Promise for Today - For Your Good

As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)

There’s nothing in your life that you can’t learn from if you’ll just respond with the right attitude.  Instead of saying, “God, why is this happening to me?’ learn to say, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” Every situation in life will either make you bitter or better. It’s your choice because you CAN choose how you respond to it.

Every problem has a purpose, and the purpose is to help you grow up spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 says, “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus” (ICB). If one of God’s purposes for your life is to grow up spiritually and to become like Jesus, then what is Jesus like?

The Bible calls Jesus’ character the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 GW). These are the qualities God wants to build in your life. He wants your life to overflow with love, joy, peace, and all of these attributes.

God often produces these qualities in your life by putting you in the exact opposite situation. 

He teaches you how to love by putting you around unlovely people. It’s easy to love people who are cool, people who are like you, people you get along with. But God will put you around seemingly unlovable people to show you what his unconditional love looks like.

He’ll teach you joy not by giving you everything you want but by showing you in adversity and grief that he is still enough.

He doesn’t teach you peace when you’re out fishing by the lake or wherever you choose to rest and relax. God teaches you real peace in the middle of chaos, when everything in your life is falling apart and you learn to trust him more.

God teaches us patience in traffic jams and waiting rooms and the thousand different ways we have to wait in life.

Becoming like Christ is a lifelong journey. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 in The Living Bible paraphrase, “As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.” God’s Spirit will be working on you the rest of your life to help you grow up spiritually.

When he uses ways to help you grow up that seem uncomfortable or inconvenient, remember that they are producing in you God’s best fruit.

Talk It Over

Think about a recent situation or circumstance that was difficult or stressful. How might God have intended to use it for your spiritual growth?

Why does adversity often teach us better than prosperity?

What do you think God wants you to do when you’re faced with adversity and you can’t see how God is using it for good in your life?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Holy Spirit, we come before You with humble hearts, asking You to cultivate Your fruit in us. Let Your love flow through us, touching everyone we meet. Fill us with joy that overflows, peace that surpasses understanding, and patience that endures through trials.
           Lord, we ask for kindness and goodness to define our interactions, faithfulness to guide our commitments, and gentleness to reflect Your tender care. Grant us self-control to walk in righteousness and to resist temptations that seek to lead us astray.
          May love permeate our actions and words, joy radiate even in trials, and peace reign even amidst storms. Foster in us patience towards others, kindness in our dealings, goodness in our actions, faithfulness in our commitments, gentleness in our responses, and self-control in our desires.
         As we abide in You, we will bear much fruit, glorifying Your name and being a blessing to others.
We trust You, Father, to change us into the image of Your dear Son, and it's in His Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Wait for It

Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there! 

Psalm 77:19 (NLT)

The Bible says God actively works through your circumstances. But you cannot judge your situation apart from God’s wisdom. In other words, you must leave it up to God to interpret your circumstances. Only God is capable of understanding all the facts, and only he sees the significance of every detail. That’s why it is so important that you use his Word to test what you’re going through.

If you feel overwhelmed or confused about a decision, it might be because you’re so caught up in your own limited way of thinking that it blocks out God’s voice. The Bible says, “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33 NIV). He is not the author of confusion. So if you’re feeling confused, guess what? It’s not God’s voice speaking in your life.

There will be times you come up against enormous financial, spiritual, or physical barriers. That’s when you need to confess, “God, there are mountains on either side and an impassable barrier in front of me.” And then you wait for God to respond and assure you that he’s got you exactly where he wants you to be. He will make a pathway where there seems to be no way. Psalm 77:19 says, “Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters—a pathway no one knew was there!” 

When you don’t know what to do, God will guide you. He didn’t design you to go through life on your own ingenuity and power. You don’t have to just hope you can figure things out. God wants to lead you on the right path, and he will do that when you surrender to him and his guidance.

Talk It Over

When you’re frustrated because God doesn’t seem to be answering your prayer for guidance, what do you think he wants you to do? What have you learned through those kinds of experiences in the past?

How has God used your pain to show you his purpose for your life?

Why do you think God sometimes lets you get to the point where there seems to be no way out of a difficult circumstance?

