A
Word In Due Season
1st Week of February 2009
02/02/09
HOW LONG WILL YOU MOURN?
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1 & 3 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the
Lord hath anointed me ... to appoint unto them that mourn ... to give them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness."
Jesus came to fulfill this prophecy in Isaiah, but it is up to us to receive His
finished work. We must make an effort to get out of the ashes, shake off the
spirit of heaviness, and praise God in the midst of our hurts. It is a matter of
choice and action on our part. When we do our part, God does His part. When He
sees us step away from the ashes of our broken dreams, He begins to restore our
lives and exchanges the empty past for a beautiful tomorrow. He gives us joy as
we look to Him and lay aside our grief and disappointments. And as we praise
Him, He surrounds us with a supernatural garment that displaces the spirit of
heaviness that had attached itself to us.
Mourning is not just related to death. It can be brought on by any number of
other experiences and failures. The psalmist said that he mourned because of the
"oppression of the enemy" (Psalms 42:9). Mourning is a spirit, and it is the
work of the enemy. When we allow ourselves to continually mourn over
disappointments, we find ourselves in the ashes and overcome by a spirit of
heaviness. We are weighed down with the cares of life. In our devastation,
hopelessness engulfs us. We can see no beauty and we have no joy.
Ecclesiastes 3:4-6 says, "There is a time to weep ... a time to mourn ... a time
to lose." These times bring understanding and insight into our lives, causing us
to have compassion for others who may be experiencing the same conflicts. But
there comes a time to move out of that state of mourning and allow God to heal
our hearts of its hurts and wounds, for there is a time to "laugh ... a time to
dance ... and a time to receive."
Samuel mourned because Saul had rebelled against God. God asked Samuel, "How
long will you mourn?" (I Samuel 15:35 & 16). God wanted Samuel to forget the
past and go on with the future. Paul said it another way in Philippians 3:13-14.
He said, "Forget the past." In other words, quit mourning over what could have
been or should have been. You must look to the future and "press towards the
mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." God wants to bring restoration
to you. If you allow Him, God will use every bitter situation that you have
encountered to enrich your life and cause "all things to work together for your
good" (Romans 8:28). God extends His Spirit of Grace to you. How long will you
mourn? Begin this very moment to allow God to supernaturally move you from
mourning into a place of beauty, joy, and praise. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/03/09
YOU ARE A VOICE
Scripture: John 1:23 "John said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord."
There are two groups of people:
Those who have something to say.
And those who feel they just have to say something.
John the Baptist was one of those who had something to say. His message was one
of great importance. He did not talk of himself but instead used his voice to
prepare and make the way straight for Jesus to come. When asked, "Who are you,
and what do you say about yourself?" he answered and made it very plain that He
was not the Christ but just a voice preparing the way for the coming of the
Lord.
John was doing in the spiritual what the custom of the land called for in the
natural. It was the custom in the East to send a group of men before a king or
prince to physically clear the way for his coming. They took away the stones,
cleared out the thorns and bushes, and leveled the ground as much as possible.
They would build bridges and find the places in the streams or rivers that were
more passable. They did whatever was necessary to make it easier for the king's
travel. John was trying to get the hearts of men ready to receive the Messiah.
As you consider the calling of God on your life, you may feel insignificant
compared to others. You may think that you can't do much in this battle for the
Lord, as you may not have the education or abilities that you think you need.
But like John the Baptist, you have a voice that God can use to prepare the way
for Him to come into someone else's life. You may be their only bridge to
eternity. Your assignment is to simply clear the way by speaking God's Word to
those you come into contact with, loving and ministering to their needs, and
being the best witness that you can be in your personal life. When you speak for
the Lord, you have something important to say, for your words become light and
life. You are a voice. God can use your simple witness and testimony to remove
the stones and thorns or build a bridge in the lives of others. If you allow
Him, the Lord will use you to prepare the way for the Holy Spirit to save,
bless, and encourage those about you. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/04/09
BE NOT AFRAID
Scripture: Joshua 1:9 "Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good
courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you
where ever you go."
It is said that courage is the art of not allowing anyone to know that you are
scared to death. Can you imagine how Joshua felt when God chose him to take the
place of Moses? After Moses' death, Joshua was chosen to lead the people across
the Jordan into the Promised Land. He was to follow in the steps of a man whom
God had used for forty years to bring the plagues on Egypt, part the Red Sea,
provide daily manna from Heaven, water from the rocks, and generally be
responsible for millions of people. Moses had been the people's link to God, and
now it was Joshua's turn. What an overwhelming assignment this must have seemed.
It is no wonder that God gave this commandment to Joshua, "Be of good courage;
be not afraid." God could not allow His chosen leader to stand before the people
in weakness, fear, discouragement, and dismay, so He told Joshua to resist the
feelings that may try to overwhelm him. He was telling Joshua "Be strong whether
you feel like it or not!" Joyce Meyer says when God tells you to do something,
"Do it afraid!" Feelings have nothing to do with completing the assignment. We
can complete our assignments just as Joshua did because of the promise that
comes with the commission. Like Joshua's word from the Lord, when God tells you
to do something, He is with you wherever He sends you and He will help you do
what He told you to do.
