God's Recipe to Live By

Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:12-14 (New King James Version)

I love God’s invitations! He perks up our ears with an offer for not only a long life but a good one at that. But like so many of His principles and promises throughout Scripture, there is a condition that must be met. He is offering one thing while listing the requirements for obtaining it.

So what are the conditions upon which God’s promises hang? Watching our words as well as our actions. God knows that the words we speak over our life, our circumstances, and our relationships will have a big effect on each. Words that are evil and deceitful are not only opposite of His character of truth but they are tools for the enemy to use against us and others. In other words, He wants us to not say something that will give the enemy the means and opportunity with which to attack us. The words we speak will either add quality and length to our life or drain us of it.

He also requires a life of exchanges with our actions. Give up the evil ways for what is good and brings peace. Which of these words will define my actions today? I will have numerous opportunities to display one or the other. I must understand myself well enough to know that my flesh will always go for the evil ways while my spirit (my connection with God) will go after what is good and results in peace. Again, my actions will aid me in having an abundant life or hinder me from it.

In myself and through my own efforts I will fail in both these areas. I will speak the words that God cringes at and Satan delights in. I will also act in ways that work against me and others. That is why each morning I must start with a cry for help! David’s prayer can be my own, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.” God will let me know throughout the day what should and shouldn’t be exiting my mouth. He will do the same with my actions. Not only will He instruct me along the way but He will empower me to obey Him, yield to Him, and cooperate with Him. He will give me the desire and ability to do the very thing He requires with all the benefits that come with it.

Father, I will not make it without Your help today. Be the Guard of my mouth as well as my actions. I want to defer to You every time. Amen.

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

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

Taking His Time

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1 (King James Version)

Waiting patiently. Once again I am reminded it means hopeful expectation not resignation! The waiting is on God not on opportunities, change in circumstances, or change in me. Any inner turmoil, frustration, worry, or straining reveals a lack of trust on my part. A trust in God’s will, God’s ways, God’s timing, and God’s character. God’s purposes, plans, and protection in times of waiting are always demonstrated even if I don’t clearly see them or understand them. Many times God has to help me see what is NOT meant in order to understand what IS meant when He requires that I go through a time of waiting.

I can recall two types of waiting that have skewed my thinking in regards to waiting on God. Both took place when I was young. I can remember being with my dad on certain days and inevitably stopping at a bar. More often than not, I was told to ‘sit tight’ while he went in for a drink. It could be a brief or extended time of waiting, but either way I was left alone, unattended, and unaware of when the waiting would end. I can also remember ‘waiting’ by an upstairs window watching for my parents to come home on Friday evenings with groceries. I knew instinctively if they had been drinking the groceries would wait until ‘tomorrow.’ There was a sense of expectant disappointment.

This morning, God is tenderly reminding me that neither of these scenarios are accurate representations of waiting patiently for Him. In the midst of waiting, He is present with me and He is NOT setting me up for a disappointment. He is using this time to prepare me and faithfully arrange the circumstances and people in my life to bring about His eventual purposes. He is attentive, involved, and caring as He operates according to His wisdom and His time. But I will fail to see that if I continue to view Him through a grid of distrust, distortions, and disappointments.

My journey to freedom is filled with moments when God takes me back to the root of distorted thinking. While He will not change the things that happened in my life, He will correct the interpretation of those things. As lies are exposed, He offers truth for me to embrace. He is helping me to take the faces of individuals off Himself and see Him for who He is and what He is really like. It is definitely worth the time He is taking to do it!

Father, thank you that You take the perfect amount of time to work with me and in me. Amen.

In His Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-rGzx2OZk

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

Considered Clear

For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 2 Corinthians 7:11 (New King James Version)

From time to time, God will allow a phrase from Scripture to jump out at me to clarify a point. It will usually have to do with something I have struggled to grasp and see clearly. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians was one of commendation for heeding his words in the first letter he sent. They took his rebuke to heart and sought change of their own heart and behavior. Hence, they proved themselves “clear in this matter.” THAT became God’s picture to me of forgiveness…..being made clear in a matter. To be considered innocent even though wrong doing and guilt had marked my path. To no longer live a life whereby I define myself by my past behavior.

Seeing my personal failure in an area often leaves me with shame and regret. Long after the issue has been “settled”, the voices in my head continue to scream accusations. There seems to be a persistent, “I am forgiven BUT….” feeling deep down inside my heart and mind. As a young Christian, this scenario played out over stuff I had done prior to salvation. It took years to gain a sense that I was clear. As an adult, I would look back at teaching experiences in the classroom and cringe at the way I handled situations. Once again, the sense of being clear took much time and God’s persistent work. Presently, the accusing voices still persist concerning a failed mentoring relationship. Each time I mentally kick myself it is evident I am not living with a sense of being clear in that matter.

