| ............ | A Word In Due Season SEPT 2019 9/2/19 THE CHALLENGED WORD Scripture: Luke 8:12 ".. then comes the devil, and takes away the Word out of their hearts." Jesus told a parable to His disciples to explain in the natural what happens in the spiritual realm. He used the analogy that the Word of God was like a seed and that our heart was like the soil in which the seed was planted. He said that when the seed is sown, the devil comes immediately and attempts to steal it from our hearts. If our heart is able to absorb the seed the devil then tries to destroy its fruit through other means. He will bring persecutions, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things to choke out the seed of God's Word. The devil is vehemently against the Word of God because he knows that God's Word is full of power. It will not return to God void, but it will accomplish what He sent it forth to do (Isaiah 55:11). The greatest of saints were challenged in their belief in the Word. Peter had a wonderful revelation that Jesus was the Son of God. This revelation was so great that Jesus told Peter that He would build His church upon it. Later Jesus warned Peter that the devil was going to sift Peter as wheat. The devil was out to destroy Peter's faith. When Peter was challenged, he declared that he did not know Jesus and even denied that he was one of Jesus' disciples. Joseph was given a Word from God in a dream, but he was also challenged in many ways. The seed that had been planted inside of Joseph's heart had to endure being separated from his father, the rejection of his brothers, the pit, the prison, and the temptations of Potiphar's wife. Jesus, Himself, had to protect the Word that God the Father had spoken over Him when He said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased." The devil challenged Jesus face to face in the wilderness in an attempt to steal the precious seed by saying, "If You be the Son of God ...." Jesus declared that it has been given unto us to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a great opportunity but we decide what kind of harvest that we will receive by what we do with the Word that God sows into our heart. Matthew 13:8 tells us that our potential to produce fruit from the Word ranges from having no fruit, thirty to sixty fold fruit, or one hundred fold fruit. It will not be any easier for us to receive a harvest than it was for Peter, Joseph, and Jesus. Jesus told us that we must take heed how we hear the Word. We must allow the Holy Spirit to break up the hard ground of our heart so that we can receive the good seed. Then we must guard the garden of our heart where the Word has been planted. The devil will definitely challenge us so we must rid our lives of anything that would attempt to choke out God's Word in an effort to destroy our faith. Our harvest will depend upon our faithfulness to protect God’s Word that He has planted within our heart. +++ 9/3/19 WHEN GOD SEES THE BOW Scripture: Genesis 9:13 "I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the Earth." A rainbow exists opposite of the sun as a result of the sunlight shining through the raindrops or mist in the air. The first rainbow occurred after the flood of Noah's day when God made a promise that He would never again destroy the entire Earth with water. God declared that in the future a rainbow would accompany the clouds. He also said that He would look upon the rainbow and remember this everlasting covenant that He made between Him and every living creature that is upon the earth. Today, a rainbow is still a glorious sight and reminds us of God's covenant with the earth. The rainbow declares that a storm has not only come but that it has passed and that the danger is over. It speaks of beauty and reminds us that we had nothing to fear because the sun was always behind the clouds. The storms of life can be very frightening in the natural and in the spiritual. In the natural, there is wind, darkness, and water to contend with. There is the uncertainty of the duration of the storm, the path that it will take, or the destruction that it will leave behind. A spiritual storm can be just as devastating as that of a natural storm. It can be very intimidating as it separates us from the light and surrounds us with darkness. Every imaginable thing can happen because we have no control in either type of storm. Yet, it is in these great storms of life that we learn courage and develop faith for the future. In the midst of the wind, you discover an assurance in your trust in God that you never knew existed in your soul. When the waters are raging around you, you come to understand that His covering over you is complete and that He is all you need. In the darkness, you find that God’s light is always there. Though hidden for a season, it never disappears or fades away. And you also experience of the glory of the rainbow, the reminder of God’s everlasting covenant with you. Often, we focus on the storm that hit our life rather than rejoicing in the things that it taught us. There were many positive results of the storm that left us with a different kind of beauty. A fresh rainbow with its various rays of color has unexpectedly appeared in our lives. It is phenomenon that we cannot explain. Yet, it is something that all Earth can rejoice in because those about us are able to see the change that the storm has brought within us. The new colors in our lives could not have been produced without the struggle of the wind, rain, and darkness. The greater the storm the more vibrant our new colors. The greater the conflict, the greater our victory. The new inner strength in knowing that God has seen us through the storm has created a firmer confidence in Him. So never be anxious about the impending storm but always remember that God has set a bow in the clouds that surround you. You have nothing to fear because God is watching the storm and He will remember His covenant with you. The Lord will not forsake you. He will deliver you and paint a rainbow in your life that you cannot easily forget. +++ 9/4/19 DOERS OF THE WORD Scripture: James 1:22 "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." A cartoon showed an elderly couple sitting at a counter in a diner. The gentlemen spoke to his wife and made mention of the older couple who were sitting at the other end of the counter. With a hint of criticism, he told his wife, "That's probably what you and I will look like in about ten years or so." She responded to him saying, "You do realize that's a mirror at the end of the counter, don't you?" The man could not see himself as he really was and truly thought that he was in much better shape than the reflection that was peering back at him. Little did he realize that his age and everything that comes with aging had caught up with him, even his poor eyesight. Many times we are like this gentleman and do not