January 6th Reading
Hello friends!
I am excited to welcome you over to www.heatherbaxter.com this New Year! God is expanding His dreams that He placed in my heart long ago.
On the right hand side of the web sites homepage you will notice a link that will take you directly to this years bible readings. I know this will be easier for many of my readers. I listened to many comments all year long and our goal was to make it cleaner and more easy with the click of a finger for you to access Gods word. My blogs will continue to follow the reading daily.
Enjoy and please give me your feedback!
TODAY'S DAILY DEVOTION is one of my favorites! I can barely contain myself as I write this morning or maybe it was the cup of coffee I had...LOL!
Anyhow...as I was watching the daily news very early this morning a story came across my path and it linked perfectly with today's bible reading.
A homeless man in Ohio had a DREAM/VISION and was discovered!
This man KNEW he had broadcasting gift with his voice. I have the video attached below...notice that he states in the middle of his talk that drug and alcohol got in his way and stole the opportunities and his prosperity's.
This story connected with today's daily reading in Matthew 5 :29 when Jesus makes a striking remark. "If your right eye cause you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than your whole body to be cast into hell."
What in the world was Jesus talking about?
Luckily for us, Jesus was not speaking literally otherwise we would look like a bunch of pirates running around! He is not talking about a physical eye because our physical eye does not directly cause us to sin.
Jesus is referring to the way WE SEE LIFE. If our attitudes, or outlooks and the way we view our future causes us to compromise, to quit or to sin we need TO CHANGE IT!
Jesus is trying to help us understand the vital importance of our VISION and seeing in the natural realm and the spiritual realm.
OUR EYES CONTROL OUR LIFE!
The enemy, who is the devil understands this. He knows if he can keep us from our God given dreams He wins! He can keep us focused on failures, SINS, mistakes, pasts, or anything else negative he can hinder our dreams and visions.
This verse teaches us to PLUCK OUT OUR EYE which is causing us to sin or shrink back from Gods visions. We need to get serious about the promises of God.
It is possible to CHANGE and see the future with GOD all over it and His will being done.
However, we need to make a choice to change and move forward with God. He is the only one with the ingredient's to make your dreams come true.
Ted had a vision with his voice from day one. He could close his eyes and see a prosperous person. His vision was a DRIVING FORCE that helped push him past his sins and failures. I see God giving him a second chance and springing him into something NEW for 2011. He was not standing on the side of the road with a sign that said "I'll work for money" His sign was DECLARING HIS VISION.
A vision is powerful.
We can remain homeless or we can allow our vision to Help pluck out our sin. In the passage of Matthew it was referring to the sin of ADULTERY. A sin that originates in the heart and mind of a man or women. This sin will kill like a cold steel blade. I have experienced this pain in my marriage.
HOWEVER, the positive vision of what could and should be that I did have when I was homeless in my marriage restored us to the DREAMS God had planned.
Plucking takes work and demands choices and changes, with Gods help all things are possible.
If we do not "pluck it out" the sin or stronghold will drive us to feeling homeless. And guess what...everyone has a stronghold. I certainly know the areas God is pointing out in my life and I will work with God on plucking them out. The devil will not DESTROY GODS DREAMS!
Lets not wait till we are homeless in our families, dreams, ministries, relationships, marriages and past mistakes lets focus on our faith and learn to meditate on a vision of what could and should be.
God has a plan for you my friends!
Hold your hands up high and look up to God and say "I want your DREAMS and VISIONS for my life, please help me to see you at work."
Finally write your visions down and claim what is in your heart!
Keep the faith,
Heather
