What’s the good of prayer?

Chapter I

What's the Good of Prayer? Oswald Chambers

1 Timothy 2:1-8

Because We Need To (Luke 11:1)

For Human Wits Have an End (Psalm 108:13, 19, 28)

For Human Wills Have an End (Romans 8:26)

For Human Wisdom Has an End (James 1:5)

Prayer alters ME

Because We Must Do (James 5:16)

If We Would Know God (Matthew 6:8)

If We Would Help Men (John 14:12-13)

If We Would Do God's Will (1 John 5:14-16)

Prayer alters OTHERS

Because We Can Do (Luke 18:1)

By Asking

By Seeking (Luke 11:9-13; John 15:7)

By Knocking

Prayer alters CIRCUMSTANCES through me

It is only when a man flounders beyond any grip of himself and cannot understand things that he really prays. It is not part of the natural life of a man to pray. By "natural" I mean the ordinary, sensible, healthy, worldly-minded life. We hear it said that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray; I question it. Prayer is an interruption to personal ambition, and no man who is busy has time to pray. What will suffer is the life of God in him, which is nourished not by food but by prayer. If we look on prayer as a means of developing ourselves, there is nothing in it at all, nor do we find that idea of prayer in the Bible. Prayer is other than meditation; it is that which develops the life of God in us. When a man is born from above (rv mg), the life of the Son of God begins in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it. Prayer is the way the life of God is nourished. Our Lord nourished the life of God in Him by prayer; He was continually in contact with His Father. We generally look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves, whereas the Bible idea of prayer is that God's holiness and God's purpose and God's wise order may be brought about, irrespective of who comes or who goes. Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament.

When a man is in real distress he prays without reasoning; he does not think things out, he simply spurts it out—"Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses." When we get into a tight place our logic goes to the winds, and we work from the implicit part of ourselves.

"Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." Then why ask? Very evidently our ideas about prayer and Jesus Christ's are not the same. Prayer to Him is not a means of getting things from God, but in order that we may get to know God. Prayer, that is, is not to be used as the petted privilege of a spoiled child seeking for ideal conditions in which to indulge his spiritual propensities ad lib.; the purpose of prayer is to reveal the Presence of God, equally present at all times and in every condition.

A man may say, "Well, if the Almighty has decreed things, why need I pray? If He has made up His mind, what is the use of me thinking I can alter His mind by prayer?" We must remember that there is a difference between God's order and God's permissive will. God's order reveals His character; His permissive will applies to what He permits. For instance, it is God's order that there should be no sin, no suffering, no sickness, no limitation and no death; His permissive will is all these things. God has so arranged matters that we are born into His permissive will, and we have to get at His order by an effort of our own, viz., by prayer. To be children of God, according to the New Testament, does not mean that we are creatures of God only, but that we grow into a likeness to God by our own moral character.

I question whether the people who continually ask for prayer meetings know the first element of prayer. It is often an abortion of religious hysterics, a disease of the nerves taking a spiritual twist. Jesus says we are to pray in His name, i.e., in His nature, and His nature is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost when we are born from above (rv mg; see Luke 11:13; Romans 5:5). Again, Jesus did not promise to be at every prayer meeting, but only at those "where two or three are gathered together in My name," i.e., in His nature (Matthew 18:20). Jesus Christ does not pay any attention to the gift of "religious gab," and His words—"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking," refer not to the mere repetition and form of words, but to the fact that it is never our earnestness that brings us into touch with God, but our Lord Jesus Christ's vitalising death. (See Hebrews 10:19)

Our Lord in His teaching regarding prayer never once referred to unanswered prayer; He said God always answers prayer. If our prayers are in the name of Jesus, i.e., in accordance with His nature, the answers will not be in accordance with our nature, but with His. We are apt to forget this, and to say without thinking that God does not always answer prayer. He does every time, and when we are in close communion with Him, we realise that we have not been misled.

"Ask, and it shall be given you." We grouse before God, and are apologetic or apathetic, but we ask very few things; yet what a splendid audacity a child-like child has! and our Lord says, "Except ye . . . become as little children. . . ." Jesus says, "Ask, and God will do." Give Jesus Christ a chance, give Him elbow-room, and no man ever does it until he is at his wits' end. During the war many a man prayed for the first time in his life. When a man is at his wits' end, it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way to get in touch with Reality. As long as we are self-sufficient and complacent, we don't need to ask God for anything, we don't want Him; it is only when we know we are powerless that we are prepared to listen to Jesus Christ and to do what He says.

Then again our Lord says, "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will," i.e., what your will is in. There is very little our wills are in, consequently it is easy to work up false emotions. We intercede in a mechanical way, our minds are not in it. When we see a man going wrong, it is a false way to "buttonhole" him and tell him about it; Jesus Christ says, Come and tell Me, and I will give you life for him that sins not "unto death" (see 1 John 5:16).

Be yourself exactly before God, and present your problems, the things you know you have come to your wits' end about. Ask what you will, and Jesus Christ says your prayers will be answered. We can always tell whether our will is in what we ask by the way we live when we are not praying.

The New Testament view of a Christian is that he is one in whom the Son of God has been revealed, and prayer deals with the nourishment of that life. One way it is nourished is by refusing to worry over anything, for worry means there is something over which we cannot have our own way, and is in reality personal irritation with God. Jesus Christ says, "Don't worry about your life, don't fear them which kill the body; be afraid only of not doing what the Spirit of God indicates to you."

"In every thing give thanks." Never let anything push you to your wits' end, because you will get worried, and worry makes you self-interested and disturbs the nourishment of the life of God. Give thanks to God that He is there, no matter what is happening. Many a man has found God in the belly of hell in the trenches during the days of war, i.e., they came to their wits' end and discovered God. The secret of Christian quietness is not indifference, but the knowledge that God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, and worry becomes an impossibility.

