Jesus' life amazes me, His life was not filled with aimless distraction, but with focused purpose! His focus was fixed on what God, the Father, sent Him to do. He majored in the important, He did not stray from His God given purpose! We can learn alot from His life, as we seek to know and understand God's will! Jesus completed the tasks God gave Him to do and claimed with all confidence, as He breathed His last,"It is finished!"then He bowed His head and gave up his spirit. I don't know about you, but I want that kind of confidence, to know I've completed God's will! I know I am not perfect, but by God's grace, and with His help, I hope to live a life that pleases Him!
In John 5:19-20, Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does."
Because of Jesus' intimate relationship, He knew all His Father was doing. He knew He could do nothing by Himself, He was, completely, dependent on the Father. There were alot of needs, the sick, the poor, but Jesus didn't try to meet every need, though He could have. He didn't major in what He could do, but only what the Father sent Him to do! The Father was out to save a lost world! Jesus was sent to the nation of Israel, that was His focus! God would use those Jesus' impacted there, to reach the world!
This sounds, completely, opposite from the strategy of telling God what we're doing or what we want Him to do and asking Him to bless it, doesn't it? We tend to make it all about ourselves and what we want. Jesus' life wasn't His own, but a life, totally, surrendered to God! As believer's, followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we our not our own either! We've been bought with a price! Like Jesus, we are called to be about our Father's business.
John 5:17 says, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working."
I don't know about you, but when I stop and pay close attention, I see God working all around me too. I can't join Him in all I see Him doing, but I can ask Him where He wants me to join Him. This requires time spent with Him daily, to understand what He's doing and what His assignment is for me, today.
I see that God is working in my sister, she is saved, excited, growing and reading God's Word, He's invited me to join Him in what He's doing in her life, to encourage and disciple. I see God at work in my cousin, she is seeking God, asking how she can know Him and be saved. God has invited me to join Him, in her life, answering her questions and showing her God's ways. I cannot do anything without God, either! I can't change their hearts or give them the desire to know and obey His truths. I am only His mouth piece! I look to Him for instructions, for my assignments.
God is working in many ways all around the world. He is working right where we are and will invite us to join Him in what He's doing, if we make ourselves available to His plans and purposes. We can know God's will through an ongoing, intimate relationship with Him. God loves us too and like Jesus, if we draw near, He will show us, too, what He's doing and invite us to join Him.
Completing our God given tasks, will require the restraint to not give into the pressures around us, not seeking to please people or do what they think we ought to be doing. Time spent with Him will give us the confidence, to say, "No, this is what I am to do, today." (Some people will not be happy with our God given agenda.) It's a life of dependence on God, not independence, as the world teaches us. We will avoid aimless distractions, by choosing a purposed focus! We are choosing to major in the important. God will simplify our life, if we will let Him. We can know God's will and walk in it! The question is, "Are we willing to lay down our lives, what we want, our dreams and plans and do God's good, pleasing and perfect will?
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
God's Invitation To Join Him!
Sometimes we may find ourselves at a turning point in our life, a place of change, dealing with a broken life or a tragedy and we turn to seek God's will and direction. Whatever the reason, if you're like me, I want God to tell me what to do, and I want the details! We can know God's voice, but God, usually, leads one day at a time, one step at a time. He doesn't seem to always give alot of details; though, He has given more to some than others! And I'm learning God's will is not about me, it's about what He's doing!
Colossians 1:16 says, "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, everything got started in Him and finds purpose in Him." If I'm looking for God's will, for God's purpose, it's not about me, my purpose is found in Him; I was created for His plans and purposes, not my own. So, to do God's will, I have to look beyond myself!
Since God doesn't change, I've been looking in the scriptures to see how God's dealt with others in giving them direction. I can't go wrong by remaining in His truths and seeking, paying attention to how He's speaking to me through His Word! His Spirit in me and His truths are my Guide, my Counselor. "My wisdom," my opinions, are sure to get me in plenty of trouble, so I want to seek His counsel, His instruction and follow, completely!
We talked about Noah in the last blog, "Sweet Surrender, All We Were Meant To Be." God shared with Noah His plan to destroy all of life and to start over again with Noah and his family. Noah chose to be apart of God's plan and responded to all God asked him to do. Noah didn't choose to do his own thing, He chose to do God's thing ~ that's what I want to do!
Abraham was living in Ur of the Chaldeans when the Lord spoke to him: "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
I like that, God approached Abraham and ask him to be apart of His plan to build a nation. He asked Abraham to leave Ur, the place he was living, and to follow Him, but He only says, "to the place I will show you;" He doesn't say where that is! Wow! I have to ask myself, "Would I be willing to leave where I am now and respond to God's "follow me" before He told me where I was going? He did give Abraham some details: "I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." We like details don't we? I know I do! But sometimes God gives little or no details!
What about the calling of the first disciples, what details were they given?
In Matthew 12 we find Jesus walking along the Sea of Gaililee, He sees two brothers, Simon who was called Peter and His brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, they were fisherman. Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Verse 20 says, "At once they left their nets and followed Him." (Wow! Not alot of details!)"Follow me and I'll make you fisher's of men?"Wouldn't we want to ask what it means to be a fisher of men? Or to know where we are going and for how long? But they, simply, followed, they left everything! Then going on from there Jesus saw two brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, preparing nets. Jesus called them, and IMMEDIATELY they left the boat and their father and followed Him. No details here at all! (Don't you want to know more? What? Where? How long?) We don't know, it doesn't say, here! Also, in Matthew 9 Jesus saw Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him. Again, no details, just "follow Me" and Matthew follows!
Moses was given alot more details, but he was the one that argued with God to the place that God was ready to take his life! Lol. I think, actually, too many details can be as scarey, as the lack of them! The "angel of the Lord" appears to Moses in a burning bush; you can read the account in Exodus 3. God tells Moses that He has seen the misery of His people in Egypt. He says that He has heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and that He has "come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. He says their cry has reached Him and He sees the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. God says, "So now I am going to send you to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt." (It's not a request, God tells Moses more like He's informing him, but still Moses is bold enough to argue.) God promises to be with him and says it will be a sign to Moses, himself, that God has sent him.
Then God gives Moses further instructions; to say, "I am, sent me" when asked, to say, "The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you." God told Moses that the elders of Israel would listen to him, but that the king of Egypt would not let them go unless a mighty hand compels him. God said He would stretch out His hand and strike the Egyptians with all kinds of wonders and that after that Pharoah would let them go. God also told Moses that He would cause the Egyptian people to be favorably disposed toward the Israelites; that every woman was to ask their neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which they were to put on their sons and daughters, that they would plunder the Egyptians. God is being pretty specific!
Moses questioned, "What if they don't listen to me?"If they didn't believe him, Moses was given some signs and wonders by God to perform before them. God asked Moses to throw down his staff and it turned into a snake and when told to take it by the tail, it turned back into a staff. (God knew Moses felt inadequate and needed his faith boosted, he needed to see the signs.) God said it was to proved to them that He had appeared to Moses. God, also, told Moses to put his hand into his cloak, when he took it back out, it was leprous; when God had him put it back in and take it out again, it was restored. The third sign God gave Moses was to be done if they did not believe the first two. He was to take some water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground and it would become blood.
Moses still argued with God again; this time about not being eloquent, but God tells Moses that He will teach him what to say. Moses still begs God to send someone else. God became very angry with Moses, but God shows mercy and gives Moses, Aaron, his brother, the Levite to go with him to speak in Moses' place ~ Moses was to tell Aaron what to say. We serve a patient God! God promised to teach them both what to say and do. Moses was given alot of information, alot of details! Lol. Of all the men we've looked at today, Moses was given the most details, but is the only one that questions God.
God's Spirit dwells in us, as New Testament believers. Moses was told God's Spirit would go with Him, but like with Moses, He (the Spirit) will teach us and counsel us.
John 14:26a says,
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things."We can count on that!
We can see in the scriptures that God gives more details to some than others, but for the most part, God unfolds His plan to us one step at a time, as we follow Him. God, in us, goes with us; we don't need to know what God doesn't tell us, He will show us the way; we only need to follow and obey step by step.
We can stir around and try to make things happen in our timing, according to our will, but we will just weary ourselves. When we submit ourselves to God and wait when He says, "Wait" and follow when He leads, we can rest and be at peace. When the circumstances look bleak, we keep our eyes on Him, not on the problems, and trust, this is faith!
Notice in everyone of these circumstances there was an invitation from God for these people to join God in what He was planning to do. It was never about them; they left what they were doing, their lives, to do what God was doing. Other examples of God's invitation are Saul, David, Gideon, John, Paul and Ananias, just to name a few.
In our next blog, I'd like to take a look at Jesus' life and see how He discerned what was important for Him to be doing. We can learn alot from His example, about knowing and understanding God's will.
May God bless you as you continue to seek to know God, more intimately, and to know and do His will! Get into His Word, ask God to teach you and if I can be of any help, let me know! You matter to God more than you could ever think to imagine and you matter to me!
Colossians 1:16 says, "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, everything got started in Him and finds purpose in Him." If I'm looking for God's will, for God's purpose, it's not about me, my purpose is found in Him; I was created for His plans and purposes, not my own. So, to do God's will, I have to look beyond myself!
Since God doesn't change, I've been looking in the scriptures to see how God's dealt with others in giving them direction. I can't go wrong by remaining in His truths and seeking, paying attention to how He's speaking to me through His Word! His Spirit in me and His truths are my Guide, my Counselor. "My wisdom," my opinions, are sure to get me in plenty of trouble, so I want to seek His counsel, His instruction and follow, completely!
We talked about Noah in the last blog, "Sweet Surrender, All We Were Meant To Be." God shared with Noah His plan to destroy all of life and to start over again with Noah and his family. Noah chose to be apart of God's plan and responded to all God asked him to do. Noah didn't choose to do his own thing, He chose to do God's thing ~ that's what I want to do!
Abraham was living in Ur of the Chaldeans when the Lord spoke to him: "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
I like that, God approached Abraham and ask him to be apart of His plan to build a nation. He asked Abraham to leave Ur, the place he was living, and to follow Him, but He only says, "to the place I will show you;" He doesn't say where that is! Wow! I have to ask myself, "Would I be willing to leave where I am now and respond to God's "follow me" before He told me where I was going? He did give Abraham some details: "I will make you a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." We like details don't we? I know I do! But sometimes God gives little or no details!
What about the calling of the first disciples, what details were they given?
In Matthew 12 we find Jesus walking along the Sea of Gaililee, He sees two brothers, Simon who was called Peter and His brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, they were fisherman. Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Verse 20 says, "At once they left their nets and followed Him." (Wow! Not alot of details!)"Follow me and I'll make you fisher's of men?"Wouldn't we want to ask what it means to be a fisher of men? Or to know where we are going and for how long? But they, simply, followed, they left everything! Then going on from there Jesus saw two brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father, preparing nets. Jesus called them, and IMMEDIATELY they left the boat and their father and followed Him. No details here at all! (Don't you want to know more? What? Where? How long?) We don't know, it doesn't say, here! Also, in Matthew 9 Jesus saw Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him. Again, no details, just "follow Me" and Matthew follows!
Moses was given alot more details, but he was the one that argued with God to the place that God was ready to take his life! Lol. I think, actually, too many details can be as scarey, as the lack of them! The "angel of the Lord" appears to Moses in a burning bush; you can read the account in Exodus 3. God tells Moses that He has seen the misery of His people in Egypt. He says that He has heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and that He has "come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. He says their cry has reached Him and He sees the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. God says, "So now I am going to send you to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt." (It's not a request, God tells Moses more like He's informing him, but still Moses is bold enough to argue.) God promises to be with him and says it will be a sign to Moses, himself, that God has sent him.
Then God gives Moses further instructions; to say, "I am, sent me" when asked, to say, "The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you." God told Moses that the elders of Israel would listen to him, but that the king of Egypt would not let them go unless a mighty hand compels him. God said He would stretch out His hand and strike the Egyptians with all kinds of wonders and that after that Pharoah would let them go. God also told Moses that He would cause the Egyptian people to be favorably disposed toward the Israelites; that every woman was to ask their neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which they were to put on their sons and daughters, that they would plunder the Egyptians. God is being pretty specific!
Moses questioned, "What if they don't listen to me?"If they didn't believe him, Moses was given some signs and wonders by God to perform before them. God asked Moses to throw down his staff and it turned into a snake and when told to take it by the tail, it turned back into a staff. (God knew Moses felt inadequate and needed his faith boosted, he needed to see the signs.) God said it was to proved to them that He had appeared to Moses. God, also, told Moses to put his hand into his cloak, when he took it back out, it was leprous; when God had him put it back in and take it out again, it was restored. The third sign God gave Moses was to be done if they did not believe the first two. He was to take some water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground and it would become blood.
