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It is in the Redemption
that We Discover Our Value
Ephesians 1:15-19 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling,
...and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Matthew 6:26
DEAR LORD,
Thank you for showing me how much you value us.
A new light of Your glory is flooding my heart. I praise You for this!
Now, as I hold others before You, Please let them to know how you value them!
Work in them so the hurts of their past can become
ground out of which new purposes for Your Kingdom can grow.
Please release them from the grief of failure,
and bring them into the joy of being your treasured possessions.
Make firm in them the understanding of the REDEMPTION,
and the price You paid to bring them unto Yourself,
In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who died to redeem us...
Many of us live with no understanding of how valuable we are to the Lord, or to His Kingdom. It is in the Redemption that we discover our value. Therein we learn how great was the price He paid to redeem us from destruction. I Peter 1:18,19 tells us clearly—Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, (He bought us with His own precious lifeblood!) as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:...
Isaiah the Prophet saw the redemption that would come to redeem a people for the Lord. Throughout his Book of Prophecy, he used words like redeem and Redeemer twenty-four times. Meditating and praying along the lines of his revelation will do much to open in us an understanding of the love of our Redeemer. He valued us enough to send His Son to ransom our souls. Isaiah saw from the shadow of the Old Covenant. What he saw pointed to a reality that is ours in the New Covenant.
Although the words of the following passages from Isaiah are addressed to Israel, the principle of truth throughout points to the New Covenant and to those of us from all nations who will place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
DAY 1—The Redemption makes way for a new people with new strength and value.
From the beginning, we find how the Lord will take the lowest of us—even compared to a worm—and, by His redemption, make of us someone useful. See this first verse from Isaiah. For years it has spoken to my own heart. I read somewhere that the Lord can use any worm if He can just get the wiggle of it. Let us learn to be still before Him—stop our wiggling—so He can do His full redeeming work in us.
Isaiah 41:14-15—Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy REDEEMER, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
Titus 2:14—...our Savior Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people (that He might rescue us from constant failing and make us to be His very Own people), zealous of good works.
GRACIOUS LORD, sometimes I feel as helpless as a worm before You. You could have crushed me under foot—but You did not! You loved me and redeemed me. As I wait still before You, make me into what You want for Your Kingdom. Teach me that the work of bringing me on to Your purpose is Yours, and that it is finished in Heaven before it comes forth in me. And, DEAR LORD, teach these I hold before You that Your redeeming love is theirs also.
Release from Weakness, Famine, and theOppression of Having no Purpose
Isaiah 41:10-18
DAY 2—The Redemption brings us into a relationship with God where there is no fear.
The first fear the Lord took from my life was the fear of going to hell. I remember those first few days and the peace that came over me. Then I was presented with the challenge of sharing my newfound faith with others. A new fear took over. My Pastor gave us some tracts to give out. I carried them in my pocket till they were worn out. Then, I finally told a man on the street what Jesus meant to me, and that He could save him too. After that I couldn’t be stopped, there was such joy.
Isaiah 43:1,2—But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have REDEEMED thee, I have called thee by thy name; Thou art Mine. (When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you.)
Hebrews 8:10—For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My Laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.
FATHER, fearful memories are making it difficult for me to trust You fully. Please heal my thoughts of fearful things from my past. Others in my family live with their own private fears. Please release them. Bring us together into the sweet conviction that You will not forsake us. Help all of us know how much You love us, and how much You care. You are our Redeemer!
Jesus Teaching His Disciples not to Be Afraid
Luke 12:22-34
DAY 3—The Redemption opens the way for our help and provision in the wilderness.
When we know the Lord as our Redeemer, we soon discover He is powerful to answer prayer. From my earliest time of memory, I prayed that the Lord would make my daddy stop drinking. This never happened—till right after I was saved as a teenager. Then, I heard Daddy say to my Mother, “Well, Mother, I’m not going to drink any more.” Those were the happiest words I’d ever heard in our home. I was learning that the Lord does really answer prayer.
Release from Fear of TroubeIsaiah 43:14a, 16, 19—Thus saith the LORD, your REDEEMER, the Holy One of Israel ... Which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, (I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home), and rivers in the desert.
LORD, I long for these I hold before You to know how You value us all. You have redeemed us all with the same Ransom. You will not forsake us in this wilderness. I believe Your Redemption, and the Life it brings, are a strength for us all. But, it seems that these I now hold before You are stuck in their wilderness, and have little confidence in Your provision. Please open their eyes to know You and to see the new Life You are offering them through Your powerful redeeming grace.
Romans 8:15; II Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:5,6
DAY 4—Through the Redemption our sins are blotted out and the curse is gone.
