Crooked Paths Straightened

Too often, we plan our day and traverse the course of it by relying on our human understanding. We feel stress, pressure, irritation, exasperation; and sometimes, even sheer panic over everything we have to accomplish in one day. 

Our to-do list grows each day, as we add what we failed to complete yesterday. We attempt to squeeze in all of the activities, which we feel are necessary for us and our family.

This all changes once we determine to trust the Lord with our day. We submit our energy, resources and thoughts to Him; so that He can accomplish through us only those activities, which He ordained for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). 

God directs all of our steps (Proverbs 16:9). He takes the mountains and valleys out of our day, and makes our crooked paths straight (Palm 27:11).

We no longer feel like each day is all up hill. We do not fear trials, because we know that God is in control. We serve Him with a submissive heart and complete devotion.

God is always available to everyone who seeks His will for their life (1 Chronicles 28:9). As we listen attentively, we will hear God’s voice directing our steps all through the day (Isaiah 30:21).

We consult our Father God before we start any project, and we follow His Spirit’s direction. The Lord tells us where to go and what to do when we get there.

God promises to work out everything for our good, as we obey His will (Romans 8:28). All it takes is for us to realize that our life is not our own, but His; bought with the blood of Christ as a ransom for our sins (Jeremiah 42:3, 10:23; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

Prayer:

Father God, You do not find fault with us, and You give us Your wisdom any time we ask for it (James 1:5). We no longer feel any anxiety about what we must accomplish with our day, because You hear our prayers as we rely only on You (Philippians 4:6).  

Remind us not to futilely spin our wheels attempting to accomplish our own will for our life. Help us to walk in Your Spirit and to obey His direction throughout each day.

Thought for the Day:

God will establish our plans, if we consult His will about everything we do.  

– Proverbs 16:3

The Most Vital Ministry

If you are an active person, a doer like I am, then sitting still and just “being” is very hard to do. ADHD affects more people than we realize, and it drives us to keep busy. We even multitask in an attempt to accomplish twice as much with our time. We do not let up until we are exhausted and fall into bed. 

In fact, as we lose our physical abilities, we fail to grow old gracefully. Our hearing and eyesight diminish; our limbs freeze up or wear out; our mind wanders and our thoughts flow through it like a sieve. We may even get some terrible, dreaded disease and are bedridden, hospitalized or moved into a nursing home. 

We feel isolated, rejected and unloved by our family and especially by God. When I remind the aging and infirmed that they can still pray, they look at me as if I have two heads. They know they can pray, but that is not what they want to do. 

They desire to be active again, to sing in the choir, to teach bible studies, to play with the babies in the nursery, to help around the church’s facilities or to cook in the church’s kitchen. They listen to Satan’s lies and forget that God is never finished with us on this earth until our final breath. 

Although we can no longer perform in the ministries we once loved, there is one ministry that is always available to us. We can pray. Most people have the opinion that prayer is the least valuable of all the ministries in which a Believer may participate.

However, prayer changes things; it can move mountains (Mark 11:23). We always encounter God in our quiet times of prayer. We can pray regardless of where we are, our state of health or how old we are (Psalm 86:6-7). Many of God’s children enter a prayer ministry at a young age and recognize it as the most vital ministry given to us by God.

Prayer:

Father God, prayer keeps us connected to You, allows us to receive Your guidance, apprises You of our needs, removes our fear, proves that we have faith in You, allows us to confess all of our sins and keeps us surrendered to Your will. Remind us that through the power of prayer we can preach, cast out devils, heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead as we are guided by Your Holy Spirit (Mark 11:24; Philippians 4:6-7; James 5:16; 1 John 5:14-15; Matthew 10:8).

Thought for the Day:

Prayer is communion with God and that is what the Christian life is all about.

