How can we apply God’s promises to our daily lives? Are God’s promises conditional? What does it mean to be a child of God? What are some key promises found in the bible? Are God’s promises for me? How can we be sure God will keep His promises? What‘s more important than getting a life-changing handle on what God has promised you specifically? Expect this podcast to help you know who you are...REALLY & to help you live fully believing God‘s promises to you...REALLY.
Episodes
Monday Jun 28, 2021
Monday Jun 28, 2021
Joshua 8:18 - AMP - Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Reach out with the spear that is in your hand (and point it) toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua reached out with the spear in his hand (and pointed it) toward the city.
It is remarkable to read the LORD speaking to Joshua in this verse. It sort of stops me in my tracks in a way when I see the Lord speaking to anyone! It’s a big deal! And I don’t think Joshua took it lightly - I think the sum total of His life proves that he did not ever take lightly the things of the Lord. Joshua was a listener. He listened well to His God.
He may tell us at times to pick something up or to lay something down - He is our God, He is both Lord and Savior, so He has the right of way in every aspect of our lives, right? So yeah He can say pick up this and lay down that and so on. But He also will at times ask you to use what is already in your hand.
What is in your hand today?
What would you say is a key part, an integral part of who you are? Who you really are, not maybe who you have been told you are or feel like some expectation is on you to be. What is the spear you are already holding, a part of who you are, your God created identity that is intended by Him to be used for His Kingdom purposes?
Are we taking the things, all the varied and beautiful and amazing things that are in all of our varied and beautiful amazing lives, pointing them at the enemy and then seeing God move there? Like, right there?
Joshua had a call on his life. He had a calling. When it was time to step up, he did. Now I don’t see evidence in the Bible that he was trying to step up before it was time, but every time it was time he was right there, ready and willing.
He was always ready because he was always willing to do what God said to do. So pointing the spear in the exact direction the Lord told him to point it was easy peasy lemon squeezy for him because he already had the spear in his hand. The more you do the things God says to do, the easier it is to keep doing the things God says to do. (Can I say that again? It’s so true!)
So what is the promise here?
Let me skip down in chapter 8 of the book of Joshua and read verse 26 - “For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed the inhabitants of Ai.”
Joshua listened for the Lord and then when the Lord spoke he listened to the Lord. He did as the Lord said. And he finished it. With totality. Not with partiality. (sometimes I finish with more partial-ness than total-ness and when I do that, well, I am flat wrong).
He just kept holding out that spear that was in his hand, directly toward Ai, the next place they were told by God to conquer, and he did not withdraw his hand until it was done. The word Utterly here is fitting.
You have anything you need to be done with utterly? Have something you know God wants you to do but you are doing it partially and not totally?
Don’t be partial anymore. Be total. Be utterly.
Sometimes we have got to do the thing God wants us to do and then the victory comes. That’s the promise I find here. To not be so afraid anymore. To just do the thing, Jan, and do it utterly. To slay the beast of partiality in my life and just do that thing with some ferocity, with totality.
Don’t put that thing down just yet, my friend. God may have placed it in your hand for this exact season, for such a time as this. Don’t even lower it. Keep your eye on the prize. That which the Lord has called you to point at the enemy, listen, until the enemy and all the inhabitants of the enemy’s domain are utterly destroyed - keep pointing and don’t drop your arm or even lower your arm a little teeny bit.
Make giving up a non-option. And believe that the utterly will come as you do the pointing at the enemy with what’s already in your hand for Kingdom work. That’s a great promise, isn’t it?
Be a Joshua in our generation and see what God might do!
I will see you here for episode #68 next time and I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for being here!
~ Jan
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Friday Jun 18, 2021
Friday Jun 18, 2021
I am going to read it from two different translations today - the KJV and the AMP. So let me read the AMP first, then the KJ, and then just the AMP once more to bring it full circle as we take a look at what God is promising us here.
And as I read, can you do me a big favor?
Would you take a second and think that the One who is saying these words, the One who is actually making this promise I am about to read, is the God who is in charge of all of the Armies of Heaven, the One who when He spoke to the soldiers who came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane they all fell down as dead at just these three words: “I am He.” - the God who sits enthroned in heaven and before whom worship never stops - that is exactly who is speaking these words from Deuteronomy.
Consider well He who is doing the speaking - because it matters so much who says what, ya know?
