May25

............	A Word In Due Season MAY 2025 5/1/25 ACCOUNTABILITY Scripture: Romans 14:12 "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." We all have people in our lives that we are accountable to, and whether we realize it or not, God has set them as precious guards for our souls. They are stones beneath our feet that keep us stable in life's circumstances. Many times, our accountability to them is established by relationship and may be unspoken. The circles of our accountability may be our supervisors or co-workers, our teachers or students, our parents or children, our family members or friends, or our church leaders and pastors. Yet, whomever they may be, our relationship with them allows them the right to watch over us and to speak into our lives. We must be ready at all times to render to them an account of our words and an explanation for our behavior. Beyond the natural, there is a higher place of accountability in our lives and that is with God, Himself. When Daniel Webster was asked, "What is the greatest thought that can occupy a man's mind?" His answer was, "His accountability to God." In Psalms 139:7, David asked God, "Where shall I go to flee from Your presence?" There is nowhere to go in order to get away from our place of responsibility and accountability to God. He is in our high places and our low places. He is with us in the darkness as well as the light. Yet, we often forget this minor detail. When no one is around, we do things and say things that would shame us in front of others. We fail to consider that God is there with us. If we could physically see Him, it would probably make a tremendous difference in our secret actions. Yet, God is always watching everything that we do and hearing all that we say. He even knows the thoughts in our hearts. Joseph was a young man who was confronted by Potiphar's wife. When she tempted him to sin, Joseph let her know that he was committed to his master and was accountable to his God. Even though no one would see his acts of indiscretion, he declared, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Even in the secret and dark places, he knew that he was still accountable for his actions. King David experienced the same feelings when his sin with Bathsheba was exposed. He made himself accountable to the prophet, Nathan, and acknowledged his grievous sin to the Lord. He told the Lord, "Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned." Sin speaks of the pleasure that will be enjoyed for the moment, but never says anything about the long-term consequences that will follow. It speaks of fun and not the heartache and pain that it will leave behind. It speaks of secrecy and not transparency. So in the moment of choice, let us remember that we are all personally accountable to those with whom we have a relationship. Most importantly, that each of us will have to give an account of himself to God. +++ 5/2/25 GOD WILL KEEP YOU Scripture: Joshua 1:7 (NIV) "Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land." It must have been very overwhelming for Joshua when God began to enlarge his territory and bring him to a new level of responsibility. Can you imagine how he must have felt when God called him to take the place of Moses? Joshua had seen God use Moses to part the Red Sea and had witnessed many other mighty miracles in the life of Moses. Now, God was calling him to that same place of leadership. How frightening this new place must have seemed to Joshua, for he would not have Moses to lean upon as his friend or counselor because Moses was now dead. Joshua's grand promotion from God came only with these encouraging words, "Be strong and very courageous." God then gave him instructions and a promise. He told Joshua to mediate on God's Words day and night and to obey all that He said. God promised Joshua that if he maintained his courage and obeyed God's laws, his way would be prosperous and successful. Even though God called him, encouraged him, and gave him promises to stand upon, it still must have been very difficult for Joshua to step into this awesome place of leadership. Moving out of the familiar and into a place of uncertainty always brings fear. However, Joshua realized that his destiny depended upon his own decision, and so he chose to follow God. He meditated on God's Words and allowed those Words to cultivate his faith. He remained strong in the Lord and very courageous and ultimately inherited the land that God had promised. Like Joshua's situation, the devil also attempts to stop God's plan in your life and his main tool against you is fear and intimidation. He does everything in his power to make you feel insignificant. As your adversary, he tells you that your hopes and dreams of doing anything significant for God are impossible. The devil also points out your faults and continually reminds you of your failures. He uses your past mistakes in a desperate attempt to keep you from having faith for the future. God, on the other hand, has a good plan and a destiny for your life and He wants to fulfill His purposes through you. God imparts His Spirit and endows you with His power so that you can inherit His promises and find your destiny. He then speaks the same words to you that He spoke to Joshua, "Don't fear. Be strong and courageous." You must remember that if God calls you to do a work, He is there with you and He will keep you. +++ 5/5/25 WALK IN THE SPIRIT Scripture: Galatians 5:25 "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." There is a difference between living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. Living in the Spirit means that we have received Jesus as our Savior and have made Him the Lord of our life. We have been born again by the Spirit of God and our bodies have become the temple of His Holy Spirit. We have a relationship with God and His presence now resides within us. This experience happens at a particular point in time. One moment we are living in darkness and the next moment we are translated into the Kingdom of Light. It is an immediate transition from spiritual death to eternal life. It is a mystery that a Holy God would choose to reside in a sinful man. Yet, God graciously grants us this invitation and we can only obtain it by faith. Walking in the Spirit, however, is another matter. In essence, if