see ourselves as we really are spiritually. We cannot see the lack that has occurred in our soul because it has come upon us so gradually. We have become lukewarm in our spirits, and as we look at others, our criticisms define our own deficiencies. Even though we faithfully attend church and read the Word, James tells us there is more. He said we must not only hear the Word, we must also be doers of the Word. In verse twenty seven, he expounds on this subject and defines true religion by saying that it is to "visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and to keep yourself unspotted from the world." He said that if we are only religious and are not doing the Word or taking care of these matters, we are deceiving ourselves and our religion is vain. James declares that we are like a man who looks at himself in a mirror, but goes away and forgets what he has seen. If the woman in the story above had not corrected her husband, he would have continued his life with a wrong assumption of his current state. He needed someone to point out the error of his thinking. So it is with us. As we look into ourselves, we need God to enlighten the eyes of our understanding and help us to know what areas we need to change. God is very eager to help us, for we are the body of Christ. It is Christ within us that is the hope of God's glory and He wants us to be useful in His kingdom. We are His hands to help, His ears to listen, His eyes to help guide, and we are His shoulder for others to lean upon. As we start each new day with our devotionals and Bible study, let us be reminded that we are to freely share what we have freely received. Then let us ask God to lead us to those who need His help so that we can become not only hearers of His Word but also doers of His Word. +++ 9/5/19 PLAIN PATHS Scripture: Psalms 27:11 "Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path." One of the greatest privileges of being a child of God is that we can depend upon the Holy Spirit to lead us in our daily lives. David leaned upon this knowledge and cried out to the Lord in several of the Psalms, asking for direction. He pleaded with God to lead him in the way of truth and righteousness, not just for his own benefit but also for the sake of the Lord's Name. He understood that his actions were a reflection upon his Heavenly Father and that they either brought honor or dishonor to His Name. For that reason, David prayed that the Lord would teach him His way and lead him in a plain path. Jeremiah 10:23 said that it is not in the way of man to direct his steps and Isaiah said that the Lord God would lead us in the way that we should go (Isaiah 48:17). Yet, just as hard as we try to follow after God's will and complete His purposes, the enemy seeks to divert us through deception and circumstances. As a result, we often fail to stay on the straight and narrow path. Most of the time, it is not a matter of blatant disobedience or rebellion on our part, but that we just miss the still small voice of God. The consequence is that we fail to be in the right place at the right time. And because we are not in the place where God wants us, we are not able to either be the blessing or receive the blessing that He has designed for us. The devil tries to use these places in our lives to bring confusion and discouragement. He knows that if he can cause us to depart from the leading of God's Spirit by just one degree, we will eventually be way off course. Several years ago, I was to follow my husband across town to an unknown destination using separate vehicles. I knew part of the route, but just as we got to the critical point to change directions, my husband suddenly changed lanes and exited the loop we were on. Just as he changed lanes, a large transport truck separated us, and I was forced to continue in the direction that I was going. After the large truck passed, I saw my husband enter the interstate highway. He was now on the third rung of the freeway heading east, while I was on the bottom level heading south. Our paths crossed, but he was several yards above me. My heart wanted to panic as I saw him fade into the distance. Because of my limited knowledge of the freeway system, I had been rerouted by circumstances beyond my control. I knew, however, that I could trust my husband, and I had an assurance that he would stop and wait for me. I knew that he was more concerned for me than I was for myself. I turned around and went back to the place that we were separated, made the correct exit, and eventually joined my husband. God knows that we face these same sort of dilemmas in our spiritual life. He sees our panic and confusion when we realize that we are out of His will because we have been cut off by deception or circumstances. He watches for us to make a deliberate effort to return to Him. Then when we do return, we find Him waiting patiently on the plain path. He is our loving Father who is more concerned about us than we are for ourselves. So, like the psalmist prayed, let us yield ourselves to God and ask Him to teach us His ways and lead us in a plain path. +++ 9/9/19 CUMBERED WITH MUCH SERVING Scripture: Luke 10:40 "Martha was cumbered about much serving." Multitudes followed Jesus and sat for hours and days at His feet in order to be able to hear His counsel and uncommon wisdom. Yet, when Jesus came to Mary and Martha's home, Martha was so cumbered down with the cares of this life that she allowed them to steal her opportunity to enjoy a time of intimate fellowship with the Lord. She was so distracted by the preparations of the food that she had no time for the true Bread of Life. And she was so worried about the beverages that were needed that she could not stop and be refreshed with the Living Water. Her troubled heart would not permit her to lay everything aside and rest for a few moments in the presence of Jesus. No one was forcing Martha to serve with such zeal and sacrifice. This was her personal choice. She felt that she had to be busy about "much serving" and she tried to inflict this same spirit of obligation upon her sister, Mary. Martha was so busy that when Jesus spoke to her, He had to call her name twice to get her attention. Jesus said, "Martha, Martha, you are troubled and careful about many things." Jesus then defended Mary, because she had chosen to sit at His feet and listen to His words. He spoke to Martha and said, "Mary has chosen the good part, and it will not be taken away from her." Jesus was not concerned about the food preparation, for He had taken care of these matters before. If necessary, He could turn the water into wine and multiply the food to feed thousands. Many times our lives become hectic. And like Martha, our troubled hearts cannot hear from God because we are taking care of too many things and allowing circumstances to dictate our lives. We are often so busy serving the Lord that we