Moses still argued with God again; this time about not being eloquent, but God tells Moses that He will teach him what to say. Moses still begs God to send someone else. God became very angry with Moses, but God shows mercy and gives Moses, Aaron, his brother, the Levite to go with him to speak in Moses' place ~ Moses was to tell Aaron what to say. We serve a patient God! God promised to teach them both what to say and do. Moses was given alot of information, alot of details! Lol. Of all the men we've looked at today, Moses was given the most details, but is the only one that questions God.
God's Spirit dwells in us, as New Testament believers. Moses was told God's Spirit would go with Him, but like with Moses, He (the Spirit) will teach us and counsel us.
John 14:26a says,
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things."We can count on that!
We can see in the scriptures that God gives more details to some than others, but for the most part, God unfolds His plan to us one step at a time, as we follow Him. God, in us, goes with us; we don't need to know what God doesn't tell us, He will show us the way; we only need to follow and obey step by step.
We can stir around and try to make things happen in our timing, according to our will, but we will just weary ourselves. When we submit ourselves to God and wait when He says, "Wait" and follow when He leads, we can rest and be at peace. When the circumstances look bleak, we keep our eyes on Him, not on the problems, and trust, this is faith!
Notice in everyone of these circumstances there was an invitation from God for these people to join God in what He was planning to do. It was never about them; they left what they were doing, their lives, to do what God was doing. Other examples of God's invitation are Saul, David, Gideon, John, Paul and Ananias, just to name a few.
In our next blog, I'd like to take a look at Jesus' life and see how He discerned what was important for Him to be doing. We can learn alot from His example, about knowing and understanding God's will.
May God bless you as you continue to seek to know God, more intimately, and to know and do His will! Get into His Word, ask God to teach you and if I can be of any help, let me know! You matter to God more than you could ever think to imagine and you matter to me!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Sweet Surrender, All We Were Meant To Be!
We were created and designed for worship and to have a
relationship with a Holy God! Our lives were created to be put under His Lordship. If we
don’t surrender to Him, we will surrender to something or someone: our own
desires (making ourselves our own god) or to substitute other idols such as
money, position, career, things, alcohol, drugs, lusts, you fill in the
blank! Worship was built into us, we were created for worship; even, archaeologists have recognized this through
the relics of time ~ man was created to worship, to seek after God. These other options will not suffice, but only
bring chaos and the lack of contentment. God was meant to complete us! A life surrendered to God finds peace, it becomes
all God meant it to be ~ a life of purpose is found in God, alone.
Religion is man’s way to God. That’s when we decide what we
want to believe about god and what we choose to believe will appease him. Anyone can create a religion. This is man’s desire to be in control, he's choosing to be god, by controlling what he wants his god to be and require of him. People
have chosen idols throughout man’s existence on this earth. Idols of wood,
silver and gold ~ made by man, yet they do not speak, they have no voice; they
were made by man, himself and then he turns to bow down to it. This is foolishness! Sorry, but that requires far more faith than I am able to
muster!
Christianity is God’s way to man! It’s God in control, God being God and
telling man what's required to please Him. God gives man his purpose! God created man and woman to have an intimate and
personal relationship with Him. Adam and Eve walk in the garden with God in the cool of the day and
they were His friends. When Adam and Eve sinned, they broke His requirements. Adam and Eve's response was to hide from God because sin destroys our desire to be close to Him, it breaks that intimate relationship. Adam and Eve were created in God's image, but now we are born into sin, in Adam's likeness. We are all sinners; God says the penalty of sin is death! God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, to bridge the gap!
Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one
comes to the Father, but by me.”
God’s way to man is through His Son Jesus
Christ. God’s way, is
simple, man cannot do anything to get to heaven, himself, it by grace, through faith, alone. Jesus did it all, He met God's requirements for us; all we have
to do is believe, to accept that Jesus died, for our sins, in our place. God declares us righteous and we can walk, continually, in that grace! There is no sin that
God’s grace cannot cover, when we choose to place our sin at the cross of Christ. Our
willingness to come to God on His terms is simple and sweet surrender! Surrender releases us to enjoy a personal, loving relationship with an intimate, but Holy God! Is that awesome or what?
The priests of the Old Testament prepared themselves for
hours just to enter into God’s presence, which they did with trembling and
fear. Because of what Jesus did on the cross we can enter His Presence on any day, at any hour!
Matthew 27:51 says about the veil in the temple,
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom. The
earth shook and the rocks split. “
Jesus' death on the cross gave us access to the Throne of Grace! From that moment on, man has had direct access to the Holy of Holies! |
We don’t lose in surrendering ourselves to God; but, the opposite, we, actually, gain all
we were created to be ~ we fulfill God's designed purpose. Otherwise, we are only speculating what He created us for, trying to be something we're not, or fulfilling someone else's desire and dreams for us.
Surrendering to God is letting God be God, letting Him take complete control of our life. It's letting go of all our wants, dreams and pursuits and letting Him show us what we were meant to be, what He created us for. It's not arguing or struggling against Him, but, simply, trusting, following and obeying! God calls us to be a "living sacrifice," which He calls our "spiritual act of worship."Every sacrifice gives up its life, but God calls us to be a "living sacrifice," we are to surrender our life for His purposes and plans. Surrendering, requires giving our life up, over again with each new day, moment by moment! We may have to surrender 50 times in one day, continually, moving against self desire to realign ourselves with His will, as He directs our steps!
God became displeased, after a while, that He made man, there was so much sin on the earth and He considered ending all life! Noah's righteous life changed God's mind! God told Noah His plan to destroy all life and instructed Noah to build a boat, the ark. Noah followed God's instructions, completely. It took Noah 120 years to accomplish this task, but Noah obeyed God, day after day, without question. Noah laid down His life, to fulfill God's will, God's purpose for Noah's life. We are here today, because Noah surrendered his life to God's plan and built a boat in the middle of a dusty, dry desert, when it made no sense to do so! If you're thinking, "What kind of life is that, to spend 120 years building a boat?" It's a humble life, a willingness to be used in a God sized way to fulfill God's God size plan! God used Noah's life to save mankind and animals from being nonexistent! That's really huge!
Moses, (after some argument), did finally, choose to surrender to God's plan and returned to Egypt to lead God's chosen nation out of slavery, obeying all God said. Abraham left his home and his own dreams to fulfill God's plan's to lead God's chosen people to the place God had chosen for them. Joshua, followed God in taking the promised land as their possession. What about David, Gideon, Jehoshaphat? As long as they walked in surrender, God blessed their lives and did He did God sized things through them!
My heart cries out to God for His people sitting in the pews! We have grown so, aimlessly, distracted by so MANY things; we are running in circles and weary. We can't do it all, we were never meant to! God doesn't give us more than we can do, we do! Everyone is demanding of our time and there's not enough of us to go around! Our constant demands can leave us short of time to meet with God! We're too busy! But I'd like to suggest, that we're too busy not to meet with God! When we meet with God each morning, we can ask Him what's important. God will simplify our day! When we take time to worship Him, to go to bed earlier, and rise early to meet with Him, we can surrender our day, our schedule to His will. He will not overload us! God will shorten our to do list and will act on our behalf, rearranging our day and helping us accomplish HIS will. In God's hands, our schedule is His to manage; people will cancel and He will reorder our day to meet His perfect will. His ways are not burdensome; His yoke is easy and His burden is light! God intends for our lives to be filled with His Presence and power, not burden down with anxiety and stress! If we choose to let God reorder our world and our lives and others will feel His impact! To do God's will, will require giving up what we want to do and doing some things we don't want to, but there is peace and many blessings along the way!
Worship isn't just prayer and praise, it's a life surrendered! Worship doesn't stay in worship, it changes us, it goes with us, we live in it and He will be seen in us by others. Our lives will be a "living testament," possibly, the only Bible some have ever read! Surrender begins on our knees ~ but full surrender never gets up, it continues to bowed down to HIS LORDSHIP! Surrender, moves beyond self, to selflessness! Surrender, is a a life laid down, in humility, and made available to God to save a lost world! It's a daily choice that's made each minute of every day! Surrender is resting in His arms, doing His will, not our own! If we don't surrender to God, we will surrender to something else! "For I know the plans I have for you," declare the Lord, "plans not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 The world teaches us to be independent, to take our life, the bull by the horns and whip it into shape ~ we're told we can be anything we want to be, but we were designed to be, completely, dependent, to be a "living sacrifice" in the hands of the Living God, this is our spiritual act of worship! |
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
What's Your Major?
So many are struggling in this economy, the foreclosures, people struggling to find work, times are hard! If you had to pick a major, right now, what would it be? How could you really impact your world?
Christ has some input on this matter in Matthew; He tells us what's important, what to major in, in this life!
In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus gives us two things, He, actually, puts them in order of importance!
"'To love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the prophets hang on these commandments."
Jesus defines for us what's really important: God first and second, others, as we love ourself! Wow! I don't hear any mention of career, houses or lands! Nothing about cars, cell phones, or minutes, but relationships! God and man! These things are eternal!
In many ways, these hard times are a great blessing to us all! They are refining us as silver, they are purifying us as gold! The purifying process hurts, it's no picnic, but we will be blessed by it in the end, because our eyes are being opened to what's really matters!
I am filled with great rejoicing, three people in my family, in the past six months, have come to the saving knowledge of Christ! These three are on fire, they are turning and loving and telling others! I am elated! Yesterday, I talked to a cousin again and her eyes are being opened! I hear the excitement in her voice and yet, her struggles are very great! In the midst of such grief, she is being saved! Yes, I see the problems, I am experiencing them too; it's grueling, but I am counting the blessings! These trials are temporal, but lives are eternal and these three are rejoicing in their Savior! My cousin is at the door! I love it! This makes all I'm going through worth it all! I am filled with laughter, God is so good!
These are urgent times, we, as believers need to seize the moment, to be ready to meet these hurts and trials with Christ, before the door shuts and it's too late! It's people that matter! They are hurting, seeking, asking! Let's take our focus off the temporal and put it on the eternal! Let's be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in us! What's Christ's advice on our major? God first and others, as ourselves!
Matthew 6:19 says,
"Do not store up fore yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
What's your major?
Christ has some input on this matter in Matthew; He tells us what's important, what to major in, in this life!
In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus gives us two things, He, actually, puts them in order of importance!
"'To love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the prophets hang on these commandments."
Jesus defines for us what's really important: God first and second, others, as we love ourself! Wow! I don't hear any mention of career, houses or lands! Nothing about cars, cell phones, or minutes, but relationships! God and man! These things are eternal!
In many ways, these hard times are a great blessing to us all! They are refining us as silver, they are purifying us as gold! The purifying process hurts, it's no picnic, but we will be blessed by it in the end, because our eyes are being opened to what's really matters!
I am filled with great rejoicing, three people in my family, in the past six months, have come to the saving knowledge of Christ! These three are on fire, they are turning and loving and telling others! I am elated! Yesterday, I talked to a cousin again and her eyes are being opened! I hear the excitement in her voice and yet, her struggles are very great! In the midst of such grief, she is being saved! Yes, I see the problems, I am experiencing them too; it's grueling, but I am counting the blessings! These trials are temporal, but lives are eternal and these three are rejoicing in their Savior! My cousin is at the door! I love it! This makes all I'm going through worth it all! I am filled with laughter, God is so good!
These are urgent times, we, as believers need to seize the moment, to be ready to meet these hurts and trials with Christ, before the door shuts and it's too late! It's people that matter! They are hurting, seeking, asking! Let's take our focus off the temporal and put it on the eternal! Let's be ready to give an answer for the hope we have in us! What's Christ's advice on our major? God first and others, as ourselves!
Matthew 6:19 says,
"Do not store up fore yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
What's your major?
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Trial Process, It Doesn't Last Forever!
Many things are competing for my attention right now, so many unanswered questions and, at the moment, God is choosing to only say, "Be still, wait on me, trust me." In my situation it seems unreasonable to keep waiting, again my faith is being stretched! He's given me a few things to do, but I'm wanting to fix it all now, today! God has proven Himself faithful, trustworthy and dependable over and over again; not even once has He failed me! He's done the unimaginable, yet I still struggle, at times! "I'm ready to move on!" God doesn't seem to be in a hurry!
When God asks us to do what seems unreasonable, that which seems to make no sense, to our finite minds, how quickly, we want to reason why another path seems better and to explain away and ignore His instructions. Have we not all wished, at some point, that God's voice was audible? Our best response, is to hear His "Wait." and to be still. It helps me to remind myself that God is still working, behind the scenes, while I wait.
It's so easy to find ourselves worried about the opinions of others, how things might look, more than the desire to please Him, alone. Difficult circumstances really test our relationship with the Lord and our ability to trust in Him, with the hard stuff in life; we strive to discern His will, the paths He wants us to take. I think we can make it so much harder than it really is, I know I, often do. We want all the answers up front, to move on. God tends to unfold His plans one day at a time; this, continually, tests our faith, our ability to trust Him step by step! Our focus is our comfort, to move beyond the trial, to fix it; God's focus is our growth, our maturity being gained through it!