Christ Jesus, the Mediator of the New CovenantMany people—even some who have been born again—live with some darkness that has come back over them. I know, I was one. It didn’t come on at first, but it began to creep back because I took on the idea I could live on both sides of the street. Then, I remember the day I came to the Lord with the full realization that I had been redeemed into His family. It was like the Prodigal coming home.
Isaiah 44:22—I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and as a cloud, thy sins (they are gone like the morning mist at noon): return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.
Luke 15:20—But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Galatians 3:13—Christ hath Redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree...
GREAT REDEEMER, I see it now! There is nothing to hinder my coming to You. My sins are blotted out! The curse is gone from my life! You have taken away the blight of my sin and the curse that has followed me! I love You for this. Help me now live with an unhindered and unbroken relationship with You. And, oh yes, I hold these before the Throne of Your Grace. Please love on them today.
Hebrews 9:12-15
DAY 5—The REDEMPTION brings release from the occult.
Through ignorance, there are some who try to serve the Lord, and, at the same time, hold on to some occult practices. Well, let me tell you, this just sets one up for great big trouble. These things belong to the realm of Satan. They are an abomination to the Lord. Seducing spirits, sent from the devil, will wear out any redeemed person who tries to hold any occult belief or practice. What to do? Renounce it all! Put away anything that belongs to the realm of the occult. Speak to the spirit of the occult practice in the Name of Jesus. If it refuses to go, seek out someone to pray with you. Read Deuteronomy 18:9-15 to see how the Lord feels about the occult. Then, remember James 3:15.
Isaiah 44:24,25—Thus saith the Lord, thy REDEEMER, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself; that frustrateth the tokens of the liars (who shows what liars all false prophets are), and maketh diviners (soothsayers; fortune tellers) mad; that turneth wise men (those who mind the things of the flesh—Romans 8:5) backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish…
II Corinthians 6:15-18—And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (This is part of the fruit of Christ’s death and resurrection. He obtained redemption for us from the abominations of occult practices.)
FATHER, my family has been oppressed by lies and hindered by occult practices for generations. Some of this has been through ignorance. Some are not even aware what they’re doing is wrong. I repent for my part in it. Please grant repentance to these I am holding before You. Show us all Your redeeming love.
Read all of this to see what the Lord will do.
II Peter 2:1-9
DAY 6—Our Redeemer will teach us to prosper.
The Lord wants us to prosper, but according to His way—which is not always the way the world thinks of prospering. Sometimes what the world calls prosperity is gained at the expense of others. If we enjoy some form of “prosperity” at the wrongful expense of someone else, then the Lord teaches us to give back what we have taken, plus some in addition. Leviticus 6:2-5 teaches that the principle amount taken wrongly, plus one-fifth more, must be returned in restitution. In Luke 19:8,9 we find Jesus commending Zacchaeus for restoring fourfold what he had taken.
Isaiah 30:20—And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
Isaiah 48:17,18—Thus saith the Lord, thy REDEEMER, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea… (The word peace is from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning “completeness, soundness, welfare, prosperity.”)
LORD, for my whole family, I renounce the spirit of poverty. It has followed us for as long as I can remember. Please teach us how to open our lives to the economy of Your Kingdom. As You do this, lead us in a way that will prepare us for the difficult days that are ahead. Here now, I hold these other families before You. Please reveal Your Kingdom’s economy to them. Please bring them back from the edge of financial disaster.
The Way of Provision for the Time of Trouble
Psalm 41:1,2; II Corinthians 8:9 & II Corinthians 9:8,
“The II Corinthians Twins”
DAY 7—Because of God’s Covenant, the Redeemed have the hope of restoration after tribulation.
The Joy of Those Who Are Newly RedeemedJoy and hope are two wonderful results of being redeemed. Before redemption, joy is often fleeting. It may come as the result of some good circumstance, which can quickly change. But after redemption has become a reality in us, joy can come by the Holy Spirit’s work. Sometimes, we will find ourselves having joy, not even knowing why. It’s because the Holy Spirit has brought it to us. The same is so about hope. For those who know not the Lord as their Redeemer, hope can be easily dashed to pieces. But in knowing the redemption through Christ Jesus, our hope becomes a stable and sure thing.
Isaiah 51:11—Therefore the REDEEMED of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Hebrews 12:22-24—But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
LORD, help me look through the pain and pressure of today and find the joy of Your presence. As You teach me more and more of Your Covenant promises, help me know Your abiding presence. Then, nothing else will matter. Now—here are these people that I really do care about. They have more pains and pressures than they know how to handle. Draw them to know Your faithfulness. Help them find know presence and Your redeeming love.
Acts 2:41-47
DAY 8—The Redemption brings release from shame.
