Thursday, August 25, 2011

Back-to-Back

"A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT

Are you there today? Are you trying to do it alone and just aren't making it? Why? Don't you know that we weren't made to handle life alone? God knew that. That is why He gave us the third person of the trinity--the Holy Spirit.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." John 14:16-17 NLT

But again, at times, He knew that we would need more. We would need the companionship of others. That is why it is so important to cover yourself--surround yourself with a few solid, Christian friends that can support you when you can't. To strengthen you when you are weak. To pray for you when the words won't come. To love you when you are unlovable. To encourage you when you need encouragement. To reprimand you when you need reprimanding.

Our God is an all encompassing, MIGHTY God. He can and is capable of being all that we need. He wants that. But like a caring and compassionate Father, He knows His children and He knows that there will be times that we will need the feel His touch, His presence, His love--through the designated people that He has purposely placed into our lives. Please be mindful of this--these people are not to take the place of Him, but they are an extension of Him. Do you understand that?

So, back to the original question--Are you there today? If you are, please be praying that the person or persons that God wants to help you through, comes. That you see and recognize. That you don't let pride or self-sufficiency get the best of you--that you don't let those emotions keep the grace and blessing that God has in stored for you and for the others involved in His greater plan--from coming to you.

This is a new day! Be Glad and Rejoice in It! And Praise your Father through it all!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Ask!

"Your people did not conquer the land with their swords;
they did not win it by their own power;
it was by your power and your strength,
by the assurance of your presence,
which showed that you loved them."
Psalm 44:3 GNT

What lands are you trying to conquer today? Is it in your own power or the power of your holy Father?

We can try to win our battles in our own terms. In our own power. In our own wisdom. We seem to be wired that way. We make statements to God such as: "Seriously, I can do it." or, "Truly, my way is better." and, "For goodness sake, I know what I am doing!"But don't you understand--we can not do anything without the blessing and power of our Heavenly Father. He is our general. He is our shield. He is our sword. Whatever it is that we are trying to conquer--we need to send Him out before us. And whatever is trying to conquer us--He will slay. Whatever hurt, habit or hang-up that plagues us--no matter how strong we think we are, we aren't. Not on our own power, wisdom or terms. But call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--now we have power!

Please, if you have been struggling with something in your life--your land--and you've been trying to slay it all on your own--STOP! Call upon Jesus. He is only a heartbeat away. For when you call out His precious name, not only do you get Him, but you get God the Father and the Holy Spirit. And believe me, when you have the three of them all wrapped up in one, you have a almighty fortress that nothing can breakthrough.

Blessed assurance! How sweet it is! And it is yours just for the asking--ASK! Then remember to PRAISE! Praise before you even see, feel or know the outcome.

"For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true." 1 Thessalonians 1:5 NLT





Monday, August 15, 2011

Living

"Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.

Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, 'Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?'

Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.

Jesus asked his disciples, 'Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?'

Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'"
Mark 4:37-45 CEV

Imagine yourself in the boat with Jesus. You've been working with Him all day and then He says to get in the boat because you need to go to the other side of the lake. So you do. While you are floating to the other side, this huge storm comes out of nowhere and you are tossed around like a rag doll. Your companions are fearful and nervous and whispering among themselves. And what is the main whisper? The main shake of the head in disbelief? Jesus. He's there, asleep at the back of the boat. What to do? Noone wanted to be the one to wake Him up. But finally the fear was too great and you bite the bullet and do it. You tap Him on the shoulder, Jesus opens His eyes, calmly stands up, speaks to the wind and the sea as though they are old friends, and everything gets calm and peaceful again. And you think, "Wow!"

Now, bring that feeling to the present. To your life right now. Here you are--a faithful follower of Jesus. Living hard for Jesus. When all of a sudden, a storm, a trial, a rough patch in the road--comes crashing in. You know that Jesus is there, He has to be right? He said that He would never leave you or forsake you. But you can't feel Him. You are a bundle of nervous. You feel like life or the situation is out of control. Where is Jesus? He has to be here! But if He was, why is everything still so tipsy-turvy? What is He doing? Sleeping? Ignoring me? How could He?!