Deuteronomy 31:6 - AMP - “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 - KJV - Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
He has no need to speak words of promise for His own sake - He speaks them just for us. Out of His lovingkindness toward us.
What makes you want to tremble in dread today when you bump up against it?
That is exactly what God wants you to not tremble about because He goes with you.
He is the Lord your God and He is going with you. It’s not about will power or mustering up more faith (you can pray and ask God to give you more faith, yes please, do that regularly by all means! But you don’t have it in you to by your own strength and personal might in the flesh create a whole bunch of bigger better faith. The Lord does that, you know what I mean?)
Here what He is saying is, don’t tremble because He is going with you into this thing. Because He is going with (WITH) you and He says so plainly that it cannot be any more plain - He will not fail you or abandon you.
Um - is there much more that we need than what is promised here?
He WILL NOT (there is that word will - and you know how I feel about seeing the word will in one of God’s promises! I like to say that verse again, out loud, audibly, with some extra emphasis on the word will - so let’s do that with the AMP right now, okay?)
Will not do what, now?
FAIL YOU.
And what else, now?
ABANDON YOU.
This is such a wonderful promise from the Word of God.
You will not be failed.
The definition of the word fail is - to fall short of success or achievement of something expected, attempted, desired or approved. - to prove deficient or lacking; to perform ineffectively or inadequately; failed to fulfill their promises.
Is your God going to fall short of success? Will He not be able to achieve what He expects to achieve, what He desires, what He has already put His stamp of approval upon?
Um, no.
Is your God going to prove to be deficient or lacking in any way, shape or form? Ever?
Um, no.
Is your God going to perform ineffectively or inadequately? Can He even be ineffective or inadequate, ever?
Um, no.
It is not possible for God to fail to fulfill His promises - and so, we have some more depth to this verse from Deuteronomy just by taking a quick look at the definition of the word “fail”.
Which is what He will not do - He will not fail you. Or abandon you.
Here is the definition of abandon - To withdraw one's support or help from, especially in spite of duty, allegiance, or responsibility; desert. To give up by leaving or ceasing to operate or inhabit, especially as a result of danger or other impending threat. To surrender one's claim to, right to, or interest in; give up entirely: synonym: relinquish.
So what is it that God has promised He will not do - no, not ever? God will not withdraw His support or His help from you. He never abdicates His throne and thus He never abdicates His allegiance to us or His sense or care and responsibility toward us as our Father. God will never desert you. Never will He give up on you by leaving you or ceasing to care for you, especially in the face of danger or impending threats. God will not ever surrender His claim to you, His rights to your life, His interest in you. He does not, honestly, have the option of relinquishing you over to the enemy.
That is for you today, and I hope and truly am expecting you to be blessed and encouraged and maybe even a bit emboldened after this episode. I’d be blessed if you would share about the podcast and also if you would grab a copy of the devotional on Amazon - maybe even to share as a gift. Getting the promises of God into the people of God is so important and I hope you have gotten this promise into your heart and mind and life today.
See you next time for episode #67 - we will be looking at Joshua 8:18 - so just a small jump forward in the Bible from Deuteronomy, the next book to the right, and trust me it is a good one. See you then!
Oh - and here is a really exciting announcement!
I have a really exciting opportunity for the podcast coming up, and I really really really want this to be a blessing to as many people as possible. I am going to be doing a series of episodes of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show with a wonderful friend of mine, Ana Willis. Some of you know her well from her work in the homeschool world and as the founder and owner of the They Call Me Blessed Community group. She hosts several conferences each year, she is a key speaker that is invited to so many events, and she is from Israel, she is a Christ follower of Jewish birth. So, she can bring this depth, this wonderful insight and wisdom and understanding to God’s Word that is just phenomenal.
She and I will be together for a series of episodes to talk about God’s promises from her perspective, her understanding as one who is fluent (fluent, I said!) in Hebrew. We are taking these episodes from my devotional “The Power of God’s Will - 40 Days of God’s Promises” which you can get on amazon or for kindle. And I am telling you what, when the two of us are talking about the Word of God, the promises of God together, well people have commented that we take them to church. Please, please don’t miss this. We are just starting to plan it out so I don’t have dates or episode numbers just yet, but it will happen very soon and it will be a blessing. Ana is not someone you want to miss out on hearing speak. People pay a lot to hear her speak, and she will be here on The Burt (Not Ernie) Show. I am so blessed and so excited, I cannot even put my excitement into words!
