Category: Uncategorized

Moving Forward in Faith

Isaiah 11: 8-9
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith…
What an amazing example of living in faith is provided by the story of Abraham.  It was a great step of faith for Abraham to leave his family and his homeland in response to God’s calling on his life.  He did not even know where God was leading him.  Yet he faithfully followed the path that the Lord laid out for him.  And for his simple act of faith, he became the father of all nations.

God calls each of us to take simple steps of faith.  As we respond obediently, He puts before us the next step which usually requires a little more faith in Him and letting go of faith in ourselves.  We may not become a father of a nation by yielding to our calling, but we will surely gain more than we ever imagined.
Prayer 
Heavenly Father, we thank You for having a unique plan for each of us.  We rejoice in knowing that the reward that You have prepared for us if we respond to Your calling is beyond our imagination.  We pray, Father, that you will give us the strength and guidance to follow the path that you have laid out for each of us.  Even though we may not know our destination, Lord, may your Holy Spirit keep us steadfast in our journey to stand before you in the image of Your Son.  We pray these things in the precious name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ.


Our Hope in Jesus Christ

Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
In Paul’s writings to the Romans, he establishes that there is to be no shame in following and putting our eternal hope in Jesus Christ.  I could never have imagined that there would be a time when this teaching would be relevant here in the United States of America.  Yet here we are.  
Christians are mocked daily on talk shows, news shows and entertainment shows.  To publicly stand for the very truths given to us by Our Heavenly Father makes us bigots, haters, etc.  Now more than ever, we are called to share our good news with the world around us.  The hope that we have in Christ is the only hope left for our beloved nation.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for this new year that You have given us.  We thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to build up our strength to stand against the folly that this world will try to get us to accept.  We pray that the Your Holy Spirit will give us the courage we need to boldly present the “way, the truth and the life” that is in your Son, Jesus.  We ask this in His precious, holy and mighty name.

Go Boldly Into the New Year

Isaiah 52:12
For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Praise God.  He is so good.  He gives us what we do not deserve and what we could never earn.  He forgives our sins and makes payment through His Son for our past.  He sets our future firmly in His hand.  He frees us to live today in freedom, in peace and in service to His calling on our lives.  

We can move into the new year knowing that God will be with us.   Through His Son, His Holy Spirit has been sent to guide us.  Under submission to Our Savior, we can let loose of the things of this earth and grasp on to the things of God’s kingdom.  We can shake ourselves from the dust of our doubts and our fears.  Our victory was settled on the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for settling the debt that we could never repay.  We bless the name of Jesus whose precious blood washed away our sin and established our righteousness forever.  We pray, Father, for the wisdom not to linger in our past which condemns us.  We ask, Lord, for the grace to move openly, boldly, safely and without fear into the victorious future that has been set aside for us.  May those around us be drawn to You through our living testimony to Your loving kindness and Your mercy.  

In the Flow

Psalm 87:7
Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”

The sanctification process is not for the proud.  It is a most humbling experience as God reveals to us everything in our lives that is not suitable for His presence.  And it is generally not the “don’t do” sins that are the most humbling for those who God has called to be His own.  The most humbling experiences come when we find ourselves in dry periods because what we are doing is falling short of what God has called us to do to please Him.

Jesus only did in His life what the Father called Him to do.  So it will be in our lives if we surrender to the one who indwells within us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking us through dry seasons when we are falling short in our efforts to please You.  We thank You that You use these seasons to draw us to the Living Water, Jesus Christ, so that we may bath in the springs of His joy, His peace and His comfort.  We pray that as we experience the fullness of His grace that we may become living founts of His perfect love for those around us.

To Be a Child Again

Matthew 18:3
Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Small children run to their parents for everything.  Whether they need comfort, provision or direction, they immediately seek the arms of their parents.  They do not question the authority or the power of their parents.  They assume the parents have the power to provide whatever it is that they need or desire.  More than anything else, they do not see themselves as capable of doing more for themselves than their parents could do.

This is the type of reliance that God wants to see from all of us.  God wants us to rely on Him for everything without ever considering that we could provide for ourselves just as well.  

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:3

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blessings and the benefits that we receive as Your children.  We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to inherit Your kingdom and all of its provision and protection for all eternity.  We pray, Father, that we be renewed in our minds so that we may become as simple, as humble and as teachable as small children.  May we discard forever all the self-seeking lifestyles, distrust and deceit that we learn from the world.  May we walk in the excellence of Our Savior.  

