August Month Promise Message - 2020 - Stay in God's Presence

#AugustMonth #Godiswithyou #GodPresence #August2020 #Prophecy2020 #Rest #Peace #Joy #God #JesusChrist #AugustBlessing #AugustPromise #MaryMonisse

God's Presence will go with you and give you rest, peace, protection, safety, everlasting Joy, fullness of happiness, refreshing your mind, body, spirit and soul. There is fear, respect and reverence in the presence of God. God is the only king who will rule the heaven and the earth, and will judge all mankind. Let us learn to stay in the presence of the Lord all the days of our life. God will be with us and bless us. Amen. Exodus 33:14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Please Like, Share, Subscribe and Join with us to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth !

If you honor Me with your firstfruits, you will overflow with abundance.

Proverbs 3:9-10

9 Honor Yahweh with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase:
10 so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

 

Today's Scripture passage is a wonderful picture of abundance and overflow. The kingdom of God does not work like the kingdom of this world. In God's kingdom, it is more blessed to give than receive. In His kingdom, we can never outgive the most generous person in the universe for God loves to pour back into us far more than we could possibly give to Him.

Why does God want us to give Him of our firstfruits? Does God need our money? Absolutely not! The Bible says that the entire earth is the Lord's and all that is in it. God has no need of our resources whatsoever. What our God and Father longs for more than anything else is our heart ...and Jesus told us that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also (Matthew 6:21).

When we honor God with the very first and best of what our hands have created, we are acknowledging that He is the source of all our blessing. When we choose to trust in His present and future supply of all our needs by giving to Him of our firstfruits, I believe that it blesses His heart and moves Him to provide for us even more.

It is wonderful to live in a kingdom where we don't have to provide for ourselves, for we have a Father in heaven who knows all our needs and He delights to give us His kingdom!

I will give you a double portion of your inheritance in exchange for your shame.

Isaiah 61:7
Instead of your shame you shall have double;
and instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their portion:
therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be to them.

In the Hebrew tradition, the eldest son of the family would receive a double portion of the family's inheritance. So if I understand this correctly, if there were 5 heirs, then the inheritance would be divided 6 ways and the eldest son would get 2/6 of the inheritance which would be double the inheritance that his brothers and/or sisters received.

Isaiah 61 is a prophetic declaration of freedom pointing to the day when Jesus would come to the world and be the fulfillment of all the promises made in this amazing chapter of the Bible. You can read more about this in Luke 4:14-20 if you like. Isaiah declares that the coming Messiah will bring freedom to the captives, comfort for the grieving and beauty for ashes. He also declares that we will exchange our shame for a double portion of our inheritance!

Since the double portion belongs to the eldest son, we know that this promise is referring to us sharing in the inheritance of our elder brother, Jesus Christ. No longer do we need to carry the stigma of shame! God has made us heirs of His inheritance and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:15-17).

May the reality of all that is proclaimed in Isaiah 61 become a tangible benefit in your life today. Instead of shame, you will receive a double portion of your inheritance!

I spoke the universe into existence.

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth.

Right at the beginning of the Book of all books, the Bible says... "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." This statement alone could be enough to bring peace to any unsettled heart. God is in control.  He has always been in control.

He is the One who spoke the entire universe into existence with just the sound of His voice. He is Almighty God. He is the All Powerful God. He is the All Knowing God. Whenever you feel that your life is spinning off its axis, be comforted in knowing that our God and Father has always been, and always will be in control.

This is the same Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent Creator who has decided to love you with all His heart (1 John 3:1). No matter what forces oppose you today, be comforted in knowing that the God who spoke the universe into existence is in your corner! 

You can celebrate because your name is written in heaven.

Luke 10:20
Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

In this Scripture passage, Jesus is telling His disciples not to rejoice because the demons submit to their authority, but rather rejoice because their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I believe the core of what Jesus is saying in this passage is simply this... relationship supercedes authority.

