Authority defined:

• The right to command

• The right or power to enforce rules or give orders

• Somebody or something with official power

• Power to act on behalf of somebody else, or official permission to do something

Genesis 1:26 (amp)

God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.

God’s original plan for man according to Genesis 1:26 was for man to have authority. Man had the right to command. Man had the right or power to enforce rules or give orders. Man was given official power from God. Man was given the power to act on behalf of God .

God never created man to be inferior in and amongst all of His creations. God created man to rule over what

He had created. Psalms 8 declares:

O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! 

Strongly consider and mediitate upon the truth of God’s word concerning your God given authority.

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Soak defined:

• To penetrate something by saturating it and passing into pores or small holes.

Similar words to soak are: immerse, steep, marinate, infuse, saturate, and bathe.

There is a difference between soaking something in water and just merely dipping something in water. When you dip something in water it is just a brief encounter then you quickly remove it from the water, However when you soak something it is a lengthier period of time that you leave it in the water or substance. Soaking requires patience. Many times people get in a hurry and don’t let what is immersed absorb all that it needs to.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The word richly in that verse means abundance. Let the word of God live in you in great quantity, not just a little bit. In order for God’s word to live in us richly we need to immerse or soak ourselves in it so that it can permeate and saturate every fiber of our being. When something is soaked it becomes weighty, heavy or solid. This weightiness and/or solidity becomes the anchor of our spirit, soul and body. It is the rock that causes us not to be moved. When we become rooted and grounded in God and His word we become unshakeable.

Many times when you soak something it gives the soaking agent time to remove old callous things and yet at the same time penetrate and expand useful things. When the word of God penetrates and fills your heart, it begins to expand and enlarge it, giving way to the greater and thus becoming more useful.

Dehydration is a dangerous lack of water in the body resulting from inadequate intake of fluids or excessive loss. Loss of fluids can result from various assaults on the body such as: disease, trauma, profuse sweating, prolonged heat exposure, etc. When the body is dehydrated the person can become confused, weak, delirious, experience visual disturbances and a host of other malfunctions. If we compare this to spiritual dehydration we can see some of the same devastating manifestations. People began to lack spiritual perception which distorts Godly vision; they begin to experience spiritual weakness resulting in poor judgment and increased carnality. We see manifestations of spiritual delirium, anxiety and speech deficits.  Spiritual dehydration can put a person’s spirit in a state of shock. Listen, child of God, we should never allow our spirits to get to the point of spiritual dehydration. We must endeavor to stay full!

Daily soaks in God’s word causes us to overflow with the life and light of God. Our lives then become prosperous and we have good success. God told Joshua to meditate His word day and night; well I think that could very well be a form of soaking. Lightly wetting yourself with the word of God does not produce good success, the gentlest breeze can quickly dry that from your skins surface. However when we soak, it goes deep inside, filtering through every pore, reaching every part of your being.

So purpose in your heart this year to take frequent soaks in the Word of Life and watch your life overflow and grow more and more!

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1Thessalonians 4:13-18

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The scriptures tell us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

The Word brings supernatural comfort to the believer through faith. Comfort supplies relief.

When we think about heaven, physical death, and experiences of the spirit realm such as these we need the faith of God in our heart to believe. When we are ignorant of these truths our hearts sorrow as those without hope. However, when we turn our attention to the Word of God and receive what God has to say about this particular arena of life we find answers and freedom from fear of the unknown. God has not left the subject of death a mystery to the born-again Christian. God has insight and revelation for all who come to Him. The above scriptures so beautifully reveal to us the path of those who die in the Lord. Oh what a wonderful Heavenly Father we have, He is so mindful of us. He knew that one day in all of our lives we would experience the death of those near and dear to us so he sent His Word to heal us and deliver us from all destruction, yes, and the destruction of sorrow.

The scripture above says comfort yourselves with these words. The words that God speak are full of power, they are spirit and they are life. When we receive His words into our spirits and minds they release faith and provide comfort. The anointing that is in God’s Word destroys every yoke and lifts every burden, this includes sorrow. So we hear and we receive and we believe and we rejoice because we are comforted through the knowledge of the truth and the comfort of the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah!

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Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 

I love decorating my house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I totally enjoy the light from the Christmas décor. I was decorating one of my small Christmas trees and noticed that some of the lights were not lit, so I opened a new box of miniature lights and began stringing them on the tree. To my amazement the new string of lights was only half lit. However I quickly knew what to do, I began looking at the strng of lights on the side where the lights were not shining to see if one of the lights was blown out. I was skeptical though because I did not know how I would be able to tell which one was blown out seeing that these lights were so small. I thought this would be a long process but to my surprise I immediately spotted the problem. One of the light bulbs had fallen out of its socket, so I quickly reinserted the missing bulb and BAM, there was light!

