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A Word In Due Season
1st Week of September 2005

09/01/05

UPHELD BY HIS WORD OF POWER

Scripture: Hebrews 1:3 "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power."

Jesus was the exact representation of God on this earth. He was the word of God who became flesh so that He could dwell among men and become acquainted with our personal feelings and infirmities. He was the brightness of God's glory and the essence of God's character or the expressed image of God's person. His very being was a mirror of God's nature. Jesus only spoke what God told Him to speak and did nothing unless the Father showed Him. He was in complete obedience to the Father's will and even when it went against His own desires and wishes, Jesus yielded Himself totally to the Father and said, "Not My will, but Thine be done."

Jesus followed the Father's plan all the way to the cross and became obedient to death. After Jesus arose from the dead and before He ascended into Heaven, He declared to His disciples that all power had been given to Him in Heaven and in Earth (Matthew 28:18). The writer of Hebrews now declares that Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power or by the power filled words that He speaks. It only takes a few words from the lips of Jesus to create a miracle. When He said, "Peace be still" the raging storm ceased and became calm. Thousands were fed at His word when He blessed the few fish and the loaves of bread. With His word of power, He called Lazarus from the dead, cast demons out of the possessed, and spoke healing to those who were sick. His word never returns void but always accomplishes what He sent it forth to do.

No matter what your situation, Jesus is still in control. He is holding everything in your life together by the word of His power. You have nothing to fear because nothing escapes His notice. He is sitting at the right hand of the Father, but His eyes are upon God's creation. He sees your difficulty, your heartache, and your physical pain. Because He has walked this earth and has experienced the same things that you are experiencing with His own flesh, He understands and He wants to help you. It only takes one power filled word from Him to change your circumstances around. Trust Him as He holds your heart in His hands. He will speak a word in due season and change your darkness into light and your sorrow into joy. Jesus never fails. As your faith reaches out to Him, He will be there to uphold you with the word of His power. +++

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09/02/05

REFUGE FROM THE STORM

Scripture: Isaiah 25:4 "For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat."

As we look at the disasters that are happening all around us, it is as though the whole world is being tried and tested. Our hearts and prayers today go out to those in our own nation who have faced the devastation from the recent hurricane, Katrina. Cities and much of the historical culture along the Gulf have been totally wiped out and are under water. Thousands of evacuees are now pouring into my own area, which is about three hundred miles from where the eye of the storm made landfall. I can only imagine their suffering, for they have lost everything. They have lost their family and love ones, homes, jobs, cars, personal mementos, and even their city. They have nothing left to go back to and seemingly no future at the present. This is probably the greatest challenge that they will ever face, yet many have testified that they are thankful just to be alive.

As we make a desperate attempt to reach out to these precious displaced people, we know that we really have nothing to offer without the help of the Holy Spirit. Only God can comfort them in this time of great loss and pain. We can share food, clothing, prayer and counsel, but God is the only one who is able to give them the strength and courage that they will need in order to continue. He is their only refuge from the spirit of discouragement and hopelessness. He is the only one who can impart courage into their lives and restore their souls. He is the only one who can comfort them in their loss and this time of enormous grief.

It is the same with us. It is very easy for us to speak about hope and faith, but it is a different situation when we are the ones who are facing the storms of life or our own boat is capsizing in the water. When the trials and test come and we find ourselves going under, we must reach out to God for His mercy that endures forever and depend upon His grace that is sufficient to meet every need. Whatever our problem is, we must realize that God wants to do something about it. It is better to face a storm with Jesus at our side than to live calmly without Him. Like the prophet Isaiah said, we must look to the Lord to be our strength when we are poor, our strength when we are needy and in distress, our refuge from the storm, and also a shadow from the heat. +++

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A Word In Due Season
2nd Week of September 2005

09/06/05

FRIENDS

Scripture: John 15:15 "I have called you friends."

What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus. We can unload all of our burdens upon Him and exchange all of our griefs and sorrows for His peace, His encouragement, and the solace of His presence. Yet, we all know that true friendship is not one sided. It's a sharing relationship and there are requirements from both sides that must be met and maintained before a true friendship can be developed. Have you ever met someone whom you thought would become a very close friend and then have that relationship suddenly end? You may have discovered that you were not on the same terms of your newfound friend or possibly the trust that you extended was violated. Or perhaps, you both were so caught up in the routine of life that neither of you could devote sufficient time to the relationship.

Like natural friendships, our friendship with Jesus also has demands, for there are things that He expects from us. To prove and maintain our relationship, He says in verse fourteen that we must "do whatsoever He commands." One of the most important commands that He gives is that we love one another (Vs. 17). This is a simple statement of what He requires from our friendship. When we are saved, we have eternal life, but to maintain our friendship with Jesus, we must walk in love towards one another. In return for our obedience to this commandment to love, He says, "All that I heard from the Father, I have made known unto you." There is a tremendous bonding that occurs when we disclose ourselves to our friends.

Jesus disclosed Himself and the secret mysteries of the Almighty God with us. He has shared not just some of the things His Father told Him, but everything. He extended His trust to us because we are His friends, thus making Himself and His Father vulnerable to us. What a unique relationship we have at our disposal. We have a friend who is Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is a friend that will stick closer to us than our own brother (Proverbs 18:24). And He is a friend who has shown us His great love by laying down His life for us (John 15:14). He has enriched our lives and extended His friendship to us. Now our time has come to reciprocate and maintain this wonderful friendship.  He states it very simply,

        If you obey the commandment of love - you are My friend.
        If you do not obey - you are not My friend. +++

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09/07/05

GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL

Scripture: I Corinthians 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom we were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord."

