An Inward Groan Of Extraordinary People

During this Christmas season I read the early days of Christ.

I was struck by how ordinary lives were visited by God to do extraordinary things. Through the Holy Spirit a virgin conceived the Son of God. Mary was one of the many thousands of young Jewish women living in her day but God chose this woman of no notable birth or means. Joseph was a righteous man who descended from a long line of kings stretching back to David yet he lived his life in simplicity as a carpenter.

Then there is Jesus. The Son of God who without sin lived thirty years a quiet and ordinary life as Joesph and Mary's son before His ministry commenced at thirty three years old. The Scriptures are silent during those years when he grew into a man.

If I could speculate Jesus must have looked around the world in which He lived (and the one we are in today). He witnessed the every day experiences of people stricken by poverty or greed, cruel oppression, sickness and death. There had to be an inward groan growing louder in his heart with each passing year until His Father released Him to preach the good news as Savior of the world.

Think of how many times His fingers traced over the smooth wood he had carved reflecting on a day when an inward groan would escape His holy lips while dying on the tree! Such a groan would reverberate through the corridors of history and shake the foundations of hell. It is finished!

Now we are on the edges of entering a new year.

With passing year there should be a deepening groan for Christ to change us in His likeness. A groan for His return so that in seeing Him face to face we are made complete (1 Corinthians 13:12). Paul described it in Romans 8:22, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies." (NIV).

As sons and daughters of God we are no ordinary people so our groan is not rooted in natural or worldly things. I believe that in many churches around the world there is an ever increasing cry being expressed through prayer. One day our groaning will give way to glorious praise as He unfolds His purposes in our lives no matter how small or ordinary our lives may seem.

Enter into 2015 with a cry God change me and make me more like you!

Blessing my brothers and sisters.

After All This You Still Love Me?

The Scriptures tell of Israel's history marked by glorious victories and at other times deeply marred by sin and rebellion but God still says, "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." (Jeremiah 31:3).

What is true of His people then is true for us today.

The God of indescribable light will draw us to Himself right where we are even in the most darkest of places. The place does not matter to God as much as a heart that is crying out for Him. He will go to great lengths to visit the hungry heart to make Himself known. This is same God who walks right through walls.

Remember He sat and ate with tax collectors and other so called sinners of His day. He was not corrupted by them rather they were changed in His presence. No matter if the place is a crowded smoke filled bar or a prison cell or lonely hospital room Jesus will visit the broken man or woman.

Jesus heard such a cry from across the Sea of Galilee of a man tormented by demons (Luke 8:26). Yes, this man cried out in pain from his bondage but there was a deeper cry for deliverance that only God could discern. So Jesus stopped His ministry and got in a boat to sail to the other side. He battled through a raging storm for a man who was confined to tombs who could never get to Him.

After he was set free Jesus told him to go and tell all that God did for him (Luke 8:39). Perhaps this man's testimony left a question for some who asked, "After all this does God still love me?" Perhaps he showed them the scars where he tore his flesh with rocks when the voices in his head screamed and howled. The scars were a reminder God came to him in the most darkest hours of his life to show His love right where he lived.

And on that day the Son of Man will extend His nailed scarred hands to welcome us home. A God who loved us with an everlasting love after all our sin, failure and rebellion. Yes, He loves us after all the things that has occurred in our lives.

Will we in turn love Him after all the deliverance and victories He has performed and not resist Him but rather be drawn by His cords of kindness (Hosea 11:4)?

The Case For The Lonely

God has a word to those who are lonely. Yes, even to those who may be surrounded by loving friends and family but may feel alone. Godly men and women who have walked with Him for many years can experience times of loneliness like David who cried, "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted" (Psalms 25:16 NIV).

The definition of loneliness is not only an absence of meaningful relationships but a sense of being disconnected. No matter how hard you may try to sustain a friendship (or marriage) it seems to go wrong. Perhaps your history of relationships tend to sour quickly or some unexpected change fractures the relationship. Something hurtful was said or an offense committed which only deepens the isolation and disconnectedness.

If someone should hold your hand or gather you into their arms you find little comfort from their touch. There are things in your heart that are too painful for words. So you pull away though your heart is hungry for a touch and kind words. These walled up places in the heart are known only by God. And He knows how to soothe away the discomfort and ease the pain.

And that is why the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter (John 14:26). The Greek word used in this verse for comforter is a legal advocate. A legal advocate is one who assists, defends, or pleads for another; one who renders legal advice and aid and pleads the cause of another before a court (Black's Law Dictionary Free Online Legal Dictionary 2nd Ed).

We have no greater advocate than Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1).

So that His people are never alone or lacking comfort Jesus presents the case for the lonely to His Father who is also the Judge. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16 KJV).

Jesus knew firsthand what it was to be without a place to rest his head (Luke 9:58) so He charges the Comforter to place the lonely in homes (Psalms 68:6). He gives such abundance of comfort we can in turn comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:4). And we have this promise we will never be forsaken (Deuteronomy 31:8). The Lord has ruled in favor of the lonely to know the depths of His comforting presence.

His word to the lonely and the alone?

I'm with You to fill your heart with comfort in those places once indefensible against the onslaught of loneliness that has driven you into a barren waste land. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19) So shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah 49:13, NIV)

The Holy Spirit's Winnowing Process

One morning I sat praying and mediating when the Lord spoke a single word that best describes the growing agitation in my heart.

Winnowing.

I was undergoing a divine and necessary processing of winnowing out the chaff (the superfluous and superficial things) from the wheat (the wholesome truth of God's Word).

According to Wikipedia "Wind winnowing is an agricultural method developed by ancient cultures for separating grain from chaff. It is also used to remove weevils or other pests from stored grain. Threshing, the loosening of grain or seeds from the husks and straw, is the step in the chaff-removal process that comes before winnowing."

There is nothing like the wind of the Holy Spirit to stir and sift our hearts where we may have grown indifferent, settled or comfortable with spiritual things. It's easy to get stuck in a routine and lose our passion for the things of God.

Jesus tells Peter that Satan demanded (as translated from the original) be shifted like wheat (Luke 22:31). Despite the Devil's demands this is a divine winnowing process. A process ordained by the Holy Spirit to cause purification and sanctification. The Greek word for shift means an inward agitation to try one's faith to the verge of overthrow. God is the one who oversees the winnowing process so despite the Enemy intentions of overthrowing our faith it serves to only strengthen us. That is if we are willing to undergo the winnowing process rather than resist the work of the Holy Spirit.

Peter's faith may have faltered when denying Christ but God was faithful to restore Peter. Beloved, God is for us so who can be against us - including the winnowing fork of the Devil! So our faith remains but the chaff of worldly pursuits and desires are winnowed out - blown away by the breath of God's Spirit - so only the implanted Word of of God remains in our hearts. We know the Word of God remained in Peter's life as demonstrated by a passionate love for His Savior. Gone was the self seeking, flesh driven ambitious and brash Peter but one who would lead some 3,000 souls to Christ on the day of Pentecost.

Beloved, we must ask the Lord for a willing spirit to be shifted so only the things of God remain. If we don't allow His Spirit to do the work of winnowing in our lives there will be a day when every man or woman's work will be tried with fire (1 Corinthians 3:13).

As I experience even while writing this devotional, this is a painful work but together we can draw comfort from the Holy Spirit to reminds us our faith will only be stronger and so will our devotion to Him. Our faith will not be overthrown but every work of the Devil will be thrown down by the power that flows from purified lives!

A Holy Ambush

Complaining is a form of demonic worship. Such grumbling and complaining is deeply rooted in unbelief. We don't believe God to act on our behalf when facing the impossible. Unbelief narrows the scope of His power. Our focus turns inward and downward rather than outward and upward to Christ. Our problems are elevated in a form of worship (it's all that we talk about) and as a result our problems turn to idolatry.

Before drifting off to sleep I asked the Lord to get us out of our studio apartment with its high rent. I'm annoyed to hear the heavy foot steps from our neighbor above us. For that matter get us out of this city! My wife's temporary job ends in January. The prospective of finding a job in the dead of winter is not promising. The ministry at church leaves me very little strength and joy as a result of the travel time and long hours between services. Then there is work with long hours, the constant phone calls and pressing deadlines. Some days I feel compressed, squeezed and frustrated.

When I woke up that morning the Lord spoke strongly to my heart. And they grumbled in their tents. I stopped in my tracks in fear and repented of my sin. These same words are found in Psalms 106:25 in speaking about the Israelites, "But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD."(KJV). The first generation of Israelites never saw the Promise Land. They were destroyed from complaining and unbelief (I Corinthians 10:10).

Complaining will keep us out of a life full of God's goodness and grace. When we complain we become narrower, meaner and bitter. Our lives are no longer a reflection of Psalms 1:3 whose green leaves never wither. Instead our roots become poisoned from Marah's bitter waters.

But those who choose to worship God He promises to set up an ambush against our foes!

