My Dear Readers,
I will be on a missionary journey beginning tomorrow, September 4th and will return September 16th. During this time, I will not be writing devotions. I will be visiting the Central American countries of Guatemala and Honduras.
While in Guatemala, I will be traveling with an American missionary, Vicky Skelton, who resides full time in Honduras. She will be scouting out places for a team coming in October to visit. So, I'll be tagging along as well as visiting a dear friend who is going to medical school in Guatemala City.
Then when we get to LaCeiba, Honduras, I will be teaching three seperate groups of ladies in meetings. My messages will be on the Names of God. Please pray for me as we travel in Guatemala and then while I share about our awesome God and His characteristics.
In His Service
Thursday, September 3, 2009
God Knows You and Desires for You to Call On Him
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. ---Jeremiah 29:11,12
No only does God know you, think about you and have great plans for you, but when you call on Him, He will listen! How many of us pray to God and don’t really expect Him to answer “your” problem. Oh, He’s answered Aunt Mary and Sister Jenny’s pray, but you don’t really expect Him to hear you! Well, I’m writing to tell you, He DOES hear and LISTEN to your prayer.
If we can finally become confident that God will lean His ear to our prayers and listen because He loves you and wants you to become victorious, then we will become the effective prayer warrior He needs in these days.
I’m going to go through what you can expect from your Lord and Savior as you go through life and call on His Name.
HE WILL DELIVER YOU - Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. The word “trouble” means adversity, affliction, anguish distress, tribulation. When God delivers you out of your trouble, it means to literally pull off your sickness, the devil, to strip your trouble and loose you from bondage. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it?
HE WILL SAVE YOU - Psalm 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. For God to save you means to set you totally free. Free from sickness, oppression of the devil, free from strife, free from depression – you name it. He will save you!
HE WILL REVIVE YOU – Psalm 80:18 Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. When God revives, He will quicken your mortal body. He will nourish, give life, preserve, recover and repair. Sounds like healing to me; healing in your mind, body and soul. Don’t you want to call upon the Lord?
HE WILL FORGIVE YOU – Psalm 86:5 For You Lord are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. God is so full of mercy, compassion, a willingness to give in to you. He will forgive you of all your mistakes where you have missed the mark God has set for you. He will set aside your sins and pardon you, but you must call on the Lord to receive His mercy and forgiveness.
HE WILL ANSWER YOU – Psalm 86:7 In the day of trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. Most of the time when we pray to God, we really don’t expect Him to actually answer us. But you can be confident that when you call on the Lord with great expectation, you will get an answer. We must pray in language that God will respond to by repeating His promises back to Him. If we ask God to heal someone, “if it by thy will,” He will not get an answer! I say that because IT IS the will of God that we be healed. He doesn't want us hooked up to machines, depending on drugs to get us through. That is what your enemy wants.
One thing we must do when God does come through and the circumstance turns around is to give God the credit. Too many times, we pray to God for a situation, the person is healed, or the circumstance is reversed and we don’t bother to run back to God to thank Him. Remember the ten lepers? Only one bothered to come back to Jesus to thank Him. He is the only one that got a total healing. Give your Lord the credit. Tell people. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
We must not be embarrassed to give God credit after you have prayed and received your forgiveness, you have been revived, you have been saved, set free, or delivered. When you do, you run off the devil and his assaults because he cannot stand the praise of our Lord.
Finally, there is another wonderful benefit of calling on the Lord. Read Romans 10:12 which says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. I looked up the word “rich.” It means to be wealthy, to be increased with goods, money and possessions; to be in abundance.
My friends, there are many reasons to call upon the Lord. It will give you a life of peace! Think about it. If you can achieve all of the above, you will simply rest in the arms of the Lord. Let’s begin to call upon the Lord for all your needs. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you!
Confession: My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. I will begin to call on my Lord and Master for everything. When I do, I will want for nothing and live in total peace.
No only does God know you, think about you and have great plans for you, but when you call on Him, He will listen! How many of us pray to God and don’t really expect Him to answer “your” problem. Oh, He’s answered Aunt Mary and Sister Jenny’s pray, but you don’t really expect Him to hear you! Well, I’m writing to tell you, He DOES hear and LISTEN to your prayer.