Brought Back by God’s MercyMany—oh, so very many—of the people who are coming to the Lord today are coming from a life of shame. But, for many, this shame is not well founded. Some are ashamed because of the family they were born into. Others are ashamed because of things that happened to them when they were young. Still others are ashamed because of wrongful things they did to others before they knew the Lord. Where restitution is needed, the Lord helps us fulfill it. Otherwise, He blots out our shame and gives us a new life with a testimony for others who still live in their shame. Often, being set free from what we thought was shameful can help us bear a better testimony to those who still suffer from their shame.
Isaiah 54:4,5—Fear not; for thou shall not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband the LORD of hosts is His Name; and thy REDEEMER the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called.
I Peter 2:6—Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. (This word confounded is from the Greek kataisku’no, meaning “to be put to shame, dishonored, disgraced of frustrated.”)(See Isaiah 28:16)
GRACIOUS LORD, shame from my past still tries to oppress me. It has hindered me in knowing the ways of Your Kingdom. Today, I turn this shame over to the power of the Redemption by which You have set me free. By Your grace I will walk in this freedom. Here now are these who seem to draw back in their shame, thinking they can’t be free. Please draw them by Your Spirit into the Redemption that will set them free.
Isaiah 54:1-7
DAY 9—If we are Redeemed and grieve God’s Spirit, He may hide His face from us—but for a moment.
Most people who know the Lord pass through times of spiritual darkness. These are probably times when their intellect, or their emotions, or their will must catch up with what God’s Spirit wills to do in them—or for them, or with them. The hesitancy of our own will, the withdrawal of our feelings, or the bewilderment of our mind will often make it seem that the Lord has withdrawn from us. If truth be known, however, this is not the case. It may be that He is simply waiting for us to lay aside whatever is blocking Him from our view. Or, He could be waiting for us to lay aside something grieving His Spirit, or something that made Him withdraw the awareness of Who He and where He is. You know—He has come to abide with us. Let’s not grieve Him.
Putting Away Everything That Grieves God’s SpiritIsaiah 54:7,8—For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy REDEEMER.
II Corinthians 4:17—For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
FATHER, You have redeemed me. I don’t want to grieve You any more with any sin. I want my life pure for Your Kingdom’s sake. But, I must admit there are some things with me that I know must still be grieving Your Spirit. Your chastening is painful to me, not so much for what I feel, but for what I know You must feel. Thank You for loving me enough to correct me.
Ephesians 4:25-32
DAY 10—In the Redemption there is deliverance from the attacks of the enemy.
We might as well know it: spirits from the realm of Satan have a strong determination to wear us out after we give our lives over to serve the Lord Jesus. But, here is something else for us to know: the Lord Jesus, our Redeemer, has spoiled the principalities and powers who oppose us. Because of His death and resurrection, He has stripped them of their power. Thus, all they have with which to attack us is the lie. Jesus has overcome that because He is the Truth. How do we overcome? By acknowledging Him in our lives. When we know where He lives, we can live as more than conquerors.
Deliverance from the Authority of the DarknessIsaiah 59:19,20—So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the REDEEMER shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Psalm 111:9—He sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His Covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His Name.
Revelation 12:11—And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Galatians 2:20—...Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
TO THE OPPRESSOR, I say, “Depart from me in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I declare, my life is free from you!” PRECIOUS LORD, I open myself to the triumph over Satan that You have won for us. I take my stand on the ground that You have redeemed me. You obtained my redemption by giving your own life blood. Oh, how I praise You! Now, won’t You please open the eyes of these I hold before. Bring understanding to them. Please knock at their heart’s door. Bring the conviction of Your Spirit upon them.
Freedom in the Kingdom of God’s Son
Colossians 1:12-14
DAY 11—The Redemption means release from the stronghold of sin.
The word Redeemer in these passages from Isaiah, that we are seeing each day, comes from the Hebrew word ga’al. It basically has reference to one’s nearest relative. This could be the one who could pay the ransom for the deliverance of a slave, or of a prisoner of war. Or, it could be one who could take up the care of a woman left widowed. When used in reference to the Lord, we discover Him as our blessed “nearest Kinsman,” the One who gives Himself to redeem our soul from slavery to sin. To accomplish the redemption with a completion that sets us free from sin’s slavery, or the hopelessness of widowhood, or from the prison camp of the enemy, He took on the form of man, and gave His own life’s blood to redeem us.
The Redeemed Brought to ExcellencyIsaiah 60:15,16—Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Savior and thy REDEEMER, the mighty One of Jacob.
Hebrews 9:12-14—Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His Own blood He entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
PRECIOUS REDEEMER, sometimes I have felt forsaken and hated. I’ve fell like a reproach to Your Name. But today, I am ready to turn from these feelings—these dead feelings. I open myself to the excellency of Your calling. Seal me as a child in Your household. And please do a new work in these I hold before Your Throne today. Let them know that You have an excellent purpose for them.
