I am not sure which day is more special...the day before or of Christmas. The youthful anticipation of Santa's visit, cheer in making cookies with mom for Santa and Rudolf (a family tradition) on Christmas Eve Day or the cheer, laughter, smiles, youthful jubilance, noise while playing, youthful innocence when opening gifts. Does it or can it, get any better than that?
Ministry blog to bring encouragement, hope, strength throughout ones lifes's adversities & enjoy in a closer journey and relationship with Our Lord God whom is still on the throne. May HE receive all the Glory and Honor through this blog. May you always feel God's comfort, strength, presence and love. Many blessings to you.
24 December 2010
15 December 2010
05 November 2010
Sharing thoughts and some prayers
Today being the 5th of November, my birthday, I have some inspiritation thoughts to share. Most of you may notice, I do not update my blog on a set schedule. I only update or post something on my blog only when given inspiritation of something "rich" to share with you.
I have several things I wish to share, but first, knowing so many of us are facing or faced adversity during this economic era of our country. I for one am no exception. It will be a few days shy of a year for being unemployed. It has not been easy nor fun. However, Our Lord has provided for my family basic needs throughout this time. My family and I are keeping the faith and trusting in God's plan for us and his timing.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my son one day as we were heading for his school and enjoying the brillance of the fall leaves here in Asheville. We got on the topic of how brillant the leaf colors were and explaining how this happens. Then I thought, and shared with my son, how the brillant colors are similiar to God. Please permit me to explain. Throughout our adversity, we sometimes feel that God is not there. Much like the colors of the leaves, He is always there. As the leaves lose there green color, their natural colors appear, always there, but hidden from our site. Just as Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know I am God." Although God is silent, it does not mean he is still. We are to be still and know God, not for God to be still to know us. God is never still. But we are required to be in order to know him. So as my son and I discuss this relationship of the colors showing up later, hiding and always been there, neither of us will look at the fall leaves the same ever again, without thinking about God, although not seen, his always there.
To follow up with this inspiritation, I shall add some prayers I have found and use and have been blessed because of them. Since today is my birthday, I will share a birthday prayer, another for those unemployed (much like myself), and a Friday Morning prayer.
"Birthday Prayer"
Another year of my life has come to a close, and a new day begins for me, Lord God, eternal Caretaker of my life and lover of my soul in Christ Jesus. You have been good to me through the years. You have given me health and strength, friends and relatives, enjoyments and pleasures, and, above all, the Gospel with its many promises of peace and forgiveness. My grateful heart praises you.
Give me the grace to dedicate myself to you again on this anniversary of my birth, and grant me greater willingness to serve you faithfully and continually. Through the Holy Spirit make me greater willingness to serve you faithfully and continually. Through the Holy Spirit make me a loyal member of the church, a worthy citizen of the nation, a dutiful member of the household, and a conscientious performer of my task at work. Let joy fill my heart as I walk in your ways, performing my duties and meeting my responsibilities with faithfulness from day to day.
As I receive this new year of grace from your bountiful hands, may I use each day to glorify you, serve my fellow men, and find contentment and peace of mind under whatever conditions I must live. Grant that with Christ in my heart, I may live a fuller and richer life, and finally be received unto your glory, where I shall praise your mercies and your goodness forever and ever. Amen.
"Unemployed Prayer"
Dear Father in heaven, Giver of all good things, I thank you that you have created me and preserved me to this day. You know my needs and my fears because of my present unemploymenet. I pray you, comfort and strengthen me, and help me to maintain my hope and courage.
It is clear from your Word that work is normal and good for man, yet I have not found the work which I need and seek. This situation is hard to understand. Help me, Lord, to surrender wholly to you and to look to you for the employment which I need.
I pray to you Lord, correct what is wrong with me or with the employment situation in general, and give the opportunity to earn my own money. Open a door to employment which i do not see. Keep me from discouragement and bitterness, and help me to put my trust in you. Help me to say with a believing heart: "The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord and you give us meat in due season. You open my hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."
In that knowledge and in that faith make me trusting and patient. In the meantime care for me and mine according th your promise. I trust you will do so for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Savior, in whom you had promised to give us all things. Amen.
"Friday Morning Prayer"
Almightly God and Father, the light of the day summons me to the duties and privileges of the stewardship of life. Help me to be a good steward by revealing to me Your will for my life. May I make the best possible use of the talents which You have given me, so that I may always be ready to give an account of my stewardship.