The things that oppress us and taunt our minds God says when you worship me watch what I can do to change the very atmosphere. True worshipers worship in Spirit and truth (John 4:23) and such worship brings light. A light so strong it dispels the darkness that often follows grumbling, murmuring and complaining.

Israel was facing a horrible threat from their enemies. The battle was set against them and odds of any victory was impossible. The king did something very unusual. He ordered the choir to go ahead of the army to sing of God's enduring love and mercy. It says, "At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves." (2 Chronicles 20:22, NLT). When we worship our enemies turns on himself! Remember Paul and Silas in the prison singing songs in the midnight hour when there was great earthquake and the foundations of the prison was shaken and doors flew open! (Acts 16:26).

Beloved, the choice is ours to make. We can complain and remain bound or we can worship God and obtain the victory! The inner prison of those addicted will be set free! Sexual sins will lose their power and lust will be quenched when God is worshipped. Worship will increase a true reverence for God who is more than able to save and deliver us - even from complaining in our tents.

Where God Finds You

The Lord says to the lost I will seek you when you can not find your way (Luke 19:10). For those who have been abandoned He makes a home for you (Leviticus 26:11-12). And to those who feel forgotten, dismissed or marginalized the Lord says I will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15-16a).

But do we want the Lord to find us in those hidden and dark places?

After graduating from high school I lacked direction and purpose. It was only a matter of time that I found myself drawn to dark and seedy places. After work I spent many late nights driving through the city streets look for something or someone.

Once I found myself in a rest room of an office building over looking the city. I remember staring at the metal grate covering the window. I felt imprisoned by unspoken desires - some of them I was afraid to confess to the Lord - and the lack of truthfulness locked me out from experiencing His grace.

Beloved, there are places in our heart we retreat for some measure of relieve and comfort. Sometimes we may feel a glimmer of hope stir for a better life. But it's too painful to believe when dreams fade and our hearts break from unfilled promises. Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." (NIV).

Often where God finds us we tend to retreat from His outstretched hands. He is a loving Savior who can walk through the walls built around our heart.

So why do we shut out such great and tender love? We are afraid that if He really sees us - where He finds us - the longing to experience His love may never be ours.

I recall a man in the Bible called Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector for the Roman government. Tax collectors where known for their greed and corruption. And Zacchaeus was a short man so he could not see above the crowd where Jesus was about to passed by so he climbed a tree. It says, "When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." (Luke 19:5, NIV). Imagine. Here he was a despised short greedy Jewish tax collector looking down at the Son of God. Only to see God looking up at him where He found him nestled in the branches.

No matter if you are in a place you should not be or in a bad condition He invites you to come home. Don't retreat back to those places but rather beloved, let Him lead you out!

An Unlocked Garden

One of themes in the Song of Solomon is the Lover calling out to his beloved to let him inside her heart. "You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain." (NIV).

While the context may describe a natural yearning between husband and wife it can also can speak of our own hearts in the context of God, our Lover and Friend.

What are those good things that God has planted in our hearts that under His nourishing care are for His pleasure? But when He attempts to enter we seize up in fear. We are enclosed and have securely bolted the gates to our hearts to prevent Him entering inside. We may argue to why we keep Him on the outside. We are ashamed. What we will He find and what will He say if all that is good is gone?

One evening the Lover attempted to enter the Beloved's chamber. She protested saying it was too late. She had washed and dressed for bed so she didn't rise to answer the door. He even tried to unbolt the latch (5:4). This is the same Lord who says in Revelation 3:20, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Faith is the meal that nourishes the Lord when we can trust Him in those places that are most tender, bruised or broken.

As she reaches for the door her fingers are coated with myrrh (5:5). Myrrh is a aromatic resin that requires wounding the trees repeatedly to bleed them of the gum. Myrrh is symbolic of bitterness. Beloved, how often have we wounded Christ by refusing Him to enter the most intimate spaces in our lives?

Places we are ashamed to have Him to see though nothing is hidden from His lovely eyes. The intimate places were often other loves and desires have entered - sometimes too freely. Other so call loves may have violated and polluted our garden. Others took us lightly without respect and care. We were to be handled and used for only what we can offer. Still others may have filled those places for a season with joy and laughter but left us wanting much more than they could ever give. I think of Mary who in her sorrow mistaken Christ as the gardener who she thought took the body of Christ. Until He spoke her name she saw him only as another man who stole something from her life.

At the end of the song her friends describe the Beloved as being a tower and a wall (8:9). She in turn responds, "But my vineyard is mine to give, and Solomon need not pay a thousand pieces of silver. But I will give two hundred pieces to those who care for its vines." (8:12, NLT). She understood that her life was not her own. Her willingness to give it to the One who loved her was of a greater value.

For you see it was not her garden that mattered as much as for her to enter into the heart of Christ. His heart is the most beautiful garden that is possessed by faith when He possesses us. It's time for us to open our hearts to Him and let Him come inside. An unlocked heart is a welcoming place for Him to cultivate a love so rich and deep all you can do is swing wide the gate and let the King of Glory enter inside. Then our hearts will be enlarged and full like His own!

A Leprous Heart

Each morning at 4:00 a.m. I meet the Lord in the prayer closet (yes, literally a closet) to worship, pray and read the Scriptures.

The night before I had a troubling dream. My eyes flew open sometime in the early morning hours. I was afraid the vivid and colorful scenes had actually occurred but was soon relieved it was just a dream. Now sitting with the bible open on my lap I noticed my chest was pulsating so strongly that it moved my shirt. I thought of the pressures of work. Maybe it was anxiety? I thought of my father who has a heart condition. After more than an hour of this sensation, I reached for the cell phone to find the nearest cardiologist. At least I felt no sharp jabbing pains or shortness of breath.

Then another fear stirred in my mind. What if I suddenly lose the ability to function or think? So I confessed any sin to be sure I was right in His eyes and prayed for healing.

Suddenly the air shifted in the small room. I knew the Lord was present and wanted to speak to me. He did not address the possibility of a heart failure or stroke but another failure that was corrupting my heart. The Lord brought to my attention my conversations with my wife about a ministry leader and the way he manages the team.

He reminded me of Miriam who spoke against Moses. He was God's appointed leader who happened to be her brother. As a result of her embittered speech it says, "And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous." (Numbers 12:10). She was driven outside the camp for a week. Afterwards she was healed and led back into the camp.

How many believer's hearts have become leprous with bitterness, resentment or anger toward their pastors or brothers and sisters in Christ? This corruption spreads to other places in their lives. They wonder why they don't experience victory over besetting sins. Why God seems to distant and untouchable. Could it be they are standing outside the camp (the body of Christ where His presence dwells) because of an inward corruption that is so deadly only a God ordained quarantine will bring them back to their senses?

I confessed my sin of talking about the leader and asked for the Lord's help to honor this man. I asked the Lord to go to the depths of my heart. To those painful places where leaders misused their authority and position. It was then the Lord caused me to understand the corruption in my heart gave way to a disturbing dream. What infects the heart will effect the mind. Beloved, we must be careful not to give an inch to the Enemy even if we think we are in the right or believe we have certain entitlements. We must have a heart fully assured God is just and will vindicate us. Otherwise, our hearts will become leprous - an internal rotting from within - that eventually will cause complete heart failure.

God was merciful to Miriam and did not leave her outside the camp rather He had nearly a half a million people waited for her! Numbers 12:15 says, "So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in."

Beloved, we should not be so quick to offer our opinions and thoughts. Rather we should confess and pray for one another that we may be healed (James 5:16). So that wholly together we can move forward and enter into all that God has promised us.

I Can Not Cry

Years ago I attended a Youth With A Mission's Discipleship Training School (DTS) in Scotland where I experienced one of the most strangest altar call.

The speaker that night made an appeal to all British men (including those from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) who had not cried for a very long time. If they desired to cry he welcomed them to the front of the room. If I recall I was the only American so I was out. Americans tend to be very expressive so I felt a bit smug. My problem was I can't recall a time I didn't cry! I watched as the men quietly slip out of their chairs and stand facing the audience.

Some of them had terrible experiences in life but were bound by a culture of stoicism and reserve. The stiff upper lip was expected not a man publicly weeping from pain and brokenness. The Holy Spirit moved that night to free them to weep not only from personal pain but to know the cry of God's heart for the lost and wounded.

I'm reminded of the woman who wept at Jesus feet and dried them with her hair. She did not speak at all but the religious rulers argued about her conduct and wasting costly perfume. Her tears were unspoken words poured over His dusty feet. Psalms 56:8 says, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." (NLT). Every tear drop falling from her eyes spoke to His heart. The pain from years of being dismissed, polluted and violated. Of the unspeakable heartache and pain, betrayal and hopelessness and finding herself in a place she was despised.

