We are called to walk in God’s Light and to be light in the earth. The true light pours forth from God, to us, and through us back to God and out to others. The light Jesus calls us to be moves in the will and way of God, desiring to please Him above self-will and man-pleasing.
The light we are called to produces
the fruit of The Word of God living and active in us,
the fruit of repentance,
the fruit of righteousness,
the fruit of good works,
the fruit of the Spirit of God,
the fruit of God’s Kingdom on earth, which is the bearing forth of Christlikeness.
If these things are not living, active, and growing in us, the light in us is the false light of darkness.
A profession of knowing Jesus, while not having this light visibly working in us is darkness – it is useless and accomplishes nothing good or of eternal value. “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15-17 NASB1995
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. You have done foolishly in this; therefore, from now on you shall have wars.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9 AMPC
“God is not democratic. His Kingdom is not a democracy. He is never subject to our whim or rule. The only real authority we ultimately have with God is the right to completely rule Him out of our lives. You can do that. But who in their right minds wants to? That’s the decision of those who refuse Christ, who reject God’s redemption and rule through His appointed King.
“But once I receive Jesus Christ as Savior, He enters to become Lord. Once my choice is to “rule Him in,” He comes in to rule! He takes over at Master-control and exercises God’s Kingdom rule to achieve our best blessing and highest destiny.” (From Praise in The Presence of God, by Jack Hayford)
Father God, I am so grateful for Your saving grace found in Jesus Christ, my Savior and King. Thank You for leading my heart to bow before You and choose Jesus as Lord and Redeemer King. Thank You for paying the price I could not pay so I can have the Life I do not deserve.
And thank You for giving Your Word and Teacher Spirit to train me in righteousness and empower me to walk out the salvation You call me to, living out the righteous life You call me to display. You are awesome God and Faithful Creator, worthy of all glory, praise, and honor. May my life and every breath prove these truths to the glory of Your name. In Jesus and for Your glory and crown, amen.
“Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”” Luke 17:1-4 NKJV
God’s forgiveness is there, waiting to be received. We who belong to Him, having received His gift of forgiveness, are called to forgive in likeness to Him. To do so, we must understand and fully receive God’s forgiveness.
Isaiah 43:25 reveals to us that God chooses forgiveness for His own sake. Choosing forgiveness before repentance is seen is a choice that protects from the tendency to give up on a desired relationship. It protects the one who chooses forgiveness from being hindered from moving forward, being hurt mentally and spiritually by bitterness, anger, hate, and other such maladies that take hold to destroy life, filling hearts with inability to trust and give unconditional love.
We who are called by His name are responsible before God to forgive those who offend us in the likeness of His forgiveness given to us. However, God’s forgiveness for us is not ours to possess until we reach out through repentance to receive it. Until we actively receive God’s gift of forgiveness, provided by His grace, we will not possess the relationship with Him that He desires with us.
Jesus died in the place of us sinners to provide us The Way to receive God’s forgiveness. His provision is ours once we reach out from repentant hearts to The Father, through Him who is the propitiation (full payment) owed by us because of our sin. God provided The Way for us to enter healed and full, eternal relationship with Him as we believe The Truth of The Christ, and receive The Life eternal and made new that only He provides for us.
We show ourselves recipients of that new life as we live the life He calls us to with every breath He graciously supplies. For the remainder of our earthly dwelling, we are to walk out the salvation we are freely given, maintaining a healthy relationship with God that glorifies Him and reveals His love to others.
If you’ve not received the greatest gift ever given, reach out and take it with a believing heart that recognizes it’s sinful ways that stand against this holy God, requiring God’s forgiveness. Reach to Him, ready to receive His grace with a heart that is determined to live for Him, knowing He is holding His gift out, ready to give. Then reach out to a Christ-centered friend and seek to be baptized into Christ, joining His fold in a fellowship that teaches truth from the full gospel of Christ, where Christian fellowship and encouragement for growth is found.