We have many prayer request and concerns that come to us daily through our ministry. We rarely refer to them, but I thought that I would share the answer to one question with all of you. This person who is going through a very dark season in her life has written several times and recently asked if I had ever been through any discouraging times myself. Of course the answer to this question is the same as it would be for all of us, for we have all faced difficult and disappointing situations in our lives. Job 14:1 tells us that all born of a woman is of a few days, and is full of trouble. In other words, "Life is short and no one is exempt from problems and burdens."

So yes, I have personally suffered grief and sorrow and have faced long seasons of discouragement. Yet, I found that I could find peace in the midst of the storms through Jesus Christ and direction for my life through the Word of God. I have been through financial difficulty where I had to depend upon God to pay my bills. I have baked and sliced up the last potato and fed it to my three children and then depended upon God to put food on my table for the next meal. I have cried out in the middle of the night and saw God perform miracles of provision the next day. God was always faithful. We never had to ask for food, it was there when we needed it. We depended upon God's promise that He would not forsake us and that His seed would never have to beg for bread (Psalms 37:25).

I have been through the struggle of losing my husband of more than twenty-eight years to cancer. Yet, as I took care of him in our home for several months, I experienced God's awesome strength in my physical body and felt the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit when my husband's death left a void in my life. As the spirit of grief and sorrow attempted to overwhelm me, I found solace in God's word that says that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13). I have also experienced other disappointments in friendships and relationships that have torn my heart to pieces and left scars that I thought could not be mended. I once cried so much that I thought that I was going to drown in my own tears, but then I recalled that God is near to those who are of a broken heart (Psalms 34:18).

Many disappointments have come my way, for those in ministry are not exempt from discouragement, heartache, and pain. Yet in the midst of it all, I can testify that God has always remained faithful. I experienced the awesome healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ when there was no help medically. I have also had to depend upon God to start my car, send me help when my house went through a flood, and give me wisdom in other situations or catastrophes. We will all face dark nights, and even the clouds will block our vision in the daylight, but we must remember that just as the sun is always shinning, God is always there regardless of whether we can see Him or not. Even though His presence may be hidden, we must understand that He never leaves us alone. There will be a sunrise again in our lives, the dark clouds will part, and God will bring glory out of our present suffering. We know this for sure that we can always trust God, for He has and always will be faithful. +++

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09/08/05
A FRIEND IN ADVERSITY

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

This proverb confirms the theory that "when you are in trouble, you find out who your true friends really are." For a true friend will love you at all times and will be there in the midst of your adversity. Your birth brother or sister is actually born for your season of adversity and are not to flee from you or forsake you in your time of need. If calamity comes into your life and you are surrounded with trouble, your friend and your brother should remain loyal and also fulfill their immediate purpose, which is to help you. They are to support you in every situation, and even though at times you may be at fault, they are to love you wherever you are and pray for your change of heart.

We have seen this recently as our own nation has joined together to help those who have been affected by hurricane Katrina. This is the greatest national challenge that has come to our nation. Yet in the midst of it all, people everywhere have reached out in love to rescue and restore their friends, loved ones, and even neighbors that they did not know personally. The results of the storm and the devastation of the flood has drawn our hearts together in relief efforts, for we are one nation under God and are brothers and sisters regardless of our race or color. There are friends reaching out to friends; family searching for family; states reaching out to other states; and heroic rescues by private citizens as well as our military. Many have put their life on hold or in harm's way to help in any way that they could. All of our hearts have been touched by what we have seen, heard, and witnessed with our own lives.

However, we all have experienced times when our dearest friends and our own brothers or sisters have failed us. For whatever reason, they withdrew from us when we cried out for help and we have felt the heart wrenching pain as they rejected and neglected us in our time of need. We thought we could depend upon them but they forsook the bonds of our friendship and did not fulfill the words of this proverb that declared that they would love at all times and be there for us in our time of adversity. For some reason they did not express or understand real love. For real love is not just words, nor is it only something that you feel. True love takes action and is something that you do. We must forgive those who have transgressed our love relationships and remember to do our best not to make the same mistake. We must determine to follow the example of Jesus, who is the One who sticks closer than a brother. He is our greatest friend, for He never fails, but loves us at all times. He was truly born for our seasons of adversity and we can depend upon Him to be there to deliver us in every situation and rescue us in every storm." +++

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09/09/05

ALLOWING GOD TO HELP

Scripture: Psalms 55:16 "As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me."

Along with the rest of the world, I watch the news and see those who are still stranded in their homes due to the recent floods along the Gulf Coast. I am amazed as many of the people refuse to be rescued from their homes. They have been without power and provisions for over a week and the water that surrounds them is contaminated. Yet their choice is to stay in their dilemma and suffer the consequences. This decision baffles my mind, but then I realize that they have been without communication and may not understand the scope of the devastation that is around them. We are able to see their terrible plight from a totally different perspective, but their vision is very limited so they hang on to false hopes and refuse to let go.

As I watch these scenes, I wonder how many times we have been in similar situations and have refused the help of God. Like a small child struggling with a project that they are incapable of doing, we wrestle with Almighty God. God pleads for us to let Him help, but we refuse His offer, and say, "No, I think I've got it." We think that we have things under control and that we can hold out. But just like the child who had refused help in the beginning of the matter, we usually come to the conclusion that we can't do this alone and that our only hope is to allow God to help.

