Jan17

............	A Word In Due Season Jan 2017 1/2/17 PRESENTING YOURSELF TO GOD Scripture: Romans 12:1 "... present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." I received an email from one of our readers from Kenya, Africa whose name is Pastor Mbogo Zakayo. As he wrote of his desire to serve the Lord, I thought of the Apostle Paul's words, which instructed us to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. We may not be called to be a martyr and die for the cause of Christ, but we are called to present our fleshly bodies to Him as a living sacrifice. We are to take up our cross daily and live a life that is holy and acceptable to God. According to Paul, this act is a reasonable service, for God has never called us to do anything that we could not do. We are to present ourselves to God with the resolve to live a holy acceptable life before Him each and every day. As Pastor Mbogo Zakayo expressed his heart's desire to please God, I have captured some of his own words and rearranged them to form the following prayer. These words would be beneficial for all of us to pray as we present ourselves to God on a daily basis. My Father God, I honor Your Holy Name. Today, I present my body to You as a living sacrifice. I pray that my life will be holy and acceptable to You. I pray for a daily cleansing of my heart so that it may be pure. I ask that You purify my motives, my desires, my ambitions, and my passions. I want no spirit of self-seeking, vain glory, or pride to have a place within me. I want nothing in my life that would displease You, Lord, or cause me to be the least bit unusable for Your service. I do not want to bring reproach upon the Name of Jesus in any way, for in Him I live and have my being. Apart from Jesus, I am lost and undone. He is the very air I breathe and I cannot live without Him. I do not want to live without Him! Father, I believe that You will use me in these last days as You have spoken. I have wept at the awesome knowledge of Your calling, yet, it is not something that I, myself, have desired. Lord, above everything, I desire that Your will be done and not my own. It is all about You! The only qualifications that I have are what You have given to me. My greatest desire is to know You, Lord, more intimately; and to move and flow in Your power for that is what will accomplish Your will. Lord, help me to respect Your Word and not to be involved in deception. Help me not to take lightly Your anointing or misuse it in any way. Lord, I also pray for the entire body of Christ and lift them up to You, that each member will be strong, healthy, and in their proper place so that the body can function and complete the purposes for which it was designed. We know that Christ is returning for a glorious church. Let us be counted with those who are without spot or blemish. Amen. +++ 1/3/17 THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS Scripture: Zechariah 4:10 "For who has despised the day of small things?" We have just completed eighteen years in publishing our devotional, A Word In Due Season. As we reflect on the past, we stand in awe at what the Lord has accomplished through the simple words of this ministry. During these eighteen years, we have received many testimonies, prayer request, and inquiries concerning scripture and the plan of salvation. Your responses have been a blessing to us. Yet, like the words of the prophet, we can certainly testify that our beginning was truly a day of small things. When we sent our first e-devotional on January 2, 1999, we had a list of six people, which included my son and his wife, my friend and her husband, and my niece and her husband. Within a week, however, these six began to forward the devotionals to others, and in a short amount of time, this ministry grew into an international ministry reaching thousands, and also opened doors for us to personally minister on the foreign mission fields. We have no idea how many people are being reached through our daily email devotional, our website, or through the other websites that post our devotionals. We do know from the responses that we have received that we are reaching over forty-five nations around the world. I wanted to share this with you to encourage you as an individual and let you know that God can use you in the same manner. I had never thought about doing an internet devotional, and when my oldest son first suggested it, I completely ignored the prospects. I did not have a computer and I knew nothing about them, and to be honest, I did not even know what email was. When we began this ministry, I had to use my younger son's computer and was so intimidated by it that he had to turn it on and off for me. He would allow me to write my message for the day, and then he would send it out for me. I cannot imagine being that helpless now and it is embarrassing to even admit this to you. I do it with the purpose of letting you know that God can take the smallest gift that we bring to Him and turn it into a bountiful blessing for His people. The Lord is never limited by our lack. I have truly experienced the words that Paul wrote in I Corinthians 1:26-27 which says, "God does not choose the wise, the mighty, or the noble, but He chooses the foolish and the weak..." God did not call me because I was able, but He enabled me because He called me. As you start this new year, I encourage you to look for new ways that God can use you. It may seem overwhelming as it did for me. A Word In Due Season is all original material unless we acknowledge that it is a quote. After the first ten days, I had written everything that I knew and I thought, "What do I do now?" I had nothing left to say, but God is awesome and has been faithful to give us A Word In Due Season to share for these eighteen full years. I want to thank you for allowing us to minister to you and want you to know that your prayers for this ministry have been a blessing. Please allow God to work in your life and do not shrink back from anything that He has asked you to do. If God calls you to do something new and unfamiliar, He will send a mentor your way. Like my example, there will be someone there to turn the computer on and off or do whatever is necessary to help you complete God's call. Your simple obedience is the key to your ministry to others and your ministry toward others will be a ministry to the Lord. Jesus said, "Whatever you do for the least of the brethren, you do for Me." So never despise the day of small things and small beginnings. Be faithful in that which is small and God will make you ruler over much (Luke 19:17). +++ 1/4/17 GOD DESIGNED LIFE Scripture: Proverbs 20:24 "Man's steps are ordered by the Lord; how can a man then understand his way?" All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is meant to minister grace and build faith in the heart of the hearer. Allow this word to minister to you