“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Over the past two years, the Lord has really been dealing with bondage in my life…Habitual sins that lingered across the years as well as very dark areas of my life that I tried to “tuck away” and forget. God knows exactly what we need and HE is so faithful and gracious to give us our needs. I used to believe that this verse in Philippians applied only to our physical needs. God has been revealing to me that while HE does care about our physical needs and HE is faithful to meet each of those needs at perfect moment, HE is more concerned with our spiritual needs.
I would like to share an article with you that I wrote for our Church’s Newsletter. God continues to bring this truth back to me every time I try to “tuck away” my sin instead of allowing God to deal with it in the light of His Word:
In our Ladies’ Sunday School class as well as the Deaf Ladies’ Bible study, we have been learning to Seek God and to Become a Woman after God’s Own Heart. God has been teaching us that HE is sovereign and HE knows each of us better than we know ourselves. HE can see the depth of our despair and HE alone can reach to the very depth of whatever pit we may be dwelling, rescue us, clean us from the inside out, and make us into a new creation…Free, whole, complete, and pleasing to Him! HE does this through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) and that Christ came that we might “have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
His desire to give me abundant spiritual life is the reason that God has been so diligent to deal with my heart regarding the past. Through Scripture, I am now able to see that blocking memories was an attempt to free myself from sin. I was a sinner in need of a Savior but I spent most of my life trying to be my own savior. I have allowed fear, anxiety, shame, and guilt to control me but Christ came to remove that burden! “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I love the testimony of King David because it is a picture of an imperfect man being transformed into a “Man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Samuel 13:14). David sinned against the Lord many times in his life and he often allowed fear to guide his decisions; however, David’s life bears the imprint of the Lord God. God loved David and drew him to Himself. God molded and shaped David through the circumstances in his life and David emerged a mighty man of God. My Friend, do you realize that God can mold and shape you into the man/woman HE created you to be? No matter where you have been, no matter what you have done, no matter what has been done to you, Christ blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness. Christ’s blood has the power to make a new life out of lives that have been destroyed, marred, and ravaged by sin. I know this is true because this is exactly what Christ did for me! God looked upon my helpless state and HE poured out His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness and HE alone made me new.
The Lord works in our lives according to our individual needs. For me, I needed to face my past by walking through all those memories that I had suppressed for years. The way that God chose to do this was by giving me the opportunity to share my “life story” with our small group. In the process of preparing to share, the Lord allowed me to view my past through the backdrop of Scripture. HE gave me eyes to see Him in the midst of all that pain and shame. I am utterly amazed by God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! God allowed me to experience Him in a brand new way.
I have no idea what you may be facing today, but I want to encourage you to seek God. Be open to the work HE wants to do in your life, even if that work seems painful at the time. HE loves you and HE desires to set you free. HE is trustworthy and HE will never forsake you. Scripture tells us that Satan “walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). My Friend, Satan will continue to whisper lies into your ear hoping that you will believe those lies and turn from God’s truth. Satan desires to destroy us but God desires to transform us into the image of Christ and to give us abundant life through Him. Like King David, our lives can bear the imprint of the invisible God. We can be a reflection of His absolute power and authority. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #304
“She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms.”
Proverbs 31:17
There are many life applications that are found within this one chapter of Scripture but one specific area that the Lord has really been convicting my heart is in regard to “seeking Him to satisfy my every desire instead of seeking to stuff myself with other things.” Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Thus begs the question, “What does it mean to “seek the kingdom of God?” Romans 14:17 tells us “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The Nelson Study Bible explains this verse, “The kingdom of God does not consist of external things like food, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others” (p. 1906).
In our focal passage, we learn that the Proverbs 31 Woman is “girding herself with strength.” What does that mean for us today? Let’s begin by examining two types of strengths: physical and spiritual. How do we obtain physical strength? We gain strength by eating properly, exercising, and getting proper rest. Those are each important aspects of keeping us strong and healthy; however, these are merely temporary fixes. Even if we eat properly, exercise, and rest every day, we will still get tired, hungry, and need to exercise again. Right? The Proverbs 31 Woman understood that she needed more than just physical strength to serve the Lord and glorify Him through her daily life. She recognized her need for spiritual strength. Spiritual strength is a gift from the Lord. When the Lord strengthens us to do all that HE has called us to do, then we are completely filled and every need is met by the One True Living God.
Life Application Question:
What do you do when you are tired, overwhelmed, sad, depressed, lonely, unappreciated, and/or unsatisfied?
If the answer to that question is anything other than “running to the Lord and feasting on Him,” then you are seeking strength outside of the Lord Jesus Christ!
How can we learn to feast on the Lord in order to find complete fulfillment, satisfaction, and strength?