2 Corinthians 7:10 tells us a godly sorrow works repentance but the sorrow of the world lends itself to death. Tears are not always the best indicator a person's heart is sorry over their sin. You may have heard the expression crocodile tears which the person shows insincere emotions but has not truly changed or is remorseful. Many people cry because they were caught in their sins but given another opportunity they would do it again.

For those who desire to cry out to the Lord but battle in their minds because of the voices from culture, family or perhaps because of pride that says it's foolish or shows weakness; we have the example of Christ.

Scripture says, "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." (Isaiah 42:2, KJV). Christ endured a difficult trial but He was remarkably silent (Mark 15:5). He could have defended himself and expose their accusations as lies. In fact He could have called upon His Father to dispatch an army of angels to destroy them all.

His silence should not be mistaken for weakness or just shutting down with nothing to say.

Rather His silence was for those who have found themselves voiceless unable to cry out. Psalms 69:3 says, "I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God." (KJV). But we have this promise when we can not cry out and our eyes are dry. Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans" (NIV).

God wants to heal the eyes of His saints that have been dried for a very long time. He desires to bring us into an intimate place where we cry out and weep for the souls of men and women. As Psalms 84:6 says, "Passing through the valley of Baca [place of weeping] they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings." (NASB).

Our tears become a blessing for others with dried eyes and wounded hearts!

When You Are Empty

There is a time when you feel completely drained of energy. You are so tired your bones ache. All you can do is sit down and stare into space without a thought to your surroundings.

Prayer is an effort because the words are trapped in your throat. Maybe it's not so much being overwhelmed but just underwhelmed. You find no reward in your work. You find it both grueling and grinding. Even the incentive to do your best is evaporated by the mundane and trivial things. Daily activities extract your time and energy leaving no room for creativity and spontaneity. The investments you make in relationships seem to produce no return of joy and pleasure.

You can say in essence the blood flow of life is stymied. As a result the landscape of your life fades to a mottled gray with no sharp or distinguishing features that speak of a colorful and vibrant life. When people are about to faint they experience a "grayout".

So I'm not speaking about depression but weariness in well doing. Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (KJV). There is a fainting that can occur in the mind of the believer that can lead to the temptation of resigning to fate rather that faith in God.

You can faint when you are hungry. And this is true for those who are spiritually empty because they lack true nourishment. One crumb of bread falling from the Master's table is enough to bring us to life again. The Syrophoenician woman understood this well when crying out to Jesus for her daughter who was demon possessed (Matthew 15:21-28). All that was left in her was a cry. A cry that turned everything around.

When you are empty all it takes is a cry for God to feed You. Feed me oh, Bread of Life! Otherwise, we will feed on things the world offers which will makes us sick and more famished. Beloved, what we eat matters in having a spiritually healthy and full life.

Daily read His word. Minster to Him by rehearsing the promises He made to you in prayer. He will feed you and in turn you will feed others with the strength He provides. Remember this promise, "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." (Psalms 37:3).

Overcoming Regret

Overcoming regret hinges on a simple but powerful conjunct adverb: yet.

Israel sinned in rejecting the Lord as their King. They wanted men to rule over them like other nations and fight their battles (I Samuel 8:7). After the king was appointed, Samuel encourages the people by saying, "Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet [emphasis mine] turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;" (I Samuel 12:20).

The sin of crowning a king was done yet to follow after God was a choice still open. A choice that matters when overcoming regret.

How many times have you fallen in the same sin? You make promises and vows never to do it again. But you find yourself flat on your face wondering how did I get here, again? You may understand intellectually God has forgiven and forgotten your sins but somehow your heart is captured by regret. Perhaps the consequences only remind you of the foolish mistakes you regrettably made and undoing the mess is not an option.

Yet.

Yet right now you can call out to God for help. His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). In other words, fresh mercy each day acts as a reset button. Yesterday is gone yet today His fresh mercy helps us to follow after Him regardless to our present condition or state of mind.

Years ago I went through a very dark period in my life with a health crisis and possible job loss when one day God drew a line. You can worship me and live or stay in a place of regret and self-pity and die. One afternoon with great weakness and a stubborn attitude I went to my knees. I raised my hands in surrender. "Thank you for this life You have given me. Thank you for the pain You have brought so in my affliction I will not go astray but keep Your Word." A thin thread of light pierced the darkness in my soul. My eyes were open to His love I've not known until that moment. Consequences remained yet worship flowed freely with supernatural grace. I stood to my feet and stepped toward Him. And so began a supernatural shift from the not yet moment that was presently clouded by painful regrets to see what goodness and mercy He had in store in the days ahead.

Beloved, we can not remain in a place of regret. A place that will keep us on the edge of the Promise Land which is ours to possess but we are paralyzed by regret. God will not live there with us in regret. He moves on and so we must go with Him! We must through His power press into Him with that single word on our lips. Hosea understood this in his time when the nation was far from God. He writes, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet [emphasis mine] I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:18, KJV).

Worship will always cause our eyes to be fixed on Him rather than on our poor circumstances which can binds us to regret.

Finally, we have this promise that helps us overcome regret because we are changing and becoming more like Him. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet [emphasis mine] appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (I John 3:2, KJV).

Resting In Love

As many can testify they love God but fewer can say they rest well in His love.

You may find prayer laborious. You try to find the right words or you just don't speak at all. You feel an overwhelming sense of failure and shame that somehow you missed God. And you secretly wonder if He missed you altogether as if you are invisible. Reading the Bible is dry and boring but you plow through reading the Scriptures because it's something required as a believer. You been taught to stay in the Word to ward off temptation and the devil rather than enjoy the heart of God. Attending church is work in itself. Meeting and greeting those on Sunday morning requires a stiff upper lip and repeating catches phrases like "God bless you!" or "Oh, I'm doing great."

Truth be told you are exhausted and frustrated by the outward performance of Christian living. You have this nagging feeling there must be more to this life in Christ than what you are experiencing.

Beloved, Christ provides grace in our walk with Him so we can rest assured in His unchanging love for us. Otherwise, the Christian walk becomes a legalistic duty of dos and don'ts and we miss the rich rewards of knowing His heart and His ways. After Jesus rose from the dead He meets with three people in John 20 and 21.

Mary came to the tomb in expectations to see a dead Christ not a risen and living Savior. When Jesus called her name it says she turned to Him. Her eyes were open to see Him not as the gardener as she first thought but Rabboni, her teacher. He instructed her that from this moment onward she would need to relate to Him through faith. His bodily form would not be necessarily seen (except through the expression of His church) but that He must be perceived through faith (John 20:17). To the extend beloved we rest well in love is the measure we trust Him when He can not be seen in our lives.

To rest in His love means a shift in our focus away from the natural to the supernatural.

Thomas was such a man who had to see and touch in order to believe Christ was alive. In His mercy the Lord took up his offer and allowed Thomas the joy of touching Him. However, the Lord ordered him to stop doubting and believe (John 20:27). There is a time in our Christian walk where we must stop limiting God to work through our lives. Resting well in love means we make no demand of Him to give us reasons and explanations about His ways. Too believers want answers before they will give themselves completely to God. The Lord will give us a portion of knowledge and we are to walk in that light of truth believing He will direct us along the way - not blindly and randomly - but with purpose that one day it will become very clear.

The last individual was Peter. It was not an issue of faith that Jesus wanted to deal with Peter though he denied Him. And it was not an issue of demanding evidence that He had risen like Thomas. The issue was love. Jesus asked three times if Peter loved Him (John 21: 15-17). I believe the same question will be asked of us that cuts through all the questions, doubts and fears. How we respond to Jesus shows if we are able to let go and lean back on His chest like the beloved disciple.

These three individuals (and others) had to relate to Christ differently after His resurrection. The depth of their love expressed through faith and obedience was a sure testimony of their rest in God's love for them.

If you don't rest well in love ask the Lord to quicken your heart to be open to Him. Perhaps you were wounded as a child or suffered from those in church who may have been unkind or cruel. Your heart shut down but worse you hold God to a distance and relate to Him from a place of pain and unbelief. Your view of Christ may be like Mary who could not comprehend a resurrected Christ and of her life He wanted to make alive again. Or perhaps you demand evidence and answers to your questions so your mind can rest in the Lord like Thomas but it requires faith. Faith in a real God who may not always be evident in the natural. Or it could be a matter of a love for the Lord given to others as Jesus tells Peter to feed His sheep. The same sheep that might have hurt and wounded you.

Beloved, let us not be those who refuse the rest found in His love as Isaiah 30:15 tells us, "This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it." (NLT).

Judge Not Yourself

Paul speaking about the call on his life writes, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself." (I Corinthians 4:3, NIV). There was a freedom Paul learned in Christ of not judging himself. He understood God is the righteous judge of the heart.

In the court of law, circumstantial evidence and facts is presented to established beyond reasonable doubt a person's guilt or innocence. After the verdict is read questions of justice may remain because some things at the time may be unknown or hidden. One time I sat on a jury panel to determine if a man borrowed or stole his girl friend's car. Did the relationship imply he was at liberty to use it though she expressly said he was not to take her car? It was a question that made for a lot of debate.

