Wednesday, September 18, 2013

"Baby Steps-Learning to Walk"

Psalm 37:23-24 -"The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand." The person in whom God delights is one who follows God, trust Him, and tries to do His will. God watches over and makes firm every step that person takes. If you would like to have God direct your way, then seek His advice before you step out.

One of my favorite Scriptures is Proverbs 3:5-6 ("Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."). It tells us that leaning has a sense of putting our whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can't trust anyone-not even God. But God knows what is best for us. He is a better judge of what we want that even we are! We must trust Him completely in every choice we make (I am working on it!). We should not leave out careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others. We must not have the mind set that we can do this on our own. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's Word and wise counselors. So, I encourage us today to bring our decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as our guide; an then follow God's leading. He will make our paths straight by both guiding and protecting us.

Monday, September 16, 2013

"Stop Beating Yourself Up!"

Don't torture yourself over the past. Use it as a teacher. Whatever happened to you in the past has only prepared you for now. We all need to learn and not burn from our past. Satan wants us to focus on what we have done wrong, when God is saying let's move on to what is right. God keeps us moving forward to continually grow. Whereas, if we are thinking about our past, we are sitting still and sometimes going backward. That's Satan's plan, stop growing, stop knowing (who you are in Christ)!  (Ephesians 4:31-32-"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.") The Good News is God has forgiven you, so you must forgive yourself!

We seem to always lean on God more when we are in a valley. I think that is where most lessons are learned for the simple fact, because we feel like the situation is out of our hands. We find ourselves crying out to God in desperation to fix our lives. When truthfully, we may have to go through some pain to learn the lesson. Our Father in Heaven wants what is best for us, and if we are His, and we step off the beaten path of God's Will, He is kind enough to get us back on track. So, instead of fighting God during times of learning, we should grasp a hold of His Hand and meditate on His Word. That is the only way we will find true peace. (Jeremiah 29:12-"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.")

Friday, September 13, 2013

"Whom Shall You Fear?"

Proverbs 29:25-"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." (Fear of people can hamper everything you try to do. In extreme forms, it can make you afraid to leave your home. By contrast, fear of God-respect, reverence, and trust-is liberating. Why fear people who can do no eternal harm? Instead, fear God who can turn the harm intended by others into good for those who trust Him.)

Satan would love to have us believe that every circumstance (or trial) we face will be the one to take us to the end of our rope in this life as we know it. But, that's not true! We have a God that teaches us perseverance through these trials which builds us into the character He wants us to be. He wants us to live in freedom, peace and joy. And Jesus is the ONLY true person that can give us all three ultimately. I know this life offers us temporary joy, but Jesus offers us Eternal joy. Joy that is unspeakable (Psalm 30:5 "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning".). The devil would love nothing more than to keep our mouths shut and silenced (fear comes in) to reading or speaking the Word over our situations. I know this, because I've been going through it recently...But, God is a God of Love. I really believe some of us have forgotten that. God is Love, and we are called to walk in that same love. Now, I know we are human and we make mistakes, but that's not an excuse to not keep trying. There is a hurting world out there, and they do need a Savior. And that person is Jesus, the Son of God! The Living One, the One who forgave us of all the sin we have committed or will ever commit. Do not let Satan rent space in your head. Because if you let him, we will stay as long as you allow him to stay (he will over stay his welcome). So, the next time you are going through a trial, and the devil knocks on your door for a room to rent, tell him their is NO vacancies, and to get lost in Jesus' Name!