The answer is to seek the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and all your strength. “Seeking God…can be defined as studying God’s Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing sin” (The Lord’s Table, p. 12).
The Proverbs 31 Woman feasted on the Lord and she sought Him above all else. What does it mean to “feast on the Lord”? Here is an accumulation of the responses gathered through a couple of Bible studies I am involved in:
• Feasting on the Lord means to approach His table with celebration
• Feasting on the Lord means to put aside all distractions and come to His table with an appetite for Him alone
• Feasting on the Lord means to “prepare” ourselves through prayer, praise, confession of sin, and repentance
• Feasting on the Lord means to “soak Him in”
• Feasting on the Lord involves obedience to Him
• Feasting on the Lord means we do not come to His table “already full” of other things
• Feasting on the Lord produces joyfulness within our hearts and soul – even in the midst of trials
• “Your words were found, and I ate them, An Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Feasting on the Lord means that we are seeking Him to fill every part of ourselves. We are studying His Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing our sins. We are learning to discern His Word and apply it to our lives. We are making daily decisions to die to self and to live for Christ. We are exchanging our self-seeking ways for His perfect desire for our lives. We are willing to crucify our flesh in order to reflect Him more accurately to those around us. We understand that our lives have been bought with a price and we are not to live for self but our lives are now living sacrifices to the Risen Lord.
What are some things we can “feast” on rather than the Lord Jesus Christ? Here are some of the answers from both of the ladies’ classes: Food, children/grandchildren, relationships, friends, popularity, jobs, material possessions, fame, wealth, ministry, hobbies, television, computer, Facebook/Facebook games, travel, exercise, youth and processes to keep us young, religion, education, satisfying the flesh in any manner (gluttony, sex, overspending, etc.). This is certainly not a complete list but it does give us a starting point to begin evaluating the things in our lives that could be taking the place of an intimate relationship with the Lord. God’s Word says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:1-5a).
My Friend, do you realize that when we desire anything more than we desire to know the Lord God and find complete satisfaction in Him, we are bowing down to idols?! Whatever our heart desires more than seeking the Lord is an idol that we have “carved for ourselves.” God commands that we do not make anything an idol in our lives because that idol will become our god. We will be bound to it and our flesh will crave it. We will seek it with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and that will lead us away from the Lord into death and destruction. Man cannot serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). We may think we can “keep a balance” in our lives but the truth is that we are weak, powerless creatures and whatever we seek will have dominion over us. We will bow down to the desires of our hearts. The only “balance” that we will find is at the feet of Christ…Crying out to Him to satisfy us completely and to teach us to be content in all things because HE Himself has said, “Never will I leave you nor forsake you” (see Hebrews 13:5). “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
Proverbs 31:17
There are many life applications that are found within this one chapter of Scripture but one specific area that the Lord has really been convicting my heart is in regard to “seeking Him to satisfy my every desire instead of seeking to stuff myself with other things.” Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Thus begs the question, “What does it mean to “seek the kingdom of God?” Romans 14:17 tells us “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The Nelson Study Bible explains this verse, “The kingdom of God does not consist of external things like food, but in spiritual realities like righteousness in action and thought, peace that seeks harmony, and joy that comes from the Holy Spirit. Those who understand the spiritual realities of the kingdom will not choose the brief joy of satisfying selfish desires over the spiritual joy of putting aside those desires for the sake of others” (p. 1906).
In our focal passage, we learn that the Proverbs 31 Woman is “girding herself with strength.” What does that mean for us today? Let’s begin by examining two types of strengths: physical and spiritual. How do we obtain physical strength? We gain strength by eating properly, exercising, and getting proper rest. Those are each important aspects of keeping us strong and healthy; however, these are merely temporary fixes. Even if we eat properly, exercise, and rest every day, we will still get tired, hungry, and need to exercise again. Right? The Proverbs 31 Woman understood that she needed more than just physical strength to serve the Lord and glorify Him through her daily life. She recognized her need for spiritual strength. Spiritual strength is a gift from the Lord. When the Lord strengthens us to do all that HE has called us to do, then we are completely filled and every need is met by the One True Living God.
Life Application Question:
What do you do when you are tired, overwhelmed, sad, depressed, lonely, unappreciated, and/or unsatisfied?
If the answer to that question is anything other than “running to the Lord and feasting on Him,” then you are seeking strength outside of the Lord Jesus Christ!
How can we learn to feast on the Lord in order to find complete fulfillment, satisfaction, and strength?
The answer is to seek the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and all your strength. “Seeking God…can be defined as studying God’s Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing sin” (The Lord’s Table, p. 12).
