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Inconsolable w/o God

15 Dec

Inconsolable w/o God

2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

I have sheltered my young boys from the tragedy of yesterday. We had a 24hr vacation planned for my youngest’s birthday yesterday at Great Wolf Lodge. Perfect timing for an escape from the reality of the state of our nation in an act against children both of their ages. The news was just hitting as we were walking out the door to get them from school; I could not stomach it. The more I thought of it, the worse I physically felt. The word of the day seemed to be “inconsolable”. Everyone wants to know the answer to why; but would it make a difference? The fingers will be pointed and the reasons given; but yet will there be change? We have never experienced an attack on the innocence of our children; ages when they only have the joys of life, before life begins to take away that joy and shape them. In just over 10 years removed from Elementary School, he became a demon. We need God now to heal from this tragedy.

We as a nation have turned our backs on God. We have removed Him from our schools; we have removed him from our government; we are steadily removing Him from our lives. The list could go on for pages of the evidence going against the Laws given by God to Moses. The Ten Commandments is lost in the self serving attitudes of today’s society; me, me, me. We have not passed God’s governing laws of conduct into our children, for we did not want to abide by them ourselves. Instead we sit our children behind consoles with that sitter numbing their minds with acts of mayhem; while we pursue our goals or numb ourselves to the pains. God was speaking to Solomon in the dedication of the Great Temple; for God knew that Israel as a nation would turn their backs on Him. But He promises to restore a humble nation that repents before Him; if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways.

2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. There will be no way to ever understand this tragedy. We will never be able to understand the sovereignty of God in allowing the evil of this horror. The one thing for sure is the ability of God to comfort those of us affected by this senseless act. Seeking God is the only place we will find comfort. Satan meant it as evil; meant to turn our hearts against God; meant to only harm our hearts and soul. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. There are now 20 innocent souls in heaven sitting at the feet of Christ. Life here never had the chance to rob them of their innocence.

 
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Posted by on December 15, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Turn down the noise

10 Dec

Turn down the noise

Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

Ole’ stubborn, stiff-necked Israel; been out chasing idols and salvation through any thing that seemed to tickle their ears; again. The prophet Isaiah had spent over half of this book pointing to the sins of Israel. Israel had went down seemingly every road against God, even knowing they were God’s people and had lived with signs and wonders of that proof. Isaiah speaks of the grace that God gives them, when they humble themselves before Him. Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. 19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you. Isaiah is speaking of the New Covenant; one of the promise of a Savior; one whom His Spirit will live inside them. (Jeremiah 31:27-40).

Many may say that they believe in God, maybe even Christ, but even Satan’s evil spirits believe. Acts 19:15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” If you say you believe; then you must humble yourself before God. You must repent of your sin and plea for forgiveness. You then will have His Spirit living inside of you. That is a product of Salvation, and a key to living the Christian life. You can seem religious, you may seem to have knowledge and talk the talk, but until you swallow your pride at the foot of the Cross you have gotten nowhere with God. Having Christ’s spirit inside of you will guide you in your daily walk if you consciously seek to abide in Him. A heart that is truly seeking after God is a heart with the ability to hear the words of God; to know whether to turn to the right or the left.

The white noise of the world today has the ability to dull your senses to God. If I were to begin a list of all the distractions that are before us, this would become a 24 hour ministry instead of one minute. There seems to be no ability to slow down; to just find silence and peace any longer. Even the peace of Sunday afternoons at my house is replaced now by seemingly rush hour traffic. Our society is always seeming going somewhere; Satan smiles at our need to be busy. To hear that voice inside of you that you so long to hear, you must go against the grain of the world. You also probably know the scripture that is the key. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! How can you know which way to turn if you don’t turn down the white noise of this world?

 
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Posted by on December 10, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Welll….I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night

08 Dec

Welll….I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

I sat down this morning just to read the Bible. God stopped me at the first scripture I read above. The Holy Spirit has the ability to open your mind through your heart in God’s Word like no other book on earth; the reason it is called the Living Word. Pride is a root of my testimony, and God has been chipping away at it for years now. He is showing me how a humble heart is the key to a relationship with Him in all areas of my life. There should never be a point of elevating ourselves at any point in our Christian life. We should never seek the spotlight, and never take credit for achievements that were given to us. Pride has destroyed many ministries and many lives that became puffed up.

