What He Will Never Say to Me

The virgin of Israel has fallen; she will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land; there is no one to raise her up. Amos 5:2 (New King James Version)

The words stood out to me as read this verse. As important as it is to see what God says about me and to me in Scripture, it is just as important to see what He does not and never will say about me or to me. I have had my times of falling and will have more times in this life, but He will never say to me that I will not rise again, am forsaken, or have no one to raise me up. I rejoice in that truth.

I know the feeling or perception of rejection and I know the sting of loneliness but none of it comes from God. He is my present help in time of trouble. He is my rock and defense. He will never leave me or forsake me. He knew me and called me by name before I was even conceived. When I fall, He lifts me up. When others walk away, He is ever present. When the disappointments of life hit, He is my shelter and watch guard.

How often I need the reminders as it is all too easy to crawl into holes of dangerous mindsets and futile thinking. It is easy to take my eyes off my one true Hope and Security…..Jesus Christ.

I do not write these devotionals to try and convince people (or myself) that I have it all together. Instead, I write them with the full acknowledgement and awareness that I have a long way to go as do the ones who read them. I find it possible to acknowledge that ONLY because I know that God will never leave me in my brokenness, failures, and sin. He has not lost one ounce of love for me or stepped back by even a fraction of an inch. I have not exasperated Him or drained Him of His mercy. My relationship with individuals has suffered at times, but not my relationship with Him. I am secure, not because of me but because of Him.

As I read through the Old Testament and I take in God’s words to Israel that sound harsh at times, I rest in this age of grace. I don’t take it lightly and I don’t abuse it because it is free. I embrace it. The God who created me and loves me stands watch over me and cares for me.

Father, thank you for what You say and don’t say to me. Amen.

What Faith Can Do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTNBWv33-QI

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.

Fruit and Roots

I even destroyed his fruit above and his root below. Amos 2:9

What is it in your life that God is seeking to destroy? If you are His child, it would be anything that hinders you from having a close, intimate relationship with Him. I have come to realize that EVERY Christian faces their own mix of strongholds, addictions, perversions, and habits that need God’s destructive touch on them. These are usually the areas of our life that no one else knows about but they have the ability to torment us. God’s intent is to first shed light on that area and then proceed to destroy the fruit and the root.

The “fruit” would be what is being produced. It is the outward bi-product of my internal world. The more I feed this part of me, legitimize its presence, embrace it and hold on to it, the more fruit it will produce. This morning, God’s Word assures me of the destruction of that fruit. While I may have to live with the consequences of choices I have made in the past God’s intent is to produce new fruit.

But surface cosmetics is not going to change what is within me. It is only as God reveals the root system and source of my fruit bearing that He can begin working in that area as well with the intent of actually destroying the roots. What is it I am attached to that keeps feeding the worst parts of me? It may be an attitude, an action, a false belief, a fear, or any number of other things. God’s answer is always to get to the heart of the issue…the very starting point! He is good at helping us to wade through the cobwebs and entanglements of our life to reveal the roots.

God’s “destructive” work begins when I finally come to Him and am ready to walk in truth. To stand before Him in full acceptance of His searching. It often starts with the simple question, “God, why am I like this? Why am I doing and saying these things? Where is this all coming from?” When we ask from a genuine heart He begins the process of probing, uncovering, and disclosing our root system. Every wrong thing in me can be traced back to a faulty root system of lies, deception, and misinformation. I can trust Him to expose and destroy the smallest, deepest roots in me.

Father, You are in the process of exposing the real problems and issues. Your gentleness astounds me. May I cooperate with You as You destroy the harmful fruit and roots of my life. Amen.