Feb24

............	A Word In Due Season Feb 2024 2/1/24 THE TONGUE Scripture: James 3:5 "The tongue is a little member, and boast great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles!" The tongue is very small when compared to the rest of the body. Yet even though it is small, it has many important assignments to perform, such as eating, speaking, and praying. Because the tongue is gifted to speak, it can be a very positive or a very destructive instrument. Proverbs 18:21 confirms this saying, "There is life and death in the power of the tongue." The tongue can bring blessings by speaking words of comfort and encouragement, or it can bring destruction by speaking words of discouragement, doubt, and unbelief. Whatever the tongue speaks, it influences and sets the tone for the entire body and creates an atmosphere around it. In the natural, we take our tongue for granted and are usually not very conscious about it, but I recently had a lot of trouble with this one member of my body. I had some dental work done and the tooth that the dentist put a crown on was left with a very slight uneven spot on it. The dentist has looked at this tooth three times and has attempted to file it down once. The dental hygienist has polished it twice. Yet neither of them can see the problem even with magnifying glasses. To make matters worse, I cannot see the problem either. Yet my tongue has discovered that small imperfection on that one tooth. It continually goes to that area in an attempt to expose the problem to the whole body. As long as my tongue is taking care of its own business such as eating and speaking, it is not bothered by the tooth. But when the tongue has an idle moment, it will search out that one tooth and examine the imperfection again and again. This action is an aggravation to my entire body. Like the problem with my natural tongue, the Apostle James warns the church about this member of their body, which can cause many problems. The tongue can take a small or insignificant matter and make it into something great, for it is often looking to expose the imperfections in others. It is like a small match that ends up burning down the entire forest. It takes only a few words of gossip to destroy a life, a marriage, or a home. The tongue can speak a few words of doubt and unbelief and destroy someone else's faith. It can speak discouragement and drive someone into a pit of bitter despair. Or the tongue can be discreet, speak words of faith, and be an encouragement by ministering grace to the hearer. James said, "Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10). Let us consider these words and be careful when we speak so that our tongues are used as God intended, for good purposes and not evil. +++ 2/2/24 NOT BY CHANCE Scripture: Proverbs 20:24 (NIV) "A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?" When we believe that God directs our steps, we must put away the notion that the life changing events in our lives are mere accidents. There are many variables that could happen as we journey through life, but we must recognize that God is directing our lives according to His sovereign plan and that nothing is left to chance. It was no accident that we were at the right place at the right time to meet our spouse or that special lifetime friend. It was no accident when God caused someone to witness to us about Jesus or brought someone along our path who would receive our witness of faith. Neither was it an accident that we were placed on our jobs or given the positions we have. For even though we cannot see it, God is continually working His plan in our lives. It is often difficult to understand what God is doing because His ways are far beyond our comprehension. We wonder why we lost our job, or why we did not get the promotion that we worked so hard for. Situations do not work out like we planned, and it seems that our prayers are not being answered. When these thoughts come and our circumstances get a little confusing, we need to stop and recognize that things would be a lot easier if we just trusted God and allowed Him to lead. We must understand that there will be times that we are not given any choices. Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, could do nothing but follow God into the destiny that was planned for him. Joseph had a dream that he would rule, but his dream was challenged and his hopes shattered by the cruel circumstances that surrounded him. Most likely, Joseph did not understand what was happening in his life, but God was in control and directing Joseph's steps. He used the evil deeds of Joseph's brothers to get him to Egypt where God could cause Joseph's dreams to come to pass and use him as an instrument to save a multitude of people. When God gave Joseph his dreams, He did not show him the pit, the prisons, or that he would have to endure the separation from his father and family. If Joseph had seen the hardships and cruel bondage that he would suffer on the way to his dream, he probably would not have chosen to believe his dream. God only showed Joseph the glorious end so that he could maintain his hope. God gave him no choices, except to exercise wisdom and be discrete in his actions. We must admit that some of the best decisions that we have made were the ones where we were given no choice and had to take the only option that was presented. Like Joseph, we may not understand what is happening until we get to the end of the journey. But when we have finished the course, we will discover that God always gives us the best when we allow Him to do the choosing. Regardless of what is happening, we must trust God with our life. We must not lean upon our own understanding but acknowledge that God is God and believe that He knows what He is doing. God gave Solomon great wisdom, so we should allow his words in this proverb to settle our mind, "The Almighty God is directing our steps, so how can we possibly understand our own way?" +++ 2/5/24 HOPE DEFERRED Scripture: Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." Hope abides in our heart for our loved ones, our relationships, and ourselves as we stand in faith and wait for needs to be fulfilled. Yet often, it becomes difficult. When we think things are coming together, our hopes are deferred, and our dreams are shattered because the answer is postponed to a future time. When the answers to our prayers are delayed, the disappointment leaves us heartsick. It challenges our faith like no other temptation, for we think God is not hearing us. We are left with no options, and the thoughts of giving up pierce our heart and soul. King Solomon, in his wisdom, understood our plight when he wrote this proverb, but he did not leave us with "deferred hope." He continued to say, "When the desire comes, it is a tree of life." When hope is delayed and it seems all is lost, we must remember God is still on His throne in Heaven, and He is still in control. His will is that we trust Him to take us from the place of deferred hope to the fulfillment of our desires. This happens as we continue in His Word. Solomon also said that those who despised the Word would