Be Stll and Know

 

The hardest practice for modern humans to develop is to sit still! In the old days, once the chores were done, families sat around the porch and talked, sang, played board games and told stories.

We have no time for that anymore. We are overly scheduled with activities that will not matter in eternity. God tells us to be still and to know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). Yet, we rarely take the time to obey.

If we will abide in God's presence, He floods our spirit and soul with His attributes and the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). He is under no obligation to give us what we want, but He loves to bless His Saints (Psalm 35:27).

We all have faith in something or someone, even if it is not in God. Our Christian faith inspires our obedience to God's Word and Spirit. The Old Testament, written by the prophets through God's inspiration, teaches us what faith is really all about (Romans 16:26).

If we think, speak or act without faith, we sin (Romans 14:23). Yet, when we live in faith, we are blessed and our conscience does not condemn us (Romans 14:22).

Faith does not depend on emotions or facts. Our faith is renewed and strengthened by hearing the preaching of God's Word (Romans 10:17). This causes us to hunger and thirst for more of God (Psalm 42:1-2, 107:9).

As we still our body and soul, we find our fulfillment in Him alone (Colossians 1:27, 2:10). We have the fullness of Christ in us, just as He had the fullness of our Father in Him (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to live in total surrender to Your Spirit within us, living by faith in Your faithfulness and in obedience to Your Word. You heal our body and soul as we dwell in Your presence. You renew our mind and we lose interest in the things of the flesh, the world and the devil. We find our true contentment and rest only in You.

Thank You for giving us the confidence to come to Your throne of grace anytime for any reason (Ephesians 3:12). Thank You for dwelling in our heart and rooting us and grounding us in Your love (Ephesians 3:17). Teach us to sit still in Your presence and to realize that You are God and no one is above You (Isaiah 45:5).

Thought for the Day:

We calm and quiet our soul like a child within us; in God alone will our soul hope as we wait in silence before Him.

- Psalm 62:5, 131:2

Quicken Me, O Lord

Have you ever felt so parched and weary that you could literally feel the life draining out of your body and soul? 

Overwhelmed with the black defeat of sorrow, grief, misery, anguish, despair, hopelessness, despondency or depression, you simply wanted to crawl under some rock and die.

The Psalmist felt this way. His soul was so troubled that he begged the Lord to quicken him, to revive him, to bring him back to life (Psalm 143:11). He lifted up his soul to God and pleaded for revival (Psalm 119:149).

Being dead in trespasses and sin, we were quickened and brought back to life by the Spirit of God at the instant of our heart-felt repentance (Colossians 2:13). We passed from everlasting damnation to eternal life (1 John 2:25; John 3:16-18).

If we continue to live according to the dictates of our fleshly, carnal, human desires, our body and soul will die a little more each day; but if we take up our cross daily and crucify the sinful cravings of our flesh, the Lord will quicken us and we shall live (Romans 8:11-13).

The Word of God is living, powerful and extremely sharp. It is able to divide the carnal desires of our soul from the divine aspirations of our spirit (Hebrews 4:12-13). As we refresh our spirit in His Word, we come to know God and Jesus, whom He sent (John 17:3).

Rather than dying under a rock, we hide in the cleft of the Rock of Christ, our source of living water (Psalm 78:15). We see the joy in everything and we never thirst again (James 1:2-8; 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 4:14).

Regardless of our circumstances, we are saved from the troubling world in which we live. We count our blessings rather than ruminate over our sorrows.

We live in inexpressible joy, which if full of the glory of God (1 Peter 1:7-9). We experience the magnitude of His love and we are filled to the brim with His eternal presence (Ephesians 6:19).

Prayer:

Father God, teach us the secret to a happy life: one focused on You and Your blessings rather than on the depressing circumstances we are facing (John 16:33). Remind us to thank You even in the bad times, through our faith which is strengthened by Your constant provision in every area of our life; for when we do, we experience far less devastation from our trials.

Revive us by Your Spirit in our spirit, soul and body and enable us to strengthen others with the same comfort You give to us (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). When we mourn, You lift us to safety (Job 5:11). We do not fear, because You lift us up in Your right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Oh God of hope, fill us with Your joy and optimism, through the power of Your Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Thought for the Day:

Wait on the Lord, and He will strengthen your heart as you hope in Him alone. - Psalm 27:13-14