Beloved, man will always judge by appearance. Samuel did this when looking at the sons of Jesse for King Saul's replacement but God chose David who was not present at the time (I Samuel 16:7). Likewise when choosing two apostles they prayed, "Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen" (Acts 1:24, KJV).

Any human measure of judging oneself will fall short of God's perfect justice. God knows every intent of the heart.

To be your own judge and jury makes for a very frustrating self imposed bondage. You have a wicked thought so you go into overdrive. You may recite Scriptures to take it into captivity. You may even confess you enjoyed the tantalizing thought. You make promises to God to think better and holy thoughts. When we judge our own hearts we rely on human wisdom to judge what we perceive is wrong and make a judgement call to what is required to make it right. However, God knows what is at the root of our sins and failures and only He can remedy the problem.

When we judge ourselves we in turn will judge others often with greater severity and harshness. We will compare our failures to that of another as being greater and more grievous. There is little room for understanding, compassion and mercy.

Beloved, we need to rest in God's work of justification. We are made right and clean in God's eyes through the blood of Jesus. Yes, we will fail and sin but there is mercy extended to those who truly repent and turn from their sins. Let God have the final say regarding the matters of our heart. This means surrender the desire to have the control to be judge and jury. There is a freedom from the labor of making yourself right in the eyes of God when we understand God has the power to change us into something we could never be in our own strength. (I Corinthians 6:11)

Cause Me To Escape

Psalms 71 is a reflective Psalm of David in his old age. He surveys his life to recall the many times God rescued him from the hand of his enemies. He makes a remarkable statement in verse 3: "Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress." (KJV).

How did David learned to speak confidently of God's commandment to save him?

The word commandment means to lay charge of and it can mean appointed. The charge of deliverance is God's responsibility. David learned to rest in His power to save him. How and when He delivers is God's determination. Too often we have a faulty expectation of how we think God should deliver us. We get locked into a time table that quickly leads to frustration.

Beloved, the Lord must teach us to stop working out our own deliverance. This is not to say we become irresponsible and do whatever we please only to expect God to help us when things go wrong. I'm speaking about believers who are walking honestly before God and are not toying with sin and taking His word lightly. It's because they are walking in the light of His truth that opposition from Enemy calls for deliverance.

God has an appointed deliverance for us even when we don't fully realize our need for it! We read in 2 Samuel 8:14 that God preserved David wherever he went. So too will God command our deliverance as a testimony of His sustaining power to keep us.

I hear in the Spirit that God wants to break the attitude and mindset of those who feel abandoned or left to themselves to figure out how to deliver themselves. You may have wept and prayed for deliverance only to find yourself deeper in the pit of addiction. Some are overcome by worry and fear that has snaked around your throat blocking a cry for help. Your stomach is knots about tomorrow and the future seems bleak and dismal. You quote Scriptures and pray but the Enemy draws tighter circles around you. You can hear the demonic whispers: "You are going down!" "Your son will die of an overdose!" "God has left you in my hand!" (see verses 10-11).

In these moments we must not give way to a spirit that accuses God of not listening or coming up short in saving us from our distress. David learned to speak confidently of God's command to deliver Him because he learned to worship God at all times. Notice that throughout Psalm 71 David keeps coming back to this central truth of worship. In between the verses describing his pain and difficulty and of the enemy threatening him we read in verses 6, 8, 14, 22 and 23, that David purposed to worship Him.

Recently I discovered errors I made at work that could have substantial consequences. These mistakes were not deliberate but from a lack of understanding of the information given at the time. I took this to my manager to discuss what steps were needed to make the necessary corrections. I felt so low with fears swinging from losing my job to losing the confidence to do the work accurately when God spoke to my heart. What about thanking me for the mistake? It was not that God asked me to take lightly the error and all that it means but rather thank Him for the inner work He was doing as a result of the mistake. He was testing integrity and truthfulness instead of burying the mistake.

Worship will change our perspective from the natural to the supernatural. When we fix our gaze on Him everything in our heart changes (the circumstances may not) but trust and faith increase to believe God will see me through this difficulty. Why? He commands deliverance to those who have learned to worship Him rather than bow to a spirit of complaining.

When we call out Him, God utters the command to save. But are we willing to abandoned our self efforts to offer a sacrifice of praise until deliverance comes?

The Source Of Our Joy

I admit joy is something I don't experience very often. Perhaps it's my melancholy nature or how I measure joy based on how well my day is going.

Still there is a true joy that produces strength even in the most difficult and trying times. Shortly after the Israelite captives returned from Babylon to Jerusalem they heard the law read to them. They deeply grieved and mourned at the words that had pronounced judgement on the land and the people of God.

They would have missed the fact they were now in the early stages of restoration. They had returned to the Promise Land after seventy years as prophesied by Jeremiah. They were rebuilding the temple. This should have brought joy to them. So Nehemiah stopped the funeral like procession by saying, "Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

There is a holy sorrow that comes from true repentance but it will always lead to salvation. Paul writes, "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." (KJV).

Sadly, some believers get caught between the extremes of not experiencing a holy grief over sin and of those who can't stop mourning over their sins. There is a balance between sorrow and joy that the Lord works in equal measure in our life. The end result is a deepening appreciation and joy of salvation. Understanding of course our salvation is a result of our Savior not of our own self made efforts to deliver ourselves.

James writes (reading from the New Living Translation): "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy." (James 1:2). Beloved, there is a rich, untapped joy of the Lord that goes beyond the superficial or optimum conditions. The joy we are speaking about is not an euphoric feeling when having a good day or when we raise our hands in worship on Sunday morning. No, the joy that I speak of comes from a deep abiding revelation of God's heart.

When the Lord provided water in the wilderness the Israelites sang, "Spring up, well--sing to it!" (Numbers 21:17). Likewise we remember the woman at the well. Jesus sat on the well (hindering in some way her obtaining the natural water) and directed the woman to Himself - the living water for the thirsty and broken like herself. In the end, she drops her cup to run back to the village to tell them all Jesus had spoken to her. This woman's joy sprang from a revelation of God's love for her.

There is joy to be found in the heat of the day. Joy in our hour of temptation and trials. Joy while holding the hand of one we love who is dying of cancer. Joy when the deadlines mount at work. Yes, there is joy to be found when the Lord opens our eyes like Hagar who ran from her mistress. There in that place the Lord provided her and Ishmael fresh water. "So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means "well of the Living One who sees me"). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered." (Genesis 16:14, NLT).

God opens our eyes to see the God who sees us in our present condition and in our joylessness state. At that moment everything changes from a place of sorrow to joy of unspeakable. We are loved. We are cared for by a good Father. He sees me just as I am and still He loves me so much He is willing to save me. Now, that brings joy to any troubled heart!

Perfumed Prayers

King Ahaziah, the son of Ahab one of the most wicked kings in Israel, injured himself when falling through the lattice of his upper room (2 Kings 1:2).

Rather than consult God, he sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub in Ekron - a Philistine city - a people who had a long standing history of being the enemy of God's people. You recall King Saul consulted a witch the night before he and his sons were killed by the Philistine army. Scripture records, "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;" (I Chronicles 10:13 KJV).

These men represent what happens when refusing to seek God and instead consult the flesh for an answer that best fits their desires. You may even say it's an assault against God's character in failing to acknowledge Him. God is more than willing to answer - if only we are willing to hear Him.

Believers may say I would never consult help from a stone or wooden idol. I wouldn't go to a medium or attend a séance to hear a word from God like Saul. But we will consult with our flesh (and others) rather than first seek the Lord's mind on the matter. King Ahaziah knew of Elijah from his dealings with his father but refused to consult God. Pride will not only be our downfall in not seeking God but it may even cost us our lives.

The word Baal-Zebub means "Baal of flies" or "lord of the flies". It's the same Satanic spirit the Pharisees accused Christ of driving out demons in Matthew 12:27. Beloved we must consult the Lord - in everything we do or say (yes, I mean literally everything). Otherwise we will assume we can cope or survive in our strength. Eventually we will resort to a spiritual source that brings death into our lives.

Faith requires refusing options and opportunities that present themselves as a means to bring about our own answer rather than the one God has in His mind. Such faith to turn away from the flesh makes for perfumed prayers. David writes in Psalms 14:12, "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."(KJV).

When we refuse to consult God we are in essence inviting the lord of flies.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 says, "As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor" (Ecclesiastes 10:1, NLT). What are the dead flies in our prayers? When we become foolish and not seek the wisdom of God we drop dead flies in what could be perfumed prayers - a sweet smelling aroma in the nostrils of God - now becomes a stench of death.

Prayers like Saul God did not hear because such a man failed to listen to God the first time. Don't let the dead flies of our own foolish wisdom corrupt our prayers. Rather let's seek Him always and we will live (Amos 5:4) and our perfumed prayers of faith will reflect it.

