"The Lord Helps Us"

"....The Lord is my helper..."  Hebrews 13:6

There are many sayings that we have and think they are scriptural.  One is-- "The Lord helps those who help themselves".  This is not a scripture.  It isn't even true.  The truth is-- "The Lord helps those who can't help themselves". 

None of us are able to "help ourselves".  When it comes to salvation and eternal life, we can't help ourselves.  We can't save ourselves.  We can't work enough.  Do enough good.  Be righteous enough.  It took God sending His Only Begotten Son Jesus into the world to die for our sins that made it possible for us to be saved.

There is no area of accomplishment in our lives that we can take credit for.  It is the Lord who gives us the power to get wealth.  It is the Lord who gives us health and healing.  It is the Lord who gives us wisdom.  It is the Lord who directs our steps-- we don't have that ability.  It is the Lord who gives us strength to continue on when we want to quit and give up.  It is the Lord who goes before us making the crooked paths straight. 

He imparts to us and infuses us with the help that we need when we need it because we are helpless on our own apart from Him.  Only the fool and the wicked would say that they don't need His help and they can do it on their own.  Only the misinformed believe that He will help them as long as they are trying to help themselves.  I for one am thankful that this is not the case.  I need His help because I can't help myself.... and He knows that.

Have a great day.  The Lord helps those who can't help themselves.    

For further reading: 
"But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day". (Deuteronomy 8:18)

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me". (2 Corinthians 12:9)

"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps".  (Jeremiah 10:23)

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing". (John 15:5)

"Your Daily Inheritance"

(NOTE:  In the CB entitled- "Rearranged Plans" the scripture reference should have been Exodus 13:17) 

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints".  Ephesians 1:18

The Bible tells us that there is an eternal inheritance laid up for those who are born again and serve the Lord.  But we also get to enjoy the benefits of that inheritance here and now.  This morning when you woke up, you woke up to an inheritance- a spiritual inheritance.  That inheritance includes peace, strength, grace, mercy, benefits, provision, etc.  It is all available to you-- it belongs to you.  The question is, "What are you going to do with your inheritance today?". 

Are you going to use it?  Are you going to hold on to it for another time, or a rainy day?  Are you going to ignore that it is there?  The Lord daily loads us with benefits.  They are there for the asking.  They are there for us to use.  They are there to help meet the needs that we have.  For example, when you face fear today, are you going to "withdraw" peace from your inheritance and get rid of the fear?  Or will you let peace "set in the bank" and allow fear to take over?  If you need strength today, will you make a withdrawal on your inheritance and use the strength that is available for you? 

This inheritance you have is inexhaustible.  It is there for you to use.  It has been provided for and paid for fully by the blood of Jesus.  God doesn't intend for you to let it sit there unused.  It is a gift from the Father to you.  He wants you to "cash it in" and use it in order to walk in abundant life each day.

Have a great day.  Are you withdrawing from your inheritance each time you need it, or are you letting it just sit there?   

For further reading:
"Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ".  Colossians 3:24

"For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God".  Ephesians 5:5

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time".  1 Peter 1:3-5

"Rearranged Plans"

"And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt".  Numbers 13:17

When things don't go according to your plans, when appointments are changed, when you are delayed, when a meeting is cancelled, how do you react?  What type of attitude do you get?  Most of us get frustrated, angry, critical, mad, anxious, worried or irritated.  Is this the attitude we should have if we are a born-again Christian?  What should our attitude be?

We say we trust the Lord but do we when our plans seem to be "rearranged".  The Bible says that the Lord directs our steps.  We either believe this or we don't.  If we do, our attitude will be different than the one I described earlier.  If He is directing your steps, then instead of getting angry about a canceled appointment maybe it means that you didn't need to go.  Instead of getting frustrated because traffic delayed you from getting to a meeting on time, maybe it was God's way of protecting you from an accident that morning.  I'll never forget the time several years ago that my husband was to have a certain medical procedure.  We made the early trip out of town to the hospital.  We filled out all the paperwork.  He was prepped for the procedure.  Then the doctor came in and said they weren't going to do it that day we would have to reschedule it.  Honestly, it was frustrating.  Making the trip unnecessarily was an inconvenience.  We felt like the time was wasted, etc., etc.  But later we discovered that the reason things were delayed was because they may have done a procedure on him that was not necessary.  Because when we had the test later, all was fine. 

