Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Fourth in the Fire
Beloved, when in the fiery trials of life – from persecution, affliction, consequences or refinement – the enemy covets your compromise. He craves to see you crumble under the heat. Know these trials are on the rise as the enemy becomes bolder in showing himself. In these times, I ask you to trust Me just as the faithful three in the furnace. At all costs, please do not compromise! Not your faith, not your hope, and not your worship.
If you don’t, you invite Me to be that fourth in the fire with you.
No fire can consume Me for I am the Fire of fires!
I promise to bring you under the protection of My wing. I will see to it that the only thing scorched on you are the cords that bind you, for I am the Master Protector and Deliverer of My people.
Release all fear to Me.
Let Me shield you until the fire has ceased.
You will not come out smelling burned. You will come out smelling like the flowery fragrance of Heaven because you stayed close to Me. Then all will know you serve the Most High God, faithful to those who trust Him!
Activation: Read Daniel 3 and then ask yourself what areas you are experiencing a fiery trial. Is it at work, church, home, ministry, finances, or relationships? Whatever the area, repent for compromising in any way through doubt, lost hope, retreat, etc. Invite God in to be “the fourth in the fire” with you. Release it all to Him, and receive His peace. In complete trust, take His hand and allow Him to protect you. Acknowledge the fire is temporary, and He will fulfil His promise of seeing you through to the end. Then fix your eyes on Jesus your living hope, knowing He will deliver, restore and promote you for your faithfulness.
He answered, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like [a]a son of the gods!”
Daniel 3:25 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Daniel 3:25 The kjv has “the Son of God” here, referring to the pre-incarnate Christ, because the usual term for God is Elohim, a plural form. Even if it was the pre-incarnate Christ, however, the pagan king would not have had Him in mind but a “son” of the Babylonian gods, perhaps a minor deity or an angel. The ancient rabbis of course would have fought any attempts by Christians to equate the fourth person in the furnace with the Son of God, so they portrayed God as turning Nebuchadnezzar over to Satan for punishment for the words he exclaimed here, as if he did in fact say “Son of God,” and they made out v 28 to be a confession on the king’s part that what he saw was after all just an angel.
“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.
Isaiah 43:2 (AMP)
#lionbites
Monday Morning Scripture – Daniel 3
The King’s Golden Image
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made a [a]gold [-plated] image, whose height [including the pedestal] was sixty cubits (ninety feet) and its width six cubits (nine feet). He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the [b]satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers and all the chief officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3 Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before it.
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and speakers of every language,
5 that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon (four-stringed harp), dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
6 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”
7 So when the people heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, dulcimer, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and speakers of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Worship of the Image Refused
8 At that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought [malicious] accusations against the Jews.
9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!
10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music is to fall down and worship the golden image.
11 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.
12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a furious rage gave a command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; and these men were brought before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be thrown at once into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can rescue you out of my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king.
18 But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!”
Daniel’s Friends Protected
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and his facial expression changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then he gave a command that the furnace was to be heated seven [c]times hotter than usual.
20 He commanded certain strong men in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.
21 Then these [three] men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their turbans, and their other clothes, and were thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.
22 Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was extremely hot, the flame of the fire killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [looked and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, “Did we not throw three men who were tied up into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.”
25 He answered, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like [d]a son of the gods!”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out [of there]! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire.
27 The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men the fire had no effect on their bodies—their hair was not singed, their clothes were not scorched ordamaged, even the smell of smoke was not on them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! They violated the king’s command and surrendered their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut into pieces and their houses be made a heap of rubbish, for there is no other god who is able to save in this way!”
30 Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:1-30 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Daniel 3:1 Large images like this one were not made of solid gold.
[b] Daniel 3:2 The title of an official or governor designated by the king to rule over one or more provinces in the Median and Persian Empires. The authority granted to a satrap would be similar to that granted to a vassal prince and required that he submit regular written reports to the king through one of his chief commissioners. The satrap did not have authority over military personnel stationed in his provinces.
[c] Daniel 3:19 I.e. units of intensity.