cannot find time to worship Him. There is always one more thing to do before we can stop and sit at Jesus' feet. We allow other things to be preeminent in our lives. And in so doing, we rob ourselves from hearing the Lord's voice and experiencing His presence. Intimacy with Jesus does not happen by accident. It is a deliberate choice that we make. Jesus knocks on the door of our heart and waits for us to respond to His invitation. We can either choose the good part, which is to sit and linger in His presence, or we can allow ourselves to be overburdened with much serving or the obligations of life. It is a personal choice. It is simple, If we truly want to hear from Jesus we must decide not to allow the intimate moment of His presence to pass us by. +++ 9/10/19 TRUST IN THE POTTER'S HANDS Scripture: Jeremiah 18:4 "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: So he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it." From the very beginning, the potter had an image in his mind of the vessel that he desired to form. He chose a particular piece of clay, but as he began to work with the clay, it was ruined in his hands. Please notice that when the clay became marred or ruined that it was in the hands of the potter. There were several possibilities of why the clay was marred. There may have been air bubbles, hard pieces of unpliable clay, or foreign objects like pebbles that may have worked their way to the surface as the potter applied pressure to the clay. As the air bubbles or foreign material came to the surface, the potter had to separate them from the clay, which caused void places to occur in the clay. If these void areas had not been dealt with, they would have weakened and ultimately destroyed the vessel being created. Perhaps the clay refused to yield to the potter's will as it spun around on the wheel. Whatever the case, the marred clay had to be crushed and reworked. Yet, the potter never became discouraged, as he patiently made it into another vessel that seemed good to him. Sometimes we may feel like the crushed clay and wonder, "What's next?" We thought we were on our way to victory and happiness but found that as God worked with us, hard areas of pride and things foreign to His perfect will began to expose themselves in our lives. Our emotions, self-esteem, and our very lives are marred by situations and circumstances beyond our control. We find our hopes and dreams failing. Then, as God begins to separate us from things in our lives, void places begin to appear within us and we find that we are not as complete as we thought we were. We may even begin to strive with our Maker and question His work, challenging Him as to why we are not like others. And like the scripture in Isaiah 45:9, we may ask the Lord, "What do You think You are making?" Just like the potter, God knows exactly what He is trying to fashion with your life. In Jeremiah 29:11 God says, "I know the thoughts or plans I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." From the very beginning, God envisions a plan and a purpose for your life, and He works diligently to mold you into that destiny. As He works with you, there may be pressures and personal disappointments, but always remember that you are in the Potter's hands. These are the same hands that were nailed to the cross. And even though you have been marred and crushed, you can trust these nail pierced hands to mold you and make you into the vessel that He desires. +++ 9/11/19 GIVE NO OPPORTUNITY Scripture: I Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour." Just as we are on guard for our safety in the natural, we must be the same in our spiritual welfare. Peter said that we have to be sober-minded or well balanced and temperate. We also must be watching for our adversary and cautious at all times, for the devil is like a fierce hungry lion who is ready to devour his prey. He roams about just looking for opportunities. In the natural, if we received word that a lion or some other danger was lurking in the darkness and waiting for a chance to attack, we would take every precaution to protect ourselves. We would lock our doors and be very vigilant if we went out. Yet many times in the spiritual realm, we leave the door to our hearts wide open without regard to dangers that are near. I used to work in an office that had two doors that had access to the street. I was alone there for as long as eight hours of the day so I always locked both of the doors, which had a regular lock and a dead bolt. Once, when it was time to go home I could not find my keys. I finally discovered that they were still in the lock on the outside of the door. The phone was ringing when I had unlocked the door to come in that morning and in my haste I had shut and locked the door from the inside but had left the keys on the outside. The keys had a large wood carved fish attached to them. They were very visible to anyone who may have wanted to enter, as they dangled in the lock all day long. In reality, when I thought that I was safe, I actually had unknowingly left myself unguarded and subject to the opportunities of harm. Life is like that many times. We shut and lock the doors of our hearts on the inside and are unaware that we have left the keys on the outside. We think that we are totally protected but instead, we are vulnerable to spiritual attack. The Apostle Paul told us not to give any opportunity to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). We must guard our hearts above all things and be established in our faith. We cannot harbor sin, hate, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, or anything that is contrary to God's Word because when we do we allow it to dangle as keys on the outside of our hearts. These things give opportunity to the devil and are an open invitation for him to come in. We must remember that the devil is a fierce enemy and we must remain vigilant concerning his strategies. He walks about looking for a chance to devour hearts that are vulnerable. We cannot allow ourselves to be naive or negligent in any area of our lives. We must make sure that when we have shut and locked the doors to our hearts that we are still holding the keys. +++ 9/11/19 GOOD THINGS FROM GOD Scripture: Psalms 84:11 "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Responsible fathers and mothers put away intended gifts and postpone special privileges for their children until the appropriate season. So it is with our Heavenly Father. There are blessings available for each and every one of us, but our wise Father withholds them until we are ready to receive them. He is very generous with His gifts but looks for a heart that is pure and one that He can trust to act with integrity. He also searches for a heart that is sensitive to His wishes and has a desire to meet the needs of others. When the Lord finds a heart that mirrors His attributes and