It is not so true that "Prayer changes things" as that prayer changes me, and then I change things; consequently we must not ask God to do what He has created us to do. For instance, Jesus Christ is not a social reformer; He came to alter us first, and if there is any social reform to be done on earth, we must do it. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man's disposition. When you pray, things remain the same, but you begin to be different. The same thing when a man falls in love, his circumstances and conditions are the same, but he has a sovereign preference in his heart for another person which transfigures everything. If we have been born from above (rv mg) and Christ is formed in us, instantly we begin to see things differently—"If any man is in Christ, there is a new creation" (rv mg).

Heaven above is brighter blue, Earth around is sweeter green! Something lives in every hue Christless eyes have never seen. Birds with gladder songs o'erflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine, Since I know, as now I know, I am His, and He is mine.

The good of praying is that it gets us to know God and enables God to perform His order through us, no matter what His permissive will may be. A man is never what he is in spite of his circumstances, but because of them. Circumstances, as Reader Harris once said, are like feather beds—very comfortable to he on top of, but immensely smothering if they get on top of you. Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God, always keeps us on top of our circumstances.

How beautiful this undisturbed morning hour is with God! ♦ ♦ ♦ O Lord, this day my soul would stay upon Thee as Creator of the world, and upon our Lord Jesus Christ as Creator of His life in me. Oh for the power of Thy Spirit to adore Thee in fuller measure! ♦ ♦ ♦ "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation. . . ." Can I think of anything so gracious and complete in surrender and devotion and gratitude as to take from Thee? O Lord, I would that I had a livelier sense of Thee and of Thy bounties continually with me. ♦ ♦ ♦ O Lord, this day may Thy beauty and grace and soothing peace be in and upon me, and may no wind or weather or anxiety ever touch Thy beauty and Thy peace in my life or in this place.

Lecture: Bible Training College, April 6, 1915

 

What is impossible?

My devotion this morning took me to Luke 18. I have read these stories many times and we have all heard them many times. The passage below seems to tag on what I wrote Sunday. It is almost like He is driving a point home. It feels like if I just let some people go and give them to the Lord. There is a reward if I just let go. It also means to pick up your cross and to follow Him. Just follow Him and let Him take care of it. Oswald's devo this morning touched on verse 17 the short version means if there is something in your life that you feel would be ridiculous to ask the Lord, then that is the very thing you need to be asking about!

 

Luke 18:27-30
He replied, "What is impossible for people is possible with God." Peter said, "We've left our homes to follow you." "Yes," Jesus replied, "and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God,
will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come." NLT

Jeremiah 17:9

Jeremiah 17:8
"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.NASB95

Jeremiah 17:9-10
"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be." The Message

This morning I went from Idols in Isaiah 44 and 45 to Jeremiah 17 midstream. What I mean is during the middle of reading chpt 45 I hear read Jeremiah 17 :9 One thing I realized after reading both of these chapters is this, it is very hard to have your roots deeply planted by the stream and have an idol in your heart at the same time. It is very hard to have good tasting fruit in your life if you have idols. So my question would be ……… several questions actually

1. Can your family eat your fruit or is your fruit poison to your family and friends
   
2. Is your fruit poison to your family but edible to your friends?
   
3. Are you letting the Lord search your heart? Or have you closed that door?
   
4. Has the heat been turned up in your life/heart and your leaves are wilting?
   
5. Do you know all of the right things to say but not living by what you say?
   
6. Last but not least, do you have an IDOL?
   

Peace today and my comments are only to stir not condemn

 

John 6

I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever."

⁵⁹ He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ Many of his disciples said, "This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?"

⁶¹ Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, "Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? ⁶³ The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But some of you do not believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn't believe, and he knew who would betray him.) ⁶⁵ Then he said, "That is why I said that people can't come to me unless the Father gives them to me."

As I am reading this for the umpteenth time … the last verse really struck me. This is what I got from it. We all have people in our lives that we look at … maybe even judge. We think …….. They just don't get it. Do you know someone like that? That person may be lost or they may be saved but living the lost life (that kind of doesn't sound right does it?) Just because you are saved does not mean you are free. Anyway we wonder... Lord when are you going to do something? When really it should be, Lord let me get out of your way while you do your job. Picture this … you are doing your job and someone comes over and tries to push you out of the way because they think they can do it better. While you're giving a speech they interrupt and try to give a better one or they take the saw from you and cut the boards there way, only it is wrong. Now what happens is the job takes longer. Get the picture. We are responsible for planting the seeds … let someone else do the watering. Let the Lord does His job, we cannot do it better. That person will get there on the Lord's time not yours.

Remember God's kindness will lead them to repentance. Romans 2:4

Have a blessed day!

Another 10 second rule

Another 10 second rule.

I went to the bank today and as always they give me my money in an envelope, but this time put the money on my dash board instead of in my wallet like I always do. I went to Kohl's to buy a couple of shirts. When I was leaving I noticed the hair cut place so I decided to get my hair cut because that makes my wife happy. So I go in and get it cut. Somehow we got on the subject about being yelled at. She said she does not like it (I thought who does?) Anyway, I asked to her if she had asked the Lord why that bothers her so much. She just looked at me like I was crazy. I did not press it. So we got finished and I paid and I went to my truck. I was sitting there and I saw the envelope with the money in it so I decided to put the money in my wallet. I do that and start to back up and I hear "go back and give her $50.00" I just set there in the middle of the parking lot just kinda dazed at what I heard. I didn't want to. I knew the 10 second rule. So I pulled back into my parking spot and went back in and got her. I explained the story about going to the bank and then I just looked at her and pulled out the $50.00 and handed it to her. It messed her up and just looked at me and said "she couldn't take it". I said "yes you can" So she received the blessing and then asked me why I would do that. I looked at her and said "the Lord told me to give you this money" She came over and gave me a hug and said "she was going to cry" I said "it is okay to cry." I then said "have a nice day and left" I don't know why He had me give her the money and it doesn't really mater. What matters is I obeyed. My devotion this morning took me to 1 Kings 19 but it took all the way to 1 Kings 22:14 It really stuck out to me this morning but didn't have a clue about what to write about until this afternoon.