If we can finally become confident that God will lean His ear to our prayers and listen because He loves you and wants you to become victorious, then we will become the effective prayer warrior He needs in these days.
I’m going to go through what you can expect from your Lord and Savior as you go through life and call on His Name.
HE WILL DELIVER YOU - Psalm 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. The word “trouble” means adversity, affliction, anguish distress, tribulation. When God delivers you out of your trouble, it means to literally pull off your sickness, the devil, to strip your trouble and loose you from bondage. Sounds wonderful doesn’t it?
HE WILL SAVE YOU - Psalm 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. For God to save you means to set you totally free. Free from sickness, oppression of the devil, free from strife, free from depression – you name it. He will save you!
HE WILL REVIVE YOU – Psalm 80:18 Revive us, and we will call upon Your name. When God revives, He will quicken your mortal body. He will nourish, give life, preserve, recover and repair. Sounds like healing to me; healing in your mind, body and soul. Don’t you want to call upon the Lord?
HE WILL FORGIVE YOU – Psalm 86:5 For You Lord are good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. God is so full of mercy, compassion, a willingness to give in to you. He will forgive you of all your mistakes where you have missed the mark God has set for you. He will set aside your sins and pardon you, but you must call on the Lord to receive His mercy and forgiveness.
HE WILL ANSWER YOU – Psalm 86:7 In the day of trouble I will call upon You, for You will answer me. Most of the time when we pray to God, we really don’t expect Him to actually answer us. But you can be confident that when you call on the Lord with great expectation, you will get an answer. We must pray in language that God will respond to by repeating His promises back to Him. If we ask God to heal someone, “if it by thy will,” He will not get an answer! I say that because IT IS the will of God that we be healed. He doesn't want us hooked up to machines, depending on drugs to get us through. That is what your enemy wants.
One thing we must do when God does come through and the circumstance turns around is to give God the credit. Too many times, we pray to God for a situation, the person is healed, or the circumstance is reversed and we don’t bother to run back to God to thank Him. Remember the ten lepers? Only one bothered to come back to Jesus to thank Him. He is the only one that got a total healing. Give your Lord the credit. Tell people. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
We must not be embarrassed to give God credit after you have prayed and received your forgiveness, you have been revived, you have been saved, set free, or delivered. When you do, you run off the devil and his assaults because he cannot stand the praise of our Lord.
Finally, there is another wonderful benefit of calling on the Lord. Read Romans 10:12 which says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. I looked up the word “rich.” It means to be wealthy, to be increased with goods, money and possessions; to be in abundance.
My friends, there are many reasons to call upon the Lord. It will give you a life of peace! Think about it. If you can achieve all of the above, you will simply rest in the arms of the Lord. Let’s begin to call upon the Lord for all your needs. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you!
Confession: My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. I will begin to call on my Lord and Master for everything. When I do, I will want for nothing and live in total peace.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Lord is Near
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. ---Psalm 145:18-19
God is not way out there, untouchable, unreachable and unattached. He is very interested in you. If you have not accepted Him, His Son Jesus and the fact that He desires to have you in His family, then just know that He is waiting on you. He is there and He loves you.
Once we are in the Family of God, which also means we are in the Kingdom of God, then you can know with certainty that God wants to be very involved in your life. You see, you made a choice to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Many of us just consider Jesus as our Savior and forget the Lordship part. As our Lord, Jesus is responsible for us. He can become a very real and integral part of your life, but it is your choice.
Being a part of your life, the Lord (Eloheim) is accessible by us calling on Him. I have found a dozen scriptures that tell us that when we call on the Lord He will do something.
First, we must know that we can call upon Him for any reason. It may be something as small as trying to find lost keys or remembering something. Remember Eloheim is plural and involves God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that is within us and can activate memories or even tell us where we have misplaced something.
Then, God can be a part of monumental decisions or protection from very dangerous situations. We as Christians, have for far too long, tried to live life on our own when all along, our Lord has wanted to be a major part of your every day life. God is worthy to be called upon. He is quite capable and willing to be there for you.