In the activities of this day give me the wisdom to recognize whatever is evil before I am ensared by it. Grant me the strength to resist every temptation to sin and shame. Let me never be afraid to say, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"
Grant me the opportunity today to do good to someone who is in need of my love. When others deny You, give me courage to confess my faith. Show me how to live in a manner worthy of Your holy name.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today being the 5th of November, my birthday, I have some inspiritation thoughts to share. Most of you may notice, I do not update my blog on a set schedule. I only update or post something on my blog only when given inspiritation of something "rich" to share with you.
I have several things I wish to share, but first, knowing so many of us are facing or faced adversity during this economic era of our country. I for one am no exception. It will be a few days shy of a year for being unemployed. It has not been easy nor fun. However, Our Lord has provided for my family basic needs throughout this time. My family and I are keeping the faith and trusting in God's plan for us and his timing.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my son one day as we were heading for his school and enjoying the brillance of the fall leaves here in Asheville. We got on the topic of how brillant the leaf colors were and explaining how this happens. Then I thought, and shared with my son, how the brillant colors are similiar to God. Please permit me to explain. Throughout our adversity, we sometimes feel that God is not there. Much like the colors of the leaves, He is always there. As the leaves lose there green color, their natural colors appear, always there, but hidden from our site. Just as Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know I am God." Although God is silent, it does not mean he is still. We are to be still and know God, not for God to be still to know us. God is never still. But we are required to be in order to know him. So as my son and I discuss this relationship of the colors showing up later, hiding and always been there, neither of us will look at the fall leaves the same ever again, without thinking about God, although not seen, his always there.
To follow up with this inspiritation, I shall add some prayers I have found and use and have been blessed because of them. Since today is my birthday, I will share a birthday prayer, another for those unemployed (much like myself), and a Friday Morning prayer.
"Birthday Prayer"
Another year of my life has come to a close, and a new day begins for me, Lord God, eternal Caretaker of my life and lover of my soul in Christ Jesus. You have been good to me through the years. You have given me health and strength, friends and relatives, enjoyments and pleasures, and, above all, the Gospel with its many promises of peace and forgiveness. My grateful heart praises you.
Give me the grace to dedicate myself to you again on this anniversary of my birth, and grant me greater willingness to serve you faithfully and continually. Through the Holy Spirit make me greater willingness to serve you faithfully and continually. Through the Holy Spirit make me a loyal member of the church, a worthy citizen of the nation, a dutiful member of the household, and a conscientious performer of my task at work. Let joy fill my heart as I walk in your ways, performing my duties and meeting my responsibilities with faithfulness from day to day.
As I receive this new year of grace from your bountiful hands, may I use each day to glorify you, serve my fellow men, and find contentment and peace of mind under whatever conditions I must live. Grant that with Christ in my heart, I may live a fuller and richer life, and finally be received unto your glory, where I shall praise your mercies and your goodness forever and ever. Amen.
"Unemployed Prayer"
Dear Father in heaven, Giver of all good things, I thank you that you have created me and preserved me to this day. You know my needs and my fears because of my present unemploymenet. I pray you, comfort and strengthen me, and help me to maintain my hope and courage.
It is clear from your Word that work is normal and good for man, yet I have not found the work which I need and seek. This situation is hard to understand. Help me, Lord, to surrender wholly to you and to look to you for the employment which I need.
I pray to you Lord, correct what is wrong with me or with the employment situation in general, and give the opportunity to earn my own money. Open a door to employment which i do not see. Keep me from discouragement and bitterness, and help me to put my trust in you. Help me to say with a believing heart: "The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord and you give us meat in due season. You open my hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."
In that knowledge and in that faith make me trusting and patient. In the meantime care for me and mine according th your promise. I trust you will do so for the sake of Jesus Christ, my Savior, in whom you had promised to give us all things. Amen.
"Friday Morning Prayer"
Almightly God and Father, the light of the day summons me to the duties and privileges of the stewardship of life. Help me to be a good steward by revealing to me Your will for my life. May I make the best possible use of the talents which You have given me, so that I may always be ready to give an account of my stewardship.
In the activities of this day give me the wisdom to recognize whatever is evil before I am ensared by it. Grant me the strength to resist every temptation to sin and shame. Let me never be afraid to say, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"
Grant me the opportunity today to do good to someone who is in need of my love. When others deny You, give me courage to confess my faith. Show me how to live in a manner worthy of Your holy name.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
18 May 2010
Living the Love God desires
God's will is for us to reflect the character of Christ - and the essence of His character is love. "God is Love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him". (1 John 4:16) Also in (John 13:34-35), Jesus said, "A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
What is love? The reason perhaps I believe we wonder about this is in our English language, we have one word for love. In Greek, they have four different words for love.
