| ............ | A Word In Due Season SEPT 2018 9/3/18 RUN WITH PATIENCE Scripture: Hebrews 12:1 " ... Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Each of us have different issues to face in life. One struggles with finances, another with relationships, some with health, and others with death itself. We do not get to choose our circumstances or the race that we would like to participate in. God places us in the race at His discretion and we must patiently endure it, knowing that God will never put more upon us than we can bear. Whoever you are and whatever you are going through, you can be assured that you were God's choice for that testing. He knows your heart and He has faith in you. When God spoke to Satan in Job 1:8, He said, "Have you considered My servant Job, there is none like him in the earth?" God placed His full confidence in Job and felt that Job was well able to pass Satan's tests. God allowed the hedge around Job to be lifted, but each test that Satan placed on Job had to be allowed by God. God's confidence was rewarded by Job's steadfast faith and trust, which prevailed against his hopeless situation. Job patiently endured and ran the race that was set before him and at the end he received his reward. God has good plans for you and His thoughts towards you are much higher than you can imagine. At the end of your race, God has great rewards, but like any physical race, you must discipline yourself to achieve your goals. You must expect hurdles along the way. In the midst of your race, you cannot allow yourself to be distracted by the glory that you are receiving or by the pains that you are having to endure. You are to lay aside every weight and every sin that seeks to burden you down. Jesus is your great example and the author and finisher of your faith. Because of the joy that was set before Him, Jesus was able to endure the cross and despise the shame. His goal was to defeat Satan and redeem you and I from spiritual death and the curse of the law. Jesus' vision of victory kept Him from giving into the temptations and evil devises of the devil. Therefore, you are to considered Jesus and the things He endured for you so that you do not become weary and faint in your mind. The Lord does not want you to give up in the middle of the race. You must run your race with patience. In the midst of the race, the Holy Spirit of God will fill you with His power. You will catch a second wind and you will experience the joy of victory. +++ 9/4/18 PROVISIONS FROM GOD Scripture: Nehemiah 9:15 "The Lord gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst." God is so awesome. Just when we think we have things figured out, God does something new. He amazes us with His creativity and surprises us with the unexpected. Look at the Israelites as they came out of Egypt. They were hungry and had need of food and they were thirsty and had need of water. To meet these vital needs, God provided them with manna from an open heaven and water from a rock. Who would have ever thought that you could secure water from a rock in the desert by simply speaking to it? Or who could have ever imagined that enough bread could fall out of the heavens every morning for forty years to feed six million people? God is truly awesome. God's provision for His people came with such simple instructions, "speak to the rock" and "gather the manna daily." God speaks to us in this same simple way today. He is the Rock of our refuge (Psalms 94:22), and He tells us to speak to this Rock. He said, "Call upon Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you have not known before" (Jeremiah 33:3). When you pray, He will create solutions that are just as amazing as water coming from a rock. If you have a need of any kind, He says, "Come to Me in the Name of Jesus ... Ask and it will be given, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). Your Rock, Christ Jesus, is waiting for you to speak to Him. God also told us to gather our manna daily just as He did the Israelites. Jesus said our prayers are to be "Give us this day our daily bread." We are not to worry and fret over future provisions. Jesus told us not to be anxious about what we are going to eat, drink, or wear. We are to "Seek the kingdom of God first and all these things will be added to us" (Matthew 6:31-34). God does not depend upon our resources but supplies all of our needs according to His own riches. He opens the windows of Heaven and pours out blessings that we are incapable of receiving. We serve the same God that Moses and the Israelites served, and He is just as interested in meeting our needs today as He was in meeting their needs. What He did for them, He will do for you. Trust Him. God's resources are awesome and unlimited. +++ 9/5/18 DON'T BE CONFORMED - BE TRANSFORMED Scripture: Romans 12:2 "Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It takes very little effort to conform to this world because the process is very subtle and we are usually unaware that a change is even taking place. It is like wet cement that simply conforms to the mold or pattern of the frame that it is poured into. You cannot pour wet cement into a square mold and expect it to come out round. Likewise, our minds tend to conform to the ideas and mindsets of the things that we yield ourselves to. As we do routine things such as attend movies, read literature, listen to music, and associate with friends, our spirits begin to come into agreement with them. Our attitudes and actions are slowly influenced and shaped by the world about us. Little by little, we start acting in compliance to the world's expectations. Eventually, we develop into its image and may even give in to its motto, "If it feels good, do it." Most often, conformity occurs because we are unsure and not established in our own hearts concerning certain matters. Peter confirms this result of ignorance in his writings. He tells us "not to fashion ourselves according to the former lusts in our ignorance" (I Peter 1:14). It takes effort on our part to fashion or transform our minds so that we do not stay in the place of ignorance. We can only do this by the renewing of our minds, which comes about as we study and meditate on