| ............ | A Word In Due Season Aug 2024 8/1/24 THE OTHER SIDE OF "IF" Scripture: John 14:14 "If you will ask anything in My Name, I will do it." "If" is such a small word yet it holds within itself great potential, for much of what happens to us depends upon our response to this tiny word. The word "if" is like the small hinge that allows a big door to open and shut. Our simple response to God's "if" opens up enormous possibilities, for many promises in the scriptures are conditional upon our acts of obedience. God gives us a binding contract in His Word and says, "If you will, then I will." He then waits for our participation in this agreement and when we act in faith upon His Word, He watches over it to perform it. We all need redemption for our souls and God stands on the other side of "if" and declares, "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Romans 10:9). We grope around in darkness searching for light, and God says, "If you will draw out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noonday" (Isaiah 58:10). When we need answers to prayer, God is sitting on the other side of "if' in Heaven waiting for us to call out to Him. He says, "If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14). On the other side of "if" the Lord listens for our prayers of agreement and promises that, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father, which is in Heaven" (Matthew 18:19). We experience weariness in our labor, but God encourages us with the words "If you faint not, you will reap in due season." We desire to be used by God but He says, "If you purge yourself, you will be a vessel of honor and fit for the Master's use" (II Timothy 2:21). We desperately need forgiveness, and He says, "If we confess our sins, He will be faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9). We stand on this side of 'If" with many needs while the Lord is on the other side ready and able to meet those needs. He is waiting for us. If we seek the Lord, we will find Him. If we have faith, we can speak to mountains to be removed. If we serve God, He will honor us. If we love one another, all men shall know that we are His disciples. There is an endless list of what awaits for us on the other side of this challenging word "if." Our help and deliverance comes from God, but we have a large part in the outcome. If we want to see God's Word completed in our life, we must focus not only on the potential blessing that God has stored up for us but also meet the requirements that are needed to receive His promise. +++ 8/2/24 UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD Scripture: Proverbs 1:23 "I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you." Have you ever had difficulty understanding a portion of scripture or felt there was nothing there to capture your interest? However later, you heard someone explain it at great lengths and were amazed with all the details that had passed you by. Their explanations were so rich with information and yet so simple to understand. You may have envied their gift and wondered why you were not able to see the scriptures the way they did. You may have questioned the secret to their profound revelations of God's Word. The answer is simple. It is the work of the Holy Spirit of God. He is the teacher and He is the one who illuminates or gives light to the scripture, and without Him there is no revelation. Luke 24:45 says, "Then Jesus opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." If our understanding is not opened, the scriptures remain merely parables and stories to us. Jesus opened the Disciple's understanding to the scriptures when He was here on Earth, but He told them that when He went away He would send the Holy Spirit to them. He said, "The Holy Spirit will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26). It is only as we yield ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit that we can understand and comprehend God's Word. We yield ourselves by simply praying and asking God to open our understanding. The Holy Spirit will speak into our hearts as we invite Him to read along with us. The Bible was not written to be a great mystery nor meant to lay on the shelf collecting dust. God wants His people to understand what He has said and what He is saying on a daily basis through His written Word. Luke 10:21 tells us that God has hidden things from the worldly wise and intellectuals, but will reveal them to those who trust Him with the same simple trust that children have. If you want to see a profound change in your understanding, pray this prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18 as you study God's Word. Then believe the Lord to speak to you very plainly and give you Heaven’s revelation. "I pray to the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, that You would grant unto me a spirit of wisdom and revelation. I pray that You would grant me insights into mysteries snd secrets by opening up my understanding of the scriptures. I pray that I might receive a deep and intimate knowledge of You, And that the eyes of my heart would be flooded with light ..." +++ 8/5/24 CONFESS, COVER, OR BLAME OTHERS Scripture: Proverbs 28:13 “He that covers his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy." When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, neither one of them wanted to take responsibility for their actions. Adam not only blamed Eve, but also blamed God for his own failure to obey God's Word. He told God, "The woman whom You gave to be with me," as if his sin was God's fault. Then Adam accused Eve of enticing him to eat the fruit, but the last few words of the sentence reveals the truth of the matter when he said, "And I ate it." Adam was the one who ate the fruit, but he did not want to admit his guilt or assume responsibility for his own actions. His real problem was that he gave in to Eve's wishes because he wanted to be one with her. When God confronted Eve she also refused to take the blame by saying, "The serpent beguiled me and I did eat." Yet before both of them knowingly sinned against God's Word, they had walked with God in the Garden every day and communed with Him on a personal basis. God’s Words were very simple and He made His will very plain to their hearts. Adam and Eve knew that they were doing wrong and after they transgressed against God's Words, they covered themselves and tried to hide from His presence in shame. Even today, many of us do not want to be accountable for our shortcomings. We want to place the fault on someone else or upon our circumstances. We blame our weaknesses on our genes or our past generations. We declare that it is just our nature, and like Adam, sometimes we even blame God. Yet at some point in our life, things need to change, and we must stop trying to cover ourselves by blaming others. We must own up to our own weaknesses and realize that our current actions are not our mother's fault, our father's fault, the fault of our environment, or other negative influences in our life. It is because we have not sought for God's deliverance and help in these areas. II Corinthians 5:17 declares that "If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature; old things are passed away, and all things are become new." When we are born again, there is a greater voice and stronger Spirit within us than the one that is in the world. The Holy Spirit of God guides us and gives a witness and a peace in our spirit confirming that our actions are in obedience to the will of God. The Holy Spirit also leads us into truth and lets us know when we are listening to the wrong voices or going in the wrong