Dwelling In God's Secret Place

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By Mark E. Baker
Psalms 91:1-2: "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.''


When we dwell in the secret place of the Lord, we are actually to abide or live in the Lord, in His secret place.

Psalms 91:1, ( NAS): "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."


This verse is actually talking about your relationship with God the Father and His son the Lord Jesus Christ. You may know Jesus as your Savior, but do you know Him as your Refuge, your Fortress, your Strength, your friend, and your Advocate? When you dwell in the secret place of the Most High, you are in the relationship God the Father desires and planned to have with His children when He created us. It is not an "on again, off again" relationship, spending time with God when you need something, or things are going badly. It is a minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day walk with God. It is a lifestyle of seeking and abiding with God always. Following His commandment, doing things God's way, not the world's way. Seeking God's perfect will for you in your life. It is a lifestyle that glorifies God!


The Apostle Paul tells us that we are brought with a price.

1 Cor. 6:20: "For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."


Everything we do should bring glory to God! The wonderful thing is, when we do this, live a life of "dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty", God gives us certain promises that are there for us to appropriate.


Psalms 91:3-6: "Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday."

He promises us He will deliver us from the "snare of the fowler and the perilous pestilence." We will have a refuge in Him and not be afraid of the terror by night, nor the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.


These verses are describing the different ways the enemy, Satan, will attack you, both physically and spiritually. But God promises you safety and freedom. When you abide in Him, lean the things of God learn who God is, and what God does, you will have His strength, His peace, His joy, His confidence, to face all these things, knowing all the time that "we are more than conquerors." ( Romans 8:37.)


God promises you safety and freedom from fear.

2 Tim. 1:7:"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."


When we are born again, we are recreated in the image of God - a new creature.


2 Cor. 5:17:"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."


When God's Spirit dwells in us, He regenerates us, if we will let Him. He will help us to grow in His image, to create in us a clean heart and renewed mind; if we will let Him! But we have to "dwell in Him", talk with Him, spend time getting to know Him, by spending time reading His Word, to become more like Him.

If you want to see real changes in your life, then spend more time with God and the things of God. Make time to pray, not just 5 or 10 minutes a day, but make real time to pray. To really go after God and the things of God, you may have to give up and rearrange you life. Stop watching junk on TV or substituting religious programs for real personal time with God. When you pray, don't just tell God what you need, but take the time to praise Him, worship Him, talk to Him. Take the time to thank Him for all He has done in your life and the lives of others.

Spend time reading your Bible, not just a quick 10 minute devotional out of a book, but get out your Bible and really read it, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. Ask the Holy Spirit to open you spiritual understanding, so that you can understand what you are reading and how it relates to you.


James 1:5;4:3: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him...You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.


If you ask God, He will give you understanding of His Word. Do it everyday. Make a commitment to change your life and then you will see great things eventually come to pass in your life!


Psalms 91:9-11: "Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your habitation, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways." Because you choose to abide in God, and make Him your refuge, then and only then will no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near you dwelling.

God promises to keep you in all you ways. When you trust in, rely on, dwell in Him and not your on strength, He will direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:6.) The enemy can take His best shot at you and it will not succeed, because God is on your side. This does not mean that we will not have trials, or tests, that the devil will automatically leave you alone, because you dwell in God. It really means the opposite, the enemy's sole purpose is to keep you defeated, downtrodden and depressed. He wants to keep you financially frantic, heartbroken and sick and He will do anything in his power to keep you from trusting in, relying on and depending on God. He wants you to give up; the first time things get rough. But God promise to be with you always, to keep you in all your ways, and to give you the mind of Christ, not the spirit of fear. What you have to do, is not give up or give in! Stand you ground! Put on the armor of God and fight the good fight of faith! 
(Ephesians 6:13.)

Psalms 91:14-16: " Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 
With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation."


When you call on Him, He will answer you! He will show you His salvation. He will deliver you and satisfy you with long life! It is yours as a child of God. 
But it is a choice you make. You choose to dwell in Christ, to abide in the Shelter of the Almighty and reap His promises! You have to make hard lifestyle changes to reach this goal, real permanent changes. You have to be committed to attending church, reading God's Word, praying daily. You will have to stop doing some things.

