A Key to Witnessing

At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:38 (New American Standard Bible)

Have you ever tried to tell somebody something they were not ready to hear or were not interested in? Maybe they didn’t see their need for what you were suggesting. They might have even resisted to your words. Now while some people may love the challenge of convincing people of certain things, I personally am uncomfortable with the technique. It doesn’t matter what the topic is, I would much rather speak to someone who is already showing interest in what I have to say. It is the difference between a captive audience and a hostile crowd.

It took me decades to realize a truth about witnessing to others about Christ. I had the mistaken idea that it was my job to get them interested, convince them of their need, and somehow “win” the argument. The thought of witnessing was daunting and not the least bit pleasurable. I hated the thought of pressuring someone into something. What I have come to realize is found in today’s verse. Anna spoke to those who were already looking!

This is not to say I shouldn’t be sowing seeds into conversations but I have found joy in asking God to show me when something is said in a conversation that reveals a searching heart. God is the One who prepares the hearts to begin searching for Him. He may use the thought of death, the emptiness of their life, tragedies, or any number of hardships. But something makes its way into their minds and they begin looking for God. We are told in Scripture to be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks a reason for our hope. And people will ask! They will want to know. And when you see that in them the witnessing becomes an experience you will not believe.

The two most significant decisions I made for Christ came not because I was confronted or pressured but because my heart had been made ready to start searching. Both times God had begun working privately in me years before the people who had the answers were brought across my path. When that finally happened I had no trouble receiving their words.

Father, lead me to the ones You have prepared and who are searching for You. I recognize that work because it was true in my own life. Amen.

People Need the Lord
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSN9m1BH4mM&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Out of a Willing Heart

Speak to the Israelites, that they take for Me an offering. From every man who gives it willingly and ungrudgingly with his heart you shall take My offering. Exodus 25:2 (Amplified Bible)

The building of the tabernacle in Old Testament times was initiated by God. He gave clear and precise instructions as to the materials that would be used as well as its architectural design. No detail was left unspoken or unrecorded. Yet, before any of those factors were disclosed He laid out the requirements of giving. The offerings were to be given from willing and ungrudging hearts. Other translations say, prompted from the heart and moved by the heart. Mere actions of conformity were not what God was after when it came to this special offering. It is not what He is after in whatever He calls each of us to do as well.

Scripture tells us that God loves a cheerful giver and that whatever we do we should do it heartily as to the Lord. This heart motivation and drive is not limited to financial giving in a church service. It targets every area of our life where we are called upon to act. The ramifications of this truth are huge as I consider them in light of my job, my marriage, my home, my church family, my relationships, my communication, my interaction with people, my entertainment, my health, my walk with God, my walk with others, my reactions to difficulties, and times when I am needing to walk in forgiveness. Whether it is giving a listening ear or a helping hand, God wants it done with a willing and grudge-free heart. A heart that is absent of resentment, complaint, bitterness, or a chip on my shoulder. He wants joy, passion, and enthusiasm to be displayed in my body language as well as on my face.

That can be a pretty tall order when it comes to the things I don’t actually enjoy or feel like doing. The daily grind of life can be filled with less than willingness and joy. So what do I do in those cases? I ask for His help. That which He calls me to do He will give me the time to do, the ability to do, and the willingness to do with a right heart attitude. What I lack in the area of my heart He will gladly give whenever I ask. It is as simple as saying, “Father, give me a willing heart to do the thing you are calling me to do.” I have voiced that prayer several times already this morning and was given exactly what I asked for. What He asks of each of us is what He so beautifully displays Himself. He is the ultimate cheerful Giver and I want to be like Him!

Father, You never tire of hearing my cries for help. You know my weaknesses and frailties and You willingly give what I lack. Give me a heart like Yours to be the driving force behind every action and word I speak today. Amen.

Make Me a Servant - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rznoe3zKxM

Do you have a verse or passage of Scripture that you would like to read a devotional on? If so, send me the verse or passage and I will look to see if I have written one for it. I would enjoy sending you a copy if it is available.

Sheltered

You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:9,10 (New American Standard Bible)

This is a verse God speaks over the lives of His children. I am touched and taken back by such extravagant declarations. I have found comfort in people when they have walked with me through valleys and trials. I drank in their reassurance of prayers and willingness to see me through situations. But as precious as that is, it doesn't compare with these words spoken by my heavenly Father.