one whose greatest desire is to serve Him and to bless His people, He shares Himself with that individual and withholds no good thing. The Lord is our Shepherd, and a good shepherd provides everything that his sheep need. A shepherd does not withhold provisions or leave the sheep unprotected. He is with them always and they have nothing to fear, for he will lay down his own life for his sheep. He is their constant companion and is there daily to lead them to green pastures and beside still waters. He sees to every detail and allows no lack to enter their life. He is sensitive to the their hurts and pains and when they are injured, He treats their wounds and pours oil on their bruises. When the storm threatens or danger presents itself, he calms their spirits with soft words and gently sings over them. This is a picture of our loving Lord who is always there to meet our need more abundantly than we could ask or think. His provisions are never meager to those whom He can trust. He will do all that He can do physically and spiritually to enhance their life for His glory. Yet many times in our struggle for the things that we need, we fail to walk uprightly and our life and focus is found lacking because we have strayed away from the Good Shepherd. We may not be involved in deliberate and outright sin, but we either neglect or leave our first love. God’s Word teaches us to seek first the Kingdom of God, then all things will be added to us. But instead of loving the Lord God with all of our heart and seeking His Kingdom first, we allow other things to crowd out our communion with the Lord. We must look at our lives and become more determined to follow the Lord, our Shepherd, and not allow anything to hinder our relationship with Him. When the Lord sees us following Him and walking in His footsteps, He will not withhold any good thing from us. +++ 9/13/19 THE REST OF FAITH Scripture: Hebrews 4:3 "For we which have believed do enter into rest ..." Where there is faith, there is rest. Faith does not come by sight or the reasoning of the mind, but comes when you hear God's voice and you receive His Words as truth. When God speaks His will into your life, truth comes into your heart and it gives you an assurance that brings rest. Faith brings an end to all anxiety and fear. Even in the midst of adversity, rest will be written with indelible ink within your soul if you have truly believed God’s Word of promise. Doubts will flee and struggles will cease. Even those around you will marvel as they witness the peace that prevails in your spirit and the rest that surrounds you. The devil will challenge your faith, but when you have heard from God, there will remain a knowing within your spirit that cannot be shaken. Nothing and no one can pry God's Words from your heart or destroy the faith that you have in His promise. His Word is your foundation and your heart is fixed like the men of the scriptures who did great things based on just a Word from God. Noah built an ark and escaped the flood. Moses led millions of people into a desert and leaned upon God for every provision for forty years. David challenged Goliath, the giant, and defeated him with a simple sling and a stone. Abraham left his family and country to search for a city whose builder and maker was God. Sarah received strength to conceive in her old age and gave birth to Isaac. And Isaac sowed seed in the time of famine and reaped a harvest that was a hundred fold. These people of God just believed what God said, obeyed His voice, and then rested in His promise. God never failed. God does not want you to be anxious in your faith and to struggle to believe. He wants you to enter into rest and follow the example that He has set. Verse four tells us that "God rested on the seventh day from all His works." In the six days of creation, He spoke everything into existence and created life. God did all that He planned to do, then on the seventh day He entered into rest. He ceased from His labors and believed that the sun, moon, and stars would function just as He commanded them to. He was at peace knowing that the herbs, trees, and every green thing would seed itself and bring forth fruit in obedience to His Word. God had faith that the creatures would multiply and replenish the earth just as He had spoken. He was not anxious about His creation or its future. God left His creation to obey His Words. And then He rested. Faith causes you to act in season. It will make you calm in the midst of a storm, bold as a lion in adversity, strong for battle, and patient when you need to wait. This is the rest of faith. It meets every challenge with a dignity and a peace that possesses your soul. Faith hopes when there is no hope and believes when there is no way possible. We enter a God’s rest when we believe and that true faith in God passes all understanding. +++ 9/16/19 FAITH IN GOD Scripture: Mark 11:22 "Jesus answered and said unto them, Have faith in God." Jesus instructed His followers to "Have faith in God." He then proceeded to tell them to, "Speak to the mountain to be removed and cast into the sea." He said, "If you do not doubt in your heart, then you will receive those things which you say." Jesus made it very plain that we must first have faith before our confessions of faith will come to pass. Yet, we tend to complicate and reverse His instructions. Instead of developing our faith in God, we base our faith in our own abilities and presume upon God to honor our confessions. We have developed our formula and even titled it "name it and claim it." Yet, God is not obligated to bow to our presumptions. According to Romans 10:17 faith does not come by hearing our own words. It comes when we hear what God is saying to us. In other words, if God "names it," then we can "claim it" because we know that He is speaking His will into our lives. I John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence that we have in God, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us; and if we know that He hears us, we know that we have whatever we ask of Him." If you are in a place of adversity right now and are facing an enormous mountain of difficulty, do not try to cast it into the sea with your own words and confessions. Find out what God is saying about your situation. Faith is not of yourself. It is a gift that God instills in your heart (Ephesians 2:8). The father who requested healing for his son in Mark 9:24 had to ask God to increase his faith. He cried out to Jesus, "I believe, but please help me overcome my unbelief." The faith that is created by God's Word is the faith that will bring your destiny into being. When God speaks, His voice will give light to your vision and life to your faith. His Word in your ear will drive out doubt and unbelief and His Spirit will empower you. The Lord says, "It will not be by your might, nor by your power, but by My Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6). When you make true confessions that are in line with God's Word and in agreement with His will, His Spirit will tear down the great mountain that is in your life by crying, "Grace, grace unto it" (Zechariah 4:7). Do not lean upon your own strength, but have faith in what God has spoken to you and then allow Him to use that faith as you speak to your mountain. +++ 9/17/19 A BREATH AWAY Scripture: Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." God formed man from the dust of the ground and endowed him with everything that he needed to be able to live and function as a normal being on this earth. Yet, it was only when God breathed His supernatural breath into man that man actually became a living soul. The simple breath of God is full of life and power and when He breathes upon anything, it is eternally changed. Even the dry bones came alive in Ezekiel's vision as the winds of God breathed upon them (Ezekiel 37). Nothing is impossible with God. When He passes by His glory follows after Him, and when He speaks everything within the sound of His voice obeys. That includes the Earth, the Heavens, and the entire universe. At His Word, darkness becomes light, the seas roll back like a scroll, and the storms cease. With His Word, He sends manna from Heaven to feed the millions and causes water to come from a rock to quench their thirst. When the breath of His Words go forth, the dead rise, the lame walk, the blind see, and the deaf hear. His mere presence protects those who trust in Him. He stops the mouths of the lions and disallows the fire to consume those in the fiery furnace. No weapon formed against His mighty Words can prosper because the breath of God has no limitation. As you think about these thoughts, ask God to breathe upon your situations that seem dead or hopeless. His breath will give your circumstances new life and hope. He has promised to perfect those things that concern you, regardless of what they are. He has said that you could cast every care upon Him. Casting your care upon Him means that you have to let go of it and allow it to leave your hand. He has promised to receive your burden and take care of your needs. He will breathe provision into your financial situation, hope into your relationships, health into your body, and life into your spirit. Trust the Lord to resurrect and restore all things that concern you. He is the creator and almighty God. He can be depended upon and He is only a breath away. +++ 9/18/19 DECISION TO CHANGE Scripture: Luke 15:17 "And when he came to himself ..." The prodigal son reached the very bottom of his circumstances and found himself sitting with the pigs. He was so hungry that he desired their food. It was then that he came to his senses. When he came to himself, he saw the results of his own choices and decided that he had been in this mess long enough. This wakeup call caused him to change his thinking and he made the decision to go back to his father's house where he belonged. Regardless of the humiliation that he would face and the unrighteous judgment that he would receive from others, he depended upon the mercy of his father. He hoped to enjoy the benefits of his father’s forgiveness and faithfulness. His intentions were to repent, ask for forgiveness, and possibly get a job as a hired servant in his father's house. This was the best that he hoped to receive. The ways of the prodigal son are not foreign to us, for we have all failed and come short of the glory of God. We want to think that we are spiritual enough to be beyond that point, but the truth is that the desires of our heart and the lust of our flesh many times lead us astray, if not for long seasons at least for brief moments. The prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and is desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). There have been times that I have asked my own self, "Can I get any more confused about the desires of my heart than I am right now?" My true desire was to walk wisely in the things of the Lord but the foolishness of my heart was pulling the other direction. Like Paul, there was a war going on in my spirit. The things I wanted to do I did not do and the things I did not want to do, I did (Romans 7:19). The Lord searches our hearts and He knows the secrets that lie in every chamber. We cannot hide anything from Him, for His Spirit not only discerns our thoughts but also the intents of our heart. We may put up a good front but the Holy Spirit knows if our hearts are in the right place or if we are like the prodigal son and are actually sitting in a spiritual pigpen, estranged from our Heavenly Father. Solomon said, "He that trust in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered" (Proverbs 28:26). If we want to walk wisely, we cannot allow ourselves to trust in our own hearts or follow after our own desires. Like the prodigal son, we must come to ourselves and make a decision to find our way back to the Father and ask Him to help us walk down the narrow paths that He has ordained for us. When He sees us turn from our own ways, He will welcome our submission to Him and celebrate our choice to fulfill His will. +++ 9/19/19 REAPING JOY Scripture: Psalms 126:5 "Those that sow in tears shall reap in joy." God's laws do not change. For every principle that He has established, He has set in motion rewards and consequences. For the law of sowing, He guarantees a harvest. This principle is true in the spiritual as well as the natural realm. You will reap whatever you sow and it will always be of the same kind or manner. In the natural, if you sow corn, you will reap corn and if you sow beans, you will reap beans. It is a fairly simple process and the law works each and every time without fail. You cannot sow corn with the hopes of gathering beans. It just will not work that way, for the law has been established by Almighty God who created the corn and the beans and commanded them to bring forth after their own kind. Nature functions by God's Word and cannot go against His commands. In the spiritual realm, it is the same. If you sow good, you will reap good and if you sow evil, you will reap evil, but be sure that every seed you sow will produce a harvest of the same kind. Every prayer that you have spoken in faith into the ears of God will receive an answer. His Word says, "Whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" (Matthew 21:22). Every gift that you have given in the Name of the Lord will come back to you, for Jesus said, "Give and it shall be given unto you good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that you give, it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6:38). Every burden that you carry for someone else will generate spiritual strength in your own life and every tear that you sow will reap a harvest of joy. What mighty promises these are to encourage