as you think about God's marvelous plan for your life. He created you in His image and He has ordered your steps. Before you woke up this morning and started on your way, His thoughts were upon you. He very lovingly began to make plans and designed the path that He wanted you to take, the people that He wanted you to meet, and the experiences that He wanted you to encounter. He then set about making a way through the wilderness and clearing the paths before you. He also saw to it that the proper provisions were along the path that He had designed for you to take. God leaves nothing undone or to chance and regardless of what happens in your life, He is not surprised. He knows what you are capable of and also knows the degree to which you can be tested. He orders your steps and when you follow as He leads, He promises that there will be no burdens too heavy for you to bear and no temptations greater than your resistance. Look at Job's life and you will see that every step that he took and all that he endured was allowed by God. God was always in control and the devil was limited by God's sovereign power. However, the plan of God can be thwarted and His Holy Spirit grieved because God has given each of us a free will. We can either follow as His Spirit leads or be led away by our own lusts or other voices. The Lord has ordered our steps and designed our paths, but when we are not in tune with Him, how can we understand which way to go? From birth until death, God's design for our life and His plan is waiting for us, but it is so easy to wander off and lose our way. To accomplish His divine design, our ears must be able to hear His quiet and gentle voice telling us which path to take and our hearts must be willing to lay aside the plans that we have made for ourselves. Our steps have been ordered by the Lord, but we must choose to walk in the path that He has ordained for us. +++ 1/5/17 VOICE OF PRAYER Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." God tells us through Jeremiah, the prophet, two very important things about getting our prayers answered. First He says, "Call." Prayer needs to be voiced, otherwise it may only be a meditation of the heart. For instance, how many times in our lives do we face circumstances that require answers? We tell everyone that we are praying about the situation, when in reality we are merely thinking, meditating on the circumstances, and trying to figure out the solution in our own minds. We have not uttered one word to God, verbally or in our spirit, yet we call it prayer. God wants us to speak out verbally to Him. God knows our thoughts and our hearts, but He wants to actually hear our voices. James 4:2 tells us that "we have not because we ask not." We merely think the thought in our mind, but never express it with our voice. God knows the meditations of our heart but He hears our cries and listens for ours words. Throughout the scriptures, prayers often began with phrases like, "Hear my prayer, O Lord," "Attend unto my cry," and "I lift up my voice to You." We get God's attention when we make our voices heard. Second, God says, "Call unto Me." In the original Hebrew language, the use of the word "call" in this scripture means to address by name. Names are personal and powerful. Even in a crowded room, you are called to attention when someone mentions your own name. You become very interested in what is being said because your personal name is involved. However, if your name were never mentioned, you may be disinterested in the conversation. Likewise if someone in your midst had needs but never verbalized them to you, you would not know how you could meet those needs. God reacts in the same way. He responds to His Name and focuses His attention on the one calling upon His Name. God says, "Call to Me. When you speak to Me then I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things which you have never known before." +++ 1/6/17 WHOSE JOB IS IT? Scripture: John 2:5 "Whatsoever He says to you, do it." Obedience to these words brought about a miracle in Cana of Galilee. It was a crucial time at a marriage feast when the wine had run out. Mary approached her son, Jesus, for help and then instructed the servants to do whatever He said. The servants obeyed Jesus by filling the water pots with water, and Jesus then turned the water into wine. This great miracle shows us several things. First, Jesus is there to help us in the time of crises. Second, His miracle power rises above the natural laws and beyond our ability. And finally, the Lord expects us to do our part. How many miracles have we missed because God told us to do something and we failed to respond? We may have been called to minister to someone needing a financial miracle, deliverance, or healing. There was such a great need and we felt that we had so little to offer, so we just did nothing at all. Most of the time Jesus used the very small, simple, and insignificant things to bring about miracles. He used a fish in Matthew 17:27 to bring finances to Peter so that taxes could be paid. What would have happened if Peter refused to go to the sea and fish as the Lord had told him to do? And what about the boy who responded by giving his meager five loaves and two fish, which Jesus blessed and multiplied in order to feed five thousand men, besides the women and children? There is a song that says, "Little is much if God is in it." How true these words are. We hold the miracles and blessings of God in our hands by our obedience or we withhold the miracles and blessings of God through our disobedience. If we want to be a blessing to others, we must obey God's slightest command. We must not wait for Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody to take care of the matter as illustrated in the story below. Who's Job Is It? (copied) There was an important job to be done. And Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it. But Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody When Nobody did what Anybody could have done. +++ 1/9/17 NO GOD - NO POWER Scripture: John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches ... without Me you can do nothing." Jesus compared Himself to the vine and His followers to branches that were attached to the vine. The message He was conveying was that if we want to be able to draw continual strength from Him, we must stay in relationship with Him like a branch does to a vine. To walk in light and maintain life we must abide in Jesus and allow Him and His Words to abide in us. A branch must stay attached to its source to maintain life. A branch that is separated from the vine or trunk may flourish for a short season, but it will soon dry up and wither away because it is not self-supported. Like the natural branch needs the vine, God is our life and the source of all of our strength. All the power that we experience comes from God, and God alone. Without