| ............ | A Word In Due Season Nov2021 12/2/21 ASK FOR YOUR MOUNTAIN Scripture: Joshua 14:12 "Give me this mountain." Can you imagine being eighty-five years old and asking God to give you a mountain, which is full of giants that you will have to conquer? This is the place where Caleb was in his life. God had given Moses and the children of Israel a promise, and now forty-five years later, Caleb is claiming his portion of that promise. He said, "I am this day four score and five years old (85 years old). And yet, I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me" (Verses 10-11). Caleb was of another spirit and was destined for deliverance because he followed the Lord fully (Numbers 14:24). He believed that what God had promised, God would deliver. Forty-five years before Caleb made this request, he had tried to encourage God's people to go in and possess the Promised Land, but they had no faith. Instead, they could only see the giants and believe the evil reports. Caleb, however, focused his attention upon God and His Words of promise. Even though for forty years Caleb was forced to wander in the wilderness with an unbelieving generation, he did not allow them to discourage him. Caleb said that God, Himself, had kept him alive and that he was just as strong at eighty-five as he had been when he was forty. He was not senile or in denial of the circumstances. Caleb told Joshua he knew that the giants were in the land and that the cities were great and fenced in. But, he said, "If the Lord is with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said" (Verse 12). What an amazing testimony of courage and faith. This story challenges us to think about our own lives and the things that have been left unfinished. We have mountains that we have not conquered. We have allowed the giants of fear, age, and a multitude of other things to hinder our dreams and visions. Not many of us are eighty-five years old like Caleb and yet we have already given up. Occasionally, there will be a spark or a renewal in our spirits, but too soon we set our hopes aside. The challenge seems too great and the journey too long. We allow the enemy to convince us that God’s promise will never happen. We must have a change of heart and allow God to impart within us the same spirit of faith that Caleb had. Regardless of how many years have passed, we must look at the mountain that God promised to us and then boldly ask Him to give us our mountain. +++ 12/3/21 THE LEAST OF THESE Scripture: Matthew 25:40 "In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it unto Me." The call to ministry is not primarily a call to be behind a pulpit or in the limelight of a media ministry. Neither is ministry just for a chosen few who have been to seminary and studied how to minister. Jesus taught His Disciples about true ministry. He talked to them about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, and ministering to those in prison. He said, "When you minister to the least of these, you have ministered unto Me." Ministry is designed for the believer and it is about fulfilling the needs of others whether the need is physical, emotional, financial, or spiritual. It is helping people and encouraging them on their journey towards Jesus and eternity. We would walk miles and stand in long lines just to get a brief glimpse of Jesus. If the opportunity presented itself, we would even sit in a tree like Zacchaeus did and wait for Jesus to come so that we could hear Him speak. There would be no sacrifice too great for us to make in order to be able to witness His awesome power. We would do anything and go anywhere in order to see Jesus change water into wine, heal the sick, multiply the bread and fish, calm the storms, and walk on the water. Words cannot explain how thrilled we would be if Jesus asked us to do something for Him or to minister to Him in some special way. Yet according to His own words, Jesus gives us ample opportunity to do just that. He comes to us more often than we realize. Most of the time, we do not recognize Him because He comes in the form of the beggar on the street or the hungry children of the world. He comes to us as the poor who need to be clothed or He sits behind bars as a prisoner who needs to be encouraged by a visit. Jesus is there in many ways but because we are searching for Him to appear in a supernatural way, we miss Him altogether. If you would start each day with a simple prayer such as, "Jesus, show me what I can do for You today", you would be surprised how many needs would present themselves. The Lord would open your eyes to see the hungry, thirsty, and homeless that were about you. You ears would be sensitive to the cries of those who were sick and you would understand the loneliness of those in prison. The Lord would fill your heart with His love and show you how to respond to their simple needs. Jesus would teach you the same element of truth that He shared with those closest to Him. That truth is that the Lord is pleased when you touch the life of those who are neglected, overlooked, and considered to be the least in His Kingdom. His message to you would be to "love all people" even those whom you consider to be the very least. For when you love and care for others, it will be as though you were loving and caring for the Lord Himself. +++ 12/6/21 ENDURE AS A GOOD SOLDIER Scripture: II Timothy 2:3 "Endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." The Apostle Paul had previously spoken to young Timothy about faith, courage and faithfulness. Now he addresses the issue of endurance and instructs Timothy to endure hardness just like a good soldier would do. Endurance means to suffer patiently without yielding. It also means withstanding the stress and never giving up. It is continuing and persevering to the very end despite the hardships. Is it any wonder that Paul first spoke to Timothy about faith, courage, and faithfulness? For all three of these traits are needed in order to be able to endure the hardness of the situation until the end. Paul was not just expressing mere thoughts and empty words. He was sharing his heart and speaking from his own personal experience, for he had been through many adverse and difficult