The psalmist said, "Be of good courage, and God shall strengthen your heart"
(Psalms 27:14 and 31:24). When we choose to be strong in our minds and act
courageously, God is able to strengthen our spirit, or the inner man of our
hearts. As God strengthens our hearts doubt and fear will not be able to
manipulate us and discouragement will not be able to control us. We know for
sure that regardless of what comes against us, God will never leave us, fail us,
or forsake us. So we must simply trust and obey. When God gives an assignment,
He also issues the command, "Do not be afraid" and that command comes with the
promise, "For, I am with you." +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/05/09
WAIT FOR THE ANSWER
Scripture: Isaiah 52:12 "For you shall not go out with haste, nor by flight: for
the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward."
The prophet Isaiah spoke to the people and told them not to be so hasty in
trying to leave the situation they were in, but to wait on God to go before
them. These words also speak to us today, for many times we either want to run
ahead of God or take flight and run away from the things that are plaguing our
hearts and souls. Because we have been conditioned by our fast paced society, we
find it hard to slow down and wait for answers and directions from God. Many
times our own hasty decisions and actions cause our downfall and defeat. In the
end, we find ourselves admitting that in the depths of our soul, we could sense
that God was dealing with us and we are forced to acknowledge that we had
refused to patiently wait.
I heard a reputable and trustworthy minister on the radio tell a story, which he
said was true. He had read about an incident that was so bizarre that he,
himself, confessed that it was hard to believe even though it came through
reliable sources. In fact, he said that he had to read the article twice to make
sure the facts were correct. The news article declared that a military plane was
going so fast that it actually passed up the ammunition that it had fired and
ended up shooting itself.
Have you ever felt like this has happened to you? In your haste to achieve
answers to your situation or find your direction in life, you acted too quickly
and the end result brought confusion and defeat rather than joy and victory.
Like the plane, you were going so fast in your attempt to solve your problems by
your own means that you ended up spiritually shooting yourself. You sought God
for direction, but instead of waiting for Him to show you the way, you followed
your own plan and missed the path that He had ordained for you. You prayed for
healing but did not wait on His healing to come, and ended up spending money on
medical bills that gave no answers. You asked God for provision for your
material needs, but before His answer came, you borrowed instead. You sought God
concerning the questions in your heart, but was too busy to wait for His
answers.
You must always be conscience that your life is in God's hands and you must
determine to slow down and wait on Him. Life is difficult as it is and you can't
afford to be an enemy to yourself. Allow God time to go before you if you want
Him to clear the way and lead you down the right path. When you wait upon God
and refuse to act in haste, He will be your reward. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
02/06/09
SEED AND BREAD
Scripture: Isaiah 55:10-11 "As the rain and snow comes down from the heavens
... that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word
be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void."
God doesn't speak random words, for each word that He speaks is full of power and brings about a life changing result. When He said, "Let there be light," there was light. When He spoke the sun, moon, and stars into existence, they appeared. He hasn't changed in His methods and His words are still creative. He has a unique purpose for each and every word that He speaks to us. His Word is like the rain and snow that comes down from the heavens and waters the earth. It brings life and causes our faith to grow just like the rain causes the things on the earth to grow. Neither the rain nor God's Word ever returns to Him with void written on them. They are both accountable to God and accomplish the work that He designed for them to do.
When God
sends forth His Word, Isaiah said that it produces two effects; seed to the
sower and bread to the eater. As we hear the Word of God, those two things
should happen in our lives. First, His Word should strengthen, grow, and
nourish us within our spirits like natural bread does for our bodies. His word
should sustain us in our daily life by giving us direction, correction, hope,
and encouragement. That is the reason it is so important to feed on God's Word
daily, for we need continual spiritual nourishment. Jesus said, "Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the
Father" (Luke 4:4). God's word that comes down from Heaven is our spiritual
bread and gives spiritual life.
Second, God's Word should also be seed that we sow, or words that we can share
with others to strengthen, encourage, and nourish their spirits in their daily
life. Jesus intended for us to pass along God's Word to others as He told us to
"Go into all the word and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15). We are to be a sower
of the Word and bring the same direction, correction, hope, and encouragement
that we have received from the Word. Each time we hear a good sermon or Bible
study or read a book or devotional, we should share those thoughts with someone
else along the way who might need a word of encouragement. God rarely speaks
audibly to mankind, but He allows you to be the voice of His Word in this
earth. With each opportunity that is presented, begin to receive God's Word as
your own bread and then sow it as seed into the lives of others. You will be
blessed! +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
A
Word In Due Season
2nd Week of February 2009
02/09/09
TRUST GOD'S LIGHT
Scripture: Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my
path."
