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.