A Time For Bountiful Blessings

"The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman [Amos 9:13, NIV]
and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
and flow from all the hills..."

Before the Lord spoke these words, He reminded the Israelites that He is a God who keeps His promise [Amos 9:8]. Then God made this promise of restoration. It was a promise that everything barren and unfruitful in their land will begin to overflow with spiritual blessing. This promise was made speaking of the time when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will come and accomplish God's purpose to save mankind.

Today your Loving Father says to you, "The time has come when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested". Yes the time has come when you will have seed much more than you have harvested, and there shall be plentiful harvest each year. What seemed to be a mountain, hill, or barrier to you will eventually melt and yield. There will be abundance of spiritual blessings in heavenly things, for you who has been saved by Jesus Christ. There will be manifestation of your spiritual gifts. The time is now.

Prayer: My Loving Father , I thank you for this season of restoration. Thank you for being faithful to your words and promises. Show me Father how I can prepare for the bountiful blessing you have for me. Teach me, oh Lord, how to use my harvest and my seed. I pray by your Word and Spirit I will be strengthened in my heart. enriched in all utterance, in all knowledge, and all manner of spiritual gifts. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I Will Restore You Wasted Years

And I will restore or replace for you the years that the locust has eaten--the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust...

[Joel 2:25a, AMP]

A Promise of Restoration. The locust is a kind of grasshopper that causes great destruction to vegetation and things of plants (like wood). The invasions of locusts are the heaviest calamites that can befall a country.After the locust has visited (usually in great numbers), they could leave a place deserted, bare or looking desolate. When God made the promise of restoration to His chosen people, it was a promise that they shall be comforted according to the time they had been afflicted, and shall have years of plenty to balance the years of famine.

Your Loving Father makes this promise of restoration to you today. "I will restore for you the years that the locust has eaten--the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust," He says.  What is it that seems to have taken so much from you? Do you feel like time has passed you by in some areas of your life?  Have you experienced a loss, or lack? This promise is for you.

Your Loving Father is eager to restore you all that has seems to be lost. Receive this promise today.

Suggestions for Prayer: Pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the restoration He is performing in your life or the life of anyone you have been praying for.

I Am Sending You Grain, New Wine And Oil

I am sending you grain, new wine and oil,

enough to satisfy you fully...

[Joel 2:19, NIV]

The people of Judah were experiencing a time of grievous affliction. All their land was affected by the locust and caterpillar. When they turned from their ways and prayed that God would spare them, He responded with this promise. He promised to restore them their forfeited comforts.

Have you been through a time of pain, hurt, distress, loss, or grief? God’s promises are real answers to the prayers of faith. Your Loving Father says to you today, "I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully...". Never again will you be an object of scorn.

These words are a promise of restoration. It is a promise, which when manifested, will be unspeakably better than you have seen or imagined.  This restoration will be such that everyone will know it is your Almighty, Loving Father that did it for you. And you will be satisfied as a result.

 
Suggestions for Prayer: Thank God for the promise of restoration. If there is any area of your life that you are believing God for a restoration, thank God in faith, that He has done it for you.

I Will Heal Your Backsliding

I will heal your backsliding, I will love you freely...

[Hosea 14:4, KJV]

(Italized words are replacement for pronouns representing Israel)

This word of God was spoken to the Israelites following a call for their repentance. God was no longer the main focus of their lives and they had gone back to their former way of life. God promised to heal them of their backsliding.  The healing He promised was to restore them to their original purity or integrity, to make them whole, free from guilt and to reconcile them to Himself.

If you have ever backslidden or you are backsliding, know that your Loving Father never stops loving you. He says to you today, "I will heal your backsliding and I will love you freely". These words are applicable to you even if you feel you have fallen short of the glory of God, or you question the reality of your salvation in the face of trials and temptation.

If you have repented of walking away from God, know that God has restored you and received you with open arms. He wants to continue the loving relationship between the both of you. If you are yet to repent, it is not too late to return to God. Know that God, your Loving Father, wants you back.

Because of Jesus, God always sees you as righteous. Walk in the knowledge of who you are in Christ Jesus.