God's Word on a regularly basis. Through right information and Godly influence, our thoughts can be changed or transformed. As our thoughts are changed, our lives will also begin to change, and there will be an outward manifestation of the inward working. This is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. A metamorphosis happens in our spirit like the process of a comely caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly. The spiritual process of transformation, like the natural process of metamorphosis, is hard and gradual, but the results are just as beautiful and overwhelming. When we allow this spiritual metamorphosis to occur in our lives, we then begin to live according to God's design and He is pleased. We are no longer conforming to the world nor allowing it to shape us into its example, but we are allowing God to transform us into His image. As this transformation occurs within our inner man, we become like the wet cement that is ready to submit to a particular mold. Whatever God wants, we become because we no longer desire to live according to the world's standards. We eagerly "present our outward man to God as a living sacrifice and are ready to do His good, acceptable, and perfect will" (Romans 12:1). Obedience to God's command becomes "our reasonable service." We delight to do His will because we are no longer conformed to the world but we are transformed by God's Spirit. +++ 9/6/18 FAITHFUL STEWARDS Scripture: I Corinthians 4:2 "Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." We are required to be faithful stewards over that which God entrusts to us. The Apostle Paul said that it did not matter to him what men said about him or how they judged him. It was not even important how he judged himself. His main concern was that the Lord would see him as a faithful minister and steward. In verse four, Paul said, "It is the Lord (Himself) Who examines and judges me." It was more important to Paul to be in the place where God wanted him to be than to have the praises of men or the wealth of the world. There is a story of a lady who walked in the country. As she looked at the things of nature, she thought surely God had made some mistakes. She saw the strong tree that held the very small fruit of an acorn. She also noticed the small vines on the ground on which the large watermelons grew. She questioned the wisdom of the large fruit on the small vine, and the small fruit on the large tree. In all her wisdom, she thought that she would have planned things a little differently had she been God. As she sat down under the tree, however, her mind was suddenly changed when a small acorn fell from the tree and hit her. It would have been quite a disaster if the watermelon had been growing in that tree. Romans 12:6 tells us that we have been given gifts that differ according to the grace that is given to us. The foot should not complain that it is not the hand, and the ear should not complain that it is not the eye. All of the members of the body are important and necessary. God has set every one of the members in the body as it pleased Him (I Corinthians 12:15-18). Like the small acorn or the large watermelon, God has put us in the places on this Earth where He felt that we would fit the best and He has fashioned and formed us for that particular place. We must depend upon the wisdom of God in all areas of our life. We are not responsible for gifts that God did not ordain for us or for positions where He did not place us. We must never force a ministry that God has not called us to do. We must only be good stewards over that grace which has been entrusted to us and faithfully bloom and be a blessing wherever the Lord has planted us. +++ 9/7/18 THINGS THAT BELONG TO PEACE Scripture: Luke 19:42 "If you had known ... the things which belong unto your peace." Jesus wept over the people and said that He desired that they come to know the things that pertained to their peace. Who would know better about peace than Jesus, for He is the Prince of Peace? The words of the Lord are so powerful. In fact, they are sharper than a two-edged sword. Just one phrase or one sentence from His lips can speak peace to our storm, drive away our darkness, and turn our lives around. We can learn a great truth from these simple words that speak to us even today, which is to "know the things that belong to our peace." Jesus came to give all of us peace, but receiving His peace is an individual and personal issue. There are some spiritual things that we need to know to have peace in our hearts and soul. There are also some natural things that we need to understand and then do so that we may obtain peace. In the spiritual realm, we must first receive Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior, for without that security, we will never have true peace. The knowledge of our salvation settles the question of who we are, who we belong to, and where we will spend our eternity. Peace will also be ours when we spiritually cast all of our cares upon the Lord and allow Him to carry our burdens for us. To continue in peace, we need to confess our sins daily and allow the Holy Spirit to wash us with the water of God's Word because receiving forgiveness generates peace. We also need to keep ourselves from worrying about the future. Instead of allowing anxiety to torment our minds, we must rest in God's promises and believe that He will take care of all of our needs. On the other side of the coin, if we want to have peace we must also deal with things in the natural. For different people, it may mean different things. Many lose their peace when they are surrounded by clutter because they find it hard to concentrate or cannot find things when they are needed because they are not in their proper place. Simply misplacing your keys can steal your peace. It causes you to be late and makes you have to rush in order to make up for lost time. Neglecting to pay your bills on time can hinder your peace because this habit brings undue stress into your life. It steals your finances through late fees and forces you to deal with collection agencies. This is not to mention the havoc that is caused by the worse case scenarios when the bill