Though signs may follow us wherever we go on this side of heaven, the very reason for this demonstration of the authority that God has entrusted to us is because we belong to Him. The very fact that our names are written in heaven means that we will live with God Himself for all eternity and that is cause for lots of celebrating!

Though we may walk in the miraculous power of God, let us never forget the very essence of why God saved us. He didn't save us to be good workers, He saved us to be His sons and daughters.  In Matthew 7:22-24 Jesus warns there will be some people who have walked in miraculous signs and wonders but never knew Him. To 'know' Jesus is to be intimate with Him and that is the very reason why we were saved.

In John 17:3, Jesus prays to His Father these words... This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. (WEB) The very definition of eternal life is being intimate with both God the Father and God the Son.

So no matter what amazing works God has you do today, do not rejoice because of the works themselves, but because your name is written in the halls of heaven, where you will live with God forever!

I am pleased when you share with others.

Hebrews 13:16

But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

When our children were younger, it always grieved my heart when they didn't get along. I didn't like having to be a referee at the dinner table or to break up arguments in the backyard. As a father, I wanted my children to love each other, to live in harmony, share nicely and be kind to one another.

I really don't think our Heavenly Father is any different. In this passage of Scripture, the writer of Hebrews reminds us not to forget to do good and share with others, because these are the things that make God happy.

In a world with many Christian denominations, I think God's kids have a tendency to major on the minors in our Christian walk rather than focusing on the things that really touch His heart. The sacrifices in every day life that make Him smile are simply the good things we do for others.

I want to keep this in mind today as I go about my daily routine, because I want to make my Dad smile. How about you?

I will comfort you just like a mother would.

Isaiah 66:13

As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”

We all need comfort. There are times when we need a father's reassurance and there are times when we need a mother's comfort. When our children were little, if they got hurt playing in the backyard, they would look for their mother first before they would look for me. That is because there is something in a mother's heart that provides a reassuring comfort that is quite different from a father. Fathers tend to try and fix the situation, where mothers bring comfort.

In the same way that there are many Scriptures that compare God's heart to the heart of a natural father (Psalm 103:13-14), there are also other verses that speak of a feminine expression of His love. This is one of those passages of Scripture where God is speaking to His people and telling them of His mother's heart for them.

While we know that God is our Father, we also know that He is the complete expression of love. He does not just express masculine love, but feminine love as well for He is the very essence of all love (1 John 4:16). There are times when we need the strength and exhortation that comes from a father, and there are other times when we need comfort that comes from a mother's heart.

God's love for you is so vast that it far surpasses every love that you have ever known. Mother. Father. Sister. Brother. Son. Daughter. Spouse. Friend. The next time that you need the comforting embrace of God, be encouraged to know that He has promised to comfort you just like a mother would... but only a millions time better!

If you rest in Me and wait patiently, you will inherit the land.

Psalm 37:7-9
7 Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.

This is a call to rest and wait. In the culture that we live in, these are two of the most difficult things that we can do. Hebrews 4 speaks of a Sabbath rest that God wants us to enter into where we cease from our own works and enter into His rest.

While this promise seems simple enough to accomplish, there is something in the human heart that struggles to truly rest. I am not talking about having a siesta or taking a vacation, but a rest in the very core of our hearts where we cease from all striving.

When we come to the place of learning to rest in the very center of our being, we will cease from our own human initiatives and position ourselves to simply wait for the Lord to work on our behalf. This is not a place of passivity because we have to work at entering into this place of rest. We will only allow ourselves to enter into this place when we are convinced that we no longer have to strive to find acceptance in the loving embrace of our God and Father.

In my opinion, to truly learn to rest and wait patiently for the Lord is one of the highest forms of trust that we can demonstrate. It is in this place that we realize that we don't have to protect ourselves, provide for ourselves, initiate for ourselves, etc., because we have a God who is head over heels in love with us and He has promised to work on our behalf. All He asks is that we learn to rest and wait patiently for Him.

