Don't Drift Away

I know the Lord is always with me.
    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
    My body rests in safety. (Psalm 16:8-9 NLT)

It seems my walk with God can be described as the ocean waves rolling onto the shore, there are ebbs and there are wanes but no matter the storms or calmness of the ocean, the waves always return to the shore - our rock and our God.  Sometimes we drift away from the shoreline, forgetting who we are and whose we are; then sometimes we crash upon the shore grasping, searching, thirsting for more of God.

We need to remember that no matter how we feel ~ God isn’t limited by our feelings. When we are distant and feel alone; God is in our presence. When we feel fearful and afraid; God is our fortress.  When we feel sad and brokenhearted; God is our peace. We live in these human bodies that are imperfect with their fleshly and emotional desires, but the Holy Spirit living within us is perfect and a reflection of God. With this in mind we need to yield to the spirit and reject the flesh.  Jesus warned his disciples while he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Now maybe you’re learning: the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Watch and pray and take care that you are not pulled down during a time of testing.” (Matthew 26:41 Voice)

As we go through the ups and downs of this life, we must learn to accept our weakness by acknowledging that we can’t do this life on our own, we need God, we need Jesus.  Once we’ve made Jesus the Lord of our life, He becomes our oxygen, there is no life without Him; the further away we drift, the weaker we become. But the closer we draw near to Him, there is nothing we can not overcome or accomplish.

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]. (Philippians 4:13 AMP)

Day 4 of 40 Days of Prayer

First of all, then, I admonish and  urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,  For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. (1 Timothy 2:1-2 AMP)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that we can come to you in prayer, thank you that we can boldly come to your throne of grace, thank you that we live in a country where we are allowed to worship you and freely share your Good News with others. And please forgive us of our sins, sins against you and each other.  Today, we come together to pray for our nation and our leaders, Lord, we pray that they would look to you for your guidance, and seek your will in all that they do. We pray that all the people of our land would serve you, not just with lip service and routines, but with their whole hearts.  We pray that lives would be changed and made anew in you. We pray that all would see how your love outshines the darkness of this world! We pray that the lost would hear your voice and turn to you for their salvation and not make the government their savior. You alone are our rock and our fortress, our deliverer, our God, in whom we take refuge, our shield, our salvation and our stronghold and only in you have we been given a new life! We give you all the praise, honor and glory that only you are due, dear Lord, thank you Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercies and grace, thank you for your precious Son Jesus, thank you for your Holy Spirit and thank you for all you have given us, we love you Lord, in Jesus’ name we pray ~ AMEN

Day 4 of 21-Day Challenge: Do Not Be Afraid

When writing these devotions, I usually just wait for a scripture or a verse to ‘speak to me’. Today while I was reading my Bible and devotions, I wasn’t sure which direction to go for the devotion and then the word ‘Peace’ came to mind and while I was asking GOD if HE wanted me to write on peace, the horrific thunderstorm we’ve been having for the past 8 hours quieted down and all was peaceful…which made me think of the scripture John 6:20 in today’s reading, I think this is where GOD wants us to go today!

But Yeshua said to them, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, do not be afraid.” (Aramaic Bible in Plain English 2010)

Jesus is the peace in every storm, in every trial, in every situation; HE alone can bring us the peace we need. When we are going through these difficult storms of life, when it seems as if life is beating us down (and winning) we can not only survive during these times, we can thrive when we have GOD’s peace.

Some storms can come at you fast; out of nowhere you’re being hit by some trials you didn’t even know were possible. Other storms slowly set in, brewing off in the distance, you know they are coming, you even have time to prepare and hunker down while you ride out the storm. In order to have GOD’s peace, you need to have faith that HE can get you through your trials and tribulations.  GOD never brings you to your knees, but while you’re down there is when you realize just how much you do need HIM.