You will have to choose spending time with God over "vegging out" in front of the television, sleeping late, watching a video you rented or drinking, or napping. Spend time reading God's Word, read it to your children, pray while you are driving down the road. It will make a difference!

Remember, Satan does not want you to succeed or for anything you do to Glorify God. It may look like things are going well for you now! Why change? We never know what tomorrow will bring and we all will have something come up in our lives that will test us and tempt us. I just want you to know that no matter what the devil throws at you, God loves you, cares for you. He loved you enough to send His son, to die for you! He want you to be successful, to be happy, to be healthy and content. This does not mean filthy rich with no worries. It means that He will meet your needs, guide your daily paths and "keep you under His wings of refuge." Take the time to choose life rather than death, peace rather than frustration, joy rather than sadness. If you do not know Jesus as you personal Savior I urge you to pray the following prayer and make the choice to make Jesus Lord of your life and "dwell in the secret place of the most High."


Dear Heavenly Father,


I come to you in the name of Jesus.

Your word says, "...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (Jn.6:37), 
So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, 
And I thank you for it.


You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).


I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, 
You also said, "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. " (Ro.10:9,10).


I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 
I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. 
And I confess Him now as my Lord,


Because Your Word says, "... with the heart one believes to righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart,


I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21), 
And I am saved! Thank You, Lord! 
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!


Glory to God!!!! Amen.


Psalms 91:


1. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.


2. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.''


3. Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.

4. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.


5. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,


6. Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.


7. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.


8. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.


9. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your habitation,


10. No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;


11. For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.


12. They shall bear you up in their hands, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.


13. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample under foot.


14. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.


15. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.


16. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/618506

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The Greater One Within

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By Mark E. Baker

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.


Greater simply means more. The One who is more than enough is in the inside of you. If you are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the One who is more is on the inside of you. Because of this we have overcome. To hear many Christians talk, you would think the one who is less is on the inside of them. NO, the One who is more, the greater One is on the inside of us.

This should be the heart cry of every believer. The greater One lives within me. It is because of the greater One that lives within me that I am victorious. It is because of the greater One that lives within me that that I am successful. It is because of the greater One that dwells within me that causes me to triumph in every circumstance of life. Some people would say this is bragging. This certainly isn't bragging on yourself, it is bragging on God and His ability. You're not saying what you can do but what God in you can and is doing.

We should make it a habit to continually declare that the greater One makes us victorious. When we declare this, we are lining our words up with God's words. We are giving God a place to work in our lives when we speak what He has told us to speak. This is not presumption it is obedience to His Word. Presumption is to assume something, and I am not talking about that at all. I am talking about acting on knowledge. We are acting on what we know to be true and declaring it to be so. Start to declare in obedience the greater One will cause me to succeed. I will not fail but will put my faith in Him. His Word tells us to do this in 2 Corinthians 4:13.


2 Corinthians 4:13 But since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke,'' we also believe and therefore speak,

This will open the way for the greater One to rise up inside of you. When we do this we magnify Him and open the door for Him to give us enlightenment, direction, and revelation to our spirit, healing to our bodies, and help and comfort in every situation of life.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


He's telling us in His Word to come boldly and ask for this help, it's there when we need it. 
Some people would say I don't know if I can do that or not, yet we are told to come boldly and ask. This is telling us to do it, God wants us to have His help. We should receive it and begin to walk in it.


One aspect of this is that we must come to realize that that He is always with us.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.''


We all face life's trials, let we can take great comfort in the fact the Holy Spirit of God has taken up residence within us. He's always present to help, not just when we feel like it but always, whether we feel like it or not. Our faith can not be based on our feelings. It must be based on what we know to be the truth of God's Word. I would encourage you not to look to the circumstances but to look to the greater one within. The Holy Spirit will quicken God's Word to your spirit and make it real. It is all too easy to take our eyes off of the one who has set us free and to dwell on the negative circumstances that come at us in life. Look to the inside where the greater one dwells, not to the circumstances.


We can know that regardless of the circumstances we have victory on the inside of us, if we will just give Him the opportunity to work on our behalf.

As our opening Scripture declares. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.