Baptism into Christ is a vital step of obedience in one’s salvation experience and is not to be taken lightly. Like marriage vows done as God intended, it is a joining in union with Him, fully entering the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Buried with Him in water baptism, we are raised to receive and walk in newness of life, fully committing oneself to walk forevermore in full relationship with God, determined to live life as one belonging to Him. When we step out of those waters, we leave the eternal grave and our old, flesh-driven life behind to walk in the new, Spirit-filled and directed life God calls us to live according to His wisdom found in His Word. As a new slate, clean and fresh, we now live a life written out for us to possess in a way that honors Him as Savior, God, Father, and King.
Get into God’s Word every day, starting with the New Testament. Reading it is important, but it is also vital to find someone who can teach you how to study God’s Word for the fullest benefit of understanding. Stay in the New Testament until you have a firm grasp of the covenant agreement you are called to, and walk in His ways for the remainder of your days.
The Old Testament is important to understand as well, but it is best understood in light of the full truth found in the New Covenant. This is the call to new life given through the gift of forgiveness found in Christ. God bless you as you make full use of the gift found in Christ, and fully established in us as we grow strong in God’s word.
“… These are inveterate {chronic} murmurers (grumblers) who complain [of their lot in life], going after their own desires [controlled by their passions]; their talk is boastful and arrogant, [and they claim to] admire men’s persons and pay people flattering compliments to gain advantage. But you must remember, beloved, the predictions which were made by the apostles (the special messengers) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). They told you beforehand, In the last days (in the end time) there will be scoffers [who seek to gratify their own unholy desires], following after their own ungodly passions. It is these who are [agitators] setting up distinctions and causing divisions–merely sensual [creatures, carnal, worldly-minded people], devoid of the [Holy] Spirit and destitute of any higher spiritual life. ….” – Jude 1:14-25 AMPC
Inveterate (murmurers) – Firmly and long established; deep-rooted. Persisting in an ingrained habit; habitual: synonym: chronic.
Father, I don’t think I’m a grumbler – especially not habitually so. But if I, in any way or depth, am given over to grumbling and complaining, reveal this evil in me and deliver me from its grasp.
I do see that I tend to fall to the sin of giving compliments, not falsely – what I speak, I say out of true evaluation, but with the wrong motives of trying to get into another’s good graces, or trying to prove something they believe about me to be incorrect. This, too, is not out of a lie. The things the ones I think of in this do believe of me is a lie. But working to please them in proving them wrong is prideful. So forgive me this sin, O God, and prove righteousness and truth in me in ways they can rightly see. I rest my defense into Your capable Hands, for You see and know the truth of every heart.
Father, let me not be found an instigator of division, but use me to bring peace that unites from a position of righteous understanding. In Jesus I pray, amen.
A devotional done with friends reminds me of the need of long hours at Your feet in some life issues, Lord. My heart stays so overwhelmed by so much in these days that part of me feels prayerless – or at least inadequate in prayer for such unbelievable turmoil, while the other part feels the groaning of Your Spirit that has me constant at Your feet – watchfully waiting. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
Thank You for Your Word that is the dictator and heart of my prayers in these days. And thank You for the answer received today in one of those major devastations. I love You dearly and long for Your will, to see Your hand in the land of our living, as You have so faithfully done so many times throughout my years of running hard after You. In Jesus, make it so. Amen!
Lord God, I do love You. I am so grateful for You. You are real and alive. I am so grateful to know You. I am so grateful to be Yours, and to be known by You. You are my hope and song. Life is real with You.
Thank You for saving me. Thank You for loving me, Thank You for being my God. Thank You for directing my path. I thank You for using my mouth. I pray to be surrendered to You so my mouth speaks purely from a heart that knows You. I pray to be surrendered to You, so my feet take the paths You desire me to.
