Refugees in the Shadow of Almighty God

Psalm 91:1

He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

In this world, to live in someone's shadow is generally thought to be an undesirable place.  It is regarded as a place where you cannot live up to the standards of the one who preceded you.  In the kingdom of God, quite the opposite is true.  Living in the shadow of Almighty God enables us to be more than we could believe to be possible.

Loving faith in Almighty God on our part will always be met by faithful love, protection and provision on God's part.  His covering of us is much greater than we can imagine.  If we are abiding in Him, there is no limit to His shadow that is over us.  He protects us at all times from natural and supernatural enemies.  He makes our homes secure.  He is our refuge in every storm.  

But it does not stop there for those that seek to live in His shadow.  He invites us to enjoy so much more.  There is a special nuance in this passage that must not be overlooked. The blessings spoken of in today's passage can be greater for those believers who live in ongoing, close fellowship with God.  The delightful fullness of these most high blessings are for those who habitually abide in the shadow of Almighty God. Those who stand in continuous communion with God set themselves up to become possessors of rare and special benefits. 

Let us seek the grace to be constant refugees in the fortress of Almighty God.  Let us enjoy the fullness of His shadow.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the shadow of protection and provision that You place over us when we surrender our lives to You.  We bless the name of Jesus who has made it possible for us to come to Your mercy seat. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and strengthen us as we seek to abide under Your shadow.  May our hearts be prepared to seek that secret place of constant communion where we can access the fullness of Your most high blessings.  We ask all these things in the name of the One whose mercies never end, Jesus Christ.

Our Extraordinary Endowments

Isaiah 11:2

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

In this passage, Isaiah was prophesying of the nature of our coming Savior.  The scripture foretold that Jesus would be given extraordinary endowments through the agency of the Holy Spirit.  Because we are indwelled by Jesus Christ when we accept Him as Our Savior, we inherit these same wondrous endowments for ourselves.  The inheritance that we receive is not temporary or occasional.  It is a permanent and enduring influence on our lives.

With our inheritance, we receive three pairs of spiritual endowments to assist us in being holy, pure and wise.  Each pairing is made up of a spiritual gift and the resulting impact of that gift on our lives:

1) We are provided wisdom from which comes the understanding to perceive moral and intellectual truths.

2) We are provided counsel from which comes the might that gives us the direction and the power that we need to carry out the plans that emerge from our spiritual insight.

3) We are provided knowledge from which comes the fear of the Lord which establishes the foundation of our relationship with the one true God, Our Father in heaven.

Let us be mindful of all the gifts that Christ made available for us when He died on the Cross.  Let us seek the fullness of the Spirit of the Lord to overwhelm us each day.  Let us use our gifts to produce great fruit for the Kingdom of Almighty God and bring honor and glory to Our Savior.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the wondrous nature that You have given us in Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We pray that the fullness of the Holy Spirit will rest upon us.  We seek Your wisdom so that we may have understanding in all matters.  We seek your counsel that we may become mighty warriors for Your kingdom.  We ask, Lord, that You inspire us to take the knowledge that we have of You and turn it into a reverent awe that changes how we live every moment of our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who gives power to the faint and might to those without strength, Jesus Christ.

Messengers of Hope for All Men

Acts 9:17

So Ananias departed and entered the house.  And laying hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

In an instant Paul not only received his physical sight, he also received the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, he received wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge of God and a holy reverence for God.  All of these gifts came on him at once. His vision of who He was in Christ, along with all of its associated power, served to allow him to replace the evil man that he had become with the new, righteous man that he was to become.

Just as the sinner and prosecutor of the early church, Saul, became the new man Paul, those of us who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior become new men and women in Christ.  And just like Paul, the power of the Holy Spirit fills us so that we are able to proclaim the Good News and serve as conduits of God's love.

Do not miss the secondary message of this passage.  It is a powerful Word for all of us.  There would have been no conversion for Paul without the obedience of Ananias to got out and deliver the message of God, even though He questioned the righteousness of the one that he was called to minister to.  We must be careful not to withhold the message of hope from anyone because we feel they are not worthy.

Let us make ourselves seekers of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Let us learn to overcome our natural instinct to shun those we may consider too wicked for salvation.  Let us make ourselves available to be deliverers of the truth to all who God places in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the anointing that we receive as disciples of Jesus Christ.  We ask that You release the gifts of the Holy Spirit into our lives so that we may see the vision that You have for our lives and be empowered to go out as messengers of hope in the world that surrounds us.  We pray that our hearts are prepared to view every person as worthy to receive the Good News that we possess.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who rescues those whose spirits are crushed, Jesus Christ.