We are of God. Begin to meditate on this until it is so real that nothing can take it from you, and know that as God's child you have been called to succeed. God doesn't want His children beat up and run down. Just the opposite is true. However we will just begin to realize it and walk in the light of it. Let Him speak this quiet assurance into your spiritual being and allow the One who is more to rise up in you, and begin to see yourself as the Holy Father see us in Christ.


We can then say with confidence, greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.


God's Word tells us that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.


This is not some different spirit but the very same Spirit dwells in us and will give life to our mortal bodies. You might say I don't know about that. It is absolutely so. This is talking about the here and now, our mortal bodies not our resurrected bodies that we will have in Heaven. We won't need our bodies quickened when we are in Heaven. We need it now. This is part of the Covenant that has been purchased for us. Along with the forgiveness of sin we also have the healing of our bodies. Acknowledging this fact is what brings the manifestation. We will not receive it if we won't believe it and acknowledge it to be so. This is the same way we get born again. We have to believe it and acknowledge the fact. This is the way God allows our faith to manifest the promises of His Word in our lives.

Start to declare it out of your mouth and believe it in your heart. How can we expect to walk in God's best if we won't acknowledge God's best? God's best is here for us. It has been freely given. Let us acknowledge it to be true and begin to walk in this new creation reality. The Apostle Paul said...


1 Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 
12. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

We don't have all revelation now, but we can begin to get God's revelation and start to walk in it. We must start somewhere, and now is as a good a place as any to begin. The Apostle Paul had great revelation of the mystery of the Gospel, yet this mystery was not just for him. It was given to him for us all, so that we can know who we are and walk in the reality of what God has called us to be.


-- Simple English


John 14:16 I will ask my Father and He will give you another Comforter--the Spirit of truth. He will be with you forever. The people of the world cannot accept him, because they don't see him or know him, but you know him because he stays with you--he is in you.

The Amplified translation says it like this... And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby) that He may remain with you forever.


I truly believe that most Christians ignore the supernatural in search of the spectacular. Right on the inside of them is the Supernatural Helper. The One who has all the answers. The One who can lead and guide us into all truth. The Holy Spirit always leads us, He never pressures or pushes us. This is contrary to what many Christians believe. The truth is that the Holy Spirit is a Gentleman. He is our guide. If we will not follow Him He will never force us. The Word say He will lead us and guide us into all truth. Our part to play in this is to be obedient and teachable, to have a willing heart to follow after God wherever He leads us. He will prompt us and even urge us, but He will never force us.


Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;


We see that a willing attitude and obedience will bring the kind of results that God wants for us.


We have no right to complain and say why hasn't God done this for me. I certainly don't have all the answers but I know that there are reasons for everything. We have a part to play in this just as the Lord has His part to play. He always honors His end of the deal. If we want to get the kind of results that declares to all that we are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus then we must begin to walk in the light of the revealed Word of God, to acknowledge His truth above all other circumstances, to be lead by the Holy Spirit and walk in line with His Word.

I would like to encourage you to begin to look to the greater One within. He's always there to help. He's our helper, our comforter, and our guide. He is a great gift to us. If you are in Christ Jesus than the Holy Spirit is within you, however if you have never accepted Christ then you need to take the first step and ask Him to be the Lord of your life. He will be happy to oblige, and He will never leave you or forsake you.


I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, "...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (Jn.6:37),


So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).

I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Ro.10:9,10).


I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, "... with the heart one believes to righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),


And I am saved! Thank You, Lord! 
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!


Glory to God!!!! Amen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/179028

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God is Good - A Devotional on the Goodness of God

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By Jeff Dalton

With government bailing out only the rich, with employers cutting back on paychecks and even laying off their workers, with mortgage lenders taking a "so what" attitude towards people loosing their homes; one can feel like everyone is against them. With the loneliness comes a daunting question of "is God really good?"

Whenever we talk about God's goodness we usually talk about what God can give us. If we only talk about what God can give us, then we have only scratched the surface of who God is. Please don't misunderstand, God does give good gifts to those who He loves and love Him in return. James 1:16-17 When we ask God for things He always gives us what is best instead of merely what is better. Luke 11:11-13

God is good because He desires to be involved in every aspect of your life. Think of it, the Creator of the universe, Almighty God wants to be involved in your life. Not involved in a distant way like a distant relative. Instead wants to be involved in a very deep and close way and in every aspect of your life.