direction. He causes us to feel uneasy, to grieve, and to be anxious over the matter. We have no excuse for falling into sin or trying to cover our failure by blaming others. We can ask God to help us in the midst of our temptations or find forgiveness and mercy when we fail. All we need to do is ask for the Lord's help and He will reveal our sins and shine His light into our lives. As He uncovers those things that are drawing us into disobedience, let us forsake them and seek His forgiveness. As we do, we will obtain His mercy and find prosperity. God gives us a choice to walk away from sin. If we fail to do this, we can only blame ourselves. +++ 8/6/24 CHARACTER Scripture: Luke 6:44 "Every tree is known by its own fruit." From the very beginning of time, God established a law of nature by commanding the trees to regenerate and bring forth after their own kind. This same principle works in the spiritual realm as well. Jesus, speaking of men's lives, declared that a good tree would bring forth good fruit and that a corrupt tree would bring forth bad fruit. He said that every tree would be known by its own fruit and that fruit would be produced by what was within the inner being. We are never known by someone else's fruit simply because we know them, nor can we apply their gifts to our resume because of our mutual association. Jesus said that a good man, out of the good treasure of his own heart, will bring forth good and an evil man will bring forth evil. Goodness and evil cannot be hidden within our soul. It will eventually bear fruit and manifest itself outwardly. When our family drove through the state of Florida several years ago, we saw hundreds of small trees in the distance. At first, we could not determine what these small trees were because they did not look like any of the trees from our region. This sight was new to us but as we got closer we began to see the fruit on the trees and were able to determine that we were looking at groves of orange trees. It was a beautiful sight, but the trees were only known to us because we saw the fruit that they produced. This is what Jesus was explaining to us, for the same is true with our own lives. Jesus did not say that we would know the fruit by looking at the tree, but instead that we would know the tree by looking at the fruit that it produced. The fruit is the determining factor that names the tree. It is a simple deduction. If there are apples, it is an apple tree. If there are figs, it is a fig tree. Our reputation is based upon what others see us do and the words they hear us say. It is a public evaluation of the fruit that is produced from within us. Our character is the moral qualities within us that distinguish who we are from others and those attributes are the source of the fruit that we produce. We determine how our inner character is formed and our character determines what kind of outward fruit we manifest. If we steal something when no one is looking and we do not get caught, our reputation might not be ruined but we are still a thief. If we lie and no one discovers our indiscretion, the opinion that others have of us may stay intact, but we are still a liar within our own heart. Character is the hidden chambers of the heart that no one else can see. It is who we are in the dark and it is how we act when no one is looking. Character is a heart thing and determines our walk so we must continually guard ourselves, for out of our hearts come the issues of life. We are who we are within so we must be careful and determined not to trade the components of our integrity, for in so doing, it will jeopardize our Christian witness. We must remember the words of Jesus. The tree within us, which is our character, will be exposed and will be known by its own fruit. +++ 8/7/24 WHEN FEAR COMES Scripture: Psalms 56:3 "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." David experienced much in his life. He had his times of joy, sadness, defeats, triumphs, and celebrations. There were also times that he had great fear. This particular psalm came to David during a season of fear. Verse one and two says that he was seeking for God's mercy because, as David put it, men were trying to "swallow him up." They were fighting against him daily and there were many who were oppressing him. In a state of fear, David had fled from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. He went to the Philistine territory to find refuge where Achish was the King of Gath. The servants of King Achish recognized David as also being a king and they began to rehearse the songs that people were singing about David. The lyrics declared that David was mighty in battle and that he had killed tens of thousands of his enemies. As David heard these words being spoken about him, he became very afraid of King Achish and what his reaction might be against him since he was a king himself. In order to protect himself, David began to pretend that he was insane. As he feigned insanity, he acted strange and even allowed his spittle to fall upon his beard in order to convince King Achish that he was a madman (I Samuel 21:10-15). David's plan worked and he was delivered from his dilemma. This charade shows us that no one is exempt from being attacked by fear. Fear comes to the coward and to the brave hearted, to the poor and the rich, to the weak and the mighty, and also to the peasants and the kings. In the midst of his fear, however, David decided it did not matter what was going on around him or inside of him, he was going to trust the Lord. He recognized that God was for him and declared, "What time I am afraid ... I will trust in You." There are many oppressive voices that seek to challenge us in today's world. There are physical storms, wars and rumors of war, unstable situations, and personal issues to face. Each day brings its own challenges and uncertainties. When fear attacks on any level, a tough personal choice has to be made. We either choose to give in and give up or trust God right in the midst of the fearful situation. Trust is a definite commitment and demands letting go of all the perplexities that surround us and then leaning totally upon God. Like David's words, our trust declares, "Even though I am afraid ... I trust in You, Lord." +++ 8/8/24 BOUND IN THE BUNDLE OF LIFE Scripture: I Samuel 25:29 "Yet a man is risen to pursue you, and to seek your soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your God; and the souls of your enemies, shall He sling out ..." David and his men had faithfully protected Nabal and all of his possessions for some length of time. Yet, Nabal refused to provide food for David's men. This angered David to such a degree that he swore that he would kill Nabal and destroy all of his possessions that David and his men had protected. When Nabal's wife, Abigail, heard of David's plan she reminded David that his life was wrapped up in the plans of God. She wisely counseled David not to shed innocent blood because of Nabal's evil actions. She told David that if he were to shed innocent blood to avenge his own hurt, it would bring him grief and be a future offense to his own heart. She told him that he would always look back and regret that because of his own anger, he had moved out of the will of God. Up to this time, there had been no evil in David's heart. All of the battles that David had fought and all the blood that he had shed had been done so for the sake of the Lord and not for his own personal vengeance. It was a common practice in those days to put jewelry or coins inside a piece of cloth and bind it at the top for safe keeping. Abigail reminded David that he was like a valuable