Quiet Corner

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Do Not Pay Close Attention​

In Hebrews 2:1, it says, "We must pay much closer attention." It doesn't say 'Pay close attention.' It says 'Pay closer attention.' 'Close' is an absolute term, but 'closer' is a relative term. It's not enough to pay close attention, you have to pay closer attention. Closer than what? Closer than whatever has been. However you've been with God, you have to keep going closer. You need to get closer to God, closer in the Word, and closer in prayer. And the writer of Hebrews doesn't just say "you" have to pay closer attention, he says "we" have to pay closer attention. How can he say that? He wasn't backsliding, he was writing the Bible. But if he can write that he also has to pay closer attention, then how much more for all of us? How much more do we need to pay closer attention to the Lord, to His Word, to His Voice, and to His Spirit? Not just close attention, but closer than you ever have before. For no matter how close we've been before, it's time now to get closer.

Hebrews 2:1
Today, pay closer attention to the Lord and His Word and seek to come closer, live closer, do all things closer than before

 

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The Miraculous Word of Leviticus, Isaiah 53​

Leviticus 5 speaks of the guilt offering, or the guilt sacrifice. The Hebrew word is asham. Asham means the guilt offering or sacrifice, but it's also the word for guilt itself. Therefore, every time they spoke about their guilt by using the word asham, they were also speaking of the sacrifice that would take away their guilt. Messiah is the Asham. Isaiah 53:10 says, "He made His life a guilt offering." The word used is asham - the same word used in Leviticus. Every guilt has an offering. So no matter what your guilt has been, for every guilt in your life no matter what it is, there's an offering for that guilt, Messiah. Messiah is called the Asham. It's His name. He is named by your guilt. And that means that every guilt you have, has His name written on it already. It's covered by Him, it's got His name on it, and it doesn't belong to you anymore, because it belongs to Him. So give it to Him and be free. For your guilt and His name are the same - the Asham.

Isaiah 53:5
Today, bring your guilt and shame to your Messiah and let it go. For it already belongs to Him. Be free!

 

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The Memory of Amalek​

After coming out of Egypt, Israel was attacked by the Amalekites and forced to fight its first battle. God said a strange thing afterwards. He said, "Write it on a scroll as a memorial... I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek." What is God saying? Does God want Amalek's memory blotted out or not? God wants the evil of Amalek blotted out. But Israel is to remember the miracle, the redemption, and the victory that God gave them over Amalek. That's the way God wants you to deal with the enemy's attacks on your life. Don't dwell on the bad that happened, but remember the good that came out of it. That's the whole point. In Revelation, God will wipe away all tears, and yet we see a Lamb who was slain; we will still see the wounds of Messiah. So never forget what Messiah did; how he turned your tears into joy and your failures in to redemption. Forget the pain of Amalek, but remember the victory, the miracle, and the blessings that God brought into your life, when he blotted out Amalek.

Revelation 7:17
Today, focus on all the good things that the Lord has brought about in your Life

 

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Praising God in the House of Prostitutes​

While on a mission in Guatemala, we were booked in a hotel where something wasn't quite right. It turned out to be a house of prostitution. Everyone was panicking and wanted to leave. But I was led to do something different. We started anointing the place, praying, worshiping, and praising God right there in the darkness. As we were worshipping, a woman joined us and received the Lord. Then others received the Lord. Before we left, the man who was running the place wept in repentance, received the Lord, and was changed. As we left, they were waving Bibles and weeping. The point is this - we are called to be separate from the world as far as evil is concerned. But we must be a light unto the world. If we run from the dark, how are we going to change it? So don't be afraid of the dark, or of those in darkness, because those in darkness need the light of Messiah. He did not avoid dealing with the world. He came and lit it up. And you are one of those lives who are lit up by Him. Now go and do likewise.

Luke 15:4
Today, don't fear the darkness - but shine the Light of Messiah into it - to all around you. Light up the darkness!

