Disobedience Rooted in Fear

Os Hillman

Exodus 16:19 - Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."

Have you ever seen God do something really good in your life only to find that you have abused the blessing He gave you? Such was the case of the Israelites as they were traveling through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. God was providing for them in miraculous ways. Manna was provided each day as their bread. God gave Moses specific instructions as to how this manna was to be eaten. God said each one was to gather only what he needed for that day. No one was to keep it until the next morning.

"However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them" (Ex. 16:20). God was teaching the Israelites daily trust in His provision for them. He wanted them to trust Him one day at a time. If they tried to hoard, God put a self-destruct feature in the manna. Yet God also told them to gather two days' worth on the sixth day so that they would have manna to eat on the seventh day. Interestingly, this manna did not stink or have maggots.

For many years I gathered manna in business out of fear of not having enough. One day, the Lord decided that manna should be destroyed in order for me to learn total trust in His provision. When we operate out of fear, we can expect the Lord to lovingly discipline us in order to help us learn to trust Him. There is a danger when we seek to "insure ourselves" against calamity. If your actions are born from fear, you can expect God to demonstrate His loving reproof so that you might not live in fear.

Perspective

Now, THIS is really fascinating.  It's rather dazzling to see it presented this way.
 
 



 




I certainly thought this was enlightening. Beyond our sun ... It's a big universe.



 



Antares is the 15th brightest star in the sky.  It is more than 1000 light years away.

Defeat Your Giant

Kenneth Copeland

"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
(1 Samuel 17:26)

You may be facing a giant today. He may be a giant of sickness or failure, of financial shortage or another kind of trouble. But don't let him scare you. You have a secret weapon. A weapon that once turned a shepherd boy into a bear-busting, lion-killing, giant-slaying champion. That weapon was a blood covenant with Almighty God.

Back in David's day, circumcision was the sign of that covenant. So, when he called Goliath uncircumcised, David was saying: This guy may be a giant; he may be strong; but he has no covenant with God and that's why I can kill him.

Like David, you, too, have a covenant. But yours is better. The covenant David had offered a wealth of blessings to those who kept it, but it also included curses for those who broke it.

Yours doesn't. Yours is a New Covenant that Jesus bought with His own blood. It doesn't depend on your ability. It depends on Him and what He has already done. He has done it all! All you have to do is believe it and receive it.

Right now, read Deuteronomy 28:16-68. That's a list of the curses Christ has freed you from. You might even call it a list of the giants Jesus has already slain for you. It contains every diabolical thing the devil could ever use to destroy you.

Read it and rejoice. God has healed you and delivered you from those things!

Don't let any giant intimidate you. You have a blood covenant with Almighty God. There's no uncircumcised circumstance on the face of this earth that can take your victory away from you.

---

Scripture Study: Galatians 3:13-29

A New Remnant of Priests

Os Hillman

Isaiah 61:5 - Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

God is calling forth a remnant of businesspeople whom He will use mightily to bring good news to those who have never heard the gospel. The "10/40 Window" is commonly referred to as those areas of the world where no one has heard the name of Jesus Christ. This region represents many of the Muslim nations in the Middle East, India, China, and the former Soviet Republics. If Christian missionaries are not welcome in these countries, how do you suppose God plans to bring His message to these people? Certainly He loves these people just as much as He loves us.

God is mobilizing His businesspeople around the world to be the vessels who will bring the good news to these peoples. These countries welcome commerce, and in most cases this represents the only way to bring the gospel to these nations. In these countries, businesspeople are often viewed as those who have corrupt morals. However, God wants to change this. The "Joshuas and Calebs" are spying out the land. This class of businessperson has a pioneer spirit that is seeking ways of penetrating strongholds of spiritual darkness in these countries. God is raising them up. They see the risks, but they see the awesomeness of God that enables them to accomplish something for His Kingdom by using their resources and talents.

And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of their shame My people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs ( Isaiah 61:6-7).

Businesspeople in these nations will be called priests of the Lord. They will feed on the wealth of these nations. The wealth of these nations are the souls who are precious in God's sight. Salvations will be their true reward as a result of their efforts. No longer will the shame many of these people live under rule their lives. God will set them free.

