Tag: blessings

Importance of Letting Our Light Shine During Times of Trial

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We are mere vessels on this earth. Whatever we receive from the Lord, whether we are in good times or in bad times, needs to be released into the world. We will find that we are particularly effective in glorifying Our Father in heaven when our good works are evident during the times that we are under burdensome trials.

Upon receiving His Living Water, we must share what we have received with the thirsty amongst us. To dam up the outpouring that we receive can actually damage us. The vessel that receives and receives without pouring out will eventually burst or, at the very least, fill to the point of being unable to receive any more. Then upon being filled without flow, the vessel will become stagnant.

Upon receiving His Light, we must let His Light flow through us to the darkness in the world around us. Jesus taught that we are the light of the world and emphasized that no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but places it on a stand so that all can share the light. It is our responsibility to allow others to be exposed to the Light that is within us.

Let us strive to allow our light to shine before men even when we find ourselves in our darkest trials. Let us insure that the light of the Gospel and the knowledge of the mysteries of God’s grace are openly declared and manifested in the world. Let us be known for our zeal and our fervency, our sincerity and our openness and our integrity and our persistence even under trial. Let us endure in our trials so that the Father is glorified in all that we do.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the blessings that You pour into our lives. We pray that You will protect us from clinging to our blessings to satisfy ourselves. May we freely take our blessings, whether they be things of this world or portions from Your heavenly treasure, and pour them out before You. May the Holy Spirit guide us so that our sacrifice and our works are suitable and pleasing to You. May the world receive Your Light and Your Living Water through us. May it be for Your glory. We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Coming Into Communion with Christ

Luke 18:34
But they understood none of these things.

In the Gospel of Luke, we read how the apostles were told in advance about all the suffering that their Master was about to endure. They were told the details concerning His coming crucifixion and they were told about His glorious rising from the grave on the third day. Yet they understood none of these things.

The apostles did not understand because they could only see failure in Jesus’ destiny. They could only feel the heartbreak of losing their teacher. They could only visualize their promised King. They could not visualize their suffering Savior. They could not see that God considered it all a tremendous triumph. They could not see that they would soon show the world the way, the truth and the life that Jesus had come to show them.

The most difficult thing about understanding the purpose that God has for our lives is that we are quick to seek God’s blessings, but we are slow to realize that God is in sovereign control. We are baffled by our trials. We allow them to hold off our calling in Christ, because we only see our own pain in our trials and we do not see Almighty God who is working out all things for His purposes.

Let us come into communion with Our Savior and recognize the He is preparing us for a life according to His will and His purposes. Let us find the understanding that we need through the things that He reveals to us. Let us move forward in our calling by building on what we learn.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have a perfect plan for our lives. We bless the name of Jesus Christ, who made it possible for us to fulfill the plans that You have set aside for us. We pray, Lord, that You will open our eyes so that we may see past the sorrows in our lives. We pray that You will open our hearts in communion with You so that we may see the triumph that You have planned for us. May we live our lives without fear, knowing that we are in Your hands, living according to Your purposes. May it all be for Your glory, the glory of Jesus and the glory of the Holy Spirit. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Fighting for Our Children

Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.

No other time in history has produced such a blatant spiritual attack against our children. The indoctrination of the enemy is starting in some school systems as early as pre-K. The constant peer pressure on our pre-teens and teens is continuous. Satan is viciously consistent in his efforts to destroy our families and in his efforts to destroy the lives of our children.

We must be diligent in praying a hedge of protection around our children. We have the power of protecting them through our prayers. Our Heavenly Father promises us that He will pour out His Spirit on our descendants and pour out His blessings on our children.

No matter what circumstances that our children may be in, we must not believe the lies of Satan. We must hold to the promises of Our Father. We must never give in to the evil work of the devil who will urge us to give up on our children. Satan will do all that he can do to discourage our efforts to pray for our children because he knows the power that we access and release when we pray for our children.

Let us be resolute in fighting the good fight on the behalf of our children. Let us continuously pray a hedge of protection around them. Let us proclaim the promises of Our Lord that He will return our children to us and, most importantly, that He will return our children to Himself.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for hearing our prayers of protection for our children. Thank you for providing a way for us to shield our children from the enemy who is set on destroying them. Strengthen us, Lord, that we may never falter in covering our children with our prayers. We rejoice in knowing that You will reward us for our diligent, prayerful efforts on behalf of our children. We cling to Your promise to return our children to the land that You have set aside for them. We ask all these things in the name of Our Refuge from the Storm, Jesus Christ.

Surrendering to the Yoke of Christ

2 Corinthians 12:10
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

When our family relationships are at the breaking point, when the bill collectors are knocking at our door or when serious afflictions are threatening us, we run to Jesus for a supernatural remedy to our maladies. When we are weak and near defeat, perhaps even near death, we run to Jesus for His grace to strengthen us and comfort us as we go through our trials.

He promises to be our strength in every one of our times of weakness or trial. He promises to lighten our burdens as we surrender to His yoke. It is during these times that we feel His presence so clearly. It is during these times of pain that we experience the fullness of His love. It becomes a blessing to have tribulation in our lives.

