Guina and I just got back from our walk this morning. We managed 1.3 miles of these hills, which amazes me, because I was struggling to breathe when we started out. If it kept up, we would have turned to the left instead of the right when we reached the upper corner.
When one is struggling to breathe, a fear grabs hold that actually worsens the struggle. Fear often cuts us short, leading us to choose paths that make our journey easier, rather than choosing that which makes life fuller, more fulfilling and abundant. Overcoming the fear is vital to breath, and to our walk in life.
Remembering this helped me today. As I considered the Lord, who gives me breath, He calmed the panic, and I found breathing eased. By the time I topped that hill, my breathing was much improved and we got a good walk in for a great start to our day. The struggle was still there, though much lessened because the fear was gone.
What causes You fear and hinders you from going the full course? Finding and remembering the solution to fear’s attack is vital for victory. Seek the Lord. He will direct you to the weapon you can use when the battle rages, which always flows out of a trust that seeks Him.
“Do not be afraid of sudden fear Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.” — Proverbs 3:25-2
“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to BE CONTENT in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:10-13 NASB1995
In Day 7 of the devotional series linked below, author Andrew M. Davis advises, “In day three, we recognized that Christian contentment is a learned skilled. It also involves the supernatural. Contentment will not come easily. You will need to focus your soul on it, moment after moment, for the rest of your life. Our friend Jeremiah Burroughs offers further understanding: “Contentment is possible if you get skill in the art of it; you may attain to it, and it will prove to be not such a difficult thing either, if you but understand the mystery of it.” In other words, we must be willing and aspire to become proficient in gaining an attitude and spirit of contentment.
“Not only does it take remarkable spiritual skill to attain contentment; it also takes immense strength to protect it. Valor paints a picture of the determined defense we must wage for consistent contentment. Satan and his demonic forces will assault the citadel of your contentment every moment of your life for the rest of your days on earth. In Ephesians 6, you are called on to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”. You are called to put on the full armor of God and stand in the evil day, fighting off the schemes of the devil. You are facing forces of cosmic evil whose power you can scarcely imagine. And if you do not fight, you will be discontent. The demonic forces will defeat you and carry off your treasure.” (End quote)
Contentment is a learned skill, taught to us under God’s supervision, grown in us through God’s Word in the working of His Spirit, exemplified for us in the life of Christ. Satan’s evil wants to rob us of contentment, because contentment is first and foremost a symptom flowing out of sincere trust in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. Striving to hold onto contentment is a front lines battlefield for all the days of our lives.
On the path of contentment in every circumstance, it is required of us to stand firm in Christ and in God’s Holy Word. God’s word is truth, and we must stand firm in it, refusing to allow evil to rob us of our understanding of the faithfulness of God to His Word, and of His right as Sovereign Lord, God, and King, to direct and dictate our every life experience for His eternal purposes.
Only Believe! And let belief bring us to obedience that flows out of trust in God.
Such trust in God produces righteousness in us as a breastplate, being holy as He is holy, protecting our hearts before God and keeping us set on the things above where Christ sets as King. Trust in God that holds us in stability, makes us ready servants, prepared with the gospel of peace for those desiring the contentment we possess.
Our faith to trust God in the good and the harsh, hard, and pressing, empowers us to stand firm. And stand we will, for God is able to make His servant stand (Romans 14:4). We stand on the very Word and integrity of God. His Word in us: strengthening trust; making us righteous as we practice our belief; emboldening our testimony; all becomes a shield protecting us from the flaming arrows of evil’s assault.
The saving grace of God, in Whom we trust, becomes our helmet, protecting our mind from the whispering lies of our flesh, this world, and the demonic. And the very Word of God, settled in our hearts and minds, is our Spirit-powered-sword, cutting to the quick of every false understanding that comes against God’s truth to and through us, disturbing us within, and unsettling the peacefulness of our contentment.
Contentment: that true contentment that rests itself in God’s faithfulness and sovereignty, is a worthy pursuit. It is that part of us who, like Christ, can honestly say, “yet not my will, but Yours be done,” and walk boldly forward into all the future God holds out to us, looking to the blessed reward of eternity with Him that we do not yet comprehend. Nor can we, for it is beyond imagination.
