father in your brokenness and rejection. He loves you as a Father who brings deliverance for His child’s destiny: Hosea 11:1 “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” Hosea11:3 “I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.” (much like a father who teaches his toddler how to walk). Hosea 11: 4 “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.” His love to you is also as a tender, caring and caressing mother: “Can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Though she may forget, I will not forget thee" (Isaiah 49:15). His love to you is as a husband betrothed to a wife. There are “loves of espousals” (Jeremiah 2: 2) with covenants of love that He makes to you because you are His “purchased” possession. Hosea 2:19-20 “And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.” Today, He loves you with the covenant love of espousals and betrothals. This love is multifaceted. It is a betrothal that will last throughout eternity. “I will betroth thee unto me forever” (Hosea 2: 19). It is a pledge that He will be betrothed to you in righteousness, and will never allow the enemy to exact upon you. He will be your Judge that does not allow your enemy to triumph over you. He is betrothed in love to you in judgment, meaning He will not allow the wicked devices of the enemy to rule over you or destroy you. He is betrothed to you in lovingkindness. This kind of love grants us the grace we do not deserve by our own deeds; it is a grace granted only by His mercy. God promises that He will betroth you unto Himself in mercy. A love covenant that He will always surround and shower you with mercy, even when it appears that the enemy is stronger than you are. Jeremiah 31:11 says, “For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.” God is also betrothed to you in faithfulness. This is a Tisha B'Av promise: “Great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3: 23).
Prayer Lord, thank You that You love me with every kind of love. Thank You for loving me as a father and a mother, and thank You for betrothing Yourself to me. Help me to fully receive Your love, and to love others unconditionally as You have loved me. In the name of Jesus, amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Just as God loves you with many kinds of love, do you also love Him with many loves? 2. Do you love Him as your closest companion and friend? 3. Do you love Him as a “spouse” above all other loves? Is He your first love? 4. How has He shown you that He loves you with an everlasting love?
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DAY 16 Blood Evidence: You Will Experience The Return of Your Loss Through The Power of The Cross “And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.” (Jeremiah 32: 9) Before the burning blaze in Zion days before the city was torched God prepared a plan before the plunder of the enemy. Locked up in a prison, Jeremiah knew that in a few days Zion would be gone. Her ash and smoke would be as a cloud over the holy city. She would remain desolate. Her enemies would trod her under their feet. She would weep sore in the dark night of Tisha B’Av. How the holy city would be solitary, emptied of everything. Knowing the days of violence to come, Jeremiah called to mind how God’s infinite mercy and hope were restored as a light that shineth in the darkness. Then came the word of the Lord to Jeremiah in the prison days before the chorban (burning): “Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. So Hanameel mine uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 32: 7-8). Jeremiah negotiated the land to be sold to him before the burning for 17 shekels of silver. 17 is a number that is used in Scripture to symbolize atonement (atonement means blood covering). The numbers 10 and 7 are prophetically paralleled in Leviticus 23: 27, which says, “on the 10th day of the 7th month there shall be a day of atonement.” 17 is the symbol of the blood, and the works of atonement in the cross of Calvary. In the Jeremiah text, the word “evidence” is used seven times. Seven is the symbol of covenant, or oath. Evidence is used as the symbol of the purchase of the land. Then, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land” (Jeremiah 32: 15).
Today the Lord says to you that the evidence of purchase has already been done. The evidence of purchase is symbolized in “blood evidence.” Blood evidence is the strongest evidence. 17 is comprised of 10 and 7, and silver is the symbol of atonement money (Exodus 30: 12-13). Just as Jeremiah purchased the land before it was destroyed with the token of atonement as the evidence and symbol that the land would be returned and repossessed again by those driven out, so does the Lord promise you that what has been taken from you shall be returned and you shall again take back territory. God has given the blood evidence. We shall receive back the return of our loss through the power of the cross.
