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Rise & Shine

13 Sep

Rise & Shine

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.

I awoke this morning as usual, with no alarm. I laid there thinking my phone battery was dead, for it never went off; almost comical on Friday the 13th. Yet there is this inner tug inside of me that is my alarm, my wake up call. There is a desire in me that outweighs all reasons to stay in bed, a desire to meet God every day at this time. My life truly changed when I changed my mornings to begin reading my Bible and praying daily. That change has grown into this ministry, and that change has bred a heart for encouraging others to do the same. There is nothing special about me, I am only a ol’ country boy with a heart for God.

What drives you; what is that tug inside of you that gets you up every day? Is it the demands of work, the pursuit of success by worldly standards? Is it the pursuit of all that this life will bring? How many times have we seen those who pour themselves into their careers all their lives, only to die shortly after retirement; only to die in the middle of the stress of it all in that pursuit? Their is nothing that you can gain that will carry into eternity, except the kingdom work that you invest in those around you. The evidence of the depth of your relationship with your Savior, is proof of the kingdom work in those you encounter daily. All throughout the apostle Paul’s epistles we find the evidence of his heart for those in, and out of the faith. His heart burned for sharing the hope that lied within him. It drove him to face each day and all that the day brought. As he shared of all the trials that Christ told him he must suffer for His name’s sake, he closed with this. 2 Corinthians 11:28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. His deep concern was was for all those souls that God put before him; his deep concern was sharing the hope that he had found in Christ. He had been extended the Grace offering by the hand of God, as he walked down that Damascus road in a murderous pursuit of Christians.

You may try and rest in the false security of Salvation found in church pews on Sunday, or you make take up your cross daily and become a disciple for Him (Mark 10:21). You can pray a prayer of moving your life to a servant of His and the pursuit of it; your life will never be the same as a result of it. You can rise and shine the Light that lies within you each day to a dark world that needs Him (John 8:12). You will hear from Him like you never had before, as a result of that daily pursuit. Your heart will begin to burn just as Paul’s for those in and out of the faith. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13), and that strength is a measure of that daily time with Him.

 
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Posted by on September 13, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Rest=Vigor

17 Aug

Rest=Vigor

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.

I stepped away from this ministry for the longest time since it’s birth the past week. I had a great load on me building up to a family vacation; alone time and writing time with God are extremely difficult during vacation. I truly believe and understood that God knew I needed rest. I got that much needed rest, (yes sleeping late for those that know me), and some great family time at the beach. But something began to yearn in me yesterday for God. A deep welling inside me for what I find here early every day in my favorite chair in the peace of the early morning. My favorite Bible, a working computer, and the peace of prayer with God. On this rainy Saturday morning at home, my heart is at peace here with what my Lord has given me in the past days; He supplied just what I needed all week long, rest.

That rest has brought a renewed vigor for time with Him. My soul, as David’s cried out and thirsts for God. I truly long for these intimate moments in God’s Word that I experience in my “secret place”. Do you have that secret place that you spend time with God? Do you know that it is where you will here from God when you do? Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. A quiet place, a quiet time, a sacred time that God sees and responds to your heart for Him there. He sees you getting up early, staying up late, truly seeking just Him in his Word and prayer alone; he sees how much you desire to hear from him, and he gives you those encouraging words in his written Word. If you are not spending alone time with God, you will never hear from God.

What word, what event, what pressing on your heart will it take for you to seek God every day? Has He not put circumstances in your life to draw you to Him? Has He not put these events in your life to reveal himself to you; to show you his presence, to show you his power, his sovereignty? Wait…..have you not recognized them? If you haven’t been spending time in the Word, you will never see and understand all that He is doing around you. The passage in Matthew speaks of what God shows you in secret; reveals to you in prayer through his Word. He is condemning those people that pray openly to show off their supposed religiosity; they pray just to be heard. That is their reward Christ says; your reward for the humble heart seeking him is hearing from Him, not him hearing from you. He knew what you were gonna say anyway. Don’t you want to hear what He has to say?

 
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Posted by on August 17, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Early Hope

18 Jul

Early Hope

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.

The day has not yet dawned,
I arise early to seek You;
I move from slumber to your presence
You are here to meet me too.

The expectant heart tugs
Seeking my Lord every day;
In prayer and His Word
To find strength and the way.

The world teaches self
No time for Him only me;
He teaches selflessness
As disciples lives should be.

Where is your focus
What are your first thoughts?
The tasks for the day
Or the One whom you were bought?