God said through the prophet Isaiah, “Arise, shine for thy light has come.” We are no longer without light in the earth as a matter of fact we are the light. Jesus said to us let your light shine, implying it is up to us if the light is on or off. Yes, light has come but is it on. We have vessels that provide light, such as lamps, in every room of our home but not all of those vessels are on all the time. They are equipped to shine light but it’s up to my family when we let it shine.

Unlike household lamps spiritual light is always needed because we are in a dark world. There will always be somebody who needs light. We are never to turn the light off; in doing so we could cause somebody to stumble or somebody to fall or someone to miss their destinies call. Light was not created by God to be hid but rather to be lifted up for all to see.

When I held up the string of lights, half of the string was lit and half was dark, causing a dimming effect. This string of lights was not providing the bright illumination that it was created to provide. It was handicap because one of the lights had fallen out.

Handicap defined:

• Something that hinders or is a disadvantage to somebody or something.

We may not think that just one light missing would make that big of a difference but it did. One light out of place caused half of the whole string to malfunction. God has set each of us in His body as it pleases Him, meaning our light was strategically placed on the string of lights to do its part to bring illumination to the world. We all need to shine bright in this dark world, your light matters to the body, we need it. Don’t let it go out or grow dim but let it shine everywhere you go……….Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!

People will come from all nations just to see your Holy Ghost glow! They will follow you as you lead them out of the darkness to the marvelous Light, the Lord Jesus Christ!

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Colossians 3:1 (AMP)

And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.

God deserves 100% of our loyalty. He is worthy of our best service and worship.

Sometimes when you sweep a floor, there is a small amount of dust or dirt that sometimes refuses to sweep into the dust pan. Have you ever swept that small amount of dirt under a rug because it was so small you thought, “Oh nobody will see it anyway.” What you felt to be insignificant was an indication of your work ethic and integrity.

Sometimes people tend to not do their best work when they think no one is looking.

Pretense defined:

• something done or a way of behaving that is not genuine, but is intended to deceive somebody

Words that are similar to pretense: charade, sham, façade, make-believe, deceit, deception and simulation.

Whatever we do in word or in deed, even when we think they are trivial, we are to do them in the name of the Lord and for Him. We should always live everyday with the understanding, God is with me. Wherever I go and whatever I do, He is present. We should seek the honor that comes from God and not the honor of man.

Refuse to do anything in pretense. God loves you no matter what others think about you. Live to please Him.

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In a world that everything has become acceptable and blindly tolerable, you must decide and take a stand for what is permissible for you. Be true to yourself by choosing the only standard that will bring a favorable eternal outcome. Being true to yourself means being honest in your own heart. If you are not up to par in your walk with God then just admit it then make the adjustments and grow up and move forward. We all know it is miserable to be out of the will of God. Many times you can see the distress and void on people’s faces. They pretend to be having a good time (spiritually and naturally). They smile yet all the while they are kicking against the pricks of their God given destiny. They try to engage in vain amusements and mind cluttering activities so they won’t have to think about the sorrow and emptiness that press daily on their hearts.

Being true to one self means to stop the facade and get off the roller coaster of worldliness. It means getting down to business with you. It means pointing your own finger in your own face and saying stop, no more pretenses, it’s all or nothing, I chose to go forward.

Being true to yourself means staying with your decision to obey God no matter what anybody else chooses to do.

Being true to yourself means stepping back and letting God take the lead in your life. We can do nothing without God yet we can do all things through Him.

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Purpose defined:

• The reason for which something exists or for which it has been done or made.

• The desire or the resolve necessary to accomplish a goal.

Why are you here? Who told you to come? What are you doing now that you are here? How will this life end for you in victory, surrender or defeat? Will you finish you course in obedience to God or selfish retreat? Do you know the purpose for which you were born? What are you doing today to help fulfill God’s purpose for your life?

Ecclesiastes 3:2

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 

Prevailing Purpose will make you get up out of bed, slam the door to mediocrity and uncover every scorpion and serpent and begin to tread.

Purpose will help you look defeat in the face and declare I’m not going backward but full force ahead! Go Head, Go Head, Go Head!

Purpose will punch out pride and only let humility ride.

Purpose will embrace grace and excuse self-will from its high and lofty place.

Prevailing purpose will cause a man/woman who is tempted with an adulterous affair to laugh right in the devils face, step on his head without losing step or pace in his race.

Purpose pursues with passion, fervor and determination to always win. Purpose is never slothful or lazy but working while it is yet day with a confident joyful grin.

Purpose is peaceful, practical and power packed. Purpose stays plugged in through intercession and various kinds of prayer, picking up the slack, staying on track, never looking back.

Purpose travels with only the necessary equipment to get the job done, no heavy baggage, no weights, free-loader or bums.