For the glory of His name and the good of eternity, stand firm with the assurance this contentment in God houses. Contentment trusts God’s love for us, knowing He cares for us. Because we love Him, contentment follows God’s will, His way, obeying out of trusting faith that He will accomplish what concerns us (Psalm 138:8). Contentment perseveres, even when suffering long, knowing we will see His glory.
“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” – 1 John 4:16-18 NASB1995
““If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” – John 14:15 NASB1995
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:6-8 NASB1995
Two things stand out to me here: one being the promise expressed. The other is the path to attaining the promise.
The promise Paul possessed here is the attainment of “the crown of righteousness.” There are numerous crowns for the faithful mentioned in scripture, each having a path to obtaining it for those eligible to receive it. Many believe we, like the elders in Revelation, will one day cast those crowns at the feet of Jesus.
When I was younger, immature in the ways of humility, that thought bothered me. I wanted to keep what I earned. Growing in humility, I realize more and more that I truly can do nothing of eternal worth apart from the work of Christ in me. I can’t recall specifics now, but something happened in me about 10 years ago that filled my heart with joy at the thought of casting my crowns before Him who truly deserves them.
If that is a true picture of standing before Him in heaven, casting our crowns before Him; then, here on earth, heaven being in us who are saved by grace, being baptized into Christ, can enjoy casting crowns to Him now. I praise God for the privilege of surrendering all crowns to Him right now in my day to day life, just as I will when I stand at Heaven‘s throne. He is Lord of lords and King of kings. I bow to His rule and give Him glory, surrendering all that I am or ever hope to be to Him who is worthy. He gets full credit for any good in me, and for every success for the Kingdom worked through me. And I strive to walk the path to each crown available to me, joyously casting them before Him as I go. This crown of righteousness is one I strive for each day. And here is the path to it.
The path:
Knowing that each crown has its path to obtaining it; we just have to stop and take time to discern the path in the instructions given. This means that we must be students of God’s Word, writing it on our hearts, meditating on it daily, not only in group studies, but in personal study. Here, in Paul’s proclamation, we see the path he walked to his crown of righteousness, giving us instruction as to how we must live.
1: “I have fought the good fight….”
There is instruction throughout scripture that tells us how to fight the good fight of our faith. Just off the top of my head is Ephesians 6:10-18’s instructions on how we are to stand firm against evil by putting on the armor of God that is available to us, including being always in prayer for ourselves, one another, and our spiritual leaders/warriors. To put on this armor, we need to study each piece and learn of its meaning and function. We cannot put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, or the belt of truth if we don’t understand how to come under Christ’s saving grace, what righteousness and truth are, and how to live these out.
Then there’s Colossians 3:1-17 that instructs in two major areas. First, we are to “set your minds and keep them set on the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (AMPC). We are now and forevermore citizens of God’s Kingdom, tasked to truly represent Christ’s interests on earth. To do that, we must not let our souls (thoughts, will, and emotions) get trapped in worldly pursuits. We must seek God’s will, intent on accomplishing it in His way, always motivated by His purposes.
Second is the call of God for us to take off the old man described in verse 5-11, and put on the new creation God has placed in us. Verses 12-17 tell us how to do that. Study that passage. Seek Father for its fulfillment in you. Be intentional in striving for it.
There are many more such passages and we are instructed by God to study it out so that we may be approved (2 Timothy 2:15). Get in the Word daily for these life changing insights. If you are new to Bible reading and study, we are people of the New Testament (NT) Covenant. Start reading in the NT. I’ll post a plan of reading in the comments to help you get started. (If I forget, remind me.)
2: “I have finished the course…”
We are frequently encouraged throughout scripture to practice endurance and perseverance in the things of God, standing firm in them (Ephesians 6:10-12); persevering in hope (Romans 5:3-5); striving to win the prize laid up for us in heaven (1 Corinthians 9:23-27). This road is not easy and there are many evils that challenge our perseverance and chance our loss of reward. But stand we must, over and over and over again. Thankfully, God has provided for times when we fall: calling us to turn back to Him in repentance. Getting up from there, we dust off, and press forward to the goal.