As I read His words, they are so personal. I feel they were written just for me. They were meant to reassure me of His presence, love, and involvement in my life and my family's life. His pronouncement of who we are and what He will do arrest my very soul. We belong to Him and He takes care of His own.

I want His words to get into the deepest part of me. I want them to be neon lights against the blackness of circumstances. I want all worries and anxieties to bow before their powerful message. I want to hold them up as a shield against doubts, rejection, and the unknown.

I heard a song once that had a phrase that comforts me. "If it weren't for the storms I would never call You my Shelter." So true! I sense God's whispers to me as He quiets my heart with words of assurance and promise.

I wish I could paint. I picture a scene in my mind that I would love to transfer to a canvas. It is an outdoor scene. Jesus is holding a small child on His lap. His arms not only embrace her, they completely enfold her. All I can see is her face. Her eyes show trust instead of fear. Her head is pressed against His chest as she listens to His heartbeat. The sky is dark with storm clouds. The wind is apparent which tells of an approaching storm. A forest scene nearby reveals wolves crouched in a predator position. But she feels safe. His arms hold her, His voice comforts her, and His heartbeat invites her to abide under the shadow of his wings. If I could paint this scene I would entitle it "Sheltered."

Father, I hear Your voice, I feel Your arms, and I do feel safe. Amen.


Praise You In The Storm - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Who To Turn To

O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security. Isaiah 38:14b (New American Standard Bible)

Oppression is a deep feeling of heaviness brought on by the enemy of our soul. Many experience it in the form of depression, anxiety, or emptiness. I have heard people speak of depression as a deep, dark pit. Their whole world is dark and they feel entirely alone. While many of us may never experience that degree of depression we all know the feeling of sadness, weightiness, emptiness, and just being down.

Times like that use to scare me. I didn't know how long they'd last and I couldn't seem to see a way out. I couldn't even tell someone what brought the feelings on. Sometimes it was external things and sometimes it was internal.

I often found myself looking for something or someone to lift me up ~ alter my mood. Friendships were usually my main rescuers. Hearing from or spending time with a significant person could give me at least a momentary "high" to avoid dealing with the ache within me. The problem was, friends were not always available and what I could get from them was a temporary fix at best. It was like putting a band-aide on a deep wound.

It wasn't until I learned to express the pain to God and ask Him to meet the need that I truly began to experience freedom and relief. The realization that He was always available and willing to minister to me in this way has become something I highly treasure.

He used my own emptiness and attempts to deaden the pain to show me my faulty reasoning and inadequate sources. I realized external sources (be they friends, books, music or activities) could not do the internal work in me that was necessary.

When this truth dawned on me I voiced the most simple yet profound life changing prayer that blew the roof off my journey. It wasn't a long prayer but it was effective. I simply cried out, "God, I am empty. Please fill me with Yourself." It was than that I finally felt the arms that had been open and calling to me all along. I cannot tell you how much this has impacted me and transformed my inner world but I can say it works!

Father, You have been calling to me for decades. Thank you for never allowing things or people to give me what only You can give. I feel like I am coming home and it feels good. Amen.

Draw Me Close to You - Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEHsrgDCaeo

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Feelings Versus the Truth

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 (New King James Version)

Just under a week ago, I asked God to show me what was wrong with me. For some reason, I was not connecting with some basic truths and I did not know what that reason was. Truth was making its way into my head but not affecting my life. Struggles were still struggles. Issues were still issues. I felt like I was standing still in certain areas of my life. I couldn’t figure it out so I turned to the One who could.

Recently I have been reading a book by Neil Anderson entitled Who I Am In Christ. As I read that I was called, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, and so forth, the words remained just words to me. I wanted them to be life changing but they remained distant and foreign sounding, until I read a sentence that caused the light to finally come on. He wrote that he often asks a person who is struggling to forgive how the other person’s actions made him feel. It is essential for us to see the necessity of knowing that, for how we feel is what we perceive ourselves to be. What we perceive is what we eventually believe to be true about ourselves and what we believe to be true is what we will act upon. People will always act out of what they believe to be true about themselves.

It was then that I looked back and saw that with each heartache, hurt, disappointment, and loss, I felt a certain way and saw myself in a certain way. What I often saw was a person who was worthless, unlovable, unwanted, and disgusting. What I thought to be true became truth to me. My answer was often to find someone who could make me feel differently about myself and that was a futile search. What I am now realizing is that how I feel does NOT determine what or who I am. God determines that and His Word is full of the real truth! When I began to see what God was saying about me, all the lies began to lose their grip.