Life is a wonderful journey with God as our guide. He covers the earth with His
presence and with each step that we take, He goes before us. He makes the
crooked ways straight and gives light to our path. He never sleeps, slumbers, or
takes vacations. He is with us and will always be with us even until the end of
the world. His hand is not shortened so that He cannot touch us, His ears are
not deaf to our voices, and His eyes are not dim to see the things that surround
us. He knows everything about the road that we are taking and He also knows what
lies ahead.
We want to know what the future holds and desire that our way be flooded with
light. Yet, even though God may give us a glimpse into the future, He most often
gives us a lamp that only sheds light to our feet and to the next few steps that
we are to take. He speaks into our lives and illuminates our spirits through His
word. He leads us down the pathway one step at a time, gently taking us through
valleys and strengthening us as we push our way up the mountains. He is there
speaking to us when we must cross the rivers or the dry barren deserts. He is in
our midst when things are calm and is also there when the storms of life are
raging about us. He has a word for every season of our lives. He carries our
burdens, shares our sorrows, and His love and compassions never end. He laughs
with us and cries with us. He also celebrates when we celebrate and hurts when
we hurt. He meets us at our present moment and gives us encouragement and hope
in our journey.
A few years ago, I had to make a crucial decision that would affect the rest of
my life. It was the hardest decision that I ever faced and it took months for me
to come to a final conclusion. I sought the Lord, I followed His Spirit of
peace, and I walked in all the light that I had at the time. God's light seemed
to be a small circle around me and I could see nothing outside of the
circumference of that circle because of the darkness that surrounded me. I had
God's answer, but I could not see the end results. It was a very sad time
because I did not know what the future held or if I would ever find joy again.
After the decision was final and my commitment was made, the enemy began to sow
doubt in my mind. He tormented me with thoughts in an effort to draw me back to
his plan. Yet, God is always faithful and gives light within our being. As I
sought the Lord, He reminded me of the light that He had shown within my heart
when I was making my decision. His light had guided me through the darkest hours
of my life and His word had been my lamp. He had spoken to me through His word
and the devil was simply trying to put that light out with doubt and confusion.
When I realized what was happening, faith arose within my heart and the peace of
God assured me that I was going in the right direction. The circumstances had
not changed so I disallowed the breath of Satan to blow out the light. I
continued to walk in the light that I had experienced when I sought for God's
answer. I set my heart to believe God and trust His word and promises although I
could not see their fulfillment at the time.
Years later, I know that I made the right decision and I wonder now how it could
have been so hard at the time. Yet, I have come to realize that there are dark
shadows in every valley of decision. The harder the decision, the darker the
shadows. Out of my experience, I want to encourage you to lean upon God as you
journey through life. There will be many decisions that you will have to make.
And to make the best choices for your life, you must allow God and His word to
be a lamp to your feet and then trust in His light. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
02/10/09
WINGS AS EAGLES
Scripture: Isaiah 40:31 "They shall mount up with wings as eagles."
Who would not like to take advantage of this promise, for the eagle is majestic
in flight? It is the king of all the birds and is set apart from all others
because of its beauty and dignity. Yet, who of us are willing to make the
sufficient sacrifice that will enable us to obtain this grand experience of
mounting up with wings as eagles? For, this promise is made only to those who
will take the time to wait upon God. Waiting can either be the idea of lingering
in God's presence, serving Him in obedience, or being submissive to His perfect
timing. Either way, "to wait" demands putting aside all natural desires and
instincts and seeking first the kingdom of God and His perfect will.
The condition of the wings is very important to the eagle. For the eagle to be
able to mount up and soar through the heavens, it must take the time to prepare
its feathers. This is a daily process in which the eagle isolates itself from
every distraction and spends at least an hour each day preening its feathers. As
the eagle preens its feathers, it passes each one through its beak and exhales
air, which cleans and seals the individual hairs of the feathers together.
Through this same process, the outer feathers are treated with a chemical that
is secreted by the preening gland. This preparation is done at the beginning of
each day. Only through the patience of this process can the eagle's feathers be
strengthened enough to endure the abuse from the winds and weather and its wings
be made sturdy enough to capture its prey.
The eagle doesn't bat its wings as the other birds do. It learns to master the
winds through submission. It doesn't lean on its own strength, but gives itself
totally to the force of the wind that is under it. And even though the eagle has
made every preparation for flight, it never moves in presumption. It waits
patiently for the wind, for it recognizes that the wind is its power. As with
the eagle, our strength also rests in the power of the winds of the Spirit and
our times must be left in God's hands. All we can do is wait in His presence and
prepare our wings for the day by examining and spiritually cleansing our lives.
As we do, God will seal His strength into our very being and make us ready to
endure the challenge of the battles and abuses that are set before us. As we
wait upon the Lord, He will make known His purposes and give clear directions.
Because we have been strengthened in His presence, we won't grow weary or faint
batting our wings in fury. Instead, we will catch the winds of the Spirit and
mount up with wings as the eagles. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
02/11/09
SPIRITUAL FIREWALLS
Scripture: Proverbs 10:12 "Love covers all sins."