The first is eros, which refers to the physical or sexual attraction (our word "erotic" comes from it).
The second type of love is storge, which refers to family affection, such as love between parents, children, and other family members.
The third type is phileo, which describes our friendship and brotherly love. Philadelphia, we know this city as "brotherly love", gets its name from this.
The final word, agape, has a much broader and deeper meaning as we would know it it about love. This is the most common word for love in the New Testament. Agape love is selfless love - love that extends even to those who are not lovable or even worthy of love. The bible says this is the kind of love God has for us and is the kind of love we should have for others. This love is so deep, this is the kind of love God has for us - love so deep that it caused Christ to leave heaven's glory and die on the cross for us. However, the opposite of this kind of love is selfishness. But when Christ's love fills our hearts, it replaces the once selfishness in our heart.
I will end with these two verses (Galatians 5:22) "The fruit of the Spirit is love." and (1 Timothy 1:5) "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith."
What is love? The reason perhaps I believe we wonder about this is in our English language, we have one word for love. In Greek, they have four different words for love.
The first is eros, which refers to the physical or sexual attraction (our word "erotic" comes from it).
The second type of love is storge, which refers to family affection, such as love between parents, children, and other family members.
The third type is phileo, which describes our friendship and brotherly love. Philadelphia, we know this city as "brotherly love", gets its name from this.
The final word, agape, has a much broader and deeper meaning as we would know it it about love. This is the most common word for love in the New Testament. Agape love is selfless love - love that extends even to those who are not lovable or even worthy of love. The bible says this is the kind of love God has for us and is the kind of love we should have for others. This love is so deep, this is the kind of love God has for us - love so deep that it caused Christ to leave heaven's glory and die on the cross for us. However, the opposite of this kind of love is selfishness. But when Christ's love fills our hearts, it replaces the once selfishness in our heart.
I will end with these two verses (Galatians 5:22) "The fruit of the Spirit is love." and (1 Timothy 1:5) "The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith."
This post is a follow up to the post dated 25 April 2010. Most of you are probably wondering does God care? My answer to you is yes. Please permit me to explain. God knows what is best for us, and he wants what is best for us. Why? Because He Loves us. God's will comes from God's love. If God didn't love us, he would not have sent his only begotten son to experience the pain and suffering of his death and permitted Jesus who was sinless, to absorb all of the sin of the world, past, present and future sin. That is right. He absorbed the sin of murders, thieves, adulterers, etc. Any kind of sin you can think of, Jesus took it upon himself. (Romans 8:32) "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
God loves you - and because He loves you, He has a plan for your life. Please do not let anything keep you from seeking it.
I am sure most, if not all, are similar as me and are asking the infamous question...how do we find God's will?
Upon reading a book awhile ago, by Billy Graham, he suggests six ways that I will abbreviate here for your use and to further upon yourself expand upon:
1. Commit your decision to God. As Psalm 86:11 would say "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart". However, first, we need to ask for wisdom and ask him to show us his will in your life.
2. Search the scriptures. I have always done this, but find it particularly helpful when I search the bible to see if anyone has encountered a similar situation and learn how they responded and results. It is amazing what you can learn from others.
3. Understand your circumstances. I have learned from many resources, to name a few: The Bible, Billy Graham and Dr. Charles Stanley, that God works around us as well as working in us. God will often guide us through our circumstances. I end this segment with two questions. Have we weighed the consequences? And have we investigated the alternatives to the best of our ability?
4. Seek godly advice. I can not express enough how important I believe this is for everything. Either it is advice from the bible or glean some christian advice, both are important. God has provided some individuals a special gift of wisdom, and when we face a decision, it is often helpful to seek their counsel. I will always be grateful for the many people God has given me over the years who willingly shared their wisdom and experience with me. I equally regret many times, when not listening and following through with that God given wisdom from years past.
5. Trust the Holy Spirit's guidance. This one at times challenges me the most. But Isaiah 30:21 says it best for us when we do trust in our Lord. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it'".
This prompting comes from the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, if we know Jesus Christ and accepted him into our lives. (John 16:13) "When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth".
One thing I must caution you about, we must guard against confusing our own desires with the Holy Spirit's prompting. We still need to pray, study God's Word daily, examine our circumstances and seek godly advice.
