ISAIAH 48:17-18
This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea..."
I am sure God has said this to me many times, "If only you had paid attention!" Much heartache could be spared if only we would listen to our Creator.
We are a nation full of complainers. I am sure if we were all honest we could agree that we have fallen prey to this. There is always something wrong. We are sick, we are poor, we don't like our jobs, our kids are rebellious, our marriage is falling apart, we are in debt beyond imagination, etc. Then our prayers go something like this: "God, haven't you healed me yet? Where is prosperity for me? Can't you find me a job I like? Please bring my kids back to you! Why did you allow my spouse to treat me like this? When will you give me money to pay my debts?"
We get angry at God because he isn't working fast enough and doing it our way. Yet, if we would have gone to Him in the first place and then paid attention we would not be in the many predicaments we are in now. He knows what is best for us. It is not His will for us to be sick, struggling, in debt, depressed, miserable, etc. If only we would pay attention to Him.
I challenge you to read the Word of God today and sit and communicate with God. He has much to teach you. He can save you many heartaches. Just be still and listen. God Bless~I
Friday
Praise God I Don't Get Everything I Want
PSALM 66:8-9
Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
It has been a rough couple of days. These last two days has found me laid up with a horrible head cold. Ironically I got it from the doctor's office. I had an appointment for something else and my daughter had an appointment the same day. It was a couple hours after the last appointment that my defenses became weak and I felt awful. I think my conversation with God was something like this, "God, just cut my head off!" Aren't you thankful He doesn't answer every prayer in the manner we ask?
That is just how our Heavenly Father is. He knows what is best for us. Afterall, would we give our kids a bag of candy everyday when they asked, knowing it isn't healthy for them? No, we would give them what is good and healthy for them, balanced meals. They may ask for it thinking they know what is best. It is our job to help them make the right choices. God wants us to make the right choices. He knows what the outcome will be if we don't.
So today thank Him for your prayers that didn't get answered according to your will. Because that means He spared you pain in the future. God Bless!
Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
It has been a rough couple of days. These last two days has found me laid up with a horrible head cold. Ironically I got it from the doctor's office. I had an appointment for something else and my daughter had an appointment the same day. It was a couple hours after the last appointment that my defenses became weak and I felt awful. I think my conversation with God was something like this, "God, just cut my head off!" Aren't you thankful He doesn't answer every prayer in the manner we ask?
That is just how our Heavenly Father is. He knows what is best for us. Afterall, would we give our kids a bag of candy everyday when they asked, knowing it isn't healthy for them? No, we would give them what is good and healthy for them, balanced meals. They may ask for it thinking they know what is best. It is our job to help them make the right choices. God wants us to make the right choices. He knows what the outcome will be if we don't.
So today thank Him for your prayers that didn't get answered according to your will. Because that means He spared you pain in the future. God Bless!
Tuesday
Whose Image Are You Portraying?
GENESIS 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Recently I pulled up to the local gas station. My windows were closed because I was enjoying my air conditioning. Before I left the vehicle another vehicle pulled beside me. I looked over and saw a large african-american man. Immediately I was quickened in my spirit and thought, "That man has the image of God." There was just something about him that intrigued me. I could hear music thundering from his car but because my windows were up I could only hear the thundering. When I opened my door to get out I could hear what he was blaring out of his speakers. I didn't recognize the song but the words were definitely Spirit-filled.
I am also reminded of the first time I visited our church. I was drawn to an elderly lady that again I thought, "She has the image of God." There was something about her that screamed out "This is a godly woman, true in spirit!" And then to talk with her confirmed it all the more.
After the encounter with the man at the gas station I found myself praying, "God, when people look at me I want them to see you. I want them to feel your love pouring out and spilling over on everything around me. I want them to say, 'She has the image of God."
When God created us He created us in His image. So why is it that so many of us don't portray that image? Why is it that we can look nothing like our Heavenly Father? It's just like plastic surgery. It can alter our image to make us look like someone else. Sin does the same thing. When it governs our lives it alters our image. We are no longer in the image of God. Then people begin to question whether we are really His child or not. We may confess it but we sure don't look like it.
I challenge you to look in the mirror, your spiritual mirror. Do you have the image of God? If not, allow God to remove the sin that has altered your image. Get into the Word of God. Allow it to make you into His likeness, His image. God Bless!
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Recently I pulled up to the local gas station. My windows were closed because I was enjoying my air conditioning. Before I left the vehicle another vehicle pulled beside me. I looked over and saw a large african-american man. Immediately I was quickened in my spirit and thought, "That man has the image of God." There was just something about him that intrigued me. I could hear music thundering from his car but because my windows were up I could only hear the thundering. When I opened my door to get out I could hear what he was blaring out of his speakers. I didn't recognize the song but the words were definitely Spirit-filled.