God Provides

King David commented that throughout his life, He never saw a righteous person forsaken or his descendants begging bread (Psalm 37:25). God provides for His own and He blesses thousands of generations of descendents of those who love and serve Him (Exodus 20:6). We are happy and put all of our hope in our Lord. He keeps every promise He makes to us with as much certainty as He uses to keep the world He created in perfect balance (Psalm 146:5-6).

He causes the Godly to flourish like a palm tree. They grow tall and He transplants them into His own garden, so that we are under His personal care. Even in our old age, He sees to it that we produce fruit and remain green and vital. Our prosperity honors the Lord, because it shows the world that God cares for His own (Psalm 92:12-15). When we are acquainted with God’s ways, we come to put our trust in Him, because He never forsakes anyone who seeks Him (Psalm 9:10).

When someone or something comes against God’s beloved, He takes it very personally (Zechariah 2:8). We are precious in His sight (Isaiah 43:3). God’s will is not an objective to achieve, but a lifestyle to live. We trust Him because He always helps those who seek Him (Psalm 9:10). He never sleeps, but watches over us day and night. He cares for us and defends us, keeping us from evil and preserving our life. He keeps his eye upon us as we come and go, and guards us in all of our ways (Psalm 121:2-8).

Jehovah made the mountains and the heavens; and yet, is mindful of all mankind (Psalm 8:4-6). He gives justice to the poor and the oppressed, as well as food to the hungry. He heals the sick, lifts the burdens of those crippled under a heavy weight, protects immigrants and cares for both orphans and widows. The Lord loves His righteous Saints and is their defense (Psalm 146:7-9). He gives His angels charge over us, so that we never stumble or fall (Psalm 91:11-12).

Prayer:

Father God, we will never forget Your promises, Your mercy and grace or the marvelous works You perform (Psalm 111:4-6). Your loving kindness pours out forever and ever on those who revere You. If we are faithful to Your covenant and obey Your precepts, Your salvation is for us and our children (Psalm 103:17). Your love stands firm forever and You establish Your faithfulness in Heaven and earth, and it endures forever (Psalm 89:2, 119:90).

Thought for the Day:

Those who refuse to obey the Lord do not comprehend His might or the wonders of His creation. – Nehemiah 9:17, 31

 

 

 

 

The Trouble with Trust

Read: Proverb 3:5-6
“The Lord earnestly waits – expectant, looking, and longing -- to be gracious to you; that He may show loving kindness, and have mercy, and give favor, and victory, and peace, and love, and joy, (and the best part of all...)  and matchless, unbroken fellowship with Himself.” (Isaiah 30:18, Amplified Bible)

Have you ever had trouble trusting people? We are lied to all of our lives by many whom we are supposed to be able to trust. We even feel like God lets us down sometimes. We put our faith and trust in Him, and things do not work out the way we think they should. We get hurt, depressed, frustrated and ANGRY; and then we start fighting back to protect our self, even when all we usually need to do is to obtain clarification before over-reacting.

After 40 years of life, I ran out of steam!!! I was so tired of fighting all of the bad circumstances in my life and of getting tossed around by the depression and anxiety, which accompanied them. I kept saying, "God, I can’t trust, because life hurts." I walked around almost holding my breath. In fact, I ended up hyperventilating all the time, because I never took deep breaths of life-giving air! I continually braced myself against the next painful experience, never knowing when it would swoop down upon me.

I commited my life to Jesus 32 years prior to this point in my life. You would think I would have more faith after all of that time! But, some mountains just will not move. My faith could not budge them! Therefore, I went to the Bible yet again to find out why I did not have enough faith. I read every verse that pertains to faith, but I did not find a clue. Then, I prayed. I prayed for weeks for God to show me what was wrong with my faith…not a word did He speak to me about my concerns.

Then, one day, while I read through the Gospels again, I ‘happened’ upon Mark 9:29. The boy’s father said, "Lord, I believe." Then, in the SAME breath he said, “Help my unbelief." I was stunned! What was this all about? He believed, but yet he asked God to help his unbelief?

Then, I realized what God was trying to tell us by relating this story: Our place...is to make a commitment to believe. God’s promise...is to help us to believe.

