"I Am - Not I Was"

"And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." Exodus 3:14 

We live in a world where literally everything around us changes. People change, weather changes, the economy changes, seasons change, there is nothing that does not change in this physical realm. In a world that is constantly changing we must remind ourselves often that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. 

 

Whatever God was yesterday, whatever He was in the past, He still is in the present. He told Moses to tell the children of Israel that He is "I Am". He didn't say to tell them that He Was. When He says He was and is and is to come, He is referring to His existence. He has always been, and He always will be. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but He never will. 

 

If "He Was", instead of "I Am", then He Was the miracle working God. Then He Was the Healer. He Was the Savior and Deliverer. He Was Love, Peace and Joy. But He is not the "I Was". He is the "I Am". I Am the Healer. I Am your Fortress. I Am your Strength. I Am Love. For us past is past. Past will always be the past-- never the present. But for God when He says He is I Am, I Am is present tense. God is a present God, even the past becomes the present. For us the future is future, and it will always be the future. But for God, the future becomes the present. Past and future become present in God-- I Am. 

 

The point is that the past doesn't hold God back or confine Him. The future doesn't restrict Him. He is the ever-present God who is as He has always been. This is comforting to us. Knowing this should give us peace and confidence. It should bring us security in knowing that whoever and whatever He was and did for us in the past, He hasn't changed and will be the same for us today, in the future, and always. 

 

Have a great day. Everything in this life changes, except God. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 24:35

Malachi 3:6

Hebrews 13:8

Revelation 4:8

"Just One Person's Prayer"

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." James 5:6 

In the Book of Daniel there were certain men who were jealous of Daniel. They schemed against him by tricking the king into signing a decree that no one could pray to any god but him for thirty days, the whole plot was to keep one man from praying.

 

One the surface it appeared to be an act of jealousy on these men's part. But in reality, it was a plot of hell to stop Daniel from praying. Hell/the adversary/the devil doesn't fear when all we do is "talk" about prayer. He fears when we actually put prayer into practice. We can talk about it, preach it, say we need to do it, but until we pray, we are not a threat to his work or plans at all. Daniel did more than think about praying, he prayed. Three times a day he prayed. He didn't let anything stop him. He didn't let his busy schedule stop him. He didn't let his responsibilities stop him. He didn't even let the decree of the king stop him. 

 

The adversary wants to stop you from praying. He wants to keep you from petitioning God for your needs, for direction, for wisdom, etc. Prayer is powerful, because it is the avenue that the All-Powerful God uses to administer His will in the earth. Scriptures are very plain about the power of prayer. It is our communion with God. It is our weapon to thwart the plans of the enemy. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Where do we take it by force? On our knees. Where is the battleground upon which we fight? On our knees. Where is the enemy defeated? On our knees. 

 

Why would the adversary go to such lengths to try to stop just one man from praying? What threat was one man? He knows that when men and women pray, he is defeated. He was afraid of just one man's prayer. Imagine what would happen to his plans if all of us who profess to be Christians would take prayer seriously and actually pray.

 

Have a great day. Hell trembles at the prayer of even one person because it knows how powerful prayer is. 

 

For further reading:

James 4:2

Matthew 18:19

John 16:24

Psalm 34:4

Daniel 6

 

"The Prepared Place"

"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:17  

There is a blessed day that is coming when the Lord will return in the clouds and take His people home. Do we know when that day is? No. Do we know if we will be alive when it happens? No. There is much we don't know concerning the future-- even our own future. We don't know if we will go up with the Lord when He returns or if we will already be "in the grave". But there is one thing that we can know for sure-- regardless of how and when we leave this world-- "we will forever be with the Lord".

 

We will all leave this world one day. It is appointed unto man once to die. We all have an appointment with death. We just don't have the luxury of knowing when and how we will meet that appointment. That is not the important issue. The important issue is what will happen to you after you leave. When we leave this earth, we leave this earth. We don't come back in another form. We don't get a second chance to do it all over again. 