My feelings and emotions will never be trustworthy sources for me. If given the chance they will always paint a false picture. I have spent too many years of my life believing the false pictures and am finally being impacted by the portrait God has painted. This is a turning point for me. This is profound and life changing. Many have tried to tell me what God has finally helped me to understand. As with any spiritual truth, until God opens our eyes and ears we remain blind and deaf.

Father, I have thought the worst of myself and believed every lie. Thank you for helping me to see what my problem was. I see the truth and it is setting me free. Praise You! Amen.

Who Am I? - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqKp314B8DM&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

A Pattern for Prayer

Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Isaiah 37:14 (New American Standard Bible)

Distressing news comes to all of us at one time or another. What we choose to do with it reveals much about our walk and relationship with God. It reveals what we believe about God's character. I love the fact that Hezekiah took a threatening letter he had received and literally spread it out before God and then proceeded to proclaim the truth about God. What a pattern of prayer in the midst of a storm! (Isaiah 37:15-20)

Just think of the many papers we could spread out before God each day. Mounting bills, emails, our children's report cards, newspaper articles, legal matters, lab results, etc... To then use Hezekiah's prayer as a starter for our own. I notice that his first words proclaim the truth about God. He is the true God. He is the Creator. None compare to Him. None come close. He then spells out the problem to God. Like David so often did in the Psalms, Hezekiah asked for God to open His ears and eyes to his situation. It was true the Assyrians had destroyed other nations but they had yet to fight the true and living God.

Hezekiah's request for deliverance does not surprise me. He is smart to ask God to do what his nation is unable to do. What grabs my attention as I read his prayer is the reason he wants God to intervene...so all the nations will know He alone is God!

It should be no different in each of our lives. God desires our lives to be a platform for His power and identity. As we face trials, difficulties and hardships we show the world that God is our strength, sustainer, and security. I find Scripture is full of prayers that ask God to move mightily on behalf of His children. And He did! It is time we took these prayers and allowed them to once again be spoken to a living God. Spoken over our situations. Spoken over our families. Spoken over our lives.

Father, may I see that You are the same God who was moved to act on behalf of Your children. Empower me to bring requests to You with boldness and assurance. You are still God! Amen.

What a Faithful God - Robert Critchley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLEgyKpzyUw&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!

Under His Wings and In His Arms

The eternal God is your refuge and dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He drove the enemy before you and thrust them out, saying, Destroy! Deuteronomy 33:27 (Amplified Bible)

My last words to God last night just before falling asleep were, “Hold me.” His words that greeted me this morning were found in today’s verse. A reminder that He is my refuge and dwelling place. His everlasting arms are my safety net. “Hold me” is simply my way of asking Him to make me more aware of His presence, protection, and provision.

When Jesus told His disciples, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” the words were meant for me as well. When God told Joshua, “Fear not, for I am with you,” He meant those for my ears as well as Joshua’s ears. It is essential that each of us learns to appropriate God’s Word for ourselves and our situations. Do we need a refuge when life gets overwhelming? Absolutely. Do we need a place to resort to when we are warn and weary? Definitely. Do we need someone to help us drive out the enemies that would seek to hinder and block our way on the journey? Most assuredly. God is all of that and more.

For any who were left to fend for themselves through the mine fields of childhood, these words are life. They are pregnant with security and safety. They fill the empty and shaky places in us that need an anchor. If we are a child of God, then we have His invitation to come to Him at any time to rest in His arms. Not our own arms. Not the arms of flesh we might seek in a friend. His arms.

I need Him to be my refuge and dwelling place in times of weakness and failure. In times of feeling at odds with myself. In times when my steps become cumbersome or moving forward seems to cease. He knows I am but a vessel of clay and yet it is a vessel He wants to mold and shape for His glory. No need to cringe at the things I see in myself because He knows this lump of clay intimately. He remains limitless in my limitations. Strong in my weakness. Consistent in my inconsistencies. Never stepping away. Never unaware. Never absent. Never unavailable. Never distracted. Never not Himself.

Father, I am thoughtful of You this morning and appreciative of Who You are and what You are doing. Help me to sense your eyes and hands on me today. Let me hear all that You whisper to me. Amen.

Power of Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA4narr2wyE&feature=related

Fixing my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith!