| ............ | A Word In Due Season Aug 2023 8/1/23 PREDETERMINE NOT TO SIN Scripture: Genesis 39:9 "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers, and as he served Potiphar, he gained great favor. Potiphar noticed that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord caused everything Joseph did to prosper, so he put Joseph in charge of his entire house and everything that he owned. Potiphar held nothing back from Joseph except his own wife. Joseph was a handsome young man and Potiphar's wife began to entice him to sleep with her, but Joseph blatantly refused. There was no discussion about the matter, for his heart was predetermined not to sin against God. How often do we slip into a place of sin because we have not made a predetermined decision not to take that path? It is amazing that when you draw a line of demarcation in your spirit concerning certain matters, the devil does not even tempt you in those areas. He knows that you have set certain boundaries and limits and that you are clearly separated from engaging in those activities. He knows that you will not going to steal, kill, commit adultery, lie, cheat, or give into addictions so he does not place these temptations in front of you. Instead, he tries to find another area where you may be weak and vulnerable. My oldest son left a bottle of soda in the refrigerator so that he could drink it later. I pointed it out to my younger son and told him that it belonged to his older brother and instructed him not to drink it. Upon hearing these instructions, he promptly declared, "Well don't blame me if I accidentally drink it." I was amused because I wondered how he could do it accidentally when he was plainly told that it belonged to his brother and was asked not to drink it. By the way, he is no child. He is over thirty years old. Yet, this is how it is when we allow ourselves to sin. Even though we are mature in the Lord, we think that because the temptation is there, it is not our fault if we give in. Adam and Eve may have felt like saying, "Well don't blame us if we accidentally eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. After all, God, You put it there." Yet the availability to sin does not dispel our personal responsibility for our own actions. In times of temptation, we need to remember Joseph and understand that the only way to win the battle of temptation is to make a predetermined decision in our heart not to sin. We must realize that we are not just doing something wrong but that we are sinning against God. When we are tempted, we must bring ourselves to our senses by asking the question that Joseph asked, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" +++ 8/2/23 HEALING FOR THE HURTING Scripture: Acts 3:8 (NRS) "Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God." A lame man sat at the gate of the temple every day and begged from the people who were going in. Acts 4:22 declares that he had been lame for over forty years. He had probably lost hope of ever being normal. One day when Peter and John passed by the gate, the lame man asked them for alms. He may have experienced some disappointment when Peter said, "I don't have any silver and gold." But then Peter followed with, "But such as I have, I will give to you. In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk." Peter imparted something far greater than a few coins, for he spoke a miracle of healing into the lame man's life. When God touched the lame man, he left his past behind. He jumped to his feet, entered the temple, and began to praise God. His miracle gave him a new lease on life and he was no longer the same. No longer would he have to rely on others to transport him. No longer would he have to depend upon his family for needed support or be forced to beg. In a moment's time, with just a few words spoken in the mighty Name of Jesus, the lame man was set free physically and emotionally. Even though there were those who questioned and condemned him, there was no shame in his praise and rejoicing. For the first time in his life, he could walk and that was all that mattered to him. Just as God delivered this man from his crippling disease, He longs to deliver those who are broken in spirit and crippled within. He sees the wounds of our heart and He knows the secrets that we keep hidden deep within our spirit. God does not want to deal out a few coins or do a quick fix for our need. He wants to totally deliver us and restore the years and everything else the devil has taken from us. If we allow Him, God will deal gently with our hurts and heal every wound of our heart, but like the lame man, we must be willing to let go of the past. When the lame man was set free, he did not complain about the previous forty years that were wasted. Neither did he dwell on the pain that he had suffered or the shame that he endured as a beggar. He simply rejoiced in his newfound liberty and faced the future with a hope that he never had before. Each day that we wake up, God gives us a new lease on life and an opportunity for hope that we have never had before. With every breath, He gives us another chance for life and success, happiness and joy, and mercy and grace. God anointed Jesus to heal the broken hearted and to set the captive free. This includes every one of us. So, we must arise and leave the past behind so that we can be healed. +++ 8/3/23 TRUE WORSHIP Scripture: John 4:23 "True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth." Worship was originally spelled "worthship" and means to acknowledge