I am also reminded of the first time I visited our church. I was drawn to an elderly lady that again I thought, "She has the image of God." There was something about her that screamed out "This is a godly woman, true in spirit!" And then to talk with her confirmed it all the more.
After the encounter with the man at the gas station I found myself praying, "God, when people look at me I want them to see you. I want them to feel your love pouring out and spilling over on everything around me. I want them to say, 'She has the image of God."
When God created us He created us in His image. So why is it that so many of us don't portray that image? Why is it that we can look nothing like our Heavenly Father? It's just like plastic surgery. It can alter our image to make us look like someone else. Sin does the same thing. When it governs our lives it alters our image. We are no longer in the image of God. Then people begin to question whether we are really His child or not. We may confess it but we sure don't look like it.
I challenge you to look in the mirror, your spiritual mirror. Do you have the image of God? If not, allow God to remove the sin that has altered your image. Get into the Word of God. Allow it to make you into His likeness, His image. God Bless!
Monday
God's Eyes, Not Yours
PROVERBS 3:7-8
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Have you ever done or said something and later find yourself wishing you hadn't? The consequences afterward can be a detriment to your future. You then spend days, weeks, years picking up the pieces or trying to fix what you did.
I admit I have fallen prey to it many times. Just recently I said something and then realized I should have held my tongue. A friend of the family who is a Karate instructor once said that words are like spent arrows, once they are thrown you can't retrieve them. Especially so with words. We may be able to apologize for them but they aren't easily forgotten and the damage is done.
I have also made poor financial choices in the past. Then I wonder later why I am in a financial bind. I have learned to not possess credit cards anymore and I will not purchase an item I can't afford. My goal is to be completely out of debt.
There is a reason God wants us to go to Him to seek advice in our choices. We aren't wise in our own eyes because we can't see the whole picture like God can. He knows our beginning and our end. He knows if there is an obstacle up ahead that will hinder us making a big purchase now. He knows how that person will react if we don't seek Him before we speak. It only makes sense to seek first the one who knows all.
I challenge you to maintain an open communication with God. I challenge you to put your faith in the eyes of God, the all wise one, instead of trusting your own eyes. And I challenge you to not argue with Him if His way isn't your way. It will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. God Bless!
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Have you ever done or said something and later find yourself wishing you hadn't? The consequences afterward can be a detriment to your future. You then spend days, weeks, years picking up the pieces or trying to fix what you did.
I admit I have fallen prey to it many times. Just recently I said something and then realized I should have held my tongue. A friend of the family who is a Karate instructor once said that words are like spent arrows, once they are thrown you can't retrieve them. Especially so with words. We may be able to apologize for them but they aren't easily forgotten and the damage is done.
I have also made poor financial choices in the past. Then I wonder later why I am in a financial bind. I have learned to not possess credit cards anymore and I will not purchase an item I can't afford. My goal is to be completely out of debt.
There is a reason God wants us to go to Him to seek advice in our choices. We aren't wise in our own eyes because we can't see the whole picture like God can. He knows our beginning and our end. He knows if there is an obstacle up ahead that will hinder us making a big purchase now. He knows how that person will react if we don't seek Him before we speak. It only makes sense to seek first the one who knows all.
I challenge you to maintain an open communication with God. I challenge you to put your faith in the eyes of God, the all wise one, instead of trusting your own eyes. And I challenge you to not argue with Him if His way isn't your way. It will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. God Bless!
Friday
No Fear Of Bad News
PSALM 112:1,7
Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands...He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Have you ever awaited a dreaded call? It could be one from a doctor or your mechanic, or anything that could possibly give you bad news. It's unnerving. You pace the floors. Your breathing is sporadic. Your tension level is high. You feel like you could explode at any given moment.
I love Psalm 112. It has so many promises in it. If we can truly live out verse 1 then all these promises are for us-fearing the Lord and finding great delight in His commands. And verse 7 is one I have found myself running to when I am anticipating that dreaded call.
I recently had that opportunity when reviewing an MRI report from 8 months ago. The doctor had failed to tell me of a potential health problem that wasn't related to what he was looking for. I immediately became apprehensive. I knew this could be bad, but it could also be nothing. I began stewing over the report and researching all the medical jargon on the Internet. The more I stewed and researched the more I became discouraged. THEN....God stopped me. Aren't you glad He cares so much to warn you of impending doom before it happens. This is what He said: "You have spent so much time stewing over that report and researching all avenues. Now, pick up your other report (my bible) and begin stewing over and researching this. These promises overpower what that other report says. Claim what I have written to you, not what the doctor says."
