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14 Feb

Can’t reason with God

Genesis 12:1-4    Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

“Just do it. Just do the thing I am placing on your heart. Just do the thing that requires great faith in Me, and not your own abilities. You don’t have all the answers, but I do.” That still small voice has the ability to be very loud and clear sometimes. You cannot run from your conscience speaking to you, for His Spirit is the one there. He seemingly comes in waves; He will press these things upon your heart, then lighten the load, and see how you respond. Do you go back to “normal” and act like nothing happened? Do you act like God has not spoken to you regarding anything he has set before you? Oh yea…..I have too. I justify it over and over again, but in reality is is plainly being disobedient. I am saying no to God.

Abram is known as the great patriarch of faith. He was blindly obedient to all the calls God placed on his life. He was far from perfect in many of his decisions, especially those that seemingly always revolved around his wife, but when God said “go”, he went, always. Abram picked up and left all that was coming to him in the family inheritance. God was telling him that he would bless all his descendants, yet his wife was unable to have children. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. Abram was leaving everything to follow the call the Lord had given him. He simply could not make sense of it all; but his faith was so strong, how could he say no? Even later in his life he took the step of seemingly sacrificing his only son; in the understanding that the Lord will provide. Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The Lord it shall be provided.”

The Lord has been speaking to me in this season of my life regarding these leaps of faith. He has placed something on my heart that is outside my capability to reason through. He brought it before me and pressed; he let it lie in the undertone; he is pressing again because I went back to “normal”. It is no coincidence that he has had me spending so much time with His servant he has used to teach me obedience. I feel trapped and cannot reason of a means escape, yet I feel God is showing me a door that requires a leap of faith. I think things to death, but I cannot reason with God. Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

 
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Posted by on February 14, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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It is all in there

12 Feb

It is all in there

Romans 11:36-12:2     For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. 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. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

It is almost impossible to single out a few scriptures in the book of Romans to write on. Romans is Paul’s pinnacle writing, steep in theology, God’s sovereignty woven throughout the epistle, chapters hinge on preceding chapters. It must be read in context; as all the Bible should; but the understanding of it is deep in the meanings of all that is laid out prior to where God is speaking to you in it. Paul had been pointing to the sins of Israel, and the relation of that sin to the Gospel going out to the Gentiles; all of this in God’s sovereign plan for mankind. The pieces of His puzzle all coming together in a way that makes little sense to us; yet there can be peace in us that understand He is in control of it all. Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. God’s sovereignty explained in one simple sentence.

When you come to understand, to grasp that you are one of the elect, one of a chosen child of God’s, their is a humbleness in your heart that draws you to rest in peace. God has prepared your heart for that understanding. He has given you the ability to possess that peace and joy that the world cannot steal away. He has given you the ability to see all things as temporal; he has given you the ability to possess peace when all around you is failing. Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. This world is in chaos right now in all areas; political, economic, rumors of war, poverty, social, weather phenomena; the list could be detailed right down to each of us. We are all living in a world out of control, a world turning their backs on God.

God is really pressing on me. I do not know what his plans are, but I feel him pressing on me. When times get tough, and believe me right now they are, I find myself just wanting to spend more time with Him and His Word. I also find that Satan through the world provides every seemingly distraction possible. Those things speak to my heart as confirmation I am hearing and headed in the right direction. Dig into God’s Word if you want to possess more of God. He has given you all you need there. The way to way to transform your mind and body as the scriptures above speak, is found in a heart that desires to spend time with God every day in prayer and his word.

 
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Posted by on February 12, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Nah……I’m good.

11 Feb

Nah……I’m good.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

I will openly admit to my greatest sin, my greatest struggle, my sin of covetousness. I have always had the attitude that I could have anything that I wanted, if I wanted it bad enough. There came a time of financial means that it seemingly was possible; I am literally still paying for those mistakes. The ESV version of the Bible limits this scripture to money, but covetousness is the internal desire for something we do not possess; desiring that which is not our own, and it is far from limited to money. Most likely we all covet, but it is a hidden sin until Satan wins a battle in the pursuit of it. This morning I had a prayer of thanksgiving before I continued to read in Hebrews and found myself here; a direct word from God to answer my prayers. Thank you Jesus.

