Sometimes when we want the Lord to get serious with us…we need to get serious with Him. A day spent in prayer and fasting not only allows us to focus on the request, but the physical exercise of denying ourselves brings about clarity and direction from God as we humble ourselves before Him.
Author: kezha1
Isaiah 26:7 ” The path of the righteous is level; O upright one, You make the way of the righteous smooth.”
Walking on uneven and bumpy ground can be very challenging…and even dangerous. At anytime our feet can slip and we can fall. But if we stand on solid, level ground, we can walk with confidence, even if the path is shrouded in shadows. Our journey through life is like that…it can be either be smooth or rough…life or death, depending on the path we choose.
Philippians 3:12 ” Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
You are still running your race. You are still fighting the good fight of faith. So forget about the mistakes you made yesterday and instead reach for the goal before you…and you will find it.
Romans 2:1 ” You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at what ever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”
We all give snap opinions mentally everyday. No one may hear them…but we’re constantly pronouncing judgment on those around us. But for as harshly as we judge others…in the same way we will be judged someday…which kind of makes you think doesn’t it.
Psalm 111:7 ” The works of His hands are faithful and just, all His precepts are trustworthy.”
As the upheaval of this current world continues, no where will you find with certainty reliable truth and enduring principles. It’s only with the Lord that you will find a firm foundation to build your life upon and statues to live an ethically upright life in the mist of this chaos.
John 2:4 ” ‘Dear woman, why do you involve Me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My time has not yet come.’ “
Jesus and His mother Mary had a very special and totally unique relationship. They shared the traditional Mother-Son bond…but because of the miraculous way Jesus was conceived, Mary had insight into just how life-changing His time on earth would be. When the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana, Mary knew Jesus could do something about it. But why did He change the water into wine if His time had not yet come? He did it because He loved and honored His Mother more than any time-table or schedule.
Matthew 8:1-3 ” When He came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed Him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, ‘ Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man, ‘I am willing,’ He said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.”
“If You are willing.” The man had been watching Jesus heal others. His faith in the Messiah had grown with each person he saw walk away cured and whole. He had faith, but would Jesus be ready and able to heal him? Jesus went beyond what He had to do to heal this man…He could of just spoken the word and he’d been healed. But instead, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched the unclean man, and in doing so showed that he was a valued and loved human being.
Isaiah 25:9 ” In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
Where is your trust based today? If your confidence is in the world and its governing bodies…you will be sorely disappointed. But if you put your safety and security in the hands of the Lord, your hope will not be put to shame.
Galatians 4:9 ” But now that you know God – or rather are known by God…”
To know God is a journey that takes a lifetime…each day drawing nearer and receiving more. But the true miracle is being known by Him. For there will come a day when we all must stand before the Lord… either to be recognized and acknowledged or rejected.
Psalm 109:4 “In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.”
Taking the high road is often very difficult…especially when your good intentions are met with anger and resentment. But it’s when we’re attacked and slandered that people are watching us the closest for our reaction. Do we answer back as the world would…or as Jesus would?