I need You. Life is incomplete without You. With You, all things are made new. I rejoice in who You are, and in who You make me to be. You are my guiding light, my hope for right, and my joy in the night. For these things and more than I can fathom, I give you glory. For it is in Jesus name that I pray, amen.
Wow! Father, I love when You refuse to allow me to give myself to fleshly fears and self-centered cares. You truly are giving me purpose in making this trip with my daughter. You’re speaking to my heart about not allowing fear to rob me of the blessing of fulfilling Your purpose as I choose to live life to the full. It’s been made clear that she wants time with me and this is opportunity to gift that to her – and to myself. I long to see my granddaughter and family, and to meet my new great grand and his dad, my new grandson in love. This is my chance to do that.
You have opened doors for me. I must not let my flesh, the ills and difficulties of this world, and satanic fear rob me. I must cling to faith’s trust in You as You are clearly calling me to do through Your Word to my heart today. Grant me to remember Your words to me and put fear thoughts and self-centered comforts behind me. In Jesus, amen.
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”” Deuteronomy 31:6-8 NASB1995
You are so faithful, Lord, to lead us and direct our paths as we seek Your opinion. Thank You for sparking my heart today with Deuteronomy 31:6-8, increasing faith in me to make this upcoming trip with my daughter to see my granddaughter and family three days journey away: a daunting distance to me. I am trusting You have a purpose to fulfill in my going, and giving me a word from You to hold to confirms Your will and provision for it. I am so very grateful.
This is exactly what I needed to hear from You. Thank You that You never fail to inspire my faith in You for the things You call me to, and You are faithful to encourage my perseverance on the path You lead to. I do trust You. Now, Lord, entrusting this journey to You, I pray to be Your instrument in loving these, and in shining You into their lives and the lives of others at every opportunity as we go. In Jesus, amen!
“And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”” – Exodus 15:26 NASB1995
You are! You are my first, most vital need and necessity. I can do nothing apart from You of any eternal worth or value. With You working in and through me, nothing shall be impossible, for I can do all things through the strength of Your supply.
You are my hope, my help, my provision, my treasure. Every good and perfect is from You, the Father of Lights, in Whom there is no variation or shifting of shadow. I trust You, looking to You for my every good. Make Yourself known as You show Yourself strong in me.
You are my life. You cleanse and sanctify me in holiness. You heal me by Your Word from a sin nature in my flesh and bring me surely into righteousness and truth through my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I bow!
Thank You for saving me and making me whole as You make me wholly Yours. In Jesus name, amen.
“Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”” – John 8:28-29
Your Word is pure joy to my heart, Father. Even when it’s words convict me of sin, I rejoice, for that conviction reveals Your love that wants a pure relationship with me and desires I be holy as You are holy. I desire to know and walk in Your truths, so that I may know and walk with You. Grant me to love Your Word, abiding in that which makes me to know You and Your ways.
I pray to only speak Your true words, Father. Teach me, that I may have truth to speak. Show Yourself strong with and through me. Grant wise discernment of clear paths that I may consistently walk as pleases You at all times and in all things. As Jesus – our example for life – is, so I desire to be. In Jesus, amen.
“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;” – Genesis 26:12-13 NKJV
Prosper us, Father, in our relationships – beginning and majoring in our relationship with You as First and Foremost, our most vital need and necessity. Increase us in fruit bearing that glorifies and honors You, bringing increase to Your Kingdom. As stewards of the manifold gifts of Your grace to us, prosper us in fulfilling Your purpose and plan. You give sufficient and beyond so that we have sufficient for every good deed. Grant us wisdom to know the good that rightly uses Your good gifts to us. May we walk as pleases You in all our ways, being found faithful and ready at Your coming, when we meet You face to face. In Jesus, amen.
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” – III John 1:2 NKJV
“Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” – Colossians 1:25-29 NASB1995
Thank You, Father, for making a way for us to be clothed again in Your glory, through Christ Jesus our Lord. In Christ, we were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that we might be joined to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Therefore, if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord. Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. This we profess and this we trust as we walk out our salvation in the land of our living; this place of habitation You set us in.