Isaiah 60:14-18; Galatians 4:4-7
DAY 12—Through the eyes of the Prophet we behold our Redeemer.
The greatest act of redemption ever performed by any person for another was when the Lord Jesus Christ identified with us in our sin, and died. I had a vision one night of what I thought was the Lord Jesus dying on the Cross. I viewed it from a distance. But I kept being drawn closer, and closer. The one hanging there looked very terrible—especially the tongue. It was hanging out and full of ugly sores. I could not imagine that it was a vision of Jesus. The one hanging there was too horrible to be my beautiful Savior. Then, I recognized who it was. It was me. He took me there when He died.
Isaiah 53:4-6—...He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him….Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
LORD JESUS, I love You. Let me say it again: I love You. I love You. Oh, what a marvel that You could love me! Please cause Your Spirit to search me and try me and see if there be anything left in me that grieves You. Please take control of my tongue. For so great a price for my redemption, I don’t want ever again to dishonor Your Name again
Isaiah 63:1-5; Matthew 27:29-31
DEAR LORD, Today I take extra time to behold You, my Redeemer. I want to know more about the love that caused You to die for me. Fill my heart as I wait before You. Now, here are some who seem to care little about Your love. Send Your Spirit to draw them. Cause them to want to know Your love intimately.
DAY 13—We desire to be right in the eyes of our Redeemer.
It’s not likely we can ever be right in the eyes of everyone. Should we ever even try? For testimony’s sake, we do want to abstain from anything that would cause another person to stumble. But, this thing is certain: we are not ever to take on the role of a hypocrite. That means being an “actor” trying to convince others we’re something we’re not. On the other hand, if we let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart be always acceptable in the sight of the Lord, we will stand a much better chance of bearing a good testimony before others, especially non-believers. We want others to know what it means to be redeemed. The best way they can know is by seeing it demonstrated.
Psalms 19:14—Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my Strength, and my REDEEMER.
Titus 2:11-14—For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people (a people for His Own private possession), zealous of good works (with a zeal for doing good).
Hebrews 13:15—By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name.
O DEAR LORD, I want my life to be the praise of the glory of Your grace by which You redeemed me. Let the testimony of redemption shine through me to these others. l hold them before Your Throne today. While I pray for them, let them see Your love and grace at work in me.
I Peter 1:18,19
DAY 14—We learn to commit our spirit into the hands of our Redeemer.
There’s something unusual—and wonderful—in II Timothy 1:12, one of our verses for today. Reading it in the Greek New Testament, it offers two interpretations. One: “I am persuaded that He is powerful to guard what I have committed unto Him.” Or: “I am persuaded He is powerful to guard that which He has committed unto me.” Really, I think this second one is what Paul meant. The Lord gave Paul a commission. It was a greater charge than he, within himself, could keep. Therefore, there came the persuasion, the strong faith in Paul, that God was the One with the power to guard what He had given him to be and to do. Read the larger passage given at the bottom of the page. Now—can the same persuasion Paul held become ours? Certainly it can. He deals with us all with the same grace and power.
How God Guards the Purpose He Has Given to UsPsalms 31:5—Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast REDEEMED me, O LORD God of truth.
II Timothy 1:12—For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Psalm 37:5,6—Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
FATHER, faithful Redeemer, thank You for bringing me to the place where I need have no fear of fulfilling Your purpose for my life. I know You are guarding what You have placed in me. It makes me want to live moment by moment committed to You and to Your calling. Please help these I hold before You today. All of us have wavered some in trusting You. But now, I am trusting You to bring us all to a place of stability in believing You.
II Timothy 1:6-12
DAY 15 — None of the Redeemed shall be left desolate.
I’ve lived with the Lord long enough to know that He IS faithful. He abideth faithful. That’s just the way He is. He’s always faithful. There are no two ways about it: our Lord is a faithful Lord. Faith originated with Him. That’s where we get our faith—from Him. It’s His gift to us. So, without making any further argument trying to convince anyone, just allow me to say it again: no one that trusts in the Lord our God will be left desolate. Oh, but, uh oh, someone else has beat me to it! David was convinced of this. He said it before I could say it. He found out that the Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate. What’s that, if it doesn’t mean the Lord abideth faithful? (See II Timothy 2:13 and II Thessalonians 3:3.)
Psalms 34:22—The LORD redeemeth the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
John 10:27,28—My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.
I Peter 1:3-5—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope (a living hope) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept (guarded) by the power of God through faith unto (a) salvation ready (prepared)to be revealed in the last time (to be made known in the last season of time).
