August 10: The God of the Payback

And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” (Exodus 3:21, 22 NKJV).

One of the names of God is Jehovah Gmolah, the God of recompense or retribution. He is also called the judge of the universe. As a judge, He balances the equation of life. Harvests are linked to seed, compensation is appropriate for the investment, demand for restoration of what is stolen will follow the extortion, secret sin will be found out and exposed. It may take a long time but every action will meet its reward or punishment. 

Such is the case in our text today. Egypt had oppressed the people of Israel for over 400 years, utilizing their labor without compensation. Now God had come to demand their freedom and along with that, their payback for those years of unpaid labors. It was time for justice. The Egyptians were to be plundered by the Israelites and the spoil would be silver, gold, and clothing. They would not go empty-handed. God  would ensure that by His majestic power. He is the God of compensation. He will repay the oppressor and restore to the oppressed. 

If God did this for His people Israel, He will do more for you, His child, when you trust Him. He will be the faithful judge in your affairs. He will maintain your cause and your lot.  You wouldn't have to take matters into your own hands. He will ensure payback and justice in every area of injustice in your life. It is written, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19 NKJV). 

 He wants to give you double for your troubles. He will ensure the pay for your labor. He will fill your empty hands. For some time,  it may look as if injustice is reigning, that you are losing out or that you have been forgotten. However, in due season, things will balance out. The oppressive person will pay. Every earthly master, will have to account to the Heavenly Master of all. The overbearing boss will be fired. Your secret seeds will come into the open. Your compensation will come from God.

So trust today that the God of recompense is maintaining your lot. Your troubles will be compensated. Restoration will come for what was forcefully taken from you. Your service and sacrifice in the kingdom, unseen by men's eyes or unappreciated by men has not escaped the eyes of God. Your payday is coming, accompanied by payback. 


Decision of the Day

I understand that God is the righteous judge of the earth. He balances the equation of life. He repays. He will maintain my rights. Everything that was wrongfully taken from me will be restored by Him. Today, I decide to put my faith in the God of recompense. He will deal to me my deserved  wages in life. 

August 5: A Message from I AM

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:14 NKJV)

I AM. Not I Was. 
I AM the the God of the now. I dwell in the ever now
I AM not bound by time. I made it
The clock does not tick on me.
Age does not creep on me.
The sun does not set on me. I set it.
I am never late. 
I AM the one who is ever there. 

I AM the Ancient of Days. 
From eons to eons I AM, everlasting, eternal, with no beginning and no end. 
Yesterday, today and forever are one and now to me. 
I see the end, the beginning and the middle all at once.
I AM the alpha and the omega,  the beginning and the ending, the first and the last, the one who was, who is and who is to come. 

I AM eternal. Before all was, I AM
When all is done and gone, I AM

Some say, does God exist?
But I AM existence itself
By me all exist and consist

Some say, it is reasonable that there must be a God
For everything must have a cause.
But I AM Reason itself
I AM not just a cause. I AM Cause. The First Cause

I AM the Rhyme of Nature
The Rhythm of Creation
The Order of the Universe
Woven in creation are my invisible attributes

The thunder speaks of my power
The mountains talk of my majesty
The winds blow like my Spirit 
The conscience relate my laws
The order and the complexity of nature speak of my wisdom
Your quest for something higher, sublime and ethereal is the reaching out of your heart for me
For I put eternity in you.

I AM Everything
I fill all in all with my fulness
Yet I AM separate from all
I AM somewhere and everywhere
In you and in with you 
I AM Compassion and Justice
Provider and Provision
Sender and Goer
Savior and Salvation
 
I AM all you will ever need me to be 
Because I AM, you are!

So, today, rejoice that I AM
For those that come to me must believe I AM
And a Rewarder of those who diligently seek me
Who know that I AM who I say I AM
And that I AM all they will ever need.


Decision of the Day

I believe He is the I AM. He is the God not bound by time, the eternal one.  He is everything and all I would ever want or need. Because He is I am. I will worship Him and seek Him diligently.

August 3: The Seven "I AMs of Jesus"

"Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you." (Exodus 3:13-14 NKJV)

God introduces Himself  to Moses by another name here, YHWH. The meaning of this Hebrew is commonly rendered as, "I AM", "I AM THAT I AM", "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE", "I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I SHALL PROVE TO BE", "I SHALL PROVE TO BE", “I WILL BE THAT I WILL BE” or “I WILL BECOME WHATSOEVER I PLEASE”

The name reveals the self-existence of God. He is "Being", without any cause. He is existence itself. The name is a sentence containing a promise, "I will be whoever or whatever I please." That is why in scripture we see the name used as a prefix to many of God's covenant names. For example, Yeshua (Jesus), is YHWH as our savior, YHWH Nissi is Him as our banner and so on.

