Displaying God through Your Life

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:2

is God's gift, for there is nothing we can do to save ourselves (Eph. 2:8–9).

Yet with salvation comes the responsibility to work out our salvation.

Once we have been saved, we must claim all that has become ours.

Through salvation, God gave you victory over sin.

That victory applies not only to past sins but also to every sin you will ever commit.

When you became a Christian, God made you a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).

God wants to continually build new things into your life as you walk with Him.

God gave you His joy when He saved you, and He wants to fill you with His joy daily. When you first repented of your sin, you relinquished your right to your life.

God continues to ask you to yield your will to Him and to follow His leading rather than setting your own direction for your life.

When you were converted, God made everything available to you; how you implement what He has given you is your choice (2 Pet. 1:3–9).

This is the great paradox of the Christian life.

We are to work diligently on our faith, yet always with the awareness that only God can bring about lasting change in our lives.

As we see God at work in us, we are motivated to work even more diligently. God will not force His changes upon us; neither can we bring about lasting change in our lives apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. When you sense God developing an area of your life, join Him in His activity so that His salvation will be demonstrated fully in you

Circumstances of life

And God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.”

Exodus 6:2–3

As God has walked with His people through the generations, He has progressively revealed His nature according to His purposes and the needs of His people.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew Him as God Almighty, because they needed His mighty power to protect them from their enemies.

Moses and the Israelites learned that God was Lord, Master over every nation and every thing.

God not only delivered them from the most powerful ruler in the world, but also brought them into the Promised Land.

They came to experience Him as Lord, preeminently powerful over the pagan gods of their day.

God will continue to reveal His character to you according to your needs and according to His purposes.

You will come to know more and more about Him as you obey Him.

When you grieve, He will come to you as Comforter. When you are in need, He will demonstrate that He is the Provider.

When you face a serious challenge, He will reveal that He is God Almighty.

Your understanding of God's character ought to be greater now than when you first became a Christian.

You ought to know Him today better than you did five years ago.

Sadly, some Christians continue to live year after year with the same basic knowledge of God that they had when they first began walking with Him.

Whatever your present situation, view it in the light of what God is teaching you, through circumstances, about Himself and you will come to know God in dimensions you have never known Him before.

Confidence in Prayer

You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength.

Psalm 65:5-6

When we pray, we are talking to the all-powerful God who created the earth by the power of his word, whose wonders fill the earth—and who faithfully answers our prayers with awesome deeds! Prayer is how he has designed his mighty power to be released on the earth, in our lives, and in the lives of those who desperately need God’s help. It’s like the huge generator one of the children in my prayer group drew to show what he had learned about prayer.

“That’s God,” Grant said. “He’s got all this power for us.” Then he drew a long diagonal line from the big generator to some stick figures representing a family. “That’s who needs help. And the power flows along the cord as we pray!” Realizing God’s awesome power changes the way we pray and the way we live. His power is available for every situation and need so that we “can do everything with the help of Christ who gives [us] the strength [we] need” (Philippians 4:13). This is a God we can trust and lean on. This is the all-powerful God in whom we can have confidence when we pray.

LORD, we praise you for your power. We believe, but help our unbelief, and fill us with fresh faith through the power of your Word. Enlarge our circle of prayer, not just for our needs and our own family but for those who are hurting, oppressed, and lost around us. You are our hope and the hope of everyone on the earth!

OUR PRAYERS LAY THE TRACK DOWN ON WHICH GOD’S POWER CAN COME. LIKE A MIGHTY LOCOMOTIVE, HIS POWER IS IRRESISTIBLE, BUT IT CANNOT REACH US WITHOUT RAILS.

Watchman Nee
(1903–1972)

Why Invite Trouble?

Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.Isaiah 1:5
Tom Sawyer’s cousin, Sid, “had no adventurous, troublesome ways.”1 He went quietly about his business, did his chores, and caused no ripples. Tom, however, was different. He had a nose for trouble. Occasionally, very occasionally, he “stumbled into obedient conduct,” much to the delight of his long-suffering Aunt Polly. But even then things were not always as they appeared.

