DIG for Thursday the 30th of May………it pleased God to crush Him for you…..Isaiah 53 v 10

If you are ever in any doubt as to how much God loves you, you really should read and meditate upon Isaiah 53 v 10.

Isaiah 53 is a passage of scripture that talks about the work that Jesus would do when He came.

It talks about His death on the cross to deal with the issue separating man from God.

It talks of a brutal and horrific death.

It talks of what Jesus would do for you.

And in verse 10 it tells us that this would please God; it would please God to bruise Jesus in the process of saving you.

Bruise is a horrific word in the Hebrew and is much more than simply causing a bruise; it means to crush, to break, to shatter.

My friend, this passage is saying that it pleased God to crush and shatter His only begotten Son in order to bring about your redemption and freedom.

It pleased God to utterly destroy the body of Jesus on the cross for you.

God must really love you!

He does and he loves me; He loves all men equally and He crushed Jesus because of this love.

What love; what awesome and amazing love.

Focus on that today and let it seep deep into your understanding and heart; an understanding of His love will change your life for the better.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you love me; that you love me enough to crush your Son Jesus”.

Isaiah 53 v 10…..Yet it please the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand

DIG for Wednesday the 29th of May…..what Jesus began we are to carry on…..Acts 1 v 1

No believer seriously disputes the fact that we need to continue teaching today all that Jesus taught when He was on the earth.

We however get into debate when some say that we cannot or should not do the other things that He did.

Many believe that miracles and wonders finished with the death of the apostles.

I do not believe that this is the case; we can do what Jesus did in terms of miracles, signs and wonders.

In fact we are told by Jesus to do greater things (in terms of numerical greatness) than He did (John 14 v 12).

Jesus was talking about His believers in this verse and I believe that this includes you and I.

The writer of Acts also wrote the gospel of Luke, where he described what Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1 v 1).

Began talks to me of something started and carrying on; His teaching and miracles were to continue.

We see them continuing in Acts however we also should see them in the world today.

It does not say at the end of Acts that what began is now finished!

We can agree that His teaching is to continue; we need to agree that His miracles, signs and wonders also should continue.

We continue on the teaching that He began and we also need to continue operating in the supernatural (with the power of the Holy Spirit) that He also began.

Signs and wonders point people to Jesus (John 20 v 30 and 31); people still need to be pointed towards Jesus today.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the power and authority from you, required to perform signs and wonders in the world today”.

Acts 1 v 1…..The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to both do and teach

DIG for Tuesday the 28th of May…..want to prosper in all that you do; read on…..Psalm 1 v 3

I wrote in a recent DIG about the key to success being the Word of God (as described in Joshua 1 v 8).

I make no excuse in writing a very similar DIG tonight based on another powerful passage of scripture.

I don’t know about you but I want to prosper and be a success; it is a great testimony to see believers prosper and be successful.

The start of Psalm 1 gives us a model to follow in order to not wilt but instead produce fruit; the definition of success and prosperity in this context (Psalm 1 v 3).

Verse 1 and 2 explain the model; delight in and meditate upon the Word of God; an exact model that we have already seen in Joshua 1 v 8.

The Word of God, meditated upon and understood, is the agent of positive change in your life.

Time, effort and diligence is required from you, however I can promise (and testify from personal experience) that is is worth it.

The Word, renewing your mind, will see you transformed for the better and not conformed to this carnal world (Romans 12 v 2).

The Word is literally Gd breathed and able to prepare you and change you for a fruitful life in His Kingdom (2 Timothy 3 v 16 and 17).

The Word of God is perfect; willing and able to germinate and become fruitful if planted into your heart and given time and effort.

The Word is described as an incorruptible seed in 1 Peter 1 v 23.

Given the right conditions and time you cannot be failed to be changed for the better by His Word.

This truth is a promise of God.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your mighty and powerful Word”.

Psalm 1 v 3………And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper

DIG for Monday the 27th of May…..your wings are within you already…..Romans 12 v 2

Romans 12 v 2 is the important verse in scripture that talks about how a Christian can be changed.

We are changed or transformed by the renewing or changing of our mind; we change our lives by changing how we think.

Many believers look to external things to enable a change process; for example looking to God to do something.

God, through Jesus, has done all that He needs to do.

We have all we need in our born again spirit for life and godliness (2 Peter 1 v 3).

We need to renew our minds to this truth in our spirit to see it flow into our bodies to enable change.

I was reminded today that a caterpillar has all it needs inside it to become a butterfly; it does not need anything from outside of itself to be transformed.

The wings that enable a butterfly to soar comes from within.

All you need to soar in life is already within you in your born again spirit.

Renew your mind and be transformed; renew your mind and soar.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I have all I need for life and godliness already inside me”

Romans 12 v 2…..And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

DIG for Sunday the 26th of May…..you are made righteous…..Romans 5 v 19

You cannot become righteous through your works; you are made righteous.

There are no stages or degrees of righteousness; you are either righteous or you are not.

This is the truth that is made very clear in Romans chapter 5.

The actions of one man caused sin to enter the world (Romans 5 v 12).