God has given you a gift; a special spiritual gift that separates you from others. I do believe that He gives more than one, but I do believe that there is one that stands above the rest. Paul speaks of these gifts in Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. The individual blessings of each individual make up the body of Christ that will perform the work of Christ like a well tuned motor. When each piece of a motor is properly tuned to perform just it’s one job well, the result is a maximum horsepower. Paul puts this analogy into the human body; Romans 12:4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Do you know what your gift is? Do you use it to draw glory to the One who gave it to you? Are you too busy doing something else that draws more attention; or trying to draw attention in everything? You are wasting God’s gift if you are not concentrating on it. My gift is writing; my gift is no greater than yours. 1 Corinthians 12:4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. I have chosen to concentrate on my gift and not try to do anything and every thing that comes around. I pray consistently for God to keep pride at bay; for Him to continue to keep me focused on where my gift comes from. I want no credit, but to give credit and glory to Him early morning every single day. Find your gift and give God 100% dedication in drawing glory to Him with it.

 
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Posted by on December 8, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Come on…..Papa needs a 7!

07 Dec

Come on…..Papa needs a 7!

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.

In the Old Testament times it was a common practice to “cast lots” to make decisions. It was a game of chance, and the game of chance that set the outcome for many huge decisions. It is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament. The Lot many have been some sort of stone, coins, or even sticks; today we would most likely use dice for our decisions on these games of chance. In the day of Solomon, (the writer of Proverbs), they did not have access to God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit had not been given yet to them. They prayed and relied on God’s sovereignty on the outcome of the way the Lot fell. Now after Christ; after the completion of God’s Word, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit; nowhere in the New Testament are we told to cast Lots to make decisions.

We know we are told to pray for His help in the time of making decisions, and many times we rush into a prayer for help right now. We stumble around and want a word from God, but yet we haven’t spent any time with God up to the point of this critical move. Christ tells a powerful parable in Matthew; the parable of the sower, and then Christ’s explanation of it to His disciples (Matthew 13:1-23). In that parable many may have asked a question before God, and their answer played out as the three soils. The only one who received their answer and knew it was from God; was the one who prepared their heart. Matthew 13:23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” (ESV)

How much time you spend with God in prayer and His Word is in direct relation to how clearly you hear God speak to you. The people you surround yourself with either heightens this awareness to God, or they dulls your senses. The media that you put in your mind with either draw you to God, or drag you away from Him. Your every day, your every action, is in relation to how you hear from God. If your decisions are driven for worldly lusts; beware for your heart is not in good soil as in Matthew 13:22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. For your every decision that you make in life God is waiting on you to ask Him. The closer you are to God, the easier His reply will be to hear.

 
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Posted by on December 7, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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What did you do yesterday?

02 Dec

What did you do yesterday?

1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Take a look back at yesterday in your mind. Just for one day take a good look at your whole day. From the time you got up, until your head hit the pillow last night or early this morning. What were the activities; how were they prioritized? How was your conduct and speech throughout the day? At any point in the day could someone point to you and know that you are a Christian? Would everything yesterday point the opposite direction? These self exams can be a painful process that the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. He puts mine in BOLD FONT when I humbly take these retrospectives. The Apostle John clearly states our daily duty as a follower of Christ in one simple sentence above.

My study Bible has the heading, “The Test of Knowing Him” for 1 John 2:3-11. These scriptures speak of keeping the commandments He has given us. 1 John 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. The desire of your heart should be to emulate Christ. To be a better person today than you were yesterday. To show the love you have for Him to everyone at every opportunity. When you live with the first and greatest commandment sealed in your heart; this is your hearts desire. Luke 10:27 So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ “ The last part of that scripture may be the hard part; loving others. In today’s selfish society showing love and grace can be difficult; but how difficult is it for God to do the same for us?

We will never live a life of perfection; we will fail in countless areas every day. Even when we seek to do good all day we are in constant battles of lust, envy, and great sins in our minds. It is not these sins that condemn us if we have a heart for God. God knows our heart, and knows if these are a battle we face, or a sin we hide. He knows our level of love for our fellow man, or how we hide it. Psalm 44:21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. Pray for that desire; spend time in God’s Word; soak yourself in the things of God and you will begin to emulate Christ. At the root of it is love, and the deeper your love for Him, the more you will find you reflected Him yesterday and the days to come.