Pastor Alan’s sermon yesterday spoke of our testimony; our lives before and after answering Christ’s call upon our hearts. Mine is a testimony woven in pride, the pursuit of all things that I coveted. Of how God humbled me through my son, of how God humbled me in my finances, of how God humbled me physically in my shoulder; of how God showed me that He is all I must desire. My life changed when I made the conscious effort to spend time with God every day as a result of that calling He was placing on my heart. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. That scripture is the focus of my life; the internal desire to share it with you; the power of the life changing message that is woven in the effort of that pursuit of God every day. All of your problems will be answered with that pursuit, for you will see the answers of God in your life through it.

There comes a point in your life that you realize you need help. That point in your life is many times seemingly at the bottom; for we rest in our pride when we are at the top. God lets us go down the road to the bottom, for then we only can look up. He does his greatest work there, and our testimonies of his work there are what He uses to encourage others there now. When the Gospel of Christ comes into your life, it brings a change in your life and your desires. You will not become a perfect person; you will still struggle in many of the same ways, but you will come to realize the power of Christ in the answer to these struggles. Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” When you come to realize that you have eternity secured through Christ; the troubles of the current situations in temporal life will have less power. The depth of that understanding is measured by the depth of your daily pursuit of Christ, and the power found in it.

 
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Posted by on February 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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The pain of the marathon

10 Feb

The pain of the marathon

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

It is mornings like this I do believe God has a sense of humor. Yesterday I spent the day on a dirt bike racing around in the woods, and even had a pretty bad crash that I am feeling the soreness of today. This morning in prayer I thanked God for the joy and safety of yesterday, and I felt led to go to Hebrews 12. This chapter in the Bible speaks of the race of faith, the discipline & trials of faith, and all that we must endure as a part of it. I laughed as I came to verse 12 above; for God knew exactly how I was feeling today. I even wrote in my Bible “almost funny after dirt bike crash” beside this scripture.

Living the Christian life is not going to be easy. Hebrews 12 points us to all the evidences of that.  The author of Hebrews sets our life of faith as an endurance race; we must possess the strength to make it to the end, not the speed of the short sprint. We must focus our eyes on the goal of the prize that awaits us in eternal paradise; a life with God; a life without sin;  a life without pain; as perfect a life as you can possibly imagine cannot grasp the rewards of heaven. If you begin to grasp the power of the Cross, and what Christ endured there, you will be drawn to the understanding that all you must endure is small. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. There is strength that comes in that understanding of the Cross. That humble feeling you get in the pit of your stomach, is a gratitude that gives you strength to endure the temporary for the eternal reward.

Hebrews 12:3-11 speaks directly to how God disciplines those that he loves. Of how our earthly fathers perform the expected same, yet do we believe our heavenly Father will not? Our Father knows us better than anyone for He created us, and He knows where we need disciplining. This too is painful for a time, but in it he desires to make us more like Christ. If you claiming Christ, knowingly living in sin; yet God seems to be letting you slide without discipline; you should be very afraid. 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (ESV) Claiming Christianity carries no weight; there must be evidence in your life. Your claim may be only your own. Hebrews 12:8 speaks directly in line with Luke 13:27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ Put your eyes on the eternal reward; put your heart on the price Christ paid; strengthen yourself in them for the race of faith that lies before us.

 
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Posted by on February 10, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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I will ___________

09 Feb

I will ______________

Matthew 5:37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Writing on this passage is extremely difficult; everyone feels the conviction in this scripture, and everyone close to me will take it personally, feeling it is directed at them. We all have friends and people that continually disappoint us. They make commitments and break them. They make make promises that are broken. They are only there when they need something. The list could go on and on with your personal experiences. I too know that I fail seemingly every day. I downsized a business by 90%, and now I simply cannot meet my expectations every time. I make promises to my boys that get pushed further down my list. I fail others just as much as they fail me. This is the evidence of how deep our sin is rooted in how weak our words have become. We continually let down those close to us; our integrity suffers as a result.

This scripture is in the context of concerning oaths, and even more directly an exposition of the third commandment; Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7). There is no gray area here, the line of judgement is clearly stated that God will hold us accountable for how we misuse His name. We will stand before God on judgement day, and they will be seemingly replayed before us in His presence; fearfully humbling for we most likely have all done it. This passage of scripture commands much deeper exposition; but we must clearly understand the reverence and context of every time we invoke God’s name.