Him, we can do nothing. We must have the same mindset that Peter had in Acts 3:12 when the lame man was healed. Peter recognized that he was simply a vessel of the Holy Spirit. The people tried to attribute the miracle to Peter, but he said, "Don't look on us as though by our own power or holiness that we made this man to walk." Instead, he gave all of the glory to God. God could have chosen anyone, but He chose Peter and allowed a miracle to flow through him because Peter was attached to the vine. He had an intimate relationship with Jesus and drew strength from Him daily. Peter was filled with the Spirit of the Living God and was fully aware that God was the one who was responsible for performing the miracle. He dared not take the glory. It is so easy for us to forget how insignificant we really are when God immediately answers our prayer or does something supernatural in our lives. When God uses us for something, we may forget for a moment and tend to look at ourselves in grandeur. We become like the woodpecker who pecked continuously at the trunk of a tree. Suddenly, lightening struck the tree and split the tree down the middle. The woodpecker declared, "Wow, I didn't know I had that much power in me!" He failed to realize and acknowledge that the act was wrought by God's power. Zechariah 4:6 explains our ability. It says that it is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Host." We have no might or power that we can call our own, for we are simply a branch drawing our strength and power from The Vine. Power is held in the hands of the Almighty God. Let us remember that without Him, we can do nothing. +++ 1/10/17 CRITERIA FOR GIVING Scripture: Exodus 35:21 "They came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's offering ..." When Moses instructed the congregation of the Israelites to bring offerings for the tabernacle he gave them two criteria to meet in their giving. He said, "Your own heart must stir you to give and your own spirit must make you willing to give." There is no gift that is too small for the Lord to receive, but the only gift that is acceptable to God is the one that comes from a willing heart. God despises our works of kindness when we do them grudgingly because we feel obligated to meet a need or when we are pressured to give because everyone else is giving. The Lord emphasized that when we do feel stirred to give, He wants our hearts to be willing. He hates to hear us complain about our own personal sacrifice when we are doing a good deed or giving an offering to Him. I saw an elderly lady who was walking in the drizzling rain and carrying packages. I assumed that she lived in my neighborhood so I stopped to offer her a ride even though I was in a terrible hurry because I had an appointment. She smiled with relief as she got into the dry car, but my thoughts of "doing a good deed for Jesus" suddenly changed to "I am already late, what on earth was I thinking." As it turned out, she did not live in my neighborhood and could only speak a few words of English. Furthermore, she did not want to be taken to a nearby destination, she wanted to go to the bus station and said that she would direct me on how to get there. The problem was that the path she wanted me to take was not accessible for auto traffic. What I had thought would only take a few minutes had turned into a time consuming journey. I followed her directions as she pointed the way, and after going around several of the businesses and hotel parking lots I finally was able to get her close to the bus station. While I was trying to make my way through the maze of this dilemma, the Lord began to show me something. The lady could see me smiling on the outside but God could hear my complaining heart on the inside. God let me know that even though my heart had been stirred to help this lady, my spirit was only willing to cooperate if it was convenient. My good deed for Him was being rejected because my spirit was not right. He did not want me to just give, He wanted me to do it with a cheerful heart. Through the Lord's tender rebuke, I discovered that it was more important for me to do His will regardless of the cost, than it was for me to be on time for an insignificant event. We are very eager to commit our hearts to love and serve God. Yet, we must understand that we cannot offer God our hearts without willingly giving Him our feet to go where He leads, our eyes to see the needs of others, our ears to hear their heart cries, our hands to help them do what needs to be done, and our mouths to speak words of encouragement to their soul. The Lord requests an offering from us, but He does not want our offering delivered with a heart that is just stirred to give but also with a spirit that is willing. +++ 1/11/17 UNDER HIS WINGS Scripture: Psalms 91:4 "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shall thou trust." Psalms ninety-one gives us many promises of God's protection. It tells us that if we "dwell in the secret place of the most High that we shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." To be in His shadow means that you are in His presence. Psalms 31:20 speaks of the secret of His presence that hides you. The following story is copied from an unknown source: "An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God's wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live." These tiny chicks experienced the love of their mother. How much more love has our Almighty Father shown us? He loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us so that we would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). And Jesus loved us so much that He willingly left His throne in Heaven, became flesh, endured the shame of the cross, and sacrificed His life for us. Knowing that you are loved this much should make a difference in your life. All you need to do is trust God and climb underneath the shelter of His wings. He will take care of you. +++ 1/12/16 THE THRONE OF GRACE Scripture: Hebrews 4:16 " Let us come boldly to the throne of grace ..." The Message Bible quotes this scripture in a more direct way. It says, "So let's walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." We are encouraged to come boldly and fearlessly into God's presence so that we can obtain mercy for our failures and find grace to meet every need. We are to approach God's throne of grace with a solid confidence in our heart that He will help us with every situation that we are facing. We do not have to shrink before God in fear because of the sins that we have committed or live in shame because of our failures, for He understands our hearts and is able to sympathize with all of our weaknesses. Jesus knows how vulnerable the natural man is and declared that the human spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Jesus experienced everything so that He could become our Mediator and our High Priest. He is