 - by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,
            Your Word tells us in Isaiah 40:31 that those who wait for You will renew their strength. Renew our strength as we wait for You, trusting You for patience, courage and peace as promised in Romans 8 and Psalm 27. Lord, You are good to those who wait for You. We ask for Your promised peace, that confusion and anxiety will not rule our thoughts; for endurance, that we will keep going without losing heart; for Your wisdom. You said we only have to ask and You will give it to us so that we will know what steps to take and what to release. Increase our measure of faith that our trust in You will grow and deepen. That Your joy in us would be our strength. Help us to not become caught up in the cares of situations that seek to erase our ability to worship You. Father, we ask all these in Jesus' Name. Amen

Promise for Today - Secure Supply

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:19 (ESV)

Putting your trust in your bank account, your job, or your investments is a recipe for heartache. Why? Because you can lose all of those things. Where do you find your security?

You need to find security in something that cannot be taken from you: God! If you want God’s blessing on your life, you need to learn to trust in God’s wealth and not your own.

Here’s what the Bible says about God’s wealth: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 ESV).

Your job may be where you get your income, but it shouldn’t be your security. Your job is a channel, but God is your source. If you understand this, you’ll have so much less stress in your life. Let me say it again: Your job is a channel, but God is the source of your supply.

If you turned on the faucet in your kitchen and no water came out, what would you do? Would you say, “Oh, the world has run out of water! There’s no water coming out of the faucet, so there must not be any left in the whole world”?

Of course not. You’d know the problem is not with the source. There’s plenty of water in the world. The problem is the channel; it’s gotten blocked one way or another.

It’s the same way in your life. If one channel gets blocked in your life and the “faucet” stops working, it doesn’t mean the whole supply has dried up. God can easily turn on another faucet.

God is not limited by your ability and capacity. You may be limited by your own capacity in the work you do. But your job is not what ultimately supplies your needs. Your job is just a channel for God to supply your needs.

If you think that your job is what keeps you financially secure, then you’re going to feel insecure your entire life. You need to understand that God is the source of your supply. You can depend on him to know exactly what you need and how to give it to you.

Jobs may come and go. Bank accounts rise and fall. Economies go up and down. Stock markets can go bull or bear. It doesn’t matter!

No matter what happens, you can trust in God’s wealth for your security.

Talk It Over

What have you been waiting for God to do in your life? How have you responded to the season of waiting?

Think of a time when you had to trust God’s timing. How did he work in your life during that time?

It’s easy to hurry—but God’s blessing often comes through waiting. How can you slow yourself down so that you learn patience and trust?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,
          Strengthen us to endure this season with faith and joy, trusting that You are working all things for our good, even when we cannot see the outcome. Strengthen our hearts to remain steadfast and hopeful. Let us find courage in Your promises and joy in Your presence while we wait for Your guidance and blessings. As we face uncertainty by the world's standards, fill our hearts with peace as we stand on the rock-solid foundation of Your Word. Keep us ever mindful that You are always with us, guiding our steps and providing for our needs, and we are so grateful. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Waiting

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1st Thessalonians 1:9b-10 NIV

Generally, you won't find me in a line for a restaurant that's going to be more than a 15-minute wait. A pet peeve for me is waiting over an hour past the appointment time in a doctor's office when there was no emergency; just bad scheduling. The same doctor's office that will cancel your appointment for the day if you're ten minutes late because there was a major traffic accident on the highway. No, I really don't like to wait. Not at all.

However, to clarify - it depends on what I'm waiting for. There are different kinds of waiting; some can be good! For instance, waiting for a baby to be born. Waiting for a plane to arrive that's bringing someone you love. Waiting for the cookies to finish baking. 😄 Waiting for Jesus to come again.

Although it can seem interminably long, remember that Peter tells us, "A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2nd Peter 3:9).

And we are not to wait as though we are long-suffering for His return. 'Anamenein' is the Greek word for wait in 1st Thessalonians. It refers to expectant waiting; sustained, patient, trusting. That's how we are to wait for the Lord... Expectant. Patient. Trusting.

No matter what we're waiting for now - whether it's healing or test results or His second coming - we can trust God while in the waiting.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for opening Your Word to our understanding. Thank You for helping us to align our perspective to Yours. It's a much better view of life. Continue to shine the light of Your Truth on our pathway. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - What Is Happening

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:6-9 ESV

Have you ever prayed and waited... and waited... and waited... and waited some more without being able to see if God is doing anything? Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. The nation of Israel waited several centuries to make their promised exodus. Yet, in all that time their faith was being strengthened by the many tests and trials they endured.

