"Real Faith"

"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise".  Hebrews 11:39

Faith is not just believing God for some answer to prayer.  It isn't just holding on to a word pertaining to something that you are desiring or He has promised.  There is another side to faith.  Faith is serving God even when He doesn't deliver you from your circumstance.

Daniel may have been delivered from the lion's den, but we often forget he was still a captive in Babylon.  He wasn't delivered from Babylon and restored to his own country, but he still served the Lord faithfully.  Joseph was delivered from the pit and the prison but not Egypt, yet he continued to serve the Lord where he was.  Paul wasn't delivered from prison, but he still served the Lord by witnessing to the guards who were stationed to watch him.  And he wrote most of the New Testament while in prison-- he continued to serve the Lord. 

Real faith is revealed when the Lord doesn't do what we want Him to do yet we refuse to give up, turn back, turn around, leave, throw in the towel or turn from following Him.  Real faith continues to serve the Lord even when He doesn't give us the deliverance we have prayed for.  Or when nothing changes but everything stays the same. 

Daniel died in Babylon.  Joseph died in Egypt.  Paul was taken from prison only to be put to death.  Yet, these men had great faith.  Why?  Because they kept their trust and relationship with the Lord even when He didn't do what they would have rather Him do.  Do you have real faith?  Will you continue to serve the Lord even if He doesn't deliver you or set you free?  Even if you still have to go through your trial?  Even if you stand in the midst of tribulation?  Even if He leaves you where you are?  That is real faith.

Have a great day.  Real faith continues to serve the Lord even when He doesn't answer or deliver you in the way you want Him to. 

For further reading:
Hebrews 11

"Wasting This Day"

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof".  Matthew 6:34

I am one of those people who scrape the bowl and lick the beaters when I bake a cake.  I will put a little water in the bottom of a shampoo bottle to get all of it out.  I try not to leave any residue of anything in a container (if I can help it) whether it is makeup, mustard or perfume.  I like to "squeeze all the goody" out of it.  I want to get every last drop of it. 

We need to be like that with our days.  Get all that we can out of them.  Not leave one hour, minute or second behind without using it to the fullest and enjoying every "drop" of it.  But that won't happen as long as we are constantly thinking about tomorrow.  We talk a lot about how our past can rob from our present by thinking about it so much,  but our tomorrow can rob from our today if we are focused on it.  If we are so busy thinking about tomorrow, we will miss what there is for us today.  God has blessed us with today.  Tomorrow may never come.

Most people spend their time worrying about tomorrow before it even gets here.  Others spend today thinking about what they want to do or plan to do tomorrow and it hasn't arrived yet, in addition tomorrow is subject to chance before it does get here.

Live today.  Enjoy today.  Take advantage of today.  Use today wisely.  Glorify God today.  Fulfill His plan and will for you today.  Spend every last second of today on today, don't waste any one-- they are all precious and valuable.  Squeeze all of the goody out of today.  As for tomorrow, enjoy it when it gets here.  Don't worry about it today and let it rob from today.

Have a great day.  Don't rob from today by thinking about tomorrow.  Enjoy every last "drop" of today.

"A Victim"

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour".  1 Peter 5:8

We have an adversary-- one who is out to steal, kill and destroy us.  Often, we are confused about who the real enemy is.  We think it is some person.  We think it is an individual who is out to get us, who wants to do us harm, who hates us, and so on.  But the real enemy is not flesh and blood.  The real enemy may use flesh and blood, he may use a person, even one who is close to you, but they are only a vessel that is being used. 

The Bible makes it very plain, and clear, that our adversary is the devil-- "your adversary the devil".  He was the enemy of mankind from the very beginning.  He was the one who tempted and deceived Eve in the garden.  He hated mankind.  He was jealous of what God had given to mankind.  He was out to get back at God, so he went after God's heart-- mankind.  He used a serpent back then.  He hasn't changed.  What he was at the beginning, he still is today-- the enemy of mankind who is out to "get us".   

