............ | A Word In Due Season Jan 2025 1/2/25 LOOK FOR ME Scripture: Psalms 119:176 "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant; for I do not forget Thy commandments." We have all had those times when we have planned to meet someone in a large crowd and wanted to make sure that we made the connection. We designated a particular time and place to meet, explained what we would be wearing, and then said, "Be looking for me." If the appointed time for the rendezvous passed, desperation set in, and we began to think that there was a misunderstanding in our communications. We could only hope that the one we were attempting to meet was searching for us with as much effort as we were searching for them. The psalmist in this scripture found himself in the same dilemma. He had somehow wandered away and was explaining his desperate situation to the Lord situation. He said, “I have gone astray. Look for me.” In the preceding verses, he asked the Lord to hear his cry and listen to his supplication. He said, "Let Your hand help me." Sheep have no sense of direction and are used to being led about. It is their nature to depend upon the shepherd to find them. The psalmist reminded the Lord that even though he had strayed away from the narrow path, he still remembered the commandments and precepts of God. He knew that God would honor His Word and he depended upon the Good Shepherd to seek for him as if he were a lost sheep. Like the psalmist, the Lord is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. We need the Lord Jesus desperately in our lives so that we can maintain an honorable walk and keep our feet from straying. We must make it a practice to face every day with a determination to discern God’s will and to be in His Word, seeking His direction. Like the psalmist, our prayer should be, "Lord, look for me. Help me to be in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. If I go astray, seek me and bring me back." Are you aware that God's search for you is just as diligent as your search for Him? Jesus is your Good Shepherd. He will leave the ninety-nine sheep that are safe and search for you when you have lost your way. As He looks for you, He will call you by name, for He knows each one of His sheep personally. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). When your path seems to be shrouded in darkness and your way seems obscure, listen for the Shepherd's voice. He is like any loving father whose child is lost, and He is desperately seeking for you and calling your name. +++ 1/3/25 REDEEMING THE TIME Scripture: Ephesians 5:16 "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." To redeem means to regain possession of something, to receive something by exchange, or to make up for lost time. The Apostle Paul encourages us to live each day in such a fashion so that each moment we spend, we exchange it for something that is of value. In the previous verse, he said, "Live purposefully, worthily, and accurately, not as unwise and witless, but as wise, sensible, and intelligent people ... making the most of time" (Ephesians 5:15 Amplified Bible). Each deed that we do should be done as unto the Lord and every word that we speak should minister grace to the hearer, encouraging their hearts and renewing their spirits. Our lives should be salt and light in this world of darkness. Time and opportunity is priceless and once they are spent, they are gone forever. Redemption of these precious commodities must occur as the moment happens. Yet, sadly, we often find that we have missed our opportunity and the precious moment has passed into eternity. We find ourselves saying, "I wish I had said this, or I wish I had done that." We begin to realize that we have spent our time on things that had no lasting purpose or eternal value. We live in a world that is full of hurting people and we encounter them daily. Yet rather than trying to mend their pain, we come up with insignificant answers. Some of the lyrics of a song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither are, "When the house is burning to the ground, there's just no time to stand around arranging all the pictures on the wall." The rest of the song mentions spending time writing songs and preaching sermons to answer questions that no one is even asking. In other words, we must stopped wasting our moments. To redeem the situations when we encounter them, necessary actions need to be taken and significant words need to be spoken. God's desire is that we rearrange our priorities, for the time is short and the days are evil. Our main interest should be the needs of others and the condition of their hearts with respect to eternity. We have been given the opportunity to lead others to a hill called Calvary and to show them how to touch the nail-scarred hands of Jesus. We must make the most of time, and buy up each opportunity by sharing the Living Water with the thirsty and the Bread of Life with the hungry. As we do, we will be redeeming the time for eternity by revealing our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. +++ 1/6/25 DREAMS THAT COME TRUE Scripture: Genesis 37:20 " ... and we shall see what will become of his dreams." Joseph's angry and jealous brothers sought to stop his dreams from coming to pass. They stripped Joseph of the special coat of many colors that his father had given him and cast him into a pit. They later sold him into slavery. Their first choice would have been to kill Joseph, but their evil devices could only go so far because a sovereign God was still in control. God spared Joseph's life by using his older brother, Reuben, to rescue him from greater harm. When Joseph finally found himself in Egypt, he may have thought that God had forsaken him all together. It took about sixteen years for things to change for Joseph. Yet all the while, God was moving in Joseph's life and leading him to the place that he needed to be so that He could fulfill Joseph's dreams and accomplish His own divine plan. When God thinks of you, He thinks of someone that He loved so much that He sacrificed His only Son for them. God allowed Jesus to become a curse for you so that you could spend eternity with them in Heaven. You mean something to God and you are very special in His eyes. He has thoughts and plans for you that include a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). God has spoken good words over you. Like Joseph, you may presently be limited by circumstances beyond your control. Life may have dealt you a poor hand, and as you view the future, it may seem that time is running out for your hopes and dreams to come to pass. For whatever reason, the future seems to only hold a few years and you may wonder how God can finish His work in your life in such a short period of time. Regardless of how you view your situation, you must not become discouraged for God is still in control and He can do a quick work. Joseph was raised from the pit to the palace in one day. His grand work lasted only a short time, seven years of plenty and seven years of lack. In this short time, however, Joseph saved a nation from destruction