The longer I walk with Him, the more I realize I am my biggest stumbling block. He has a plan for us and He will funnel us. We make our plans, but in the end He chooses our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 says,
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
We make it more difficult, by reasoning and trying to figure things out. I want things to makes sense from a human perspective, God wants me simply to trust what I can't see. Waiting still challenges and tests me; sometimes, I make hard, what could be simple and easy, if I would just rest, trust, and "Be still, and cease striving!" Some days I do it better than others.
How we long, in this world of stress, for rest, yet when, actually, told we can be still, to rest, He's got it, we seem to grow even more restless! I see areas I've grown in this in the past 6 months, but as God keeps requiring more, a greater level of trust, with each new step, I find myself struggling to want to know the outcome, to fix it all and make it all right now! My plan doesn't require faith or the opportunity to see Him do what I can't do, my plan is the quick fix! God plan is designed to mature me, to teach me; it all still feels like more, "hurry up and wait", but that's because I am growing impatient. In my impatience, I can cry out, "I'm ready to move on to the what's next!" yet, really having no clue as to what's ahead, what needs to be worked into my life to be ready for what follows, only He knows! Even, with our own children, we have a tendency to want to fix things for them, to remove the trials, but God sees the value of going through them. Our children grow and mature through difficulties, just like we do!
No one should have to deal with alot of what has to be faced and dealt with in the loss of a loved one, the loss is big enough on it own! But, I am choosing to accept this as God's chosen journey for me and I find it easiest when I choose to rest in Him and take what comes in stride, looking to Him, to guide me through it, in His timing, instead of pleading for it to all go away! It's the tough stuff that is driving me deeper into His arms! It's the deepest difficulties that causes me to seek Him with not only a urgency, but with all my heart and causes me to remain there, abiding close to Him. With better times, my focus tends to move away from Him and we forget the blessing of that deepened relationship that is found in the depth of such need! With time I've come to realize that the difficulties are my greatest blessings, even though, I don't enjoy them!
If you are hurting, I encourage you to allow God to use it to your benefit, draw near to Him, seek Him, allow the difficulties to drive you closer, instead of farther away. Don't let the seed of bitterness rob you of such sweet fellowship! It is possible to find joy and sing in the shadow of His wings; to know His peace, His comfort, even in the worst of times! There's so much to praise Him for!
The Trial Process: Psalm 71:17-23
"Since my youth, O God, You have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You ~ I, whom You have redeemed." (Notice, trials taken from God's perspective bring praise, they rejoice in God's Presence and shout to the next generation, "He's alive, He walks with men, draw near, He can be known!")
Take courage, my friend, the trials only last for a season, this too will pass! Sing His praises, declare His Faithfulness! Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! He is our every Hope, He is our Peace! Let us sing His praises and proclaim His Faithfulness to the next generation!
When God asks us to do what seems unreasonable, that which seems to make no sense, to our finite minds, how quickly, we want to reason why another path seems better and to explain away and ignore His instructions. Have we not all wished, at some point, that God's voice was audible? Our best response, is to hear His "Wait." and to be still. It helps me to remind myself that God is still working, behind the scenes, while I wait.
It's so easy to find ourselves worried about the opinions of others, how things might look, more than the desire to please Him, alone. Difficult circumstances really test our relationship with the Lord and our ability to trust in Him, with the hard stuff in life; we strive to discern His will, the paths He wants us to take. I think we can make it so much harder than it really is, I know I, often do. We want all the answers up front, to move on. God tends to unfold His plans one day at a time; this, continually, tests our faith, our ability to trust Him step by step! Our focus is our comfort, to move beyond the trial, to fix it; God's focus is our growth, our maturity being gained through it!
The longer I walk with Him, the more I realize I am my biggest stumbling block. He has a plan for us and He will funnel us. We make our plans, but in the end He chooses our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 says,
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."
We make it more difficult, by reasoning and trying to figure things out. I want things to makes sense from a human perspective, God wants me simply to trust what I can't see. Waiting still challenges and tests me; sometimes, I make hard, what could be simple and easy, if I would just rest, trust, and "Be still, and cease striving!" Some days I do it better than others.
How we long, in this world of stress, for rest, yet when, actually, told we can be still, to rest, He's got it, we seem to grow even more restless! I see areas I've grown in this in the past 6 months, but as God keeps requiring more, a greater level of trust, with each new step, I find myself struggling to want to know the outcome, to fix it all and make it all right now! My plan doesn't require faith or the opportunity to see Him do what I can't do, my plan is the quick fix! God plan is designed to mature me, to teach me; it all still feels like more, "hurry up and wait", but that's because I am growing impatient. In my impatience, I can cry out, "I'm ready to move on to the what's next!" yet, really having no clue as to what's ahead, what needs to be worked into my life to be ready for what follows, only He knows! Even, with our own children, we have a tendency to want to fix things for them, to remove the trials, but God sees the value of going through them. Our children grow and mature through difficulties, just like we do!
No one should have to deal with alot of what has to be faced and dealt with in the loss of a loved one, the loss is big enough on it own! But, I am choosing to accept this as God's chosen journey for me and I find it easiest when I choose to rest in Him and take what comes in stride, looking to Him, to guide me through it, in His timing, instead of pleading for it to all go away! It's the tough stuff that is driving me deeper into His arms! It's the deepest difficulties that causes me to seek Him with not only a urgency, but with all my heart and causes me to remain there, abiding close to Him. With better times, my focus tends to move away from Him and we forget the blessing of that deepened relationship that is found in the depth of such need! With time I've come to realize that the difficulties are my greatest blessings, even though, I don't enjoy them!
If you are hurting, I encourage you to allow God to use it to your benefit, draw near to Him, seek Him, allow the difficulties to drive you closer, instead of farther away. Don't let the seed of bitterness rob you of such sweet fellowship! It is possible to find joy and sing in the shadow of His wings; to know His peace, His comfort, even in the worst of times! There's so much to praise Him for!
The Trial Process: Psalm 71:17-23
"Since my youth, O God, You have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You? Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You ~ I, whom You have redeemed." (Notice, trials taken from God's perspective bring praise, they rejoice in God's Presence and shout to the next generation, "He's alive, He walks with men, draw near, He can be known!")
Take courage, my friend, the trials only last for a season, this too will pass! Sing His praises, declare His Faithfulness! Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you! He is our every Hope, He is our Peace! Let us sing His praises and proclaim His Faithfulness to the next generation!
Monday, June 18, 2012
What's In A Response?
I'm recognizing that we have much less control over our lives than we'd, often, like to think we do! I was impacted through another, this weekend, that though we don't always have control over our circumstances or our future, we do have control over our response! Lol. If power is what we seek, we can rejoice over having "power over our response to life"! I really want to choose to respond to what life throws my way with a godly perspective, a godly response! Lol. But it appears that I am my biggest stumbling block!
God's Word says:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
"
Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2
"I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17
What's in a response?
I can see that my thought process, determines my response! (My thinking on a matter, matters! My thoughts, become my actions!) This is why I believe it's so important to align myself, daily, with the Lord and to abide in God's Word. I don't have it altogether and I need to, continually, hold up God's plumb line, His Word, to my life, to make sure my thoughts, my heart attitude and my actions are leading me down the path I want to take. If I want to walk in God's paths, this will be a daily need for me; I don't know about you, but I stray too easily! God's truths put in will dispel the lies, I might otherwise buy into. It judges the attitude of my heart and my thoughts and keeps me in alignment.
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
My ability to captivate my thoughts, to reframe a situation, to look at it from God's perspective make all the difference in my response! I can choose to focus on the problems and be overwhelmed, anxious and fearful or choose to focus on the Lord and find faith, peace and rest. My view of a situation, my response, is my choice, moment by moment, day to day! I can choose my focus, which controls the outcome of my day! In the midst of difficulties I can choose to recall, to focus on God's faithfulness, in the past; then I'm filled with gratitude, it strengthens my faith and brings joy into the present moment!
In the blog, "What's God Gonna Do, Bring It To The Door?" Jim chose this focus of gratitude and faith and had a wonderful day, all day, believing God was going to provide and he continued to rejoice as God provided! If I focus on the problems, I can become filled with anxiety and fear. I chose this focus in that same blog and was miserable all day! I'm finding a thankful heart is as much medicine for the soul is as a cheerful heart; a thankful heart is filled with joy because it's counting the blessings, not the problems! It brings praise to our lips! A problem focus only brings fear, worry and causes us to spiral down! A heart of gratitude, of faith, causes us to spiral up! We can choose to spiral up, as quickly as we spiral down! How? By captivating our thoughts, by choosing what we think about! If we pay attention to what we're thinking about, we can redirect the thoughts that aren't beneficial and in keeping with a God focus! We can choose a heart of thankfulness and praise!
"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!" Psalm 105:1-2
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm 100:4 (It's as contagious as negative thinking is, but it can be a purposed choice! I want to choose this response more often!)
My focus is my choice! God's truths put in, are God's truths lived out! I'm purposely, programing my life for the outcome I desire, my desired response! I'm purposing to have a purpose! The problem isn't God or His truths, they are perfect! It's me, I have a choice as to whether I will choose, each and every moment of everyday to follow them, to allow them to direct my focus, my thoughts, my response and my actions! I am my constant struggle, I find it best to keep putting me, moment by moment, under His Lordship!
A life lived for God is not for the weak, though many look at it that way, believing God to be some kind of crutch. A life lived for God, according to His truths, takes determination, purpose and focus! The weakest can live a life without discipline, with the attitude of let come what may! But a life that chooses purpose and focus takes the determination of constant care! The use of a plumb line!
Just like a mason uses a plumb line, to continue to check that the wall is straight, it's squared up, so God's Word can be used, daily, to make the adjustments needed; to check up on our beliefs, our attitudes, our thought processes, our focus, our actions and our responses. Constant adjustments will be needed to stay on this chosen path! We're setting our goal, to live and impact for eternity and checking our progress!
I want my response to life, the day to day, to be a godly response; to see life from His perspective. I put His truths in, so I have His truths to be a good foundation to draw my thoughts, my actions and responses from! It's a day to day struggle, but it's a path well worth taking, it leads to eternity and it is my choice whether I'm going to walk in it! God may choose my steps, but I can choose my response!
God's Word says:
"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
"
Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2
"I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17
What's in a response?
I can see that my thought process, determines my response! (My thinking on a matter, matters! My thoughts, become my actions!) This is why I believe it's so important to align myself, daily, with the Lord and to abide in God's Word. I don't have it altogether and I need to, continually, hold up God's plumb line, His Word, to my life, to make sure my thoughts, my heart attitude and my actions are leading me down the path I want to take. If I want to walk in God's paths, this will be a daily need for me; I don't know about you, but I stray too easily! God's truths put in will dispel the lies, I might otherwise buy into. It judges the attitude of my heart and my thoughts and keeps me in alignment.
"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
My ability to captivate my thoughts, to reframe a situation, to look at it from God's perspective make all the difference in my response! I can choose to focus on the problems and be overwhelmed, anxious and fearful or choose to focus on the Lord and find faith, peace and rest. My view of a situation, my response, is my choice, moment by moment, day to day! I can choose my focus, which controls the outcome of my day! In the midst of difficulties I can choose to recall, to focus on God's faithfulness, in the past; then I'm filled with gratitude, it strengthens my faith and brings joy into the present moment!
In the blog, "What's God Gonna Do, Bring It To The Door?" Jim chose this focus of gratitude and faith and had a wonderful day, all day, believing God was going to provide and he continued to rejoice as God provided! If I focus on the problems, I can become filled with anxiety and fear. I chose this focus in that same blog and was miserable all day! I'm finding a thankful heart is as much medicine for the soul is as a cheerful heart; a thankful heart is filled with joy because it's counting the blessings, not the problems! It brings praise to our lips! A problem focus only brings fear, worry and causes us to spiral down! A heart of gratitude, of faith, causes us to spiral up! We can choose to spiral up, as quickly as we spiral down! How? By captivating our thoughts, by choosing what we think about! If we pay attention to what we're thinking about, we can redirect the thoughts that aren't beneficial and in keeping with a God focus! We can choose a heart of thankfulness and praise!
"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works!" Psalm 105:1-2
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!" Psalm 100:4 (It's as contagious as negative thinking is, but it can be a purposed choice! I want to choose this response more often!)
My focus is my choice! God's truths put in, are God's truths lived out! I'm purposely, programing my life for the outcome I desire, my desired response! I'm purposing to have a purpose! The problem isn't God or His truths, they are perfect! It's me, I have a choice as to whether I will choose, each and every moment of everyday to follow them, to allow them to direct my focus, my thoughts, my response and my actions! I am my constant struggle, I find it best to keep putting me, moment by moment, under His Lordship!
A life lived for God is not for the weak, though many look at it that way, believing God to be some kind of crutch. A life lived for God, according to His truths, takes determination, purpose and focus! The weakest can live a life without discipline, with the attitude of let come what may! But a life that chooses purpose and focus takes the determination of constant care! The use of a plumb line!
Just like a mason uses a plumb line, to continue to check that the wall is straight, it's squared up, so God's Word can be used, daily, to make the adjustments needed; to check up on our beliefs, our attitudes, our thought processes, our focus, our actions and our responses. Constant adjustments will be needed to stay on this chosen path! We're setting our goal, to live and impact for eternity and checking our progress!
