Angels Round About
“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. (Psalm 34:7)
“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. (Psalm 34:7)
Since God��s angels are normally unseen, we have little appreciation of how intimately they are involved in our lives. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14). As in our text, there may well be a protecting angel embracing and delivering us in times of danger. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone (Psalm 91:11-12).
Angels are sometimes called on to rout the enemies of God and His people. Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul . . . and let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them (Psalm 35:4-6).
Angels are intensely interested in the salvation and spiritual growth of believers, which things the angels desire to look into� (1 Peter 1:12). For we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men (1 Corinthians 4:9). There are even occasions when some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).
There is an innumerable company of angels� (Hebrews 12:22), beings of great power and wisdom (2 Kings 19:35; 2 Samuel 14:20). They are not omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient, of course, since they �like us �were created by God simply to obey God. Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word (Psalm 103:20).
Finally, we shall be carried by the angels (Luke 16:22) into God's presence. Then we can better understand and thank them for all the many services rendered to us here on Earth. HMM
From Ordinary to Great
Acts 4:13
Anyone who studies God's ways soon realizes they are quite different from man's. Worldly wisdom says that extraordinary people and abundant resources are needed for great tasks, yet the Lord often chooses the small and insignificant to achieve His purposes on earth.
For example, Christ selected a rather unimpressive group of men as disciples, yet after being filled with the Spirit, they "turned the world upside down." During His ministry on earth, Jesus fed thousands with a child's meager lunch, and He viewed the widow's two small coins as a greater offering than all the other generous donations (John 6:5-12; Luke 21:2-3).
God specializes in using people who aren't naturally qualified to accomplish His tasks. Moses was a verbally impaired 80-year-old shepherd who liberated a nation. After Gideon hid from the enemy, God made him a valiant warrior. David was the overlooked youngest son who killed a giant with a small stone and became Israel's greatest king.
God isn't looking for impressive people; He wants willing ones who will bow the knee in humble submission. Being weak and ordinary doesn't make you useless. Rather, it positions you for a demonstration of divine power in your life. He takes insignificant ones and delights in making them great.
Have you ever considered that your lack of ability, talent, or skill is the ideal setting for a great display of Christ's power and glory? If you are willing to submit to His leading and venture into the scary yet rewarding territory of faith and obedience, He will do great things in and through you.
Sin Not
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” (Ephesians 4:26)
There are many occasions when a Christian may be rightly angered by some ugly word or incident and thus be strongly tempted to respond in kind. Our text, however, reminds us that such a reaction for a Christian is sin, and it urges us to get control of our anger before sundown. We are not to let our anger fester until it breaks out in action.
A very similar command was given long ago to Old Testament believers also. “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah” (Psalm 4:4). When angry, it is far better to wait and communicate with God about it in bed than to bring recriminations in the street (or, perhaps, in the home) against the ones who have angered us.
The Lord Jesus Himself is always our example, “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
Anger is often one of the most difficult areas to overcome in the Christian life. As James says, “The tongue can no man tame . . . Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God . . . . My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:8-10). Nevertheless, what man cannot tame, God can!
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20). “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Anger may come, but to act in anger is sin. HMM
Standing Strong and Tall through Prayer
Acts 4:13
Anyone who studies God's ways soon realizes they are quite different from man's. Worldly wisdom says that extraordinary people and abundant resources are needed for great tasks, yet the Lord often chooses the small and insignificant to achieve His purposes on earth.
For example, Christ selected a rather unimpressive group of men as disciples, yet after being filled with the Spirit, they "turned the world upside down." During His ministry on earth, Jesus fed thousands with a child's meager lunch, and He viewed the widow's two small coins as a greater offering than all the other generous donations (John 6:5-12; Luke 21:2-3).
God specializes in using people who aren't naturally qualified to accomplish His tasks. Moses was a verbally impaired 80-year-old shepherd who liberated a nation. After Gideon hid from the enemy, God made him a valiant warrior. David was the overlooked youngest son who killed a giant with a small stone and became Israel's greatest king.