Right Communion

Some of us are perfunctory when greeting our brothers and sisters on Sunday morning. We'd say say the right coined phrases of "How are you brother?" We will pump the hand or smile to show minimum attention. Perhaps there's a slight pause from our brother but what follows is often a rehearsed and expected response. "I'm fine." Then we'd saying something like "God bless you." And then we move on.

Sadly this is extent of our communion with one another in the body of Christ.

It's true that not everyone talks or acts this way in connecting with their brothers and sisters in church. But communion - right communion - means intimacy. Intimacy is cultivated over time through experiences resulting in trust and understanding. It requires moving past superficial greetings into the private spaces of our lives. Intimacy of this kind ties a community together whose members have learned to appreciate right communion.

Think of Jesus at the last supper with his disciples. He illustrated communion being the Vine and the Bread of Life. Of the cup He said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves (Luke 22:17) and the bread, "This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me." (verse 19, KJV).

Here the Lord teaches an important element of right communion. It requires selflessness on our part. Whenever there is self focus, preservation of self interests or the attitude of "what's in it for me" will only serve to divide and destroy communion.

The Lord on the night he was betrayed shared his broken heart but still gave Himself away to His disciples. After His death the disciples would find themselves in another upper room. Here in this room I believe many of them asked each other for forgiveness and repenting of their sins during the years spent with Christ but were at odds with each other. Think of Peter's arrogant boasting or James son of Zebedee and his brother John asking Christ to send fire down on the Samaritans or Thomas questioning every one's credibility.

When their hearts were right and communion was in order then the fire fell and the church was born. Beloved, we are living in sobering times and need each other more than ever before..so let us make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).

You Get Haman's House!

Many are familiar with the story of Esther. There was a wicked man by the name of Haman who wanted to destroy the Jews. In a single day he wanted to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews (3:13). Haman told the king one story to why the Jews should be destroyed (3:8) but we know the true reason. Haman hated Mordecai, Esther's cousin, who refused to bow to him (Esther 3:5).

God will always have a people who refuse to bow to the spirit of this age. Men and women who are shut up with God and discern the times they live in. Like Daniel's friends, they refused to bow to a golden image when the devilish music played and so found themselves thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Those who love the Lord become a target of the enemy. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12, KJV).

But gives a promise to those who press into Him and refuse to bow to an oppressive spirit ruling the day. It is the same spirit that taunts a praying mother that her drug addicted son will be destroyed. That spirit mocks a husband praying for healing as his wife lies stricken with cancer. Every godly man and woman at one time or another will hear the enemy threatening them. Kill. Destroy. Annihilate.

But God has something to say to those who draw near to Him. As we read the story, Esther took a calculated risk to approach the king when she had not been called, but God granted her favor. Beloved, don't shrink back and don't bow to the spirit of this wicked age. God has ordered deliverance for your life and the lives of those you have interceded in prayer. When Haman's plot was uncovered, it says, "Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. (Esther 8:7).

Deliverance came for God's people but Esther got the enemy's house. God will not only give us back our sons and daughters and love ones. But the storehouse of the enemy will be emptied out where he stole the years of strength, hope and joy. The enemy is plundered! Brought to utter ruin with nothing to show for his work.

And God does one more thing. The very device to destroy the life of Mordecai becomes the instrument for the enemy's demise. Just as it was written in Isaiah 14:16, "They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms".

Press in, beloved. Your deliverance is coming....and you will be rewarded with full restoration - even Haman's house.

When Your Enemy Is Chastened

We rather avoid talking about correction. But God has a message for those who may be undergoing His discipline. It's a message of hope and encouragement.

Chastening is much a part of the Christian experience as receiving any number of His blessings. Hebrews 12:6 tells, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." (KJV). Chastening is necessary for two reasons. It's a mark that we are His sons and daughters (verse 8). Consider then His correction as an opportunity to experience the Father's love. For many of us it means being healed of that very troubling word - father - a painful word for some to say and even harder to believe God is a good Father.

The end result of chastening according to Hebrews 12:9 is to share in His holiness.

Likewise God chastened His people after hundreds of years of warning against idolatry and all that follows such gross practices. But with their persistent refusal to listen and obey, He sent an army to destroy Jerusalem and drag His people to Babylon.

The prophet Habakkuk writes, "I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us." (Habakkuk 3:16, KJV).

As I read the text, my eyes fell on the words after the prophet talks about the loss of provision: "...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (3:18). I have heard these words in sermons with an understanding that in time of lack or difficulty God is still worthy of praise - all of which is true.

But the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart of another blessing of chastening one I had not fully understood. Of course, as Hebrews 12:11 says, no correction is pleasant. Yes, correction was in context of being God's child. And yes, it was to purge me and bring me into a deeper, holy walk with Him.

Now here's the blessing I believe will encourage those experiencing a season of chastening. When we are willing to be corrected by God, He will in turn chasten the Enemy. The Enemy who has provoked us, tempted us sorely and accused us of horrible things, of failing God so much so that we are unclean for Him to love us.

I remember as a child my mother telling me to wait until Dad got home when I misbehaved. The hours seemed to slow and I just wanted him to hurry home to get my punishment over. I believe Habakkuk saw the horror of a vile and violent nation coming to his gates and all that it would mean. But he saw something beyond the chastening to when the enemy will be destroyed. A reason he declared he will wait patiently. He would wait on God to bring down the rod and then as a repented nation, restore Israel back to her homeland. And he will wait for God's justice to be done to the nation God used to humble Israel.

Beloved, God will chasten us out of His love and mercy to save us in the end. Whatever the Enemy has used in an attempt to destroy our lives - to humble us and grind us to powder - will be used against him. Remember His mercy will always triumphant over judgment and His mercy throws hell into confusion.

You can go through a time of chastening knowing God has only good in store for you, including destroying the works of the Enemy that almost took your life.

And that is our testimony as chastened, holy sons and daughter of God. That everything works for the good - even as David said, your rod and staff they comfort me - what has brought us the greatest pain makes for a lasting comfort (Psalms 23:4).

Your Break Through Is Coming!

It has been said that the last half hour before your break through is the hardest.

Pressure moments and the temptation to run or quit is the strongest. Praise seems to fade to a whimper while grumbling and complaining seems to bubble up. You do everything to bite your tongue. Just before the Lord comes through it seems nothing is going well rather things have gotten worse or just completely flat lined - no signs of any life or positive change - just a chilly silence greets you from heaven.

Then God does what He always does when things are dead. He calls out our name. Out of the darkness of death, Lazarus heard Jesus call his name. Everyone outside the tomb wasn't listening to Jesus when he assured them he would raise Lazarus from the dead. Steeped in unbelief, they already wrote the end of the story. Lazarus is dead. So much so that after three days he stunk, so Martha points out (John 11:39).

Unbelief will always rely on facts to support the impossible. But faith before facts opens wide the possibility that God can do anything with nothing!

And that is the point.

God will roll death over every fleshly ambition, dream, passion etc so that we are brought to a place where we realize unless God breathes life in this relationship or provides a break in this or that circumstance, it's beyond any hope. We are brought to a place where our strength fails so we no longer resist Him. Only agree with Him.

Your break through is coming when you say simply, "Yes, God, I believe." Hold on beloved. The best is yet to come when we press into Him as the woman with the issue of blood. Her strength was failing but all it took was the brush of her fingertips on the hem of His garment for her to be healed.

His promises are your lifeline. Hold on to them until the dawn gives way to joy.

Rightly Relating

I can remember many times in church the phrase from Revelation 2:4 used both as a comfort and warning. Returning to your first love means repenting or turning 180 degrees in a different direction.

The original meaning for repent in Revelations 2:5 means think differently afterwards.

Returning to our first love is to a Person not to some euphoric state like when we first gave our hearts to Christ. Remember how wonderful and joyful the experience when Christ filled our hearts with His love and peace? Our eyes were open to the truth of His mercy. We experienced His lavished grace forgiving our sins and setting us free. He brought hope and comfort in our broken and hopelessly condition.

Sadly, some Christians are locked in looking back at such a moment with great longing as if they missed God altogether. But He desires us to relate rightly to Him no matter how we view our Christian experience. In other words, God wants us to mature, deepen our love for Him independent of how good or poor our natural or present condition.

Think of the Israelites in Egypt who were treated as slaves but still the children of God. Their understanding of God reflected their present condition. They viewed Him much like their cruel task masters. God's promises of deliverance only made their lives more miserable than bring relief (Exodus 5:1-21). They could not rightly relate to God in faith that He would eventually punish Egypt and set them free.

Later in the wilderness, they complained for the lack of water and bread. Psalms 103:7 says, "He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel." (NLT). Moses knew the loving heart of God but Israel knew God only what He could do for them. How many believers only love Him for prayers answered or blessings imparted but know little of His heart!