be destroyed, but those who feared the commandments would be rewarded (verse 13). Even in the most difficult of times, we must not despise God's promise but continue to believe His Word. Joseph's hope was deferred many times as he experienced the pit and the prison. He had many opportunities to get mad at God and give up, but he did not allow himself to despise God or give up the dreams that God had given him. Joseph held on in faith throughout the many delays and disappointments and God rewarded him for his faithfulness. When his desire came, Joseph became a tree of life and provision for himself, his family, and the nations. Lamentations 3:26 says, "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." It is not easy to quietly wait when we are engaged in battle or to continue in hope when we in the fiery furnace. It is not easy when we have been thrown into a den of hungry lions because we were serving God. And it is not easy to believe when we are sick, sad, broke, and our hope for help has been delayed. But, like Joseph and many other heroes of faith in the scriptures who faced disappointments, we must continue to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. God stands in the shadows and is working in our darkness. He is hidden, even in the storm clouds of our life, but He is there. The answer to our prayers may be delayed just as Daniel's prayer was delayed twenty-one days. Yet, we must not give up or allow ourselves to be heart sick. We must take courage, for our deliverance is on the way. When our answer comes, it will be a tree of life for us and for those around us. +++ 2/6/24 GREATER IS HE Scripture: I John 4:4 "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." There is not a day that goes by that we are not challenged in some way by our adversary, the devil. He works in many ways and is very persistent, roaming about twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week seeking whom he may devour. He creates irritating circumstances and brings fear and defeat into our lives. He causes discouragement, heartache, sickness, and pain. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The devil is a master gardener who plants seeds of doubt and unbelief in our hearts. He is very subtle and appears as an angel of light, but he is the shadow of discouragement and the darkness of death. He is also cunning, for he knows that if he can cut off our spiritual life support, he can defeat us. So, he begins by attacking our faith, which is our link to God and the blessings of Heaven. Even though we are vulnerable for attack, we must understand that we have nothing to fear because we have a secret weapon against this onslaught of evil that comes against us. Our defense is the Lord, Himself. God is our only hope in the time of adversity, for the battle belongs to Him. The Spirit of God dwells within us, and He is greater than the spirit that is in the world. We must simply position ourselves in faith and believe in God’s Word. The devil may be strong, but he is not stronger than the God that lives within us. The disease that is attacking our body may be too big for us or our physician to handle, but it is not too big for the Almighty God who made our body and whose Spirit dwells within us. The devil may make our financial situation look hopeless, but the greater One that lives on the inside of us is greater than the spirit of lack, and He will meet our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of God who is within us, is greater than any evil and negative report that speaks against us. He is more powerful than any raging storm and stronger than our fiercest enemy. There is nothing and no one greater than our God. We must harbor this secret in our heart so that whenever battles come our way, we can maintain our peace and joy. In adversity, we must seek God and pray that His will be done in every area of our life here on Earth as He has planned it in Heaven. We must trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean upon our own strength or understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Victory will then spring up within our spirit as we delight in the knowledge that "Greater is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who is within us than the devil that is in the world. +++ 2/7/24 MAGNIFY THE LORD Scripture: Psalms 34:3 "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together." Magnify means to enlarge, make greater, or increase in size. We can magnify something visible with a magnifying lens, but the lens can never make the object larger in size. It can only enlarge the image of the object or draw it closer so that it can be seen better. The magnifying lens is a valuable tool to the scientist as it can take a particle invisible to the human eye and enlarge it so that it can be seen in detail. The lens in an astronomer's telescope can draw the stars and moons nearer for observation. Even the eyeglasses that we use magnify the world around us to give us more precise vision. King David said, "Magnify the Lord," but how can we make God bigger, for God is as big as He is ever going to get? We cannot increase the measure of His greatness, for He is omnipotent or all-powerful. We cannot make Him more knowledgeable than He is, for He is omniscient and knows all things. He is also omnipresent, which means that He is present everywhere. These attributes of God go beyond our comprehension. We cannot explain how God's power works because we ourselves are not powerful. Neither can we share with others the knowledge of an all-knowing God, for the measure of our understanding is limited. And we cannot be everywhere all the time because that is beyond our human abilities. Yet, our lives will either magnify or de-magnify the image of God. The Apostle Paul said that we are an epistle that is known and read of all men (II Corinthians 3:2). People are looking at our witness daily and our lives become the lens through which they see Jesus. I recently heard someone blame God for their adverse circumstances and declared the Lord to be unjust in His ways. I shook as I heard this person bitterly speak of the evil ways of God, and when I saw God through their eyes, He became a very small God and a terror to the human heart. This individual was seeing a different God than I see and know. Even in the hard and painful times that I have experienced, God has always been there to comfort my heart and caress my wounds. He has always put everything that was broken back together again and surrounded me with His arms of love. The Lord has been faithful to me in every way. We have a choice with every word we speak and everything we do to either allow our lives to diminish the greatness of God or allow our praise, our good deeds, and our faith to magnify Him. We can make God bigger than the problems and adversities in our lives by standing strong in faith. With our uncompromising trust and peace, we can show others that God is more powerful that any storm that rages about us. Others look at our lives to see Jesus, so whether the times are good or bad, let us magnify and exalt the Name of the Lord together. +++ 2/8/24 THY WILL BE DONE Scripture: Matthew 6:10 "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven." Jesus had an enormous struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion. Three times He asked the Father to let this cup pass from Him. However, He always finished His prayer by saying, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). Jesus was determined to finish the work and to complete His purpose on Earth. In Hebrews 10:7, Jesus declared, "I come to do Your will, O God." He faithfully taught his Disciples to pray and submit their own wills to God in the same manner and showed them by example what full surrender meant. He never said that the Father's will would be easy. He just said to submit to it. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts." Jesus saw the agony of the cross, but God saw eternal redemption for the world. Like Jesus in the garden, our thoughts and wills are concerned with our present situation here on Earth. It is as though we are in a maze. We are walled in on every side and can only see what is just ahead. God, however, is looking from a higher place and sees our entire 'maze' situation. He knows which direction we should take to reach our desired destination, for His knowledge is greater than ours. Proverbs 3:5-6 speaks of yielding our wills to God by leaning upon Him, and not relying upon our own insight and understanding. "We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart. In all our ways, we are to know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain our paths." Proverbs 16:9 tells us that a man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. According to Jeremiah 10:23 a man cannot direct his own steps. We must determine each day to yield ourselves to the Father's will even though the path ahead of us may not be clear or look easy. We may have some crosses to bear in the process or be faced with a few Gardens of Gethsemane. As we make our plans on Earth, we should always submit them to God in Heaven. Then, we must take the higher path that He has planned for us. When we put our trust in the Lord, He will direct our steps so that we can finish our course. As we yield ourselves to the Lord, we will fulfill His purpose for our lives, and His Will will be done on Earth as it has been planned in Heaven. +++ 2/9/24 GROWING IN FAVOR WITH GOD AND MAN Scripture: Luke 2:52 "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Jesus grew in three areas of His life: in the physical, in wisdom, and in favor with God and man. Understanding how to grow in our physical stature is easy. We simply eat the right foods, exercise, and take care of our bodies. Once we have grown to a certain height and weight, and developed our muscle tone, we then must continue to maintain our bodies to keep them healthy. It is a daily process that lasts while we are in an earthly vessel. This is easy to understand in the physical realm because even though we cannot see the process of growth, we see the results. We increase in size because of consistent action. Growing in wisdom and favor is the same process as growing in the physical. It comes by feeding on God's Word daily and exercising our minds to understand it. It is gaining insights concerning God's by communing with Him. Jesus was the Son of God, yet He was not endowed with wisdom and favor from the time of His birth. The scriptures declare that He increased and grew gradually in these areas. At an early age, He was busy about His Heavenly Father's business as He studied God's Word and questioned the priests in the temple. Luke 19:47 tells us that as an adult, Jesus was in the temple daily. His interest was the search for God and His wisdom. As He received revelation and gained wisdom, He grew in favor with God. As He gained favor with God, He gained favor with man. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the starting point of wisdom is the reverential fear of the Lord. This wisdom does not happen by a formula or by a process of book knowledge. Knowledge can be acquired through study, but wisdom is only received as it is imparted by the Holy Spirit. It comes because of a personal relationship with God. There are many unlearned people who are quite wise because they spend time with the Lord, and there are many educated scholars who lack wisdom. Wisdom speaks to us in Proverbs 8:33-34 (Living Bible) and says, "Listen to my counsel - oh don't refuse it - and be wise. Happy is the man who is so anxious to be with me (wisdom) that he watches for me daily at my gates or waits for me outside my home!" In this proverb, King Solomon gives us a picture of the man who desires wisdom. He anxiously waits for wisdom like a person who waits to get a glimpse of someone coming out of their gate or home. The man who truly desires wisdom seeks for it daily and waits at lengths for it. The person who sets his mind to this pattern will eventually increase in wisdom. As he increases in wisdom, favor with God and man will follow. If we desire to have favor with God and man, we must think on these words of Solomon and remember that it is a consistent growth process. There must be a diligent search for the wisdom of God. As we gain the wisdom of God, it will usher in God's favor. His favor on our lives will then create favor for us with men. +++ 2/12/24 OUR STRENGTH, REFUGE, AND COVERING Scripture: Isaiah 25:4 "For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat." Tragic events are occurring in the lives of people, including believers. Even as these words are being written there are reports concerning storms, fires, floods, financial loss, diseases, pandemics, wars, and other disasters. There is desperation and enormous pain in the hearts of people. The circumstances of the present have become challenging, and the future seems very dismal for many. It is as though the entire world is being tried and tested. It is apparent that God is the only hope in the turmoil and confusion. As believers, we place our faith in Him because we know that He is always present and is watching over us. He offers strength in every situation, and He never flees the scene or fails in His responsibility as our Heavenly Father. It does not matter what kind of distress, need, or situation that we find ourselves in, we believe the Lord will always be there for us and that He has a solution for our problem. He is the One in whom we trust because we know that He is the only one who is big enough to give us true peace in the middle of the chaos and confusion. He is the only one who is tender and compassionate enough to bring comfort when we are suffering. And He is the only one who is strong enough to impart courage in the time of fear. There is no one like our God. The Prophet Isaiah’s words are victorious, and his thoughts are easy for us to believe when everything is going good in our lives. It is also easy for us to encourage others in hope and faith when all is well. Yet, it is a different story when we are facing the storms of life, and our own boat is capsizing in the water. When the trials and tests come, and we find ourselves going under, our faith