I want my response to life, the day to day, to be a godly response; to see life from His perspective. I put His truths in, so I have His truths to be a good foundation to draw my thoughts, my actions and responses from! It's a day to day struggle, but it's a path well worth taking, it leads to eternity and it is my choice whether I'm going to walk in it! God may choose my steps, but I can choose my response!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Are You Military Ready? In Christ, Are You A Force To Be Reckoned With?
Did you know that the Christian life is warfare? Many people that become Christians, don't realize that in becoming a child of God that they have entered into a battle, a war with Satan himself. If the enemy, Satan, were attacking you would you recognize it? Would you be prepared to stand against his deceptive schemes? Military readiness is tough training, but let's take a look at what God says about standing against spiritual forces! Let's be battle ready!
Ephesians 6:10-18 is a great passage to memorize, ask God to help you!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
This passage states clearly, that our battle is not "against flesh and blood"but against rulers and authorities of powerful forces, (fallen angels that are headed by Satan) we are in a spiritual battle and we need to be aware of the enemy's deceit and tactics. God's Word gives us some clear instructions how we can stand against these forces that we can't even see! Are you equipped for battle?
Apart from the gospels, no other book focuses on spiritual warfare like the book of Ephesians. Paul had purpose in emphasizing these matters in writing to the church in Ephesus. Understanding the culture of the day, and it's history will be helpful in our understanding Paul's purpose in emphasizing the power of spiritual forces of darkness!
Ephesus, in Paul's day was the 4th largest city in the Roman Empire! It was home of the temple of the goddess Artemis, sometimes referred to as Diana. Artemis was a fertility goddess and was believed to have fallen directly from heaven. The image had a turreted head and many breasts. Though many deities were worshipped, Artemis seemed the most popular of the Asian world at that time. People traveled from all over the Mediterranean to worship in this temple. Ephesus, being the center of trade and the home of the temple of Artemis boosted its economy. Lodging, restaurants, silversmiths, etc. reaped the benefits from the many pilgrims of travel.
The enemy had a grip on the city with its idolatrous and demonic worship. Artemis being the patroness of sexual instinct only furthered the money to be made by the prostitutes that were available as an object to fulfill these lusts. The city was abounding with evil and was held in Satan's clutches when Paul arrived!
God sent Paul, as a living epistle, to strengthen the church and to confront the enemy. Don't think the enemy didn't confront the challenge! In Acts 19 you can feel the conflict and the confrontation as Paul enters the city!
Acts 19 from the Living Word of God:
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer."
The Riot in Ephesus 6:23-41
"About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly."
My friend, do you sense the tension? Do you recognize the warfare? Paul's presence and teachings are causing great stress! Incomes are being lost! Is your Christian walk so powerful, in Christ, that the principalities and powers of the dark world are threatened by you? They were, obviously, greatly threatened by Paul's presence. Paul was a powerful foe, he walked in the power of the Spirit! He had learned to wield his Sword, God's Word, He was well grounded in the truth! Truth is a powerful force, it brings light into the darkness! Would you say that we, you and I, are a powerful force to be reckoned with? Do the demons know us by name?
So looking back to Ephesians 6:10-18 again:
Ephesians 6:10-18 is a great passage to memorize, ask God to help you!
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
This passage states clearly, that our battle is not "against flesh and blood"but against rulers and authorities of powerful forces, (fallen angels that are headed by Satan) we are in a spiritual battle and we need to be aware of the enemy's deceit and tactics. God's Word gives us some clear instructions how we can stand against these forces that we can't even see! Are you equipped for battle?
Apart from the gospels, no other book focuses on spiritual warfare like the book of Ephesians. Paul had purpose in emphasizing these matters in writing to the church in Ephesus. Understanding the culture of the day, and it's history will be helpful in our understanding Paul's purpose in emphasizing the power of spiritual forces of darkness!
Ephesus, in Paul's day was the 4th largest city in the Roman Empire! It was home of the temple of the goddess Artemis, sometimes referred to as Diana. Artemis was a fertility goddess and was believed to have fallen directly from heaven. The image had a turreted head and many breasts. Though many deities were worshipped, Artemis seemed the most popular of the Asian world at that time. People traveled from all over the Mediterranean to worship in this temple. Ephesus, being the center of trade and the home of the temple of Artemis boosted its economy. Lodging, restaurants, silversmiths, etc. reaped the benefits from the many pilgrims of travel.
The enemy had a grip on the city with its idolatrous and demonic worship. Artemis being the patroness of sexual instinct only furthered the money to be made by the prostitutes that were available as an object to fulfill these lusts. The city was abounding with evil and was held in Satan's clutches when Paul arrived!
God sent Paul, as a living epistle, to strengthen the church and to confront the enemy. Don't think the enemy didn't confront the challenge! In Acts 19 you can feel the conflict and the confrontation as Paul enters the city!
Acts 19 from the Living Word of God:
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer."
The Riot in Ephesus 6:23-41
"About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly."
My friend, do you sense the tension? Do you recognize the warfare? Paul's presence and teachings are causing great stress! Incomes are being lost! Is your Christian walk so powerful, in Christ, that the principalities and powers of the dark world are threatened by you? They were, obviously, greatly threatened by Paul's presence. Paul was a powerful foe, he walked in the power of the Spirit! He had learned to wield his Sword, God's Word, He was well grounded in the truth! Truth is a powerful force, it brings light into the darkness! Would you say that we, you and I, are a powerful force to be reckoned with? Do the demons know us by name?
So looking back to Ephesians 6:10-18 again:
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Whose power are we suppose to stand in? It's not our own! These are powerful forces! Remember the Jews that got beaten, in the Acts 19 passage, by one man with an evil spirit, they left naked and beaten!
So, how could Paul be such a powerful foe? Paul had learned to stand in God's power and might! Paul kept his armor on! God's Word says we are to put on the FULL armor of God, we are not to leave any part of it out! It's purpose is, clearly, stated here, "so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes". The enemy is deceitful and crafty; we are told we are to stand firm! To stand our ground, with the belt of truth buckled around our waist; the truth, God's Word! Do you know God's truths well enough to combat satan's lies? We are to be grounded in the Word of truth, to know it, so we cannot be deceived by the evil one! Satan is no small force! Our breast plate of righteousness needs to be in place. Yes, as believers, we have been declared righteous, but we are, also, called to walk in righteousness! Jesus broke the chains of sin and placed His Spirit within us that we might be holy as He is holy! Our shield of faith is for "extinguishing the flaming arrows of the evil one"; we've talked about our shield of faith being our forward guard, it must be held up to protect us, when dropped, when in doubt, fear assails us and we are defeated by the enemy! I don't know about you, but for me, fear is like torture, walking in fear is just plan miserable! Faith brings confidence! Our shields of faith have to be held up! Our helmet of salvation, without it, we cannot stand in God's power! When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, when we look to His death on the cross, His blood, His sacrifice on the cross to be the payment for our sins, instead of our own "good works", then we are given His Spirit! If you want to learn more about this, read Romans 8! Come on let's dig! Dig in, let's fulfill the next requirement which is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, we need to know it! We need to be able to teach God's Word! We are not just called to be disciples, but to make disciples, to be a part of training others up!
Matthew 28:19-20 says,
"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even until the end of the age." (This is a commandment, not an option!)
These are the words of Jesus calling us to the "Great Commission"! Are we answering His call? Are we too busy to be obedient? Maybe, we think that's the "pastor's job, isn't that what he's paid for?" No, my friend, his calling is to preach Word, to train us up for the work of the ministry. Our job is to do the work of the ministry, to make disciples!
I skipped over the shoes shod with the readiness of the gospel for this very moment. Are we "disciple making ready"? Do we know the Word, well enough, to have confidence to teach it to another? If someone asked us why we believe what we believe can we, with or without a Bible, share the plan of salvation with another? Shoes shod with the readiness of the gospel ready? The church is falling short, my friend, the spiritual decay of our nation is on our heads; we will have to answer for it! Someone else will do it? Who? It's God's command to us, the church ~ you and me, as individuals!
If you've read all this today, I commend you! You are desiring to dig deeper and seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord or you would have dumped this blog long ago! Most will stop after the first paragraph! I'm praying for you! You're on the right track!
I leave you with two verses to ponder:
I leave you with two verses to ponder:
1 Peter 5:8 says,
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering."
John 8:32 says, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (And this was exactly the enemy's concern with Paul's arrival! Is the enemy concerned about you and me?)
It's never too late to power up! Let's get into the Word of Truth, let's learn to wield our swords with precision and accuracy! It's food for the soul, for spiritual strength! Let us sit at His feet and know Him and turn and make Him known! We can make disciples! Tell another what Christ has done for you today! Let's brighten the light of the church in a dark world! We haven't been called to defeat, but to be Victors! We can walk it confidence! Let's take the gospel to a lost world!
"Greater is He that is in me, than he who is in the world!"
It's never too late to power up! Let's get into the Word of Truth, let's learn to wield our swords with precision and accuracy! It's food for the soul, for spiritual strength! Let us sit at His feet and know Him and turn and make Him known! We can make disciples! Tell another what Christ has done for you today! Let's brighten the light of the church in a dark world! We haven't been called to defeat, but to be Victors! We can walk it confidence! Let's take the gospel to a lost world!
"Greater is He that is in me, than he who is in the world!"
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Praising The Splendor Of His Holiness!
God's Word is filled with wisdom, advise and counsel that allows us to walk in His designed freedom! But to walk in the blessings that His Word, His commands, were designed to give us, they have to be applied! We have to live and walk like Jesus did, in His Word, obeying His commands to know and experience their value! We have the privilege in our country, to live out our beliefs and to hold the Word of the Living God in our hand, to follow it's counsel. That, alone, is a great blessing we take for granted!
We can thread the Word of God through our minds without a conscience thought of application, our mind in another place, day dreaming and not be changed or any better for it. God's Word isn't a task to check off our to do list! If it has become a task, required by guilt of the conscience, that can be changed! Take heart, my friend, you are not alone; we can ask God for a passion for His Presence, a hunger for His Word and a heart that runs to obey! If that's His desire for us, will He not grant us that request when we ask? Ask Him! Application brings great blessing! A passion and a hunger cause us to dig for the treasures hidden in His Word and to hide His Word in our heart, that we might not sin against Him! They are words for life! We begin by asking Him for the desire and the ability to understand and uncover it's treasures, to see its application and to apply it! Oh, how I'm praying for you my friend! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!
It's mid-June already and I've got a 2005 GT Convertible PT Cruiser and two ATVs to sell and, now, the beginning of summer, is the best time to do it! (Just wasn't getting any response.) So, I turned to 2 Chronicles 20 and followed Jehoshaphat's example. I sought and inquired of the Lord, I fasted and prayed and spent the weekend praising the splendor of His Holiness, believing in advance that He would act on my behalf, just like Jehoshaphat! Monday and Tuesday I was still, poised with expectant hope, to watch all He was about to do! God with me, is my greatest blessing!
Yesterday, He assigned me the job of washing all the vehicles and I laughed and praised Him as I did it! Kathy, my mail lady, came by as I was washing them and asked me about the vehicles, what I was going to do with them. And the next thing I knew God had worked in her heart and she brought 3 different people to my door by 6:30 last night. One interested in the Convertible PT Cruiser and the others interested in the ATVs. So, since God told me this was going to be a positive day, in more than one way, before I ever got out of bed this morning, I am looking to Him with expectant hope! He is worthy of praise, glory and honor! He is "God with us" and He has not left me or ever forsaken me in any way! I'm so grateful for all He's done for me and continues to do!
Today I'm singing praises of the splendor of His Holiness, like Jehoshaphat, moving forward as He directs and watching for Him to do what I cannot! For the past 6 months, He has chosen to care for me in a way that I could never say I did it, He's made sure of that! Will He not do this too?
If you are at a place in your life that you don't know what to do, follow Jehoshaphat's outline in 2 Chronicles 20! It's one thing to read it, my friend, it's another thing to do it! Do you believe in God enough to APPLY His Word? God's Word can be the most exciting part of our day! Our hunger, our thirst, our passion and obedience come by asking Him for them! It doesn't have to be a dreaded task, we can grow to love it so much, that hours pass by in our awe! If you haven't read the previous blog on 2 Chronicles 20, called "Searching For Direction? Need Intervention?" Check it out, it's a good passage to meditate on and study! Applied it can be life changing!
And this is my prayer for you:
"That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ ~ to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-10
I'm praying for you!
We can thread the Word of God through our minds without a conscience thought of application, our mind in another place, day dreaming and not be changed or any better for it. God's Word isn't a task to check off our to do list! If it has become a task, required by guilt of the conscience, that can be changed! Take heart, my friend, you are not alone; we can ask God for a passion for His Presence, a hunger for His Word and a heart that runs to obey! If that's His desire for us, will He not grant us that request when we ask? Ask Him! Application brings great blessing! A passion and a hunger cause us to dig for the treasures hidden in His Word and to hide His Word in our heart, that we might not sin against Him! They are words for life! We begin by asking Him for the desire and the ability to understand and uncover it's treasures, to see its application and to apply it! Oh, how I'm praying for you my friend! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!
