They Are Meant for You Too

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15 NASB

How many times do we read a portion of Scripture and think only of the person to whom God was directly speaking? For years, I failed to make a connection between God speaking to people in the Bible and God speaking to me. I thought David was so fortunate to have a God who delighted in Him. I thought the nation of Israel was so blessed to have a God who would never leave them. I thought Jacob was so privileged to have a God who promised to be with him. But I failed to see the same messages were meant for me. God’s intent had always been for me to hear Him say the words to me as well. He desires for each of us to take the words He spoke centuries ago and own them for ourselves. God’s words are meant to leap off the pages of Scripture and house themselves within us. If we limit them to only being meant for the person God originally spoke them to, we exclude ourselves from their power in our own life. It is imperative that we not separate ourselves from all that God wants to say to us through His Word.

So when we face unchartered territory we must listen as He says, “I am with you.” When difficulties arise we must drink in His whispers of “I will keep you wherever you go.” When we feel abandoned, forgotten, or alone we must take in His words of “I will not leave you.” It is meant to be just as real for us as it was for Jacob. That is one of reasons we say God’s Word is alive. He not only spoke to Jacob, He speaks to us presently. It is the same God, the same words, but different ears. Ours!

I love the note in my Amplified Bible next to the phrase ‘I am with you, and will keep you.’ It says “watch over you with care, take notice of.” It is said with compassion, warmth, tenderness, and affection. It is one thing to have a friend join you at a time of need. It is quite another thing for the Creator and Sustainer of the universe to be your very present help at all times! May His words be THAT personal to you not only today but every day.

Father, I am touched by Your words this morning. They really are meant for me! They are meant to draw me into close communion with You. May they become as much a part of me as my very breath. Amen.

God's Individual and Unique Work

Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing, be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1 NASB

A leper came to Jesus for healing. Jesus touched him and spoke and the leprosy was cleansed. A centurion came to Jesus on behalf of his paralyzed servant and Jesus merely spoke the word and his servant was healed. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever and Jesus touched her hand and the fever was gone. People brought many others to Jesus who were demon-possessed and Jesus cast out the spirits with His word. This all took place in the first 16 verses of Matthew 8. What a powerful example of the variety and uniqueness of Jesus’ healing ministry. Sometimes He spoke, sometimes He touched, sometimes He spoke and touched. Sometimes individuals came for themselves and other times they brought others in need of healing. The needs varied as well as the methods. Jesus was not limited to just one particular way of doing things.

So often we look at how God is working in an individual’s life today and we want the same thing done in us. We want the same methods used and the same picture when God is finished. But God sees us and deals with us as individuals. He is creative and distinguishing in the interactions with His children. No two people are exactly alike. There may be similarities but each possesses qualities, personalities, backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, gifts, and relationships that are unique to them. The combinations and variety are astounding.

God has a special design on each life and because of that He will individualize His way of working in those lives. He determines the trials, blessings, hardships, events, and interactions of my life. The choice of tools is His. The finished product is His. Now I can either fight Him or cooperate. I can either squeeze myself into other molds or allow God to mold me. I can either wish for duplications of His other works or learn to joy in what He is doing in me and has planned for me. I choose cooperation over comparison. May I seek His choice for me!

Father, I am like no other child of Yours. Therefore I trust the way You are working, the tools You are using, and the results You are planning. I find comfort in the uniqueness, creativity, and distinctiveness of all You do! Amen.

Out of Darkness Into the Light

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NASB

I like what Paul is doing in this verse. He is adoring God for the favor He has bestowed upon us in giving to us all the benefits of being in Christ. The first chapter of Ephesians is an incredible list of God-given possessions and positions in Christ. It is our answer to any feelings of insignificance, deprivation, loneliness, distress, disappointment, depression, and self-condemnation we hang on to or accept from the enemy.

Last night a cloud of darkness hung over me that was so thick I could feel it. It enveloped me and threatened to strangle every part of me. Joy was gone, hope was elusive, acceptance was unfelt, and my inner world seemed shaky. I found myself drawing conclusions and making plans that were all headed in the wrong direction. No peace. No spirit of thankfulness. No walk of victory. It is not a place I enjoy being in.