we have the Spirit of the life of God within us, the Apostle Paul said that the evidence should also be manifested in our daily walk. We should walk in the Spirit. Our walk with the Lord is not just to be an idea in our head or a sentiment in our heart. Instead, it should be our continuous actions or our habitual lifestyle. It is the things that we say and do as we pass through life. Our entire walk should mirror the example of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is possible to have a new birth experience in our Spirit and at the same time walk in the ways of the flesh. This is because our self-interest will always be at odds with the spiritual because our carnal nature is at enmity against God (Romans 8:7). The Apostle Paul even struggled with this issue and said that he did the things that he did not want to do and he did not do the things that he wanted to do. We have hope in this battle of flesh against spirit and spirit against flesh. We do not have to cater to the appetites and impulses of the flesh. We have a choice in the matter and our daily walk can be pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit whom we received when we were born again can empower us to walk in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Our responsibility is to yield to the Holy Spirit and follow wherever He leads. He is our witness within us to assure us when we are doing right and will also convict us when we are going in the wrong direction. When we surrender our will to Him and allow Him to have full control, He will take us where we need to be. We will not only have life in the Spirit, but we will also be walking in the Spirit. +++ 5/6/25 ALWAYS READY Scripture: Luke 12:35 (NRSV) "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit ... " Jesus instructs us to be ready because we never know when the Lord will return or what other opportunities will avail themselves to us. It would be quite a shame to miss the significance of God's appointed hour because we were unprepared. As Jesus' followers, we must be dressed and ready for action. We must be clothed in His garments and bearing the full armor of God, which is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit or the Word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17). Our lamps must also be full of oil and lit so that we are able to work in the darkness that surrounds the moment. Satan tries to distract us because he knows that when we focus our attention on him, he can deceive us into foolishly wasting our time. There are so many options that he sets before us. If the devil can steal just one day a week from you for the next year, he will gain about 7-1/2 weeks of your life. That is why Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us not to be foolish but to diligently redeem or buy up the time by using it wisely and making use of every opportunity that comes along. However, this does not mean that you are not to rest because rest is ordained of God and is necessary. He created the night so that you could refresh yourself with sleep and He also established the Sabbath for your rest. God, Himself, even rested from all of His labors. Time is precious. It is freely given to us from God and cannot be purchased. Once a moment is spent, it cannot be relived. Between yesterday's disappointments and tomorrow's dreams is today's reality. We cannot afford to refuse to go forward because of yesterday's failures, procrastinate about the future, or just sit around in present idleness. We must be diligent and busy about our Father's business and work while it is day. Jesus said, "Do not say, there are yet four months until harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white and ready to harvest." Your destiny in God's Kingdom is waiting to be fulfilled so make sure that when your moment comes you are ready. Be dressed for action, have sufficient oil in your lamp, and keep it lit. +++ 5/7/25 BENEFITS OF GOD Scripture: Psalms 103:2 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." Man is a three part being. He lives in a body, which houses his soul and spirit. His body is his sense-consciousness, meaning the body uses the five senses and relates to the material world. The body's function is to see, hear, taste, feel, and smell. The soul of man is the self-consciousness of his being and is comprised of the mind, will, intellect, and emotions. The soul's function is to think, make choices, and express feelings. The soul links the body to the spirit. The spirit of man is the highest part by which we have God-consciousness and is the part of man that is able to comprehend God, commune with God, and worship Him. Andrew Murray said, "God dwells in the spirit; self dwells in the soul; and sense dwells in the body." In this Psalm, David speaks to his soul or that part of his being that links his body with his spirit. He tells his mind, will, intellect, and emotions to remember God and all of His benefits. In so doing, he encourages himself in the spiritual realm. We find David doing this throughout the scriptures. When he found himself in discouraging places in the natural, he would speak to his soul until he was renewed in his spirit. In this particular psalm, David listed some of the benefits of God and told his soul to remember them and bless God for them. I encourage you to meditate on these benefits and SPEAK THEM ALOUD to your own soul. As you do, you will find that your spirit will be renewed and your faith will begin to rise as you hear your mouth speaking God's Word. (Psalms 103 - Paraphrased for clearer understanding.) 