will be tried and tested. Instead of just talking about hope and faith, we must reach out to God for His mercy that endures forever and depend upon His grace that is sufficient. Whatever our need may be, we must realize that God really wants to do something about it. The devil will tempt us with false security, but we must wait upon God to take care of our needs, for it is better to have a need or face a storm with Jesus at our side than to live calmly without Him. God always makes Himself known to those who trust in Him. Let us be mindful that nothing is too great for our God to handle. He is our strength, our refuge, and our covering. +++ 2/13/24 CONTINUE IN MY LOVE Scripture: John 15:9 "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Continue in My love." Have you ever experienced a place of strife and division amongst your family members, your children, your friends, or close relationships? Did you try to close the gap that exists between them but found yourself lacking in the precise words that would turn their hearts and restore their fellowship with one another? In the confusion, did you try to keep peace with all involved, but you found that your efforts were to no avail? There was no end to the dispute, the debates, or the rivalry that exists between these precious people that you love so dearly. Things that were so small had become so large in their minds that they could not hear your bid for tranquility or respond to your voice of reason. You wish that you could fix it all, but peace and harmony had been deleted from their agendas and a spirit of animosity prevailed. You wonder how they ever get to this place of disharmony, and question, "Why can't everyone just simply get along with each other, even if it is just for a few hours at a holiday meal?" Your heart was broken because of the misunderstandings that exists because you can see the big picture that love hopes for, that peace longs for, and that joy desires. These types of situations do not happen just in our lives. God gave us many examples throughout the scriptures. There was brother against brother, son against father, friend against friend, and missionary against missionary. Cain killed his brother, Able, because Able offered a better sacrifice to the Lord. Abraham and Lot, who were uncle and nephew, had to separate themselves from each other because of the disputes with their herdsmen concerning the land. Joseph's brothers rejected him and sold him into slavery. Jacob fled from his father-in-law, Laban, who had cheated him in his wages. Absalom attempted to kill his own father, King David, and steal David's kingdom from him. The Apostle Paul had a dispute with Barnabas over his choice to take Mark with them on a missionary journey. The contention became so great that Paul and Barnabas had to separate from each other in ministry for a season (Acts 15:37-40). Judas followed Jesus, but then sold Him for twenty pieces of silver and betrayed Him with a kiss. This shows us that we are all vulnerable and that no relationship is exempt from attack. As in these stories, the pains of the individuals who are in our lives affects everyone in our circle. We stand there in disbelief because the issues are so petty. It is hard to know what to do because we cannot control everyone's actions. We must lean upon the Lord. Jesus told us to simply continue in His love. We must love all people, at all times, and in every situation. The Lord never promised that we would understand everyone, but He did tell us to love everyone and to continue in love just as He continues in love for us. God's love for us endures forever and is without interruption. We must understand that we will never live in a perfect world of peace and tranquility, but by God's grace we can guard our own hearts and choose to live in a place called love. +++ 2/14/24 LOVE, A MORE EXCELLENT WAY Scripture: I Corinthians 12:31 "Covet earnestly the best gifts ... yet I show you a more excellent way." The Apostle Paul spoke of the gifts of the Spirit that were available to the believer and told us to covet the best of those gifts. He then said that there is something more excellent than any of the gifts and he began to talk about love. He told us that love was far more valuable than any gift, including faith and hope. He also told us that if we displayed gifts without love, we would be like noisy gongs or clanging cymbals. We would be useless and unprofitable because faith can only work by love (Galatians 5:6). Even in our natural life, gifts that are received from someone who does not love us hold less value. Yet, how precious we hold the most insignificant gift when it comes from someone we love or someone who loves us. My most treasured items are the things that my children presented to me in love. The paper angel, colored with crayons, that is placed at the top of our Christmas tree each year is of little monetary value, yet it is precious because it was presented to me in love over 50 years ago by my little boy, who is now a grown man with children of his own. His love made this gift special. God is love. The greatest gift He presented to us was His beloved Son, Jesus, who then gave His life for us because of His great love. If we want to be like our Father God and our Master, Jesus Christ, rather than like a loud gong or cymbal, we need to develop the characteristics of the love They displayed. In I Corinthians chapter thirteen, Paul identifies these characteristics of love. 1) Love is patient. 2) Love is kind. 3) Love is never envious nor boils over with jealousy. 4) Love is not boastful or vain. 5) Love does not display itself haughtily. 6) Love is not conceited, arrogant, and inflated with pride. 7) Love is not rude and does not act unbecomingly. 8) Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way. 9) Love is not self-seeking. 10) Love is not touchy, fretful, or resentful. 11) Love takes no account of the evil done to it, and pays no attention to suffered wrong. 12) Love does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness. 13) Love rejoices when right and truth prevail. 14) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes. 15) Love is ever ready to believe the best of every person. 16) Love's hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and Love endures everything without weakening. 