the worth of the one being worshipped. Worshipping God has to do with who God the Father is and not just acknowledging and praising Him for what He has done or is doing for us. Knowledge is the mother of devotion. Those who are empty of the Word of God cannot worship God in truth because true worship can only come as the revelation of the character of God has been birthed within our spirit. In other words, we cannot love and worship someone we do not know. Faith is also required in true worship, for we must believe that God is and that God's presence is there to receive our worship. We praise God for His awesome works, but worship far surpasses the material and physical realm and reaches far into the spirit. Worship recognizes the character of God and understands that God is spirit and because He is spirit, He can only be truly worshiped with the spirit. The rocks are able to cry out in praise to God (Luke 19:40) and the sun, moon, and stars of light are commanded to praise God (Psalms 148:3). Even the morning stars sing together (Job 38:7). Yet, none of these awesome creations of God can worship Him in spirit because God has not breathed His spirit of life into them. Worship is an experience that takes place in the heart. Worship happens when the whole being is yielded to God and the love that is within our heart bows down in reverence to the holiness of God. It is an inward expression of our recognition of God's glory and grace. John 4:23 continues to tell us that God is seeking for those who would worship Him in spirit and truth, meaning He is actively watching and waiting. The Lord is looking for a bride who loves Him and knows how to pleasure Him with true worship, for He does not want mere empty lip service. He wants a heart that is full of adoration. The Lord looks beyond the loud shouts of praise to find the quiet spirit of love that is on its knees before Him in beautiful and reverential worship. If we dedicate ourselves to be one of those who will worship God in spirit and in truth, we will find Him and He will find us. +++ 8/7/23 FORGIVE - COMFORT - LOVE Scripture: (Living Bible) II Corinthians 2:7-8 "Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him ... Please show him that you love him very much." A member of the church had transgressed God's laws in a grievous way. He had caused the Apostle Paul and the church much pain and they had disciplined him to correct him. Paul now says that the guilty man had been punished enough and that it was time for restoration to begin. Paul tells the church to offer forgiveness, comfort, and love to the one who had sinned and says, "Otherwise he may become so bitter and discouraged that he will not be able to recover." It is often difficult to reinstate someone in our affections after they have hurt us and caused us pain, especially those who are in the household of faith. We feel that they should have known better in the first place, but if God is willing to forgive and restore them, shouldn't we be willing also? Yet, there are many times when we hold on to our personal grudges and feel that it is our duty to pour on the guilt and shame. We want to make sure that the punishment exceeds the wrong deed. We cannot seem to bring ourselves to a place of forgiveness, much less be able to offer them comfort and love. Paul says that unforgiveness is a trick of the devil and tells us not to be ignorant of his devises (verse 11). Satan knows that if we refuse to forgive, we give him an advantage in our own lives. We not only hold the guilty person in bondage, disallowing him to recover, but we also put ourselves in bondage. Mark 11:26 says, "If you don't forgive, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings." When we fail to forgive others, we forfeit our own forgiveness from God. Matthew 5:23-24 says, “If you and your brother have grievances, God will not receive your offering until you go to your brother and find reconciliation.” It is only as we forgive that we can return and offer our gift to God because He demands forgiveness and love. Sin and inappropriate behavior require confrontation and discipline, but repentance deserves restoration. When repentance occurs, we should not continue to pour on guilt – instead, we should pour on love. Galatians 6:1-2 (Amplified) says, "If any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual - who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit - should set him right and restore and reinstate him ... less you be tempted also. We are to bear one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ." The formula for our own forgiveness from God is simple. We are to forgive as the Lord forgave, comfort as He comforted, and love as He loved. +++ 8/8/23 WHERE IS GOD? Scripture: Psalms 42:5 "Why be down cast? Why be discouraged and sad? Hope in God?" God is your heavenly Father and He wants you to feel safe, protected, and loved. He wants you to know that you have nothing to fear because He is in control of every situation in your life. You are to be like a small child in His loving arms. He said that He would never put more upon you than you could bear, and He promised you grace and strength for every challenge that life has to offer. You will never have to face hardships and disappointments alone because He said, "I am with you always, even until the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). The writer of this psalm was discouraged and sad because of his circumstances, for he was exiled in a foreign land and his enemies mocked him