March 31 – Carrier of Blessings

“Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”  I Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Consider your shadow…it follows you everywhere…its motions are your motions… it is caused by the LIGHT… late-day shadows are long.  Spiritually speaking, your influence lingers as you pass by people and places.  Read about Peter’s shadow in Acts 5:15.

You are to bless your children.  This Hebrew practice, followed by generation after generation, has resulted in eighty percent of Nobel peace prizes being awarded to Jews.  They have been blessed, and their works have blessed all nations.  Every blessing must be:

1) Spoken.  “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27) Read about the spoken word in James 23:3-13, also.

2) Delivered in faith.  “By faith Isaac blessed…” (See Hebrews 11:20.)  By nature of the curse, the tendency is to focus on what is going wrong rather than on what is going right.

3) With meaningful touch.  Read Genesis 27:22.  It is said that humans need eight to ten hugs daily to maintain emotional health.  Hugs may help hypertension patients as well.

4) Accompanied by action.  Read James 2:14

Pray: “Father, I know blessing people, even the unlovely, is Your will and command.  Help me to do it today and focus on what is going right.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

March 30 – Preparing for Revival

“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place,  with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15

The psalmist cried out, “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.” (Psalm 85:6-7) The heart of man by sinful nature weakens day by day without the Lord’s reviving strength, but you must follow a certain path to partake of that strength.

1) Pray and fast more than “play and feast” so that you can build spiritual sensitivity and be able to recognize God’s visitation when it comes.  Consider Anna, the prophetess, in Luke 2:36-38.  Also, praying and fasting actually brings (births) God’s presence.  (Read Daniel 9 and Isaiah 66:5-14.)

2) Forget your past…sins, as well as victories…or you will miss what God wants to do TODAY.  Do not be satisfied to live on past blessings.  (See Isaiah 43:18-19.)

3) Let your heart become broken and contrite before God. Do not expect things to happen in a certain way or the way it used to happen.  There is a whole new anointing today, and revival will not come through hoopla of emotionalism.

4) Break ground for the future. (See Hosea 10:12.)

Pray: “God of mercy and grace, I rejoice in Your great salvation today.  Revive me again and again.  Breathe on me, Breath of God, I pray.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

March 29 – Dedication

“Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house.” II Chronicles 7:1

The prayer of consecration, or dedication, of Solomon’s magnificent temple is recorded in II Chronicles 6.

The act of dedication is “to set apart” something for a specific use.  Solomon knew the great importance God placed on this temple, which was to house the Ark of the Covenant that contained the symbols of God’s promises and the necessary requirements of sanctified (set-apart) living which the Israelites needed to exhibit in order to claim these promises.

In this dedicatory prayer, God appeared, and His glory so filled the temple that the priests could not enter!

NOW, in these days of grace, our BODY is the “temple” wherein God, in the form of His Holy Spirit, wishes to dwell.  Your parents may have “dedicated” you to the Lord when you were a baby, but, when you came of age, you made your own decision to be sanctified wholly unto God.  Let His glory fill YOUR temple! “You are not you own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.” (See I Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV.)

Pray: “Holy One of Israel, I bow down before You and consecrate myself wholly to You today.  Fill this ‘temple’ with all the attributes of Your glory.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.”