Thursday Morning Scripture – Genesis 12

The Call of Abram

1 Now YHWH said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country[b] and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[c]

4 So Abram went, as YHWH had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak[d] of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.

7 Then YHWH appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to YHWH, who had appeared to him.

8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to YHWH and called upon the name of YHWH

9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.

Abram and Sarai in Egypt

10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.

11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance,

12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.

13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”

14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

16 And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 But YHWH afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”

20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.

Genesis 12:1-20 (ESV)
Footnotes
[a] Genesis 12:1 Or had said
[b] Genesis 12:1 Or land
[c] Genesis 12:3 Or by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves

Thursday Morning Scripture  – Romans 12

The Living Sacrifice

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of YHWH, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to YHWH, which is your spiritual worship.[b]

2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of YHWH, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]

Gifts of Grace

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that YHWH has assigned.

4 For as in one body we have many members,[e] and the members do not all have the same function,

5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;

8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,[f] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit,[g] serve the Lord.

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.[h] Never be wise in your own sight.

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it[i] to the wrath of YHWH, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says YHWH.”

20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:1-21 (ESV)
Footnotes
[a] Romans 12:1 Or brothers and sisters
[b] Romans 12:1 Or your rational service
[c] Romans 12:2 Greek age
[d] Romans 12:2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God
[e] Romans 12:4 Greek parts; also verse 5
[f] Romans 12:8 Or gives aid
[g] Romans 12:11 Or fervent in the Spirit
[h] Romans 12:16 Or give yourselves to humble tasks
[i] Romans 12:19 Greek give place

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Set Apart

My Bride, do you not know how much I love you and how I long for you to choose Me above all else? For then you will see how beautiful you look as you live in my ways and become distinct from the world. The Nations are waiting to see My beautiful Bride, and, My beautiful children – the Sons and Daughters of the Most High.

My Sons and Daughters, it is time to be taught of Me so I can instruct you in how to live in these times. You will learn to live IN Me and THROUGH Me, and then you will see through My eyes and walk in the duality of life on earth and life in My Kingdom. Then man will see the reality of My Kingdom as you carry My light and they see darkness overcome.

What do I require from you?

I require your very life! Surrender to Me afresh. Give Me your time, your talents and your treasure and see the increase of My power working in and through you as you lay down your life. This is what I will do as you live (abide) IN and THROUGH Me.

Activation:

1. Ask Holy Spirit what areas of your life you need to surrender/surrender afresh to YHWH

2. As a sign of repentance physically hold your hands up as you offer those areas up to YHWH

3. Now declare the truth of Galatians 2:20 (AMP) out loud:

I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 (AMP)

Act III – The Son Speaks

7 “I will reveal the eternal purpose of YHWH. For He has decreed over Me, ‘You are My favored Son. And as Your Father I have crowned You as my King Eternal. Today I became Your Father.

8 Ask Me to give You the nations and I will do it, and they shall become Your legacy. Your domain will stretch to the ends of the earth.

9 And You will shepherd them with unlimited authority,
crushing their rebellion as an iron rod smashes jars of clay!’ ”

Psalm 2:7-9 (TPT)

“Live in Me. Make your home in Me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with Me.

John 15:4 (MSG)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Joy in the Now

My child, I have called you to accomplish great things and have revealed pieces of your plan to give you direction. However, you are now either so caught up in the past or future that you are not taking time to enjoy the present. This was never My intent.


I desire you to enjoy the journey. Take care of yourself, have a good time, love your people well and make the most of your work for as long as you live. I have placed so much richness and treasure in these moments. They are My precious gifts to you. Please, do not miss these gifts by focusing on the wrong things.

I deal out joy in the present. You cannot experience joy in the past, for it is already gone. You cannot receive joy in the future, for it has not yet come. So do not get lost in the past or future. Receive joy in the now. If you slow down and open your eyes, you will find it all around you!


The enemy attacks your mind to steal this joy and keep you from living in the present. He wants to sabotage you and keep you from your blessings. But you already know that I have overcome and can restore any lost time. So you have a choice – stay stuck or let go. If you let go, you will find Me. I will fill your heart with gladness, and you will discover complete contentment in the present. Your tank will overflow, making you a joy-filled fountain for My glory!

Activation: Ask yourself where your focus is fixed. If it is stuck in the past, find the root and properly deal with it. Then, choose to let go. If it is glued to the future, ask the Lord to give you a healthy focus and let go of what is not. Once centred, begin to look for all the gifts of joy YHWH has blessed you with. It can be found in your family, friends, work, church, scripture, nature, pets, and all of your favourite things. Make a healthy time for these things that is within your capacity (meaning do not overindulge to your detriment). When you are present, cherish the moment. Allow the joy of YHWH to fill your heart with gladness. Thank Him for the precious gifts and allow the joy to flow out of you and onto others for His glory.

Make the Most of What YHWH Gives

18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as YHWH gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what YHWH gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s YHWH’s gift! YHWH deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (MSG)

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “YHWH is great!”

Psalm 70:4 (NLT)

I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

John 15:11 (NLT)

#lionbites

Monday Morning Scripture – 2 Timothy 4

“Preach The Word“

1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of YHWH and of Yeshua, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

2 preach the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching.

3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with YHWH’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold,

4 and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].

5 But as for you, be clear-headed in every situation [stay calm and cool and steady], endure every hardship [without flinching], do the work of an evangelist, fulfill [the duties of] your ministry.

6 For I am already being [a]poured out as a drink offering, and the time of [b]my departure [from this world] is at hand and I will soon go free.

7 I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error].

8 In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with YHWH and doing right], which YHWH, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.

Personal Concerns

9 Make every effort to come to me soon;

10 for Demas, having loved [the pleasures of] this present [c]world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry.