ready and willing to help us. When we come before God's throne with our petitions, Jesus, as our Mediator, is sitting at the Father's right hand and supports us as we present our needs to Him. Even though Jesus sits at the Father's right hand, He is not out of touch with reality or the weaknesses that we face in our flesh. Jesus, as our High Priest, is constantly interceding for us because He understands what we are going through. He was tempted in every area that seeks to challenge us, yet He was able to remain without sin. This is not the case with us, for we are not able to remain without sin. The Lord was aware that we would fail and that our faults would overwhelm us so He provided a way for us to find mercy and grace. The throne of grace is a special place where God's unmerited favor is poured upon us. It is a place where we can find total forgiveness when we make confessions with hearts that are filled with true repentance. At His throne of grace, we can find direction for our lives and healing for our souls. There is also physical healing, restoration, and provision for every need at this special place of mercy and grace. Is it any wonder that the devil will try to make us feel unworthy to approach God and present our needs to Him? The devil will condemn us with true and false accusations to keep us from talking with God. We must never allow the devil to steal our blessings by mingling his lies with truth. We cannot listen to him when he tells us that we are not worthy to approach God's throne of grace. Jesus paid too big a price for us to forsake this privilege or to let the moment pass. There is a place where all needs are met and it is at the throne of God's grace. We must be bold enough to go there. +++ 1/13/17 STRENGTHEN THE WEAK Scripture: Isaiah 35:3 "Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees." We are instructed to bring cheer to the discouraged and to encourage the fearful of heart to be strong and not to fear. We are to strengthen those who are weak and feeble. We are to tell them that God is coming with vengeance to destroy their enemy and that He will save them. These words of encouragement and our acts of kindness are meant to bring hope and strength to the weakest warrior and give courage to the most fearful heart. When the enemy came to fight against the Israelites, Moses went to the top of the hill with the same staff in his hands that he had previously used to do mighty miracles. Moses had used the staff to bring several plagues on the Egyptians, to part the Red Sea, and to cause the waters of the sea to swallow up the armies of Pharaoh. He had also used the staff to strike the rock, which brought forth water for the thirsty people. The staff was still working, for the Israelites were victorious in the battle as long as Moses was able to hold the rod in the air. However, when Moses lowered his hands to rest, the enemy prevailed. When Moses finally became too tired to stand and too weary to hold up the rod any longer, Aaron and Hur came to his rescue. They placed a stone underneath Moses so that he could sit down and then they stood on each side of him and lifted his arms as he continued to hold the rod. Because of this joint venture, the Israelites were able to win the battle. Aaron and Hur may have thought that Moses could do it all by himself because they had witnessed so many miracles by his hands. Likewise, Moses may have felt that he had everything under control. Sometimes we are like this. We forget to pray and uphold those whom we think are more spiritual than ourselves because we think that they have it all together. Other times, we think that we are strong enough to stand alone, but the truth is that we all need each other. Even Jesus had His close friends and associates. He had the seventy that He sent out to witness for Him and He had His twelve disciples that stayed near Him as He ministered to the multitudes. Among those twelve, He had Peter, James, and John, the three who were closer to Jesus and who shared special experiences with Him. Then Jesus had John, the one whom He loved the most. These men ministered to Jesus in special ways while He taught them and made them strong in the faith. We all need each other. We should never feel that we are beyond helping others or being helped by others, for God never designed man to be alone. He gave us each other so that we could encourage and give strength to one another because life's battles require allies. So let us be humble enough to look to others when we need help and let also look for those that we can help. Let us be ready to strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. +++ 1/16/17 THOSE WHO SEARCH Scripture: Luke 19:5 Jesus said, "Zacchaeus ... come down for today I must abide at your house." Zacchaeus was the chief among the publicans, meaning that he was over them. The publicans were tax collectors for the Romans and had very bad reputations, often abusing the tax system through extortion. Zacchaeus had become very rich because of his position and yet there was something lacking in his life. One day he heard that Jesus was going to be passing by, and because Zacchaeus was little in statue, he hid in a tree to get a better glimpse of Jesus. Can you imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt when Jesus stopped underneath the tree and spoke directly to him and called him by name? This story is like many others in the Bible. It's a story of a man seeking God and at the same time a story of God seeking that same man. Zacchaeus was in the tree looking down when Jesus stopped and looked up. Even though Zacchaeus was probably trying to hide, Jesus knew exactly where he was physically and also spiritually. Jesus knew all of his secrets and was aware that he was caught in a web of deceit and greed. In His mercy and grace, Jesus told Zacchaeus that He intended to go to his house that day and eat. Jesus wanted to fellowship with the chief of the publicans and to sit at the table of a thief. And for this, Jesus was criticized. Verse seven says, "When the people saw it, they murmured, saying, He has gone to be a guest with a man that is a sinner." Jesus could always be found seeking out those with needs, whether rich or poor. It was never difficult for Him to minister to the unclean or to the outcast. He had no problems reaching out and touching the diseased and those who were living in moral degradation. He continually left the religious folks and gave Himself to the prostitutes and the thieves. Jesus forgot about the laws and it's harshness and allowed His heart to be tender towards the rejects of society. Verse ten says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost." He was looking for those who needed help and He continues that search today The Lord knows your secrets and where you are lacking. He knows where you are hiding and He also knows your name. He knows your desires