and his dreams came to pass just as God had promised. Also consider Jesus. His ministry on Earth was only for three years, but look at what He accomplished in that short length of time. Like these men, it is time for you to make every moment in your own life count. You may have only three short years as Jesus did to fulfill your life's call. No one knows for sure what the future holds. You must work as though God is going to keep His promises to you and you must pray, expecting Him to actually answer you. You must continue to express your thanksgiving to God and worship Him in anticipation of His manifestation. Remember that even though you are human, God is divine. Stretch your faith and your thinking, and see what becomes of your dreams, for nothing is impossible with God. He is well able to bring your dreams into reality. +++ 1/7/25 MUSTARD SEED FAITH Scripture: Matthew 17:20 "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed ... nothing shall be impossible unto you." Jesus spoke these words to explain the growth that can result from a small beginning. In Mark 4:31, He explained that the mustard seed was the least of all the seeds. Yet, when it took root and began to grow, it became a tree large enough for even the birds of the air to lodge in. Jesus compared the growth of the mustard seed to our faith and said that if we had faith as a grain of a mustard seed, nothing within the scope of God's will would be impossible to us. In fact, when our words come in line with God's Word, they become filled with enough power to enable us to speak to the mountains to be removed and they will be cast into the sea. There is no need for us to remove literal mountains, but there are mountains of adversity that surround all of us. We are to deal with these mountains with mustard seed faith. The mustard seed is not only small, it is pure and unmingled. We do not need to have a lot of faith; we just need pure faith. Pure faith is being persuaded that God's Word is true. Pure faith rests because it has absolute dependence and reliance upon God's Word. It demands full confidence and trust in God's faithfulness to perform His Word. It is a full surrender and obedience to the truth and the conviction that God will complete the things that we are hoping to come to pass. Pure faith is not mixed with doubt. It never struggles, but is a joyful experience. When you have mustard seed faith, you can release your last handful of meal and your little supply of oil to God and expect Him to see you through the hard days ahead (I Kings 17:16). With mustard seed faith, you can give your five loaves and two fish unreservedly and know that God will turn the little that you have given into a miracle meal to feed over five thousand people (Matthew 14:17-21). Mustard seed faith will cause you to pay your tithes and give offerings with the expectation that God is going to open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that you will not have room to receive (Malachi 3:10). Mustard seed faith never fails. It encourages you to plant in the time of famine and causes you to reap a one hundred fold harvest because of your obedience (Genesis 26:12). It keeps you at peace in the lion's den and prevents you from being burned or having the lingering smell of smoke upon you when you have passed through the fiery furnace. It will keep you untouched as you pass through the Red Seas of your life and will also allow you to walk on the waters in the midst of spiritual storm. Mustard seed faith is all that you need, for you only need a little of pure faith in a great God. As you take your seed of faith and place in God's hands, He will enable you to conquer all of life's circumstances and nothing will be impossible to you that is within the scope of God’s will. +++ 1/8/25 GOD DESIGNED LIFE Scripture: Proverbs 20:24 (Amplified) "Man's steps are ordered by the Lord; how can a man then understand his way?" All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is meant to minister grace and build faith in the heart of the hearer. Allow this word to minister to you as you think about God's marvelous plan for your life. God created you in His image and He has ordered your steps. Before you woke up this morning and started on your way, the Lord’s thoughts were upon you. He very lovingly began to make plans and designed the path that He wanted you to take, the people that He wanted you to meet, and the experiences that He wanted you to encounter. He then set about making a way through the wilderness and clearing the paths before you. He also saw to it that the proper provisions were along the path that He had designed for you to take. God leaves nothing undone or to chance and regardless of what happens in your life, He is not surprised. He knows what you are capable of and also knows the degree to which you can be tested. He even knows your thoughts and the meditations of your heart. He orders your steps and when you follow as He leads, He promises that there will be no burdens too heavy for you to bear and no temptations greater than your resistance. Look at Job's life and you will see that every step that he took and all that he endured was allowed by God. God was always in control and the devil was limited by God's sovereign power. However, the plan of God can be thwarted and His Holy Spirit grieved because God has given each of us a free will. We can either follow as His Spirit leads or be led away by our own lusts or other voices. In this proverb, King Solomon declared the Lord has ordered our steps and designed our paths, but when we are not in tune with Him, how can we understand which way to go? From birth until death, God's design for our life and His plan is waiting for us, but it is so easy to wander off and lose our way. To accomplish His divine design, our ears must be able to hear His quiet and gentle voice telling us which path to take and our hearts must be willing to lay aside the plans that we have made for ourselves. Our steps have been ordered by the Lord, but we must choose to walk in the path that He has ordained for us. +++ 1/9/25 VOICE OF PRAYER Scripture: Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." God tells us through Jeremiah, the prophet, two very important things about getting our prayers answered. First He says, "Call." Prayer needs to be voiced; otherwise it may remain a meditation of the heart. For instance, how many times in our lives do we face circumstances that require answers? We tell everyone that we are praying about the situation, when in reality we are merely thinking, meditating on the circumstances, and trying to figure out the solution in our own minds. We have not uttered one word to God, verbally or in our spirit, yet we call it prayer. God wants us to speak out verbally to Him. God knows our thoughts and our hearts, but He wants to actually hear our voices. James 4:2 tells us that "we have not because we ask not." We merely think the thought in our mind, but never express it with our voice. God knows the meditations of our heart but He hears our cries and listens for ours words. Throughout the scriptures, prayers