Go in the strength you have!

The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Judges 6:14 NIV

Have you ever noticed that when God directs us to do his will, our first reaction is often one of fear, doubt, or both?  The reason we react this way is because what he asks us to do is usually greater than what we think we are capable of doing.

Gideon was sent by God to rescue Israel from the Midianites, but he didn’t think he had the right qualifications to do the job.   His family was one of the poorest in the area, and he was also the youngest or perhaps the least important member of his family.   None of which qualified him for this  place of leadership — or so he thought!

The world’s value system is far removed from the godly values of our Heavenly Father.  Things we consider to be “real worth” mean absolutely nothing to him.   He works through ordinary people like you and me, and uses the simple things of this world to confound the wise.

Gideon thought he was unfit but God called him a ‘valiant warrior’.  He didn’t realize that the ‘strength’ he had, was actually God’s presence with him, and that he already had everything he needed to be victorious.

The psalmist said it this way, “It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure”. Psalm 18:32 NIV

The same is true for us.   When God sends us to do his will, He doesn’t send us off with a wave and expect us to fend for ourselves.   We go in HIS strength, and we have his promise to be with us every step of the way because he knows that we are weak.  “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust”.  Psalm 103:14 NLT

God may be calling you to step out of your comfort zone and do something you never thought you could do.  But the enemy, like the liar that he is, fills your heart with fear and doubt.  Don’t let him hold you captive with his lies.

Remember this piece of advice the Apostle Paul gave to Timothy,  “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind”.  2 Tim 1:7 NKJV

Go in confidence — your God is with you!

One blessing after another

 “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16  NIV

In the most generous economy of God, we are privileged to receive one blessing after another, one gracious gift after another.  Blessings he gives to his children here in this world, and for the world to come. 

God bestows his blessing on us in a number of ways.  He has given us spiritual blessings in heavenly places which consist of our salvation, forgiveness and redemption, our adoption into the family of God, our inheritance as co-heirs with Christ, eternal life and so much more.  

In addition, we also receive blessings in the form of gifts to do the work that God has called us to do.  In the early church, the disciples received the gift of apostleship to preach the Gospel.  Likewise, in our time, we are blessed according to our ability.  Some of us are blessed in the area of administration or organization.  Some as teachers, cooks, engineers, or carpenters.  Whatever the area of expertise, God has blessed you according to the measure of the gift that Christ has given you.       

God also blesses us in our day-to-day lives.  These blessings have the most impact on us.  They are the ones we identify with the most because they touch our lives in such a personal way.   These can be blessings of a family, a wife or husband, or a job — that’s a big one in this economy.  Personal blessings come in all shapes and sizes, designed specifically for each believer.

You would think with all of these blessings God has so graciously given us, that he would stop there. No! Not at all!  His storehouses are unlimited when it comes to his children!    I know from personal experience, that there are times when God gives a blessing, followed by another, and yet another–right after that.  One blessing after another!   The bible says in  1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”.

Blessings come with responsibility. You see, God doesn’t just bless us for our own benefit.  He blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others.  Philippians 2:3-4 NIV says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”.    

One translation puts it this way, “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too”.  What that means is, we shouldn’t be so self-absorbed that we ignore the needs of others.  But rather, we are to seek the welfare of others in a spiritual sense. Whether it’s contributing financially, assisting in other ways, or leading them to the good news of Jesus Christ. 

As Pastor Matt said in his message on Sunday, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”.   As we move into what is traditionally our greatest season of giving, let us also be mindful of the words that the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.  Ephesians 2:10 NIV    

Ask the Lord to show you how you can be a blessing to someone today! 

Be Blessed!

How great is the Father’s love

How great is the Father’s love for his children.  How great is his compassion towards them.  When they hurt, he hurts.  He is near to all who call on him.

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me”.  Psalm 50:15

When I was in distress, I called on the LORD; I cried out to my God for help.  He heard my voice from his temple, my cry reached his ears, and he answered me from his holy hill.

From the depths of my soul I cried.  You heard my request and gave me the desires of my heart.  You rode on one of the angels, and soared on the wings of the wind to rescue me because you were pleased with me; Hephzibah, in whom you delight.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress, my Savior, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the strength of my salvation; my stronghold.   Your way is perfect!  You are a shield to all those who take refuge in you.