and He is waiting for you to approach Him. Zacchaeus was desperate enough to climb a tree in search of the Lord. When you diligently seek to make contact with Jesus as Zacchaeus did, Jesus will notice. He will respond and seek you out so that He may abide with you. +++ 1/17/17 CREATE AND RENEW Scripture: Psalms 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me." Nathan, the prophet, had exposed and brought to light the sin that David had committed in his relationship with Bathsheba. As David owned up to his personal failure and his sin against God, he began to plead for God's mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing. He also asked God to do something new in his life and to create within him something that was not there. David wanted a clean heart and a right spirit but he recognized that without God, he could not change. This is an awesome revelation! It declares that God is still creator and shows us that we too cannot truly change without the work of the Holy Spirit. We may cover our faults over with pretense for a season, but unless God changes our heart and renews our spirit, our sin nature remains within us and will eventually manifest outwardly. This truth not only applies to the temptations of sin that knock at our heart's door but also to our daily spiritual lack. We may feel the tugging of God's presence in our lives but struggle with the simple things that He calls us to do. This is the reason that we need God to create within our being something that will effect a change. David's prayer gives us great insight and shows us that we too can pray and ask God to meet any lack that we may have in our lives. God can and will create within us whatever it is that we need if we cry out to Him. You may have lost the passion that you once had for spiritual things. You can ask God to create within you a passion to pursue Him. You can ask Him to create a fresh desire and hunger for His Word and a thirst for His Spirit. You will be amazed as He begins to work in those areas. If you find that you no longer worship as you once did in the past or find it difficult to be thankful, ask God to create within you a spirit of thanksgiving, adoration, praise, and worship for Him. He will begin to work on those areas, for He loves to be worshiped. If your actions are not as they should be, ask Him to create the fruits of His Spirit within your heart. He longs for you to manifest His fruits. If you feel spiritually lethargic, ask God to ignite a fire within you and cause you to burn with His glory, for you are the hope of His glory in this Earth. Whatever the need, God desires to make the change within you, but He is never forceful. As He did with David, the Lord will wait for you to yield your heart and submit your spirit to Him. When you do, He will create in you a clean heart and He will renew a right spirit within you. +++ 1/18/17 RECEIVE GOD'S COMFORT Scripture: Genesis 37:35 "He refused to be comforted." Joseph's brothers were jealous of him and sold him to the slave traders who took him to Egypt. Then his brothers dipped Joseph's coat of many colors into the blood of an animal and returned it to Jacob, their father. When Jacob saw the condition of this special coat that he had made for Joseph, he assumed that Joseph had been devoured by an evil beast and he immediately went into mourning. Jacob had eleven other sons besides Joseph and also daughters. All of them attempted to comfort their father but he refused to be comforted. Jacob made a decision to grieve over this loss and declared that he would go to the grave in mourning over Joseph. He mourned over Joseph for about 17 years. Jacob did not know that God was working His sovereign purpose in Joseph's life and that He planned to use him as an instrument to save a multitude of people from the famine. Neither did Jacob know that he and Joseph were destined to be together again. Sometimes our lives seem to shipwreck on the ocean of life. Everything seems to be going along fine until suddenly an unexpected storm comes up and blows us over, or we run our ship into a sand bank, or we hit an iceberg that tears us apart. Everything in our life turns dark as we sink into the waters of hopelessness where our faith is tested beyond measure. The people whom we love and trust the most may fail us or we might even lose them to death. Possibly, our finances fail and we don't know what direction to take next. Perhaps we receive a bad report from our doctor or we find ourselves in legal trouble. After the shock of these shipwrecks, the spirit of grief will attempt to find a harbor within our souls where it can torment us. Grief is a strong spirit, and if it can build a stronghold in your life, it will control you. You will never be able to move forward while you are trying to bear the burden or carry the baggage of present or past grief. It is just too heavy. King Solomon said that there is a time to weep and grieve over the losses in our lives, but mourning should only last for a season. There comes a time when we must let go of every loss and every pain of the past and face the future with joy in our hearts. The Lord is waiting to comfort you in your sorrow. You can either be like Jacob, who made a conscious decision to continue in pain by refusing to be comforted, or you can receive the comfort that is available to you right now. Jesus came to give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). If you submit your grief to Him, He will comfort you. He loves you with an everlasting love, so please do not refuse His offer to set you free from your pain. Receive His comfort and be blessed. +++ 1/19/17 BE AN EXAMPLE Scripture: I Timothy 4:12 "Be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." There is an awesome power that dwells within our being and it is so powerful that it quickens our mortal body. Romans 8:11 tells us that this power within us is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. This Spirit also empowers us to minister to others as we touch their lives in a personal way. Our mission does not start with a vision and then end when we reach that goal. Our mission occurs in the dash between the starting date and the ending date. Our purpose is fulfilled as we are making our journey toward our goal. Our assignments are our family, our jobs, our friends, and our church. Each and every gift that God has so graciously endowed to us belongs to them. There is a great need and an abundant harvest before us. If we remain sensitive in our spirit, we will recognize that no place is meaningless. No matter where we find ourselves, that place is an open mission field to hurting souls because everyone has needs of one kind or another. Those who deny their need for others are living behind walls of deception that they have constructed to protect themselves for one reason or another. These individuals need our love most of all. It may