Begin at the Beginning

The beginning of a new year seems to be a great time to “start over,” to forsake old habits that are getting us nowhere and to embrace new ways of living that we believe will be more beneficial to us. Many people take this opportunity to review their life and readjust priorities. Some make what they call “new year’s resolutions,” vowing they are going to change their lives by adhering to a list of proposed changes. Sadly, these lists seem to keep people on track for not much longer than it takes the ink to dry on the paper. We are creatures of habit, and too easily fall back into old ways of doing things.

In the first verse of the Bible, we find the words: In the beginning God . . .  As His child, I believe that any change we desire in our life requires us to begin at the beginning. We need to go back to the One who began it all in the first place and ask for His guidance. Proverbs 1:7 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom . . .  If we desire guidance—wisdom for how to live our lives—we need only to look to the One who is all wisdom. As we live in the reverential fear of the Lord, acknowledging that He is the One who knows all things, as we submit ourselves to His divine direction and immerse ourselves in His Word, we will obtain His help in taking our life in the direction He desires for us.

So, this year I am going to make one resolution that I believe will cover everything:  I resolve to put God first in my life and to obey Him in all things.

Father, help me to lay aside anything that hinders my relationship with You. Help me to begin at the beginning and follow You all the way.

Scriptures for Reflection

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

God’s Gift: The Reason for the Season

On Christmas Day we celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into the world. The reason for His coming is summed up in one very familiar verse of scripture: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

It is wonderful to contemplate the wonder of the Christmas story and to get caught up in what some people call the “magic” of Christmas. There is just no other time like it. But the coming of Christ can and should be celebrated every day. And the reason for His coming needs to be proclaimed throughout the year: For God so loved the world that He gave . . .

The essence of love is giving. The proof that a person loves is what they are willing to give of their resources and of themselves. God gave His precious Son, and Jesus gave His life. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

And so Christmas is more than about the gifts under the tree. It is about the Gift who came to die on a tree. He came to give us life and that more abundantly—every day of the year.

Father, thank You for the greatest Gift of all: Your Son given because of Your great love for us. May we celebrate His coming each and every day of our lives. And may we be willing to give to others by telling them the wondrous story of your great Gift!

Scriptures for Reflection

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15)

God With Us

My heart is filled with wonder as I consider the coming of our Lord as a babe in a manger. I am in awe that the God of the universe would come as a human being to live among us, teaching us how to live a life pleasing to Him, and then dying a cruel death so that we could be in relationship with our Creator.

The book of Genesis reveals to us that before mankind’s fall into sin, God came down and walked with Adam during the cool of the day. Man was created in God’s image to have fellowship with Him. When Adam sinned, the fellowship was broken and man was separated from God.

But God did not give up on us!  In the Old Testament, He provided a way for sins to be covered through animal sacrifices; and as recorded in the New Testament, the sacrificial death of our Lord provides more than just a covering of sins. When we accept Christ as our Savior, our sins are washed away, and we enter into a Father/child relationship with our Creator.

I am so thankful that God loves us so much that He wants a relationship with us. He wants to be with us! The Word tells us in Matthew 1:23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  We who were far from God have been provided a way to be near Him!

Father, thank You that You did not leave us as we were. You did not leave us in our sin. You sent Your Son as a baby to be with us. He lived as one of us and was touched by the same feelings that we have. Thank You for the life He gave so that we could be set free from sin, and that we could be in relationship with God who is with us!

Scriptures for Reflection

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

A Season of Peace

In Luke Chapter 2, the angels declared the time of Christ’s birth to be a season of peace. For a lot of us, instead of Christmastime bringing feelings of peace and tranquility, it is the busiest time of the year. The season is filled with activities: Shopping, decorating, wrapping presents, baking goodies, going to dinners, plays and special services. The month of December seems to be gone almost before it begins. It is easy to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle that we lose sight of the Reason for the season.

Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, came to bring peace to the hearts of men. For those who were far from God, He came to bring us near. During the busyness of the season, if you become anxious and stressed, if you find yourself wondering what it is really all about, remember the comforting words of Isaiah: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” (Isa. 26:3)

So, stop….. take a deep breath….. Refocus your mind. Remember the reason we celebrate. Renew your relationship with the Giver of Peace.

Scriptures for Reflection

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace. (Ephesians 2:13-15)

I Can’t Even Walk Without You Holding My Hand

Even though I am well aware that God is my source, that He is the One who supplies everything I need, that He is the One who has given me talents and abilities to do what He has called me to do, I still at times find myself trying to “go it alone.” What is it about us that causes us to pull away from the One who loves us the most? We don’t mean to do it, but we get caught up in the moment, in this or that activity, and find ourselves depending on the arm of the flesh, rather than leaning on the everlasting arms. Then we get into trouble and realize we need to run back to the Master and His plan.

The song comes to mind, I Can’t Even Walk Without You Holding My Hand. If we let go of His hand, we are bound to get off track.

I am so thankful that when we trust our lives to our Heavenly Father, He has promised to guide us in the way we should go. Just as we care for our children and do our best to guide them in the right direction, our Father’s desire is that we follow His ways and walk on the path He has set before us. Many times the path takes an unexpected turn; there are sometimes rough places that are hard to travel. But God in His infinite wisdom knows where He wants us to go and who He wants us to become.

The greatest wisdom we possess is the willingness to surrender our plans and our desires to the One who knows all things and who holds our lives in the palm of His hand.

Father, I need You. I can’t even walk without You holding my hand!

Scripture for Reflection

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalm 32:8)

I Can’t Even Walk (Without You Holding My Hand)

I thought that number one would surely be me,
I thought I would be what I wanted to be.
I thought I could build on life's sinking sand,
But I can't even walk without You holding my hand.

I thought I could do a lot on my own,
I thought I could make it all alone;
I thought of myself as a mighty big man,
But I can't even walk without You holding my hand.

Lord I can't even walk without You holding my hand.
The mountain's too high and the valley's too wide.
Down on my knees, I learned to stand.
Because I can't even walk without You holding my hand.

I think that I'll make Jesus my All,
From now on when I'm in trouble, on Him I will call;
If I don't trust Him, I'll be less than a man,
You see I can't even walk without You holding my hand.

Lord I can't even walk without You holding my hand.
The mountain's too high and the valley's too wide.
Down on my knees, I learned to stand.
Because I can't even walk without You holding my hand.

Thanksgiving Every Day

This being the time of year we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, it is a season when we especially remember the many things for which we are thankful. But in the life of a child of God, every day should be a day of thanksgiving. Psalm 92:1 tells us, It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high. And Psalm 105:1: O give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Psalm 118:1: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. And the Psalms are filled with many more admonitions for us to give thanks to God.

No matter what is happening in your life right now, you have much for which to be thankful. Even if we have had a very bad day, or bad week, month, year, or even more, we can be thankful that there is a God in heaven who loves us. I’m reminded of words from the worship song, I Have a Hope: There’s still hope for me today, for the God of heaven loves me.*   Even though your present situation may seem hopeless, your life is in God’s hands. He has a purpose for what you are going through, though you may not understand it right now. Everything we face is temporary. This life with all of its hardships is so short when compared with eternity. James tells us that our life is a vapor that appears for a short while and then vanishes away. (Jms. 4:14)

Though our lives are less than perfect, we can look forward to the things that God has in store for us. Through the sacrifice of His Son, He has provided salvation, and when we accept this gift we have the assurance that we will spend eternity with Him in a place where all of our hardships will be over and forgotten. He has promised to dry all tears from our eyes. I look forward to finally seeing my Savior, face to face!

While I am still on this earth, I want to spend the short time I have left giving thanks unto God with my life and with my words.

Father, thank You for life. Thank you for the gift of Your Son and the sacrifice of His life on Calvary. Thank You for salvation. Thank You for Your Word that has been given to guide us. Thank You that You care about us completely, even though we don’t always understand what is happening in our lives. We love You, Lord!

*I Have a Hope, Tommy Walker, Maranatha Music

Refuse to Fear—Accept God’s Peace

As I reflect on events taking place in our country, I am once again reminded of the uncertainty of life and the perilous times in which we live. None of us know what the next day will hold, or even the next moment. If we allow our minds to dwell on these uncertainties for too long, our hearts can become filled with fear. It is easy to see the following scripture being fulfilled in our time: Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:26)

When contemplating the direction our nation is going, I have found myself trembling at the thought of what could lie ahead for us. It is then that I realize the need to shift my focus back to the One who is able to take care of His people. Our God knows all things, and as long as we live for Him and trust Him, we have no need to fear what life holds or what man may do to us. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? (Psalm 118:6)

God is our Rock and our Fortress, the One on whom we can depend. We must stand firmly upon the Rock. Even though everything else may crumble around us, He will stand. He has promised that He will protect us. He will not fail us!

Father, I am thankful that Your Word is filled with many promises that we can depend on You to take care of us. In an uncertain world that causes our hearts to fear, help us to keep our minds upon You. Thank You for filling our hearts with peace.

Scriptures for Reflection

I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. (Psalm 18:1-3)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:3)

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:7)

Worth the Sacrifice

It takes sacrifice to learn the great and mighty things that God wants to reveal to us. Closeness with God does not come easily. There is a price to pay—but it is worth whatever we have to endure.

God’s children are like…..well, children. We are easily distracted by whatever is in front of us at the moment. We are guilty of paying so much attention to the details of here and now that we fail to seek God’s face. We do not take the time to get away from the distractions and move toward God, even though we know deep in our hearts that is what we need to do. It is easier to maintain the status quo than to follow the leading of the Spirit.

I thank God that He is merciful and He keeps calling. He does not give up on us. He is more faithful than we are—so much more faithful.

Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3).  I need to know those things. But I live in the triviality of each day, in the mundaneness (is that a word?) of the moment….when deep in my heart what I want to do is soar like an eagle. I believe all of us want our lives to be above the ordinary. We want to do more than just take up space. To rise above the mediocrity and sameness, we must learn to sacrifice. Anyone who has accomplished great things has had to learn personal sacrifice. Our Savior is a prime example. In order to purchase salvation for the whole human race, He was willing to give His life—and to suffer greatly during the process. We must be willing to give up the comfort and familiarity of the moment to dig deep into God’s Word, and even spend some time in agonizing prayer to find the depth of relationship that we need with our Father.

We Americans don’t want to suffer. We don’t like denying ourselves for any reason. We have grown accustomed to the easy life. You may disagree with me, but compared with much of the rest of the world, most of us live very comfortable lives. I read a story recently that illustrates the extent that some people are willing to sacrifice for what is important to them. In 1975, a Vietnamese widow who had saved money to come to America boarded a boat with her three small children. The boat was so tiny that the people had standing room only. She stood with her children and 125 other people on that boat without food for twelve days and nights to come to the land of opportunity. Upon her arrival here, she worked three menial jobs to buy a home, raise her children and put them through college. You can read her story here. This woman sacrificed present, personal comfort in order to obtain a better life for her children and herself.

More important than having a better physical life here and now is living in a soul-satisfying relationship with the Lord. By the examples of many men and women in the Bible, we learn that the development of that kind of relationship with Him requires much time reading the Word of God, fasting and praying. We know this. We talk about the need for these things in our lives. But are we making the personal sacrifice? I know that I don’t nearly enough.

Father, help me to live out in my daily life what You have put in my heart to do. Plant a desire inside of me and every one who reads this blog, so that we will be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to draw closer to You.

Keep Your Eyes on the Goal

This is the time of year when a lot of people are really into football games. I have to admit I am not much of a sports fan. There are many things I don’t understand about football. One of my brothers patiently tried to explain the game to me many years ago, but I just didn’t “get it.” However, the one thing I do know is that the object of the game is to make a touchdown— to get the ball over the goal line. All of the team is working together to reach that goal.

As I study the Word of God, I find there are many worthy goals that we are instructed to strive for, including avoiding sin, living Christ-like lives, and ministering to the needs of others. If asked what their ultimate goal is, many Christians would respond to reach Heaven. But I have come to believe that the all-important goal of a child of God should be to know Christ—to be in relationship with Him.

Those of us who have accepted Christ into our hearts go by the name Christian which means Christ-like. If we are to live Christ-like lives, if we are to behave in a way that people will know we have been with Him, then we must personally know the One after whom we are named.

The Apostle Paul expressed a desire to know Him and indicated that everything he was or had obtained were unimportant in comparison to the awesome privilege of knowing Christ. This does not refer to head knowledge, but to a personal, intimate relationship with Him.

As we spend time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word, He teaches us about Himself. We discover what pleases Him, as well as what displeases Him. We love Him because He first loved us. And this love causes us to desire to please Him by the way we live. None of us will ever reach perfection while we are on this earth, but we can still pour ourselves into moving toward the goal of knowing Him and pleasing Him.

I believe the deeper our relationship with the Lord—the closer we are to Him—the more our lives will conform to His will and to His plan. As we become more intimate with Christ, the goals I mentioned above—avoiding sin, living Christ-like lives, and ministering to the needs of others—will be easier to reach. And knowing Christ will assure us of a place in Heaven.

Scriptures for Reflection

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

We love him, because he first loved us. (I John 4:19)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

If I Can Only Imagine

God imagines so much more for our lives than we do. I believe we live far beneath what He wants to do in us. If we could just tap into His thoughts, and take His Word for what it says, instead of always qualifying it with our own thoughts, and trying to bring His plans down to the level of our own understanding, how much more we could accomplish for Him. The Word tells us to not lean on our own understanding, that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, and that our lives are best lived as they are ordered according to His Word.

Sometimes we get stuck in mediocrity when God has so much more for us. We limit the work of God in our lives because of our unbelief. We can believe that He has great plans in store for someone else, because they seem to have it all together; they seem to have all their ducks in a row and to know exactly where they are headed. I have news for you. From what I observe, I believe there are more of us who feel we don’t have it all together, than those who do.

The only way we can be truly “together” and “on the right track” is by getting our thoughts aligned with God’s. His Word tells us that He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. The Amplified Version of the entire verse says, Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]. (Ephesians 3:20)

Now, I can imagine a lot of great things, but this scripture tells me that He can do far beyond anything I can imagine—and it is through the power of God inside of me. I’ve come to the conclusion that my dreams just aren’t big enough. I need to allow Him to form His dreams in me.

But you might say, “If His ways and thoughts are so much higher, then how can I ever think what He wants me to think, and dream the big dreams that He wants me to?” Psalm 25:14 tells us, The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. If I reverence the Lord, if I put Him first in my life, if I acknowledge Him, rather than leaning on my own understanding, He will reveal the secrets that I need to know.

I want to know the secrets He wants to reveal to me. I want to imagine His dreams for my life. Only then can they ever become reality.

Scriptures for Reflection

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. (Psalm 37:23)

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. (Ephesians 3:20)

God’s Response to Praise

Our God is worthy of praise! So often we fail to give Him the glory due His Name. When faced with circumstances of life, it is easy to get into a negative mindset.  I believe that when we complain and continually make negative statements, we are in effect praising the wrong person—we are praising our enemy, rather than Almighty God who is so deserving of our praise and adoration.

2 Chronicles 20 contains an account which illustrates what God will do in response to our praise. King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were about to be attacked by a massive army. The Bible states in verse three that Jehoshaphat feared. No glossing over of his emotions—He was afraid. Verse three continues with the statement that he set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. It is obvious the king believed that the only way to obtain victory was by seeking the Lord. We can look at his prayer as a model for the way we are to seek God during times of crisis.

The king acknowledged that God is all powerful: You are God; You have all power; no one is able to stand against You (v. 6). He acknowledged that he and his people were weak and could not obtain the victory: We have no strength and we don’t know what to do (v. 12). He then affirmed that they were looking to God for the answer: Our eyes are upon You (v. 12).

How did God respond? Don’t be afraid; don’t be dismayed; the battle is not yours, but God’s (v. 15). In other words, you are looking to the right One; I will help you; you have no need to fear. And He said, Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you (v. 17).

I like the way the people responded. They did not doubt what God said. They did not make statements of fear, wondering if God would really do what He said He would. They bowed and worshipped Him (v. 18). And then they followed God’s instructions. He had told them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. They did not put their warriors in front to fight the battle. The king put singers in front to praise the Lord!

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. (v. 21)

In this verse, the Hebrew for the word translated praise is yadah which means to acknowledge in public. The same word is used in Psalm 138:1, I will praise thee with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. It has the root meaning of “the extended hand” or “to throw out the hand,” and implies worship with raised hands. The people of Judah publicly acknowledged their dependence, not on their warriors, but on God.

And the result was that the Lord defeated their enemies for them, just as He said He would do:  And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten (v. 22).

I am convinced that when we acknowledge God for who He is, when we proclaim His power, when we praise and worship Him, He will fight our battles. Let us stop believing that our problems have the power to destroy us. Our problems are small when compared to our mighty God. Let us see them as opportunities for God to move on our behalf! No matter what you are facing, praise the Lord! When we don’t feel like praising Him is probably when we most need to do it. Offer a sacrifice of praise and watch God perform miracles in your life!

Scriptures for Reflection

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1)

Father, Thank You

Today, I want to give thanks to God for how good He is to me. Sometimes I wonder how people who don’t know Him and don’t trust Him are able to keep on living their lives. I know how scary life can be—and I do know Him. I cannot imagine what it would be like to not have Him as my Helper every day.

Father, I thank You that You have my life in Your able hands. Even when things seem crazy, and life is hard to understand, I know that You have everything under control. You are trustworthy. You have promised to never leave or forsake me.

My life would be meaningless without You. You have taught me to say that no matter what happens in my life, You are worthy to be praised. You have a plan. I know that. Father, I depend on You. Sometimes, even though I am…..older now, I feel inside like a scared little girl, and I need You to comfort me, and You are always there. When I come to a fork in the road and don’t know which way to go, You gently coax me in the right direction. I can look back and see Your hand at work in my life, and I know that You will continue to guide me.

Father, help me to lay aside everything in my life that does not please You, and live the life You have planned for me to live.

I love and worship You. I am so thankful that You, the God who made the universe, are willing to live inside of me. I praise You for Your faithfulness and for Your mercy. I thank You that You love me, even though I am far from perfect. Continue to teach me Your ways, and help me to walk in them.

Scriptures for Reflection

Psalm 124:  If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Praising Our Way to Freedom!

Our God is worthy of our praise—when we feel like praising Him and when we don’t. It is easy to praise Him when we are on the mountaintop, but it is probably more important that we praise Him in the valley—in the midst of difficulty.

In Acts chapter 16, we read the account of Paul and Silas being thrown into the Philippian jail because of the gospel. I can imagine what most of us would do if we were thrown into prison because of our Christian testimony. We would probably whine and complain, “God, why did You allow this to happen to me? I don’t understand. I’m living for you. Don’t You care that I am in this situation because of my stand for You?” What did Paul and Silas do? They prayed and sang praises unto God (v. 25). In the midst of a very bad situation, they chose to lift up the name of Jesus in praise. And verse 25 goes on to say that the prisoners heard them. Paul and Silas were not ashamed for others to hear them give glory to God.

How did God respond to their prayer and praise? Verse 26 says: And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

You may be bound in a prison of the devil’s making, but in response to your prayer and praise, God will shake the very foundations of your prison! He will open the prison doors and loose the chains that bind you. He has the power to set you free from everything that has you bound—He is waiting for you to pray and praise Him. Most of us are willing to give praise after we receive the victory, but the key is to pray and give thanks to God—to praise Him by faith while we are still in the midst of the problem, knowing that He is going to come through for us.

Another important point that we see in verse 26 is that Paul and Silas were not the only ones set free. The shackles of the other prisoners were also loosed. And in verses 27-33, the jailor and his household received salvation. All of this happened as the result of two men of God making a decision to lift their voices in prayer and praise. I believe this teaches us that because of our acts of worship, God will come on the scene on our behalf and on behalf of other people in our lives, and the miracle working power of God will be manifested.