God isn't looking for impressive people; He wants willing ones who will bow the knee in humble submission. Being weak and ordinary doesn't make you useless. Rather, it positions you for a demonstration of divine power in your life. He takes insignificant ones and delights in making them great.
Have you ever considered that your lack of ability, talent, or skill is the ideal setting for a great display of Christ's power and glory? If you are willing to submit to His leading and venture into the scary yet rewarding territory of faith and obedience, He will do great things in and through you.
Sin Not
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” (Ephesians 4:26)
Standing Strong and Tall through Prayer
Nehemiah was a man who lived on his knees. Whenever he needed guidance, strength, provision, or protection, his first response was prayer. Because of Nehemiah’s humble dependence, God was able to use him greatly to achieve His purposes.
This principle is still true for believers today. God can use us in the most awesome fashion if we'll seek Him and make ourselves available. He has a calling for each of us and doesn't want us wasting the opportunities He provides.
To follow Nehemiah's example of dependent prayer, we must first recognize God as the sovereign Ruler of the universe (v. 5). Although He's our loving Father and loyal Friend, we must never forget that He is also our high and exalted Creator whose holiness is beyond our comprehension. Never think of the Lord as "the man upstairs" or come into His presence in a frivolous manner.
Because Nehemiah respected the awesome holiness of God, he approached Him with confession, admitting not only his sin, but his father's and Israel's as well (vv. 6-7). We cannot hide, deny, or cherish sin and expect the Lord to hear and answer our prayers. Purity of heart and the power of God are linked. We need the sensitivity to instantly recognize when we've strayed, and the willingness to deal with sin immediately.
The reason Nehemiah stood so tall and strong was not due to his natural abilities, but because he developed a relationship of dependency on the Lord through prayer. The same can be true for you. Don't rush into your day without taking time to enter God's throne room to seek His guidance.
God is Not Boringby John Piper
Recently I spoke at Northwestern College as part of their year-long 100th anniversary celebration. The title of the message was "The Supremacy of God in the Life of the Mind." One capability of the mind that I focused on was the imagination. It applies to everybody who has a mind. Here's what I said:
One of the great duties of the Christian mind is imagination. It is not the only thing the mind does. The mind observes. The mind analyzes and organizes. The mind memorizes. But imagination is different. It does not observe or analyze what's there; it imagines what is not seen but might be there and might explain what is there (as in the case of most scientific discoveries). Or it imagines a new way of saying what is there that no one has said before (as in the case of creative writing and music and art).
I say that imagination is a Christian duty for two reasons. One is that you can't apply Jesus' golden rule without it. He said, "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" (Matthew 7:12). We must imagine ourselves in their place and imagine what we would like done to us. Compassionate, sympathetic, helpful love hangs much on the imagination of the lover.
The other reason I say that imagination is a Christian duty is that when a person speaks or writes or sings or paints about breathtaking truth in a boring way, it is probably a sin. The supremacy of God in the life of the mind is not honored when God and his amazing world are observed truly, analyzed duly, and communicated boringly. Imagination is the key to killing boredom. We must imagine ways to say truth for what it really is. And it is not boring. God's world - all of it - rings with wonders. The imagination calls up new words, new images, new analogies, new metaphors, new illustrations, new connections to say old, glorious truth. Imagination is the faculty of the mind that God has given us to make the communication of his beauty beautiful.
Imagination may be the hardest work of the human mind. And perhaps the most God-like. It is the closest we get to creation out of nothing. When we speak of beautiful truth, we must think of a pattern of words, perhaps a poem. We must conceive something that has never existed before and does not now exist in any human mind. We must think of an analogy or metaphor or illustration which has no existence. The imagination must exert itself to see it in our mind, when it is not there. We must create word combinations and music that have never existed before. All of this we do, because we are like God and because he is infinitely worthy of ever-new words and songs.
A college - or a church - committed to the supremacy of God in the life of the mind will cultivate many fertile, and a few great, imaginations. And O how the world needs God-besotted minds that can say the great things of God and sing the great things of God and play the great things of God in ways that have never been said or sung or played before.