6. Finally, we need to Trust God for the outcome. This is a challenge for me daily, but I firmly believe when one trusts in God and keeps the faith, God will provide. He always goes with us and before us. Some decisions are hard to make and some are easy, however, in any case, we sometimes still have reservations or uncertainty once we make a decision thinking it is God's will. Sometimes a revelation will not come to us, therefore, it is sometimes best to start moving in the direction we think God may want us to go and then trust Him to lead you. (Proverbs 3:5-6) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight"
Remember, God does love you, and He wants you to know His will. Let us all seek it, discover it, and then do it. Remember...His way is always best. Let us not settle for second best, but lets receive his best. Being a parent, we know what is best for our children. This is similar to God, he is our creator and He knows what is best for his creations...meaning...each and everyone of us.
God loves you - and because He loves you, He has a plan for your life. Please do not let anything keep you from seeking it.
I am sure most, if not all, are similar as me and are asking the infamous question...how do we find God's will?
Upon reading a book awhile ago, by Billy Graham, he suggests six ways that I will abbreviate here for your use and to further upon yourself expand upon:
1. Commit your decision to God. As Psalm 86:11 would say "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart". However, first, we need to ask for wisdom and ask him to show us his will in your life.
2. Search the scriptures. I have always done this, but find it particularly helpful when I search the bible to see if anyone has encountered a similar situation and learn how they responded and results. It is amazing what you can learn from others.
3. Understand your circumstances. I have learned from many resources, to name a few: The Bible, Billy Graham and Dr. Charles Stanley, that God works around us as well as working in us. God will often guide us through our circumstances. I end this segment with two questions. Have we weighed the consequences? And have we investigated the alternatives to the best of our ability?
4. Seek godly advice. I can not express enough how important I believe this is for everything. Either it is advice from the bible or glean some christian advice, both are important. God has provided some individuals a special gift of wisdom, and when we face a decision, it is often helpful to seek their counsel. I will always be grateful for the many people God has given me over the years who willingly shared their wisdom and experience with me. I equally regret many times, when not listening and following through with that God given wisdom from years past.
5. Trust the Holy Spirit's guidance. This one at times challenges me the most. But Isaiah 30:21 says it best for us when we do trust in our Lord. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it'".
This prompting comes from the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, if we know Jesus Christ and accepted him into our lives. (John 16:13) "When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth".
One thing I must caution you about, we must guard against confusing our own desires with the Holy Spirit's prompting. We still need to pray, study God's Word daily, examine our circumstances and seek godly advice.
6. Finally, we need to Trust God for the outcome. This is a challenge for me daily, but I firmly believe when one trusts in God and keeps the faith, God will provide. He always goes with us and before us. Some decisions are hard to make and some are easy, however, in any case, we sometimes still have reservations or uncertainty once we make a decision thinking it is God's will. Sometimes a revelation will not come to us, therefore, it is sometimes best to start moving in the direction we think God may want us to go and then trust Him to lead you. (Proverbs 3:5-6) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight"
Remember, God does love you, and He wants you to know His will. Let us all seek it, discover it, and then do it. Remember...His way is always best. Let us not settle for second best, but lets receive his best. Being a parent, we know what is best for our children. This is similar to God, he is our creator and He knows what is best for his creations...meaning...each and everyone of us.
25 April 2010
Trust in the Lord....He has a plan
Watched a program today that had hit home with me and I am sure it will with so many of you. I have trusted our Lord to provide for me during my unemployment, but decided to rededicate my life, trust and totally surrender to his will. Giving it all to him, much like the movie "Flywheel". I am going to trust, pray and dedicate my life like I have never before. In doing so, I must wait patiently, listen for further instruction.
Please permit me to share with you some notes I had taken from the program I heard from Dr. Stanley.
God's role in our waiting
Please permit me to share with you some notes I had taken from the program I heard from Dr. Stanley.
God's role in our waiting
As we wait was does God do? The Lord heals, comforts, teaches, and empowers us. He encourages us, answers our prayers, and gives us peace. (Phil 4:6-7)
What does it mean to wait on the Lord? First it requires patience. While waiting, we need to listen for further instruction instead of acting on our own and rush into something without God's instruction. While we wait, this requires to calmly accept what the Lord is doing in our current lives. Then, which is a daily challenge for me, we must trust Him to fulfill His will for us.
Depending on the Father instead of taking action can be difficult. Here are are a few verses from the bible that address waiting on Our Lord. Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (NIV) When we obey Him, we never have to worry about what others think of us. Reliance on God protects us from experiencing shame. Psalm 25:3 "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse." (NIV) Notice one thing, that resting in the Lord is not an passive act, but active - you and I are commanded to wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." As a result of faithfully surrendering to His timing, we can expect His very best. Psalm 37:34 "Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing." (The Living Bible).
