"He Stinks"

"Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days." John 11:39 

Jesus was about to do one of the biggest miracles He had performed while on earth. He was about to give Martha the biggest miracle she had ever experienced in her life. He was about to turn her sorrow into joy, her mourning into gladness. He was about to give her back hope. He was getting ready to give her the ultimate comfort-- her brother back from the dead. He was getting ready to bring life out of death. He was on the verge of giving her the thing she wanted most and all she could think about was, "Lord, he stinketh!" Jesus was giving her the desire of her heart and answering her prayer in a miraculous way, and all she was thinking about was some negative, insignificant thing-- he will stink by now.

Does Martha sound familiar? The Lord is getting ready to give us a miracle, He is in the process of answering our prayer, and all we can focus on is some minute, negative detail. We are more focused on the "stinketh" than what He is doing. What are some of those "stinketh" things? They are: "The government will cut out my checks if He heals me". "It is in the wrong location". "What will my family think?". "It is too big, or too small". "But what about the finances?". All minute details in comparison to the thing that God is doing.

 

Do you think that Jesus didn't know that when the stone was rolled away there was going to be a stench come out of that tomb? But He was focused on the glory of God. We need to follow Jesus' example and not Martha's. We need to stop focusing on the negative. We need to stop focusing on petty earthly details. We need to start focusing on the will of the Father, the miracle He is trying to bring to us, and the glory of God.

 

Have a great day. Is the Lord trying to give you a great miracle, but you are focused on the negative details?

 

For further reading:

John 11:1-44

"God's Word Is Right"

"Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way." Psalm 119:12 

God's word covers every area of life, and there is nothing that it does not cover or address. It may not say in exact words, "Thou shall not (fill in the blank) ___", but it is found in it through its teachings and principles. Sadly, not everyone-- in the world and in the church-- believes that it covers "all things". 

 

There are two things that we need to understand concerning the word of God or we will always have trouble knowing what is right and what isn't. We will be in confusion and live a compromised lifestyle. We will be easily persuaded to go in the wrong direction. Our faith will be weak, and we will be like a double-minded man who is unstable in all his ways.

The first thing is what we have already mentioned: God's word addresses every issue mankind has. The second is: God's word is correct concerning every issue. It is the only thing that is totally correct all the time about everything- man's philosophies, his education, his intellectual assumptions, his humanistic reasoning is all flawed and therefore incorrect much of the time.

 

When political correctness, popular opinion, or the mindset of the age clashes or disagrees with the word of God, it will always be God's word that is the right one. Just because everyone else believes that a certain thing is right, just because it is the direction the world is going, if it is contrary to God's word, it is wrong and God's word is right. It will always be the word of God that is the correct one and the one that you need to follow.

 

You have to be convinced of this or you will fall prey to lies, deception, false teachings and be carried away by every wind of doctrine-- false doctrine within the walls of the church, and false doctrine that the world is propagating.

Have a great day. God's word is the only thing that is always correct, all the time, on every issue. 

 

For further reading:

James 1:8
Titus 1:2
John 17:17
Ephesians 4:14

"Breeding Ground"

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6 

"Be careful (anxious) about nothing." The word anxious means: worried, uneasy, distress, intensely eager. We are told not to be anxious and we are given the antidote to anxiety in the verse above.

 

When we catch ourselves becoming anxious, we must immediately do something about it and take it captive. If we don't it becomes a breeding ground for many other things. Usually, our anxiety involves other people. We have to wait on someone or deal with them in a matter. Because of this we can see how easily anxiety does become a breeding ground. It is a breeding ground for complaining-- why aren't they doing it according to plan? It is a breeding ground for impatience-- can't they move any faster? It becomes a breeding ground for fear- what if they leave me; what if they make me late; what if they don't come through; etc. It becomes a breeding ground for criticism- why are they doing it like that; wouldn't it be better if they did it this other way? It becomes a breeding ground for bitterness- if it hadn't been for them things would have worked out.

 

Does any of this sound familiar? Anxiety doesn't just "dwell" by itself, it wants company, and it produces its own company-- such as all the things we have named and more. And before you know it, you are an emotional "basket case" surrounded by uncontrollable thoughts. 

 

Take them captive before they ever get started, or when you recognize what is happening. If you will do it at the first sign of anxiety, it will not go any further. It will not be able to "breed". You won't have to deal with that whirlwind of emotions, you won't lose your peace and you won't do damage to others by the things that anxiety produces.