often began with phrases like, "Hear my prayer, O Lord," "Attend unto my cry," and "I lift up my voice to You." We get God's attention when we make our voices heard. Second, God says, "Call unto Me." In the original Hebrew language, the use of the word "call" in this scripture means to address by name. Names are personal and powerful. Even in a crowded room, you are called to attention when someone mentions your own name. You become very interested in what is being said because your personal name is involved. However, if your name were never mentioned, you may be disinterested in the conversation. Likewise if someone in your midst had needs but never verbalized them to you, you would not know how you could meet those needs. God reacts in the same way. He responds to His Name and focuses His attention on the one calling upon His Name. God says, "Call to Me. When you speak to Me then I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things which you have never known before." +++ 1/10/25 CASTING YOUR CARE Scripture: I Peter 5:7 "Cast all your care upon Him; for He cares for you." It is wonderful to know that we have a loving Savior who wants to take the burden of all our problems upon Himself? He wants to do this simply because He loves us and cares for us. David said in Psalms 142:4, "No man cared for my soul." There was no one to help David but God. At the beginning of this Psalm, David said, "I cried unto the Lord with my voice ... I poured out all my complaints to Him and showed Him all my troubles." David complained to God about everything that was going wrong in his life. He laid it all out before the Lord and asked Him to meet every need that he had because David knew that God was the only one that he could depend upon. When David's spirit was overwhelmed, he had assurance that God was concerned and cared for him when no one else did. He cried out to God alone who knew his path and saw all the snares that would try to entangle him. God witnessed David's defeats, disappointments, sins, and failures. Yet, He made Himself available to David and David made God his refuge as he sought for deliverance. He put his total trust in the Lord and declared that God would deal bountifully with him. As you face difficulties in your life, stop and think about God's goodness. God is for you, not against you! He is there when others fail. The Lord knows every need you have before you ask and He wants to take care of those needs. Following is a quote by Joyce Meyer that emphasizes these thoughts and expresses God's position very plainly when you call out to Him. "Good Morning, This Is God! I Will Be Handling All Of Your Problems Today. I Will Not Need Your Help -- So, Have A Good Day. I Love You." Think about these words and choose to follow the words of the Apostle Peter and cast all of your cares upon God, for He really does love you. Remind yourself daily that God is ready to handle all of problems, not just some, and that He has the answers before you ever call. +++ 1/13/25 REMEMBER YOUR CREATOR Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1 "Remember now your Creator ...." In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth and spoke light into existence. He hung the sun and the moon in the heavens that He had created and He also put the stars and the galaxies in place. On Earth, He formed every valley and every mountain with His mighty hands. He also dug out the enormous oceans, the beautiful lakes, and the magnificent rivers and filled them all with water. The Heavens and the Earth that He created are complete and beautiful and He continues to hold all that He created together by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). When God finished the Heavens and the Earth, He proceeded to create living beings. Life in any form is awesome, and from the smallest creature of the sea to the mightiest beast of the forest, God created them all. He continues to create by placing within them a miracle, which is the power to be able to multiply and bring forth life after their own kind. God then went to another level of creation and created mankind. The creation of man was different than the previous creations because man was made in God's likeness. You have been created in God's own image and He desires that you manifest His character. God is holy and He wants you to be holy as He is holy. God is love so He created you with the capacity to love as He loves. He also created you to be His temple and to share the attributes of His Spirit. You can possess the supernatural fruits of the Holy Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. You can also be empowered with His supernatural gifts. Your Creator makes all things possible. You have been fearfully and wonderfully made by the personal hands of the Almighty God. God knew you before you were conceived and He knows when you will take your final breath. Your life should not be a disappointment to you because your Creator knew exactly what He wanted you to be when He created you. Now Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, has encouraged you to remember your Creator. Remember the One who designed you and then formed you when you were in your mother's womb. Remember the One who breathed life into you. Remember that the Creator knows His creation and understands you better than anyone else does. God is the Author of your life. He created you for a purpose and He knows the plans that He has for you. He knows where you are today and He is aware of the challenges that you are facing and the victories and disappointments that you are experiencing. He has not left you helpless or hopeless in any situation. The Creator is present to maintain His creation, so remember to include Him in all of your needs because He is ready to rescue you. He is your Mighty God, your Everlasting Father, your Prince of Peace, your Redeemer, your Healer, your Shepherd, your Deliverer, your Comforter, your Helper, your Fortress, your Rock, and your Friend who will stick closer to you than a brother. These are just a few of the names of the One who created you and the One who will love you at all times. So remember Him and above all remember that the Creator cares for you, His special creation. +++ 1/14/25 CONSIDER NOT - STAGGER NOT Scripture: Romans 4:19 & 20 "Abraham considered not his own body ... and staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief." Long before Abraham had a son, God made a promise to him that he would be the father of many nations. He also told Abraham that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. From the very beginning, this promise seemed impossible in the natural because Abraham was very old and his wife, Sarah, was barren. Yet, Abraham chose to believe the promise and he put his faith in God's ability to fulfill His promise. Abraham disregarded his own lack and did not stagger at the promise that God gave to him. One who staggers does not stand and walk straight. Instead, they lean to the left and to the right as they stumble along. Abraham overcame each challenge by refusing to consider the impossibilities and did not stagger to