Unfortunately without trial, we tend to lean away from God. We tend to move out of His presence. We tend to let the joy of life overshadow the true and perfect joy that is available to us through an ongoing, intimate relationship with Our Savior.

Let us turn to Jesus for our strength in the good times and the bad times. Let us be mindful of the presence and power of Jesus Christ as we enjoy the blessings that we have been provided in our lives. Let us experience the peace and power of being yoked to Him in our times of trial. Let us allow Jesus to be our all-sufficient Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your promise to perfect Your strength in our weakness. We thank You for the comfort of knowing that You are always there. We praise You for providing Your Son, Jesus, so that through Him and in Him we can experience the fullness of Your love. Help us, Father, to find contentment in all things as we seek to live in Your shadow and not under the influence of the world. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to develop an ongoing, intimate relationship with Your Son that is not affected by our circumstances. We ask all these things in the name of Our Rock and Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Relying on God and Not on Ourselves

Deuteronomy 11:11-12
But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

The Lord is our provider. He provides everything. He gave us life. He sustains us. He grants us eternal life through His Son, Jesus. He endows us with the riches of His Kingdom for all eternity.

All we have to do is receive His Son as Our Savior and through our faith in His promises step out of the land in which we are living and into the land that God has set aside for us. It will mean that we will look past those things that we think are unsurmountable. We will seek the promise and not get overwhelmed by the problem. We will rely on God and not ourselves to be the source of our needs.

Once we turn our lives over to God and surrender to the reign of His Son in our lives, all of our needs will be met. Provision may come from our own hands as God favors us with productive ideas and capabilities. Provision may come from the hands of others or may even come from our enemies, if so directed by the Lord. But rest assured, provision will come directly from the hand of God and it will be according to His perfect timing for our lives.

Let us rest on the promises of Our Savior. Let us confidently await all that we need from this world and eagerly look for more than we can imagine from the hand of Our Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the countless blessings that You shower us with each day. From breath to breath, You sustain us. We praise You and bless You for Your eyes never leave us. You are our constant comfort and provision. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will teach us, Lord, to rest in Your promises. We ask that Your Holy Spirit strengthen us, Lord, so that we may step out of the world of the flesh into kingdom living. We ask all these things in the name of Our Omniscient King, Jesus Christ.

Refugees in the Fortress of Almighty God

Psalm 91:1
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

In this world, to live in someone’s shadow is generally thought to be an undesirable place. It is regarded as a place where you cannot live up to the standards of the one who preceded you. In the kingdom of God, quite the opposite is true. Living in the shadow of Almighty God enables us to be more than we could believe to be possible.

Loving faith in Almighty God on our part will always be met by faithful love, protection and provision on God’s part. His covering of us is much greater than we can imagine. If we are abiding in Him, there is no limit to His shadow that is over us. He protects us at all times from natural and supernatural enemies. He makes our homes secure. He is our refuge in every storm.

But it does not stop there for those that seek to live in His shadow. He invites us to enjoy so much more. There is a special nuance in this passage that must not be overlooked. The blessings spoken of in today’s passage can be greater for those believers who live in ongoing, close fellowship with God. The delightful fullness of these most high blessings are for those who habitually abide in the shadow of Almighty God. Those who stand in continuous communion with God set themselves up to become possessors of rare and special benefits.

Let us seek the grace to be constant refugees in the fortress of Almighty God. Let us enjoy the fullness of His shadow.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the shadow of protection and provision that You place over us when we surrender our lives to You. We bless the name of Jesus who has made it possible for us to come to Your mercy seat. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us as we seek to abide under Your shadow. May our hearts be prepared to seek that secret place of constant communion where we can access the fullness of Your most high blessings. We ask all these things in the name of the One whose mercies never end, Jesus Christ.

Wisdom and Understanding Concerning All Matters

Jeremiah 33:3
Call to me and I’ll answer you, and will tell you about great and hidden things that you don’t know.

The Word of God is very specific. He spoke the words in today’s passage directly to Jeremiah, but His promises are relevant for all men. Wisdom and understanding concerning all matters of life are available to us. All we have to do is ask Our Heavenly Father who loves us more than we can imagine.

Did you notice the little detail in the passage that He will give us answers to things that we do not know? Did you consider this works for things big and small? Need to know how to make a certain household repair that you find challenging, ask Him. Need to know what direction to take your business or your career, ask Him. Need some help in unravelling a complicated family issue, ask Him. He promises to provide answers that have been hidden from us. He will deliver answers for all these things at the time that He knows is perfect for us.

Did you notice that He requires us to call on Him to receive the promised blessing. Our responsibility in receiving this awesome blessing is being persistent in asking for wisdom. If we wait to call on Him when everything comes crashing down on us, we may not be able to handle all that God has ready for us. It is a building process. The Lord knows that we are not able to digest too much information at one time. He will feed us slowly as a baby is fed liquids until it is ready to move on to more solid foods. He will feed us in accordance to His will and plan for our lives. His “new knowledge” for us will be dispensed at the perfect time.

