Daily Word - with you always

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you see my presence in the natural world around you? Is this easier to do in the spring and summer than in the winter? In like manner, is it easier during the daytime than in the night? But I created both the day and the night, and the seasons are a necessary part of my plan that I declared to be good. You may see events in your life that seem unrelated to the times and seasons and judge some to be good and others to be bad. Don’t be so quick to judge and reject. I can use things you would throw away to build beauty into your life. See how much good came from the stone that the builders rejected.

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daily word - one size fits all?

Dale Cresap's picture

You have heard of items described as ‘one size fits all’. In your experience how accurate is this statement? In this case are you surprised if it fits anyone very well? Do you take a ‘one size fits all’ approach in your presentation of the gospel? You may come to this conclusion by your regard for eternal truth and the need to present it faithfully. How successful have you been with this? Paul had a high regard for the truth and was an effective evangelist. Yet he would accommodate the needs and present state of his audience. He said he would become all things to all people that he might by any means save some. Paul got it right, and I authorize you to use all the creativity you can bring to bear in evangelism.

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Daily Word - Kingdom within

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Have you read in my word that the Kingdom of God is within you? Read this carefully. Note that it says within you, not about you. You hear people described as being full of themselves or all about them and it is not a compliment, or a Kingdom value. Narcissism has become a common term although the concept is enduring. John the Baptist understood that he must decrease that I may increase. Do you? Do you see your spiritual life being about acquisition, as the other aspects of your life are? I want you to understand that your spiritual life is more about releasing and letting go, that you may be a vessel full of the Kingdom of God and my presence.

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Daily word - revealed love?

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Do you believe that revelation is still an ongoing process? What do you think that revelation involves? If you think it means new doctrines then you are correct in being wary of it. But it doesn’t have to mean that. Do you know that I love you as a matter of doctrine that has been handed down to you through the Bible and church instruction? Do you see it as matter of revelation if this becomes a directly experienced encounter for you? I do. This is not a new doctrine but a manifestation of one already established. Is this a revelation that you have received?

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daily word - hungry?

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Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Are you fully committed to your faith tradition? Do you find that everyone else feels the same way? Yet if you are convinced that you are right then you think it is normal for others to abandon their familiar practices and beliefs and convert to yours. Perhaps they feel the same about you. Yet you have seen this happen. Do you realize what intense hunger it takes for something you want to be able to let go of everything you have always known? But the blessing for those who hunger and thirst after righteousness is available to all. How hungry are you?

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bad guys?

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Do you divide the world into good guys and bad guys? This simplistic notion is readily apparent in the movies. In some films these two categories are readily identifiable, and the whole point of the story is to kill off the bad guys. Real life is not so simple, but you do see the same dynamic in place with one nation against another, one political party against another, and one church against another. Even if the point is not to kill the bad guys they must still be defeated. The dynamics of my Kingdom are different. Can you recognize that you once were a ‘bad guy’ and are now redeemed? Don’t boast about that, but see that the point of the story is the redemption of all.

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Daily Word - Redeem Regrets

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Do you have any regrets? These are usually expressed as wishes, as in; I wish I had done this instead of that. You know you cannot go back and make those choices over again. You know people who claim they have no regrets, and this sounds like an admirable and desirable thing, but this implies that they never made any mistakes, so it is an expression of denial and unreality. It is OK to have regrets and you can bring them to me. In the economy of the Kingdom of God I can restore the years that were lost, and take those things that were meant for evil and turn them into good. Rather than denying your regrets or expressing them as wishes see how I can redeem them.

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daily word - scanner

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Some radios are fixed on a single frequency while others can be tuned. Still others are called scanners and cycle between different frequencies looking for a signal. You are familiar with this and know that you must be tuned to a station to hear it broadcast. Do you think of hearing my voice in the same way as listening to a radio? One important difference is that a radio station will normally only transmit on a single frequency while I do not face this limitation. Have you become familiar with hearing my voice on one ‘station’? Do you think that I am silent if you do not hear from me there? Become a scanner so you can still hear me if I am speaking on a different frequency.

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Daily Word - Divine Dance

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What comes to mind when you think of doing the will of God? Do you think of a list of rules to follow? Do you think of a static and rigid burden to carry? This is a common misperception for those who look at this question from outside. My will for you is not written in an old book. It is flexible and dynamic. It is alive, just as you are. Don’t think of following me as finding your way through a maze with hard walls. It would be more accurate to think of it as a dance, which follows a path, but it is a path that is created as you go. Don’t be dismayed if you miss a step. Keep moving, and the dance will continue, even if on a different path.

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daily word - plugged in

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I said let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify me. In my time a light was an oil lamp. I told another story about wise and foolish virgins with and without oil for their lamps. I also spoke of branches that only bear fruit because they abide in the vine. The modern version of a light that you are familiar with is a light bulb. You know that this type of light only shines while it is plugged in. The common thread here is  that the visible effect depends on connection to an exterior power source. Do you see from this the need for continual connection to me? Stay plugged in, and let your light shine.

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