Whether, then, we eat or drink or whatever we do, empower us to do all to the glory of God, that Your glory may rest on and shine through us as Your light to a lost and dead world. Whatever we do in word or deed, may we be faithful to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to You, our Father God. For it is in Jesus we pray, amen.
“Walking in the spirit of trust means simply doing what the Holy Spirit directs you to do. And keeping quiet.” Jack Hayford
The focal thought You gave me for today comes from Paul’s words in Acts 26:19, “Be Obedient to the Heavenly Vision.”
The place You called me to in this season is often a hard place to be, most certainly beyond my ability alone. But You keep confirming the path and assuring my heart that You are accomplishing Your purpose in and through me.
Here am I, O God. Help my mouth speak the assurances You give and my heart recognize Your sure presence in this place. Grant me wisdom and perseverance, especially in the hard times. And let my love for You and those around me be visible and palpable, going above and beyond mere words. In Jesus, amen.
Am I in fear? I don’t want to refuse to hear truth because of a fear that keeps me from accepting it. I don’t want to doubt the truth of my relationship to You, making Your authority and work in me weak and useless. I don’t want to run from and refuse Your discipline, for You discipline those You love and You scourge every son whom You receive. I cannot bear the fruit of righteousness, the fruit of Your Spirit, when fear rules and reigns, keeping me from repentance and from walking in Your truths.
Here am I, O God. Make Yourself and Your truth known to, in, and through me. Reveal truth, Father. Confirm and establish for me the works of my hands. In Jesus, amen.
“Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” – Mark 14:37-38 NKJV
Father, thank You for pausing me here this morning, leading me to consider these words. As I do, it dawns on me that Jesus just told these with Him that they would fall away and deny Him. If ever they needed to be praying, it was then. He was warning them of what was coming to Him and that one of their number would betray Him. If ever they needed to be praying, it was then.
Father God, You call us to Yourself, giving us assignment in living and serving You. Living for You is bigger than our flesh can accomplish without Your work in us and cannot be done apart from You. The wisdom of this world, our very flesh, and demonic influences stand against us, set to draw us into falsehood and sin. If ever we need to be praying and seeking Your Face, it is now.
Here am I, O God. Teach me to pray fervently, just as Jesus did. In Jesus, amen.
As I ask You, Father, if there’s any I haven’t forgiven, those used to put people intent on evil in authority, those leading us to the evil prevalent in our land today come to heart. I hate the evil, especially that which threatens the very life and wellbeing of our children and grandchildren. But I must forgive those who “do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). I must forgive for my own sake as exemplifies You (Isaiah 43:25).
Here am I, O God. Forgive and cleanse me of this unforgiving spirit. The greatest evil ever done was the killing of the Lord of Glory, yet it was most necessary to the fulfillment of Your purposed plan. You are still working Your plan, O God. Make us faithful to trust You, who will bring good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28).
You will make Your servants stand (Romans 14:4). May I be found standing firm in Christ, for it’s in His name and for Your glory that I pray, amen.
“Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”” – Mark 7:31-37
“But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”” – Mark 8:12
I noticed the sigh of Jesus in chapter 7, then this sigh. Was the heart of the people in 7 a desire for a sign as well? Is that why He took the man away from the crowd to heal him? Where else does Jesus sigh?
Doing a search using the Literal Word App, there are only 10 “sighs” found in scripture. These two are the only ones found in the NT. All others are in the old.
“Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.” — Exodus 2:23
“I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears.” — Psalm 6:6
“For my life is spent with sorrow And my years with sighing; My strength has failed because of my iniquity, And my body has wasted away.” — Psalm 31:10
“Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.” — Psalm 38:9-10
“My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted. When I remember God, then I am disturbed; When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah. You have held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” — Psalm 77:1-4
Read this chapter and see how the sigh here comes from viewing the circumstances of life without remembering the faithfulness of God. See how remembering God’s hand working in past situations brings a sigh to one’s failure to see and trust God in the now. Then understand the sigh of Jesus at the inability of the people to trust God’s faithfulness after all the miraculous works He did. Yet they still needed a sign. This leads me to ask, will I trust God though I do not see in the moment the work He is accomplishing?