1 Kings 22:14 But Micaiah replied, "As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say."NLT Which means do what your Father in Heaven says do and say what your Father Heaven says.

John 12.49
For I do not speak of myself, but from the Father who sent me and commanded me what I should say and what I should speak.

1 Peter 4:11
If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles [words] of God; if any man ministers, let him do it with the ability that God gives,³ so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The big question for you today is this……. Did the Lord speak to you and tell you to do something and you paused and talked yourself out of it or did you do it? Believe me I don't this all the time.

This is the link to the other post about the 10 second rule http://www.thevisionseeker.blogspot.com/2011/10/proverbs-2121_5839.html

The Help

I watched a movie last night called "The Help" The movie was set in Mississippi during early 60's When the President was assassinated. It was all about how the white man treated the black man. It was very painful to watch. In the end the main character went up to her accuser and said "You are godless women, (she was a christian) ………….. (long pause) Aren't you tired? …… Aren't you tired? What she meant was …….. aren't you tired of being a racist, a liar, a hypocrite? Hateful all of the time, bitter? A plethora of things I am not and don't want to be. The movie broke my heart. Mainly because there are still people out there today that act the same way. This morning when I open my devotion it took me to the passage below in the Message. I think if I really searched my heart I would find some of that ugly stuff in there.

So here is the big question for today. How are you at loving the unlovable?

Matthew 5:43-47
"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. The Message

Katherine Anne Porter writes, "Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it. Hate needs no instruction, but waits only to be provoked."

Love is not a natural response that gushes out of us unbidden. But hate is always ready to naturally spring forth, like the "Old Faithful" geyser at Yellowstone National Park. Christian love, on the other hand, must be chased after, aspired to, and practiced.

The popular culture completely misunderstands this principle. One of the cruelest and most self-condemning remarks I've ever heard is the one men often use when they leave their wives for another woman: "The truth is, I've never loved you." This is meant to be an attack on the wife—saying in effect, "The truth is, I've never found you lovable." But put it in a Christian context, it's a confession of the man's utter failure to be a Christian. If he hasn't loved his wife, it is not his wife's fault, but his. Jesus calls us to love even the unlovable—even our enemies!—so a man who says "I've never loved you" is a man who is saying essentially this: "I've never acted like a Christian."

—Gary Thomas in Sacred Marriage: Gift Edition

Galatians 4:5-7

I was spending a little time in Galatians this morning, when I came across a passage that we are all familiar with.

I thought that we may need a little reminder of who we are.

No questions today, unless you are not sure or believe what it says below.

Galatians 4:5-7
To purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us [and be recognized as God's sons]. And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba (Father)! Father! Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.AMP

Galatians 4:5-7
Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. The Message

The little dog pt. 3

Could this be the rest of the story? Since I have written on 6/26/2011 part 1, 12 18, 2012 part 2, a lot has changed in that time with MY dog Penny. She is my dog now. We are keeping her and she is not going with Rebekah. She travels with me she lays on the couch with me. She barks at people she does not know. She is almost completely normal. She has her moments, but I am very careful on how I react, I don't! Here is what I see…. I have changed …. ME …. Not the dog …. ME. So many times we want the other person to change instead of looking at ourselves. Why won't God change my wife or husband? Why should I have to change? Why would God change the dog so I could stay the same. Me trying to make that dog change or making her conform to my ways obviously was not working. So now I chose all my battles. I changed my tone, I changed my body language, I changed the way I looked at her and I changed the way I talked to her. The biggest thing was I loved her in spite of her. (Sound familiar?) I loved her into a relationship with me. At one point I wanted to boot this dog into the next county. It was my actions and tone that were causing her to do what she did, I made her worse ….. ... yet I wanted her to change. The proof is in the dog! In my Logos bible software I did a word search for the word "Tone" below is what I got. Very interesting what they say in the amplified version.

Now that I have changed, the dog has changed.

Bless you today. Question, is there someone in your life that you feel they need to change? Maybe it is you.

James 5:16
Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].AMP

Jeremiah 15:19
Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God's faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece. [But do not yield to them.] Let them return to you—not you to [the people].AMP

Manna

Hello everyone,

The little post I did Saturday seemed to stir some things up with a few of you. I just wanted to add some clarification so we are on the same page. I had been going through a rough patch which is something that I tend to do just like you do. I mad some bad choices which allowed me to get there. Do I like getting in those places … no. I found over the years that a lot of times it is in those bad places where the Lord speaks to me and pulls me out of the "bad places" I don't want anyone to think I was beating myself with a stick. I am actually grateful for what happed last Saturday morning. I was reading in the word and He spoke and I repented. It was Awesome! His word pierced my heart it was wounding!

 

It is just like eating dinner. When you eat your body absorbs the nutrients and then gets rid of the waste. When you digest God's word you absorb the fresh manna and get rid of the waste. Which could be anything. Unforgiveness, pain from the past, something you did a few days ago, something you said to someone or in my case the way I was living (personal conviction you might say) etc. I say this …. It is very important to stay in the Word of the Lord. The Lord speaks to me more when I am in the word that through any other way.

 

Rev. 2-17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. …………………………………..

 

Awesome, I overcame Saturday morning and I got hidden manna in the word of the Lord.