Imagination is like a muscle. It grows stronger when you flex it. And you must flex it. It does not usually put itself into action. It awaits the will. Imagination is also contagious. When you are around someone (alive or dead) who uses it a lot, you tend to catch it. So I suggest that you hang out with some people (mainly dead poets) who are full of imagination, and that you exert yourself to think up a new way to say an old truth. God is worthy. "Psalms 96" - or picture, or poem, or figure of speech.
One of the great duties of the Christian mind is imagination. It is not the only thing the mind does. The mind observes. The mind analyzes and organizes. The mind memorizes. But imagination is different. It does not observe or analyze what's there; it imagines what is not seen but might be there and might explain what is there (as in the case of most scientific discoveries). Or it imagines a new way of saying what is there that no one has said before (as in the case of creative writing and music and art).
I say that imagination is a Christian duty for two reasons. One is that you can't apply Jesus' golden rule without it. He said, "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" (Matthew 7:12). We must imagine ourselves in their place and imagine what we would like done to us. Compassionate, sympathetic, helpful love hangs much on the imagination of the lover.
The other reason I say that imagination is a Christian duty is that when a person speaks or writes or sings or paints about breathtaking truth in a boring way, it is probably a sin. The supremacy of God in the life of the mind is not honored when God and his amazing world are observed truly, analyzed duly, and communicated boringly. Imagination is the key to killing boredom. We must imagine ways to say truth for what it really is. And it is not boring. God's world - all of it - rings with wonders. The imagination calls up new words, new images, new analogies, new metaphors, new illustrations, new connections to say old, glorious truth. Imagination is the faculty of the mind that God has given us to make the communication of his beauty beautiful.
Imagination may be the hardest work of the human mind. And perhaps the most God-like. It is the closest we get to creation out of nothing. When we speak of beautiful truth, we must think of a pattern of words, perhaps a poem. We must conceive something that has never existed before and does not now exist in any human mind. We must think of an analogy or metaphor or illustration which has no existence. The imagination must exert itself to see it in our mind, when it is not there. We must create word combinations and music that have never existed before. All of this we do, because we are like God and because he is infinitely worthy of ever-new words and songs.
A college - or a church - committed to the supremacy of God in the life of the mind will cultivate many fertile, and a few great, imaginations. And O how the world needs God-besotted minds that can say the great things of God and sing the great things of God and play the great things of God in ways that have never been said or sung or played before.
Imagination is like a muscle. It grows stronger when you flex it. And you must flex it. It does not usually put itself into action. It awaits the will. Imagination is also contagious. When you are around someone (alive or dead) who uses it a lot, you tend to catch it. So I suggest that you hang out with some people (mainly dead poets) who are full of imagination, and that you exert yourself to think up a new way to say an old truth. God is worthy. "Psalms 96" - or picture, or poem, or figure of speech.
By John Piper. (c) Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org.
Stand Fast
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth . . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:6, 9)
“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth . . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:6, 9)
Many is the modern-day evangelical who has attempted to harmonize the plain sense of the Scriptures with Big Bang cosmogony, concepts of stellar evolution, and a uniformitarian framework for Earth history. This exercise seldom results in a tempering of secular thought but rather in a compromising reinterpretation of Scripture, making it say something it clearly does not say.
The Bible says that “the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:3), that all things that now exist were simply called into existence at God’s spoken command.
Creation was a true miracle. It was not (as some insist) merely a godly oversight of cosmic processes acting on eternal matter, nor was it the gradual appearance and disappearance of matter in a steady-state transformation. Only a poor regard for Scripture, coupled with an overly high regard for current astronomical theory, could interpret Hebrews 11:3 as the explosion of a tiny, super-dense “cosmic egg” (that did not “appear,” i.e., too small to see), itself the result of a “quantum fluctuation in a vacuum” in a Big Bang which produced the entire universe.