 

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The Most Hopeless Preacher​

Jonah was told to go to Nineveh with the message that Nineveh would be judged in 40 days. There were no ifs, or buts about it. The message sounded hopeless. And yet, with God, there's always hope. The point of the message wasn't judgment but redemption. That's why Jonah didn't want to give that message to his enemies because he knew God's heart. And when Nineveh heard that hopeless message, the entire city repented. What does that tell you? If the most depressing, hopeless message turns out to be filled with redemption, then there's always hope. No matter how hopeless your situation looks, no matter how much it seems as if there's no way out, how far you feel from God, or how finished you feel your walk is, don't ever give up hope. Because your God is the God of all hope. If Nineveh, a dark and pagan city ready for judgment, hardened to God, and given a hopeless message could have hope, how much more you? Because no matter what it looks like, there's hope. Whatever you're going through, just remember Nineveh


Jeremiah 29:11
Today, overcome all thoughts, feelings, and words of hopelessness with the stubborn hope of God

 

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The Metal Beast of the End-Times​

The prophet Daniel was given a vision of four creatures, each representing a world empire or civilization. Three were in the form of animals, but the fourth creature was made in part of metal. The fourth creature speaks of the end-times. When that prophecy was given, there was no such thing as a creature of metal. But today we have technology; moving creations made with metal and other inorganic material, machines and even robots. What kind of civilization will that last civilization be? It will be a technological one where the lines between biology and technology are blurred. We see it now as global culture progresses and becomes seemingly dehumanized. So as end time believers how are we to live? When a culture goes against the ways of God, you have to live against the ways of that culture. Don't go along with it or accept its sin. Live all the more godly, pure, and without compromise. Put away worldliness. For in the end, Messiah overcomes the fourth creature. And you as His disciple also have the power to overcome

Romans 12:21
Today, recognize the times in which you live, separate from what is unclean, and live against the flow, by the power of Messiah

 

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The Gift Of The Bride​

In the Hebrew betrothal, the bride received a special gift, sent by the bridegroom, called the mattan. Mattan means the gift. The mattan was to prepare, bless, and beautify her for the time of her marriage. Messiah is the bridegroom, and we're the bride. Messiah sent us the Holy Spirit as the Mattan. The Hebrew word for bride is calah, which literally means the perfect one. The bride is the one who must be perfect, but she only becomes the perfect one as she receives the gift. So how do you become perfect? Not by trying to be perfect in your own strength, but by receiving what God has and living by the gift of the Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is that which perfects you. For God's Spirit knows, guides, convicts, leads, and transforms you. He'll make you beautiful and complete - the bride, the perfect one. The Spirit is going to fill the imperfections in your life, making it one of grace and God's perfection. So how does the bride become the calah? By the Mattan; by living in the gift and the Spirit of the Bridegroom

John 14:26
Today, receive the gift of the Spirit and allow Him to fill in your imperfections

 

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For The Love Of Convicts​

A man was arrested for multiple crimes. He matched the descriptions of the witnesses, his DNA was found on the scene, and they had him on video for one of the crimes. But the one person who believed he was innocent was his mother. The evidence meant nothing to her because she knew her son was innocent. A mother's love is often irrational. Prisons are filled with people that everyone has given up on except for their mothers. Isaiah 49:15 asks, can a woman forget her own child? God answers, "They may, yet I will not forget you, I've inscribed you on the palms of My hands." As deep and as powerful as a mother's love is for a child, God's love for you is even deeper and more powerful. You can be the biggest mess up, rejected by everyone, and the most degraded sinner who's failed more times than you can count, but there's One whose arms are still open. Through His grace and the blood of Messiah, He will declare you innocent if you'll repent and run to Him. Because that's how much God loves you even more than a mother

Ephesians 2:4-5
Today, spend time in the arms of God, wrapped in His deep, unconditional, and beyond rational, love.

 

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Camping In The Forever​

Psalm 37:27 says, "Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell forevermore." The Hebrew word 'dwell' is 'shakan.' Shakan can be translated as 'set up your tent.' But the word 'evermore' is the word 'olam', which is also the word for 'eternity.' 'Olam' is both an earthly word and a heavenly word, joined together. It can be 'world' but also 'eternity.' The truth is, your earthly life is to be joined to an eternal life. Eternal life is not just for later or after we die. We're to pitch our tent in the heavens now. It says in the same verse just before, "depart from evil and do good..." There's a link. Depart from evil - the sinful life and the old nature. And as that old life fades, heavenly life will become more real. It will become real when you learn the secret of leaving the old life and entering the tent of heaven, dwelling in His presence and His glory. Put away the temporary so that you can enter the eternal. Put away evil, do good, and shakan olam - dwell in the forever of His glory, now