jewel that God had wrapped up in a bundle. God used Abigail as an instrument to make David aware that the enemy was pursuing and provoking him in order to gain his soul. Nabal's actions had caused David to forget who he was and where he was headed. David's destiny was at stake. He had been chosen by God to be the future King of Israel and was safely hidden and protected in God. The Lord, Himself, had bound David in the bundle of life. David's enemies, however, were victims of God's wrath and were like loose stones that God would sling out to avenge David if David waited on God. David blessed Abigail for her advice and allowed God to fight his battle for him and in doing so he saved his own soul from judgment. Your battles and your destiny are not the same as David's, yet you face the same enemy who pursues your soul and tries to provoke you to evil. You may walk in love and strive to live in peace with those about you, but many times you are repaid with rejection and abuse. Like the situation with David and Nabal, the devil may work hard to cause you to react in some way to avenge yourself. His purpose is to draw you into temptation, destroy your witness, and revoke God’s plan. Satan wants you to fail so that he can fill your heart with grief and cause you to be an offense to your own self and the ministry that God has called you to do. The devil will use others who are like Nabal to do things that will cause you to suddenly forget who you are, where you are headed, and the ultimate purpose of God for your life. The devil will challenge you to trade one moment of measly revenge for the magnificent future and destiny that God has ordained for you. Always remember that God knows what is happening and allow Him to be in control. When you face a provoking spirit such as David did, stay in peace and allow God to avenge you. You are the Lord God's special treasure and He is holding you safely in the bundle of His life. +++ 8/9/24 ENDURING TEMPTATIONS Scripture: James 1:12 "Blessed is the man that endures temptation." The Apostle James, the brother of Jesus Christ and also the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, wrote these words. Both of these natural positions probably gave James much insight into the struggles of everyday routine life. He knew that all men would be tempted and that temptations would be a daily challenge, even for the faithful believers. He also realized that there were great rewards for those who were able to endure the temptations that came their way. Endure means to carry on despite the hardships and to suffer patiently without yielding. Endurance is the power to withstand in the midst of the conflict and continue in existence. When we give in to temptations, that part of us dies or loses its strength. When we yield to temptation, we bring an end to our purity. We damage our witness, destroy our character, relinquish or diminish our spiritual authority and power, and give up our rewards. That is quite a price to pay in exchange for just a few moments of pleasure that the devil offers. We understand that temptations do not come from God. James said in verse thirteen that God, Himself, cannot be tempted with evil and that neither does He tempt us with evil. God will allow tests to come in our lives, but His tests are trials of our faith and never involve a temptation to do evil. His tests are not choices between right and wrong, but between faith and doubt, which are meant to determine the degree of our faith. God wants to know where our heart is before He moves us to another level of responsibility or enlarges our borders of ministry. Temptations come to us from Satan, our own flesh, and the things in the world. Temptation is evil from its very source and is never easy to endure. We are only tempted in the areas where we are most vulnerable and most likely to be drawn away by our own personal lust. It would be useless for the devil to tempt us in areas where we have no problems. He identifies our weakness and finds the thing that will entice us to do wrong so that we lose our rewards in Heaven and our victory in life. Our failure to avoid temptations affects every area of our life and also those about us. When Jesus was tempted of the devil, His Kingdom and our eternal salvation were tied up in His righteous decision to endure the temptation. Our souls hung in the balance and could have been lost forever if He had failed or given in to the devil's devices. You can be sure that temptations will come your way, but there are some valuable secrets in overcoming them. First, the temptation that Jesus endured in the wilderness showed us that there is an end to temptation and that it can only last for a season. The scriptures declare, "When the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Jesus for a season" (Luke 4:13). Second, God will never give you a greater temptation than you can handle and He will always give you a way to escape (I Corinthians 10:13). Third, you are not alone, for temptations are common to all men (I Corinthians 10:13). If you hold these truths in your heart in the midst of temptation, you will have an advantage over the tempter. These truths will infuse you with strength to endure and if you do not give in for a moment, you will be blessed for eternity. +++ 8/12/24 SILENT YEARS Scripture: Luke 2:51 "And Jesus went down with them, ... and was subject to them." There are periods of Jesus' life that we know little about, but we do know that during these silent years He was growing and mighty things were happening within Him. God had a plan and purpose for Jesus and He was being prepared for the destiny that was set before Him. Luke 2:40 declares that as a child, Jesus "grew strong in the Spirit, was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him." Luke also said that when Jesus was twelve years old until about the age of thirty, "He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). Although these seasons of Jesus' life were unseen, they were very productive. Jesus knew who He was during these years and knew that He must be about His Father's business. Yet, He humbly submitted Himself to those in authority over Him and waited on the timing of God, as He allowed the Holy Spirit to prepare Him for the ministry that was set before Him. When God lives within us, we have purpose, and yet, there may seasons or even years that we see nothing happening in our lives. We may even experience discouragement because our futures look bleak. We know that things are happening within us even though no one else seems to notice our spiritual growth. These silent years of our lives are like the foundation of a home. There is not very much celebration when the foundation of a building is poured, for there is no beauty to behold. It is just a foundation of gray cement. There is even a long waiting period to allow the cement to dry and set sufficiently. Even later, when the house is finished, the foundation is rarely honored or recognized. Instead, everyone comments on the architecture of the home and the beauty of its furnishings and decor. Even the landscape receives more attention than the foundation. Yet, the home would not be able to stand without being established on a firm and solid base. Waiting on God through our seasons of silence should be a journey of faith, and not of disappointment and frustration. We must so trust God with our lives, that we are able to submit to Him and allow Him to take the time that He needs to establish a strong foundation within our lives. This foundation may not look so beautiful at the time or seem like anything to celebrate. In fact, our life and ministry may