It is impossible to imagine a book called The Adventures of Sid Sawyer. Who would want to read about a good kid who never got into trouble, never rocked a boat, never finagled his way out of a fix? We prefer the escapades and scrapes of an adventurous rascal. But as appealing as these characters are, their mischievousness can be disruptive.

Why do some people seek out trouble and home in on it like a heat-seeking missile? Perhaps it’s the thrill of matching wits with authority. Maybe it’s an indication of a restlessness of spirit that seeks a satisfaction not found in legitimate activities.

In the days of Isaiah the prophet, God asked his chosen people, “Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel for ever?” (Isa. 1:5). The people’s rebellion and unacceptable behavior were inviting God’s punishment. In fact, the Lord was so disgusted by their behavior that he even told them that the donkey and ox recognize and appreciate their master, but his people’s behavior didn’t even reach the standard of those servile animals!

God is the one who defines acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and he is the one who metes out the appropriate punishment when his laws are contravened. If we doubt the reality of judgment by God, or if we question whether a man should concern himself with the eternal consequences of his actions, a brief reading of God’s dealings with Israel will show the facts. God displays his righteousness by dealing rightly with his people. That includes ensuring that they live with the consequences of their actions.

But the question remains. Why do people continue to invite punishment? Why do we persist in rebelling against God? The answer is found in Isaiah’s statement. We invite punishment when we take from God all he provides but do not “appreciate his care.” We invite trouble when, after years of instruction, we “still do not understand.” We continue to rebel when, prompted by our wicked hearts, we willfully turn “away from the Lord.” We behave like God’s ancient people when we cut ourselves off “from his help” (Isa. 1:3-4).

People who persist in rebelling and inviting God’s punishment are asking for trouble. And there’s nothing appealing about that!

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
This is an excerpt from:

Seeds Sowers

Seed Sowers

The farmer I talked about is the one who brings God’s message to others.

Mark 4:14

In West Africa people customarily sing as they work in the fields.

They lift their voices as they plant in anticipation of the harvest.

Perhaps this is how the farmer in the parable appeared as he walked through the field.

As he tossed seed, it fell in various types of soil—some hard, some weedy, some shallow, and some good and fertile.

Not once did Jesus describe the farmer as anxious; rather, he portrayed the sower as faithfully carrying out his job.

Sometimes we treat evangelism as a heavy burden. Instead of cheerfully scattering seed everywhere, we become soil testers, trying to determine whether or not the seed will flourish even before we plant.

We hover over the tender shoots, trying to thwart weeds.

When a seed doesn’t produce the desired fruit, we may declare ourselves failures as farmers.

But God has called us to plant the message of the gospel in whatever field he places us.

It is the Lord of the harvest who nourishes the tiny seeds and causes them to grow.

You may never see the bushels of souls that result from seeds you planted, but you can sing as you sow and anticipate a harvest of thirty, sixty, and even a hundredfold.

GOD, I can scatter seeds in my job, my neighborhood, my family, and plant seeds of hope in people I encounter every day.

Help me to sing as I plant and be confident that many of those seeds will take root in soil that will someday produce a harvest.

PLANT A WORD OF LOVE HEART-DEEP IN A PERSON’S LIFE. NURTURE IT WITH A SMILE AND A PRAYER, AND WATCH WHAT HAPPENS.
Max Lucado (b. 1955)

Disability and Service

“Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD?” EXODUS 4:11

Read
Exod 4:1-17

God called Moses to deliver his messages to the enslaved Israelites and to Pharaoh. Yet the prophet felt inadequate to serve, reasoning that his speech problems disqualified him from speaking for God.

He even gave God other reasons for his reluctance, saying the Hebrews would not believe God had sent him and even simply asking God to send someone else.

But God confronted Moses’ complaints with some powerful questions: “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak . . . ?” (4:11).

Actually, Moses’ objection was more about his inability to trust God than his disability in speaking God’s message.

This is the place Shaw Bates came to as well.

Shaw Bates grew up with dyslexia (a language skill disorder) and learning disabilities.

Learning for Shaw felt like he was climbing a ladder while people without disabilities took the elevator.

When he was seventeen, he didn’t know what his future would hold.

One day in prayer, Shaw felt the Lord saying he wanted him to make a difference in other people’s lives by serving in Christian ministry.