It's mid-June already and I've got a 2005 GT Convertible PT Cruiser and two ATVs to sell and, now, the beginning of summer, is the best time to do it! (Just wasn't getting any response.) So, I turned to 2 Chronicles 20 and followed Jehoshaphat's example. I sought and inquired of the Lord, I fasted and prayed and spent the weekend praising the splendor of His Holiness, believing in advance that He would act on my behalf, just like Jehoshaphat! Monday and Tuesday I was still, poised with expectant hope, to watch all He was about to do! God with me, is my greatest blessing!
Yesterday, He assigned me the job of washing all the vehicles and I laughed and praised Him as I did it! Kathy, my mail lady, came by as I was washing them and asked me about the vehicles, what I was going to do with them. And the next thing I knew God had worked in her heart and she brought 3 different people to my door by 6:30 last night. One interested in the Convertible PT Cruiser and the others interested in the ATVs. So, since God told me this was going to be a positive day, in more than one way, before I ever got out of bed this morning, I am looking to Him with expectant hope! He is worthy of praise, glory and honor! He is "God with us" and He has not left me or ever forsaken me in any way! I'm so grateful for all He's done for me and continues to do!
Today I'm singing praises of the splendor of His Holiness, like Jehoshaphat, moving forward as He directs and watching for Him to do what I cannot! For the past 6 months, He has chosen to care for me in a way that I could never say I did it, He's made sure of that! Will He not do this too?
If you are at a place in your life that you don't know what to do, follow Jehoshaphat's outline in 2 Chronicles 20! It's one thing to read it, my friend, it's another thing to do it! Do you believe in God enough to APPLY His Word? God's Word can be the most exciting part of our day! Our hunger, our thirst, our passion and obedience come by asking Him for them! It doesn't have to be a dreaded task, we can grow to love it so much, that hours pass by in our awe! If you haven't read the previous blog on 2 Chronicles 20, called "Searching For Direction? Need Intervention?" Check it out, it's a good passage to meditate on and study! Applied it can be life changing!
And this is my prayer for you:
"That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ ~ to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-10
I'm praying for you!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Searching For Direction? Need God's Intervention?
In my tears, God has been my joy! In my grief, He has remained my comfort! Today, it's been 6 months, since Jim went home to be with the Lord! How I, too, long to be home! Too see, my Lord and Savior face to face! To see the place He's gone to prepare for those that love and trust in Him! Oh, how I want to be found faithful! I continue to seek the Lord, taking one day at a time, one step at a time. Sometimes it seems more like "hurry up and wait"! But what I want to know, is what do I do! What's God's plan for me? Which way do I go? I've sought the Lord this past two weeks following the steps that Jehoshaphat took in 2 Chronicles 20, when he found himself with his back up against the wall and didn't know what to do! Jehoshaphat's very first response was to turn to His God! Let's take a look!
For some background: Jehoshaphat became king of Judah after his father Asa. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways David had followed. The Lord established the kingdom under his control, his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord. He even set up a nationwide education program, realizing the people were, Biblically, illiterate. Jehoshaphat realized that the first step in getting the people to live as they should was for them to know God's commands. So in the third year of his reign he sent his officials and with them certain Levites throughout Judah to all the towns to teach the people. Jehoshaphat reversed the religious decline and instilled in the heart's of the people a new sense of commitment and mission and the nation began to follow after God. (Sounds like a program our nation needs; if only the church (Christians) would take this mission to heart!)
In 2 Chronicles 20 we find the Moabites, the Ammonites, with some of the Menunites coming to make war on Jehoshaphat. In verse 2 some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already at Hazazon Tamar (that is, En Gedi, remember our blog on En Gedi?)
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and He proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. We have a tendency to run around and do anything trying to resolve a problem, but Jehoshaphat's very first thought was to inquire of God, to fast and pray! (Wouldn't you think it would be to gather the army, to make ready?) Jehoshaphat sought God, the only One who knows all things! The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord, they came from every town to seek Him. (Notice, they weren't gathering supplies, no one was running, battle plans weren't being drawn up, their first response shows how much Jehoshaphat's Biblical education plan had impacted the people!) I'm all for writing Jehoshaphat in on our next ballot! Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in front of the new courtyard and said:
"O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You. O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying, 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgement, or plague or famine, we will stand in Your presence before this temple that bears Your Name and will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us.' "But now here are the men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession You gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (Jehoshaphat admits his inadequacy, he is humble before his Maker.)
Verse 13 says that, "ALL the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord." (How our nation needs this perspective!)
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahziel son of Zachariah, as he stood in the assembly. He said:
"Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says of you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you."(God answered very specifically. They still had to go, to have the faith that God would fight this vast army that was far beyond their ability to take on themselves, they had to believe and to obey!)
Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. (They did not rush to prepare, but took the time to worship, to thank and praise the Lord, for His response, even though, it had not taken place. They thanked Him in advance!)
Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, " Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His Holiness as they went out at the head of the army saying:
"Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever."
(I love this!) "AS THEY BEGAN TO SING AND PRAISE, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men of Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped." (No one!) It took them 3 days to carry off all the plunder, there was such a great amount of equipment, clothing and articles of value!
"On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they PRAISED the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets. (Beracah means praise.) The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for God had given Him rest on every side."
Oh, how I long for such a oneness of heart for the Lord, in our nation! How, Biblically, illiterate we've become! Pick up your Bibles my friends, study and read the Word of God, that we might know His truths and walk in His ways! Teachers, I encourage you to teach! We can change our nation one heart at a time!
My friend, do you find your back up against the wall today? Are you at a place in your life where you don't know what to do? Jehoshaphat sets us an example!
Here's a brief outline:
1) Jehoshaphat's first response was to commit the situation to God. He, immediately, inquired of God and sought after Him for guidance. Nothing preceded this!
2) He called the people to fasting and prayer. (He had caused all of them to be hidden in God's truths, so they were prepared by understanding God's commands, to have a godly response!
3) He acknowledged God's Sovereignty in the situation. ( This perspective, believing God was in control of all things, brought him peace; it relieved Jehoshaphat from depending on himself or his army for the outcome.)
4) He praised God for His glory and took comfort in His promises. (He was steadfast, he wasn't in a panic and he didn't run in 10 different directions seeking advice!) Jehoshaphat's focus was on One, alone! Jehoshaphat's success lied in where he placed the God of heaven in his life. Jehoshaphat put God first in all things!
5) He obeyed God's instructions, he professed complete dependence on God. (Jehoshaphat's heart was submissive before God, he didn't think he had a better plan, he was wise in seeking God's plan, God's deliverance. He trusted in God's power and might, not in his own.)
6) Jehosaphat and his army did as God asked and marched toward the enemy, but they praised God for His holiness as they did, with expectant hope, that God would do just as He said He would do. Their shields of faith were held up, as their forward guard! They believed the battle was the Lord's!
7) They took the time to thank God, to praise Him, for all He had done! They gave God the glory, honor, and praise that was due Him! The victory was His! (How, quickly, in our excitement, we can be found taking some of the glory unto ourselves.)
My friend, what battle of yours needs to be the Lord's? What have you been trying to do, fight or to figure out on your own that needs to be turned over to our Sovereign Lord? I don't know where you find yourself today, but God is trustworthy, you can give Him any problem! Are you willing to trust in His Sovereignty? Are you willing to trust the outcome to His will and put down your own will and desires and to trust that He knows best? Inquire, seek, fast and pray; acknowledge His Sovereignty. Bring your problem to the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth! If you have made a mistake, ask forgiveness! God does not condemn!
1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He's just and faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Is there anything you need to make right?
Matthew 4:25 says, "Leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."
My friend, asking forgiveness sets your sin as far as the east is from the west! Once you have aligned yourself with God, are obedient to His truths, then come into the Presence of His Holiness!
Fall at His feet! Praise His glory, find comfort in His promises! Seek His instruction with fasting and prayer and follow with obedience all He gives you to do! Sing His praises, expecting Him to intervene, to show you His way, let Him bring the victory, let Him do what you cannot! Remember, my friend, to thank Him and give Him the glory for the Victory, He's worthy of praise!
His truths are worth far more than pure gold! They are wisdom for life and we can live by them! They are not burdensome, they bring freedom and rest! Let's bring God back to our nation, one heart at a time! "Lord, I'm praying for revival for your people, the church, and for our nation! Oh, Lord, let it begin with me, change my heart, cause me to walk in obedience, to acknowledge Your Sovereignty and to remain, completely, dependent on You!"
May God bless you today as you seek to walk in obedience to His truths! If you are reading this, I'm praying for you! If we don't know what to do, the answer is found on our knees! Follow Jehoshaphat's example and see God's deliverance!
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him."
Psalm 91:14-15
For some background: Jehoshaphat became king of Judah after his father Asa. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because in his early years he walked in the ways David had followed. The Lord established the kingdom under his control, his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord. He even set up a nationwide education program, realizing the people were, Biblically, illiterate. Jehoshaphat realized that the first step in getting the people to live as they should was for them to know God's commands. So in the third year of his reign he sent his officials and with them certain Levites throughout Judah to all the towns to teach the people. Jehoshaphat reversed the religious decline and instilled in the heart's of the people a new sense of commitment and mission and the nation began to follow after God. (Sounds like a program our nation needs; if only the church (Christians) would take this mission to heart!)
In 2 Chronicles 20 we find the Moabites, the Ammonites, with some of the Menunites coming to make war on Jehoshaphat. In verse 2 some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already at Hazazon Tamar (that is, En Gedi, remember our blog on En Gedi?)
Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and He proclaimed a fast for all of Judah. We have a tendency to run around and do anything trying to resolve a problem, but Jehoshaphat's very first thought was to inquire of God, to fast and pray! (Wouldn't you think it would be to gather the army, to make ready?) Jehoshaphat sought God, the only One who knows all things! The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord, they came from every town to seek Him. (Notice, they weren't gathering supplies, no one was running, battle plans weren't being drawn up, their first response shows how much Jehoshaphat's Biblical education plan had impacted the people!) I'm all for writing Jehoshaphat in on our next ballot! Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in front of the new courtyard and said:
"O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You. O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, Your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying, 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgement, or plague or famine, we will stand in Your presence before this temple that bears Your Name and will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us.' "But now here are the men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory You would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession You gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (Jehoshaphat admits his inadequacy, he is humble before his Maker.)
Verse 13 says that, "ALL the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord." (How our nation needs this perspective!)
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahziel son of Zachariah, as he stood in the assembly. He said:
"Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says of you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you."(God answered very specifically. They still had to go, to have the faith that God would fight this vast army that was far beyond their ability to take on themselves, they had to believe and to obey!)
Jehoshaphat bowed his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. (They did not rush to prepare, but took the time to worship, to thank and praise the Lord, for His response, even though, it had not taken place. They thanked Him in advance!)
Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, " Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful. After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise Him for the splendor of His Holiness as they went out at the head of the army saying:
"Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever."
(I love this!) "AS THEY BEGAN TO SING AND PRAISE, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men of Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped." (No one!) It took them 3 days to carry off all the plunder, there was such a great amount of equipment, clothing and articles of value!
"On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they PRAISED the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets. (Beracah means praise.) The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for God had given Him rest on every side."
Oh, how I long for such a oneness of heart for the Lord, in our nation! How, Biblically, illiterate we've become! Pick up your Bibles my friends, study and read the Word of God, that we might know His truths and walk in His ways! Teachers, I encourage you to teach! We can change our nation one heart at a time!
My friend, do you find your back up against the wall today? Are you at a place in your life where you don't know what to do? Jehoshaphat sets us an example!
Here's a brief outline:
1) Jehoshaphat's first response was to commit the situation to God. He, immediately, inquired of God and sought after Him for guidance. Nothing preceded this!
2) He called the people to fasting and prayer. (He had caused all of them to be hidden in God's truths, so they were prepared by understanding God's commands, to have a godly response!
3) He acknowledged God's Sovereignty in the situation. ( This perspective, believing God was in control of all things, brought him peace; it relieved Jehoshaphat from depending on himself or his army for the outcome.)
4) He praised God for His glory and took comfort in His promises. (He was steadfast, he wasn't in a panic and he didn't run in 10 different directions seeking advice!) Jehoshaphat's focus was on One, alone! Jehoshaphat's success lied in where he placed the God of heaven in his life. Jehoshaphat put God first in all things!
5) He obeyed God's instructions, he professed complete dependence on God. (Jehoshaphat's heart was submissive before God, he didn't think he had a better plan, he was wise in seeking God's plan, God's deliverance. He trusted in God's power and might, not in his own.)
6) Jehosaphat and his army did as God asked and marched toward the enemy, but they praised God for His holiness as they did, with expectant hope, that God would do just as He said He would do. Their shields of faith were held up, as their forward guard! They believed the battle was the Lord's!