One of my favorite verses is Psalm 40:3, And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Because we are faithful to praise the Lord, others will see and hear our praise, and their lives will be changed by His power!

The Greater One—My Father

1 John 4:4 says, Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. Sometimes we need to be reminded that the God who lives inside of us is greater than any circumstance we face. We serve an awesome God who has the ability, power and desire to take care of us. Even though we know He is awesome and all powerful, sometimes our words and actions indicate that we have more faith in our fears that we do in Him.  Our fear-filled words give the impression that our God is not big enough to handle the difficult circumstances of our lives.  Instead of speaking words of fear, children of God should have faith-filled words on our lips.  Rather than speaking defeat and telling God how big our mountain is, we need to tell our mountain how big our God is.

The God who created the universe loves us and wants so much to have a relationship with us that, through the cross of Christ, He made provision to come and live in the heart of each one who will accept Him. He is greater than anything we face—all of our problems, our sicknesses, our fears, and insecurities. Everything that comes against us and makes us feel hopeless can be conquered as we trust in Him. Trust is a confident expectation of something. As we look into the Word of God, our faith grows, and we come to confidently expect that God will do what His Word says. Reading about His provision for us causes us to know more fully the care and concern He has for us and to believe that He has our best interests at heart. He is not a God who is far away, but is our Father who loves and tenderly cares for us.

We have assurance from the Word that we can stand upon the promises He has made. We can rely upon Him because He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. As we take His Word for what it says, we will live with confidence in the truth—and the truth will keep us strong in the face of any onslaught of the enemy.

Scriptures for Reflection

. . . I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Lord, I Want To Change!

Do you ever feel that you keep dealing with the same issues in your life over and over—the same problems, the same habits, the same sins? I have heard it described as going around the mountain again and again, just as the Israelites did in the wilderness. We know we serve the One who has the answers we need, but sometimes we feel we just can’t get where we want to be in our Christian walk.

Most of us tend to justify the way we are and make excuses about why we don’t change—until the pain caused by our choices becomes so great that we have to do something about it. For example, it is easy to say, “I know I should make food choices that are more healthy,” or, “I know I should exercise,” but if you haven’t felt the pain yet of getting on the scales and seeing the number go ever higher, or you haven’t really looked in the mirror and seen a body you wish were not yours, then you are willing to continue in your old, familiar habits.

Usually, it is only when our actions produce misery that we are willing to take a good look at ourselves and realize it is time to make some changes. A few years ago, I became very unhappy about my weight. As long as my desire to overeat was greater than my desire to change, I made unhealthy choices, but I came to the point that my unhappiness with my body caused me to make the changes necessary to lose the extra pounds. (I am sorry to say that I have not been entirely successful in maintaining my desired weight. This is one of the mountains I keep going around over and over again. The sad truth is that I went back to some of my unhealthy habits once again.)

After much praying, study and contemplation, I have come to believe that our basic problem is that we have been deceived into believing the enemy’s lies. These can range from, “Your habit is not so bad,” to “You are a horrible person because of this habit, and you can never change.”  Either way, when we believe a lie, that is what we live by. Our actions are produced by our beliefs. In order to make changes in our lives, we have to change our beliefs. And remember, it is not what you believe in your head that matters; it is what you believe in your heart.

How do we change what we believe?  We have to replace the lies with truth.  Where do we find truth?  In the Word of God.  No matter what lie the enemy throws at you, you can find the opposite (truth) in the Bible. If he tells you that you can never change, you can answer, according to Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If he tells you that you are no good and you will never amount to anything, you can say, “God has given unto me all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and I am a partaker of His divine nature,” and “He who began a good work in me will complete it until the day of Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-4; Philippians 1:6)

Satan and his forces of darkness are continually bombarding our minds with negative thoughts. In order to combat those thoughts, we must constantly keep our mind renewed with the Word of God. Just reading a little devotion in the morning and then forgetting about it the rest of the day probably won’t do much good. But if we saturate ourselves in the Word, and let it become a part of us, then our beliefs will change, and we will be able to make our stand against the attacks of the enemy. The Word tells us, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)  It is when we know the truth in our hearts and act on the truth that our lives will change.

Father, help me to get the beliefs that line up with Your Word from my head to my heart. Help me to live out what I know is true.

Scripture for Reflection

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

Self-Discipline Ain’t Easy

As I begin let me say, I am not writing about self-discipline because I have mastered it—not by a long shot. Those who are close to me can attest to that. I’m the person who has the habit of getting out of bed at the last possible moment each morning, and then having to “push the pedal to the metal” to get to work on time . . . or a minute late . . . or five minutes late. Nevertheless, the matter of self-discipline is on my heart. So, here goes . . .

One definition of discipline is to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control. The Word tells us, For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it . . . (Hebrews 12:11, Amplified)

To me, self-discipline is simply doing what you don’t want to do at the moment, knowing it will bring a reward in the future. For example, going to work when you would rather stay home because you need that paycheck; eating the fruit or veggies instead of ice cream to lose those extra pounds; getting up and doing your workout when hitting the snooze button one more time is so tempting; spending time in the Word and in prayer rather than sitting in front of the TV.

All of us know that when we reach the goal it will be worth it; it’s just getting our body to agree with our mind that now is the time to get up and do it. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:27, But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection . . . In other words, he didn’t let his body have its way.

That is what self-discipline is all about—remembering that our body is just the house we live in, and it should not control our actions. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and as such should be under the control of the Holy Spirit. When God created each of us, He gave us a will—we can make our own decisions. However, His desire is for us to submit our will to His. We want to “do our own thing,” but His way is so much better. We want to eat the large bag of M&Ms all in one sitting, but He wants us to have a healthy body to better serve Him. We want our life to be filled to the brim with activity. He wants us to take some time each day to just be with Him, so that we can grow spiritually into the men and women of God He created us to be.

I have a long way to go. 

Scriptures for Reflection

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11)

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Oops! What Just Came Out Of My Mouth?

This week, on four different occasions in the space of one 24-hour period, the Lord brought to my attention scriptures regarding the tongue. I was confronted with God’s thoughts regarding the words that come out of my mouth. We have all heard the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” How untrue that is. Words can hurt. Words can also heal. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)

I consider myself to be an optimistic person for the most part, but at times I am guilty of allowing negativity to make its way into my speech. God’s desire is for us to speak words that are uplifting that they may bless the hearer. (Eph. 4:29)

It is easy to fall into the trap of complaining. And the more a person complains, the worse their attitude becomes. Your words affect how you feel, and they also affect those who have to listen to you. No one enjoys being around someone who complains all the time.

I have found that when I wake up in a “down” mood, if I will speak aloud the words taken from Psalm 118:24, This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it, I begin to feel better. It is uplifting to my spirit.

