So many times we plan major things…making important decisions that will effect our life with little to none of God’s input first. We make up our minds that this is how it will be…and then as almost an afterthought… we ask the Lord to bless it. That’s kinda putting the cart before the horse don’t you think? Making choices without God’s input and counsel first is presumptuous and says we’re trusting in ourselves…not God.
Tag: dependance on the Lord
II Chronicles 16:9 ” For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
You may think you’re alone, but you’re not. You may think no one sees or even cares about you, but you’re wrong. Psalm 33:13-14 tells us, “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth.” For no matter how you feel about God and spiritual things…He’s still watching you, for in Proverbs 15:3 it says, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Satan would like you to believe that you’re alone, forgotten, abandoned, and worthless. But this is a lie, for God’s eyes are on you at this very moment, offering you His hand of love and support. Today you may find yourself alone, but you don’t need to feel lonely…for God is there.
Psalm 123:2 ” As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of the maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till He shows us His mercy.”
We are your servants, O Lord, and we look to You in total reliance. In Your hands is the power and strength we lack…in Your hands is grace and mercy. We will keep our eyes fixed on You, Lord…for only in You can we fully put our trust. You are our Rock and support in time of need…our confidence is in You. Amen.
Romans 11:29 ” For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.”
As Believers, we all go through times that we wonder if we’re hearing God correctly. Maybe it’s times when He seems far away…or we feel we’re in a dry place in our walk with Him. That’s when this verse and Romans 8:28 needs to be before us. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” The Lord uses our gifts, talents, and passions throughout our Christian life to bring edification to others…and just because we don’t “feel it” doesn’t mean we’re still not being used of Him. We’ll all go through seasons of our life when our gift mix may wax and wane…certain ones coming to the forefront, while others seemingly retreat…but our gifts will always remain the same. The writer of Hebrews quoted Psalm 110:4 when he said, “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind.” For He is the God of the past, present and future…and He will not recall what He has already given, and His ultimate plan and purpose for our life will prevail.
Isaiah 40:13 ” Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed Him as His counselor?”
There’s been many times when I think I know more than the Lord. I’ve foolishly and smugly concluded that God didn’t have all the facts…or that He just didn’t realize the gravity of the situation. But who am I to advise or give guidance to the Lord? I can no where grasp or begin to comprehend the mind of God as a gold-fish can care for itself in its bowl. It is totally beyond my capabilities to understand God and His works. So again I must humbly confess, “You are God and I am not!”
John 1:38-39 ” They said, ‘Rabbi (which means teacher), where are You staying?’ ‘Come,’ He replied, ‘and you will see.’ “
“Come and see”…the Lord’s invitation still stands true for you today. He beckons you to draw near and discover who He really is. He challenges you to put aside self and begin a quest for all things holy. “Come and see” is His call to the depths of your soul to scrutinize, probe, and delve deeply into what it means to be a Believer…for in the end, old beliefs, falsehoods, and biases will be turned upside down in the light of His truth. “Come and see.”
Psalm 18:1 ” I love You, O Lord, my strength.”
I praise You Lord. For when I am weak, You are my source of power. When I am frail in mind and spirit, You support me and give me endurance. When I feel feeble and ready to give up, You reinforce my backbone and give me toughness to move ahead. In Exodus 15:2 it says, “The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” I will make music in my heart, for You have given me victory on all sides. Amen.
John 3:30 ” He must become greater; I must become less.”
Can you echo these same words that John the Baptist declared about Jesus and himself? What then is it that hinders us from making such a sweeping statement? In a single word – pride. Our selfish agenda pushes us to plunge ahead without God’s direction first. Our willful pride orchestrates our own plans, devoid of the Lord’s guidance. We want to remain on the throne of our life, rather than yielding to God. So what are we so afraid of? Are we fearful that as God increases in our life, our own personal identity will diminish to the point we’ll disappear? In a single word -Yes! But isn’t that what becoming a Christ Follower is all about? Our goal is to become less, as God becomes more. So how can we do this? It takes a conscious act of our Will and a yielding of our pride to allow the Lord to increase within us. And it also takes these words…”Yes, Lord. I ask for more of You and less of me.”
Philippians 1:27-28 ” I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”
Declaring the Gospel to those around us can be scary. We’re afraid of rejection…afraid of adversity…afraid of failure, so hence, we say nothing. My favorite excuse is, “Someone else will share the Good News with that person…someone like the Pastor, or someone else more experienced than me.” But there may not be a “someone else” in that person’s life. For you may be the only one that will ever share the Gospel, or ever say the words, “Jesus loves you” to that person. I Corinthians 16:13 says, …” we are to stand firm; be men (and women) of courage; and be strong when contending for the faith.” So how do we overcome the fear of sharing our faith with others? First realize, you can never fail, even if you don’t see immediate results. What you’re doing is planting seed that needs to be watered…maybe by someone else… and maybe an entirely different person will be there to see the harvest. Secondly, it’s not about you and your abilities or lack there of. For your dependence should be on the Lord Jesus Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit to show you the way. So with them in your corner, don’t be afraid, you can do it!
II Corinthians 12:9 ” But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ “
The Apostle Paul was given a thorn in his flesh…some chronic, painful condition that plagued him continually. And even though he had prayed three times for the Lord to take it – it remained. This was the same Paul who preformed extraordinary miracles, (Acts 19:11)…cast out evil spirits, (Acts 16:18)…and raised people from the dead, (Acts 20:10). But the prayers of his own healing went unanswered. Now many of us would react very badly if we had a great Ministry but were unable to be healed personally of some very visible disease. But Paul didn’t allow it to make him bitter, or doubt his worth. Rather, he looked at it from the viewpoint of his dependence on the Lord and his need for humility. For he writes in Philippians 4:13, “I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.” Paul gained his strength through his weakness…for God in His infinite wisdom gave Paul what he needed, not what he wanted.
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