 

Kevin

Our Goal is………

How do I start? My devo took me to 2 Corinthians 5. I said a short prayer, which was all I could muster this morning. 30 seconds I think. I was not feeling very worthy this morning. I have just not been living life very well the last week. The way I think "I" should be living. At least ESPN has not pasted me all over the news for my lack of judgment. You can be rest assured that my sin is not any worse than Josh Hamilton's. Any way back to this morning. I found some old blogs I had printed up in my desk. One of them spoke of me not having a repentive heart and I had asked the Lord to show me what that looked like. At the time I wrote that, I asked that question …. I heard nothing. Today I open up Oswald C. and the front page I had wrote a note that said "the words of the Lord hurt and offend sometimes" That made me wonder. Then I get to 2 Cor. 5:9
so whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. .When I read this passage I just felt an overwhelming hurt in my spirit. What I heard ……….what I felt, I am not pleasing Him by the bad choices I have been making. When I realized the ramifications of what I had just heard it just broke me to tears … sobbing is more of the term I am looking for. I had a repentive heart and I prayed and repented. Thank you Jesus. I can remember over the last seven days I have chosen not to be in the word. This morning as I was driven to the store to get my sugar/caffeine fix I remember thinking "draw near to Him and He will draw near to you" So I purposed myself this morning and it was good. My Father loves me in spite of me

Teachable Spirit

Proverbs 17:10 (NLT)
10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.

Teachable Spirit … Teachable people, however you want to say it, is that you? I went to see Marylin yesterday (Our marriage counselor, we see her occasionally for tune-ups, we have been seeing her for eight years) you always hate to hear "how many times do I have to tell you this before you get it?" The sad thing is …… I do get it. What does it say in James?
4.17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
There are men in my life who speak into me, that have said certain things to me concerning my children and I agree with them. I say things like "I know I know" "your right I need to do that" Here lies the rub. I still think that what I know is better than what is being told to me. Do you ever agree with someone about your life or actions and then not do it? You agree just so they will shut up? I was reading this morning about Teachable people. Here is what it says.

You can tell him the same thing over and over again, but you will get the sane response every time."

How do you know you're teachable? Below are five good clues.

1. You know you are teachable when people give you input.
   When you are not teachable, people don't generally risk telling you stuff. Why should they? If you react abrasively any time someone instructs you or corrects you. Don't expect to get any input from others.
   
2. You know you are teachable when you see measurable growth and character development in your life.
   When good things start to happen in your life, you know you are doing something valuable with the info that you are getting. You know you are teachable when others advice produces tangible results in you.
   
3. You know you are teachable when you don't have to answer back to your critic with a defense. Example: finding yourself in a situation where you are speaking into someone, giving people input about a specific situation in their life. Something difficult that they have been struggling with and they receive it with an open heart. They just listen. The problem is when you do this and the person says "Now, hold it right there, you just hang on for a second. You don't understand ……….' I really dread those conversations, People who are receptive to God's transforming truth are the ones who flourish in life
   
4. You know you are teachable when you don't have to return the favor.
   The classic symptom of an unteachable spirit is after listening to someone's honest, loving counsel, you say, "Fine now let me tell you something." You got an unteachable spirit on your hands when he can't humbly receive your words and say "Thank you for telling me."
   
5. You know you're teachable when over time you hear something different for a change.
   If people have been telling you the same stuff for years but still see the need to remind you about it again, you're not teachable. You should be over that by now and on to the next lesson.
   

 

Wisdom is not something we know; it is something we do. Only when we allow God to give us teachable hearts will he show us what we need to know in order to change what we need to do. The biggest fool of all is the person who knows from God what to do and who won't do it. That person is not teachable.

 

Kevin says, "Maybe you are just flat walking in rebellion and what is rebellion? Disobedience and what is disobedience? Sin!" nasty stuff here.

 

 

How have you experienced one (or more) of these test statements in the last few weeks? If you read this and didn't once ask yourself, "Am I like that?" You may be in trouble. Take these questions before the Lord and say "Lord, show me--- teach me." Teachabilty means you are open to changing what the Lord reveals to you.

That was a lot of typing

Thanks for reading

Kevin

The Light

1
John 2:7-8
………………………………………………………………………………………This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.
NLT As I read this last Wednesday morning on Quest I was instantly moved. I can't tell you how many times I have read this, but this day I was impacted to my core. This passage was very freeing for me for the simple fact that I/we are a work in progress. Sometimes I just have to be reminded of that for myself. Holy Spirit does not say the darkness is gone but that it is disappearing. Even though I have darkness in my Life, The Lord is an overpowering light. I am grateful for being able to enter into His rest even though I have darkness. We sang a song on Quest from Lifehouse called "Everything"

Find me here, and speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
So here is my question ….. How is your light?

Are you moved by the Lord?

Have a blessed day!

I did it again

A few weeks ago I sent out an email saying something along the lines that I felt I should not blind copy anyone anymore so they can respond to each other if they want to. I also said that if any of you do not want to be on the list just let me know and I would remove you from the list. Well I had a wife who wanted off who used to tell me she loved it. I emailed her and asked why? Then her husband emailed me and said she doesn't read it anymore and that he does not either and to take him off as well "nothing personal he said" He used to like reading it too. So I had to ask why does this bother me so much. Well I didn't hear anything yet. So I called a friend of mind this morning who will tell me like it is but also will let me listen to see if the answer will come to me and it did. I write the blog because it is my way of journaling and some people like to read what I write and there always seems to be a question at the end. During my conversation with my friend this is what I figured out and heard. I was rejected and because I was rejected I then became judgmental. I soooooo hate that crap. So once again the judgment and rejection reared its ugly head in my life. Here is the good part. I am healed and I am free. Several things happened here. My friend knew what was wrong but kept quiet and stayed out of the Lords way, so the Lord could reveal to me what the problem was. You can't ask someone to do something and then get bothered when they do it. When you judge you will cause your own pain. Last thing that is very important is "you must have a teachable spirit" You must be able to receive correction if you can't receive correction that is a major problem

I judged which caused my rejection to be worse which sent me into a tailspin, but by confessing and getting prayed over I am healed.