What does it mean to wait on the Lord? First it requires patience. While waiting, we need to listen for further instruction instead of acting on our own and rush into something without God's instruction. While we wait, this requires to calmly accept what the Lord is doing in our current lives. Then, which is a daily challenge for me, we must trust Him to fulfill His will for us.
Depending on the Father instead of taking action can be difficult. Here are are a few verses from the bible that address waiting on Our Lord. Psalm 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." (NIV) When we obey Him, we never have to worry about what others think of us. Reliance on God protects us from experiencing shame. Psalm 25:3 "No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse." (NIV) Notice one thing, that resting in the Lord is not an passive act, but active - you and I are commanded to wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." As a result of faithfully surrendering to His timing, we can expect His very best. Psalm 37:34 "Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing." (The Living Bible).
Why should we or Why do we have to wait?
God is..
Arranging our circumstances. The Israelites marched around Jericho many times prior to attacking the city. Anxiety and fear crippled the enemy, preparing the way for victory. David was selected as the next king of Israel years before he took the throne. But he waited on God's timing and refused to take the life of Saul, the Lord's anointed leader.
Purifying our motives. Instead of acting out of lust, greed, or pride, we should be stirred by love, service, and obedience. When our motivations are not right, God will often wait to bless us.
Teaching us to rely on Him. If every prayer were answered immediately, we might never learn to trust God. That is why sometimes He promises to provide, then asks us to wait.
Protecting us from any unseen danger. The Father sees and knows all things, and knows what is best for each of us. Those who rush ahead of Him run into unexpected difficulties. Essentially, by doing so, we are telling God we know best and we always end up with second best. If we would only patiently wait for his time, we can receive and expect his Best.
Preparing us to make the greatest impact on others. When you and I choose to wait on God's provision, our lives can be awesome testimonies of His faithfulness.
At this time, you are most likely thinking...What are my choices?
Whenever God asks us to wait on Him, we have three options.
One...is to manipulate circumstances. Doing this will forfeit the Lord's best and may even result in disaster.
Secondly...you and I can walk away from Him. Basically meaning, we can allow disappointment to destroy our relationship with the Father.
Thirdly...is to wait on the Lord, watch Him work, and reap the reward. Whenever God calls us to a season of rest, we can either work against His purpose for our lives or decide to surrender to His will.
Alright, I get that, now what are the requirements on waiting on God? Actually there are four specific qualities.
First...faith. It is easy to trust Him when life is going good and all is well in our lives. But, can we rely on Him when things get difficult?
Secondly...Waiting on the Lord requires patience. We must set aside our own agendas and allow Him to work.
Thirdly...we need humility. Prideful people often disobey God; they might believe their plans are better than His or worry too much about what others will think.
Fourthly...we must have courage. There are three ways courageousness plays a role: we need it to resist the temptation to do it our way, to disregard negative peer pressure, and to stand firm against the fear of failure. It takes determination to wait for God to work when nothing seems to be happening.
Now that we know what are choices and requirements are, we need now to what are the Consequences of NOT waiting on Our Lord.
Their are four consequences we need to know.
1. You and I will be disappointed. Regardless of how wonderful your plans seem in comparison with anticipating God's best, disobeying Him ultimately leads to disappointment.
2. We will step outside of the Lord's will. By manipulating circumstances instead of depending on God, we find ourselves in a dangerous place outside His perfect plan for our lives.
3. God can not give us His best. Why would anyone want the Father's second choice for our lives? Yet, that is exactly what we get when we fail to wait on Him.
4. We bring hurt, pressure, and suffering on ourselves. Although following God's will is no guarantee that everything will go perfectly, resisting Him always has negative consequences.
5. Others are hurt. Disobeying the Lord usually results in harm to others. Selfishness, addictions, and outright rebellion affect those around us.
Briefly, in conclusion.
Believers often grow impatient while waiting on God to work. We believe the lie that He is unaware of our struggles or will fail to deliver us. Acting on human wisdom, you and I rush ahead of our heavenly Father.
I pray that we, including myself, learn to anticipate His answer - and do it joyfully. Why? God's Word says that He acts on behalf of those who trust in Him. No, he does not promise to give us all we want. But when you and I watch for His provision, it will come - every time - at His time.
Arranging our circumstances. The Israelites marched around Jericho many times prior to attacking the city. Anxiety and fear crippled the enemy, preparing the way for victory. David was selected as the next king of Israel years before he took the throne. But he waited on God's timing and refused to take the life of Saul, the Lord's anointed leader.
Purifying our motives. Instead of acting out of lust, greed, or pride, we should be stirred by love, service, and obedience. When our motivations are not right, God will often wait to bless us.