Prayer Lord, I claim today the blood-bought victory is mine in Christ. Every place that the sole of my foot has tread upon, I claim for the glory of God. I present blood evidence to every lying, cheating, robbing spirit that the enemy has used to take what is mine in Christ. I thank You, Lord, that blood evidence has been provided and that the purchase of my destiny has been made by the blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Reflect on how the word of God is not bound, even though Jeremiah was bound in prison. 2. Do you feel that your circumstances are preventing you from hearing God? 3. Do you realize that the powerful word of God gave Jeremiah was sealed in blood evidence that Zion would be returned? 4. Do you appropriate blood evidence as “payment” or “compensation” on demand to return everything that belongs to your destiny?
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DAY 17 The Supernatural Secret of Sorrow: Tears that Produce Profit
“Thus saith the Lord: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31: 16) God has promised that He will use all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Sometimes we ask, “Why? How could God allow this?” Tisha B’Av is a time of weeping. Cries characterize the season that began a series of dark nights repeated throughout Israel’s history. Throughout the Bible, the text teaches there are two types of tears. The first are tears that produce profit. The second are tears that do not profit. What is the difference? Tears that produce profit are tears that are shed from trials and tribulations we don’t understand. When we are suffering the depths of these dilemmas, we cannot see the incredible purposes and plans this suffering produces. Tears that produce no profit are like the tears of all the congregation of Israel when the spies returned from their mission and spoke an evil report against the land of Israel. Their negative words produced a refusal and rebellion against God’s will to possess the land. As a result, in Numbers 14: 1 the text teaches that “all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.” Tears that produce great profit are tears that we shed when we are doing God’s will, and for no reason a sudden strike from the enemy assaults our dream, our hope, and our destiny. In Genesis 37: 35, the text teaches that Jacob mourned for his son Joseph and refuse to be comforted, and said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.” Jacob’s tears teach us how God uses our grief toward greatness. The 22 years of tears that Jacob wept for Joseph were seeds being sown for the worldwide effect of Joseph’s ministry. Jacob did not know Joseph was still alive, but his tears produced a plan of power out of the pain. Jacob’s tears in the land of Canaan were affecting Joseph in Mitzrayim (Egypt). Every tear Jacob shed was working toward the manifestation of Joseph’s elevation into destiny. The tears pulled Joseph out of the field and promoted him in the house of Potiphar. They protected him from the temptations of Potiphar’s wife. Those tears lifted Joseph out of the pit in the prison and birthed him into the palace. Today the Lord is saying that your tears are producing profit for the Kingdom greater than you can ask or think. He is going to use every trial and tribulation toward the highest elevation of destiny. The Lord is saying, “Go forward, My child, this is not the end. My nail scarred hand will lead thee. Call upon Me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things thou knowest not.”
Prayer Lord, I give You praise and thanks that my tears will produce profit, and that my grief will lead to greatness. Show me how the trials and tribulations that I have experienced are contributing toward my highest destiny. Help me to trust in You, and know that every situation will be used for good in my life. In the name of Jesus, amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Can you look back on the darkest days of your life and see that God had a plan? 2. What miracles have come out of “mourning” experiences in your life?
DAY 18 God’s Promise: A “Better Than Before” Anointing
“And I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 36: 11b) Ezekiel 36: 11b is a “mourning into miracle” promise for all who are weeping over what once was. In this promise, Scripture sympathizes with the pain of trying to deal with the excruciating anguish of living with loss. God has promised you that it is not your destiny to stay stuck in the pain of the past. His Word for you in Ezekiel 36: 11b is "better than before." In this text, God has made a declaration of great expectation for your future. He says to you today: “Do not blame yourself for something you think you could have prevented. Do not say, ‘I will never have back again what I once had.’” Consider Sarah. To have a son was impossible, but there isn’t anything that is too hard for the Lord. Sarah laughed because her situation was so impossible that in the natural it could never happen. But Genesis 18: 13-14 shows us, “And the Lord I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” The Lord says to you today: “You shall laugh as Sarah did.” God promised that Sarah would laugh. His Word was one of great expectation in an impossible situation. The Lord told Abraham in Genesis 17: 19a, “And you shall call his name Isaac [laughter].” Genesis 21: 6 tells us, "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." God also promised this word to Zion. Jeremiah knew the inevitable: the captors had already exiled multitudes and the city was going to be decimated. But God said to Jeremiah the same words of Genesis 18: 14. These are words that connect Zion in her situation of the impossible to the One wherewith nothing is impossible. Jeremiah 32: 27 says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?" The same words that God gave to Abraham and Sarah, He gave to Zion through Jeremiah. Nothing is too hard for Him!