continually, saying, "Where is your God?" He longed to return to Jerusalem so that he could worship God in the temple again. He was so thirsty for the presence of God that he compared himself to a deer panting for a water brook. He revealed the depth of his oppression and despair as he spoke of being in tears night and day. There were times that he even questioned God saying, "Why have you forgotten me?" His emotions took him on a roller coaster ride. When he was down, he poured out his soul to the Lord in despair and then when he was up, he remembered the goodness of God and began to praise Him. He spoke of his adverse circumstances, then memories of past victories flooded his mind and he rejoiced and sang in the darkness of his hour. The doubts of his mind challenged the faith in his heart, but immediately his spirit rose within him, and he came to this conclusion and confession of hope. Speaking to himself, he said, "Don't be discouraged. Don't be upset. Expect God to act! ... He is my help! He is my God!" Do you wonder where God is in your situation right now? He is in the same place that He was when He created you, sitting on His throne and is high above the confusion and turmoil that you are facing right now. Although you may feel like you are held captive by circumstances that are beyond your control, remember that God is still God and the Lord Jesus is sitting beside the Father, interceding in prayer for you. They are your help! Do not be discouraged if your finances do not take a sudden turnaround the moment you pray, and do not be confused when your health does not spring forth immediately. Do not allow your emotions to stretch you from high to low because you do not have all the answers. Isaiah 50:10 says, "Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the Name of the Lord and rely on his God." When you have no answers, submit to God's deeper work, and simply trust in Him. Instead of allowing yourself to be cast down or discouraged, be encouraged knowing that God is your Father and He is there in the dark with you. +++ 8/9/23 FOLLOWING GOD'S PLAN Scripture: Proverbs 16:9 "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure." We cannot envision the destiny that God has planned for us or compare our plans with His because His plans are much higher than ours. His plan is as far away as the heavens are from the Earth. We know the Lord has a plan to give us a future and hope (Jeremaih 29:11), but that future is often hidden from our eyes. Yet, this ignorance concerning our destiny does not mean that we do not have one. God is continually working behind the scenes in our life, and He will reveal His plan to us at the appropriate time if we stay in unity with Him. His strategy to fulfill His plan is very simple. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). To fulfill God's plan, all we need to do is to hear His voice and then follow where He leads. We do not have to know the plan from the beginning to end, but just take one step at a time, and each step of obedience will give light to the next. The shepherd knows so much more than the sheep. He may be forced to lead his flock from the open green pastures and cool waters to hide them in a safer place because he knows that a storm is coming or impending danger is near. Even though the sheep are being led away from the water and provision, they never question their shepherd; they just follow with a trusting heart. They hear the shepherd’s voice, and they follow. Like the shepherd, many times God leaves us with no choices. He just orchestrates our life as He did Joseph's. God's sovereign hand was leading Joseph from the pit to the prison, and then from the prison to the palace. At the time, it may not have seemed like a good plan to Joseph because the end was very obscure. All he could do during his season of adversity was hold on to his dream. Joseph had his own thoughts about how his dream would happen but his plan, which included his family bowing before him, was all about self-ego. God, however, had a greater plan and sovereignly directed Joseph's steps to bring deliverance to a multitude of people. Do you sense a divine dissatisfaction in your spirit concerning your destiny and God's plan for your life? You may not be satisfied with where you are now and know that there is a greater call on your life. You must surrender the plans you are making in your own mind, and yield to God’s plan. Everything may seem obscure right now and nothing may make sense, but if you will take one day at a time, listen to God's voice, and follow Him, He will cause you to be in the right place at the right time and bring you into contact with the right people. The Lord will direct your steps and make each step sure. +++ 8/10/23 DO NOT LOSE HEART Scripture: Psalms 34:19 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord deliveries him out of them all ..." Have you ever been in a season where you felt that you were fulfilling this portion of scripture that David wrote? You were trying to live right but you were experiencing many afflictions. Like the scene with Job, while you were learning about one dilemma in your life, another occurred. You discovered that your righteous living did not exempt you from troubles and it seemed that for the moment, you were facing more conflict and struggle than you were going to be able to bear. Where is the comfort in your situation? David finished this verse by declaring that the Lord would deliver the righteous out of all their afflictions. This is a grand promise that gives