Floodgates of Heaven Devotions: God's Voice

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Each Flame has a Name!

Today’s Reading: Psalm 29-30, Acts 23:1-15

Today’s Reflection: Psalm 29:7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

Every flame has a name! Consider Psalm 104:4, which says of our Lord, “Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:” We see here multiple ministers ablaze as from one fire, namely The Lord. That is, these ministers are as the flames which split off the same fire to conduct each their own displays of God’s power and glory.

Just as a fire splits off into multiple flames which gives it its spreading and all-consuming capabilities by which to touch everything in its path, even so God through the power of the Holy Spirit can raise up ministers in like fashion. Ministers which burn from the same source, The Holy Spirit, but who have their unique audiences and assignments to which they are called.

Do not fault the brother who is not bent in the same fashion as you in ministry if he burns from the same source! Are there not many facets to Christ’s Kingdom which need to be addressed. Do not certain people have stronger gifts in particular areas than others? Do not we find that each flaming minister has his own overall emphasis of ministry uniquely his, but uniformly Biblical none the less?

We are indeed to preach the whole councel of God. I believe that simply means that whatever God has counseled you to preach, THAT you preach, and leave NOTHING He said out! You see, if each of us focused on our gifting and callings, then God would see to it that the church as a whole is addressed as it should be.  Think of it this way; He has other people for that which you are not uniquely gifted or called to address, but which needs to be addressed. That’s HIS business.

We see another reference of this concept in Acts 2, verses 2-3, which states, “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

The word cloven means to divide or to part or to partition thoroughly. Just as God divided the gift of tongues on the day of Pentecost and gave each flame their name (aka assignment), and as each language group was specifically addressed as The Spirit distributed the flames, even so are we to allow God’s voice to put us right where He wants us, and leave the rest to Him.

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 202 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Learn to Speak Words Inspired by God Himself!

Today’s Reading: Job 32-33, Acts 14

Today’s Reflection: Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.

Elihu, the youngest of the group, politely waited his turn to speak. He assumed that with the aged among him would come forth wisdom, but soon found out that was not the case. In fact, he goes on and says in verse nine that “Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.”

Thus, he begins to speak in full confidence, knowing and understanding that one does not have to be old to have wisdom, but he needs only to be inspired in his spirit by God Almighty, who is the one who gives understanding.

Having acknowledged this truth, he then proceeds with his own “opinion”, he calls it, while implying that what he is fixing to say is inspired by the Almighty, and therefore will be wise. I like his confidence because it appears to me that his confidence is in knowing that the Almighty had given him inspiration and understanding.

He then felt the need to be share it with others, which brings me to my point; when you know you have been given understanding under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, you can always speak with boldness and confidence, no matter what your age is.

What matters most is not the age of the speaker, but the age of the wisdom spoken. Is your “wisdom” a modern, new age philosophy, or does it come from the Rock of Ages, who existed before time was, and will be here after time has come to an end?

You see, if you take God’s Word to heart, read it, learn it, live it, and teach it, then you will walk in wisdom beyond your years. This is one of the reasons that the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day had a problem with Jesus, because He spoke as one having authority. In other words, He was confident, and what He said was irrefutable truth, which made them pale in comparison.

And now for a word of caution; do not expect others to always accept your truth, simply because it is true. Some will have a problem with it, but only because they didn’t say it first, and your wisdom outshines theirs. If this should happen to you, don’t let it stop you from declaring truth anyway.

It may separate you from some, but it will draw you close to the heart of God, and your Godliness and integrity will speak for themselves in the long run. May we ALWAYS seek to be inspired by God’s Spirit!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 187 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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You've got Questions? God's got answers!

Today’s Reading: Job 30-31, Acts 13:26-52

Today’s Reflection: Job 31:35b …behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me…

Today, I wish to consider four ways in which God’s answers come. First, let us consider that God’s answers sometimes come silently. I’m reminded yet again of how the prophet Elijah looked for God’s voice in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, but only heard it in a still small voice (1 Kings 19). Know this; God’s voice doesn’t have to be loud to speak volumes! It’s not going to come in clamor, but it’s going to come in clarity. Learn to shut out all the noises in your life so you can hear Him speak. It’s not that He can’t speak above the noise, but that He chooses not to compete. He wants your undivided attention. So perhaps if you listen closely, you will only hear Him in silence.