3: “I have kept the faith.”
The word “faith” is used in two main ways throughout scripture. One is the faith described as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It is that which is in us that equips us to believe God, and taking Him at His Word, to live in hope; to hear the promises and trust God’s faithfulness to His word.
The second is the belief system in which we walk. We are Christian, putting our confidence in God and His Word, coming into covenant agreement with God through Christ, and walking in obedience to the faith covenant we made with Him because we love him and desire our union to stand strong. This faith hears Paul’s words to us and perks our ears to attention. Listening for instruction that gives us the “how to,” we choose to walk the path as he did. Striving to keep the covenant agreement with Christ, knowing that as we fight the good fight of faith, persevering to finish the course, and as we keep the tenants of God’s Instruction Manuel (the Holy Bible), we set our course to receive the promise of the crown.
Our faith in God’s promise that we can obtain a crown we cannot yet see is accomplished as we follow in the covenant agreement of the faith we have become part of in Christ. Ours is not a religion: it is a Faith.
Paul’s proclamation, “I have kept the faith,” means this second defining parameter of living in covenant agreement. He has faithfully maintained his covenant with Christ, walking in His instruction for Christian living laid out in God’s Word. In other words, Paul obeyed Jesus, proving his love of Christ, who appeared to us for the sole purpose of drinking the cup we could not drink so we could possess the eternal life we would otherwise not have hope of living.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
Our part of the promise:
“…in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but ALSO TO ALL WHO HAVE LOVED HIS APPEARING.”
We love the appearing of Him who made The Way, so that we may truly Live. I don’t know about you, but I am determined to walk this life with God because I love Him in all His Triune glory. HE IS OUR EXCEEDINGLY GREAT REWARD. And He gave His Son to provide for us a path on which we may gain that blessed reward. If we get nothing else, we get Him!
The attainment of many crowns is a plus I strive toward for the great joy of casting them at the Holy Feet of Jesus Christ. Study to be approved, beloved, and let’s walk this life together.
“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 AMPC [see also Eph. 6:4; II Tim. 3:15.]
“He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” – Proverbs 13:24
A shepherd’s rod and the parental rod are not far removed from each other. The rod/staff of a shepherd has two ends, often with one end crooked. The straight end is mainly used to beat off predators, though it may also be used to tap the haunches, turning a sheep to the correct way. The staff end is used to grab a lamb and pull it away from trouble, or closer in for protection and the building of a loving relationship.
All of these methods of discipline are important in raising children.
There are times they need their bottoms swatted. Especially younger children who only understand “now” and need a method of training that quickly links correction with unacceptable actions.
There are times we must get between our children and the dangers they too readily run headlong into.
And there are times we have to grab them and pull them back from harms way, closer in to protective custody and loving care.
In each case it is vital the discipline includes instruction in righteousness. We get tired of our children asking why, but they need the whys and wherefores if they are to learn truth, righteousness, and consequences. Even if the why is to tell them they wouldn’t understand the reason right now, but will eventually, and they need to trust you have good reason.
God doesn’t always tell us the whys and wherefores, so teaching children to trust is a vital part of training in discipline. That means we must prove trustworthy and train our children to know they can trust the God we faithfully follow as we raise them.
As I look into the defining parameters of a rod today, there’s another aspect of the “rod” that is vital. The rod is also defined as a symbol of authority.
There’s a saying that goes like this, “Rules without relationship breeds rebellion.”
This is true. Being hard, harsh, and pressing with our kids without including an attitude of loving care, produces an anger in them that God warns against (Ephesians 6:4). Rebellion is likened to divination, insubordination, and idolatry in scripture. It is the sin that lost Saul the throne (1 Samuel 15:23). When parents cause a rebellious heart to develop in their children, it most often delivers a citizen into the world who fights authority at every level of life.