be a stranger that you meet who has a scowl upon his face. A consistent smile on your part may turn his life around. I ventured to smile at someone each morning as I passed them on the way to work. The initial response that I received caused me to never want to smile at them again. But as the days went by, the smiles that I gave away soon started to return to me. I began to understand that the scowl was a billboard that simply advertised the pain that was in the heart of that individual and that they just needed to be recognized and loved. The Apostle Paul told Timothy to be an example of the believers. He was supposed to show what a believer should do through the actions of his own daily life. He was to put God above the system of the world. We must make a decision to do the same and then keep that commitment. An example of a believer is one who is willing to make sacrifices as Christ did for the church. We must allow the anointing of God's Spirit to flow through us and quicken us in such a manner that as we touch others it will cause them to come alive. Our words should be examples, ministering grace to the hearer. Our love and faith should ignite the love and faith in others. Our conversations and the way we live our lives should enhance the way others live their lives and our purity should convict them to remain pure. These six words can change the world about you if you obey them; "Be An Example Of The Believers." +++ 1/20/17 EMBRACE YOUR DESTINY Scripture: Hebrews 11:13 "... having seen them (God's promises) afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth ..." This chapter of Hebrews lists some of the incredible saints who walked in faith and a brief comment about their great accomplishments. They were persuaded of and embraced God's promises. They even confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims, not allowing their affections to be tied to this Earth. Yet, if you go back and read their stories, you will find that even though they acted in faith, they still had their own personal conflicts and flaws and experienced their own individual valleys and mountains. There was Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joseph, to list a few. None of these individuals were perfect even though they journeyed intimately with a perfect God. There was even a harlot named Rahab that was listed among these great men of faith. God's Word always forces us to deal with the dimensions of truth and the truth is that God is moved by faith. When we look in the mirror, we see the reflection of ourselves; our lack of education, our lack of ability, and our limited resources. God really does not care about our lack. He looks at the same image and sees great potential. Instead of seeing our lack of education, He sees His knowledge, His understanding, and His wisdom flowing through us. He sees His strength as being greater than our disabilities. He sees no problem with our limited resources because He is Jehovah Jireh and is able to provide everything needed. God looks at our image and discerns a spirit that is longing for His will and purposes and a vessel that He can possibly work through. He sees our soul that is waiting for His measure of grace to be poured upon it so that we can do the things that He is calling us to do. Each journey of faith begins with the first step. Noah began gathering the wood for the ark and securing the first boards together. Abraham packed up his family and left his country. Isaac sowed his precious seed in the ground in the time of famine. Moses lifted his rod and performed signs and wonders in the courts of Pharaoh, and Joseph stayed faithful in unjust circumstances. Like these men, God waits for us to take our first step of faith regardless of how foolish it may seem. What is He saying to you? When He speaks, you must take your eyes off of where you are right now and get the vision of where you need to be. You must accept the challenge to go further with God than you have ever gone before even though there may be adversities, conflict, and valleys along the way. You must be aware that the devil's warfare is based upon your potential and that he fights accordingly. However, there is no problem that God cannot solve and no dream that He cannot fulfill. When God gives you a promise and shows you your destiny, you must embrace it with total faith and take your first steps towards that journey's end. +++ 1/23/17 A LITTLE SALT GOES A LONG WAY Scripture: Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the Earth." In life we have so many chances to be a blessing to so many people, but we often miss our opportunities because we view the moment as insignificant or believe that our abilities are insufficient. The little that we could do goes undone because we see the greater need and think that our small part will not make a difference. Yet, we must remember the words that Jesus spoke to us. He said that we are the salt of the Earth and we must consider that a little salt goes a long way. Just a pinch or two of salt will give flavor to our food and immeasurable pleasure to our palate. In comparison to the amount of pleasure that it affords, salt is very inexpensive. There is a man who comes and takes care of my yard. He is very faithful and inexpensive. The summer months require his care every week, but in the winter, he only comes occasionally. I often wonder how he makes it through those cold dark months. During the Christmas season, I always leave something extra for him and his family in addition to the normal fee for the yard work. I have done this for a few years but never understood the impact of this small gift until recently. I was at home when he came to take care of the yard. I could not believe the expression on his face when he saw that I had left a few extra dollars and a card of appreciation for his good work and faithfulness. The joy that I saw in his face was worth more than the small gift that I had given. Just as your food needs salt to enhance its flavor so it is with the people that cross your path. Jesus said that your witness and good deeds is like salt to a world that needs flavor. Yet, you must be attentive and look for ways that you can minister to others and share the salt of your life. Maybe someone needs your smile or word of encouragement just to make it through the day. Perhaps something in your closet will meet the need of someone who is in lack of clothing. You can invite a family to dinner or a coworker to lunch who is just trying to make it to payday. There are always people in the hospital and the elderly to be visited. We try so hard to be spiritual, but In reality we should never share the Word of God with someone until we have shown them the love of God in some natural way. They do not need to hear a sermon as much as they need to see a sermon in action. Jesus, who was the greatest minister that ever lived, continually met the