Centuries later, Daniel along with his nation were dragged off into Babylon. Here in this wicked city this man came into a key revelation that served to strengthen his love for God. Daniel understood the same God who delivered His people in Egypt and brought them into the land only to drive them out was still a God of mercy. One day they would return to the Promise Land.

For now the location, place and time was different but God does not change - we do and must change - in our relating to Him. Christians who remain fixed on what was or could be will soon learn that God is no longer in that place. Likewise, Daniel was no longer in Jerusalem. There was no temple to pray and worship. He had to learn to trust God in a heathenish society filled with violence (much like our present day) even when it appeared God was silent. Another person in captivity was Esther. In the book that shares her name there is no mention of God but His imprint on her life and the keeping power for His people is very evident.

Beloved, we rightly relate to God through faith not through our experiences or emotions. Let me pause to address a problem of regret. Regret will only deform and hinder our walk with Christ. We must stopped mulling over our failures, sins and weakness. If we truly repent, He forgives and places them under the blood of Jesus. God is not pleased when we speak to Him about sins that He has tossed into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19).

He is pleased when we take His promises in faith believing that no matter how our lives might have turned out, He deeply loves us. He changes us and makes different so we can relate rightly to Him.

His Appointed Season

God controls the seasons of our lives. He starts and ends a season only to begin another season. It can be a season of chastening, prospering or maturing in His love. Since God is outside of time, a season can last a few days, several weeks or years. But with each season we gain a deeper revelation of His heart.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 describes these seasons as an appointed time. God has an appointed time in our lives where He desires to correct, discipline, strengthen and do a deeper work of trust in our hearts. We must pray in those times to have a willing spirit to listen and obey His voice.

How many believers have been granted a season of grace to deal with the issues in their heart but refuse to hear and heed! No wonder their spiritual lives are so dried and withered. Their prayers fall flat and unfilled. Relationships are strained and at a breaking point. Scripture tells us that the rebellious dwell in a barren land (Psalms 68:6). Israel refused to believe God had the power to bring them in and out of the season of preparation in the wilderness and into the Promised Land. So they were order back in the wilderness where the first generation died never setting foot in a land flowing with milk and honey.

Beloved, we don't have much time to get it right. God is on the move and His heart is with the humble. He listens and speaks to those whose hearts are set on Him. He is not looking for perfect people but those who have prepared their hearts for Him to do whatever He pleases. They hold nothing back from Him. He can mold and fashion them as a skilled potter who creates at His pleasure even if the material is flawed.

Remember seasons are temporary but what remains is a strengthened faith in His power to keep us. Peter writes, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7, KJV). Trials, suffering, poverty, poor health or whatever difficulty we encounter is working in us a greater, more lasting glory (2 Corinthians 4:17).

At end of Job's trying season it says that the latter part of his life was greater than the beginning (Job 42:12). Beloved, we don't need to grin and bear the season God has appointed for our lives. Rather we must rest in Him as He does His good work and leave the outcome His responsibility. This is after all His appointed season which is not based on our time table, schedule or some five year plan.

Just like Job at the end of the season we will always be stronger, richer in faith and more satisfied than at the first because we see clearly the work of Jesus unfolding as promised, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6, NIV).

Mixed With Faith

At fourteen years of age, I traveled as part of a team to Brazil to build a church. One of the things I learned is how to make cement. Cement required equal parts of sand, water, gravel and cement. Too much sand and the cement became loose or too much water the cement became soupy. Poorly made and mixed cement could compromise the structural quality of the building. So we circled the mound of cement digging in our shovels turning it over until it was well mixed and usable.

Another example is baking a cake. The recipe requires certain ingredients to be measured and mixed together. Those ingredients collectively form a mixture to make the cake. Too little of this or too much of that ingredient could cause the cake to fall flat or the texture to be hard or runny.

The writer of Hebrews 4:2 says in speaking of the Israelites who died in the wilderness , "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." (KJV). The word mixed in Strong's means "mix together into a superior compound". Truth and trust form the substance or the compound of faith which is why we can hope even when the evidence of faith is unseen (Hebrews 11:1).

Beloved, the right mixture of the right ingredients mixed well in faith will strengthen our understanding of Christ.

Faith mixed with truth will produce good fruit in our lives. There is a remarkable difference between a sweet apple and a crab apple! Faith mixed with trust will make us structurally sound in our understanding of His nature. Peter gives a list of "ingredients" in 2 Peter 1:5-8 and ends by saying, "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How many people have mixed into their understanding of Christ second hand opinions, rituals, traditions or this how we always have done it to form a Christ who is anything but the One found in Scriptures. This impure mixture impacts their view of God and their attitude toward Him in times of difficulty. Sadly their faith is weakened in an unseen God to become visible in their lives. Such impure mixture is the yeast of unbelief. Yeast is a corrupting agent so too their understanding is compromised, structurally weak and bound to fail.

Beloved, ask God for open eyes, ears and heart to hear His truth. Ask for faith to receive the Word of God rather than argue in human reasoning. This will prevent impure mixture of unbelief. Recall faith (i.e the substance of truth and trust) ability to move mountains is in proportion to purity. The more pure the mixture the stronger in faith we become in Christ!

Resting In Love

Some of us who struggle with anxiety find it difficult to rest in God's love. It can be difficult to understand how deeply He loves us. Greater still to learn of His love in human relationships! Such relationships are fraught with strengths, weakness, failures and victories. Yet this is the means God chooses to express His love in the body of Christ. One of the most profound and beautiful expression of God's love is found in the relationship of a husband and wife. The apostle Paul draws from marriage as an illustration of God's love toward His bride (Ephesians 5:22-33).

Still we struggle to accept the love of God at face value in the life of a believer. We may find ourselves working to please (too many yeses and very little refusals). Or we try to gain the person's approval at the cost of our own strength. We can be anxious about what the other person thinks even though they hadn't said anything unkind or negative. Our minds make up exaggerated stories of "what ifs" that play into our doubts and fears of being rejected. We tend to belabor over the finest details to make things near perfect only to create more problems and tension in the relationship.

When we don't rest in love we are not at peace. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (KJV). Who we trust matters for our peace of mind. God is to be trusted in our relationships and we are to entrust those relationships to Him.

When we are fully assured of God's love for us we are at peace even in the most difficult times in our relationships. Such peace sets our hearts in order and sustains our relationships. Paul instructs us, "Submit to one another out of reverence of Christ." (NIV). A submitted will is a will under the governorship of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, relationships can become anxious from conflict resulting in chaos and confusion (he said... she said... when all that matters is what He says).

We can't will someone us to love us. But when our will is submitted to Christ, whatever our desires or longings as good as they may be is submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit. This is a God directed life that learns he or she is loved first and foremost by God. A person who can love freely without yoking another individual to their personal burden of anxiety and fears is a person at rest. They don't place demands on the will of another to act or respond because they draw strength from the Lord. Right relating with God means right relating in the natural.

When we are at rest in His love we can let a relationship mature and flourish even if it means "growing away" from each other knowing He is the vine and we are the branches - our love is only extended, enriched and at rest in Christ and this is true of our relationships (1 John 3:20).

Breaking Up The Stronghold Of Cemented Anger

Anger is more than emotion. It's a defiling sin of the spirit. Scripture tells us that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

Even what some believers call righteous indignation is often a fleshly reaction from a heart not fully submitted to God. They are impulsive to react rather than respond from a position of grace and mercy. The same grace God has shown in forgiving them of great sins and extending His mercy which triumphs over judgment.

James does not dismiss that there will be things which will anger us but cautions, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (verse 19, KJV). When we don't listen attentively and quick to get our point across we will accelerate to a state of anger.

The word anger in the Greek is very interesting. The word is orgḗ which means a settled anger that steadfastly opposes someone or something based on extended personal exposure (Strong's Concordance).

Beloved, we must be careful when we are offended that it does not get lodged in our hearts. Soon enough the angry will become cemented, settled or firmly fixed. The danger of unresolved anger will cost us dearly. Think of Moses who observed the mistreatment of his people. One day he saw an Egyptian beat a Hebrew slave. Moses murdered the Egyptian and buried him in the sand (Exodus 2:12). Later in the wilderness Moses struck the rock in anger rather than speak to it as the Lord directed him. As a result, he was not able to enter into the Promise Land (Numbers 20:10-12). How many blessings have we missed because we refuse to let go of our anger?

There is a one way God can break up the stronghold of cemented anger. We must surrender our will to God and ask Him to give us a willing spirit. A willingness to move from our fix position of anger no matter the reason. Such surrender requires us to move our hands away from our heart like Christ who hung suspended on the cross. He died with an unprotected heart with hands stretch wide.

God knows how to restore our footing on what we have so long rested on. Beloved, when he removes the premises of our anger we are not going under with no ground to stand. Let Him do the work of vindicating and justifying as He so determines.

Here is a promise we can firmly stand upon. The Scriptures say, "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (I Peter 2:6, NIV). The cornerstone is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure (Wikipedia ).

