Proof that God Exists

 

God reveals His thoughts to His people just as surely as He formed the mountains, named the stars and makes night follow each day (Psalm 42:8, 90:2, 147:4). He stretches out the heavens over the foundations of the earth, which He set in place (Job 9:8-10).

God created mankind and all of the universe. Nothing is too challenging for Him (Jeremiah 32:27). He always existed and He will remain forever throughout eternity.

God thought about every contingency before He created humanity, the heavens and the earth. We have the sun to light the day and the moon and stars to light the night.

His reign over the universe continues throughout every generation (Lamentations 5:19; Daniel 4:3). God creates the winds in their seasons (Amos 4:13).

He even has fun with the waves of the sea by stirring them up into mountains of mighty water (Jeremiah 31:35). He gives us signs of His existence in the mighty wonders He created (Romans 1:20; Daniel 4:3).

If we could ask the earth, animal, fish or birds, they would teach us that the hand of the Lord created us all, and in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:7-10).

Each day, the heavens declare the glory of the Lord and the wondrous works of His hands. In every land on the earth, everyone can hear the heavens and earth declaring the existence of God (Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:20).

The great creatures of the ocean depths; the rain, snow and hail; the stormy winds; mountains, fruit trees and firs, wild and domestic animals, and even the rodents and birds all do God's bidding (Psalm 148:7-10).

The heavens and earth rejoice, the seas roar, the fields exult, and the trees of the forest sing for joy, because the Lord is coming again to earth in His righteousness and faithfulness (Psalm 96:11-13).

Prayer:

Father God, You tread the high places of the earth and the earth is Your footstool (Micah 1:3; Zechariah 12:1). Although You are involved in every detail of nature around us, You also formed Your Spirit within each and every Born Again Believer (Zechariah 12:1).

We can never thank You enough for sharing Your Kingdom with everyone willing to surrender to Your love. We pray that You will draw all of our loved ones to Your heart, until they stop resisting Your love and grace.

Thought for the Day:

If people fail to praise God, even the rocks will cry out to honor and praise Him. 
- Luke 19:40; Habakkuk 19:40

Coals of Fire

Read: Philippians 2:12-13

“Fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.” - Leviticus 9:24

When I read in Leviticus 9:24 that God lit the initial fire in the brazen altar, I was as amazed as the Israelites. Once He lit the fire, then God constricted the tribe of priests called the Levites into the service of keeping that fire lit at all times as they ministered in His Tabernacle.

When we ask Christ to forgive our sins and to come and dwell in our spirit, God lights His holy fire within us too. Then He constricts us as His priests (1 Peter 2:5,9) into the service of keeping the passion of our heart fires lit. It is not by our own self-effort that we do this, but by daily seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), by being led by His Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day, and by ministering God’s love and mercy to the people in our home, neighborhood, workplace and church as God gives us an opportunity to do so.

The Word of God clearly states that the Kingdom of Heaven is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Kingdom of God is not about the tangible physical aspects of life, but about our spiritual passion resulting from God moving into our spirit. He immediately starts His sanctifying work in our soul – our mind, will and emotions; calling us to allow Him to work in and through us as we walk in His holiness.

If you are like me, you get discouraged sometimes when you do not see the fruit of your labors. When your efforts are rejected or if your words go unheeded, you want to quit doing the Lord’s work. However, the book of Hebrews tells us not to cast off our confidence (Hebrews 10:35).\, because if we do not grow weary, we will reap a great reward (Galatians 6:9).

These words admonish us to have patience, so that once we do the will of God, then we will receive His promise. So often, we lose persistence, hope and confidence in our ministry for the Lord. We allow the passion of our fire for God to go out, and we end up forfeiting the promised rewards that come with serving Him.

God calls us to walk out our own salvation, but He also promised to give us the power both to have the desire and the ability to do His will and to bring Him pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). Therefore, when we get discouraged, we can refocus on God’s plan and purpose for our lives, we can confidently do the works God calls us to do, and we can keep the holy fire burning within us, leaving the results of our ministry to the Lord.