Psalm 37:27
Today, take time to learn what it means and practice setting up your tent in the olam, dwelling in the heavenlies

 

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Living With The Heart Of God​

When I order something online, it sometimes comes with words I dread... 'Some assembly required.' If I had a mechanical mind, or if I was the one who wrote the instruction manual, I wouldn't need all the instructions, I would naturally know what went where. But since I'm not mechanically inclined, I have to rely on outward instructions. When the Israelites had to build the tabernacle, God put His Spirit inside of a man named Bezalel. This enabled Bezalel to put the tabernacle together without a manual. Some believers try to live a life for God, relying only on laws, simply trying to fulfill the letter of the Word. But the key is to live with the Spirit of God in your heart for if you live from the heart and Spirit of the one who wrote the Bible, you will naturally do the things that are good. You'll do what's right from your heart, and you'll do it freely like Bezalel. If you live with God's heart and walk by His Spirit, you won't just read the Bible; you'll live it

1 Samuel 16:7
Today, ask God to fill you with His Spirit and live from His Spirit and heart

 

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Using Your Mind...For Real​

Some people believe that their thought life is out of their control. Do you have control over your thoughts? Luke 10:27 gives the command for you to love the Lord your God with all your mind. This verse reveals that the mind is not something that should control you. Your mind is something you use as a vessel or an instrument. It means you're not subject to your thought life. Your thought life is subject to you. It says to love the Lord your God with all your mind, not some. You can have control over your thought life. You need to use your mind as a vessel with which to love God. Love Him with every thought, every inkling, every notion, and every meditation. Direct your mind to the Lord and His goodness. Your mind may not be accustomed to being used like this, and you may have to fight at first. But fight the good fight, and your mind will learn to follow. For your mind and your thoughts are not your masters, but vessels to be used by you for God's love and glory

Philippians 4:8
Today, take charge of your thought life, use your mind as a vessel for God's glory

 

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The Witness Of St. Jerome And The Rabbis​

The New Testament records that when Messiah died, there was an earthquake in Jerusalem, and the temple veil was ripped in two. Jerome, an early church writer, relates that when the veil was ripped in two, the huge lintel in the temple splintered and fell. According to ancient records, the lintel was a 30 ton, 30 ft. long stone. The rabbis record in the Talmud that strange things started happening in the temple around the year 30 A.D. Jerome didn't read the Talmud. It wasn't fully written yet. And the rabbis didn't read Jerome's writings or the New Testament. And yet they give similar accounts of strange things happening around 30 A.D. when Messiah died and rose, and the new covenant went into effect. It all bears witness to the power of Messiah's death - that it opened up what could not be opened before. So no matter what you're going through; when the world, the flesh, and the devil says, "no way," don't you believe it. Messiah made the way. The Word declares and even the rabbis bore witness - in Messiah, there's always a way

Acts 1:8
Today, take the Lord at His Word, don't believe the enemy's lies, and go forth in the power of Messiah

 

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The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Principle​

Proverbs 27:7 says, "A satisfied soul loathes honey, but to a hungry soul even bitter things are sweet." I like sweets, but if I'm full on healthy food, I can turn them down. If I'm not full, then I start dreaming of Reese's Peanut Butter cups. But, if I eat a full meal before I go grocery shopping, I can walk through the bakery section and rebuke every cookie and pie and tell it: "Get thee behind me!" So in the spiritual realm, if you're always being tempted, you're not filling yourself up with the fullness of God. If you're not full spiritually, you're more susceptible to being tempted. But if you're full, you're able to turn down sinful things which would have appeared tempting. Fill yourself up with the things of God. Delight in His presence and His good gifts, and you won't be overcome. It's as simple as turning down the honeycomb, or walking through the valley of the shadow of the junk food aisle in your local supermarket and turning it all down because you went there on a full stomach

1 Corinthians 10:13
Today, fill yourself with the Word of God, His presence, and His love - be full!

 

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How To Transform Your Valley​

In the account of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:26, it says, "On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berachah, for there they blessed the LORD; therefore the name of that place was called 'The Valley of Berachah' to this day." Berachah means 'blessing' in Hebrew. It wasn't originally called The Valley of Berachah; it was just a valley. But it was named The Valley of Berachah or blessing because they praised God there. That's how it became 'The Valley of Blessing.' Are you in a valley right now? Valleys are not to be feared. It doesn't matter if you are on a mountain or in a valley, you have the power to turn your situation into a blessing. How? Look at what the verse says - "There they blessed the LORD." So open up your mouth and start praising God wherever you are. It doesn't matter what kind of valley you're in. Start praising and blessing Him no matter what. You may still be in the valley, but it's a wonderful thing to be in the valley of blessing because you made it become that way