God desires my freedom and acceptance of His truth about forgiveness even more than I desire them. He longs for me to embrace the reality of the clearing of a matter. As He said to Peter so He says to me, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean!” (Acts 11:9 NIV) and that includes the way I view myself. Freedom for me will come as I stop living under a sense of condemnation from myself or perceived condemnation from others, and start accepting the fact that God has cleared me in matters that have been confessed to Him. Each day becomes another opportunity to revel in His forgiveness rather than cower in old garments of regret that are no longer meant for me and never were meant for me.

May each of us take off the chains of past regret that Christ has already unlocked!

Father, help me to see what You see…..one who has been clear in a matter…. and to live like it! Amen.

Shackles (Praise You) - Mary Mary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ9XjqUaVZM&feature=related

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

Beyond Mere Endurance

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version)

David said in Psalm 119:161, “My heart trembles at Your Word.“ This morning I know what he means. God is showing me a truth that literally has me trembling like I have just taken in a huge amount of caffeine! My mind is racing, my heart rate is up, and I am trying to contain the joy because of something I am seeing for the first time.

I have often read 2 Corinthians 12:9 without fully realizing what God was saying to Paul, and in reality, what He was saying to me. Paul had asked God to remove a thorn of some sort from his life. Possibly this was in the area of a physical weakness…maybe poor eyesight or an actual disease of the eye. Whatever the case may be, the answer was “no” with the promise of God’s grace being sufficient for him. All that meant to me was God was going to give Paul the ability to endure. To be quite honest with you, that gave me little comfort. It felt more like a disappointment then an assurance because I could not see what God was really saying.

I am seeing the meaning of three very important words and it is causing this verse to come alive. In this verse, grace is referring to God’s loving-kindness, favor, and strength. Sufficient not only means to have enough to defend or ward off but to possess unfailing strength in a satisfying and sufficient amount. And rest means Christ’s power descending upon one, working within him, and giving him help. When I put all the puzzle pieces together I am seeing God’s promise to EMPOWER me with His strength in the midst of whatever has come into my life….especially those things that are not going to go away. It is in my weaknesses, infirmities, and inabilities that God’s strength and power will be evidenced and showcased in my life. It will come upon me, work in me, and help me physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

In the midst of tremendous loss, earth shattering news, devastating medical diagnosis, financial crisis, weather related catastrophes, or any other life altering dilemma, I can tell myself and any other child of God, that His power will mightily infuse them. It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead! It is not simply endurance. It is victorious empowerment!

Father, I need these words this morning as I look ahead to the things I can’t face, handle, or survive on my own. I admit my weakness and embrace Your strength. May the manifestation of Your power in my life be magnified and multiplied! I stand in awe at the implications and importance of Your words to me. Amen.

Praise You in the Storm - Casting Crowns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw&feature=related

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

His Continued Work

As you do not know what is the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. Ecclesiastes 11:5 (New King James Version)

Just over fifty-one years ago, God finished forming me in my mother’s womb. I don’t know how He caused me to grow and develop inside of her, yet that did not stop Him from doing so. And I don’t understand all the ways He has chosen to work in my life since the day of my birth, but that too has not stopped Him from doing so. With that said, this is becoming a day of reflection for me.

God has woven together the pieces of my life which have included joy and sorrow, tears and laughter, relationships and loneliness, successes and failures, gains and losses, and so on. I have not always understood what He was doing and why He was doing it, but I am realizing more and more that He really is doing what is good for me and glorifying for Himself. Peace and joy abound when I embrace His choices, plans, and purposes for me. When I strain against Him, I lose every time.

Several years ago, God began showing me what He was like. His heart has been revealed to me through His Word as well as through the body of Christ. As He has corrected my distorted view of Himself my life has been changed. Those revelations and corrections have often been the subjects of many devotionals. He still has much to teach me but I marvel at what He has done so far. Up until recently much of the journey has been about learning the truth about God. But God is clearly letting me know He is now choosing to help me learn the truth about myself. In His wisdom He first allowed me to feel safe with Him. And now within that safety I can open myself up to His view and knowledge of me.