What does the word “unbelief” mean?  UNBELIEF is to.…”distrust... coming from the dim observations and the weak doubts of our mortal nature. It is our human resistance that lies at the base of our lack of confidence in meeting life head on.”

The darkest hour is just before dawn. When we are drowning in doubt, we just need to look to the Son...because our redemption is near. His grace is sufficient to help us stand against doubt. His strength is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace will make the difference in our faith. He never gives us the grace ahead of time, either. He gives us grace for one moment at a time.

God does not want a crowd of strong, bold, impetuous Saints running around the earth doing His work. HE wants to do His work in us and through us. He is the vine...we are the branches. He has everything we need for an abundant life. He is just waiting on a yielded vessel through which He can work.

The key to opening the door to trust is to entirely surrender to the Lord. Have you ever noticed that God does not work on our timetable!!! He can do in one day what it would take us a thousand years to accomplish. AND He can make one day seem to us like a thousand years! Think about the day the rent is due and the bank account is empty. That one day can seem like a thousand years, can't it?

Bad things are always going to happen to us in this sin-cursed world! But, God works ALL things, even the bad things, out for our good (Romans 8:28). Every negative circumstance holds the seed for a miracle, if we will only believe.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when we are drowning in the pain of life, we do not have to be strong. You simply want us to yield to Your will and to perfectly trust in You (John 14:27). You call us to live a surrendered life and to look for the seed of a miracle in every negative circumstance. We merely need to say, "Lord, I believe...help my unbelief."

Thought for the Day:
His strength is perfected in our weakness.

Trials Are Blessings in Disguise

Read: Luke 22: 31-32

"Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly." - Philippians 1:14

So often we view negative issues in our life as obstacles, when they are actually designed by God as blessings in disguise. When people come to Christ they believe that life will now turn into a sweet scented rose garden. Well, it does…but they are forgetting about the thorns! Jesus warned us that as long as we live in this world, we will experience troubles and dangers (John 16:33). However, He did not leave us alone or hopelessly lost in depression. He also stated, "But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). He won the war, so that we can enjoy the victory.

Just look at some of the Biblical characters as examples. Every one of them had trials and tribulation. Job wins the prize for the most persecuted man in history. However, many people overlook the fact that in the last half of Job’s life, God blessed him with increased wealth, family and goods that exceeded what he lost during his trials.

Paul was beaten, jailed, hunted, stoned, shipwrecked and lost at sea (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). Paul endured his troubles by changing his focus from his miserable conditions to God’s promises (Romans 8:18). He was so blessed by doing this that he actually sang in jail! Paul’s life shows us that God uses our attitude during our trials as examples and an encouragement to others who suffer in this life (Philippians 1:14).

Jesus told Peter this same thing, when Satan wanted to sift him like wheat (Luke 22: 31-32). You probably know people whose lives are a testimony to the power of God in spite of their circumstances. Their faith in and love for God barely waiver in the face of debilitating difficulties.

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him; but God used their malevolent behavior to bring Him glory, to bless Joseph’s family and for Joseph’s good. The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did all throughout his life (Genesis 39).

Some people mistakenly believe that God promises never to give us more trials than we can bear. They quote 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 when they say this. But if you actually look at the words in these verses, the word is temptations, not trials. God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.

God does promise, however, never to give us more trials than HE can bear (John 16:33). So, do not be discouraged when you encounter difficulties. Life is full of them. We are either in a trial, just finished with one or are about to go into one. When we pray, God removes some of our trials like mountains crumbling into the sea. However, God uses other complications to test our faith, to strengthen us for future trials or to prove that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for using our trials to make us stronger, to increase our faith and to draw us closer to You. Shine Your light through our life. This way people will glorify You, when they see us trust in You with a positive attitude and Godly behavior in spite of our unbearable circumstances (Matthew 5:16).

Thought for the Day:

View your trials as opportunities to bring glory to God.