hope and will keep you from losing heart during the raging battle that surrounds you. According to the Apostle Paul, the afflictions you face right now are only for a season and are working for you an eternal glory beyond all measure (II Cor. 4:17-18). Somehow God is going to redeem your situation and use it for His glory. Romans 8:18 says that the things you are suffering at the present cannot even compare with the glory which shall be revealed in you. David wrote this psalm concerning afflictions and deliverance out of a hurting heart and a broken spirit. He had fled from King Saul to save his own life, but met another conflict when King Achish recognized him and had to pretend to be insane before King Achish to save his own life (I Samuel 21:13). David was in the middle of afflictions, yet he trusted in the Lord, and the Lord delivered him from all his troubles. You may be in the middle of many afflictions but rejoice because God is still in control of your life. You can be assured that Jesus will never leave you while you are in brokenness and trouble. His presence was with Joseph in the prison, Daniel in the lion's den, and the three Hebrew children in the fire. He did not fail them in their desperate hour, and He will not fail you. When you are facing many afflictions and things look their worse, do not lose heart, for God will always come through and deliver you out of them all. +++ 8/11/23 BECAUSE OF THE ANOINTING Scripture: Isaiah 10:27 " ... the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." A yoke is a harness that is hung about the neck and shoulders of animals to join them together so they can work in unity. In the Prophet Isaiah's time, men also wore yokes to help them carry their heavy loads. In either case, a yoke is a symbol of bondage. Many of God's people today are in yokes of bondage, and even thought the yoke may not be seen, the heavy burdens are there just the same. There are bondages of grief, sorrow, unforgiveness, financial situations, addictions, health problems, and disappointments of every kind. People are continually searching for solutions to rid themselves of these burdens. Yet, Isaiah declared that it is the anointing of the Lord that would destroy these yokes and bring freedom. God does not anoint us for our benefit but that we might be a strong witness for Him (Acts 1:8). The anointing is given for a purpose, is full of great power, and has action. Jesus declared that the anointing upon Him caused Him to be able to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to open the prisons to those who were bound. The anointing also brought comfort and appointed beauty for ashes, exchanged joy for mourning, and brought praise to those plagued by a spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). All the miracles and healings that Jesus performed happened because of the anointing of God that was upon His life (Acts 10:38). The meaning of "anoint" is to rub with oil or impart through the idea of contact. When we are touched with oil, it spreads to everything we touch. So, it is with the anointing of God. When we are touched with His anointing, it spreads to all those whom we touch. God anointed Jesus because Jesus communed with Him, and because of Jesus' contact with the Heavenly Father, He had confidence that God would work through Him. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He boldly declared, "Father, I thank You that You heard Me. And I know that You hear Me always" (John 11:41-42). Like Jesus, we have a mandate from God to minister to a hurting world, but we can only give to them that which we have received. We must be touched with the oil of the Holy Spirit to be able to spread the oil. That touch will only come to us when we are in close contact with our Heavenly Father like Jesus was. As we commune and wait upon God, He will pour out His Spirit upon us and fill us with His power. This is God’s anointing, and it will destroy the yoke that is upon us and empower us to undo the burdens in the lives of others. +++ 8/14/23 LITTLE FAITH Scripture: Matthew 14:31 "Jesus stretched forth His hand, caught Peter, and said to him, "O ye of little faith, why did you doubt?" Peter saw two things that affected his faith. First, he saw Jesus walking on the water in the raging storm and this sight produced so much faith in Peter's heart that he asked Jesus to bid him to walk out upon the water, also. While Peter was in the process of walking upon the water towards Jesus, he saw something else. He turned his eyes from Jesus and began to look at the storm and the boisterous winds. This second vision brought fear to Peter's heart and caused his faith to fail. As his faith grew dim, he began to sink into the waters and in the middle of his dilemma, Peter cried out to Jesus. Jesus harkened to his cry, stretched forth His hand, and rescued Peter. At the end of the matter, Jesus asked him plainly, "Why did you doubt?" Peter's great faith had dwindled to little faith because he did not keep his eyes upon Jesus. He was overcome with the circumstances of the moment and allowed them to bring fear to his soul. Instead of shouting a victory shout because he was experiencing a mighty miracle by walking on the water, his voice sounded out cries of fear and terror. His fear and doubt drove away the miracle working power of the Lord. Peter should have realized that when Jesus said, "Come" that the waves and the storms were no longer his own business. The adversity surrounding him belonged to the Lord. Jesus was the Master of the