Psalm 106:1
Today, no matter where you are praise and bless the Lord. Change your valley into a blessing

 

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The Olympians​

During the Olympics, we hear about the lives of athletes who train hard their whole lives, putting everything into it; how they finally get to the Olympics and in one fall or mess up, suddenly all their hard work is finished, and their chances of getting the gold are gone. In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul speaks of those who compete for a perishable crown, but we compete for an imperishable crown. In one sense, it's the same, but we get the greater prize. We should be as diligent towards our prize as they are towards theirs. If we put that much work or focus into the heavenly prize, how much farther will we be in God? If they mess up, it's pretty much over, but if you mess up in this race, it's not over - not by a long shot. In fact, you might mess up a lot, but in this race, the rules are different. Even if you fall, you're guaranteed the prize - if you finish. Just get up and keep going. Keep going until you cross that finish line and receive that imperishable crown reserved for the champions of God

Philippians 3:14
Today, if you have fallen short in your walk, get up and keep going

 

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The Great Wilderness!

The children of Israel went through the wilderness for 40 years to make it to the Promised Land. At the end of their journey, the Lord, through Moses, spoke of the 'great and terrible' wilderness. Most believers would agree that going through the wilderness sometimes feels terrible. But that's not the whole story. There's also another beautiful truth. The wildernesses you go through in the Lord may feel terrible, but first and foremost, they're great! Why? Because every trial in your life, in God, has a purpose, function, and an end that is great. That crisis has a great purpose to it, but you have to keep going. Great means awesome! The wilderness seemed horrible, but it was leading to the Promised Land, which was great. So with you, if you didn't have a great purpose in your life, you wouldn't have a wilderness. It's only a wilderness because there's a Promised Land coming. So remember, no matter how terrible you think that trial you're going through is, beyond it all, it's really not. In fact, by the grace and purpose of God, that wilderness is great


Romans 8:28
Today, change your perspective on any trial that you're going through. Thank God for the great and mighty purposes He's working through it.

 

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Your Holification

We think of holiness primarily as an adjective; something or someone is holy or unholy. The word holy in Hebrew is Kadosh. It's an adjective as in, holy is the Lord. But the verb form, spelled the same in Hebrew, is Kadash. It refers to the act of making something holy that wasn't. It's translated in English as 'sanctified', because holified isn't an English word. The priests of Israel Kadashed the temple vessels to make them holy for God. The priesthood itself was kadashed - sanctified by Moses so they could be used as God's holy vessels. Holiness is not just an attribute; something you are or you're not, it's something that happens to you that transforms you. Messiah's work is all about taking the unholy and kadashing them; the sinners, the outcasts, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the murderers, and the Gentiles - making them holy by His Holy Spirit. In God, it's not about achieving holiness; it's about being kadashed. Seek the Lord, His touch, His power, and His Spirit. Open your heart, mind, soul, and strength to God touching you, and to His power, to get kadashed!

1 Peter 1:22
Today, ask the Lord to sanctify you and set you apart for His service. Get kadashed.

 

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The Mark Of Your Life

The English word 'character' comes from a very similar Greek word that means an 'engraved mark'. As a believer, you're to be a person of character. But what does character have to do with engraving? Your character is that which will leave the mark that identifies your life, just like an engraving. It won't be your money, fame, notoriety, or success that matters. It will matter if you were a godly person - a loving parent, a faithful spouse, or a good son or daughter. You will make your mark in the kingdom by your inner nature, integrity, and purity of heart. You'll become a person of true character by walking in the Lord and choosing His ways over and over again. Every time you choose righteousness, you're engraving it in your life and in your character; the deeper the engraving becomes, the deeper the mark becomes of your character and legacy. You still have time to leave a great legacy of a great life. Don't focus on the outside; instead, focus on the inside. Get out your spiritual engraving tools, make your mark, and engrave your character.

1 Samuel 16:7
Today, choose purity and righteousness in everything you do. Engrave your character!

 

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