Finally, as you cry out for the last time--all of a sudden--everything is starting to calm down. Peace is slowly coming back into focus. Your world is starting to level out. You say, "Praise be to you Jesus!"

And Jesus says to you, "Why did you fuss so? Don't you know that I am with you always and forever? During good times and bad. Thick and thin. But there are a couple of life hints that I need to inform you of: Life hint #1--Though I am always with you, times will not always be pleasant. In order for you to learn strength, patience, graciousness, forbearance, wisdom, discernment--I will need to let you go through storms. In order for you to learn true faith and to lean not on your own understanding, I will need to let you go through trials. Life hint #2--It is essential for you to remember this--I am the STRONGEST when you are the weakest. I can REIGN when you are on your knees. I can COMFORT when you are the most vulnerable. I am your God, and you are my child."

Today simply PRAISE Him!

"Our LORD and our God,
you are like the sun
and also like a shield.
You treat us with kindness
and with honor,
never denying any good thing
to those who live right.

LORD God All-Powerful,
you bless everyone
who trusts you."
Psalm 84:11-12 CEV

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Faithful Confidence

"God is our shelter and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken
and mountains fall into the ocean depths;
even if the seas roar and rage,
and the hills are shaken by the violence."
Psalm 46:1-3 GNT

This is one of the more famous psalms that David wrote. People have grasped onto it many a time as they are going through trying times. Martin Luther used to love to sing this psalm in song, and it gave birth to that stirring battle hymn: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."

But how is it relevant in our world today? Is the calm confidence and triumphant trust that seems to have been breathe into every line relevant in the type of world that we experience everyday? Think about it.

Our world, your life and mine, is just as chaotic as was David's. Oh, there are differences of course, but the feeling is the same. And through all of David's crisis, through all of his trials, he clung to one thing--the power of his Holy Father to be there for him.

Now does that mean that his God would keep him from making mistakes--some of which was the main cause of his crisis or trials--no. But through it all, David remand faithful. David knew that even in his fumblings and shortcomings and just the plain fact that since he was a "God-lover", it made him a target--he was faithfully confident.

We need to have the same faithful confidence. How is it in your world? Your life? You know that you have the faithful commitment from your Heavenly Father to be there for you. Will He keep you from doing the wrong thing and causing your earth to shake or your mountains to crumble? Not always. But he will always be there to help you through it.

Sometimes we have to go through the earth shaking, mountain crumbling times in order to become the children God created us to be. Since He knew you from the moment that you were knitted in your mother's womb--He knew. Do you understand this?

These three verses of Psalm 46 reminds us of the power of our God. Reminds us of His promise to never leave us or forsake us. That itself is a comfort--at least to me.

Do we know what it is to make this psalm that is so perfectly simple in its meaning, and joyous in expression--our very own? Do we have the right conception of a God that is so strong that He can banish all our fears?

As thrones, governments and systems change with startling rapidity, you can stand solidally on this--that no matter what is happening in your outer world or the personal world within you--you can--and need to--be still and know that your God reigns--FOREVER. Amen.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Psalm 46:10 NLT

Monday, August 1, 2011

Consumed

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11(NKJV)

Have you ever experienced something and then you come to find out that you enjoy it so much that you want to know more about it? And then the more that you know, the more that you seem to want to find out more. And it starts to consume you.

Well, this is what Paul is praying for his friends in Philippi. He knows the human nature. He knows that we can't get enough of a good thing. If we love something enough, we will do whatever it takes to learn more about it or to protect it, or to immerse ourselves in it.

That is how it should be in our relationship with Jesus. We should never get enough of Him. We should always be yearning for more and more and more. We should want to be so immersed in the journey of getting to know Him, to bond with Him, that it seems wrong when we are not.

My prayer for you is simple--I pray that you are blessed with this great yearning and thirst for what only your Heavenly Father can give you--eternal life. And I pray that you go and consume yourself, in His word and with a deep prayer life, until you cannot be filled anymore. That the power of the Holy Spirit fills you with the discernment and a deep, genuine love that you need in order to be pure in His image. And I pray these requests in His Holy, blessed name. Amen.