Rather, as implied in the formula “Let there be . . . and there was” repeated many times in Genesis 1, and as described in our text and elsewhere, all things derive simply from His spoken word. Our response should not be to disbelieve and twist but to believe and praise. “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psalm 33:8). JDM
The Urgent Patience
“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:13-14)
The closing comments by David in this prayer are a wonderful testimony to his faith as well as a stable axiom for our own. God’s promises may well have ultimate fulfillment that “the eye hath not seen, nor ear heard” (1 Corinthians 2:9), but they are not just for the “by and by.” Many of God’s precious promises are focused on “the land of the living.” Peter insists that “his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
Even in the midst of the terrible destruction of Israel and the awful captivity looming in Babylon, God told Israel, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you . . . thoughts of peace, and not of evil” (Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus tried to calm His frustrated followers and direct them away from worry about the things of life (Matthew 6:24-25). “Behold the fowls of the air,” Jesus said. They don’t work or do anything particularly notable, “yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:26). If God takes care of the “grass of the field,” will He not care for us—“O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30).
Paul’s command to the Philippian church is sufficient to conclude this thought. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). HMM III
“I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27:13-14)
The Value of Obedience Proverbs 2:1-6
Despite Peter's vast fishing experience, he returned from a night's work with nothing to show for his efforts. It's quite possible that the Lord's request to let the nets down one more time struck him as unreasonable--after all, Peter and his partners were the professionals. Nevertheless, the fisherman complied, and his obedience blessed many.
Scripture demonstrates that divine plans often defy human logic. For instance, who would design a battle strategy that involved only marching and shouting? God told Joshua to conquer Jericho that way, and doing so proved successful (Joshua 6:1-5).
Moses is another example. When he felt unsure about his leadership potential, the Lord gave reassurance in an unusual way--by telling him to throw down his walking stick. When Moses obeyed, God powerfully confirmed His choice of leader (Exodus 4:1-3).
Our Father may ask us to do something that seems illogical--perhaps to accept more responsibility when we were hoping to reduce our workload, to leave a position that He provided just recently, or to take on an assignment for which we feel ill-equipped. His plan might feel unrealistic in view of our age, stage of life, or health concerns. We must press forward in obedience, regardless of how impractical the request may appear.
To grasp the importance of obeying, think about children receiving instructions from parents or teachers. Careful listening is needed for the task to be done safely and properly. Some steps may seem pointless, but the rationale often becomes clear later. Always make obeying God your priority.
The Urgent Lessons
“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.” (Psalm 27:11-12)
These requests are simple: “teach, lead, and deliver” so that we will be able to get away from the “will” of our enemies and the “cruelty” of the plans of those who plot against us.
We need to be taught the way of God so that we can be effectively directed to live as the God of all creation intended for us to live. “O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me” (Psalm 25:4-5). Once we have been twice-born, our active drive should be to “walk in thy truth” (Psalm 86:11). John 17:17 equates truth to the Word of God. That Word is the basis upon which and by which the Holy Spirit will guide us “into all truth” (John 16:13).
The prayer for deliverance must of necessity be a prayer in accordance with the revealed will of God. That means, above all else, in agreement with the written Word of God. God does not circumvent His Word, even for the sake of delivering His children. The Holy Spirit does not invent some new truth just to help one of God’s erring children get out of a sin-produced jam. The deliverance will be in a “plain path.” God will “lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16).
May our prayer contain the prayer of Psalm 143:10: “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.” HMM III
Our Time Saver
Despite Peter's vast fishing experience, he returned from a night's work with nothing to show for his efforts. It's quite possible that the Lord's request to let the nets down one more time struck him as unreasonable--after all, Peter and his partners were the professionals. Nevertheless, the fisherman complied, and his obedience blessed many.
Scripture demonstrates that divine plans often defy human logic. For instance, who would design a battle strategy that involved only marching and shouting? God told Joshua to conquer Jericho that way, and doing so proved successful (Joshua 6:1-5).
Moses is another example. When he felt unsure about his leadership potential, the Lord gave reassurance in an unusual way--by telling him to throw down his walking stick. When Moses obeyed, God powerfully confirmed His choice of leader (Exodus 4:1-3).
Our Father may ask us to do something that seems illogical--perhaps to accept more responsibility when we were hoping to reduce our workload, to leave a position that He provided just recently, or to take on an assignment for which we feel ill-equipped. His plan might feel unrealistic in view of our age, stage of life, or health concerns. We must press forward in obedience, regardless of how impractical the request may appear.