The Proverbs 31 Woman feasted on the Lord and she sought Him above all else. What does it mean to “feast on the Lord”? Here is an accumulation of the responses gathered through a couple of Bible studies I am involved in:
• Feasting on the Lord means to approach His table with celebration
• Feasting on the Lord means to put aside all distractions and come to His table with an appetite for Him alone
• Feasting on the Lord means to “prepare” ourselves through prayer, praise, confession of sin, and repentance
• Feasting on the Lord means to “soak Him in”
• Feasting on the Lord involves obedience to Him
• Feasting on the Lord means we do not come to His table “already full” of other things
• Feasting on the Lord produces joyfulness within our hearts and soul – even in the midst of trials
• “Your words were found, and I ate them, An Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).
Feasting on the Lord means that we are seeking Him to fill every part of ourselves. We are studying His Word, making earnest prayer to Him, and confessing our sins. We are learning to discern His Word and apply it to our lives. We are making daily decisions to die to self and to live for Christ. We are exchanging our self-seeking ways for His perfect desire for our lives. We are willing to crucify our flesh in order to reflect Him more accurately to those around us. We understand that our lives have been bought with a price and we are not to live for self but our lives are now living sacrifices to the Risen Lord.
What are some things we can “feast” on rather than the Lord Jesus Christ? Here are some of the answers from both of the ladies’ classes: Food, children/grandchildren, relationships, friends, popularity, jobs, material possessions, fame, wealth, ministry, hobbies, television, computer, Facebook/Facebook games, travel, exercise, youth and processes to keep us young, religion, education, satisfying the flesh in any manner (gluttony, sex, overspending, etc.). This is certainly not a complete list but it does give us a starting point to begin evaluating the things in our lives that could be taking the place of an intimate relationship with the Lord. God’s Word says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image-any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:1-5a).
My Friend, do you realize that when we desire anything more than we desire to know the Lord God and find complete satisfaction in Him, we are bowing down to idols?! Whatever our heart desires more than seeking the Lord is an idol that we have “carved for ourselves.” God commands that we do not make anything an idol in our lives because that idol will become our god. We will be bound to it and our flesh will crave it. We will seek it with all our hearts, minds, and souls, and that will lead us away from the Lord into death and destruction. Man cannot serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). We may think we can “keep a balance” in our lives but the truth is that we are weak, powerless creatures and whatever we seek will have dominion over us. We will bow down to the desires of our hearts. The only “balance” that we will find is at the feet of Christ…Crying out to Him to satisfy us completely and to teach us to be content in all things because HE Himself has said, “Never will I leave you nor forsake you” (see Hebrews 13:5). “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
Monday, October 3, 2011
Monday Morning Devotion #303
“To everything there is a season,A time for every purpose under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
In the past, I was not a big fan of change. In fact, I much prefered a “boring” life. My flesh is most comfortable when I know what I am doing, how I am to do it, and when I am to do it. I love lists and being able to mark off each accomplishment. When I wake up in the morning, I enjoy knowing what my day holds, what tasks need my attention, and to have everything running like a well oiled machine (as my grandmother used to say). Any deviation from my plan is disturbing to me and I find myself feeling anxious and unsettled. I resist change and I diligently work to return my life to “normal.”
Several months ago, God began to open the door to many adjustments in my life. Now, I must say that nothing earth-shattering is happening. The changes are really quite simple but they are changes none-the-less. God has and is continuing to allow every area of my life to experience some sort of shift. Needless to say, this is difficult for me. I have felt myself begin to panic and I have tried to grab hold of those things in hopes of preventing further modification. I must say that once again, I am learning that I am not in control! God is! God is continually at work and HE is graciously teaching me that change is one way that HE is molding and shaping me. To resist the work of His hand is rebellion so my heart's desire is to see the change that God allows in my life as a blessing tailor-made for me.
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God!” (Isaiah 44:6).
Before I write another word, I must confess that this devotion is not derived through my wisdom but rather it is an accumulation of truths that I have received over the past several months from some godly women who have surrounded me, prayed with and for me, encouraged me, held me accountable, and spoken truth to me. I would gladly offer their names; however, I know they would not be pleased. They would tell you that they only spoke what God laid upon their hearts. God has also used our pastor’s sermons to speak directly to my troubled heart. Pastor JD spoke on this very topic in his sermon on March 20th. The Lord really used Pastor JD’s emphasis on “You can respond with joy when (by faith) you see the purpose of the trials…Trials help meet a desperate need.”
In our ladies’ Sunday school class we have been learning that God meets all our needs…Even those needs we do not realize we have. As soon as Pastor JD began to expand upon his point, it was as if the Lord exposed yet another layer of sin in my heart and allowed me to see the work of His hand! WOW! I am able to understand that God is using this season of change in my life to sift me, transform me, mold me, release me from past bondage, and to free me. My heart can hardly contain the joy that rushes over me when I think that the God of all the universe is actively pruning me so that I can bear much fruit.