The context of this passage is proving the legal and eternal binding of our oaths. But should not our integrity uphold our own word? Should not our “yes” have the weight to carry most necessities? If the subject was of dire importance, our “Yes Yes” should invoke the understanding of it’s critical nature. Christ used the words “Verily, Verily I say unto you”(Gospel of John) when he needed to press the significance of what He was speaking. You are only as good as your word. You integrity is held in the words that are followed by the responses to them. It becomes easier and easier to disappoint those that are close to us. It becomes expected for them to disappoint us, for the patterns are proving themselves. Satan smiles at the continual disappointments, for he knows it is not the evidence of Christ in our lives.

 
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Posted by on February 9, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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A Cheerful Giver

08 Feb

A Cheerful Giver

Philippians 4:16-19    For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Paul is closing out his letter to the Philippians. Their gift brought to him by Epaphroditus had been well received by Paul; this thank you letter was penned to encourage all of history to come. The encouragements Paul had penned throughout the letter had most likely stemmed through his heart to thank them for the gift. They had done so much for him, continued to support him when none of the other churches did. They were always there when he needed them most. Paul loved them, loved their service, loved their hearts for Christ that he saw in them. He knew that they possessed the love of Christ that he spent so much of his time teaching about. The spine of Paul’s letter is the joy of serving Christ, and the ability to do so in all situations.

I am seeing a small group of people exemplify this type of joy in serving at Hoskins church. Small groups that come in on Sundays, to a core group tirelessly committed to accomplishing the tasks required. All these people are doing this to show their love for Christ. A heart desiring to present a warm loving church, with warm loving people, to a community that needs Christ’s love and the examples of it. Taking your heart and gifts into the service of the Lord is what it all is about. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Matthew Henry put it well; “that you may be enabled to make such a good use of your worldly possessions that you may give an account of them with joy.’ It is not with any design to draw more from you, but to encourage you to such an exercise of beneficence as will meet with a glorious reward hereafter.”

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Have you ever considered that the more you do “for God”, the more you are indebted to Him? You can never out-give God; it will not happen. You do not give to God to expect to receive from God; he knows your heart and will not reward a deceitful one. You give out of the heart that desires to express your love for Him; you are drawn to service as a act of thanksgiving. 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

 
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Posted by on February 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Strength in contentment

07 Feb

Strength in contentment

Philippians 4:11-13     Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

This point in Paul’s letter was most likely the reason he wrote the letter; he had received a gift from the Philippians, and he wanted to express his gratitude. It seems as those this church had continually sought to take care of Paul, even when others had forgotten him; he recognized this and he wanted to show his genuine thanks for it in this epistle. Paul was encouraging them to be content themselves in this epistle, and he used his life as an example of it. He found his every need satisfied in Christ. Contentment is a state of being that is not bred into our society of today: we are either feeling we are entitled to more, or we are so focused on our own abilities, that we feel we can obtain anything we desire. We are never happy with our current state.

Likely the most abused scripture in the Bible: 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We take this scripture, weave it in with pride, and believe that with Christ on our side we can do anything we put our minds to. We believe we can hit home runs, secure business deals, run a marathon, be successful by worldly standards, be anything we put our minds to. This is the opposite of what Paul is teaching! Paul is saying he cannot do anything without Christ! He is saying that through Christ’s strength he can face whatever state he finds himself for the day; he is content in that strength of Christ. Here is is teaching contentment, obedience, and strength, not empowerment of oneself for the means of accomplishing a self satisfying goal.

Matthew Henry says of this contentment; “This is a special act of grace, to accommodate ourselves to every condition of life, and carry an equal temper of mind through all varieties of our state. This was an account of Paul’s learning, not which he learned at the feet of Gamaliel, but at the feet of Christ.” The strength you need to face whatever you may, is the strength found in the contentment of abiding in Christ in that current situation. He has taken you to, what He will deliver you through. That strength in contentment is the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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This is our God

06 Feb

This is our God

Isaiah 25:9 And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

I wish every morning could be like this. God planted a partial worship song in my head early; and I knew I had to find it. I had a great prayer and began my search, which lead to being moved to tears running down my cheeks with my hands in the air upon hearing it. MOVED by the presence of God engaged in worship to him alone very early this morning. Setting the tone for the day in the realization of a heart of thanksgiving………I could not start the day better reciting the lyrics, “I will fall at your feet”. I decided to do a word search of “this is our God”. I came to the passage in Isaiah 25 above.