God wants you to lift up and commit your plans, your agendas, and your dreams to Him so He can make them succeed. Proverbs 16:3

God is also near when you are going through a difficult time. Matter of fact, He is a little closer to those who are going through a storm, then those who are not. Psalm 34:18

When you are praying, crying out to God the Holy Spirit is also crying out to God on your behalf. Romans 8:26-27 Talk about having an awesome prayer partner! In the midst when nothing seems to be going right, when all hope seems to vanish and the light is about to go out. Suddenly, in the darkest part God arises from His throne and steps out of the heavenlies and into your situation, into your home, into you life; and at that point things start to happen. When God starts to walk beside you then the waters of worry no longer sweep over you. When God is beside you the fire of pain no longer burns you. Isaiah 43:2 When God is involved in your life you become an over comer, a more than a conquer. Romans 8:37 When God is holding you the light brightens, hope is rekindled and before you know it, you have made it through the storm and find yourself on the other side. When God brings you out of a storm you find that you have become better, more mature and stronger. James 1:16-17

Finally, God has given us the greatest gift, salvation. With salvation you can rest assured that this is not it. What you see around you is not your final destination. There awaits you a better place, a permanent place. What awaits you is a place where struggle no longer exists, sickness is wiped out, death is finally defeated, and mourning has ceased. In Heaven you will feel and witness God's presence on a continual basis without interruption. Revelation 21:1-5

Let me remind you to today to invite God into your life and into your struggles. He is waiting to walk with you and carry you through the storm. Plus commit your plans, agendas, and dreams to Him and let Him be involved in them. Get into His Word and listen for His voice to speak to you. In short, let God show you just how good He is and how good He wants to be towards you.

When you spend time with God feel free to check out these verses that go along with this devotion: James 1:2-5; Luke 11:11-13; Proverbs 16:3; Psalm 34:18; Romans 8:26-28; Isaiah 43:2; James 1:16-17; Palms 73:23-28; Revelation 21:1-5.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1620431

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An Attitude of Gratitude

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By Mark E. Baker
God is so good, He loves to bestow His gifts upon His children. The Bible tells us that all good gifts come from God. If it's good, then it's from God.


James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

I know in my own life from time to time I've gotten complacent. This is easy to do in today's hectic lifestyle, yet in a sense it's a type of laziness. Complacency can come when you start to take things for granted. I have recently been reminded that I have so much to be grateful for, I can not afford this attitude, and none of us can in the body of Christ. I have had to repent for this and realize as the Word of God declares I am not my own, I have been bought with a price.

If you are in Christ, you have a lot to be thankful for. You have escaped eternal punishment and have received eternal life. If you feel that you can not be thankful for anything else, this one thing should be a starting point to all of your praise to God. He is worthy to be praised.


We truly are in the last days, and our time is short. Our ability to walk in the path God has given us to walk in can hinge on whether we receive God's blessings. I believe receiving God's blessings is greatly effected by our attitude of heart. If our attitude of heart is bad and we can't receive God's blessings because of this, how can we be a blessing to others? Lets look at some things that will help us, and give us encouragement to keep our attitude right. Understanding God's will, will help us stay on the correct path. Knowing and understanding God's will, will always be an essential step in our journey.


Faith is always thankful, you can see it clearly taught throughout the Word.


1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.


People always want to know what God's will is, well here it is in black and white. In everything give thanks, not for everything but in everything. This is God's will. 
The Apostle Paul was always giving thanks to God in and through every circumstance he came to be in. I believe this is one of the reasons for his great success. Faith is always thankful.


On the other side of the coin so to speak, unbelief is always ungrateful. The children of Israel were a good example of this. If you read about the wilderness experience the children of Israel went through, you will see that they were always complaining and grumbling. 
1 Corinthians 10:10 nor murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.


Yet the word tells us to do all things without murmuring. Some translations say grumbling or complaining.


Philippians 2:14 Do all things without murmuring and disputing, 15. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

One major way to squash unbelief is to keep your attitude grateful. A grateful attitude will always look to the positive and give God thanks. God is so gracious; He loves to bestow good gifts upon His children. Many times, we are not receptive to his gifts. We cut off the very blessing God wants us to have by our attitude of being ungrateful. It is all too easy to fall into this trap when we are surrounded by negative stuff.