 

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (verse 18) Have you made preparation for that day? If you have and Jesus is your Savior and Lord, then you will forever be with the Lord. What a comforting thought. This life is not all there is. There is a better one that the Lord has prepared for those who love Him. It is a place of unimagined beauty. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1 Corinthians 2:9) It is a place where there is joy, peace and pleasure. It is a place of light, no darkness. It's a place of love, no hate. It is a place where the Lord rules and reigns. It is indescribable-- and it is a place where we will never have to worry about being away from His presence anymore. We will forever be "with the Lord". That is what makes that place so wonderful. His presence. Are you going to go there when that day comes?

 

Have a great day. There is a wonderful place prepared for those who love the Lord, and have surrendered their lives to Him, when they leave this earth. That place is the eternal presence of God. 

 

For further reading:

John 14:1-3

2 Corinthians 5:8

Revelation 21:22,23,27

Hebrews 9:27

 

"The Flashlight"

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 

God's word is many things to us. His word is a lamp and a light unto our path. Have you ever walked outside at night when it is dark?  When there is no light outside to see by and if the moon is hidden behind the clouds, it can be very dark. The darkness leaves us with the inability to see where you are going. Because we are unable to see we don't know what lies ahead of us making it easy to stumble or fall. At those times it would be wonderful to have even a flashlight. 

 

Life has its times of "light" and "darkness". There are times when we see everything clearly. We know where we are going, what we are doing, and have clear direction. But then there are times when it is "dark". The way before us is unclear, we don't know what to do, we can't see to make the next step. This happens on "familiar" paths of life-- those places we have been through before-- and on "unfamiliar" paths-- the places we have never been through before. On either path, the familiar and unfamiliar, we have one desire-- light! 

 

The good news is that there is "light" for us so that we don't have to walk in darkness down any path that we are on. That light is God's word. His word will give us light to "see" as we walk the path of life. It will give us the light of peace, of direction, of comfort and of joy. When we read God's word, hide it in our hearts and apply it in the situation, it is like having a "flashlight" with us to light up our path. Also, when we have Jesus living in our lives, He is the Living Word and the Light of men, His presence gives us light. 

 

As long as we have God's Word-- the written promises-- and God's Word-- the Lord Jesus-- in our lives, we will never walk in darkness. The Light will always be with us shining on our path of life. 

 

Have a great day. We need a flashlight when walking through dark places. When we come to dark places/times in our lives, we need a flashlight then too-- it is God's Word. 

 

For further reading:

Isaiah 9:2

John 1:1,4,5

 

"You're More Than A Conqueror"

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Romans 8:37 

Before I got out of bed this morning the words to a song that I haven't heard in years began to repeat over and over in my thoughts. Let me share them with you. "We've been made more than conquerors, overcomers in this life. We've been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ." 

 

Daily I hear so many prayer requests. I can't get over how many needs there are among us. The list seems endless. The Bible says that the kingdom suffers violence, and that we have an adversary who comes to steal, kill and destroy, and that he is seeking whom he may devour. Jesus even told us that we would have tribulation in this world. But this morning I don't want to focus on the needs, the sickness, the problems, the trials. Instead, I want to focus on the fact that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. That is why this song was on my heart. There is no doubt that we will face difficulties while in this world, but because of Jesus and His victory we can say with the Apostle Paul- "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8,9)

 

Let me share another verse of this song. "When trouble comes knocking at your door, don't be afraid it's not like before. Don't you give in, don't let it bring you down, you don't have to worry any more. Jesus said there would be tribulation, but He said, I have overcome. Brothers and sisters now is the time to stand. Don't you know the battles all are won."

 

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) If you are going through a battle/trial this morning, you need to look it squarely in the eyes and say, "I am more than a conqueror over you through Jesus Christ". As you do, some of you who are reading this will receive your deliverance, and for some you may still walk through it but you will receive the supernatural grace and strength of the Lord that will cause you to "run through a troop and leap over a wall". Either way stand upon God's word and hold fast your profession of faith- which is "I am more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ!"

 

Have a great day. "We've been made more than conquerors, over comers in this life. We've been made victorious through the blood of Jesus Christ." 

 

For further reading:

Hebrews 10:23

1 John 4:4

John 10:10

1 Peter 5:8

Psalm 18:29