Teaching us to rely on Him. If every prayer were answered immediately, we might never learn to trust God. That is why sometimes He promises to provide, then asks us to wait.
Protecting us from any unseen danger. The Father sees and knows all things, and knows what is best for each of us. Those who rush ahead of Him run into unexpected difficulties. Essentially, by doing so, we are telling God we know best and we always end up with second best. If we would only patiently wait for his time, we can receive and expect his Best.
Preparing us to make the greatest impact on others. When you and I choose to wait on God's provision, our lives can be awesome testimonies of His faithfulness.
At this time, you are most likely thinking...What are my choices?
Whenever God asks us to wait on Him, we have three options.
One...is to manipulate circumstances. Doing this will forfeit the Lord's best and may even result in disaster.
Secondly...you and I can walk away from Him. Basically meaning, we can allow disappointment to destroy our relationship with the Father.
Thirdly...is to wait on the Lord, watch Him work, and reap the reward. Whenever God calls us to a season of rest, we can either work against His purpose for our lives or decide to surrender to His will.
Alright, I get that, now what are the requirements on waiting on God? Actually there are four specific qualities.
First...faith. It is easy to trust Him when life is going good and all is well in our lives. But, can we rely on Him when things get difficult?
Secondly...Waiting on the Lord requires patience. We must set aside our own agendas and allow Him to work.
Thirdly...we need humility. Prideful people often disobey God; they might believe their plans are better than His or worry too much about what others will think.
Fourthly...we must have courage. There are three ways courageousness plays a role: we need it to resist the temptation to do it our way, to disregard negative peer pressure, and to stand firm against the fear of failure. It takes determination to wait for God to work when nothing seems to be happening.
Now that we know what are choices and requirements are, we need now to what are the Consequences of NOT waiting on Our Lord.
Their are four consequences we need to know.
1. You and I will be disappointed. Regardless of how wonderful your plans seem in comparison with anticipating God's best, disobeying Him ultimately leads to disappointment.
2. We will step outside of the Lord's will. By manipulating circumstances instead of depending on God, we find ourselves in a dangerous place outside His perfect plan for our lives.
3. God can not give us His best. Why would anyone want the Father's second choice for our lives? Yet, that is exactly what we get when we fail to wait on Him.
4. We bring hurt, pressure, and suffering on ourselves. Although following God's will is no guarantee that everything will go perfectly, resisting Him always has negative consequences.
5. Others are hurt. Disobeying the Lord usually results in harm to others. Selfishness, addictions, and outright rebellion affect those around us.
Briefly, in conclusion.
Believers often grow impatient while waiting on God to work. We believe the lie that He is unaware of our struggles or will fail to deliver us. Acting on human wisdom, you and I rush ahead of our heavenly Father.
I pray that we, including myself, learn to anticipate His answer - and do it joyfully. Why? God's Word says that He acts on behalf of those who trust in Him. No, he does not promise to give us all we want. But when you and I watch for His provision, it will come - every time - at His time.
20 April 2010
Prayer
Prayer: “Give Us Today the Food We Need”
Scott Lyons
4/12/2010
The Father gives life and all that is necessary to it—not that we might be idle but that we might be free from anxiety. Yet we still worry because we do not fully believe. Or, perhaps, we worry because we have set our trust upon the Father’s gifts rather than on the Father himself, and the “worries of this life and the lure of wealth” are choking us (Matthew 13:22, NLT). God has made it clear to us that he does not desire our happiness so much as he desires us, so much as he desires that we be sharers in his life, converted to Christ, divinized, set aflame. It is true what the old bluegrass song says: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” We are afraid to die. We are afraid of being crushed as Christ was crushed, like olives in the press, and poured out for others. We are afraid that this petition reaches too far, beyond simple physical concerns and into spiritual ones. And so it does.
When we kneel and pray, “Give us today the food we need,” we are requesting eternal things. Some of us, when we pray, voice this request because we want to learn how to begin to trust our Father again and to trust him without reservation because “[He is] good and the Lover of mankind.” Then, even though the road ahead is filled with pain, we are content because our good Father is before us and behind us.
Within this petition is a unique word, epiousios (translated as the food we “need” in the NLT and as our “daily” bread elsewhere). To my knowledge, this word is only used in the Lord’s Prayer and is unique to Matthew and Luke.
There are a variety of interpretations of what the writers meant when using the word. But among them, let us remember that when we pray for our “epiousion” bread, we are literally asking our Father for our “super-essential” bread, and throughout the centuries, the Church has seen this bread, among other things, as the Bread of Life given to us that we might not hunger again. And thanks be to God, who gives us this Bread in his “today,” so that Christ, who is given, is always being given. And we, who are temporal and in constant need, must ask daily for the One who is always being given, and thus we daily receive him.