Prayer Jesus, I pray a “better than before” anointing over my destiny. I claim this day that what God promised to Zion through Ezekiel and Jeremiah is my promise. The Word that God gave to Sarah and Zion is also for me. I take the Word that "nothing is too hard for You” and apply it to my destiny, my dreams, my hope, and my future. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. Are there any situations in your life which seem to be impossible? Ask the Lord to help you see them from His perspective! 2. Describe a situation that you prayed about that turned out better than expected. Praise the Lord for His “better than before” anointing!
______DAY 19 The Promise to Perform His “Good Word” Toward You
"For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." (Jeremiah 29: 10) The promise of Jeremiah 29:10 was given to the captives who were already taken to Babylon. These words were given to those who had been carried away into the darkness and into the hopelessness of exile. Jeremiah 29: 1 says, "Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon." The last line of the verse refers to those whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon. His word was a word of comfort to those who had made great mistakes by trusting in false prophets and turning away from God. In these words, God gives hope and comfort to those who have made a mistake and, as a result, have felt traumatized and completely immobilized with no hope the future. Jeremiah reveals the heart of the One who wants us to succeed in our destinies even much more than we do. His words to the captives were words that meant He had turned their "mistake into a miracle." He was promising them that they would not remain in the darkness of Babylon. His good word was that He would perform His "good word" in causing them to return to the land of Israel. The promise is what will give them hope. He also wants them to prepare their lives around the promise, knowing it shall surely come to pass. He is teaching them how to activate the promise. Jeremiah 29: 11 says, “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.” The "expected end" is the fulfillment of what the Lord promised. In order to activate this promise, God told the children of Israel that the only thing He desires is for them to seek Him. We can change our entire destiny and God can turn every mistake into a miracle when we seek Him. Seeking Him means there is a longing of love to be with Him. Seeking Him means He is our all in all. There is an inner contentment because He is all we need and want. When that happens, our exile is decreed to end (Jeremiah 29: 12-14). Jeremiah 29: 12-13 says, “Then shall he call on Me and he will go and pray unto Me and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” God is saying: "I am sending this good word to you. You shall return. I shall perform My good word toward you. You will not always be in this place. Know that the plans ahead are greater than you can ask or think. I am the God who turns your mistakes into a miracle. You will look back on these days and say, 'Look what the Lord has done.'"
Prayer Dear Jesus, today on the 6th day of Av, I ask you for the faith to believe for the performance of promises in my life. I praise You for the manifestation of Your “good word” in my life. Thank You for turning my mistakes into miracles! In the name of Jesus, amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. What good word have I read or heard spoken that I will appropriate for the glory of God in my life? 2. Can I truly say that I am seeking Him with my whole heart?
DAY 20 God’s Guarantee Your Destiny Is Ransomed. He will Redeem The Dream In Your Life.
