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Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Deeply Abide

Dear one, I know the love you have for Me, yet still there have been times that you have turned to the things of the world for help. In times of stress or trouble I have not been the first of your heart. You have turned to familiar things, retreated to your comfort zone and hidden away to seek relief. 

But My child, those are such shallow waters. Anything the world offers cannot quench your thirst or give you the guidance you require. Remember, I am the way, the truth and the life. The depth of relationship that you require can only be found by abiding fully in Me.

Come to Me, dive into deeper waters and you will see the fruit it will bring in your life. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and I will be found by you. I am calling you to nourish your spirit, to go deeper, to eat the bread of Life and to carry that with you into every situation that you encounter. 

For you have been called to bring forth My light, do not squander your call. Dive in with courage and boldness, abide in Me and I will lead you to places that you have never even thought or imagined.

Activation:

Read John 15:4-7 (AMP) through once, then come back here to allow the Lord to speak to you as you ponder over each verse:

4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me.

5 [a]I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for[otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 

6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 

7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

John 15:4-7 (AMP)

Footnotes

[a] John 15:5 – John 6:35 Jesus uses the words “I am” over twenty times in this Gospel. Especially memorable are those places where “I am” is followed by a metaphor that declares His deity and His relationship to mankind as Savior (this is the first of seven such references); see 8:12 (Light); 10:9 (Door); 10:11 (Good Shepherd); 11:25 (Resurrection); 14:6 (Way, Truth, Life); 15:5 (Vine).

    v. 4 – Ask Jesus Christ what remaining in Him really means and how to enhance this mutual relationship further with steadfast faith and obedience. Ask Him to reveal to you the areas of your life in which you need to depend on Him more for spiritual sustenance and growth.

    v. 5 – What does it mean to bear much fruit? Talk to Holy Spirit about it and ask Him to give you an image of what it may look like in your life both in the everyday and in the long term. 

    v. 6 – In agriculture, unproductive branches are pruned and thrown into the fire. Ask the Lord to show you the areas that have been burned off in your life, and any areas that He still requires to prune. Release any feeling of loss to Him, and ask for His comfort and healing.

    v. 7 – Like a vine and its branches, the relationship with Jesus Christ should be intimate and continuous. His teachings are not just to be heard but lived out. Only then, being so aligned, will even our requests reflect God’s perfect will and therefore come to pass. Ask the Lord to show you where you haven’t been fully aligned with Him. Consider how to spend time with Him in different and deeper ways. Then gradually make it a habit to come back to being in His presence for increasingly extended periods of time.

    #lionbites

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    Monday Morning Scripture – Psalm 19

    The Works and the Word of God

    To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David

    1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
    And the expanse     [of heaven] is declaring the work of His hands.

    2 Day after day pours forth speech,
    And night after night reveals knowledge.

    3 There is no speech, nor are there [spoken] words [from the stars];
    Their voice is not heard.

    4 Yet their voice [in quiet evidence] has gone out through all the earth,
    Their words to the end of the world.
    In them and in the heavens He has made a tent for the sun,

    5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
    It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.

    6 The sun’s rising is from one end of the heavens,
    And its circuit to the other end of them;
    And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

    7 The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul;
    The statutes of the Lord are reliable andtrustworthy, making wise the simple.
    8 The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart;
    The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

    9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
    The judgments of the LORD are true, they are righteous altogether.

    10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
    Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.

    11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated, and instructed];
    In keeping them there is great reward.

    12 Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults.

    13 Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins;
    Let them not rule and have control over me.
    Then I will be blameless     (complete),
    And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.

    14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight,
    O LORD, my     [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.

    Psalm 19:1-14 (AMP)

    Wednesday Morning Scripture – Galatians 1

    Introduction

    1 Paul, an apostle (not commissioned and sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ—the Messiah—and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),

    2 and all the brothers who are with me,

    To the churches of Galatia:

    3 Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

    4 who gave Himself [as a sacrifice to atone] for our sins [to save and sanctify us] so that He might rescue us from this present evil [a]age, in accordance with the will and purpose and plan of our God and Father—

    5 to Him be [ascribed all] the glory through the ages of the ages. Amen.

    Perversion of the Gospel

    6 I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different [even contrary] gospel;

    7 which is really not another [gospel]; but there are [obviously] [b]some [people masquerading as teachers] who are disturbing and confusing you [with a misleading, counterfeit teaching] and want to distort the gospel of Christ [twisting it into something which it absolutely is not].