sea, storm, and the water, and He loved Peter. Jesus was not going to allow Peter to drown right there before Him. Our hearts are just like Peter's. We are human and anytime that we begin to measure and value the raging winds of the storm against the powerful winds of the Holy Spirit, it will cause doubt to arise in our soul. When we think that we are separated from Christ because of the dashing waves that are between us and Him, we will experience fear. When our vision of Jesus is lost and all we can see are the flashes of lightning, our hopes will fail. When the thunder is so loud that we cannot hear the Lord’s voice, our direction will be unclear. When we can only see the dangers and difficulties, we will experience doubt, and like Peter we will begin to sink. You may be wondering where Jesus is in your current storm and why things are not working. The answer is easy. He is right where you saw Him last, on the other side of the waves that are being driven by the boisterous winds. Even though you cannot see Him physically, the Lord is there with you in the adversity that is engulfing your soul. His hands are stretched towards you, and He will keep you safe. So, keep your spiritual eyes on Jesus and your ears open to His voice. Regardless of what is happening around you, keep walking towards the Lord in faith and you will reach the goal. +++ 8/15/23 FRIENDS Scripture: John 15:15 "I have called you friends." What a wonderful friend we have in Jesus. We can unload all our burdens upon Him and find His peace. We can exchange all our grief and sorrows for His comfort, His encouragement, and the solace of His presence. Yet we all know that true friendship is not one-sided. It is a sharing relationship and there are requirements from both sides that must be met and maintained before a true friendship can be developed and sustained. Have you ever met someone you thought would become a close friend, then have the relationship suddenly end? You may have discovered that you were not on the same terms as your new-found friend or the trust that you extended to them was violated. Or perhaps, you both were so caught up in the routine of life that neither of you could devote sufficient time to the relationship. Like natural friendship, our friendship with Jesus also has demands because there are things that He expects from us. To prove and maintain our relationship, He says in verse fourteen that we must "do whatsoever He commands." One of the most important commands that He gives is that we love one another (Vs. 17). This is a simple statement of what He requires from our friendship. When we are saved, we have eternal life, but to maintain our friendship with Jesus, we must walk in love toward one another. In return for our obedience to this commandment to love, He says, "All that I heard from the Father, I have made known unto you." There is a tremendous bonding that occurs when we disclose ourselves to our friends. Jesus disclosed Himself and the secret mysteries of the Almighty God with us. He has shared not just some of the things His Father told Him, but everything. Jesus extended His trust to us because we are His friends, thus making Himself and His Father available and accessible to us. What a unique relationship we have at our disposal. We have a friend who is Christ, the Son of the Living God. He is a friend that will stick closer to us than our own brother (Proverbs 18:24). And He is a friend who has shown us His great love by laying down His life for us (John 15:13). He has enriched our lives and extended His friendship to us. Now our time has come to reciprocate and maintain this wonderful friendship. He states the terms very simply, If you obey the commandment of love - you are My friend. If you do not obey - you are not My friend. +++ 8/17/23 SUBMISSION TO GOD Scripture: James 4:6-7 "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God." We know God's character and are confident that He wants the best for us, but many times it is hard to let go and submit our lives to Him. It is in our nature to assert our privileges, claim our rights, and be in control. Yet, when we do these things outside of God's bidding, we dishonor His sovereignty. We also leave ourselves vulnerable and unprotected because disobedience removes us from the covering of God's protecting grace. We are like a train that leaves the tracks to find freedom. Then when it leaves the designed confines of the tracks, it finds itself not liberated, just derailed. Submission means yielding. If we have the right of way but see a big truck coming in our direction, it is not the time for us to stand in the way and demand our rights. We simply need to make an adjustment. God's call to submission not only includes yielding ourselves to Him and His will as individuals, but also submission in other areas of our lives as well. When we submit our lives in accordance with His Word, we are in effect submitting to God. Scriptures teach us that we are called to submit one to another. Children are to submit themselves to their parents and the young to their elders. Wives are to submit themselves to their own husbands. And we, as the church, are instructed to submit to the ordinances of men and to those who are in authority and have rule over us. When we do not follow God's plan of submission, we find ourselves derailed spiritually. Submission to God's will, principles, and righteousness are an essential part of our walk with Him. He wants us to move through life with an inward assurance that He is in control of