Weekly Devotional for Week of October 17th

[Rev. Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks, PsyD]

Here is the link for the devotional for next week; have a blessed week with the Lord and remember, He is coming soon so we must be ready when He comes. Let's not be like the five foolish virgins, trying to get oil for their lamps when the Bridegroom had come; they ended up being kept out of the marriage feast. Let us get our oil in our lamps NOW! Let us prepare for His coming NOW before He arrives because when He comes, we cannot get ready, we must already be ready.

This is what this series on forgiveness (and every series God has me to teach) is about; getting yourself ready for the coming of our King, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must be ready ourselves before we can help someone else (the lost) get ready. Let us not get somebody else ready and they make it and we be left behind; that will be a sad day.

So let us make up in our minds, TODAY, that we are going to clean OUR spiritual house, and get all that junk, that clutter, those things which keep us looking behind, those things which keep us from selling completely out to God and His will, those things that are so easily to beset us and cause us to keep sinning over and over again, etc. Get rid of everything in your life that is not like God; everything that does not look like Jesus; it is time to let it all go; it is not worth you losing your soul over. And not only your soul, what about all the people God has assigned to your hand? They too will be lost if you do not witness to them and minister to them as God has required you to do and their blood will be on your hand. It is time out for our agenda and it is time for us to be about God's agenda. As I talk to you, I am the first partaker of this word; so I am talking to myself too.

We can do this! All we have to do is make up in our minds, for God I live and for God I die. As Esther said, "If I perish, let me perish, I am going to see the King." We must make up in our minds this day that we are going to see the King; we going to become more Kingdom minded and obey God's every word. There is no way we are going to walk in the supernatural things of God when we cannot even follow His simple instructions; for instance paying our tithes and giving and offering pleasing to God. These are basic things that we as ministers of God are definitely supposed to do. How can we lead others when we are walking in disobedience to what God told us to do in Malachi 3? We cannot decide what we are going to obey and not obey in the Word; we must eat the whole roll. I know this is not about unforgiveness but this is what God told me to write to you this morning. I was just going to put the link for next week's devotional for God said to write this and I am obeying. We must pay our tithes and offerings and then we will be blessed; spiritually and naturally.

Today is the day of the renewing of your minds; only you can decide to do what is right in the sight of God. Therefore, I suggest you choose life and live; choose to do what is right in the sight of God. Pay ALL your tithes and ask Him what you are supposed to give in the offering. God knows what your needs are, he knows your mortgage, rent, light bill, etc. is do and if you obey Him, He will provide for you. Support your local church to the best of your ability and God will bless you for it; that is where you are getting fed the Word of God. Obey the man and woman of God that God has set over you and you will be bless tremendously; when you rebel against them, you are really rebelling against God so please don't do it, you are only bring a curse on you and your household. We must just do what is right in the sight of God, I cannot stress this enough.

God loves you'll and He wants the best for His people but He cannot bless you when you are disobedient and rebelling against those who He put in authority over you. If you don't want to come under subjection the ones God put over you, it is better that you leave, otherwise you will be cursed. Again these are not my words but this is what God is telling me to write and I will be obedient to Him so don't get offended with me; you can seek God for yourself and He will reveal to you where you are and what you need to do to come out.

Today, God has sent me to you as His representative "to heal the brokenhearted (with His Word and by His power), to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn" (Isa 61:1-2).

NOW, not tomorrow (if you open yourselves up to Him), God is consoling those who mourn in Zion; He is giving them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified (Isa 61:3).

Then afterwards, you shall rebuild the old ruins, you shall raise up the former desolations, you shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations (Isa 61:4).

God is restoring or replacing for you the years that the locust has eaten--the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, His great army which H sent among you. He is causing you to eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And God's people shall never be put to shame. You shall know, understand, and realize that God is in the midst of Israel and that He the Lord is your God and there is none else. Again, God's people shall never be put to shame (Joel 25-27). Here God is speaking to Israel but we are Gentiles and has been grafted in so this promise belongs to us too; Jesus died for all who will accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior - God has not a respecter of persons - the Word says whosoever will, let them come.

I pray that God will heal your hearts, soul which includes YOUR will, emotions and mind, and heal every area of your lives that needs to be healed. I also pray that God will restore every area of your lives that has been torn down; this prayer is also for my Jewish brothers and sisters, in Jesus' mighty name, Amen.

NOW here is the link to next week's devotional:).

Shalom,

Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks

October 17th Weekly Devotional.pdf