Tell your friends - they won't want to miss this!
~ Jan
Grab a copy of "The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional" via Amazon
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Friday Jun 04, 2021
Friday Jun 04, 2021
Psalm 93:1 - 5 (CSB) God’s Eternal Reign
The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty;
The LORD is robed, enveloped in strength.
The world is firmly established;
It cannot be shaken.
Your throne has been established from the beginning;
You are from eternity.
The floods have lifted up, LORD,
The floods have lifted up their voice;
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
Greater than the roar of a huge torrent -
The mighty breakers of the sea -
The LORD on high is majestic.
LORD, Your testimonies are completely reliable;
Holiness adorns Your house
For all the days to come.
Does not that first sentence, just three words in length, deserve to end with an exclamation point?
What circumstances are you dealing with today and this needs to be your standard response - the reply you flatly give - to that situation?
Look that puppy right in the eye and say, “The Lord reigns!”
Think about that issue and then say, “The Lord reigns!’
And you know what will happen? That issue is going to seem a whole lot smaller. Because it is small in God’s eyes!
When you speak the truth (out loud, if possible) to your situation - to your own heart - to your own mind - to other people, things start to shift and to move.
So, what circumstances can you apply this to today?
Not today, Satan.
You know why not today, Satan? Because the Lord reigns.
My Lord reigns, that’s why.
He is robed in majesty.
He is robed in it!
He is so majestic that He is literally robed in it!
He is enveloped in strength.
What He established is so firm that it cannot possibly ever be shaken.
Think about some things that God has established.
There may be something in your life that you know He established. God set you on that trajectory. He put your feet on that path. He called you to do some specific thing.
He established it, so it is firm and it cannot be shaken.
His throne, His reign, His rule & His sovereignty are mentioned next.
These are four important things!
#1 - The throne of our God
#2 - The reign of our God
#3 - The rule of our God
#4 - The sovereignty of our God
All four of those have been established since when?
Oh, just since eternity. Just since forever.
Wow!
And this is the God who is watching over you. Who takes good care of you. Who has amazing plans for you. Whose purposes for you cannot be thwarted.
If you’ve ever wondered what God’s will for you is, one part of it is to love His Word more and more. Open it up - read it - pray it - speak it out loud. Get after God’s Word & it will get after you. It always makes an impact - always.
God’s testimonies are completely reliable.
Completely.
Not 99.999% reliable. But completely reliable.
What are you relying on?
Are you praying one certain way, but then growing antsy and nervous about the same stuff you just prayed about?
You are praying one way but you are living - feeling - believing another way.
His testimonies are completely reliable!
Holiness adorns His house.
He is so holy, it is on everything around Him. He lives in holiness. He dwells in it. That is the God who cares for you, right now, in this moment.
How long is God going to reign and rule and be sovereign and sit on His throne and have His holiness adorn everything around Him?
Forever!
For all the days to come.
He’s got you covered.
Grab hold of this in some measure today & make it your own. Because this is for you!
Big request from me - if you have read my book, would you jump over to Amazon and leave a review? Thank you so very much!
JanLBurt.com
The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional
Friday May 28, 2021
Friday May 28, 2021
The plan for episode 64 is simply to speak God’s living and active word over you today and to stress (think about those grammar stress marks, they tell you which part of a word to stress in order to pronounce it correctly - well I hope to stress some stuff & to pronounce some things correctly over your life, and over my life, what God has in store for us). To emphasize what could use some emphasizing right about now.
Let’s first off look at what Jeremiah 29:13 says. As I read, would you sort of listen for the promise? I have found, for me personally, that when I am really looking for, searching for, listening for a promise from God’s Word - I find one. So as I read, just be sure to hear what the Lord God Almighty, the One who was and is and is to come, the King of kings and Lord of lords, what He has to say to you today.
Jeremiah 29:13 AMP - Then (with a deep longing) you will seek Me and require Me (as a vital necessity) and (you will) find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
What a beautiful, comforting verse. It almost seems to usher in a cool and gentle wind of peacefulness. And hope, too.
Psalm 86:5 from the AMP says this: For You, O LORD, are good, and ready to forgive (our sins, sending them away, completely letting them go forever and ever); and abundant in lovingkindness and overflowing in mercy to all those who call upon You.