He thought that if God could powerfully use Moses, then perhaps he could use him, too.

With the Lord’s help, Shaw graduated from Biola University with a BA in psychology and began serving as a community support specialist in a nonprofit organization.

Like Moses and Shaw, God calls us each to look beyond our limitations and trust him to enable us.

Our weaknesses shouldn’t keep us from experiencing the joy of serving others in God’s name.

They should cause us to marvel at his awesome power and provision whether we serve people with disabilities or we’re being served by them.

Five Qualities of Strong Leadership “

As Joshua prepared to lead more than two million Israelites into the Promised Land, he commanded everyone to pause in the midst of the excitement so that he could deliver this very important exhortation: “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” The next morning, Joshua approached the priests and said, “Lift up the Ark of Covenant and lead the people across the river.”

These two statements reveal that, in order to successfully execute God’s plan, Joshua knew that he and his entire team had to embrace two key concepts. First, they needed to purify themselves before the Almighty. Joshua had learned the wisdom of depending on God for success. Because sin can prevent us from hearing God’s voice, Joshua made an ongoing choice to repent of sin and admonished his team to do the same.

Secondly, Joshua and the Israelites had to fix their hope and focus upon the Lord as their Ultimate Leader. In humility, Joshua understood the importance of having the Ark of the Covenant lead the people. It was a visual reminder that God was going ahead of them and leading His people through the unknown across the Jordan River. Joshua chose God as his leader, and therefore the people followed his example.

Below are five qualities of strong leadership that we can all prayerfully adopt as we shepherd flocks in ministry and/or the workplace.

1 Joshua led his team by example. He did not ask the Israelites to do anything that he was not already doing himself.
2 Joshua held his team accountable for their choices by exhorting them to purify themselves before the Lord. He knew the value of repentance.
3 Joshua spent time seeking God’s will before he crafted any plans. He trusted God rather than himself.
4 Joshua obeyed God. In humility, Joshua received God’s instruction as truth and followed it. 
5 Joshua knew and studied God’s word. He feared God and valued truth over man’s opinion. 

And here’s the promise God gave to Joshua because of his choices,

“Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.” Joshua 3:7

Worthy of Praise

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies.Psalm 18:1-3

Hunted and chased like an animal, David had been in terrible distress and danger, but God had preserved his life and rescued him. Because of God’s help, David hadn’t just survived; he had emerged victorious. So he sings Psalm 18, a psalm of thanksgiving for all God has done and for who he is to David. It is a great song of worship and praise for the Lord’s divine intervention in delivering David against all odds from his enemy Saul and for bringing David through his difficulties to a future and hope.

In singing God’s praises, David uses vivid metaphors: “my rock” (stability and security), “my shield” (the one who guards and keeps me safe), “the strength of my salvation” (my source of strength when I’m weak), and “my stronghold” (the place I can go for protection). In David’s darkest hour the Lord revealed himself in these ways, and he wants to reveal himself in our lives too—right where we are in our distress, in the problems that try us, and in our victories. Ask him to reveal himself in whatever you’re facing today, and join David in praising the Lord who is “worthy of praise”!

LORD, when I am beset by difficulties, be my rock—my source of security in an uncertain world. In you alone I find protection. You are my stronghold; I need nothing else. Be my strength when I’m weak. Be my shield of protection from those who would harm me. Be the strength of my salvation when I call on you, and I will ever praise you because you are worthy.

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF UNFAILINGLY TO THE THOUGHTFUL SEEKER.
Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850)

Like an Olive Tree

I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.Psalm 52:8

In Bible times the olive tree was considered the most valuable of trees. Throughout Scripture it symbolizes value, prominence, peace, and a promise of better times to come.

The olive tree was also known as a tree that persevered, for it stood with great endurance under any adverse condition.

The man who is secure in God’s presence is a symbol of God’s power.

When David compared himself with an olive tree, he was declaring his faith and trust in God as the One who enabled him to be strong, not only to survive but also to thrive and bear fruit no matter how his enemies pursued him.

He voiced, through the symbolism of the olive tree, his determination to grow in God’s presence and live a life of faith, seeking only to fulfill the will of God and become his alone.