"For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he." (Jeremiah 31: 11) In order for the exile to be lifted, and for the full return of everything that was taken, in order for the full rebuilding of the ruins, and for everything to be better than what it was before, a payment had to be made. The power needed to reverse the curse was so strong that no propitiation or atonement was able to be found among men to expiate it. Not one offering, not a single sacrifice in this world was able to turn the captivity of Zion. Isaiah and all the prophets knew this well. The promises of Shivat Zion in the book of Isaiah in Chapters 40 through 66 are hermeneutically positioned in the text as one promise after another. Along with so many other promises concerning the return and rebuilding of Zion, Isaiah places many of them together in the last 26 chapters of his book. Throughout the consolation, comfort, and promises of expectation in the book of Isaiah, there is an abrupt interrupt with the portrait of a man who is wounded for our transgressions. He does not appear just once or twice, but He appears repeatedly out of nowhere throughout the text. Isaiah purposely places this man irregularly throughout the text, so that we cannot miss this man who appears to be the atonement for Zion in her return and recovery. He is inaugurated in Isaiah 42: 1-2. Then He appears as one who suffers with unbearable suffering. In Isaiah 50: 6, He gives His back to the smiters and His cheeks to those who pluck off His beard; He hides not His face from shame and spitting. In Isaiah 52, He is the Servant who is high and extolled, whose visage is marred more than any other man. Isaiah 52: 15 tells us that He shall sprinkle many nations, which means that He will provide atonement for the nations. In Isaiah 53, He is wounded for our transgressions. Isaiah makes it apparent that the geulah (redemption from exile) cannot take place without His atonement. His soul has been made an offering for sin (Isaiah 53: 10). In Isaiah 59: 16, He is the right hand of the Lord who makes intercession. In Isaiah 63: 9, He is afflicted in all their affliction. Today He wants you to know that His blood and sacrifice has made an atonement (the only worthy atonement) for Zion. He makes that atonement as God’s guarantee that your life will be rebuilt as Zion was rebuilt. You will be the head and not the tail. He will cause you to return to the territory that the enemy drove you out of. God is saying to you, "Fear not!" Because of Christ and His atonement, you will return and repossess every promise.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I claim that You are the rebuilder of my ruins. Your blood has already paid the price for the full return and recovery. I claim complete restoration in my impossible situation during these 21 Days of Messianic Miracles. Amen!
Diary for Destiny 1. In what areas of your life do you still need full return and recovery? Claim everything that you need, exceedingly and abundantly, through the blood!
______DAY 21 The Promise of Mourning Into Miracles.
“Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace." (Zechariah 8: 19) The Almighty has promised that the days of weeping and days of mourning for Zion will not always be as they were in the days of her destruction. He has made a very unusual promise to Israel and to Zion. This is a promise also made to spiritual Zion. He has promised that the days of remembering her devastation will become days of restoration. In Zechariah, God has promised that during the days of the Messiah, these days will be changed from days of mourning into days of miracles. God has promised that the very nature of the season would shift. He has promised that these days shall be to the house of Judah joyful feasts. This does not mean that these feasts will be mishteh (banquets), but rather these days will be feasts of the Lord (moedim). These are days of power and providence. These are days of supernatural renovation instead of desolation in our lives and destinies. I believe God is saying that because of the blood, you can claim all things to be better than before. As Haggai 2: 9 says, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former." God is saying to you, “Be strong and build. Go forward to your bright future. Let no man deceive you. Annihilate and obliterate the spirit of Sanballat and Tobiah.” He wants you to know that the rebuilding of your ruins has already been ransomed and ratified by the blood. You will return. He will remember His good word toward you (Jeremiah 29: 10). God has made the following promises to you: • "Your work shall be rewarded" (from Jeremiah 31: 16) • “You shall have double for your shame” (from Isaiah 61: 7) • "You will take treasures out of the darkness" (from Isaiah 45: 3) • "He will do better to you than in your beginnings" (from Ezekiel 36: 11)
I hear God saying, “Seek Me with all your heart, for I am the Author and Finisher of your destiny!”
Prayer Lord, I thank you that in 2021 I have hope of a new beginning. Yes, Lord, I receive Your Word. I bind and rebuke any thinking processes lodged in my memory of the former things (Isaiah 43: 18). I claim I will return back to the place of promise and destiny. In the name of Jesus, amen!
Diary For Destiny 1. How have these 21 days become days that have changed from mourning into miracles? 2. Why are you grateful? Where are you now? Where would you be if God had not brought Yeshua into your life? ______Diary For Destiny ______
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