Secondly, God’s answers sometimes come slowly. Consider now Lazarus who had been dead four days before Christ responded to their pleas for intervention. Was it that Christ was delayed, or that his followers were despondent? Knowing now that Christ waited for a reason, we understand that what looked like a delay was divinely deliberate. We know then that our despondency is no proof that God isn’t working. He may do it later than we would prefer, but when He does it, He does it well!

Thirdly, God’s answers sometimes come suddenly. We think now of Paul and Silas, who were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Perhaps you remember how it went. At midnight they were praying and singing praises unto God (wouldn’t you have loved to hear what they were singing!), and then the Bible says “suddenly there was a great earthquake” and after the foundations of the prison were shaken, everyone’s shackles fell off! This teaches us that when it pleases The Lord, He is yet able to do a sudden work and give a sudden answer to your dilemma! Keep in mind, He has the advantage of being God!

And now fourthly, I’d like to say that not sometimes, but ALWAYS, God’s answers come surely. In other words, come as they may, be it silently, slowly, or suddenly, in any case, they DO come! And how do I know that God’s answers come surely? Because of Jeremiah 33:3a, which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee…” [Emphasis mine]. You have questions? God has answers! It’s not IF, but only HOW and WHEN. Wait on Him, and you will see!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 186 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Hear, dead, HEAR!

Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 1-3, John 5:25-47

Today’s Reflection: John 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

Once again, I am blown away at Christ’s teachings! Notice that He did NOT say, “They that live shall hear.” Rather, He said, “…they that HEAR shall LIVE.” [all-caps added for emphasis].

It is amazing to think that God’s requirement for life everlasting is that one starts by hearing, even though he is dead. One might say, “But how can one who is dead hear?”

Oh, dear friend, if you are asking this question, then you most certainly do not understand the quickening, life-giving power of God’s Word! In fact, not only does His Word have the power to resurrect the dead, but His Word has the power to call into existence that which does not exist at all.

His Word is creative. His Word, when spoken, demands a response. His Word will not return unto Him empty-handed. What He speaks happens…period!

For example, in Genesis 1:3, the Bible says, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” From this single passage of the creation account, we see and understand that when there was nothing, God spoke, and because God spoke, time, space, and matter appeared simultaneously and instantaneously so that it could respond to His demands.

So, if God could speak to nothing, and get that kind of response, it would be far less difficult for Him to speak to the dead, and for them to hear His Word regardless of the fact that they are dead indeed.

Did not God instruct the prophet Ezekiel to prophesy to the valley of dry bones, so that at God’s Word, an exceeding great and mighty army would arise from the very bones of that valley? Even so, dear unbeliever, although you are now dead in your spirit, the very Word of God spoken has the power to quicken (or make alive) your inner man, and cause you to hear for the first time the voice of God calling you forth from your deadness.

Do not ask, “How shall I know if God is speaking to me?” because, trust me, when the dead hear His voice, there’s no denying it! Christ cried, “Lazarus, come forth.” And so Lazarus’ dead corpse heard His Word, and responded at His command.

Even so, dear unbeliever, hear Christ calling to you even now, crying, “Come forth!” As He does, in this moment, call upon Him in repentant faith to live!

To hear more of God's life-giving word, join us in our studies throughout the Word of God! He has a living Word for every dead situation in your life!!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 137 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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When you're going to need more than natural vision...

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 14-15, Luke 22:31-46

Today’s Reflection: 1 Kings 14:4b-5 …But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.

We see here a prophet (aka a man of God) by the name of Ahijah, for whom The Lord became his sight. You see, in his old age, he had lost his ability to see, and here comes a woman to deceive him by taking advantage of his physical weakness. However, when you serve The Lord, no amount of physical weakness will stop His plans for your life!

As a matter of fact, Ahijah could not have seen more clearly had he actually had 20/20 vision. This was a time when naturally perfect vision would have been of no assistance anyway, for even if he had been able to identify her with his natural vision, there would have been no way to discern her motives for having come to visit him.

Only The Lord knows both the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That is why we must always pray that The Lord will be our eyes and ears. May God keep us from snares crafted by the deception of the enemy.

As for the wife of Jeroboam, her assignment was simple enough. I do not believe that she even meant any real harm, for she was sent to ask what would happen to the child that was sick. So, in all honesty, I do not see this particular situation as a plot set out against the man of God, but rather an attempt to conceal identity for reasons not mentioned within our reading today.

Nonetheless, when God speaks to a situation, His Word sheds light not only on the parts that you want light shed on, but His light lights up the whole room, exposing all elements involved in the thing which light needs to be shed upon. That’s why God’s council is so revealing, and why so few seek it today. However, seek it we must!