12 But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

13 When you come bring the coat that I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.

14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; [but that is no concern of mine, for] YHWH will repay him according to his actions.

15 Be on guard against him yourself, because he vigorously opposed our message.

16 At my first trial no one supported me [as an advocate] or stood with me, but they all deserted me. May it not be counted against them [by God].

17 But YHWH stood by me and strengthened and empowered me, so that through me the [gospel] message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear it; and I was rescued from the [d]mouth of the lion. 

18 YHWH will rescue me from every evil assault, and He will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

19 Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, and to the household of Onesiphorus. 

20 Erastus stayed on at Corinth, but I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. 

21 Try your best to come [to me] before winter. Eubulus wishes to be remembered to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the [e]brothers and sisters.

22 YHWH be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

2 Timothy 4:1-22 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] 2 Timothy 4:6 The drink offering (wine) was required as part of the sacrificial system of the old covenant.
[b] 2 Timothy 4:6 This is Paul’s last inspired letter and was written toward the end of his second Roman imprisonment. During his first imprisonment he was under house arrest, but this time (about five years later) it is believed that he was held in chains in the Tullianum, the lower chamber of the Mamertine dungeon. The Roman historian, Sallust, described the Tullianum as a horrible dungeon “…repulsive and terrible.” It was originally excavated as a cistern for a natural spring. It would have been cold, damp, and incredibly filthy. Both lower and upper chambers served as places of torture and as holding places for those awaiting execution. Paul would have known that there was no hope of release and that his execution was imminent. Nero ruled Rome during both imprisonments.
[c] 2 Timothy 4:10 Or age.
[d] 2 Timothy 4:17 Figurative language—probably a reference to the favorable outcome of his first trial (v 16).
[e] 2 Timothy 4:21 Lit brethren.

Monday Morning Scripture – 1 Timothy 4

Apostasy

1 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, 

2 [misled] by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning],

3 who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from [certain kinds of] foods which God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and have [a clear] knowledge of the truth.

4 For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 

5 for it is sanctified [set apart, dedicated to God] by means of the word of God and prayer.

A Good Minister’s Discipline

6 If you point out these instructions to the [a]brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished [through study] on the words of the faith and of the good [Christian] doctrine which you have closely followed.

7 But have nothing to do with irreverent folklore and silly myths. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness [keeping yourself spiritually fit].

8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness (spiritual training) is of value in everything and in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come.

9 This is a faithful and trustworthy saying worthy of full acceptance and approval.

10 It is for this that we labor and strive [often called to account], because we have fixed our [confident] hope on the living God, who is the [b]Savior of all people, especially of those who believe [in Him, recognize Him as the Son of God, and accept Him as Savior and Lord].

11 Keep commanding and teaching these things.

12 Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity.

13 Until I come, devote yourself to public reading [of Scripture], to preaching and to teaching [the sound doctrine of God’s word]. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance when the [c]elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination].

15 Practice and work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all.

16 Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

2 Timothy 4:1-16
Footnotes
[a] 1 Timothy 4:6 Lit brethren.
[b] 1 Timothy 4:10 God is the Savior of all mankind in the sense that Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient for the entire world (1 John 2:2); however, personal faith is essential for salvation.
[c] 1 Timothy 4:14 Or presbytery.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Bold As A Lion

If You Desert YHWH’s Law

The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off even when no one’s after them; honest people are relaxed and confident, bold as lions.

Proverbs 28:1 (MSG)

When faced with things of the world, it is easy to become overwhelmed and shrink back from the challenges. The prayer we often say is, “Give me confidence, give me boldness so that I can stand against the enemy.” But that displays a lack of knowledge of who we are in Christ, and we see ourselves as little and inconsequential. We must be confident in the Lord!



Our gracious Father reminds you today: within you is a lion waiting to be released to confront your enemies. I have placed that within you, and you access it by faith in your position in the heavenlies. Now is the time to release the roar of the lion within you and see the enemy flee. For if you are in me, you are in the Lion of Judah.

Activation: Respond to that stirring in your heart right now and take a big deep breath and let out a lion’s roar. And there it is. Let that roar be part of who you are and grow in confidence knowing who you are in Christ.

But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.

1 Timothy 4:17 (NIV)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – God of the Impossible

I am El Shaddai – God Almighty – unlimited in power. Just look at the works of My hands. I created the heavens and the earth, performed unrivalled miracles, beat undefeatable armies, and conquered sin and death. Who can boast achieving even a fraction of these works? No one for there is no other like Me!


I am the same yesterday, today and forever. I want to demonstrate this almighty power for you and through you today. But, it will take relinquishing all the limitations you’ve placed upon Me. Are you ready to pray bold prayers that take you from surviving to thriving? Are you ready to be used as a conduit of My logic-defying power for others? With your yes, I can do exceedingly and abundantly more!

Surrender your limiting mindsets.


Ask Me to move in the bleakest of situations, in the deepest desires of your heart, and everything in between. Ask according to My will, with confidence, boldness and faith. Then watch Me surpass even your highest expectations! For I am the God of the impossible. When you see what I can do for you, then you will know what I can do through you.


Each time I move, testify of My almighty power so the world will know I am the one and only El Shaddai!

Activation: Ask yourself if there are any areas of your life you have placed limits on God – health, family, work, ministry, finances, etc. Repent and shift your mindset to the truth that you serve an all-powerful God. Ask boldly for YHWH to work miracles in those areas, and then believe He will do it according to His will. Ask also that He use you as a conduit of His power for others. Praise Him each time He moves, testifying of His goodness, love and power!

“I am YHWH, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for Me?

Jeremiah 32:27 (NIV)

Concluding Affirmations

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching YHWH: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

15 And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.

1 John 5:13-15 (NIV)

#lionbites