I have a choice about what comes out of my mouth. Just because a thought enters my mind, does not mean it has to be spoken. How many times have you said something, and the second the words were out of your mouth you wished you could take them back?

The story is told of a man who went through his village slandering the rabbi. One day he felt remorse and went to the rabbi asking for forgiveness and offering to do whatever was necessary to make amends. The rabbi instructed him to take a feather pillow, open it and scatter the feathers to the wind, and then return to him. The man did as he was told and then came back asking, “Am I now forgiven?” The rabbi answered, “Almost, but there is one thing left to do: Go and gather up all the feathers.” “Impossible,” the man said. “The feathers have already been scattered by the wind.” The rabbi answered, “Yes, even though we want to correct a wrong committed, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by spoken words as it is to gather the feathers thrown into the wind.”

Father, forgive me for speaking complaining and hurtful words. Help me instead to speak words of thankfulness and kindness. Set a watch O Lord, before my mouth.

Scriptures for Reflection

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21)

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23)

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. (James 1:26)

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. (1 Peter 3:10)

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3)

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

God Wants Me Happy, Right?

It seems to me that among those who have accepted Christ, there are some who believe that the goal of their Christian life is to be happy—that God wants them to be perpetually happy. But this concept is not found in the Word of God. God’s desire is for us to be molded in the image of His Son. He wants us to grow in maturity and to have the character of Christ formed within us.

Often we face unpleasant circumstances and, of course, our first reaction is that we want out. No one enjoys a negative situation. I believe that as we pray about the troubles in our life, God will answer in one of three ways:  He will remove us from our circumstances, change our circumstances, or change us. I find that more often than not He desires to change us.

In each situation we face, there are lessons to be learned. There is a process to go through. Most of us, instead of being willing to go through the process, are looking for a way to escape. Rather than yielding to His will, we want to curse the situation.

Even though we face unhappy times, we can still live a joyful life. The joy we have in our hearts as a result of our relationship with Christ is not dependent on outward circumstances. Everything can be going wrong in the natural while we have peace and joy in our inner man. With the help of the Spirit, we can learn to say along with Paul, “I have learned in whatever state I am, therewith to be content.” (Philippians 4:11)

The joy of the Lord gives us strength when we feel like giving up; the peace of God holds us steady when it seems our life is falling apart; and the contentment that comes from trusting in Christ makes a statement that even though life is not perfect, we know in the end everything is going to be all right.

If we live with an attitude of joy, peace, and contentment in the face of trying circumstances, the world will sit up and take notice. But, if we react negatively every time trouble comes our way, those around us will not see the life of victory that the Lord wants us to exhibit.

Father, thank You that we can be full of joy, peace and contentment, even in adverse circumstances. Teach us to yield to Your work in our hearts.

Scriptures for Reflection

My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. (Galatians 4:19)

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ . . . But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. (Ephesians 4:13,15)

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

. . . the joy of the LORD is your strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)

Staying On The Road

Living for Christ requires determination. There are many things vying for our attention which can pull us away from our complete devotion to the Lord. Colossians 3:2 tells us, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” That means we have to determine in our hearts to focus on the things of God, and then set our affections, our desires, in that direction. The Amplified version of this verse says, “And set your minds and keep them set on what is above...”  We have to make great effort to continually turn our minds toward the things of God, because our enemy is making great effort to pull us in the opposite direction.

Have you ever noticed when you are driving that if you take your eyes off the road and look in another direction too long, you will eventually begin driving that way? It is easy to run into a ditch if we are not focused in the direction we need to be going. Many want the Christian life to be easy, but the truth is it takes a made-up mind to keep going the right way. Conscious effort is required to stay on the road.

A successful Christian life, one that is pleasing to the Lord, doesn’t just happen because we make a profession of faith in Christ. When we accept Him, we become a child of God, and then, if we are submissive to His Spirit, He begins the process of changing us. Just because I don’t always please Him does not change my status as a child of God; however, because of what God has given me and what He has saved me from, out of love for Him I desire to do what is pleasing in His sight.

We are saved, not just so we can go to heaven, but also to be an example to the unsaved world of what the transforming power of Christ can do in a person’s life. We are left on this earth after salvation to win others to Christ. If our minds and affections are not set on things above, what kind of examples are we being?

Father, help us to always set our affection on things above.  Enable us to make the effort necessary to live a life that pleases You.

Standing On A Firm Foundation

For a building to stand, it must have a firm foundation. The same is true of a life. Without the proper foundation, a life will be destroyed. The only sure foundation is the Word of God.

We all face storms in this life—situations for which we alone do not have the solutions.  Without the wisdom of God’s Word, we are incapable of making right decisions. That is why it is so important to make the Word a part of us by consuming it daily. Remember you are what you eat. If you want to be wise, consume the Word of God.

As we face perplexing circumstances, it is so much better to have the Word already so instilled in us that we automatically choose a direction that is pleasing to God. If we don’t have the Word branded upon our hearts, we flounder.

I come in contact with people, some of whom don’t seem to want help, but it appears to me that they desperately need it. My heart aches for them, and I pray for the Lord to open their hearts and to open a door for me to minister to them. So many problems could be solved if people were willing to surrender—make Jesus the Lord of your life, get His Word hidden in your heart, and determine to do life His way no matter what happens. Standing on that firm foundation is the only way to live!

Scriptures for Reflection

Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-27)

On The Potter’s Wheel

There is a song that I love to sing entitled He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away. Its message ministers to me each time I sing it or hear it:

Empty and broken, I came back to Him, A vessel unworthy, so scarred with sin, But He did not despair, He started over again, And I bless the day He didn’t throw the clay away.

He is the Potter, and I am the clay, molded in His image He wants me to stay, But when I stumble and fall, and my vessel breaks, He picks up the pieces, He doesn’t throw the clay away.

Over and over He molds me and makes me, Into His likeness He fashions the clay, A vessel of honor I am today, All because Jesus didn’t throw the clay away.

I am so thankful that God is patient and does not give up on me. There have been so many times I have failed and felt worthless, but God my Father keeps working on me, letting me know He loves me enough to want to change me.

Because we love our child, my husband and I correct her and endeavor to keep her going in the right direction. We want what is best for her. There are times that she becomes upset when we don’t allow her to have her own way, because it is hard for her to understand that the decisions we make are for her own good. She is like most children who don’t see the big picture. She wants what she wants (right now) and sees no reason why she can’t have it!  Do we not behave the same way with God? We pray for certain desires to be fulfilled or for our lives to go in a particular direction, and we become angry that God does not answer our prayers in the way we thought He would.

So many times I have prayed for circumstances or people to change, only to discover that the Lord wants to change me. It is very humbling to pray about a problem and have God reveal to me that I am the problem. I am thankful that He puts this lump of clay back on the Potter’s wheel and continues to mold me. I am thankful that He sees worth in my life that I sometimes do not see.