I am sure you have your own similar story.  Delays that worked for your good.  Interruptions that prevented you from being hurt.  Cancellations that put you at the right place at the right time. These things aren't just happening to us, they are happening for us--- for our good, on our behalf. 

So, the next time you are tempted to get a bad attitude over things not going according to your plan, stop and thank the Lord that your steps are directed by Him and He is leading them down a perfect path whether you can see it as such or not.

Have a great day.  Rearranged plans don't just happen to us, often God is behind them working them together for our good.   

"A Dangerous Intersection"

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me".  2 Corinthians 12:8,9

We would all agree that Paul was a man of faith, right?  He had a close intimate relationship with the Lord.  The Lord did miracles through him.  He wrote most of the New Testament.  He suffered for the cause of Christ.  He had spiritual revelation and was even caught up into heaven.   Yet, when he prayed for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, it wasn't.  He even prayed three times and it remained.

Prayer is not some sort of "magic formula" that we say and instantly, automatically our requests are answered and answered exactly the way we want.  When we pray and the outcome is not as we had hoped, when the situation does not change, when God gives us an answer that we weren't expecting, we find ourselves at a "dangerous intersection". 

Do you ever wonder why many people who were once sold out to the Lord have now turned from Him?  One of the reasons is because they came to this "intersection".  The Lord didn't answer in the way they wanted or thought He would so they weren't willing to accept it as His will. Instead they got angry and bitter toward Him.  Which led them to turning from Him. 

When God doesn't answer like we want Him to, or think He should, we have to make a choice-- which direction at this intersection will we take.  Will we accept the will of God and know that His grace is sufficient, His strength will there for us and all things will work together for our good?  Or will we get angry at Him and turn from Him?  Paul chose to accept the will of God and continue on.  As a result, the power of God rested upon him.  Which direction will you choose?

Have a great day.  When you come to the place where God's will is contrary to the answer you wanted to hear, will you continue to walk with Him or turn from Him?
 

"Waiting Is Working"

"And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up".  Exodus 40:36,37

Many of God's people are in a place of waiting.  They are waiting for the Lord to move them into their next assignment, their destiny, the place of ministry or the plan He has for them.  They are waiting on His timing before they can make the next move forward.

It's in these times of "waiting" that we must be careful and guard against getting frustrated, anxious, impatient and the temptation to "move out" and "do something".  That is one of the hardest things for most of us to do-- be still and wait.  We want to be doing something for the Lord.  We want to be working.  We find it hard to sit still and, as we think, "do nothing". 

Let me encourage you this morning that it is just as much an act of obedience to do nothing as it is to do what He tells you to do.  Waiting is as much the will of God as working is.  The children of Israel, when they were in the wilderness, were told to keep their eyes on the cloud-- the Presence of the Lord among them.  They were instructed not to move on in their journey if the cloud remained still.  They were instructed to move and go forward to another place when they saw the cloud move.  They were following the Lord--- even when the Lord wasn't leading them to move.

The safest place on earth is in the will of God.  The will of God is not always about going, working or doing.  The will of God is as much about being-- being still unless He has told you to go.  So, rest in the Lord; don't get frustrated; don't be anxious; don't get condemned and feel as if you are doing nothing for Him; don't have the mentality that says loving the Lord means you have to constantly be doing something for Him.  When He wants you to move, He will let you know just like He did the Israelites.  Trust in the Lord.  Wait upon the Lord.  Be at peace in Him.  Learn what He wants you to learn by waiting.  Be still and just enjoy His presence until HE gives you the orders to move. 

Have a great day.  Our doing nothing but waiting on the Lord's timing to move is as much obedience to the will of God as our always having to do something for Him.