If you were going to go through a Hurricane or a Tornado, you would want to be in a very strong structure. You would want to be fortified in a home that was built with the best materials and by the best builders. Most people like to be prepared before a storm is even a possibility, that’s why they have building codes, so you can withstand the big storms when they do come. Like a builder, you want to have a strong structure to protect you from the storms of LIFE, and you can strengthen yourself by building up your faith. Our faith can either be well fed and strong or it can be weak and withered.

Our faith is fed by the Word of GOD, time spent with GOD in prayer or meditation. AThe storms we endure build onto our faith, like a wall that is re-enforced, the more storms we endure with GOD, we walk out on the other side, strengthened and encouraged. The more time we spend in GOD’s word, the more our Spirit is fed.

Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35 NLT) 

A person that wants to build muscle, they don’t just exercise they follow a sensible diet for building muscle as well. The foods they eat are not junk food and sweets, but good nourishing foods for their body to grow and be healthier – so instead of feeding your faith with ‘junk’, feed your faith with the Word of GOD; remember the ‘garbage in, garbage out’ philosophy! A muscle builder is not able to build muscle if he's only eating lettuce and tomatoes either. He can't eat one small meal a week, we're trying to build muscle here. You can't sit down and read a scripture a day and say, I'm full now; get into the Word, feast on it, the more you read, the more you'll want to read GOD's Word - it ALWAYS satisfies!

The definition of exercise is a set of movements, questions, tasks, etc., designed to train, improve, or test one's ability in a particular field. Thus why we need to learn to ‘exercise’ our faith for it to grow stronger. We can’t be a couch potato and build strong muscles – when circumstances are pounding you down, you exercise your faith, by pulling yourself up off the ground, walking forward through the storm and say, “GOD I don’t know why I’m going through this, but I know it’s not from you and I know you are here with me and you’ve never left my side. I know that if GOD is for me, than who can be against me, I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I know that although a thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at your right hand, they shall not come near me!!” Your faith will grow more than it was before, so that the next storm, you are not only stronger in your faith, you can encourage others and comfort them when they are taking on a storm in their life!

“I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 NLT)

Our faith in GOD is what allows us to have peace during the storms of life. Our peace and joy is not based on our external circumstances, but by the relationship we have with our Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus said it HIMSELF that HE is the only one who can give us the peace that surpasses all peace. This peace Jesus gives can only be received by those who have accepted Jesus by faith, faith that HE is the Son of GOD, that HE died on the cross for our sins and the HE rose again on the third day and is now seated in Heaven at GOD’s right hand! So accept GOD’s peace and stand strong Child of GOD, you are will overcome!

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith.” (1 John 5:4 NKJV)

My, Standing in Faith Scriptures, are from these scriptures: John 14:16, Romans 8:31, Philippians 4:13, Psalm 91:7

Day 2 of 21-Day Challenge: Warriors Weep Too!

Somewhere along the way, the process of crying became seen as a weakness. I know I get upset if I cry in public, it’s bad enough that I’m upset enough to cry, but to have someone see me – what must they think of me now? I’m human, we cry, it’s part of our DNA, but yet when we cry we become ashamed of those tears showing our true emotions.

But David said to him, "You come to me using a sword and two spears. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the armies of Israel! You have spoken against him.  Today the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll kill you and cut off your head. Today I'll feed the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds of the air and the wild animals. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel! Everyone gathered here will know the Lord does not need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to him, and he will hand you over to us."  As Goliath came near to attack him, David ran quickly to meet him. He took a stone from his bag, put it into his sling, and slung it. The stone hit the Philistine and went deep into his forehead, and Goliath fell facedown on the ground.  So David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. He did not even have a sword in his hand. Then David ran and stood beside him. He took Goliath's sword out of its holder and killed him by cutting off his head.  (1 Samuel 17:45-51 NCV)

One of my favorite people from the Bible is David, he was a mighty warrior of GOD. He stood before a giant with just a sling shot and before he threw a single stone, he gave that giant a verbal smack down.    He was so confident in GOD having his back, that he didn’t hold back a single insult.  So when he took down the giant, he ran to cut off his head; he didn’t hesitate, he knew he was taking down the giant. There was never any doubt in his mind that GOD would deliver Goliath to him; that is trust. You would imagine if you just shot someone you would pause and be amazed that you were able to take them down, but not David, he was expecting it. This warrior of GOD fought in so many more battles, that songs were song by the people about him slaying 10,000 men; this isn’t a man afraid of anything.