Yet as we kneel and pray, “Give us today the food we need,” we are also requesting temporal things. It is necessary for us to do so in order to confess that whether we are rich or poor, our daily sustenance is from the Lord and not simply the work of our own hands. (In the same way, we confess this truth as we give thanks for the food we eat.)
In this way, we also understand that the Lord instructs us to petition him for necessity and not for luxury. Just so we read in Proverbs 30:8-9 (NLT), “Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”
Furthermore, the Lord’s Prayer is a common prayer, a prayer for us, and in this petition we pray for solidarity with the poor—that they too might receive their necessary food. And if it is a prayer for the poor, then we are reminded of our obligation to participate in this petition, to not only be supplicants but also to take part in the satisfaction of this plea. We cannot forget Christ’s parable about the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16) or Christ’s discourse on the final Judgment with the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25). And so we become players within this petition as we offer up our own gifts, perhaps out of our own poverty, and as we offer up our very selves for “the least of these.”
Lastly, this petition is a request for today’s needs, and a cure for our anxiety, for “your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:32-34, NLT).
As you pray the Lord’s Prayer, all of these thoughts will not come to your mind. Who could expect them to? But one element may stand out from the rest because of the need you feel. The petition may feel different in the morning if you are overwhelmed by temporal needs, and then in the evening you may simply need Christ. Remember that the good Father knows all your needs. Remember that he loves you. And pray like this.
Scott Lyons
4/12/2010
The Father gives life and all that is necessary to it—not that we might be idle but that we might be free from anxiety. Yet we still worry because we do not fully believe. Or, perhaps, we worry because we have set our trust upon the Father’s gifts rather than on the Father himself, and the “worries of this life and the lure of wealth” are choking us (Matthew 13:22, NLT). God has made it clear to us that he does not desire our happiness so much as he desires us, so much as he desires that we be sharers in his life, converted to Christ, divinized, set aflame. It is true what the old bluegrass song says: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” We are afraid to die. We are afraid of being crushed as Christ was crushed, like olives in the press, and poured out for others. We are afraid that this petition reaches too far, beyond simple physical concerns and into spiritual ones. And so it does.
When we kneel and pray, “Give us today the food we need,” we are requesting eternal things. Some of us, when we pray, voice this request because we want to learn how to begin to trust our Father again and to trust him without reservation because “[He is] good and the Lover of mankind.” Then, even though the road ahead is filled with pain, we are content because our good Father is before us and behind us.
Within this petition is a unique word, epiousios (translated as the food we “need” in the NLT and as our “daily” bread elsewhere). To my knowledge, this word is only used in the Lord’s Prayer and is unique to Matthew and Luke.
There are a variety of interpretations of what the writers meant when using the word. But among them, let us remember that when we pray for our “epiousion” bread, we are literally asking our Father for our “super-essential” bread, and throughout the centuries, the Church has seen this bread, among other things, as the Bread of Life given to us that we might not hunger again. And thanks be to God, who gives us this Bread in his “today,” so that Christ, who is given, is always being given. And we, who are temporal and in constant need, must ask daily for the One who is always being given, and thus we daily receive him.
Yet as we kneel and pray, “Give us today the food we need,” we are also requesting temporal things. It is necessary for us to do so in order to confess that whether we are rich or poor, our daily sustenance is from the Lord and not simply the work of our own hands. (In the same way, we confess this truth as we give thanks for the food we eat.)
In this way, we also understand that the Lord instructs us to petition him for necessity and not for luxury. Just so we read in Proverbs 30:8-9 (NLT), “Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”
Furthermore, the Lord’s Prayer is a common prayer, a prayer for us, and in this petition we pray for solidarity with the poor—that they too might receive their necessary food. And if it is a prayer for the poor, then we are reminded of our obligation to participate in this petition, to not only be supplicants but also to take part in the satisfaction of this plea. We cannot forget Christ’s parable about the beggar Lazarus (Luke 16) or Christ’s discourse on the final Judgment with the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25). And so we become players within this petition as we offer up our own gifts, perhaps out of our own poverty, and as we offer up our very selves for “the least of these.”
Lastly, this petition is a request for today’s needs, and a cure for our anxiety, for “your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:32-34, NLT).