That is why I will give thanks to you, O LORD.  I will praise you forever for what you have
done.  You are the God who works wonders. You are my portion.  I will worship you with all of my heart.

You are mighty to save.   Great is your mercy to me!

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing”.  Zephaniah 3:17

 

God Never Changes

For I am the Lord, I do not change.  Malachi 3:6

I’m a creature of habit.  I tend to gravitate to things that are consistent and dependable. Don’t get me wrong, change is good, but there are some things in life that need to be constant.

 In a world that is always changing, isn’t it comforting to know that our Heavenly Father is always the same?   He does not change.  He is the same every day.  The bible says that God, by his very nature, cannot lie or change his mind.  

“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”.  Numbers 23:19

So what does that mean for us? 

It means we can be certain that God will do what he said he will do.  He stands by his Word and so can we. “Your Word O Lord is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens”.  Psalms 119:89.  

Times change; circumstances change; our friends change; our values change; even our taste buds change, but God never changes! 

Change implies imperfection and we know that God is perfect.  Psalm 18:30 states, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless”.   

“He never fails”.  He is holy, loving, kind, patient, forgiving, faithful, and he hates sin.   His nature would not allow him to be otherwise.  He will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself”.  

“Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures”.  Psalm 119:90

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and  every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:  I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Genesis 9:12-15

God is still on the throne!

Last Monday I received a call from the hospital.  My brother was admitted with a very serious health condition, and someone should get there right away.   I didn’t know it then, but that moment would set the tone for the rest of my week.  Everywhere I went, others were coping with similar, if not worse, circumstances.

We are living in a culture that is shaped by an unprecedented set of problems.  Turn on the television, and you hear of record breaking crime and violence, deteriorating economic conditions, environmental concerns, widespread diseases, and overall spiritual decline. 

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalms 11:3  

What does a mother do when her teenager leaves home, and she has no idea where to start looking?    How do you cope when the results of the medical tests come back and it’s not  good? 

When the fundamentals of family life crumble around us, what can the righteous do? 

The Holy Spirit points us to the answer in Psalms 11:4. “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne.  He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.

What it means is that we should “Trust God” because he is the ruler and sustainer of the universe.  He is on his heavenly throne and he sees everything that is taking place here on earth.   When you are afraid, trust him!  When you don’t understand, trust him!

We have a protector in heaven and he knows every detail of our lives.   He knows what we are doing at every moment of the day.   Nothing slips by him.  Nothing can happen to us unless he allows it.  He filters everything through his hands before it touches us.

No one knows why God allows certain things to happen, or why He allows his children to endure suffering.  What we do know is that he loves us, and he will never leave us.

The bible says in Psalms 38:14 that “The Lord is close to those whose hearts are broken and whose spirits are crushed”.  That means he will comfort you, fill you with his peace, and give you the strength to make it through whatever circumstances you face. 

I admit–trusting God is not the easiest thing for the believer to do.  You can be confident one moment, and five minutes later, you’re at the bottom of the pit. It is an ongoing struggle with your mind, but don’t give up.  Call out to your heavenly Father and he will answer.  He is mighty to save. 

As you look around, and hear of one disaster after another, it may seem like things are out of control.   But know this, God is on the throne and he is in control of everything in the universe.  

Encourage one another and stand firm in your faith!

The day of small things

I was a little frustrated a few days ago because of setbacks on one of my projects.  The work I had done so far seemed like nothing compared to the list of things I had to do.  I was so focused on the big-ticket items that I didn’t notice the small accomplishments I was making all along.

Then, while doing my daily bible reading, God led me to these words found in Zechariah 4:10 “For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel”. 

“The day of small things” I thought, “I don’t remember reading that before”.     

A little background:  Zerubbabel was chosen by God to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem because the original temple was destroyed when the Israelites went into captivity.  

After the foundation was laid, some of the older Israelites who had seen the first temple came to see how the work was progressing.  When they saw it, they were very discouraged and wept with loud voices because it was small and seemed like nothing, compared to the greatness and splendor of the first one.   

This is where the verse picks up.  In essence, God is saying “Those who despised the work because of its humble beginnings, will be glad when they see Zerubbabel with the plumb line in his hands”.  The plumb line was a tool he used to make sure the walls of the temple were upright or straight. It meant the building of the temple was a success.