I am worn out from sobbing.  All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.  (Psalm 6:6-7 NLT)

David wrote this Psalm, GOD’s mighty warrior said he was crying, not just crying, today we would call this type of sobbing, ‘bawling’, about the problems he was having. David was so upset about the circumstances that he was dealing with it; he said he flooded his bed with tears! Not only is David admitting he sobs, he’s not ashamed of his tears; he writes this down to be shared with all of GOD’s people!

But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.  (Acts 13:22 NLT)

GOD said that David was a man after HIS own heart, what child of GOD wouldn’t want that to be said about them! So we can be a strong warrior of GOD and also a child that sobs when our circumstances are more than we can bear. David might weep when he’s under pressure and can’t see the end of his trial, but that doesn’t mean he gave up on GOD. No, David never stopped trusting that GOD would deliver him!

Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.  (Psalm 6:8-9 NLT)

While David was still in the midst of his storm, he did not waiver in his faith in GOD, he said that the Lord heard his cries; the Lord had heard his prayers and the Lord WILL deliver him. While we’re in the middle of a crisis, it’s hard to imagine that anything good will come from it. It’s natural to imagine things only getting worst and never getting any better, but our GOD is supernatural. Our GOD sees the beginning from the end, HE knows what’s going to happen before it does. HE has a path for us and when roadblocks and detours come about, HE’s not surprised. HE knows how to get us to our destination, the bumps in life that we go through aren’t put there by GOD, but HE can navigate us around them and use those circumstances to strengthen us and to bless us.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)

GOD never said the journey would be easy, but HE did say HE would never leave us. The trials we go through can bring us to our knees, and it’s okay to weep and cry out to GOD to deliver us. When you pray for GOD to rescue you, know that the rescue is on its way; but the timing is not what you want, it’s what you need!

Grace

2 Peter 3:18

“Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.”

We are to grow in grace, we are to give grace to others if we are to receive it. The word ‘grace’ used here was the Greek word, ‘charis’ comes from the same root as ‘chara’ which means ‘joy’ and the ‘chairo’, ‘to rejoice’. Charis causes rejoicing. It is the word for God’s grace as extended to sinful man. It signifies unmerited favor, undeserved blessing, or a free gift.  Just as we benefit from GOD’s grace by giving us the gift of salvation, we are to bestow grace to others. We are to be Christ like here on earth, which means all the things Jesus did, we are to follow his example. We can extend grace to our family, friends, co-workers, acquaintences, and even strangers! So when someone says or does something to you, instead of giving them the deserved response; try responding with grace.

In reading 2 Corinthians 12, Paul, said he received wonderful revelations from GOD, “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) The explanation my Bible gives to this is too great not to share: “His Grace is Sufficient- Godliness and Moral Purity; Grace, God’s unmerited favor, is that indeed a manifestation of His power exceeding what we could achieve or hope for by our own labors. And not only is it mightily in effect at our salvation, it is also a God-given resource that makes possible “holy living” when our life, circumstance, or character is under fire by the adversary.  God’s grace becomes His enablement or empowerment to achieve His plan, endure hardship, or access Him. His grace is powerful and all-enabling to the believer. His grace facilitates our abilities to conquer every weakness as we yield to an absolute trust or reliance upon God, trusting His heart even when we cannot trace His hand. Also the Greek ‘arkeo’ for ‘sufficient’ suggests the idea of ‘raising a barrier’ or ‘warding off’, God giving us the grace – the supernatural ability or miraculous faculty to sustain, endure, or maintain our call-for all He is enabling us to become in Christ.” (Jack W. Hayford, commentary, New Spirit Filled Life Bible )