James 5.16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.NIV Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.NIV

The reason I got so bothered is because I attached a "why" to the reason they wanted off the list. I decided in my own mind the real reason they wanted off. Even though they told me, I decided there was more to it. I caused my own pain and suffering. It was short lived but never the less I caused it. I could have read the email and said no problem and moved on. That simple.

So as a follower of Jesus, have you decided why someone did something without talking to them and in turn it made you mad?

Getting Alone

Have you ever been alone with God? Oswald Chambers

When He was alone, the twelve . . . asked of Him . . .
Mark 4:10

Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.NLT

His Solitude with us. When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship—when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound. Watch Jesus Christ's training of the twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were perplexed. They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.NLT

If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you, and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with your own soul. Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an absolute confusion to you. We imagine we understand where the other person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts. There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about our bodies? Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.

 

So as I read this devotion from Oswald it takes me back to Matthew 6:6

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. NKJV My interpretation of this means, when you go to your secret place, leave all of your crap outside and then come in and close the door. The crawl up into your Daddy's lap to listen to the soft whisper and be comforted.
So I ask "What do you mean by all of this?" I hear "you don't get alone with me like this anymore you don't stop and just listen, yes you pray and yes you read, but you don't get quiet and just listen. I need you to focus on me." So now I am thinking I am hearing him right? So I feel this is Him drawing me into a deeper relationship than what I feel I have and to do that I am going to have to slow down and listen. Go to the secret place. I wonder if I am afraid of going there ….. Afraid of what He might show me. Now isn't that just pathetic. If you don't change ……. Then you won't change.

 

Trust Me

Trust Me

 

Have you thought about the sacrifice?

That was made back in the day.

It was his death on the timber.

An act we will always remember.

 

His death changed us forever.

What He did was inconceivable.

God's care for us . . . . . . Unbelievable.

We will not forget . . . . . never.

 

Could you die?

So some one else could live.

Such a tall order to fill

You could do this if it is God's will.

 

His love is unconditional

It matters not who you are.

Learn to trust Him,

And away goes your sin.

 

Nothing matches the glory of our Father.

Or the sacrifice He made.

So we could come to know Him,

Even as we live in sin.

 

Jesus says, "Come to me

And I will give you rest."

Only Jesus knows what is best.

He is the truth, and the way, that's easy to see.

 

So come to me with your shame,

Come to me with your pain.

I am the one, who comforts,

As your tears fall like the rain.

 

Your heart is broken and torn from the inside.

You look to me with no more pride.

You have nothing left but your broken heart.

You think all is lost and everything has fallen apart.

 

Behold I heal all wounds.

And I start with the heart.

With that we will never be apart.

My healing will give you a new start.

 

It is time to die to yourself.

Make the sacrifice to live the new life.

I will listen and answer when you pray.

Trust me; I will not lead you astray.

 

 

By Kevin Gwyn ©copyrighted 3/21/2003

Have you surrendered?

Strange how my devo came about this morning. I am leaving to go on a Quest next week and was looking at some old emails and was feeling like I needed to send something out, but realized that it wasn't for the questers but for me. I have an email called surrender that I sometimes send out. When I read it this morning, I looked up surrender on my software and this is where I landed Jeremiah 38:17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: 'If you surely surrender 
to the king of Babylon's princes, (or whatever is going on in your life right now)then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. Here is what I know for me. My life is so much calmer when I surrender.

Surrender is always a tough one for me, what is the worst thing that could happen if you surrender?

Here is what François Fenelon the Archbishop of Cambria said in the 17th century. He was the spiritual advisor to Louie the 14th. He said this in a letter to the King about surrender. There is more in the letter but this is the main point.

Let me tell you what real surrender is. It is simply resting in the love of the Lord, as a little baby rests in his mother arms. A perfect surrender must even be willing to quit surrendering, if that is what the Lord wants. We renounce ourselves, and yet, God never lets us know when it is complete. If we knew, it would no longer BE complete, for there is nothing that bolsters the ego quiet so much as knowing that it is fully surrendered.

Surrender consist, not in doing great, heroic deeds about which self can brag, but simply in accepting whatever God sends, and not seeking to change it. Surrender is the source of true peace.

I have noticed for myself that when I have completely surrendered. (At least when I think I have) I feel at peace. When I think I have surrendered something but I am restless about it and I don't have peace, then I am still holding on to it. I don't like that.

The more you look at what you are not; the less you become who you are!

So here is my question or questions for you. Ask Holy Spirit right now. Stop what you are doing and get quiet. Lord, please show me what I am trying to control or change instead of surrendering and giving it to you. Lord what am I trying to change in thier life that is not my job to change?

Be blessed today. Almost forgot.

This is what I heard for me. Choose your battles wisely with Rebekah (my step daughter) she is a very picky eater and it drives me up the wall. When I pick at her it makes my wife irritated and makes me mad. So once again the Lord says "Be Quiet" He also said to quit bantering with her. I like to argue with her, but I when I do she feels she knows everything so I am never right. I could even prove that what she is saying is wrong and she way still argue. The Lord says "Be Quiet no matter how hard you try YOU CANNOT CHANGE HER! The sad thing is that I know that but I keep pounding my head against the wall. My friend would say …. So, how is that working for you? I hate that saying!

So this is what I heard, what did you hear?