 
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Posted by on December 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Only hard for a time

28 Nov

Only hard for a time

Job 1:1 “Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?

Are you playing the Powerball Lottery? Do you believe that that any sum of money would be the answers to all your problems, and the key to happiness? Do you know that statistics show that most lottery winners are bankrupt in 10 years? Matthew 19:24 scares me enough to keep me from playing. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” In my sin I believe I could be the person that could do both. 327 Million dollars would cause me to die in that prideful shame. Only through the distribution of that all that wealth to draw glory to Christ, could you be that camel. And pride would still creep in.

I am not feeling well. I should want to stay in bed and get some rest, but God called me to this ministry every morning. I get more than I can ever share from my daily time with God. I strive to persevere; to press on through it all; to draw glory to Christ  every day. I am just a pair of hands on a keyboard pointing you to Christ; nothing special, but everything in Him. 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Christianity does not mean that life becomes a bed of roses. It means that you have an eternal hope placed in you to endure the temporal life here. In that hope comes strength to cope, to endure, to have joy, to share, to encourage, to persevere. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. All that you face every day that tends to drag you down; Christ gives you the hope to lift you up. As we deal with life and the trials of it; I can only pray you are relying on that hope placed within you through Christ. I cannot imagine doing life without Christ in the world in which we live. You have a better chance of being struck by lightening, than winning the lottery.

 
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Posted by on November 28, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Breath deep and read

24 Nov

Breath deep and read

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

There is no real way to explain anxiety and depression to those that do not suffer. It is a hidden demon that lurks beneath the surface. It can lie dormant but awaken quickly when triggered. It waits for the opportunities, then has the ability to change outcomes. The battle is all in the mind, but yet the battle has physical and outward appearances. I have been open with my struggles and my battles seem to be escalating. The Bible has about 14 verses on anxiety and worry; but fear is listed 354 times in many contexts. Fear is the root of anxieties, and fear is not from God. 2 Timothy 1:For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Matthew 6. It speaks much of the relationship between us and God. Of what is done in secret before Him; not done in public for accolades. It speaks of prayer and fasting; it contains the Lords prayer where Jesus taught us to how to pray. It speaks of our focus in life, of where do we put our effort. Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Where is your focus? Your career, your family, your pursuit of material gain, your hobbies that have turned into idols? The list could go on. Anything that comes before Christ is an idol in your life. If we make our pursuit God and the things of God, our short time here will be rewarded eternally. Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Spending time in God’s Word is the key to the battle of anxiety, worry, and life. The more time we spend in God’s Word the more our heart grows for Him. The stronger our relationship with Him, the more strength we have to fight these battles. I do believe the warfare may escalate, but I know we cannot fight without a heart for God. If we stand on our love for God as the spine of our existence, we can know that we will be ok. Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. This holiday season that is upon us will tend to bring more stress and worry. This is also a time to make the time to spend in God’s Word to give you the strength you need. It can start today.

 
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Posted by on November 24, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Buy me some happy?

20 Nov

Buy me some happy?

James 4:1-3  Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Yesterday was a rough day; a Monday is the easiest explanation. Things just seemed to not go as planned all day long; plans got changed all day long; things planned did not get accomplished; the list goes on. This creates an inner battle with me, a battle of anxieties many times. A battle that grows underneath the surface of the tasks of the day. I even found myself wanting to buy something to feel good, or to reward myself for all my hard work as I thought. I wanted to buy myself some “happy”. We all have most likely been down that road. Yesterday it created a war in my mind that continued until I went to bed. The only way to escape this battle seemed to be sleep.

Much of James 4 is speaking to the dissension in the early church. Dissension divides, and Satan smiles at the division. I personally know of this; my family was divided over church at a very young age, and I still carry that weight. I find myself today in many of the same struggles, of our place of worship is divided among its members. Matthew Henry states; “What is sheltered and shrouded under a specious pretence of zeal for God and religion often comes from men’s pride, malice, covetousness, ambition, and revenge.” OUCH. The world is coming into the church more than the church is going out into the world. I could take that money I did not have to spend anyway, and spend it on someone who truly does not have; to show them the love of Christ in a world far from Christ.