Purpose will ignore the need to compete; it pulls down thoughts of jealousy, envy and strife. Purpose pursues only the good life.

Purpose shuns the pull from darkness to worry, fret or dread. Purpose is strengthened by Love that is alive, not dead.

In Prevailing Purpose there is no fear, only mercy as we draw near and yield our ear to the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Romans 8:27 (AMP)

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

God’s Divine Prevailing Purposes for your life awaiting your , “Yes Lord, I’ll obey, amen!”

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Sometimes we can get hungry at the strangest times, like in the middle of the night or close to bedtime. There you sit minding your own business getting ready to retire for the night and Bam, your stomach begins to growl. You think to yourself, surely I couldn’t be hungry I just ate 4 hours ago. However your body is now crying out and demanding to be fed. What do you do, feed it or deny it?

This can also apply to our spirit man. Our spirit has the same or many times a greater demand for nourishment then our physical bodies. When our bodies are active, many times they require and demand more calories, kind of like supply and demand. When you expend spiritual energy so to speak you require more spiritual food to maintain soundness and effectiveness. When you are spiritually active it is not unusual for your spirit to wake your mind and body in the middle of the night for a late night Hallelujah snack. What do you do, feed it or deny it?

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Psalms 31:20

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Today let us dive into the revealed word the Holy Spirit has for us concerning the protection God gives us from the strife of tongues.

We know and are confident that God is our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. God is our protector no matter what the attack but we must endeavor to remain in our place of safety.

Protector defined:

• Somebody who protects or defends somebody or something.

God is not just another form of protection for the Christian who; trusts, relies on and depends on Him. He is our only source of protection. Many times people like to have a little something on the side just in case God doesn’t follow through on His promise to protect them. Well, that’s unbelief. God will always come through for us, He is not a man that He should lie.

The word of God speaks loudly to us from Psalms 31:20 that God will keep us or protect us from the strife of tongues. Now, that doesn’t mean you will never hear anyone talk bad about you or lie on you or gossip about you or think and speak evil of you. Yes, these forms of persecution will come, but God is saying, “I won’t let those words harm you.” Words are carriers; they can contain life or death, blessing or cursing. The scriptures tell us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. God speaks words of life, Jesus said his words are spirit and they are life. The devil on the other hand speaks words of death and destruction.

Strife defined:

• Bitter and sometimes violent conflict, struggle, or rivalry.

The devil lives to release words of strife. Strife robs and steals the joys of each new day.

Hebrews 12:15 declares, “Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it–.”

The enemy sends words of strife or bitterness to defile you. He wants to corrupt your pure minds. Seeds of bitterness that are planted in the soil of a person’s heart will wage war on their soul. These words will seek to shut down the progress of the word of God in their lives. Words of bitterness will cause conflict in your mind, will and emotions, seeking to abort the process of transformation. It will soon permeate through you to others causing arguments, discord and all kinds of trouble. It will seek to thwart every relationship in your life; your marriage, children, employer, neighbors, extended family.

But God has promised to hide us from the effects and poison of the strife of tongues. The devil will release this weapon against you but it won’t prosper. The words will fall to the ground ineffective and powerless against you. These words of strife can never penetrate God’s shield of protection. You will be inaccessible to their bite. However, in order to benefit from God’s protection we must do our part and stay in the secret of His presence. We cannot try to venture out on our own and seek to correct the situation. We must stay hidden in Christ. It doesn’t matter what people are saying about you, don’t let it get to you. Just stay in your protection. The enemy will try to lure you out through your five physical senses or your untrained emotions. You may say, “But they hurt my feelings,” that’s because you was peeking out and you let that evil dart scratch your skin and some poison slipped in. You need to get back into the secret place of God’s presences, letting Him heal and conceal you. Don’t yield to the temptation to be nosey, “Wonder what they are saying about me.” This will only draw you out of your secret place of protection.

Just sit down in God’s presence and rest. He will protect and shelter you through the test.

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1Corinthian 9:24-25

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

In the Olympics, there are various types of races. They range from short sprints to marathon style long distances. In every race the runner must determine the pace that will help him/her win that race. Many factors may influence the pace of any particular race. For instance, the speed of the other runners you are running with can greatly influence your pace, that’s if you want to win.

The environmental temperatures and wind direction can also influence your pace. But whatever conditions you find yourself running your race in, be determined to win. Many people settle to just finish, they have given up on mastering their course. They resolve to just make it across the finish line. Everyone who crosses the finish line in an Olympic race does not receive a prize.

God desires for us to master our course in life and not to allow our course to master us. We should not expect to cross our heavenly finish line all beat up, barely making it, just making it in by a tread. We should see ourselves running full force until the end, strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We must see ourselves crossing that finish line full of joy and victory.

There maybe times that you have to pace yourself for a sprint and at other times a marathon but whatever the pace be determined to win your race!

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