The actions of another man has dealt with sin (Romans 5 v 9).

The actions of one man resulted in all men being born sinners (Romans 5 v 12).

The actions of another man resulted in the choice to be born again with the result that men can be born into righteousness.

Let me tell you a wonderful truth; you are neither of these men.

You did not sin to become a sinner; you were born into sin.

You could not do any works to become righteous; you are born again into righteousness.

As you put you trust and faith in Jesus and His finished work you were made righteous (2 Corinthians 5 v 21).

Stop trying to make yourself right before God; His finished work and your faith in Him makes you as acceptable to God as you will ever be.

Rest in His finished work.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Romans 5 v 19…..For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous

DIG for Saturday the 25th of May……the Red Sea destroying the enemy; what a picture…….Exodus 15 v 19

In the meeting this morning I had a wonderful revelation about the finished work of Jesus.

Wendell was teaching about the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea.

If they looked back they would have seen the enemy destroyed by the Red Sea and would have been encouraged.

I saw this as a picture of encouragement for us today.

Sometimes we feel as if we are in a wilderness being chased by an enemy.

But our enemy has also been destroyed.

The enemy of sin, death and bondage was completely destroyed by another “red sea”; the blood of Jesus.

The blood of Jesus is like a tidal wave of a red sea, smashing and destroying the power of the enemy over us.

Ok, we are still in a few battles, but the enemy is utterly defeated.

I don’t know about you, but that encourages me.

The finished work of Jesus Christ has set us free.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Exodus 15 v 19…..for the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea

DIG for Friday the 24th of May….want the secret to success; read on…..Joshua 1 v 8

At Grace and Faith this evening we were given a great message about the way to success in our lives.

The word success is used once in scripture; here in Joshua 1 v 8.

The key to success in your life is the Word of God.

We need to meditate on the Word night and day.

We need to speak the Word above all else.

But this will take effort you may say; yes and time and diligence.

As I was reminded last night, this effort will be worth it.

As you understand the Word you will be transformed through the renewing of your mind (Romans 12 v 2).

Your life will change for the better as you soften your heart through the Word of God (Proverbs 4 v 23).

The Word of God is the agent of change in your life; let the Holy Spirit give you revelation of His Word as you spend time in the scriptures today.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your mighty Word”.

Joshua 1 v 8…..this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success

DIG for Thursday the 23rd of May…..justification by faith, how can you believe anything else…..Romans 5 v 1

Romans 5 is an awesome passage of scripture and it starts with a simple verse.

This verse is so simple that, (as Andrew Wommack says), you will need someone to help you misunderstand it.

Justification is to render just or innocent, to free; it means to give complete, absolute and unconditional forgiveness.

We are not justified through any of our works.

We are justified through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

That is the clear message from Romans 5 v 1.

We are now at peace with God because of Jesus’ work and not ours; this is wonderful as our works could never make us right before God.

Jesus’ work is enough for your justification and forgiveness (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

Rest in His finished work and do not strive for anything from God; do not let any man tell you that you have to work to receive from God.

If they tell you that you need to do anything they are saying that the finished work of Jesus is actually the not quite finished work.

You receive all by grace through faith in His finished work.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ”

DIG for Wednesday the 22nd of May…..all religion is dangerous; including Christian religion…..Colossians 2 v 8

I write this DIG tonight with a heavy heart having seen religion rear its ugly head once again in the news coverage on my computer.

An innocent person is killed in London, with a family and community devastated, because of religion.

God is blamed for a natural weather disaster in Oklahoma, because of religion.

Christian religion, in my opinion, is just as bad as all other religions.

True Christianity is a relationship and not a religion.

Religion is all about what man has to do to reach God, while Christianity is all about God reaching out to man through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

True Christianity is all about Jesus and not about us; religion is all about what you have to do.

Paul warns us against the Christian form of religion in Colossians 2 v 8, saying it can spoil us.

This means to steal and take away as in the spoils of war; the enemy wants to steal you with his lies that are displayed as religion.

If anything is not of Christ or involves a work from you in order to reach or receive from God, then that is religion.

It may look holy and good, but if it is a requirement for you to come to God or be blessed by God, beware; it is religion.

Watch out for religion and big it a big side step; rest in Jesus and in His finished work instead.

Speak this out today……”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Colossians 2 v 8…..Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ

DIG for Tuesday the 21st of May…..it is not about doing; it is all about done…..Hebrews 10 v 12

Christianity is not about you doing things, irrespective of what the mainstream church will tell you.

Christianity is not about you praying and fasting and working. Yes, you may do these things but it is not what Christianity is all about.

Christianity is all about what Jesus has done; not about what you have to do.

You are reconciled to God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5 v 18).

You are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

You can be made righteous because of the work of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5 v 21).

Christianity is all about what has been done; it is all about Jesus.

But don’t we now have work to do Vic?

Yes, you do; your work is to believe on Jesus (John 6 v 29).

Isn’t that wonderful; Jesus says your only required work is to believe on Him.

If you do this, and only this, you will do more “good works” by accident than you ever did on purpose.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Hebrews 10 v 12…..But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God