Beware of the Counterfeits

Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Isaiah 36:17 (New American Standard Bible)

The enemy of our souls is a master at dangling counterfeit "carrots" in front of us. God lead His people to a chosen land ~ prepared just for them. The Assyrians were seeking to allure them away from their land and their God. Unless they held on to truth they would easily be persuaded to desert everything.

It is no different for us as believers today. Sometimes our journey takes us into places that resemble deserts and wildernesses. It is there that God seeks to teach us more about Himself and our walk with Him. It is imperative that we stay put until He moves us.

It can be so easy to seek shelter in other places besides the shadow of His wings. To look for answers from human sources rather than the Ultimate Source. To read books about the Bible rather than digging for gold nuggets in the Bible itself. Distractions continue to be Satan's bait in our life.

We must allow God to design our Christian lives for us. But rather than spend time with Him and allow His Spirit to do His transforming work in me, I can so easily decide I'll just copy another person's walk. I go after the counterfeits until I realize internal change never comes from outward conformity. I must seek an authentic relationship with God. He has NO twins in His kingdom.

May He give us the discernment to see when we are being lured by counterfeits. Then may we have enough fortitude to hold on tighter to His hand. We must stay in the place He puts us and abide with the One who loves us most.

Father, may I always know You are the genuine One. Your plans for me are always the best! Amen.

A Small Word That Says A Lot

While He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy, and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Luke 5:12

The simplicity of this man’s prayer is striking. We are not told how long he had lived with his leprosy but it was very extensive. Leprosy affected more than a person’s health. A person with leprosy had to move away from their home and society. They were required by law to yell out “unclean” if they were approached. It was highly contagious, disfiguring, and stigmatizing. Human touch was no longer available to them. There was no medical cure for it. In Bible times, it was the most dreaded and feared disease a person could have.

I cannot imagine all that was going through this man’s mind when he saw Jesus. This was his only hope of healing and he literally laid it all on the line with a short but powerful prayer. As I look at his prayer of ten words, the smallest word becomes the most profound word to me…..IF. It is a word that denotes choice with no guarantee. He had most likely heard of the many healings that Jesus had already performed so he knew the ability was there. It was not a question of “can You?” but rather “will You?”

Each of us have times in our life when we come to God with the same dilemma as this leper. We have a need, we give voice to our desire, and the word “if” lives within our prayer or at least within our mind. For some of us, it is not a question of God’s ability but rather His will. Prayer can easily become an exercise whereby we are trying to talk God into something that we are convinced He does not really want to do. Much of this thinking comes from a wrong view of God. We misinterpret His sovereignty as a way to make our life uncomfortable. We question His heart, His motives, and His ways. How He must grieve to see us cower to make requests of Him!
I want to learn to approach God with the simplistic trust of this leper. I want to see His heart and His character in the right way when I come to Him with a need. May I stop thinking that God hands out more “No’s” than “Yes’s”. There area still misconceptions about Him that He longs to clear up for me.

Father, my prayers reveal a lot about how I view You. As You transform my view of You, my prayers will be radically changed. Amen.

A Channel of Encouragement

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, the recompense of God will come, but He will save you. Isaiah 35:3,4

I like the 35th chapter of Isaiah. It is a chapter full of hope and promise. Each of us faces times of exhaustion and feebleness physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It becomes easy to stay in a cocoon of discouragement. God knows when we have hit that point.

I have noticed today's verse isn't telling the person to encourage and strengthen themselves. God is telling us to do that for one another. Yet it is not always easy to see when someone is struggling. After all, when was the last time you recall someone raising their hand in a prayer service and admitting they ached from exhaustion and weakness? Even when someone asks them how they are doing, they give the quick "fine." We have somehow bought into the lie that we must always appear strong. And yet we soak our pillow with tears in the night feeling like God is the only One who cares, understands, or even wants to hear the truth.

May He open our eyes to the heart conditions of those around us. May He help us to see when someone is quieter than usual, withdrawing into themselves, or avoiding usual activities. Then may He give us the insight and wisdom to know how to draw truth out of them.

Lasting encouragement will come as we redirect their thinking back to God and His ability to lift them up. It takes time, prayer, and usage of Scripture. The full light may not come on for them right away. But a little encouragement at a time, over a long period of time, will ultimately have amazing affects. Many times we are called upon to use an "eye dropper" not a fire hose when speaking words of encouragement to a person. May we be loving and patient as we seek to plant the right seeds.

Father, open my eyes to those in need of encouragement today. Help me catch the slightest clue that their internal world is about to collapse. I know You will give me the words and opportunities. Thank you. Amen.