“You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence. For all our days have declined in Your fury; We have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away. Who understands the power of Your anger And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:8-12
“Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. The new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the merry-hearted sigh. The gaiety of tambourines ceases, The noise of revelers stops, The gaiety of the harp ceases. They do not drink wine with song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. The city of chaos is broken down; Every house is shut up so that none may enter. There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine; All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished.” — Isaiah 24:6-11
“No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.” — Isaiah 35:9-10
“Was it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over? So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.” — Isaiah 51:10-11
“Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple.” — Ezekiel 9:3-6
Forgive me, Father, when I cause Your heart to sigh because of fear and doubt that grabs me. Empower me to seek Your face and trust in You with whole heart. You are faithful. Make me faithful to trust You more in these days that cause my heart to ((sigh)), appalled at the sin of humankind, a sigh that is deeper than ever before, longing for Your presence in the land of the living. In Jesus, amen.
“Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased [as if exhausted by its own activity]; and they were completely overwhelmed, because they had not understood [the miracle of] the loaves [how it revealed the power and deity of Jesus]; but [in fact] their heart was hardened [being oblivious and indifferent to His amazing works].” – Mark 6:51-52 AMP
They took it for granted. The power and might of the Christ became commonplace to them. It made the evidence of His power go over their heads without note.
To take something for granted: “to believe something to be the truth without even thinking about.” Cambridge Dictionary
“The expression to take for granted means “to accept without question or objection,” and often implies a lack of appreciation or gratitude. (E.g., “Many of us may take for granted the fact that we have access to clean drinking water.”)
“When it comes to people, to take someone for granted means to take advantage of, show no appreciation for, or undervalue them.” – Dictionary.com
Father, forgive me for failure to be amazed and realize Your power and ability to work among us. Nothing is too difficult for You. You can and will accomplish what concerns me. I can trust You. Forgive when I forget that You are God.
You place on my heart a work You desire I do, and I do so willingly, but I too readily slip into trusting my own ability instead of relying on Yours. You don’t need me to accomplish Your purpose in a work You lead me to. It is a privilege and joy to be Your instrument in accomplishing Your purpose. But it is still Your work in and through me. I can do nothing truly good or of eternal purpose apart from You. Father, You are my first, most vital need and necessity. Help me remember Your greatness and give You the glory due Your name.
Forgive me when I forget Who You are, becoming hardened against Your reality and might, failing to trust You to direct me and accomplish Your purpose in me. You are faithful. I trust You. Make Yourself known in, to, and through me. In Jesus, amen.
Any one of us weak fleshed beings are capable of denying the Christ apart from Your work of grace in us, Lord. Draw near to me, Lord, as I draw near to You. Fill me with Your Holy Presence, for apart from You I can do nothing. You are my first, most vital need and necessity. You are the oil in my lamp that keeps me dressed in readiness with lamps alight. Make me faithful and, according to Your faithful Word, empower me to stand despite any fear that comes my way. You are my hope and my help. I bow to You. This I pray in Jesus, amen.
The hardest and most important thing about confessing sin is seeing self rightly and truly, as You see me. I too readily tend to look at myself with rose colored glasses, if I am not careful to honestly and earnestly seek Your opinion or keep ears attuned to You.
I understand the importance of right relationship with You, Father, and the role of sincere repentance in maintaining that connection with You. Empower me to be quick in hearing You and faithful in seeking hard after You. Grant me eyes to see clearly as You see me; ears to hear truly, recognizing Your voice over those that are falsely self approving and deceptive; a mind of comprehensive understanding, in agreement with Your will done Your way; a heart set to seeking You with right desire for You as first and foremost need and necessity; and a spirit vitally united with Your Spirit, bowed down to You in willing obedience.