What is the significance of this name to you? It is a revelation of God to you as the self-existent being who causes everything to be and can reveal Himself or act as whatever He chooses. In other words, in relation to us, He is whatever you need Him to be in His covenant promises. If you need healing, He becomes your physician. If you need provisions, He is your provider. If you need wisdom, He is your wisdom. If you need strength, He becomes the strength of your life. He is your shepherd, righteousness, sanctifier and peace- your all in all. He can be your success in that examination. He can be your marriage strengthener. He can be your business partner. To the widow He is a husband and to the Fatherless a Father. There is no limit to His revelation of Himself. He can be anything He pleases.

Jesus is also the I Am. Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58 NKJV). Check out the following statements from His mouth about who He is to us. 

1. And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35 NKJV)

2. Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12 NKJV)

3. Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. (John 10:7 NKJV)

4. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. (John 10:11 NKJV)

5. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25 NKJV)

6. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6 NKJV)

7. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser...“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:1,5 NKJV)

You should meditate on these seven statements of Jesus today. They speak of his nourishment, care, commitment protection, provisions and empowerment in your life.  Recognize that God is your source. There is nothing in or that will come up in your life that He lacks. He is all you will ever need. He is more than enough. Therefore seek Him only and cast all your cares on Him today.

Decision of the Day

I believe and declare that God is the Great I AM. He is everything to me. I will seek Him only. I will have no other pursuit but Him. Everything needed for my destiny is in Him. He is my sufficiency. 

August 1: Your True Identity

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?  ...Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:11, 13 NKJV) 

There is a great deal of identity crisis going on in many lives today. 

The term identity crisis was coined by the late psychologist, Erik Erikson. He defined identity crisis as a time when one goes through intensive analysis and exploration of different ways of looking at oneself. It is a time of conflict and psychological distress when one seeks a clearer sense of self and an acceptable role in society. A person going through an identity crisis asks himself questions like, “Who am I?”, “What is my role in life?” and “What direction is my life headed?”  And because he is unable to settle on an answer, he goes through consistent unhappiness and experimentations with different definitions of self and sometimes settling with the wrong one.

Moses asks two questions in our text today. The first question was "Who am I?" The second was in essence "Who are you Lord?   These two are questions of identity. The first was about his own identity and the second about God's identity. These two questions are significant because they are questions everyone asks. From the staunch atheist to the fanatically religious, there are raging questions within everyone of what their true identity is. 

Today, we will focus on Moses' first question on his own identity, " Who am I...?

Despite the fact that the answer to who we are is clearly spelt out in the Bible, many believers are uncertain of their identities, roles and places in God’s plan. They usually respond to this crisis in by centering their identities on the wrong things. Here are some false identity centers you may have used or be using:

1. You define ourselves by where you’ve been: To many believers, the sense of identity comes from their natural backgrounds.  They define themselves based on their family backgrounds, racial identities, painful experiences or past sinful lifestyles. 

2. You define ourselves by what you’ve done. This manifests partially as the works syndrome. Many believers believe their identities are based on their records of good deeds and charitable endeavors. Good deeds and involvement in worthwhile causes are good indeed but they are not who we are.

3. You define ourselves by what you have. First, I refer to material possessions here. Many value themselves by their financial net worth. They make the size of their bank accounts or investments the yardstick for measuring their inner worth. Secondly, I refer to physical beauty and physique. Many center their identity on how they look. They feel worthy or unworthy based on their physical looks.

4. You define ourselves by who you know. Another false center of identity is human relationships. Many derive their sense of worth from who they know. A single person may feel the solution to his identity crisis is to hook up with someone in a relationship. Young people in urban communities hook up with gangs to enhance their sense of worth. For others, self-worth is based on the number of friends they have on Facebook, their following on Twitter or the latest stars or idols they’ve met, gotten their autographs or taken pictures with. Marriages and business relationships are entered into with a desire for identity.

5. You let others define you. Nature abhors a vacuum. When you fail to define ourselves, others will define you. Society will take advantage of the identity crisis you face to give you its own identity.

Here's a solution to the crisis.  Cease centering your identity on any of these false centers.  You have to take our eyes of yourself, circumstances, backgrounds or possessions. Instead you should turn your attention to the word of God where God has accurately described you. James likened the word of God to a mirror where you behold yourselves and see the kind of person you are. The word contains the most accurate description of you. God, your maker and the source of your true identity has recorded His thoughts and plans concerning you in His word. 

You must diligently search the word and find yourself in it, believing and boldly proclaiming what you see, like John the Baptist did when he declared boldly to the Pharisees “ I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness” quoting Isaiah 40:3 as his identity in response to their wrong labels of him. Or as Christ did in Luke 4:68 when he opened Isaiah 61 and located himself there. Much is written about you in the word. You should not have an identity crisis. Find yourself in the word.

Decision of the Day

I understand that my identity is in God, not in where I have been, what I have done, what I have, who I know or what others say about me. Christ is my identity. I can find and know myself in the word. I can locate who I am in Christ as I search the bible. I will find myself. I refuse to live by a false identity. I will find my true worth in the word.