I have come to understand that God knows more about us and our situation than we do. I am amazed at the greatness of God. He is our Maker, our Husband, our Lord of Host, Our Redeemer, and our Salvation. He is omniscient, while we only know in part. He is aware of every detail and sees things as they really are. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways. When we are in the midst of our storm contaminated waters, He rushes to us and desperately tries to rescue us from our situations, for He knows the dangers and the toxins that surround us. He diligently pulls on our heartstrings, but we just won't let go and allow Him to deliver us. We won't leave the past behind and cast down the imaginations that jeopardize our future. We can't forgive others and we won't forgive ourselves. Strongholds of bitterness and unforgiveness linger in our hearts and become toxin to our entire being.

Let us make this declaration as the psalmist did, "As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me." Let this become our prayer, "God I am calling upon You because I need Your help. What do you want me to walk away from so that You can carry out Your plan and purposes through me? Show me what I should give or what I should do so that Your will can be completed in my life. Lord, I make a commitment to yield myself to You and trust Your knowledge and I ask that You rescue me from myself and my own desires." +++

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A Word In Due Season
3rd Week of September 2005

09/12/05
MEASURE OF CHRIST

Scripture: Ephesians 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

The Apostle Paul exhorts us to come up to the measure of the fullness of Christ and gives us some words to guide us in the direction to achieve this state. He says come together in the unity of faith, gain knowledge about the Son of God, and become perfect, meaning mature. Three simple words; unity, knowledge, and maturity. Without these attributes, our lives will fall short of the measure of the fullness of Christ.

There is a story about a town that had a factory with a whistle, which blew three times a day to let the workers know that it was time to start work, time for the noon break, and time to quit. The factory confirmed their time periodically by calling the local phone company. One day the power went out in the entire city. Once the power was restored, the clock that governed the whistle at the factory needed to be reset. The factory supervisor called the phone company because it had always had the correct time in the past. This turned out to be a fruitless effort, for the factory supervisor discovered that the phone company had always set their clocks by the whistle at the factory. Both the factory and the phone company had been using each other to set their clocks and possibly neither one of them had been correct for a long time.

This is what happens in our lives. Rather than measuring ourselves with Jesus, we measure ourselves against the standards of someone else, and instead of coming up to the fullness of Christ, we fall short. Our whistles are sounding but they are incorrect. We are like the blind leading the blind or the deaf trying to hear for the deaf. There is no vision and the sounds we hear are unclear. There is no faith because we have set our hearts by those who are full of doubt and unbelief. There is no joy and peace because those we mingle with are frustrated and confused. Like Psalms chapter one declares, we have walked with those who have given us ungodly counsel, and we have become ungodly. We have stood in the way of sinners and became sinful, and we have sat with the scornful and learned to be scornful. Our values have become corrupted and we don't even know it because we are measuring ourselves according to the standards of those around us. We must come to understand that the only precise measurement is the Lord, Himself. We must examine our lives and determine to live not by the world's standards but by the character of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of Almighty God. We will only come into the fullness of Christ by finding the unity of faith, the knowledge of Jesus, and experiencing the maturity that is in Him. +++

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09/13/05
EXERCISING YOUR SENSES

Scripture: Hebrews 5:14 "But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

We understand the meaning of physical maturity and how it comes about through the process of time, proper nourishment, and exercise. But we often forget that Christian maturity is developed in the same manner. First there is the time factor. We are not born into the kingdom of God as mature Christians any more than we are born in the natural world as mature adults. Maturity involves a process of time. Our spirits are gradually transformed by the renewing of our minds through the word of God, one precept at a time.

The second phase of growth is proper nourishment. We've all seen the horrific pictures that display the malnourished children of foreign lands. Likewise, our spirits develop in an unhealthy manner when we do not take in the meat of God's word and grow in the knowledge of Him. Verse thirteen tells us that we don't mature, but stay as babes because we are satisfied with the milk of the word. Because we have no desire for the meat, we are unable to discern right and wrong or teach others because we are unskillful and untaught ourselves. We are content to be complacent, but the Apostle Paul exhorts us to study God's word of truth so that we can understand it and rightly divide or share it with others (II Timothy 2:15).

Finally, growth also depends upon exercise, for your muscles can only become stronger with use. Exercise is an individual process and no one else can do it for you. It is the same with your spiritual senses and discernment. They become stronger as you experience the working of the Word of God in your own life. Being able to distinguish between truth and deception comes only as you develop a relationship with the Author of the Word. It is through experience of a relationship that you come to know His character. I had a close personal relationship with my earthly father. If someone had tried to deceive me concerning him, my senses would easily be able to discern the truth because I knew that he was a man of integrity and good moral character. I could immediately identify anything that was contrary to his nature.

God wants us to have this same assurance and be able to identify anything that is contrary to His word and His nature. He doesn't want us to fall into the same trap that Adam and Eve did when the devil tempted them by saying, "Hath God said?" God has provided the meat of His Word and He wants us to partake of it. He wants us to sharpen our senses by experiencing it so that we will have an answer for every question and be able to boldly face every challenge with the words, "It is written." +++

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09/14/05

THE BLAME GAME

Scripture: Proverbs 28:13 "He that covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy."

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, neither one of them wanted to take the responsibility for their actions. Adam not only blamed Eve, but also blamed God for his own failure to obey God's word. He told God, "The woman whom You gave to be with me", and then He accused Eve of being the one who enticed him to eat the fruit. But the last few words of the sentence says, "And I ate it." Adam was the one who ate the fruit, but he didn't want to admit his guilt or assume responsibility for his actions. His real problem was that he gave in to Eve's wishes because he wanted to be one with her. When God confronted Eve she refused the blame by saying, "The serpent beguiled me and I did eat." Yet before both of them knowingly sinned against God's word, they had walked with God in the Garden everyday and communed with Him on a personal basis. His words were very simple and He made His will very plain to their hearts. Adam and Eve knew that they were doing wrong and after they transgressed against God's words, they tried to cover themselves and hid from His presence in shame.