just look like a slab of gray cement. Yet, the season of the unseen and silent years are the secret to becoming a great vessel in the hands of God. Later, we will discover that this was the time when the most solid part of our being was formed. When we thought nothing was really happening, God, by His Spirit, was filling us with His wisdom and imparting His grace and favor upon us. Without us even knowing it, He was making us strong in the spirit and preparing us for the future. The silent years are the greatest times of increase so we must not allow impatience to control and manipulate our lives. Instead we must devote ourselves entirely to God and be subject to His will so that He can build within us the ability and strength to become what He wants us to be. +++ 8/13/24 OBEDIENCE BRINGS THE BLESSING Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:8 "The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand to do." None of us really know what will happen in the future or how to prepare for life's uncertainties, but God gives us a promise in this scripture that can sustain us in every circumstance. He sets the guidelines and conditions for either blessings or cursing to come upon our lives. His instructions are very simple and very clear. The Lord told us that if we listen diligently to His voice and observe to do all that He commands, He will bless us. Yet, He also says that if we neglect to listen to Him and refuse to obey His voice, we will be cursed. How the blessings will transpire and come to us is up to God. We do not have to figure it out because His plans are higher than our plans and He can create a blessing that we have never even thought of. Our responsibility is to obey God's voice and when we do, He will command the blessing. This powerful God who intends to command a blessing upon us is the same God that spoke the worlds into existence. He started with nothing, but look what He ended up with. His command has power and when He speaks, all nature responds whether visible or invisible. In I Kings, chapter seventeen, we see this principle at work in the life of the Prophet Elijah. As he acted in unquestioning obedience to God's Word, God commanded blessings to come to him. First, God commanded the ravens to bring him food in the mornings and evenings and provided water from the brook. Then, when the brook dried up, God commanded a widow woman to sustain him. These blessings came to Elijah only because he listened to God's voice and obeyed His Word. Had Elijah refused to go to the brook or to the widow's home, he would not have experienced God's blessings and provisions for his life. Not only that, he would have also robbed the widow and her son from receiving a blessing as well. We must understand that our obedience always touches the lives of others. There may come a time when you face an extreme circumstance in your life. Remember that God has already thought it through and that He has a definite plan to match that hour. The Lord not only has a plan, He has the power to command a blessing on His plan and He will do just that if you remain under His covering and meet His requirement of obedience to His every Word. +++ 8/14/24 THE LORD WILL NEVER FORSAKE US Psalms 27:10 "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." Many have experienced those times when it seemed that their dearest friends had forsaken them and their own brothers or sisters had failed them. Some have even had their own fathers and mothers, or sons and daughters, to withdraw their love and ignore their cries for help. The pain that comes with rejection and neglect by a loved one is heart wrenching. The disappointment is overwhelming because the bonds of friendship that were depended upon and the ties of love that were trusted failed in the season of adversity. When this happens a deep and lasting wound is created in the spirit of the one rejected and neglected. You may be experiencing this kind of difficult season right now with someone you thought that you could depend upon. You may think that this has only happened to you, but you can be encouraged because you are not alone. Most everyone has faced this difficult place in their life at one time or another. Joseph's life is an example of the same rejection and abandonment that you may be feeling. His own brothers treated him very cruelly. They were jealous of him, hated him, sold him into slavery, and lied to their father about his disappearance. Their actions forced Joseph away from his family and cheated him from his youth. Yet after many years of separation from them, Joseph was still able to love, forgive, and embrace the same brothers who had treated him so badly. Joseph was able to look beyond his brother's rejection and cruel treatment and see that what they had meant for evil, God meant for good. God trained Joseph in the season of his adversity and then used him to save not only his brothers but a multitude of people from the famine. We also see Jesus being rejected by His closest friends. Judas betrayed Him and sold Him for a few pieces of silver. Peter cursed and denied Him. His family misunderstood Him and said that He was mad. His Disciples could not stay awake and pray with Him for an hour in the Garden of Gethsemane. Then when adversity came, they all fled away from Jesus and hid themselves in the fear of the moment. In the midst of the crisis, they did not show their love for Jesus but love must have prevailed in their hearts because they returned to Him. Jesus forgave them and empowered them with His Spirit so that they could carry forth His message. When the test came again years later, they did not forsake Jesus. Instead many of them honored Jesus by dying a martyr's death for Him. The psalmist gave us clear assurance that God would never forsake us. God's love for us is stronger than a natural father or mother and He will stick closer to us than our own brother or sister. His commitment to us is greater than that of any friend and His loyalty will never fade away. Jesus will rejoice with us in the good times and He will sustain us in the bad times. He will always be there and His Word will remain true and faithful. And like the psalmist said, "When everyone else fails us, the Lord will take us up." +++ 8/15/24 PUT YOUR HOPE IN HIS NAME Scripture: Matthew 12:21 (NIV) "In His Name the nations will put their hope." There is a call from the Spirit of God for us to put our hope in the Name of the Lord. Every other name will fail us but we can confidently trust in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is also a call for God's people in all nations to pray because prayer truly is our only hope in these days of national and global distress. We should not only take private moments to call out to the Lord for help, we should also engage in special prayer meetings throughout the land and be a part of a massive prayer effort wherever we are. In these days of unrest and uncertainty, we should join with one another in our commitment to approach the throne of God in order to receive His mercy and grace. Can you imagine how God must feel when He hears the voices of a multitude of His children calling out His Name in prayer? It will be a sound of many tongues, from people of many nationalities and colors, but with one voice, crying out for God's unfailing love and mercy to prevail in these desperate times. God said, "If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (II Chronicles 7:14). God needs to hear our voices; yours and mine! He does not require all of the people of the world to pray. He only requires His people who are called by His Name to humble themselves and