Today's promise says that when we do, we will inherit the land! Not because of anything that we do, but because of the goodness of our Heavenly Dad. May the Holy Spirit show each one of us how we can more fully enter into that place of rest and trust so that we can wait on the Lord and see our inheritance released.

I am your shield, your glory and the lifter of your head.

Psalm 3:3

But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.

The Hebrew word for shield in this promise is a substance so thick that it is likened unto the scaly hide of a crocodile. God is our shield and our protector. Nothing can get through His defences. Our God and Father is also our glory, which is the Hebrew word 'kabowd', which means a weighty honor that He places on us simply because we belong to Him.

I love the NLT Bible translation for this verse...  ^'3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.'  God protects us, He bestows His own glory on us, and He lifts up our head when we are discouraged.

When I think of the last part of this promise, I picture a child standing face to face with his father, with his head held down in discouragement. The father not wanting his child to be discouraged, gently puts his finger on the little boy's chin and raises his head until their eyes meet.

When we get discouraged, our God and Father is the lifter of our head. As the NLT Bible says, He is 'the one who holds my head high'. If you are disappointed today, may you feel the loving touch of your Father raising your head so that your eyes meet His loving glance.

Trust in Me and do not be afraid of what others can do to you.

Psalm 56:11
I have put my trust in God. I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Fear of man is a powerful debilitating force in our world today. It will keep us from taking risks and it will keep us from being the person God made us to be. If we are afraid of what others think, or what they will do to us, we are kept in a prison of their control. God wants us to be free and He does not want us to live in fear.

The only way to deal with fear is to embrace the love that God has for us and allow perfect love to drive all fear away. (1 John 4:18) Trust is the key. Knowing that our God and Father has our best interests at heart all the time.

In this promise, the psalmist makes a declaration that he will put his trust in God and not be afraid of what man can do to him. May faith rise up in our hearts today as we agree with Romans 8:31, where the Apostle Paul declares "If God is for us, who can be against us?". 

May each one of us continue to grow in the incredible freedom of the children of God, and not live in the place of being afraid.

If you walk in the light, the blood of My Son Jesus will cleanse you from all sin.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son,
cleanses us from all sin.

Jesus is called the Light of the World. In Him is no darkness, only brilliant, glorious light. The good news of the gospel is that when we receive the free gift of God, which is the life of His own Son, we are completely cleansed from all unrighteousness and forgiven from all our sin.

We have become children of the light because we are now joined completely into the holy life of Jesus. Romans 8:1 says because of this exchange, there is therefore now no condemnation for us.

Our adversary the devil is called the accuser of the brethren. His aim is to continually bring accusations against us that would somehow cause us to feel ashamed and hide from God. When you hear these accusing voices, declare the finished work of the blood of Jesus over your life, for it is the cleansing power of Jesus' blood that keeps us walking in the light!

We have no need to hide in shame from God. Jesus Christ has secured our place in His Father's heart and His blood has covered our past sins, our present sins and our future sins. You can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. When He cried it is finished! on the cross, He meant it.

Does this mean that we can go on living  a sinful life? God forbid! However, we can rest assured that if we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, His blood cleanses us from ALL sin.

Through faith in Christ, you can boldly approach Me with confidence.

Ephesians 3:12
in whom we have boldness and access
in confidence through our faith in him.

The NIV Bible says Ephesians 3:12 in this way... 'In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.' What a glorious promise! Through our new life in Jesus Christ, we have complete and unrestricted access to our Heavenly Father. Though angels bow down in reverence to Almighty God, we can call Him our Abba (Romans 8:15). Though He holds the earth in the palm of His hand, He calls us His little ones.

Praise God for giving us an amazing salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In the great exchange that happened on the cross, Jesus exchanged His life for our life. We no longer live apart from Christ (Galatians 2:20), so being in Christ, we have full access to our Father just like Jesus does. As a matter of fact, in Colossians 3, Paul says that we actually are hid with Christ in God, seated in the heavens!

