When was the last time you were quiet before the Lord? No hurried laundry list of a prayer…no whining to Him about all the injustices you’ve endured…just disarmed silence, and one simple request to Him. “Show me Your glory Lord.”
Month: September 2013
Isaiah 40:8 ” The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.”
Everything around us is temporal…here for a short time and then gone. Everything that is, except the Word of God. His Word is eternal and forever, and always fulfilled by Him. God’s Word will never pass away…it will never fade from sight.
Romans 12:21 ” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
When we’re exhausted and emotionally spent it’s much easier to be overpowered by the evil one. He waits until we’re at our lowest to harm us and our relationships with others. But the Lord wants us to remember that at those low points in our lives we can still be victorious in conquering iniquity with righteousness. Evil can be overcome by good with His help.
Ecclesiastes 5: 19-20 ” Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.”
Maybe you’ve heard the saying, Bloom where you’re planted…but if you really think about it, 99% of whether we’re happy and satisfied with things depends on our attitude rather than the physical environment around us. If you’re doing your job unto the Lord, regardless if you’re the President of a great corporation, or the night janitor, you can be happy in your work and be fulfilled. As it says in Deuteronomy 12:7, ” You shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.”
Deuteronomy 16: 15 ” For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.”
The garden in mid-September is starting to look a little tired. This afternoon as I was out there bringing in the last of the broccoli, the Lord started comparing Harvest-time with our lives. The plants come Fall know Winter is just around the corner, so they’re expending as much energy as they can to fulfill their destiny…they may look kind of bedraggled, but their mission is not done yet, so they persevere. If you are like me…in the “Fall” of your life…look at the Harvest-time coming, don’t allow your energy to falter…you have much to accomplish yet.
Romans 8:26-27 ” In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
When the situation is so dire that you don’t have any idea how to pray…allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for you. When no words can come through the tears and pain, the Holy Spirit knows what to say. His prayers on our behalf are always timely, always on target, always perfect…for He only prays according to God’s will.
Genesis 11:4 “Then they said, ‘ Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’ ”
Man’s pride was reaching towards the sky, but it was in direct contradiction to what God had told them to do. Rather than segregating themselves together, He had commanded them to, “Be fruitful, increase in number, and fill the earth.” In response to their rebellion, God confused them by changing their one language into many, and dispersing them across the landscape.
John 6:35 ” Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thristy.’ “
There is only one thing that can totally satisfy the spiritual hunger of our soul…there is only one spring of living water welling up to completely quench our thirst for the truth…His name is Jesus…the Way – the Truth – the Life.
Joel 2:13 ” Rend your heart, and not your garment.”
In Biblical times a very public expression of grief or repentance was to tear your robe. But the Lord doesn’t desire showy theatrics if our hearts aren’t in it. He would rather have a sincere inward commitment than a dramatic outward production anytime.
Hebrews 10: 36 ” You need to perservere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a patient person…I’m a mover, so if I have to stop to wait for something, I get anxious. My mind goes into warp-drive, thinking of all the things I could be doing, besides just waiting. But it’s usually then that the Lord will cause me to take the focus off myself and onto something or someone around me. What would be the good pleasure of God at this moment? Thanking Him for the beauty surrounding me…speaking encouragement into the person nearby…praying for my family…all are things that change my attitude from that of impatience to calm endurance. As James said, “Blessed are they that persevere.”
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