However, relationship without rules breeds inordinate self-regard, to our children, producing in them varying levels of narcissism: making for extremes of self reliance, conceit, and a lack of compassion toward and ability to work with others. It does not teach the importance of working under authority, failing to prepare the child for a future that finds authority figures around every corner.
We need to grow a loving relationship with our kids that hears their hearts, deals with them appropriately, and teaches them to be good citizens of God in a world of rules. If we do not teach them to follow authority while they are young, they will have difficulty following God when they are old. God is the ultimate authority. We have no sense of covenant with God without exemplary, parental authority following Him. Without faith to trust God, following close under His authority, we cannot please Him.
The rod of authority is a vital instrument in the hands of the parent. Both ends of that rod includes and flows from the word of God. Any discipline we give our children should point to God and His rule found in His word. It should lead the children to love God and desire to please Him. The word of God is a living and active sword that cuts deep into the heart and soul of the child to help them become the best person they can possibly be.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-27; Hebrews 4:12).
This requires parents to be students of the Word. We cannot rightly teach what we do not know. The role of parents is to raise up children who will be a profitable member of society. As Christians, we are to raise up citizens of the Kingdom of God, who know and follow Him in Christlikeness, being people of God that are adequately equipped for every good work opportunity He brings their way. Good Kingdom citizens make good citizens on earth, following first God’s authority, honoring parents, and knowing how to follow those authorities set up on earth.
The rod of discipline is a vital tool in our parental arsenal as we fight for our kids to be all God created them to be, protecting them from a world of evil. The rod of discipline couples with love for the good of the child and the glory of God.
Father, thank You for the truth that Your wisdom calls to us, desiring relationship with us. Understanding that comes from wisdom lifts her voice. You desire wisdom for us and call us to seek her diligently, promising those who seek her to practice that wise counsel, will find her. May my ears be found truly listening for the noble things wisdom speaks.
The opening of wisdom’s lips reveals right things. Wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her. She dwells with prudence, and leads us to find knowledge and discretion.
Wisdom instructs our hearts to understand that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, wisdom hates. Counsel belongs to sound wisdom. Oh how I need it and long to see it in those I love and those who lead. Wisdom is understanding, and power is possessed by it. Wisdom loves those who love it. Those who diligently seek wisdom, will find it.
The fruit of wisdom is better than gold, even pure gold; its yield better than choicest silver. I pray for myself and for mine to walk in wisdom, whose way is righteousness, and whose paths are justice. Wisdom leads to true wealth for those who love her wise counsel and walk in it, that she may fill their treasuries.
Grant us ears to listen for wisdom and not move without her, for there is blessing in keeping her ways. Fill us with desire to heed her instruction and be wise, and let us not neglect it, for blessed is the person who listens to her, watching daily at her gates, waiting patiently for her at her doorposts. For those who find wisdom find life. They obtain the favor of the Lord. But he who sins against wisdom, ignoring her counsel, injures themselves with many pangs. For those who hate wisdom, love death.
Your Word is wisdom. It’s living and active and sharper than a double edged sword, cutting deep into our souls to make us holy as You are holy. May we love Your Word and walk in it, finding true wisdom and righteous paths for life abundant and full. In Jesus, amen.
“Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows lovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The LORD of hosts is His name; great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; who has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name for Yourself, as at this day.” – Jeremiah 32:17-20
As I read verse 17, putting it into context through verse 20, God, seeing our ways and giving to all according to our deeds, stood out to me. Meditating before Him, seeking His counsel regarding my ways, the words “desire truth” came to heart. Looking that up lead to:
“Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.” – Psalm 51:6
Praying for this truth in my innermost and seeking God’s wisdom, the next applicable passage that came up in my search instructs my heart.
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4
I am extremely frustrated with our national leaders and struggle to listen to their bickering and mud slinging. Such frustration hinders my prayers for them, which points to my fall from belief that nothing is too difficult for God. It all seems impossible and beyond help. Here God is instructing my heart that I must listen and pray. Listen to what’s being said, while seeking God’s wisdom to know truth, and pray God’s heart for these United States.