In Psalm 116:2, it says, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” Isn’t it wonderful that the Creator of the Universe has stretched or spread out his ear so He can hear YOUR voice among all the other voices, sounds and noises in the world. He is waiting to hear the sound that comes out of your mouth just so He can serve you. “SERVE ME??” Yes, God wants to serve you because you are in covenant together. You serve Him and He will serve you.
When you call upon God, He will be near as long as you call out in truth. This is an interesting word, “truth” because in the original language it means stability, certainty, and assured. What that means is we must know that we know that our Lord is the One who will respond. Doubt cannot enter your thoughts when you call on the Lord. You must be assertive and confident as you talk to the Most High God. If you call out to God to respond to your situation, then turn to your doctor to do something else, God will let you lean on the doctor and his prescriptions. But when you call out to God and expect that He will be near and respond then God will hear and act.
Tomorrow, I will share what God will do when we call out in truth. It is awesome to know that we have our Lord who is interested in us, worthy to be called upon, and that He is leaning toward us so He can hear us calling on Him.
Confession: I praise my God that He cares about me. I know I have tried to handle my life situations on my own, but I repent. I will include my Lord in all aspects of my life and never doubt that He is listening and can respond to my need.
God is not way out there, untouchable, unreachable and unattached. He is very interested in you. If you have not accepted Him, His Son Jesus and the fact that He desires to have you in His family, then just know that He is waiting on you. He is there and He loves you.
Once we are in the Family of God, which also means we are in the Kingdom of God, then you can know with certainty that God wants to be very involved in your life. You see, you made a choice to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Many of us just consider Jesus as our Savior and forget the Lordship part. As our Lord, Jesus is responsible for us. He can become a very real and integral part of your life, but it is your choice.
Being a part of your life, the Lord (Eloheim) is accessible by us calling on Him. I have found a dozen scriptures that tell us that when we call on the Lord He will do something.
First, we must know that we can call upon Him for any reason. It may be something as small as trying to find lost keys or remembering something. Remember Eloheim is plural and involves God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that is within us and can activate memories or even tell us where we have misplaced something.
Then, God can be a part of monumental decisions or protection from very dangerous situations. We as Christians, have for far too long, tried to live life on our own when all along, our Lord has wanted to be a major part of your every day life. God is worthy to be called upon. He is quite capable and willing to be there for you.
In Psalm 116:2, it says, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” Isn’t it wonderful that the Creator of the Universe has stretched or spread out his ear so He can hear YOUR voice among all the other voices, sounds and noises in the world. He is waiting to hear the sound that comes out of your mouth just so He can serve you. “SERVE ME??” Yes, God wants to serve you because you are in covenant together. You serve Him and He will serve you.
When you call upon God, He will be near as long as you call out in truth. This is an interesting word, “truth” because in the original language it means stability, certainty, and assured. What that means is we must know that we know that our Lord is the One who will respond. Doubt cannot enter your thoughts when you call on the Lord. You must be assertive and confident as you talk to the Most High God. If you call out to God to respond to your situation, then turn to your doctor to do something else, God will let you lean on the doctor and his prescriptions. But when you call out to God and expect that He will be near and respond then God will hear and act.
Tomorrow, I will share what God will do when we call out in truth. It is awesome to know that we have our Lord who is interested in us, worthy to be called upon, and that He is leaning toward us so He can hear us calling on Him.
Confession: I praise my God that He cares about me. I know I have tried to handle my life situations on my own, but I repent. I will include my Lord in all aspects of my life and never doubt that He is listening and can respond to my need.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Call Upon The Lord
As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. ---Psalm 55:16
When we know the Lord, that He is our Savior and Redeemer, then we have every right to call upon Him. He is our Lord which means He is the Master. As a master, God is responsible for us through covenant to take care of all our needs and protect us.
This is not arrogant talk. This is covenant talk. We are bound to God, and the God mentioned in Psalm 55:16 is Eloheim the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Think of it this way, you are a mere human but you are tied together with the Holy Trinity because they want to be with you.
Now you have a supernatural force that wants to be your armor, your source; your everything. God wants to save you. That word “save” means to allow you to be wide open and be free. It means you have an Avenger, a Defender, and Deliverer to help preserve, rescue and get you in victory. There is a God who loves you so deeply that He will be with you in all your ways. Wherever you go, God is there, if you want Him. Would you be proud to take the Holy Trinity with you everywhere you go?