7) They took the time to thank God, to praise Him, for all He had done! They gave God the glory, honor, and praise that was due Him! The victory was His! (How, quickly, in our excitement, we can be found taking some of the glory unto ourselves.)
My friend, what battle of yours needs to be the Lord's? What have you been trying to do, fight or to figure out on your own that needs to be turned over to our Sovereign Lord? I don't know where you find yourself today, but God is trustworthy, you can give Him any problem! Are you willing to trust in His Sovereignty? Are you willing to trust the outcome to His will and put down your own will and desires and to trust that He knows best? Inquire, seek, fast and pray; acknowledge His Sovereignty. Bring your problem to the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth! If you have made a mistake, ask forgiveness! God does not condemn!
1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He's just and faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Is there anything you need to make right?
Matthew 4:25 says, "Leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."
My friend, asking forgiveness sets your sin as far as the east is from the west! Once you have aligned yourself with God, are obedient to His truths, then come into the Presence of His Holiness!
Fall at His feet! Praise His glory, find comfort in His promises! Seek His instruction with fasting and prayer and follow with obedience all He gives you to do! Sing His praises, expecting Him to intervene, to show you His way, let Him bring the victory, let Him do what you cannot! Remember, my friend, to thank Him and give Him the glory for the Victory, He's worthy of praise!
His truths are worth far more than pure gold! They are wisdom for life and we can live by them! They are not burdensome, they bring freedom and rest! Let's bring God back to our nation, one heart at a time! "Lord, I'm praying for revival for your people, the church, and for our nation! Oh, Lord, let it begin with me, change my heart, cause me to walk in obedience, to acknowledge Your Sovereignty and to remain, completely, dependent on You!"
May God bless you today as you seek to walk in obedience to His truths! If you are reading this, I'm praying for you! If we don't know what to do, the answer is found on our knees! Follow Jehoshaphat's example and see God's deliverance!
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him."
Psalm 91:14-15
Sunday, June 10, 2012
The Heavens Declare His Glory! A Little Perspective!
Believe it or not, our sin causes us to shrink the Almighty God, the Maker of the Universe, down to iddy biddy and to puff ourselves up! As human beings we can go to God with our problems, but find ourselves wanting to counsel God, advise Him and tell Him what to do and how to do it. In our pride we can forget who He really is, we can lose the awe and reverence that is due Him!
We need to get a little perspective of the Power of His Might, His vastness, His Holiness from time to time! I don't know that we've ever really had it or ever will! I don't believe we will grasp the complete awe of Him, till we reach eternity. But I believe we need to ask God to show us Himself, so we put Him in a more proper perspective; so we bend our knees in reverence, instead of being demanding of Him in our conceit and our lack of proper respect.
One of my favorite things to do, here, in the summer, is to look up at the night sky. There's no city lights to steal from the glory of the heavens He has made. I see where Big Sky, Montana got it's name! The heavens and the earth declare His glory!
I sought to find a little perspective of my own, this weekend and found myself marveling at His creation! As I sought to gain some perspective of His Greatness, some of these facts, as they were brought to light, brought me to my knees with a new awe and respect. I hope it will be eye opening to you too!
Here's a little fresh perspective!
Most of us are familiar with Genesis 1:1 that says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
And Genesis 1:3 that says, And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light.
I started with our sun, the one star in our neck of the woods and googled it. I found the sun is 93 million miles from the earth. It is 10,000 degrees F. and it takes 8 minutes for it's light to reach us. Praise the Lord it's not any closer! We can see and feel it's intensity enough already! It's no small star! 960,000 earths would fit inside of it! Praise God, He has set it's boundaries in place!
Psalm 19:1-4 says,
Psalm 33:6 says,
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth."
The speed of light is 186,000 miles a second and God just breathed the starry host into the night sky. At His word the heavens were made. They were set in place; He set their boundaries, according to His will, by His word, alone! The Universe Maker, A Star Breather is the God we attempt to push around!
Isaiah 40:12 says, "The breadth of His hand marked off the heavens"
(A light year is the distance light travels in a year which is 5.88 trillion miles.)
The Whirlpool Galaxy, alone contains 300 billion stars. It is 35 million light years away from us. It's located just below the handle of the Big Dipper. On a clear night you can make out it's spirals with a telescope. If you look for pictures of it's core at hubble.org you will see what looks like a shadow of the cross of Christ at it's center! You've got to see it! Scientists have given it the nick name, "Little Darling"! It is only one of many galaxies in the known universe. (Google Whirlpool Galaxy Core)
Belteguese is the eighth brightest star. Belteguese is 640 light years away. It is 2x the size of the earth's obit around the sun! 262 trillion earths could fit inside this massive star! It's classified as the red supergiant, one of the largest stars in the solar system. And to think, we sing "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are?" The hubble telescope has shown us what they are; furocious, massive and very intense!
Mu Cefei. also called the "Hershel's Garnet Star"is 3,000 light years away from the earth. You could put 2.7 quadrillion earths inside this star! A quadrillion is 1000 x a trillion. (A trillion is 1000 x a billion and of course, a billion is 1000 x a million.) Hard to grasp isn't it??? But we get the idea, this too is no little star!
VY Canus Majorus is the largest star found, so far, in our "known universe," it means "Big Dog Star". Canus Majorous is 4,900 light years from earth. It is known as the red hypergiant or the crimson star. It's first recorded observation was in 1801. Seven quadrillion earths could fit inside this beast! Gaining any perspective?
I challenge you today to go to hubble.org and look at some of the glory of God found in the heavens! Get some perspective of the God of the universe! The stars we sing about are not little, they are massive, and very intense! We worship a God of Might and Power! If we want to go "deeper still" to plumb the depths of God, we are gonna have to get a better perspective of His Vastness, His Glory, His Holiness and His power! I'm falling far short! What about you?
We've only, briefly, taken a look a one galaxy of billions of stars and then 4 separate stars out of the uncountable, "like the sands of the sea" and to think God holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand!
Isaiah 40:13 asks, "Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed Him as His counselor?" (Do we really have that much conceit?)
I don't know about you, but I need to get some perspective! My approach has been far off!
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than He blows them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His Great Power and Mighty Strength not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40: 21-25
We complain, like Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?" we're afraid He does not see what we're going through; that He does not see or care about our demise!
He answers Judah's complaint in Isaiah 40:28-31,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired and weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not grow faint."
God is our Strength, He knows, exactly, what we're going through! He doesn't promise to make it go away, though sometimes He does, but He promises to give us strength to go through it! He will not leave us, nor forsake us! The Star Breather, the Universe Maker created us and all the days ordained for us were written in His book, before one of them came to be! For Him our lives are history, He's already ordained it, but we are just now living it! We can rest in Him; He promises to carry us, to hold us fast if we trust in Him! He will walk with us and take us into glory! May God bless your day, as we seek to give proper worship to a Star Breather, a Universe Maker! He is worthy of glory, honor and praise! Let's come with a more proper reverence!
We need to get a little perspective of the Power of His Might, His vastness, His Holiness from time to time! I don't know that we've ever really had it or ever will! I don't believe we will grasp the complete awe of Him, till we reach eternity. But I believe we need to ask God to show us Himself, so we put Him in a more proper perspective; so we bend our knees in reverence, instead of being demanding of Him in our conceit and our lack of proper respect.
One of my favorite things to do, here, in the summer, is to look up at the night sky. There's no city lights to steal from the glory of the heavens He has made. I see where Big Sky, Montana got it's name! The heavens and the earth declare His glory!
I sought to find a little perspective of my own, this weekend and found myself marveling at His creation! As I sought to gain some perspective of His Greatness, some of these facts, as they were brought to light, brought me to my knees with a new awe and respect. I hope it will be eye opening to you too!
Here's a little fresh perspective!
Most of us are familiar with Genesis 1:1 that says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
And Genesis 1:3 that says, And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light.
I started with our sun, the one star in our neck of the woods and googled it. I found the sun is 93 million miles from the earth. It is 10,000 degrees F. and it takes 8 minutes for it's light to reach us. Praise the Lord it's not any closer! We can see and feel it's intensity enough already! It's no small star! 960,000 earths would fit inside of it! Praise God, He has set it's boundaries in place!
Psalm 19:1-4 says,
"The heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat."
Psalm 33:6 says,
"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth."
The speed of light is 186,000 miles a second and God just breathed the starry host into the night sky. At His word the heavens were made. They were set in place; He set their boundaries, according to His will, by His word, alone! The Universe Maker, A Star Breather is the God we attempt to push around!
Isaiah 40:12 says, "The breadth of His hand marked off the heavens"
(A light year is the distance light travels in a year which is 5.88 trillion miles.)
The Whirlpool Galaxy, alone contains 300 billion stars. It is 35 million light years away from us. It's located just below the handle of the Big Dipper. On a clear night you can make out it's spirals with a telescope. If you look for pictures of it's core at hubble.org you will see what looks like a shadow of the cross of Christ at it's center! You've got to see it! Scientists have given it the nick name, "Little Darling"! It is only one of many galaxies in the known universe. (Google Whirlpool Galaxy Core)
Belteguese is the eighth brightest star. Belteguese is 640 light years away. It is 2x the size of the earth's obit around the sun! 262 trillion earths could fit inside this massive star! It's classified as the red supergiant, one of the largest stars in the solar system. And to think, we sing "Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are?" The hubble telescope has shown us what they are; furocious, massive and very intense!
Mu Cefei. also called the "Hershel's Garnet Star"is 3,000 light years away from the earth. You could put 2.7 quadrillion earths inside this star! A quadrillion is 1000 x a trillion. (A trillion is 1000 x a billion and of course, a billion is 1000 x a million.) Hard to grasp isn't it??? But we get the idea, this too is no little star!
VY Canus Majorus is the largest star found, so far, in our "known universe," it means "Big Dog Star". Canus Majorous is 4,900 light years from earth. It is known as the red hypergiant or the crimson star. It's first recorded observation was in 1801. Seven quadrillion earths could fit inside this beast! Gaining any perspective?
I challenge you today to go to hubble.org and look at some of the glory of God found in the heavens! Get some perspective of the God of the universe! The stars we sing about are not little, they are massive, and very intense! We worship a God of Might and Power! If we want to go "deeper still" to plumb the depths of God, we are gonna have to get a better perspective of His Vastness, His Glory, His Holiness and His power! I'm falling far short! What about you?
We've only, briefly, taken a look a one galaxy of billions of stars and then 4 separate stars out of the uncountable, "like the sands of the sea" and to think God holds the entire universe in the palm of His hand!
Isaiah 40:13 asks, "Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed Him as His counselor?" (Do we really have that much conceit?)
I don't know about you, but I need to get some perspective! My approach has been far off!
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than He blows them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Lift your eyes to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His Great Power and Mighty Strength not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40: 21-25
We complain, like Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?" we're afraid He does not see what we're going through; that He does not see or care about our demise!
He answers Judah's complaint in Isaiah 40:28-31,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired and weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not grow faint."
God is our Strength, He knows, exactly, what we're going through! He doesn't promise to make it go away, though sometimes He does, but He promises to give us strength to go through it! He will not leave us, nor forsake us! The Star Breather, the Universe Maker created us and all the days ordained for us were written in His book, before one of them came to be! For Him our lives are history, He's already ordained it, but we are just now living it! We can rest in Him; He promises to carry us, to hold us fast if we trust in Him! He will walk with us and take us into glory! May God bless your day, as we seek to give proper worship to a Star Breather, a Universe Maker! He is worthy of glory, honor and praise! Let's come with a more proper reverence!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Opportunity And Blessings!
Recently, I had to go back the local print shop, to print out some flyers for the car I'm trying to sell. (My color printer is clogged and a new one would just be one more thing to move.) I called the print shop and told them I would email the flyer to them and I'd be in in 15 minutes.
Months ago, I had gone in with inches of paperwork that had to be faxed and then again for more. The manager was very helpful to me. They have a printer there for you to use, but she offered to do it for me, since I had so much, she said it would make it go alot faster; the only other customer had just left, so, we were able to talk more openly. I explained that my husband had died and the purpose of all the paperwork and where it had to be sent, by the deadline, which was the next day.
She shared that she had been a nurse and was enjoying the change in work, which opened the conversation into Jim being life flighted to Pocatello and some of the details. I tend to where my heart on my sleeve, so we talked openly with the privacy. I've been in a few more times with more paperwork and more copies to make, power of attorney and etc. They've always been more than helpful and very friendly, but it's usually pretty busy.
