Walking Backwords

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. (Isaiah 30:21)

It seems we are always looking for God to lead and direct us, but it is often so hard to know where we should go. In Chapter 30, Isaiah begins by warning the people of Jerusalem that they have gone their own way and ignored God. But, in verse 18, He tells them that the Lord will wait for them, and show His love and compassion towards them. Then Isaiah says, “Right behind you a voice will say, ‘this is the way you should go.’”

When I think about this, if I am walking forward and a voice behind me says, “go this way,” that is not very helpful because I don’t know which way the voice means. Shouldn’t He be in front of me telling me this?

What I believe Isaiah is saying in this passage is that God is telling the people of Jerusalem not to worry about the future, and not to focus their attention on what lies ahead of them. Instead, they are to focus on how God has always delivered them in the past. In a sense, they are walking backwards and trusting God to direct their steps.

As His people, we should walk in this same way: looking to the past, walking backward into the future, listening for God’s voice “behind us,” and following it as He directs us in the way we should go. He is always faithful.

WHATEVER you are facing today, God Is More Than Enough! Put your confidence and trust in Him and don't look at the WHATEVER!

God, thank you for how you lead. Thank you that we can trust you. Help us to “trust and obey” your direction in our lives.

Honest Fear

"Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate His rule with trembling." Psalm 2:11 (NIV)


When we have an honest fear of God we will both tremble at His presence and we will tremble at His word. To tremble at His word is a manifestation of fearing Him. When we do that, we will obey Him instantly. You won't take what He is speaking to you casually!

When we have the true fear of the Lord we will obey Him when it doesn't make sense. The generation we're living in is so adamantly set on having everything explained to us before we act on anything. God asks for our obedience to be done by faith, not full understanding!

Secondly, when we grab ahold of the true fear of God, we will obey Him even when we don't see the benefit. It is too common for Christians to expect a picture of the benefit before they decide to obey God. Our reward from acting in obedience should not be our motive! We should give, pray, and get in the presence of God because we love Him and because we fear Him! When we tremble at the Word of God, we will obey Him to completion.


Let's obey Him to completion!

Entering Into Joy

In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus explains that the coming Kingdom will be like a man who has entrusted his servants with his property—each of His servants given different amounts according to their ability. Even though it was little, the two faithful servants invested what they were given and returned twice the amount to their master. At this He invited the servants to “enter into the joy of your master.”

Often we are like the third servant, however, who in fear and laziness hid that which was entrusted to him. Instead of investing his talent and creating more value, he only gave back what was given to him and was called “worthless.”

Praise the Lord our worth is found not in the amount or type of “talents” given to us, but instead in how we respond to that which God has entrusted us. What a wonderful master we serve to entrust us with his possessions! Not only that, but when we demonstrate faithful obedience through his grace, he promises us much more.

Find Strength and Joy today knowing that the Creator finds worth in you to entrust you with the gifts you have. Respond with the attitude of a faithful servant so that when the day comes you may hear the Master beckon you saying, “Enter into my joy.”

Praise the Lord for the gifts He has entrusted to you. Ask Him to help you be a good steward of those gifts and use them for His glory.

Crazy Stupid Faith

Crazy, Stupid Faith

Me: How many days did it take God to create everything?
Elijah (my 5 year old son): 3?
Me: No, 6.
Elijah: Oh. That’s a lot of days.

See, my son fully believed that the God he’s been learning about could’ve made everything in 3 days. That God was big enough and powerful enough and quick enough to make everything his eyes have ever come in contact with…in just 3 days. Why would He need 6? Why would it take Him a whole 6 days to make the earth, the animals, the trees, and the water?
He’s so awesome, He could do it in 3 if He wanted.
I’m so encouraged by Elijah's faith. He believes that God is bigger than even I say He is.