The Lord wants to save you, but you have to do something. You must call upon God, Eloheim. The original Greek for “call upon” means to aggressively go after a specific person by name. Well, Jesus is the Person in the Trinity, so you can call out to Him. To call out to God doesn’t necessarily you are weak. In fact, it takes a strong, sound-minded person to call on God in a time of need.
First you realize you are inadequately taking care of a situation, or you are out of control of the circumstances and you need a supernatural intervention. Perhaps you just need to call out to God for comfort or direction. That is not weak, that is wisdom. For whatever you need, God wants to help you achieve your victory in life on this side of heaven.
It is time for us to do more calling. Remember, God wants us to call Him by the name that is associated with your need. If you need provision, call on Jehovah Jirah, your Provider. If you need protection from your enemies, call on Jehovah Nissi, your Conquerer, if you need healing, call on Jehovah Rapha, your Healer.
Psalm 91:15 says, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him.” Know, with confidence, that when you call upon the Lord, He will answer you. Be patient and trust that His timing is perfect. Once you have given Him your petition, sit back and get ready to be amazed at the results.
Confession: I will call upon the name of the Lord and will wait with great anticipation for the results. I will not doubt that God hears my cry and that He will respond.
When we know the Lord, that He is our Savior and Redeemer, then we have every right to call upon Him. He is our Lord which means He is the Master. As a master, God is responsible for us through covenant to take care of all our needs and protect us.
This is not arrogant talk. This is covenant talk. We are bound to God, and the God mentioned in Psalm 55:16 is Eloheim the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Think of it this way, you are a mere human but you are tied together with the Holy Trinity because they want to be with you.
Now you have a supernatural force that wants to be your armor, your source; your everything. God wants to save you. That word “save” means to allow you to be wide open and be free. It means you have an Avenger, a Defender, and Deliverer to help preserve, rescue and get you in victory. There is a God who loves you so deeply that He will be with you in all your ways. Wherever you go, God is there, if you want Him. Would you be proud to take the Holy Trinity with you everywhere you go?
The Lord wants to save you, but you have to do something. You must call upon God, Eloheim. The original Greek for “call upon” means to aggressively go after a specific person by name. Well, Jesus is the Person in the Trinity, so you can call out to Him. To call out to God doesn’t necessarily you are weak. In fact, it takes a strong, sound-minded person to call on God in a time of need.
First you realize you are inadequately taking care of a situation, or you are out of control of the circumstances and you need a supernatural intervention. Perhaps you just need to call out to God for comfort or direction. That is not weak, that is wisdom. For whatever you need, God wants to help you achieve your victory in life on this side of heaven.
It is time for us to do more calling. Remember, God wants us to call Him by the name that is associated with your need. If you need provision, call on Jehovah Jirah, your Provider. If you need protection from your enemies, call on Jehovah Nissi, your Conquerer, if you need healing, call on Jehovah Rapha, your Healer.
Psalm 91:15 says, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him.” Know, with confidence, that when you call upon the Lord, He will answer you. Be patient and trust that His timing is perfect. Once you have given Him your petition, sit back and get ready to be amazed at the results.
Confession: I will call upon the name of the Lord and will wait with great anticipation for the results. I will not doubt that God hears my cry and that He will respond.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Honoring God Even When We Hurt
Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is in me, bless His Holy name. ---Psalms 103:1
We have learned the importance of knowing the names of God so we can call on Him in our specific times of need. I have also indicated that we can be assured that God will walk with us through our circumstances. Psalm 91:14-16 reads, “Because he has set his love upon Me (God), I will deliver him, I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
None of us can go through life without trouble. Scriptures tell us we are not promised days of ease and comfort, however when the winds of difficulty are upon us, God will be there by our side giving us peace, helping us seek guidance, and most importantly giving us a sound mind.
The following story came to me by e-mail but is very appropriate as we have been studying how a Child of God is to react to our difficult trials. Although this woman faced a bleak future, she knew to trust God, and use His Word as her source of comfort. The scripture she clung on to was Psalm 103:1-5 Here is what she wrote:
I received devastating news: I had breast cancer. Teary-eyed and frightened, I returned home from doctors' appointments and lab tests to find a message on my answering machine. My aunt's voice said, "Read Psalm 103:1-5. Read it over and over again. Read it every day."