Let us be bold and persistent in asking for “great and hidden things.” Relying on what has been promised to us by Almighty God, in faith, let us give thanks for what is set aside for us before we receive it.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for providing the Holy Spirit to teach us all things, including secret things and inaccessible things. We humbly ask You to provide us the wisdom that we need to get through each day. We ask that each day You will build our understanding of who You are and what Your plan is for our lives. We rejoice in knowing that all things are possible through Your Son, Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the One who determines our steps, Jesus Christ.

Our Refuge in the Storm

Psalm 91:1
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

In this world, to live in someone’s shadow is generally thought to be an undesirable place. It is regarded as a place where you cannot live up to the standards of the one who preceded you. In the kingdom of God, quite the opposite is true. Living in the shadow of Almighty God enables us to be more than we could believe to be possible.

Loving faith in Almighty God on our part will always be met by faithful love, protection and provision on God’s part. His covering of us is much greater than we can imagine. If we are abiding in Him, there is no limit to His shadow that is over us. He protects us at all times from natural and supernatural enemies. He makes our homes secure. He is our refuge in every storm.

But it does not stop there for those that seek to live in His shadow. He invites us to enjoy so much more. There is a special nuance in this passage that must not be overlooked. The blessings spoken of in today’s passage can be greater for those believers who live in ongoing, close fellowship with God. The delightful fullness of these most high blessings are for those who habitually abide in the shadow of Almighty God. Those who stand in continuous communion with God set themselves up to become possessors of rare and special benefits.

Let us seek the grace to be constant refugees in the fortress of Almighty God. Let us enjoy the fullness of His shadow.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the shadow of protection and provision that You place over us when we surrender our lives to You. We bless the name of Jesus who has made it possible for us to come to Your mercy seat. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us as we seek to abide under Your shadow. May our hearts be prepared to seek that secret place of constant communion where we can access the fullness of Your most high blessings. We ask all these things in the name of the One whose mercies never end, Jesus Christ.

Recognizing the Source of Our Joy on Thanksgiving

Nehemiah 8:10
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Each year since the Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving celebration feast in the early 1600’s, a day has been set aside in this country to take the time to come together to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with as a nation and as individuals. For followers of Jesus, it has been easy to give thanks and sincerely praise the Lord. As His disciples, we truly have been blessed. But more importantly, we have recognized/learned where our real blessings come from. We have continued to recognize our blessings and the source of our blessings as we went through pain, trouble, conflict and trials during different junctures in our lives. We may not have always been particularly happy about our circumstances, but we learned along the way that we could always find our joy and our strength in Jesus Christ.

On a national basis, the story is much different. As our nation has become more and more secular, a large portion of the population has spent their lives seeking happiness without any understanding of the true joy of living for Christ. Non-believers have bought into the idea that they can control their own happiness. It can be devastating to them when they realize that happiness is not something that they can create. It can be crushing to them when they realize that their circumstances are not something that they have control over. They have no place to turn when they hit their inevitable periods of pain, trouble, conflict and trials.

Let us take our thanks beyond the Thanksgiving table. Let us take time each day to give thanks for the source of our joy, Jesus Christ. Let us delight in Him. Let us praise Him for what He has done for us, how He is still working in us and what He promises us for all eternity. Let us show the world the powerful joy that is the source of our strength. Let us show the world how His joy transforms us and motivates us to serve Him. Let our joyful lives become a most appealing witness for a lost and hurting world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many blessings that You have poured onto our lives through Your grace, Your mercy and Your lovingkindness. We thank You for the trials that You have allowed in our lives which have deepened our trust in You. We bless the name of Jesus who provided the way for our eternal blessings. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to take the joy that we have in Christ to share with those around us so that Your joy and gladness can be theirs for today and forever. We ask all these things in the name of the Joy of the World, Jesus Christ.

Let Us Learn Service from the Son of God

Luke 16:10
One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

While it is generally understood that this passage is about the poor money management of the underperforming steward, it also places focus on every resource that we have been given. The message can be taken down to the very basic level of how obedient we are in carrying out even the smallest of tasks that the Lord has put on our hearts to do.

As a parent or employer, the assessment of how our children or employees carry out their tasks is the basis for our decisions concerning assigning them greater responsibilities in the future. As a good parent or good employer, we want the best for those under our care. We want to see them succeed. Because we view their position from a higher level, we know that we should only give them greater responsibility when they have shown that they are ready to handle it.

It is in this same way that Almighty God gives us more of anything, whether it be material things or greater responsibility. Everything that we have belongs to God. We only have the use of it. He will only bless us to the extent that we have proven through our obedience that we are ready to handle more than He has already provided.

Let us learn service from the Son of God. Let us go to the Father before acting on anything. Let us carry out His will for our lives through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Let us gain much by being good stewards of what we have been given and by being obedient in the smallest of things.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving patience with us as we struggle to properly manage all that You have given us. We ask forgiveness for the times that we have squandered the gifts that we have been provided. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in being good stewards of our blessings. We rejoice in knowing that with every act of obedience that You are ready to graciously release more to us. We pray, Father, that we will come to a place where we are obedient in every small thing that You place before us. May our eyes be opened that we may see Your ways, and not our own, in all that surrounds us. We ask all these things in the name of the source of all provision, Jesus Christ.