Father, thank You that You hold my life in Your hands. Thank You that You care enough about me to continue molding me into the person You have planned for me to be.

Scriptures for Reflection
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. (Jeremiah 18:1-4)

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:5-6)

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Thank You For My Weaknesses

All of us have areas of our life that we wish we could change. We each have shortcomings, weaknesses and sins that we have difficulty overcoming. And as we examine ourselves we feel shame, remorse and regret. It is natural that we want to curse our weaknesses. The thought of thanking God for our weaknesses is a foreign concept.

Recently, I read the following familiar verse of scripture and saw it in a new way. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor. 12:9)  As I meditated on this verse, I came to believe that we should thank God for our weaknesses and infirmities. Because it is only when we understand that we are powerless to change ourselves, and become willing to confess our sins to God and ask for help, that the power of God will be manifested in us. Thus acknowledging our weaknesses really becomes the way to obtain God’s strength to live the Christian life. If we see our weaknesses in this way, they really become something for which to be thankful.

The Word tells us that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)  As long as we remain proud and self-sufficient, we will also remain in our sin, because our own willpower alone is not enough to keep us from sin. When we come to the place that we acknowledge we are nothing without the Lord—when we glory in our infirmities—then the power of Christ will rest upon us.

I have found myself, even after years of being a Christian, trying to live a righteous life in my own power, when what I need to do is come humbly before God and pray:  Father, without Your help I cannot live the holy life that You require. I acknowledge that I am weak and powerless. I give up trying to do it myself. Infuse me with Your strength that I may walk in a way that is pleasing to You.

This is my prayer, and I hope that you will make it yours.

Priority One: The Word of God

I am daily learning, and there are so many things that I could write about. The one that I continue to be drawn to is this:  Our minds and hearts need to be saturated with the Word of God. I tell my Sunday School class often that there is nothing more important than spending time with God in prayer and in His Word.

It is from God’s Word that we receive instruction for daily living, guidance in making decisions, strength to face the many issues of life, peace in our times of trouble, and the power to live above sin. God has given us everything we need to live a successful Christian life. Are you appropriating what you have been given? Are you submitting to the leading of the Spirit? Or are you doing what I tend to do so often, trying to live the Christian life on your own? We sometimes live as if we have forgotten that once we accept Christ, we have the Word of God and the promise of His indwelling Spirit to help us live for Him. After He saves us, He does not cast us aside and tell us that we now have to make it on our own. He gives us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3)  He says, “This is the way to live…..here is the Instruction Book.”  And what do we do so often? We fail to read the instructions. We have our own ideas, our preconceived notions about what it means to be a Christian.

My husband and I were talking about this the other day, and he told me he would love to read the Bible and try to forget that he had ever read it before or heard anything about it. I feel the same way. I would love to pick up the Word of God as if it was the first time and read what God has to say to me. His Word was written to each one of us. If we will take the time to read it, He will speak to our hearts through it. He will give us a rhema word for the very moment we are living in.

Father, help us to stop wasting precious time on endless trivialities and make reading Your Word our first priority!

A Very Present Help In Trouble

As much as we would like for life to be easy, for most of us it is at times difficult and frustrating—sometimes heart- breaking. No matter how strong a Christian a person feels he or she is, we each have human emotions and can be devastated by the circumstances of life. In those times, it can be difficult to look up, keep a positive attitude, and stay focused and moving in the right direction. I have in the past faced disheartening circumstances when it seemed I would be conquered by discouragement and depression. I know how it feels to not want to get out of bed each morning and have experienced a weight that caused me to go about my days only performing the tasks that had to be done—going through the motions of life without really living. If you have never experienced this, you have much for which to be thankful.

While in the midst of life’s difficulties, it is important to recognize that even though you are going through a valley now, as you trust in the Lord, you will come out victorious on the other side. We have a tendency to think the present moment and the present condition will last forever. But with God no situation is impossible. In the time of trouble, we must hold on to what we know is true, keep our faith in God, and trust that He will take the very negative circumstances of our lives and make something good out of them. (Romans 8:28)

I believe it is in the hard times that we discover how much we really need the Lord. Even though we say we love Him, and we do live for Him, it is easy in the good times to become independent and feel stronger than we really are. When the tough times come, as they surely will, we have to depend on the strength we receive from the Lord and His Word. The Bible tells us His strength is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) We become the most strong when we stop living in our own strength and live in the power of the Spirit.

As we all know, evil is a part of life that we cannot escape while we are on this earth. We have an enemy who is adept at causing us trouble. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy . . .” It is important for us to understand that while God is not the one who brings trouble to us, He does use our negative circumstances to mold each of us into the person He wants us to be. We may not understand what He is doing—we may not like the way He does it. It may only be later on down the road that we look back and comprehend what He was doing. But, if we will submit to God’s work in our hearts, as we come to that place of understanding, we will see the good in what He did in us as a result of our circumstances. We will know that through the difficulties, He made us a better person. God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9) We must place ourselves in His hands and trust His wisdom.

As I write these words, I am not telling you something I have only read or heard about. I have known the lonely moments of despair when no one knew what was going on in my heart. I have felt the agony of thinking that no one understood what I was going through. But those kinds of thoughts are lies from the enemy. He wants us to be isolated, away from anyone who can help us. So he convinces us that no one else has ever been where we are. And he causes us to feel shame because of how depressed we have become. And we suffer alone many times, being unwilling to reveal our thoughts to others and ask for help.

The Word tells us that there is One who has been touched with the feeling of our infirmities. (Hebrews 4:15) Jesus left the splendor of heaven to become human, so that He could understand firsthand the loneliness of rejection. He knows what it is to be accused unjustly. He has experienced the frailties that are part of our human existence. And His Word tells us that through the blood He shed on our behalf, we can come boldly before His throne and obtain the help that we need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Whatever you are going through, the Lord is present to help you. His Word tells us He is our very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1) Call to Him. He has not forsaken you, and He will not fail you!

Scriptures for Reflection

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness . . . (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

The Reason I Do This

This blog site was created with the intention of helping others in their walk with Christ by sharing my heart. I hope I am touching lives in a positive way. The Lord has been faithful, even in the midst of my busy schedule, to “inspire” me with thoughts that I pray are beneficial to those who read them.  At times when I don’t feel especially inspired, I remind myself that I am doing this for Him, and that He will not fail me.

In this journey over the past few months, I have discovered that doing these blogs is as much for me as for anyone else. It is really wonderful how the Spirit can plant a thought into my heart and mind, and the thought seems to take on a life of its own and develop into the full article that I finally post. There have been times I have sat at the computer while the words flowed. Thank You, Father. Other times have been more of a struggle, but through the process I have learned so much! I now have evidence in my life of something I already firmly believed:  God, who calls us to work for Him, then supplies everything we need to accomplish what He has called us to do.