physical needs of the people. He understood their hunger, was touched by their sorrow, and empathized with their pain. He even turned water into wine at a wedding so that the celebration would not be ruined. He now speaks a clear word to you to become the salt that He ordained for you to be in this Earth. You may feel that you have little to give, but remember that a little salt goes a long way and that the Lord is well able to bless and multiply all that you do in His Name. +++ 1/24/17 SUFFERING AND GLORY Scripture: Romans 8:18 "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us." Everything that we enjoy and every object of beauty that we behold has suffered through a time of intense preparation. The olive must be pressed to produce oil and the rose petal must be bruised to bring forth a fragrant perfume. The dough must be kneaded and sent to a hot oven to produce bread and the sculpture or woodcarving must be cut and chipped with a sharp instrument. Precious gold must be heated, melted, and formed and the diamond must be cut. The moth must be imprisoned in a lonely dark cocoon to become a beautiful butterfly. And a child is brought forth from the womb through much labor and pain. In all of these instances we see that adversity and suffering produces a glorious result. Our lives are much the same. The soul that has never known lack can never truly be full, for self sufficiency never appreciates the gift of God's mercy and grace. It is through the suffering of bruises and pain that we come to know and understand God's marvelous sacrificial love. It is through our hardships and crushed spirits that a depth of compassion is created within our souls. Afflictions become our personal trainer, for the pain we experience in our own sorrows enable us to comfort others in their time of grief. Our lack shows us the importance of sharing with others and our illnesses cause us to know their pain. Our mistakes become revelations that help us to teach others the virtues of wisdom and the importance of waiting for the appropriate time. The disappointments that we experience help us to understand the tears and heartaches of others and our broken hearts give birth to moving songs. You must never be discouraged or allow your patience to be exhausted in your present suffering, for there will never be a harvest in your life without rain and heat or a birth without pain and labor. The Lord sees your situation and the trying of your faith is very precious in His eyes. You must wait upon Him and allow Him to complete His plan in your life. You can trust God's Word and be assured that you will reap if your strength does not fail. When all the trials are finished, you will discover that your present sufferings were not worthy to be compared to the glory that is destined to be revealed in and through you. +++ 1/26/17 OUR MIGHTY FORTRESS Scripture: Psalms 91:2 "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him I will trust." In this verse, the psalmist says four things about the Lord. 1) The Lord is his refuge. 2) The Lord is his fortress. 3) The Lord is his God. 4) The Lord can be trusted. The psalmist had great confidence in God. He not only believed that God could deliver him, but trusted and believed that God would. He felt that he could turn to God in any situation and find help and relief. Like the cities of refuge that provided escape from the avenger in Moses' day, the psalmist depended upon God to be his escape. Not only was God a place for him to run to in the times of trouble and danger, but once there, God was his mighty fortress, providing him with protection and shelter. Webster's Dictionary defines "fortress" as a "large and permanent military stronghold." It is a city fortified with weapons. Psalms 46:1-3 says that it does not matter if the earth is removed and the mountains are cast into the seas. There is nothing to fear because God is our refuge and is present to help us. God is permanent and will never leave us or forsake us. As our refuge and fortress, God provides amazing grace for us when we face difficult situations. The refuge God gives us is so amazing that it causes us to be a wonder to many (Psalms 71:7). Even our own friends cannot comprehend how we are able to endure the duress of our season of pain and hardship. Yet, God's grace disallows the adversity in our life to bring us shame and confusion. Instead, He uses the things that come against us in life to infuse us with greater strength and understanding. Review your life for a moment, and remember some of the places where you found God as your refuge and fortress. Look back at the times that you ran to God and He protected you or showed Himself as your provider and met your needs in a way that only He could do. Think about the hard places, the dark valleys, and the dry deserts that you have passed through. And recall the love you experienced from the Gentle Shepherd in the midst of your tears and fears. Then for today's trouble and anxieties, focus upon God. He is there if you will call on Him. God is your refuge and your strength. He is your city of security. See Him as your mighty fortress and let the promise of His deliverance be your peace. He is your God. He can be trusted. +++ 1/27/17 Jesus led Peter, step by step, into a place of total surrender. As the people pressed in upon Jesus to hear the Word of God, He asked Peter if He could use his boat for a platform to teach the people. Peter and his men were very exhausted and discouraged. They had fished all night long and caught nothing. Dragging heavy nets is not an easy job and they just wanted to finish washing their nets, go home, and rest so that they could go out again in a few hours. The last thing they may have wanted to do was to sit there and listen to Jesus teach. Peter could have told the Lord that he was too tired and too discouraged to let Him use his boat. How many of us would go to church the morning after we had worked all night? Yet, despite his tiredness, Peter responded to the Lord's request and allowed Him to use his boat. We see the results of Peter's submission as he forgot his own worries and fatigue and sowed his boat back into the Lord's work. Peter reaped more than he sowed, for God gave back to him a miraculous haul of fish in a very short time. Peter's boat was his business and the source of his income. His boat also represented his life. God requires no less from us. He wants us to show Him that He is first place in our lives by submitting all that we have to Him for His use. Most of us do not own a boat but we do have other assets that represent our lives such as our businesses, our homes, or our finances. Everything we have came to us because of the grace of God and belongs to Him. We are only the stewards of those blessings. We usually do not mind lending these things to the Lord when it is convenient, but how would we respond if we had been out all