17) Love never fails - never fades out, becomes obsolete, or comes to an end. +++ 2/15/24 EVERY WORD AND DEED Scripture: Colossians 3:17 (Amplified) "And whatever you do - no matter what it is - in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in dependence upon His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him." Every word and every deed that we do is supposed to mirror the character of Christ. Yet, we often find ourselves in provoking situations, and even though we do our best to remain silent, we usually react in frustration to defend our position and justify our actions. Our reactions are not done in the name of the Lord, nor in dependence upon His Person, and God surely receives no praise for our actions. James 3:7-8 tells us that every kind of beast, bird, reptile, and sea animal can be tamed, but the human tongue cannot. Our tongues are unruly, undisciplined, and motivated by our emotions. Too often, we react rather than respond. King Solomon, the wisest man of his time, said, "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his own spirit is better than he who takes a city" (Proverbs 16:32). He also said, "He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls" (Proverbs 25:28). When the walls of our spirit are broken down, any element can intrude and provoke us to wrong words or deeds. Jesus was our greatest example of someone ruling His own Spirit. He taught and preached with much authority, calmed the storms with a few words, rebuked the "religious" folks, drove the moneychangers out of the temple, and cast demons out of the possessed. Even though some of these things seemed harsh and bold, Jesus never reacted out of His own will and emotions. He only spoke and did what the Father showed Him. Even Pilate marveled greatly when Jesus did not respond to the accusations that were made against Him. Our goal is to follow Jesus and resist the temptation to say the wrong thing, at the wrong time, and in the wrong spirit. We were always told to count to ten before reacting. Yet, if we simply follow God's Word and consider the three statements the Apostle Paul made in the above scripture, we will be able to rule our spirit and tame our tongues. When we are provoked, we should ask ourselves: 1) Can I say this word or do this deed in the Name of the Lord? 2) Can I depend on the Person and presence of Jesus to back me up in this word or deed? 3) When I say this word or do this deed, will it give glory to God the Father through Jesus? Perhaps when we are finished pondering these questions in our mind, the moment of passion will have passed. Nevertheless, we must always remember, it is better to hold our peace than to lose our peace. The less we say, the less we will have to repent of. +++ 2/16/24 SECRET OF THE LORD Scripture: Psalms 25:14 "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant." Secrets are special knowledge that are held within one’s own heart or shared in confidence with close friends and trusted confidants. We feel privileged when someone chooses us to be one whom they trust enough to share their private matters and innermost feelings. When a secret is shared, it creates a bond between those who are privy to the information and defines a certain responsibility. It also tests the trustworthiness of the one receiving the secret information, for secrets are never general knowledge but specific and guarded information. Shared secrets even create a certain amount of power and the prestige of inclusion. We love to be included in knowing a secret and we pay close attention when one is being shared with us or one that is whispered near us. Someone shared a special way that they witness to others about Jesus. They get into a crowded elevator with another believer and then begin to whisper to each other about the goodness of God and the love of Jesus. When they begin to whisper, those about them begin to listen, thinking that they are going to hear some private information. Instead, they are exposed to mysteries of God and His wonderful plan of salvation. God has many secrets that He wants to share with us. He is a covenant making and a covenant keeping God, but the psalmist said that God would only reveal the secret of His covenant with those who reverently fear Him. God's covenant is precious to Him, and He will not cast His pearls, or gospel, before the swine or those who choose not to believe (Matthew 7:6). He desires to take us into His confidence, but covenants require relationship. We can never understand the things of God without personally knowing God. He is ever present in our crowded world and continually whispers His Words to us. When the prophet sought to hear the Lord's instruction, it did not come in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but came in a still quite voice (I Kings 19:11-12). Even Jesus taught in parables so that the secret things of God’s covenant would stay hidden from those who were unworthy to receive the revelation. Yet, the Lord speaks the mysteries of His Word and whispers His revelations to those who seek after Him and who truly want to understand His secrets. When the Lord sees that our hearts reverently fear Him and that our spiritual ears are attentive to His voice, He shares His secrets with us. +++ 2/19/24 LABORERS OF THE HARVEST Scripture: Proverbs 20:4 (Living Bible) "If you won't plow in the cold, you won't eat at the harvest." Wisdom tells us and life shows us that a slothful man will never receive a harvest. Fruit and grain for our livelihood does not spring forth from the ground without effort. There is much work and faith that goes into bringing about a harvest. The ground has to be plowed and the seed has to be planted at the right season, for nature does not allow for procrastination. God's spiritual kingdom is also like this. Luke 10:2 says, "God is the Lord of the harvest" and tells us that we are to pray that He would send laborers into His harvest. Both the laborers and the harvest are symbols of the minister and the work that the minister is called to do. Yet, many times when we are called as laborers into the harvest to witness or minister, we fail to follow God's leading because we are distracted. Like the natural farmer, we see the hazards of the cold or want to spare ourselves of the dreadful heat. We may feel that we are not spiritually prepared enough to witness, or think that the person that we are to witness to is not ready. Perhaps we feel there are other matters that we must take care of first, so we fail to plow the field and plant the seed. Therefore, the promise is lost because of procrastination and the work is left undone because of distractions. In Luke 9:62, Jesus tells us that we are to put our hand to the plow, and not look back. The Living Bible says, "Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God." We are not to allow any distractions to keep us from God's appointed time or His assignment. When He speaks to us or shows us a need, God is letting us know that the season is right and that His Holy Spirit has already begun a work. If we fail to move at God's biding and in His season, we will fail to see the many blessings that God had prepared for those lives that He had intended to reach through us. Has God placed it on your heart to do a good deed, say a kind word, or meet a special need? Has He called you into His fields to witness to someone about salvation? Do you have good intentions, but do not follow through because of the distractions of life? Like a natural harvest, God's Kingdom does not allow for procrastination, either. If God is speaking to you, He is working on the other end to prepare the harvest. As the Lord of the harvest, He waits for you to put your hand to the plow and sow the seeds that He has provided. The Lord depends upon you, His laborer. You are the hope of His glory in the Earth. If you do not work God's fields, bless others, or reach out to the lost, there will be no harvest. +++ 