To grasp the importance of obeying, think about children receiving instructions from parents or teachers. Careful listening is needed for the task to be done safely and properly. Some steps may seem pointless, but the rationale often becomes clear later. Always make obeying God your priority.
The Urgent Lessons
“Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.” (Psalm 27:11-12)
Turn Your Worries into Prayers - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. -Philippians 4:6
There are so many things today that can cause us to worry. There are the worries of the world. There are the worries in our own country, including the threat of terrorism and the threat of North Korea. Then there are personal worries, such as health worries and family worries.
It seems as though worries are always there, always closing in on us. But worry isn't productive. In fact, it's a failure to trust God. The word worry comes from an Old English term that means "strangle" or "choke." That is what worry does. It chokes us. Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.
Modern medical research has proven that worry breaks down our resistance to disease. It actually diseases the nervous system and, more specifically, the digestive organs and the heart. In fact, 79 to 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are stress related.
Philippians tells us, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (4:6-7).
We need to turn our worries into prayer. That requires developing a conditioned reflex. We all have natural reflexes, like when we touch something hot and immediately pull back. Then there's a conditioned reflex, something that becomes natural after we've done it so many times. For instance, standing during the national anthem or placing your hand over your heart during the Pledge of Allegiance is a conditioned reflex.
We can't control our universe, as hard as we may try, but we certainly can pray about it. The next time you're tempted to worry, pray instead. Turn your worries into prayers.
| Walk as He Walked �He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.� (1 John 2:6) |
What do you think about when you wake up? Are your thoughts instantly focused on the day ahead, or are they centered on the Lord? Although most of us have busy lives that consume much of our time and attention, the most important and time-saving part of each day is that spent in quiet solitude with God.
Yet many believers feel so rushed that they don't think there's time for the Lord. They immediately jump onto the treadmill of life and then wonder why they're so frustrated, confused, and dissatisfied. Even if their desire is to follow God, they don't know where He's going since they haven't stopped to get directions for the day. There's also a disconnect because they've ignored their relationship with Him. No one can have intimacy with Christ without daily communication.
Perhaps the problem is our own human logic. We think spending time reading the Bible and praying each morning will result in having less time and lower productivity. However, when we seek Christ's direction and wisdom for the day and invite Him to control our lives, He'll accomplish more through us than we can do by ourselves. He'll give us wisdom for good decisions, increase our strength and energy, and free us from time-wasting anxiety.
Are you too busy for the Lord? If so, you're denying yourself the blessing of an intimate relationship with Christ. When you make time for Him, He'll fill you with peace and joy, guide your decisions, grant you wisdom, empower you to obey, make you more productive, and comfort you with His love.
Christ the Creationist
�For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.� (Mark 13:19)
�For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.� (Mark 13:19)
In predicting a future judgment on the unbelieving world, the Lord Jesus referred to �the beginning of the creation which God created,� thus affirming the biblical doctrine of supernatural, sudden creation. In the pagan world of His day, evolutionism was dominant almost everywhere. The Epicureans, for example, were atheistic evolutionists. The Stoics, Gnostics, Platonists, and others were pantheistic evolutionists. None of the extra-biblical philosophers of His day believed in a God who had created all things, including even the universe itself.
But Christ was a creationist, and the much-maligned �scientific creationists� of today are following His example and teaching. He even believed in recent creation, for He said (speaking of Adam and Eve) that �from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female� (Mark 10:6). The pagans all believed in an eternal cosmos, but Jesus said it had a beginning and that man and woman were a part of that beginning creation, following which �the sabbath was made for man� (Mark 2:27).
He also believed that the �two accounts� of creation (Genesis 1 and 2) were complementary, not contradictory, for He quoted from both in the same context. �Have ye not read,� He said, �that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female [Genesis 1], And said For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? [Genesis 2]� (Matthew 19:4-6).