Wow! I immediately picked up my bible and began reading. This morning God brought to remembrance Psalm 112:7. I fear Him and I delight in His commands. Therefore the promises are due me. And where I am imperfect His grace and mercy abounds. I will not fear bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
I encourage you today to put your focus on God's promises, not all the bad reports being thrown at you in every direction. His promises are for you. Take them! God Bless!
Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands...He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Have you ever awaited a dreaded call? It could be one from a doctor or your mechanic, or anything that could possibly give you bad news. It's unnerving. You pace the floors. Your breathing is sporadic. Your tension level is high. You feel like you could explode at any given moment.
I love Psalm 112. It has so many promises in it. If we can truly live out verse 1 then all these promises are for us-fearing the Lord and finding great delight in His commands. And verse 7 is one I have found myself running to when I am anticipating that dreaded call.
I recently had that opportunity when reviewing an MRI report from 8 months ago. The doctor had failed to tell me of a potential health problem that wasn't related to what he was looking for. I immediately became apprehensive. I knew this could be bad, but it could also be nothing. I began stewing over the report and researching all the medical jargon on the Internet. The more I stewed and researched the more I became discouraged. THEN....God stopped me. Aren't you glad He cares so much to warn you of impending doom before it happens. This is what He said: "You have spent so much time stewing over that report and researching all avenues. Now, pick up your other report (my bible) and begin stewing over and researching this. These promises overpower what that other report says. Claim what I have written to you, not what the doctor says."
Wow! I immediately picked up my bible and began reading. This morning God brought to remembrance Psalm 112:7. I fear Him and I delight in His commands. Therefore the promises are due me. And where I am imperfect His grace and mercy abounds. I will not fear bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
I encourage you today to put your focus on God's promises, not all the bad reports being thrown at you in every direction. His promises are for you. Take them! God Bless!
Thursday
Choose To Forgive
MATTHEW 6:14-15
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
My pastor has been teaching a series on forgiveness lately. It is one of the hardest lessons to learn for me. I could probably safely say it is for most people. Yet, it’s required. That makes it all the more difficult.
While sitting under Pastor’s teachings I found myself with an array of emotions: from discomfort to guilt, from defensiveness to regret, from anger to repentant, from surprise to “how did you know I felt that way?” No one likes to hear a sermon that pierces their very being. It is easier to sit under a feel good, pick-me-up sermon that makes you think, “Yeah, I am on the right track.” Those sermons are great too. We all need to know we are on the right path with God. We also need to grow in our walk with Christ. To do that we need to consistently rid ourselves of anything that hinders our relationship with Christ. It is those not-so-feel-good sermons that usually lead us in that direction.
Hebrews 4:12 says For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The Word of God is meant to pierce our hearts and take out what is not from God. Think about it, no surgery is painless. Even if you are knocked out by anesthesia during the procedure you will definitely feel it afterward in recovery. I wish sometimes that God would give me some anesthesia in some of my piercing moments. But what would I learn if I was asleep?
We are supposed to have the mind of Christ. He died a horrible death so that we may be forgiven of our sins, sins that were against him. Yet we find it difficult to forgive others when they sin against us.
I challenge you as I am being challenged to take that step of forgiveness. I have said often that no person or thing is worth going to hell over. If we don’t forgive then God doesn’t forgive. If God doesn’t forgive us then we can’t possibly think He will allow us into heaven. God Bless!
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
My pastor has been teaching a series on forgiveness lately. It is one of the hardest lessons to learn for me. I could probably safely say it is for most people. Yet, it’s required. That makes it all the more difficult.
While sitting under Pastor’s teachings I found myself with an array of emotions: from discomfort to guilt, from defensiveness to regret, from anger to repentant, from surprise to “how did you know I felt that way?” No one likes to hear a sermon that pierces their very being. It is easier to sit under a feel good, pick-me-up sermon that makes you think, “Yeah, I am on the right track.” Those sermons are great too. We all need to know we are on the right path with God. We also need to grow in our walk with Christ. To do that we need to consistently rid ourselves of anything that hinders our relationship with Christ. It is those not-so-feel-good sermons that usually lead us in that direction.
Hebrews 4:12 says For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The Word of God is meant to pierce our hearts and take out what is not from God. Think about it, no surgery is painless. Even if you are knocked out by anesthesia during the procedure you will definitely feel it afterward in recovery. I wish sometimes that God would give me some anesthesia in some of my piercing moments. But what would I learn if I was asleep?