LORD, I am trusting You. I trust that anything that seems like desolation coming upon us will turn to our good. We will never be forsaken—because You have redeemed us and You are faithful! NOW, please take these fearful ones that I hold before You today. Help them know how faithful You are. Show them Your redeeming power.
Psalm 9:9,10; Psalm 37:9, 18,19, 22, 29, 34 & 39
DAY 16—The Hope of the Redeemed
There’s a prophecy below from Hosea about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It took place two thousands years ago, almost a thousand years after the prophetic Word from Hosea first came. In the same passage there’s also a Word about Jesus coming in the latter day. Take note of the words latter rain and former rain. They are prophetic words about the moving of the Holy Spirit that will come in the season just before Jesus returns. These terms speak of a moving of the Spirit to prepare us for the Day of the Lord. The Word we read yesterday from I Peter 1:5 tells of this same time. Peter called it a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Psalm 106:10—And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
Psalm 107:2—Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
Hosea 6:2,3—After two days will He revive us. In the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
LORD, because You redeemed me, I have hope—even though sorrow and death came and took my loved one. Still, I have confidence that You are more faithful than the sun that comes every morning. I am trusting that the early rain of Your Spirit will come upon our lives and make us strong for Your eternal Kingdom. And, Your latter rain will come and make us fruitful.
Joel 2:23; Zechariah 10:1; James 5:7
DAY 17—The Redeemed have a song to sing that others cannot sing.
A lot of us miss the old hymns, especially those that celebrate the redemption, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and His triumph as our King—like “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name.” To be honest, it’s kind of difficult for me to join in singing most of the new songs that are used in what is called “contemporary worship.” But, there is one thing I do take note of: a good many of the new songs do seem to celebrate our King and His Kingdom. For that we can be glad. I just hope the words and the tunes that go with them get lodged in the hearts of those who sing them. Over fifty years ago, we went away from Gospel meetings singing the songs we had learned. I don’t hear that now. The songs we sang helped make the word that had been preached firm in our hearts. In fact, much of the understanding that has served me well through many years came from those hymns. We sang them with life and gusto—and they stayed with us.
Psalms 71:23—My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee and my soul which Thou hast REDEEMED.
Isaiah 12:5—Sing unto the LORD; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
Luke 1:46,47,49—And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His Name.
DEAR LORD, I magnify Your Name. My spirit rejoices in You. You have done a mighty thing in Redeeming my soul. I love You and long for Your abiding presence. Therefore I wait before You today and listen for Your voice. I whisper in Your presence the names of these I love. Let them know Your voice and Your redeeming love.
Our Savior, Lord and King
Revelation 5:9,10; Revelation 14:3; Revelation 15:3,4
DAY 18—The Testimony of the REDEEMED
I didn’t know what to say when I first started giving my testimony. I guess I just hadn’t learned the language I should use to tell of being saved. That had to come on gradually, for me. Then, I learned I could tell others who didn’t know the Lord that they could know Him too. I found so much joy in doing that that I soon had a joyful testimony. But, the real ability to give testimony came when I learned what the Bible was for. It was to be studied, meditated upon and brought over into living. Then, the testimonies really started coming. Today, I would rather tell other people about Him, and His faithfulness, than do anything else in all the world. Isn’t it like that with you?
Deuteronomy 15:15—And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.
Psalms 107:1,2—O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. Let the REDEEMED of the LORD say so, whom He hath REDEEMED from the hand of the enemy.
FATHER, please loose my tongue so I can speak freely of the redemption that is mine in Christ Jesus. Help me confirm with my life what I speak with my tongue. Let my testimony, both in word and in deed, be anointed by Your Spirit. Let it reach into the hearts of these I hold before You in prayer. Let them seem Your grace and mercy in me.
I remember the day my heart heard the words, It is finished. (John 19:30). I was teaching a class on “Salvation.” The students were alive and excited. We were discovering the meaning of those words redemption, remission, justification and propitiation. Added to these we had others words like atonement, substitution and the word salvation. Those seven words! What power resided behind them! Then, we heard those words from Jesus. It is finished! The Holy Spirit helped us see that the Seven powerful ones all added up to those three words. Jesus finished the work. He paid it all. All God asks from us is repentance and faith.
Ephesians 1:6b,7—He hath made us accepted in the Beloved, in Whom we have REDEMPTION through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace...
Romans 3:24,25—Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
FATHER, it is settled in me. My hope of redemption lies only in the grace You extend to us in Your Beloved Son. I accept my redemption as full and complete in Him. Now, please help these I hold before You. Bring the conviction of Your Spirit upon them. Help them to know it is only, and completely, through the Lord Jesus Christ that they can know You.