Praying Outside Our Comfort Zone

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

While intercessory prayer is very rewarding and plays a powerful role in deepening our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, it can sometimes lead us down paths that are challenging, perhaps even frustrating.  The Holy Spirit has been placed along side of us to insure that we are not deterred by our frustrations.  There are several important areas where the Holy Spirit supports us in our weakness.

First, the Holy Spirit is our perfecter in praying for the true needs of others.  We are generally very comfortable seeking the hand of God for protection and provision for ourselves, our families and those close to us.  It is natural and easy for us to pray for those that we love.  At times, however, we may be at a loss to know what the will of God is in the lives of those that we are praying for.  We can be comforted and confident in knowing that our prayers will be perfected before the Father by the Holy Spirit.

Second, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and softens our hearts toward all mankind.  It is not our nature to pray for those we do not feel close to or perhaps even dislike because of their behavior toward us or others.  In His ministry, Jesus often argued with the apostles because He wanted to be among those in the most need of His redemptive work, not those that were more socially acceptable.  Jesus wants us to intercede for the world around us, whether we feel drawn or repulsed by the ones that we pray for.  As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help build up our sensitivity to and our desire to pray for the needs of all mankind.

Finally, the Holy Spirit has been sent to strengthen us when we are personally overpowered by the things that the world has brought against us.  When we are so broken that we do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is beside us to silence our fears and help us through our discouragements.  Most importantly, the Holy Spirit stands with us to make intercession for us before the Father so that the enemy cannot prevail against us.

Let our hearts be softened so that we may extend our intercessory prayers beyond our comfort zone.  Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us, strengthen us and support us in our prayers.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Holy Spirit to help us pray in accordance with Your will for our lives and the lives of others.  We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will perfect our prayers before You.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts to be intercessors for all of mankind.  Be they far or near, be they friend or foe, Father, teach us how to pray for their needs. When we are too weak to pray properly, or even pray at all, may Your Holy Spirit strengthen us and intercede for us.  We pray all these things in the name of the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ.

Preparing for the King's Arrival

Luke 12:40

You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

God's Holy Word inspires us to turn our thoughts toward the day that Jesus will return to the earth.  This will be a great and magnificent day for which all of us need to make ourselves ready.  On His arrival day, the Lord will separate those who knew Him and served Him from those who did not.  We certainly want to be in the group that He separates for life in His Kingdom.

Our preparation for an uncertain time and date can be complicated.  Our human nature makes it difficult for us to prepare for a time in the future that we cannot clearly mark on our calendars.  We may even be uncertain about how we should prepare for the arrival of the King of Kings.  To further complicate our preparation, we can get lost in all the demanding needs of this world and lose sight of the right way to prepare for our coming King.  It is important for us to understand that we can simplify the process of making ourselves ready for Our Coming King.  All we need to do is examine whether we are pursuing this world or the kingdom of God.  Then we must be aware of and committed to the precept that we are not only waiting servants, but that we are also working servants as we wait.

The Lord in His mercy, by His Word, directly instructed us in the following simple ways to prepare for His coming.  He taught us that those who feed Him when He is hungry, give Him drink when He is thirsty, clothe Him when He is in need and visit Him when He is sick or in prison will be the ones that inherit His Kingdom.  He added that even though we may not see Him in these conditions that when we serve those who are in these conditions, we are serving Him.  

Let us go out and be working servants as we wait on the arrival of Our King, Jesus.  Let us find His presence and serve Him in the faces of the world that surrounds us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that Your Holy Word prepares us to receive Our King, Jesus Christ.  Open our eyes, Lord, so that we may see the opportunities to serve Our King every day.  Prepare our hearts, Lord, to freely give of ourselves to others just as we would if we were serving Jesus Himself.  May the presence of the Holy Spirit within us be Our Guiding Light.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who rewards those that seek and serve Him, Jesus Christ.

Experiencing His Perfect Love and Forgiveness

Ephesians 3:19

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Jesus loves each one of us unconditionally.  He loves us so much that He gave up His position as Son of God to become Son of Man.  He endured the pain and shame of the Cross so that He could become the sacrificial lamb that was necessary to provide the blood to wash away our sins, to make us acceptable to the Father.