Has God called you to be such a vessel? Has He called you to be a catalyst in some way? Ask your heavenly Father if He might want you to affect nations for Him.

If you have never attended The 9 to 5 Window Workshop, we are offering an "extended" workshop weekend in just 3 weeks in Atlanta. This is an excellent opportunity for you to be encouraged, challenged, and equipped in practical ways to bring the Kingdom of God into your workplace. Plus, a special time of personal prayer ministry is being provided to each participant. Os and Angie Hillman will be hosting this workshop, which is being held at a beautiful wooded property conference center nestled along the Chattahoochee River just north of Atlanta. Space is limited, so don't delay registering.

A two-minute video overview and more details and online registration are available here--
http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/pages.asp?pageid=41217

Be Willing to Wait

Gloria Copeland

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles."
(Proverbs 21:23, Amp)

There's just no two ways about it. To live a life of blessing, we have to make our words agree with what God says. Not just for a few hours or a few days, but all the time.

If you've ever done that, you know it's not easy. As time wears on and the circumstances around you appear to be stubbornly determined to stay in the same miserable condition, it can be hard to keep on speaking God's Word. But you have to do it if you ever want your harvest of blessing to come in.

When Kenneth started preaching prosperity, I sat out there and listened to him with holes in the bottom of my shoes. But we knew our financial problems didn't change what the Word of God said. We knew His prosperity promises were true even if we hadn't been able to tap into them yet. So, even though we felt foolish at times, we just kept on talking about God's generous provision for us.

I realized later that Word went to work for us from the first day we began to believe it and speak it and order our lives according to it. Our prosperity crop began to grow the moment we started putting seeds in the ground. It just took time for them to come up.

Sometimes, believers don't last that long. They start planting well enough, but then when they don't see immediate results, when the bank account gets low and rent is past due, they get discouraged and begin to speak words of lack and defeat. They tear up their crop with the words of their own mouth, and they never get to enjoy the fruit of it.

The next time you strike out on faith, whether it's in the financial realm or any other area, keep that in mind. Determine from the beginning that you're not going to let that waiting period discourage you. Then hang on until the Word of God is manifested in your life. Put patience to work and keep your words in line. You will receive your harvest.

---

Scripture Study: "Proverbs 18:4-8, 20-21"

The Greatest Test

Os Hillman

1 Chronicles 29:17: I know, my God, that You test the heart and are pleased with integrity.

God tests His children to know what is in their hearts. God's desire for each of His children is to walk in relationship with Him, to uphold His righteousness and integrity. It is a high calling that we will fail to achieve without complete dependence on Him.

The greatest tests come not in great adversities, but in great prosperity. For it is in prosperity that we begin to lose the sensitivity to sin in our lives. Adversity motivates us to righteousness out of a desire to see our adversity changed. Prosperity fails to provide this motivation for obedience. We fall into a satisfaction and confidence in life that is based on our prosperity rather than on God.

Hezekiah was a great godly king. He was a faithful, God-honoring king most of his life, but toward the end he became proud. God wanted to find out if he would still honor Him and recognize His blessings in his life. He failed the test when God sent an envoy to his palace to inquire about a miracle that God performed on behalf of Hezekiah. The test was designed to find out if Hezekiah would publicly acknowledge the miracle performed on his behalf.

But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart (2 Chronicle 32:31).

Hezekiah's failure resulted in his children failing to carry on as rulers of Israel, and the nation would eventually be taken over by Babylon.

The lesson of Hezekiah is clear. If we are to remain faithful to our Lord, we must remain steadfast in our obedience to Him. Prosperity can be our greatest test. Ask the Lord to give you the grace to be a faithful follower during times of prosperity.

Peace at Home

Kenneth Copeland

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
(James 3:16)

Have you ever noticed that the easiest place to remain self-centered is at home? There's an incentive to be lovely with others, but with your family you are tempted to allow yourself more selfish privileges as if it didn't count there.

Before I was a Christian, I was more courteous and nicer to friends than to my own family. I was more demanding and less forgiving with those dearest to me than with anyone else.