Wasn’t that awesome, grace, is not only some gift we can bestow upon others, but it’s a way we can endure and sustain ourselves when we are under attack! GOD wants us to grow in grace, not just so we can be stronger Christians, but so we can lead others to Christ. HE wants us to share our experiences to encourage others. Some people don’t want to let anyone know that they have a weakness or struggles, but those very issues are what can bring people to Christ. Some people believe because we’re Christians, life is perfect and fair-weather. They need to know that yes we have struggles, BUT those issues don’t define us, we are strengthened through our trials, we still have joy regardless of our circumstances, because we have Jesus!

Shelter

Psalm 9:9-10

“The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed,

a refuge in times of trouble.

Those who know your name trust in you,

For you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”

In times of trouble, when we are under attack, or when we start to fear, turn to GOD. Instead of picking up the phone to call someone, drop to your knees and call out to GOD. Words from friends can sometimes help, but only the name of GOD can save.

In the verse, "Those who know your ‘name’..."; name is a poetic symbol for the total person and personality it represents. Here it stands for the reliable character of GOD. We have to have faith to believe in the name of GOD and all that it stands for. GOD is waiting for every individual to know HIS name and to experience HIS love. Only one name can save, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13). To trust in the Lord is to confidently believe that HE will never leave you or abandon you.  It’s a walk of faith and in that walk; we learn to trust in GOD and not ourselves. We trust in GOD to fulfill his promises and to believe HIS word.

Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 7:7-8: “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  Notice how Jesus told us to ‘keep on asking’, keep on, if you haven’t received.  This is faith, to keep on asking for something that we haven’t received yet, Jesus told us to keep on asking, because HE knew we would get weary. HE told us to ‘keep on’ knocking as well, but the last part of that verse shows the outcome: And to EVERYONE who knocks, the door will opened.” We might not receive immediately or even weeks, months, years, but if we ‘keep on’ GOD is faithful and we will receive, that’s the walk of faith.

“Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles and the rulings he has given,” Psalm 105:4-5 In the verse "if we 'continually' seek him," the word 'continually' is translated from the Hebrew ‘tamid’, which is also translated to: all times, always, constantly, ever, perpetual, regularly. As long as we do our part to ALWAYS seek HIM (that means in the good times and not just the bad), HE will be faithful, “He always stands by his covenant- the commitment he made to a thousand generations.” Psalm 105:8. 

The original Hebrew word ‘misgab’ is translated to refuge, stronghold, an unassailable lofty/high tower. In military strategy; a place of complete safety, once you have entered that stronghold, you are sheltered from the attacks of the enemy. This doesn’t mean you won’t be attacked, but once you are in the Lord’s shelter, you will have GOD’s peace while the enemy attacks. Jesus told the disciples in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” Once we receive HIS peace, then our faith is able to grow even stronger because we see that what happens around us doesn't matter anymore! Because the peace that GOD gives us is not effected by the surrounding circumstances, HIS peace is based on trusting in GOD and HIS word.

”The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.” Psalm 29:11

When we keep searching for God; when we remember HIS promises, HIS mercies and HIS grace he has given us; that is the place where we will find HIM. We must keep our hearts tender to HIS word and thankful for HIS blessings. By keeping our hearts open to HIM and HIS word, we will always have a place of refuge when those storm waters rise and the winds howl. We can have peace in GOD’s shelter, we will have strength for the enemey's attack, because we have clung to GOD’s promises and have put our trust in HIM. The Christian walk requires strength and faith and GOD has given us all we need to persevere. We were never promised that our life would be easy; we were just promised that we would be able to overcome.

“But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31