This verse, it’s like one long hope-filled string of words. It reminds us that God is good - and when we stand in prayer about something, whenever we lean in to see a promise He has made to us, we do well to remember how good He is. And to remember that He cannot be any less good or anything but good. Our God Is Good Always and in All Ways.
And He is ready to forgive our sins. God is ready to forgive. He is standing right now at the ready to forgive. Can we even really understand how amazing, how truly awesome, this is? When He forgives, He sends our sins away - He completely lets them go forever and ever. That is your promise today. Need a new start? God’s offering it to you right here.
Are you making these promises your very own today? Because you are who they are for!
Acts 2:18 is one more verse with promise for us today. Again, reading from the AMP & it says -
Even on My bond servants, both men and women, I will in those days pour out My Spirit and they shall prophesy.
Whether you are a male or female, God has a place for you. Where you fit. And in that place, you can do what He has called and equipped you to do. And you can expect to bear fruit, spiritual fruit, that lasts. Be bonded to Jesus, be His bond servant day by day, and I tell you what, I would really have a hard time believing He will not ever ever ever pour out His Spirit on you and on your life, lead and guide you, show you real world things to do and words to say that will bless and encourage and make a real, tangible, actual difference in the lives of people. He can do it in the grocery store or in line at a theme park or via a text you send or on a Facebook live you get bold enough to finally do or at your workplace or on a Zoom call or in your front yard with the kiddo who zips around on his bike each evening.
Luke 12:1, part b of the verse, AMP - Jesus began speaking first of all to His disciples, “Be continually on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees (that is, their pervasive, corrupting influence and teaching), which is hypocrisy (producing self-righteousness).”
I realized how easy it is to do this, to be a Pharisee, to have this corrupt and pervasive junk in my life by means of - well let me use the word principle. If I am a person of principle, if that is what I say about me, what I speak over myself, then I suppose I am living by principles and am governed by those principles. And whoa there, then have those principles become law for me? And how can I be easily led by the Holy Spirit if I am primarily a person of these certain principles. Am I willing to ask the Lord to uproot any footings under my foundation that lend to legalism - Pharisee-ism - lack of freedom?
Just a few things that stood out to me as I read from the book of Luke this week & I sure want to be as free as Jesus wants me to be --- so I am willing to lay aside rules and regulations that get in the way of living a Spirit-led life of freedom in Christ!
Thanks so much for stopping by The Burt (Not Ernie) Show & I hope you are living a life of freedom in Christ & grabbing hold of all the promises God has made to you!
~ Jan L. Burt
Grab a copy of "The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional" via Amazon
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Thursday May 13, 2021
Thursday May 13, 2021
Hebrews 3: 12 & 13 Amplified ~
Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart (which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart) that turns away from the living God. But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today’ (and there is an opportunity), so that none of you will be hardened (into settled rebellion) by the deceitfulness of sin (it’s cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication).
If you and I will take care - really, be careful and take the time to TAKE CARE - that in none of us is a wicked, unbelieving heart, but instead will encourage one another as long as there is an opportunity (and lemme tell ya, there is always an opportunity!) then the promise is that we won’t be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Now right where it says to take care that we don’t have a wicked, unbelieving heart… that’s important. What does wicked mean? Hey it can mean all those things we think of when we hear that word wicked (but not the play). It can also be things that seem small in our own eyes but to the Lord are downright wicked. Wicked covers a lot of ground. And unbelieving? I really do feel like I am in the freedom in Jesus business. Sharing that and throwing the truth the hope of that around like confetti all day every day, that is truly my jam. And so I see those words, an unbelieving heart, and I just wince inside. It comes at us so often, it takes root so easily, this unbelieving heart… but whatever we are not believing God for, right there, that’s where we are missing out. We lose out on His promises and His peace and even His grace when we are overcome with an unbelieving heart.
Always keep your heart soft toward the Holy Spirit. It’s not tricky - it just can be as simple as praying and asking that the Spirit of the Living God that indwells you will keep your heart soft and tender and pliable and not let it harden. Then pray like that again tomorrow and so on. He is so faithful. He loves to answer that prayer!
An un-hardened heart trusts the Lord and relies on Him - rather than refusing to rely on Him, it chooses to rely on Him. Over and over and over again. Simple? Yes. Hard? Also yes.
A hardened heart will turn away from the Living God. the living God. Turns to what? Well, to something dead. That’s the only other option available to us if I am totally honest with you.