situations. He was whipped so many times that he lost count. Five times, he received thirty-nine lashes and three times he was beaten with rods. He was shipwrecked and even spent a whole night and day adrift at sea. He was stoned and faced death again and again. Many times he was without food and water or enough clothing to keep him warm. Paul was fully aware of what it meant to endure the hardness that life and ministry offer. At the time that Paul wrote these words, he was in chains in the prison and many of his friends had deserted him. Yet, Paul endured all of it as a good soldier of Jesus Christ and never allowed anything to separate him from the love of God and God's call on his life. Soldiers face many hardships and are limited in their choices about their life because they exist in a controlled environment. They are required to follow the orders of their commanding officer regardless of whether or not they understand or agree with the particular orders that are issued. They obediently go where they are sent without regard to their own preference. They dress the way they are told to dress whether it suits their personal taste or not. If they want to survive life, they eat the food that is set before them, disregarding the taste. Their life is under daily scrutiny with little personal privacy. In essence their life does not belong to them, for everything they do is based upon the service that they can do for others. Life is not always easy and like Paul expressed, sometimes it may even seem that we are like a soldier on the battlefield. We have a fierce enemy who is out to destroy us and there are no grounds in our life that are sacred to him. Like the account with Job, the devil will attack everything that we hold dear. His purpose is to destroy our self-esteem, our status in the community, our bonds with others, and most importantly our faith in God. The devil is subtle and works every angle so we must be alert and prepared at all times. We must realize that we are not wrestling with flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness. Whatever comes our way, we must never yield our ground or give up. If we want to experience the victory, we must endure the hardness knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We must follow God's directions as a good soldier of Jesus Christ and persevere to the end. +++ 12/7/21 TAKING YOUR THOUGHTS CAPTIVE Scripture: II Corinthians 10:5 "... Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Do you ever wonder what is really going on in your life? It seems as though things are way out of control and it is one battle after another. The truth is that we are in spiritual warfare and we must put on the whole armor of God so that we will be able to wrestle and stand against the enemy. The Apostle Paul told us in II Corinthians 10:3-6 that although we are walking and living in a fleshly body, our battles are not with flesh. He tells us how to combat the enemy that comes against our mind. He says that we must be ready to revenge ourselves by speaking out against anything that opposes what Christ has purchased for us on the cross of Calvary. We must take action in three areas; pull down strongholds in our lives, cast down imaginations in our minds, and take our thoughts captive. Paul gives us a picture of the enemy who has come into our minds. The enemy builds a fortified city and puts up strong walls and towers to protect the territory that he has taken control of. The strongholds that Satan puts in our minds are spiritual and traditional in nature. Our battles may be hereditary such as generational diseases or they may be social such as poverty and popularity. The devil is not playing games with us. Whatever stronghold the devil tries to enforce in our life, they are designed to kill, steal, and destroy. If he is allowed to build a stronghold in our mind, we begin to expect his results. He begins to plant negative thoughts and imaginations inside the strongholds. He brings us to a point that we cannot develop faith for healing, prosperity, or receiving answers for any of our needs because he is in control. In fighting this battle in our mind, Paul told us to deal with these hard, strong, impenetrable fortresses. We are to destroy them by prayer and the authority of God's Word. It takes time to tear down the fortresses that have been built in our minds just like it would if we were to tear down a brick wall, brick by brick. But when the walls come down, the contents within will be exposed so they can be dealt with. It is then that we can deal with the vain imaginations and bring into captivity the thoughts that are disobedient to Christ. It is not enough for us to be victorious over the strongholds in our minds, we must keep the victory. To do this, we must continue to hold our thoughts in captivity to the Spirit of Christ. As we renew our minds daily in God's Word and fellowship with Him in prayer, truth will prevail and every thought will become obedient to Him. +++ THE LORD'S GOODNESS Scripture: Psalms 107:15 "Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, for His wonderful works to the children of men!" God is so good and His works are wonderful, yet we rarely stop to consider all that He does for us. He hides us under the shelter of His wings like a mighty eagle that protects her young. He is our shield in the time of battle and He is our hedge against problems. He walks with us in the midst of the fire and He keeps us safe in the flood. He calms the raging storms and leads us through the dry barren desert. He stands beside us when the lions roar and also helps us to conquer every giant that mocks us. He is our daily provision and our hope for the future. He is our Shepherd who leads us through the dark valley and our intercessor who continually sits at the right hand of God. He is our Savior and our best friend. How could we ask for anything more? As I read the many prayer requests that come through this ministry, I realize how thankful we need to be on a daily basis because God is sparing many of us from some of the heartache and pain that others are facing at the moment. Yet, I remember a season when I was pressed beyond measure on every side just as others are