02/20/24 ENABLED FOR BATTLE Scripture: II Samuel 22:35 "He teaches my hands to war." These words were in a song that King David composed as he praised God for delivering him from all of his enemies. David not only praised God for his deliverance, but he also acknowledged that God had trained him for battle. We prefer the battles in which God instructs us to "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" or "Hold your peace and let the Lord fight your battle." God's deliverance is sweet when He takes care of our enemies by Himself and we are not required to face the challenge. However, when God supplied us with His armor for battle, He not only gave us defensive weapons for protection, such as a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, a shield of faith, and a helmet of salvation, but He also provided us with a weapon for offensive battle. This mighty weapon is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With each challenge, God gives us a fresh word and a new revelation by His Spirit. His Word is a two-edged sword, which equips us for battle and sustains us in every adversity. When David fought the giant, he had to lay aside Saul's heavy armor and take the few things that he knew how to use, which were his sling and a few stones. Saul's armor was a burden to David and would have cost him the battle. So many times our battles are lost because we are trying to use a Word that someone else received from the Lord. We must understand that God moves differently in all situations and we must sharpen our own sword with a personal Word from the Lord. Look at some of the battles in the scriptures. God told Gideon and his army to hold their lamps, break the pitchers, blow the trumpets, and shout, "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon" (Judges 7:20). God told Jehosaphat to appoint singers to go before the army and praise the beauty of holiness. As they did, God ambushed the enemy and caused them to fight against themselves (II Chronicles 20:22). God told Joshua to march around the city of Jericho for seven days and then, on the seventh day, to march around the city seven times and shout. It is recorded that when they shouted, the walls fell down flat (Joshua 6:20). When Moses and Israel were trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptians, God told him to raise his staff and divide the sea so His people could go across on dry ground (Exodus 14:16). All of these men had different instructions from God and all of their actions were sheer obedience to His Word. What do you imagine would have happened if Gideon had acted on Joshua's word or if Joshua had acted on Gideon's word from God? Most probably the battle would have been lost and the walls would still be standing. Just like these men, God enables you for your own personal battle. He teaches your hands to war not with a method, but with His Word. You do not need a formula; you need to hear what God is saying and obey those instructions. His directions will be specifically designed for your situation. When you listen, the Lord will speak to you in a still small voice and His Word that He speaks will be your Sword of the Spirit. +++ 2/21/24 FOLLOW ME Scripture: Matthew 9:9 "Follow Me." This is a simple command, but with these two words Jesus gathered His Disciples to Him. When Jesus said, "Follow Me", the men who were to become his Disciples and closest friends left their boats, their businesses, and their families to fulfill this special call. They had no idea where their obedience would take them on this journey of faith, but their sacrifice demonstrated their trust and their devotion to the One who was calling them. We hear the same call today, for Jesus said, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). The Lord's call is not complicated or confusing. In fact, it is a very simple call to follow Him wherever He leads. We are not to linger in the places of nothingness, for our lights are not designed to be hidden under a bushel. We have been called to God's Kingdom for such a time as this to do great exploits in His Name. He has commissioned us to go into all of the world and preach the gospel to every creature and has promised that He would confirm His Word with signs and wonders. The world is changing drastically and we are facing a season of personal change and challenge that will be greater than anything we have seen in the past. This journey demands faith, but also offers great rewards. We cannot have two masters. We must make a decision that nothing will stand between us and the Lord's words that call us to Him. The world looks for the strong, the successful, and the educated, but God looks for those who will simply devote themselves to Jesus in a radical way and be willing to follow Him to the ends of the Earth. The scriptures declare that those whom Jesus called were unlearned and ignorant. Yet because of their personal relationship with Him, God validated their call and anointed them to do mighty miracles in the midst of the people. God gave them gifts that exceeded their natural abilities with results that went beyond their expectations. He gave them His wisdom that comes down from above. You may wonder what you can do or where you will fit into this great plan of God. You may question just how it will happen, but all that He requires from you is your obedience. So when you hear the voice of His Spirit say, "Follow Me," do it without fear or reservation. The Lord goes before you and He will take care of every need and necessary detail. +++ 2/22/24 DELIVERANCE Scripture: Psalms 44:4 "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances ..." The Spirit of the Lord God was upon Jesus to bring good news to the suffering and help to the oppressed. He was anointed to proclaim liberty to those in captivity and the opening of the prisons to those who were bound (Isaiah 61:1). He was sent to comfort the broken hearted and to appoint joy to those who were in mourning. It is through His Name, His Blood, and His Word that deliverance comes. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Only by His power will you have victory over your enemies and those things that attempt to plague your soul. You can never trust in your own strength or depend upon your own sword to save you, for your own meager weapons are no match against the weapons of the evil one. You must depend upon God to command deliverance in your life. As you submit to Him, He will provide you with His weapons, which are spiritual and not carnal. The mighty weapons that come to you through God will enable you to pull down spiritual strongholds. They will help you to cast down the imaginations in your mind that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. God's weapons will allow you to take every thought that comes into your mind and make it obedient to Christ (II Corinthians 10:4-5). As long as you have life you will face battles because Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. He is a liar and his weapon is deception. The devil tries to be a god and rule as king in your life. He comes to steal, kill, and destroy through sickness