the left or lean to the right. In other words he did not allow himself to be driven or tossed about by unbelief. James 1:6-7 says, "For he that wavers (in faith) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." One year before Isaac was born God changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means father of many nations. In essence God was saying, "It is already finished." God's eternal Word established the fact though nothing could be seen. God was calling things that be not as though they were and His Words were causing Abraham and Sarah's natural bodies to come alive. When Abraham had to tell others his new name was Abraham, he was agreeing with God and declaring the promise that God had made to him. He did not stagger at the fact that he was 100 years old and that Sarah was ninety. He just gave glory to God and continued to hope when there was no reason to hope in the natural. Today, his faith would appear foolish to many, but then true faith usually does. Corrie Ten Boom sums faith up with her words, "Faith Sees the Invisible, Believes the Unbelievable, Receives the Impossible." Scriptures declare that Abraham believed God, hoped in His promise, stayed strong in the faith, and was fully persuaded that God would do what He said He would do. And because Abraham considered not and staggered not, he eventually received the promise of God. We must follow his grand example if we want to receive our promises from God. +++ 1/15/25 MEDITATIONS OF THE HEART Scripture: Psalms 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer." Our concerns about righteousness are usually about what we have done or said, but God is interested in much more than that. He considers not only our words and actions but also the meditations of our heart, for the thoughts and feelings of our heart determine who we truly are. Sometimes we respond with the correct words and a seemly right attitude when in reality we are frustrated in having to deal with a person or a matter. We only pretend to be patient, loving, and kind, but the true meditations of our heart are hidden. They are not in agreement with our false actions regardless of how noble they may seem. Our pretense on the outside looks good to the world but our heart is void of the inward fruit of the Holy Spirit. The truest measure of integrity is explained as doing the right thing when no one is looking. It is obeying the laws of life and also the laws of the heart when there is no one there to judge us. If our hearts are right, it will not matter if we have an audience or not, for we will always choose to do the right thing. We will give knowing that we will gain nothing from the receiver of our gift. We will be kind to the unlovely when there is no glory to be received. We will be honest even though no one will ever know the difference. We will do our work with excellence even though no one is watching us. We will be discreet in every respect of life and walk out what we profess to believe. David prayed concerning the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart. He wanted both to be acceptable in the sight of God. David knew that we could have our words right but that the meditations in our heart could be very wrong. He also recognized that God was his Strength and Redeemer so he called out to Him. We must understand as David did that God is very aware of the intents of our hearts. He sees our actions but He also knows our thoughts and meditations. God discerns the evil and is saddened but He rejoices in the goodness that is within us. He desires that we live in truth and manifest the fruit of His Spirit. Like David, before the words of our mouth and the meditations of heart begin to conflict with the heart of God, we can call out to the Lord. God is always near and He is there to help. He will give us strength in our weakness and He is our Redeemer in every situation. +++ 1/16/25 HOLD YOUR PEACE Scripture: Exodus 14:14 "The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." Have you ever moved in faith at God's command and then found yourself in a hard situation? As you sat there in the dilemma, confusion and fear came against your mind as doubt and unbelief filled your heart. You are not alone. God's people found themselves faced with these same feelings when God led them out of Egypt. God instructed Moses and the Israelites to set up their camp by the Red Sea. He knew that Pharaoh would think that they were trapped between the wilderness and the sea. The irony of this plan was that God was secretly working against the enemy. The sea was to be the way of escape for Moses and the children of Israel and a trap of destruction for the Egyptians. Yet, as the Israelites faced the enemy on one side and the waters on the other, they begin to complain. They said, "We would have been better off staying in bondage than to be out here in the wilderness." They had no idea that God was preparing a way of total deliverance for them. God told them, "Don't be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. Just hold on to your peace." God had a plan. He was going to fight the battle for them and He did not want them to do anything except move forward at His command. Like the Israelites, God does amazing things in our lives and we are excited and full of faith about what He is doing until the first impossible situation comes along. When we find ourselves between the wilderness and the Red Sea we wonder how we got there. We forget that God, Himself, led us there and put us in that situation for a purpose. Our reasoning becomes limited because we are looking at the immediate circumstances and think that we are near failure or possible death. There seems to be nowhere to turn and no way out of the situation. Our anxieties cause us to discount God's wisdom and forget His Words, "My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). Does it seem that you are currently standing between the Wilderness and the Red Sea in your life? Are you facing difficulties in your personal life or experiencing financial challenges? Be encouraged. It is when you stand in these places of uncertainty that you discover the sufficiency of God. When you are overwhelmed by circumstances and there is no solution in the natural, you must realize that you are close to a miracle. As you hold your peace and rest in God's promises, He rolls back the sea of adversity and makes a way where there is no way. He comes through right on time, every time. He is a miracle working God who cannot fail, so be at peace. The Lord is always on your side and He will always fight for you. +++ 1/17/25 COMFORTING OTHERS Scripture: II Corinthians 1:3-4 "Blessed be God ... Who comforted us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort that we ourselves are comforted by God." The Apostle Paul declares that God comforts us in all of our tribulations so that we may be able to comfort others who are in trouble. Hardships are not fun, but they work together for good in our lives to bring us to a better understanding of the situations that others are facing. We cannot give others hope for the mountaintop if we have not