But after I made Jesus Lord of my life, I realized all that had to change.

Gloria and I began to learn through the Word how important harmony is within our family. We learned that if we wanted the power of agreemeent (see Matthews 18:19) to work in our lives, we could not allow strife in our home.

Strife drops the shield of faith, stops prayer results, and invites Satan and his cohorts into your midst. Discord is deadly. It paralyzes the power of God in your life.

Don't allow the enemy to stop at your own front door by allowing strife in your home. If you do, you'll be no threat to him anywhere else.

Put the power of harmony to work in your family.

Determine that.

---

Scripture Study: Philippians 2:1-13

Lifebit

The only difference between black coal and a precious diamond...

is the amount of pressure it endured.
Hebrews 6:15

Think on These...

The only way to find the limits of the possible is
to go beyond them into the impossible

Wisdom doesn’t come by chance,
but by choice

Happiness depends more on inward perception
than on outward circumstances.

The brightest thunderbolt comes from
the darkest storm

Our ideas, like orange plants, spread out in proportion
to the size of the box which imprisons the roots

Better Things to Come

Gloria Copeland

"But [God's grace] is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10)

Have you ever wondered what it will be like when your body dies and you go on to heaven? Well, according to the Word, when that time comes, this flesh and blood tent you live in will die, but you won't feel a thing. You'll just take off the cloak of your flesh, lay it down, and go to a better place.

Believers who have died and come back say that they have no sensation of loss--no sting. Their minds stay intact, and they even have arms and legs, but they are spirit and not flesh. One man said he couldn't even tell he wasn't in his body until he tried to grasp something. His hand would just go right through the material object. He was spirit and not flesh.

According to the Apostle Paul, to be absent from the body is to be present with God (2 Corinthians 5:1). So, when God calls you home, you'll just abandon your fleshly body and go to be with Him forever.

It's interesting though. God doesn't even refer to our old, abandoned bodies as being dead. He says they're just asleep. Why? Because He knows that just as sleep is temporary, so is the death of the body. He's planned a day when our sleeping bodies will be awakened and raised up in glory just like Jesus' was.

Hallelujah! There's coming a day when not only our spirits have victory over death, our physical bodies do too!

Death is not the end for you. It's only a change to a better place!

---

Scripture Study: 2 Corinthians 5:1-9

He Will Lead You

Gloria Copeland

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)

Walking in the Spirit. That's the key to overcoming the flesh. If you follow the prompting of the Spirit of God within you, you won't be dominated by the pressure your flesh tries to put on you.

As you listen to the written Word and the Holy Spirit telling you what to do, you'll constantly be making little adjustments in your life according to what He says. And those little adjustments will keep darkness from overtaking you.

You see, God knows just what you need. He can look ahead in your life and see the traps and pressures the devil is laying for you. So follow the Holy Spirit's leading and He will maneuver you safely around them to victory.

---

Scripture Study: 1 Corinthians 10:1-14

Those in Whom God Delights

Os Hillman

Psalms 147:10
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.

Mammon and power are the ruling strongholds of the marketplace. If you possess either of these, you will be courted by those who serve the marketplace in hopes of increasing market share. It is a competitive environment that often gives way to decisions and actions that are dictated by the financial bottom line. A recent newspaper article stated that employers are requiring workers to put more time into their jobs, often requiring weekend work in order to be more competitive. For the Christian worker, this brings pressures on the family and will result in "lost market share" in the spiritual realm.

The Lord has a different measuring stick. The Lord is not impressed with your ability or what you can do for Him. Only one thing delights Him-people who fear Him and put their hope in His unfailing love. What does it mean to fear God and place our hope in His love? It means we acknowledge that God is the source of all that we are. He is the one who gives us the ability to work, plan, and execute. He does not want us to look to our abilities, but to His abilities. Sometimes it is difficult to balance these two perspectives. However, if we ask God to show us how to maintain this balance, He will do it. Put your hope in His unfailing love today. Then you will know that your heavenly Father is looking on you as a proud Father.