experiencing at this time. In that year, my husband passed away after a long battle with cancer, my brother died, and my home was flooded with over two feet of water from a tropical storm. My heart was broken because of the loss of my loved ones, and in the midst of my grief, I was forced to handle financial situations and make decisions that I had never had to face alone. It was a terrible season of hard work, financial loss, grief, and sorrow. But in every situation, God's grace proved sufficient, and my experiences became a training ground for me to learn how to love and encourage others who would later face the same challenges. We are reminded of these seasons of heartache and pain, from time to time, and may even wonder how we made it through the various trials. Yet, how often do we give thanks to the Lord that we are not experiencing similar circumstances at the present time? We should give thanks every day of our life, for each day God protects us in some way that we do not realize. He spares us from sickness or some unseen situation that He knows we are unable to handle because He has promised that He would never put more upon us than we could bear. He allows only a portion of pain for a given season so as not to overwhelm our spirits. If we could see all that the Lord had spared us from, we would be as passionate as the psalmist. We would agree with his declaration of desire. We would become one of those people who would "praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" +++ 12/09/21 HEARING AS THE LEARNED Scripture: Isaiah 50:4 "Morning by morning, He awakens my ear to hear as the learned." These words simply mean that God helps our hearts to understand what our ears are hearing. Words in themselves mean nothing to us unless we have understanding about the subject at hand. For example, when someone gives me an in-depth instruction concerning the computer, they may as well be speaking a foreign language. I can hear the words they are saying, but I cannot follow the meaning because I have limited understanding about the subject. I have no foundation to build upon so my ears do not hear as a learned person. This same also is true with hearing the Word of God. God's thoughts and Words do not come to us all at one time. They come as precept upon precept, line upon line, and here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10). Wisdom and understanding increase as we hear God's Word. It is a simple equation; the more we hear, the more we understand. God gives us new and deeper revelation with each reading and study of His Word, for God's thoughts and Words are eternal and have no end. It is through consistently hearing the Word of God that faith is birthed in our hearts (Romans 10:17). Yet, faith does not stop there. It grows exceedingly larger within our hearts as we continue to hear the Word (II Thessalonians 1:3). As we move from the milk of the Word to the meat of the Word, we grow even stronger (Hebrews 5:14). Our spiritual ears become more sensitive because we not only hear the Word, we experience the truth of the Word. When we experience the Word, our senses are exercised and we learn to discern both good and evil. Morning by morning, God said that He would open our ears to hear. I learn new things about the same scriptures every day and I understand more now than I did when I was a child because I can now hear as the learned. Isaiah also said, "The Lord God gives us the tongue of the learned." God wants us to share what we have learned, but that privilege only comes when our ears are able to hear as the learned. The milk of the Word is good, but we must desire the meat of the Word. I encourage you to search for the deeper meaning of God's Word without leaving the simplicity of the gospel. God's Word is not meant to be complicated, but it is a mystery that is waiting to be discovered. Flesh and blood cannot reveal the mystery of God's Word to you. The Holy Spirit, who is your teacher, will guide you into all truth. Read a portion of God's Word everyday and remember that His revelations come as precept upon precept, or little by little. As you consistently study the Word, you will eventually notice that God has awakened your ears to hear as the learned. +++ 12/10/21 FAITH DEMANDS ACTION Scripture: James 2:17 "Faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone." We are saved by faith and not by works, and yet faith always generates good and productive works. Faith demands corresponding actions and when faith stands alone without any actions to support its beliefs, it is dead. In the previous verses, James gave an example of a brother or sister who were naked and destitute of daily food. He said that if we tell them to go in peace and be warmed and fed, and do nothing about their situation, there is no profit. Our words are dead and have no life. Then, James told us that the same thing is true of our faith. When we just talk about what we believe and wait for something to happen, it profits nothing. There is no fruit unless we act on what we believe. Faith works and faith has works. The blind man's faith caused him to cry out to Jesus for healing. He even cast away his beggar's garment by faith when Jesus called for him to come. He had faith that he would be healed and he got rid of his garment because he believed that he would not have to beg again. The faith of the leprous men caused them to search out Jesus for cleansing. The lame man acted in faith and picked up his bed and walked at Jesus' command. Peter acted on his faith and walked upon the water when Jesus bid him to step out of the boat and come to Him. Zacchaeus was a small man but his faith prompted him to climb up in a tree so that he could see Jesus. The faith that was in the heart of the woman with an issue of blood caused her to push through the crowd of people so that she could touch the hem of Jesus' garment and be healed. Lazarus had to put away the graves clothes and walk out of the tomb when Jesus called him to come forth. Noah acted on faith and built an ark and Moses led millions of people across a desert. These are just a few that put actions to their faith. Our lives are full of opportunities every day to express our faith in the Lord