"Bees In The Place Of Prayer"

 

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:11

 

I love to go outside early in the morning and have my prayer time with the Lord. A couple of weeks ago I shared that as I was going to my porch swing to have that time I discovered a snake there. We discussed the illustration of how the enemy tries to get into our prayer place to distract and discourage us. Well, one morning last week I had gone outside to have my time alone with the Lord, but instead of staying on the porch I went for a walk down our road. I often do that because it is off the main road and very private and quiet.

 

This particular morning I discovered something else in "my place of prayer". Near the end of the road I saw something laying in the middle of the road that looked very odd. Upon closer inspection I saw it was a swarm of honey bees. I called a local beekeeper and he came and got them. He said it was very unusual to see them in that type of place. And he said it was a very large swarm.

 

The thought crossed my mind, "I found a snake in my place of prayer before (something that brings fear) and now I am finding bees in my place of prayer (something that produces that which is sweet)". Immediately, the Holy Spirit gave me another analogy.

As we pray and seek the Lord, in that place of prayer we will find some "sweet things" - we will discover the One who produces them. We will "taste" His goodness. He will show up and satisfy our mouths with good things. He will give us unexpected blessings and surprises. He will show us great and mighty things that we don't know. He will give us "unusual" revelations and insights. And He will give us an abundance of grace, strength, joy and peace. So keep praying, you will find good things as you do.

Have a great day. During prayer you never know what you may discover, but as you continue He will show you something good.


For further reading:
Psalm 34:8; 103:5; 68:19
2 Chronicles 26:5

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or

Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Aligned"

"....nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39

I have several products in my home- hair care products, aspirin bottles, etc.- that all have a simple little safety thing on them to keep them from accidently coming open. You have seen it, it is an arrow that is on the lid and another one on the bottle. You have to align those arrows up exactly with each other or it will not open.

There are times we wonder why things aren't happening in our lives, why aren't we getting the answers to our prayers, why is it taking so long. The answer may be in the "alignment". A lot of times what is happening is we are not aligning ourselves with God's will and plan. We think we are but just like these products I described earlier, you can be off just a fraction in lining them up and they still won't open.

We have to align ourselves up with God's will- often we are trying to get Him to align with our will. We have to align ourselves up with His timing- usually we want it when we want it and get too impatient to just wait. Jesus was so perfectly aligned with His Father's will, many times He had to tell his disciples that "it is not My time yet". We have to align ourselves with God's way of doing it- we have a habit of thinking that we are so smart and know how God wants to do it. In order for Jesus to redeem us God's plan was the cross, our plan would have been something different, something less gruesome, something less painful, something more pleasant.

The alignment arrows on the products we talked about earlier are safety features, aligning ourselves to God's will is a safety feature for us too. Our will will lead us into unsafe places. It will lead us into confusion, fear, discouragement and so on.

If you are in that place of "wonder" this morning, have you asked Him about your "alignment"? Are you truly aligned with His will, timing and plan? It will never "open" until you get aligned with Him and stop trying to get Him to align with you.

Have a great day. Things only work out when we are aligned with God's will, timing, plan and purpose.

For further reading:

Proverbs 3:5,6
Luke 22:42

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or

Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"Not Condemned, But Saved"

 

"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:17

The Pharisees brought the woman who was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and asked what should be done to her. The law said she should be stoned, but they waited to see what Jesus would say. You know the story, one by one her accusers left leaving her alone with Jesus. Jesus then addressed her, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" She replied, "No man, Lord." Jesus then answered her back, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more". 

 

Under the law this woman had been found guilty, the death sentence was passed and waited to be carried out. But Jesus would not do it. He wouldn't pick up a stone because He didn't come to condemn, but to save.

You and I and all mankind had broken God's law (through Adam's sin). We had been found guilty (all have sinned). We were to be punished. We received the death sentence (the wages of sin is death). But when Jesus came to earth, He didn't come to condemn us. We were already condemned and awaiting the punishment. His mission wasn't to condemn but to save. And that is what He did at the cross- "it is finished". He saved us, He removed the death sentence on those who seek His forgiveness and turn to Him (the gift of God is eternal life). He set us free from the law of sin and death. He reversed the death sentence by taking our punishment for us.

 

"Go and sin no more". He told the woman who was caught in adultery that He wasn't there to condemn her, but to save her. He came to set that captive free. He came to open the prison door. He came to redeem her from the curse of the law. He came to give her life for death. He came to remove the death sentence over her life. He came to give her abundant life. So now He tells her-- go. Go and sin no more, I have saved you (not just from the stoning, but from the sting and power of sin and death itself), you are a free person. You are no longer under the death sentence. You have been pardoned. You have been justified. You have been set free. You have received life.