 

Have a great day. Anxiety is a breeding ground for all kinds of emotions and sin. So, deal with it through prayer before it has a chance to produce anything else. 

 

For further reading:

Philippians 4:7
1 Peter 5:7

"Weapons Can't Prosper"

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." Isaiah 54:17 

The verse above tells us two things: there will be weapons that are formed against us, but they will not prosper. Don't think for one minute that just because you are a born-again Christian that there will never be any "weapons" formed against you- meaning that you will have a smooth life with no problems or trouble. That is not the case, there will be weapons formed against your spirit, soul and body for the sole purpose of destroying you. The good news is that even though they are formed, they cannot prosper. They will never get the upper hand, win the victory, have the final say so, or overcome you. 

 

They can form, and will, but they will not prosper because if God is for us who (or what) can be against us. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) So, let's say when the weapons of poverty come- you can't prosper against me. When weapons of sickness come- you can't prosper. When confusion, depression, fear all come- you can't prosper. No weapon that the enemy forms against you can win because God is for you, He is with you and He is in you. And GREATER is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.” (Romans 14:8) Regardless of the weapon, child of God, it cannot prosper because God is for you so it is a "win, win" situation. Because whether you live or die, you belong to Him!

 

Have a great day. When weapons form against you, remember that they cannot prosper because God is for you. 

  

For further reading:

1 John 4:4

2 Corinthians 2:14

"Call For Help"

"And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." Matthew 14:29,30 

Peter was a prideful, outspoken person. At the Passover feast he told Jesus that He would not wash his feet. We hear him tell Jesus also that he would never deny Him but die with Him if he had to. In all of Peter's boasting, pride and arrogance there is one thing that can be said for him-- he knew to call out to Jesus when he was in trouble. "Lord, save me".

 

Don't let your "personality" stop you from calling upon the Lord when you are in trouble. Don't let pride hold you back from seeking His help. Don't let self-righteousness keep you from being honest with Him about the fact that you can't do it or make it on your own without His help.

 

He doesn't expect you to do this on your own. He doesn't just leave you to yourself to try to figure out a solution or be your own source of help and deliverance. You are on this journey of life with Him. Had He wanted you to do it by yourself He never would have given you a promise to never leave you or forsake you. If He had wanted you to make it own your own He never would have sent the Comforter- Holy Spirit to be with you. He knows you can't do it without Him. He remembers what you are made out of (dust), therefore He knows how weak and helpless you become.

 

Don't let pride, self-righteousness, arrogance, hard-heartedness, head strong attitude, etc stand in the way of calling out to Jesus for help. Don't let anything stand in the way. Perhaps you think it will show lack of faith, or that it will show weakness. Maybe it will? But I would rather have Jesus' loving rebuke for a lack of faith than to be "drowned" by the situation. 

 

Have a great day. You need Jesus' help, so don't let any attitude keep you from asking Him for that help.

 

For further reading:

Matthew 14:29-31; 26:33-35
John 13:1-9; 14:16;15:5
Hebrews 13:5
Psalm 103:14

"Chain Breaker"

"God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land." Psalm 68:6 

"He bringeth out those which are bound with chains." There are so many people walking around today burdened down and restricted by chains. Oh, you may not see the chains with the naked eye, but they are there, nevertheless. Some are held captive by the chains of fear- fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the opinions of others, fear of stepping out of their comfort zone, etc. Some are held captive by the chains of condemnation and guilt. They can't get past the past. Then there are those who are held in the chains of addiction- alcohol, drugs, immorality, gambling, and so on. There are others who are held captive in the chains of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, greed, lust, covetousness, pride, hopelessness and grief. There is an unending list of things that bind the hearts and minds of mankind with invisible, yet real, chains.

This morning I don't want to spend all the time focusing on the chains. I want to focus on the One who breaks the chains. If you are bound by any of the chains we named this morning, or some that we didn't, I have good news for you... Jesus is the chain breaker. There is no chain too strong for Him to break. There is no chain too rusty- because it has been there a long time- that He can't break. No chain is more powerful than He is. And when He gets a hold of the chain, He not only breaks it off of you, but He destroys it completely so that it cannot be put back together. 
 

Are you bound by chains? Jesus wants to free you. He can break them. He will break them if you will let Him. You will never be able to break them on your own. You can try. You can work at it. You can cry over it. You can wrestle with it. But He is the only One who can truly set you free-- free indeed. Let Him, He is waiting to.

Have a great day. If you are bound by any "chains", Jesus wants to break them off of you and set you free. 
  