every aspect of our life. Like the derailed train, we cannot move away from God's sovereign design for our lives. We must have an undivided heart toward Him, trusting that we are held securely in His hands. We are to exercise patience and be in peace, knowing that whatever He has committed to us, we can place right back into His hands and ask for His help and direction. We are never without God's help, for He knows that we are but dust and that we need His wisdom that comes down from above. We must ask for God's wisdom, trust His plan, and be thankful for all that He allows. We must know and be assured that whatever happens in our lives is governed by the eternal purposes in His mind. He is our gracious Heavenly Father, and we should ask Him to deal with anything in our lives that is contrary to His purposes. As we humbly submit to God’s perfect will and timing, we can rest assured that there is nothing that affects us that does not also affect Him and that His grace will cover it all. +++ 8/18/23 PERCEPTION OF GOD’S PLAN Scripture: II Samuel 5:12 "David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that God had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people, Israel." King David recognized that the hand of the Lord was upon him because he could see that his kingdom was being enlarged. As David began to see God's mighty anointing and blessings upon his life, he perceived that God had established him as King over Israel. Yet, David realized that this exaltation was not for his own benefit so that he might sit on the throne, wear a crown, and be honored before the people. He knew that God was allowing him the benefits of kingship so that he might be used as a channel of blessings for Israel's sake. David clearly recognized God's hope and purpose for his life. It is important for us to understand God's hope and purpose for our own lives, but our vision is often limited. We are like the six blind men in a poem that was written by John Saxe. The blind men wanted to learn about an elephant. As they groped around in their darkness and touched the elephant, they came to these conclusions: "The first blind man felt of the broad side of the elephant and bawled, "The elephant is like a wall." The second felt of the tusk and said, "It's very clear, The elephant is like a spear." The third caught hold of the squirming trunk and boldly spake, "The elephant is more like a snake." The fourth felt about the elephant's knee, And said, "What are you thinking? The elephant is a tree." The fifth felt the elephant's huge ear and said, "Deny, who can? The elephant feels like a fan." The sixth grabbed hold of its swinging tail, that fell within his scope, And said, "You're all wrong, I see, the elephant is like a rope." Each man had an opinion that was partially right, but completely wrong. They argued about something that they had never seen. In contrast to the example of the blind men, God does not want us to operate in blind misconceptions about His plan and provisions for our lives. He wants to give us a clear perception. The Apostle Paul taught us to pray that the "eyes of our understanding would be enlightened so that we would know the hope of God's calling" (Ephesians 1:18). Clear perception removes all doubt and endows us with an inner strength to press toward the goal that God has set. When our heart is flooded with God's light, faith begins to arise in our hearts and His power is then manifested in our lives. Seeing God's big picture for our lives will help us make it through temptations and sustain us in battle. When God's hopes and vision take root in our hearts, they encourage us in our failures and disappointments and give us an assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God. God wants us to perceive His plan. Then as He begins to establish His Kingdom in our lives, He wants us to understand that it is not for our own benefit, nor for our own glory, but for His glory and the sake of His people. +++ 8/21/23 GOD'S WORD TALKS Scripture: Proverbs 6:22 "God's commandments and laws "shall talk with you." When God's Word talks, it is not an audible sound in the air, but the still small voice of His Spirit speaking to our inner being. It is thoughts that come from God's Word that are written within our hearts. When we start to do something questionable a scripture or a thought from God will come to our spirit that will bring correction so that we can discern right from wrong and help us make the right choice. That is God's Word talking. King Solomon, who wrote this proverb, said, "Bind the commandments and laws of God upon your heart and tie them around your neck." When we have spiritually tied God's Word about our neck, it is like a yoke that will keep us going in the direction that God wants us to go. This morning, as I was washing dishes, I started remembering an injustice that had been done to me several months ago. I started having a mock conversation with the person who had treated me unjustly. I said all the things that I never got to say when the situation occurred. I was really telling the person off and they were not even around to hear it. I finished the dishes and my complaining about the same time. I then turned the page of my kitchen calendar that has a Bible scripture for the day, and God's Word was there to talk to me. The scripture on the calendar for the day was Psalms 39:1, "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle.” God is incredible and His timing is perfect. We will hear His Word talk to us if we listen. In just a