He extended His unconditional love by sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins, so that we would understand His offer of salvation and accept it.  He continues to extend His unconditional love by dwelling within each of us that have accepted Him as Our Savior, so that we may have the strength and the power to overcome the sinful nature that still tries to rule in our lives.

He continuously pours out His perfect love and forgiveness to each of us.  He places no limit on the love that He pours into us because He wants it to overflow our cups.  He wants us to become living vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness so that the world will know Him and know the fullness of His love.

Let us lift the name of Jesus above all other names.  Let us rejoice in His incomparable love.  Let us claim the fullness of life and power that comes from a relationship with the Son of God.  May our changed lives proclaim His immeasurable love, so that others may be drawn to Him. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the perfect love and forgiveness that You have poured out into our lives.  We exalt the name of Jesus who became the Son of Man in order to fulfill our need for a perfect sacrificial lamb.  We thank You, Father, for the blood of Your Son that washes away our sin and makes it possible for us to receive and share Your perfect love.  We ask that we may become instruments of Your good work and vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness for the world around us.  We pray that we will live in the fullness of the life and power that is offered by You through Your Son.  We ask all these things in the incomparable name of the Son of God, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.

Standing Tall During Our Times of Testing

Matthew 26:56

But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophet might be fulfilled.  Then all the disciples left him and fled.

When the time of testing comes in our lives, where will we stand?  Will we stand on the promises of Jesus or will we try to stand on our own strength and capability?  Scripture reveals to us that we will be just like the apostles if we rely on our own strength.

The men who had lived with Jesus for three years, sat under His teaching and witnessed all the signs and wonders of His ministry abandoned Him in His time of trial and their time of testing.  How could this happen?  It is the weakness of the flesh that failed the disciples.  They did not yet have the strength of the Holy Spirit to overcome their weaknesses.  What a dramatic difference the Holy Spirit made in their lives.  After their baptism of the Holy Spirit, all of the apostles boldly proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ.  All but one, John, died as a martyr while sharing the salvation plan.

We can be sure that in the flesh we are no stronger than the apostles.  If we try to live by the flesh without calling on the Holy Spirit to guide us and strengthen us, we will fail in following Our Savior.  Thankfully, God promises us in His Holy Word that He will perfect His strength in our weakness if we abide in Him.  He secures this promise through His Holy Spirit who continuously stands with us so that we will not fail in the times of our testing.

Let us be strong when the world tries to weaken us.  Let us be bold when the world tries to shut us down.  Let us stand on the promises of Jesus Christ.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Wonderful Counselor to be with us, to guide us and to strengthen us in our weaknesses.  We proclaim our weakness before You, Lord.  We ask forgiveness for straying from You.  We boldly claim Your promise to perfect Your strength in our weakness as we surrender to Your reign in our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who gives grace to the humble, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

None But the Pure of Heart Shall See God

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Let us be certain that none but the pure of heart shall see God.  Let us understand that nothing we can do on our own will satisfy the requirement of pureness of heart when it is time for us to stand before Our Creator. 

The purest of notions have no eternal value if the heart of the man is impure.  The most impressive outward actions are meaningless if the heart of the man is impure.  The Pharisees are outstanding examples of these statements.  The Pharisees were outwardly righteous, but inwardly they were full of impurity in their hearts.

Let us not forget that without Christ we are no better off than the Pharisees.  Our hearts are naturally unclean and we have no power to make them pure.  The only way that we can be pure in heart is to have the blood of Jesus cleanse us from our sins.

By the grace of God, we can submit our lives to the One that was 100% pure. We can make the desire of our hearts to be pure through Him.  We can have hearts that are as pure as Christ, the angels in heaven and the glorified saints.  Even though we may fail from time to time, we can turn our minds over to Him to be constantly renewed.  Yet imperfect, we can have hearts that are entirely pure through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  And thus, we can be sure with full faith and confidence that we will see God at the time that He has set aside for us to stand before Him because our hearts will be pure.

Let us surrender our lives to Our Savior so that we may be cleansed of all unrighteousness.  Let us rejoice in knowing that one day we will stand pure and righteous before Our Father in heaven and we will be received into His kingdom for all eternity.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Jesus to this earth as our model of purity.  We ask that You mold our hearts so that we may submit to Your Son to rule and reign in our lives.  May the power of the Holy Spirit constantly renew our minds.   May You provide the armor of protection that we need to shield us from the impurities that the world so freely throws at us.  May the world around us be drawn to Your Son, Jesus, because of the purity that they see in us.  We ask these things in the name of the One who is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Jesus Christ.