Jesus came to save us and He did. So today He is saying the same thing to you- go. Go and sin no more. Go and walk in newness of life. Go and live the abundant life He has given you. You are free from the death penalty. Go and live free from condemnation, guilt and misery. Go and enjoy your salvation. Go live in peace, rest and joy. 

 

Have a great day. Jesus didn't come to condemn us but to save us, and He did so now go and enjoy the abundant life He provided. 

  

For further reading:

John 8
Romans 8:2

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or

Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

 

"Who Needs God"

"He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire." Isaiah 44:16

In the verses prior to this one we are given the description of those who create idols to worship and serve. This is an illustration of where I believe the world is, and sadly, for the most part the organized church. In these verses the carpenter has cut down the tree and fashioned his own god from it that he looks to for all his need. 

 

Who needs God when we can do it ourselves? This seems to be the mantra of the age. But there is a problem with that thinking and I want to address it this morning. The use of a tree symbolizes humanity/man/flesh. Our devices, plans and works are fleshly- imperfect and unstable. Once the tree is cut down, it ceases to be alive- it is now a dead tree. Nothing, no work of the flesh that we do on our own outside of God has life in it.

 

1) "He burns part in the fire and warms himself". A fire is warmth. Fire is one of the most comforting elements there is. Yet when we use our own "gods that we have hewn" (humanistic wisdom, vain philosophy, education) to produce a fire to "warm" ourselves it is only temporary. You have to continue to add more wood to it or it will go out. There is no rest for those who build their own fire to warm themselves, they are continually having to work to keep it going. 

 

2) "With part he cooks his food". While he is eating the meal he has cooked he is satisfied, but it is not long before he is hungry again. Our own devises and works of the flesh never give full and complete satisfaction. Just about the time you think you are full and satisfied hunger hits again. It is only a temporary satisfaction.

 

3) "I have seen the fire". When you make your own "fire" (your own god and a substitute for the true God), you are easily deceived by what you see. You believe you have the real thing. You are warm, you are satisfied and you have light. But it is a false light giving false security- it will go out and leave you in the dark. 

 

There is only One who is the Light, there is only One who truly satisfies, there is only One who takes away the struggles, there is only One who gives warmth to our cold hard hearts. And that One is not made with our own hands. Our efforts and the works of our hands bring death, but only He can put life in dead things. That One is Jesus, and Jesus gives life because He is Life. 

 

Are you trying to invent your own "god"? Are you trying to find something within your own strength and power that will satisfy you? Are you trying to warm yourself? Are you struggling to keep the "fire" going? Come to the real fire, only He can truly satisfy and give a lasting satisfaction. Don't be as foolish as these who think that they don't need God because they can do it themselves.

 

Have a great day. Man's ability to satisfy himself outside of God is impossible, so we do need Him.

 

For further reading:

John 14:6; 1:4; 15:5

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or

Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.

"You Are Not Ordinary"

".....I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." Isaiah 43:1b

If you are born-again you are a child of God. This means that you are no ordinary person, you are not just average. You are an heir to God and joint-heir with Jesus Christ. You are royalty-- of a heavenly kingdom. This means you that you don't act like, think like, talk like or carry yourself like others in the world.

An earthly prince or princess is not like everyone else- they are different, they are set apart. They conduct theirs lives in accordance to who they are and the position that they have in life. Everything they do is a reflection of their father, the king, and the kingdom they represent. It is the same with us. We are our heavenly King's representatives. There is a certain conduct that we exhibit. We are set apart. We are a reflection of Him and His kingdom.

As His children there are things we should not do, places we should not go, attitudes we should not have. As His children there are things that we should be doing. We should be walking in His authority-- showing His power to a world that needs to see His power manifested. We should be walking in His love-- reaching out, uncondemning to a world that is starving for the meaning of true love. We should be walking in compassion-- holding out our hands to the hurting and letting them know there is hope. We should be seeking to glorify our Father-- living selfless lives that put Him first, then others, and ourselves last. We should be walking in purity and holiness-- so that His true nature is reflected through us.

We are far from ordinary. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light/" (1 Peter 2:9) We should walk in such a way where we are a true representation of who our Father is-- showing forth His praises. Jesus our older brother showed us by example how we should conduct ourselves as unordinary people in this world. He lived His life in such a way where He said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." Everything He did was a reflection of the Father and showed us what He was like. As an unordinary person, as a child of the Heavenly King, as an heir to God are you living your life in the same way?

Have a great day. You are not an ordinary person if you have been born-again. You are heavenly royalty who should be representing your Heavenly King to this world.

For further reading:

John 14:9; 1:12

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from

About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.

Please feel free to

call (601) 833-5278 or

Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net

Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.

You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.