Is God in Control

Is God in control? We all know the story of Joseph being sold to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh. Can you imagine what joseph thought as he set in prison being accused of raping Potiphar's wife. I have done everything asked of you Lord and this is what I get? I am sure it never crossed his mind that the Lord was preparing him to be able to rule later in life. Today, we go through the same thing. Something hard is happening in our lives something we do not understand, something not going our way. We like to place blame, why? Because it is easier to place blame on someone else than to look at yourself in the mirror.

So here is my question for you? Who are you blaming for the circumstances that you are in?

We focus on the impossibility of the circumstances instead of the greatness of our Lord. As a result we are discouraged and need to blame someone, so we look for the one we feel responsible for our despair. When we face the fact that God could have prevented our whole mess – and didn't –we often blame him excerpt from the "Bait of Satan".

The whole point of this story is to show that Joseph never took up an offense…. He stayed in the will of God. He had many opportunities to pick up an offense, but he chose not to.

Nothing can come against us without the Lord's knowledge.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bare, but if you are tempted He will always provide a way out so that you can stand against it

1 Cor. 10:13

The cup

Every day this week I wake to John 17. I have read it every day but yesterday, but I am not sure what I am seeing 14-15-16-17 are some of my favorite books of the bible. The one thing I feel I am getting from this is in verse 26 I have made your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. Do I love people as much as He loves me? Can I tell you that right now there are people that I know I don't love as much as He loves me? There is the rub. I don't want to pose in this area. I want to be real and genuine. So after I read chapter 17 I went on to 18 and stopped right here
So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" So now as I ponder I wonder if the cup I don't want to drink from is loving others as much as He loves me. Keep in mind that cup could be anything.

Has the Lord given me/you something do and you have chosen not to drink?

 

Kee

 

 

 

 

    

Get out of the way

My devotion this morning took me to 2 Thessalonians 1, but it was verses 11 and 12 that got my attention. Then when I read it in the Message it spoke even more. I believe that once again it centers on trust. Will I trust myself to get out of His way to do what He needs to do so that my life will honor Jesus? I want to be honored. I want Jesus to be glorified in me. I want to be the person that when he walks in the room the spirit in the room changes for the better not worse.

Have a Blessed day!

Kevin

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.The Message

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.NASB95

Trust

I woke this morning asking …. What do you want me to read? I hear John 17. So I get up and pray for the Lord to reveal himself to me in His word. Sometimes I just have to be reminded of what Jesus did. It is so easy to take for granted if you are not careful. I decided this morning that I would give the Lord my first time and not the leftovers. I got up and read and did not check my email or read the news. I spent time with Him. That is been my biggest problem as of late…. Finding time too fir Jesus in my day. You make time for what is important in your life. IF JESUS IS IMORTANT THEN YOU WILL MAKE TIME FOR HIM. So I read John 17 and then I read one of my devos and it took me to Psalm 37. Now let's back up for a moment to Church Sunday. During the worship I asked the Lord what is 2012 about and before I could finish the thought I heard the word "Trust" I immediately told Kelly that, and she said isn't that kind of generic? I thought for a moment and then I said "is it generic when the Lord speaks? She said no and then the Lord gave her a word and she begins to write. Now fast forward to today. As I am reading, several scriptures jump out at me Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.NASB95 Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.NASB95 Psalm 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.NASB95 Psalm 37:34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.NASB95. The whole Psalms 37 was a huge read this morning but theses scriptures really stuck out to me.

Trust and wait for 2012

The message Sunday was basically about how hard it is to fall when you are doing battle. David did not fall until he went home and stopped fighting. He sent Uriah the Hittite to fight for him. That is when he saw Bathsheba and then he made a decision and the rest is history. How many times do you think he saw Bathsheba before he made the decision that he did? We have to take the fight to the enemy. We can't sit around and send someone to fight for us.

So the question is this. Are you fighting? Are you Trusting and are you waiting?

Luke 17.4

Luke 17: 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, "I repent," forgive him.

Question, do you have someone in your life that you are holding unforgiveness towards that has asked you for forgiveness but you have placed yourself above the Lord and not forgiven that person even though the Lord has? Better yet … said you forgave them but did not?

If you walk in unforgiveness you will be turned over to the tormentors, how is that working for you?

Christ died for you to be free, walk as He does

Stop right now and ask "Lord is there anyone that I have not forgave?"

The little dog pt. 2

The Little Dog this is the link to the story I posted on my blog June 26th. The question I posed at the end of my story was this "So here is my question to you. If my little dog lived in your home for a while would you have pee stains on your carpet?" I failed my own question. The dog whose name is Penny has gone to the bathroom all over my home for 5 ½ months. Why? Because I did not change. The quote that just sticks in my mind is this, "if you don't change …. Then nothing changes" it is that simple. I was in a meeting with a group of men Tuesday night last week. As we went around the room taking prayer request I said to myself "I'm good" I hear Holy Spirit say "What about your dog?" I say whatever! A few more men talk and I again hear "What about your dog? Now I have an attitude so I said fine I will bring it up! You see, I abused my dog that I day. I slung her out into the garage because she went to the bathroom all over the blanket again. I had this little 20lb dog so scared of me that she rolled on her side and crapped. Never in my life had I seen that before and never will I forget it. It broke my heart and I could not believe what I had caused. Now for my confession with the men. One of the men said "I feel like the Lord has a scripture for you" (something along those lines) Proverbs 12.10 A righteous man has regard for his animal ………………. Well I had an E. F. Hutton moment. The Lord spoke, I listened, and I changed. Here is what the Lord showed me in a span of about five minutes while I was being prayed over.

•    I was mad because the dog Penny had rejected me

•    I was Jealous because the dog was not mine anymore but my daughters

•    I passed judgment on Penny

I changed and so……… I changed. Wednesday morning I laid hands on my dog and prayed for her, confessed and asked for forgiveness. 9 if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Penny has noticed the change in me and does not hide any more. She comes to me and stays with me.