Sharing the Bridegroom's Invitation and His Vows

John 3:29

It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success.

John the Baptist was joyful and absolutely secure in his role as the best man to introduce the Bridegroom.  He was quick to let everyone know that it was the Bridegroom that was worthy of all the praise, honor and glory.

The promises/vows of Jesus Christ are the foundation upon which we stand as Christians.  Our responsibility is to go forth and share His vows with the world.  We are not to take one iota away from His message in order to make ourselves the center of attention or perhaps to shape the message in a way that is more appealing to hardened hearts.  We are simply to allow the joy that we have received as a result of His vows to be poured out from us on to the world around us.

As it was for John, we should find great pleasure in being ministers of the Gospel.  To be able to carry the message of salvation within us and allow it to flow out to the world around us should be the perfection of our joy.  It should be the greatest desire of our hearts just as it was for John.

Let us boldly proclaim the sacred vows that Jesus has taken for His bride.  Let us go out and invite the world to the coming wedding feast.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided the Bridegroom to come to get us to be His bride at the wedding feast of the Lamb.  We rejoice in knowing that we have the privilege of extending invitations to the greatest of all marriage ceremonies.  Prepare us, O Lord, to humbly extend Jesus Christ's invitations to those around us.  We pray, Father, that none shall reject the sweetest of all invitations.  May all praise, honor and glory go to Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Coming Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

Taking the Path Made Certain

Isaiah 52:12

For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

As the glorious Easter celebration approaches, our thoughts are likely to turn toward a new path ahead in our lives.  Let us not rush out to make decisions.  Let us move forward toward our new path, not in a disorderly fashion, but under the leading hand, instruction and protection of the Holy Spirit.  

Let us move on to our new path knowing that God will be with us.  Through His Son, His Holy Spirit has been sent to guide us.  Under submission to Our Savior, we can let loose of the things of this earth and grasp on to the things of God's kingdom.  We can shake ourselves from the dust of our doubts and our fears.  Our victory was settled on the Cross.  May the presence of the Lord be constantly before us and behind us.

Let us live each day knowing that the Lord Jesus reigns in our lives.  Let us live in the fullness of the good tidings that came in with His birth and move ahead confidently under the promises of His death and Resurrection.  Let us place our futures firmly in His hand.  Let us live today in freedom, in peace and in service to His calling on our lives.  Let us move forward boldly into our manifest destiny in Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your constant presence in our lives.  We thank You that You go before us to prepare our path forward and that You stand behind us to protect us on our journey.  We bless the name of Jesus whose victory on the Cross allows us to live our lives without fears or doubts.  We pray that the Holy Spirt will guide us as we seek the new lives that You have set aside for us.  May those around us in the world be drawn to Your Son as they see us living our lives under His reign.  We ask all these things in the name of our ever present shield, Jesus Christ.

Lessons from the Life of John the Baptist

John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist had the perfect understanding of His relationship with Jesus Christ.  He knew that he was a sinful man who was created, prepared and sent to show the way for the One from Above who was coming to save the world.  He understood that he had no power and that all the power belonged to Jesus.  Most importantly, John was completely satisfied with his place and the work assigned to him.

From the life of John the Baptist we get a great model for bringing others to salvation.  It is our job to bring others to Christ.  It is not our job to save them.  The saving work of the Cross will be done by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We also learn from the words of John the Baptist the model for our spiritual maturation.  We must increase our life in Christ as we allow our life in the flesh to decrease.  We must allow our new man to rise and our old man to die.  We do not lay down what we are called to do in the flesh, but instead come in complete harmony with the work of the beloved One who dwells within us.

Let us free ourselves from the idea that our job is to save others.  Let us introduce others to Jesus and let them see the impact of His presence in our lives so that they are drawn to Him. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those around us so that they will be open to receiving their Savior King, Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Holy Word which lays out the models for our lives through the lives of Your servants spoken of in the Bible.  Help us, Lord, to understand the depth of the teachings that come from each of Your precious servants.  Open our eyes, Lord, so that we may surrender our lives completely to Your Son, Jesus.  Help us, Lord, to live our lives in such a way that others are drawn to Your Son.  As we give up our lives in the flesh for our lives in Christ, bring others to us to be introduced to Jesus.   May our living testimonies affect the world.  We pray that we see many around us surrender their lives to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.  We ask all of these things in the name of Our Divine Deliverer, Jesus Christ.