Taking into consideration that half the time, we can't even understand our own mind, who can understand the mind of God? God is always working His plan for our lives. Always - even if we can't see it.

The next time we want to question God about what's happening, perhaps we should thank Him instead for another opportunity to grow in faith... because THAT's what is happening.

Prayer:

Father,
           We thank You for opportunities to grow, and for Your overwhelming love represented by those opportunities. Give us hearts to trust You, minds that do not lean to our own understanding, and hands that are quick to serve others for You. Let us remain steadfast in following You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Advent Day 3 - Learning to Trust God's Timing

This year's Advent devotionals are from A Celebration of Advent: A 25-Day Devotional

by New Spring Church of Anderson, SC
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“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.”
Isaiah 40:28

Israel lived in exile for 70 years. They knew the frustration of waiting. Although Isaiah prophesied a Rescuer would come, it became harder and harder to believe the promise. In response, Isaiah reminds Israel of God’s power and might, of His thoughtfulness, and attention to detail. But when days turn to months and months turn to years, hearts become sick from deferred hope.

When we wait well, we learn to trust God with our lives. Jesus’ birth is proof that God’s plan is worth the wait. Jesus did more than save Israel. He saved the world and established an eternal kingdom, offering freedom from sin and a relationship with God to all who seek Him.

Wait on the Lord. Resist the urge to rush the process. Christmas - the arrival of God’s greatest promise - reminds us that no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.

REFLECT:   Read Isaiah 40:12-31

How do you respond when things don’t go as planned?

What do Isaiah’s words tell you about God’s ability to change your circumstances?

How have you grown in times of waiting?
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Prayer:

Father, 

          Help us to walk in trust and faith according to Your Words of promise. Help us to keep in mind that we are to walk this way one day at a time and to keep our hearts, eyes and minds focused on You. Holy Spirit, help us to remember the words of Isaiah that when we wait on You, our strength shall be renewed. We will be strong like eagles soaring upward. We will run and not be weary. We will walk and not faint. Bring a fresh anointing of Your precious peace while we wait. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Advent - Day Two

But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7 NIV

The God Who is with Us - by Ronnie Martin (see info at the end of this post)

We live in such a fast-moving society, don’t we? We are likely experiencing that to its fullest right now during the Christmas season. The holiday season tests our patience. We want things now, and if shopping isn’t our thing, Amazon Prime is right there to ship us what we need overnight. Amazon is, in fact, not slow to fulfill its promise of free shipping and overnight service. Unfortunately, this is how we count slowness. Something that doesn’t happen or arrive exactly as fast as we desire it to. We don’t want Amazon to be patient toward us, as much as we usually don’t want God to be patient with anyone else but us.

But God, in all of His perceived slowness, is actually patient toward you. And them. Think of it like this: if it is in the heart of God to draw close to His hell-bound creatures, then it means He will be patient toward those whose paths have not yet been rerouted.

How do you count slowness when it comes to your view of how God acts in the affairs of humanity? If you were honest, could you say that you lack patience with God’s pacing? Are there people you’d like to see come to justice? Are there relationships you wish could be resolved? Are there loved ones long gone who you want to be reunited with? Are there family members far from God who you wish He would finally intervene and save?

Why does God wait? We’re going to have to wait to know the answer to that question. What we do know is that the hand of God is only slow inasmuch as His heart is patiently seeking to save the lost.

Waiting for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises keeps us hoping for what we cannot see. We never hope for what we already have. We don’t need to have patience for something we have already received. God makes us wait for those very reasons, so that hope and patience produce a character that brings about the joy and happiness of Christ in us. God is not slow like we define slowness. In the same way that you are able to wait for Christmas morning much better than a child because the waiting and anticipating are as much a part of the joy as the receiving, God wants you to know a joy that can only come through a patient heart immersed in the surety of hope.

He is not slow. But He is slowing us down to become more like His Son.

Hope in Him.