In whatever circumstances you may find yourself, the Holy Spirit dwelling within you can empower you to stand as a mighty, flourishing olive tree, full of the vitality that comes from living anchored in God’s unfailing love.

LORD, just like your servant David, I want not just to survive today but to thrive. Help me to display your splendor. Just as olive trees produce fruit, let my life produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Let others see the oil of joy, of healing, and of your very presence in my life, not only for my sake, but for the sake of those who so desperately need to see that you really do exist and dwell among us.

LET HIM DO WHAT HE PLEASES WITH ME: I DESIRE ONLY HIM, AND TO BE WHOLLY DEVOTED TO HIM.

Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (1605–1691)

Destroy the Enemy

[Moses said,] “When the Lord your God brings you [the Israelites] into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are all more powerful than you. When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy.Deuteronomy 7:1-2
God gave clear instructions to the Israelites to conquer their enemies completely. They were not to show mercy or compromise in any way, or they could lose what they had gained. The seven enemies were all more powerful than the Israelites and clearly had the potential to keep them from occupying the Promised Land. But God had already handed the Israelites’ enemies over to them, assuring them that they would reach their destination.

When God delivers us from a life of sin, we must not recross the bridge that God has brought us over. There should be no place in our lives where we would entertain the things that once had the power to destroy us. God is leading each of us to a place where we can discover his greatest intentions for our lives. Compromises large or small allow the enemy to slip in and distract, delay, or keep us from reaching that destination. Determine today to show no mercy to the old enemies that once had a hold on your life. Thank God that he saved you, and praise him that because of the finished work of Christ, he has conquered the enemy once and for all.

PRECIOUS SAVIOR, once the enemy stood in my way, yet you saved me. Help me to give my enemies no part in my life. I will not make treaties with them or compromise in any way. I will show no mercy to the things that once threatened to destroy my life. I will embrace you, God, for you moved those things out of my way so that I could respond to your higher calling.

IT IS NEVER WISE TO UNDERESTIMATE AN ENEMY. WE LOOK UPON THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS AS A CONQUERED FOE, SO HE IS, BUT ONLY TO GOD, NOT TO US.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

Hide em in your heart

Psalms 119:9‭-‬12

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to thy word.  With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!  I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.  Blessed be thou, O Lord ; teach me thy statutes!

Hide Them in Your Heart

we need to record the negative thoughts that dominate our thinking, and learn to live by spiritual truths specific to our life to demolish those strongholds.

Just having the truth in hand is a stress reliever.

“Stress isn’t about all you have to do—but how you think about all you have to do.”

Well, that’s a relief.

And you know what?

There is a way to make sure you always have the truth with you. It is found in the word of God as we search it and put it into practice in our lives

find verses that speak to you and make them your own.

hide them in your heart by repeating them daily.

KEEP STILL

Psalms 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

In our fast-paced culture, we are constantly in motion. Whether it’s our always-packed calendar, always-racing mind, or always-connected technology, we aren’t very good at resting. At the root, many of us are consumed with working, performing, and longing to earn respect, position, authority, value, and love. Whether we attempt to receive these things from people or God, this striving causes us to become tired. Soul tired. The only way that we can begin a journey toward rest is to give ourselves permission to stop.

Today, take some time to find a quiet few moments of solitude. Preferably, it will be a time that you intentionally set aside for the purpose of being still. It would be optimal if you could go to a location that you consider restful, by default, and spend about 10 minutes alone. I think 10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to hope for. Do this without the aid of technology or means that have the potential to interrupt you.

If stepping away isn’t possible in your day, find a way to create stillness in the midst of your regular flow. Drive in silence to or from work. Sit alone with no phone interaction during lunch. The key in all of this is to not allow anything to populate the time that you have set aside to be quiet and still.

Caution: There will be a temptation to minimize the importance of being still, but I want to encourage you to be vigilant. Note what is happening in your mind and heart as you engage this time of quiet stillness.

Keep still and let Him do some work.

THOMAS MERTON

Busyness is an illness of spirit.

EUGENE PETERSON

You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.

DALLAS WILLARD

...all men need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of their own true self to be heard at least occasionally.