Colossians 2:9-15
DAY 20—The Redemption Christ obtained for us is eternal.
My salvation became real to me under the preaching of a young Baptist Pastor. I remember the “beginner’s” class he taught. One of his strongest points was, “Now that you are saved, there is no way you can get unsaved.” That was Baptist doctrine—at least it was for that Pastor. About a year later things didn’t seem to be going quite so well for me, so I decided I would just stop being a Christian. Then I remembered what my Pastor had taught me and said to myself, “You can’t stop being a Christian.” So—I gave up on the idea and have stayed “saved” for fifty years, watching the continuing faithfulness of a powerful, loving, forgiving and utterly amazing Lord.
A Call to the Redeemed to Seek Eternal ValuesHebrews 7: 25—Wherefore He is able (powerful) also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 9:12—Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His Own blood He entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal REDEMPTION for us.
FATHER, help me live with eternity’s values in view. Give me an understanding of Your eternal Kingdom. Let my life come into line with the values and ways of Your Kingdom. Here are some I hold before You whose values seem to be in line with this corrupt age. Please draw them to seek Your eternal values.
Colossians 3:1-4
DAY 21—The Redemption was obtained for us at great cost.
Yesterday we saw, in our first Scripture, that the Lord Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us. The word intercession is from the New Testament Greek word entungchan’o. This word is used almost exclusively of the Lord Jesus or the Holy Spirit. See these passages: Romans 8:27 (The Holy Spirit maketh intercession for the saints); Romans 8:34 (Christ also maketh intercession for us) and Hebrews 7:25 (The Lord Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for them that come to God by Him). I don’t go around teaching the doctrine of “eternal security” that sets a Christian free to live just any way and still get into heaven. But—I do teach that Jesus ever ...liveth to make intercession for those who have opened themselves to the redemption He won for us on Calvary. Redeemed at so great a price, He’s certainly not going to regard us lightly.
I Peter 1:18a, 19—Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not REDEEMED with corruptible things, as silver and gold... but with the Precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
John 1:29—The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
I John 3:5—And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.
FATHER, what value You have placed on us! How can we esteem it? It is beyond our ability to know that kind of love—and yet we know it! Oh, I praise Your Name! You brought Your Redemption to us and lifted us and caused us to know Your love. Thank You, Oh, thank You, PRECIOUS LORD! Now, here are some others who need to know Your love.
The Better Covenant That Seals Our Redemption
Hebrews 9:13-28
DAY 22—We travail, waiting for our full Redemption.
While we have considered that the work of redemption is finished, there is another aspect of it that we are yet to know. All creation is, as it were, in the pains of labor, to know full redemption. This will have its effect in all the earth, in all people. There is this also that we must know: what is yet to be known will issue forth from the work the Lord Jesus brought to completion in His death, burial and resurrection. And, we should add this, His ascension to the right hand of the Father. Add all that has been accomplished in Christ to the travail of believers, and the travail of creation, and we have a powerful combination. Yet, there is another element—an exceedingly powerful one—that joins with all the above. Actually, it supercedes them all. This is God’s Covenant Word. All these work together toward bringing the Day of the Lord onward. All are powerful. All embrace us who believe in Christ Jesus. All have the stroke of eternity lodged in them.
Romans 8:22,23—For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain (birth pangs) together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits (the first portion) of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the REDEMPTION of our body.
FATHER, this is beyond my comprehension. But, this is sure: there is a longing in me for more than I have known. I see—oh, I see so clearly—there is a lack in me that can only be supplied by Your full presence. I cannot be satisfied till I know Your likeness. Please come upon me, and these others, by Your Spirit. Increase the longing in us all for Your Day, for Your glory that covers the earth, and for the redemption that heals us all.
The Cry of a Soul Longing for Full Redemption
Psalm 17:1-15
DAY 23—We have the earnest of our inheritance until the full Redemption comes.
It is beginning to become clear that there is more for us to know of the redemption. We might say it this way: our position in Christ is complete. It is our condition for which we hold concern. While still in this age, wherein does our answer reside? It is in the Lord Jesus Himself. By His Spirit, He is alive in us today. The Apostle Paul held a balance on this. He said, Ye are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). Then, he said, I press toward the mark (Philippians 3:14). The word mark is from that Greek sko’pos which means “the mark or object on which one fixes the eye.” We are learning to keep Jesus in our “scope,” watch Him, and move with Him. We are learning to let Him live in us.
Ephesians 1:13b—...after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise (you were distinctly invested with the character the Holy Spirit gives), which is the earnest (the pledge) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
I Peter 1:3-6—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope (a living hope) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept (guarded) by the power (dunamis, the enabling, miracle working power) of God through faith (which is put into operation in you as you believe) unto (a) salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (the last season of this age). Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (different kinds of trials)...
LORD, here I am, just to wait on You today. Please keep me still before You ,till I can hear the voice of Your Spirit, calling me onward toward knowing You fully. Oh, train the eyes of my heart to see You! Place in me that confidence, born of Your Spirit that will keep me in Your purpose.
Teach me Lord to wait.
Exodus 14:13; Isaiah 40:31
DAY 24—A Redemption That Is Full
You’ve heard my story of the old grandmother who died and left her old and well-used Bible for her grand-daughter to find. Through out the Book, beside verse after verse, were written the letters “T” and “P.” The granddaughter was puzzled until she found someone who knew the old woman well. That one said, “Oh, that’s what she placed beside the verses that she had “Tried” and “Proved.” That’s a call to you and me. Oh, how much waits for us today in God’s Word! It waits to be tested and proved in our own lives.
He Who knew no sin became sin for us.I Corinthians 1:30—But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
Colossians 2:9,10—For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power:
II Corinthians 5:17—Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Joshua 23:14b—. . .and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
LORD, my mind cannot understand all that is mine in Christ. But, my heart is ready to believe, and to receive it all. I open myself to the wisdom that is in Him. I am ready to live in the righteousness He gives. He is my healing, my strength, my joy. Oh, He is my life!
II Corinthians 5:18-21
DAY 25—Every person who is weak draws the attention of Jesus.
The Small Number that Return After Being HealedThe opening words of Psalm 103 have been coming on to me stronger and stronger every day. To be truthful, the commission of the Lord upon me keeps crowding me on to know Him in dimensions beyond anything I have known of Him before. The other day, He spoke to me that I would see His faithfulness as David expressed it in this Psalm. Today we will use the beginning of Psalm 103 as our prayer of blessing to the Lord, and as an expression of our faith.
Matthew 9:29,35—Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. ... And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. —Psalm 103: 1-5
(We will ask the Lord to help us never be in that number.)
Luke 17:15-19
DAY 26—Jesus took all our diseases to the Cross.
For years we have considered Matthew 4:23, 24 closely. When I first studied this in the Greek New Testament, my spirit leaped. I shared what I saw with Glenda. She became excited. For years it became the theme of ministry through her. Today I want you to look at it briefly with me. In it we take note of the various kinds of illness that Jesus healed. They don’t all become obvious in the translation, but in the Original it is clear that there were eight categories of illness that He healed. Some have concluded that the beatings on Jesus before He died were with thirty-nine stripes, and that they were for the 39 types of illness that are known today. Whether that be an accurate interpretation or not, we don’t know. We do know, however, that with His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Peter, who ministered the healing power of the Gospel, believed strongly in this passage from Isaiah. He quoted from it as he wrote of the Lord Jesus. He said that it was by His stripes ye were healed (I Peter 2:24). We take note that he said, “were healed,” an indication of a work finished.
Matthew 4:23,24—And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them.
FATHER, I praise You for the faith You are placing in my heart today, to believe for the release of healing power into these lives I am about to name before You. Some of them seem hopeless. Nevertheless, I call their names before Your Throne. Let them become aware of Your healing presence. Let faith come into them that will enable them to receive what the Lord Jesus has obtained for them.
Taking Note How Jesus Dealt with an Unclean Spirit
Mark 1:23-26
DAY 27—How Simple, Uncomplicated, Faith Receives Healing
Often the simplest faith from the simplest person receives the most astounding deliverance, or miracle. This is probably because simple persons are ready to believe. They don’t require answers for all the arguments that arise in the minds of some. I remember the words that were written on the wall of a church building where I worshiped years ago. “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” I thought I stood on that. But I didn’t really. Shortly after the Holy Spirit visited some of us and caused us to believe that healing was in the atonement, something simple took place. The Lord directed me to go into a little Pentecostal church building to see a word on the wall. I saw written above the choir loft these words: “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today and for ever.” I already knew that verse from the Bible—in Hebrews 13:8. But the Lord impressed me to see one particular word. It was ”today.” I needed to see that word from the Bible—and believe it. Jesus Christ is the same—yesterday, TODAY, and forever.
Mark 5:34—And He said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Mark 10:52—And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Hebrews 13:8—Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
DEAR LORD, I wait in Your presence. Let faith increase in me. Teach me to lean upon You. Teach me to listen to Your heart. Teach me to watch You and move in accord with You. I am becoming ready for You to heal my spirit, my mind, and my emotions—and my body. And, LORD, here are these who are suffering—in so many ways. I continue holding them before You. Let healing come to their minds, especially.