God’s intent is that I see it for what it is (an attack) and I grab hold of the life line He extends to me. This morning that life line was the first chapter of Ephesians and the phrase “in Christ.” My hope, my strength, my forgiveness, my salvation, my growth, my fellowship, my wisdom, my joy, my direction, my fullness, my significance, my identity, my purpose, my life are ALL found in Christ. When people cannot be to me what I want them to be, when circumstances are not the way I want them to be, when dreams are not realized, when disappointments come, when tears flow, when darkness descends I must once again climb into the truth that I am in Christ and everything I want and need is found in Him!

God wants me to see that when I look outside of Him to get my needs met I will always come away disappointed. He has kind intentions toward me and lavishes me with grace, forgiveness, mercy, love, and attention. I am His treasured possession whom He chose before the foundations of the world. A nobody? Absolutely not! Insignificant? No way! Forgotten? Never! This morning He is reminding me that the greatness of His power is at work in me. All the change is coming from Him. I am His work of art and He is not finished yet!

Father, last night it was dark. Today I walk in the light which is so bright I am squinting! Thank you for pulling me up once again. Amen.

Pray Without Ceasing

Be unceasing in prayer---praying perseveringly. I Thessalonians 5:17 Amplified Bible

How would you describe your prayer life? For years it was a rote activity in which I found little joy or purpose. I knew how to read through a prayer list with as much passion and excitement as I would have reading a grocery list or the phone book. The thought of spending more than a couple minutes in prayer seemed more daunting than delightful to me. My lack of daily connection to God explained my lack of daily communication with Him. I knew what it was like to talk with someone I loved and thought the world of and I knew that was not my view of God or prayer. Because my view of Him was so distorted it affected my desire to talk to Him, spend time with Him, and learn about Him. How it must have broken His heart to see that I struggled with the thing He found such pleasure in.

As I have come to realize some precious truths about God it has begun to correct my view of Him. With that correction has come a change in the way I approach His Word and His throne! I marvel when God allows a portion of Scripture to come alive to me. And I marvel when He gives me a new concept for prayer. This morning, an avenue of prayer has opened up to me and what a joy it was to venture on to the path. Let me explain.

I love devotional books. I presently have five of them that enrich my mornings. I read them last year but know they will take on new dimensions for me this year. What I did not realize was how God would nudge me to use them as prayer guides. This morning as I read some I found myself praying for the truths I was taking in. The words I read became my prayers to God. For instance, when I read Make Him the Source, the Center, and the One who encompasses every delight of your soul (Streams in the Desert, p.15), I voiced those very words to God! The more I did this as I read the more I was empowered.

What would happen if everything I read through out the day became petitions to God? If every circumstance I faced became a catalyst for talking to God? If every thing I faced in a day became a doorway of communication with God? Praying without ceasing would no longer appear to be just nice words. They would become my daily experience!

Father, may You continue to broaden my view of prayer. Learning to talk and listen to You delights us both! Amen.

Reminders for the New Year

Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Revelation 18:6b NASB

Last night I finished my goal of reading through the Bible in 2006. For numerous reasons I found myself behind by a number of days so ended up needing to read the entire book of Revelation in one sitting. What seemed daunting at first lasted only an hour and a half. But the experience was rich! I saw the final book of the Bible in a completely different light. In the past I saw it as a book filled with symbols I did not understand and future events I could not fully grasp. But God’s intent was for me to see the treasure of promises….His promises! Those promises house the end of the story. It is a story that started with God’s creation back in the book of Genesis and fast forwards to the demise of our enemy, the destination of each of us, and the determined reign of God!

God’s Word tells us Satan’s end is the lake of fire where he will be in torment forever. He knows this is his end. He knows his days are numbered. He knows God will ultimately have the victory. He knows he can do nothing to avoid his own outcome. So what is he up to in the mean time? His desire is to be as destructive as possible. He wants to thwart any workings of God, prevent people from knowing Christ, and hinder Christians from living the abundant life God promised them. Let’s take every opportunity this year to remind him of his own defeat! Just read Revelation 20 to him the next time he rears his defiant head.