THOMAS MERTON

God’s Unfailing Love

Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.Psalm 36:5-7

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In today’s verses the psalmist uses just a few words to paint some dramatic pictures. With a series of metaphors this psalm describes some of the many blessings for believers because of God’s character: His ever faithful, ever loyal love is truly “out of this world” because it is so great that it reaches beyond the clouds and heavens. The Lord’s righteousness is as steady as the highest mountains, and his judgments are as deep as the ocean. But the metaphor that gives us the greatest insight into the heart of God is in verse 7: we can find shelter in our Lord just as baby chickens take refuge under the shelter of the mother hen’s wings. Because God loves us, his arms are open to us today; all we have to do is run to him, and he will provide shelter and protection.

YOUR UNFAILING LOVE, LORD, is as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is as glorious as the mighty mountain, and your justice is as deep as the deepest ocean. Thank you for caring for people and animals alike with your unfailing love. Thank you for the shelter that I find in the shadow of your wings. I rejoice because your unfailing love is the most precious thing to me!

GOD’S LOVE IS MEASURELESS. IT IS MORE: IT IS BOUNDLESS. IT HAS NO BOUNDS BECAUSE IT IS NOT A THING BUT A FACET OF THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF GOD. HIS LOVE IS SOMETHING HE IS, AND BECAUSE HE IS INFINITE, THAT LOVE CAN ENFOLD THE WHOLE CREATED WORLD IN ITSELF AND HAVE ROOM FOR TEN THOUSAND TIMES TEN THOUSAND WORLDS BESIDE.
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)

Seek God’s Understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.Proverbs 3:5-6

These verses from Proverbs can be a continual, lifelong, daily prayer for us to pray for all those we love, because our natural tendency is to lean on our own understanding and do things our way instead of depending on God’s wisdom and ways.

The longer I live, the more I realize that all of our responsibilities, all that God has called us to do, are beyond our own human ability.

There is nothing I can do apart from God.

In everything—whether it is parenting; relationships with my Wife, children, grandchildren, and friends; ministry work; writing; speaking; or teaching.

I need to depend on God, seek his higher understanding, his wisdom and his will, and then trust in his leading with all my heart.

As I do these things, I become the recipient of God’s wonderful promise in Proverbs 3:6—he will direct my path—a promise that is backed by all the honor of his name.

Even when it seems that there is no way out, when we’ve hit our own limitations or a dead end, God will guide us and make a way for us.

LORD, help me to trust in you with all my heart today. Guard me from depending on my own limited understanding. Instead, help me to rely totally on you.

I desire to seek your will in all I do today.

Thank you for the promise that you will direct my paths so that I can walk hand in hand with you, depend on your higher understanding, and seek your will in all I do.

BECAUSE OUR UNDERSTANDING IS EARTHBOUND . . . HUMAN TO THE CORE . . . LIMITED . . . FINITE . . . WE OPERATE IN A DIMENSION TOTALLY UNLIKE OUR LORD . . . WHO KNOWS NO SUCH LIMITATIONS. WE SEE NOW. HE SEES FOREVER.
Charles R. Swindoll (b. 1934)

Tender Mercies

Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. My only hope is in your unfailing love and faithfulness. For troubles surround me—too many to count! They pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They are more numerous than the hairs on my head. I have lost all my courage. Please, Lord, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me.Psalm 40:11-13
Like the psalmist, each of us encounters seasons when we face not just one problem but waves of troubles that crash into our lives like breakers incessantly battering the shore. If we are not experiencing that now, we surely will somewhere down the road: Perhaps a child becomes chronically ill, or a teenager rebels and breaks our hearts. Our mother may be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and move in with us so that we’re providing care 24/7, juggling a stressful job, and finding ourselves assailed by financial difficulties. Our troubles pile up so high that we can’t see our way out, and we understand what the psalmist was feeling when he said that they are more numerous than the hairs on our heads. Life seems to unravel, we are weary, and courage drains away as we wonder, Can I handle all of this? What if something else happens? This is the time to lift up our heads to heaven, to cry out, as the psalmist did, for God’s tender mercies, to say, “Come quickly, Lord, and help me” (v. 13), and to put our hope in his unfailing love and faithfulness.