This verse tells us the truth that sin is deceitful - we need to stop forgetting that! Sin Is Deceitful. Sin Is Clever. Sin has a unique delusive glamour. It’s literally so glamorous that it is delusional and leaves it’s victim, it’s prey, delusional. And it even says that sin is sophisticated. It is cultured and wise to the ways of the world and elegant and refined and will come at us like a lady or a gentleman, not a ruffian.
The promise that all those things I just mentioned - they will not WILL NOT happen to you or to me. Just by encouraging one another continually.
Happy joyful optimistic people are encouraging people who love others well by means of that encouragement. Plain and simple. Wanna be happier? Try this. Wanna be done with that hardened heart? Try this. It works. It works wonders.
Okay, let me just read the book review I wrote Jennifer Dukes Lee’s new book Growing Slow and it does have a Bible study available with it that would be great for a small group - here it is:
If you’ve been to my website and taken a little look-see under the “FAVORITES” tab, then you already know Jennifer Dukes Lee has made my very short, “short list”. And that is kind of a big deal, since I am an avid reader and a complete book-a-holic. I am usually reading dozens of books at any one time, with a current nightstand stack totaling - ahem - 33 books. To have an author make the cut and land among my favorites, well, that’s one special author. And Jennifer’s newest book, “Growing Slow”, is one special book.
Let me start by saying that if you are part of the go-girl-go, hustle & don’t you dare let off the gas culture, this book could very well be the ideal book for you right now in this exact place. You may have a deep need for this book’s content in a myriad of ways that you are not the slightest bit aware of. I speak truth, my friend. Often our greatest needs are the ones we don’t know are there, lurking just under the surface and holding the most potential for harm. If you are a go-get-’em type of gal, give this book a chance. It may change your life. (I am not really exaggerating… this is a life-change type of book.)
But if you are more of a slow-down and enjoy the moment type of woman, well then the book “Growing Slow” will be like a supportive friend. You know the one - she is always there, fully in your corner, ready to reaffirm what you already know but may sort of wonder about from time to time. Everybody needs a friend like that. Or a book like that.
I could share a whole slew of quotes and inundate you with Jennifer’s words, and there wouldn’t be a single thing in the world wrong with that. But I feel a need to share something personal with you; the why behind my passion for this book.
I’ve got some health problems. One in particular that looms far larger than the others combined. Several years ago, I got a rough diagnosis of two problems with the electrical aspect of my heart, and a couple of other issues that make treatment life-threatening. My diagnosis: heart failure that is “tricky & difficult to treat” with a focus on “QOL” (quality of life). Not what a Type-A, always working and doing and excited about the next phase of life lady expected to hear.
And so, my good and loving God has been speaking to my heart (my spiritual heart as well as my physical heart) about slowing down. Taking it day by day. Enjoying each moment. Letting the little things in life become the big things. And to stop worrying about & working toward G-R-O-W-T-H.
Along comes this book, “Growing Slow”, by one of my all-time favorite writers, Jennifer Dukes Lee, at that life intersection where I am fighting this forced slow down in my life while also attempting to submit all-the-things to the Lord...and, so, yeah. This book means quite a lot to me right now. More than I can express in mere words.
My heart is so grateful to be in this place right now. So thankful for this book right now.
And if your heart could use some of this same stuff today, get a copy of “Growing Slow”. It’s going on my nightstand & on my website under “FAVORITES”, right where it belongs.
Have a wonderful day - go do some encouraging which will also be some heart softening which will of course bless you in really remarkable ways!
You are welcome to find me on Instagram @janlburt
Praying Through the Storm online prayer retreat group
The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional on Amazon
See ya back here next week for episode 64 of The Burt (Not Ernie) Show podcast!
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Thursday Apr 29, 2021
Psalm 23 1 - 6 NLT
The LORD is my shepherd; I have what I need.
He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths for His name’s sake.
Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff - they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live.
Pretty phenomenal, isn’t it?
So it begins by using the present tense verb “is” - the Lord is my shepherd. Present tense. Pay attention to that - it is a tiny word and it is hugely important! Not will be my shepherd tomorrow but is my shepherd today, in this moment.
And I have, you have, what we need.
This is God’s promise to us!
He is your personal shepherd for your unique, one-of-a-kind life, so I’d like you to sort of think about what that means. What do you need Him to guide you through? What’s going on in your world right now?
Psalm 23 covers it all. None of what truly matters in life is left out of this passage. The psalmist makes it completely clear (like crystal clear) that nothing - nothing at all, not one single itty bitty iota - is left uncovered, left behind, forgotten or neglected in your life, nor in mine.
No detail is missed. No need is missed. There is a promise here that literally - literally! - nothing in your life can possibly be neglected if the Lord is your shepherd.
Phenomenal!!!
There is more to believe God for in these six verses than we could ever exhaust, than could be run dry and used up over the course of a lifetime. I really mean that!
Yeah.
There’s so much here.
It really does cover it all.
Phenomenal.
And btw, I am pretty sure God thinks you are phenomenal.
Contact Me at JanLBurt@outlook.com
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Friday Apr 23, 2021
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Psalm 92:12-15 (Amplified)
The righteous will flourish like the date palm (long-lived, upright, and useful); they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon (majestic and stable). Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. (Growing in grace) they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age; they will flourish and be vital and fresh (rich in trust and love and contentment); (they are living memorials) to declare that the LORD is upright and faithful (to His promises); He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
You can land on these verses and camp here and build here and live here - that’s how tremendous this is.
Okay, the righteous (that’s all of us who have our righteousness in Christ alone) will flourish - be long-lived, this isn’t a short-term kinda thing here - be upright cuz who considers sideways or downward growth to be like super healthy? No, you’ll be upright - you won’t be bowing to every circumstance and every plot of the enemy. No you will be upright - and you will be useful.
You will grow like a cedar in Lebanon - you my friend will be majestic and you will be stable. Stable. What kind of comfort does that bring to us all after 2020, the year of instability. Keep yourself planted in the house of the Lord because right there, in His courts, you will flourish. Stay in the Word. Be connected with other believers - and ya know at least one or two Christians in your life really should be challenging you in your faith somehow. We don’t need only yes men, we need growers to spur us on toward love and good deeds (that’s from Hebrews 10:24)
You will be growing in grace and you will thrive and you will bear fruit and in your old age you are going to prosper. It continues by promising you will be vital (hey, you are needed you are necessary you are mission critical when you are elderly - might be a slap in the face of consumerism mentality at times, that you are kind of used up once you’re not in those middle of life years as a worker bee, but this ain’t no bee hive and God doesn’t ever set us aside - set us apart? Yup set us aside? nope) And you’ll be fresh in your old age.
You are a living memorial, right now, and your life is declaring that the Lord is upright and He is faithful to His promises. Then the very last part of verse 15 is like a personal declaration - it says “He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him”. I hope this is your declaration today. Is Jesus your rock? Oh He wants to be. Build on Him and you will find yourself on solid ground in any and every storm and what you build will outlast this world.
The word flourishing in verse 14 is the Hebrew word rahanawn probably said that all wrong & it means to be green, verdant, fresh, luxuriant, full of leaves, growing profusely. In verses 12 & 13 it’s the Hebrew word parach which means to break forth, sprout, spread, grow to thrive.
You are flourishing when you know God’s gracious presence in every part of your life.
In this psalm, the two go together. Real freedom is both of those things, not just one or the other. And Ezekiel 34:25 kind of gives more insight if you’d like to look it up and read it sometime.
It’s about God’s gracious provision for us coupled with the security we have in Him.
In our private lives and in our public or work lives, all areas, there we have God’s peace, God’s blessing, God’s favor. So peace goes far beyond a warm fuzzy feeling.
So, would you say this accurately or inaccurately sums up things for you right now?
God wants you to flourish. That is why it’s in His Word - so that you can know that you know that you know it is His will. And you can pray His will and you’ll never be praying amiss.
Okay, just a bit longer on my giveaway to celebrate 60 episodes - either a copy of my book, a print copy not an eBook or a gift card if you already have the book. Share the podcast and let me know you shared it and that’s an entry. Every share is another entry. Just email me at JanLBurt@outlook.com and let me know you entered x number of times and on May 1st I’ll pick a winner using a random name picker app.
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Friday Apr 16, 2021
Friday Apr 02, 2021
Friday Apr 02, 2021
Show Notes Coming Soon!