God advises through Jeremiah, in chapter 29, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” (29:7). The people of God must pray the heart of God for the welfare of this nation as found in the truth of God, for it is still true that in its welfare, we have welfare. Pray for those leading now to know and walk in truth. Pray for the candidates we will vote on in November. Their constant personal attacks on one another distract from the issues this nation is facing. It is nonproductive and nonprofitable.
Seek God to reveal truth to and through our leaders. Pray they discover the truth God desires them to possess, speak, and live out in their leadership positions. May they be saved from sin’s death and the destructive force of false understanding, for then they will lead in truth and righteousness to paths of peace and prosperity.
Another desperate need in these days is for our leaders to lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This will deaden the often false rhetoric and bring peace to debates, granting a tranquillity that creates an atmosphere allowing ears to hear and minds to understand, hearts to comprehend and a willing spirit of cooperation to develop.
God is telling me, stop fretting and start praying His ideal for our leaders at every level. It is God’s ideal that will get us out of this mess we are seeing in our nation. As I pray the will of God found in the truth of God’s holy scriptures, I can pray with hope, trusting the truth that there is still nothing too difficult for God.
Jesus willingly drank the cup, knowing it was necessary for the glory of the Father in fulfilling His plan for the good of all He came to save. Likewise, there are times the cup placed before us simply must be drank in willing faith, trusting God’s purpose to work His glory and plan for the good of those He loves and is reaching out to through us.
We may not understand the whys and wherefores at this time, but put the sword into the sheath. Trust God has a purpose in this challenge, As Jesus once told Paul, “It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance].” (Acts 26:14, AMP)
It is senseless to fight the purpose of God. Drink the cup, fight the good fight of faith, and trust purpose to be fulfilled.
In the midst of Your warnings against unrighteous Israel, You throw them a lifeline of hope. When they turn back to You, they can know they will find You there, in their midst, working for their good and Your glory. Father, thank You that You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. You still champion and celebrate over Your people who turn to You as their God, their true hope, their Lord. As I pray that, I realize anew that You again reveal to me that You first do for us what You require us to do for You.
You want us in Your midst, to remain and abide in You. As You fight for us, Your desire is for us to fight the good fight of faith for You. We are Your army, instructed to stand firm and at the ready, fully clothed in Christ and suited in Your armor. One of our greatest weapons is to exult over You with joy, for the enemy of our soul cannot stand in the presence of the praises of Your people who love and serve You. In love, we serve You as we love with Your love, representing You and Your interests in the world. And as we see Your work accomplished and Your name magnified, our joy over You is magnified anew.
Thank You, Father. May we be found faithful at Your coming. In Jesus, amen.
“…For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” – Romans 12:1-3
Reviewing my memory verses today, this stands out to me. It brings to mind the call of God in my life for this season. The place He has me walking and serving Him. It brings to heart the things that He has set my mind to understand and to accomplish for Him and His glory. It reminds me, again, that these things are too big for me. I cannot do it. My only hope and only help is God. God is the way and I must surrender, remember, and trust Him in it.
At the same time, things of daily life responsibilities that overwhelm me come to heart. Then I remember God’s instruction in my Colossians passage. I am to “…walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, FOR THE ATTAINING OF ALL STEADFASTNESS AND PATIENCE….” Colossians 1:9-12 NASB1995
This journey cannot all be done today by me. God could make all happen in an instant, if He wanted. But He has set me on a journey to “attain all steadfastness and patience”. This steadfastness and patience couples with a heart of joyous thanksgiving to the Father, who uses it to qualify us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
Attain means “To gain as an objective; achieve. To come to or arrive at, as through movement, growth, or the passage of time. To succeed in a directed effort, process, or progression.”
That says to me that I must be intentional about steadfastness and patience in the journey. I must deliberately choose to be joyful and thankful to God for every opportunity He gives to achieve these needful qualities of the proven character He is building in me.
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5 NASB1995
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” – James 1:2-4 NASB1995
Grant me wisdom for this journey, Father, as You accomplish Your purpose in me. In the working of Your Spirit, grant steadfastness and patience to bear forth perseverance while You build in me the character of Christlikeness with hope, making me perfect and complete in Christ. In Jesus, amen.