You say you want change
From Him you want more;
A heart daily seeking Him
Finds what is in store.

Daily prayer and his Word
Should be priorities in your day;
To prepare and align your heart
Through them He shows the way.

Alone you will fail
Together you will succeed;
The Book of Life, God’s spoken words
Will meet your daily need.

My life forever changed
When I opened His book
Starting my every day in there
Eternal hope is what I took.

 
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Posted by on July 18, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Breakfast of children

14 Jan

Breakfast of children

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.

I don’t know how it is for other people, but as someone who battles with anxiety and depression, the weight of the world can press in at the start of a new day. It can be a little thing; a thought that turns the key of anxiety, and once it is started it can be hard to shut off. This morning is one of those days……..it even comes in and tries to steal my quiet time with God. Satan is a prowling about trying to create havoc, and anxiety is a great weapon of his (John 10:10). There is only one offensive weapon to battle Satan; the Word of God. When you feel that demon approaching, find your Bible, pray, and begin to read.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” There is much theology wrapped up into this scripture, but it speaks of how we may come to God as a child. God gives us the spirit of a child so that we come to Him in our time of need. We seek him in prayer and his Word when we are troubled; in pain; in need of encouragement; in need of answers; in any and every thing in life. He is to be as a father to us. The prayer here is even spoken in the sense of crying out to God.

The weights you carry you do not have to carry alone. You can develop a relationship with God through consecrating daily time with him. The morning sets the tone for the day, the strength to face the day is found in prayer and God’s Word. How can you face the day without the spiritual nourishment found in these things? Without a breakfast you will become weak quickly at the days tasks that lie ahead. The nourishment that you find in your quiet time with Him will give you the mental strength to fight those inner battles the day brings. Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Bible Study 101

04 Dec

Bible Study 101

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.

As I was in prayer this morning, I came to realize this ministry is just over 330 days old. For most of those days I have risen early each day, spent time with God, and written what He laid on my heart at that time. It has been an open book of how to show you God in all areas of my life; but it has never been an idea to substitute your time with Him. You are missing out on the true experience if you stop here. As a best friend and Godly man once told me; take the scriptures in the devotionals and get into God’s Word. You will likely be placed in the middle of some context, and you should search out all the history and results of that context. Wa-la – great lengthy time in God’s Word.

A good study Bible is the key to helping to understand and guide you along your way. As in Psalm 63 above, it is the story of David when he was seeking God with all his heart; he seems to be in a desert. Why was he in the desert? What happened to him there? You will learn of David as a great warrior; Saul as a jealous king who seeks to kill David. God may very likely open your eyes to something else when you begin to truly study His Word. I have written beside this scripture in my Bible, “Today our world is dry. Far from God.” The Holy Spirit living inside of you will reveal God’s Word to you. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

It has not been that long ago that I made the conscious effort to read my Bible every day. It changed my life forever, and it will do the same for you. You cannot grow closer to God without seeking God every day and spending time in His Word. You will get out of it what you put into it.  My heart lies is encouraging you to spend daily time with God; to use any devotional as a stepping stone into His Word. If you will do this one thing, all the other things will fall into place. Live your life as in Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Bible study 101 starts right now.

 
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Posted by on December 4, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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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.

 
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Posted by on October 31, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Arise expecting

18 Apr

Arise expecting

Romans 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

What drives you to arise every day? The alarm clock blares, and the toils of the day lie in wait for you. Is it the provision, or the necessity of the work load that drive you every day? Is there nothing better in your book than a day off so you can sleep as late as possible? We all need our rest, and we all get it in different ways and times, but Christ is calling you to arise from your sleep in sin. Our sin filled world has deadened our senses to Christ, and has us asleep in sin. The expectation of our coming Lord can awaken you both bodily and soulfully. That expectation He places within you is a priceless motivation.

Psalm 63:1 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. This is a Psalm of David who was known as having a heart that longed for God. That longing is available to you also, and will drive you as it did him. Prayer and time in God’s Word plays such a large part in the awakening of your soul to the things of Christ. The more time you spend with Him, the greater your expectation is to hear from Him, and the more “awake” you become spiritually with Him. Mark 13:32-37 speaks of the coming of the Lord, and how we are to be awake and prepared for it. This is an exhortation to not remain in sin, but to be awake and prepared for His coming. We simply cannot remain living in sin, and have a heart for God. 1 Thessalonians 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. Begin to seek that daily time with God, and from it will come a desire to arise from sleep, for that is the expectation of meeting Him every day.

 
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Posted by on April 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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