My Friend, do you realize that God is doing the same thing in your life? Now certainly, our circumstances may be different but God is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Allow me to encourage you with some of the same wisdom I have received recently.
• Do not resist the work of God in your life. God loves you with an everlasting love and HE has a divine purpose for each situation in your life. “Cast your burden on the LORD, And HE shall sustain you; HE shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
• Do not allow yourself to believe that God does not care about you or that HE has forgotten you. God cannot and will not forget His own! “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49:16). “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For HE Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
• Trust God’s promises. “For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). God promises us that HE alone is our firm foundation. No matter what is happening in our lives, HE is the rock that will never be moved! HE will never crumble, tremble, shake, or collapse. And when we are rooted and established in Him, we are secure.
• Seek the Lord in the midst of your trial. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). God is using this trial to teach you more about Himself as well as to shave away those things that are hindering you from being more like Him.
• Change and/or trials are wonderful opportunities for us to draw close to the Lord and to experience Him in a whole new way. Do not fear the work that God is doing in your life. His work will produce a more intimate relationship with Him. “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
God uses change in our lives to grow us spiritually and to equip us for the calling that HE has placed upon our lives. We can rest in the knowledge that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom HE foreknew, HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29).
Ecclesiastes 3:1
In the past, I was not a big fan of change. In fact, I much prefered a “boring” life. My flesh is most comfortable when I know what I am doing, how I am to do it, and when I am to do it. I love lists and being able to mark off each accomplishment. When I wake up in the morning, I enjoy knowing what my day holds, what tasks need my attention, and to have everything running like a well oiled machine (as my grandmother used to say). Any deviation from my plan is disturbing to me and I find myself feeling anxious and unsettled. I resist change and I diligently work to return my life to “normal.”
Several months ago, God began to open the door to many adjustments in my life. Now, I must say that nothing earth-shattering is happening. The changes are really quite simple but they are changes none-the-less. God has and is continuing to allow every area of my life to experience some sort of shift. Needless to say, this is difficult for me. I have felt myself begin to panic and I have tried to grab hold of those things in hopes of preventing further modification. I must say that once again, I am learning that I am not in control! God is! God is continually at work and HE is graciously teaching me that change is one way that HE is molding and shaping me. To resist the work of His hand is rebellion so my heart's desire is to see the change that God allows in my life as a blessing tailor-made for me.
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God!” (Isaiah 44:6).
Before I write another word, I must confess that this devotion is not derived through my wisdom but rather it is an accumulation of truths that I have received over the past several months from some godly women who have surrounded me, prayed with and for me, encouraged me, held me accountable, and spoken truth to me. I would gladly offer their names; however, I know they would not be pleased. They would tell you that they only spoke what God laid upon their hearts. God has also used our pastor’s sermons to speak directly to my troubled heart. Pastor JD spoke on this very topic in his sermon on March 20th. The Lord really used Pastor JD’s emphasis on “You can respond with joy when (by faith) you see the purpose of the trials…Trials help meet a desperate need.”
In our ladies’ Sunday school class we have been learning that God meets all our needs…Even those needs we do not realize we have. As soon as Pastor JD began to expand upon his point, it was as if the Lord exposed yet another layer of sin in my heart and allowed me to see the work of His hand! WOW! I am able to understand that God is using this season of change in my life to sift me, transform me, mold me, release me from past bondage, and to free me. My heart can hardly contain the joy that rushes over me when I think that the God of all the universe is actively pruning me so that I can bear much fruit.
My Friend, do you realize that God is doing the same thing in your life? Now certainly, our circumstances may be different but God is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Allow me to encourage you with some of the same wisdom I have received recently.
• Do not resist the work of God in your life. God loves you with an everlasting love and HE has a divine purpose for each situation in your life. “Cast your burden on the LORD, And HE shall sustain you; HE shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).
• Do not allow yourself to believe that God does not care about you or that HE has forgotten you. God cannot and will not forget His own! “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49:16). “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For HE Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
• Trust God’s promises. “For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). God promises us that HE alone is our firm foundation. No matter what is happening in our lives, HE is the rock that will never be moved! HE will never crumble, tremble, shake, or collapse. And when we are rooted and established in Him, we are secure.
• Seek the Lord in the midst of your trial. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). God is using this trial to teach you more about Himself as well as to shave away those things that are hindering you from being more like Him.
• Change and/or trials are wonderful opportunities for us to draw close to the Lord and to experience Him in a whole new way. Do not fear the work that God is doing in your life. His work will produce a more intimate relationship with Him. “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8).
God uses change in our lives to grow us spiritually and to equip us for the calling that HE has placed upon our lives. We can rest in the knowledge that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom HE foreknew, HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that HE might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:28-29).
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