Father, I seek You in truth, desiring to know, speak, and live Your truth. May I be found faithful, proving to be zealous for what is good. Sanctifying Christ as Lord in my heart, Father, remove from me every fear and dread of intimidation.
May Your truth so reside in me that I may be able to make a defense when called for, yet with gentleness and reverence. Grant me life in You, making me able to keep a good conscience, even in suffering. If I must suffer, let it be for righteousness sake, that I may be found suffering for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. And use that suffering for the glory of Your name, growing my character to perfection in Christ, shining Your Light so that others may see and be drawn by You to walk in the Light, as You are in the Light.
Father, by Your mercy and grace, grant to me the power and perseverance needed to put to death my flesh, while being made alive in the spirit. Transform me, Father, by the renewing of my mind, so I become living proof of what Your will is: that good, acceptable, and perfect will of my God. In Jesus’ Holy and beloved Name and for Your glory, let it be so. Amen.
“But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.” – Mark 6:49-52 NASB1995
The disciples just saw Jesus feeding thousands. Jesus sends them on ahead of him in the boat while he sent the masses away and went up on the mountain to pray. Coming to them walking on the water, we are told how astonished they were to see him. Then it says of them “they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves.” Why? Because their heart was hardened. They were seeing God incarnate doing mighty things that only God can do, but were refusing to realize the power they were walking beside.
Children of God, we often do the same when we see God meet our needs in ways that amaze our heart and make us know it is him acting on our behalf. Then the next challenge comes and our hardened heart panics without realization that God is still on the side of those who are His and still provides for our needs.
A heart that trusts God remembers the things he has already done for us, and with the hope revealed in our experience, faces the next challenge with a greater peace that understands that God is faithful. He, who has looked after us before, will look after us now.
A heart of trust knows there is nothing too great for God, there is no need beyond his reach. Trust in the Lord, even now, when fear attacks our thinking, and do the good that faith produces.
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” – Ephesians 5:15-21 NKJV
References for vs. 17:
“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” True wisdom comes from understanding God, His will and His ways. Wisdom walks us safely through the storms of life in a fallen world.
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” – Romans 12:1-3
“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” – Colossians 1:9-12
“Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Oh yum! That’s good eating. Be sure to feast on God’s Word daily. Pay close attention to that which clutches for your heart’s full attention. Eat it.
“How can we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?” – Psalms 137:4 NASB1995
Life in these days is so foreign to Kingdom living. Things in life that are so greatly against You and Your ways set our hearts in a tailspin and stop the flow of prayer as we feel we know not how to even begin to pray. So, set our hearts on the things above where You are. Keep our hearts set on You. Only then do we have hope and find help in time of need. You not only hold the answer to every trying situation. You are the answer. We pray You for life. Deliver us and those we love from everything that’s not You. In Jesus, amen.
Father, thank You for this new journey You have me on that is definitely stretching and putting my faith to the test. And thank You for the original language study You have me in that warns me today about fainting – losing faith, falling to despondency in fear.
Our nemesis to faith is fear. The sensation of that evil pounding on the walls of my faith in this journey has been frequent, with increasing fervor. Thank You for reminding me today that You are sovereign. You know best and are good. Your plan, will, way, and purpose is perfect. I can and must trust You. It is the only safe path through this life in these evil days.
Forgive my leaning toward the temptation to give self to the fear that is wanting residency in my life, with desire meant to cause me to back away from all You are doing. I choose to stand by faith that fully trusts You and press forward in the strength You supply. In Jesus, amen.
“For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” – II Corinthians 4:15-16 NKJV
I pray God for us in this new year, for He is the source of all blessing and good to those who seek Him, trusting Him to see them through. When we choose to bless the Lord at all times, walking in His ways, growing in His Word, His praise continually in our mouths, we enter His presence and find His help in time of need.