God didn’t look at the work as being small, he saw the finished product. Then it occurred to me, “That’s how he sees us”.  He doesn’t see us as we are now–a work in progress. He sees what we will be–the finished product.   

Note to self:

• Don’t be so focused on doing “big things” that you miss the small unnoticeable ways God is working in and around you  
• He uses the simple things of this world to confound the wise    
• His Word is a plumb line to keep you upright in all you do and say 

The Secret Place

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty”. Psalm 91:1 AKJV

I grew up in an old Victorian house where I shared a room with my sister.  In a corner of our room there was a door which opened to a stairway that was sealed off at the bottom of the stairs.  That stairway became our secret hiding place.  It was hollow and our voices echoed but we loved it, especially when we wanted to get away from our younger siblings.  It was the perfect hiding place.     

There is a place where those who trust in God can find refuge from the storms of life.  The Psalmist referred to it as “the secret place of the Most High”. What that means is, when you’re in the secret place, you’re in the presence of God. The secret place is his presence. It’s where He lives deep down in our heart and soul.  Under the law God lived in the tabernacle or tent, but because of Christ we have a new covenant, and God now lives in the hearts of believers.

There, in God’s presence is where you will find those believers who have a close relationship with him.  They are the ones who trust him, believe in him, and have faith in him.  They cling to him and he shields them with his holy presence.  They are his treasure. He keeps them safe with him and no evil can reach them because his power and love cover them from all harm.  “For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock”.  Psalm 27:5.   God will shield all who dwell with him but not all believers are willing to remain in him.  Some run to him when trouble comes but they don’t stay.  Then as soon as the trouble passes they quickly turn away to whatever catches their attention.   

There are many benefits to being in the secret place of the Most High.  We abide where God abides. We’re in the presence of God, and the closer we are to him the more confident we become.  “If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; Psalm 91:9-11

Dwelling in God’s presence requires faith.  You cannot please God without it.   “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”. Hebrews 11:6.  God cannot be pleased with the person who has no confidence in him, or in his word.   It’s impossible for a wife to please her husband, or a husband to please his wife unless they have confidence in each other.  If there is distrust or jealousy on either part, there will be conflict and unhappiness in the relationship.  The same is true in almost any relationship, and it’s equally true in our relationship with God.  He requires the same expression of faith that we need from each other.

In addition, our heart has to change.  Our attitude has to change.  The way we view our circumstances has to change.  Worry becomes a thing of the past.  You can’t dwell in God’s presence and worry at the same time. We have to be willing to wait for God’s way and His timing.  We are reflections of the Most High therefore when people look at us they should see God in us.      

Today, God is calling you to join him in his secret holy place.  He has given you an open invitation.  You don’t have to settle for the world’s idea of peace.  He will take away your fears and fill you with his peace.   “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.  For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:22 NLT

Our desires come from God

Have you ever had a desire or passion to do something and found yourself wondering, “Where did that come from”?   Many times we get an idea in our mind and little do we know that it was God putting the weight of something on our heart.

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” Philippians 2:13 NIV

The Bible says that God works in us to give us the desire to do what pleases Him.  He places a desire or passion in our hearts to do the things He calls us to do and gives us the ability to do the work required to carry it out.  

My sister owns a bakery and café.  Several years ago she discovered that she loved to bake and dreamed of one day owning a bakery.  God worked in her heart to produce that desire according to His plan for her and gave her the ability to do the work required to make her dream a reality. 

“God’s gifts and calling never change”.  Romans 11:29.  He has given each of us the power we need to do the work He calls us to do.   Unfortunately, not everyone who has that power will actually use it.    Many of us start out strong only to give up when opposition or difficulty get in the way.  We have to run the race in order to finish.   

How can we be sure that our desires are from God and not our own thoughts?

• The desires God puts in our hearts are strictly according to His plan and His purpose for us.  God cannot be tempted to do evil and he does not tempt anyone.   “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. James 1:13. NLT    
• Our desires must line up with the Word of God.  The Bible is our guide for living a Christ-centered life.  Everything we say and do must line up with what it says.
• Ask God to show you His will for your life.  He is always ready to give a fresh supply of wisdom to all who ask.   

 Prayer:  “May He equip you with all you need for doing His will.  May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him.  All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.   (Hebrews 13:21 NLT)

Sing unto the Lord a new song!