He Walks Us Through the Scriptures

Luke 24:32

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Two men walking on the road to Emmaus were met by Jesus, who accompanied them on the journey and joined them in their discussions about the recent events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. They did not recognize Him, but marveled in His knowledge of the events.  Later Jesus revealed Himself to the men, resulting in their realization of how stirring that His words had been earlier.

The Scriptures can be a sealed book.  The very identity of Jesus Christ and His salvation message can be hidden from us.  The power and the truth are unveiled only through Jesus Christ.  With Christ as Our Savior, we receive the words in Scripture as if Christ Himself is speaking them to us.

To aid us in our study of the Bible, we are joined in each reading by the Holy Spirit who directs us to focus on Jesus.  The Holy Spirit whispers gentle urgings into our hearts as He reveals the truths and promises given to us through Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit directs us to abide in Christ so that we may follow the path of salvation and sanctification that the Word of God provides us.  If we are obedient in following the urgings of the Holy Spirit our hearts will burn with a fervent love for Our Savior and we will live in the fullness of His presence.

Let us surrender ourselves to the consuming fire of the Holy Spirit.  Let our hearts burn within us with the knowledge of Our Risen Savior.  Let our lives reflect the burning passion of Our King and our burning passion for Our King.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us the Living Word, Your Son, Jesus Christ.  We thank You for inspiring the writers of the Bible who made the Living Word readily available to us for reading and study.  We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit joins us as we seek to make Your Word the fire that fuels our love for Your Son.  As the Word comes to us with evidence, power and sweetness, may our hearts burn with eagerness to be transformed by our relationship with Our Lord. We pray that our fire be so strong and so bright that others will be drawn to surrender their lives to Our Savior King.  We ask all these things in the name of the eternal flame, Jesus Christ.

The Privilege of Exalting His Name

Psalm 34:3

Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Throughout the Psalms, we read David's prayers of praise.  He praised God to help overcome his fears and to call on his all-sufficient Lord.  David recognized God's faithfulness in meeting his needs and he also recognized that God was bigger than any problem or fear that he had.

We will spend all eternity praising Our Heavenly Father.  Why not practice our imperfect praise here on earth in preparation for the unspeakable joy we will receive from our perfect praise forever?

It is time for us to magnify God in our lives.  He is much bigger than we allow Him to be.  He promises us in John 16:33 that He has overcome everything that the world throws at us in the way of trials and tribulation.  We can gain much by joining Paul in exalting the name of Our Lord.  

Let us proclaim the glorious perfection of Our Father in heaven.  Let us join together in bringing glory to the Most High God.  Let us open the gateways of heaven through our worship of the King.  Let us rest in peace as the Lord overcomes the things of this world that challenge us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the privilege of exalting Your name here on earth and in heaven for all eternity.  We lift You up above all others.  There is not a single name that approaches the majesty and power of who You are.  Teach us, Lord, to have the faith of the Virgin Mary who said, "My soul magnifies the Lord," as she prepared to receive something that she did not believe to be possible.  May Your grace cover us, Lord, so that we may live in reverent awe of who You are.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us and inspire us to pour out praise to You each day.  We ask all these things in the name of the One worthy of all praise, Jesus Christ.

Peace and Comfort As a Result of Simple Obedience

Luke 19:42

If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.

As Jesus weeped over Jerusalem, He spoke the words in Luke 19 to the Jews, who He knew would reject Him and His offer of salvation. Because they rejected His offer, He transferred His offer to the willing Gentiles.

This principle is carried out in a different way in our daily lives.  Jesus prepares us to do His work and asks us to be obedient to His calling.  Sometimes He will give us simple urgings in the spirit to do something nice for someone, to pray for someone, to forgive someone or to ask forgiveness from someone.  Often His urging may be for a simple act to bring a smile upon the face of another.  At other times, His bidding will have much more significant impact.  Whatever He asks of us, if we accept His call, we will be given greater things to do for Him.  We will experience the peace and comfort that flows from serving Him.  If we do not accept His bidding, we will miss the peace He offers and we will miss a portion of the bigger plans that He has for our lives.  Sadly, He will move on to find the one who is willing serve Him readily.

Let us not miss the satisfaction of living in the peace and comfort of the Lord.  Let us eagerly accept and carry out any task, big or small, that the Lord is asking us to do.  Let us discover how simple acts of obedience bring complete peace and comfort into our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to serve You.  We rejoice in knowing that You are pleased when we are obedient to Your urging.  We pray that You make us sensitive to the work that You call us to do. May we find joy in even the smallest tasks.  May it all bring honor and glory to You, to Your Son and to the Holy Spirit.  We ask all these things in the name of the One that gives us peace at all times and in every way, Jesus Christ.