And, if you are a pastor, teacher, or layman in the Kingdom that gets discouraged because the Biblical council you give is more often dodged or ignored than heeded and obeyed, do not let that discourage you. Keep speaking forth the truths that God speaks to you into those situations, because pure light will always do some uncomfortable exposure for the recipient. That’s God’s business.

Our business is to share the light, and to live by it and in it. When we do, God will give us insight that no physical limitations or plots of men can hide or keep from us. And if God either sends you to a man or sends a man to you with a word from God, take heed! Read now 1 John 1:7 for further insight!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 123 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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When "the old man of God" is DEAD WRONG!!!

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 12-13, Luke 22:1-30

Today’s Reflection: 1 Kings 12:8 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

Let us now consider the aftermath of listening to the wrong voice. Here, a younger prophet had went into town to deliver a Word from God, with specific instructions NOT to eat or drink with anyone, but to just leave town altogether after the message was delivered.

Having done so and having already turned down one invitation to stay and eat, this young prophet was well on his way to complete obedience, that is, until another older prophet lied to him. You heard that right! An older, more seasoned, and supposedly trusted man of God lied to this young prophet and told him that an angel of the Lord had spoken to him to offer this young man some food and drink.

So, the young man put his trust in the old man of God, but as we see in our text, to his own demise. That’s right; the carcass that was “cast in the way” in our selected verse is the very dead body of that young prophet, all because he took the word of an older man of God OVER the voice of God. And the moral of this story is, if you get a word straight from God, any deviation or course alteration also better come straight from God!

Sometimes we put too much trust in aged men, when we should be putting our trust in the Rock of Ages. In fact, I grew up around a lot of “old men of God” who I love and respect to this day. I was also taught that “you better listen to the old man of God”, but I was never taught the counter-balance to that truth, namely, that sometimes even the old man of God can be wrong!

Indeed the aged and seasoned men of God have much to offer us in terms of wisdom, insight, experience, and counsel, but at the end of the day, we will still be held accountable for how that council measures up to GOD’S Word, and which one we took heed to.

Listen dear preacher, just because an older man of God may have “rank” or whatever you want to call it, does not make him bullet proof, nor does it make him perfect and incapable of giving unwise counsel. The truth is, we can all get it wrong at times, no matter how old or experienced or educated we may become.

In fact, it would do all of us preachers some good to keep in practice the words “I could be wrong!” whenever we’re giving advice, especially when two seemingly innocent paths can be taken. This man was judged by God and killed by a lion, all because he did not trust God’s word over man’s word. So, when the old preacher’s advice is wrong, the consequences can be deadly, so be careful!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 122 of 365

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Do you drown out God’s voice because it didn’t come packaged right?

Today’s Reading: 1 Sam. 25-26, Luke 12:32-59

Today’s Reflection: 1 Sam. 25:28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.

Can you receive a word from The Lord from an “unlikely” source? Here David is, headed down to the house of Nabal to destroy it because he returned not kindness to David after he had protected him in previous conflicts. Then, Nabal’s wife Abigail got news of what had happened and saved the day, so to speak. She went up to offer a peace offering, which David accepted. And while she was offering the peace offering, she spoke the prophecy over him that is found in our selected verse.

Before we discuss the richness of truth found in the prophecy, let’s just meditate on the fact that some of the very people David was going to avenge, rose up to speak and give a blessing over him. Had David responded to Abigail as Nabal responded to David’s servants earlier, he would have had no mercy and would have went on to destroy her and all of her husband’s house.

However, David had learned to discern The Lord’s voice, and had learned that The Lord speaks whenever, however, and through whomsoever He pleases. God’s Word is always true, tried, and timely. Abigail’s prophecy was so moving that David knew that it was of The Lord.

This makes me wonder just how many of us today drown out God’s voice because it didn’t come packaged the way we were taught it would be packaged? Hmmm. I’ll park that there.

Now, let’s look at the prophecy. “…for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD…” What a reassuring word this must have been for David, whose future was being threatened everyday by the king himself. And what a reassuring word this is for those of us today as well, who fight the battles of The LORD in the fields where God has sent us.

Sometimes the battle looks like it is going in the wrong direction, but there’s nothing like a reassuring word of confirmation from The Holy Ghost when you need it most!

Someone right now is reading this, who has been praying for a confirmation that you are on the right path, and that regardless of how bad things are right now, God is going to come through for you. If The Holy Spirit is speaking to you, take this as the confirmation you prayed for! The truth is, those who fight the battles of The Lord SHALL prevail. In fact, the LORD will certainly make your house a SURE house. So fight on, soldier!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 104 of 365

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When you can't stay dead for living!!

Today’s Reading: Judges 16-18, Luke 7:1-30

Today’s Reflection: Luke 7:14b-15 …And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

When men call for action, we do so from among the living; when God calls for action, He does so from among the dead! Think about it. Christ came not for the righteous, but for sinners. They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick…or in this case, they who are dead!

Before Christ, we were DEAD in our trespasses and sins, that is, until Christ QUICKENED us, or in other words, made us alive (see Eph. 2:1). In like fashion, Christ, who is the resurrection and the life (see John 11:25), still brings forth life from that which is dead.

Are you dead in your sins? Christ can save you and raise you from the dead. Is your marriage dead? Christ, again, can raise it back up to life. What about your church, Pastor? Is it dead? Does it resemble the valley of dry bones Ezekiel dreamed about? If so, there is yet hope!

No matter the situation, whether it is your relationship, your ministry, your career, your health, your joy, your walk with God, whatever the case may be, if it is dead, Christ can bring it life again! In fact, He takes great joy in doing so. That’s what He lives for! That’s what He who is called The Resurrection and The Life DOES!

There is no corpse too cold, dry, or aged for Him to speak life into. We, who look at death as the fatal end, need only to take our dead corpse to the One who looks at death as the absolute best opportunity to shine His brightest.

When Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded, God rose up an exceeding great and mighty army out of a valley of very dry bones! When Sampson needed a weapon with which to fight the Philistines, God provided the jawbone of a donkey; and then brought forth life-sustaining water from the same jawbone. When Lazarus was dead four days, Christ called him forth out of the grave.

I’m telling you today, He is still calling forth life out of dead and seemingly hopeless situations. So, what makes the difference? It is when Jesus, who is also referred to as the Word, SPEAKS. When the Word speaks, dead and deaf ears open up to receive and respond.

Are you dead inside, void of any hope for your situation? LISTEN to God’s Spirit speak hope through His Word to you today. Jesus is saying to your corpse, “Arise.” Will you listen? Can you hear Him? One way you KNOW you are alive again is when you can hear Him speaking to you. And as long as you can hear Him speaking to you, then you know that there is HOPE! Then you KNOW that death lost!

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Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 92 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Be a voice for God!

Today’s Reading: Deut. 4-6, Mark 11:1-18

Today’s Reflection: Deut. 4:12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

“…ye heard the voice of the words…” God’s word was, is, and shall forevermore be vocalized! Know assuredly that it is not enough that His word be written; it must also be spoken. Although it IS written to be preserved for all of eternity, forever settled in Heaven, it is still meant to be DECLARED. What good is a document that is not read, shared, and declared? What good is it, O Christian, for your Bible to sit on a shelf or a night stand collecting dust? Let it not be so mentioned among us! Read it, live it, and most importantly, declare it! God first spoke it. Then God commissioned us to speak it! Israel heard God’s voice out of the mount, but then they requested that Moses speak in God’s stead, and God allowed it to happen. The truth is, God’s word still needs a voice. What is a voice? Isn’t it just an instrument by which thoughts and ideas are conveyed to the hearer? Indeed, it is! No more and no less. Likewise, just as Moses became God’s spokesperson in the Old Testament (as well as all of His Old Testament prophets), even so John the Baptist came on the scene in the New Testament, declaring himself to be a “voice in the wilderness”. What was he saying? “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” (see Matt. 3:3). In other words, he was just a message boy, delivering God’s message. He was not to declare his own thoughts, but only those divinely inspired words of God that he was sent to speak. Furthermore, know this; the declared word of God is all-sufficient. What God says, goes, period. It is enough. It needs no bells or whistles; it needs nothing added or subtracted; it needs not to be tweaked or adjusted; it only needs to be declared! That’s why our text says “only ye heard a voice”. God was very careful to teach Israel an important lesson; His voice is enough! They needed not an image of Him to worship. Simply adhere to the “voice of the words”! Dear friend, if you truly LISTEN to God’s word, then you shall see God through the eye of faith. Can you hear the voice of God? If you listen closely, you’ll hear His voice speaking to you through reading His word, through the preaching of His word, and through the ministry of the Holy Spirit who speaks only of and for Him. His voice is not always, and in fact usually is not, audible. His voice travels with His word, regardless of the instrument being used to deliver it. Will YOU be God’s voice declaring HIS word to this generation? SPEAK!