As a father, I would be disappointed if I felt that my children were afraid to come into my presence. They are my children after all! They are welcome any time, night or day! If dads are intended to be a shadow of the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48), how much more is it His desire that we come boldly into His throne room with freedom and confidence?

May each one of us be encouraged today to come into our Papa's presence with a new boldness. Not because of anything that we have done, but because our big brother, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, has made the way for us to approach God with a confident expectation that He will receive us and put us on His lap, day or night.

You can trust in My faithfulness because My Word is true.

Psalm 33:4
For the word of Yahweh is right.
All his work is done in faithfulness.

If I would make a promise to my children and they would question the integrity of what I promised, that would hurt me deeply. As a father, it is my hope that my children would have confidence in my character and my word. If they doubted what I said, then I would feel that they question the very core of who I am.

I believe that the foundation of any relationship is trust. If there is no trust, then the relationship is on shaky ground. In today's promise, the Psalmist is singing praises to God and makes the declaration that the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. The NLT Bibles says Psalm 33:4 this way... For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. 

If we struggle to believe that God's word is true, then we are in effect doubting God's very character. Every time we question God's Word or His goodness, we are agreeing with the father of lies and the continual accusations he brings against God. Just as this would hurt an earthly father, I believe that it deeply grieves the Father of Lights.

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith, it is impossible to please God. I believe that our God and Father loves it when His kids simply believe every word He says... Just like a little child believes everything their mom or dad has to say to them.

My prayer today is that Holy Spirit would make us aware of the unbelieving thoughts that come into our mind and we would break any power of agreement with them, for the Word of the LORD is right and we can trust everything that He does and says!

When problems arise, call to Me and I will answer you.

Psalm 86:7
In the day of my trouble I will call on you,
for you will answer me.

Jesus told us that in the world, we would have trouble. He went on to encourage us that we could be cheerful because He had overcome the world. In this Psalm, David is calling out to God to help him. David is aware of the many promises that God made to Israel and was confident that when trouble came, God would answer him.

Sometimes I think that God is there for the really big problems, but He is leaving me to my own resources for the little problems that pop up in every day life. I believe that God is ready, willing and able to help me in whatever problems I face today. Big or small. He promised to be a Father to me (2 Corinthians 6:18) and fathers are there for their children all the time.

Whatever trouble you might face today, be encouraged in knowing that when problems do arise, you can call out to your Heavenly Father and He will answer you.

I am near to you whenever you cry out.

Deuteronomy 4:7
For what great nation is there, that has a god so near to them,
as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him?

In this particular Bible verse, the nation of Israel is marvelling that there is no other nation on the earth that has a God that is so close to them that He is near whenever they cry out. What an advantage over every other nation of the day! They worshipped a God who was near and attentive to the cries of His people.

And that was the Old Covenant relationship with God. In the New Covenant, God is even closer! He lives within those who have accepted the free gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are the very temple of the living God! He is closer to each one of us than we could possibly imagine. 

My prayer today is that each one of us would be aware of the tangible presence that dwells within us and that we would know that our God is really close to us when we cry out to Him.

I have put My law within you and have written it on your heart.

Jeremiah 31:33
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says Yahweh:
I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it;
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people:

In this promise, the Lord tells Israel that a day is coming where He will place His very law in their inward parts and write it on their hearts. No longer will they struggle to walk in God's plan and purpose for them because His plan and purpose will be inside of them.

When Jesus died and was buried and rose from the dead, He brought in a completely new covenant where He exchanged our life for His life. Everything that Jesus had, became ours. The law of our God has now been written on our hearts because our old life has died and our new life is hid with Christ in God.

Because of Jesus, His God has become our God, and we have become His people. What a glorious promise and the fulfilment of the new convenant that God spoke of in Jeremiah's day. We are not separate from God and His ways. He lives in us and through us by the power of His Holy Spirit. We can rest in this amazing truth. He has written His law on our hearts!