successfully made it there ourselves by traveling through the shadows in the valley. We cannot direct someone through a tunnel of depression if we have not experienced the darkness of a wounded spirit ourselves. Nor can we mend those with a broken heart if we have never experienced disappointment. We could never understand the anxieties of those who are facing financial lack if we have no understanding in that area. And how could we ever be touched with the physical suffering and pain of others if our own infirmities had not birthed compassion in our soul? Comforting others is a ministry in itself, for out of the greatest pain comes the sweetest songs of assurance. The hard places in our past show us how to bring deliverance to the wounded. The emotional trials that we have faced allow us to be able to be touched by their feelings, and because we have cried, we know how to wipe away their tears. Since we have faced desert places and then experienced God in fresh new ways, we can assure those passing through dry hard places that God will also prepare a stream in their desert. Because we have gone through grief and sorrow, we can assure others that their season of joy will come again. Because we have been weary ourselves and have carried heavy burdens, we know how to encourage and lift the heavy load of those who are overwhelmed with suffering. Because we have found it necessary at times to lean on the prayers of others, we are able to give ourselves easily to intercession when prayer is needed. The hurting never run to those who have never suffered. Likewise, those who need counsel and a word in due season never seek out those who have no experience. We should not seek to suffer, but we should understand that we are not above our Master. Jesus suffered and was touched by the feelings that we would experience and was tempted in all of the temptations that He knew we would face (Hebrews 4:15). He gave Himself to pain so that He could become a valid comforter through the Holy Spirit. So, even though suffering is hard for us, it brings with it an education that is of greater benefit than earning a degree. Suffering creates a dwelling place in our heart for the compassion of God and it develops a skillfulness that enables us to minister according to the will of God. At the end, we are able to agree with the Apostle Paul and say, "Blessed be God ... Who has comforted me in all my tribulations so that I may be able to comfort others who are in any trouble." +++ 1/20/25 PATIENCE OF JOB Scripture: James 5:11 "You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." Job was rich in material blessings and was surrounded by a wonderful family. He was well known and respected in the city and he was also a man that worshiped God and hated evil. He was a good man who was enjoying his life when bad things began to happen to him. He suddenly lost everything that was dear to him, even his own health. In his trials, he experienced much that could have caused him to lose his patience. Yet because Job endured to the end, he received more than he lost because of God's pity and tender mercy. Job had a hard path to follow, but we see his statements of positive commitment along the way. When his children and material blessings were taken from him, he did not give up his faith in God. He recognized that everything that he had received in his life had come from God and acknowledged that it still belonged to God. He said, "Naked came I out of mother's womb, and naked I shall return." He also continued to worship God in the midst of his loss and stated, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the Name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Even when Job felt threaten by death, he maintained his faith in God by saying, "Though God slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15). Job spoke these words to his critical friends, while he was sitting there in an ash heap, scrapping the painful boils that covered his body. Every believer suffers trials and experiences trouble at some point in their life. Maybe it is not to the same extent that Job suffered, but the challenges are there just the same. Job declared that God would not even allow him to catch his breath, but piled bitterness upon bitterness (Job 9:18 Message Bible). Yet, as hard as this was for Job, his trials were meant to be an example for us. God shows us the trials of Job's life so that we may understand that trials do come to good people and that tragedy can strike even though we are striving to live right. Job's life also shows us that trials do come to an end and that at the end of the matter God's tender mercy will prevail if we trust and believe in Him as Job did. Still, it is hard to maintain faith when we are being tried, but God will help us if we call out to Him in the midst of it all. If we feel ourselves doubting, we must be honest and ask the Lord to help us with our unbelief. When we are tempted to give up in the midst of adversity, we must trust God to sustain our patience and be encouraged by the thoughts and words of the Apostle James. He said that at the end of our patience we will find that "The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy." +++ 1/21/25 SOW QUIETNESS - REAP STRENGTH Scripture: Isaiah 30:15 "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." Regardless of whether we are homemakers or business executives, our schedules often become hectic and hurried. Deadlines have to be reached and appointments met. There is so much to do with so little time to get it all done. Before we know it, we are stretched to the limit and stressed out. The answer to this daily dilemma is found in God's Word. It is the simple spiritual law of quietness before God. Like the law of gravity, I cannot explain it, but I know that quietness before God and meditations of His Word works. As we take a few moments to get quiet in the presence of the Lord, He supplies us with a grace that gives us strength to meet every challenge. Isaiah 40:30-31 declares that even "The young will faint and be weary, but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Waiting on the Lord enables you to draw strength from Him so that you can complete your course without weariness or fainting. Being quiet and putting your confidence in God is a discipline that shows your submission to the sovereignty of God and His will. As you wait and are still before God, He directs your paths and makes the crooked ways straight. Things will then fall into place without stress and struggle. Even though Jesus had only three years to complete His ministry assignment on Earth, He took time to rest. In Mark 6:31, He told His Disciples to "Come apart into a desert place, and rest for awhile." It is said that if we don't "come apart and rest" we will "come apart." Jesus knew the importance of taking time to wait before God. In Luke 6:12, He prayed all night and in Mark 1:35, He arose a great while before day, went into a solitary place, and prayed. Jesus knew His strength came from the anointing and confidence that He gained while He was in the quietness of God's presence. Reflect on the concepts of this prayer and allow your soul to be quiet and slow down. Authorship of this prayer is unknown. "Slow me down, Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, midst the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. Teach me the art of taking minute vacations ..... of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pat a dog, or to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise that I may know that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than increasing its speed. Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well. Slow me down, Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my great destiny. In Jesus' Name. Amen" +++ 1/22/25 MUZZLING OUR MOUTH Scripture: Psalms 39:1 "I will keep my mouth with a bridle." King David made a commitment to take heed of his actions and his words so that he would not sin against God. He also spoke to God about his awkward situation. While the wicked were there in the room before him, he tried to act dumb, hold his peace, and just remain quiet. But the longer he did this, the worse things got and finally sorrow began to stir inside of him. David said, "My heart was hot within me, and while I was musing, the fire burned." In today’s vernacular we would say, "The more I thought about it, the more it just burned me up!" Have you ever been there, and said that? David finally reached the point that he responded and said, "Then I spoke up with my tongue." The Message Bible says it a little plainer: "The longer I kept silent the worse it got -- my insides got hotter and hotter, My thoughts boiled over; and I spilled my guts." We often allow the actions and words of others to disturb us in this fashion until we reach the boiling point. In front of God and everybody, at the worst time, we just spill our guts. God's Word says that if we can control our tongue, we can control our whole body. James 3:2 (Amplified) states, "For we all often stumble and fall and offend in many things. And if any one does not offend in speech -- never says the wrong things -- he is a fully developed character and a perfect man, able to control his whole body and to curb (or bridle) his entire nature." If we want to control our whole body and curb our entire nature, there are three things that we must consciously do: 1) We must stop musing about the situation in an adverse way. 2) We must disallow our emotions to burn within us. 3) We must keep our mouth shut until God tells us how to respond or as David said, "Keep our mouth with a bridle." +++ 1/23/25 A SIMPLE PRAYER Scripture: Job 22:29-30 (NLT) "If people are in trouble and you say, 'Help them,' God will save them. Even sinners will be rescued: they will be rescued because your hands are pure." God created man in His own image and by His great design. His intentions were that all men should follow Him and honor all of His laws. God planned a future for all of His creation, yet He is a God who gives men a free choice. He allows them to make their own decisions even though their choices may be against His will. Many times we have friends, family, sons, and daughters who go astray. They may even know God's Word and understand the difference in right and wrong, but they have allowed their desires to overpower the truth that is in their heart. Sadly, they have chosen to follow a path into darkness. As much as we love and care for them, we are helpless in trying to rescue them because it cannot be done in the natural. They will not listen to any of our persuasions and our words of warning fall to the ground as if they were never spoken. We cry out to God in our distress, saying, "How can this be and where will it end?” We suffer grief over the situation and even wonder if we are at fault in some way. We would do anything to change the circumstances. Yet, we realize that it will take a miracle of God to turn them around and set them on the right path again. Our heart aches for them, for we know they will suffer natural consequences because of the path they have taken. More importantly, we want to spare them from the spiritual and eternal consequences of their choices. Our prayers become desperate. We pray, pray, and pray until finally, we have no more words to say and do not know what else to do. God understands where we are and His Words are always there to comfort and instruct us. This simple prayer that is mentioned in the book of Job is mighty. It simply says, when our loved ones are in trouble, all we need to say is "God, help them." Then, somehow "God will rescue them because of the pureness of our hands." God is faithful and when we seek to serve Him with all of our heart, He is attentive to our words. James 5:16 says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." We can depend upon God to honor His Word. We must continue to stand in the gap for those whom we love. God sees our heart and He is not looking for long prayers with a lot of words. When we can find no other words to say, we can call our loved one's name out to God and pray this simple prayer, "God, Help them!" +++ 1/24/25 LABORERS TOGETHER Scripture: I Corinthians 3:9 "For we are laborers together with God." The Apostle Paul was a very important man to the Kingdom of God and had many reasons to promote himself above others. Philippians 3:5 and 6 declares that there was no fault in him in regard to the law. Paul was circumcised on the eighth day, and he was of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin. He was of the party of Pharisees and observed all of the laws. He was so zealous for God before He got saved that he persecuted the church with a good conscious. He had no idea that he was acting in error against God. In verse four, Paul said if anyone had reason to rely on themselves, he had more. Even though Paul had all these things going for him, he put them aside. He forgot his prestige and counted his personal abilities as loss. Throughout his ministry Paul never sought to exalt himself above others, but became a servant to the very church that he once persecuted. He became a laborer with those who were trying to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knew that he could not do the work of the ministry alone and neither could they. Paul spoke against those who manifested envy, strife, and division by trying to exalt Paul above Apollos, who was another minister of the Lord Jesus. Paul explained that he had planted, Appolos had watered, but God was the one who gave the increase. Paul and Appolos were ministering for the same cause and Paul realized that both of them were nothing without the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In the twelfth chapter of I Corinthians, Paul said that we are all part of the body of Christ and that every member has an important role. In Ephesians 2:21, Paul also likened the members of the church to a building that is fitly framed together. He emphasized that no part of the body or the building is more significant than the other. He also showed us by example that we are not to envy someone else, feel intimidated by our low degree, or exalt ourselves. We are God's