At my work, there is a standing joke about my errors. When the reports are incorrect and the books are out of balance, I blame the machine that printed the report. Everyone knows that the wrong data entries are the real problem and that I was the one who made those entries, yet we laugh and say, "The printer made a mistake." Even today, many of us do not want to be accountable for our shortcomings, but want to place the fault on someone else or upon our circumstances. We blame our weaknesses on our genes or our past generations. We declare that it is just our nature, and like Adam, sometimes we even blame God. Yet, at some point in our life, things need to change and we should stop trying to cover ourselves by blaming others. We must own up to our own weaknesses and realize that our current actions are not our mother's fault, our father's fault, the fault of our environment, or other negative influences in our life. It is because we haven't sought for God's deliverance and help in these areas.

II Corinthians 5:17 declares that "If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature; old things are passed away, and all things are become new." When we are born again, there is a greater voice and stronger Spirit within us than the one that is in the world. We are destined to be more than conquerors in this life. The Holy Spirit of God guides us and gives a witness and a peace in our spirit confirming that our actions are in obedience to the will of God. The Holy Spirit also leads us into truth and lets us know when we are listening to the wrong voice or going in the wrong direction. He causes us to feel uneasy, to grieve, and to be anxious over the matter. We have no excuse for falling into sin or trying to cover our failure by blaming others. We can ask God to help us in the midst of our temptations or find forgiveness and mercy when we fail. All we need to do is ask God for His help. He will reveal our sins and shine His light into our lives like He did to Paul on the road to Damascus. As He uncovers those things that are drawing us into disobedience, let us forsake them and seek His forgiveness. As we do this, we will obtain His mercy and prosper. God gives us a choice to walk away from sin. If we fail to do this, we can only blame ourselves. +++

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09/15/05
LOVE FILLED HEART

Scripture: Matthew 12:34 "Out of the abundance of the heart..."

Love comes from the heart, yet it seems almost physical, for it can be seen and felt. It is wonderful to love and it is wonderful to be loved. There is no soul that does not respond to true love and it is so overwhelming that it motivates people to do things that they normally would not do. The voice of love is tender yet very powerful and when it speaks everyone listens. Love is so important that Jesus said that it is the basis of the two greatest commandments of God, which are to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and then to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). He later told us to, "love as He loved" and demonstrated His love by personal sacrifice.

My granddaughter, who is not quite five years old, had her mother write an email to me. In her own words, my granddaughter ended it by saying, "It's great to have you in our hearts." She signed her name and her younger brother's name. These were such special and endearing words to me, and as I reflected on them I realized that she was speaking out of the abundance of her heart. Her words were not empty words, but an expression of love that produced a response of love within my own heart. She said that it was great for her to have me in her heart, but the greater joy belongs to me in knowing that I am in her heart. My grandchildren love me, but I can truly say that I loved them first and anticipated their being before they were ever born. Even before they were conceived there was a hope in my heart and plans in my thoughts for their life. God's love is the same. The prophet Jeremiah said that before God formed us in the belly, He knew us. And before we were born, He sanctified us and ordained us for His purposes (Jeremiah 1:5). God had us in His heart from the beginning of time and more than two thousand years before we were born He sent His only begotten Son to Earth to die in our place so that we could have eternal life. Jesus also had us in His heart when He hung on the cross in shame, allowing His life to escape. Out of the abundance of Their hearts, They both made the ultimate sacrifice; God gave His Son and Jesus gave His life. How could we not respond to such an expression of love?

A heart that is filled with love is a full heart and has no room for bitterness, jealousy, envy, strife, or any other negative thing. It is full of kindness, patience, joy, and peace, and possesses everything that is positive. Like God the Father and Jesus, it expresses itself by giving and making sacrifices. I John 4:19 says, "We love God because He first loved us." His love for us caused us to love Him. As we think about God's love towards us, let us respond by opening up our hearts and filling it with people that we can love. There are multitudes of people whom we can bless by the abundance of love that is in our hearts. It is important to let them know what they mean to us so think of the people that you love and tell them, "It is great to have you in my heart." +++

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09/16/05

PRAYER PULLS AT THE HEART OF GOD

Scripture: Psalms 145:18 "The Lord is near to all them that call upon Him ..."

These words were written by King David who knew what it meant to experience the presence of the Lord in a personal way. When he was just a young shepherd boy, David called out to God to protect him and his sheep and God gave him courage to fight against the lion and the bear. As a young man, David called out to God, and God delivered him from the hand of King Saul who was trying to kill him. David called out to God when he challenged Goliath, and the hand of God guided the stone that slew the giant. He cried out to God when he grieved over the death of his infant son, and God comforted him. David cried out to God in his sin with Bathsheba, and he found forgiveness. David called out to God in battle, and saw God conquer the enemy. And David called out to God when his own son tried to take his kingdom from him, but God reached down and rescued him.

Every time that David called out to God, he found that God was near. God never failed him. He learned early in life that all he had to do was cry out to God and that God would hear his cry and save him. God was there for David in the quiet times and in the raging battles. He could feel God's presence when he sang songs of praise and worship and also when his voice was shouting a battle cry. God was there when David played on the harp or when he held a battle weapon in his hands because David's thoughts were directed towards God. Whatever he needed, he knew that he could depend upon God.