us to pray and to share with others, and what a comfort and sweet assurance to our hearts to know that when our tears are falling like rain we are sowing seeds for a harvest of joy. We may think that holding back our tears in our distress and discouragement displays strength. In reality, it takes much more strength and energy to cry. If you have ever grieved over a personal loss or shed tears of sorrow because of the pain in your soul, you know how weak it left you. Tears completely drain your body's strength and leave your soul and spirit spent. Yet there will be a harvest from those tears and you can rest assured that when you have nothing left within, God will begin to use those tears to bring something beautiful into your life. The Lord is a keeper of His promises and watches over His Word to perform it. Just like the flowers that come forth after the spring rains, God creates new life within you, waters it with your tears, and He causes a harvest to spring up within your soul and spirit. You can be sure that the Word that God has spoken is true and where you have sown tears, you will reap joy. +++ 9/20/19 FAITH AND PATIENCE Scripture: Hebrews 6:12 "Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." God's work at Calvary is complete, unmovable, and eternal. Our Christian life is based upon our acceptance of this finished work and our own personal faith in the promises of God. God's promises are sure, for He is not a man that lies with His lips or repents and changes the decisions of His heart. God's Words are facts that have been established from the foundations of time. They stand steadfast and remain true in all circumstances and at all times. Whatever God says will come to pass, for His Words never return to Him void but accomplish what they were sent forth to do. The only variable in the situation is our faith and our patience towards what God has spoken because it takes both faith and patience to receive His promises We have heard of the patience of Job, but we must remember that Job also had great faith. He had enough faith to place his life in God's hands and declare, "Though He slay me, I will still trust Him" (Job 13:15). That is unconditional faith that is not based on God's performance. Faith does not say, "Give me the answer, then I will believe." Faith says, "I believe and trust God regardless of what happens." Job had enough patience to make it through the trial that he was selected to endure, for God Himself spoke to Satan and said, "Have you considered my servant Job?" He brought Job to Satan's attention and then allowed Satan to take Job through an enormous test. Passing this test was not easy for Job, yet Job's faith and patience survived and he received more at the end of his ordeal than he had at the beginning. When difficult pressures come our way, we may wonder about the status of God's promises and our own personal faith may tend to waver. It may seem that life itself is just one painful problem after another. Like the account with Job, the current trial that we are in the midst of may not end before another one begins. If we experience disappointments and failures in the midst of these challenges, we may even want to give up because our faith may not have enough patience to endure the process. Yet, it is only as we follow the example of Job and the other mighty saints of the scriptures that we will inherit the promises that God has left to us. We must not be slothful but exhibit the same kind of faith and patience they had. God has faith in us and we can be confident that He will not allow anything to come against us that is greater than we can bear. Faith and patience is our banner of victory and as we stand steadfast, we will inherit God's promises. +++ 9/23/19 JESUS WEPT Scripture: John 11:35 "Jesus wept." These two words give us a picture of the love and compassion of our wonderful Lord as He stood at the tomb of Lazarus who had been dead for four days. Jesus, the Son of God, wept. The Word of God who was made flesh wept for His friend whose earthly body now had no life. The Light of the World wept in the darkness that surrounded the situation. The Bread of Life shed tears for those who stood around the tomb declaring that they wished that Jesus had come earlier so that Lazarus could have been healed. Jesus was the resurrection and the life and this Life of God groaned within Himself as He experienced the sorrow that sickness and death brought. Jesus was deeply moved emotionally, yet at the end of the matter, He spoke resurrection life, light, and healing into the dead body of Lazarus. Jesus then called Lazarus forth from the tomb and commanded that he be loosed from the bondage of the grave clothes. Before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He spoke to the Father and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard me and I know that You hear me always." This same Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for you and for me. He is there continually. His Word, His Life, and His Light are waiting to raise you from the sorrow and grief that you are enduring. There is no storm in your life that Jesus can not speak peace to and cause it to cease. There are no waves that He can not calm with one word from His lips. There is no water that is so deep that He can not walk upon it in order to rescue you. There is no meal so scarce that He cannot multiply to feed you. There is no valley so long and so deep that He can not shepherd you through it. There is no desert so dry that He can not be a well that springs up within you to quench your thirst. Jesus is there all the time and in every situation to meet every need that you have. He is waiting to raise you from the death of your situation into new life. He wants to dispel the darkness with His light and stands ready to command that you be loosed from things that hold you in bondage. There is nothing too great for Him, not even death that has laid in a tomb for four days. His Spirit of Life exceeds all. His love is boundless. His mercy is new every morning. Remember that God hears Jesus always and that Jesus is interceding for you. He is touched with the feelings of all of your infirmities so go to the Lord in prayer and agree with Him on your own behalf. Then listen and obey as you hear His voice call you forth into new life. +++ 9/24/19 GOD'S VOICE IN DIFFICULT TIMES Scripture: Isaiah 30:20-21 "And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction ... your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it." No one wants to eat the bread of adversity or drink the waters of affliction. Yet there are seasons in our lives when this seems to be the only diet that is offered to us. Adversity and afflictions come to us for many reasons. It could be due to our spiritual walk, as we may have strayed from God's will and forsaken His covering. Another reason could be because of our