LORD, today as troubles surround me, I turn my focus to you. Come quickly, Lord, and help and rescue me. Don’t hold back your tender mercies in my life—release them, I pray! May showers of mercy and blessing come down from you. My only hope is in your unfailing love and faithfulness. You are my helper and my savior.

God hath two wings, which he doth ever move, The one is mercy, and the next is love; Under the first the sinners ever trust, And with the last he still directs the just.
Robert Herrick (1591–1674)

Adversity, trials and tribulations

Adversity, trials and tribulations are unavoidable periods all individuals experience. It is often during the wilderness seasons of distress when we seek to comprehend God’s plan and guidance in our lives.

Whilst in your wilderness or valley you might experience a range of emotions and thoughts that must immediately be checked so that your faith will properly align with God’s guiding power in your life.

As a Christian one should expect to enjoy the abundant life of Jesus Christ, but shouldn’t be naïve in believing that trials will not occur. That is one thing we should expect, especially when one is truly living as an ambassador for Christ. Weapons may be formed against you but thanks be to God that they WILL NOT Prosper!

During some of the most challenging moments in life remember that God guides you:

In a career setback

When an unexpected health report is disclosed

In a financial setback

When in-laws, relatives and family members ignore, scowl and exclude you

In the midst of an unexpected pregnancy

During the challenges of conception

Through the loss of a loved one

In revealing toxic relationships, business partnerships and associations

When individuals attempt to bully and intimidate, only because they are jealous and insecure

When a college professor challenges your Christianity beliefs and values

By disclosing the character of colleagues who’ve clandestinely worked together to disqualify you for a promotion

When colleagues discount your ideas

When family, friends and loved ones misunderstand you

When you feel lonely (remember you are not alone, God is with you)

In Pressure

After the rejection letter, notice and statement

During the challenges of God-honoring relationships

When you are forced to relocate and start over

When new opportunities and breakthroughs appear

Although adversity shows up, be encouraged that God knows all and He will never leave you nor forsake you. God is guiding you and ordering your steps in the midst of the pressure, pain, heat and discomfort you currently face. Be mindful today that God is working everything out for your good, because you love him and have been called according to his purpose.

Even in the most intense seasons of life, God guides us and is producing something in us that will fulfill his overall purpose in our lives.

God guides You!

Through the valley

Isaiah 54:17

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord , and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord .

Adversity, trials and tribulations are unavoidable periods all individuals experience. It is often during the wilderness seasons of distress when we seek to comprehend God’s plan and guidance in our lives.

Whilst in your wilderness or valley you might experience a range of emotions and thoughts that must immediately be checked so that your faith will properly align with God’s guiding power in your life.

As a Christian one should expect to enjoy the abundant life of Jesus Christ, but shouldn’t be naïve in believing that trials will not occur. That is one thing we should expect, especially when one is truly living as an ambassador for Christ. Weapons may be formed against you but thanks be to God that they WILL NOT Prosper!

During some of the most challenging moments in life remember that God guides you:

In a career setback

When an unexpected health report is disclosed

In a financial setback

When in-laws, relatives and family members ignore, scowl and exclude you

In the midst of an unexpected pregnancy

During the challenges of conception

Through the loss of a loved one

In revealing toxic relationships, business partnerships and associations

When individuals attempt to bully and intimidate, only because they are jealous and insecure

When a college professor challenges your Christianity beliefs and values

By disclosing the character of colleagues who’ve clandestinely worked together to disqualify you for a promotion

When colleagues discount your ideas

When family, friends and loved ones misunderstand you

When you feel lonely (remember you are not alone, God is with you)

In Pressure

After the rejection letter, notice and statement

During the challenges of God-honoring relationships

When you are forced to relocate and start over

When new opportunities and breakthroughs appear

Although adversity shows up, be encouraged that God knows all and He will never leave you nor forsake you. God is guiding you and ordering your steps in the midst of the pressure, pain, heat and discomfort you currently face. Be mindful today that God is working everything out for your good, because you love him and have been called according to his purpose.

Even in the most intense seasons of life, God guides us and is producing something in us that will fulfill his overall purpose in our lives.

God guides You!