As you pray the Lord’s Prayer, all of these thoughts will not come to your mind. Who could expect them to? But one element may stand out from the rest because of the need you feel. The petition may feel different in the morning if you are overwhelmed by temporal needs, and then in the evening you may simply need Christ. Remember that the good Father knows all your needs. Remember that he loves you. And pray like this.
03 March 2010
Personal and Spiritual Revelations
God has given us some revelations to help bring blessing changes into our life. I hope these revelations I share will be a blessing to you as they are to me and I hope and pray they are an encouragement to those many facing adversity as I am today.
"...Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." ( II Chron 20:20)
We are chosen by God for a designated purpose. He created you for a definite assignment.
The adversity in our lives is part of God's plan to reveal to us His purpose and will for our life.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light". (I Peter 2:9) NIV
Gifts of healing and regeneration are being birthed into our spirit.
Understanding God's healing power is to be revealed to us and our physical and mental health can improve.
"...With his stripes you are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)
Power to speak blessings into your own life is now revealed.
What we say can change everything.
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) NIV
A new self-esteem can be birthed within you, bringing a boldness you have always desired to possess.
A key for us is to dig deeper into God's Word and have a better understanding of it.
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11) NIV
The Holy Spirit is establishing in your spirit the awareness of which steps to take, and which steps you should NOT take, concerning plans you have made and some you have yet to make.
Let God help you rid yourself of the "detractors" and "subtracters" in your life, and this can enable you to "connect" to what he wants us to have fellowship with.
"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23) NIV
Supernatural evidence of God's favor can come to you as a result of your seed sowing into his kingdom.
Material things we all desire can be within our reach. The more you get involved with the things of God, the more God will become involved in the things that matter to us.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt. 6:33-34) NIV
Through obedience, we will enter a "Season of Divinely ordained abundance".
Financial increase can flow to you, around you, and into you as you continue to follow the leading of God's spirit. Along with this can come divine wisdom to make what you have multiply in ways you never imagined.
Remember, the poor cannot help the poor. God wants you to prosper so you can help others as well as yourself and seed more into his kingdom.
"But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." (Deuteronomy 8:18) NIV
I recommend you to read and mediate on these, so that they may be instilled into your inner spirit. The power of knowledge can grow within you, and the fruit of it will become a daily part of our spiritual walk with God.
I am.
Please feel free to contact me, so I can lift you up in my prayers, hoping you do the same for me and my family. We are all in this together. Together, we can make a difference.
Please feel free to contact me for any ideas for my future blogs. I will continue using this as a ministry tool. So please feel free to return anytime and spread the word of this blog to all your family and friends.
Your Brother In Christ
"...Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." ( II Chron 20:20)
We are chosen by God for a designated purpose. He created you for a definite assignment.
The adversity in our lives is part of God's plan to reveal to us His purpose and will for our life.
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light". (I Peter 2:9) NIV
Gifts of healing and regeneration are being birthed into our spirit.
Understanding God's healing power is to be revealed to us and our physical and mental health can improve.
"...With his stripes you are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)
Power to speak blessings into your own life is now revealed.
What we say can change everything.
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21) NIV
A new self-esteem can be birthed within you, bringing a boldness you have always desired to possess.
A key for us is to dig deeper into God's Word and have a better understanding of it.
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11) NIV
The Holy Spirit is establishing in your spirit the awareness of which steps to take, and which steps you should NOT take, concerning plans you have made and some you have yet to make.
Let God help you rid yourself of the "detractors" and "subtracters" in your life, and this can enable you to "connect" to what he wants us to have fellowship with.
"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." (Psalm 37:23) NIV
Supernatural evidence of God's favor can come to you as a result of your seed sowing into his kingdom.
Material things we all desire can be within our reach. The more you get involved with the things of God, the more God will become involved in the things that matter to us.
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt. 6:33-34) NIV
Through obedience, we will enter a "Season of Divinely ordained abundance".
Financial increase can flow to you, around you, and into you as you continue to follow the leading of God's spirit. Along with this can come divine wisdom to make what you have multiply in ways you never imagined.
Remember, the poor cannot help the poor. God wants you to prosper so you can help others as well as yourself and seed more into his kingdom.
"But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." (Deuteronomy 8:18) NIV
I recommend you to read and mediate on these, so that they may be instilled into your inner spirit. The power of knowledge can grow within you, and the fruit of it will become a daily part of our spiritual walk with God.
I am.
Please feel free to contact me, so I can lift you up in my prayers, hoping you do the same for me and my family. We are all in this together. Together, we can make a difference.
Please feel free to contact me for any ideas for my future blogs. I will continue using this as a ministry tool. So please feel free to return anytime and spread the word of this blog to all your family and friends.
Your Brother In Christ
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