is so delinquent that the water or lights are turned off. Then too, simply not eating right or getting enough rest can hinder your peace because you will become agitated when your physical body is suffering from lack of care. If you do not obey the laws of the land a multitude of problems can occur that will steal your peace. Being at odds with your friends and family will create tension that will destroy your peace. Also engaging yourself in battles that do not have eternal value will frustrate you and drain you of your peace. Sometimes, you must stay quiet and allow God to fight for you if you want to keep your peace. Ask God to help you to recognize the things that will bring peace into your own life. When you know what creates peace for you, then make yourself available for change. God will be there to help in the spiritual, but you will have to deal with the physical. The Lord will not pay your bills, clean up your clutter, exercise for you, or force you to obey the laws of the land. You will have to do your part and deal with the natural things, and then God will be faithful to do His part. Jesus has already paid the price for your personal peace. He said, "My peace, I leave with you." It is not a peace like the world gives but a peace that passes all understanding. His peace is a great gift, so come to know the things that belong to your peace and allow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, to rule over your life. +++ 9/10/18 SMALL BEGINNINGS Scripture: I Samuel 17:28 "And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?" David's father sent him to the front line of the battle to take food to his brothers. When David got there, he heard Goliath, the giant, defying the armies of God. David inquired concerning the rewards that were offered to the man who could conquer this giant. The very thought that David considered challenging the giant angered his brother, Eliab. Eliab questioned David about the sheep and his motives for coming to the battlefront. He accused David of having pride and of just wanting to watch the battle. Eliab purposely insulted David by asking him about his meager assignment, which was to care for a few sheep. He wanted to remind David that his place in life was of little importance. David, however, had already been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the King of Israel (I Samuel 16:13). David had been chosen over Eliab and his other brothers, but he continued to tend the sheep. Have you ever felt that God had called and anointed you to do a special work for Him, but at present you find yourself in a place of little importance? Your current responsibilities have nothing to do with the calling that God has placed within your heart. Nothing in your life seems to be going in the direction to fulfill God's ultimate purposes. You may be locked into a job, family situation, or other circumstances, and feel that your destiny is passing you by. You may have concluded that there seems to be little hope of doing anything significant for the kingdom of God. David must have had these same thoughts, as day after day, he led the sheep from pasture to pasture. Although he could not see what God was doing, God was training him for the battle with the giant. Alone on the hills and in the valleys, he entertained himself by practicing with his sling and stones until he became very accurate. Eventually, David had to face a lion and a bear in order to protect the sheep that he was caring for. I Samuel 17:34-35 says that he went after a lion that took a lamb out of the flock. He caught the lion by the beard and killed him, and then later killed a bear. Can you imagine this small boy holding a lion by the beard or coming against a bear? This was his combat training. God was training him to come against a "bear sized" giant that he would later encounter. And as fierce as the roar of the giant was, it was probably still not as frightening as the roar of the lion that David had already conquered. The lion's fierce roar had prepared him for the frightening roar and insults of Goliath, the giant. God's deliverance in these battles built David's confidence and gave him assurance that God could and would bring him victory again. The position you are in today is not insignificant. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing today, God is training you for tomorrow's purposes. So be diligent in all that you do. "Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord" (Colossians 3:23). And do not "despise the day of small beginnings" (Zechariah 4:10). Let this day prepare you for tomorrow. Your divine destiny is just ahead and God's appointed time will come. +++ 9/11/18 GRACE AND CHARACTER Scripture: Psalms 94:11-13 (Living Bible) "The Lord is fully aware of how limited and futile the thoughts of mankind are, so He helps us by punishing us. This makes us follow His paths ..." Even though correction and punishment is not something that parents really enjoy, they know that it is necessary so they can teach their children the right paths to follow. Parents want their children to have the best that life has to offer, so they exercise the discipline in order to mold their children's character and teach them to be graceful in life's situations. And, yes, having to render punishment does hurt the parent's spirit more than it hurts the child physically. God looks at us, His children, and regards us in the same manner. He knows that our minds are limited to the natural realm. Most often, our spirits are not discerning enough to recognize every evil that confronts us. Nor is our spirit strong enough in itself to always resist the temptation of the evil one. We need God's help in these areas. It grieves the heart of God when He sees us go astray, and it gives Him great pain when He has to punish us. But as a Father, He corrects and deals out punishment to us because He loves us. Although His correction and punishment is not pleasant, it is through these means that He protects us from following after our enemy whose ultimate goal is to kill, steal, and destroy our very being. Look at these encouraging words from God that are found in Hebrews 12:5-11 in the Living Bible. "My son, don't