Your prayers pull at the heart of God and they invite His presence into your life. When you call out to God, you open the door for Him to come in. It doesn't matter what you need, He wants to give you your desires as well as to meet your needs. Regardless of whether your battle is big or small, God will be there for you. He draws near when He hears your voice calling out to Him. He rushes to your aid when He hears your petitions and He listens intently when His name is spoken from your lips. Your words reach into His heart and stir Him to rescue you from your dilemma. You can be assured that He will draw near to you if you draw near to Him and He will answer you if you call upon Him. +++

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A Word In Due Season
4th Week of September 2005

09/19/05
TRIUMPH OVER TRAGEDY

Scripture: II Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God, Who always causes us to triumph in Christ."

For a short season, I worked with a master craftsman who restored antiques. I was amazed as I watched him take an old tragic piece of furniture, which to me should have been on the trash heap long ago, and turn it into a beautiful triumph. He could look beyond the marred and broken piece and see great potential. He was in his mid eighties and would refer to his own age and the disabilities that age had brought. Yet even with his many years, he considered each moment of his own life a blessing. He told me that everything had value, we just needed to look for it. His life was a sweet fragrance to all that he met.

He never hurried but worked very patiently. It was as though he had a personal relationship with the wood and knew just how far to take it so he worked a few minutes every day on each piece. He began by stripping the old wood and then gradually worked with the warped places until they were back in alignment. When he glued parts together, he allowed them to set for several days to insure their strength. I was concerned for those pieces, but learned that the glue composition caused them to be stronger than the original wood. When he felt that the wood was ready and its strength was restored, he would carefully sand the piece. He only finished with the stain when he knew that he had done all that he could do with the wood, and even then, he waited until the humidity level was absolutely perfect according to his gage. Many times, I would bring him the piece that I was working on with the hopes of going to the next step, but most of the time he would look at it carefully, shake his head, and then tell me to start over. I wasn't able to see the flaws until he pointed them out, for I was a novice and he was a master who had been in the restoration business for fifty years. He had learned early on that each step must be completed perfectly if the piece is to be restored to its original beauty and strength.

God is much the same as He works with us and turns our every tragedy into a wonderful triumph. We may look at our battered and abused life and think that we are beyond help and that we are ready for the junk heap like the old antique. Too much time has passed and we have made too many mistakes to be useful to anyone. We may look at the broken lives of others and think that there is no hope of restoration for them, much less beauty. We must remember the words of my friend, "Everything has value and we must look for it." God sees value in you and He wants to turn every tragedy of your life, whether past or present, into a triumph for His glory. You may have tried to fix your life by yourself and failed. There may be too many broken pieces, too much heartache, and too much pain from the past. But Jesus is the Master and He can take your life and make you stronger than you were at the beginning. He is able to put your life back together again if you give Him all of the pieces, but you must be patient and allow Him to work at His own pace. The process may seem slow and the season may be longer than what you want it to be, but remember that God is in control. Regardless of how tragic your circumstances may be, you can be sure that all things are going to work together for good if you love Him and are called according to His purposes. As you allow His Spirit to work in your life, He will restore not only your strength, but also your beauty and will bring triumph out of tragedy. +++

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09/20/05

FAITH IS THE VICTORY

Scripture: I John 5:4 "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith."

Faith is not some fancy mental or emotional feeling. It is your response to the power of God's word, and your own personal statement that declares, "God said it so I believe it." Regardless of what is happening around you, your heart is convinced that everything is going to be okay because you know that God is still in control. Faith causes everything within you to believe that you can trust God and your whole being makes a firm determination to stand upon His promises regardless of what happens, for you know He cannot and will not fail. This is the victory that overcomes the world.

Doubt and unbelief will rob you of your blessings and your peace of mind. When you begin to see things the way the devil wants you to view them, discouragement and despair will fill your heart. Satan's concepts will render you helpless when you face the storms of life, and his seeds of doubt will flourish within your spirit until you have no hope. You will see the mountain instead of the God who can take you over the mountain. You will see the desert instead of the God who can sustain you in the desert. You will see your needs instead of the One who will meet your need and give abundantly beyond what you ask or think. Instead of your faith overcoming the world, the world will overcome your faith and erase any chance of victory.

Faith, however, will change your atmosphere and alter the results. It will cause you to look at things with a totally different perspective, as you see your problems as God sees them. You will not see yourself as a grasshopper in the eyes of the giant, but will see yourself as one who is able to take down the giant and possess the promises of God. I recently heard someone say, "A shark in the ocean is dangerous and a lion in the forest is equally dangerous." But listen to the rest of the words, "But a shark in the forest is not dangerous, and a lion in the ocean is not dangerous." Both the shark and lion were potentially dangerous, but were rendered helpless when their environment and atmosphere were changed. God is awesome and He is able to change your atmosphere and render the strategies and works of the devil helpless in your situations. He changed the atmosphere for the Hebrew children in the furnace of fire and also for Daniel in the lion's den. He will do the same for you in your situations when you exhibit faith in Him and His words. He will surround your sharks with the forest and cast your lions into the ocean. All you have to do is look beyond the natural, get a glimpse of God, and allow your faith to be the victory that overcomes the world. +++

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09/21/05
HOPE DEFERRED

Scripture: Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."

