God's Word is Sweet

As new Believers we desire the milk of the World. With a voracious appetite, we devour whole chapters, eager to read more and more about God and His plan for us.

As we mature in Christ, we get more familiar with God's Word and we start to focus on verses rather than chapters. We read a few verses, until one grabs our attention.

Then we meditate on that verse all day long. We look up similar verses when we get a chance to focus our thoughts more specifically. We chew around on the passages and slowly digest them, savoring each morsel.

We taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). His Word is like honey on our lips, sweeter actually than the honey comb (Psalm 19:10). God illuminates our thoughts to see the deeper meaning of the verses on which we are meditating. 

His Word is more precious and valuable to us than the finest of gold and refined silver (Psalm 12:6, 19:10, 119:103). The scriptures are sweet to our soul and healing to our bones (Proverbs 4:22, 16:24).

God's Spirit enlightens us to apply the verses to our everyday life. He gives us a chance to share the verse in conversation or on our blog or social media site that day, inspiring others to read and meditate on God's Word as well.

Our heart is glad as we meditate on God's life-giving Words. They bring life to a broken spirit and to our bones in the dessert of life (Proverbs 17:22).

In the prison of depression and a broken spirit, we cannot find anything to focus on that brings us joy; yet, when we enjoy God's Word, our face reflects the joy in our spirit and soul regardless of our circumstances (Proverbs 15:13).

Prayer:

Father God, it is easier for us to endure physical ailments than wounds to and in our soul, which break our spirit and pull the rug right out from under us (Proverbs 18:14). This depression causes physical ailments that have no real physical source. We are emotionally afflicted and needy due to the wounds within our soul.

Heal our many afflictions - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Help us to change our focus to the innumerable blessings you provide for us each day. Open our eyes so that we may taste and see that You are good (Psalm 109:22, 34:8). We worship You and give You praise in the good times as well as the trying events in our life. You are the source of our strength always.

Thought for the Day:

When our soul is discouraged, it breaks our will to live, our productivity, our courage and our desire to walk in God's will for our day; if we allow Him to, God will always give us a joyful heart, which is the best of medicine for troubles and trials. - Proverbs 15:13, 17:22

Walking in God's Light

There is a trend in the world today to dabble in the mystical paranormal, which is Satan's counterfeit for God's supernatural power. It leads to death and destruction.

People who participate in the occult open themselves up to demonic oppression or possession with the same intensity that Believers are filled with God's Holy Spirit.

Satan provides a fleshly fulfillment in a person's life, satisfying their carnal desires until they sell their soul to him. God provides us with fulfillment in our spirit, which is Born Again by His Spirit.

Satan's demonic spirits, who are fallen angels, appear as angels of light, but carry with them the seal of eternal death to everyone who opens up their soul to them (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Authentic Believers realize that we need no mystical events in our life, because we have the constant presence of God's Spirit in us, filling us and enabling us and giving us wisdom in every trial.

We do not seek visions of angels or signs and wonders, because Christ is enough for us. He is the head of His Body and He supplies all of our needs through His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19).

Jesus is our all in all (Ephesians 4:6). Therefore, we trust in the sufficiency of Christ and His Word. We reap His benefits as God's children (Psalm 103:2) rather than the consequences of entanglement in demonic forces.

We walk in the Light, as Christ is in the light, and we want no part of the darkness of this world. We have fellowship with other Believers and the blood of Jesus purifies us and makes us whole (1 John 1:7; Isaiah 2:5; John 12:36; Luke 11:36; 2 Corinthians 4:6).

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for all of Your blessings to us each moment of the day. Remind us to thank You for the sun on the leaves of the tree, the clear air to breathe, the bird songs, the taste of the delicious foods You allow to grow in the earth. These are all blessings, which we so often take for granted.

Even in the midst of abject poverty, physical ailments, rejection from loved ones, hard physical labor and unending trials, we feel Your love, which gives us hope, and your joy, which is our continual strength.

Thought for the Day:

We were once in darkness, but now we abide in the light of the Lord. - Ephesians 5:8

Hey, I'm Suffering Over Here!

 

Are you hurting right now, either physically, spiritually, emotionally or mentally? What happened? Who brought this pain and suffering into your life? Do you feel as if life is no longer worth living, or that there is no hope for you or that you are all alone and nobody cares about you? Do you want to end your life, because you see no way out of your predicament? We often suffer at the hand of an evil perpetrator that inflicts his/her selfishness on a family member, a friend or on us personally.

You may wonder why God would allow us to suffer? Well, have you tried asking Jesus to forgive your sins and then totally surrendering your life to Him? Your life will not turn around immediately, because you will still reap the consequences of your past behavior. However, as you start to sow good seed into the Holy Spirit, nurtured soil of your new life in Christ, you will see His benefits and blessings filling up every portion of your spirit, body and soul – your mind, will and emotions.

Many times we even suffer, because we are reaping the results of our own poor choices. We may suffer from debt, fear of financial collapse, unstable emotional relationships, physical ailments or wounds inflicted on us by some one or some force in this tragic, sinful world. God often uses suffering to draw us closer to Him, or to keep us from wandering back into a sinful lifestyle (Job 23:10). If we suffer according to the will of God, because we are Christians, we can commit our body, soul and spirit to God’s safe care, because He is our faithful Father (1 Peter 4:19).

If we choose to live according to God’s Word, then He will protect us from much of life’s suffering (Psalm 119:67, 55:7). We will have the same testimony as the three young Hebrew men facing the fiery furnace; or Job, when he lost his wealth, family and health in a brief instant of time (Job 13:15; 1 Timothy 6:12; Hebrews 12:1; 2 Corinthians 4). When we fellowship in Christ’s sufferings, we draw closer to Christ’s resurrection power in our life, even if we are put to death as He was (Philippians 3:10).

Have you ever noticed that you spend more time in prayer during bad times than during the good times? We forget to praise the Lord for His blessings, but we certainly have a great deal to say when something goes wrong in our life. However, if we turn our tragedy into an opportunity to seek God and pray, He will most assuredly deliver us (Psalm 50:15). We will also see the fruit of His Spirit manifested in our life, as we are refined by these fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12).

Prayer:

Father God, we want to bring glory to Your name. Sometimes, You use our suffering to spur us to live as a testimony to the world around us. We are living examples of the fact that You will sustain and deliver Your Saints through every trial and tribulation (John 9:3). Remind us to look to the eternal consequences of every situation, because the aspects of this world are simply temporal and fleeting (2 Corinthians 4:18). Thank You for comforting us in all of our trials, and help us to share this same comfort with others who are going through similar circumstances (2 Corinthians 1: 4-5).

Thought for the Day:

Our suffering in this world will provide for us an exceptionally, enormous, eternal compensation in Heaven. – 2 Corinthians 4:17