There may be some Christians who are evolutionists, but there is no such thing as �Christian evolution,� for Christ was a creationist! HMM
Prayer in Times of Inadequacy
After Nehemiah heard about the desperate condition of the Jews who had returned from exile to Jerusalem, his heart was burdened (Neh. 1:3-4). By getting his attention in this way, the Lord could reveal what He wanted Nehemiah to do. Scripture doesn't spell out the man's reaction on realizing that he was to be a part of the solution, but we can imagine a sense of inadequacy probably engulfed him. How could he possibly help? He wasn't even near Jerusalem, and as a servant of the king, he didn't have the freedom to pack up and leave.
But whenever God puts a burden on our hearts, He will open a door to accomplish His will. In this case, the Lord used Nehemiah's sad expression and desperate prayer to prepare a pagan king to send him on his mission.
How do you respond when you sense the Lord is calling you to a task that seems beyond your abilities? Do you list all the reasons you can't possibly do it? God already knows everything about you and the situation. He's not asking your permission to proceed; rather, He is calling you to move forward with faith and obedience. He didn't make an error in choosing you for the task, but you will make a huge mistake if you refuse to do it.
God will equip you for whatever He calls you to do. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer, we have all we need to fulfill the Lord's mission. Instead of letting inadequacy hinder you from obeying, let it drive you to your knees so you can arise with renewed insight and power.
There for You - By Greg Laurie -
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." -John 16:33
Studies have found that 85 percent of the things we worry about never happen. This means that of all the things you're worrying about right now, 85 percent of it won't happen. But what about the other 15 percent? Well, the Lord will be with you in your time of difficulty.
God has not promised that we'll live in a pain-free world. Jesus said, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). We need to face facts. Loved ones are going to die, and hardship will come into our lives.
But here is the good news: we live in the land of the dying, but we are headed to the land of the living. Yes, death will come, but we have this promise from Jesus: "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look-I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave" (Revelation 1:17-18). I'm so glad that He holds the keys. If I had the keys, they would've been lost for years now.
Someone asked me not long ago what the most spiritual moment of my life was. In other words, when was the time in my life when I felt God's presence more than any other? I had to think about it. And then I realized the most spiritual moment of my life, the moment when I felt the presence of God more than any other, was when I heard the news that my son Christopher had died, and God was there.
We can rejoice in the fact that God is in control. He will be with us, giving us what we need, when we need it.
Praying with Impact
Since praying is such a common practice for believers, over time it's easy to fall into habits that result in a lifeless and empty prayer life. Instead of a dynamic conversation with thoughtful requests and active listening for God's response, our prayers can seem more like grocery lists. Because communication with the Lord is such a vital part of the Christian life, we occasionally need to step back and examine how we're doing.
Begin by asking yourself these questions:
How effective are my prayers? Is God answering my petitions, or does it seem as if they never go past the ceiling?
Who am I praying for? Are most of my requests for myself or others?
What am I asking the Lord to do? Have I looked in the Word to see what He wants, or am I trying to get Him to intervene according to my plans and desires?
When do I pray? Is it only during emergencies or when I need something?
If you discovered any selfishness in your answers, you're not alone. Most of us struggle to enter God's presence with our eyes focused on Him instead of our needs. But the only way we'll be able to pray with impact is to fill our minds with Scripture so we can find out what the Lord wants to do.
Your prayer life can become effective and dynamic if you'll approach the Lord with a clean heart (Psalms 66:18), align your requests with His will, and believe He will do what He says (Mark 11:24). Then you'll be able to pray with absolute confidence knowing that He will hear and answer your petitions.
A Credible Lifestyle
�And John was clothed with camel�s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey.� (Mark 1:6)
�And John was clothed with camel�s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey.� (Mark 1:6)
At times we tend to think of John the Baptist as a wild man, one who would have been either an offense or a laughingstock to those he was trying to reach, but in reality quite the opposite was true. He was greatly respected and believed; some even wondered if he should have been worshiped as �that prophet� (i.e., the Messiah) or revered as Elijah (John 1:21). His �preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins� (Luke 3:3) was so effective that not only the common people (Luke 3:10) but also the publicans (v. 12), soldiers (v. 14), priests, and Levites (John 1:19), as well as the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matthew 3:7), came to hear his teaching. Many repented and were baptized.