 

Suggestions for Prayer: If you have backslidden and returned to God, pray for a renewed relationship and experience with God. Thank Him for the opportunity and the heart to return to Him. If you are contemplating whether to return to God fully, pray that God will help you walk away from the things that take your focus away from Him. If you do not fall into any of these categories, thank God for your relationship with Him. Pray that the relationship will continue to blossom. Remember any backslidden person in your prayers.

You Will No Longer Call Me 'My Master'

"In that day," declares the LORD,

"you will call me 'My Husband';

you will no longer call me 'My Master'.

[Hosea 2:16, NIV]

 

God was aware of Israel's sin that had brought ruin upon them. Yet in His mercy and faithfulness, He was still going to keep the promises He had spoken to their forefathers. He planned to instruct them. He planned to re-esetablish His covenant with them. He planned to speak comfort to their hearts and, by His Spirit, give them a new heart - a humble heart inclined to return to Him. The words of comfort was the gospel of Christ. The gospel presents the Good News that Jesus Christ has made salvation available to all people. And God declared that when they hear and receive this gospel, they will no longer call Him their master but their Husband.

 

Today you have heard the Good News that Jesus Christ has made salvation available to you. By receiving Him, you have eternal life (the free gift of salvation), which constitutes material preservation, deliverance, peace, health, well-being, and healing.

 

As you receive and continually meditate on the Good News, your relationship with your Loving Father will improve. You will see Him as 'A Husband' - One whom you can be intimate with, One who will love you, provide for you, comfort you, reason with you and protect you. Not as 'A Master' who controls you, who may not show you love and whom you may not have a close relationship with. 

 

Prayer: Thank You Loving Father for the Good News. I thank You that because of Jesus, I can come boldly into Your throne of grace without fear, guilt and shame. I pray, Heavenly Father, that as I continue to spend time with You, I will get to know more of You. May I experience You in such a way that I will call You 'My Husband'. [If you are a man also pray that by getting to know God, you will know what it means to be 'A Husband']. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

I Have Loved You With An Everlasting Love

Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.

[Jeremiah 31:3b, AMP]

When God was comforting the Israelites, they were reminded of these words He spoke to assure them of the restoration He had promised. God loved them from the beginning of time and continued His faithfulness towards them.

Today your loving Father says to you, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you." It is a love that never fails. It is a love that does not change. It is a love that does not depend on your actions. It is an unconditional love. Consider some of the times you felt loved by God. Was it because you had been good or because of His grace and faithfulness?

This everlasting love God has for you makes Him draw you to Himself. He draws you away from things that take your love and attention off Him. He draws you into covenant and communion with Himself.  He draws you with lovingkindness - with mercy and favour. His faithfulness towards you is continuous and everlasting. This word of God is assurance to you that what He has promised will come to pass. Nothing can separate you from this everlasting love of your Loving Father.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, indeed you are worthy of my love, praise and adoration. Thank You for Your unconditional and unchanging love for me. Father, please show me how I can express my love for You. I pray, loving Father, that with the help of Your Spirit, I will be able to comprehend how wide and long and high and deep is Your love. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

I Am The Good Shepherd

I'll go after the lost, I'll collect the strays, I'll doctor the injured, I'll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they're not exploited.

[Ezekiel 34:16, MSG]

When the Israelites were scattered, became exposed and vulnerable, and the leaders God placed over them could not take care of them, God had to step in. In His love and compassion, God reached out to His sheep to protect them and bring all of them back together. 

Your Loving Father is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is unchangable. Today He still looks for His children to protect them.

Have you wandered from the ways of God? Do you find yourself sometimes lost and helpless in your walk with God? Your Loving Father will go after you to bring you back home. Do you hurt physically or emotionally? Your Loving Father will comfort you and heal you. Are you weak or weary? Your Loving Father will strengthen you and build you up. Are you strong and doing well? Your Loving Father will oversee you and protect you so that will not be exploited.

Your Loving Father, the Good Shepherd, is still searching for and calling on His sheep that they may come together and experience restoration. Hear His voice today and follow Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for having Your eyes on me and You are so mindful of me. Lord, I am blessed to have a Father who loves me, protects me, comforts me, strengthens me and desires the best for me. Thank You, Faithful Father. I pray, Father, that I may hear and heed Your voice which gives direction, affirmation, conviction, reproof, and comfort. Help me to surrender fully to You. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.