JehovahJirehMinistries8

“Declaring the Year of the Lord’s Favor”

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2008 ISSUE ONE

Declaring the Year of the Lord’s Favor-Isaiah 61:1-3

Isaiah 61, verses 1-3, speaks of a restoration that will take place when God redeems
his people from the grip of sin and sadness. Isaiah prophesies that God will bring
glory to those who mourn and declare freedom to all captives. When I read these
passages I get excited that God not only wants to redeem us for our here and now
splendor, but promote us to His eternal splendor as well.

The passage reads: 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord
has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness
Inside this
issue:
for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of
vengeance of our God, to comfort those who mourn, 3 and provide for those who
Cover Story— grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of
Isaiah 61:1-3
gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Weekly They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of
Scriptures—pg. 3
His splendor. (NIV)
Entertain the
Devil...No What is it about us that stirs our Father in heaven’s heart so much? It isn’t anything
More—pg. 4 that we did, rather, who God is. As believer’s, we have unlimited access to his love
and grace (unmerited favor). When we were sinners, God had already planned
From the
how He would redeem us from ourselves. Truly we needed a Savior, and that
Heart…A
Writer’s Savior is Jesus Christ.
Editorial—pg. 6
When God began to reveal His vision for this ministry, needless to say, I was
floored! I saw myself to be totally unworthy and not nearly good enough to
minister His words to others. Well, I can say now, “The devil is a liar”! God has
not only given me the words, He has also provided every resource available to
bring those who desire to know Him more intimately, closer to the throne of grace.
God’s vision is to minister to the wounded and brokenhearted; the lost and lonely;
those who have drifted away from His presence and outside the realm of His favor.
God’s heart is especially for those who’ve never known Him. God is calling those
individuals to come and be forgiven of their sin, and seek Him who has such an
abundant love for us all—because He is love. There is no measure to His greatness
and no depth to His understanding (Isaiah 40:28, NLT).

So what does this scripture mean to those who are seeking more? Or to those who
have never sought? After reading Isaiah 61 over and over again, God put specific
words and phrases from the scripture in my spirit to elaborate on. There’s so much
more to be desired in His word, and I want to see a multitude of blessings overflow
in all of your lives by the reading of these passages.

Brokenhearted-is defined as being overcome by grief or despair. God wants to

shower us with His love. He is the God of second chances. Sometimes when we go
through circumstances it’s hard to believe that anyone cares, let alone a God that
loves us unconditionally. In the natural we face so many challenges and heartaches.
We often look for earthly heroes that never come, and then… there is Jesus Christ—
The Son of God—who wants to take all sin from us and have a right relationship
with us, but instead of giving Him our whole heart, we hide our hearts from the
 “DECLARING THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR”

very One who loves us most of all. God wants to mend our hearts and overflow a multitude of
blessings in our lives. When we begin to turn to the world to give us a “quick fix”, the issues in our
hearts cause us to become depressed, anxious, and often distant from others, and especially from our
God (Proverbs 4:23 KJV). This is a major tactic of the enemy. Satan feels if he can divide God’s people,
then he’s free to reign in our lives. As we conform to the world (Romans 12:2 RSV), the voices of doubt
come in and tell us that no one can love us because of the things we’ve done. Our lives are a mess and
we see no end in sight.

Ref: Psalms 147:3, Proverbs 12:25

Bind up- “to bind” means to: tie up, restrain, and restrict. This is a result of what happens when we
close our hearts and lives off from the “Light of the world”, who came to seek and save what was lost.
(Matt. 18:11 KJV) From the time Jesus came to earth, until He died on the cross, we were lost. The
redemption we received as a result of Jesus’ resurrection, has freed us from a life of sin and sadness.

The children of Israel (Exodus, OT) were in bondage by the Egyptians. Even after God delivered them,
they still displayed an enslaved mindset. God so desperately wanted to have a covenant relationship
with them and create a new nation, His chosen people, however, they couldn’t get past their own need
for convenience. Moses, whom God had chosen to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, and take them to
the promised land “flowing with milk and honey”, quickly became an image for the people of Israel to
judge, for not getting them there fast enough. As they murmured and complained, their journey
became longer and harder. There is a lesson to be learned here…even though the Israelites were free;
they were still in spiritual bondage. The point is this, we may be free from physical bondage, yet, still be
in bondage of the mind-- distant from God’s love.