The Matchless Love that Covers Our Sins

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

There is sin in every human’s life.  Even the tiniest of which separates us from ever entering into the presence of God.  While feeling true sorrow for our transgressions and making earnest attempts at not failing again are good things, they are not enough to bridge the gap from God that is caused by our sin.

Only the Cross of Jesus Christ is sufficient to reconcile the separation.  This way was made possible because of His death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.  Only through Jesus Christ can we have a place prepared for us in heaven for all eternity.  Only by accepting the invitation that He issues when He draws us unto Himself can we receive what has been set aside for us.  

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your grace that prepares an inheritance for us that we did not earn.  We praise You for Your mercy that spares us from the destiny that we deserve.  We bless the name of Jesus who draws us unto Himself that we might overcome what the world has prepared for us and receive what Our Heavenly Father has prepared for us.  May our gratitude for Your matchless love be expressed in our living testimonies which draw others to the gift of salvation that is offered through Your Son.

Fierce Dependence on Almighty God

Romans 10:3
For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.

Our nation was born under a call for fierce independence from a government that wanted to control how individuals related to their Creator.  The early founders, while becoming fiercely independent of England, became fiercely dependent on Almighty God.

Over time Satan has done his evil work in our nation.  Many individuals in America have become arrogantly and selfishly independent.  They have built their lives around self-manipulated lifestyles that require no God and they have fashioned laws to fit their choices.

May we cling to the teachings of the psalmist in Psalm 119:33-40

Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;
and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that I dread,
for your rules are good.
Behold, I long for your precepts; 
in your righteousness give me life!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for placing Your laws on our hearts.  We praise the name of Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life.  We bless the name of the Holy Spirit who stands with us to incline our hearts toward the ways of Our Savior and not our own.  We pray, Father, that as You touch our hearts with Your laws that You will also touch the hearts of the leaders of this nation.  May we once again return to be a nation that has its trust in You.  May we once again be a nation whose laws are the same as Your laws.



The Good Things are Defined and Decided By Almighty God

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

As Christians, we all love the promise of Romans 8:28.  We all take great comfort from the idea that all things in our lives are going to work together for good.  We are certain to be very disappointed, however, if we narrowly define “good” in a temporal sense and not in a spiritual sense.  Our frustration will be even greater if we fail to measure the “good” in our lives from an eternal perspective.

There is simply no question that God orders or allows everything in our lives.  To think that one iota of our lives can pass by without Almighty God being in control is heresy.  God created us and wants to use us for His eternal purposes.  He will control every component of the people, places and things in our lives in order to see that we are successful in fulfilling His eternal calling on our lives.  He will measure the good that He provides for us only from an eternal perspective.  If temporal goods help us meet our calling, they will be poured upon us.  If temporal goods become a stumbling block for us, they will be replaced by affliction.  If our affliction works for our eternal good then God will consider the affliction as a good thing.

Just as the Father called His Son into service, so does He call us.  The good that God works in our lives will be reflected in the things that He brings to us in order to take us from darkness to light, from bondage into liberty and from the company of sinful men into fellowship with Jesus Christ for all eternity. 

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for setting aside roles for us in Your eternal plans.  We rejoice in knowing that You will work out every single element of our lives in order that we may fulfill the purposes that You have created us to meet.  We pray, Lord, for the grace to be able to live with our focus on our eternal good and the eternal good of those around us.  May the Holy Spirit help us and strengthen us when we weaken because we cannot see the good that You are putting into place for us.  We praise Your Name because we know that Your way and Your work are perfect.



  

The Insatiable Demands of the Flesh

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

It is easy to see why Jesus said that it was so hard for the rich man to get into heaven.  In his comfort, the rich man feels no need for a Savior.  The rich man finds all of his satisfaction from the things of the world.

Unfortunately, for the rich man and for all of us, we will soon enough find out that the cravings of our flesh will never be satisfied.  Our flesh will always demand more than we are ultimately able to attain.

Fortunately, for all of us, the Creator placed a void in our hearts that can only be completely and perfectly filled by Jesus.  Nothing of the flesh can bring the satisfaction that is derived from fulfilling the spiritual need that is within us. If we will recognize the folly in our carnal ways and surrender to Jesus Christ as our Savior, we will find satisfaction far beyond anything the earth promises or can deliver.  Only when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to submit to the governance of the King of Kings and not to the kings of the earth, will we receive the fullness of life that Almighty God planned for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating a void in our hearts that only You can fill.  We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins so that we can be deemed worthy to become His disciples and live under His Lordship.  We pray, Lord, for the strength and the wisdom to see the folly in the things of the earth.  May we live in the fullness of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.