Many hopes abide in our heart; salvation for our loved ones, healing, restoration of relationships, ministry opportunity, financial blessings, and security. We try to stand in faith as we wait for the fulfillment of these needs, but often it becomes very difficult. Just when we think things are coming together, our hopes are deferred. The answer is postponed and put off to a future time. The benefits of our prayers and confessions are delayed and the disappointment of that delay leaves us heartsick. It challenges our faith like no other temptation, for it seems that we are left with no options and thoughts of giving up pierce our heart and soul.

Solomon in all of his wisdom understood our plight when he wrote this proverb, but he didn't leave us with "deferred hope." He went on to say that "when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." It is true that many times our hope is delayed and it seems that all is lost. Yet God is still on the throne in Heaven and He is still in control. His will is that we trust Him to take us from the place of deferred hope to the fulfillment of our desires. This happens as we continue in His word. Solomon continued to say that those who despised the word would be destroyed, but those who feared the commandments would be rewarded (verse 13). Even in the most difficult of times, you must not despise God's promise but continue to believe His word. Joseph's hope was deferred many times as he experienced the pit and the prison. He had ample opportunity to get mad at God and give up, but he didn't allow himself to despise God or the dreams that God had given to him. Joseph held on in faith throughout the many delays and disappointments and God rewarded him for his faithfulness. When his desire came, Joseph became a tree of life for himself, his family, and the nations.

Lamentations 3:26 says, "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." It's not easy to quietly wait when you are the one who is in the midst of the battle or to continue in hope when you are the one in the fiery furnace. It's not easy when you've been put into a den of hungry lions because you were serving God. And it's not easy to believe when you are sick, sad, broke, and your hope for help has been delayed. But, like Joseph and many other heroes of faith in the scriptures who faced disappointments, you must continue to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. God is working even in the midst of your darkness and stands somewhere in the shadows. He is hidden even in the storm clouds of your life. The answer to your prayers may be delayed just as Daniel's prayer was delayed twenty-one days. Yet you must not give up or allow yourself to be heart sick. You must take courage, for your deliverance is on its way, and when your answer comes it will be a tree of life for you and all of those around you. +++

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09/22/05

THE LORD'S CORRECTION

Scripture: Proverbs 3:12 (Living Bible) "Do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for His punishment is proof of His love."

Correction, chastisement, reprove, discipline, and punishment do not sound like words of love, but they really are. You know, yourself, that you correct your own children because you love them and you punish them because you want to save them from all of the heartache and pain that an undisciplined life will bring. Many times we have declared our love right in the midst of rendering punishment with such words as, "I am punishing you because I love you" or "This hurts me more than it hurts you." One young child responded to his dad with these words, "Well, in that case, I wish that you didn't love me so much."

God loves and corrects us just like a natural father who corrects his own children because he loves them. And when God chastises us, it probably hurts Him more than it does us. Yet He corrects us because He understands our situations better than we do and knows the end results of our bad attitudes and evil actions. His pure motive is to spare us from the consequences that we face and the only way for Him to do this is to help us change our thoughts and try to direct our paths. When we do not heed His instructions, He then must chastise and punish us so that we turn from our wicked ways and discontinue our transgressions. God has many different methods to instruct us. He speaks to us through His written word, through sermons, through others, and His Holy Spirit deals with us, Spirit to spirit.

Not long ago, I began to pray the words that King David prayed in Psalms 139:24 (Living Bible). I prayed, "Point out in me anything that makes You sad." I really thought that I was doing okay but just after I began praying those words, my close friends and family began to speak into my life and tell me of personal changes that I needed to make. One by one, they came to me with counsel and pointed out all of my faults that I had not noticed before. They called my attention to negative things in my life and instructed me to change my ways. None of them had talked with each other, but each one was saying the same thing. Then every scripture I read and every sermon I heard exposed the darkness of my inner thoughts. I wondered what was happening and thought that everyone had suddenly turned against me, but then I remembered my prayer and realized that God was dealing with me and using others to be His voice in my life. God was proving His love for me and showing me the things in my life that made Him sad. He was answering my prayer. After a season of getting bombarded with correction, I told one of my friends that when I asked God to point out my faults, I didn't know that He was going to use other people to correct me. Yet through their words, the Holy Spirit convicted me and helped me change my life. I encourage all of you as Solomon said in the scripture above, " Don't resent God's correction, for His punishment is proof of His love. +++

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09/23/05

PRIVILEGE OF GOD'S PRESENCE

Scripture: Psalms 73:28 "It is good for me to draw near to God."

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just needed someone that you could talk with? Maybe the day hasn't gone just as you expected or you have been challenged with troubles, disappointments, and sorrow. Frustrations have come and continue to be in your path all day long. Traffic did not allowed you to change lanes so you were forced to pass your exit, you got in the slow lane at the bank, your computer crashed and you lost your information, or someone was rude to you for no apparent reason. Your entire day from start to finish was filled with useless turmoil. Yet there is an awesome privilege available to you, which is a haven of rest in God's presence.

Many things come into our lives to cause problems and stress, but in the midst of it all we can stop and take a spiritual break to draw near and be enveloped in God's presence. When we enter His presence, it releases us from the strain of the day as He speaks words of peace and encouragement to our soul. The Lord's quiet and gentle voice stops the pounding of our hearts and causes us to simply rest. It is an awesome privilege to have this benefit at our disposal and to have a friend that we can go to and cling to, who has promised to always be there.

