Tuesday Morning Scripture – Psalm 51

A Contrite Sinner’s Prayer for Pardon

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David; when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is always before me.

4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak [Your sentence] and faultless in Your judgment.

5 I was brought forth in [a state of] wickedness; in sin my mother conceived me [and from my beginning I, too, was sinful].

6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, and in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom.

7 Purify me with [a]hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Make me hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to You.

14 Rescue me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; then my tongue will sing joyfully of Your righteousness and Your justice.

15 O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.

16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.

17 My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

18 By Your favor do good to Zion; may You rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Psalm 51:1-19 (AMP)

Footnotes

[a] Psalm 51:7 This evidently was a bristly plant which was useful as a kind of brush.

    Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Closure

    My beloved, there have been many ups and downs over these past months as it has been a time of stripping away. It has been a time of pulling away what has become old and burdensome. It is because I love you and care for you that I have brought these things to the light.

    Allow Me to bring closure to the things that no longer bring life. For in letting go of the old there is space made for the new. This is a natural rhythm to life. To be alive is to grow, expand, and create. This means life is full of openings and closings. 

    While closure can be difficult – painful at times – it signals growth and germination. Do not become disheartened by these days of closure. Be thankful for all that has been accomplished, celebrate what has been good and beautiful, and then fix your eyes upon Me in anticipation.

    Activation: As a prophetic act of accepting a time of closure and making space for the new, spend some time sorting out the space you live in. Maybe there are some clothes you can give away, belongings that can be organised, or a room that needs to be tidied. Whatever it looks like, take some time to clear out your physical space in preparation for the new. 

    22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

    23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

    24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “Therefore I hope in Him!”

    Lamentations 3:22-24 (NKJV)

    Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?
    I will even make a road in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

    Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)

    #lionbites

    Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Building in Wisdom

    Do not build in vain!

    Let Me be the one who builds and establishes your house. I have unique blueprints and designs specifically created for what I want to be built. It is not My intention for you to toil and build by the sweat of your brow. That was the result of the curse, and for those who continue to build as if they are still governed by it, building according to the wisdom of man.

    These are the ones who build their houses on the sand with no solid foundation; their houses will not stand, and they will eventually fall.

    But you, My redeemed covenant people, are to build with Me, and I will bless you and cause the earth to yield to you. But you must first wholeheartedly yield your heart to Me, submitting to My instruction and following My commands. 

    Complete and absolute trust in Me is required. 

    It is here that you will be anointed with My spirit of wisdom and My spirit of understanding to build.

    This access is given to those whose hearts are pure and are committed to joining theirs with Mine. Those who desire and practise a lifestyle of “oneness” with Me will have access to greater revelation and increased flows of wisdom that will pour from Me, and it is My wisdom that will be your solid foundation. So, you must intentionally plant yourselves by My rivers and receive My wisdom to build, and if you do, then your foundations will be strong and sustainable, leaving a legacy. What you build with Me will stand when all others collapse.

    Activation: Pray this prayer as you seek to build solidly with the Lord in every area of your life:

    Father, in the name of Jesus, I come before you with a humble heart seeking Your guidance and wisdom. Show me, Lord, the areas in my life where I have been toiling in vain. Reveal any paths that I have taken out of self-reliance and where I have neglected to seek oneness with You. Grant me the wisdom to recognize where self-effort has replaced Your holy guidance, and the strength to surrender those areas to Your will. Let Your spirit of wisdom flow through me, guiding my steps and shaping my decisions as I purpose to build in alignment with Your perfect plan to build a legacy that stands firm in Your wisdom and for Your glory. Amen.

    Prosperity Comes from the LORD

    A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon

    Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.

    Psalm 127:1 (AMP)

    The Two Foundations

    24 “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. 

    25 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 

    26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand. 

    27 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall.”

    Matthew 7:24-27 (AMP)

    #lionbites

    Friday Morning Scripture – Psalm 127

    Prosperity Comes from the LORD

    A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon

    1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.