Ref: Matthew 16:19

Sovereign-is defined as ruler with supreme power; a monarch. Our God is Sovereign. He is the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords. He is the God that created the entire universe, with his mighty hand, and
breathed life into Man. He is the One above all things here on Earth and in Heaven, yet we minimize
Him when we value our lives so little. God cares about every “little” detail of our existence, because He
created us. Such an awesome God, he took the time to create the earth, the stars, the moon, etc. He is
the Ruler of all, great and small; above and below and everything in between.

Crown of Beauty-the crown is symbolic of the reward that we will receive in Heaven. Though we
receive rewards here on earth, its nothing like the reward we’ll get when we go to be with God. Its
God’s way of saying…”Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matt. 25:21). Beauty also means
“adornment”. God sees us as beautiful and most precious in His sight. When He looks at us there is no
stain, no ugliness. We are His children mirrored in his image—even when we feel as though we’ve
missed the mark; God’s love never waivers for us.

Oil of Gladness-In the Old Testament times, oil was used for anointing for different occasions. The oil
symbolized the joy that came with such events as, weddings, baptisms, or even the birth of a child. The
oil represents a cleansing that takes place when you come into the kingdom of God. When we accept
Christ as our Lord and Savior, He pours is love into our hearts and our bodies become a living sacrifice
for Him.

Garment of Praise-here we are not talking about a literal piece of clothing or material, instead; a
spiritual garment we “put on”, as a result of walking in the way of the Lord. There is a newness that

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 Weekly Devotionals: Pray and meditate on “one” scripture per week, and begin
to see the power of God move in your life. Be blessed!

Week of:

August 1-9
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love of a sound
mind. (II Timothy 1:7, KJV)

August 10-16
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139: 23-24, NIV)

August 17-23
Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4: 6, RS)

August 24-31
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and
it will be yours. (Mark 11:24, RS)

September 1-6
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without
sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NIV)

September 7-13
Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2, RS)

September 14-20
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(James 4:7, NIV)

September 21-27
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:7, NIV)

September 28-October 4
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10, NIV)

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 Praise God to whom all Blessings flow...

October 5-11
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16, RS)

October 12-18
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to
Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek
Him. (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)

October 19-24
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is
not rude, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not de-
light in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres. (I Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV)

October 25-31
Bring the whole tithe in the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test
me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I throw open the floodgates of
heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
(Malachi 3:10, NIV)

Entertain the Devil, No More!

We should never accept those things that
God has not ordained for our lives, such
as: sadness, anger, jealousy, hurt, sexual
desires, drugs, or drinking in excess.
These are considered “blessing blockers”.
Accepting these things are not what God
intended for his
children. We should always be
diligent in seeking him “all” circum-
stances. When we should always make
sure we’re representing His kingdom and
direct reflections of his love for us. “God
is love”!!
When going through circumstances, we
should immediately combat negative
things with the word of God. Turning the
problem over to your Father in heaven
should always come first.
God wants us to solely depend on Him.
He provides a blanket of love and
protection that only a parent can provide.
He is our Father and He knows us so well.
God wants us to come to Him broken and
wounded, so that he can release his love
upon us and cleanse our hearts, minds,
and spirit. Being broken before him is the
only way he can work inside of us.
God made you and me righteous
before Him, through his Son, Jesus Christ.
We were not born righteous, God made us
that way. Our Savior
Jesus Christ paid the penalty in order for
us to be righteous in the eyes of God.
—continued on next page—

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 DECLARING THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR-CONT.

takes place in our lives that allows us to shed our old ways and put on something new and permanent—
only through Jesus Christ can this be possible.

