Tuesday Morning Scripture (Wk49/2022) – Matthew 5:13-20

Matthew 5:14 ‘You are the light of [Christ to] the world…….’

Disciples and the World

13 “You are the [1]salt of the earth; but if the salt has [2]lost its taste (purpose), how can it be made salty? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and walked on by people [when the walkways are wet and slippery].

14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the [3]Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

18 For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke[of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished.

19 So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:13-20 (AMP)

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 5:13 In ancient times salt was often used as a preservative. Similarly, followers of Christ are to preserve both the gospel message and Christian values in the secular world.
  2. Matthew 5:13 The salt from the Dead Sea contains impurities that affect its qualities as a seasoning and as a preservative.
  3. Matthew 5:17 i.e. the Pentateuch.

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Refiner’s Fire

Do you wonder why you feel rejected? Is your mind racing to understand why you weren’t seen by others?

My beautiful bride, haven’t you read that man sees the outward appearance but I, your LORD, see your heart?
A heart that worships Me when no one is watching.
A heart that wants to obey Me no matter what it looks like.
A heart that wants to walk in purity.
A heart that wants to live in submission and surrender.

I kept you in hidden moments to develop your character because I chose you.
You are My best wine, processed and crushed through My hands for My purpose. Man chose the wine by seeing how it looks on the outside, assuming that is the best wine.

I keep the best wine until last as I propel them to the next level.
You gave Me, your YES.
I take you from glory to glory in reshaping you, redesigning you, and recalibrating you.
I cried out, “FATHER, Your will be done,” as I was being crushed in the winepress, and the oil was released from Me to pour in you and on you.
Do not be afraid of My fire!

Activation: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what kind of season you are in. If you find that you are in a season of character formation, give thanks to the Lord for what He is doing in your life. Talk to Holy Spirit about where you are being developed and ask for strength to wait for His timing in the process.

But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7 (MSG)

7 He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

8 By oppression and judgement He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living [stricken to His death] for the transgression of my [Isaiah’s] people, to whom the stroke was due?

Isaiah 53:7-8 (AMPC)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Fear

To Know God is to fear Him.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Romans 1:20 (NIV)

It’s time for truth. What is your excuse for not praising Me in this way? I will not reject you for being honest with me about where your heart is. I can give you a new heart, just ask. I only want truth from your inner being. From truth between us, fear will grow. Not the kind of fear that sends you running to hide, but the kind that makes you fall into Me and give everything up for My name.

In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; He is more awesome than all who surround him.

Psalm 89:7 (NIV)

Creation does not need this council because I have woven this knowledge into the very fabric of it’s being. It cannot help but respond, it has no excuse to not praise Me because it reflects Me.

Sit in the council of the holy ones and you will learn the fear of the Lord. Your faith precedes My glory, so have faith as you look and expect to see Me all around. Creation looks and witnesses My glory and vibrates, even shakes with awe day and night. It does not, cannot rest from this posture of trembling. Creation responds to Me in purity. Submit yourself to My council and let us teach you about fear, awe, wonder, and glory.
Who is this council?

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:2 (NIV)

As the Israelites looked at the bronze snake in faith and were healed of the snake bites and as My son was raised on the cross so that all can look on Him in faith that He atoned for the transgression of man, all you need is faith to walk in fear. When you walk in fear you worship Me in My fullness. When you walk in fear you will see everything through the lens of expectation and wonder, and that is what it is to live by the Spirit, that is what it is to live in the fear of the Lord.

Activation: Today, ask to be counselled by My holy ones so you can walk in the fear of the Lord.

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Awe

“Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Have you worshipped Me as My angels worship Me? Have you worshipped Me as creation worships Me? They see me on my throne and cry “Holy” they feel the ground shake and they fall on their face before Me.

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 

2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

3 And one cried to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

Isaiah 6:1-4 (NKJV)

Activation: Ask Me to reveal to you My glory in every moment, connect with My heart, My emotion and My holiness and you will begin to walk in awe daily. Today allow My wonder and awe to grip you.

I am Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, God of angel armies. My very name declares My reign over heaven and earth and over all armies, earthly and spiritual. If My angel army praises Me with cries of “Holy holy holy” then you My earthly army are to praise Me in the same way.

My glory fills the temple followed by wide eyed awe. The kind of awe that is only imparted by the council of My spirit.
Have you ever felt awe? Have you ever quieted yourself in My presence long enough to let awe build in your spirit? Awe is an ever increasing unseen substance in the spirit that speaks of My glory and feeds your obedience and reverence. The longer you sit in awe of Me you will be shaken as the doorposts and cry holy with the angels. When you live in awe of Me you will see My glory everywhere.

The heavens declare the glory of Yah; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised Yah, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

Luke 5:26 (NIV)

#lionbites

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Chosen Breaker

You have been chosen for my purposes.

Jesus was the full expression of who I am on the earth and like Jesus, I want you to be a conduit for my power. There are signs, wonders, and miracles I want to do through you that will touch the lives of those around you. There are hearts I want to change in your midst. Will you carry my breaker anointing into a situation? Will you bring me to the least and the lost? Will you be my bridge to reach someone else’s prodigal?

I want to change the trajectory of lives through you. Hear my voice for yourself, know me and my nature and show and tell others about me.

It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

Isaiah 10:27 (NKJV)

The Answered Prayer

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

John 14:12 (NKJV)

Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

John 5:19 (NKJV)

28 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves Him.[1] They are the ones God has chosen for His purpose,

29 and He has always known who His chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like His own Son, so His Son would be the first of many children.

30 God then accepted the people He had already decided to choose, and He has shared His glory with them.

Romans 8:28-30 (CEV)
Footnotes
1 8.28 God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves Him: Or “All things work for the good of everyone who loves God” or “God’s Spirit always works for the good of everyone who loves God.”

#lionbites

Begin Blessed – A Blessed Morning Prayer To Start Your Day

The Two Foundations

“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock.

Matthew 7:24 (AMP)

for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Luke 12:12 (AMP)

27 The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.

John 10:27-28 (AMP)

Paul at Athens

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols.

Acts 17:16 (AMP)

but when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia (northern Greece), Paul began devoting himself completely to [preaching] the word, and solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).

Acts 18:5 (AMP)

The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God.

Romans 8:16 (AMP)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Lavish

Tis the season for lavishments: lavish parties, lavish meals, and oh how you love to give lavish gifts to those you love, friends, a co-worker perhaps, maybe even a stranger or two. So what gift will you bring to me, the King of Kings.

Do you know what I would want? Have you asked?
Will you ask me what I want specifically from you? But know this it will cost you.

Do you go out of your way to find the perfect gift? You pick up extra shifts at work, take another part-time job, go to five different stores in three different towns, wait outside in the freezing cold for hours, scour the internet to find the best deal, while others of you will spend hours handcrafting a gift.

The point is you’ll spare nothing to give that perfect gift to those you love. Will you not lavish on me the same?

Activation: Take time to ask the Lord what he would like from you this holiday season. It could be: time, a step of faith, to forgive someone, to read the Bible story in front of non-believing relatives/friends, to share the gospel with someone, the list is endless. Then step out in obedience for what he has asked of you to do.

Jesus Anointed at Bethany

6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked.

9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.

Matthew 26:6-10 (NIV)

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the [a]wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew 2:7-12 (NKJV)

#lionbites