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His Word – not mine

His Word – not mine

Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (ESV)

Oh how I wish I could tell you how much this scripture encouraged me this morning. Of how God gave me the exact words I needed to hear upon opening his Word. Of how I prayed for that encouraging word from Him; and he directly spoke to me with his reply. Thank you Jesus! The self-inflicted pressures of this ministry have been great recently. They come as a result of the demands of the world, and they come as the result of the demands I put upon myself. This ministry is my heartbeat, but whom is it beating for? After a year and a half of this daily diligence, I am my own worst critic. I feel a failure when it does not happen….and pride creeps in. God knows my heart, he knows my load, he gives the means for it’s birth every day.

Paul got it; he never made his ministry about anything but Christ. He could have easily elevated himself with his background and education, but he only sought to remain humble and elevate only Christ. Philippians 3:13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(ESV) Pride has creeped in and destroyed many a great ministries. They began to feel that they either made it all, or they feel the tug to please men in it all; they seek approval through it. Paul only sought to point others to Christ in it. It is all about Him; it is never about the messenger, it is about the message.

The experiences I have out here every morning are the reason I am out here every morning. How God has changed my heart in recent years all after that conscious effort to start reading my Bible every day. Of how He transformed a life steep in sin, headed down hells highway, to a life with only the goal of pleasing Him and sharing with others the hope I have found in Him. He gave me this ministry and this forgiven heart; I am forever thankful for them both. All I want to do is to encourage you to spend time every day seeking Him on your own. Never let this ministry substitute for time in His Word alone. Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. I am a living proof of how your life will change when you start to read your Bible every day. Make today that day.

 
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Posted by on June 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Give your cares away

Give your cares away

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Are you stressed out? Are the pressures of life and the decisions of life bearing down on your mind to the point of effecting you physically? It can be the demands of the world for our time;(of which there never seems to be enough of). It can be the questions and decisions in life that there never seem to be the answers to. It can become a pressure on our minds that begins to reflect in our outward selves. We may snap easily; we may not feel well; we may loose sleep; we may not remember……where was I going with this? I can give you multiple examples for each and many more of these. The difference in the pressures of life is how you cope. Proverbs 16:3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.

If you cope by running away you will eventually run head on into what you are running from. If you cope with some sort of substance to numb the pain, you are creating a new problem that will ultimately destroy you. If you are releasing, (maybe venting would be a better word), your pains on those around you, then you are destroying those around you. You can release your pain to God and the opposite happens; you strengthen your relationship. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You find this rest in the time you spend in prayer and God’s Word. These are the two things in life that God has given you to provide you a means of peace when you are with Him. The more time you spend doing both, the better you are able to handle the stresses of life.

God gave me a HUGE encouraging word this morning while researching this passage. Isaiah 50:4 “The Lord God has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. It is so hard to articulate my mornings with God. This ministry that He has put on my heart is so very humbling, yet gives me strength to face each day. Satan comes at me with both fists, but yet I know how to hand those strains over to God; and Satan’s ploys backfire because I draw nearer instead of coping as in the past. I am nothing special, I just have a heart for God and I live as in Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Wouldn’t you love for today to be the day that you gave your cares away?

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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