Wednesday Morning Scripture – Isaiah 61

Exaltation of the Afflicted

1 The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me to bring good news to the humble and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted, to proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives and freedom to prisoners,

2 To proclaim [a]the favorable year of the LORD, [b]And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

3 To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following: to give them a [c]turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning], the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up and restore the former desolations; and they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations (deserted settlements) of many generations.

5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

6 But you shall be called the priests of the LORD; people will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, and you will boast of their riches.

7 Instead of your [former] shame you will have a [d]double portion; and instead of humiliation your people will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery with [e]a burnt offering. And I will faithfully reward them, and make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge them that they are the people whom the LORD has blessed.

10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom puts on a [f]turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the LORD God will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise to spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].

Isaiah 61:1-11 (AMP)

Footnotes

[a] Isaiah 61:2 The same as a day of salvation(49:8), and the year of my redeemed(63:4).

[b] Isaiah 61:2 See note Ezek 34:28.

[c] Isaiah 61:3 In the Hebrew there is a kind of wordplay here as “turban” (Heb pe’er)and dust (epher) have the same consonants and similar vowels.

[d] Isaiah 61:7 i.e. abundant reward.

[e] Isaiah 61:8 Another reading is wrongdoing or malice, but by itself either would hardly be an improvement. Some prefer to read with as “and,” which requires the assumption of a scribal error that is possible though not found in existing manuscripts. It would also raise the question of why robbery is singled out among other kinds of wrongdoing. In the Talmud the verse is taken to refer literally to the theft of an animal which the thief intends to offer as a sacrifice. The point is that the offering is unacceptable even though everything actually belongs to God and the thief arguably is only returning to God what is His.

[f] Isaiah 61:10 Or head wrap.

Wednesday Morning Scripture – Matthew 5:1-12

The Sermon on the Mount

1 Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

The Beatitudes

2 And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:1-12 (ESV)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – I Am Beckoning You

My children, draw near and gather yourselves to Me.  Be enveloped in the warmth of My loving embrace as I show you how deeply I love and care for you. I delight in you, and I want you to experience this for yourselves, so come closer to Me. With open arms and tender affection, I am beckoning you and asking you to give Me every area of your heart—especially where you have felt hurt, disappointed, or confused from past seasons.

I understand that your experiences from these times may have led many of you to feel abandoned or disconnected from Me, but I want you to know that I am right here with you, and I always have been. I will never leave your side. I want to take away all of your pain, including the hidden and deeply rooted parts, as well as the anger that has caused you to feel distant from Me. I am the loving and merciful Father, and I am here, asking you to relinquish the deepest places of your pain and sorrow so that I can carry them away for good if you will let Me. So, draw nearer, lean in close to Me today, and hand over all that troubles you. Know that there is always hope in Me—the one who created you and has loved you from the beginning. Trust, believe, and hope in Me again. I will carry you through.

Activation:

Take some time over the next few days for a gentle examination of your heart in the presence of your Heavenly Father, who holds you with unwavering love and compassion. Open your heart completely to Him and ask Him to reveal any hidden emotions or unhealed wounds that need His healing touch. Trust in His faithfulness to show you what needs to be addressed and choose to lay these burdens before His throne. As you navigate this process, express your raw emotions to Him—share your pain and the reasons behind it, and ask Him to take it away from you. Remember that healing is a gradual journey, so be gentle with yourself, and acknowledge any discomfort that arises. Consider journaling your emotions as a testament to your vulnerability and readiness for healing allowing you to release them to the Father.

5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—

7 Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

Isaiah 43:5-7 (NKJV)

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 (AMP)

Deep calls to deep at the [thundering] sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

Psalm 42:7 (AMP)

#lionbites

Tuesday Morning Scripture – Deuteronomy 31:1-13

Moses’ Last Counsel

1 So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. 

2 And he said to them, “I am [a]a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come in and go out [as your spiritual and military leader], and the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ 

3 It is the LORD your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will go across before you [to lead you], just as the LORD has said. 