workmanship, and He sets the terms, placing us where He wants us to be. We are accountable to fulfill our individual responsibility and also work together. Like the Paul and Appolos scenario, if you plant the seed, I need to water, and vice versa. We are not to strive one against the other, as there is no place for division in the Kingdom of God. Jesus is one Lord over us all and He will bring the increase as we labor together with Him. +++ 1/27/25 WHEN GOD PASSES BY Scripture: I Kings 19:11 " ... the Lord passed by ..." Elijah had served the Lord with great zeal but he came to the place where he felt that he was all alone and that he was the only prophet left in Israel. He was in despair and even wanted God to take his life from him (Vs. 4). God told Elijah to go stand on the mountain and that He would speak to him there. God then allowed Elijah to experience a great and strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire. As Elijah experienced these great events, he listened intently for the Lord. Yet, God's voice was not heard in any of these mighty occurrences. When God finally approached Elijah, He came as a still small voice. There was quietness and the sound of a gentle whisper when God spoke to him. After Elijah's long season of discouragement, God commissioned him again for the ministry. Have you ever felt ignored in life or ministry? The doors have not opened for you and rejection has met you at every corner just to mock you. You cannot seem to find direction and may have even struggled with your own identity. That old question plagues your mind, "Who am I, and where am I going?" Could it be that you are listening to all of the outside extreme forces such as the great and strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire? While all the time God wants you to ignore the distractions so that He can speak to you in a quiet whisper. He has declared that He has a good plan for your life (Jeremiah 29:11). Your life is not an accident. God ordained your life before you were ever born and He placed you in situations so that He could train you for His purposes. The Lord longs to share His plan with you and give you direction for your life so that you can complete that plan. You must be still and know that He is God and listen to Him. God is always faithful and He understands your weaknesses. He knows when your spirit is broken and realizes when you cannot go any further without His intervention. Like Elijah's desperate moment, God sees you in the valleys of despair and in the depths of hopelessness. Yet, He is never far from you. He walks right into the midst of the storm to rescue you because He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. He will touch your present life and give you a vision and hope for the future. If you want your life to change so that you can be all that God wants you to be, take note when He passes by and listen very carefully for His gentle whisper. +++ 1/28/25 SECRETS OF THE HEART Scripture: Psalms 44:21 "For He knows the secrets of the heart." God knows the secrets of our heart and He understands our daily struggles. He knows that we share the same feelings that the Apostle Paul had. Paul said that the things that he did not want to do, he did, and the things that he wanted to do, he did not do. It was a constant battle between Paul's spiritual desires and his carnal nature and fleshly lust. There were times when Paul was frustrated and disappointed in his own self because he just could not get things together and do right. Yet, God graciously used Paul in a mighty way despite his various weaknesses. Paul made several missionary journeys and brought many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He also wrote about three fourths of the New Testament to encourage and strengthen the saints for centuries to come. The Apostle Paul was just one man but where would we be today, almost two thousand years later, without his powerful witness? How could we make it without his instructions for daily living and godly righteousness? I am glad that Paul did not allow the devil to condemn him to the point that he felt unworthy to complete God's call on his life. Even though Paul felt that he was the chief of sinners (I Timothy 1:15), he allowed no one to judge him or to hinder God's purposes for his life. He left all criticism in the hands of God and was confident that the Lord who had begun a good work in his life would finish what He had started (Philippians 1:6). Paul allowed God's call on his life to overshadow all of his human weakness and failures. You may be struggling in your life today with your own desires and temptations of the flesh. The enemy would like for you to believe that you stand alone in your battle, but you must understand that is simply not the case. We all have struggles, for the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We must be vigilant because he never gives up on trying to deceive us and when we do fall prey to his devices, he is very quick to condemn. I finally had to come to the conclusion that I was not perfect and life was not perfect. There was failure written all over the path that I had taken. Yet, God understood my weaknesses and loved me anyway. God knows all of the secrets of our hearts and we must believe that His mercy and grace is greater than the work of the devil and our own fleshly failures. I encourage you to rest in this thought and not to allow your secret weaknesses to keep you from you godly witness. Continue to reach for your God ordained destiny. +++ 1/29/25 UNDERSTANDING THE SCRIPTURES Scripture: Luke 24:45 "Then He (Jesus) opened their minds to understand the scriptures." It is most important when we read or study the scriptures that we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and help us understand what God is saying because only the Holy Spirit can give us revelation. God's Word is spirit and life and can only be understood when the eyes of our understanding are opened supernaturally. Without spiritual revelation we will have "eyes that see not and ears that hear not" as spoken of in Romans 11:8. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to hear with a heart of understanding. Psalms 119 is entirely focused on the Word of God and the psalmist's desire to understand it. Nearly every verse is directed to God as the psalmist talks very plainly to God about His Word. The psalmist recognized his responsibilities to God's Word, and then made commitments concerning it. His great plea was that he might understand and have insight into the precepts and commandments of God. He totally depended upon God for help. Look at just a few things in Psalms 119 that the psalmist said to God concerning His Word. "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things out of Your Law." - Vs.18 "Hide not Your commandments from me." - Vs.19 "Quicken me according to Your Word." - Vs.25 "Teach me Your statutes." - Vs. 26 "Make me to understand the way of Your precepts." - Vs.27 "Strengthen me according to Your Word." - Vs.28 "Give me understanding." - Vs.34 "Incline my heart unto Your testimonies." - Vs.36 "Establish Your Word in me." - Vs.38 If you have a sincere desire to understand God's Word, refer to this psalm when you begin to read and study the scriptures. Read the words of this psalm aloud as a prayer to God like the psalmist did, and ask God to open your understanding of the scriptures. You will see a difference in your study as God's Spirit enlightens you and gives you fresh revelation. +++ 1/30/25 WHY AND WHERE? Scripture: Judges 6:13 "If the Lord is with us ..." An angel of the Lord came to visit Gideon when he was hiding from a fierce enemy. The angel declared that Gideon was a mighty man of valor and told Gideon not to fear because the Lord was with him. Gideon asked the angel these two questions, "If the Lord is with us, why is all of this happening to us? And if the Lord is with us, where are all of His miracles?" Have these two questions ever crossed your mind as you faced life's challenges? We know the scriptures declare that Jesus is a miracle worker and that He is the same today as He was yesterday. He does not change and we believe that He can still heal, provide, and deliver. We also know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. Psalm twenty-three tells us that the Lord is our Shepherd and that we shall not want for any good thing. He will cause us to lie down in green pastures and will lead us beside still waters. He will even restore our soul and anoint our head with oil in the presence of our enemies. He will calm the raging seas and speak peace to all of our storms. We have nothing to fear because Jesus is our keeper. These truths fill our heart, yet when things are not working out the way they should for us, the same questions that Gideon asked come to our mind. "If the Lord is with me, why is this happening? If He is my provider, why don't I have enough money to pay my bills? If the Lord is leading me beside still waters, why do I have all of this turmoil going on in my life? If the Lord is with me, where are all of His miracles? If Jesus is my healer, why is my body wracked with pain or why did my love one die instead of being healed?" We can all agree that life does offer some discouraging moments. Fear does attack and hardships do come. Grief and sorrow happen to the best of us and things do not always work out as we had hoped or planned. There are times when we cannot feel God's presence even though He is very near. There are days of darkness as well as days of light and there are seasons of sadness as well as times of great joy. To be sure there are times of confusion and even though we do not always have the answers to all of life's questions, we must trust God and believe His Word. In the midst of Gideon's fearful situation, the Lord promised him peace and life (Verse 23). But God also told him to go into battle against the enemy and tear down their idols of worship. Gideon still had fear in his soul when he chose to believe and receive the Word of the Lord. In the midst of the fear that was in his heart and in the face of the challenge that was before him, Gideon built an altar and called it Jehovah-Shalom, which means the God of peace. He stopped everything that he was doing and worshiped the Lord. He laid his fear and insecurities at the feet of the God of peace. This is our answer. We must build an altar of worship to the Lord in our hearts. We do not have to know why adversity is challenging our life or where our deliverance is at the moment. All that we must do is lay our fears and insecurities on the altar of Jehovah-Shalom, our God of peace, for He is good and He is faithful all of the time. He has a good plan for our lives and we have nothing to fear. We should never question, "If the Lord is with us." Instead, we should leave off the “if” and believe His Words as we confess in faith, "The Lord is with us!" +++ 1/31/25 BRUISED REED Scripture: Matthew 12:20 "A bruised reed shall He not break." Life is not always easy! Even a life lived with Christ at your side can have its ups and downs. All sorts of trouble can happen, which could get the best of you. Temptation may surround you and try to pull you in. Or defeat may discourage you until you want to give up. Everything negative will hit at one time until you feel that you are ready to break. But God looks down at your battered life and makes a promise. He says, "Even though you are bruised, I will not break you ...Trust me. I still have a good plan and purpose for your life. I will take the bad in your life and turn it around for your good." God never gives up. He is the eternal potter and "you are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:10). The Lord will take the broken pieces of your life and make it over again into a vessel that He can use. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God knows the thoughts He has for you. They are good thoughts of hope for your final outcome. He has a great exchange in mind for you. He desires to bring you from the state of a dry, bruised, and breakable reed that is shaken with every wind of doctrine into a strong and healthy tree that cannot be moved. Jeremiah 17:5-6 tells us that "the man who trusts and depends upon man, and allows his heart to depart from God will be like a shrub in the desert." Dry shrubs in the desert have no roots, no fruit, and no purpose. Because their roots are shallow and not secured, they are pulled from the ground and carried by the wind. They are easily bruised and broken. However, Jeremiah 17:7-8 continues to say, "The man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord will be like a tree planted by the waters." He will thirst after God and will spread his roots looking for water. Because this man is nourished by the water of the Word, he will be able to stand in the time of extreme heat and drought. It will not matter to him what is happening above the ground as his life is sustained by deep roots. If things get rough, his roots dig just a little deeper. The deeper his roots go and the wider they spread, the taller he becomes. Like a tree, he is committed and he is a manifestation of the blessings of God. Because of God's grace, his leaves remain green and never wither. He gives no visible signs to the world around him that he is facing difficulty. He does not faint in the day of adversity, but weathers the great winds and storms. He may experience bruises, but he does not break. The fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control are evident in his life and are a testimony to those around him. If you have been bruised in life by loved ones or adverse circumstances, you must learn to trust again. As you put your faith in God and yield to His Spirit, He promises not to break you. He wants you to be secure in Jesus who has come to give you "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." When you find your place in Him, you will no longer be a dry shrub in the desert blown about by the wind, but you will be a "tree of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" (Isaiah 61:3). +++ Copyright © 2025 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com |
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