June 2016 – Restored Again

O LORD, My Strength

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(Photo Credit: Ales Cerin)

I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. – Psalm 18:1

Some verses of scripture are simple and powerful. Psalm 18:1 is one of them. David starts this Psalm by expressing his devotion and love to God. Then he acknowledges God as his strength.

I am very limited in strength, and God is infinite in strength. When I rely on my human strength, whether it is physical, mental, emotional, or moral, I eventually fail. Does God call us to be weak? I think He just wants us to recognize that He has more strength than we do, and rely on Him for strength.

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. – Ephesians 6:10 (World English Bible)

What kind of strength is God’s strength? God is Spirit, so His strength is spiritual. We can receive His strength in the natural world (Samson certainly did), but true strength is pure and holy. The strength and power of the Holy Spirit living inside a Christian is amazing! He gives us strength to endure difficult times and seasons in our life, strength to overcome sin, and strength to love and forgive. The world may not applaud us for it, but God is pleased when we draw on His strength.

Prayer for today: Lord God, you are my strength. I ask you for the strength I need, and the wisdom to use it well. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen!

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What Frustrates Me

O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. – Jeremiah 10:23

I probably frustrate myself more than anything else frustrates me. I have a knack at times for over-thinking things, and trying to figure out my own way. The scripture above tells us that the path God has for each one of us is not in our human self.

Each time I have tried to live my own way apart from following God, I have ended up frustrated. A lot of times I have been confused too. Even in ministry, when I thought I “figured out” God’s Will and was following it, many times it turned out that I was listening to myself and had not really listened to Him. I analyzed situations, and added my own thoughts, hopes, and desires.

God was kind enough to let me fail, which may not sound kind. But part of God’s great mercy is giving us freedom to make choices, and picking us up afterward when we fail. As long as we go to Him, He will pick us up.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. – Micah 7:8

Prayer for today: Lord God, show me Your way. I’m frustrated and confused. I cannot figure out the best paths to take in life. But you know all things, and I ask for your direction. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Standing Alone?

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I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. – Psalm 102:7-9

Being alone can be tough. Solitude can be good, and the Bible states that our Lord Jesus purposefully removed Himself from people to pray. But feeling alone is not fun. Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s lonely at the top”? Well, it’s lonely at the bottom too. It can be lonely no matter where you are in life.

We have an amazing promise from God, that He will never leave us, and will never forsake us (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5). When we feel like we have no one to trust, no one to help us, no one to even talk with, we feel alone. But even when God seems distant, He is watching over us. When we appear to be imprisoned in our situations and difficulties, and it seems like there is no hope, God does see us. He knows exactly what we’re going through.

Trust in that. Trust that the Lord is with you in this life. Bring yourself to Jesus, so He can free your heart and mind. Let Him give you hope again.

For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth;To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; – Psalm 102:19-20

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, I feel alone sometimes. It seems like no one is around to truly be here for me. But in this moment, I choose to bring myself to you. Please give me hope. Strengthen me with a renewed relationship and friendship with You. I need you. Something has to change, so I ask you to walk through this day with me, and to be close to me. In your name, Jesus, I ask this.

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Offerings

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(Photo Credit: Katia Grimmer-Laversanne)

. . . And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. – Genesis 4:2-7

First, Cain was angry with God for not showing respect for his sacrifice. Then, God reminded Cain how to be accepted. Next, God warned Cain about not doing well, which invites sin. But Cain let his anger continue, and that led to him killing his brother Abel.

Selfishness and stubbornness leads to frustration, and can also lead us to be angry with the Lord. I recently went through a time when God showed me this. I was angry with God for not doing something I wanted. (Wow, I sound like a spoiled child when I put it that way!) But when I acknowledged my anger toward Him, He showed me that being selfish and stubborn were the root of my anger.

How was I selfish and stubborn? There have been many times that I have come up with my own “sacrifices” to offer the Lord. I did not always check with Him to see what He wanted. As Christians, we are certainly to sacrifice all to Jesus, who sacrificed all for our sins. But in my heart, there were times that I expected God to do something for me in a certain way, right away, based on what I offered Him. Although I really did not try to be this way, I ended up demanding things of God for myself, rather than waiting upon Him and serving Him. After all, God is God, and I’m just a man. Really, I should simply obey God.

But the selfish thinking and stubbornness I held in my heart reminds me of King Saul. After King Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15), he didn’t. He saved some animals, which he said he could sacrifice to the LORD, and also spared King Agag. Samuel’s reply was simple:

Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. – 1 Samuel 15:22-23

No matter what I try to give to God, whether it is money, time, ministry, prayer, praise and worship, Bible reading, fasting, or anything else, I need to have an obedient heart and seek what is pleasing to Him. If I don’t, it is possible to pray for an hour and not be pleasing to the Lord. I can fast for a day and not gain much spiritually from it. So our heart must be right with God. Do what He says to do, and offer what He says to offer. We can offer whatever we want to Jesus. But if it is not what He wants, it will lead to frustration and anger, and sin will be there waiting for us.

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, help me to be pleasing to you today. Help me to hear your voice, and give me an obedient heart. I need you, and I cannot figure out what is pleasing to you without knowing you better. Show your heart to me, so I can truly know you and follow you. In your name, Lord Jesus, I pray.

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Restoration, Part 7

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. – Joel 2:25-26

As I was turning my heart and my life back to the Lord, I had some shame to deal with. Actually, there are times when it is appropriate to be ashamed for our actions, words, and thoughts (Joel 1:11). But God did not want me to stay ashamed forever. He forgave me, and restored me.

What was restored? The Lord restored great things to me. I developed a prayer life again, one that was deeper than it had been before I left the church. My understanding of the Word improved, because I sought to gain more knowledge of God and His ways and did not treat the Holy Bible as a self-help book. I submitted myself to my spiritual leaders again, and to their authority. Then God kept a wonderful promise of His Word when I turned back to Him.

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. – Jeremiah 3:14-15

Moral strength and purity were restored to me as well. Of course, we need to continually work at maintaining our purity, but God does gives us moral strength. If you are afraid that you can no longer live a pure, morally strong life, do not believe it because that is a lie! Here is another great promise from the unshakable Word of God.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – 2 Timothy 1:7

A sound mind can make the right moral decisions. God gives us power, and a powerful capacity to love, through His Holy Spirit. Let God restore you to a place that is better than you have ever experienced before!

Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, I accept your restoration today. Let the shame pass from me, and help me to move forward without looking back. Put spiritual leaders in my life according to your heart. I ask you to restore what has been lost in me, and in my life. Grant me your power, your love, and a sound mind. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!

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