Oaks of Righteousness-oaks are considered trees of great strength and are deeply rooted in the earth.
They grow tall and have many branches that extend in every direction. If you’ve ever looked at the base
of an oak tree, you can see how big it is around. In the natural, we would look at the oak tree as some-
thing that could crush a car or a house, if it fell down. What does this mean in the spiritual realm? Eve-
rything! When we come into the love of God, we get established in a church, we study the scriptures,
praise/worship, and begin to allow God to develop our character. God wants us to grow spiritually.
And as we grow, there’s an exchange that takes place between us and the Father—as we begin to praise
and worship God, He gives us grace and shows us His love and mercy (Romans 5:8). We should al-
ways want to be in right-standing with the Father. When we demonstrate obedience walking with God,
the Kingdom of Heaven will be opened to us. In order to live according to God’s will and walk in his
promises, we must be deeply rooted (standing firm) in His word and allow Him to work on us from the
inside-to-the-outside.

Display of His Splendor-We are what God created and Jesus has redeemed. The greatness of God will
show us, by the showering of His love being poured on us and in us, through the resurrecting power of
Jesus Christ, Our Savior. We are God’s most precious children. Though we often fall short, God’s love
sustains us to take us from glory-to-glory (2 Corinthians 3:18 ASV).

—Entertain...Continued--

A great exchange took place that day on Calvary.

Jesus exchanged himself for us; He tore the veil.
In that moment , we possessed direct access to the
Father. When we accept Christ into our hearts, the
Holy Spirit is able to come in and bestow on us all
the blessings that God has for us.

When your world seems like its upside down, when

sadness and hurt are taking over your life, or you’re
feeling like your faith in God is shaken...
remember... “entertain the devil, no more”! There is
an anointing on each and every one of our lives. If you are born again believer and
filled with the Holy Spirit, the blessing is yours.

Take your request to God, whatever the issue; or circumstance and declare it over your
life that, “I am not a victim, I am a child of God and the devil is a liar”. Entertain the
devil no more!

To God be the glory. Let His love shower you in abundance, until the blessings over-
flow in your life. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

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 From the Heart...A Writer’s Editorial

There is nothing like waking up in the morning and having quiet time with your Heavenly
Father. For the past eight months, this has been my everyday life. When God needs our
undivided attention, He knows just how to get it. Our God is a jealous God. Some of you
may not understand this statement; however, it is a true one. God wants to be #1 in our
lives! He wants us to spend time in His presence and personally…There’s nothing like it.

Every morning I awake at 5 o’clock to take my husband to work; he has to be there by 6

am. I’m usually home by 6:15. Once I get home, I look at my calendar, to see if I have
anything planned. If not, that means time alone with God. Sometimes I put on some
Praise and Worship music and dance around the house, or I’ll get on my computer to do
some reading or writing. I have some Christian music programmed on my computer,
which allows me to listen, while I sit and read my devotionals, pray or meditate. There are
also those times when I’m just quiet in His presence. Quite honestly…”that’s my favorite”.
My time with God varies, especially with what I do in that time. It is so awesome to be in
relationship with a God who doesn’t have a schedule for spending time with His children.

Truth Note: In today’s society, people are so consumed with things in the natural realm
that we tend to worry more about situations and circumstances we can do nothing about,
and put those things in front of God. Think about it…if we would be willing to make God
the center of our lives, those issues wouldn’t be issues anymore!

Do you ever notice that when you start your day and don’t put God at the forefront, your
day just doesn’t feel right? I couldn’t imagine starting my day without quiet time with the
Father. Though everyday is different, the result is the same. The bible says…”His mercies
are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). I don’t know about you, but I look
forward to going to bed at night just so I wake up again to spend time in God’s presence.
By no means do I waste my day trying to rush to the next; I take every day as it comes and
I thank God for every “little” and “big” thing that comes my way. With God, everyday is
an adventure! And that’s from the Heart…

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 In Loving Memory of

Bishop Charles Ashley Craig, III

Sunrise Sunset
December 22, 1947 July 5, 2008
 Vision Statement:

“JJM8 is all about bringing the word of God front and center into
the lives of people. We do not just minister to the believer, but
to the unbeliever. We want everyone to know the true love of
God and “all” His kingdom has to offer”.

Coming in November…

There will be a featured book, DVD, and/or CD

of the quarter, with an in-depth synopsis of
that resource. There will be links available to
purchase these resources for yourself. JJM8
will have limited resources available, so we are
encouraging you to support the individuals
who supply us with resources. Whatever your
spiritual need, God has you covered.