May our souls make their boast in the Lord, humbly seeking Him through and in accordance to His Word. He hears and rejoices to help us in our need as we do.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Seek the Lord as he calls us to, and He will answer, and deliver our hearts from fears. Looking to Him lifts our countenance and makes our souls radiant, our faces never needing to be ashamed as we follow closely to Him, keeping His Word.
We, who realize that we are poor without Him, seeking Him wholeheartedly in this way, can cry out to Him in our need, and find Him faithful to hear and save us out of all our troubles. Following through faith that trusts Him makes us strong to face hardship, walk through it, and see His good come out of it. His reputation is that He, the angel of the Lord, encamps around those who fear Him and He rescues them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good! How blessed are those who take refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want. He satiates us and makes us content in every circumstance as we walk in reverence for Him. Young lions do lack of and suffer hunger; but we who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. These are truths I have walked in with ever growing understanding and fervor, every day for over 45 years. He has not let me down. Come join me. Let’s walk hand in hand together as family in Christ through 2024.
“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.
“… 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!
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.
“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.
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, 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.
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.
I see a practice among God’s people that stems from the fallacy of pulling a portion of scripture out of context and running with it as the sum of all truth. One such practice dictates the way many fight against evil. People too often take “resist the devil and he must flee,” under their belt and run with it, fighting the devil. But before that we are told, “submit, therefore, to God.”
“Therefore” in scripture tells us we need to look back and see what the “therefore” is there for. Looking back this scripture passage says, “Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:5-7 NASB1995
Submission requires humility that bows in surrender to the work of God’s Spirit in us. God is jealous to see this work accomplished in us. When we enter this level of submission to God in surrendering ourselves to Holy Spirit’s work in us, we automatically resist the devil in that act of submission. Thus we are instructed, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” James 4:8-10 NASB1995
We are lifted to victory in the spiritual battles of life as we draw near in humility to submit to God. As we focus on the death of our flesh through submission to God, we win without ever acknowledging the devil. Our humbled submission automatically resists him who must then flee, not because of us, but because of our proximity to God in the working of God’s Spirit in us.
Father, my daily desire is to know You more, and live You more fully and completely. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live, I live by faith in this Son off God who loved even me and gave Himself up for me. That truth being so, we are not promised ease in this life. Jesus says we will have trouble. But He has overcome the world and, as we yoke with Him to know Him, He will lead us through to live in His victorious peace that passes understanding as we rest our load in union with Him. Help us, Lord, to realize when we have changed yokes or changed position in His yoke. Empower us to enter Your rest and find strength for each challenge that comes to the load we bear in Christ. Thank You that, as we humble ourselves in Christ, we find rest for our souls that quiets the storms this life’s trouble too often brings. In Jesus, Amen.
“But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”” – Exodus 3:11-12 NASB1995
When God calls us to a task, especially to a big work that may blow our minds, we often want God to give us a sign that we are hearing Him correctly and that this thing we are experiencing is real – and is truly Him – before we go. But more often than not, God gives the sign after the work is done.
We want proof now. God wants us to work in a faith that trusts Him even while we walk with Him in a fog. He desires a believing faith that trusts He will succeed and glorify Himself in our lives as we go (Romans 1:17; Hebrews 4:2; 10:38-39; 11:1, 6; James 4:22-26; 1 Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 2:19; 14:12).
God says that a prophesy is known to be from Him when it comes to pass (Jeremiah 28:9), for God’s word will not go out from Him without accomplishing the purpose for which it is sent (Isaiah 55:11). He wants us to believe and trust Him for these truths.
God’s word tells us that we know those who are His by their fruit, which is the final stage in a tree or bush revealing its true nature (Matthew 12:33; Luke 6:44). We know God’s hand and see His glory most on the backside of life’s challenges, when He gets us where we are going, and we see the fulfillment of His plan (Exodus 33:18-23).
God is faithful. We can trust Him. The greatest form of trust believes Him true even in the deepest fog of uncertain paths rolling out before us, knowing He is doing great things in and through us that will bring the evidence of the glory of His presence to undeniable life on the earth as in Heaven.
“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:6-9, NASB
Seeking Holy Habitation, seated at God's feet (Exodus 15:13).
Darlene's Ponderings 