Can you fathom the mysteries of God?   

                                                   Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?     

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The whole world belongs to Him. He is the Creator of the earth.   By wisdom He laid the earth’s foundations.  By understanding He set the heavens in place.  Prov.3:19.    

The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament shows his handiwork!  Psalm 19:1

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  Genesis 1:26

You, even you, are LORD alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and you preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships you.  Nehemiah 9:6

He gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command.

      

 By His knowledge the watery depths were divided!  

                  

His hands formed the dry land!

       

In his hand is the life of every creature!

             

 How great is God—beyond our understanding!

 The number of His years is past finding out.   You, even you, are LORD alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and you preserve them all.  The host of heaven worships you.   Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.  Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.   

God’s Plan and His Purpose

“The LORD Almighty has sworn; Surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand”.  (Isaiah 14:24 NIV) 

God’s plan and His purpose have the last say in His world; nothing and no one can prevent Him from carrying it out.  He created each of us with a calling or gift and He has a plan for every minute of every day of our lives.  He longs to reveal His plans to us but we’re usually too busy to hear His voice. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11 NIV)

Several years ago I struggled with a period of extreme discouragement. I had a series of setbacks and disappointments because everything I attempted failed in one way or another.  I began to second guess myself about where I thought the Lord was leading me, and as the years went by, so did my hopes and expectations.

I knew that God had a plan for me but it never occurred to me that His plan would differ from mine. As far as I was concerned my plan was His plan.   It was all about what I wanted.  Isn’t it just like us to bring God down to our level then run ahead of Him with our short-sighted plans and expect Him to agree to them?       

God is omniscient which means He is all-knowing.  He never makes mistakes so we can be confident that His plan for us is the best possible plan.  It may not be what we would choose for ourselves, but if we are faithful and submit to Him the result would be more than we could ask or imagine.

Of course you’re probably wondering “why should anyone bother planning when God has the final say anyway”.  Well the Bible doesn’t say we shouldn’t plan, on the contrary, we are encouraged to make plans but we must do so within certain guidelines.  The book of Proverbs gives guidance for making plans and just about any other issue we come across in our walk with God.       

The key is to surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to accomplish His will for us.  Candidly, I find that I have to surrender my will to Him on a daily basis because each day comes with a new set of challenges.

Can we endure testing by God?

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands”.   Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV

When God called David to be king of Israel He anointed him but he didn’t become king right away.  David had to be trained and tested before he could be ready to fill that role.  God often tests us so we can see what is really in our hearts and to bring us to a place of repentance. 

God already knows how we will respond to certain situations.  However, He allows us to go through those situations to prove ourselves and show our obedience to His Word.  

Before I go any further let me take a moment to say “Everything that happens to a believer is either caused or allowed by God”.

As children of God we sometimes get the idea that we should not have to experience pain or suffering.  In fact, one of the misconceptions in Christian society today is that once you accept Christ as Lord and Savior you begin a new life where everything runs smoothly.

I’m sure we would all like that to be the case but the reality is that the devil will focus his attention on you tenfold because of your decision to live for Christ.  Why?  Because when you accept Christ as Lord and Savior you become part of the family of God.  The devil no longer has power over your life so he will try everything he can to get you to deny Christ.

In our text for today we see that God tested the Israelites in the desert for forty years because of their pride and to see if they would obey His commands.  Likewise, God allows us to experience spiritual testing in order to address certain attitudes or behaviors we may have.  When that happens, our reaction is often one of fear, shock, or anger towards God.  Why is this happening to me!  I’m a good person!  I go to church every week! 

The Bible has many examples of godly people who were tested and tried.  For example,     2 Corinthians 12:7-9 teaches us about the apostle Paul who endured many trials and hardships during his ministry. He also had a thorn in the flesh which he begged God to remove but God did not.  

“Some lessons can’t be taught.  They must be lived to be understood” Elektra 2005

So here is my question.  The next time you are tested or have a thorn in the flesh as Paul did, how will you respond?  Feel free to share your thoughts with me.

Sovereign Lord, give us the grace and strength to endure trials and hardships when they come.  Create in us a pure heart so we can be men and women after Your heart.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen!