    8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction!

    9 As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received [from us], let him be condemned to destruction!

    10 Am I now [c]trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

    Paul Defends His Ministry

    11 For I want you to know, [d]believers, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel [it is not a human invention, patterned after any human concept].

    12 For indeed I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a [direct] revelation of Jesus Christ.

    13 You have heard of my career and former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to hunt down and persecute the church of God extensively and [with fanatical zeal] tried [my best] to destroy it.

    14 And [you have heard how] I surpassed many of my contemporaries among my countrymen in [my advanced study of the laws of] Judaism, as I was extremely loyal to the traditions of my ancestors.

    15 But when God, who had chosen me and set me apart before I was born, and called me through His grace, was pleased

    16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles [as the good news—the way of salvation], I did not immediately consult with [e]anyone [for guidance regarding God’s call and His revelation to me].

    17 Nor did I [even] go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia and stayed awhile, and afterward returned once more to Damascus.

    18 Then three years later I did go up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas (Peter), and I stayed with him fifteen days.

    19 But I did not see any other apostle except James, the [half] brother of the Lord.

    20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you as if I were standing before God that I am not lying.)

    21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

    22 And I was still unknown by sight to the churches which were in Christ in Judea (Jerusalem and the surrounding region);

    23 they only kept hearing, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the [good news of the] faith which he once was trying to destroy.”

    24 And they were glorifying God [as the Author and Source of what had taken place and all that had been accomplished] in me.

    Galatians 1:1-24 (AMP)

    Footnotes

    [a] Galatians 1:4 Or world.

    [b] Galatians 1:7 These people are often called “Judaizers;” they were Jews professing to be believers, who taught that Gentile Christians had to conform to certain OT laws and rituals (especially circumcision) in order to be saved. They denied the saving power of God’s grace alone and also sought to discredit Paul’s apostleship and undermine his ministry. Some scholars question the validity of some or all of the Judaizers’ true faith in Christ and His message of salvation.

    [c] Galatians 1:10 Paul’s question indicates that his opponents were accusing him of preaching only to gain a following.

    [d] Galatians 1:11 Lit brethren.

    [e] Galatians 1:16 Lit flesh and blood.

      Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Guided by Truth

      Listening to the Holy Spirit, I felt the heaviness of the Father’s heart over His beloved children who have lost sight of His eternal truth.

      I heard Him call, ‘Lean into my Spirit and in every moment throughout your day, allow me to whisper over your choices, the steps you take, what you say, and how you respond to others.” Don’t be tempted to compromise. This heart posture of surrender to the Holy Spirit’s guidance will cost you at times but, as you live in obedience to His truth, the lives of those around you will be convicted and changed. Know who the Truth is, and He will set you, your loved ones, and your communities free! The world around you needs to see truth lived out through your life.

      Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth in every circumstance, relationship, and situation you face. Be aware of the enemy’s schemes and do not be deceived by his lies, or seduced into error by man’s wisdom and clouded judgements. His truth must define the reality of the world you’re living in.

      I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

      Perversion of the Gospel

      6 I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different [even contrary] gospel;

      7 which is really not another [gospel]; but there are [obviously] [a]some [people masquerading as teachers] who are disturbing and confusing you [with a misleading, counterfeit teaching] and want to distort the gospel of Christ [twisting it into something which it absolutely is not].

      8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction!

      9 As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received [from us], let him be condemned to destruction!

      10 Am I now [b]trying to win the favor and approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking to please someone? If I were still trying to be popular with men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

      Galatians 1:6-10 (AMP)

      Footnotes

      [a] Galatians 1:7 These people are often called “Judaizers;” they were Jews professing to be believers, who taught that Gentile Christians had to conform to certain OT laws and rituals (especially circumcision) in order to be saved. They denied the saving power of God’s grace alone and also sought to discredit Paul’s apostleship and undermine his ministry. Some scholars question the validity of some or all of the Judaizers’ true faith in Christ and His message of salvation.

      [b] Galatians 1:10 Paul’s question indicates that his opponents were accusing him of preaching only to gain a following.

      #lionbites

      Tuesday Morning Scripture  – Colossians 2

      You Are Built Up in Christ

      1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those [believers] at [a]Laodicea, and for all who [like yourselves] have never seen me face to face. 