moment of time His Spirit spoke to me through that simple word. In my darkness, God's Word became light, and He let me know that He did not want those meditations to consume my heart or those words to be spoken from my mouth. God was not pleased with my murmuring and spoke frankly to my spirit suggesting that, if necessary, I should put a bridle or muzzle over my mouth. God wanted me to start the day in a joyful mood with fresh thanksgivings in my heart and praise upon my lips. His Word corrected me and became a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. It restored my joy and gave me beauty for ashes. God will work with us in this manner when our hearts are full of His Word. We must make every effort to deposit His Words into our heart so that He can withdraw it and talk to us personally throughout the day. When His Word talks to us, it will change our lives. +++ 8/22/23 PRESS ON Scripture: Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." The Apostle Paul knew what it meant to make errors in life. He was a religious man who thought he was serving God, but instead he was working against God. Wherever he went, he was a terror and a literal death sentence to those who professed the Name of Jesus. One day, on his way to Damascus to capture more Christians, he had a supernatural encounter with Christ and was saved. His life was dramatically changed, and from that moment on he served Jesus unreservedly, openly declaring Him to be the Son of God. Paul never allowed his past to intrude upon his future. He pressed forward to accomplish the destiny that God had planned for him. He did not dwell on his failures, which were horrendous. Nor did he dwell on his past achievements or put his confidence in his own flesh. Philippians 3:5 gives the reasons why he could have trusted in himself. He was "of the stock of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a Pharisee. He was zealous and righteous." However, Paul laid all these things aside and counted them as loss just to win Christ. He forgot the past so that he could focus on getting to know Christ. The results of his choice were amazing. Because of Paul's commitment and dedication, he experienced miracles, wrote most of the New Testament, and was a mighty witness for God before common men and the leaders of the nations. At the end of Paul’s life, he could boldly say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (II Timothy 4:7). God gives us a glimpse of Paul's life to encourage us in our own walk with the Lord. Our past may not be perfect and glorious. We may have done some things that we wish we could erase, and like Paul, we may have ignorantly injured those with whom we encountered. We may suffer daily as we see the fruits of our foolishness, but the truth remains that we cannot turn back the clock and change the past. We can only press toward the future. In moving forward, we must learn to reject the temptation to live in self-condemnation and unfruitfulness. God has good thoughts for us and a plan for our future (Jeremiah 29:11). We can still fight a food fight, finish our course, and keep the faith if we focus upon the Lord and His plan for our lives. We must begin where we are today and press toward the mark of God’s high calling, and not allow our past to intrude upon our future. +++ 8/23/23 REAPING JOY Scripture: Psalms 126:5 "Those that sow in tears shall reap in joy." God's laws do not change. For every principle He established, He 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. We will reap whatever we sow, and the fruit will always be of the same kind or manner. In the natural world, if we sow corn, we will reap corn, and if we sow beans, we will reap beans. It is a fairly simple process, and the law works each time without fail. We cannot sow corn with the hopes of gathering beans. It will not work that way, for the law has been established by Almighty God who commanded His creation to bring forth after its own kind. Nature functions by God's Word and cannot go against His commands. It is the same in the spiritual realm. If we sow good, we will reap good and if we sow evil, we will reap evil. We can be assured that every seed we sow will produce a harvest of the same kind. Every prayer we speak in faith will receive an answer, for His Word says, "Whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" (Matthew 21:22). Every gift we give in the Name of the Lord will come back to us, 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 we carry for someone else will generate spiritual strength in our own life and every tear that we sow will reap a harvest of joy. What mighty promises these are to encourage us to pray and to share with others. 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 distress and discouragement displays strength, yet it takes strength and energy to cry. Grief over a personal loss and pain in our soul leaves us weak, for tears drain our body of its strength and leaves our soul and spirit spent. Yet there will be a harvest from those tears, and we can rest assured that when we have nothing left within, God will begin to use those tears to bring something beautiful into our 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 us, waters it with our tears, and causes a harvest to spring up within our soul and spirit. We can be sure that the Word that God has spoken is true and where we have sown tears, we will reap joy. +++ Copyright © 2023 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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