It is difficult for God to be gracious to those who are not thankful for what they already have. Why would God give us more when we don't appreciate the things we have already been given? Have you ever given somebody something that you considered valuable and they just took it, like its no big deal? You may have saved up to purchase this present, and really put a lot of thought into it. After this you probably would not go to any trouble to repeat this experience, at least as long as they have this attitude, would you? Most people would not. Do you think God is any different? Is He going to keep pouring out His blessings on a bunch of ingrate children? We can see throughout the Word of God that the answer is no. I believe this greatly effects our ability to receive.


I'd like to take a look at the parable of the talents. Because of space I'm going to just quote portions of it. The Scripture reference is Matthew 25:14-30. I encourage you to look it up and read it for yourself.


Lets start reading with vs. 24... 
"Then he who had received the one talent came and said, `Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25. `And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' 26. "But his lord answered and said to him, `You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 

27. `Therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28. `Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29. `For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30. `And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'


The one servant took the talent his lord gave him and hid it in the ground. He didn't appreciate what he had been given, and because of this, he ended up loosing what he did have. The servant was given something that his master considered worth something and had some value, yet he did nothing with it. It was worth something to the master or he wouldn't have given it to a servant to do something with, would he? You can also tell by the masters' response to his servants' actions that he was highly displeased. He had the unprofitable servant cast into outer darkness. You might think, well it was only one talent, what's the big deal? It is a big deal.


That is the same attitude many Christians have today. You might say well I'm an usher at my church that's not really a big deal. If you are being obedient to what God has given you to do, then it is a big deal. Do not lightly esteem what God has given you to do. If God gives you something then it is to be highly valued. Be faithful where you are. We can see what happened to the faithful servant in vs. 28. `Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29. `For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.


The Word of God tells us in Zechariah 4:10 Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin, to see the plumbline in the hand of Zerubbabel. For these seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that see everywhere around the world.''


The word despise, in the Bible sense does not mean hate or disgust as what we often associate with it. It really means to lightly esteem or show very little regard for something. If you won't cherish what God has given you, regardless of the size, and begin to act like it is the most precious thing that you have ever received, then you will lose what you have and get no more, and that is a big deal. As we appreciate and highly esteem the things God has given to us, then this will open the door for more.


We all have to start somewhere. We won't start at the top. God doesn't work this way. We start where we are and through faithfulness and diligence continue to do what we have been given until such a time as He gives us more. This is how it starts, we have to make a conscious decision to be grateful and make a conscious effort to continue in what we have decided to do. Promotion will come from God and God alone. Anything else is vanity.

We know that the faithful servant highly valued what he had been given, because he did something with it. Gratefulness is always faithful. It always acts on what it has been given. It doesn't bury it in the ground. If something means so little to you that you bury it in the ground so to speak, then you surely have little regard for it. However, if you say thank you Lord for what you have given to me, and begin to do something with it to His glory, then God takes that thing that He has given you and multiplies it. He gives it to us, and when we use it to His glory, He multiplies it for us. Glory to God, this is the way He works.


Lets put to good use the blessings God has so graciously given to us. God has a purpose in all of this. As these blessings get multiplied then the bigger the blessing we can be. 

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 
11. while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13. while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,

If you have an attitude of ingratitude then the good news is that you can change. You don't have to stay where you are. It is the will of God that we give thanks in everything, not grumble in everything. We don't have to stay this way, we can develop a grateful spirit. This takes work on our part. We must start by changing our attitude and repent if necessary. Repentance is not just saying I'm sorry, but making a 180 degree turn from where you were. Start taking stock of the blessings of God in your life. Begin to thank Him for them continually. Whenever a negative thought or and ungrateful thought comes in and Satan will make sure that they do. We should immediately replace it with Godly thoughts. This is how we change. As we change with the Word of God, we renew our minds in the process. God's will, will then be proven. You can not prove God's will without faith, and your faith will not operate properly with a grumbling and complaining attitude. Be thankful and watch God's multiplication at work in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.


Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ? 
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, "...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (Jn.6:37),


So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).


I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Ro.10:9,10).

I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, "... with the heart one believes to righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),


And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!


I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!


Glory to God!!!! Amen.

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