geographical location, like the natural disasters that are happening all over the world. The adversities and afflictions could possibly be a trial to test our faith so that we can be promoted to a new level. It may also be an attack of evil forces or simply be that we have ignored and neglected the laws of nature and caused our own selves to be physically ill. Nevertheless at some point in our lives, we can be sure that we will have hard circumstances to face or barren places to endure. The encouraging thing is that the prophet does not leave us with the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. He puts a silver lining behind this dark cloud by giving us an encouraging promise to hold on to when we are in the midst of these challenges, which were designed to either discourage or destroy us. He says that the Lord will speak a word in our ears and let us know what we are to do and which way we are to turn. It is a comfort to know that we are never without instructions when we trust in the Lord. Isaiah said that God will be very specific and tell us whether to go to the left or to the right. We have nothing to fear when times are uncertain, for God will make our directions very clear. We just have to be sensitive and listen to His voice. Many times we wander around in a wilderness of despair and we cannot find help because we will not stop and listen to any of God's instructions. We are tired of the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but we are too busy struggling to follow God out of our dilemma. Everything may have been lost in the fire or swept away in the flood, but God is still God. He has prepared a new place for us and is guiding us down a new path, but we cannot go there if we do not obey His voice. Things simply cannot and will not change until we follow God's instruction. So let us determine to be sensitive and listen to God's voice during these difficult times and trust Him enough to go to the right or left at His command. +++ 9/25/19 RENEWING THE INNER MAN Scripture: II Corinthians 4:16 (Amplified) "Though our outer man is progressively decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being progressively renewed day after day." The Apostle Paul reminded us that our outer man, which is our physical body, is progressively decaying and wasting away. We do not like to think about those words, but the older we get, the more we come to understand that our bodies are not capable of lasting forever. Even though we may go to great lengths to maintain them and try to extend their lives, we know that we cannot stop the aging process. From the moment we exit our mother’s womb, we are headed towards death, and like Paul said, our natural bodies will progressively get older and weaker. Our spiritual man, as believers, is just the opposite. Paul said that our spiritual man is progressively renewed day by day. From the time that we experience the new birth, our inner man is headed towards eternal life. And much like our outward bodies that have to be cared for, our spiritual inner man has to be nourished and exercised. If it is neglected, we will experience leanness within our souls, just as a physical body becomes malnourished when it is without food and care. In the natural, when you are trying to strengthen your body, you eat proper food and drink plenty of water, exercise, and get sufficient rest. You do not work on just a couple of your muscles and let the others go, you work your entire body so that your strength is not warped and out of balance. The entire body has to be fit for you to be in good health and to be able to function properly. In the spiritual realm, the same process must occur for your spirit man to be renewed. The nourishing and strengthening of your inner man is a work of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit can only work with the materials that you give to Him. You must eat of the bread of life daily, feasting on God's Word. Without applying yourself to the diligent study of the Word, the Holy Spirit is unable to teach you or transform you into the image of God's dear Son. Just like natural food, you cannot live off of someone else's nourishment. You must take God's nourishment in for yourself and drink of the living water, refreshing yourself from the wells of salvation. You must build up your own self on your most Holy faith by praying in the Spirit (Jude 20). And you must always stay within the boundaries that God has set so that His love can reach and bless you (Jude 21). These are just a few of things that will start you on the road to a renewal in your spirit. As you do these things, God will reveal other things for you to do, and in a short time you will find that your inner self is being progressively renewed day by day. +++ 9/26/19 HE HEALS THE BROKEN HEARTED Scripture: Psalms 147:3 "He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds." There is an old saying that declares, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I have to say that the writer of those words must have had a different kind of heart than most of us possess. For words truly are capable of bruising the tender soul with deeper wounds than the assault that comes against the flesh with sticks and stones. Our flesh heals much easier and quicker than our spirits, for once the flesh is healed, the injury is usually forgotten and left in the past. We do not recall the thorns in our flesh, the bruises on our body, or other physical injuries that we have sustained. We treat them and nurture them back to health and go on with life. They teach us to be careful, but once they are healed, we never cry again because of their pain. The heart and soul of man is much different. Within the heart it seems there is an everlasting fountain of grief and sadness for those who have been wounded in their spirits. In one moment, one word or situation can bring the past injuries into the present and re-create the pain of the things that we thought we had buried within our spirits. We thought we had hidden our grief and pain in the deepest chamber of our heart and locked the door, but the feeling is just as fresh and the hurt is just as deep as it was in the past. It is amazing how this can happen so suddenly. Without warning and unannounced, these wounds are resurrected and take us by surprise. Our heart aches and our tears flow and no one seems to understand our grief or why we cannot let it go. King David experienced this and spoke out concerning his own broken heart saying, "I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Psalms 69:20). Your physical body cannot function well with a heart that is not working right. When your physical heart is not well, your whole body suffers. Your breath is short, your strength fades, and other parts of your body fail. The same is true with your spiritual heart, for when your spirit is injured, your entire being suffers the loss. There