Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Ability to Produce Wealth

When you have eaten and are satisfied praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.  Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.  Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery…. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.  (Deuteronomy 8:10-14; 17-18 NIV)

It is God who gives us the ability to make or produce wealth.  The Holy Spirit is our Enabler all throughout our Christian experience.  He causes us to succeed.  It is the same in the business arena.  God gives us the ability or power or anointing to produce wealth.  We have the Lords favor; we have His supernatural ability.  God desires to bless us, but His blessing does not come without His warning.
First, we are admonished to observe the Lord’s commands.  We are to obey the words of Scripture.  When we do this, God promises to bless the work of our hands. This does not mean that we live perfect lives - it simply means that our hearts desire is to serve the Lord.  When we fall, He picks us up.  He helps us to follow His decrees.  
Secondly, we are told that when our Father gives us increased wealth, we are not to become proud.  We must watch our hearts and always remember that it is the Lord who brings the blessing. 
Thirdly, we must remember that finances are not only for ourselves.  We have been blessed to be a blessing and to help carry out kingdom business (See Genesis 12:2-3).  We are to give towards the work of our local church first and then to other Christian ministries as we are able.  The more God increases our wealth, the more we should be giving towards the Lord’s purposes.
If we are diligent, if we make it our aim to obey the Bible, if we extend our faith in the area of scriptural prosperity, and give to the Lord’s work, God will bless us.  Then it becomes our responsibility to remember that all the blessings we enjoy come from the hand of our Lord and Savior.  He alone is to be worshiped and praised.  Let’s thank the Lord for giving us the ability to produce wealth!

Friday, April 18, 2014

He is Risen!

An innocent man
Condemned to hang on a tree
A righteous soul – pure and holy

Tortured as a criminal
Yet without sin
But He became sin for us
So that we could be made righteous in Him

He was whipped for our healing
Bruised and scarred for our liberty
Blood flowed down upon the cross
On to the ground
Where the serpent writhed in glee

Jesus cried out it is finished
And the sun hid it's face
Just as the Father hid His
They buried him in the tomb
A large stone was set in place
Sealing the entrance of the sepulcher

On the third day, the stone was rolled away
Brilliant light streamed from that tomb
Christ came forth with victory in his gaze
From the dead He had been raised

The serpent screamed in horror, his muscles grew numb
His head now bruised beyond recognition.

Glory to God in the Highest!
He is Risen!
This One they had condemned to death
Has set the captives free!

This One has ransomed you and me!

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Your Blessing

You bless us richly as we trust in You
Your faithfulness always comes on through
Abundance drips upon Your narrow road
You carry our every single load

As we give to others, You give to us
Your blessing flows - in You we can trust
Nothing is impossible to You
We will walk by faith; Your word for us
Will come true

Like faithful Abraham we are
Blessed to be a blessing
Extending God’s kingdom near and far 

Help us Lord to follow Your commands
And to see You prosper everything we hold in our hands

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Cultivating Ears to Hear and Eyes to See

...He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they to not recognize a stranger's voice.” John 10:3-5 NIV

Our God is not mute nor is He absent. The Lord is our Shepherd, and He speaks to us. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us. He is kind and loving and He desires to communicate with us every single day. When we read the Bible, we saturate ourselves with His words. Many times He will speak directly to us through the Scriptures, but He also chooses to speak to us through His still small voice in our hearts. We can cultivate an ear to hear what He is saying. We can learn to see His vision within our hearts. He often will show us pictures that convey a particular meaning.

God is not dead; He is very much alive and He desires to talk to us. Paul said regarding prophecy that the words given should edify, exhort, and comfort the listener (1 Corinthians 14:3). This is a pattern for how God speaks to us personally as well. God's Spirit does not bring confusion or condemnation (1 Corinthians 14:33, Romans 8:1); these are from the evil one. God always speaks the truth in love. He does correct us at times, but He does so in a way that affirms our dignity.

Many have found that a good way to hear from God is through journaling. When I journal, I simply write my prayers down and listen for the Lord's response. I then write down what I believe He is saying to me (See Habakkuk 2:1-3). We can first write down what we are hearing and seeing and then test it afterwards. One of the ways to recognize God's voice is to determine if it is accompanied by peace in our hearts (Colossians 3:15). Again God's words to us will always edify, exhort, and/or comfort us. When we are discerning whether what we hear is from God, it is important to test it with Scripture. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth; everything He says to us will line up with the Bible. We can simply throw out anything that does not pass these tests, without feeling guilty that we did not hear from God clearly. Like a baby who is learning to walk, we will stumble. The Lord is always there to pick us up. He encourages us to try and try again.


Are you hungry for more of God? Do you desire to grow in intimacy with Him? Learn to cultivate ears to hear what God is saying and eyes to see Him. You will find that God is closer to you than you had ever thought possible.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

I Found You

Here are the lyrics to a song I wrote for Lou my wife.  April 7th is the anniversary of the day I proposed to her.  I love you Lou!


© Copyright 2014 by Tom Toyaas



I Found You


I walked a lonely road feeling out of place.

I watched the years roll by, looking for her face.

I asked my Lord to bring someone to my life.

I trusted Jesus to bless me with a wife.

Chorus

I found you, I found you, I found you girl. (2x)


You are my angel in disguise. A beautiful surprise.

A gift from God above. An expression of His love.

Thank You Jesus.


The two became one. Vessels of His love.

With Jesus in between, we live the victory.

Though sometimes we fall, God loves us through it all.

I am so grateful that I found you.