pray. Prayer made to the Father in Heaven changes things. It invites God's presence to move in our midst and builds an atmosphere on Earth for Him to work. It lets God know that He is wanted in the affairs of men, for He will not interfere if He is not welcomed. Our words to the Father will cause Him to release supernatural answers. Let us be mindful that if we pray He will hear us, and if we seek Him we will find Him. His Word tells us that God's eyes are upon those who fear Him and He blesses the nations that consider Him to be their God (Psalms 33:12 & 18). Let us join our hearts together in prayer. As the Lord sees that we are putting our trust in Him and our hope in His Name, His unfailing love and His mercy will rest upon us and we will find peace. +++ 8/16/24 UNDERSTANDING GOD'S WORD Scripture: Proverbs 1:23 "I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you." Have you ever had difficulty understanding a portion of scripture or felt there was nothing there to capture your interest? However later, you heard someone explain it at great lengths and were amazed with all the details that had passed you by. Their explanations were so rich with information and yet so simple to understand. You may have envied their gift and wondered why you were not able to see the scriptures the way they did. You may have questioned the secret to their profound revelations of God's Word. The answer is simple. It is the work of the Holy Spirit of God. He is the teacher and He is the one who illuminates or gives light to the scripture, and without Him there is no revelation. Luke 24:45 says, "Then Jesus opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." If our understanding is not opened, the scriptures remain merely parables and stories to us. Jesus opened the Disciple's understanding to the scriptures when He was here on Earth, but He told them that when He went away He would send the Holy Spirit to them. He said, "The Holy Spirit will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26). It is only as we yield ourselves to be taught by the Holy Spirit that we can understand and comprehend God's Word. We yield ourselves by simply praying and asking God to open our understanding. The Holy Spirit will speak into our hearts as we invite Him to read along with us. The Bible was not written to be a great mystery nor meant to lay on the shelf collecting dust. God wants His people to understand what He has said and what He is saying on a daily basis through His written Word. Luke 10:21 tells us that God has hidden things from the worldly wise and intellectuals, but will reveal them to those who trust Him with the same simple trust that children have. If you want to see a profound change in your understanding, pray this prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-18 as you study God's Word. Then believe the Lord to speak to you very plainly and give you Heaven’s revelation. "I pray to the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, that You would grant unto me a spirit of wisdom and revelation. I pray that You would grant me insights into mysteries snd secrets by opening up my understanding of the scriptures. I pray that I might receive a deep and intimate knowledge of You, And that the eyes of my heart would be flooded with light ..." +++ 8/19/24 ACCIDENTAL DEEDS Scripture: Romans 7:19 "For the good that I would do, I do not: but the evil which I would not do, I do." A few years ago, I was very amused with a statement made by my young granddaughter. Instead of drying her hands on the towel that was next to sink in the bathroom, she hurried to the living room and dried them on the decorative throw, which was on the couch. When her parents corrected her, she said, "I didn't do it, my hands did it." She explained the situation further by saying, "It was an accident. I didn't know that my hands were doing that." She was unconsciously exercising a bad habit, and because she did not do it deliberately, she did not feel responsible for what her hands had done. It was as though her hands were a different entity than the rest of her whole being. So she concluded that it was not her fault that her hands had accidentally dried themselves on the throw instead of the appropriate towel. This incident sounds humorous to us as adults because we know that we cannot get away with putting the blame on our hands or other parts of our body when we do something wrong. We understand that the entire body is involved in our actions and that we have to take responsible for our individual members. Yet, there are probably times in God's eyes that we look much like my granddaughter when we try to justify our actions. We have an enemy in our life who tempts us to do wrong. When we find ourselves in financial difficulty, he tells us that it is okay to cheat just a little. He tempts us with lustful thoughts and disguises it as true love. He deceives us into thinking that we can say what we want to say and do what we want to do, and tells us that if it feels good, it must be okay. We speak hurtful words and share rumors, but instead calling it an accident, we try to cover it up by saying, "I really didn't mean to say that." We allow our eyes to linger on offensive scenes and expose our ears to vulgarity, and then dismissed it by declaring, "I couldn't help it, it just flashed across the movie screen." Paul was a great apostle and wrote most of the New Testament. Yet, we can see from his own words that he struggled with daily challenges just like us. Like Paul, we do things that we do not want to do, and we do not do the things that we want to do. We may not issue a disclaimer for our misconduct by calling it an accident like my granddaughter did. We may not even be aware that our actions are displeasing to God because our conscience may have become seared. So we need God's help. David prayed and asked God to point out anything in him that made God sad. We must do the same. We must allow God to show us our secret sins and acknowledge that our actions are not mere accidents. We must own everything that our hands find to do. We need God to remind us not to do the things that we are not supposed to do and then help us do the things that we should do. God is loving and faithful, and He will help us if we ask. +++ 8/20/24 POSSESSING THE PROMISE Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:6 & 8 "You have dwelt long enough in this mountain ... Behold, I have set the land before you: go and possess the land." God made a promise to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to their children after them that He would give them the Promised Land. Moses now speaks to the people and commands them to go forward and possess the land that God had promised to their fathers before them. In verse twenty-one, Moses also tells the people of Israel to do this without fear or discouragement. Israel was given a tremendous promise of a special land, but the possession of that promise came only by facing the giants and engaging in battles. It is very easy for us to get excited about a promise that we receive from God, but it is another thing to put forth the effort to possess that same promise. Too often, we view the promise from afar and never walk towards the vision that God has placed in our hearts. The giants of doubt and unbelief challenge our hopes and dreams and tempt us to give up. In the midst of the battle, we must remember that God never makes a promise that He cannot keep. When the Lord leads, He goes before us and no foe can stand in His way. His presence clears the way before us, making the crooked paths straight and the rough ways smooth. God has set before you