      2 [For my hope is] that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in [unselfish] [b]love, so that they may have all the riches that come from the full assurance of understanding [the joy of salvation], resulting in a true [and more intimate] knowledge of the [c]mystery of God, that is, Christ, 

      3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge [regarding the word and purposes of God]. 

      4 I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive [but thoroughly deceptive] arguments. 

      5 For even though I am absent [from you] in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, [d]delighted to see your good discipline [as you stand shoulder to shoulder and form a solid front] and to see the stability of your faith in Christ [your steadfast reliance on Him and your unwavering confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness].

      6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin], 

      7 having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually built up in Him and [becoming increasingly more] established [e]in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude.

      8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the [f]elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ. 

      9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God]. 

      10 And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power]. 

      11 In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but by the [spiritual] circumcision of Christ in the stripping off of the body of the flesh [the sinful carnal nature], 

      12 having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God, [as displayed] when He raised Christ from the dead. 

      13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having [freely] forgiven us all our sins, 

      14 having canceled out the [g]certificate of debt consisting of [h]legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross. 

      15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through [i]the cross.

      16 Therefore let no one judge you in regard to food and drink or in regard to [the observance of] a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

      17 Such things are only a shadow of what is to come and they have only symbolic value; but the substance [the reality of what is foreshadowed] belongs to Christ.

      18 Let no one defraud you of your prize [your freedom in Christ and your salvation] by insisting on mock humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about visions [he claims] he has seen [to justify his authority], puffed up [in conceit] by his unspiritual mind,

      19 and not holding fast to the head [of the body, Jesus Christ], from whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows with the growth [that can come only] from God.

      20 If you have died with Christ to the [j]elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were still living in the world, do you submit to rules and regulations, such as,

      21 “Do not handle [this], do not taste [that], do not [even] touch!”?

      22 (these things all perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men.

      23 These practices indeed have the appearance [that popularly passes as that] of wisdom in self-made religion and mock humility and severe treatment of the body (asceticism), but are of no value against sinful indulgence [because they do not honor God].

      Colossians 2:1-23 (AMP)

      Footnotes

      [a] Colossians 2:1 Along with Colossae, Laodicea was located in the valley of the Lycus River and is one of the seven churches mentioned in Rev 1-3.
      [b] Colossians 2:2 See note 1:4.
      [c] Colossians 2:2 See note 1:26.
      [d] Colossians 2:5 Lit rejoicing and seeing.
      [e] Colossians 2:7 Or by.
      [f] Colossians 2:8 Perhaps a reference to ancient philosophies based on the belief that only the material world is real.
      [g] Colossians 2:14 This term refers to a debtor’s handwritten note acknowledging the debt.
      [h] Colossians 2:14 i.e. the requirements found in the Mosaic Law which were violated. The debt is the punishment due for the violator’s sins. Gentiles were never directly liable to the Law, but as Paul explains in Rom 2:12-16, God holds them responsible for violating the principles of the Law that they acknowledge of their own volition.
      [i] Colossians 2:15 Lit it or Him.
      [j] Colossians 2:20 See note v 8.

      Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Sidestep the Chaos and Listen to Him

      Have you been hearing those raucous noises, reverberating in the spiritual realm? Those are the sounds of the enemy, trying to disturb the people of God, attempting to distract and deceive you. But in this midst of this chaos and unholy din the Holy Spirit says, “I am speaking a different word.”

      So be intentional: take time in the Lord’s presence. Blot out all that is not of Him. Refine your discernment and detect the sound of His divine voice. Attune your ears to catch the sound waves that emanate from His heavenly throne room. Rejoice that the Maker of heaven and earth loves you so much, and He always wants to speak to you.

      The enemy thrives in the chaos of the world. And in the middle of clouds of noise and turmoil he lays snares to entangle your feet and trick you out of your identity in Christ. See the traps, sidestep them, and do not fall into them!

      Hear the words of love and sonship that God the Father speaks over you every single day. Come higher and listen to the sound of His shalom. Take hold of His peace and live your life from the place that is rooted firmly in His unyielding love.

      Once you learn to attune your ears only to the sound of Godly truth found only in Him, no deception or tempting allure will make you falter or fall into chaos yourself. Remain teachable in this time and hour, children of God. Listen for His voice amidst the noise and the chaos, and disciple others to do so as well.