The Workers Are Few

Wherever [Jesus] went, he healed people of every sort of disease and illness. He felt great pity for the crowds that came, because their problems were so great and they didn’t know where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.”Matthew 9:35-38
Jesus saw the people not just as a whole massive group but as individuals suffering from pain, sickness, and grief. And while he felt deep compassion and healed them of every kind of disease and illness, he also enlisted his disciples to pray for more workers, for the harvest was ready, the kingdom was at hand, and the workers were few.

People are no different today. Many around us are lost and lonely. Their problems are great, and they don’t know where to get real help and restoration for their broken lives. So the Lord of the harvest is imploring us to join him in the great commission by praying for laborers who will be his hands and feet on this earth, those who will bring lost sheep home to the shepherd.

LORD, I am so grateful that you heal every disease and illness that afflicts people. I pray that you will send laborers who will bring your healing and transforming power to the lives of people who don’t know you. And while I am praying for workers, please make me willing by your Spirit to join you in the harvest fields. You and you alone are Lord of the harvest. Let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!

THERE IS NO ROYAL ROAD TO BECOMING A WORKER FOR GOD. THE ONLY WAY IS TO LET GOD IN HIS MIGHTY PROVIDENCE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER GET THE LIFE OUT TO SEA IN RECKLESS ABANDON TO GOD.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)

When the Bottom Falls Out

When the Bottom Falls Out

What is hope?

According to Mr. Webster, it means to cherish a desire with an expectation of fulfillment. Hope is a confident anticipation of good. It is not just wishful thinking or thinking positive. It is not the same as saying, “Well, I hope so.” Hope is as solid as a helmet, but no helmet will protect you from danger if you have laid it aside. When we lose hope we lose the battle.

You may feel like your world is crashing in around you, but you must be able to say to yourself, “Something good is about to happen.” Many times you won’t feel like it. You may feel abandoned, and have no idea at all how you’re going to make it. You’re going to have to reach deep into God’s resources, because no one has any reserves of their own to keep moving forward.

The whole thing is a heart battle and there are three typical responses to pain or rejection that deaden our hearts:

We move away from people and God.
We move toward some other source of relief or acceptance.
We move against others.
In order to learn to hope again, one must go back to their ABCs, to their foundations. I figured out three core values: (1) God is good all the time; (2) “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28); and (3) something good is just about to happen.

Hope is vital to your well being. How can you start to find it again?

Evaluate your responses to your pain. Get help to find your way past automatic reactions such as bitterness and despair.
Figure out the core values of your life.
Put on your “helmet of the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8), which protects your soul and spirit.
Prayer:

Father, I present myself to you in Jesus’ great name, and I declare that you are the source of my life. In you I live and breathe and have my very being. Take me on a journey to a place where hope is no longer deferred but where fulfilled desire becomes a tree of life. As I come running into your arms of redemptive love, do what only you can do. Only in you can all things be made new. Amen.

God’s Will God’s Way

God’s Will God’s Way

[The angel said to Balaam,] “I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away. . . . ” Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will go back home if you are against my going.” But the angel of the Lord told him, “Go with these men, but you may say only what I tell you to say.

”Numbers 22:32-35

In today’s reading Balaam was going forth to do as God had instructed him, but he was going with the wrong motives. His wholehearted obedience turned halfhearted because of his greed for wealth and prestige. His covetousness blinded him to the angel of the Lord who was blocking the path on which he traveled, because his eyes were focused on hoped-for riches and not on the hope-filled mission. Balaam ceased to reside in prayer—in a conscious awareness of God’s presence. However, three times God was there narrowing the road in attempts to stop Balaam and get his attention. What path is God “narrowing” in your life so that you feel his resistance? God loves us enough that if we persist in doing things our way and ignore his presence or resist his will, he will derail us, just as he did Balaam’s talking donkey, in order to get our attention and restore our fellowship with him.

LORD, thank you for your love that opens my eyes to see you on every path of life and leads me in obeying your will your way! Help me to follow you, whether it is to move forward into new territory or to return to a previously visited place. Only you know the direction I need to go. I will trust in your leadership and rely on your character. Thank you for leading me exactly where I need to go!

GOD CAN’T GIVE US HAPPINESS AND PEACE APART FROM HIMSELF BECAUSE THERE IS NO SUCH THING.
C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)