Taking Note of Some Things that Came about Through Faith,
Even Before “Some Better Thing” Was Provided for us
Hebrews 11:4-13, & 39,40
DAY 28—Rejecting the Curse of the Thief to Receive Abundant Life
The serpent that came to our Parents in Eden was not a beautiful snake with legs. Revelation 12:9 reveals clearly that it was the devil himself. The Hebrew word there translated “serpent” is nachash. Although this word is translated “serpent” everywhere it occurs in the Old Testament, its root is a word which means “to practice divination.” It also means bright shining brass. On close study, we can conclude that it was a bright spiritual being who came to Adam and Eve. He cast a spell, like that of divination, on Eve. She in turned passed it on to Adam, and thus to all the race of mankind. In the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus—the work of our redemption—He spoiled the serpent’s work. Now, He has given to us authority, in His Name, to command the devil, and any spirit that works under his command, to withdraw. Oh, what a full redemption is ours in Christ Jesus!
How Grace Reigns for us through Jesus ChristJohn 10:10—The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: lam come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Luke 13:16a—And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond...?
LORD, I am ready to be free from the curse of satanic interference in my life. I renounce the demonic work that has come through my ancestry. Search it out in me. Where I am blind to the work of any seducing spirit in me, open the eyes of my understanding that I may renounce it. Wherein I have unknowingly invited unclean spirits in, I repent. As I renounce their operations, I open my soul and my spirit to the work of Your grace, and to the power released through Your resurrection.
Romans 5:13-21
DAY 29—Rejecting the Curse of Personal Failure to Receive Abundant Life
Our entrance in to knowing God is through the Lord Jesus. There is no other way. Like many of our readers, I tried church membership. That did not bring me to know God. I tried Sunday school with Church attendance. That did not bring me into relationship with Him. But—there was that Pastor who dared to tell us that when Jesus comes again, He will not ask to see the membership roll of a church. That frightened me. I didn’t know what to do. But, the next Sunday night he preached about the cross. I’ve told about it, time and again. In I Corinthians 1:18 Paul said the ...preaching of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation. That worked for me! I got saved that night! Jesus was my way in to God.
John 10:9—I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Galatians 3:10,13—For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them.... Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
GRACIOUS LORD, please move by Your Spirit on the Pastors and preachers throughout the land. Cause them to make the message clear and plain that Jesus is the only way. Anoint them to bring messages that will pierce through the religious cloaks so many wear to guard them against Your Truth.
Making the Message Clear and Plain
I Corinthians 1:17-21
DAY 30—Rejecting Human Pride to Give Place to the Fear the Lord
Among other things, it was in the “serpent’s” design to draw our Parents in Eden toward the exaltation of themselves against God. He carried out his temptation by casting reproach on God. He denied what God had said to Adam about death. (God said, ...Thou shalt surely die—Genesis 2:17. The serpent said, Ye shall not surely die—Genesis 3:4.) He planted in Eve the notion that God’s Word is designed to rob us of what is rightfully ours. He implied that God cannot be trusted. (See Genesis 3:1-6.) Now—the move we are making is to withstand that serpent of old, to reject his lie, and give ourselves to what God has said. We do this with a confidence that His Word is true. Hereby, the redemption becomes brighter and clearer for our hearts to embrace. What the Lord Jesus won for us in His passion remains for us to claim!
Proverbs 3:7,8—Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Hebrews 12:28—Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
LORD, giving myself over to fear of You is the wisest thing I ever did. It has brought a sweetness to my life that I never knew before. It is setting me free from other fears. I am becoming free from the fear of disease, from the fear of disaster, from the fear of what man might do to me. My health is returning. My strength is increasing. I praise You and love You. Oh, let others see Your work in me and want what You give!
Resting in the Fear of the Lord
Hebrews 11:7; Hebrews 13:6
DAY 31—Blessing the Lord Who Forgives and Heals
Psalm 103:1-5I have recently entered the "fourth quarter" of my life. How exciting! I'm rejoicing in new found strength everyday. As I told, a few days back, the Lord spoke to me, very clearly, from Psalm 103. We have already considered it somewhat, but let us see it again. No matter what quarter of life you are in, it carries a powerful Word for you. We place some icons throughout the passage to emphasize exactly what the Lord will do in us—and for us. The icons are little symbols of a road that leads us to what David called green pastures in Psalm 23:2.
Bless the LORD, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
* Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
* who healeth all thy diseases;
* Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
* Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
* Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
—
Righteousness, Judgment, Loving-Kindness, and MercyMY DEAR LORD, I bless You. I bless Your holy Name. I open myself to the benefits You give. Help me keep them ever before me that I not grow cold in my love for You. You have REDEEMED my life from destruction. All that I am and have is now Yours. You bought me with Your own blood. Please use me for Your Kingdom's sake.
Hosea 2:19-23