I picked up my Bible and read: "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being." I marked that page in my Bible. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .who . . . heals all your diseases" (niv). I typed out the words to take to the hospital.
As I repeated the verses, I replaced the word your with my: ". . . who redeems [my] life from the pit" (verse 4). I read the psalm through surgery and recovery and while I waited for test results: ". . . and crowns [me] with love and compassion" (verse 4). I continued reading it through my treatments, more than once a day when I was weak, exhausted, and afraid of the future - if I had a future - "so that [my] youth is renewed" (Ps. 103:5, niv).
I read those verses daily for over a year, until my strength was renewed and I had another opportunity for life. Today my life is back almost to what it used to be, but I am not the same. Now I understand the importance of praising God in every situation.
Carol A. Lowe (Texas, USA)
We have learned the importance of knowing the names of God so we can call on Him in our specific times of need. I have also indicated that we can be assured that God will walk with us through our circumstances. Psalm 91:14-16 reads, “Because he has set his love upon Me (God), I will deliver him, I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
None of us can go through life without trouble. Scriptures tell us we are not promised days of ease and comfort, however when the winds of difficulty are upon us, God will be there by our side giving us peace, helping us seek guidance, and most importantly giving us a sound mind.
The following story came to me by e-mail but is very appropriate as we have been studying how a Child of God is to react to our difficult trials. Although this woman faced a bleak future, she knew to trust God, and use His Word as her source of comfort. The scripture she clung on to was Psalm 103:1-5 Here is what she wrote:
I received devastating news: I had breast cancer. Teary-eyed and frightened, I returned home from doctors' appointments and lab tests to find a message on my answering machine. My aunt's voice said, "Read Psalm 103:1-5. Read it over and over again. Read it every day."
I picked up my Bible and read: "Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being." I marked that page in my Bible. "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits . . .who . . . heals all your diseases" (niv). I typed out the words to take to the hospital.
As I repeated the verses, I replaced the word your with my: ". . . who redeems [my] life from the pit" (verse 4). I read the psalm through surgery and recovery and while I waited for test results: ". . . and crowns [me] with love and compassion" (verse 4). I continued reading it through my treatments, more than once a day when I was weak, exhausted, and afraid of the future - if I had a future - "so that [my] youth is renewed" (Ps. 103:5, niv).
I read those verses daily for over a year, until my strength was renewed and I had another opportunity for life. Today my life is back almost to what it used to be, but I am not the same. Now I understand the importance of praising God in every situation.
Carol A. Lowe (Texas, USA)
Confession: I will thank and praise my God even though I cannot see the future. I will thank Him for every breath I breathe and every minute I live. I will not look at the half empty glass but will see it as a half full glass. My attitude will be one of expectation!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Do You Thank Him?
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. ---Psalm 75:1
One day I was in our church where the praise was high. By that, I mean the words to the song was hitting heaven’s gate, the people were all engaging and the atmosphere was pregnant with expectation. I found myself reflecting on God’s goodness and how He had met need after need in my life. I just started praising God by saying, “Thank You,” over and over and over and over. There were no other words that could express my emotion at the time but just to thank Him.
From that time on, I have become a very thankful person. I believe that in that moment in time and spirit, I opened my spirit door to the spirit of thankfulness. I cannot pray a prayer in any other way than to thank God for whatever is going on in my life. I thank God for every part of my body and I name them one by one. For example, I thank God for a sharp mind, keen senses, a strong heart, kidneys, liver, adrenal glands, etc that function normally. I thank God for fluid joints and clean blood that flows through my veins.
I thank God at every meal that the meal will nourish my body, I thank God for our vehicles that work, appliances that will perform the way they are supposed to. I thank God for my wonderful husband who provides for us. I can go on and on, but the point I am making is that there is always something to thank God for.
If there is something that you need God to help you with, provide, heal, etc, trust Him with your situation, then start thanking Him for the results you expect to see. Repeat scripture back to Him, and thank Him that He hears your prayer. However, if there is any unforgiveness or bitterness in your life, you MUST ask God to help you forgive because He cannot answer prayer when there is a situation that you cannot release that individual(s). Mark 11:26) Then thank Him for taking care of this situation.