His Extravagant Love

Kenneth Copeland

"And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God." (Deuteronomy 28:2)

Some people have very low expectations of what God will provide for them materially. They trust Him to feed and clothe them, but they don't trust Him to feed and clothe them very well!

Somehow they've gotten the idea that God's an old miser who will do little more than put rags on their backs and beans on their tables. But that's not what Jesus told us. He said in Matthew 6 that God would clothe us better than He clothed Solomon. That one statement alone proves that God wants to do more than just meet our basic needs. He wants to bless us abundantly. I know that from personal experience.

A few years ago I came home and found two expensive automobiles parked in my driveway. They'd been given to me to use by men who'd been blessed by the Lord through my ministry.

I was baffled. "Lord," I said, "I didn't need these cars. I hadn't asked You for them, and I wasn't believing for them. What are they doing here?"

Then the Lord spoke up on the inside of me. "Have you ever read the scripture in Deuteronomy that says blessings shall come on and overtake those who hearken to My voice?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Well, son," He said, "you've just been overtaken."

Am I saying God gave me those expensive cars just so I could enjoy them? Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying.

First Timothy 6:17 says, "He giveth us richly all things to enjoy." God is a loving Father. He gets great pleasure from blessing His children. He's extravagant where we're concerned. But don't let that worry you. He can afford it.

Hearken to His voice and it won't be long before His blessings will be overtaking you.

---

Scripture Study: 1 Kings 10:1-24

Yield To Love

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

Love and selfishness are the two greatest forces in life. A person chooses to walk in one or the other every day. What many people call love really isn't love at all. Real love—which is agape love or the God kind of love—is unconditional, limitless, selfless and is not based on emotions. It is extremely tolerant.

Unfortunately, most people operate in selfishness. They live in human, emotional love, which has limits, is conditional, requires pre-qualification and has to be loved before it can love. Selfishness is the root of all sin, which is based in fear. As a result, our society is experiencing a tremendous amount of lawlessness, perversion and sin.

Families are being destroyed because people are engaging in human, emotional love rather than taking the time to learn about and develop in agape love. Selfishness in the home can creep up in so many subtle ways, particularly between a husband and wife. If you are married, here's a newsflash—it's not all about you! Everything in life should not focus around you and your needs, but rather the needs of your spouse. It is important to find balance and compromise within relationships in order to maintain peace in the home. You can kick selfishness out of your home. How? Yield to love.

Jesus gave two commandments that are the foundational principles for every commandment in the Bible: "…love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind… love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matthew 22:7,39). When you keep the law of love, you fulfill all of the laws written in the Bible. Have you made the decision to walk in love so that you will fulfill Jesus' commandment and allow God's spiritual principles to work in your life? Or have you chosen to operate in your own way of doing things?

Things don't just happen. Life is a series of decisions that ultimately determine your future. One very important decision every person should make is to be an expression of God's love on the earth.

There are two laws that govern life: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which is love; and the law of sin and death, which is selfishness (Romans 8:2). Like curtains on a curtain rod, your deliverance, answered prayers, healing and faith all hang on the rod of love.

If you are not walking in God's agape love, then you are limiting what God can do in your life. I encourage you to take the love test by reading 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. After reading this portion of Scripture, you will know to what extent you have—or have not—yielded your life to love.

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar is the senior pastor of World Changers Church International, a 25,000 member church in College Park, Georgia. He is committed to changing the world one person at a time, and his award-winning "Changing Your World" television broadcast reaches nearly one billion homes worldwide. Visit www.CrefloDollarMinistries.org to learn more.

It’s Time 2 Laugh

From Streaming Faith
If you, or someone you know, believe that Christians do not know how to have a good time, please share with them our exciting new feature It’s Time 2 Laugh. You will literally laugh out of your seat. Having a challenging day? Got multiple demands on your “to-do” list? Are too many people pulling you in too many directions? Just log on to Streaming Faith and visit It’s Time 2 Laugh. I guarantee it will become one of your favorite online sites.

What You Focus On "Expands"

think about it...

Lifebit

From Fresh Outlook Magazine

Sometimes what you do speaks so loudly…

that what you are saying goes unheard.
I John 3:18

Great Scriptures to Meditate on this week from the Message Bible!