      See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the [a]elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.

      Colossians 2:8 (AMP)

      Footnotes

      [a] Colossians 2:8 Perhaps a reference to ancient philosophies based on the belief that only the material world is real.

      #lionbites

      Monday Morning Scripture – Isaiah 54

      The Fertility of Zion

      1 “Shout for joy, O barren one, she who has not given birth;
      Break forth into joyful shouting and rejoice, she who has not gone into labor [with child]!
      For the [spiritual] sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
      Than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.

      2 “Enlarge the site of your tent [to make room for more children];
      Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;
      Lengthen your tent ropes
      And make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground].

      3 “For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
      And your descendants will take possession of nations
      And will inhabit deserted cities.

      4 “Do not fear, for you will not be put to shame,
      And do not feel humiliated or ashamed, for you will not be disgraced.
      For you will forget the shame of your youth,
      And you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.

      5 “For your husband is your Maker,
      The LORD of hosts is His name;
      And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
      Who is called the God of the whole earth.

      6 “For the LORD has called you,
      Like a wife who has been abandoned, grieved in spirit,
      And like a wife [married] in her youth when she is [later] rejected and scorned,”
      Says your God.

      7 “For a brief moment I abandoned you,
      But with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Myself again].

      8 “In an outburst of wrath
      I hid My face from you for a moment,
      But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”
      Says the LORD your Redeemer.

      9 “For this is like the waters of Noah to Me,
      As I swore [an oath] that the waters of Noah
      Would not flood the earth again;
      In the same way I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
      Nor will I rebuke you.

      10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
      But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
      Nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,”
      Says the LORD who has compassion on you.

      11 “O you afflicted [city], storm-tossed, and not comforted,
      Listen carefully, I will set your [precious] stones in mortar,
      And lay your foundations with sapphires.

      12 “And I will make your battlements of rubies,
      And your gates of [shining] beryl stones,
      And all your [barrier] [a]walls of precious stones.

      13 “And all your [spiritual] sons will be disciples [of the LORD],
      And great will be the [b]well-being of your sons.

      14 “You will be firmly established in righteousness:
      You will be far from [even the thought of] oppression, for you will not fear,
      And from terror, for it will not come near you.

      15 “If anyone fiercely attacks you it will not be from Me.
      Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.

      16 “Listen carefully, I have created the smith who blows on the fire of coals
      And who produces a weapon for its purpose;
      And I have created the destroyer to inflict ruin.

      17 “No weapon that is formed against you will succeed;
      And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn.
      This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
      And this is their vindication from Me,” says the LORD.

      Isaiah 54:1-17 (AMP)

      Footnotes

      [a] Isaiah 54:12 Lit boundary.
      [b] Isaiah 54:13 Or success.

      Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Smash Through Your Ceilings!

      Stop mistaking the ceiling above you for the sky. Old rooms can no longer contain what God has poured into you for your life. Beloved, the roof that once limited you is now there to be broken through!

      What looked to you like the highest point that you could reach was never God’s limit for your life. Some of these ceilings above you have been constructed by fear, rejection, delay, tradition, and the opinions of others. Some capping was even self-imposed, by self-doubt and entering a low-vision “survival” mode.

      But you have lived under these constraints long enough. Ceilings in your perceived calling, creativity, relationships, mind and even your spiritual authority can be torn down through partnership with the power of the Holy Spirit. Rise beyond what has been familiar – Jesus is looking for your, “yes”. New vision (His vision) is available to you, so move with Him in this moment.

      You should no longer measure your expectations in the way you did in past seasons. Come out from under these restrictions and fly into greater freedom, clarity, and boldness. Think bigger. Pray bigger. Expect bigger – not for pride and self-aggrandisment but because your Creator’s purpose for you is greater than you knew. What once intimidated you will soon become the ground beneath your feet!

      “Enlarge the site of your tent [to make room for more children];
      Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, do not spare them;
      Lengthen your tent ropes
      And make your pegs (stakes) firm [in the ground].

      Isaiah 54:2 (AMP)

      Activation:

      Declare over yourself (perhaps whilst looking in the mirror): “Every ungodly ceiling that has limited my growth, vision, and purpose breaks now in the mighty name of Jesus! I will not live beneath fear or doubt. God is expanding my capacity and enlarging my territory.” Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what your expansion looks like and write it down. Keep coming back to your notes and adding as He adds to them.

      #lionbites