I want to tell you that as a result of a thankful life, God will do everything to give you the victory simply because you are looking to Him for your provision, healing, protection and already have enough faith to thank Him before you even see the results. I believe my body is disease free because of a thankful attitude. Our household is in good repair because of thankfulness. We are calamity free because we acknowledge Jehovah Nissi as our Conquerer and declare that “No weapon formed against us will prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)
Here are some scriptures that will help you see how important thankfulness is:
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. Ps 26:7
Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High, call upon Me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Ps 50:14,15
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Ps 69:30
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Ps 95:2
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Ps 100:4
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Col 2:6,7
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…Col 4:2
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6,7
Confession: I will admit I have not been a thankful person toward what God can and will do in my life. I will begin to praise and thank Him even when I can’t see the results yet.
One day I was in our church where the praise was high. By that, I mean the words to the song was hitting heaven’s gate, the people were all engaging and the atmosphere was pregnant with expectation. I found myself reflecting on God’s goodness and how He had met need after need in my life. I just started praising God by saying, “Thank You,” over and over and over and over. There were no other words that could express my emotion at the time but just to thank Him.
From that time on, I have become a very thankful person. I believe that in that moment in time and spirit, I opened my spirit door to the spirit of thankfulness. I cannot pray a prayer in any other way than to thank God for whatever is going on in my life. I thank God for every part of my body and I name them one by one. For example, I thank God for a sharp mind, keen senses, a strong heart, kidneys, liver, adrenal glands, etc that function normally. I thank God for fluid joints and clean blood that flows through my veins.
I thank God at every meal that the meal will nourish my body, I thank God for our vehicles that work, appliances that will perform the way they are supposed to. I thank God for my wonderful husband who provides for us. I can go on and on, but the point I am making is that there is always something to thank God for.
If there is something that you need God to help you with, provide, heal, etc, trust Him with your situation, then start thanking Him for the results you expect to see. Repeat scripture back to Him, and thank Him that He hears your prayer. However, if there is any unforgiveness or bitterness in your life, you MUST ask God to help you forgive because He cannot answer prayer when there is a situation that you cannot release that individual(s). Mark 11:26) Then thank Him for taking care of this situation.
I want to tell you that as a result of a thankful life, God will do everything to give you the victory simply because you are looking to Him for your provision, healing, protection and already have enough faith to thank Him before you even see the results. I believe my body is disease free because of a thankful attitude. Our household is in good repair because of thankfulness. We are calamity free because we acknowledge Jehovah Nissi as our Conquerer and declare that “No weapon formed against us will prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)
Here are some scriptures that will help you see how important thankfulness is:
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works. Ps 26:7
Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High, call upon Me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Ps 50:14,15
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. Ps 69:30
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Ps 95:2
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. Ps 100:4
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Col 2:6,7
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving…Col 4:2
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6,7
Confession: I will admit I have not been a thankful person toward what God can and will do in my life. I will begin to praise and thank Him even when I can’t see the results yet.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Do You Trust HIM?
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. ---Proverbs 3:5&6 (AMP)
To trust means to have total confidence and reliance in someone or something. We trust the chair we sit on to hold our body weight up. We trust that our house will be there when we return home from work. We don’t even think about those things. It should be the same way with trusting our God.
We have learned in the last several weeks about the character of God. He is not only the Creator God, the Almighty and Lord and Master, but He is a personal God. He wants to see you succeed and be the victor in your everyday life. He is your Provider, your Healer, your Defender and your biggest Cheerleader! God is for you, not against you. He has done all that He can do by leaving the most beautiful environment we call Heaven to come to this despot, wicked world to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.
He lived among us until He was in His early 30’s only teaching His last three years on this earth. When He did, He impacted thousands through His teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, demonstrating His power and might through the miraculous and finally giving up His life so that we could be finally reconciled back to God by taking upon Himself all our sins. I call that extreme love!