From Fresh Outlook Magazine

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Matthew 6:33

The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.
Proverbs 29:25

But we're not quitters who lose out. Oh, no! We'll stay with it and survive, trusting all the way.
Hebrews 10:39

My people will live in a peaceful neighborhood - in safe houses, in quiet gardens.
Isaiah 32:18

The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.
I John 4:21

When Love Drives, the Devil Cannot Ride

Bishop Keith Butler

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Ephesians 4:26 (KJV)

Have you ever said something in anger that you wish you simply had not said? After you thought about it you said, "That was dumb. I shouldn’t have said that."

Well, anger will cause your love clothes to be loosed. Acting in anger is like putting on grimy garments. But since the love of God has been placed on the inside of you, you can avoid anger. Instead of being driven by anger, you can let love take over the driver’s seat and kick out the devil and the anger he brought with him.

What happens when anger shows up? It comes to drive you to sin. A flash of anger may come your way, but don’t let it control you, and definitely don’t let it drive you to sin. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath."

Now he is not saying that you can be angry until sundown. The scripture is saying that you cannot allow anger to dwell in your heart any length of time. Recognize anger and put it away from you quickly, lest you say something or do something that you will regret. Do away with anger by operating in the love of God. Let love drive your words and actions. Consequently, there will be peace and quietness in that situation.

You can control anger. Someone may say, "I’ve always had a short fuse. That’s just my personality." But your personality is found in the word of God. And when you yield to the love of God on the inside of you, a godly personality comes forth. Love takes over and anger cannot control you, you control it. Let love drive anger out by forgiving and showing mercy according to Colossians 3:13 (Amp.), “Be gentle, and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord h as [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive].”

When you yield to the love of God that is shed abroad in your heart, you can get along with anybody. The moment someone comes against you, love comes from your heart and out of your mouth. It erases that unpleasant feeling of anger and allows God to bring peace.

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:26

Bishop Keith A. Butler is the founder and pastor of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, MI, and Word of Faith Christian Center in San Antonio, TX. Bishop Butler ministers extensively in churches, conferences, and seminars throughout the U.S. and abroad with an emphasis on instruction and no-nonsense, practical application of God's Word. Click here to read more!

Counting The Cost

John Gray

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have [sufficient] to finish [it]?” Luke 14:28 KJV

It’s Friday night. You just got paid. You know the rest of the song. If you don’t, then you’re probably white. Black people used to sing that song every payday where I’m from. Everybody was happy and smiling. It was like Christmas and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. But I never heard anyone singing, “It’s Monday morning. Money’s gone. Got a hangover. Weekend was too long.” Never heard that one. Monday was responsibility day. You had to earn that money to pay those bills. Somebody shout amen.

By the time most of you read this, it will be either late Friday night or it’s already Monday again, so you can feel exactly where I’m coming from. You were soooo excited when that clock was winding up on Friday. You couldn’t wait to get to your car. But the moment you get there, you’re already headed back towards Monday. It never ends, unless you’re a kid. Man, did we have it good. Well, some of us had it good. My dad left but my momma stayed. I love you ma. You are the hardest working, most diligent and faithful person I know. You’re loyal and giving and a woman of prayer and action. Which brings me to a point: are you sure I wasn’t adopted? I’m thirty-three and I am pretty sure that I didn’t inherit those qualities from you! I’m only half joking!

You’re reading a letter from a guy who, as a kid, would run my bathwater at my mom’s request of course, then sit by the tub with the door closed and sit next to the tub, on the floor, and splash the water with my hand and sit there for ten minutes so she would think that I took a bath. I did all of that because I didn’t want to get in that water. I worked hard to be lazy. I went to bed stinking many a night! Man that’s funny! It felt good to ‘get away’ with not taking that bath. But I never counted the cost. You see, at school the next day, when I wanted to converse with a particular young lady, I didn’t have the confidence to get close because I was sure she would be able to smell my disobedience. It’s all connected. And it’s still funny.