This particular morning, I arrived and the manager was at the computer, there were two college age girls there with her. They greeted me and she said she had gotten my email. (I could see she was setting it up, professionally, for me, which was much appreciated.) The college girls went off to the back to do other things and again the last customer left, we were alone. As she continued to work on the flyer on the computer, she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did all the paperwork turn out?" I said, "God has paid off $95,564 in medical bills, but it didn't go back 3 months, like they originally said it would and I want everything dealt with before I leave here, I want every bill paid, so I'm selling some vehicles to pay off the WY medical bills that are left. She said, "Do you mind if I tell the girls your story?" And I said, "No, I don't." She called the girl's out to the front desk and began to tell the girls my story. When she was done, I said, "That's not the best part, because all along God's allowed me to think I was making a quick move, I have stayed after all the paperwork, cleaning out and throwing away. God has seemed to continue to add just one more thing, and so I'm still not working. God has taken care of me for 6 months, Him alone! When I needed wood He sent it, when I had a bill, I'd pray and He'd provide it. I've only asked God. I prayed for my needs and God has met them all!" By now, their faces are lit up in amazement, the copies were done and she turned to me teary eyed and said, "We want to be apart of what God is doing!" (There was no charge) Of course, with tears in my eyes I thanked them and I walked out with flyers that she had taken the time to set up professionally. I was amazed, again at God's continual care! How He has used others to meet my needs. This is just one very small example of what God has been doing to take care of me. Obviously, there are many more examples like this, if He's taken care of me for 6 months!
God asked me to share this story before I ever got out of bed this morning, so I know He will use it according to His will. I hope it will be an encouragement to someone today. Who do we seek to meet our needs? Beloved, we are His, we can turn to Him! He is all we need! He is enough!
Months ago, I had gone in with inches of paperwork that had to be faxed and then again for more. The manager was very helpful to me. They have a printer there for you to use, but she offered to do it for me, since I had so much, she said it would make it go alot faster; the only other customer had just left, so, we were able to talk more openly. I explained that my husband had died and the purpose of all the paperwork and where it had to be sent, by the deadline, which was the next day.
She shared that she had been a nurse and was enjoying the change in work, which opened the conversation into Jim being life flighted to Pocatello and some of the details. I tend to where my heart on my sleeve, so we talked openly with the privacy. I've been in a few more times with more paperwork and more copies to make, power of attorney and etc. They've always been more than helpful and very friendly, but it's usually pretty busy.
This particular morning, I arrived and the manager was at the computer, there were two college age girls there with her. They greeted me and she said she had gotten my email. (I could see she was setting it up, professionally, for me, which was much appreciated.) The college girls went off to the back to do other things and again the last customer left, we were alone. As she continued to work on the flyer on the computer, she asked, "If you don't mind me asking, how did all the paperwork turn out?" I said, "God has paid off $95,564 in medical bills, but it didn't go back 3 months, like they originally said it would and I want everything dealt with before I leave here, I want every bill paid, so I'm selling some vehicles to pay off the WY medical bills that are left. She said, "Do you mind if I tell the girls your story?" And I said, "No, I don't." She called the girl's out to the front desk and began to tell the girls my story. When she was done, I said, "That's not the best part, because all along God's allowed me to think I was making a quick move, I have stayed after all the paperwork, cleaning out and throwing away. God has seemed to continue to add just one more thing, and so I'm still not working. God has taken care of me for 6 months, Him alone! When I needed wood He sent it, when I had a bill, I'd pray and He'd provide it. I've only asked God. I prayed for my needs and God has met them all!" By now, their faces are lit up in amazement, the copies were done and she turned to me teary eyed and said, "We want to be apart of what God is doing!" (There was no charge) Of course, with tears in my eyes I thanked them and I walked out with flyers that she had taken the time to set up professionally. I was amazed, again at God's continual care! How He has used others to meet my needs. This is just one very small example of what God has been doing to take care of me. Obviously, there are many more examples like this, if He's taken care of me for 6 months!
God asked me to share this story before I ever got out of bed this morning, so I know He will use it according to His will. I hope it will be an encouragement to someone today. Who do we seek to meet our needs? Beloved, we are His, we can turn to Him! He is all we need! He is enough!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The Unimaginable! How Do I Even Begin?
I don't know about you, but it's my desire to walk in God's Presence every day! I want to be sensitive to His Spirit, to have my eyes fixed on Him, to align myself with Him, daily, and to be receptive to Him through out the day. I want to know Him, more intimately, with each passing day and I ask Him daily to show me more of Himself. I want the passions of His heart to be mine! I want to hunger and thirst for His word! I want to walk in the light of His Presence and to do His will! But I find myself falling short, yet, He never fails me! He's always there, He never leaves my side and He always waiting to help me up when I stumble. His ways are not burdensome, they bring great joy! And He always reminds me that His is "an everlasting love"!
When I read verses like Hebrews 6:1
"And without faith it is impossible to please God." (I see how far I have to go, I fall far short!)
When Jim went home to be with the Lord, I wasn't working. I had injured my shoulder in January of 2010 pretty bad and months later it became frozen. You, literally, could not force it to move. I had been seeking the Lord for health and fitness and a frozen shoulder seemed, in my opinion, to be moving in the wrong direction, but God used it for good! God used it to answer my prayer request; He used it to funnel me to not only a therapist, but a very knowledgeable one, who would offer to be my trainer and nutritionist, as well. I was amazed how God provides for every step of a journey that belongs to Him!
The therapist, immediately, told me how serious this injury was and that we needed to hit it hard and fast. It took 3 weeks, twice a week, with a therapist in the pool and three days of ultrasound and electrode therapy just to get it to move again. Now, it was June and we began the very slow process of strengthening; the pool twice a week continued and the gym three times a week with exercises changing. By July, I was exercising at the other end of the pool with a group. In September, Judy, my therapist, could see my heart's desire and offered to help me with continuing to strengthen the shoulder, but asked if I wanted her to help me with health and fitness too. I was elated, I knew God was answering my prayers, but you have to realize every step, meant trusting God to provide each week, the money needed to continue this expensive route. People questioned how I was affording this, but Jim and I saw God's hand in it and we both knew I had been crying out to God to do what I hadn't been able to do. I couldn't just exercise and diet, I had hip bursitis and plantar fascitis in both feet. I had caused other injuries trying to do it on my own. God had identified this as His journey, my part was to have the faith that He would provide and to walk in trust and obedience.
When the chemicals in the pool began to cause me to break out, I decided to believe that it was God pushing me into the gym, my trainer was excited at the progress, as was I. I was in the gym three days a week and exercising everyday at home, as well. (7 days a week) I was journaling my food and my exercise and recording it all with an online tool which kept track of calories, proteins, carbs, fats and natural sugar and salt in foods. I was eating no processed foods, lean meats, fruit, vegetables and no complex carbs, salt, sugar or sweetners. I knew I'd asked God, specifically, for what my body needed, so I chose to trust the program He designed for me. I learned alot about fitness and how to trick your body into continuing to lose. I was amazed that my asthma, hip bursitis, IBS and plantar fascitis, all went away! God is all knowing! Who are we to question His ways? Oh, if I'd but learn just to follow!
We can ask God for something, but we have to believe and be able to recognize it when He brings the answer. We have to respond in faith and continue each day to simply follow. We have to be willing to do the unreasonable, things that make no common sense at all. God's thoughts are not our thoughts! We can not follow God and depend on our own human reasoning!
This journey came to an intermission when Jim got sick. I was heart sick that I only had 35 lbs. to go, but it was clear where I needed to be, so I entrusted it to God. I didn't know it then, but God was preparing me for a walk that would require a much greater faith!
So, as of Jim's death was on December 12th, 2011 I was not working. I knew I'd need to get a job, quickly, but Jim's memorial service was on the east coast, on January 4th. My church wanted to fly me out to be with my daughter, Jill, and her family for Christmas in PA and then from there I rode with them to Columbus, OH and spent 9 days with Jim's sister, Jill, and her husband, Terry. God was requiring me to trust Him and I had to take the step of faith to believe God could take care of the finances during that time. I knew God provided for me to go, so I stepped in faith. I flew back to Idaho on January 6th and began preparing for the Celebration of Life service, here, on the 12th. I was in complete awe of God's provisions for me during this time! It had been a month, with me not working. I was completely, overwhelmed by His amazing love! Someday, I hope to know how to tell the details of this story, so you get the full impact, but I haven't found the words yet!
The bills for the hospitals, life flight and imaging companies rolled in and there was the medicaid packet and disability, which is more paperwork than one would imagine. I was still numb and in shock and God continued to meet my every need and to carry me each step of the way. A bill would arise and He would meet it; I would need wood and someone would bring it! I only asked God for my needs and He provided! I've seen things I've never seen!
God provided a way for me to move back to the east coast, so I began to prepare for what I thought would be a quick move, assuming that's why God was providing in such an amazing way! So, I didn't get work, I began going through closets and through the garage and throwing away and repacking and hauling alot to the dump. At the same time I was seeking a decree for power of attorney to be able to sell the vehicles that weren't in my name; desiring to leave here with every bill paid! These people gave us their services in good faith and my every desire is to see everyone of those taken care of! That process has taken longer than I expected and only 6 weeks ago, I got the power of attorney and was able to apply for the titles, which took three weeks to get. So, here I am just now seeking to sell the vehicles and seeking God as to what to sell and what to keep. Only He knows the journey ahead ~ I'm willing to walk away with only a suitcase, if that's His desire. I am in the palm of His hands! I'm looking to Him for all things!
So, why would a person share such personal information with the public? It's because I'm jealous for you to know that God provides for His children! He keeps His promises! We can trust Him!
This winter, He kept me thinking day to day, that I was making a quick move and then would add another thing, with me thinking that it wouldn't take long. Jim has such dear parents and Ed has kept in close contact with me, hearing each step and move and has counseled me: "God is moving you, He's choosing to provide, keep packing, He's moving you!" So, I packed and threw out and dealt with all the mountains of paperwork and I'm still here! But what I want you to know is God has taken complete care of me! Not because I'm unwilling to work, but because He wanted to make sure that I couldn't say I did it! I'm His, I've been seeking to "plumb the depths of God"! Asking, daily, for Him to show me Himself, to take me "deeper still"! He's wanted to show me right up front, "Sheryl, I've got you, I'm going to take care of you in unimaginable ways!" To go with God requires faith, just that of a mustard seed, but none the less, it requires faith! To know God, intimately, requires time spent with and to be willing to journey with Him and do the ridiculous, that which makes no common sense!
David and Goliath, does that make sense? Noah, building an ark in the desert, because it was gonna "rain"(it never had before)? What about Gideon going up against an army that was like locusts with only 300 men armed with lanterns, a trumpet and a shout? Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho? What about Jehoshaphat armed with prayer and fasting and his army armed with men singing praises of the splendor of His Holiness, while God ambushed the armies before them! Explain that to me! These aren't just stories, they really happened in time and space! In all of these situations God was seen as Sovereign or the Victor!
Call me stupid, and many have thought me so, in these past 6 months, as God directed me, daily, in what He wanted me to do. I've hung on His every word! Sound ridiculous, yes! Makes no common sense? None at all! But I have sat at the Lord's feet for hours on end, in my grief, desiring to know Him, to plumb the depths of God and turn and make Him known! Knowing only He could fill the void, that He alone could meet my every need! What I'm telling you is that He has chosen to show me that He can take care of me for 6 months! Completely, Him alone! Sound irresponsible on part? I'm sure! I have no response, except if I'm walking in such disobedience and such great irresponsibility, why is God being so faithful to take such detailed care of me? Do I have it more together than others? I assure you that I DO NOT!!! I am but a sinner saved by grace! God has chosen to show me the depth of His love! He is answering my heart's desire, to know Him, more intimately, with each passing day and to turn and make Him known! I, simply, cried out, "Show me more of Yourself!" And He is!
You have no idea of the extent of this care of which I write today! It's unimaginable! I am in awe! I can not explain it and if you think it sounds absurd, I agree, but I promise you I am not lying! God has, completely, taken care of me for 6 months as of June 12th. He is worthy of praise and I praise Him!
As I continue to pack and seek His will, in even the small things, I covet your prayers! The things written on the tablet of my heart, that I believe God has written there, are much bigger than me! I tremble at the thought, I am human, just like you! I only want to do His will, to have the courage to follow Him! To be willing to have the faith it requires to do the ridiculous! To walk by faith! "Dear God, please help me!" I haven't attained this yet and after He's been so very faithful, it grieves my heart that I fall short, when He has shown me Himself and His faithfulness in such great ways!
I hope this will be an encouragement to you in your walk. Those that are close to me and have called daily have gotten to witness this blow by blow! They are as much in awe as I am and it has really made impact on my sister, Jeanie and my niece! Jeanie's found a church with excellent teaching and is in the Word daily! "O Lord, thank you for answered prayer!"
God chooses to show Himself faithful in the midst of our weaknesses, for then His power and might can be seen! Jim's dad keeps in encouraging me, "You are doing it right, keep doing what you're doing!" But, oh if he only knew how my faith wavers at times!
Some day God will show me how to tell this story, but for now, I cannot find the words! Westbow Press, an extension of Thomas Nelson publishing is encouraging me to write a book. (They've read this blog.) That is in God's hands, when God is ready to be the author, I will be the penman, and I will write all He wants to say, but until then, it would have no power, it would just be my empty words. He is saying, "Wait!" I will wait on Him! I covet your prayers! May God Bless you and strengthen you in your faith, as you continue to walk with Him! I'm praying for you, keep your shield of faith up, it's our forward guard, it must be held up!