He is tender yet persistent in showing me where I am broken, where I have been affected by childhood experiences, my misunderstandings of relationships, and my mistaken ways of getting needs met. He is also showing me where I fail to trust Him and accept what He offers me each day. Just a short while ago I bent the knee and shed tears over my refusal to embrace His reason for bringing in and removing individuals in my life. The inability to move forward has finally been removed as His forgiveness and mercy have been extended to me once again.

I share with you each morning NOT as one who has ‘arrived’ but as one who is learning. I struggle and I succeed on a daily basis. I bleed when I am cut and I cry when I am hurt. The difference is I have finally learned to admit it all to God and other believers. I choose to continue to live my life with the perspective and power that comes from God’s heart and hands as I walk with Him.

Father, sometimes I feel like I barely know You or myself. Continue to reveal Yourself to me and expose me to the truth about myself. With You I am safe to see both. Amen.

Warrior is a Child/Do I Trust You - Twila Paris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pzu-jWpcdw

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

The Way of Love

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3 (New International Version)

There are times when I want to pull away from everyone I know. My mind makes a decision to not answer phone calls, emails, or letters. It is called shutting my heart down, resisting the urge to need anyone, and safe guarding myself from disappointment, dissatisfaction, discouragement, and depravation. But God is letting me know that is not the way He would have me live. That is living out of my flesh instead of out of my spirit. It will grieve Him and do no one any good whatsoever.

God’s Word tells me to love others. I must allow His command to be more than words on a page and a sound in my ear. On a practical level, loving one another means I keep myself open to fully receive others as God brings them across my path. I welcome their conversations and listen to what their needs are. I ask God to show me ways to minister to them and allow His Spirit to infuse me with the love, desire, and ability to do so.

It also means setting aside the thoughts of who I would like to be involved with and watching for how God intersects my world with the ones of His own choosing. It becomes a time of anticipation rather than frustration. It also becomes a way of life whereby I receive abundance from Him and become a conduit of encouragement to others as I give to them what He has graciously given to me.

Will He encourage me through others? Absolutely! Will He allow others to be His conduit of grace to me? Most definitely! But He will choose the person and the timing. His desire is that I learn to rest in His hands and in His ways. Not squirming! Not sulking! Not closed off! But rather open to all that He intends this day to bring forth through me and to me.

Above each activity and each moment I need to display the words, “His ways are higher than my ways. His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. His plans are good. His love is enough. He is God!” Learning to live in trust and cooperation with Him and sensing His presence and His smile throughout my day is what will make today unique, powerful, and precious. May I go forth with praise on my lips, joy in my heart, and arms open wide to give and receive.

Father, thank you for the way that only You can redirect my thoughts and actions. I bow to the wonder of You. Amen.

Worship Song - Maranatha Singers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMpbm2p-1mo

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

When All Is Stripped Away

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19 (New American Standard Bible)

In a time and place when agricultural supply was a necessity this passage shows the bleakest of circumstances. Without the number of stores and safety nets we have available to us today, a famine or crop failure was devastating. No fruit, no yield, no flocks, and no cattle, meant no sustenance, source, or security. It would be the picture of the Great Depression in Biblical times. Some who are reading this devotional may at this time be without a job or facing the prospect of losing the job they have. It is one thing to know all is well when a paycheck is being drawn each week and there is money in the bank for needed expenses. It is another thing to have all stripped away and no relief in sight.

God’s answer to Israel through Habakkuk is His answer to us as well. Rejoice in Him. See Him as our salvation and strength. See Him as the One who will help us walk above and beyond our circumstances. He is not weakened or limited by what is going on around us. Many times, when all is well, we can easily take our eyes off God and rest in a false sense of security. We can forget who He really is and all that He can do in our life. When what or who we trust in apart from God is removed (temporarily or permanently) we are forced to see what our opinion of God really is.

I will admit, I have never been financially destitute. I have never been given a devastating medical report. I have never been in dire straights morally. I have never been stripped of honor and dignity. But I have been emotionally bankrupt and wondered if the darkness would ever leave or even diminish. At that time, I had to reevaluate my dependency, trust, and view of God. I had to stay in His Word and see His unchanging nature. I had to view my situation through the grid of His truth and presence. I had to see that at all times I was still in His hands and under His care. In order to rejoice in Him and in His promises, I had to pull in closer to Him. Whether the situation is in the area of the physical, spiritual, social, mental, or emotional, seeing that He is still God and still in control is the only means of survival and abundant living.

Father, though the things and people around me change, You do not. You are my Source. You are my Security. You are my Provider. You are my God and I praise You and rejoice in You. Amen.

You're Still God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvclzwpAMxg

Holiness is a furnace that transforms the men and women who enter it. - Eugene H.Peterson