I am so tired. So tired of all the selfishness of society; so tired of all the materialism of the place where God has me currently. I found myself yesterday drifting back into the desires of the flesh. I see all that is around me and still somewhere inside me I still want. This war is a war of ourselves, a war of body and soul. Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. These wars of self creep into our lives in so many ways; leading so many decisions and discussions. As I gave my testimony this weekend, the root of it is pride. God is still working on me and showing me how much of it still exists. I pray that no matter how painful   it becomes, He still continues to break down me in that realm.

 
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Posted by on November 20, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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R & R, how?

16 Nov

R & R, how?

Matthew 11:28-30   Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Most of us related R&R to rest & relaxation; a common term sought but rarely found in today’s society.  There is an underlying tone growing in our society; a tone of security lost. The lives we once were accustomed to vanish in an instant. Careers that we pour our lives into gone in a flash; and our lives and securities as we knew them vanish before us. The words secure and career have become an oxymoron; impossible to be used in the same sentence. These pains I know firsthand. There are many in my circle of friends experiencing it currently. We are at a point in our lives where we only know to look for God in the days to come; and to only rely on the understanding He will never forsake us. The writer of Hebrews reminds us to keep our eyes only on God; to rest in that security. 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.” My study Bible says of this scripture, “This is one of the most emphatic statements in the New Testament. In Greek it contains two double negatives, as if to say, ‘I will never, ever, ever forsake you.” In the times when you struggle and wonder the why’s of life; instill this scripture in your heart to find peace in it.

Christ in the scriptures above had been speaking of John the Baptist and rebuking all the cities where He had performed many miracles, yet they refused to believe. He told them of how they would suffer greatly for turning their backs on Him. Then He went to prayer and thanked His Father for hardening the hearts of the prideful, and blessing the hearts of the humble. The humble found the peace and strength in Christ. They understood their need for Him. Christ sought to take that worry from them, and provide rest for them in their time of need. All that life throws at you; yanks out from under you; all of it can be of no merit when you rest in the security of Christ.

The wisest man who ever lived penned these words of peace in Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. The R&R of life is only, truly, found in Christ.

 
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Posted by on November 16, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Square pegs in round holes

11 Nov

Square pegs in round holes

Ephesians 5:15-17    Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (ESV)

Do you ever have that feeling of being an outsider? That feeling of just not belonging where you are? The closer you get to God; the closer you get to understanding how far this world we live in is apart from God. I could go down the path of listing the evidences of this reality, but if you argue with them, or you are blind to them, you are not grounded in the Word, but in the world. The more you surround yourself with the things of God on a daily basis, the more you will realize how your spiritual senses have been numbed before. All of the media that invades our minds daily dulls our senses to God. There are ways to heighten your senses and become more keen to how God sees the world; but it takes effort on your part.

The Apostle Paul was trying to unify the church at Ephesus to live like Christians. He writes in Ephesians 4-6 of how we “were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”(5:8). Paul is writing to those that are being persecuted; himself being in prison at the time of this Epistle. There was evidence in his life of his belief in Christ. There should be a before and after point in the testimony of your life with Christ. You cannot remain idle once you become saved; idleness is backsliding. You are either moving forward in your pursuit of Him, or you are falling away from Him; you cannot sit still. This pursuit is gained in the time God has given us and how we utilize that time. Matthew Henry said, “Our time is a talent given us by God for some good end, and it is misspent and lost when it is not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must endeavour to redeem it by doubling our diligence in doing our duty for the future.”

The more you begin to seek God every day; the more you will begin to remove yourself from the ways of the world. There will be a hunger that grows, a desire to know more of Him. If you follow that desire in a conscious effort, God will open your mind through your heart. Romans 12:2 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. Your life will never be the same once you begin to pursue God every day. You will find joy in being that outsider; apart from the world; separated to God. Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.

Application: I felt God work in my life in the music I listened to. When I changed my radio to contemporary Christian music and left it there, it made a huge difference in my life. You cannot seek God’s heart one moment and listen to Highway to Hell the next.

 
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Posted by on November 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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