About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. – Matthew 18:1-4

The faith of an adult

Our faith, the faith of a rational, college-educated, enlightened adult is much less, isn’t it? It’s not quite as quick to believe. Not quite as quick to take that step of faith. A little more sluggish to accept the unacceptable, and grasp the miracles.
We’re a little slower than our kids are.

We struggle to believe

• God can save our marriage
• God can really change our dad’s heart
• We will ever have a good relationship with our kids
• We will ever be where we need to be spiritually
• We can ever beat this addiction
• She could ever forgive me
• Our daughter could ever love me
• Our life could ever count for something
• God could actually be in control of our crazy lives
• God could ever use him to minister Truth and Grace.
• God could ever use me.

We rationalize our way out of miracles. We look for what we can see, touch, taste, feel…and base our belief on that. Rather than on the unchanging truth of who God has claimed to be, and what He has promised to us.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. – Ephesians 3:19-20

Faith is believing in what we can’t see. It’s trusting God for what He’s promised rather than what we’ve seen come true.

God can change your marriage. God can use you. God can use her. He can forgive you. He can use your addiction, and the victory you’re going to enjoy, to serve others.It’s time you stopped believing lies. Stop believing the haters in your life. Stop listening to the voices that beat you up. Start trusting in the promises given to you in the Bible. Start trusting in the One who loves you on your worst days. (Romans 5:6) Start believing the One who wants to give you life. (John 10:10) Star believing the One who loved you first. (1 John 4:19)

Start having the faith of a child, instead of the faith of an adult.

Drops on Purpose

Scripture talks about a woman named Ruth. She had been through a lot of heartache and pain. Her husband had been killed in a battle. Now her mother-in-law, Naomi, was moving away to a different city. Ruth decided to go with her and help take care of her. During all of this, there was a great famine in the land, and they hardly had anything to eat. Every morning, Ruth would go out into the fields and follow behind the reapers that were gleaning the wheat. She would pick up the leftover wheat that had fallen behind on the ground, and that's how she and Naomi were surviving.

One day the owner of the field, a wealthy man named Boaz, came into town to check on his field. It just so happened that he saw Ruth out there and she caught his attention. He asked his workers, "Who is that new, young girl?" They said, "That's Ruth. She's a widow and just moved here. She goes behind us every day and picks up the leftover wheat." Boaz said to his workers, "Here's what I want you to do; drop handfuls of wheat on purpose for Ruth."

I love the fact that Ruth was just minding her own business, being her best, being faithful. She was focused on meeting the needs of someone else, and she was blessed in return. One day, all of the sudden, she started seeing excess wheat lying in front of her. Think about it. Suddenly, she doesn't have to struggle anymore. Suddenly, she doesn't have to search the field trying to find the leftovers. All she has to do is step and what she needs is in her path. Suddenly, she goes home with four or five times what she normally would collect. Naomi asks, "Ruth, how in the world did you get all that wheat today?" I can see Ruth scratching her head. She says, "I don't know. I just stumbled into it. Normally, I get the leftovers and scraps, but for some reason, the workers started leaving all this wheat right in my path!"

Today, I want you to know that God has dropped "handfuls on purpose" for you, too. Just yesterday I experienced this first hand. It seemed like it was not going to take place for me BUT God made it happen in just one phone call.  In your future, God has already dropped favor, promotion and health. He's dropped wisdom, good breaks and divine connections. They're out in front of you just waiting for you to come along. Don't believe those lies telling you there is nothing good in store; you'll never accomplish your dreams. No, if God were to pull back the curtain and allow you to see what He's already lined up; the breaks, the people, the favor, the things He's already released into your future, you wouldn't worry again. You wouldn't be discouraged. You would be excited about your future. You would live with expectancy knowing that at any moment, you could come across one of those handfuls on purpose! (See Ruth 1).

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Renewal of Purpose

^"Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,  for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." 