For further reading:
Isaiah 61:1
Luke 4:18
John 8:36

"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 honeybees. 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

"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

"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. Then he looks to it for all his needs. 

 

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

"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 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 their lives in accordance with 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

"Understanding It All"

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Our opening verse is one that is very familiar to most. It is quoted often. I have used it many times in the devotional. I felt impressed that I need to share the verse again this morning. I feel the need to remind you-- "don't lean to your own understanding".

We can't lean to our own understanding because the fact is... we just simply don't always understand. We don't understand "why?'- why is this happening. We don't understand "what?"- what is going on. Try as we may there are some things we will never understand.

Some of you are trying to "understand" some things that are going on in your life, the word to you this morning is-- stop trying, you can't figure it out. Instead take the time and energy that you are using trying to figure it out and put toward trusting God. Trusting God is not always about understanding everything, it is about having confidence, assurance and rest in Him when you don't understand it. You don't have to understand everything, and as we have already said you won't always understand everything. But you do have to trust God. If you are going to make it through what you are going through, you are going to have to trust the Lord and leave the "what" and "why" with Him.

Have a great day. Stop trying to understand it and just trust God.

For further reading:

Psalms 4:5; 9:10; 56:3

"Living In Contentment"

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11

"Be content". The word content means: to be satisfied with where you are or what you have. So where are you to be content? In whatsoever state you are in. That doesn't mean to be content with the sin you are living in. It doesn't mean you should be satisfied living in life controlling situations- such as any "state" of addiction. It doesn't mean you should be content with being lazy or having an undisciplined lifestyle.

It means that you need to learn to be content with where you are at the moment. You need to be content while you are waiting on that promotion on your job. You need to be content while waiting for that wayward spouse to return home. You need to be content while you are waiting for the door to open to God's calling and purpose.

Contentment is not a place of slothfulness where you just sit back and "twiddle your thumbs". It is a place of continuing on with the business of living and your devotion to God. It is a place where you continue to seek Him and grow in your faith. In the place of contentment, you are trusting God, waiting on Him to do the work that is needed and taking your hands off of it. It is a place of peace and rest because you are trusting God.

Paul learned to be content even in prison. Joseph learned to be content in slavery. They didn't let their circumstances keep them from "living" life, and living it in a manner that was pleasing to God- in trust and faith that He had everything under control.

Don't be impatient, don't worry, don't become anxious where you are. Live your life in God to the fullest where you are. Be content until He moves you to another "state". Trust Him in this state and be at peace and go on about your business-- living for Him.

Have a great day. Be content, God has it all under control so go on with the business of living.

For further reading:

Hebrews 13:5
1 Timothy 6:6

"Twisted To God"

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Often there are two things that we think of when we read this verse. The first thing is that we think about waiting as sitting back doing nothing while expecting what we are hoping for to come. It is the same idea as waiting in a doctor's office-- you sit there until they call your name to go back. The second thing we think about is that the blessings of renewed strength are physical.

On one hand both ways of thinking are correct, but they are limited. The word for "wait" means more than just sitting still in expectation. It means to "twist" or "bind together" in the same way a rope is twisted together with several strands. This waiting means that we should "twist" ourselves together with the Lord. This is where that strength the verse talks about comes from. The more we "twist" ourselves together with Him through reading His word, hiding it in our hearts, applying it, standing in faith on His promises, seeking His face and communing with Him the stronger we become in Him.

This strength does not only refer to our physical person, but to the spirit man. The strength we gain is spiritual strength to stand in adversity, to keep going when the going gets tough, to return good for evil that is done to us, to hold fast to God's promises when the day becomes night and darkness and despair are all around us.

This twisting gives us the ability to mount up-- to rise above the circumstances and storms, to see things from God's perspective, to stay at peace and have joy because the problems are now under us.

It also gives us strength to run the race that is set before us. We aren't running a physical race like the Olympic athletes are to "obtain the gold". We are running a spiritual race to receive a prize that will be given to us when we stand before our beloved Savior one day.

As we are "twisted" more and more together with Him, we gain the strength that we need to "walk"-- walk in the Spirit and not after the flesh. It strengthens us to be able to keep going forward following the Lord and doing what He desires instead of our own desires.

So, let's "twist" ourselves daily tighter and tighter to Him and we will gain the strength that we need to soar above the problems, to run the race that is set before us and to walk in the Spirit.

Have a great day. When we are twisted to the Lord, we gain the strength that we need, both physically and spiritually.

For further reading:

2 Corinthians 12:9
Hebrews 12:1
Galatians 5:16

"Joy Stealers"

"And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Numbers 13:32,33

When the Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt, He intended to bring them into their own land-- a land of freedom that flowed with milk and honey. There was great joy among them because after all that time in bondage it was finally going to happen- they were finally going into the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On the verge of entering, Moses sent spies to check out the land. The spies told them that the land was indeed a good land-- flowing with milk and honey, grapes, houses, vineyards, etc. But they also told them there were giants in the land. Even though they saw the good things that God had promised, even though they knew God could take care of the giants just as He had Pharaoh, the giants "stole" their joy. The fear of them outweighed the joy.

The Lord has given you a vision, a promise, a calling, a destination. You know it's from Him, you know this is where He is leading you, and it looks as though the door is finally opening and you are excited with great joy at the idea of "inheriting" and "fulfilling" the promise. You are ready to go in, you can see the potential, you can "see" the "milk, honey and clusters of grapes", but then you all of a sudden you see the "giants" and your heart begins to sink.

You know God has called you to start a business and it looks like the door is opening, but then you "see" the giants- the monthly expenses of rent, utilities, insurance, supplies, employee wages, etc. How will you pay them? You know God has called you to get an education in a certain field. The door opens to go to college, but then you "see" the giants-- the studying, the tests, Algebra. Am I smart enough? Am I too old to learn it? You know the Lord has promised to restore your marriage or to save your children, but then the giants appear-- you discover he/she is seeing someone else; your child gets arrested. In every promise that awaits there is a giant there too.

When they went into the land to spy it out, they saw both-- the good things and the giants. Perhaps that is where you are, you can see the good things God has promised, but you also along with them see the giants. The spies focused more on the giants and therefore told the people, "We can't do it". They let the giants steal their joy and promise. Don't let the giants steal your joy. Don't focus on them. As a matter of fact, don't even focus on the "milk and honey"- the promise. Focus and stay focused on God. When you do, the giants can't steal your joy, they can't stop you, they pose no threat to you, they are already taken care of and defeated by God.

Have a great day. Don't let the giants that you see steal your joy.

For further reading:

Numbers 13

"It Is Temporary"

"And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth." Numbers 33:5

When the Lord delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, the first place they stopped at was Succoth. The name Succoth means booths. The dictionary defines booths as: a temporary structure made of any type of material. Succoth was not their destination; the promised land was. It was just a temporary stopping place on the journey to their destination.

When Joseph was thrown into the pit, it was not his final destination. The palace was his destination. The pit was a temporary place intended to get him to the next level on his journey to the palace. The pit got him into Potiphar's house (which too was a temporary place.)

If you know that God has a purpose for you to fulfill and where you are is not it, don't get discouraged with where you are. Where you are is only a temporary place that is the avenue to get you to the next level and one step closer to His purpose. Our problem is we want to bypass these temporary places and get straight to the "palace", "the promise land", "the goal". Joseph never would have made it to the palace- God's purpose- had he not gone through the pit, Potiphar's house and the prison first. But they were all temporary places. Don't see where you are as the destination, but rather a steppingstone to the next place in God's plan.

Before my husband had to retire from offshore, he was in a supervisory position. But when he first started working in the oilfield thirty years earlier, he didn't start out as a supervisor. He started out in the lowest position there was. After a period of time, he finally worked his way up to his final position. All the positions he had worked in were only temporary (they were like booths). They were steps to get from one level to another. But he had to go through each, just like Joseph did and just like you and I have to do in order to get to that final level.

So enjoy, be content and learn from this place where you are. And remember that it is only temporary, but you have to pass through it in order to get to God's intended destination for you.

Have a great day. Where you are is only a temporary stopping place, not your final destination.

For further reading:

Philippians 4:11
Romans 8:28

"Demotion And Promotion"

"And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison." Genesis 39:20

When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he wound up in a man name Potiphar's house. The Lord blessed him and caused him to have favor with Potiphar so much so that he was made overseer of his house and all that he had. Joseph was in a place of position and authority even though he was a slave.

One day Potiphar's wife tried to get Joseph to commit adultery with her. He refused and ran out of the house. In his haste he left his garment behind, and she used it as evidence to support her lie that Joseph had tried to force himself on her. Joseph was thrown into prison.

"What happened?", I am sure he asked. The test came-- would he obey the commands of the Lord and abstain from sexual immorality or give in; would he do the right thing and resist or not? He did the right thing, He followed the commandments of the Lord, he remained faithful to his God and loyal to Potiphar, yet he was thrown into prison.