“This is my desire to honor You. Lord with all my heart I worship You. All I have within me, I give You praise. All that I adore is in You. Lord I give You my heart. I give You my soul, I live for You alone. Every breath that I take, Every moment I’m awake, Lord have Your way in me.” In Jesus, amen.
Thank You, Father, that You desire a loving, open, full, complete, and trusting relationship with us, so much so that You gave Your Son to achieve it. Thank You that as we seek You wholeheartedly, You give us Your Spirit Teacher to make Yourself known to us, disclosing Yourself and Your Word to our understanding. I praise You that, in Christ, You open the chambers of Your secret place, where we can meet heart to heart, a place no one can take from us. There, through Your Living Word, You instruct us in the way in which we must go, and grant us grace sufficient for our successful journey through this life, taking us safely to the fullness of Your Presence.
Thank You that as we earnestly seek You, You grant us understanding of how to walk out our salvation as pleases You, and You undergird us as Your bondservant-child, making us stand to the glory of Your name and the fulfillment of Your purpose. Nothing is to difficult for You. I bow in faith’s trust, and rise in belief’s loving obedience. Glory to Your Name, in Jesus, amen.
Every time we face something in life that appears impossible or tempts us away from faithfully following You; any time we sense Your call to a hard thing we aren’t sure we can do; with every opportunity to doubt or fear, a stone pops up to cause stumbling, making us stop, leading us to sin against You. Father, grant us faith to trust You that, in all You call us to and every opportunity You set before us, You are with us to move those stones or show us the path to removing their hindrance. When we walk with faith that fully trusts You, stones of stumbling get crushed under the Cornerstone of our faith, and we walk free to stand firm on the foundation of our victory in Christ. Increase our trust as we walk securely in The Way, The Truth, and The Life. Make us faithful to trust You more and obey You fully, especially in the hard places. IJA
“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” – Revelations 2:2-6
Father, thank You for this passage that always gives me opportunity for self evaluation. Am I producing a work that honors You as God, laboring in patient endurance out of love for You, as pleases You as my First and Foremost desire? Am I testing the teachers and teaching I sit under by digging into Your word for myself, that I may know truth, giving me a basis for recognizing falsehood? Do I live as one who hates evil? Am I remaining true to You as my First Love?
Here am I, O God. Search me and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. Grant me eyes to see myself – my heart – as You see me. See if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me to a right heart in walking through life into eternal purposes fulfilled to the glory of Your Name. Grant me right heart attitudes in serving You with whole hearted fervor, practicing patient endurance, to a finish that glorifies Your name and accomplishes Your purpose. May I realize the evil around me and recognize any way in which I inadvertently give myself to those things that displease and dishonor You. Deliver me from evil, and lead me to repentance that reestablishes right standing with You. Make me a light that helps those I love or come in contact with to find You for themselves. This I pray in Jesus’ Name and by His authority, amen.
Father God, You have been encouraging my prayer life all morning, reminding me to ask, seek, and knock with a view toward right and true evaluation of my motives in my requests. To pray with a pure heart dictated by love. To pray with a heart set to love You through obedience. To seek Your face with a whole heart set on things above, not on worldly desires, lusts of my flesh, or demonic wisdom and influence. Praying this way does require an honesty with self and with You that only Your Holy Presence can empower in me. As You give me eyes to see my own heart and know the truth of it, only then can I pray in truth and righteousness, from an honest stance and in full assurance of faith that reveals my trust in You. Here am I, O God. Grant me understanding that will empower me to ask, seek, and knock with a pure heart and clean hands. In Jesus, amen.
Father, thank You that You do care about the smallest details of our lives, and You tell us to seek You for them, as whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of Your Name.