This is not about me. I so want to please Him. My desire is not that people would see me, but that they would see Christ in me. Father, help me to be like John the Baptist, who said that Jesus must increase, while I must decrease. (John 3:30)

If the Lord has put something in your heart that He wants you to do, step out in faith. It is scary at first. But with each step, His strength keeps you going forward. Depend on Him. Learn to lean heavily upon Him. What He has put into your heart will come to fruition as you trust in Him.

Scriptures for Reflection

Colossians 1:10-12:  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
2 Thessalonians 1:11:  Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.
2 Timothy 3:16-17:  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Are You Willing to Seek Him?

I believe many Christians live in a state of dissatisfaction regarding their relationship with the Lord. They talk about wanting to have a close relationship with Him, but never seem to attain what they say they strive for. The Bible reveals that it is possible to live in close communion with the Lord. He has made Himself available to us. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us we will find Him when we search for Him with all our heart. So, if we are unhappy with our present relationship with the Lord, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

I can speak about this because I have been there. I have been guilty of spending excessive amounts of time watching TV or surfing the Internet, and then being distressed because I felt such a sense of spiritual emptiness. It is easy to lose valuable time on things that really add nothing beneficial to our lives, and then find ourselves making the statement that we do not have time for personal devotions.
In this life, most of us basically do what we want to do. If something is important to us, we find a way to fit it into our schedules. What does this tell you about your prayer life, about your time in the Word? Are these high on your priority list? Are they truly important to you? Or are these important spiritual disciplines always being relegated to the back burner? For some, I think it is like the diet they plan to go on – tomorrow. It never happens. Or it is started for a day or two, and then abandoned for the old routine.

I used to be a TV addict. Now, I only occasionally sit down to watch it. I was honest with the Lord and told Him I knew my desires were not in line with what He wanted for my life, but that I felt totally incapable of changing. I asked Him to change my desires. Thankfully, I am in the process of being transformed. I am nowhere near perfection. I have not arrived. The song He’s Still Working on Me* definitely applies.

Take a look at the verse I referenced above: And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

As I read this verse recently, I decided to write down what came to mind when I thought about searching for Him with all my heart. What does that mean? Here are the thoughts that came to me: Searching in earnest; putting your whole self into the search; diligently searching; laying aside anything that would hinder the search; searching is all important, crowding out other activities.

God, I am hungry for You. I want to know and experience You in ways I never have before. Change me. Make me capable of knowing You the way I desire to. Help me to always make our relationship my first priority.

If you are hungry for God, begin to seek His face. Ask Him to help you conform to His desires and His will for your life. He will answer. As you move in God’s direction, He will surely move toward you! (James 4:8)

*He’s Still Working on Me, by Joel Hemphill.

Spiritual Clutter

Growing up in a Christian home and becoming a Christian as a child, I feel I had a tendency in my young adult years to “think of myself more highly than I ought.” (Romans 12:3)  I felt I was a really “good” Christian, and people appeared to see me that way. It seems the older I get the more I realize how little I know. There is always more about God and myself to be discovered.

As we endeavor to live closer to the Lord, the Spirit reveals areas in our lives that need to change, and it can be overwhelming. I compare it to how I feel when I get busy and let things pile up in my home, and then discover I am going to have guests. The task of cleaning the house can be overwhelming because I let things get out of hand.

Sometimes we don’t deal with matters of the heart because we have so many things going on in our lives. And as a result, we can end up with a lot of spiritual clutter.

That is one reason it is so important to have a daily time with the Lord—a time for just you and Him, where you can read His Word and talk to Him, and hear what He has to say to you about your life. Sometimes He will tell you things you really don’t want to hear. I think all of us have a certain amount of pride and don’t want to be told that we need to change. But we serve a holy God, and He says for us to be holy as He is holy. (1 Peter 1:16) And that means there will be things that we need to change!

Father, help us to humble ourselves before You. You know all things. You know what is best for our lives and the changes that will benefit our relationship with You. May our hearts be pliable in Your hands. Change my heart, O God. Make me more like You.

Our Deepest Longing

The deepest longing of the human heart is to meet with God. Some people may not recognize it, and in some it may be buried very deep, but we all have a longing for a meaningful and abiding relationship with our Creator. The psalmist said it this way, As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42:1-2, NIV)

We are in the habit of filling our life with many things all in an effort to satisfy the longing within, when the only way the longing will be fulfilled is when we kneel at the feet of our Creator and acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. And then, by spending time with Him everyday, we can keep our relationship with Him alive and fresh. The wonderful thing about this is He also wants to be in relationship with us. I am sure all of us who are parents can understand His desire for relationship with us. We want our children to love us, to want to be with us, to look up to us. We do not want them to “love” us just for what we can give them. It makes us unhappy when they show us disrespect and when they go their own way and refuse to listen to our godly advice.

We were created in the image of God, and it is His desire for us to acknowledge Him, to worship Him and to live our lives to please Him. God always has our best interests at heart. He wants to bless us. And He knows that for us to receive His blessings, we must be in correct relationship with Him.

Instead of running after all the things that the world offers, we would be so much better off to look to the One who can meet every need that we have. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)  So many times, we fall into the trap of seeking for things that will not last. We get a new “this or that,” and it seems to satisfy for a time, and then the “new” wears off, and we are back where we started. We can see this illustrated in the desires of our children. There is always something new that just has to be obtained to make life worthwhile—and how soon the new item is discarded in favor of something else that must be obtained—and on it goes.

None of the things that we obtain will satisfy our longing for God. I have heard it said that there is a God-shaped vacuum inside each of us, and it can only be filled by the Lord Jesus. My desire is to seek Him. Seek is defined as to go in search or quest of; to try to obtain.  Synonyms of seek are pursue and follow.  Some lyrics from one of my favorite worship songs speak of seeking the Lord:  My soul follows hard after Thee; Early in the morning I will rise up and seek Thee.*  Seeking God requires effort; it requires time.  Wouldn’t our time and effort be well spent seeking after the One who will fill our deepest longings?

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1-NIV)

*My Soul Follows Hard After Thee, ©1978 Jeffrey Smith, Words and Music by Jeffrey Smith

By This Shall All Men Know...