We are supposed to have the mind of Christ. He died a horrible death so that we may be forgiven of our sins, sins that were against him. Yet we find it difficult to forgive others when they sin against us.
I challenge you as I am being challenged to take that step of forgiveness. I have said often that no person or thing is worth going to hell over. If we don’t forgive then God doesn’t forgive. If God doesn’t forgive us then we can’t possibly think He will allow us into heaven. God Bless!
Wednesday
Praise The Lord, O My Soul
PSALM 103:1-6
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
Wow! Talk about an awesome benefit package! No job on earth could stand against it. Praise God!
Until I read this scripture I was satisfied with Jesus’ crucifixion saving my soul. That in itself is more than enough. He went beyond that though. He said, “Not only will I save your soul but I will pour on many more blessings that will benefit you now: healing, redemption, love, compassion, give you your desires, renew your youth, etc. What an awesome Savior!
Take time to praise God today for the many blessings He has given. And then take God up on His offer and accept his gifts. God Bless!
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
Wow! Talk about an awesome benefit package! No job on earth could stand against it. Praise God!
Until I read this scripture I was satisfied with Jesus’ crucifixion saving my soul. That in itself is more than enough. He went beyond that though. He said, “Not only will I save your soul but I will pour on many more blessings that will benefit you now: healing, redemption, love, compassion, give you your desires, renew your youth, etc. What an awesome Savior!
Take time to praise God today for the many blessings He has given. And then take God up on His offer and accept his gifts. God Bless!
Tuesday
Maintenance Is Necessary
PROVERBS 21:25
The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. (NKJV)
I have a friend who I have known for 7 years. She has become the one I have depended on greatly. Her name is Betsy and here lately she has taken ill. I can’t depend on her like I used to. It is frustrating because I need her. It takes her extra time to get going in the morning and once she does I still wonder if this will be the day she dies. It seems that every day I find something new wrong with her. She is getting slower and slower. I am thinking about ditching her and getting a new friend. Does that sound awful?
Of course if you asked Betsy she will tell you that I haven’t done my part in keeping the relationship healthy. It has been my responsibility to feed her, bathe her, and take her to the doctor when necessary. I admit I have neglected to keep up with all that on a regular basis.
Now before you think the worst of me let me defend myself. Betsy is my van. And yes, I come from a long line of women who nicknamed their vehicles. I have greatly depended on this van to get me all over this side of the country. It has gotten me to hospitals in emergencies, my kids to school for necessary education, us to church to engage in worship to our heavenly Father, to midnight pajama runs with the family, and romantic dates with my husband. What a wonderful friend! Yet, it is about to give up. It is only 8 years old but well used. It doesn’t help that I spent more time using it than I did taking care of it. I have heard people say, “they just don’t make vehicles like they used to” but I say, “we just don’t take care of our vehicles like they used to.”
We are busy people these days. We use so much yet maintain so little. This is so in many areas of our lives. We lack maintenance in our relationships with our spouse and our children. We lack maintenance in our material goods such as vehicles, houses, landscape, etc. We lack maintenance in our relationship with God. And we wonder why everything is falling apart.
God gives us material things expecting us to maintain them. He gives us relationships with others expecting us to maintain them. He gave us life, and even more so His Son, expecting us to maintain a healthy relationship with Him. Our relationship with God will not fall apart if we make it a priority to maintain it.
How do we maintain our relationship with God?
1.We feed on the Word daily. If we can eat more than 3 times a day we can certainly feed on the Word of God at least once a day.
2.We have constant communication with God. If we don’t talk and listen then we roam around guessing what God wants us to do.
3.We obey God’s commands. They aren’t suggestions. They are there for a purpose. We show we love Him by obeying.
4.We go to church on a regular basis. This allows us to worship and be fed the Word of God while at the same time ministering to other’s needs.
I challenge you to examine your maintenance: with God, with church, with your loved ones, with your material possessions. If you are neglecting any of these take time to refocus and prioritize. God Bless!
The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. (NKJV)
I have a friend who I have known for 7 years. She has become the one I have depended on greatly. Her name is Betsy and here lately she has taken ill. I can’t depend on her like I used to. It is frustrating because I need her. It takes her extra time to get going in the morning and once she does I still wonder if this will be the day she dies. It seems that every day I find something new wrong with her. She is getting slower and slower. I am thinking about ditching her and getting a new friend. Does that sound awful?
Of course if you asked Betsy she will tell you that I haven’t done my part in keeping the relationship healthy. It has been my responsibility to feed her, bathe her, and take her to the doctor when necessary. I admit I have neglected to keep up with all that on a regular basis.