and His Word. I am almost sure that none of us will be called to walk on the water or walk out of a tomb, but our faith will be challenged, none the less. We will have to put actions to our faith and show by our works what we declare to believe. If we believe that God can take care of all of our needs, we will have to stop worrying and cast all of our cares upon Him. If we believe God's Word about giving to Him and others, we will have to share in our own lean times and expect the Lord to honor His promise of a greater return. If we believe that Jesus paid the price for our healing, we cannot give up. We must stand in faith until our answer comes. In every situation that demands faith, we will have to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and not lean upon our own understanding. Faith's actions are not easy, but they are always evident. If faith is standing alone and does not have works, it is dead. +++ 12/13/21 THE PERFECT GIFT Scripture: James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." We all like to receive gifts, but there is only one perfect gift that is available to us. Our Father in Heaven knew exactly what we needed so He sent us a gift of light and eternal life. His gift is called Jesus Christ, who is God's only begotten Son. Jesus Christ is not just another philosophy of life, He is Life itself. Nor is He a reflection of the light, He is the Light. He is the good and perfect gift that came down from the Father of lights and John 1:4 says that He is the Light of all men. Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. There is no variation in His values or commands, for they have remained the same throughout all of the ages. He does not change like a shadow that increases and decreases throughout the day. If we want to know what He will do for us to today all we have to do is read the accounts of His life in the scriptures and see the things that He did when He was here on the Earth in His flesh. Even though Jesus went back to Heaven, He sent the presence of the Holy Spirit back to Earth to be our Helper and to continue His work in our lives. He still loves and forgives those in the deepest of sin. He is still concerned for those who need a meal to eat. He still has compassion for the diseased and mercy for the demon possessed. He continues to be touched by every feeling that we have and still cries when we cry. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother and He will never let us down. He is absolute truth and what He did in the past, He will do today. When we think about our lives today, we may wonder who we can trust and what we can believe, for we realize that life gives us no guarantees. We know that at some point our friends and family may fail us and that we cannot rest in the security of our circumstances or trust in our positions. Yet there is security that can be found and it is in the One who never changes. We can be assured that Jesus will be there in every situation and cause all things to work together for our good. In every situation, we must keep our eyes on Him and those things that are eternal. We must make Jesus our hope of security and let go of everything in our life that is temporal. As we hold on to the eternal, His life and His light will become our hope. +++ 12/14/21 DON'T ABANDON YOUR DESTINY Scripture: Matthew 1:20 " ... Fear not to take unto thee Mary as thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Mary and Joseph were espoused to be married. 'Espoused' among the Hebrews was the legal part of the marriage, meaning that the legal documents had been completed and signed, and that the marriage date had been set. Even though Mary and Joseph had not come together as man and wife, this legal binding could only be broken by a bill of divorcement. In the midst of the season of their espousal, Joseph learned that Mary was with child. His first thoughts were to put her away privately so as not to expose her to public shame. While he thought upon these things, the angel of the Lord spoke to him. The angel told Joseph not to fear to take Mary as his wife because the child in Mary's womb had been conceived of the Holy Spirit. Without fully realizing what was happening in his life, Joseph was in the perfect will of God. God had chosen Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to act as the natural father who was to care for the Messiah child, Jesus. For the next few years, Joseph was to protect and provide for the beloved Son of God. Joseph was also destined to be the instrument that God would use to fulfill many of the prophecies of old as he followed the leading of the Lord and obeyed the visitations of the angels. But now because of the purpose of God and the divine conception of the Holy Ghost, Joseph was facing public shame and misunderstanding. In the midst of this conflict, Joseph almost abandoned his destiny by putting Mary away privately, but God faithfully intervened and kept him on course. Like Joseph's walk with the Lord, God leads us in our natural paths to fulfill His supernatural purposes. Often we have no idea that God has set before us divine appointments. We just proceed in the natural toward our goals and plans, thinking that we are only pursuing our dreams and visions, In reality God has caused us to conceive those desires by planting them in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. God then opens and closes doors by His wisdom and leads us unknowingly down His paths that He has designed. Suddenly, the season comes for His perfect plan to be accomplished in our life and great conflicts may accompany it. We may face many challenges, yet we must never give in to fear or abandon the destiny that God has for us. We must continue to hold on to the things that have been conceived in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and allow God to complete His work and His plan. When we allow God to work in our lives, we will stand in wonder as we find ourselves in the right place at the right time, accomplishing something for His Kingdom that is beyond ourselves and we never thought possible. +++ Copyright © 2021 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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