When I read verses like Hebrews 6:1
"And without faith it is impossible to please God." (I see how far I have to go, I fall far short!)
When Jim went home to be with the Lord, I wasn't working. I had injured my shoulder in January of 2010 pretty bad and months later it became frozen. You, literally, could not force it to move. I had been seeking the Lord for health and fitness and a frozen shoulder seemed, in my opinion, to be moving in the wrong direction, but God used it for good! God used it to answer my prayer request; He used it to funnel me to not only a therapist, but a very knowledgeable one, who would offer to be my trainer and nutritionist, as well. I was amazed how God provides for every step of a journey that belongs to Him!
The therapist, immediately, told me how serious this injury was and that we needed to hit it hard and fast. It took 3 weeks, twice a week, with a therapist in the pool and three days of ultrasound and electrode therapy just to get it to move again. Now, it was June and we began the very slow process of strengthening; the pool twice a week continued and the gym three times a week with exercises changing. By July, I was exercising at the other end of the pool with a group. In September, Judy, my therapist, could see my heart's desire and offered to help me with continuing to strengthen the shoulder, but asked if I wanted her to help me with health and fitness too. I was elated, I knew God was answering my prayers, but you have to realize every step, meant trusting God to provide each week, the money needed to continue this expensive route. People questioned how I was affording this, but Jim and I saw God's hand in it and we both knew I had been crying out to God to do what I hadn't been able to do. I couldn't just exercise and diet, I had hip bursitis and plantar fascitis in both feet. I had caused other injuries trying to do it on my own. God had identified this as His journey, my part was to have the faith that He would provide and to walk in trust and obedience.
When the chemicals in the pool began to cause me to break out, I decided to believe that it was God pushing me into the gym, my trainer was excited at the progress, as was I. I was in the gym three days a week and exercising everyday at home, as well. (7 days a week) I was journaling my food and my exercise and recording it all with an online tool which kept track of calories, proteins, carbs, fats and natural sugar and salt in foods. I was eating no processed foods, lean meats, fruit, vegetables and no complex carbs, salt, sugar or sweetners. I knew I'd asked God, specifically, for what my body needed, so I chose to trust the program He designed for me. I learned alot about fitness and how to trick your body into continuing to lose. I was amazed that my asthma, hip bursitis, IBS and plantar fascitis, all went away! God is all knowing! Who are we to question His ways? Oh, if I'd but learn just to follow!
We can ask God for something, but we have to believe and be able to recognize it when He brings the answer. We have to respond in faith and continue each day to simply follow. We have to be willing to do the unreasonable, things that make no common sense at all. God's thoughts are not our thoughts! We can not follow God and depend on our own human reasoning!
This journey came to an intermission when Jim got sick. I was heart sick that I only had 35 lbs. to go, but it was clear where I needed to be, so I entrusted it to God. I didn't know it then, but God was preparing me for a walk that would require a much greater faith!
So, as of Jim's death was on December 12th, 2011 I was not working. I knew I'd need to get a job, quickly, but Jim's memorial service was on the east coast, on January 4th. My church wanted to fly me out to be with my daughter, Jill, and her family for Christmas in PA and then from there I rode with them to Columbus, OH and spent 9 days with Jim's sister, Jill, and her husband, Terry. God was requiring me to trust Him and I had to take the step of faith to believe God could take care of the finances during that time. I knew God provided for me to go, so I stepped in faith. I flew back to Idaho on January 6th and began preparing for the Celebration of Life service, here, on the 12th. I was in complete awe of God's provisions for me during this time! It had been a month, with me not working. I was completely, overwhelmed by His amazing love! Someday, I hope to know how to tell the details of this story, so you get the full impact, but I haven't found the words yet!
The bills for the hospitals, life flight and imaging companies rolled in and there was the medicaid packet and disability, which is more paperwork than one would imagine. I was still numb and in shock and God continued to meet my every need and to carry me each step of the way. A bill would arise and He would meet it; I would need wood and someone would bring it! I only asked God for my needs and He provided! I've seen things I've never seen!
God provided a way for me to move back to the east coast, so I began to prepare for what I thought would be a quick move, assuming that's why God was providing in such an amazing way! So, I didn't get work, I began going through closets and through the garage and throwing away and repacking and hauling alot to the dump. At the same time I was seeking a decree for power of attorney to be able to sell the vehicles that weren't in my name; desiring to leave here with every bill paid! These people gave us their services in good faith and my every desire is to see everyone of those taken care of! That process has taken longer than I expected and only 6 weeks ago, I got the power of attorney and was able to apply for the titles, which took three weeks to get. So, here I am just now seeking to sell the vehicles and seeking God as to what to sell and what to keep. Only He knows the journey ahead ~ I'm willing to walk away with only a suitcase, if that's His desire. I am in the palm of His hands! I'm looking to Him for all things!
So, why would a person share such personal information with the public? It's because I'm jealous for you to know that God provides for His children! He keeps His promises! We can trust Him!
This winter, He kept me thinking day to day, that I was making a quick move and then would add another thing, with me thinking that it wouldn't take long. Jim has such dear parents and Ed has kept in close contact with me, hearing each step and move and has counseled me: "God is moving you, He's choosing to provide, keep packing, He's moving you!" So, I packed and threw out and dealt with all the mountains of paperwork and I'm still here! But what I want you to know is God has taken complete care of me! Not because I'm unwilling to work, but because He wanted to make sure that I couldn't say I did it! I'm His, I've been seeking to "plumb the depths of God"! Asking, daily, for Him to show me Himself, to take me "deeper still"! He's wanted to show me right up front, "Sheryl, I've got you, I'm going to take care of you in unimaginable ways!" To go with God requires faith, just that of a mustard seed, but none the less, it requires faith! To know God, intimately, requires time spent with and to be willing to journey with Him and do the ridiculous, that which makes no common sense!
David and Goliath, does that make sense? Noah, building an ark in the desert, because it was gonna "rain"(it never had before)? What about Gideon going up against an army that was like locusts with only 300 men armed with lanterns, a trumpet and a shout? Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho? What about Jehoshaphat armed with prayer and fasting and his army armed with men singing praises of the splendor of His Holiness, while God ambushed the armies before them! Explain that to me! These aren't just stories, they really happened in time and space! In all of these situations God was seen as Sovereign or the Victor!
Call me stupid, and many have thought me so, in these past 6 months, as God directed me, daily, in what He wanted me to do. I've hung on His every word! Sound ridiculous, yes! Makes no common sense? None at all! But I have sat at the Lord's feet for hours on end, in my grief, desiring to know Him, to plumb the depths of God and turn and make Him known! Knowing only He could fill the void, that He alone could meet my every need! What I'm telling you is that He has chosen to show me that He can take care of me for 6 months! Completely, Him alone! Sound irresponsible on part? I'm sure! I have no response, except if I'm walking in such disobedience and such great irresponsibility, why is God being so faithful to take such detailed care of me? Do I have it more together than others? I assure you that I DO NOT!!! I am but a sinner saved by grace! God has chosen to show me the depth of His love! He is answering my heart's desire, to know Him, more intimately, with each passing day and to turn and make Him known! I, simply, cried out, "Show me more of Yourself!" And He is!
You have no idea of the extent of this care of which I write today! It's unimaginable! I am in awe! I can not explain it and if you think it sounds absurd, I agree, but I promise you I am not lying! God has, completely, taken care of me for 6 months as of June 12th. He is worthy of praise and I praise Him!
As I continue to pack and seek His will, in even the small things, I covet your prayers! The things written on the tablet of my heart, that I believe God has written there, are much bigger than me! I tremble at the thought, I am human, just like you! I only want to do His will, to have the courage to follow Him! To be willing to have the faith it requires to do the ridiculous! To walk by faith! "Dear God, please help me!" I haven't attained this yet and after He's been so very faithful, it grieves my heart that I fall short, when He has shown me Himself and His faithfulness in such great ways!
I hope this will be an encouragement to you in your walk. Those that are close to me and have called daily have gotten to witness this blow by blow! They are as much in awe as I am and it has really made impact on my sister, Jeanie and my niece! Jeanie's found a church with excellent teaching and is in the Word daily! "O Lord, thank you for answered prayer!"
God chooses to show Himself faithful in the midst of our weaknesses, for then His power and might can be seen! Jim's dad keeps in encouraging me, "You are doing it right, keep doing what you're doing!" But, oh if he only knew how my faith wavers at times!
Some day God will show me how to tell this story, but for now, I cannot find the words! Westbow Press, an extension of Thomas Nelson publishing is encouraging me to write a book. (They've read this blog.) That is in God's hands, when God is ready to be the author, I will be the penman, and I will write all He wants to say, but until then, it would have no power, it would just be my empty words. He is saying, "Wait!" I will wait on Him! I covet your prayers! May God Bless you and strengthen you in your faith, as you continue to walk with Him! I'm praying for you, keep your shield of faith up, it's our forward guard, it must be held up!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Walk With God And Never Walk Alone!
Life is a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow!
As much as we cherish our families and our close friends, they cannot meet our every need! People can't always be there for us, only God can! God alone can meet us in every problem; He alone knows all things! We may look to others for what only God can give, but we will only wear them out.
With my husband passing away in December it would have been easy to turn to others, for what only God can give; but I have been striving to look to God alone, for what only He can do. I've sought after Him for all my needs and He has proven Himself faithful to meet them all! He has refreshed and renewed my soul with each passing day, bringing joy even in the midst of the trials. He has been my Provider, my Counselor and my Comforter, He has been my Help and my Strength. I'm glad I don't have to figure out what I would have done without Him; it, surely would have been grief upon grief, but He's never left my side!
Philippians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
God's word is sufficient to meet our every need! Psalm 19:7-14 is one of the best examples of it's sufficiency. Scripture is a qualified guide in every situation. It proves God's presence and His power and it is contains divine principles that are a great guide for conduct and character. The scriptures are flawless and are everlasting! Because the scriptures meet our every need, they are far more precious than anything this world has to offer. They are words for life! They satisfy the soul's longing!
Psalm 19:7-14
"The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
One of Christ's names found in Isaiah 9:6 is Wonderful Counselor. Christians can turn to none greater than Christ for counsel. His word is a well of divine wisdom of which we can draw from in every situation! Yes, He has given every believer spiritual gifts and we are to use those for the benefit of others, we need other believers! God designed us that way! Together we make up the body of Christ! But no one is capable of being there for us every moment of the day. Christ, alone, is capable of being there, no matter our situation or where we are. He is the highest authority we can turn to on any matter! We cannot escape His Presence, He is with us always!
If you find yourself struggling, try focusing on turning to the Lord for everything; depend on Him and watch Him fulfill what others cannot. He is enough! Seek Him in all things! His yoke is easy and His burden light. He is an ever present help in trouble that you can depend on, no matter the day or the time. He can be our all in all, if we will choose for Him to be. May God bless you, as you seek Him, for what only He can give!
Psalm 34:5
"Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces."
As much as we cherish our families and our close friends, they cannot meet our every need! People can't always be there for us, only God can! God alone can meet us in every problem; He alone knows all things! We may look to others for what only God can give, but we will only wear them out.
With my husband passing away in December it would have been easy to turn to others, for what only God can give; but I have been striving to look to God alone, for what only He can do. I've sought after Him for all my needs and He has proven Himself faithful to meet them all! He has refreshed and renewed my soul with each passing day, bringing joy even in the midst of the trials. He has been my Provider, my Counselor and my Comforter, He has been my Help and my Strength. I'm glad I don't have to figure out what I would have done without Him; it, surely would have been grief upon grief, but He's never left my side!
Philippians 4:19
"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
God's word is sufficient to meet our every need! Psalm 19:7-14 is one of the best examples of it's sufficiency. Scripture is a qualified guide in every situation. It proves God's presence and His power and it is contains divine principles that are a great guide for conduct and character. The scriptures are flawless and are everlasting! Because the scriptures meet our every need, they are far more precious than anything this world has to offer. They are words for life! They satisfy the soul's longing!
Psalm 19:7-14
"The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
One of Christ's names found in Isaiah 9:6 is Wonderful Counselor. Christians can turn to none greater than Christ for counsel. His word is a well of divine wisdom of which we can draw from in every situation! Yes, He has given every believer spiritual gifts and we are to use those for the benefit of others, we need other believers! God designed us that way! Together we make up the body of Christ! But no one is capable of being there for us every moment of the day. Christ, alone, is capable of being there, no matter our situation or where we are. He is the highest authority we can turn to on any matter! We cannot escape His Presence, He is with us always!
If you find yourself struggling, try focusing on turning to the Lord for everything; depend on Him and watch Him fulfill what others cannot. He is enough! Seek Him in all things! His yoke is easy and His burden light. He is an ever present help in trouble that you can depend on, no matter the day or the time. He can be our all in all, if we will choose for Him to be. May God bless you, as you seek Him, for what only He can give!
Psalm 34:5
"Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces."
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