Tag: weakness

Open Our Hearts to the Word of God

Exodus 20:19
Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”

The Jewish people were not accustomed to going directly to God. They only approached God through their high priest mediators. They were quite comfortable in allowing Moses to declare to them what God had spoken to him. They committed to doing whatever Moses revealed to them. They were certain that they would be consumed by fire if they were to be in direct communication with the living God.

What an awesome privilege that we have to be able to go directly to the throne room of Almighty God. What an unspeakable blessing that we have been provided by Our Mediator, Jesus Christ, who opened the doors of heaven for us.

Yet we often delight in and rely on the spoken and written words of men rather than digging into God’s Holy Word ourselves. We tend to look for our own Moses. We find that the words of men lean toward messages that are meant to comfort us and not to convict us. They also tend to require less work to digest.

By shying away from God’s Holy Word, we seek to avoid the discomfort that comes with having our weaknesses brought to light by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Even more so, we shy away from a personal relationship with Our Creator. Unlike the early Jewish people, we may not fear being consumed by fire, but we may fear having to let go of the things of this world. In doing so, we delay the sanctifying work that prepares us for a life of eternal comfort with Our Savior and we miss out on having an intimate relationship with Him here on earth.

Let us be more earnest in our reading of the Scriptures. Let us seek the Holy Spirit to open our minds to receive all that has been prepared for us in God’s Holy Word. Let us seek and experience the joys of an intimate relationship with Our Savior.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for speaking to us through Your Holy Spirit and Your Holy Word. We rejoice in knowing that we can hear Your voice if we dig deeply into Your Word. We pray, Lord, that we will be set on fire by Your Holy Word. We ask, Father, that You strengthen us to close our ears to the messages of leniency that the world espouses and to open our hearts to Your Holy Word so that we may bring our lives into alignment with Your laws. We ask that the Holy Spirit teach us how to listen to You. May we seek and find an intimate relationship with You through Your Son. We pray all these things through Our Great Mediator, Jesus Christ.

Discovering Our Spiritual Assignment

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

As it was with Jeremiah, so it is with each of us. God created us and has a plan for our lives. He has set us apart to serve Him in a way that only we can do because of the unique nature and capabilities that He has given to each of us. God draws each of us into a relationship with Him so that we can understand what He has prepared us to do. We do the things that we are called to do in response to the outpouring of love and forgiveness that we receive from Our Creator.

As we seek our place in God’s kingdom, we must be careful not to think too highly or too lowly of ourselves. We should maintain a keen sense of our weaknesses and our insufficiencies, but we should not let our weaknesses keep us back from our calling. We should fear no man and go about our work humbly as we grow in our relationship with Our Heavenly Father. Our primary focus needs to be on seeking God’s will for our lives and discovering the appointment that Our Creator has set aside for us. Once we confirm our appointment, we need to respond accordingly.

The good news is that we do not have to discover our appointment or respond to it on our own. Our Heavenly Father has given us a Helper to guide us through the process of finding and accepting the calling that He has placed on our lives. As long as we set aside time to be in the presence of Almighty God and surrender to the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we will discover our appointed role in the kingdom and rejoice in our opportunity to serve Our King.

Let us first seek an intimate relationship with Our Savior. Then let us earnestly seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to reveal the calling that Our Lord has set aside for us. Under the guidance of Our Counselor, let us move in faith one step at a time toward our appointment.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating each of us to fill a specific need on this earth and in Your eternal kingdom. We thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to help us separate our own carnal desires from the will and plan that You have for our lives. We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will help us to dig deep into our relationship with You. We ask, Father, that the Holy Spirit teach us how to be vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness. We ask all these things in the name of the One who makes it possible for us to become Your good and faithful servants, Your Most Faithful Son, Jesus Christ.

Finding Victory Through Surrender

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

The apostle Paul knew what it was to receive God’s grace. Through his great faith he delighted in his weaknesses, he delighted in the insults that were tossed his way, he delighted in his hardships and he delighted in his persecutions. Paul knew the secret. He rested on God’s promises to perfect His strength in Paul’s weaknesses, in Paul’s trials and in Paul’s tribulations.

Our God in heaven is ready to do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father promises to provide all that we need to overcome every hard thing that we face and to provide all that we need to gain victory over the evil that surrounds us. He does not promise to take us out of the battle. Just as He used Paul’s thorn to keep him mindful of his needs in Christ, He will allow things in our lives to keep us mindful of how needy we are.

We will find victory when we learn to surrender like Paul did. We will find peace in all circumstances when we recognize God’s grace is sufficient. We will become stronger than we ever imagined when we allow the grace of God to be manifested and magnified in our lives.

Let us cast all of our cares upon the Lord. Let us trust in Him completely. Let us exalt His name as we confidently wait on our victory.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the all-sufficient grace that You promise us. We bless the name of Jesus who insured our victory on the Cross. We rejoice in the presence of the Holy Spirit, who guides us, instructs us and strengthens us through our trials. We pray, Father, that we will learn to have faith in You as Paul had faith in You. We ask for the courage to surrender to Your Holy Spirit through all the trials that we face. We pray that world will see and be drawn to the manifestation and magnification of Your grace in our lives. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

The Power and Peace in Being Yoked to Jesus 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.

