May 2016 – Restored Again

Restoration, Part 2

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(Photo Credit: Barbara Schneider)

Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. – Joel 1:5-7

As I mentioned in the previous post, Restoration, Part 1, walking away from the Lord can lead to your life being eaten up. Time is wasted, finances can dry up, friendships might be lost.

This passage talks about a nation coming up against Israel like a lion with teeth (Joel 1:6). This symbolic lion destroys fruitfulness and removes protection (Joel 1:7). But in “real life”, we stop producing spiritual fruit and walk away from the Lord’s protection when we follow our own path.

When I left the church, things seemed fine for a while. My life did not come crashing down around me right away. What happened was I began sowing the wrong “seeds” into my life, and letting the good seed die out. This process took some time, but I eventually began to experience the fruit of sowing to myself. Career, relationships, friendships, and finances all got worse in time.

Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. – Galatians 6:7-8 (WEB)

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, I need your help. I have sown the wrong seeds into my life, and have neglected planting the good seeds. I ask for your mercy. Help me to weed out the wrong things that are in my mind and heart, and I trust you to protect me. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Note: Galatians 6:7-8 taken from World English Bible (public domain).

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Restoration, Part 1

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(Photo Credit: Caroline Hoos)

Hear this, you elders, and listen, all you inhabitants of the land. Has this ever happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, and have your children tell their children, and their children, another generation. What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten. – Joel 1:2-4 (WEB)

Have you ever felt like your life is just being “eaten up”? Gains you make in life appear to be lost. Financial blessings seem to lead to a place of lack. Friendships you thought you could count on are not the same anymore, or they have gone away.

When I left the church, I walked away from the Lord’s blessings and protection. I didn’t think I was leaving God, and I thought I was okay. He never left me, and He still protected me from totally destroying my life, but He did allow me to choose my own way. But that did not stop me from walking away from church.

It was not really until I decided to turn my heart back toward Jesus that the Lord showed me how my life had been eaten up. I missed out on blessings he had intended for me. More importantly, I wasted time in not getting to know Jesus better and growing my relationship with Him. By walking away, I ended up hurting myself.

Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the Lord; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. – Jeremiah 25:7

Prayer for today: Heavenly Father, I have walked away from you. Some of my time on earth has been eaten up. I acknowledge my sin, and turn back to you. I have hurt myself by withdrawing from you. I need you, and ask for your forgiveness and mercy. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Note: Joel 1:2-4 from World English Bible (public domain)

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How to Dig Deep

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(Photo Credit: Albert Lazcano)

He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. – Luke 6:48

Notice a previous post (Dig Deep). We need to set the foundation of our life on the Rock of the Word of God, so that we can stand when the floods of life try to shake us. But how do we actually dig deep? Keep this process as simple and honest as possible.

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24

Ask the Lord to show you where your life lines up with the Word of God, and where it doesn’t. God knows us better than we know ourselves. So ask Him. It takes some humility and a willingness to be honest, but He loves us enough to show us. Why? God wants to lead us in the way everlasting!
Ask God what changes you need to make, in order to be in line with His Word. To be more specific, ask the Lord to show you what changes to make in your attitude, thoughts, finances, relationships (family/friends/significant other), and how you spend your time.
Ask God for strength, wisdom, and an heart that obeys Him. Let God lead you.
Trust God, and do what He has shown you to do. Take action.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. – Proverbs 28:26

Prayer for today: Heavenly Father, I can trust you. I ask that you fulfill your Word to me today, which is found in Psalm 143:8: Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. I ask you to show me where I am walking in your Word, and where I am not. I also ask you to help me to live your Word in every area of life. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

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How Excellent!

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O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. – Psalm 8:1

Take a moment and consider how great God really is. He spoke everything into existence, and it was good. I’m so glad that God created sunsets. It is amazing, the way light and color are painted upon the sky. The Lord creates beautiful things to remind us that He created the heavens very well. At the same time, He knows each of us by name, and visits us.

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? – Psalm 8:3-4

Compared to God, we are small, weak, insignificant, and quite limited. He knows that, and loves us anyway. He is mindful of us! And He loves us enough to visit us, regardless of what we’re facing. In fact, Jesus actually walks through our afflictions with us and carries us through them.

In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. – Isaiah 63:9

We do not often get delivered from our troubles instantly. God loves us enough to help us through them, though. He doesn’t waste the strengthening and faith-building that our afflictions provide to us, and He doesn’t leave us in our afflictions forever. He carries us through, in His tremendous love and pity. His name has power, and His excellent name is Jesus.

God created beautiful sunsets, and set His glory above the heavens. We can look to Him for everything. We can call on the excellent name of Jesus. He will carry us through.

Prayer for today: Lord God, you created everything. Help me to remember how great you are, and how much you love me. I’m so limited, but you are not. Visit me in the ways that I will understand that you are with me, carrying me through what I’m facing. I ask this in your excellent name, Jesus.

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Dig Deep

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(Photo Credit: Maira Kouvara)

This is a familiar verse of scripture for many Christians. I first heard about it in Sunday School as a child. For some reason, even into my adult life, I pictured someone building their house at ground level. But that is not what this verse is saying. The Lord Jesus told us to dig deep.

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock . . . – Luke 6:47-48

Being a Christian is not superficial. In order to truly follow Jesus, we have to dig deeply into our soul and deeply into His Word. He invites us to do this because the floods of life will attempt to shake us and wipe us out. But applying His Word and living it protects us. We can stand.

Learning for the sake of knowledge is not enough; we have to do His Word. Deep down, our human nature resists the Lord’s Word. But if we submit ourselves to Jesus, He can show us how to change, to transform us into being more like Him. He can meet us at the deepest parts of our heart and mind, and show us things we don’t even realize about ourselves. He does this in love, not to shame us but to help us.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. – Romans 12:2

Prayer for today: Lord God, help me to know your Word and live it. Show me how to dig deeply into myself and apply your Word to every part of me. I can trust you not to shame me, as you show me things about myself that I need to change. Then when the floods of life try to tear me down, I will endure because my foundation is upon your Word, and I will stand. I ask this in the Name of Jesus, amen.

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