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 gives us a friendly reminder about the importance of not only renewing what's on the inside, but also what's on the outside. Think about it for a moment. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and should be treated as such. Would you let your house look run down or distressed? Of course not! If repairs were needed to your home, you would renovate it! Therefore, shouldn't we treat our bodies the same way and continually renew them so that they are able to carry out God's purpose for our lives? In what ways do you need to renew your body? Renewal can look different for everyone. For some it might be the need for a little more exercise or a better diet. It could be the need for physical healing. For others, it may be allowing God to renew you from a past sexual sin. Find where you need renewal for your body and allow God to work His healing in your life.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a purpose for each one of us. Some of us know our purpose while others are still in the process of uncovering it. When we know our purpose, God uses it to enable us to renew His kingdom, but in order to renew His kingdom; we must continually renew our purpose and ourselves. Don't let God's purpose for your life become stale and feel old to you. Allow God to renew His purpose in such a way that it feels as fresh as the day you first uncovered it. Ask Him to expand your purpose and show you specifically the ways you can contribute to renewing His kingdom in the same way He has renewed your life and purpose.

 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope

Jeremiah 29:11 

Position Change

 

 

I was at an amusement park with our youth group a few years back. We were all in line for a very popular ride. At first it was a single file line, but as we got closer to the front, we were gathered into groups and led into a little building about 20 feet by 20 feet to wait for our turn. We were the first ones in our group to enter the building. We walked all the way to the other side of the room next to these big double doors and waited. But as other people began to come in, they were excited about getting on the ride and started maneuvering their way in front of us. I’m more laid back and easy going, so I wasn’t going to try to fight for our position. It was so crazy that we ended up at the very back of the room by the doors where we came in. In a few minutes, a young lady came out who worked at the park and gave us instructions about the ride. Then she said, "Okay, we’re ready to go. Turn around and go back out the same doors you came in." We thought we were in the worst position, but one word from the person in charge, and suddenly, we were in the best position!

 

In the same way, all God has to do is shift the direction of some things in your life, and you’ll go from the back to the front! The truth is, you’re one shift from seeing a dream come to pass; one shift from paying your house off; one shift from seeing your health improve; one shift from meeting the right person. One shift away from having the right opportunity to come your way that will change everything!!

You might say, "You’re just getting people’s hopes up." Yes, you’re right! You can’t have faith if you don’t first have hope. When you go out with the attitude that says, "God, I believe things are shifting in my favor this year," that’s not just being positive, that’s your faith being released. When you declare God’s favor, God says to the angels, "Listen to what they’re saying. They believe I’m all-powerful. They believe I can do the impossible. Let Me move this person out of the way. Let Me open up this new door. Let Me line up this new relationship. Let Me turn that negative situation around."

It says in Isaiah that, "This is God’s year to act." Not next year. Not five years from now. Not in the "sweet by and by." No, this is the year God is going to shift things in your favor. He is getting things all lined up. What you couldn’t make happen on your own, God is going to cause you to accomplish. It’s going to be bigger than you thought, it’s going to happen quicker than you imagined, and it’s going to be more rewarding than you ever dreamed of. Your part is to stay in faith; keep declaring that God is at work. Keep believing that He is turning things around for your good. Remember, this is the year of God’s favor, and you are just one shift away from every blessing He has in store for you!

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)

The Devils Playground

 

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

(Romans 12:2 NLT)

It has been often said that the mind is the devil's playground. There is a lot of truth in that statement as so many of the spiritual battles we fight against our enemy take place in the mind. Maybe it's the guilt of a past sin that our spiritual enemy continues to place into your mind or the cravings of an addiction that you have not fully overcome. 

Perhaps, he whispers negative words that give you doubts about your faith or your ability to accomplish what God has intended for you to do. Do as Romans 12:2 says today and allow God to transform you through the renewing of your mind. Pray and ask God today to remove the negative thoughts our spiritual enemy continues to infiltrate your mind with and allow God to renew your mind and replace the negativity with clarity and purity. 

Let God help you fight the battle in your mind and gain victory.