 

I am just amazed! 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

Glory

Romans 5

¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

As I read this I have a question for everyone to ask themselves. Do you have Glory in your tribulation or are you blaming someone or something or circumstances. Are you doing the pour me? If you are, then are you taking away God's glory from shinning?

God’s seat

I put myself in God's seat again. I became the judge. You would think after finding out 18 months ago how judgmental I was I would be better and I am to a degree. Judgment reared its ugly head yesterday. Without going into detail I judge my son. He called me and asked me a question and I assumed he was asking for this reason and when he came over I found out that what I thought was not the truth, but my judgment that I had place on him. In turn by the time he got to my house I was pissed and had gotten myself all worked up over nothing. You see, I decided why he called. I decided why he needed the money. I decided why he did not ask his boss for money. I could have stopped all of the pain by simply telling myself, I will wait until I get his sided of the story before I make a decision. Therefore eliminating any pain caused by my judgment. A quote from chpt 2 on "how to stop the Pain" "The heart is desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 God is the only one who can truly know the heart. When people assume to know why, then their reactions are not based on reality; they are based on judgment. That judgment causes confusion, pain, and loss.

Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

I attached significance to the situation; I attached a "why" to what he was doing. The moment I attached the "why" to the situation I then gave it all of the power and then I caused all of my own pain

Question? Who has judged someone lately; you decided why they did what they did without talking to them. You did the negative self-talk and got yourself all worked up over nothing. Then when you did talk to them, you were completely wrong and felt like dumb #$%

 

If you don’t change ……. Then nothing changes!

If you don't change ……… then nothing changes. I have written about this before, so I am writing again about it. I am 50 lbs. over weight. I have chosen not to do anything about it! My eating habits are horrible and I have no discipline in these areas of my life. I am not complaining, because that will not accomplish anything, it is really about the first line in this paragraph. I just need to get off my butt! I guess it is just not bad enough yet. If I don't change………. Then nothing changes. That goes for every area of my life. Scripture says your body is a temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. This is my Goliath! Sometimes I feel this is how my life is supposed to be. Well that is a lie strait from the enemy and I refuse to believe that. If I don't do something then in a couple of months I will weigh more.

If you don't change ……… then nothing changes I have ran into several people over the last couple of weeks who have had the attitude that if this is all there is then just take me home now …… I'm done. This attitude pains me; if you don't do anything to change your circumstances then you circumstances will never change. It is not God's job to change you it is your job. Just like me I can gripe about my situation or do something about it! God does not say anywhere in the bible that this life on earth would be easy. In fact He says to welcome the trials. Look it up! 1 Cor. 10:13, James 1:2-4, James 1:12 just to name a few.

I heard a speaker yesterday and he is a very anointed man. Here a couple things that he said that really struck me.

• If you really have made Jesus the Lord of your life then you will have trouble every day! Realistically I do have some type of trouble every day when I go back and think about it
  
• There is no exit strategy in your life except Jesus. What is your exit strategy?
  
• What would happen if you went back to your Egypt? If I go back to the Old Man or my Egypt, everything goes awry!
  
• God is not going to bless a retreat of rebellion. This one really got me!
  
• The children of Israel were fed miraculously because they were following the Lord. Are you been fed?
  
• If you choose to go back to your Egypt, where would you get your water? The fresh manna? How would you cross the Red Sea? Do you think the Lord is going to part the Red Sea for you?
  

These statements and questions are for me as much as they are for anyone else. I leave you with this scripture from
2 Corinthians 4:8 we are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

7 it's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building.

So I am reading this morning and my devo took me to 1 Corinthians 2 but the nugget came in three, I had actually taken a little break and then got back in the word when I got this. This is something I am guilty of occasionally. I am good at planting and I am good at watering the seeds. I have to tell you that there are times that I think I can do a better job at making the seed grow ……. better than the Lord. Basically what I am doing is getting in the Lords way and then I turn into a growth inhibiter or I kill the seed all together. Like spraying a little roundup. The sad thing is sometimes I don't even realize I am doing it. I am a man and it is my nature to want you to succeed, but I want you to get it on my time not God's time. (Because I know better). Hear me on this, I don't make this a habit in fact it doesn't happen very often, but if it happens once then it is too much. Sometimes you just have to keep your mouth shut and trust the Lord in what you are seeing and hearing for someone.

I know it has been a while since I have written and it is because if you don't draw near to Him He want draw near to you. You may wonder why you are not hearing the Lord and it is because you are not spending time with Him and that is where I have been. I have not been in a bad place. Kinda just out there if you know what I mean. Not off in Nah Nah Land. I have been reading a devotion every day, but it is just not enough. So yesterday I purposed myself to read and today and look what happens I write … go figure. Thank you Lord!

Switching gears for a moment

I have been reading a book off and on called the 10 second rule that my friend Chuck Koll in Michigan gave me. What a great book. Essentially, what the rule is about is this ….. When you hear the Lord tell you to do something then you have to do it in the next ten seconds or most likely you won't do it. What a missed opportunity if you do not obey. Click the link 10 second rule It means for me that if I hear the Lord tell me to do something it doesn't mean pray about it and see if that was really the lord. It means just do it.

(Nugget from book pg. 107-108 our goal should be nothing less than becoming so familiar with the "mind of Christ" that we can anticipate what Jesus might do in almost any given situation so we can respond immediately.)

Which means no more WWJD it means listen and obey not ask? Kevin

Do you believe this?

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"NKJV the last four words made me pause.

"DO YOU BELIEVE THIS"?