Firewalls are built between the units in apartments and commercial buildings
so that if a fire breaks out in one unit, it can be contained. This is a
sensible solution and is intended to keep the fire from spreading and doing
greater damage. Unknowingly, we build walls of this sort within our own
hearts in an effort to keep ourselves from being hurt from without. It
starts with one wall but grows with every disappointment that we face. When
we are hurt in a relationship, we build a wall and vow that we will never
give in to love again. When those we esteem and honor in ministry fail
before our eyes, we build another wall and disallow ourselves to trust
leadership. When friends turn against us, another wall goes up to protect us
from future rejection. If we loan money out and it doesn't return, we put
our guard up so that we are not taken advantage of the next time. Even with
spiritual things, we lose faith and build walls. We feel that we can't trust
God anymore because our prayers were seemingly not answered, our healing
didn't come, and restoration didn't happen.
Each time we are disillusioned and build a wall to shut out our
disappointments, we move further away from being able to trust others and
having faith for our own situations. It eventually becomes impossible for
anyone to penetrate these firewalls that we have created. But worse still,
these walls create a place of captivity for our own souls. The devil uses
this tool to build a wedge between us and the joys of life. The walls
dictate our boundaries and control our lives because we are limited by our
own thoughts and are unable to move beyond the confines of the strongholds
that we have allowed our own minds to build.
I Peter 4:8 says the same thing that Solomon said. "Love covers a multitude
of sin." Love disregards the hurts and pains that are experienced and
refuses to protect itself by building firewalls. Love follows God's example
and continues to love and forgive in spite of all the failures it witnesses
in those that it loves. God never builds a wall to shut us out of His heart.
Even though we may fail Him, reject Him, or take advantage of His blessings,
He keeps the way clear between us and allows us to approach Him so that we
may find His forgiveness and gain His favor. His love never fails, and we
cannot allow our love to fail either. We must tear down the firewalls that
our hearts have built and allow ourselves to be vulnerable to love and to be
loved. Just as God's love covers all of our sins, we must allow our love to
cover one another's transgressions. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
02/12/09
SINCERE LOVE
Scripture: Romans 12:9 "Let your love be sincere."
When I took Latin as my foreign language in high school, I learned the true
meaning of the word sincere. When the word sincere was originally created, it
meant "without wax." The word came into being because many of the vendors at
that time came to the marketplace with the intentions of deceiving their buyers.
They often hid pockets of heavy wax within the center of their precious metals
in order to increase the weight and increase the value. They overlaid the
waxed-filled items with the precious metals and even though it looked good on
the outside, the inside was fake. The buyer had to be cautious and able to
determine if the wares they were receiving were truly sincere or if they were
actually full of wax. Today, we sign letters with the words "Sincerely" in an
effort to convey that our words are true and that our affections are genuine.
Many of us have entered into contracts and relationships that looked good on the
outside, but instead turned out to be "full of wax." These words may even define
our own lives if we seek to deceive, so the Apostle Paul encouraged us not to
allow this to happen. He said, "Let your love be sincere" or let your love be
pure and without wax and deception. We cannot allow hypocrisy in our lives, for
the Lord told us to love as He loved and we know that His love was sincere and
certainly without wax, for He showed His love by sacrificing His life on the
cross. He loved unconditionally and also loved all creation. He didn't pick and
choose those that He would die for, but gave His life for all men whether lovely
or unlovely.
We too must love in the same manner. The Message Bible translates this verse,
"Love from the center of who you are." If you are born again, the Spirit of God
lives within you and He is love. God, Himself, is harbored in the very center of
your being and all that you need to do is to allow Him to manifest Himself in
your life. When you do, genuine love will flow out of you to a world that is
full of hurting people. The unlovely will cross you path each and every day, but
you won't have to pretend that you love them or overlay the judgmental and
hateful feelings that you have with a mere cloak of love. Instead, you will see
them through God's eyes and you will sincerely love them the way He loves them.
When you submit to God and allow Him to warm your being with His presence, the
wax will melt, and He will fill the void places with His sincere love. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
02/13/09
GOD IS LOVE
Scripture: I John 4:16 "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."
Love originates with God. God is love therefore love is God. You can't separate the two nor have one without the other. We are not talking about a sensual kind of love, but that supreme quality that is manifested by giving one's life for another. Words of love are easy to say and cards expressing love are inexpensive to purchase. God could have just spoken words of love to us through the scriptures, but He didn't. He chose to go much further than that. He manifested His love in action. God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us so that He could set us free from sin's snare and give us eternal life (John 3:16). This is the love of God. It is rich and it is pure, for while we were sinners, Christ died for us. His love can not be earned or bought and is not based on our performance, but comes to us as a free gift and is eternal.