It’s funny but dangerous. You see, when you’re little and you shirk responsibility, you tend to think that you can get away with things. You begin to think that the rules don’t apply to you. You could almost begin to think that it’s your world and everyone has to do what you say. It’s just not the case. The reason this Manna is being sent so late is that I was dealing with the fruit of immaturity in an area of personal development that came knocking on my door this very day.

Now see? Just look at you. See how you are? You’re not even focused on the word right now. You’re over there on the other side of the screen trying to figure out what I did or what happened. Nosy! No I didn’t go to jail! No I wasn’t arrested. And no, the baby isn’t mine. It’s my cousins. I’m just playing. But for real though, I had to deal with a situation that cost me a lot of money but it didn’t have to had I done what I needed to do in a timely fashion. I was so busy running around the earth trying to save everyone else that my own personal life was suffering. You can be deep if you want to, but past reading the Bible and fasting and praying, you need to pay your bills on time. Now I feel the Holy Ghost for real. I was like this big kid running around living life carefree. But when you’re finished having fun running around and traveling, you have to open up mail and run a household. That’s the part I didn’t like. I only like certain types of mail, and I can tell which letters I’m going to open based on the envelope. Have you ever done that? Yes you have. Quit lying.

When I got mail, if it wasn’t a Christmas card or a letter with cursive writing on the front letting me know that it wasn’t from a bill collector, I wouldn’t open it. That’s immaturity. I’m all on television and I have songs on the radio and all that. But at the end of the day if I can’t pay bills on time, my witness is tainted. Handle life before life handles you. This is practical stuff today. If you have a calling on your life, that’s great. Just make sure you count the cost before you trot off into the world trying to do everything. I know you love Jesus. I know you’re saved. And I know that Jesus paid it all. But He’s not paying your bills for you. You have to do that. Write the check. Put it in the mail. With a stamp. Open the envelope back up. Sign the check. Get some tape. Close the envelope. Take it to the mailbox. Leave it there. Let the mail carrier come and get it. Open your door. Let your German Shepherd run out and bite their pants leg off. Okay, don’t do that. But you know what I’m saying. Take care of the daily responsibilities of life. You’ll be surprised at how much God will bless the rest of your stuff when you take care of home first.

Many pastors, and leaders in general for that matter, have had unnecessary drama in their respective places of influence because they went after the bright lights of a position without counting up the costs attached to that platform as far as personal health, family and finances were concerned. I learned today that you can’t neglect one for the sake of the other. They’re all connected. What good is your witness to a credit card company or car company if your check bounces? You have the Fish on your check and a Cross. But your check is a miracle. It was made of flat paper, yet it bounced like a rubber ball. Hallelujah. You will never know the small things that can have a major impact on your life or the lives of others.

The Christian life should be a life of balance. We should encourage connection to a local body of believers. We should do outreach. We should feed the hungry and clothe those in need. But we should also have a structured and organized home life that does not lend itself to the chaotic. Let’s stop living day-to-day. Let’s think about the future. Let’s count the cost of our actions or inactions from today and see what that could possibly reap for us in harvest in the weeks, months or years to come. And don’t be like me earlier today. I wanted to blame everyone else for my misery. I wanted to blame everyone else except the one whose fault it really was: my own.

I had to grow up today. Growth hurts. But it’s necessary. If I want a worldwide platform, I better count the cost and know that my private life isn’t so private anymore. I better count the cost and realize that what I do affects others. I better count the cost and know that what I say will most likely be repeated whether I want it to be or not. I better count the cost and know that just because I am anointed, it doesn’t exempt me from honoring the statutes of the land. I can’t live like that little spoiled kid anymore. I have to get in that tub and scrub the dirt off. It’s time to grow up.

Well, enjoy your weekend. OR have a happy Monday. You’ll be getting another Manna in a few minutes(for those reading this at the beginning of the week!). And remember, what you do today affects your future in ways you may not be able to imagine. A good name is to be desired above riches. Count the cost attached to your calling, your job, your platform or your ministry. Assess the weak areas and fight to shore them up. That’s where true elevation begins.

God blesses where His reputation is safe.

Can He count on you not to make His Name look bad?

Keep counting.

John Gray

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