4 The LORD will do to them just as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when He destroyed them. 

5 The LORD will hand them over to you, and you shall do to them in accordance with all the commandments which I have commanded you. 

6 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.”

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all [the people of] Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. 

8 It is the LORD who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

9 So Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 

10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of year when debts are forgiven, at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles), 

11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all [the people of] Israel [b]so that they may hear. 

12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) within your cities, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect], and be careful to obey all the words of this law. 

13 Their children, who have not known [the law], will hear and learn to fear [and worship] the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land which you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Deuteronomy 31:1-15 (AMP)

Footnotes

[a] Deuteronomy 31:2 Lit a son of one hundred-twenty years.

[b] Deuteronomy 31:11 Lit in their hearing.

Tuesday Morning Scripture – Psalm 42

Book Two

Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.

To the Chief Musician. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of the sons of Korah.

1 As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,
So my [a]soul pants [longingly] for You, O God.

2 My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God.
When will I come and see the face of God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4 These things I [vividly] remember as I pour out my soul;
How I used to go along before the great crowd of people and lead them in procession to the house of God [like a choirmaster before his singers, timing the steps to the music and the chant of the song],
With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a great crowd keeping a festival.

5 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become restless and disturbed within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him
For the help of His presence.

6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me [the burden more than I can bear];
Therefore I will [fervently] remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of [Mount] Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep at the [thundering] sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.

8 Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song will be with me,
A prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As a crushing of my bones [with a sword], my adversaries taunt me,
While they say continually to me, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
Why have you become restless and disquieted within me?
Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him,
The [b]help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 42:1-11 (AMP)

Footnotes

[a] Psalm 42:1 The Hebrew word translated “soul” in this psalm and elsewhere in the book of Psalms is nephesh. This word usually refers to a person’s “life” or “self,” but can also mean “throat,” as perhaps in vv 1, 2.

[b] Psalm 42:11 Or saving acts of.

Tuesday Morning Scripture – Isaiah 43:1-7

Israel Redeemed

1 But now, this is what the LORD, your Creator says, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];
I have called you by name; you are Mine!

2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.

3 “For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt [to the Babylonians] as your ransom, Cush (ancient Ethiopia) and Seba [its province] in exchange for you.

4 “Because you are precious in My sight,
You are honored and I love you, I will give other men in return for you and other peoples in exchange for your life.

5 “Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are scattered], and gather you from the west.

6 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from far way and My daughters from the ends of the earth,

7 Everyone who is called by My Name,
Whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Isaiah 43:1-7 (AMP)

Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Called By Name

My child, I am He who formed you before the foundation of the world. I am He who knitted you together in your mother’s womb. I am He who knows you intricately. It is I who knows when you sleep and when you wake. I am familiar with all your ways; I know you. Yet I remind you today, My child, that your name is being called.

Hear the cry of My heart and the depth of My longing for you as I call your name. Come back to Me today! I invite you to join Me in a deeper place of intimacy. Today, hear My call as I am beckoning you to come and reset your focus. Fix your attention on Me, and I will reveal to you the things in your life that have slowly and subtly pulled you away from My presence – where you have sought to please Me in other ways, by doing things for Me, but your attention has slipped away from the essential pursuit of knowing Me first. My child, I desire your complete devotion, your full affection, and your whole heart set on Me with passionate love.

Activation: 

Take a moment to be still and fix your eyes, mind, and thoughts on Jesus. Ask the Lord to reveal to you what in your life has become unbalanced and what has subtly taken your attention from Him. As He reveals this, ask Him to help you release any burdens and realign your priorities so that you may come to Him afresh today and experience His presence.

Israel Redeemed

But now, this is what the LORD, your Creator says, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];
I have called you by name; you are Mine!

Isaiah 43:1 (AMP)

41 But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; 

42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42 (AMP)

2 ‘I know [a]your deeds and your toil, and your patient endurance, and that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and have tested and critically appraised those who call themselves apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives, of Christ), and [in fact] are not, and have found them to be liars and impostors;

3 and [I know that] you [who believe] are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and that you have not grown weary [of being faithful to the truth]. 