I John 4:19 says, "We love God because He first loved us." The next verses tell us that we can't say that we love God when we hate our brother, for love and hate cannot be mingled in the same vessel. If mingled, they will neutralize one another. God has given us a commandment that if we are going to love Him, we must also love our brothers and sisters. Every act that we do and every word that we speak should be preceded by love. The Apostle Paul said that if love is not working in our life, we are like noisy gongs or clanging cymbals, making a lot of empty noise. Real love has substance and makes sacrifices. The price of God's love was that He allowed His Son to hang on a cruel cross. When love is in our hearts there is also a price that we must pay. Paul lists the demands and sacrifices that love makes in our lives in I Corinthians 13:4-8.
(Amplified Bible)
1) Love
endures long and is patient.
2) Love is kind.
3) Love is never envious or boils over with jealousy.
4) Love is not boastful or vainglorious.
5) Love does not display itself haughtily.
6) Love is not conceited - arrogant and inflated with pride.
7) Love is not rude and does not act unbecomingly.
8) Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way.
9) Love is not self-seeking.
10) Love is not touchy, fretful, or resentful.
11) Love takes no account to the evil done unto it, and pays no attention to
suffered wrong.
12) Love does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness.
13) Love rejoices when right and truth prevails.
14) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes.
15) Love is ever ready to believe the best of every person.
16) Love's hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and endures
everything (without weakening).
17) Love never fails - never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an
end. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
A
Word In Due Season
2nd Week of February 2009
02/16/09
HEALING FOR THE HURTING
Scripture: Acts 3:8 "Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the
temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God."
A lame man sat at the gate of the temple every day and begged from the people
who were going in. Acts 4:20 declares that he had been lame for over forty years
and he probably had lost hope of ever being normal. One day when Peter and John
passed by the gate, the lame man asked them for alms. He may have experienced
some disappointment when Peter said, "I don't have any silver and gold." But
then Peter followed with, "But such as I have, I will give to you. In the Name
of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk." Peter imparted something far greater
than a few coins, for he spoke a miracle of healing into the lame man's life.
When God touched the lame man, he left his past behind. He jumped to his feet,
entered the temple, and began to praise God. His miracle gave him a new lease on
life and he was no longer the same. No longer would he have to rely on others to
transport him. No longer would he have to depend upon his family for needed
support, and no longer would he be forced to beg. In a moment's time, with just
a few words spoken in the mighty Name of Jesus, he was set free physically and
emotionally. Even though there were those who questioned and condemned him,
there was no shame in his praise and rejoicing. For the first time in his life,
he could walk and that was all that mattered to him.
Just as God delivered this man from his crippling disease, He longs to deliver
those who are broken in spirit and crippled within. He sees the wounds of your
heart and He knows the secrets that you keep hidden deep within your spirit. God
doesn't want to deal out a few coins or a quick fix for your need. He wants to
totally deliver you and restore the years and everything else that the devil has
taken from you. If you will allow Him, God will deal gently with your hurts and
heal every wound of your heart, but like the lame man, you must be willing to
let go of the past. When the lame man was set free, he didn't complain about the
previous forty years that were wasted. Neither did he dwell on the pain that he
had suffered or the shame that he endured as a beggar. He simply rejoiced in his
newfound liberty and faced the future with a hope that he never had before.
Each day that you wake up, God gives you a new lease on life and an opportunity
for hope that you never had before. With every breath, He gives you another
chance for life and success, happiness and joy, mercy and grace. God anointed
Jesus to heal the broken hearted and to set the captive free. He encourages you
to arise and leave the past behind so that you can be healed. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
www.widsonline.com
02/17/09
GOD IS WORKING IN YOU
Scripture: Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which works in you ..."
Do you realize that right in the midst of your current situation, which may be
very challenging and distasteful to you, God is at work with you and within you?
You may be facing a great mountain of conflict regarding your health, finances,
or relationships, but God is right there energizing you so that you can make it
through the ordeal. He is your personal friend who is closer than a brother and
unlike your friends and family, He will never leave you or forsake you
regardless of how hard things may get.
God not only creates within you the desire to do His will, but also empowers you
with strength and then helps you to follow through until you complete the task
and accomplish His purposes. He makes a way where there seems to be no way and
with every temptation that seeks to divert you from His will, He makes a way of
escape. You never have to depend upon your own strength. God is aware that Satan
will try to sift you as wheat just as he did with Peter, so He set Jesus at His
right hand to intercede and continually pray for you. God is faithful and He
works with you and does all that He can do, but verse 12 says that you must
cooperate with Him, working with God in reverent fear and awe.
One of God's greatest desires is that you come through the battle victorious. He
wants your testimony to be that you are more than a conqueror through Christ
Jesus who loved you and who gave Himself for you. You have a choice to survive
or thrive in your circumstance. It's up to you. You can murmur against God and
engage in disputes with others or you can yield to God's workings within you.