Peace When We Might Think Otherwise

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

It is easy to read Philippians 4:6 and come away with the simple thought that God encourages us and desires for us to bring Him our prayer requests.  This interpretation is absolutely true.  But when we break it down, we find that God is saying much, much more to us.

First, and foremost, we are being taught to be anxious in nothing.  Does that make any sense? Surely we all have daily concerns and cares that we need to attend to as good stewards of our provisions, our relationships and our own spiritual condition.  God is aware of these due concerns, but He is giving us the command to trust in Him.  He knows our needs better than we know our needs.  He is actually calling on us to have peace and comfort when the world would suggest otherwise.

After first resting in the comfort of His promise, then we are urged to go to Him in prayer with our requests.  But there is a stipulation attached as He commands that we bring our thanksgiving in advance of our requests. Why does He ask us to come with thanksgiving?  Again, it is for our peace and comfort.  When we bring our thanksgiving, we are reconciling with Him all the favor and blessing that He has provided in the past. This positions us to approach His Throne with the confidence that everything we ask for will be addressed and answered perfectly according to our needs, our real needs. 

If we are in line with the passage to this point, then our thankful, angst free mindset will help us to meet the last command in this passage which is to let our requests be known to God - not to men.  This is a not so subtle reminder that it is not our job to manipulate our circumstances through our own capability.  Instead we are to depend on Our Heavenly Father for everything in our lives.  In exchange for following His supplication process, peace will be our companion.

Let us go to Him in thanksgiving, adoration and trust.  Let us rest in His peace as we wait for His provision. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your unconditional love and Your forgiveness through Your Son, Jesus.  We ask forgiveness for coming to You so often with our needs alone, accompanied by a stark absence of our professed love for You and our expression of our sincere thanks for all that You provide.  Teach us, Lord, how to seek Your presence in our lives.  Teach us how to fully trust in You throughout each and every day.  Teach us how to use our prayer lives to build our relationships with You.  We ask all these things in the name of the One whose mercies and miracles never come to an end, Jesus Christ.

Bringing Holiness to Completion

2 Corinthians 7:1

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

When we accept Jesus into our lives, we are sure to find that we are in bondage to one or more things that are of the world and not entirely pleasing to God.  Once we receive the Holy Spirit, we will be lead into a process of shedding those things that the Lord deems unworthy.  We will discover that we will not be able to change all things in our lives instantly, nor completely.  Through faith, however, we will be able to confidently begin the process of shedding our fleshly bonds one at a time as the Holy Spirit convicts and strengthens us. 

We can be certain that the work of sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  It is wholly the work of the Holy Spirit and not a work that we will pursue on our own.  We can be just as certain that for the Holy Spirit to work in us that we will need to surrender to the perfecting process.  It will be particularly important that we position ourselves through prayer and the study of God's Holy Word onto a path of faith that allows us to live soberly, righteously and holy until the end of our days.

If we are steadfast in pursuing and surrendering to a path of sanctification, we will be benefactors of the strength of Jesus Christ and the assistance of His Holy Spirit.  We will be enabled to perform acts of holiness and religious duty in fear of God.  It will not be because of a fear of hell and damnation, but will be because of a reverential love and affection for Our Heavenly Father and a deep and complete trust in Him.

Let us bring holiness to completion in our lives.  Let us surrender to the work of sanctification that only the Holy Spirit can provide. Let us rejoice in knowing that this is all made possible through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for providing Your wisdom so that we may understand Your ways and learn to live in awesome reverence of who You are.  We pray that You will open our eyes so that we can see all the ways in our lives that displease You.  Convict us of our sinful nature.  Prepare a path for us to walk in the process of sanctification aided by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  Lord, may we learn to lean on the Holy Spirit so that we may live soberly, righteously and holy.  By Your grace, Father, and by the strength of Christ and the assistance of the Holy Spirit may we be delivered from our sinful lives.  May the world know us by the fullness of Jesus Christ within us.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases You, Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Strangers in Our Land

Psalm 119:19

I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.

God's commandments have been given to us.  They are not new and there is no revised edition.  The Lord's commandments have been the same for thousands of years and will be the same as long as time exists.  They are pure enlightenment, so needful for our journey in time on this earth.