Each of us have an end as well. I would challenge any person to take just 15 minutes and read the last three chapters of Revelation. The only options point to Heaven or Hell. Heaven awaits those who know Christ as Savior and Hell and the eventual lake of fire await those who do not. If a person is being taught of any other possibilities they are being lied to and deceived.

Finally, I drink in the truth that God is and always will be on the throne. He is the beginning and the ending and has the first and last words. So no matter what this year holds we can proclaim with all our might, “God is still on the throne!”

Father, You wrote my name in the Lamb’s book of Life before the foundation of the world and then You gently wooed me to Yourself. Nothing in this life can change Your revealed end of the story! Amen.

The Power of Praise

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 NASB, KJV

David’s passion was God and it spilled out of him through praise. Of the 150 chapters in the book of Psalm, 64 give reference to it. 133 verses mention it. David knew the power of praise! He sang it, spoke it, wrote it, and practiced it. Plus, he encouraged others to do the same. He had learned to praise God in good times as well as bad. He expressed it when his heart was full of joy or when he felt over whelmed with anxiety. He praised God for who He was as well as for all He had done. It was his daily experience and expression.

The word ‘praise’ is rich with meaning! There are eight different Greek words that are used for praise. Their meanings broaden my view of the subject. Praise means to worship, celebrate, laud, congratulate, and commend. It is acclaiming and ascribing honor. It entails thankfulness, blessing, and adoration. No wonder God inhabits the praises of His people! How His ears must perk up every time we verbalize it!

For the past year or so I have been learning the importance of guarding my thoughts and the power of spoken words. Yesterday, God decided to help me see the reward of doing both! Early on in the day, He nudged me to praise Him whenever the enemy whispered lies or discouraging thoughts to me. I discovered the benefit of this four word phrase: I praise You, God! The minute a wrong thought came my way I voiced the phrase. Before the thought was even complete I spoke the praise. I was amazed at the result.

I learned a praise advantage I was not aware existed. Praise not only delights and pleases God, it has a dulling and inhibiting affect on wrong moods, thoughts, and attitudes. It is actually a detriment to the attacks of the enemy, other people’s words, and my own feelings. Each time I spoke the words of praise I interrupted the flow of negative, damaging thoughts. It was like pouring water on a flame. What a powerful extinguisher! No wonder David found it necessary to do all the time and on a continual basis. May I follow his example and do the same!

Father, I have found praise to be my shield during attacks as well as my flag to wave in triumph! Help me to cultivate and communicate a heart and voice of praise! Amen.

Three Important Actions

But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12 NASB

Many of us have taken comfort in the last words Jesus spoke from the cross, “It is finished!” Our sin debt was paid in full on that day over 2,000 years ago. As soon as a person receives Christ as Savior they put into affect that payment. How sad that many will never receive Christ’s payment for their sin and will end up making an eternity of payments in Hell on their own. The simple yet profound truth is that the acceptance of the payment comes with the acceptance of the Savior.

But two things happened after Christ spoke those words and died. First, He came back to life three days later. His resurrection from the dead was additional proof that He was who He said He was and His death was accepted as our payment. Without the resurrection, His death would have been in vain. All that He suffered on the way to the cross and while He hung on the cross would have ended up being a mere tragedy in human history. He had to be sinless in order to take our place and He would not have been sinless if He had lied. Since He said He would rise from the dead three days later, it would have been a lie had He not risen. That in itself would have hindered Him from being our payment for sin. Not only would our sin be unforgiven but we would face an eternity forever separated from God. There would be no relationship with God even in this life.

His death and resurrection are two thirds of the story. The climax of it all is that He sat down at the right hand of God. In Old Testament times, the priest stood daily when offering the sacrifices because his job was never finished. When Christ sat down His work was completed! One sacrifice for all sin for all time!

How does this apply to my life today? Every time I bring my sin to God for forgiveness I am assured of forgiveness because of Christ’s death, resurrection, and position at the right hand of God. There is no second guessing or doubting when I see the full and complete picture. There is also no reason to cower as I approach God since it was His will, desire, and pleasure to pay my sin debt.

Father, I bow in gratitude and awe this morning. The forgiveness of my sins is as complete as the payment that was made for them. May I never tire of reviewing and reveling in such a truth! Amen.