Learning to Pray Outside Our Comfort Zone

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

While intercessory prayer is very rewarding and plays a powerful role in deepening our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, it can sometimes lead us down paths that are challenging, perhaps even frustrating. The Holy Spirit has been placed along side of us to insure that we are not deterred by our frustrations. There are several important areas where the Holy Spirit supports us in our weakness.

First, the Holy Spirit is our perfecter in praying for the true needs of others. We are generally very comfortable seeking the hand of God for protection and provision for ourselves, our families and those close to us. It is natural and easy for us to pray for those that we love. At times, however, we may be at a loss to know what the will of God is in the lives of those that we are praying for. We can be comforted and confident in knowing that our prayers will be perfected before the Father by the Holy Spirit.

Second, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and softens our hearts toward all mankind. It is not our nature to pray for those we do not feel close to or perhaps even dislike because of their behavior toward us or others. In His ministry, Jesus often argued with the apostles because He wanted to be among those in the most need of His redemptive work, not those that were more socially acceptable. Jesus wants us to intercede for the world around us, whether we feel drawn or repulsed by the ones that we pray for. As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help build up our sensitivity to and our desire to pray for the needs of all mankind.

Finally, the Holy Spirit has been sent to strengthen us when we are personally overpowered by the things that the world has brought against us. When we are so broken that we do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is beside us to silence our fears and help us through our discouragements. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit stands with us to make intercession for us before the Father so that the enemy cannot prevail against us.

Let our hearts be softened so that we may extend our intercessory prayers beyond our comfort zone. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us, strengthen us and support us in our prayers.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Holy Spirit to help us pray in accordance with Your will for our lives and the lives of others. We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will perfect our prayers before You. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts to be intercessors for all of mankind. Be they far or near, be they friend or foe, Father, teach us how to pray for their needs. When we are too weak to pray properly, or even pray at all, may Your Holy Spirit strengthen us and intercede for us. We pray all these things in the name of the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ.

The Christian’s Security Plan

1 Corinthians 10:12
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

We must stay on guard against the calling of our flesh and the attacks of the enemy. The weakness that we have in the flesh becomes more dangerous to us when we are indulgent in the things of the world. Therefore, we must be certain to check ourselves against our indulgences lest they will rise beyond our control.

A Christian’s security against sin rests in Jesus Christ alone. He provides ample supply of the oil that we need for our lamps to light our way. He gives freely of the strength that we will need to overcome the callings of our flesh. In Christ, we are enclosed in the arms of everlasting love. In Christ we stand on a foundation that will never fail. In Christ, we are kept by an almighty power that cannot be overcome.

Our biggest snare is our confidence that we can stand against our flesh and the enemy alone. We must be sure to maintain the flow of Christ’s strength in our weakness. The “Prince of Preachers”, Charles Spurgeon, offers the following guidance for maintaining our strength in the Lord. “Be much more in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God.”

Let us guard against building up our confidence in our own abilities. Let us anchor our lives in the presence and promises of Jesus Christ. Let us stand on the Rock as our sure foundation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for promising to perfect Your strength in our weakness. We exalt the name of Jesus who stands beside us and promises never to leave us. We rejoice in the presence of the Holy Spirit who provides us with the strength that we need to overcome every trial and temptation in our lives. We pray, Lord, that You will show us how to draw near to You through our prayers, our worship and our study of Your Holy Word. Help us to be constantly vigilant so that we become bond slaves to Jesus and not to our flesh. May we live in the fullness of Your grace. We ask all these things in the name of the founder and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

Learning to Cherish Almighty Gods

Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace,

When it pleased God, He called us from darkness, blindness and ignorance into the light and knowledge of the Gospel. When it pleased God, He called us out of bondage to sin into the liberty of Christ. When it pleased God, He called us from the fellowship of men into fellowship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When it pleased God, He set us apart to have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It was all through His grace. It was all in His timing.

When it pleased God, He called us from dependence on our own righteousness to trusting in His Son, Jesus Christ. As we learn to focus entirely on Jesus and less and less on ourselves, our eyes are opened to see how everything God does is done in perfect timing when it is pleasing to Him.

Unfortunately, even as we grow in faith and in knowledge of Almighty God, we continue to be limited by our weakness in the flesh. In the flesh, we expect God to show up exactly when we want Him to and in what manner we want Him to. In doing so, we often miss Him when He shows up in the birds, in the trees and in the smiles and words of those around us. The facets of Our Almighty God are beyond our understanding. Most of His good work goes unseen and unappreciated by us. It is the shallowness of our relationship that creates this phenomenon.

Let us strive to find a deep and inmate relationship with Our Savior. Through Him, let us find and cherish Almighty God in every moment that we live.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the never ending flow of Your grace in our lives. We rejoice in knowing that You have a perfect plan for our lives and that You will release it according to Your perfect timing. We pray, Father, that you will help us to turn our focus away from ourselves and turn our attention to Your Son, Jesus. We pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes so that the fullness of Your grace is revealed to us in every aspect of our lives. We ask these things in the name of the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Christ.