Now before you think the worst of me let me defend myself. Betsy is my van. And yes, I come from a long line of women who nicknamed their vehicles. I have greatly depended on this van to get me all over this side of the country. It has gotten me to hospitals in emergencies, my kids to school for necessary education, us to church to engage in worship to our heavenly Father, to midnight pajama runs with the family, and romantic dates with my husband. What a wonderful friend! Yet, it is about to give up. It is only 8 years old but well used. It doesn’t help that I spent more time using it than I did taking care of it. I have heard people say, “they just don’t make vehicles like they used to” but I say, “we just don’t take care of our vehicles like they used to.”
We are busy people these days. We use so much yet maintain so little. This is so in many areas of our lives. We lack maintenance in our relationships with our spouse and our children. We lack maintenance in our material goods such as vehicles, houses, landscape, etc. We lack maintenance in our relationship with God. And we wonder why everything is falling apart.
God gives us material things expecting us to maintain them. He gives us relationships with others expecting us to maintain them. He gave us life, and even more so His Son, expecting us to maintain a healthy relationship with Him. Our relationship with God will not fall apart if we make it a priority to maintain it.
How do we maintain our relationship with God?
1.We feed on the Word daily. If we can eat more than 3 times a day we can certainly feed on the Word of God at least once a day.
2.We have constant communication with God. If we don’t talk and listen then we roam around guessing what God wants us to do.
3.We obey God’s commands. They aren’t suggestions. They are there for a purpose. We show we love Him by obeying.
4.We go to church on a regular basis. This allows us to worship and be fed the Word of God while at the same time ministering to other’s needs.
I challenge you to examine your maintenance: with God, with church, with your loved ones, with your material possessions. If you are neglecting any of these take time to refocus and prioritize. God Bless!
Monday
Pure, Unadulterated Love
ROMANS 12:9
Love must be sincere.
This is such a simple verse. Only four words yet one of the hardest commands God gives. What exactly is sincere? The dictionary describes it as free of deceit, hypocrisy or falseness; genuine, real, pure, unadulterated. I believe it’s that word that makes this command so difficult to put into practice.
Love is a word that is heard more times than you could probably imagine. I challenge you to take a day and listen for the word being used. Count how many times you hear it. You will be surprised. We use it to express our feelings for everything from food to cars to that one special person. We love pizza. We love chocolate. We love a bright yellow convertible Mustang. We love him/her! We love…
Is that kind of love truly pure and unadulterated? Is it free of deceit? Truly now, will we still love that pizza if it makes us sick afterward and we find ourselves hugging the porcelain throne? Will we still love that Mustang when it gives up and leaves us stranded in the middle of nowhere, never to work again? How about the love of our life that has deeply hurt us and we don’t know how to forgive? Is that love still pure and unadulterated?
Anything God commands is backed up with sincerity. He wouldn’t command something that He himself wouldn’t do and He is love. When He commands something He expects it to be fulfilled and backed up with sincere love in our hearts. Your first defense may be, “I do. I have a sincere heart when fulfilling God’s Word.” Yet, when you are faced with having to love someone who clearly does not deserve it do you sincerely love him? Or do you find yourself saying “I have to love him but I don’t have to like him”? Is that truly pure love? How about when the offering plate comes around and you hesitate putting anything in it because you could really use that money. But hey, you will give it anyway because it’s the right thing to do even though your heart is hesitant. Is that genuine love?
If we have negativity in our heart toward something yet still confess love then it is adulterated love, full of deceit. Therefore, obeying God’s command to show love or give to Him what is His is not true obedience. It’s just sacrifice. 1Samuel 15:22 says to obey is better than sacrifice. God wants our hearts, not just our actions.
I challenge you to examine your heart. Is it full of love, sincere love? If not, take time to pray. Ask God to examine your heart and to take out what is not of Him. I have to on a consistent basis. There are many external demands for my emotions. I must be watchful. I must be sincere. God bless!
Love must be sincere.
This is such a simple verse. Only four words yet one of the hardest commands God gives. What exactly is sincere? The dictionary describes it as free of deceit, hypocrisy or falseness; genuine, real, pure, unadulterated. I believe it’s that word that makes this command so difficult to put into practice.
Love is a word that is heard more times than you could probably imagine. I challenge you to take a day and listen for the word being used. Count how many times you hear it. You will be surprised. We use it to express our feelings for everything from food to cars to that one special person. We love pizza. We love chocolate. We love a bright yellow convertible Mustang. We love him/her! We love…
Is that kind of love truly pure and unadulterated? Is it free of deceit? Truly now, will we still love that pizza if it makes us sick afterward and we find ourselves hugging the porcelain throne? Will we still love that Mustang when it gives up and leaves us stranded in the middle of nowhere, never to work again? How about the love of our life that has deeply hurt us and we don’t know how to forgive? Is that love still pure and unadulterated?