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Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for loving us enough to slow us down to become more like Your Son. Thank You for explaining the true meaning of hope - that our hope is in You, in Your presence. We pray according to Your Word - that we would allow patience to have her perfect work in us so that we can be found complete in You and lacking nothing. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

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“Immanuel. God with us.” We know that God sent His Son, but what does that mean for our lives now? In this plan, Ronnie Martin walks us through what it means for God to be with us...

We would like to thank B&H Publishing for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://www.bhpublishinggroup.com

From Now Until Easter - A Song Rises

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Rev. Melody Meeter - the director of the spiritual care department at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.

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I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning -Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
Psalm 130:5-6 NKJV

Down there in the pit, the psalmist is in despair, not only about his own iniquities, his weaknesses, his sins of omission and commission, but also about the iniquities of his people Israel. The individual sins are entwined with the sins of the nation. But it is also down there in the pit the psalmist remembers something else: “ … there is forgiveness with you,” and “with the Lord there is steadfast love,” and “with him is great power to redeem.” 

There is hope in the waiting for God’s redemption. Twice the psalmist repeats the phrase “my soul waits” and twice repeats the image of the soul waiting for the Lord “more than those who watch for the morning.”

As a chaplain, I get to wait for a little while with souls that are waiting for God to show up. It’s really dark down there. But in the very act of crying out, sometimes a light surprises—a healing, a surrender, a peace, a hope. The song rises.

Prayer:

Dear God,
                Grant us to see Your light though we may be in the depths. Grant us to feel Your steadfast love though we may feel unlovable. And grant us companions with us to wait for You in hope. Amen.

It's Our Duty

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 

A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b NLT

There was a big discussion on the radio about communication; who speaks and who listens, and who does it well and who doesn’t, verbal and non-verbal. Of course, the basis of the discussion was male versus female forms of communication. So, we can all recall jokes or stories we’ve heard about miscommunication, some good, some just plain awful – and it really isn’t predicated on male/female indicators…mostly it’s just our human nature.

I confess there are times when I have a hard time knowing if I should speak or if I should just be silent. Of course, that’s no great surprise if you know me personally and know that I tend to have flare-ups of a chronic condition known as WSS, better known as Wet Sock Syndrome, derived from sticking my foot in my mouth. There’s an old quote that touts the virtue of twice as much listening as talking based on the two ears/one mouth equation. The older I get, the more I value the wisdom in that.

Thoreau once said, "It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear", which brings me to the point of this topic for today’s Promise. Someone once asked the question, 'What is the opposite of talking?' Contrary to what most thought, the answer is waiting, not listening.

We can only hear if we’re waiting to hear, instead of being so busy formulating our own response that we aren’t listening. We all know people who do that, or they don’t wait for an answer. They spew and then go. That does not qualify as relationship, and yet we are called to be in relationship with our Lord.

Paul Tillich, one of the most well-known theologians of the 20th Century said, "The first duty of love is to listen." So, how many times are we guilty of talking to God and not waiting for a reply? Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk…amen. And off we go, wondering why we don’t “hear from God.” 

How much do we love Him? Are we waiting to hear what He has to say? It's true - "The first duty of love is to listen."

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us for the times we have treated You as though You were there to take our dictation. Please speak, Father. We choose now to follow in Christ’s footsteps to speak and do only what we hear You say. Help us to fulfill our first duty of love. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Wait

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; 

Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14 NKJV

Why do we find it so hard to wait for an answer from God? Do we think He won't answer? Do we think He doesn't understand our timeline? Do we think we can just do it ourselves in our own timing? 

I hate to tell you - it all boils down to trust. Who do we trust more - God or ourselves? Do we think we can do it so we don't need to bother God - maybe save Him some time and trouble?

In 1st Samuel 10, King Saul waited the 7 days that Samuel told him to wait, then went ahead and offered the burnt sacrifices without Samuel...  Saul did NOT follow the FULL instruction. Yes, he waited 7 days. Yes, he did the burnt offerings. Seems right, doesn't it? However, Samuel had said, [wait] ...until I arrive and give you further instructions. He did not wait until Samuel arrived and lost his kingdom because of it.

Remember Daniel waited 21 days before He got an answer from God. Waiting on the Lord involves faith and prayer and patience. Will you wait? Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us for wanting to run ahead of You to make things happen. Lord, we know that unless You build the house, we are laboring in vain. Help our hearts to know and understand and embrace the value of obedience in waiting on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

While You're Waiting...

Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All of God’s people here send you their greetings. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:11b-14 NLT

We spend so much time asking God to do this and do that and then sit back to wait and see what He does. Heart check! Are we waiting as in waiting for God to prove Himself to us? Because I'll tell you, He already did. Remember Calvary?  Or are we waiting on the Lord knowing He will deliver us?

Waiting on the Lord takes great faith. However, waiting doesn't mean do nothing. Faith is an action word - it's a verb. I'm not saying jump in and do what only God is supposed to do. (For sure, we don't need any more Ishmaels running around where Isaac is supposed to be.) 

So, what should we be doing? 

Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. These take great faith, too, and lots of action! And when we do these, the Word tells us, Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 

Prayer:

Father,

           Teach us how best to wait on You and how to grow our faith in the waiting. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Waiting

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 AMPC

We don't like to wait. We don't like to be put on hold. We don't like to stand in line. We don't like to ask for help. Regrettably, that tends to bleed over to our relationship - or lack thereof - with God. 

Our idea of getting things done does not often include waiting for it to happen. Is this why we are heard to say apologetically, "All I can do is pray..." as if praying and asking God is somehow less than what we might otherwise be able to offer with our own hands?  Do we remember that the Lord says in Jeremiah 17:5, Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord?  

We are all familiar with Psalm 46:10 which reads, Be still, and know that I am God! But I believe it is better understood in the AMPC Bible - Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. How often do we fail to recognize and understand that HE is God? God is NOT any less God just because He doesn't answer a prayer the way we think it should be answered. He is Omniscient (all-knowing) and Omnipotent (all-powerful). The Great I AM.  

Have you ever given thought to why Scripture tells us to be brave and of good courage? I believe it is because it takes great courage to pray and refuse to act before God does. Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us for not recognizing and understanding that You alone are God. For not operating in faith and believing You are who You say You are and will do what You say You will do. Father, we believe, help our unbelief. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Wait ~

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven,whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
1st Thessalonians 1:9b-10 NIV

Generally, you won't find me in a line for a restaurant that's going to be more than a 15-minute wait. A pet peeve for me is waiting over an hour in a doctor's office when there was no emergency; just bad scheduling. The same doctor's office that will cancel your appointment for the day if you're ten minutes late because there was a major traffic accident on the highway. No, I really don't like to wait. Not at all.

However, I find that it depends on what I'm waiting for. There are different kinds of waiting; some can be good! For instance, waiting for a baby to be born. Waiting for a plane to arrive that's bringing someone you love. Waiting for the cookies to finish baking. 😄 Waiting for Jesus to come again.

Although it can seem interminably long, remember that Peter tells us, A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (2nd Peter 3:9).

And we are not to wait as though we are long-suffering for His return. Anamenein is the Greek word for wait in 1st Thessalonians. It refers to expectant waiting; sustained, patient, trusting. That's how we are to wait for the Lord... Expectant. Patient. Trusting.

No matter what we're waiting for now - whether it's healing or test results or His second coming - we can trust God in it.

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for opening Your Word to our understanding. Thank You for helping us to adjust our perspective to Yours. It's a much better view of life. Continue to shine the light of Your Truth on our pathway. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Why? Because...

You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.
James 4:2 NLT

The Truth behind most fights and arguments is that someone is not getting what s/he wants or his/her own way. Why? Because they're living by the way of the world - the idea of doing whatever it takes to get what they want, no matter who gets run over in the process... as long as it's not them.

God's way is so different. It's all about putting someone else's needs before our own. Serving others while waiting on God. Preferring one another in love (Romans 12:10). Why? Because Christ set that example for us. He WANTED to bypass the Cross if there was any way to do that and still accomplish what our Father wanted (Luke 22:42). But there wasn't, so did He call the 10,000 angels to rescue Him? No. Why? Because everything Jesus did was about following the Father's perfect will.

Are we seeking the Father's will or still making our own plans and praying to ask God to approve them? If God says, "No", do we choose to accept His answer as perfect or choose the phone-a-friend option? If God is silent, do we wait for Him or forge ahead in our own strength, with our own plans to make something happen?  Psalm 27:14 NKJV reads, Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage. Why? Because when we do, it goes on to say, He shall strengthen your heart...