is only one person who is able to come to your rescue, heal your spirit, and mend your broken heart. That person is the Lord, Himself. Jesus is not only there for those whose bodies are wracked with pain but has promised to be near to those whose hearts are broken (Psalms 34:18). Look to Him, for He is the only one who can see your real pain and deal with the true issues. The Lord understands the tenderness of your soul and knows how your heart aches. He takes pity and will comfort you in your pain, for He loves you with an everlasting love. Trust in the Lord. Put your heart in His hands, and allow Him to heal and bind up your wounds. +++ 9/27/19 FOCUSED AND FIT FOR THE KINGDOM Luke 9:62 "Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." Jesus spoke to a man to come and follow Him. This was a lifetime opportunity but the man requested that he first be released to go and bid his family good bye. Jesus dealt with this natural mindset by telling the man not to look back at his old life. This seems like a harsh instruction but Jesus knew that the man would be returning to relatives who would probably ridicule and scorn his decision. They may have been unbelievers whose influence could cloud his faith with doubt and instill fear within his heart. They may have tempted him to give up such a ridiculous idea. They may have questioned where his life's support would come from, pointing out that Jesus Himself said that He had no place to lay His own head. We want God to enlarge our borders, take us to higher levels, and open new doors. Yet, we have a tendency to respond in fear when those things began to occur because they can create challenges. The new territories offer us new problems to solve and an unfamiliar protocol to follow, which requires greater physical and mental strength on our part. It may also require a financial investment or risk. The unknown is all too taxing because our past failures remind us that we could end up in defeat again. So it is often tempting to look at the safety and luxuries that we possess in the present rather than to press towards the future with its risk and rewards. Yet as we look at the examples that are in the scriptures we realize that the men who were able to achieve their goals and fulfill their callings were determined and focused. Regardless of the obstacles they faced, they never looked back. The Apostle Paul focused on the prize of the high calling of Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). He was beat, stoned, imprisoned, and left for dead, but he allowed nothing to stop him. He continued to press towards the mark. Abraham was called to leave his country and family to go to a land that God would show him (Genesis 12:1). He had no map to the blessing or written contract from God but he stayed focused on the words that God had spoken, which gave him direction and instilled faith in his heart. Joshua and Caleb did not look at the size of the giants in the land but focused on the size of the grapes. They were of another spirit and followed God fully (Numbers 14:24) until they reached the Promised Land. Daniel did not consider the lions that were in the den. He believed that God would deliver him and focused his attention on the angels of the Lord who shut the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6:22). And Jesus focused upon God's will by setting His face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). These examples are not just intriguing stories for us to enjoy. They are given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to encourage us to also keep our focus upon the Lord and His high calling for our lives. The Lord speaks to all of us to come and follow Him. Yet, He wants us to know that when we put our hands to the plough we must never allow ourselves to look back or be distracted by the good or bad that we have left behind. Jesus was not giving instructions that He was not willing to follow for Himself. He willingly gave up all that He was and put His hand to the plough to complete the Father's will. He stayed focused all the way to Calvary and died on our behalf. His victory is now our strength. Now we must endeavor to remain focused on Him so that we can become fit for the Kingdom of God. +++ 9/30/19 HARVEST TIME Scripture: John 4:35 "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." Jesus said, "Lift up your eyes and look." Many people are asleep and do not see that things are changing very rapidly around them. Those who are awake and aware walk around in awe because of what surrounds them. There is a new awareness of the glory of God. It is as though there is a new sound in Heaven, one that we have never heard before. It is telling us to press the limits and to go where we have never gone before and to do what we have never done. It encourages us to enlarge our borders, expand our horizons, and get ready for the day of the greatest harvest that we have ever seen. Yet, Jesus tells us that even though the harvest or the mission field is truly great, the laborers are few, and He instructs us to pray for more laborers to be sent into the fields (Luke 10:2). Jesus' Words are a personal mandate for each of us, for we all have been called and chosen for such a time as this. This is our day and this is our hour. God has ordained and anointed us at this time in history to minister to the hurting souls that are being held in bondage. In the beginning, God spoke all things into existence and commanded everything to multiply. All of creation obeyed His voice because of the power of His Words. God’ very breath brought light and life. The same is happening now in the spirit. The fruit of God’s fields are multiplying and becoming ripe because of His command. He is depending upon us to reap the harvest by sharing His light and life with the world around us. God is releasing a fresh awareness, but we must respond. We cannot just look at the fields. Instead, we must share and minister to those in need. Like gathering a tender crop, our words must not be loud and empty, but full of love, grace, and truth. If Jesus is living within us, His essence should emerge when we talk and His witness should show forth in every area of our lives. Everything about Him should be portrayed through our image because we are an epistle known and read of all men (II Corinthians 3:2). In this dark hour, the world is looking for people who are walking in the supernatural peace of God; a peace that is only birthed by the presence of God. The more we see the day of the Lord approaching, the greater our influence will be. We must submit to God and allow the power of His voice to speak into our lives. We must yield to God and allow His Spirit to change us for His glory so that we can see His fields and become laborers in His harvest. +++ Copyright © 2019 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
.............................. | ||