night working and God decided that He wanted to use our home or business to minister to others? Would we tell the Lord that we were too tired and try to postpone His plan? Would we refuse His request because we were discouraged as things were not going well for us? Jesus used Peter's business in a unique way and at a most inconvenient time for Peter and his men. God usually moves in our lives in the same way. When He calls us to do something for Him, it seems that His thoughts and His plans never coincide with ours. Yet most of us have learned from experience that God's ways are always better than our ways, and His plans are higher than our plans. We must be ready at all times to submit everything that we are and everything that we have to God. As we do, we will discover that we are God's link to the world. And like Peter, we will find that when we seek to take care of God's business, God will take care of ours. +++ 1/30/17 IF WE FAINT NOT Scripture: Galatians 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." We all would like to be "well doers" who reap rewards. Yet rewards are only promised to those who do not faint in the middle of the season. Look at the farmer who plants his fields. From the very beginning, he has to cope with each challenge that comes his way. First, through much labor, the ground has to be cleared and turned with a plow. Then fertilizer has to be shoveled and mixed with the dirt, which is not the most pleasant project. This is just the beginning of his work, for the seeds have to be planted and then continually watered and the ground weeded. After this, the tender shoots and crops have to be protected from the frost and animals. The farmer cannot relax in any of his efforts or put off any project during this entire season. The farmer not only experiences a lot of hard work in the physical, but must also extend a lot of emotional effort. He begins his process in faith that his seeds will produce, that God will send rain from heaven, that the sun will shine, and that the harvest will come forth. He does not concentrate on the negative but believes for the best and understands the principal that he will reap only what he sows So regardless of how weary he becomes or how hot the season gets, he does not neglect his fields. He knows that for his crops to mature, he must endure and not faint in his labors. He also labors with patience; for there is no way that he can rush the season regardless of how much he needs the harvest. It's easy for us to get discouraged when we are sowing in God's fields. We often want immediate results as we witness and try to draw others into the kingdom of God. We also become frustrated because we cannot understand why those in the kingdom cannot see the light and change their attitudes. The enemy continually tries to steal our seeds, and we wonder if we will ever reap the promised harvest. Often, we become tired and begin to faint along the way and our purpose and conviction weakens. We begin to lose our spiritual strength and vigor and if we are not careful, we forfeit our harvest just before due season. Jesus gave us a clue as to how to keep from giving up and how to see the results through to the end. He told a parable concerning a widow who troubled a judge until she obtained results. She did not become weary, but instead she wearied the judge by her persistence until he finally gave in. Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). Prayer brings strength and is Jesus' antidote to weariness and weakness. If you do not faint or become weary, you will eventually reap your harvest. Your loved ones will be saved, your relationships restored, your body healed, and your finances replenished. Today, begin to look to the Lord of the harvest and do not grow weary or faint but pray for your due season is near. +++ 1/31/17 EXTREME DEMANDS Scripture: I Kings 17:13 "Make me a cake first ... and bring it to me." The prophet Elijah made a hard request to a widow in the time of famine. When he first saw her, she was out gathering up a few sticks so that she could make a fire in order to cook the last meal for her and her son. Elijah asked her to give him a little water to drink. This was the same prophet who had brought the famine into existence by prophesying that no rain would come for years. He declared that rain would only come according to his word, so in essence, he could end the famine or produce water at any time by his words. Instead of ending the famine, he made an extreme demand upon the widow, and while she was going to get his water, he asked her to also bring him a cake of bread. The widow only had a handful of meal and a little oil left in her provisions, but she obeyed Elijah’s word and believed the promise that he made to her. He told her that her barrel of meal and cruse of oil would not fail until the day that the Lord sent rain upon the earth. God often makes extreme demands upon us, but there are two facts to consider. First, God never asks us to give that which we do not have. Second, every request that He makes brings a blessing back to us. He exchanges the sacrifices that we make for the provisions that we need. Like the prophet, He says, "Make me a cake first and bring it to me, then I will sustain you throughout your particular famine." God tells us to forgive everyone for everything that they have done against us. This is for the benefit of our own soul as well as theirs, for it is only in forgiving that we can receive forgiveness for ourselves. When we feel that no one cares for us and that there is a famine of love within our lives, He tells us to start showing our love and to include the unlovely, for as we love, love will be bestowed upon us. The Lord tells us to give Him our past and all of its pain so that He can give us a future and a hope. Like the widow, He asks us to give when it seems that we have so little. His demands may seem extreme and selfish. Yet, in time, we come to understand that God's ways are overwhelmingly simple and that it is only as we give that we will receive. You may be in extreme circumstances today in some area of your life and God may be telling you to give your all to Him. He may be telling you to forgive when it is not easy, to love the unlovely, to give Him the pieces of your broken heart, or to give what little you have materially to someone who needs it more than you do. God's purpose in asking you to give is not to take from you but to get you to a place where He can bless you more abundantly than you could ever imagine. God wants to exchange the small amount of meal and oil that you have in your hands for the bountiful blessing that He holds in His mighty hands. So trust God and give Him a chance to prove Himself. When you bring your all to the Lord, He will come through for you. +++ Copyright © 2017 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com			..............................