A moment in God's presence will revive your energy and renew your strength. His counsel will make your path very plain and His gentle voice will direct you in the way that you need to go and help you make decisions when you don't know what to do. He is a good and wonderful God and His presence will enable you to face stress with a peace that passes all understanding. You can experience bitterness, abuse, and hateful actions from others, and because of God's presence in your life, you can still have love in your heart. You don't have to walk around in a fog of confusion when His presence walks beside you. For when confusion comes your way, you can know exactly what is happening and what should be done because God's presence prevails in your life. Floods will come and waters will rise, but His presence will draw you out of the waters and place your feet on solid ground. His presence protects you and imparts wisdom beyond your natural understanding. The power of His presence heals and empowers you with holy authority when you need it. His presence takes care of you when you can't take care of yourself. You can be anywhere that you want to be but you must choose to be in God's presence. If you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). You must acknowledge God and give reverence to His presence in your life. He is watching over you even as you read these words. Psalms 16:11 says that in His presence there is fullness of joy. What a privilege to have His presence in our lives. Is it any wonder that the psalmist said, "It is good for me to draw near to God"? +++

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A Word In Due Season
5th Week of September 2005

09/26/05
LOOKING UNTO JESUS

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith ..."

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words because images linger in your mind. Just think about a great painting such as the Mona Lisa or the Lord's Supper. When you think about these works of art, you can recall their clear image in your mind. Yet think about a wonderful sermon that you heard just a few hours ago. How many of the words do you remember? Unless diligent effort is made to memorize written or spoken words, they are easily forgotten. You may retain the thought, but many, if not most, of the words will escape your memory.

God knew the importance of the visual sense, so throughout the scriptures He allowed men to see things so they could hold His promise in their hearts until His work was completed. These images were their fortress against the hardships they were compelled to face in their journey of faith. With Abraham, it was a sky full of stars representing his future descendants that could not be numbered. For Joseph, it was a dream showing forth his future honor and authority. For Moses, it was a burning bush and for the wise men who sought for the Messiah, it was the star of Bethlehem. Paul saw a blinding vision of the Son of God on the road to Damascus. Like Jesus, all of these men were able to endure their particular crosses because of their visions and the joy that was set before them. Their hearts held a vision of the final outcome, which enabled them press forward until they reached their goal and captured their prize.

Like these men of old, God wants "your heart flooded with light so that you can see the future that He has called you to share" (Ephesians 1:18 NIV). Without a vision of the plan that He has ordained for you, your purpose may perish. However, with a clear vision there will be hope in the midst of discouragement, which will create a strength that will help you endure the struggles and hardships. There must be a clear picture in your mind of the Lamb of God and what He has accomplished for you. Jesus became flesh and dwelt among men so that we could behold His glory and understand His completed work on the cross. You must see the blood that He shed for you as He paid the price to redeem you from your sin. You must get a glimpse of the stripes that were laid on His back for your healing and see the crown of thorns that was shoved into His brow so that your mind could be free. You must behold Him as your risen Savior, the One that death could not hold, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, who now sits at the right hand of God. You must realize that He is always praying and interceding for you and recognize that He is your friend who is closer to you than a brother. You must see Him at your side at all times, for He said that He would never leave you or forsake you. Keep your eyes on Jesus, for He is the author and finisher of your faith, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. With these visions in your heart and mind, you will walk in victory, but without them, you will walk in defeat. +++

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09/27/05

GOD DIRECTED STEPS

Scripture: Jeremiah 10:23 (Amplified) "It is not in man to direct his own steps."

To reach any desired destination, there are several things you must do. First, you must know your Destination, for if you don't, you will flounder around in a sea of uncertainty. It would be pointless for you to go to the airport and ask for a ticket if you don't know where you want to go. The first thing they will ask is "What is your destination?" Without that information, they cannot issue a ticket. Henry Kissinger once said, "If you don't know where you are going - any road will take you there." It is the same in the Kingdom of God. If you do not have a revelation or understanding of where God is leading you, you will not know which direction to take and you will easily be lead astray.

Second, once you know your Destination, it is important for you to follow the Direction of the Holy Spirit along the way. Proverbs 3:6 says, "Acknowledge God in all of your ways, He will direct your paths." We have to recognize Jesus as Lord and trust Him with all of our hearts. My son said there are two reasons that it's hard for people to stop and get directions. First, they don't want to admit that they don't have any idea where they are. And second, they don't want to admit that they have no idea of how to get to where they want to go. In our Christian walk there are times when we get into this same situation. It's at those times that we need to acknowledge that we have no idea of where we are in God's plan and that we have no idea of how to get to where He wants us to be. We need to just stop and ask the Holy Spirit for directions, and then, as He speaks, listen to the directions! Have you ever stopped and asked for directions, then asked the person traveling with you, "What did they say?" When God speaks, just listen!

Third, have a Determination to reach your destination regardless of opposition. Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (II Timothy 4:8). Jesus said, "It is finished." Both of these men completed God's destiny for their lives, but it wasn't easy in either case. Before Paul finished his course he endured labors, beatings, prison, death, shipwreck, robbers, perils with His country men and the heathen, weariness, pain, hunger, thirst, and cold (II Corinthians 11:23-28). Then, consider Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith lest you faint in your mind. Because of the joy that was set before Him, Jesus was able to endure the cross and despise the shame (Hebrews 12:2-3). God has a special plan in mind for you, be determined to reach it. Jeremiah 29:11 says that it is a place of good and not evil with a future and a hope. Ask God for a clear vision of His destiny for your life, but don't try to direct your own steps. Listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His directions along the way until the journey is complete. Trust in God and He will get you there. +++

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09/28/05

FEAR NOT

Scripture: Isaiah 41:10 (Amplified) "Fear not; [there is nothing to fear]
for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed."