Prayer:

Father, 

           You are the cause of all things good and perfect. We want to know and follow Your perfect will. Give us the courage and strength of heart to be able to wait on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Do Not Give Up

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:9-10 NIV

We live in an age of instant gratification. People don't like to wait for anything. I know I don't need to belabor the point with a list of examples. We're all aware of it. 

Unfortunately, many times that same impatience is carried over into our relationship with the Lord. We've all heard the humorous prayer, "Lord, I need patience and I need it right now!" We've forgotten that we are to wait on the Lord. We've allowed ourselves to get weary in well-doing. We've taken our eyes off God and His purpose in our lives and have begun to look only at what WE are doing; at what it is costing US in time and energy or resources. 

It's easy enough to do. I'm not here to accuse, but to encourage. If you are weary and just want to quit, let me remind you where we find the strength to continue. It is ONLY in the Lord. Isaiah 40:31 tells us,  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Psalm 37:7-9 instructs us to Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Choose to trust the Lord and His Word MORE than the trials and circumstances in your life ...at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray Your Word in Psalm 27, We are confident that we will see Your goodness while we are here in the land of the living. We will wait patiently for You. We will be brave and courageous. Yes, Lord, we will wait patiently for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Watching and Waiting *

Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.

Proverbs 8:34 NKJV

Every time I read this verse, I think of Joshua, son of Nun. I know I've mentioned it before - how he waited at the entrance every time Moses went to meet with God. Always serving Moses, obedient and attentive to his every directive. Joshua knew his place, his position and his purpose. And he served in each with excellence.

There is no record of Joshua moaning and groaning about his position. He did NOT bring back a bad report or commiserate with the other ten spies who said they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes. He aligned himself with what the Lord had declared, and would profess nothing less. 

Do we serve God the same way? Do we align ourselves to be in His presence at every opportunity? Do we align our mouths to say only what God has to say about any given situation? Do we align our spirits to say "Yes, Lord!" at His every expectation of us?  If not, why not? These are not rhetorical questions. Stop and think about how you will answer.

Prayer:

Father,

          O that it would be said of us that we listen, watching daily at Your gates, waiting at the posts of Your doors. What wisdom we would glean! Help us, Father, to make it be so! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

*Nothing More, Nothing Less

Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”
Exodus 24:3 NLT

They'd been freed from the slavery of Egypt. They'd been rescued from their enemies at the Red Sea. They'd been saved from hunger by food that fell from Heaven, and from dying of thirst by water pouring out of a rock. They were kept warm by fire at night and shaded from the desert sun with the cloud by day. God was making EVERY provision for them, despite their whining and complaining...

Finally, FINALLY, they respond in one voice, "We will do everything the Lord has commanded." Music to God's ears, I'm sure. Moses carefully writes it all down and reads it to them the very next morning and they respond the same way, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

Then God tells Moses to come on up so He can give Moses the explicit instructions about His plan and how it's to be done. And in about a month and a half - 47 days - the people forget all about their escape from Egypt, and walking through the Red Sea on dry land, and the Book of the Covenant and their response; “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” They want something hands-on to satisfy their immediate desires and Moses' brother, Aaron, their spiritual leader, goes along with THEIR plan, and then tries to combine their idol worship with a festival to the Lord. Unbelievable... or is it?

God provides for us on a daily basis. And it's all well and good while we're seeing His active intervention in our lives, but what about when we are waiting for an answer or an instruction for what to do next? His Word instructs us to wait, to listen and to obey. Do we? Or do we go with what WE think will work and then try to incorporate that (our will) into what should be His worship, His way? Unbelievable... or is it? If we stop looking at what we can't do, what we don't have, we might be able to see what we CAN do through Christ, and what we DO have because of God's hand of provision.

God's instructions are for our good. We each have a part. He hasn't asked me to do your part - or you to do my part, but He does expect us to do everything He has commanded us. Nothing more. NOTHING less.

Prayer:

Father,
          Your Word says You give power to the weak and strength to the powerless. It also assures us that we can be confident that we will see the Lord’s goodness while we are here in the land of the living. Help us to wait patiently for You, Lord. Cause us to be brave and courageous, so we may do all that You have commanded us. Nothing more. NOTHING less. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen