We all falter in our walk with the Lord…we all make mistakes and mess up from time to time, but it’s what we do when we’re down that makes all the difference to God. Do we stay there, wallowing in self-pity and depression? Are we brought down by the enemy, never to rise again? Or do we take ahold of that steadfast trusting hand of the Lord and allow ourselves to be pulled out of the muck and the mire?
II Chronicles 20:20 ” Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘ Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.’ “
Faith in a brand new Christian starts out small. It grows with every trust building experience…just like that Lincoln Log set you had as a kid. Faith is built one log or block at a time. And for those times when your faith is not strong…look to Godly people who can come along side and shore up your wavering faith.
John 1:5 ” The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
If you get up very early as I do every morning, you can watch with your own eyes the wondrous phenomenon called sunrise. The pitch black of night is overcome and dispelled by the light of dawn as the sun slowly rises above the horizon. Jesus came to turn our darkness into light…His truth shining forth – once and for all overwhelming and scattering sin and death.
Acts 10:15 ” Do not call anything impure God has made clean.”
The Lord showed the Apostle Paul that all men – whether Jew or Gentile – were made in His image. This powerful encounter with God so impacted him, that later in Romans 10:12, Paul declares, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all…”
Haggai 1:5 ” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘ Give careful thought to your ways.’ “
Today is the day the Lord would like you to assess your walk with Him. Are you doing everything He desires…or has life gotten in the way? Has your path veered off course from the perfect plan He set out for you? Prudently, mindfully, evaluate your ways…and the Lord will faithful to reveal any changes that need to be done.
I Kings 8:27 ” But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven cannot contain You. How much less this Temple I have built? “
This verse is part of Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the new Temple in Jerusalem. He doubted that this building could in any way hold the Spirit of the Lord…since God can’t be limited to time/space dimensions. But the Holy Spirit can dwell within the Believer, for in I Corinthians 6:19 it reads, “Your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit.” What a Temple built of stone couldn’t start to hold, can be wonderfully contained within our fleshly Temple.
I Peter 2:25 ” For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and overseer of your soul.”
Why are we so prone to wander away from the loving protection of our Heavenly Father? Most times, it is pride or just plain stupidity that puts us in those unpleasant predicaments. But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is ever there, watching and guarding His flock of wayward lambs.
I Chronicles 17:4 ” Go and tell My servant David, ‘ This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build Me a house to dwell in.’ “
David was a man after the Lord’s heart, but he was also a warrior who had shed much blood in many battles. The Lord gave David the vision for the Temple and all the plans…but it was his son, Solomon, who actually built it. In I Chronicles 22:9, God tells David that he’ll have a son who will be a man of peace and rest…and he will build My Temple…and that’s what the name Solomon means…peace.
II Corinthians 12:7 ” To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh…”
Many think that Paul’s affliction was some kind of chronic skin disease such as psoriasis, which causes unsightly red scaly patches of irritated flesh. Regardless of the cause for his torment and annoyance, Paul went on to say that he had begged the Lord three times to take it away, but each time the Lord had replied, ” My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” ( II Corinthians 12: 8-9) Paul’s fulfilled destiny didn’t rest in himself, but in what God did through him…and it really didn’t matter what the “outside” of the temple looked like, for it was the inside that God was concerned with.
Proverbs 30: 7-8 ” Two things I ask of You, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”
Lord, I ask for just enough. Provide me with a sufficient amount that I will be content, and always grateful. Father, don’t give me too much, or I’ll hoard or squander and waste what you’ve given me. But neither do I want to be left hungry and lacking, for then I may dishonor Your name. Yes Lord, give me just enough for today and I will trust You for tomorrow.
Safetypinlove 