Isaiah 61:1-7
“[I will give them] a crown of beauty INSTEAD of ashes, the oil of joy INSTEAD of mourning and a garment of praise INSTEAD of a spirit of despair… INSTEAD of your shame, you will receive a double portion and INSTEAD of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” —Isaiah 61:3, 7 NIV
One word is repeated three times in verse 3 and two times in verse 7. It’s the word “INSTEAD.” Our God is the God of INSTEAD!
What is the INSTEAD you need to begin believing for today?
INSTEAD of…
Ashes
Mourning
Despair
Shame
Disgrace
GOD wants to GIVE you…
A crown of beauty
The oil of joy
A garment of praise
A double portion
The ability to rejoice in your inheritance
Again, what is the INSTEAD you need to begin believing for today?
INSTEAD of…
Apathy, God wants to give you an AWAKENING to your AUTHORITY as a child of God.
“Bent out of shape,” God wants to give you beautiful BALANCE.
Confusion, God wants to give crystal clear CLARITY.
Desperation, decline and deadlock, God wants to give you DOORWAYS that direct you to your DESTINY!
Efforts that end in exhaustion, God wants to give you ENCOURAGEMENT, ENDURANCE and ENERGY that enable you to be an EXAMPLE.
Fatigue that results in failure, God wants to give you FOCUS and FAITHFULNESS.
Gloom, graves and gaps. God wants to give you GRACE, GARDENS and GREATNESS.
Hurts, hang-ups and self-defeating habits that only leave you hamstrung. God wants to give you HEALING, HEALTH and WHOLENESS that lead you to HOLINESS.
Inadequacy, inferiority and insignificance, God wants to give you an IDENTITY that reminds you of His INTENTION for your life.
Judgement, God wants to give you JESUS.
Karma, God wants to give you His loving KINDNESS and make you a part of His KINGDOM.
Lethargy and lots of self-loathing, God wants to give you His relentless LOVE and consistent LEADERSHIP.
“Managing to get by,” God wants to give you the MOBILITY to MOVE forward into the MOMENT He MADE you for.
Nonsense and negativism, God wants to give you a NOBILITY that NURTURES and reflects His NAME and fame!
Ordinary, God wants to give you OUTSTANDING!
Practical, pragmatic and plateaued passivity, God wants to give you POSSIBILITIES that fulfill His PURPOSE and PLAN!
Questions that lead to quitting, God wants to give you QUITE confidence in His QUALIFICATIONS to finish what He started in you.
Roadblocks, resentments, resignation and retirement, God wants to give you RESURRECTION, RESTORATION, RENEWAL and a personal REVOLUTION!
Shame that sabotages, separates and keeps you stuck, God wants to give you SALVATION that SETS you free and SETS you up for His supernatural STRENGTH to SHOW up and SHOW out!
Temptation that leads to termination, God wants to give you a TURNAROUND that sets a new TRAJECTORY for your life and future.
Ultimatums and uncertainty, God wants to give you an UPGRADE on your view of grace that reminds you of the UPSIDE of all His promises.
Victimhood and slavery to vice, God wants to give you VICTORY, VITALITY and a life of VIRTUE!
Wasted years, a weak faith and a withered soul, God wants to give you a heart of WORSHIP and weapons of WARFARE that help you live a life of WONDER!
X-rays of your sins, failures and shortcomings, God wants to remind you that He is the X-that-marks-the-spot where your sin and shame meet His grace, your failures meet His forgiveness and your shortcomings are overwhelmed by His unending supply.
Yokes that yank you out of God’s best and back into your past, God wants to give you the beauty that comes from a life YIELDED to His radical grace, amazing goodness and grand purpose.
A “zombie-like” existence, God wants to take you to the ZENITH of your potential and give you the ZEAL to live out His designed destiny for your life!
He is the GOD of INSTEAD!
What is the INSTEAD you need to begin believing for today