and disease, heartache and grief, bondage and financial lack. Yet, regardless of the devil's great effort, the forces of evil cannot prevail against God’s Spirit of Truth. Your battle belongs to the Lord! He is your Deliverer. You must replace the lies of the devil with the Word of God and trust the Lord, your King. You are His child and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. You belong to God's kingdom. The Lord is your King and as you allow Him to rule over you, He will command deliverance in every area of your life. +++ 2/23/24 GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL Scripture: I Corinthians 1:9 "God is faithful, by Whom we were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord." We have prayer requests and concerns that come to us through our ministry. We rarely refer to them, but I thought that I would share the answer to one question with all of you. A person who is going through a very dark season in their life asked if I had ever been through any discouraging times myself. Of course the answer to this question is the same as it would be for all of us, for we have all faced difficult and disappointing situations in our lives. Job 14:1 tells us that all who are born of a woman are of a few days, and are full of trouble. Life is short and no one is exempt from problems and burdens. So yes, I have personally suffered grief and sorrow and have faced long seasons of discouragement. Yet, I found that I could find peace in the midst of the storms through Jesus Christ and direction for my life through the Word of God. I have been through financial difficulty where I had to depend upon God to pay my bills. I have baked and sliced up the last potato and fed it to my three children and then depended upon God to put food on my table for the next meal. I have cried out in the middle of the night and saw God perform miracles of provision the very next day. God was always faithful. We never had to ask others for food because it was always there when we needed it. We depended upon God's promise that He would not forsake us and that His seed would never have to beg for bread (Psalms 37:25). I have been through the struggle of losing my husband to cancer after more than twenty-eight years of marriage. Yet, as I took care of him in our home for several months, I experienced God's awesome strength in my own physical body and then felt the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit when my husband's death left a huge void in my life. As the spirit of grief and sorrow attempted to overwhelm me, I found solace in God's Word that says that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13). I have also experienced other disappointments in friendships and relationships that have torn my heart to pieces and left scars that I thought could never be mended. I once cried so much that I thought that I was going to drown in my own tears, but then I recalled that God said that He is near to those who are of a broken heart (Psalms 34:18). Many disappointments have come my way, for those in ministry are not exempt from discouragement, heartache, and pain. Yet in the midst of it all, I can testify that God has always remained faithful. I experienced the awesome healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ when there was no help medically. I have also had to depend upon God to start my car, send me help when my house went through a flood, and give me wisdom in other situations or catastrophes. We will all face dark nights, and even the clouds will block our vision in the daylight. Yet, we must remember that just as the sun is always shinning behind the dark clouds, God is always there in our darkest hour regardless of whether we can see Him or not. Even though His presence may be hidden, we must understand that He never leaves us alone. There will be a sunrise again in our lives. The dark clouds will part and God will bring glory out of our present suffering. We know this for sure that we can always trust God because He has and He always will be faithful. +++ 02/26/24 THE LORD WAITS Scripture: Isaiah 30:18 (Living Bible) "Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to Him, so He can show you His love." The Lord is a faithful friend and a wonderful counselor. Yet, the Prophet Isaiah said that Israel consulted with everyone except God when they needed help, and then they ended up rebelling against Him. They yoked themselves with unbelievers and decided to go against the desires of God. Instead of depending upon God to help them in their battle, they went to Egypt to find aid. They put their trust in Pharaoh and his swift horses. Yet, God was still gracious to them and waited for them to return to Him so that He could show them His love. This is a picture of a loving Father who never gives up on His children. Just as the Lord watched Israel, He sees us as we gather unwise counsel, and He warns us that our hearts are deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). The Lord sees us when we join ourselves with those who are not our equal in spirit. His heart aches as He watches us being subtly led astray by their words and deeds. God knows that our enemy seeks to devour us, but God is limited by our own attitudes and actions. Yet, in the middle of our rebellion, He continues to leave the door wide open and waits for us to repent and return to Him because He is faithful, and He loves us so much. When we leave God's path, we begin to experience the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but He still hears our cries and answers us. He never leaves us without comfort. Amid our hardship and pain, He allows us, with our own eyes, to see Him as a teacher (Isaiah 30:20). Some of the most important lessons of life are learned in the hardest of places. The psalmist said, "Before I was afflicted, I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word." (Psalms 119:67). The psalmist was saying that affliction brings us back to the feet of our Master. In the most challenging times, we discover that God is there to tell us whether we should go to the left or to the right. We do not have to second-guess the situation. All we must do is trust in God for directions. He said that we would hear His Voice behind us saying, "This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21). It is comforting to know that God is on our side and that He is for us, not against us. He is patiently waiting for us to return to Him so that He can show us His love. +++ 2/27/24 LIVE PEACEABLY Scripture: Romans 12:18 "If it be possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men." When Jesus came to Earth, He brought peace and good tidings of great joy. Then shortly before He left this Earth to return to Heaven, He said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you." The peace that He left is supernatural and is sufficient to help us maintain inner peace in every situation that seeks to challenge us. Yet, the Apostle Paul recognized the impossibilities of living in perfect peace in every circumstance. He said, "When keeping the peace depends upon you, then do it ... if possible." Paul experienced the same situations that we will face. His words encourage us to bend to the breaking point, turn the other cheek, and bite our tongues, if necessary, but he never instructs us to compromise our convictions to maintain peace. When he entered a city, the scriptures declared there was "no small stir" (Acts 19:23). A large commotion began to occur among the people because Paul taught against pagan worship and preached faith and salvation in the Name of Jesus. In another incident, there was so much contention between Paul and his brothers in Christ, Barnabus and Mark, that they had to separate from each other. Barnabus was determined to take John Mark with him and Paul on their missionary journey, but Paul thought that it was not a good idea. Acts 15:39 says, "The contention was so sharp between Paul and Barnabus that they departed from each other." Barnabus took Mark and sailed to Cyprus and Paul chose Silas and went another direction. Jesus, Himself, faced times that were not peaceful. Even though He was the Prince of Peace, in His righteous anger, He made a whip and drove the moneychangers from the temple (John 2:15). Like the Apostle Paul and Jesus, even though peace is ruling and reigning in our hearts, there will still be times when we will encounter irate individuals and adverse circumstances. Righteous convictions usually bring conflict at some point and time, and that conflict will force confrontation. In these situations, the peace that we hold in our heart will not be able to control the actions of others or protect us from difficult situations. Yet, we must never cower down under pressure. We must always stand for the right and follow Paul’s instructions, "If it be possible, live peaceably with all men." +++ 2/28/24 IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE Scripture: Psalms 138:7-8 "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, ... the Lord will perfect that which concerns me." Do you have concerns today for which you have no solutions? Are you in the middle of a troubled situation, and it seems that you are being tossed about in a terrible storm? King David was in a dilemma such as this, but he was able to retain his confidence in God. In the midst of his turmoil, David declared that God would revive him and raise him up. He knew that God’s mercy endures forever and that He would never forsake the works of His own hands. He trusted God to stretch out His mighty hand, fight for him, and make everything perfect. David knew that God cared for him, so he humbled himself before God and cast all his cares upon Him. The middle of trouble is a frightening and crucial place, but it is also the place where God manifests His strength and power. It is a place where Jesus suddenly steps up and calms everything with one command, "Peace be still." Like David, Jesus' Disciples found themselves in the midst of trouble when their ship encountered a storm. We can only imagine what the Disciples' thoughts when the storm first began, for Jesus did not seem to care at all. He rested as the storm began to approach, and then slept soundly as the storm grew worse. Jesus was not trying to help them maintain the ship in the natural or deal with it in the spiritual. While the prince of the air was trying to destroy the ship, the Prince of Peace, Jesus, was at rest and sleeping peacefully. Fearful and frustrated, His Disciples asked Jesus, "Don't You even care that we are about to perish?" (Mark 4:38) Fear and frustration may cause us to feel the same way the Disciples felt. It may seem that God is not interested in our circumstances as they progressively get worse, but He truly is concerned. There is no situation in our life that escapes the Lord’s notice, and He promises to perfect everything that concerns us. The Lord can take everything that is happening in our life and make it work together for good. There is not one concern that is too big for Jesus to take care of or too small for Him to care about. He can fix every problem in more ways than we could dream or imagine. He has ways and solutions that are higher than our ways and thoughts that are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). Before we ask, He has the answer for our problem. When life demands that we walk through trouble, we must cast our cares upon the Lord and trust Him to make perfect those things that concern us. +++ 2/29/24 MYSTERY OF PRAYER Scripture: James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." Prayer is a mystery to our carnal minds because we cannot understand how we, as human beings, can talk to the Maker of the universe and the Creator of every living thing. By the same token, how can God hear each of us praying at the same time while our prayers are coming from the four corners of this vast Earth? How can He keep all our requests separated and be able to answer them accordingly? Yet, with so many needs and so many voices crying out to Him, God still opens the door to His throne room and gives all of us an invitation to come boldly to His throne of grace in time of need. Prayer is the most powerful influence in the spiritual realm because when we pray our prayers touch three worlds, Heaven, Hell, and the Earth. Our prayers pull at the heart of God in Heaven and cause Him to work on our behalf here on Earth to bring blessings to us and to those for whom we are praying. Finally, God responds by using our prayers to bind evil and destroy the works of Hell. Prayer also is not limited by time, which allows it to deal with our past, our present, and our future. We can ask forgiveness for things that we have done in the past or we can ask for help for our present situations. We can also ask for guidance, direction, and protection for the future path before us. In the scripture above, the Apostle James lists two things needed for prayers to be effective. Our prayer must be fervent, meaning with intense devotion and passion, like a fire burning within us. Our prayer must also come from a righteous and virtuous heart, meaning a heart that is in right standing with God. In the same verse, before James spoke of the fervent prayer of the righteous man, he instructed us to confess our faults one to another. It is a simple spiritual progression. Confession and repentance of sin brings forgiveness, and then forgiveness creates righteousness or right standing with God. God has given us an invitation and is waiting for us to come into His presence. We must not allow the moment to pass. If sin stands between us and God's throne, we must allow God to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we feel that our prayers are not reaching God’s throne, we must earnestly ask God to anoint us with His Holy Spirit and ask Him to guide us to pray according to God’s will. When we have a heart that is fervent and in right standing with God, tremendous power will be made available to us. When we align ourselves with God's will and embrace His dreams, He will hear us, and our prayers will avail much. This is the mystery of prayer. +++ Copyright © 2024 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com			..............................