Prayer:
Lord God, You gave us a simple job to do, to be light and salt in the earth (Matthew 5:13-16). This is impossible, however, without Your Spirit dwelling within us, perfecting us and enabling us to be ready in season and out of season to do Your will (2 Timothy 4:2) to preserve Your truth in the midst of sinful humanity and to share Your light in a world of darkness.

Thought for the Day:

The most powerful force in the world is a heart on fire for God.

Seasons of Life

Read: Ps 27:4-5

“…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” - Prov 18:24

Jesus Christ revealed Himself to me during a meeting of the Baptist Student Union on the campus of our local college when I was 18 years old. I loved to spend time with Him in prayer, studying His Word and attending Bible studies and worship services. Each week, I filled my days with more and more of Him. Then, I got married and three weeks later conceived my first son, Michael. After nine months of morning sickness, and nine more months of sleepless nights, I conceived my second child, my daughter Julia. Eighteen months later, I repeated the process for my third child and second son, Daniel.

I love being a mommy. I enjoyed playing with my children. I filled each day with teaching them their alphabet, shapes and colors, as well as to recognize the world all around them. They were a blank slate, ready for me to introduce them to life. I wrote songs for them and taught them praise songs, as I serenaded them with my guitar. Each day was filled with new adventures and new learning experiences. However, as they each went off to school, one right after the other, I am the one who cried. I felt at lose ends. I had no purpose or direction for my time. So, I cried out to God for guidance.

I felt led to take a notebook and to sit quietly in the middle of our king-sized bed. I started writing whatever came to my mind…grocery lists, to do lists, reminder lists, lists of people I needed to forgive, and lists of those of whom I needed to ask forgiveness. The various lists went on and on without end. Hour after hour, I sat with no radio, no books, no Bible, no phone, no food, no guitar, and no finger nail polish!!!  I just sat and wrote, emptying everything in my mind out on the pages of my journal. I did this for days on end, until I finally realized that there was nothing left, except me and God.

Through this experience, God showed me that when we allow the pressures and distractions of life to monopolize our attention, we run at full speed all day and then fall into an exhausted sleep each night, without ever spending quality time with our Father. Then, the next day our mind refills with clutter and complications and we get pulled in too many directions at once. We lack depth in our thoughts and actions. God’s voice cannot compete with our preoccupations nor can it penetrate our awareness, because the clutter is too overpowering and we are not listening for His voice. Only as we deliberately enter the recesses within our soul and conquer our cluttered thoughts, can we ever hope to obtain a deeper intimacy with Him (Ephesians 3:16-19). 

Over the years, as I aged and my children started having children, my leisure time increased. I no longer scurry around behind the patter of little feet, but I spend more time sitting at Jesus’ feet. I have more time to stay in tune to His replies, since I no longer race around in tune to children’s cries. I still serve as a pastor’s wife with all the responsibilities accompanying that title, but I reserve my personal time for Him alone. My hearing of His directives improves as I sit quietly and praise Him as the great “I am.” Then I follow His will as I pray for specific people, care for my husband and home, visit someone in need, or mentor another lost soul.

A fulfilled Christian life comes only under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Achieving this status takes time, effort and commitment. He truly is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, a refuge in the storm, and our comforter and guide. I would not exchange one day of my lifetime of moments with our Savior and Lord. He never leaves me and never forsakes me. He is all I need, want or seek after.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, never let us fail to hear Your voice as we wait on You. Obtain our undivided attention. Help us to simplify our life by getting rid of the inner clutter first, and then by ridding our home and office of everything that is unnecessary. Help us to abide in the Vine, and to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us moment-by-moment throughout the day and night. 

Thought For The Day:

Only thoughts and actions, which are totally Spirit-led, will bear any fruit for the kingdom of God.