Link to the For Such A Time As This Summit all-access pass (price is currently $15)
https://theycallmeblessed.teachable.com/courses/for-such-a-time-as-this-summit?affcode=73637_pngouulo
Friday Mar 26, 2021
Friday Mar 26, 2021
Every follower of Jesus is born for the exact moment in time in which they are living. God makes no mistakes and He placed you right where you are, right now, on purpose. So we all are born for such a time as this. No life is pointless, purposeless or wasted. Your life matters and it matters right where you find yourself.
Sometimes we end up living beneath our circumstances. They sit over us, they are on top of us, they feel heavy and even oppressive. Ever feel as if your circumstances just keep getting the best of you? Just today I was really feeling on edge and I realized it was simply a circumstance getting the best of me, but by faith I was going to stop living under it and start living like the child of God, the joint heir with Christ, that the Bible says I am. You do that today, too. Right now, right this second, if you need to do that, do it. No time like the present to put the devil in His place and to put the Lord in His rightful place in your life, right?
In this present season of darkness (and it is dark!) and of spiritual warfare in culture and the world all around us, when so much is pressing in against Jesus and us as His church, which is who we are, we are literally the Bride of Christ! This right now is the exact time you were born to be part of.
If you never take time to pray and to ask God what He has for you to be doing in this moment, in the right now, you could be missing out on knowing what His purpose for you is. That is a really big risk to take. Don’t gamble with things that matter. What do you already know matters? Don't gamble with that. Does marriage matter? Okay, don’t take foolish risks and gamble with it. Does raising your children to know the Lord matter? Okay, don’t take any risks there by wasting time and never doing family devotions or never praying with them - that’s a foolish gamble.
I’ve said it before, if you look at where your time goes and where your money goes, you will get a good indication of what matters most. Of what is heaviest.
Either God’s Word, what it actually says & it says a whole lot - what it clearly lays out for followers of Jesus to be about, to be doing - either that is important or it isn’t. And even a cursory look at your life will reveal whether or not that is actually true. Not just if we say it’s true, but does our life reveal it as true. Look at your life. Listen to what it is telling you. Is the most important stuff really the most important stuff in the day to day?
Choose wisely and don’t gamble with things that really matter.
According to Matthew 28 19-20, you have been commissioned. The Great Commission is really our marching orders. Jesus told us exactly what to do. It’s a big, broad umbrella that can cover so, so much of our lives, our actual living, and no matter when you’ve lived in the last 2000 years, no matter where, no matter what your career or vocation, no matter --- these words of Jesus will cover your life, your work, your relationships, your ministry, all of it.
Matthew 28:19-20 (Amplified) -
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always (remaining with your perpetually --- regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion), even to the end of the age.”
Don’t resign your commission. Keep praying. Keep observing what His Word says. Do everything He has commanded you to do. Make disciples of all the nations (including the one you live in right now - including your kiddos in your own home - your neighbors on your own street - and of course support missions work all around the globe too) Help people to learn of Jesus. To believe in Jesus. To obey the words of Jesus.
And then here is the part that really jumped out at me, and I had not planned to focus on the last portion of these verses for the summit but I was just struck by the huge promise Jesus made here.
And you know, a promise of God is just solid gold, pure gold, so as it jumped out at me and I was in awe of what Jesus says here, I had to mention it.
"And lo, I am with you always - remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion - even to the end of the age. "
That is one big promise, folks. My friends, this right here is of tremendous value! How can you keep on keepin’ on, how do you keep praying when it feels like your prayers are stopping at the ceiling? How do you get up an hour early to read the Bible when the sick kids kept you up half the night? How? With this promise, that’s how.
He is with you always. Whew. Wow. He will remain with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion. Um, whoa. Even to the end of the age.
Even to the end of the age, til the end of the world literally, that ‘s how long Jesus has promised to be with you. Perpetually. On every occasion. In all circumstances. He is with you always.
That is one whopper of a promise. Those are Jesus’ last words and they are spoken for you, to you, for your life.
Let them sink in a bit today.
And check your life - are you fulfilling your commission?
I sure hope so. If not, get after it. And keep getting after it.
And I meant it when I said that if you let off praying before God lets off answering, you’ll have stopped too soon. How long will He be answering? Always. So pray til your last day and then wake up in eternity ready to praise.
Thanks for being here guys - appreciate it and I hope you’re blessed and encouraged today.
Also, check out the link if you want to see/hear me speak at the summit - https://theycallmeblessed.teachable.com/courses/for-such-a-time-as-this-summit?affcode=73637_pngouulo
The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QG4Q7XH