open doors in an attempt to enlarge your borders and He speaks to you as He did with Moses, "You have dwelt long enough in this mountain. Go possess the land." Adversity may come as you move forward, but if you allow it, that same adversity will strengthen you. Conflicts transform the meek into mighty warriors, fires purify, water purges, and stones polish. It is a known fact that hard times make us strong, and valleys rather than mountains cause us to grow. Your shattered hopes and disappointments will cause you to shift your focus to God and God alone. Your experiences will give you insight and discernment and God will use all of your brokenness to minister to you and equip you to be able to minister to others. The peace and joy that you win in battle will become more precious than the peace which has known no conflict. God desires that you move into your destiny and speaks, "Do not fear or be discouraged. Go and possess the promise." +++ 8/21/24 GOD REGARDS PRAYER Scripture: Psalm 102:17 "God will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." Psalm 102 is titled "A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and faints, and pours out his complaint before the Lord." The Message Bible states it another way. It says, "A prayer of one whose life is falling to pieces, and who lets God know just how bad it is." These are extremely long titles, but I suppose that the writer was in such distress that he wanted to make sure that God understood where he was coming from. The psalmist directed his prayer to God and pleaded for God to listen to him. He said, "Hear my prayer ... Let my cry come before You." He earnestly asked God not to hide His face from him. Have you ever tried to talk to someone who would not look at you? It is apparent that they are not listening when they hide their face from you. The psalmist was experiencing this same feeling in his spirit. He wanted God to face him. He said, "I'm in trouble ... answer me quickly." Then he began to describe his sickness, pain, and frailty. He continued the prayer by discussing his loneliness, rejection, and sorrow. In verse six, he compared himself to a pelican of the wilderness, an owl of the desert, or a lone sparrow sitting on the housetop. In all of these places he saw himself alone, desolate, and destitute. In verse nine the psalmist said, "For I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drink with tears." He was in a pretty desperate place, but talking with God did something for him. We begin to see him change as he turned his attention towards God. He recognized that God was looking down from His sanctuary in Heaven and beholding the earth. God knew exactly what was happening to him. The psalmist was able to declare that he had found confidence in the sovereignty of an eternal God who never changes. He declared, "But You, O Lord, shall endure for ever" ... "You are the same and Your years have no end" (Vs. 12 & 27). Like the psalmist, you may feel like your life is falling to pieces. There are so many questions and so few answers. You may see yourself as destitute and be facing what seems like a dim future. You must realize that regardless of how desperate your situation may seem, you have a sovereign God who is not hiding His face from you, nor does He despise your prayers. The Lord is touched by the feelings of your infirmity so be honest with Him and tell Him just how bad it is and how much you hurt. Then trust God to regard your prayers and give you answers of peace. +++ 8/22/24 LIBERTY FOR THE BRUISED Scripture: Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to ... set at liberty those that are bruised." The word "bruise" has two meanings. A physical bruise is an injury in which the skin is not broken, but the blood vessels underneath are ruptured and are hemorrhaging. The second definition of bruise refers to a psychological injury. The Greek translation of "bruise" in this scripture refers to the second definition. It means the injury of one's feelings, to crush, or to hurt psychologically by pounding into minute fragments. Both of these type of bruises hurt, but most often the second one is most painful. At some point in your life, you most likely have experienced an emotional injury that has left you feeling totally crushed. Emotional bruising and crushing come through various circumstances such as a death of a loved one, divorce, financial disappointments, issues in relationships, or debilitating illness. Adverse circumstances and situations such as these pound and shatter us into minute fragments until we reach the point of hopelessness. Life seems unfair and we are stripped of the desire to go on. Like a physical bruise, our emotions suffer much pain, and long after the injury, this emotional bruising is still visible in our lives. We may try very hard to hide our feelings from others like we try to hide a bad physical bruise, but the tenderness in our hearts, minds, and emotions remain. The deep pain we harbor within our hearts can be sensed by those who are close to us. Bruised emotions are a form of captivity, but there is a release, for Jesus was anointed to set at liberty those who have been injured in this way. Galatians 5:1 says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty where with Christ has made you free, and don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage." If you have been bruised emotionally, Jesus came to proclaim liberty to you and to set you free and He wants you to stay free. He opened the door for you to leave your captivity, but you must not allow yourself to be entangled with the yoke of bondage. When you leave your bruised emotions behind, you must not go back to your place of captivity. Instead, obey the scriptures that say, "Think on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue, or of praise" (Philippians 4:8). In other words, refuse to allow your mind to dwell on the things that bruised and crushed you in the past. Do not keep hitting your bruise. Allow yourself to heal and allow God to set you free. He is able to restore you and put you back together again if you give Him all of the pieces. +++ 8/23/24 THE PROMISE OF A SONG Scripture: Hosea 2:15 "And she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth." God made a wonderful promise to the people of Israel. Even though Israel had failed God, He gave comforting Words saying that He would restore them. He would take the trouble they were going through and would turn that trouble into a door of hope. Salvation would come and they would sing again just as they did in their youth. Like the people of Israel, sometimes the song in our heart gets immersed in our sadness and mourning. Other times it gets covered up by the heaviness of our many problems. When our burdens get too heavy, we tend to stop singing and worshipping because it takes a certain energy to sing and give praise. We may try to make an earnest effort to offer the sacrifice of praise, but it really seems forced. We become like the captive Jews the psalmist spoke of in Psalms 137:2, who were in exile and could not sing. I was in a season of grief and despair when God revealed this scripture to my heart and made it a promise for my future. I had lost the song in my heart because of the heartache, confusion, and abuse that was happening in my life. Things looked bleak and a spirit of hopelessness surrounded me. This dark season only lasted for a couple of years but it seemed like an eternity to my soul. I thought I would never be delivered, much less sing again, but God was faithful to both deliver me and restore the song in my heart and soul. You may feel that you are in spiritual