Anything God commands is backed up with sincerity. He wouldn’t command something that He himself wouldn’t do and He is love. When He commands something He expects it to be fulfilled and backed up with sincere love in our hearts. Your first defense may be, “I do. I have a sincere heart when fulfilling God’s Word.” Yet, when you are faced with having to love someone who clearly does not deserve it do you sincerely love him? Or do you find yourself saying “I have to love him but I don’t have to like him”? Is that truly pure love? How about when the offering plate comes around and you hesitate putting anything in it because you could really use that money. But hey, you will give it anyway because it’s the right thing to do even though your heart is hesitant. Is that genuine love?
If we have negativity in our heart toward something yet still confess love then it is adulterated love, full of deceit. Therefore, obeying God’s command to show love or give to Him what is His is not true obedience. It’s just sacrifice. 1Samuel 15:22 says to obey is better than sacrifice. God wants our hearts, not just our actions.
I challenge you to examine your heart. Is it full of love, sincere love? If not, take time to pray. Ask God to examine your heart and to take out what is not of Him. I have to on a consistent basis. There are many external demands for my emotions. I must be watchful. I must be sincere. God bless!
Friday
Can Satan Bless You?
JEREMIAH 44
Verses 15-18: Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods…said to Jeremiah, “We will not listen to the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
My husband said something in a sermon years ago that I had never heard before or really ever thought of. It struck me so strongly that since then I have been quite cautious of my blessings. He said that Satan loves to bless us and that sometimes our blessings that seem to be from God are really not. That sounds odd doesn’t it? Yet if you will bear with me I will prove to you this statement.
A young family came to us years ago asking my husband and I to pray with them about a new venture they were about to embark on. They had struggled financially for so long and with babies coming in the near future they wanted to be prepared without burden. This couple impressed me because when it came to debt they had none. They budgeted well. They wanted to stay on top but without the worry of whether there will be work or not.
They began their own business having to step out in faith. They weren’t sure how they were going to get enough clients to keep them afloat. Then the blessings started coming. Clients came from every direction. God was blessing them, so it seemed. The income was flowing in steadily. Praise God!
The problem was that they had so much business that they no longer had time for family, God, or church. The blessing from God became a blessing from Satan. No blessing from God will take you away from Him or your family. Busyness comes from Satan. And his blessings are meant for harm.
The acrostic for BUSY is Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Satan knows how to entice us. He sneaks in making us think that our blessings are from God therefore we must be in His will.
The Israelites were so steeped in sin that they too enjoyed the blessings they had. They were offering sacrifices to a Queen who was not THE God and were getting blessed by it. They were well fed, prosperous and healthy. Sound great to me. Yet when God’s discipline came upon them they lost everything. That made them angry. They saw no need to repent when the grass was greener on the other side. Yet the end result of their blessings was not a Queen who could save them from an eternal hell. She may have blessed them while on earth but blessings that are not from God are temporary and quite harmful.
I urge you to take inventory of your blessings. Test them. If they are keeping you from your relationship with God or filling up your time so you can’t go to church, if these blessings are putting your family on the back burner then get rid of them. Only seek those blessings that will honor God and cause you to grow in His wisdom.
Verses 15-18: Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods…said to Jeremiah, “We will not listen to the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
My husband said something in a sermon years ago that I had never heard before or really ever thought of. It struck me so strongly that since then I have been quite cautious of my blessings. He said that Satan loves to bless us and that sometimes our blessings that seem to be from God are really not. That sounds odd doesn’t it? Yet if you will bear with me I will prove to you this statement.
A young family came to us years ago asking my husband and I to pray with them about a new venture they were about to embark on. They had struggled financially for so long and with babies coming in the near future they wanted to be prepared without burden. This couple impressed me because when it came to debt they had none. They budgeted well. They wanted to stay on top but without the worry of whether there will be work or not.
They began their own business having to step out in faith. They weren’t sure how they were going to get enough clients to keep them afloat. Then the blessings started coming. Clients came from every direction. God was blessing them, so it seemed. The income was flowing in steadily. Praise God!
The problem was that they had so much business that they no longer had time for family, God, or church. The blessing from God became a blessing from Satan. No blessing from God will take you away from Him or your family. Busyness comes from Satan. And his blessings are meant for harm.
The acrostic for BUSY is Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Satan knows how to entice us. He sneaks in making us think that our blessings are from God therefore we must be in His will.
The Israelites were so steeped in sin that they too enjoyed the blessings they had. They were offering sacrifices to a Queen who was not THE God and were getting blessed by it. They were well fed, prosperous and healthy. Sound great to me. Yet when God’s discipline came upon them they lost everything. That made them angry. They saw no need to repent when the grass was greener on the other side. Yet the end result of their blessings was not a Queen who could save them from an eternal hell. She may have blessed them while on earth but blessings that are not from God are temporary and quite harmful.
I urge you to take inventory of your blessings. Test them. If they are keeping you from your relationship with God or filling up your time so you can’t go to church, if these blessings are putting your family on the back burner then get rid of them. Only seek those blessings that will honor God and cause you to grow in His wisdom.
Thursday
Happiness At What Cost?
JEREMIAH 2
Poor Jeremiah! Having a job of “bearer of bad news” is not something he meant to sign up for but somebody had to do it. Israel was defiant, out of line, and outright a brat. To be given so much from such a loving God and yet forsake Him so they may fulfill the desires of their evil hearts, it sounds appalling. Why? Were they ignorant? They surely had more brains than to do something like that.
Oh what the all-enticing sin can do to mankind! We read this and think it insane and how we would never do such a thing. Right! Unfortunately we fall prey to it more than we would want to admit. We want and want and want and when we don’t get then the whole world hears of it.
I don’t think Israel intended to rebel against God. Their goal wasn’t to set out and disobey in every way they could. They were just like us, wanting to satisfy their desires of earthly things, wanting to be happy. We all want happiness. It’s who we are. It’s who God made us to be. But at what cost?
Israel had allowed themselves to be so consumed with their desires that when they didn’t get what they wanted they told God, “I will not serve you!” (2:20), at least until they were in trouble. Verse 27 says that they turned their backs to God then yelled, “Come and save us!” when it suited them. God help the tongue that shouts both blessing and cursing.
What caught my attention in this chapter was in verse 36. It says: Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria. Israel was in such disarray that if they couldn’t be satisfied in one land they went on to another hoping to find what they were looking for. God told them that they would be disappointed. It wasn’t their location that was causing their dissatisfaction. It was their hearts.
We tend to busy ourselves searching endlessly for something to fill the voids in our lives or something that will make us happy at the moment. If it’s not this store then we move on to another. If it’s not this town, we move on to another. If it’s not this marriage, we move on to another. If it’s not this church, we move on to another. The problem is that when we move we take with us the issue that dissatisfied us in the last land…US! We are the problem.
Who can satisfy us better than God? We need to stop running around looking for answers. I will save you a lot of energy by this one step: Stop and focus. If we put our hope for happiness in things that are not eternal we will never stop running. Eventually we will get tired and give up. It is only God who satisfies eternally.
Refocus and He will give you the desires of your heart, if your heart is right with Him.
Poor Jeremiah! Having a job of “bearer of bad news” is not something he meant to sign up for but somebody had to do it. Israel was defiant, out of line, and outright a brat. To be given so much from such a loving God and yet forsake Him so they may fulfill the desires of their evil hearts, it sounds appalling. Why? Were they ignorant? They surely had more brains than to do something like that.
Oh what the all-enticing sin can do to mankind! We read this and think it insane and how we would never do such a thing. Right! Unfortunately we fall prey to it more than we would want to admit. We want and want and want and when we don’t get then the whole world hears of it.
I don’t think Israel intended to rebel against God. Their goal wasn’t to set out and disobey in every way they could. They were just like us, wanting to satisfy their desires of earthly things, wanting to be happy. We all want happiness. It’s who we are. It’s who God made us to be. But at what cost?
Israel had allowed themselves to be so consumed with their desires that when they didn’t get what they wanted they told God, “I will not serve you!” (2:20), at least until they were in trouble. Verse 27 says that they turned their backs to God then yelled, “Come and save us!” when it suited them. God help the tongue that shouts both blessing and cursing.
What caught my attention in this chapter was in verse 36. It says: Why do you go about so much, changing your ways? You will be disappointed by Egypt as you were by Assyria. Israel was in such disarray that if they couldn’t be satisfied in one land they went on to another hoping to find what they were looking for. God told them that they would be disappointed. It wasn’t their location that was causing their dissatisfaction. It was their hearts.
We tend to busy ourselves searching endlessly for something to fill the voids in our lives or something that will make us happy at the moment. If it’s not this store then we move on to another. If it’s not this town, we move on to another. If it’s not this marriage, we move on to another. If it’s not this church, we move on to another. The problem is that when we move we take with us the issue that dissatisfied us in the last land…US! We are the problem.
