RSS

Monthly Archives: October 2012

Break THAT appointment?

31 Oct

Break THAT appointment?

Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

Psalm 63 was written by David and believed to have been when he was fleeing from either Saul or Absalom, which may have led to him hiding out in the caves. David was missing the worship that he found in the sanctuary. His heart yearned for that time of gathering together to praise God. But the Psalm also speaks of the expectancy and assurance that David has in God. He desires his time with God early in the day and into the night; 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. David truly has a heart for God; he is focused on God even when everything else around him is failing.

I have been asked of the why and how of this ministry recently. Why do I get up early every day, never sleeping in? How do I get up and write early every day? The best answer is expecting to hear from God. I am nothing special in God’s eyes; I just pen the experiences to encourage you to do the same; to experience the same relationship as I. Just as David above, we are living in a dry and thirsty land that is far from God. Satan is seeking to draw your attention away from God every single day in many ways. Do you think you can have a heart for God if you only spend an hour one day a week with Him? Satan get 167hrs; God gets only 1; really? The more time you spend every day seeking God, the easier it is to face the troubles of the day and life. When your focus changes to God and the things of God, you gain God’s strength and peace to fight the daily distractions that Satan places before you.

Do you really want to change; really want to grow closer to God? It only requires a humble heart and a conscious effort on your part. You must first change your habits, break cycles, truly show God you desire to grown closer to Him. Put something aside that you had been putting before Him. Arise earlier in the day to get alone time with Him. Set the clock 15 minutes early to start with, and make tomorrow the day that changes your life. I promise you if you will “Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), the rest will fall into place. God will show up to meet with you in those quiet times every day. Your heart will become expectant of those alone times with Him every day. The ‘why’ becomes very easy to do; for how could you dare to break an appointment with God? Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 31, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Sin prick

30 Oct

Sin prick

2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Isaiah had been called to a tough ministry by God. He was pointing out the sin to all of Israel; repeatedly to the religious leaders and those who thought of themselves highly. He had became discouraged, so God reached out in a vision to build him up again. God did confirm this ministry to him, and even showed Isaiah how only a small portion of those hearing God’s word through Isaiah would be saved. The majority would have hardened hearts and be lost for eternity. But God told him to keep on preaching the truth. The Apostle Paul was charging Timothy to do the same in the scriptures above. Timothy must remain prepared, focused, and dedicated to only the truths found in God’s Word.

We all have our battles, the things that drag us down in this walk of life. These things may drag our attention away from God; they may drag us down paths to sin to cope with the troubles. They get our eyes off the eternal peace that is promised; John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Satan loves how these distractions take our eyes off eternity and places our focus on the time at hand. We began to live short-sighted; we begin to look for something that makes us feel good for the moment. We begin to look for temporal encouragement; we begin to avoid the power of the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin through sound teaching and God’s Word. Our flesh runs from the prick of the sin that the Spirit reveals to us. Why would we want to know our coping mechanism is of Satan?

When you go to church on Sunday, does the sermon make you squirm? Do you feel God’s power through your pastor teaching the truth found in God’s Word? Have you left that church and that pastor because of feeling the pain of that truth; of that sin that is your own? Have you found a pastor online, or on TV that has come to tell you all the feel good things of God, yet never the reason God sent His Son to save you from the sin you are guilty of? A feel good pastor is only picking apart God’s Word to elevate themselves, and falsely elevate you. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 speaks directly to what we see much of today. 1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: There is no Good News without the understanding of the bad news. The bad news is that you will die and pay for your sin eternally in hell without a humble, repentant heart. A humble repentant heart lets the conviction of the sin do its work. A humble heart does not run from that conviction to escape, only to be caught in eternities grasp.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 30, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

A favorite book

29 Oct

A favorite book

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, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Do you have a favorite book? It doesn’t seem like too long ago I would have said no, simply because I did not read at all. Maybe the occasional magazine or newspaper article, but never an entire book. The list of them in a lifetime was counted on one hand. When God began to stir in my heart, I wanted to know more; and I knew where to find more, between the pages of the Bible. I made the effort to start reading my Bible a small bit every day. An employee and now very close friend gave me a NLT(New Living Translation) Bible, for he had heard me speak about having trouble understanding. The language was much clearer and God began to open my mind through my heart with it.

Everything you need; everything you want to know; everything about God is found in the Word of God. You will never begin to understand; you will never grow in your faith; you will never learn more about God until you seek God in the Bible. God’s words through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel still apply to us today; Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  What does with all your heart mean to you? It can’t mean to expect God to leap off the page with a revelation given to you in a flippant effort grudgingly performed. It takes a humble heart seeking God in prayer before opening the Word. That effort comes from an act of love and expectancy from God revealing Himself to you in the pages the times before. Once God begins to open your eyes in His Word, you heart leaps at the opportunity to see and hear Him again.

You want your faith to grow don’t you? It will not grow out of experiences, it will grow out of time in God’s Word. No experience can ever take the place of God’s Word. The experience may excite for a time, but the experience can be moved to a point of worship and seeking it again. I personally can attest to that. God is found in your heart; and your heart must be prepared and opened to receiving what He reveals to you in the time you spend in His Word. You will begin to hear Him, and hearing Him changes everything. Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. My library may be growing, but I have one favorite book that stays on my desk and goes with me to church. It is a rainbow of color with highlights, underlined texts, my own comments, my own heart between the pages of Gods revelations. Select you one copy, and make a consistent effort to seek God with it. Your life will never be the same for you will hear God in it.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 29, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Pick up the Word and fight

28 Oct

Pick up the Word and fight

Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.

This has been one of the roughest weeks of inner battles I can remember. The strains of the inner world peaked yesterday with a bought of depression. I have had an incredible life load this week with big discussions with the banking industry about life changes. All of them are geared towards life changes that are more focused on God. Satan sees my plans and has sent his armies of spiritual warfare on the offensive. I have kept these battles to myself, and this is not the place for the details either; we all are battling something; mine are none greater. I had never battled anxiety and depression until the last five years or so; but it has shed a new light on the unseen. There are many types of these; some chemical, some spiritual, some mental. The point of my battle is to open it up to you and share with you how cope, as in the scripture above.

I am not a doctor, I only know my side of this experience; the anxiety feeds the depression. The anxiety is where the war begins, and the anxiety is where the war is either won or lost in the attitude change. The battle cannot be won without a heart that is seeking God in the realm of this spiritual war. This battle is fought on a plain we are not; so we must fight with the only weapon we have, God’s Word. Ephesians 6:17 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; When the strains become great, we must go to God.

Ephesians 6 speaks of this warfare of which I am entangled; and the requirements as a soldier of Christ’s army.  11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

All I face every day; all I share every day here; all I try to do is to point you to God. I am no different from you; I face the same struggles as you, I have many of the same pains as you; I only wish to show you where my eternal hope lies, in Christ. This small ministry is a rock in my strained world right now. God laid this ministry on my heart, and Satan knows God is using it, so he comes at the vessel of it. I can only know he is a defeated enemy, for I am a soldier for Christ.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Sign me up

27 Oct

Sign me up

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Isaiah was called to a very discouraging ministry. He was called to point out the sins and need for repentance to a nation that would not listen. Israel had split into two kingdoms, and both kingdoms had rulers that turned their hearts from God. It was a turbulent time for Israel, and Isaiah was called by God to point out them to repentance. Isaiah calling came in a vision from God; he visited the heavens and saw God’s glory on the Throne, and his own sin became to bear down on him. As his humility wrought him, an angel of God touched his lips with a live coal from the alter and purged his sin. Isaiah was moved to thanksgiving and service with that realization of the cleansing. God spoke in the heavenly court with the question above to draw Isaiah zeal in service to Him as a prophet.

Do you get that idea of humble thanksgiving in the act of your Salvation? An angel of God may have not touched your lips, but Christ gave His life for you by dying on a Cross! The lesser of the two moved Isaiah to dedicate his life to serving the King; how can we dishonor the ultimate sacrifice by simply resting in it? There must come a point in the life of the believer that we realize it is not about us; or what God can do for us. It is about a life dedicated to service for our time here, to be vessels for God to draw others to Himself. Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. If your faith lies in the ideal of God as a gift giver; of material blessings that overflow as a result of your faith; you are sadly, eternally mistaken. Your life here in service to Him will pay the way for your eternal rewards in His kingdom. A marker of your faith is not the external worth, but the internal self sacrifice out of love for Him.

Has God laid a vision on your heart? Has He shown you the measure of your sin? In these has He pressed into you the need for you to realize what He has done for you in the pinnacle act of grace? The term “bondservant” is used throughout the Bible as a term of dedication. Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. The Apostle Paul even shows himself here “separated” to a life dedicated to God. Paul is not different from that idea for you and I in a life dedicated to Christ. Our lives are not to be in pursuit of the things that will pass away, but lives working for the eternal. What in your life today will make a difference eternally? Will it be the relationship with God in a life in pursuit of Him? Today could be the day that makes a difference in your life for eternity; and those lives around you that see the change, and they join you there.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 27, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Rock Solid Prayer

26 Oct

Rock Solid Prayer

Luke 22:31-32   And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Christ was in His last days with the disciples. He had shared the Passover meal and instituted the Lord’s Supper with them. He had told them of His coming betrayal. The disciples began to speculate who it was; and their talks turned from who was the worst, to who was the greatest. They still were self centered in this great hour. Christ called out Peter in the name he had before he became a disciple (Simon). The emphasis here even seems to state Christ was trying to get Peters attention. Satan had asked to trouble all the disciples, yet special permission was asked for the zealous Peter. Satan can never move without God’s permission, ever.

These would be terrifying words to even the great Peter of this prediction. But Christ immediately assures Peter that He has prayed for Him. Is that not a rock upon which you can stand? Christ knows what you are about to face, He has told you, and yet He has approached His Father in prayer for you. 32 But I have prayed for you. He knows that God is going to allow Satan to trouble you; to tempt you; to cause you pain; to seek to draw your attention away from God. But His prayer is for your faith to not fail; for your faith to grow; and as a result of your troubles, to encourage those around you; strengthen your brethren. Satan always plans to steal your faith, to draw your attention away from God with trouble. God sovereignty allows Him to know Satan’s plans will backfire and your faith can grow as a result of that trouble.

Did you know that you have Christ’s Spirit living inside you praying for you as Christ did for Peter? A member of the Holy Trinity that goes before the Father on your behalf. Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. I have days when I just struggle to pray, especially when I have a lot on my mind. The anxieties of the world command my thoughts, and Satan loves to point out my weakness in prayer at that time as a failure. But I rest assured that the Spirit is interceding on my behalf in my times of struggle as in Romans above. These may be special prayers, for He knows my heart, my desire, my trouble that God has allowed. This understanding carries me through and allows me to try and strengthen those around me, with the trouble I face while standing upon my rock of faith.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Eternal Blessings

25 Oct

Eternal Blessings

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Christ had left the large crowds and gathered His disciples to teach them. This teaching became the great Sermon on the Mount as the crowds gathered to hear His Words of Matthew 5-7. The disciples had many questions, and Christ began with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. He began by showing them how to live, and the eternal blessings that came as a result of their lives as followers of His. The Beatitudes go against the grain of the world and the lusts of it. The pursuit of joy in earthly terms is self gratification and glorification in many ways. Elevation of self is the entrance of pride, and the absence of Christ’s blessings promised here.

This is the beginning of Christ’s ministry and He is setting the tone of going against the false pleasures of the world; the covetousness, the idolatry, the pride, the sin, the works, the list goes on. Matthew Henry states; “This is designed to rectify the ruinous mistakes of a blind and carnal world. Blessedness is the thing which men pretend to pursue; Who will make us to see good? Ps. 4:6 . But most mistake the end, and form a wrong notion of happiness; and then no wonder that they miss the way; they choose their own delusions, and court a shadow.” What is your pursuit in life? What drives you to get up every day and trudge ahead? If it does not fall under the heading of Christ, as a disciple of Christ, it is leading you astray. Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” Any thing that is set above your pursuit of God, and the things of God, is a deterrent to the blessings stated in Matthew 5:6 above.

The Beatitudes begin with a verse about humility; Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This sets the tone for them; for one cannot be a true disciple for Christ if pride is at the root of their inner being. I have personally become a living example of Christ showing me my great sin. He has taken out His hammer and chisel to put my pride in it’s place. It is a huge part of my testimony of His work in my life, and putting my eyes on Him, and Him alone. I look at the scripture of Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in the light of I cannot do ANY THING without Him. This realization has produced a hunger to draw closer to Him in all things. A heart that is focused is a heart that will receive the blessings promised in the Beatitudes. These blessings are not superficial, but internal and eternal, from the closeness of the relationship of my Savior, Jesus Christ. All these are available to you too, beginning with a humble repentant heart that truly seeks Him above all.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 25, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Romans 8

24 Oct

Romans 8

Romans 8:38-39   For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I can get lost in time in Romans 8. Paul is pouring out his heart and showing us the love of our Father in the giving us of His Son. He spends the early part of the chapter showing us God’s grace in this; and of how Christ fulfilled the requirements of the Law given to Moses. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Paul is giving us an overview of Justification; or paying our penalty for sin in 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV). God has simply done for you what you could never do for yourself in regards to the payment of the sin debt required.

Paul stresses the weight of the realization of this in 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors–not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. There should be a point in your Christian life that the realization of verse 12 begins to sink in. You have been given God’s grace (unmerited favor) through the sacrifice of Christ at the cross. Can you imagine someone you don’t know, or maybe don’t like, laying down their life for you? Christ did that with an infinite multiplier for humanity; knowing of all the sin and hate in the past, present, and future. Our sinful minds are blocked to grasping the understanding of that grace. God will begin to stir your heart and give you a glimpse of that idea, and that glimpse alone should change your life and view of your God forever.