exile and the adverse circumstances that you are in may cause you to think that you will never sing again, but I am a witness to let you know that God is faithful. God knows exactly where you are. You cannot escape His knowledge or exhaust His love and mercy. God sees the reasons that the song has left your heart and He understands. He will reach down and lift you up out of the pit of doom and despair. He will speak grace to the mountains that you are facing and will create a straight and even path in the wilderness. He will work on your behalf by calling things that be not as though they were. Your song will come again as God begins to reveal Himself to you in a new and fresh way. God will use your valley to show you the grandeur of the mountain. He will take the storm that rages about you and show you His enormous peace. In your lack, God will show you His bountiful provision. He will replace your confusion with clear direction and in your weakness He will allow you to experience His awesome strength. As God begins to share this fresh revelation of Himself to you, a new song of praise will be birthed in your heart. Just like Israel, your valley of bitterness will turn into a door of hope and new life will come as God resurrects and restores you. Your spirit will become lighter and your notes will be clearer as God causes you to sing as you did in the days of your youth. +++ 8/26/24 OUR GREAT SPIRITUAL ASSET Scripture: Matthew 28:20 "... I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Our great comfort and joy is the assurance of these words from Jesus. Every moment, His followers are promised His personal and empowering presence. This promise is our great spiritual asset. We could ask for no greater treasure or depend upon no better security. We could reach no higher heights or experience no deeper depths than to know that Jesus is with us. How awesome is the thought that Jesus will never leave or forsake us? He is and will always be there. Others may leave, but He will remain. He is with us in our laughter and He is with us in our tears. He is with us in our triumphs and He is with us in our tragedies. He is there with us as we experience joy and He is there in our pain. He is always touched with the things that our hearts are caused to endure. Jesus made this commitment to be with us to the ends of the world or the end of the age. It does not matter if we are at home or in a distant land, His presence surrounds us, fills our lonely hearts, and girds us with strength. We only need to recognize Him and know that He is there. It does not matter if we are doing menial tasks or are involved in a major undertaking, He is there to help us in the time of our need. It does not matter if we are experiencing peace or engaged in war, His protecting arms surround us at all times. It does not matter the day of the week or the hour of the day or night, the Lord is there always and His mighty presence fills every moment. In His presence there is a peace that passes all understanding. His presence brings a trust that cannot be described, an abounding love that fills the heart, and a grace that is sufficient for the soul. We do not have to dread the road ahead or be anxious about the future, for the Lord's presence will lead us and He will take care of every detail. The power of His presence will always make a way where there seems to be no way. He will go before us and make a way in the wilderness and cause streams in the desert (Isaiah 43:19). His presence will even cause us to bloom in the hard places where we are planted. Isaiah 42:16 says, "He will make the darkness light before us, and the crooked things straight. These things He will do for us, and He will not forsake us." We must hold to the promise that the presence of Jesus will always be with us, for this is the greatest asset that we could ever hope to gain. +++ 8/27/24 THE WORD TRIED HIM Scripture: Psalms 105:19 "Until the time that his word came (to pass); the word of the Lord tried him." When Joseph received a dream from God, it took about sixteen years for that dream to come to pass. In the meantime, God worked to get the physical circumstances just right and also worked changes in the heart of Joseph. There were many challenges that Joseph had to face as he waited on God's purpose and perfect timing to come to pass. Many times he must have experienced the let down of hope and the frustrations of delay. He may have even gotten sick and tired of trying to hold on to his hope, for Proverbs 13:12 tells us that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." The disappointment that comes when our hopes are not realized is hard to cope with. Like Joseph's situation, when God reveals His intentions and purposes for our lives, things do not always happen immediately. Our calling demands a season of testing and training where God rids our heart of things that would hinder His anointing and prevent His purpose. During this time, He never allows us to see behind the scenes. He places a veil between the natural, that which we see, and the spiritual, that which He is doing that is unseen, and He forces us to walk by faith. Then until the word that we received from God comes to pass, He tries that word. Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and was tried in other areas before the Words concerning Him came to pass. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be "a tried stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation" (Isaiah 28:16). God is the potter and He knows His clay. He is attempting to mold you and make you into the image that He has designed and ordained. You must make a predetermined decision to submit to God and allow Him to sort things out in your heart. The challenges and trials that you will face during this preparation process will develop wisdom and give birth to God's precious anointing. God has good intentions and your best interest at heart but He cannot use you until you have been tried and tested. Adversity will form you and be the basis of your life message. You can only truly know what you have actually experienced. You can only rescue others from the valleys that you have passed through. God has given you a word, a hope, and vision to keep you stable as He fits your life into His plan. Trust God’s faithfulness even while your word of promise from Him is being tried. +++ 8/28/24 FEW WORDS Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:2 (Living Bible) "Let your words be few." These are words from King Solomon that we should pay close attention to because he was declared to be the wisest man who ever lived. He was actually speaking about our prayers to God, but he was not telling us not to talk to God very long. Solomon clarified his words by saying, "Don't be rash with your mouth or let your heart be hasty to utter a word or make a vow before God." He also reminded us that God is in Heaven and we are on Earth. God knows much more about what is going on in our lives than we could ever presume to know so we should keep our ears open for God's voice and our hearts attentive to His Spirit. When we stop and listen to God, we will discover that He has more to say about our situation than we do. In fact, sometimes we are so busy chattering to God about our problem and how we want it solved that He cannot get a word in edgewise to covey His solution to us. We are to be still and to know that He is God. Jesus said similar words about our prayers. He said, "Don't use vain repetitions, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7). Prayer is not supposed to be a big theatrical production but a personal one-on-one audience with the Lord. Yet many times, in our attempt to get what we want, we either make rash promises to God or we resort to making railing accusations about the things that are happening in our lives that we do not understand. We forget that God is still God Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and that He is sovereign and still on the throne and in control. Solomon said, "To listen is better than to speak foolish words." Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Foolish words are not profitable, for by our words we are either justified or condemned. We must not allow our mouths to lead us into sin and condemnation. We need to be quiet unless we know that we are praying according to God's will. When we come to God we need to come without formulas and techniques. We are to simply approach Him like a child approaches their earthly father. When we do this, we will evoke God's presence. Then as we find ourselves alone with God, we will be so awed by His presence that our focus will shift from ourselves to Him. In His presence, we will forget about our own desires and we will want His will to be done in our lives here on Earth as He has ordained in Heaven. When we commune with the Lord, let our words be few so that we can listen and hear what the Lord is saying to us. +++ 8/29/24 MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD Scripture: I Peter 1:7 "The trial of your faith, being more precious than of gold." These words were written by the Apostle Peter to the Christians who had been scattered. These Christians were chosen by God, obedient to the blood of Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Yet, their situation was one of suffering and trial because they were trying to live faithfully for God while in a pagan and hostile society. Peter's message of hope was intended to comfort them and to encourage them to rejoice and stand firm even in the midst of their trials. Life has not changed and neither has the message of Peter to the church of the Living God. When all hope is gone, God's Word to His people today is the same as it was to the early Christians. We are to "greatly rejoice" though we are in a season of heaviness because of manifold temptations. Manifold temptations mean that the trials are multiplied. One of Satan's tactics is to attack your faith from all sides. He did this with Job. A messenger came to give Job bad news, and while the messenger was still speaking, there came another bad report. It was one bad thing after the other in Job's season of testing. He had to face the devil in every arena. Yet, Job refused to curse God and instead, he made a declaration of his commitment. He said, "Though God slay me, still I will trust Him" (Job 13:15). He left his life and future in God's hands. The Apostle Paul's faith was also tried in manifold situations, yet he maintained a spirit of faith through it all (II Corinthians 4:8-13). He said, "We are troubled on every side ... perplexed ... persecuted ... and cast down ... that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." And Jesus, Himself, faced a series of testing in the wilderness. Satan tempted Him in three areas, but Jesus placed His faith in the Word of God and remained faithful. You may be scattered in your mind right now with manifold trials and temptations but remember the devil only has a season. Always keep in mind that your times of testing are precious moments because you are held in the palms of God's hands. His eyes are ever on you just as His eyes were on those Christians who were scattered, Job in his testing, and Jesus in His temptations. God never leaves the refining pot to tend to other matters. You are His main concern and the strength of your faith is important to Him. He has judged you and counted you mature enough to endure the conflicts and the reproach that you are now facing. Satan's main goal is to destroy your faith in today's test so that it will affect your hope for your next season and your ultimate destiny. God knows the degree of heat that you can handle, and if things get too hot He has promised to rescue you by making a way of escape. God believes that your faith will come forth as pure gold as He allows the fires of adversity to refine it. As your faith passes through the fire, things that are impure will separate from you. When this process is complete. only genuine faith will remain. In the midst of the fire, God will deliver you from fear, agitating passions, and moral conflicts. So as the fires come, embrace them and live above the reproach. Allow God to purify your faith and burn out the things that are foreign to His nature. As you do, your faith will come forth as pure gold and your suffering will be changed into glory and honor for Him. +++ 8/30/24 AUDIENCE OF ONE Scripture: I Chronicles 28:8 "... and in the audience of God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that you may possess this good land ... " King David desired to build a temple for the presence of the Lord, but because he had been a man of war and had shed blood, God disallowed him to experience this honor. So at the Word of the Lord, David put aside all of his hopes and desires to build the temple himself. In obedience to God, David gave the pattern of the temple that the Spirit of the Lord had put in his own heart to his son, Solomon, and allowed him the honor of building a house for the Lord. David was able to lay down his dreams and visions because he was a man after God's own heart and sought only to please God. He knew that success with God was not measured in one’s achievement but in faithfulness to His Word. When David stood before the congregation of Israel to make known the plans and process of building the temple, he exhorted the people to search for and keep all the commandments of the Lord. David spoke from experience, for he knew the personal value of obedience to God and the rewards that came from keeping His commandments. He also knew the results of disobedience and sin. In his prayer of repentance that came about because of his involvement with Bathsheba, David prayed, "Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm 51:11). Sin separates you from the heart of God and destroys His purposes for your life. In the heart of David, it was a fearful thought that he would no longer have the privilege of enjoying the presence of the Lord and having a personal audience with Him. You could have the opportunity to stand before multitudes, but like David, you must come to the realization that the highest place that you could ever achieve in life is having an audience with God. When you stand in His presence, you stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You are in the glory of the Almighty God. You must be dedicated to seeking this awesome audience of One, for only the Lord God matters. The Apostle Paul said that it was a small thing to be judged by man or even by himself. His only concern was for the approval and praise of God (I Corinthians 4:3-5). Like Paul, God must be the only One sitting upon the throne of your heart. You cannot allow yourself to be moved by the praises or the criticisms of men. When you pray, enter your closet and pray to this audience of One. When you sing praises, sing to His heart and not to the ears of those around you, and when you give, give as unto Him and not to be seen by others. God sees your heart and knows which audience you are seeking to impress. When you seek to honor God in all that you do, He promises that you will possess the good of the land. +++ Copyright © 2024 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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