    2 It is vain for you to rise early, to retire late, to eat the bread of anxious labors—for He gives [blessings] to His beloved even in his sleep.

    3 Behold, children are a heritage and gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

    4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.

    5 How blessed [happy and fortunate] is the man whose quiver is filled with them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies [in gatherings] at the [city] gate.

    Psalm 127:1-5 (AMP)

    Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Spiritual Inventory

    My child,

    As you are stepping out of the old and into the new, it’s time to take a spiritual inventory. Let us together examine the condition of your spiritual armour and weapons, your spiritual fruits, your spiritual alignments, your oil of intimacy. This is a vital task as you cannot step into new assignments that I have prepared for you without knowing your spiritual status quo. 

    A new season requires new warfare strategies, new weapons, new thinking, new positioning and new alignments. What has worked in the past and has brought you this far will not sustain you in this coming season.

    Come, My child, let’s take a spiritual inventory together.

    If you discover you lack something or need to repair or replace something, come to Me as My supply of armour, weapons, fruits, strategies and whatever else you might need are limitless. 

    My child, I want you to step into this new season as fully prepared as possible. 

    I want you to succeed. 

    I want you to be victorious.

    Activation:
    Over this next week sit with the Lord and take a spiritual inventory together. Ask Him to examine your heart motives, your armour, and spiritual weapons. Let Him show you any fruit of the Spirit that is missing in your life. Let Him highlight to you where you need to make corrections in regard to your spiritual alignments. Do you have enough oil of intimacy? Do you need to repair parts of your armour? Do you need to replace a spiritual weapon? Ask the Lord to provide you with whatever you need.

    Effective Prayer

    “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

    Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

    22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

    23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

    Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

    11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

    Ephesians 6:11 (AMP)

    #lionbites

    Thursday Morning Scripture – Matthew 7:7-12

    Prayer and the Golden Rule

    7 “[a]Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. 

    8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.

    9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will [instead] give him a stone? 

    10 Or if he asks for a fish, will [instead] give him a snake?

    11 If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.

    12 “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.

    Matthew 7:7-12 (AMP)

    Footnotes

    [a] Matthew 7:7 Here the use of Greek present imperatives (asking, seeking, knocking; vv 7, 8) emphasizes persistent, constant prayer.

    Thursday Morning Scripture – Ephesians 6:10-20

    The Armor/Armour of YHWH

    10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might.

    11 Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

    12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

    13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist andstand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].

    14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [1]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),

    15 and having [2]strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].

    16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [3]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

    17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

    18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all [4]God’s people.

    19 And pray for me, that words may be given to me when I open my mouth, to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news [of salvation],

    20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. And pray that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly and courageously, as I should.

    Ephesians 6:10-20 (AMP)

    Footnotes

    [a] Ephesians 6:14 Lit girded your loins, a phrase often found in the Bible, is an urgent call to get ready for immediate action or a coming event. The phrase is related to the type of clothing worn in ancient times. Before any vigorous activity the loose ends of clothing (tunics, cloaks, mantles, etc.) had to be gathered up and tucked into the wide band worn around the midsection of the body. The band (usually about six inches wide) also served as a kind of pocket or pouch to carry personal items such as a dagger, money or other necessary things. Gird up your mind or gird up your heart are examples of variants of this phrase and call for mental or spiritual preparation for a coming challenge.

    [b] Ephesians 6:15 A reference to the Roman soldiers’ shoes which were studded with hobnails to give them stability on the battlefield.

    [c] Ephesians 6:16 Here the Greek word refers to the large Roman soldiers’ shield designed to protect the entire body. It had an iron frame and was covered in several layers of leather. When soaked in water before a battle the shield could put out the fiery missiles thrown at them by the enemy.

    [d] Ephesians 6:18 Lit the saints.

    Thursday Morning Scripture – Galatians 5

    Walk by the Spirit

    1 It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].

    2 Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you [for you will lack the faith in Christ that is necessary for salvation]. 

    3 Once more I solemnly affirm to every man who receives circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], that he is under obligation and required to keep the whole Law. 