Far from lacking credibility, John�s style was what was expected of a prophet. Indeed, his ministry and message were in fulfillment of those of Elijah (Malachi 4:5), who himself �was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins� (2 Kings 1:8). Even false prophets mimicked this style (Zechariah 13:4) to gain credibility.
The point is, we should strive to package our timeless message of the gospel of Christ in such a way as to gain the greatest hearing and the most true converts. This is not to say that we should dress as John or Elijah did, for that would be bizarre in today�s world. Nor should we flaunt riches, for both styles detract from the message and induce ridicule and blasphemy.
Perhaps the principle is to dress and act as the hearers would expect a credible, sober conveyer of truth to behave. Let us be careful to �adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things� (Titus 2:10). JDM
God Oversees Your World
It is not God�s will that you face every day with dread and trepidation! I have a childhood memory that I cherish. My father loved corn bread and buttermilk. About ten o�clock each night he would meander into the kitchen and crumble a piece of corn bread into a glass of buttermilk, stand at the counter and drink it. Then he would make the rounds to the front and back doors, checking the locks. Once everything was secure, he would step into the bedroom I shared with my brother and say something like �Everything is secure, boys. You can go to sleep now.�
I have no inclination to believe that God loves corn bread and buttermilk, but I do believe he loves his children. He keeps everything secure and oversees your world! By his power you will �be anxious for nothing� and discover the �peace...that passes all understanding� (Philippians 4:4-8 RSV).
God Works Within Us
Ephesians 3:20-21
Let these words slowly sink into your understanding: �able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think� (v. 20). What an amazing description of God�s ability to work within us.
Yet so often our focus is mainly on what we want Him to do around us: If He would change this situation or fix that problem, then my life would be better. But He invites us to think and ask bigger--He wants to change us!
The Holy Spirit has more than enough power to transform lives from the inside out, but working change within is usually a slow process. Spiritual fruit takes time to grow and mature. That�s why we need patience and faith to believe He is working even when we don�t see the results right away. God is never in a hurry and will never give up on us.
The Lord has a purpose for your life, and He is constantly working to achieve it. Although He has an individualized plan for each one of His children, He also has an overarching goal--to conform every believer to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish this, He may have to bring us through some struggles and heartaches. It might make no sense to us, but God knows exactly what He�s doing.
What would you like to see the Lord do within you? As you read the Scriptures, look for qualities that God considers precious, and ask Him to work them out in your life. Then rely on His wonderful promise to do even more than you have asked or imagined.
It is not God�s will that you face every day with dread and trepidation! I have a childhood memory that I cherish. My father loved corn bread and buttermilk. About ten o�clock each night he would meander into the kitchen and crumble a piece of corn bread into a glass of buttermilk, stand at the counter and drink it. Then he would make the rounds to the front and back doors, checking the locks. Once everything was secure, he would step into the bedroom I shared with my brother and say something like �Everything is secure, boys. You can go to sleep now.�
I have no inclination to believe that God loves corn bread and buttermilk, but I do believe he loves his children. He keeps everything secure and oversees your world! By his power you will �be anxious for nothing� and discover the �peace...that passes all understanding� (Philippians 4:4-8 RSV).
God Works Within Us
Ephesians 3:20-21
Let these words slowly sink into your understanding: �able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think� (v. 20). What an amazing description of God�s ability to work within us.
Yet so often our focus is mainly on what we want Him to do around us: If He would change this situation or fix that problem, then my life would be better. But He invites us to think and ask bigger--He wants to change us!
The Holy Spirit has more than enough power to transform lives from the inside out, but working change within is usually a slow process. Spiritual fruit takes time to grow and mature. That�s why we need patience and faith to believe He is working even when we don�t see the results right away. God is never in a hurry and will never give up on us.
The Lord has a purpose for your life, and He is constantly working to achieve it. Although He has an individualized plan for each one of His children, He also has an overarching goal--to conform every believer to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish this, He may have to bring us through some struggles and heartaches. It might make no sense to us, but God knows exactly what He�s doing.
What would you like to see the Lord do within you? As you read the Scriptures, look for qualities that God considers precious, and ask Him to work them out in your life. Then rely on His wonderful promise to do even more than you have asked or imagined.
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