Isaiah is not only pointing us to his faith and hope of our God, but he is pointing us to the coming Christ. He speaks of how God will humble and destroy the prideful throughout this Psalm. Of how those haughty in spirit will be brought low with their cities. Of how He will judge the wicked and gather and 10b As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap. 11 And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands. There is God’s judgement that the wicked and those that deny him will pay the price for their decisions eternally in Hell coming. In this Psalm praise is woven in with the coming judgements; those secure in Him will be eternally blessed as a result of his removal of sin. 8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.

I guess I don’t get it; I don’t understand how people don’t see the evidences before them; don’t see the need of a Savior for them; don’t see there is more to life than selfish desires for our time here. Surely in your mind somewhere you must realize that there has to be more to life than this. That ? is God stirring your soul. That ? is a small glimpse of God pursuing you. That ? has your eternity hinged upon your response to it. Deny it and He will deny you. Respond to it and your eternity will be paradise with the One who created paradise. You will possess the blessing of peace and security that will enable you to endure your time here until He returns. 4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, 5 like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down. (ESV) He is the answer to every ?; He is our God.

 
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Posted by on February 6, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Peace in an out of control world

05 Feb

Peace in an out of control world

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Christ was giving his disciples their marching orders. He was telling them of how he was about to leave them and return to heaven. He was telling them that it was about to get really hard for them as followers of Christ. He told them of persecutions and death to come, as those who hated Him, persecuted those who loved him. He told them they must suffer as his disciples, but to rejoice in this suffering; in the honor of this suffering. John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” They had spent time in the wonder of walking with Christ; now they must take that knowledge and witness of Him, and stand on their own in the strength He provides.

If you are sliding down the highway of life without a trouble in the world, you are most likely a child of this world. What is a child of this world? It is not a child of God, for a child of God is not of this world as Christ spoke in John 15:19. Therefore, Satan,  the ruler of this world, that is on a leash held by God; takes no worry with you, for he has no regard for loosing you. If you dig deep into your heart, the cares of your heart will reveal where you place your hope. Your hope can be in anything you feel as though you can attain; or your hope can be in the realization of how lost you are in sin without Christ. That epiphany is eternally life changing once you come to Christ in it. Once your hope is placed in eternity, the tribulations that will come will only be seen as temporary, and a means to draw closer to God.

Eternal security will bring about that peace that Christ describes. Knowing that you will spend your life in heaven will overcome all that you face today. All that Satan throws at you will only draw you closer to God; backfiring the plans of the enemy. Once you accept the free gift of Salvation, there should be evidence of change in your life. You should have the desire to draw closer to Christ; the Holy Spirit begins to convict you of sin; you will begin to see things differently upon Salvation. Satan immediately tries to convince you that you obtained nothing. He is the father of lies; God is the father of truth, and your eternity is secure. Romans 8:38 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.

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Yep…..it is all good

04 Feb

Yep…..it is all good

Philippians 4:6-7   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.

As most of you know I am open about my struggles with anxiety and depression. These struggles were never a part of my life until God grabbed a hold of my soul. When Satan did not want to give me up, the battle of the mind is where he began to wage his war. I humbly confess that my struggles are on a spiritual plain, and I humbly confess that is where they are fought. When their is movement on the front lines, I approach God in prayer and his Word. The Word is the only offensive weapon we have to fight against Satan. Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. When the attacks come, the preparation you have made in your time alone with God is the weapon you will use to fight that fight on the spiritual plain.

How is it then you ask that I can describe my faith in one simple word; Peace. 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Paul follows up the scriptures of anxiety with the passage of peace too. Because no matter at what level the battle is fought; of how high the anxiety goes; of how deep the depression sinks; I am still winning the war through Christ; I am fighting a defeated enemy that refuses to accept that fact. God did not promise us a life of ease, but that we may be conformed to the image of his Son; and a part of that purification process is painful. These are either designed or allowed by God to draw us closer to him. This understanding will allow you to obtain this peace.

Paul continues to give us an example of what to focus our lives on; how to find the good and set our minds and hearts on it. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. If you are spending your time filling your minds with all the things in this world that Satan provides you to take your eyes off God; he is winning that battle in the war for your soul. How much time do you invest in everything else but God and His Word? A heart for God is much more that a Sunday service. A heart for God sees God in everything; even the struggles that  He is allowing you to face today, to draw you closer to Him.

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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