Webster's Dictionary defines dismay as "A sudden or compete loss of courage or confidence; sudden disappointment, anxiety, fright, apprehension, or dread." In this verse God tells us that we must get rid of these kinds of negative emotions. He says, "Don't be looking around for something to be afraid of and don't consider the circumstances that surround you, but consider Who I am." Then He lists who He is in reference to our circumstances.

     1)   "I am your God."
     2)   "I will strengthen you and harden you to difficulties."
     3)   "I will help you."
     4)   "I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious right
            hand of rightness and justice."

Regardless of how bad things look, your problems and circumstances are not your God. God is your God and Jesus is your Lord. God will not only strengthen you so that you can make it through the trial, but He will cause you to become stronger because of it. He is bigger than any problem, and with His help the enemy does not have a chance. You are more than a conqueror when God is on your team. He is holding you up with His right hand and He will not allow you to fall. The prophet continues to say in verse eleven and twelve that "those who strive and contend against you shall be put to shame, confounded, and brought to nothing." And "they who war against you shall be as nothing, as nothing at all." Praise His Name.

God is ready to help you in all of the circumstances that are overwhelming to you. But before He can help, you have to change your attitudes and act in faith. You can't allow fear, sudden disappointment, anxiety, and dread to deplete your courage and confidence. For victory to come in your life, you must not be terrified of the enemy. You must let go of your anxieties and grab hold of faith. You must believe that God is God and when He is with you, you have nothing to fear. +++

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09/29/05
THE RIGHT MIXTURE

Scripture: Hebrews 4:2 " ... the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith."

As a child, I remember mixing ingredients together in order to make a paste that we could use for glue. There were only two ingredients needed for this paste, which were flour and water. Later, I learned that you could mix just a few other things with the flour and water, such as sugar, baking powder, butter, and eggs, and end up with something special and totally different, like a cake. The ingredients used determined the results and just a few additions and variations resulted in either paste or something sweet to eat.

As the ingredients in the natural realm determine what we end up with, so it is in the spiritual realm. There are certain spiritual ingredients that become very powerful when they are mixed together. The writer of Hebrews declared that faith had to be mixed with the Word of God for the Word to be profitable in our lives. We may have a great knowledge of the written word of God, yet in our hearts we may doubt His power to perform it. This kind of knowledge has little profit. The faith that we add to our knowledge of God's Word is what makes a difference in what we receive and what happens in our lives. Yet faith can only be acquired by hearing the Word of God. It is an awesome mixture. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and then the Word of God works according to the faith that is within us. In other words, God's Word activates faith, and faith activates God's Word and causes it to come to pass.

Other things can alter this recipe of life and either enhance it or hinder its strength. We may have a portion of faith but have mingled it with doubt and fear, and then wonder why we are not receiving the promises of His word. We may have received God's word, but allowed the persecutions and the cares of this life to choke out the seeds and destroy our faith. If we had only mixed a little joy with the Word and our faith, we could have endured to the end, for joy imparts strength into our spirits. Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the joy that was set before Him. We must remember too, that faith works by love. You can't use God's Word in faith for hateful reasons, for it is not designed to be used as a weapon of revenge. True faith in God's Word makes no demands on the sovereignty of God. Like in the case of Job, true faith says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." We must decide what we want to achieve when we hear God's Word, paste or something substantial. The choice is ours. Are we going to settle for just a passing word or do we want to receive God's Word as an eternal and powerful Word of faith? +++

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09/30/05

WHAT IS GOD THINKING?

Scripture: Genesis 50:20 " ... God meant it for good."

These words came from a man who had been rejected and abused by his brothers. To the same brothers who had stolen the special coat that his father had made for him, thrown him into a pit, and then sold him into slavery, Joseph said, "You meant your deeds for evil against me, but God meant it for good." Things had been very bad for many years, as Joseph was taken from his homeland, separated from his family, and made to serve in a foreign land, yet he did not hold this evil in his heart.

Joseph made the best of his circumstances and excelled in all of his efforts. Even those who had authority over him recognized that the Lord was with Joseph and made everything that he did to prosper. In all of Egypt, Pharaoh said that there was no one so discreet and wise as Joseph and he made him the governor of the land and overseer of the provisions that were stored up for the famine. When Joseph's brothers came to get provisions at his hand, he could have repaid their earlier deeds and displayed unforgiveness. He could have sought revenge and refused to help them or even exercised his authority and had them put in prison. He could have been as ugly and disrespectful to them as they had been to him, but he recognized God was working a sovereign plan in his life. He declared that God used their evil deeds and caused all of this to happen so that God could use him to be an instrument to save many people.

We may sometimes wonder what God is thinking because the circumstances in our lives seem totally out of control, storms are raging, and things are looking bleak. As far as Joseph was concerned, it was about sixteen years before he understood why he had to endure the hardships he faced or what God was doing with his life. God works with us in the same manner. We are not told to understand what is going on, but to simply trust while He takes the things that are intended for evil against us and turns them into good. He trains us in our prisons so that we can be prepared for our palace assignment. Instead of remaining as the abused brother, we can become their hope of survival. Or like Moses, God may prepare us in a palace so that He can use us in the wilderness. He spares us in the lion's den like Daniel so that we can become a victorious witness to the king. He takes us through fires and we come out without burns or even the smell of smoke so that He can show the world that there is a God in Heaven. And like Jesus, God allows us to take up our cross daily so that we might sit with Him in Heavenly places. I encourage you to never be discouraged but to understand that the evil that is coming against you is meant for good. +++

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