"THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes..." -The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
It's exciting to know that God constantly wants to give me something better than what I currently have.
Christ was anointed and qualified to heal what is broken in your life. In the place where there has been ashes, hurt, destruction, loss, and disintegration of God best, and now beauty instead, God still shines forth.
What has God anointed and qualified you to do in life?
What's stopping you from advancing?
It is interesting that throughout history, God has always been calling a fallen humanity to Himself. King David wrote in Psalms 50:1-2: "THE MIGHTY One, God, the Lord, speaks and calls the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth."
In other words, He refuses to rest until He vindicates the promise spoken over your life. From the rising of the sun to the setting down of the same, He is speaks and calls me (this "earthen" vessel) to righteousness, right words, right decisions, overflow, increase, healing, forgiveness, victory and breakthrough in spite of my environment.
He calls an extraordinary leader named Jeremiah at the age of 20 (who lives in a nation in crisis) and places the heavy burden of the prophetic office:
"Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah], saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth." (Jer. 1:4-6)
In other words, Jeremiah was worried about how he would be received by men and expressed to God his limited background, experience, inadequacy and insecurities. Have you ever done that before? "Lord, I'm just a divorcee, I just a receptionist or ordinary non-management employee, I am just a fatherless dad without a point of reference to raise sons, I cannot speak, I didn't finish college, I dropped out; I can't teach the educated; they won't hear me. I've never started a business, I have never faced something so difficult before in my life; I can't carry this burden anymore."
In verse 7 and 9, God responded through Jeremiah TO us: "Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak." Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth."
In other words God said, "DON'T SAY THAT!" "You will go to whomever I send you and say whatever I command you. And I will take your "negative" temporal words out and put MY eternal and supernatural words in your mouth."
You see, for God to bring any dream to pass in your life, His Word must become a permanent replacement of yours. Your thoughts and ways will never be as high as His; neither will your words. And we are easily moved by things we see and hear.
But when God calls us from the rising of the sun to its setting, He is not moved by our age, disposition, marital status, credit score, geographic location or the recession.
He is moved by His original blueprint and calls me "EVEN IF I AM NOT, AS THOUGH I WAS."
But we can never come to a King empty handed. God always wants more from us. We must be willing to give up something today that keeps us from giving 100% of ourselves to Him.
What are you willing to give Him?
Calvary was a perpetual place of exchange.
Isaiah wrote in chapter 60: "ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you - rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! [Zec 8:23.] For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.
Not my shame, not my failure, not my bankruptcy, divorce, family dysfunction, sickness or test results, but HIS GLORY shall be seen on me.
Isaiah 60 continued: "Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. [Instead of the tyranny of the present] I will appoint peace as your officers and righteousness as your taskmasters. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders, but you shall call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. (v 17-18)
The tyranny of your present life and struggle is over.
Peace has been appointed.
Today, shine through your depression, shine through the unfavorable diagnosis, shine through this unemployed season in your life. God offers an exchange of what you have for something greater. That means, whatever negative things people have heard of your life in the past, a new, fresh, supernatural makeover is taking place right now.
Beauty is coming out of where the enemy and bad decisions marred your life.
As you rebuild the ancient ruins, raise up former desolations, renew the ruined cities and the devastations of the past, I pray for new faith, endurance, patience, love, hope and expectation to ARISE.