A Time for Everything

Ever notice how quickly time goes by?  When I was a child I couldn’t wait to grow up.  Now that I’m older I find that I spend a great deal of time wishing my life away.    On Monday I wish it was still Sunday.  By mid-week I start complaining that the week is “too long” and wish Friday would come so I can relax and enjoy the weekend. 

King Solomon said “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV.  Although this is a very simple concept our minds really have a problem accepting it.  Generally speaking, people make time to do what pleases them.  The same is probably true for you and me.   What’s interesting is that bible reading is the single most common activity that consistently ends up at the bottom of our to-do list.

As children of God we have a spiritual responsibility to set aside time to spend with our Holy Father.   Admittedly, it can be quite challenging in some cases because balancing work and family places significant demands on one’s time.   This quote puts it in perspective; “The consequences of today are determined by the actions of the past. To change your future, alter your decisions today.” Anonymous.

What changes can you make in your current lifestyle that will enable you to spend more time in God’s Word?  Here are some suggestions:

• Choose a time, preferably the same time every day because it’s easier to track
• Take advantage of today’s advanced technology.   Electronic bible applications make it easier than ever to take the bible with us wherever we go.   Downloads are available for most mobile devices, iPods, iPads and eBooks

Time is a precious commodity, once it’s gone it cannot be replaced–not in this lifetime anyway; and how we spend our time is important because it has a direct impact on the choices we make which in turn influence who we are as individuals.   I urge you to make time today and every day to read God’s Word and watch as He unfolds His truths to you.  You’ll get to know Him and experience His love in an amazing way.

Prayer:   

Ancient of Days, today we make a commitment to spend more time in your Holy Word.  Fill us with the knowledge of you and give us an understanding heart so that we can be a light to those in need.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Quiet Trust

Isaiah 30:15 ….in quietness and trust is your strength (NIV)

Quiet Trust is about trusting God regardless of what’s going on around you.  It is the confidence you have that no matter what happens you can believe that God has your best interest at heart. 

It is not an act of surrender or acceptance but rather the assurance or certainty that God will do what is best for you. 

Trust is defined as:   1) reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing;   2) to place confidence in someone or something; to believe; expect confidently; to hope

• Confidence – implies conscious trust because of good reasons, definite evidence, or past experience
• Assurance – implies absolute confidence and certainty

Society teaches that you earn a person’s trust by consistently proving yourself to them.   Take a moment to mentally count the number of times God has delivered you from one problem or another.  I’m sure the results will show that he has proven himself faithful time and again. The end result is that you can rely on him because of everything he’s done in the past. 

So how do you get to this level of trust?  By spending quality time with God and getting to know him by reading his word.  2 Chronicles 16:9 says that “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him”. (NLT) 

God is looking for people who trust him, believe in him, and have faith in him.   He is always in ready mode, always on the alert, always acting on our behalf.  I encourage you to step out in faith and trust him to work out the circumstances in your life.

The Perfect Gift!

Only twelve more days until Christmas!  The air is filled with excitement!  Expectations and anticipation grow as we look forward to one of the most amazing days of the year.  People everywhere are caught up in a frenzy of shopping as we search to find the perfect gift for our loved ones.

What is the perfect gift? Is it something you want or need more than anything in the world?

Over two thousand years ago, on the first Christmas day, God gave us the most perfect gift we could ever hope to receive–the birth of his only son Jesus Christ. Why? Because he saw that the world he created was in trouble and he loved us so much that it hurt him to see what was happening to us. He wanted to save us from all the “stuff” we do, and the only way to accomplish that was to send us his son.

The look of joy on our loved ones faces as they open gifts on Christmas day pale in comparison to the look of joy on the faces of those shepherds and wise men as they worshipped the baby who would one day save the world from sin. 

As parents we have high expectations for our children and rightly so. But imagine how the Holy God felt as he looked down at his son laying in that lowly manger – a small babe with the weight of the world on his shoulders.   Awesome!

Christ made his not so grand entrance into the world on that amazing night to bring us peace, joy, and abundant life.  His life for ours! That is the true gift of Christmas. 

As you enjoy this time with your family and friends, don’t lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.   It’s not about getting the most advanced technology on the market or having the best that money can buy. The price was paid in full long ago so giving today doesn’t have to cost us anything. This season give from the heart by showing kindness. Allow someone to go ahead of you in traffic or in the checkout line.  Remember, a kind word goes a long way. 