    4 You have been severed from Christ, if you seek to be [a]justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] through the Law; you have fallen from grace [for you have lost your grasp on God’s unmerited favor and blessing]. 

    5 For we [not relying on the Law but] through the [strength and power of the Holy] Spirit, by faith, are waiting [confidently] for the hope of righteousness [the completion of our salvation]. 

    6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love.

    7 You were running [the race] well; who has interfered and prevented you from obeying the truth? 

    8 This [deceptive] persuasion is not from Him who called you [to freedom in Christ]. 

    9 A little [b]leaven [a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers] leavens the whole batch [it perverts the concept of faith and misleads the church]. 

    10 I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view [contrary to mine on the matter]; but the one who is disturbing you, whoever he is, will have to bear the penalty. 

    11 But as for me, [c]brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision [as I had done before I met Christ; and as [d]some accuse me of doing now, as necessary for salvation], why am I still being persecuted [by Jews]? In that case the stumbling block of the cross [to unbelieving Jews] has been abolished. 

    12 I wish that those who are troubling you [by teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation] would even [go all the way and] castrate themselves!

    13 For you, my brothers, were called to freedom; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the [e]sinful nature (worldliness, selfishness), but through [f]love serve and seek the best for one another. 

    14 For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].”

    15 But if you bite and devour one another [in bickering and strife], watch out that you [along with your entire fellowship] are not consumed by one another.

    16 But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the [g]sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. 

    17 For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the [h]sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do. 

    18 But if you are guided and led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law. 

    19 Now the practices of the [i]sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), 

    20 [j]idolatry, [k]sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 

    21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

    22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

    23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

    24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the [l]sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.

    25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. 

    26 We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another.

    Galatians 5:1-26 (AMP)

    Footnotes

    [a] Galatians 5:4 See note 2:16.

    [b] Galatians 5:9 Leaven (yeasty dough) represents the man-made tradition and false teachings that obscure the truth regarding salvation through personal belief and faith in Christ.

    [c] Galatians 5:11 Lit brethren.

    [d] Galatians 5:11 Paul’s opponents in Galatia were trying to support their own arguments for circumcision by claiming that Paul was actually in favor of it. They probably knew that he had circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) and were taking advantage of that fact.

    [e] Galatians 5:13 Lit flesh.

    [f] Galatians 5:13 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.

    [g] Galatians 5:16 Lit flesh.

    [h] Galatians 5:17 Lit flesh.

    [i] Galatians 5:19 Lit flesh.

    [j] Galatians 5:20 Including prostitution, which was often part of pagan ritual.

    [k] Galatians 5:20 Including such things as occult practices, witchcraft, worship of evil powers, drug-induced trances.

    [l] Galatians 5:24 Lit flesh.

    Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Consecration

    Beloved, how does it feel to be called by name today?

    Remember that I have called you; in this season I am bringing you into this place of purified calling. I’m asking you to rest for a season to reflect on the words of Jesus and remember the call to seek His kingdom first.

    There are many other fires of passion and desire in your life, but remember that I am the fire above all other fires.

    I am the fire of burning passion and desire that you must come to to be purified again. I am the fire of love who wants to meet with your heart and consecrate your desires again. 

    You will find no other love greater than Me. 

    You will find no other purpose greater than Me. 

    You are made to be found in Me and Me alone.

    There are other things which you have found identity in, good things, but they are not going to keep you burning. I am not absent from your desires, but I want your full desire for Me to be burning again. I want your consecration. I want your purity.

    Come back to your calling being found in Me alone, above all other pursuits. 

    Activation: Dwell on what it means to be found in Christ again today. Ask the Holy Spirit where there are other fires of passion and desire burning in your life which need to be brought into consecration again. Make a note of these areas and bring them before Christ, asking Him to consecrate your desires. 

    But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness[His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

    Matthew 6:33 (AMP)

    for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.

    Matthew 6:21 (AMP)

    #lionbites