be angry when the Lord punishes you. Don't be discouraged when He has to show you where you are wrong. For when He punishes you, it proves that He loves you ... and that you are really His child. Let God train you, for He is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected? If God doesn't punish you when you need it, as other fathers punish their sons, then it means that you aren't really God's son at all - that you don't really belong to His family. Since we respect our fathers here on Earth, though they punish us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to God's training so that we can begin to really live? ... Being punished isn't always enjoyable while it is happening - it hurts! But afterwards we can see the result, a quiet growth in grace and character." +++ 9/12/18 EXPERIENCING GOD Scripture: Acts 17:27 "That they should seek the Lord, if they might feel after Him, though He be not far from every one of us." The Apostle Paul told us that we should seek the Lord and feel after Him as though He is not far from us. Other translations of this verse tell us that we must "reach out for Him," "feel our way towards Him," or "grope for Him." It is like finding the light switch in the darkness. The switch is there, but we must make an effort to find it if we want to experience the light. I got up in the middle of the night one night and headed towards the light switch that was on the wall near the door to the closet. The closet door had been left open, and in the darkness I was misdirected. Instead of finding the light switch, I walked into the open closet. I knew that I had gone astray because the wall the switch was mounted upon was not that far from my bed. Confusion set in and I could not figure out where I was. The only alternative was to keep groping in the darkness and carefully feeling around until I touched something familiar. When my hands touched the clothes, I realized where I had made my mistake. I then reversed my steps and made my way back to the light switch outside of the closet. God is not playing hide and seek. He is not far away but is very near. Like the light switch on the wall, He does not change. He remains stable. We are the ones who go past His presence and are led away into the darkness. Paul said in verse twenty-nine that we are not to think of the Godhead as being an idol of silver or gold, for this is ignorance. Jesus is real. He is our resurrected Lord and Savior who sits at the right hand of God in Heaven, and this is the Lord that we should seek. If we are groping around in the darkness with no joy or victory, we must repent and find the source of our light, which is Jesus. God is not far from every one of us. He is near and how we choose to experience Him is based upon our own individual pursuit. James 4:8 says, "If we draw near unto Him, He will draw near to us." We can fear the Lord, enjoy Him, love Him, resent Him, neglect Him, or seek after Him. Our search for God can be in a halfhearted manner or with all of our heart. We can pursue Him with great zeal or in laziness. The decision is totally up to us. Yet, how we seek for the Lord determines how we will experience Him. We may try to excuse ourselves or blame others or our circumstances for not being able to have time with the Lord. Yet, the responsibility of our search rests upon our own shoulders. II Chronicles 15:12 says, "They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God with all of their heart and with all of their soul." In the darkness of this hour, let us determine to do the same. The Lord is waiting for us to reach out and touch Him. So let us seek God and feel our way towards Him until we find Him and experience Him in the fullness of the Spirit. +++ 9/13/18 ORDAINED TO BRING FORTH FRUIT Scripture: John 15:16 "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain." God has ordained different places and missions for each of us to fulfill. When we are in the place that He has ordained for us, we bring forth fruit and our fruit remains or continues to produce. God blesses our efforts and our works do not return unto Him void but accomplish what He desires. When God sends us forth, He meets every need for our journey, and regardless of the hardships, He provides a joy and a peace that passes all understanding. This explains why ministers work so very hard for so very little, how pastors are able to cope with church politics, and why missionaries forsake all to travel to foreign fields and live in austere conditions. It also explains why doctors and health care workers choose to sacrifice their lives to care for others and why policemen and soldiers put their lives in danger each day. They are chosen and ordained for such a work and are joyful in it. It is very important to find the place that God has ordained for you because you must be planted in the right place to thrive and bring forth fruit. Trying to fit into someone else's chosen place will only bring frustration and lack because God's gifts and His anointing is not there to sustain you. God may choose to plant you in a large field or a small field but He makes no mistakes. Wherever He places you, it will be a good plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Your particular calling includes a future and a hope and that future includes fruit that will remain throughout eternity. Daniel 11:32 declares that in these last days, "The people who know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." This is a different day and a new season. God has chosen you and brought you to the kingdom for such a time as this and He wants you to fulfill Daniel's prophecy. The Lord wants you to be strong and do mighty exploits in His Name. This will only happen as you totally surrender your life to the Lord and allow Him to plant you in His chosen field. When you yield yourself to His design, the fruit that He has ordained for your life will come forth and it will remain. +++ 9/14/18 AN ON TIME GOD Scripture: Galatians 4:4 "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son." God has a master timetable for all of us and we need to consider this fact as He works in a sovereign way in our lives. We may think that He is not working