A hammock strung between two trees calls out to us to come and rest. It gently sways in the breeze tempting us to sit for a while within its silken folds and to rest from our weary activities. Christ too calls us to cease from our labors and to rest in Him - to relax and get to know Him better (Hebrews 4:10). He desires that we allow Him to fill us with His spiritual strength and fruit in order to better accomplish all that He calls us to do to further His kingdom in the earth (Philippians 2:12-13: Galatians 5:22-23).
We
no longer build our house on the sand of sin, where every storm of life
threatens its stability. Our faith is now built on the rock of Christ (Matthew 7: 24-27). He alone is our chief corner stone in God’s house,
which is made without hands (Isaiah
28:16; Ephesians 2:20; Luke 20:17). We can withstand any storm or trial, because our
faith is built upon The Rock of Christ.
God
created the lily and clothed her in all of her glory. In the same way, He
created all of us to bloom with our unique personality and character (Luke 12:27). God gives us a core of strength through His Holy
Spirit, so that we will not droop under the weight of depression, defeat or our
load of cares (1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22). As we cast our burdens on
Him, we bloom vibrantly where ever He plants us. God gives us power, love and a
sound mind to combat the fears which life inflicts upon us (2 Timothy 1:7).
What
is the fear that plagues your soul? It sneaks in when you least expect it. It cripples
you in spirit, soul and body. It renders you helpless and ineffectual. However,
God’s plans for us are very different. He wants us to have power over demonic
attacks (Mark
5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39), to feel unconditionally
loved (Romans 5:8; John 3: 16) and to walk in truth (Psalm 86:11; 3 John 1:4) without being crippled by
satanic lies that mutilate us with the power of fear (John 8:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
Satan plants obstacles in
our lives with the purpose of thwarting our progress toward our heavenly
destination (Ephesians 6:12).
However, as we rest in Jesus, our Living Water, we float smoothly around every
hindrance we face (John 7:38). We not
only experience deep peace and joy, which pass all understanding (Philippians
4:6-7); but we also teach others to
float in the tranquility which God supplies.
Prayer:
Lord
Jesus, sometimes it is hard to walk in the faith necessary to live through
life’s circumstances. Yet, it is impossible to please Our Father without faith (Hebrews 11: 6). In these trying times, we can pray, “Lord, I
believe; help my unbelief” (Mark
9:24).
You treasure our honesty with You. In our doubt we accomplish nothing; but in
our faith we have yet to reach the limits of what is possible for those who
trust You (Mark 9:23).
Thought
for the Day:
We find our strength only in
quietness of soul and confidence in God. - Isaiah 30:15