How do you yield to His workings? Paul said, "Do all things without grumbling,
fault finding, and complaining against God, or questioning and doubting each
other" (Verse 14). This may be hard, but it brings great contentment and eternal
rewards. As God works within you and as you allow Him to work with you, you
"show yourself blameless, harmless, and sons of God without fault in this wicked
generation" (Verse 15-16). As the world sees the results of God's effective work
within you, you will "shine as a bright light in their darkness and be able to
give forth the Word of Life." +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
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02/18/09
REVERSING YOUR CAPTIVITY
Scripture: Job 42:10 "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he
prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had
before."
Job was called to go through a very difficult season of testing. God,
Himself, spoke to Satan and said, "Have you considered My servant Job?
There is none like him in all the earth. Job is perfect and upright and
he hates evil" (Job 1:8). Instead of hiding Job, God called Satan's
attention to him. God's motive was not to punish Job or cause evil in
his life. He only allowed the hedge that was around Job to be intruded
upon because He knew that Job could stand the test. When the hedge was
removed, Job lost his possessions, his children, his health, and his
self-esteem. Even Job's wife was at variance with him and encouraged him
to curse God and die. Job finally found himself sitting in ashes and
scraping the boils on his body, while thinking that God had done this
terrible deed to him.
In the process of Job's distress, his friends came to comfort him.
Instead of rendering encouragement, they brought judgments and
condemnation. They had all of the answers but no real solutions. They
spoke about God, but not words from God. Job patiently listened to the
opinions of his friends and made a futile attempt to respond to their
accusations. He finally declared, "God knows the way that I take: when
He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." He kept his faith in the
midst of his adverse circumstances and came to know God not from the
hearing of the ear, but a seeing and knowing with a spiritual eye (Job
42:5). He experienced God and realized that God was in control of
everything even when it didn't appear to be so. Job's perseverance led
him down a path to victory. God gave Job the ultimate assignment and
told him to pray for his friends who had so harshly judged him. When Job
obeyed, the Lord turned his captivity. God set him free, restored his
health, and gave him twice as much as he had before.
Jesus also set forth these same mysterious principles in His words,
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you"
(Matthew 5:44). There is a miraculous power that works when we pray for
those who misjudge us, abuse us, and take advantage of us. When we pray
for them, we willingly open up a channel between us and God. As we open
our hearts wide towards Heaven, God is able to pour out a blessing upon
us through that same open channel. It is like opening the door to let
someone out. While the door is open, it allows the fresh air to come in.
If you are in a hard place, put it all into God's hands and allow Him to
deal with it. Open the channel to Heaven by blessing and praying for
those who do not understand you or your situation and allow God to
reverse your captivity. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/19/09
GOD'S WORD TALKS
Scripture: Proverbs 6:22 "God's commandments and laws "shall talk with you."
When God's Word talks, it is not an audible sound in the air, but the still
small voice of His Spirit speaking to your inner being. It comes from God's word
that is written in your heart. How many times have you started to do something
questionable and a scripture or a thought from God came to your mind? It brought
correction so that you could discern right from wrong and also helped you make
the right choice. That was God's Word talking. King Solomon, who wrote this
proverb, also said, "Bind the commandments and laws of God upon your heart and
tie them around your neck." When you have spiritually tied God's Word about your
neck, it is like a yoke that will keep you going in the direction that God wants
you to go.
This morning, as I was washing dishes, I started remembering an injustice that
had been done to me several months ago. I started having a mock conversation
with the person who had treated me unjustly. I said all the things that I never
got to say when the situation occurred. I was really telling the person off and
they weren't even around to hear it. I finished the dishes and my complaining
about the same time. I then turned the page of my kitchen Bible scripture
calendar for the day, and God's Word was there to talk to me. The scripture on
the calendar for the day was Psalms 39:1, "I will watch my ways and keep my
tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth."
God is awesome and His Word talked to me. In just a moment of time His Spirit
spoke to me through that simple word. In my darkness, God's word became light
and He let me know that He didn't want those meditations to consume my heart or
those words to be spoken from my mouth. God wasn't pleased with my murmuring and
spoke frankly to my spirit suggesting that if necessary, I should put a muzzle
on my mouth. God wanted me to start the day in a joyful mood with fresh
thanksgivings in my heart and praise upon my lips. His word corrected me and
became a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It restored my joy and gave me
beauty for ashes. God can work with us in this manner when our hearts are full
of His word. Make an effort to deposit His words into your heart so that He can
withdraw it and talk to you personally throughout the day. When His Word talks
to you, your life will be changed. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/20/09
EMPTYING OURSELVES
Scripture: Philippians 2:5 (Amplified) "Let this same attitude and purpose and
humble mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. Let Him be your example in
humility."
Jesus gave us the greatest example of humility. Verse six and seven tells us
that even though He was one with God and in the form of God, He made Himself of
no reputation, but stripped Himself of His deity and all that He was so that He
could become like men. John 1:1 &14 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... And the Word was made flesh."