fast enough, but only God knows His master plan. God knows everything from the beginning to the end, but He patiently waits until the fullness of time before He completes His plan. He did not even send Jesus to this Earth until all things were ready for His ministry. God is not on the same timetable that we are on. We see the present state of the matter but God sees everything from an eternal perspective. When we think about ten years of our life, we consider it as a long length of time. When God sees ten years, He compares it with eternity, and it is as nothing. His Word even tells that our entire life is as a vapor of smoke or a moment in time compared to Heaven's eternity. When we pray, we want to see our answers immediately, but just like God waited to send His own Son to redeem mankind, He gives us our answers in the fullness of His time. My husband was a structural steel designer/draftsman, and designed the steel for oil refineries and commercial buildings. At times, work would become slow. In a particular season of lack, one of my husband's commercial clients decided that he would build the same mall that my husband had previously designed for another location in the city. At the time, work and finances were so scarce that we fasted and prayed concerning this particular project. We felt in our hearts that the contract belonged to us because my husband had originally designed the first mall. My husband made a bid for the job, but instead of using him, his client used my husband's previous designs and drawings to build the exact mall in the new location. Our hopes were dashed and our faith was challenged. We were in such desperate need and wondered why God did not answer our prayers. Little did we know, that God answered our prayers but that the manifestation of His answer would not come until ten years later and at a more crucial time. They built the mall as planned, but the mall did not succeed in that location. Ten years later, they decided to turn the mall into a medical center. At the time, my husband was bed ridden with cancer. He had no way of providing for the family and I could not work because I was his twenty-four hour caregiver. His client asked him to oversee the job. My husband hired another man to design the revisions and he allowed me to make all of the changes on the drawings. With little effort and a few hours of our time, God allowed us to make ten thousand dollars, which helped us make it through my husband's season of illness. Ten years before when we had prayed for provisions and nothing seemed to have happened, we could have thought that God had failed us. But in the fullness of time, we recognized that God did answer our prayer. He just did it in His own season and at His own time. When God's time was ready, He gave us the contract and His timing turned out to be better than our own timing. There is a saying, "God is an on time God; He is seldom early, but He is never late!" You must never give up on your prayers. Be assured that God will answer them in His own way and in the fullness of His own time. +++ 9/17/18 CHOOSING YOUR PATH Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:19 "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live." God has set before you a new season, and this new season has two paths. One is called life and blessing and the other is called death and cursing. God said that you must choose which path you will follow. Choice is not a feeling and it is not always easy. It is an individual and personal decision that involves an act of the will. It means making changes by leaving the old and possessing the new. There are steps involved in making choices and experiencing changes. You must believe that you are in control, believe that you actually have a choice, and be convinced that you need to make a change. Finally after you make a choice to change, you must discipline yourself to replace the wrong with the right. God said, "Choose life." He wants you to live and prosper. II Corinthians 8:9 says, "Jesus became poor that you, through His poverty, might be rich." God intends for you to be blessed, but you must take charge of that which has been committed to you. It has been said, "If you don't back up, the devil will back down." You must resist the devil and stand your ground in faith. As you do, he will flee. You can take back the territory that the devil has stolen from you, but your heart must be undivided in this endeavor. A heart that is full of faith and does not waver will gain its rewards. The world will step aside to allow you to pass if you know where you are going because they recognize that you are determined to get there. There is a world to win, a territory to conquer, and a generation to save. You must choose to minister to those who are waiting by allowing your life to bring glory to God the Father. You must choose courage in the face of fear when the enemy seems greater than yourself. You must choose to have faith in times of great storms and adversities. You must decide to love when bitterness challenges your soul. You must choose forgiveness and go beyond the hurts and pains of the past. You must choose to walk down the path of integrity and not the path of deceitfulness. When you make these choices of life and blessings, instead of the alternatives that bring death and curses, God will impart His strength and create a power within you to accomplish His will. He has set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Which path will you choose? +++ 9/18/18 MOVED WITH COMPASSION Scripture: Matthew 9:36 "When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion ..." Jesus went about teaching in the synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. He possessed great gifts and a mighty anointing of the Spirit of God was upon Him. Yet with all of Jesus' glory, power, and fame, He never became arrogant or lost sight of the people and their needs. He saw them in their weakness and distress, and looked upon them with compassion. He felt their pains and suffered with them. Jesus had power, but Jesus was love. Jesus Christ is the same today as He was yesterday. He has not changed and He is just as full of compassion and love today as He was nearly 2000 years ago when He looked upon the multitudes. Jesus desires to carry your load and to meet your need. As His eyes gaze upon you in the midst of your heartache and feelings of rejection, He knows exactly how you feel because He was also rejected and despised. He sees your loneliness and your broken heart and remembers when God forsook Him when He was on the cross. Jesus is touched by your pain and suffering because He can recall the stripes that were laid upon His own back, the crown of thorns that was pressed deep into His brow, the spear that pierced His side, and the pain and agony of the cross. Jesus understands your anxieties and fears because He has experienced these same feelings in the garden of Gethsemane. He knows the sorrow of grief that you bear as He recalls His own tears when His friend, Lazarus, died. He extends His mercy, grace, and forgiveness when you fail during a moment of weakness because He knows the difficulty of resisting temptation, for He was tempted in the same manner in the wilderness. Jesus is also concerned about your lack and stands ready to multiply your loaves and fish so that your physical needs can be satisfied. There is no area of your life that the compassion of Jesus does not touch. He feels your heart beat and will listen to your cries when no one else wants to listen. He will lead you through the valleys and restore your soul. He has prepared green pastures and still waters for you. His eyes may gaze upon the multitudes, but His heart searches for you. Like a good shepherd, if you are not there, Jesus will leave the ninety-nine to bring you back into the fold. You are His main interest and He has numbered the very hairs upon your head. What a wonderful friend you have in this man called Jesus. He loves you and your needs cause Him to be moved with compassion. +++ 9/19/18 FROM DAWN TO FULL LIGHT Scripture: Proverbs 4:18 (NIV) "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day." Solomon compared the path of the righteous to the light of the sun. As the sun rises in the morning there is little light or heat, but this light gets stronger and the heat intensifies as the morning progresses. Finally, at noon, or as Solomon said, "at the full light of day", the path of the righteous is very clear. Helen Keller said, "To have eyes and no vision is worse than being blind." Helen Keller was blind and had to grope around in a dark world because she had no sight. She was also deaf so she lived in silence with no audible sounds or voices to lead her. Yet, she felt that to lack spiritual vision was a worse disability than having physical blindness. Even though she could not see the first gleam of dawn or watch the light grow brighter through the day, it is apparent that she understood the concept of progressive vision. God has set a path before each of us. At the dawning, there is little light and it is often hard to get a clear picture of what the Lord desires to do in our life. God may even purposely hold back part of the plan at the beginning because He knows the whole picture will overwhelm us. There may be shadows or early morning fog that distorts the vision. Yet as the light shines upon our path, the shadows and fog disappear and the vision of God's plan becomes precise and impassions our soul. When God's vision begins to dawn upon our soul, responsibilities come that require commitment and discipline. The manifestation of His light also demands change, so God takes ample time to deal with us in His love. As time passes, God's Holy Spirit prepares our heart by shining a little more light as we proceed down the path of our destiny. It is much like waking up in the morning to the bright sun that is too much for our eyes to handle. As we wake, we comfort our eyes by squinting and rubbing them until we can handle the light and our vision becomes clear. Spiritual sight is much the same. God knows us and will not put more upon us than we can bear. He starts with the light of dawn and we often cannot believe the new word that He is imparting to our spirits. Yet, He begins to shine His light upon that word and His plan and purposes become more definite and defined within our hearts. His light gets brighter and brighter like the sun that rises at dawn and it confirms our path and gives direction. As the Lord leads us one step at a time, we sense our desires changing and coming in line with His great purpose for our lives. Finally, we get a glimpse of how it will all work out and can say, "God's will has dawned upon me and is getting brighter like the full light of day." +++ 9/20/18 WHEN FRIENDS FAIL Scripture: Psalms 41:9 "Even my best friend has turned against me - a man I completely trusted." It is a hard and hurtful experience when a sweet relationship turns and we are left with pain and rejection. The failed relationship may be with a friend or spouse, brother or sister, or a parent or child. Like David, we grieve when a trust is broken by those whom we love. Many times we find ourselves in confusion because we do not understand what happened. When rejection replaces acceptance and warmth turns to coldness, we try to analyze the situation, but our efforts are to no avail. It may be months, or sometimes years, before our true offense is revealed to us. Meanwhile, precious time and memories are lost for both parties involved. And although reconciliation is made and ties are mended, many times the pain of the past continues to haunt us. Questions and doubts linger in our mind and total trust is never regained. Many great men of God faced the same feelings of rejection that you may have experienced. King David said, "Even my best friend has turned against me." David had placed complete trust and confidence in this friend. In Psalms 55:12-14, David said that it was not an enemy who was insulting and causing him reproach. It was a man who was his equal, his companion, and his familiar friend. It was someone whom David enjoyed being with. They had shared sweet communion together and their counsel to one another had been pleasant. He said that they had even gone to the house of God together, but now their close bond had been broken and David was dealing with the loss. David