4 But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].

Revelation 2:2-4 (AMP)

Footnotes

[a] Revelation 2:2 Here through 3:18, “your” and “you” are in the singular, referring to the angel of each church. Much of what is said is rebuke and admonishment, so if the angels are heavenly beings, they may serve in some way as representatives of the sinful people in their churches. Jewish tradition maintained that every nation and individual has a guardian angel, and that when God is about to punish a nation, He first punishes its angel. There is even a story of Michael, the guardian angel of Israel, being rebuked by God for the sins committed in the time of Ezekiel. So the original readers of Revelation might have assumed that the angels here are the guardian angels of the individual churches, sharing responsibility for the actions of the members.

    #lionbites

    Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Watch Your Speech

    My Beloved, watch your speech! 

    Pay attention to what you say and how you say it.

    Discern the source of your words. 

    Jesus says: ”What you say flows from what is in your heart.” 

    Listen to yourself and discover what is in your heart, in your mind, in your soul.

    Be aware that your words carry weight. Your words can be a blessing or a curse. Even empty words have an impact in the invisible world. You can hurt or condemn people with your words. You can encourage or heal them with your words. The tongue is a little but a powerful tool, as the apostle James says.

    Become aware of the impact!

    When you are close to Me and tuned into Me then your words will carry My authority, My love, My hope, My good purpose and My life. They will be a blessing for others.

    When you are worried or upset, your words can spread fear, anxiety, distrust and anger.

    They might become a curse for others.

    Therefore watch your words, guard your heart, and become an ambassador of My kingdom and a wordsmith of life and future.

    Activation: Today pay attention to your words and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment of what is in your heart. What thoughts, feelings and emotions are the root and origin of your words?

    Who is the source of your words – God, others, yourself? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the source of your words and guard your heart today.

    The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.

    Luke 6:45 (AMP)

    23 Watch over your heart with all diligence,
    For from it flow the springs of life.

    24 Put away from you a deceitful (lying, misleading) mouth,
    And put devious lips far from you.

    Proverbs 4:23-24 (AMP)

    For we all stumble and sin in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says [never saying the wrong thing], he is a perfect man [fully developed in character, without serious flaws], able to bridle his whole body and rein in his entire nature [taming his human faults and weaknesses].

    James 3:22 (AMP)

    #lionbites

    Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Decree

    Mighty warrior, decree these words afresh into the next season:

    Every valley shall be filled,

    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

    and the crooked shall become straight,

    and the rough places shall become level ways (Isaiah 40:4/Luke 3:5)

    As you decree the lifting of the valleys I am lifting My bride out of religious oppression, releasing anointings and gifts to her and mobilising her where there has been inactivity.

    As you decree the laying low of the mountains I am causing obstacles of lethargy, sickness, fear, and intimidation to crumble before My bride.

    As you decree the straightening of the crooked paths I am restoring the simplicity of My gospel truth back into the thinking of My bride, removing confusion and unnecessary complication.

    As you decree the levelling of the rough places, I am causing My bride to rise up out of the past season with its wrestling, purified and with enduring character, fearless love and sacrificial devotion.

    Mighty warrior, as you decree My words back to Me, understand that this is the preparation for My bride to receive the harvest.

    Activation: Ask the Holy Spirit how He wants you to partner with Him in decreeing. Does He want you to decree all these things or is He highlighting one in particular? Ask Him about the place of authority He is giving you, who are you to decree this over? It could be your community, your city, your nation.

    5 At that time Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 

    6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

    Matthew 3:5-6 (AMP)

    “You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
    And the light     [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

    Job 22:28 (AMP)

    The LORD God has given Me [His [a]Servant] the tongue of disciples [as One who is taught],
    That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
    He awakens Me morning by morning,
    He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple     [as One who is taught].

    Isaiah 50:4 (AMP)

    Footnotes

    [a] Isaiah 50:4 i.e. the Messiah.