Click on the link below to tune into this song by Vicki Yohe. 

  http://www.playlist.com/searchbeta/tracks#i%20just%20want%20you%20vicki%20yohe/all/1

Created to do good works

Sometimes we need to be reminded of who’s in control and who holds our fate in the palm of his hands. We become complacent and take for granted the time that we have here on this earth. In the time it takes to breathe, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we can move from this life to the next.

Several months ago I experienced what I can only describe as a “life altering moment”. The heat had taken its toll on me and I became severely dehydrated and fainted on my way to work. I have no memory of when I lost consciousness and fell into the abyss of darkness. The minutes I spent there are forever lost to me. Thankfully, God chose not to end my life that day and I can only conclude that he brought me back because he’s not finished with me yet or, more aptly, because I have unfinished work to do.

That was a wake-up call for me, one that I can’t ignore. I have so much to be thankful for and I don’t want to waste another minute resisting or bemoaning my lot in life. That way of thinking only leads to delays in getting to where God wants me to be and doing what he has already equipped me to do.

God created us to do good works which he planned in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10).   I know, you’re reading this and you’re probably thinking – “that’s great if you’re gifted or talented but there’s nothing special about me — I have no gifts”. Well, not everyone can be lead singer in the church choir or CPA of a prestigious accounting firm. God designed some of us to excel in the day to day mundane tasks, doing things that often go unnoticed. Our gift is working behind the scenes. I find that I am more motivated to do an unpleasant task when I approach it as something I’m doing for God rather than my boss or whomever.

God placed something unique in each of us that no one else has. Regardless of who you are, there is something that you’re good at. You can shine in whatever setting you’re in–the workplace, school, or at home.   If there is something you believe God has placed in your heart to do and you’re resisting because you don’t think you have what it takes, don’t be afraid to try. Step out in faith and God will meet you there. 

Let’s be about our Father’s business and do what we were designed to do. If he planned it then he’s already given us what we need to accomplish it.

Don’t let your guard down!

I recently discovered how quickly you can plunge from the mountain top to the valley.  It was during a very busy season at work when I was literally swamped.  I was so exhausted by the end of each day that I didn’t take the time to read my Bible or pray as I normally would.  I didn’t know it then but I was depleting my energy spiritually by allowing myself to fall away.   Scripture tells us that the devil is like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack.  He comes like a thief to steal, kill and destroy and jumps at those times when we’re running low on fuel.   

During that time I became very anxious about a situation I was facing and started to  doubt that God  was leading me.   The irony is that a week or so prior, I was pumped up about God being in control and even wrote a devotion about how absolute control requires absolute trust.  Now here I was, at my wits end because time was running out and I didn’t know which direction to take.   Right on cue, the devil stepped in and true to his nature, stole my joy and my confidence and I have no one to blame but myself because I opened the door and pretty much welcomed him in.

How did I do that–by simply letting my guard down and allowing other things to take priority over spending time with God.  The devil was intent on destroying my peace and made his move the moment I dropped my guard.  His goal is to attack and steal our faith if we let him.  I still don’t have a solution for my situation but I do know that God is in control and nothing surprises him.  I am confident that he will do what is ultimately for my good.  I have to frequently remind myself of the words I write……they are meant for me as well.  

Scripture:

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. 1 Peter 5:8 (CEV) 

Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.  Ephesians 4:27 (NCV)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV)

Trust and let go!

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God! They are innumerable! (Psalm 139:15-17 NLT)
It’s amazing to me that long before I was born, God had already recorded the events of every day of my life. Every moment was written before a single day of my life had passed. Ordinarily it would be great to know that the script was written long ago and it’s no surprise to God when stuff happens. But when I’m facing a difficult situation I instinctively get so caught up in my circumstances that I can’t see or think rationally. If you’re like me your first thought is “woe is me”, but wouldn’t it be great if instead of panic and worry we instinctively react to trouble by trusting God?
I often wonder what God says when he knows that one of his children is about to face turmoil or tragedy, or sickness. He promised he will never leave us or forsake us but in that moment, just before trouble hits, what is God’s reaction up in heaven? Does he say in his deep loving voice “my dear child, this is going to hurt but don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way and I’ll bring you through it. All you have to do is trust and let Me do the rest”.
Could it be that simple? Are we running around in circles searching for solutions to problems when the answer is right in front of us all along?