lost his close friend, but also think about the story of Joseph. Joseph's own brothers rejected him and intended to kill him, but God spared his life and instead of killing Joseph, they sold him into slavery. Joseph was taken away from his homeland and beloved father, and for about sixteen years he served the Egyptians. During that time he suffered heartache and the painful memories of the past. Eventually situations forced Joseph's brothers to ask him for forgiveness. Jesus also suffered the rejection of His earthly brothers, His disciples, and the multitudes for whom He sacrificed His life. All of His friends failed Him. Isaiah 53:3 says that Jesus was "despised and rejected of men." God has set these and other scriptures in the Word to encourage your heart and to let you know that you are not alone in your plight. God knows all about your hurts and feelings of rejection. He sees your heartache and confusion and is with you during your difficult times. You can go to Him when there is no one else to turn to and talk to Him when everyone else is tired of listening. No one will ever love you like the Lord loves you. When your best friend turns against you and your family fails, the Lord will be there. When you are suffering the pains of the past, He will be there to comfort you. Jesus will never leave you, nor forsake you. He is your friend forever and will "stick closer to you than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24). +++ 9/24/18 THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE Scripture: Psalms 40:13 "Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord make haste to help me! Do you have any rivers that you think are uncrossable or any mountains that you cannot tunnel through? If so, you must change your mindset and come to understand that God specializes in the impossible. He is not limited and He can do what no other power can do. All you have to do is trust God and just let go of everything. You must allow God to be sovereign in your life. When you yield yourself to His will, your burdens will vanish and your darkness will turn to light. You may be standing at one of these rivers or mountains today with burdens that seem too heavy for you to carry. It may appear that there is no way for you to cross the river or go through the mountain. You may be at a mountain of financial difficulty or lack with no way to fix the problem because you are at the end of your natural means. There is nothing else that you can do. You may be at a river of loneliness as you grieve over the loss of a loved one or a failed relationship. Or you may be facing a mountain of physical disease and do not have the energy within yourself to continue the battle that is raging in your body. There may be a river of confusing circumstances and you need God's direction to get through them. God specializes in problems. He can give clear direction and make a way when there seems to be no way. David said that he had made the Lord his refuge. He waited patiently for the Lord, and the Lord heard him. God not only heard David, but He also put a new song in David's heart. It was a song of praise unto God. In the midst of David's problems, God gave him such peace and praise that David said, "Many shall see and fear, reverently worship, and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord." Like David's witness, you too are a testimony and an open book that is read of all men. They watch you when you face rivers, encounter mountains, and walk through dark valleys. They take note of your responses and when you come to the end of your own dilemma, you find that God causes you to be a comfort to them. At the river's edge God says, "Be patient - wait - stay where you are. Look to me, love me, and worship me. I am building a bridge for you to cross. Do not go to the right or to the left to find a way to fix the problem yourself. Instead, wait for Me and I will take you to the other side. The process belongs to Me. Give Me your problems and the mountains and rivers that you face and I will give you My solutions. Ask Me your questions and I will give you My answers. Look to Me and allow Me help. I will perfect those things that concern you. When things seem impossible, I will make haste to deliver you". +++ 9/25/18 SUBMITTING YOUR WILL Scripture: Luke 5:5 "At Thy Word I will." Obeying and acting on God's Word sometimes can be very challenging. Peter and his men had spent the night fishing and were tired and weary. When they brought their boat to the shallow waters of the shore Jesus asked them to allow Him to use it as a platform to teach the people. When Jesus finished teaching He told Peter to "Launch out into the deep." This command challenged Peter and his men because it meant greater self-sacrifice. They may have wanted to go home and rest, but Jesus was asking them for more. Peter responded and said, "Nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net." He was saying, "I'm going to submit myself to Your Word. I'm going to trust in You." They obeyed the Word of the Lord and because they did, they were blessed and their nets were filled with fish. Have you ever noticed that God usually calls you to do something when you are too tired, too busy, or feel too inadequate to do the job? The Lord usually starts by giving us something to do in the shallow part of the lake that is near the shore. He knows that it is something that we can handle. He tests our faithfulness in these small and shallow things and then calls us into a place of greater responsibility. Often the shallow waters have proven to be a challenge and we cannot imagine being able to handle the deeper waters. Yet, our desire to please God and do more for His kingdom draws us to obey His voice and do His will. As we obey God's Word and launch out into the deep, we discover several things. Going out into the deep water means that we must give up the security of the shore, and sometimes it means that we have to leave others behind. To go into the deeper water requires greater commitment and a greater dependence upon God. We find that we cannot jump ship at the first sign of trouble and return to the safety of the dry land. There will also be stronger winds of adversity to face and increased responsibility, but this greater challenge means greater opportunity to see God work as we exercise "water walking faith." Psalms 107:23-24 says, "They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep." Another translation says, "When you are in great waters, you see God in action." The call that God is now extending to you may be far greater than your past experience, but as you obey His Word, He will bless you beyond measure. Take the challenge! At the Lord's command, launch out into the deep. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and say as Peter said, "Nevertheless, at Your Word I will do it." +++ 9/27/18 HE WILL GIVE YOU WINGS Scripture: Joshua 1:6 (NIV) "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead this people to inherit the land ..." Joshua ministered to Moses' needs and served him as an assistant as they journeyed with God's people in the wilderness. When Moses died, God promoted Joshua and chose him to take Moses' place. God instructed Joshua to lead the people into their inheritance. Surely the burden of this awesome responsibility must have concerned Joshua. Yet, God, Himself, had imparted strength into Joshua's heart and God knew that Joshua was capable of completing the task. He charged Joshua to remain strong and be courageous. Fear is a great enemy. It paralyzes our vision and keeps us bound in mediocrity. It disallows us to inherit the promises of God or to fulfill His purposes. There is a story of two caterpillars that were walking slowing upon the ground. Suddenly, a beautiful butterfly appeared in the sky above them. As it soared through the air, its colors radiated the glory of God's vision for its life. As they watched this beautiful sight, one of the caterpillars spoke of his dreams and visions. He said, "Someday, I will be just as beautiful and I will fly like that butterfly." There was something deep within his being that was calling him to a higher level. He knew that his destiny had not yet been fulfilled. The other caterpillar spoke out in fear as he watched the butterfly soaring in the air and said, "You have got to be kidding. You'll never get me up in one of those things." Both were headed towards their destiny that God had planned. Yet, one traveled in anticipation and delight for what the future held and the other shrank back in fear because he was afraid to fly. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has good plans for you and He wants you to be strong and courageous as you face those plans. He does not want you to shrink back in fear of your destiny or any assignment that it might require along the way. He wants you to face the future with anticipation and delight and to see yourself in the beauty and glory that He has planned for your life. If God has chosen you for some awesome responsibility, you have no need for concern, for He will equip you. If God calls you to witness, He will fill your mouth with words. If He calls you to help others, He will finance His plan. If He calls you to minister to your next-door neighbor or sends you to a foreign mission field, He will give you sufficient strength and grace to complete the task. God will never leave you helpless or hopeless. The Lord will always impart into your life gifts that will equal His call, for He never falls short in preparing His servants. So when God calls, be strong and courageous, for nothing is impossible with God. If He calls you to soar through the air, He will give you unfailing wings. +++ 9/27/18 LIFE AND GODLINESS Scripture: II Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him." Our Father God has given us many precious promises. Yet, His Word tells us that we cannot be slothful if we intend to obtain them. We must search the scriptures and come into a full personal knowledge of Christ so that we can know what He has provided for us through His journey to the cross, His death, and His resurrection. When we truly come to know Him, we will discover what our rights and responsibilities are in the kingdom of God. The Lord’s promises are powerful but they will not come easy. We must seek to inherit them through our steadfast faith and patience (Hebrews 6:12). Through faith and patience, we will come to understand that God really has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He left nothing out. His Word and His Spirit not only instructs us in the things of life and tells us what we are to do in the natural, but also instructs in godliness and shows us who we are to be spiritually. Jesus came so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He intends for our natural life to be blessed just as our spiritual life is blessed. The Lord wants us to be thoroughly furnished and balanced in both life and godliness. We cannot be so earthly minded that we have no time or nothing to offer for the kingdom of God. Yet, we cannot be so spiritually minded that we are of no earthly good to those in the natural world about us. We may want to be like the spiritual giants that we have read about in the scriptures, yet the truth is that we live in a natural world. We cannot sit at home and just pray and study the Bible all day because we have to go to work and provide for our families. God gave us many examples in the scriptures to show us that the men of great faith and godliness also had to live in the natural world and face the giants and challenges of everyday life. The Message Bible states that Jesus has invited us to God, which is the best invitation that we ever received. We are given "Tickets to participate in the life of God." But only the Lord can equip us to live a noble life in the natural world and also help us to live in spiritual godliness. We must depend upon His strength, for there are too many temptations that will draw us the other direction. I encourage you to look at the attributes of God and then make a quality decision to obtain them for yourself. Remember that the Lord has offered you the privilege of leaning upon His divine power to help you manifest His character and godliness in your life. +++ Copyright © 2018 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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