    #lionbites

    Thursday Morning Scripture – Luke 3:1-19

    John the Baptist Preaches

    1 Now in the fifteenth year of [Emperor] [a]Tiberius Caesar’s reign—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene— 

    2 in the high [b]priesthood of Annas and [c]Caiaphas [his son-in-law], the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 

    3 And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin; 

    4 as it is written and forever remains written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

    “THE VOICE OF ONE SHOUTING IN THE WILDERNESS,
    ‘PREPARE YHE WAY OF THE LORD,
    [d]MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.

    5 ‘EVERY RAVINE SHALL BE FILLED UP,
    AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHAL BE LEVELED;
    AND THE CROOKED     [places] SHALL BE MADE STRAIGHT,
    AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH;

    6 AND [e]ALL MANKIND SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF THE GOD.’”

    7 So he began saying to the crowds who were coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of [f]vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath [of God that is] to come? 

    8 Therefore produce fruit that is worthy of [and consistent with your] repentance [that is, live changed lives, turn from sin and seek God and His righteousness]. And do not even begin to say to yourselves [as a defense], ‘We have Abraham for our father [and so our heritage assures us of salvation]’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children (descendants) for Abraham [for God can replace the unrepentant, regardless of their heritage, with those who are obedient]. 

    9 Even now the axe [of God’s judgment] is swinging toward the root of the trees; so every tree that does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.”

    10 The crowds asked him, “Then what are we to do?” 

    11 And John replied, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do the same.” 

    12 Even some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked, “Teacher, what are we to do?” 

    13 And he told them, “Collect no more than the fixed amount you have been ordered to [collect].” 

    14 Some soldiers asked him, “And what about us, what are we to do?” And he replied to them, “Do not [g]extort money from anyone or harass or blackmail anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”

    15 Now the people were in a state of expectation, and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). 

    16 John answered them all by saying, “As for me, I baptize you [only] [h]with water; but One who is mightier [more powerful, more noble] than I is coming, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals [even as His slave]. He will baptize you [who truly repent] with the Holy Spirit and [you who remain unrepentant] with [i]fire. 

    17 His [j]winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom); but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire.”

    18 So with many other appeals and various admonitions John preached the good news (gospel) to the people. 

    19 But when Herod [Antipas] the tetrarch was repeatedly reprimanded [and convicted by John’s disapproval] for having [k]Herodias, his brother’s wife [as his own], and for all the wicked things that Herod had done, 

    20 he also added this to them all: he locked up John in prison.

    Luke 3:1-19 (AMP)

    Footnotes

    [a] Luke 3:1 See note Matt 22:17.

    [b] Luke 3:2 Annas served from a.d. 6-15, before being deposed by Roman authorities; however, the Jews continued to recognize him as high priest de facto even though others, including his sons and son-in-law, held the official title and publicly appeared to serve as high priest.

    [c] Luke 3:2 Served as high priest from a.d. 18-36, although Annas kept de facto authority.

    [d] Luke 3:4 In spiritual terms, John’s message was clearing the way for the arrival of the Messiah by preparing the hearts of those who were to follow Him.

    [e] Luke 3:6 i.e. salvation is available to both Jew and Gentile.

    [f] Luke 3:7 i.e. poisonous snakes. An expression intended to describe the repulsive character of many people in the crowd.

    [g] Luke 3:14 The Greek term is similar to our colloquial “shake down,” that is, using violence or threats to force someone to hand over money.

    [h] Luke 3:16 The Greek here can be translated in, with, or by.

    [i] Luke 3:16 Some scholars view “fire” as judgment; however, another view of “fire” purports that the text refers to the fiery baptism of the Holy Spirit, not judgment. The Holy Spirit promised here has been associated with Pentecost, purification, testing, and judgment. Each person who accepts Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5-8). According to this view the fire indicates that the believer is purified as in the refining of gold. Fire burns up the impurities and the gold (the believer) survives (cf 1 Cor 3:12, 13; James 1:3).

    [j] Luke 3:17 A tool roughly resembling a pitchfork, used to separate grains of wheat from the chaff by throwing the wheat into the air, and allowing the wind to blow away the lighter chaff.

    [k] Luke 3:19 See note Matt 14:3