Jesus emptied Himself of all that He was and became a servant so that He might
live among us and experience all that we would experience. His body of flesh
enabled Him to face every area of temptation; that is the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (I John 2:16). These temptations helped
Him to understand our weakness and to sympathize with our feelings (Hebrews
4:15). Jesus humbled Himself to such a degree of obedience that He even
submitted Himself to the death on the cross.
Paul instructs us to have the same mindset, attitude, and purpose that Christ
had. We are to humble ourselves and follow His example. As we begin to empty
ourselves of ourselves, Jesus will fill us and live through us. Emptying
ourselves means that we must let go of the bitterness and pain of past
situations and release all things in our lives that are contrary to the Spirit
of Christ. Then, we are to allow the Lord to fill our empty vessel with the
fruits of His Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We are to keep our minds on Jesus
and think on the things that He would think upon. Philippians 4:8 tells us to
"think on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good
report, virtuous, and of praise."
Two things or two beings cannot occupy the same space at the same time. One has
to relinquish its rights. The Holy Spirit will not dominate when self is in
control. The following quote sums up the progression of emptying ourselves and
allowing God to fill us.
"None of God - All of Me
Little of God - Most of Me
Some of God - Some of Me
More of God - Less of Me
All of God - None of Me."
Author Unknown +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
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A
Word In Due Season
3rd Week of February 2009
02/23/09
FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME
Scripture: John 12:27 & 28 "Now is My soul troubled and what shall I say?
Father, save Me from this hour .... Father, glorify Your Name."
Jesus was able to be touched with the feelings of our personal infirmities and
weaknesses because He experienced the same struggles in the process of life that
we do. His Spirit wrestled against His flesh. When Jesus left His throne in
glory to come to Earth to dwell amongst us, He emptied Himself of His deity, and
because of this He faced the same temptations that we face. Jesus wanted to do
His Father's will and He wanted to fulfill His destiny, which was to redeem the
lives of men. He also wanted God to be glorified through His life. And yet, He
felt His flesh shrink back from the pain that was connected with His destiny.
Jesus declared that He wanted to be saved from the hour that was prepared for
Him. He told the Father, if there was any way possible, He would like for the
cup to pass from Him.
Jesus wasn't blind or naive. He understood the pain and shame that He faced and
He simply wanted to take a detour around the hill called Mount Calvary so that
He could escape the crucifixion of the cross. Like Jesus, how many times have
our souls been troubled and the question came to our mind, "What shall I say
about this distressing situation?" How many times have we faced the decision to
be saved from the hour that was at hand or to allow the Father to be glorified
in our time of pain and tribulation. I feel that most of my prayers are not for
the Lord to be glorified, but for me to be rescued from my dilemma. I don't like
heartache and pain so I tend to cry out to the Lord for immediate deliverance.
My spirit may be willing to do God's will but my flesh is very weak.
Some of God's designs for our lives do not seem to be as peaceful and as perfect
as we would desire them to be. But everything that God has set before us is
intended for our growth and maturity as we are make our journey towards the goal
that is set before us. Jeremiah, the prophet, said that God knows the plans that
He has for us and those plans are for good and not evil to give us a future and
a hope. We need to submit our lives to that hour that has been prepared for us
by the hands of God so that we can complete His eternal purpose. It may not be
easy to take up our cross daily and follow Him. He may ask for our last portion,
tell us to walk the extra mile, turn our cheek to an abuser, forgive a trespass
that's been committed against us, or send us to a foreign field. Yet, even when
our soul is troubled with the thoughts of what hardships His will might bring to
our lives, we need to pray as Jesus taught us to pray; that is "Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." Instead of requesting,
"Save me," we must submit ourselves to God and say, "Father, glorify Your Name
in my life." +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/24/09
GOD'S SUPPLY
Scripture: II Kings 6:5 "Alas, Master! For it was borrowed."
The school of the prophets was over crowded, so the students went down to Jordan
to build another school. As they were cutting down the trees for construction,
an axe head came off of the handle and fell into the water. The man who was
using the axe began to panic because it was borrowed, and he cried out to
Elisha, the prophet, for help. Elisha threw a stick into the water, and as he
did, the iron axe head rose to the surface and began to swim so that the man
could retrieve it. This is an unbelievable story, but God's miracles are always
unbelievable.
Sometimes we tend to forget that God is concerned about each and every need that
we have and that He is still able to do miracles such as this. This story shows
that He is even concerned about the things that have been loaned to us, which
includes money that we've borrowed to purchase things like cars and houses. He
knows that our intent is just like the student prophet that borrowed the axe.
This man had every intention of taking care of the axe and returning it to the
lender. However, circumstances worked against him and he found himself in a
terrible situation. He obviously could not replace the axe, as he was not
prosperous enough to own one in the first place. When he became overwhelmed with
the loss, he panicked, but the God of the prophet Elisha was there to perform a
miracle and meet his need.