It is my opinion that to offer your body as a living sacrifice Holy and pleasing to God, (Romans 12:1) you have to believe this or how could you? As of late I have been really struggling with this. Offering my body as a living sacrifice is not something I do well every day, but I am getting better. It is not something I beat myself up with either.

So I guess the big question is this……. Has something come up in your life lately that Jesus has said? "Do you believe this"? Do you trust me in this area or not, are you going to handle this yourself or let me?

For me it has to be the issue with the man that dropped the f- bombs on me. I know what I need to do and I will. This is one of those areas where you see God work all the time, but there is that part of you that wonders … Will you this time?

Have you ever wondered that before?

Will you this time?

Persecution

My devotion took me to Matthew 5 this morning. A chapter I am very familiar with. Last week I had someone that I do not know send me an email and he made comments to me that were not nice to say the least. He had actually dropped some F Bombs on me. I did not do anything wrong, he is just responding out of his wound. It still hurt though never the less. Okay … let's be honest … for a moment it made me so mad I wanted to go to his work and whip his ASS! (Just for a moment) It took me a couple of hours to get over this, and I did. I had to continue to tell myself that it was not personal. I had two different people tell me "It is not you Kevin but the Jesus in you that he is mad at." This morning as I am reading I come across this.

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. NASB95

Matthew 5:44-46 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? NASB95

So my question is this. Have you been persecuted lately and if you have ….. How did you react?

 

1 Cor 6.15-20

I came so last tonight to getting on the computer and looking at something evil.  I was one click away ….. I sat there and thought about the post I sent out wednesday.  I did what I am supposed to do … I got in the word … I fought it, but I knew that is what I had to do.

For me,   the most pressure I feel is when I am alone at home when no one can see what I am doing.  Often times that is when I have my biggest victories.  That is when I have no one to rely on except Holy Spirit …. This is what Jesus says for those who feel alone.

¹⁵ "If you love me, obey^* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^*
who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you^[1]

So what is the deal … why am I having this thought process?    I am tired that is what  … what else?   My step daughter is here  from college for a few days and the jealousy is creeping in.    Read James lately ? 

James 3:16
For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. NLT

So I get out my bible and open right to 1 Corinthians 6.    God is so good.  So I am reading along when I get to verse 15 and I am floored.  Thank you Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 6:15-20
Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. NLT
So here is what I say about that "In Your Face satan!!!"

"Something is changing …….. so it is changing"

James 1:2

I am reading this morning's devo and I had to just pause a moment.  Thinking about the line that says you know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  It made me think about the time I was late getting to church a couple of years ago ( I hate being late to church so I put this pressure on myself) So I am tailgating this car so they would get out of my way,  when I can finally got past them I floored it to make a statement.  So imagine how I felt when I got to church and he and his family pulled up next to me and got out of their car.  What a great witness I was.  It is so easy to hide in our car because we don't think we will see that person anymore, but the Lord sees us.  He sees the text message we leave or hears the message we leave on someone else's phone, He hears what we say in our cars when we are alone, which is what we wouldn't say if someone else was in the car with us.  .  For me,   the most pressure I feel is when I am alone at home when no one can see what I am doing.  Often times that is when I have my biggest victories.  That is when I have no one to rely on except Holy Spirit …. This is what Jesus says for those who feel alone. 

¹⁵ "If you love me, obey^* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^*
who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you ^[1]

James1: 2 MSG " Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.^[2]

James 1:4 NIV ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.^[3]

 
 

I don't know about you, but if we are being honest here I really don't like the trials that I have to go through.  Last year December I had surgery, February 5^th I was released to go back to work.  February 9^th I broke my leg in my drive way and was down almost three months.  Nothing like relying on other people to get you to places or to help you or to fix you dinner.  At the time I did not see, but I did do some growing during that time and maturing, but I am still lacking,   but I am getting there.    I have a long ways to go.

James 4.17

 

 

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4.17

Proverbs 21.21

He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor. Proverbs 21.21

Radical obedience always precedes the miraculous.

I am reading in a book called the 10 Second rule. One of the quotes in the book really struck me this morning. It says "It dawned on my me why I wasn't making more progress in obedience. When I would fell a prompting of the Holy Spirit to do something I was reasonable certain Jesus wanted me to do ----- and then choose not to do it --- I was actually rewarding myself for being disobedient. I chose disobedience because I knew perfectly well that obedience would cost me something, at least in the short run – time, money, embarrassment, inconvenience. Or pleasure differed – you name it. If I chose not to obey Jesus, I can avoid all that grief and keep what is mine" I really do not like the thought that I am rewarding myself for being disobedient. My reward is in Heaven "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5.12
So I wonder if the prophets were persecuted for walking in obedience. So I wonder what was the last thing that you felt certain that Jesus wanted you to do and you waiting long enough for the feeling to go away so you didn't do it? The Lord didn't call us to easy, but he did call us to obedience. Obedience today …. Let tomorrow worry about itself. It is easy to walk in obedience when it does not interfere with anything. I returned one piece of door hardware to Home Depot the other day because it had been dropped and scratched. I was dishonest in the fact that I knew they would take it back. As soon as the lady gave me my money back I heard Holy Spirit say "What are you doing?" I fought it long enough to walk out of the store, Knowing that I was going to have to go back and re purchase the damaged knob. The point is … what if the cashier needed to see some brutal honesty that day and I walked in disobedience. The one thing she needed I denied her. I am not sure if that is the case but you get the point.

99 percent obedience is 100 percent disobedience …. Which one are you? Today?

Amazing Love

Amazing Love:

This is short and right to the point. I cannot explain it. I can only say that the Lord spoke to my wife through a movie. Through an act of love from her I am walking in complete freedom…. The desire today has been taking away and I am free. When I say the desire has been taking away that is what I mean. Just lifted …. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.