Lately, the Spirit has been speaking to my heart about love. The Bible tells us that God is love (I John 4:8), and that His love has been shed abroad, or poured out, into the hearts of His children. (Romans 5:5)  But it is not supposed to end there. God loves us not only for our sake, but also that we may show His love to others. His Word tells us, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)  We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. And it is more than saying, “I love you.” Love requires action. We are to be sensitive to the needs of those in the family of God and be willing to minister to them. It is so sad that many churches are fraught with division, and the love of God is not evident in the relationships of those who say they love the Lord.  John asks us, How can you love God whom you have not seen, when you cannot love your brother whom you have seen? (I John 4:20) 

Beyond that, we are to love those who are not yet in the family of God. A very familiar verse of scripture tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). God loves humanity so much that He sent His Son to die for us, and it is His plan for us to take the gospel message to those who do not have a relationship with Him. (Mark 16:15)

There are several ways to love those in need of the Savior:

1. We can pray for their hearts to be open to receive the gospel, and ask the Lord to provide opportunities to share the good news with them.

2. We can launch or become involved in ministries that help to meet practical physical needs.

3. We can build relationships by offering a listening ear. Some people just need to know someone cares about what they are going through.

4. We can share our testimony and witness to them about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

It seems to me that it is easy to get so wrapped up in living what we believe to be “good Christian lives” that we neglect to reach out to others with the love of Christ. I have found that most of the time when the Spirit leads me to write about something, I need to work on it in my own life, and this is no exception.

Lord, help us to remember that we are to love with Your love. May we be willing vessels through which Your love flows to others.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

Those of us who work with computers are familiar with the phrase, “Garbage in, garbage out.” If we want to print accurate reports, we must enter accurate data. Results produced are only as good as the information entered. The same is true in our lives. To live godly, productive lives, we must protect our hearts so that only good enters in. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (NASB). The NKJV says, “. . . for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Out of the heart flow the issues of life. Whatever is important to you (what is in your heart) will show in your outward life, in one way or another, for the world to see. It may be hidden for a while, but it will eventually be revealed by your words and actions. When a cup is filled beyond what it can contain, it overflows. In the same way, whatever fills the heart will eventually overflow in our lives. Matthew 12:34 says “. . . for the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (NASB)  Luke tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (6:45, NKJV) What is inside of us flows out of us and affects other lives, for good or evil.

If is really not difficult to discover what is in a person’s heart. Just listen to their words. What is important to an individual is revealed by the words they speak. “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.” (Matthew 15:18, NASB) We are mistaken if we think that we can keep secret what we have taken into our hearts.

How do we guard our hearts? First, become aware of the fact that everything we see, hear and think enters the heart. It concerns me that some Christians seem to believe it does not matter what they allow into their minds and hearts, when the Word of God clearly teaches it is of utmost importance. The scripture I quoted above from Proverbs says guard your heart with all diligence. Diligence is defined as constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken.

The Amplified translation states it this way: “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” This tells me that nothing is more important in my life than guarding my heart. Our enemy is using every means possible to destroy us. It is imperative that we constantly and earnestly guard (or protect) our hearts.

If necessary, make changes in your life to prevent evil from entering your heart. Paul admonishes us, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phil. 4:8).  If the things that we watch or listen to do not meet this criteria, we need to change what we see and hear. And then, it is important to replace what we have previously focused on with things that are pleasing to God.  We are able to center our minds on good things by receiving the Word of God through regular reading, study, and meditation.

And of course, we must not forget to add prayer, asking God to purify our hearts. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) This is a prayer He is more than willing to answer.

These steps will bring about change on the inside, and the change will be revealed by our outward attitude and actions.

Father, I want You to be pleased with what is in my heart. Help me to be ever mindful that whatever is inside of me will flow out of me, and that what I say and do affects those around me for good or evil. Give me a pure heart that my life may touch others in a positive way.

I Want My Freedom!

 

Recently while going through some of my old journals, I found the following poem that the Lord gave me many years ago:

The still, small voice inside me speaks,

But do I listen? No, not me.

I go on through my life so free.

Free?

No, not me.

I listen to the voice so fine,

To tell me what to do this time.

I go on through my life so free.

Free?

Yes, I’m free!

The Word of God tells us, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature.” (Galatians 5:13, NIV)

Some people think of freedom as the ability to do whatever they want whenever they want. In truth, doing whatever you desire with no restrictions often leads to tragedy. When our children are small, to provide safety, we restrict their activities. For example, loving parents will not allow their child to play in the street. This is not to keep the child from having fun; it is to protect the child from harm! In the same way, God provides boundaries to keep us safe.

Some have the attitude that they don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They have no desire to submit to a God whom they believe is harsh and wants to keep them from enjoying life. But we have all seen the results of a life out of control. Those who become involved in activities such as drinking, taking drugs, illicit sexual relationships, etc. find that what began as fun eventually brings bondage, rather than freedom. Not wanting to be subject to a loving God, they find themselves under the control of addictions from which they cannot escape.

As we read the Word of God and become familiar with His voice, we find that obeying Him and staying within the boundaries He has set for us will keep us on the path of freedom. Even when we fail and get on the wrong path, God does not give up on us. He calls us back and gives us many opportunities to change our course.

Father, thank You that You have called us to live in freedom and that You provide the way for us to do it. You are truly the greatest parent of all!

If You Love Me . . .

It is so easy to say, “Lord, I love you.” But how many of us prove our love for Him. Jesus tells us in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (NASB) When most of us imagine acts of love, obedience is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. But there it is. If you love Me . . . you will obey.

“But Lord I would rather . . .”  Obey Me.  “But wouldn’t it be better to do it this way?”  Obey Me.  “Lord, You couldn’t really mean for me to do that?”  Obey Me.  Throughout God’s Word, we are given promises that obedience will bring blessings. Why do we stubbornly refuse to obey and forfeit the blessings God wants to bestow upon us? We are like the children of Israel who, over and over again, lived for a while in obedience which brought blessings, only to turn away from God in disobedience and worshipping idols which brought destruction. We are witnessing the same thing happening in our nation today. Though we were founded as a Christian nation, we have come to a time when the majority of Americans have no regard for God and worship every kind of “idol” imaginable, an idol being anything or anyone that we hold in a higher place in our hearts than God.

Psalm 33:12 tells us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” We have been the most blessed nation on earth for some time; but now that America, for the most part, has turned away from God, we are seeing the destroying hand of the enemy moving across our nation.

I believe if America could hear God’s heart today, He would be saying, Turn back to Me. Love Me. Obey Me. And I will restore you, just as I did the children of Israel so many times.

We as God’s children need to act first. Even those of us who say we love Him many times fail to obey Him. We have lost our first love and need to repent and do our first works over. (Revelation 2:4-5) If the fire of love for God would be rekindled on the altars of our hearts, what a difference we could make in this world. A passionate love for God would change our actions. Instead of living in our self-indulgent lifestyles, we would obey. Our first priority would be to reach out to those who need to know the Lord, rather than making sure all of our own desires are met.

Father, before it is too late, help us to turn away from worthless pursuits. Draw us unto Yourself. Teach us to love You. Teach us to obey.