You may find yourself in a dilemma such as this where you are over extended in
your debts, either by reason of mismanagement or adverse circumstances. Whatever
the reason may be, you have a God that is concerned for you and will help you if
you call out to Him. God may surprise you in the way that He meets your need,
for He is a God of miracles. He is not limited in any way by the natural. God
can supernaturally do more than you can ask or think when you put your faith in
Him.
God is your Father and nothing is too great or too small for Him to take care
of. "God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). He is not limited by your riches, your income, or
your resources but supplies for your need based upon His riches and His
resources. Don't forget that God lives in a place where the gates are made of
pearls and the streets are pure gold. If God can make iron to swim in order to
meet the need of a man who borrowed an axe, He can and will take care of your
needs when you cry out to Him. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/25/09
LOVE AS JESUS LOVED
Scripture: John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
Jesus was so possessed with love that He willingly laid down His life for you and me and hung on the cross in shame so that we could have eternal life. His love manifested His unselfishness towards all mankind and demonstrated His submission and obedience to our Heavenly Father. Because of Jesus' great love, we have been made joint heirs with Him in His kingdom. Now, He desires that we show others the same love that He has shown to us. The love we have for others may not call us to a literal cross like Jesus experienced, but it will call us to a cross of daily self denial (Luke 9:23). When we truly follow the Lord and love as He commanded, we will find ourselves laying down our very own lives. We will choose to set aside our own desires, agendas, and goals in an effort to help and encourage others. This is not something we will just do, it is also an indication of who we have become in Christ Jesus.
Jesus said that there is no greater love than this, "That a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). As you show the love of God, you make a tremendous difference in the lives of others. Recently, I read that people come into our lives for a Reason, a Season, or for a Lifetime. It is easy for us to understand when people come into our lives for a Season or a Lifetime and we are able to share, grow, and learn with each other in a giving and receiving relationship. However, there are others who come into our lives for a Reason. It is a brief encounter so that their need or our need can be met, and when that need is met, the relationship ends. Sometimes we are left wondering if all the time, energies, and finances that we put into the relationship was worth it. We may have thought that it was going to be a long-term situation, but find that God had other plans or a particular purpose, which was to simply meet a need.
We must
remember that Jesus met the needs of people many times in similar cases and
never felt cheated. He fed the thousands on the hillside, healed the
multitudes, and took care of many physical needs. Yet, many of the people that
He spent His life for didn't remain with Him. There were only 120 on the day of
Pentecost waiting for His Spirit to empower them to become His witnesses. Many
of the people forgot Him when He was no longer the source of their supply. With
Jesus as our example, we should never allow ourselves to be discouraged when God
uses us for a Reason. We must be thankful that God has called us for such a
time as this to lay down our life for Him and for others. God works His plans
through us and accomplishes His purposes through our lives. He said that we
were the hope of His glory in the earth. We are His hands to help, His feet to
go, and His lips to speak encouragement to the broken hearted. So remember when
you love and give to others, you are an extension of Him and be blessed with the
knowledge that you are obeying one of His greatest commandments, which is to
love as He loved. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/26/09
PRESS ON
Scripture: Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus."
The Apostle Paul knew very well what it meant to mess up in life. He was a very
religious man who thought that he was serving God, but instead he was working
against God. Wherever he went, he was a terror and a literal death sentence to
those who professed the Name of Jesus. But one day, on his way to Damascus to
capture more Christians, he had a supernatural encounter with Christ and was
saved. His life was dramatically changed, and from that moment on he served
Jesus unreservedly and openly declared Him to be the Son of God.
Paul never allowed his past to intrude upon his future. He pressed forward to
accomplish the destiny that God had planned for him. He didn't dwell on his
failures, which by today's standards were horrendous. Nor did he dwell on his
past achievements or put his confidence in his own flesh. Philippians 3:5 gives
reasons why he could have trusted in himself. He was "of the stock of Israel
and of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and a Pharisee.
He was zealous and righteous." However, he laid all these things aside and
counted them as loss just to win Christ. He forgot the past so that he could
focus totally on getting to know Christ and the results of his choice were
amazing. Because of Paul's commitment and dedication, he experienced miracles,
wrote nearly three-fourths of the New Testament, and was a mighty witness for
God before the common men and the leaders of the nations. At the end of his
life, he could boldly say, "I finished my course."
God gives you a glimpse of Paul's life to encourage you in your own walk with
the Lord. Your past may not be perfect and glorious and you may have done
things that you wish you could erase. Like Paul, you may have ignorantly
injured those with whom you came in contact with. You may suffer the results
daily as you see the fruits of your foolishness. But the truth remains; you
can't turn back the clock and change the past. You can only press towards the
future. You must learn to reject the temptation to live in self-condemnation
and unfruitfulness. God still has good thoughts for you and a plan for your
future (Jeremiah 29:11). You can still finish your course if you begin to focus
upon the Lord and His plan for your life. Begin today to press towards the mark
of His high calling, and don't allow your past to intrude upon your future. +++
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
Reserved
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02/27/09
THE WAY
Copyright © 2009 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights
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