Along with His commandments, Our Heavenly Father also has given us His inerrant Holy Word to confirm His guidelines for our lives.   There is nothing hidden from us except what we manage to hide from ourselves.  We have allowed our fellow man to take the laws of Almighty God and hide them from us by replacing them with the laws of fallible men.

The laws of fallible men invariably turn toward tolerance of things that are not pleasing to God and these same laws are used to pressure one another into accepting wrongful behavior as truth.  We must guard against becoming citizens of this earth and foreigners in God's kingdom.  In this day and time, we must dare to be strangers in our own land.

Let us follow the commandments and the inerrant Word provided to us by Almighty God.  Let us guard against being drawn into the thinking of those who wish to deviate from God's plan.  Let us live in Christ and not in this world. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing the way, the truth and the life that is revealed to us in Your Holy Word.  We bless the name of Jesus who is the Word made flesh.  Father, we pray that the Holy Spirit may direct us to repent of the things in our lives that are not pleasing to You.  We ask for the strength to turn away from these displeasing things and the grace to turn toward all that is pleasing to You.  We beseech You that all of our faith will be in Jesus Christ and not in the world.  As we surrender to Your will, equip us, Lord, to reveal Your kingdom to those around us.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who is with us until the end of the age, Jesus Christ.

Strengthened by His Grace

2 Timothy 2:1

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote the words in this passage to his helper, Timothy, to prepare him for everything that the world was going to throw at him.  Paul alerted Timothy that there would be many trials that he would endure.  He encouraged him by reminding him that he would be strengthened by the One who sent them out to preach to the people.  Paul exhorted Timothy to rely completely on the grace of God and not to turn to his own ways to find his strength.

When the worst that the world can throw at us comes along, we need to be rooted and grounded in our faith in the grace that is provided to us. Our strength and our security will rest upon the faith that we build in the strong, immovable, unalterable love of God that is provided through His grace that is in His Son, Jesus.

As we find ourselves challenged by life, we can be comforted by Paul's instruction to Timothy.  Jesus Christ will never leaves us.  When we turn to Him for our direction and our strength, our path is secure.  By the fullness of His grace, we are enabled to fulfill our ministries, bear all trials and afflictions and stand against all persecution.

Let us march boldly forward in our walk with Our Savior.  Let us open our minds and hearts to receive the abundant grace that He has set aside for us.  May His power to overcome all that comes against us be released in our lives.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the grace that we receive through our relationship with Your Son, Jesus.  We exalt the name of Jesus, who provides the strength that we need to overcome all of the trials and issues in our lives.  We ask, Lord, that the Holy Spirit teach us how to rely solely on the fullness of the grace available to us through our relationship with Our Savior.  We pray that our firm reliance on Your Son will release His power and His Spirit into our lives and our ministries.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who became flesh so that we might receive Your endless grace, Jesus Christ.

Anchored in His Promises and His Presence

1 Corinthians 10:12

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

We must stay on guard against the calling of our flesh and the attacks of the enemy.  The weakness that we have in the flesh becomes more dangerous to us when we are indulgent in the things of the world.  Our biggest snare is our confidence that we can stand against our flesh and the enemy alone.  We must be sure to maintain the flow of Christ's strength in our weakness.  The "Prince of Preachers", Charles Spurgeon, offers the following guidance for maintaining our strength in the Lord.  "Be much more in prayer. Spend longer time in holy adoration. Read the Scriptures more earnestly and constantly. Watch your lives more carefully. Live nearer to God."

A Christian's security against sin rests in Jesus Christ alone.  He provides ample supply of the oil that we need for our lamps to light our way.  He gives freely of the strength that we will need to overcome the callings of our flesh.  In Christ, we are enclosed in the arms of everlasting love.  In Christ we stand on a foundation that will never fail. In Christ, we are kept by an almighty power that cannot be overcome.

Let us guard against building up our confidence in our own abilities.  Let us anchor our lives in the presence and promises of Jesus Christ.  Let us stand on the Rock as our sure foundation.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for promising to perfect Your strength in our weakness.  We exalt the name of Jesus who stands beside us and promises never to leave us.  We rejoice in the presence of the Holy Spirit who provides us with the strength that we need to overcome every trial and temptation in our lives.  We pray, Lord, that You will show us how to draw near to You through our prayers, our worship and our study of Your Holy Word.  Help us to be constantly vigilant so that we become bond slaves to Jesus and not to our flesh.  May we live in the fullness of Your grace.  We ask all these things in the name of the founder and perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.