As I pray that, my heart turns to Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”
Of course You care about the smallest details of our lives, for how we behave in the small speaks volumes about our ability to rightly and truly handle the big. If we won’t seek You, Your will and Your way, in the small things, why should You bless us with and in the big. Thank You for this enlightening and encouraging truth. In Jesus, amen.
As I have studied Your Word, I have come to understand that the thing that caused You to sweat blood drops was knowing that You would, for the first time EVER, experience the turned back of God who could not look on our sins born on Your shoulders on that cross, thus, saving us from eternal damnation. You saved us who know Your sacrificial gift, have received it and are walking out the salvation You provided, from ever having to know God’s turned back. For this, my eternal soul saved in Christ and walked out in love for You, I thankfully praise You. In Christ, amen.
Thank You for the privilege of allowing me to know You as Abba, my loving, life giving, caring Father. Thank You for teaching Your daughter to trust Your love, which disciplines me for my eternal good and Your here and now and everlasting glory. May I be found faithful to turn quickly to Your truth and walk away from sin to the path of Your will done Your way. It is my greatest desire to follow and serve You. Grant me eyes to see, ears to hear, a mind to know, and a believing, understanding heart that gives way to a willing Spirit of obedience. In Jesus, Amen.
“And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done [held holy and revered] on earth as it is in heaven.” – Luke 11:2 AMPC
Thank You, Father God, for loving and receiving me, and for delivering me from my most unjustifiably rebellious and miserable failures, consummate waste and ruined potential. Here am I, O God. Grant me eyes the see and recognize every opportunity You give me to honor and glorify You as Lord of lords and King of kings, my Savior. In Jesus holy and righteous name I pray, amen.
Father, by the power of Your Spirit working in and on me, grant me to walk in Your ways, guarding and keeping my heart so it will be perfect and blameless toward You. May my heart prove to be completely Yours, loyal in all things, fully committed to You. Fill me to overflowing with the power of Your holy presence so that my every thought, desire, word, work, and deed prove my heart to be completely dedicated to You, Your will, and Your way as I walk this pilgrimage to Your eternal Kingdom. Set my mind and heart, and keep them set on the things above where Christ is, seated on the throne of glory, and let Your throne possess me. In Jesus, Amen.
If you have the smallest seed of faith in God, you have enough faith. The size of one’s faith is not the issue. It’s viability, soil, and focus is.
Is your faith living and growing in a way that bears the fruit of it? Is your faith planted in the the soil of a heart tilled, cultivated, fed, and watered by God? Is faith focused on the healing or thing desired, or on the Healer – on the God who can be believed and trusted? Is your desire on the thing you want, or on the One who so greatly desires you that He gave His only begotten Son, so whoever believes in Him with trusting faith may be saved for all eternity with Him who desires it? Is the intent of your heart in your request so you can have your desire and use it on your lust? Or is your desire to please and honor God in accordance with His will, design, and purpose?
Sometimes God leaves us in our place of need because it is the only thing that causes us to seek Him. Sometimes we remain in our point of need because we refuse to leave the sinful things that put us there. Sometimes He leaves us in our need because He has a purpose to be fulfilled in and through us, purposes our need opens opportunities for us to fulfill.
God’s desire is for us to seek Him whole heartedly; and in our seeking, to find Him; and in our finding Him, to KNOW Him – discovering Him faithful and true; and in our knowing Him, to live Him – faithful and true; and in our living Him, to make Him known.
Your faith is not too small. If you truly have faith in the One who is faithful and true, He will feed and water and tend that seed of faith until it is strong and productive of His glory and Crown. Focus on Him whose desire is for you and see the great things He will do in and through you because you have found Him to be your true need and desire. Seek His face more than His hand and you will find both. That is His promise and plan. For those who seek Him wholeheartedly will find Him. We will not be disappointed or put to shame when we seek to please the One in whom we have believed and trusted.
Darlene's Ponderings 