Our settled anger will only cause us to be deformed and corrupted from the inside out. Eventually it will cause the structure of our lives to fail. But we can rest on Christ, our Cornerstone, from whom our fixed position makes a difference. We are truly free from the spirit of anger when the weight rests on Him to act as the Judge of the all the earth and to do what is right (Genesis 18:25).

The Blessings Of Meditation

Often the world speaks of meditation by clearing the mind and emptying it of negative thoughts. They may form a lotus position to center themselves. Or they may do deep breathing exercises to ease away the tension.

This is not true mediation as prescribed in the Scriptures.

When God gave the command to Joshua to take possession of the Promise Land He says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:8, KJV).

The word mediation in the original is hagah which means to moan, growl, utter, speak or muse. Reading the Word of God requires illumination of the Holy Spirit. We are not reading black or red print on a thin white page. We are reading and mediating upon the inspired Word of God, breathed on the Holy Spirit Himself.

As result, we are to consume His word so in turn we are consumed by it. Out of the depths of our being we recite it, be it a moan, growl or the use of our natural voice. Remember it says that the Holy Spirit prays with wordless groans when we can not speak (Romans 8:26).

Beloved, mediation on the Word of God will secure victories as Joshua leading Israel into battle. Recall the last portion of the verse, "...then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success..". Too many believers bind the devil when suffering evil thoughts (rightly so) but when you truly mediate on God's Word, you can say with authority as Christ during the temptations, "It is written."

True mediation on God's Word does not require postures and positions. It's not about emptying your mind but feeding it the Word of God which will purge the thought life. We live in a generation that reads less and is more visual and imaginative. Something has to be a thirty second sound bite or we lose our focus.

No, beloved, we must dig deeper in His Word because mediation will always cause us to remember Him - rightly, accurately and soundly - then we will know true blessings of meditation.

Who Touched Me?

One of the most remarkable things in the life of Christ is that He uninhibitedly touched people.

He touched the decaying flesh of lepers and bounced children on His knees. He touched the dead who were brought back to life. This is the same God centuries earlier who descended on a mountain wrapped in dark clouds, peals of ear splitting thunder and holy fire. No one was to approach the mountain or they would die (Exodus 19:12).

Now in human flesh the Son of God who is without sin touched fallen humanity.

But only a few people touched Him in the deepest way. Take the woman who had an issue of blood whose trembling finger tips reached for the hem of His garment. Her thread bare faith pulled His power out of Him so that she was healed. It says, "And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?" (Luke 8:45, KJV).

Peter's natural mind missed it. Jesus was not talking about the the crowds of people with their hands tightly pressed against Him, jostling and elbowing one another for God's healing touch. There is a touch that will always move the heart of God. Song of Solomon 4:9 tells us that God is ravished by a single glance at our eye. Beloved, when we touch His heart there follows a full revelation of His glorious face! We have captured His attention.

All it takes is a crumb of understanding God's mercy like the woman who pleaded for her daughter. Her response is remarkable after Jesus was silent only to describe children's bread being tossed to dogs (Matthew 15:21-28). She said, "Just one crumb from the Master's table - You are My Master - it will be enough for me! You are the Bread of Life. Not one crumb of Your bread though broken and tossed to the ground will ever lose it's power!"

We must press past the voices that try to lock us out of His Presence. Why would He heal you after what you did to your body? Don't you know God hates divorce so why are you asking Him to be remarried? You spend your money so foolishly so what makes you think He'll give you a promotion?

There was another woman who touched the heart of God. She passed through a room full of religious crust-harden men. She broke a box of costly perfume and poured it over Christ's head. There at His feet she wept and dried them with her hair. It says the glory of a woman is her hair (I Corinthians 11:5}. Her glory was fallen and ruined but she understood His glory was mercy (Matthew 9:13). The men hissed and vexed her by saying, "What waste!" Yes, the perfume was spilled out but her act became a memorial for all time where ever the gospel is preached.

Many want Jesus to touch their lives but few have truly touched Him. Beloved, take a moment with Jesus and rehearse His promises in His hearing. Faith in His promises in a God who is bound by His word to perform it since He can not lie will always moves His heart. This is the touch that causes the Lord to turn and say, "You touched Me."

Why Do You Seek The Living Among The Dead?

The women came to the tomb bringing spices for Christ were confronted by angels who asked, "Why seek ye the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5). They came to see a dead Christ not a living, resurrected Savior even though He told them He would rise from the dead.

How often do we find ourselves returning to the grave of ruined things and places in our lives? We find ourselves searching for something we can't quite understand that might give us some hope of a better life. Yes, we know the Scripture tells us that all things - bad and good - work together as He purposes but our expectation is very much the same. How can anything good come out of this mess?

We think of the wasted and lost years spent foolishly on selfish pursuits. Those precious moments like sand slipped through our finger tips. In its wake are broken relationships that seem beyond repair, even redemption. The consequences for our selfish and sinful choices left much of our lives in a smoldering ruin of decay and rubble.

Beloved, the question the angels asked is one that God ask us today. Why are you going back and rooting among the ruin of your past looking for some resemblance of a life you wanted? God brought down Jericho, a type of stronghold, when the Israelites entered the Promise Land. He warned them not to take anything from Jericho but one man disobeyed. Israel was defeated when trying to capture another city. In the end, the man and his family along with his possessions were destroyed. When we are fixated by the past, the luster of fool's gold will only lead to death.

When we first repented and confess, His blood blotted out our sins. It's under the blood! Don't recall or root among the ruins! I'll say it again. It's under the blood! He does not remember them. God does not live in a grave yard of sinful dead man or woman's bones. We are new creatures in Christ quickened and brought from death into life. So why would the living seek life among those things that are dead?

Beloved, the enemy will use every means to have you reconsider the past as something that was not that bad (compared to what?) and something to be desired. He wants to keep your expectations low and narrow that a full resurrected life is beyond your reach. To this we can say to every wicked power what Christ said to a dead man who heard his name being called: "Lazarus come forth!" (Luke 11:43). God calls us out of the grave and into abundant life.

Listen and move toward Him.

Don't look or go back (Luke 17:32).

When The Music Plays

At the sound of music, King Nebuchadnezzar order everyone to bow to his golden image or be thrown into a blazing furnace (Daniel 3:4-6). The king represents the spirit of this age that threatens unbelievers and believers alike to bow to his ruling influence.

Only those who have allowed the separating work of the the Holy Spirit will be able to resist such threats and intimidation. There is no mixture, pollution or worldly hold in their hearts that causes them to compromise or yield. Such were the three Hebrew men who refused the king's order. They were thrown into the furnace heated seven times (verse 19). But God was present and walked among the tongues of fire that did not consume them.

So too God will be with us in times of testing and difficulty to bring about a testimony of His sustaining power to keep us. God will do much more than deliver us. He will break any stronghold in our lives that keep us bound. The ropes that bound the men melted like wax enabling them to walk freely with Christ!

Right now you may be going through a difficult time. Bills are stacking up with little money left for food. Your rent is overdue and you wince when opening the mail box. Any day the eviction notice may arrive. Or you are falling behind at work with the heavy demands and responsibilities. Soon the boss will call you into the office to give you a warning. Your health is not doing well. Recovery from what was a simple cold has turned into something worse and you fear the outcome.

In these times, we must not bow to the spirit of this world that tells us to compromise or give up on following Christ. As if abandoning Him to follow in the way of the world will make life any easier! No beloved, let the king or spirit of this world play their songs and bow to their mute, deaf and impotent gold-plastered god.

We hear a different song - yes, a song in the night - that cheers our hearts and causes us to follow the Lord right into the furnace. We have this promise in Isaiah 43:2, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (KJV). So we say, "Lead on, King Jesus, lead on!"

Be encouraged beloved. One day when this life has passed with all its pain, trials, heart aches and dark seasons, we will look upon His lovely face. It says, "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;" (Revelation 5:9, KJV).

There in that heavenly place when the music plays, we bow to the King of Kings who has walked through fire and the raging rivers of death to bring us home.

The Blessing of Happiness

Today I recalled a favorite hymn entitled Trust and Obey by John H. Sammis. The chorus is thought provoking. Trust and obey, For there's no other way To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey.

During my childhood it was easy to trust my parents. It took no effort to trust they will provide shelter, food and clothing. Of course, obedience proved difficult as I was willful and woefully stubborn. My parents taught me to trust and respect those in authority like police, teachers and pastors who were looking out for my safety and protection be it spiritually or physically. But as the years rolled on, I became increasingly aware not everyone was to be trusted or believed. People said and did hurtful things. Some abused their authority to subjugate using threats and various forms of punishments.

Sadly, some of these experiences questioned trusting God though He never gave cause not to be trusted. He will always remains faithful and true.