A Simple Plan with Everlasting Benefit

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

While we may be able to recite John 3:16, do we really take the time to examine what this powerful verse means to us?  Do we fully understand that God's immeasurable, inexhaustible, divine love was required to save a sin ravished world.  He gave His Son, Jesus, to be the Prophet, the Priest, the King and, most importantly, the Savior for all mankind.  This was an unequivocal necessity for our eternal good.

Through His unlimited mercy, Our Heavenly Father provides a plan for each of us to avoid eternal damnation for our sins.  His plan is simple.  We must submit to Jesus Christ as our teacher, our ruler and Our Savior.  Our duty is to proclaim His name.  Our benefit is everlasting life in His Kingdom. 

Jesus sacrificed His life for us.  He is asking us to sacrifice our old lives in exchange for a new life under His stewardship.  There is really no sacrifice on our parts.  What we receive is eternally greater than what we leave behind - what an awesome offer!  Yet many do not accept it.

To further understand the full value of the gift that we have received, we need to understand that we would not make the right choice if it were not for the grace of God.  We choose salvation because the Holy Spirit does a work in us that we could not do for ourselves.  What a loving, forgiving, merciful God we serve!

As we accept the precious eternal offer from Almighty God, let us exalt the name of His Son, Jesus, who sacrificed everything for us.  Let us sacrifice everything for Him so others may know Him and accept His eternal offer of salvation.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing a way for us to escape eternal damnation because of our sins. We thank You for providing Your Son as our sacrificial lamb and as our living, ever present Good Shepherd.  We humbly submit to You all that we are and all that we have in the name of Jesus Christ.  We pray that the presence of Your Holy Spirit will strengthen us as we walk the pathway of sanctification that You have set aside for us.  We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of those around us to receive Your Son as their Savior.   May our changed lives help draw them to Your Son.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Will You Go Away Sorrowful?

Mark 10:22
Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young man came to Jesus to inquire how he could inherit eternal life.  The young man proclaimed knowledge of the commandments and his complete compliance to the commandments, assuming this to be enough.  Jesus responded, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The young man could not part with the things of this world.  He chose the world over the kingdom of God.

Our Heavenly Father has nothing against our possessions or our money.  Abraham, Moses and David all had great wealth.  Yet they all did what God asked them to do.  They placed their relationship with Almighty God above all else.  They used their wealth to help meet the needs of their people so that God would receive the glory.

At some point in our walk as disciples of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will inspire us to surrender all that we are and all that we have to Jesus. Nothing less will be acceptable.

Let us make a love offering to Jesus.  Let us surrender everything to Him and to His rule and reign in our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for all the provision that You have given us. We exalt Your name for the endless flow of Your blessings in our lives, most of which we take for granted.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire and strengthen us to lift up Your name each day above all the things of the world.  We ask, Father, that You prepare our hearts to surrender all that we have and all that we are to You.  May we freely part with the provision that You have given us to meet the needs of those around us.  May it all be for Your glory and the gain of Your kingdom.  We ask these things in the name of the One who calls us to follow Him, Jesus Christ.

Responding to God's Plan for Our Lives

Acts 26:19

And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.

The apostle Paul was brought before the Judean Monarch, King Agrippa, to defend himself and his gospel.  In his defense, he told the king why he was doing what he was doing, "I obeyed the vision from heaven."  Paul was not driven by a well thought out plan based on practicality or his own competence.  He went out and proclaimed the gospel against all hindrances imaginable, many of which could not be overcome without the hand of God.  He also went where God told him to go at the time that God told him to go.

Paul is our model for following visions.  When urged by the Holy Spirit to do so, we should move forward without regard for our own capabilities for God always provides what is needed to complete His good work.  Just as important, we should not rush ahead in consideration of our current skills and circumstances.  We should only move when and where the Holy Spirit urges us to move.

While we are not likely to have a vision for our lives delivered to us in a dramatic encounter with Jesus like the apostle Paul did, we are all called to respond to the plan that Almighty God has willed for our lives.  If we are diligent in seeking "our vision", it will be revealed to us in a manner that will be sufficient to guide us and inspire us to pursue our vision.  It will be given to us when the way has been prepared in advance for our success.

Let us seek God's will and plan for our lives.  Let us obey the urgings of the Holy Spirit as we fully surrender to a life of service to Our King.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to serve You.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity.  We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us to seek and discover Your plans for our lives.  We ask that You teach us how to turn to You alone for our direction.  We ask that You teach us how to wait on You to prepare the way before we move.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Christ.