He is still seeking to destroy us today.  He still goes around-- disguised as flesh and blood-- seeking who he may devour.  He looks for those he can cause to be offended.  He seeks those he can deceive.  He looks for those he can persuade to do his "dirty work".  He looks for those who will believe his lies and follow through with his plans.

Since the devil is on the prowl be sure that you don't wind up his victim.  There is more than one way to be his victim-- a victim who is destroyed by him.  You can be his victim by allowing him to use you as a vessel/instrument to do his dirty work.  You can be his victim by believing that some person is your enemy when it is really him that you are wrestling against.

Have a great day.  We have a real enemy who is out to destroy us.  Don't become his victim. 

Scripture references:
John 8:44,10:10
Ephesians 6:11,12
Genesis 3:1-7

"Wrong Prayer? - Part 2"

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me".  2 Corinthians 12:8

Yesterday we talked about praying the wrong prayer.  The Israelites had rebelled against the Lord God and were worshipping idols.  He told them to repent and turn back to Him.  They would not.  When judgment came because of their sin and they were attacked by the Babylonians and taken into exile, they cried out to the Lord.  Only their prayer was one for deliverance, not repentance.  They prayed the wrong prayer.

I bring this up again this morning because when we are going through hard situations, we want deliverance.  We don't want to go through the tribulation.  We don't want to face the battles.  We want to get out of them instead.  Yesterday we said that when things don't change it could be because we are praying the wrong prayer.  Instead of praying for deliverance the Israelites should have been repenting. 

When we go through hard times, prayers of deliverance are not always the prayer we should be praying.  Sometimes it's a prayer of repentance we should pray-- like the Israelites.  Sometimes it's a prayer of help to submit to whatever direction the will of God may be taking us-- like Joseph.  Sometimes the prayer should be that the Lord would use the situation to change you-- tribulation worketh patience.  Sometimes it's the prayer for the will of the Lord to be done-- like Jesus in the garden.  The point is-- don't only pray prayers of deliverance.  There may be other things the Lord wants to work out in your life through it.  Pray to know what it is-- like Paul. 

Have a great day.  There are more prayers than the prayer of deliverance that we should be praying. 

"Wrong Prayer?"

"Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts."  Zechariah 7:13

Jerusalem was being besieged by the Babylonians.  They were being taken captive and were experiencing the judgment of God.  They had sinned against God.  They had not kept His commandments.  They were worshipping false gods, not Him.  They forsook, rejected and rebelled against the God of Israel.  For years He had dealt with them to repent and turn back to Him.  He sent prophets to tell them to repent but they would not.  Finally, the Lord turned them over to judgment at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.   

It was at that point, when there was no escape, when defeat and exile was imminent, when the enemy was triumphing that they began to cry out to the Lord.  They cried out to the Lord to "behold their affliction".  They cried out for God's help to defeat the enemy.  They prayed that He would deliver them from their enemy and that He would fight on their behalf.  But He did not.  Why?  It was too late.  Their rejection of God had reached the point of judgment.  I also submit to you that it was also because they prayed the wrong prayer. Their pray was not one of repentance.  It was one of deliverance. 

Their sin against God was what had put them in the path of judgment.  It was not the cry for help and deliverance that would save them, but the cry of repentance for their sin against God that would have.

When we are in trouble, when we are under attack, we often do the same thing they did-- we pray for deliverance.  We don't want to go through the hard time.  We want "out".  So we call out to the Lord for help.  Maybe we are praying the wrong prayer. 

There are times when the enemy attacks and we should pray for the Lord's help and deliverance.  But there are times when our prayer should be a prayer of repentance.  Maybe a sin we have committed is what opened the door to the attack of the enemy?  When you are facing difficulties and are tempted to pray a prayer of escape, perhaps you should seek the Lord and find out what is the appropriate prayer to pray in that situation.

Have a great day.  What prayer should we be praying?