That glimpse into grace should humble your heart and warm your soul. You may come to this by God’s power resting upon you in that realization at Salvation. You may come to understand this when at some point you make the conscious effort to draw near to God. Once He opens your eyes through your heart to the extent of His grace; you should not be able to return to your old self. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (ESV). It should so stir your heart that you want to know more; you want to pursue God more; you want to share what you have with others. Paul continues in Romans 8 showing us that nothing else matters once we grab ahold of the realization of becoming a disciple of Christ. Living our lives for Him is all that matters, and all that we face passes through His hands. Romans 8:28. Paul is so moved by the Spirit that he is hard pressed to express himself in the verses above, of the security as a believer in Christ.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 24, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

What matters?

23 Oct

What matters?

Matthew 22:37-38   Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.

I am not a person who seeks the spotlight. I want no attention drawn to me in the light of this ministry. God knows this, and keeps the ministry silent to me. He performs the work He desires with it; my circle of encouragers small; and pride at bay. I humbly am thankful for His design for it to only draw attention to Him. This ministry is to show you God’s work in my life daily, and to encourage you in the pursuit of Him daily. A heart that is in constant pursuit is a heart that will find God. God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah to Israel reminding us all;  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13).

This scripture in Matthew aligns with the first commandment that God gave Moses to Israel. Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me. Matthew is trying to stress the ideal that every part of our being should be solely focused on God. Every essence of our being, the present of our heart, the eternal of our soul, and the focus of our mind should be on the One whom created and sustains us for the day unto eternity with Him. Everything that you place in your life above your relationship with Christ is a God to you. The realization of it, and the desire to lower its statue, is a heart that seeks God. We have in today’s society an ever growing list of pressing demands on our time that Satan has deceived us into believing their priority. When we stand before God, how will we explain the, “well I know, but I had to ……..”

Our country is facing an election that is dividing us as never before. Our president has become a celebrity and poor leader; and his opponent is a Mormon, and Mormon’s are not Christians. This is an election of truly the lesser of two evils. Our focus should not be on the political arena for either will not be a candidate that runs the office on his knees. Our focus should be on our relationship with God, and how we can be disciples of His, to draw others to Him who will never disappoint. The hope that God places in your heart when you are focused on Him, is the hope that will carry you when all else fails you. Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. If you will truly turn your heart, your soul, and your mind over to God; you will see the events around you in a different light. You will begin to see what matters eternal, and become focused on sharing that love you have with those that God places in your life. That priority shift is an eternal shift that the woes and worldly stresses cannot take away; for it is the hope that does not disappoint.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 23, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Do your knees hurt?

22 Oct

Do your knees hurt?

Luke 6:12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

I have been having some trouble sleeping recently. I think we all go through these seasons, and I seem to be in the middle of one. Many times the anxieties and pressures on our lives will not let our minds rest and get good sleep. That may be my reason for restlessness; for I have a lot on my mind personally and deep concern for those close to me. In the times I awake I try to pay close attention to my thoughts when I awake, for it could be God knocking on the door of my mind. God will speak to you in the silence of the night; throughout the Bible visions and dreams are spoken of.

Christ had gotten alone at an important time in His life before choosing the Apostles in the scripture above. He had went before God all night in prayer before making this decision. He went before God for guidance of that decision; not to take it lightly, or by impulse in fact. How many times do we make major decisions in seconds, without prayer? I could stand at the top of the list, and the list of failure would almost duplicate. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. How are we to go through life without God; without seeking God through more than flippant pleas for things we don’t truly need? Have you truly gotten alone and poured your heart out to God? Better yet, have you gotten with another believer and poured your hearts out to Him? We are assured in Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

We are living in perilous times in a nation that is headed down the road to hell. We are seeing the collapse of our economy, a president that has become a celebrity instead of a respected leader; we have become a nation of tolerance in all arenas with no backbone; we are seeing the separation of social classes, the dying of the middle class; we are seeing the false religions take hold in feel good TV preachers; we are seeing the result of a nation that has severed it’s root of faith in God. God is pressing on my heart the pain of those close to me. Do any of these warrant prayer? Do you feel you can handle the pressures of life on your own wisdom?

Paul was writing to the Colossians and pointing them to Christ and away from the false teachers of the day. He diligently prayed for them. Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. He wanted them to understand that everything they needed was central in Christ alone. “God is enough” as Dr. Gravely taught us recently. This is only attained by a humble heart that is truly seeking God in prayer and His Word. We must draw to our knees and earnestly pray for God to guide our lives in today’s world that is headed the opposite direction.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 22, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

← Older posts