If anything is lost in trusting Christ is the blessing of happiness. Psalms 146:5 says, Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God" (KJV). This happiness is not the world driven happenstance when circumstances goes their way or when they have a problem free day. I'd venture to say to some measure this substance of godly happiness is not even found in church gatherings with its emotionally charged worship or encouraging messages.

No, beloved, when we truly trust the Lord there is a peace and rest that floods our heart. Our source of happiness or joy is not dependent on our favorite worship songs or the pastor's encouraging sermon. It does not draw from a community of believers who may be upbeat and optimistic.

In other words, the Holy Spirit does a deep work in our hearts to help us mature in trust regarding His sovereign control in every area of our lives. In response, we experience a joy (a blessed happiness) that we are loved and from this place we are able to obey willingly.

In this world people want to see authentic happiness and they find it in the people of God who have learned that no matter the storms, the failures and violations of others, the difficulties and pain can still smile through the rain. They have learned to trust and obey Him which means bringing happiness to His heart.

And that is what matters the most.

Pleasing the heart of God who is happy to bless those who trust and obey Him.

When God Breaks Your Strength

We are too mindful of our own strength. We want to be in control. We pride ourselves using our wit and skills to cope and manage through life. We'd rather grit our teeth than admit we are weak and incapable of getting through tough times.

Paul speaking about the call of God tells us the way of strength is through the weakness of God. I Corinthians 1:25 says, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (KJV). Nothing is weaker than our lives as fragile clay vessels to tell others of God's love.

The way of living in God's strength is when He breaks our own strength. He must make us weak for His power to be known and His testimony exalted. Only His Spirit can break our steely self-will that often resists the Potter's molding and shaping process.

Psalms 102:23 says, "He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days." But the Psalmist continues, "But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." (verse 27). God knows we are but dust and water. He knows the weakness of our frame and the false strength of our self-will.

Beloved, at the moment we come to the end of ourselves we see God who is majestic and eternal. A God who does not change but transforms us. Since He does not change His mercy remains and we are not consumed (Lamentations 3:22).

There was a time when I cried out to the Lord to truly live. For the longest time I struggled with the desire to die. So I pressed into sin that took me far from His presence. As a result, I become deathly ill. I cried out to Him to really live in His presence. No promises or vows to do better. It was a bit late for that now. I needed His quickening Spirit! All that mattered was to be in His sight.

Then I read from Psalms 30:9, What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?" (KJV). So I prayed, "If You let me live Lord will have a testimony! If I perish, You will lose a story of Your mercy. How You broke the back of sin in my life. How God crushed the strength of an arrogant and hateful man. And how Your love raised me from the ash heap."

At that moment, His truth pierced through the darkness in my heart and His mercy like a cool, living stream flowed into my heart bring me to life again. Five years later, I live each day on what I've called a tight rope of faith, balancing the fear of God and mercy to remain in a place of humility.

Beloved, human strength will always fail. We are the most qualified to serve God when we are at the lowest, weakest and utterly empty of offering Him anything. Those who serve God the best are those who are willing for God to break their strength. People who live a life of His weakness generates strength to live and make a difference in the lives of others.

Rememberance Day

Memorial Day is a time of reflection for the many men and women who died serving in the armed forces. Its also a time to remember those who have returned home but suffer in mind and body for the things they witnessed and endured.

In the Bible Joshua was an every day man who was appointed by God to be lead Israel into the Promise Land.

Following the death of Moses, he became what is equivalent to our General of the Army. God is the Commander-in-Chief. It says, "..as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell face down to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" (Joshua 5:14, NIV). Joshua's response shows a man of humility. A leader who understood his position and role was under God's direction and command. God gave the orders and Joshua's obedience mattered in securing the Promise Land for the nation.

All the victories belonged to God. These were not trophy moments for Joshua to decorate himself with medals and awards. In fact, God had to encourage Joshua to be strong and of good courage. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9, KJV).

Joshua was not putting on a brave face or pretending to be in control. He had little strength to lead a people who historically were rebellious and disobedience. An entire generation died in the wilderness because of unbelief. Now this second generation will be facing giants, walled cities, iron chariots and armies from surrounding nations who will unite to destroy Israel.

One verse shows the remarkable character of Joshua. In chapter 8:9 it says, "Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai--but Joshua spent that night with the people." (NIV). This was not a leader walled up in an office barking out orders but a man right in the trenches with the troops.

In remembering Joshua, we remember his name is the same word for Jesus in Hebrew (Yĕhôshúa). We must ask the Lord for more spiritual leaders willing in the day of battle to fight. Not to spout out empty religious catch phrases or hold another retreat where everyone can feel good about themselves. And we need more saints willing to join the Joshua company who understand their place as Jesus leads us in triumphant.

Hungry For Christ

How is it that Americans can be so full yet at the same time be empty? In a nation of resources, opportunities and a multitude of options we find ourselves spiritual starving for something substantial and lasting.

We fill our houses with the latest gadgets and trendy store items that supposedly mark our success but it leaves us wanting more. Our attics, garages and trash bins catch the overflow. Promotions are only temporary and we eye the next rung on the ladder. We want more influence, money and say so. The last meal is but a memory while our thoughts turn to what is on the menu at a new restaurant that has the town abuzz. We fill our hours with a string of activities only to find at the end of day we have little to show for it.

Psalms 106:15 says, "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." (KJV). Sadly, in large measure our church culture and personal relationship with Christ has often been centered around meeting our needs and desires. Our requests for food, clothing, housing and other blessings have got in the way of knowing the heart of Christ, as a Person, not just a Provider.

To this Jesus says, "I am the bread of life." (John 6:48, KJV). Can we say Christ is our sustenance? And can we say truthfully, "I'm hungry Jesus! Feed me with Your life. I want nothing more than You, Lord!"

Beloved, we must daily ask the Lord to stir in us a craving for His Word. How often do we stare blankly at the pages of the Bible only to have our minds drift elsewhere? We slip away to some place more exciting or we end up at work thinking about the next deadline or project. In that moment we are not digesting the Word of God rather we are being consumed by our fleshly desires. We must ask the Lord to open our eyes to the truth that is before us. Only He can remove the dimmed eyes and dull hearing. His power can help us reign in our troubling and distracting thoughts.

Remember the story of Joesph who for seven years gathered grain to prepare for the coming famine in Genesis 41:49. We must daily meet with God to read and study His word - even a single verse - like a seed of grain we store up for those lean and dry times. Such grain is our living Bread that will sustain us. The Lord will help us to recall His word so we are nourished. Those who fail to read His word daily will find a leanness in their soul.

Cry out to be hungry! Cry out to be filled by His Word!

The Fragile Cord Of Trust

Rahab securely tied a red cord from her window (Joshua 2:21). She trusted the spies would honor their vow to spare her and her family as long as the cord was in its place.

Later the Israelite army marched in silence around the city seven days before the walls fell flat in a loud, thunderous roar. Outside she could hear the battle cries mixed with the screams of her people as the city was overtaken. She clutched her family tighter while outside swords were brandished and arrows rained from the sky.

Beloved, sometimes all we have is a thin, fragile cord of trust in the Lord when going through difficult and trying circumstances. We have no strength to deliver ourselves. There seems no way out of the circumstance. The mind reels to think of any possibility to escape but we come up short. Soon panic and anxiety over takes us drowning out His voice.

There is no reason not to the trust the Lord but we struggle to place our hands in His own. We fail to believe He will come through for us. We can't see a way out and forget that He walks through walls. Our memory fails of the many times He poured out His grace in our desperate hour. Israel stood on the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army fast on their heels. Instead of breaking out in a song of praise trusting God will deliver them after all the wonders He did in Egypt they complained He brought them out to kill them (Exodus 14:11).

We must understand that once we have surrender our lives to Christ it is of His goodwill and pleasure to do with us whatever He desires. We must not give way to resentment in the path He has ordained for our lives. Resentment will always undermine trust in His providence. Israel had to go to the Red Sea and through the wilderness before entering the Promise Land. Each step of their journey as it is true in our own lives was to deepened a dependency and trust in His goodness.

Isaiah 45:9 says, "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?" (KJV).

When we trust God in shaping His life in us it will lend trust to every area of our lives. It will not be easy as we will be tested many times. If Rahab argued with the spies or decided to take matters in her own hands she would have died including her family. If Israel decided not to walk toward the water but run in the opposite direction it would have been disastrous.

Daniel's friends said it best, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king." (Daniel 3:17, KJV). They were thrown in a raging furnace but there God met them walking through the flames.

Some of us will go through flood, fire, persecutions and various trials but they only serve to strengthen the cord of trust in God. We have this promise in Ecclesiastes 4:12, "And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (KJV). With God the Father, the Spirit and Christ intertwining in our lives we can not fail or be severed from His love. God is not ashamed of our weak and fragile cord of trust. He is pleased when we ask for His help. And He delights in our willingness to be stretched in the process without becoming bitter or resentful.

One day your cord of trust will help pull someone up from a well of despair and bondage.