Now, 2000 years later, we have the history of Jesus’ life recorded in the Bible. We have history of those men and women who have lived after that first century and were touched by God. We know that even in the 20th century men and women experienced a touch from God that healed, restored and changed their lives so that they, too, could carry the message of the Kingdom around the world. I, personally, have experienced His healing touch, and have personally seen the miraculous.
When we trust God, our El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient God with our lives and soul, we can live in peace because God is the author of our own history. It has already been written in the books in heaven. (Psalm 139:16) He has wonderful plans, not to destroy or hurt or maim but to promote, increase and display the life of God through you.
So you may be thinking, “Ok, so how do I trust God. I don’t see Him, I don’t hear an audible voice and I certainly can’t feel His arms around me, so how do I put trust in a Spirit-Being? Well, you trust many things you can’t see, feel or hear. You trust a government program. You trust your bank. So, why not trust the God you have accepted into your heart who has more concern and interest in you than those people around you?
Here’s what you do. When you are talking to God (praying) tell Him the situation as you see it. You can cry, you can be angry, you can be ashamed, but talk to Him. Then tell God what He has promised to you by reading the Psalms, Isaiah, Romans 8 or other encouraging passages. Make it in the first person using “I” or “Me.” When you do that, you are encouraging yourself and as you speak the Word back to God, you are fulfilling Isaiah 55:11 which says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Lastly, give God the situation, your condition, your relationships and release them to Him. Once you have released it, let God deal with it. Trust Him with the best solution for your situation. It may not happen as you had imagined or feel it should be resolved, but God WILL BE the one who will walk with you through the situation and out the other end. Always TRUST GOD because He loves you more than any human on the face of the earth can or ever will.
Confession: I will trust God with all my heart and let Him lead me through the life He has destined for me.
To trust means to have total confidence and reliance in someone or something. We trust the chair we sit on to hold our body weight up. We trust that our house will be there when we return home from work. We don’t even think about those things. It should be the same way with trusting our God.
We have learned in the last several weeks about the character of God. He is not only the Creator God, the Almighty and Lord and Master, but He is a personal God. He wants to see you succeed and be the victor in your everyday life. He is your Provider, your Healer, your Defender and your biggest Cheerleader! God is for you, not against you. He has done all that He can do by leaving the most beautiful environment we call Heaven to come to this despot, wicked world to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.
He lived among us until He was in His early 30’s only teaching His last three years on this earth. When He did, He impacted thousands through His teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, demonstrating His power and might through the miraculous and finally giving up His life so that we could be finally reconciled back to God by taking upon Himself all our sins. I call that extreme love!
Now, 2000 years later, we have the history of Jesus’ life recorded in the Bible. We have history of those men and women who have lived after that first century and were touched by God. We know that even in the 20th century men and women experienced a touch from God that healed, restored and changed their lives so that they, too, could carry the message of the Kingdom around the world. I, personally, have experienced His healing touch, and have personally seen the miraculous.
When we trust God, our El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient God with our lives and soul, we can live in peace because God is the author of our own history. It has already been written in the books in heaven. (Psalm 139:16) He has wonderful plans, not to destroy or hurt or maim but to promote, increase and display the life of God through you.
So you may be thinking, “Ok, so how do I trust God. I don’t see Him, I don’t hear an audible voice and I certainly can’t feel His arms around me, so how do I put trust in a Spirit-Being? Well, you trust many things you can’t see, feel or hear. You trust a government program. You trust your bank. So, why not trust the God you have accepted into your heart who has more concern and interest in you than those people around you?
Here’s what you do. When you are talking to God (praying) tell Him the situation as you see it. You can cry, you can be angry, you can be ashamed, but talk to Him. Then tell God what He has promised to you by reading the Psalms, Isaiah, Romans 8 or other encouraging passages. Make it in the first person using “I” or “Me.” When you do that, you are encouraging yourself and as you speak the Word back to God, you are fulfilling Isaiah 55:11 which says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Lastly, give God the situation, your condition, your relationships and release them to Him. Once you have released it, let God deal with it. Trust Him with the best solution for your situation. It may not happen as you had imagined or feel it should be resolved, but God WILL BE the one who will walk with you through the situation and out the other end. Always TRUST GOD because He loves you more than any human on the face of the earth can or ever will.
Confession: I will trust God with all my heart and let Him lead me through the life He has destined for me.
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