I am the Lord your God who heals all your diseases.

Exodus 15:26 (WEB)
and he said, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am Yahweh who heals you.”

This promise takes place at the waters of Marah, where the Israelites came looking to find fresh water to quench their thirst. Instead of finding a place to drink, they found bitter water which caused them to rise up and complain against Moses. In response to Moses' prayer, the Lord showed him a tree to throw into the water. As soon as the tree went into the water, the water became sweet and drinkable.

It is right after this encounter that God makes today's promise to the Israelites. He tells them that if they will only listen to Him and obey His direction, that they will not suffer the diseases that the Egyptians suffered. Our Heavenly Father goes on to declare a promise that is as relevant today as it was back then... "For I am the LORD that healeth thee". (KJV)

Whatever your affliction, whatever your sickness, God can take the bitterness of your experience and make the bitter waters sweet by one single tree, which I believe represents the cross of Christ. The Bible says that Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquites and by His stripes we are healed. This is a promise that we can count on...for our God is a God that heals us!

I will not abandon My own inheritance.

Psalm 94:14
For Yahweh won’t reject his people,
neither will he forsake his inheritance.

My natural children are my children for life. No matter what they do, they are still my kids. While parents aren't always happy with the decisions their children make, that does not change the fact that they are still part of the family. Today's promise is a good reminder that the Lord will never reject us because He has made us His own inheritance. The NLT Bible calls us His 'special possession'.

Sometimes when we relate to God, it is as if we are picking the petals off of a flower, all the while saying "He loves me, He loves me not". Many times our reasoning behind such a concept is that our acceptance to Him is based on what we do and not who we are.

I praise God that His love for me is not based on my performance but on the once and for all finished work of Jesus Christ. When I received Christ into my life, I became part of the Father's amazing family! I am part of a family that My heavenly Dad has promised to never abandon.

My prayer today is that we would all rest in the amazing truth that we are safe and secure in our Father's love for us. He will not abandon or forsake us...EVER!  Simply because He has chosen to make us part of His amazing family.

I will rescue you from evil and safely deliver you into My kingdom.

2 Timothy 4:18
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work,
and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom;
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul the Apostle, was writing to his spiritual son, Timothy, when he made this reference. We know from the telling of Paul's life in the Bible that his life was difficult. He was stoned, beaten, ship wrecked, imprisoned and persecuted at every turn.

I am sure there were times where he struggled with discouragement. But even through the darkest moments, we do know that he eventually came to a place where he declared in Romans 8:38 that nothing on earth or in heaven, could ever separate him from the love of God in Jesus Christ.

From what I understand, this letter to Timothy was near the end of Paul's life and he was already looking towards his eternal home in heaven. Praise God for his declaration that the Lord would rescue him from evil and safely deliver him into an everlasting kingdom where there would be no more pain or suffering.

Praise God for this promise! No matter what trials you are suffering at this moment, you can rest assured that our God and Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ will rescue you and safely deliver you into an amazing, everlasting kingdom.

The world and its passions will disappear but those who do My will shall live forever.

1 John 2:17 

The world is passing away with its lusts,
but he who does God’s will remains forever.

We live in a temporal society. Here today, gone tomorrow. Things rust, thieves break in and steal, economies crash. There is nothing in this life that will last forever. The Bible says that even the heavens and the earth will one day be re-created. We are encouraged in God's Word to look at the unseen things and not the things that are seen. The eternal things, not the temporal things.

Much of the world's focus is in the realm of the temporal things. What we wear, where we live, what car we drive, how much money is in the bank, etc. But God makes an unshakeable promise that has nothing to do with the temporal things of this world.

Those who do the will of our God and Father will live forever! What a promise! May we fix our eyes today on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith and seek to simply be obedient to what He calls us to do at this moment. Because of Jesus, we have a promise to live forever in His glorious kingdom. Hallelujah!