[d] Daniel 3:25 The kjv has “the Son of God” here, referring to the pre-incarnate Christ, because the usual term for God is Elohim, a plural form. Even if it was the pre-incarnate Christ, however, the pagan king would not have had Him in mind but a “son” of the Babylonian gods, perhaps a minor deity or an angel. The ancient rabbis of course would have fought any attempts by Christians to equate the fourth person in the furnace with the Son of God, so they portrayed God as turning Nebuchadnezzar over to Satan for punishment for the words he exclaimed here, as if he did in fact say “Son of God,” and they made out v 28 to be a confession on the king’s part that what he saw was after all just an angel.
Monday 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 – Time of Connection
My child, I made you to have an intimate relationship with Me. Likewise, I made you social to intertwine with those that I send into your life.
There have been times when the enemy has used these precious moments of connection to fling his sting and hurt you, but this is a new season. You are not the same person as you were then. I am calling you to connect once more with the local and international church. As I cleanse and put a healing balm on your wounds, I say go again My child. Don’t be afraid! Dare to be vulnerable. For I am building through each and every one of you a strong foundation that the enemy won’t be able to attack in the crucial days to come.
Trust Me. There is victory where people support each other and compassionate hearts are close.
Activation:
Sit with Holy Spirit and ask Him to highlight if there are still unresolved hurts in your heart. If so, repent from having partnered with offence, unforgiveness or anything else that He reveals. Then allow His living waters to come and cleanse you to find new freedom. This may take some time so give Him space to move.
24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
1 Corinthians 12:24-27 (ESV)
‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you;
Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you;
I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’Isaiah 41:10 (AMP)
#lionbites
Friday Morning Scripture – Isaiah 41
Israel Encouraged
1 “Listen to Me in silence, you islands and oastlands, and let the nations gain their strength; Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment [and decide the issue between us concerning the enemy from the east].
2 “Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great] whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? The LORD turns nations over to him and subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, like wind-driven chaff with his bow.
3 “He (Cyrus) pursues them and passes along safely, by a way his feet had not traveled before.
4 “Who has performed and done this, calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD—the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.’”
5 The islands and coastlands have seen and they fear; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.
6 They each help his neighbor and say to his brother [as he fashions his idols], “Be of good courage!”
7 So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths metal with the smith’s hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, saying of the soldering (welding), “That is good”; And he fastens the idol with nails, so that it will not totter nor be moved.
8 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham My friend,
9 You whom I [the LORD] have [a]taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not rejected you [even though you are exiled].
10 ‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’11 “Indeed, all those who are angry with you will be put to shame and humiliated;
Those who strive against you will be as nothing and will perish.12 “You shall search for those who quarrel with you, but will not find them;
They who war against you will be as nothing, as nothing at all.13 “For I the LORD your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the LORD], Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’
14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 “In fact, I have made of you a new, sharp [b]threshing implement with sharp edges; You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and make the hills like chaff.
16 “You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, and a high wind will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy are seeking water, but there is none; Their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them Myself; I, the God of Israel, will not neglect them.
18 “I will open rivers on the barren heights
And springs in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a reed-pool of water and the dry land springs of water.19 “I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia, the myrtle and the olive tree;
I will place the juniper in the desert
Together with the box tree and the cypress,20 So that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this,
That the Holy One of Israel has created it.21 “Present your case [for idols made by men’s hands],” says the LORD. “Produce your evidence [of divinity],” says the king of Jacob.
22 Let them bring forward [their evidence] and tell us what is going to happen.
Regarding the former events, tell what they were, that we may consider them and know their outcome; Or announce to us the things that are going to come.
23 Tell us the things that are to come afterward, that we may know that you are gods; Indeed, you should do something good or do evil, [c]that we may be afraid and fear [you] together [as we observe the miracle].24 Hear this! You [Idols] are less than nothing, and your work is worthless;
The worshiper who chooses you [as a god] is repulsive.25 “I have stirred up and put into action [d]one from the north [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great], and he has come; From the rising of the sun he will call on My Name [in prayer]. And he will trample on [the Babylonian] officials as on mortar,
Even as a potter treads clay.”26 Who [among the idols] has declared this from the beginning, so that we could know? Or from earlier times, so that we could say, “He is [unquestionably] right!”?