Who can satisfy us better than God? We need to stop running around looking for answers. I will save you a lot of energy by this one step: Stop and focus. If we put our hope for happiness in things that are not eternal we will never stop running. Eventually we will get tired and give up. It is only God who satisfies eternally.
Refocus and He will give you the desires of your heart, if your heart is right with Him.
Wednesday
I Like Cake. Can I Have Yours Too?
Jeremiah 3:1-5
"If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers-would you now return to me?" declares the Lord.
"Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame. have you not just called to me: 'My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever:' This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can."
Israel's disobedience made God angry. They enjoyed their sin then got angry at God for allowing them to reap what they had sown. God likened them to a prostitute with many lovers. Once she left one man to be with many her body became defiled. When Israel decided to follow their fleshly desires their relationship with God too became defiled.
Not only did they follow their own desires but God said they had no shame in what they were doing. In the same instance they complained to God for their lives being in shambles. They wanted to continue in their sin yet still live under God's blessing. You have heard of the old saying: You can't have your cake and eat it too. Yet this is what Israel was expecting of God, to allow them free reign while he poured on the blessings.
Is that what happened? Verse 3 says: Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Israel had gotten themselves into quite a dry spell. God stopped the flow of fresh rain due to their lack of obedience. It definitely caught their attention. Though, their whining to God about His continual anger was not going to sway Him. God said that even though they prayed to him they continued to sin.
It is easy to beg God for relief when we are in a dry spell and everything around us seems to be crumbling on top of us. Especially if we have no clue as to why it is all happening. We tend to quickly blame either God or Satan without even the thought that we could be reaping a bad harvest.
We make poor financial choices that put us in great debt. We then get angry at God for not pouring his financial blessings on us. It must be his fault we are poor. We eat unhealthy foods. We then shake our fists at God for allowing disease to come upon us. It must be his fault we are sick. We don't take the time to instill the Word of God into our children. We cry out because they have turned to the world and lost their way. God must not be willing to keep his promise of us and our household being saved. We desire another instead of our spouse. We wonder why God allowed our spouse to leave us. Or we wonder why our second marriage is just as bad as the first. God must not love us.
We reap what we sow. God wants the best for us. His promises are waiting to be fulfilled. If we don't stop all this nonsense our only destination will be an eternal hell where there is no flow of fresh rain. We will only have ourselves to blame.
I challenge you to commit yourself solely to your first love, God. Live in obedience to His Word. Live by the Spirit, not the flesh. In doing this He will rain down His blessings and promises on you like never before. He is waiting.
"If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled? But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers-would you now return to me?" declares the Lord.
"Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame. have you not just called to me: 'My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever:' This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can."
Israel's disobedience made God angry. They enjoyed their sin then got angry at God for allowing them to reap what they had sown. God likened them to a prostitute with many lovers. Once she left one man to be with many her body became defiled. When Israel decided to follow their fleshly desires their relationship with God too became defiled.
Not only did they follow their own desires but God said they had no shame in what they were doing. In the same instance they complained to God for their lives being in shambles. They wanted to continue in their sin yet still live under God's blessing. You have heard of the old saying: You can't have your cake and eat it too. Yet this is what Israel was expecting of God, to allow them free reign while he poured on the blessings.
Is that what happened? Verse 3 says: Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Israel had gotten themselves into quite a dry spell. God stopped the flow of fresh rain due to their lack of obedience. It definitely caught their attention. Though, their whining to God about His continual anger was not going to sway Him. God said that even though they prayed to him they continued to sin.
It is easy to beg God for relief when we are in a dry spell and everything around us seems to be crumbling on top of us. Especially if we have no clue as to why it is all happening. We tend to quickly blame either God or Satan without even the thought that we could be reaping a bad harvest.
We make poor financial choices that put us in great debt. We then get angry at God for not pouring his financial blessings on us. It must be his fault we are poor. We eat unhealthy foods. We then shake our fists at God for allowing disease to come upon us. It must be his fault we are sick. We don't take the time to instill the Word of God into our children. We cry out because they have turned to the world and lost their way. God must not be willing to keep his promise of us and our household being saved. We desire another instead of our spouse. We wonder why God allowed our spouse to leave us. Or we wonder why our second marriage is just as bad as the first. God must not love us.
We reap what we sow. God wants the best for us. His promises are waiting to be fulfilled. If we don't stop all this nonsense our only destination will be an eternal hell where there is no flow of fresh rain. We will only have ourselves to blame.
I challenge you to commit yourself solely to your first love, God. Live in obedience to His Word. Live by the Spirit, not the flesh. In doing this He will rain down His blessings and promises on you like never before. He is waiting.
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Listen to this beautiful song- We Worship You In The Spirit -- Shekinah Glory Ministries