1) God forgives all my sins - vs. 3 2) God heals all my diseases - vs. 3 3) God redeems my life from destruction - vs. 4 4) God crowns me with loving kindness - vs. 4 5) God crowns me with tender mercies - vs. 4 6) God satisfies me with good things - vs. 5 7) God renews my youth as the eagle - vs. 5 8) God judges me righteously when I am oppressed by the enemy - vs. 6 9) God will show His ways to me - vs. 7 10) God will show His acts to me - vs. 7 11) God is gracious to me - vs. 8 12) God is patient and slow to anger with me - vs. 8 13) God has plenty of mercy towards me - vs. 8 14) God reproves me temporarily - vs. 9 15) God's anger passes and He does not stay mad at me - vs. 9 16) God does not punish me according to what I deserve - vs.10 17) God removes my sins as far as the east is from the west - vs. 12 18) God pities me like a father pities his child because I fear Him - vs. 13 19) God remembers that I am only human - vs. 14 20) God has numbered my days on this earth and He causes me to flourish as a flower - vs. 15 21) God has eternal mercy towards me because I fear Him - vs. 17 22) God shows righteousness to my children and grandchildren - vs. 17 23) God shows His righteousness to me because I obey His commandments - vs. 18 24) God's throne is in the heaven and He is in control - vs. 19 25) God's kingdom rules over me on this earth - vs. 19 26) God's angels excel in strength and hearken to His Word to minister to me - vs. 20-21 +++ 5/8/25 A MERRY HEART Scripture: Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart does good like a medicine." King Solomon teaches that a merry heart brings health to your body. Yet if you allow it, stress, hatred, rage, malice, grief, anxiety, and a host of many other negative emotions can ruin your health. Proverbs 12:25 says, "Heaviness in the heart of man makes his heart stoop." In other words, anxiety of any kind causes depression, which allows negative forces to work and cause havoc in your physical body. However, it is a medical fact that chemicals called endorphins are released in your body when you exercise physically or laugh. Zig Ziglar says, "Laughter is like internal jogging." When you begin to laugh and be merry, you are telling your physical body that the stressful circumstances you are facing are no big deal. Your laughter will regenerate your body and joy will bring you strength. Isaiah 12:3 declares that you can "draw from the wells of salvation with joy." In order to draw water from a well in the natural, you must use a bucket. In the spiritual, you have access to the wells of salvation that contain all the benefits that God provides, but the scripture says you must use joy to draw from these wells. Joy is your spiritual bucket. Being angry never fixes an adverse and ugly situation, but rejoicing in God, seeking Him, and drawing from His wells of salvation will give insight and the solution to the problem. Grief and sorrow can never bring your loved ones back, but finding a place of joy in the presence of God's Holy Spirit will give you comfort and courage to move forward. Dealing with angry and spiteful people is never pleasant, but by drawing from God's well of salvation you can give a soft answer which will turn away their wrath (Proverbs 15:1). Reacting in positive ways and maintaining positive attitudes will dispel the negative forces in your life that can cause illness and even death. Jesus tells us plainly in the sixth chapter of Matthew not to be anxious about anything, but to seek first His kingdom, which is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Romans 14:17). We go to great efforts to maintain our health and make changes in our habits if they are harmful to our natural body. Shouldn't we also make adjustments in our attitudes and take control of our emotions that could cause problems in our health? As we begin to cultivate a sense of righteousness with God, allowing His peace to reign in our life and the joy in the Holy Ghost to fill our souls, we will find our health being restored. Remember, laughter does good like a medicine and it has no ill side effects so endea 5/9/25 TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE Scripture: II Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." When Moses was in God's presence on the mountain, Moses’ face began to shine with the glory of God. Paul said that we should have this same experience in a spiritual sense. As we behold the glory of the Lord, we should be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the very image of Christ. It is a metamorphic process such as that of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly and it comes as we understand the character and nature of Jesus through the Word of God. The clearer we see Him, the more we are able to discern our own spiritual deficiencies and understand the changes that we need to make. It is like looking into a mirror in the natural to correct the way we look. Some of us really start out the day looking like caterpillars, but by the time we are finished making changes, we look like colorful butterflies. This is a constant process that must be repeated daily. Paul said the same thing is true about our spiritual man. He used the term "beholding" to show that our process of spiritual transformation is continual. Yet, we must understand that just seeing the image of Christ through the Word does not change us. Transformation only comes when we obey the Word of God and allow His Word to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). James 1:23-24 says, "If any man listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his own natural face in a mirror; for he thoughtfully observes himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like." When we get away from God and His Word, we forget the real picture of ourselves and how bad we appear spiritually because of our lack. In the natural, we cannot see ourselves until we look into the mirror. One day I walked along the beach with a friend. I looked okay when I left, but when we returned to the beach house, my other friends began to laugh. When I looked into the mirror I could see why. Before the walk, I had sprayed my hair heavily with hair spray to keep it in place, not realizing how the humidity would affect it. The wind had blown my hair and the damp air from the ocean had caused it to stick out all over my head like horns. It was a terrible sight to behold. Even though my friends pointed and laughed, I needed a mirror to reveal to me the changes that I needed to make. Then I needed to follow through with making those changes. God's Word is our spiritual mirror and a constant reminder of the characteristics and qualities of Christ. If we are earnest with God we will look into His Holy Word and then act upon what we see. As we behold His glory, we then should allow Him to make the necessary changes in our lives so that we may, by His Spirit, take on the image of Christ. +++ Copyright © 2025 Mary Padgett Ministries. All Rights Reserved www.widsonline.com			..............................