In fact, there was no one who declared it,
Indeed, there was no one who proclaimed it; There was no one at all who heard you speak [for you pagan gods are speechless].27 “I was first to say to Zion, ‘Listen carefully, here they are [the Jews who will be restored to their own land].’ And to Jerusalem, ‘I will provide a messenger (Isaiah) to bring the good news [[e]that Cyrus will be stirred up and put into action to save them].’
28 “But when I look [on the pagan prophets and priests], there is no one [who could predict these events], and there is no counselor [f]among them, who, if I ask, can give an answer.
29 “In fact, all of these [pagan prophets and priests] are false; Their works are worthless, their cast images are [merely] wind and emptiness.
Isaiah 41:1-29 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Isaiah 41:9 Lit seized.
[b] Isaiah 41:15 A heavy flat wooden sledge composed of several thick boards with sharp pieces of flint or metal embedded on one side. It was dragged over harvested stalks of grain to separate the kernels from the straw.
[c] Isaiah 41:23 Lit and let us be.
[d] Isaiah 41:25 Cyrus originally came from the east (Is 41:2), but defeated a number of kingdoms north of Babylon early in his reign.
[e] Isaiah 41:27 This prophecy was declared about a hundred and fifty years before it occurred.
[f] Isaiah 41:28 Lit out of those.
Friday Morning Scripture – 1 Corinthians 12
The Use of Spiritual Gifts
1 Now about the spiritual gifts [the special endowments given by the Holy Spirit], brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led off after speechless idols; however you were led off [whether by impulse or habit].
3 Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the [power and influence of the] Spirit of God can say, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is [my] Lord,” except by [the power and influence of] the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are [distinctive] varieties of spiritual gifts [special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers], but it is the same Spirit [who grants them and empowers believers].
5 And there are [distinctive] varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord [who is served].
6 And there are [distinctive] ways of working [to accomplish things], but it is the same God who produces all things in all believers [inspiring, energizing, and empowering them].
7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit [the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit] for the common good.
8 To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] the message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] the word of knowledge and understanding according to the same Spirit;
9 to another [wonder-working] faith [is given] by the same [Holy] Spirit, and to another the [extraordinary] gifts of healings by the one Spirit;
10 and to another the working of [a]miracles, and to another prophecy [foretelling the future, speaking a new message from God to the people], and to another discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues.
11 All these things [the gifts, the achievements, the abilities, the empowering] are brought about by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, distributing to each one individually just as He chooses.
12 For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so [b]it is with Christ.
13 For by one [Holy] Spirit we were all baptized into one body, [spiritually transformed—united together] whether Jews or Greeks (Gentiles), slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit [since the same Holy Spirit fills each life].
14 For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs].
5 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body?
16 If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” is it not on the contrary still a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole [body] were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now [as things really are], God has placed and arranged the parts in the body, each one of them, just as He willed and saw fit [with the best balance of function].
19 If they all were a single organ, where would [the rest of] the body be?
20 But now [as things really are] there are many parts [different limbs and organs], but a single body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 But quite the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are [absolutely] necessary;
23 and as for those parts of the body which we consider less honorable, these we treat with greater honor; and our less presentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
24 while our more presentable parts do not require it. But God has combined the [whole] body, giving greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 so that there would be no division or or discord in the body [that is, lack of adaptation of the parts to each other], but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it.
27 Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function].
28 So God has appointed and placed in the church [for His own use]: first apostles [chosen by Christ], second prophets [those who foretell the future, those who speak a new message from God to the people], third teachers, then those who work miracles, then those with the gifts of healings, the helpers, the administrators, and speakers in various kinds of [unknown] tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire and strive for the greater gifts [if acquiring them is going to be your goal].
And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one of the choicest graces and the highest of them all: unselfish love].
1 Corinthians 12:1-30 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] 1 Corinthians 12:10 i.e. wonderful events or occurrences beyond human capability which manifest the supernatural power of God and fulfill His purpose.
[b] 1 Corinthians 12:12 Lit is Christ.
Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Faith Arise
My beloved one,
I ask you today, are you expectant?
Are you able to sit back in a posture of rest because you are expectant that I am who I say I am? Do you trust that when I speak a word it will come to pass? Do you believe that My faithfulness is great and My word is true?
Beloved, I am for you, not against you. I am with you in the midst of it all, not far away and unaware. Each morning, allow your faith to arise, leading you into a daily posture of expectancy. For it is in that place you will see yourself thrive!
Activation: For the next week, when you wake up, take a moment to call your faith forward. Place a hand on your stomach and declare out loud, “Faith arise!” Do this as many times as it takes until you feel an expectancy – a joyful anticipation of God’s goodness – rise within you. If at any point in the day you notice yourself feeling downcast, do this again until you feel yourself shift.
22 It is because of the Lord’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (AMP)
30 And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity].
31 What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?
32 He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect (His chosen ones)? It is God who justifies us [declaring us blameless and putting us in a right relationship with Himself].
34 Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us.
Romans 8:30-34 (AMP)
#lionbites
Thursday Morning Scripture – Romans 8
Escape from Bondage
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior].
2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son],
4 so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power].
5 For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose].
6 Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever];
7 the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot,
8 and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God.
9 However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God].
10 If Christ lives in you, though your [natural] body is dead because of sin, your spirit is alive because of righteousness [which He provides].
11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
12 So then, [a]brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but not to our flesh [our human nature, our worldliness, our sinful capacity], to live according to the [impulses of the] flesh [our nature without the Holy Spirit]—
13 for if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever.
14 For all who are allowing themselves tobe led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “[b]Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies andconfirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God.
17 And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.
18 For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us!
19 For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will also be freed from its bondage to decay [and gain entrance] into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection].
24 For in this hope we were saved [by faith]. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.
Our Victory in Christ
26 In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our need and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words.
27 And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes [before God] on behalf of [c]God’s people in accordance with God’s will.
28 And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honored] among many believers.
30 And those whom He predestined, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified [declared free of the guilt of sin]; and those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity].
31 What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?
32 He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect (His chosen ones)? It is God who justifies us [declaring us blameless and putting us in a right relationship with Himself].
34 Who is the one who condemns us? Christ Jesus is the One who died [to pay our penalty], and more than that, who was raised [from the dead], and who is at the right hand of God interceding [with the Father] for us.
35 Who shall ever separate us from the love of [d]Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
36 Just as it is written and forever remains written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE ARE REGARDED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER.”37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us].
38 For I am convinced [and continue to be convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1-39 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Romans 8:12 Lit brethren.
[b] Romans 8:15 An Aramaic word used by young children when addressing their fathers, but not used by Jews in prayer because it implies a sense of familiarity. Jesus’ use of the word emphasized his Father-Son relationship with God.
[c] Romans 8:27 Lit the saints.
[d] Romans 8:35 Two early mss read God.
Lion Bites – Global Prophetic Alliance – Open Hands
My child,
In this season I want you to come to Me with open hands. You have to have open hands in order to receive all that I have planned to give you.
My child, this requires that you have to let go of things that you are currently holding in your hands. You can’t receive new things if you are holding on to old things.
My child, let Me examine your life and show you what is no longer worth holding on to in this season. Are you holding on to control, past successes, relationships or old ways of thinking and problem solving? You won’t be able to move forward if you don’t let go of those old things.
Beloved, when you lay down what you are holding in your hands right now, you will receive something immeasurably better. Am I not the God who gives generously to His children? Am I not a God who knows what is best for you?
Trust Me, My child, that I will not disappoint you when you open your hands and let go of what you are holding onto right now.
Application:
Sit quietly before the Lord and look at your hands in the spirit. What are you holding onto right now? Ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to let go in this season. Place everything that He shows you at His feet and let Him take care of it. Then ask Jesus to give you something new for this season.
And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (AMP)
5 Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
6 [a]In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Proverbs 3:6 One of the ancient rabbis said that all the essence of the Torah (Law) depends on this verse.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
Matthew 6:24 (AMP)
#lionbites
Unapologetically Marcia 