On the surface it looked as though following the Lord and keeping His commandments only got him in trouble. He certainly didn't look blessed because he did. He passed the test, but the outcome looked like he failed. It cost him-- he went from a position of authority to a prisoner in the king's prison. Joseph didn't realize at the time that what looked like a demotion actually brought him closer to his promotion. Being put in the prison brought him one step closer to the palace.

Often when we have done the right thing (the thing that pleases God) and it seems to "back-fire" on us and it looks like we have been "demoted", what's happening is that it is bringing us closer to our promotion. Joseph would not have made it to the palace had he not gone through the prison. The prison was the reward (although it didn't look like it at the time) for passing the test because it positioned him for the promise. He had to go "down" (demotion) before he could go "up" (promotion) because going "down" is the route that leads "up".

Have a great day. What looks like a demotion may actually be positioning you for promotion.

For further reading:

Genesis 39; 41

"Warning Signals"

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot." Revelation 3:15

We live a world that is full of warning signals. The yellow light on a traffic light warns you to slow down and get ready to stop. The signal lights at the railroad track warn you that a train is coming. The sirens at the local Civil Defense warn you that a tornado is in the area. The rippled asphalt on the side of the highway warns you that you are getting off the road. All these warning signals serve a purpose. They let you know when you are in danger. They are meant to be heeded and not ignored if you want to be safe.

There are spiritual warning signals that let us know when we are in danger spiritually. The most dangerous place for us to be is in a place of lukewarmness. There are warning signs that will let you know if you are there. Some of them are lack of love for others; lack of love for God's word; lack of prayer. How are you treating others? Are you exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit in your life? Are you going for days without picking up your Bible and reading it? When was the last time you prayed-- only when you have a need or are in trouble? Is your assembling with other believers going lacking? Are you hungering and thirsting after righteousness? Are you doing the first works? How do you spend the majority of your time?

If you are seeing these things in your life, they are warning signals. Pay attention to them. If you are driving and approach a railroad track and the crossing gate comes down in front of you you are not going to keep going, you are going to stop. You will heed it or you are putting yourself in grave danger. Heed the spiritual warning signs, don't ignore them or you are putting yourself in the danger of becoming lukewarm.

Have a great day. Don't ignore the warning signals, pay attention to them.

For further reading:

Revelation 2:4,5; 3:13,16
Matthew 5:6

"Let's Just Praise The Lord"

"Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Psalm 107:8

We are always in need of something and if we are wise we will take that need to the Lord because He is the one who meets and supplies all our needs. But in our communion with Him is that all we do-- make request and ask for something? There is another side to communion and it's praise. The verse above is repeated four times word for word in the same chapter. The writer must be trying to say something. 

When was the last time you just praised Him without asking anything? This morning will you join me in praising Him for His goodness, for His faithfulness, for His grace and mercy. Praise Him for His forgiveness that runs deep, for His great, incomprehensible and unconditional love, for not sparing His one and only Son to pay the ransom for our sins. Praise Him for lifting you up out of the pit, for setting your feet upon the solid foundation, for writing your name in His Book of Life, for His healing, delivering power. Praise Him for His loving-kindness and care. Praise Him for meeting all your spiritual, physical and material needs. Praise Him for not leaving you nor forsaking you. Praise Him for the air you breath. "Oh that you would praise Him!" He is worthy of all praise!!! He has done great and mighty things. He is great and greatly to be praised! Like the song says, "I never would have made it"-- you never would have made it period without the Lord. So, give Him praise and give Him glory. And do it not only when you feel like it, not only when He comes through with the answer you have been waiting for, not only when things are going well, but praise Him because He is good, and He is worthy of all praise!

Have a great day. When was the last time you "just praised the Lord"?

For further reading:

Psalm 107:15,21,31; 7:17; 146:1; 48:1

"A Snake In Prayer Places"

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made." Genesis 3:1a

One of my favorite places to pray is on my front porch. It is quiet and no one disturbs me, and I love being outdoors with the Lord. Yesterday morning I stepped out on my porch and headed to the swing to have my usual quiet time when something caught my eye. Between the swing and wall, laying on the porch, was a snake. I wasn't sure what to do for a moment. Then I went and got my wasp spray and hoe to kill it. When I returned, it was gone. It gave me an eerie feeling to sit on the swing knowing a snake had been right beside it. But I was armed with my "weapons" if it came back. Then it made me angry that a "snake was in my place of prayer"!

Of course, immediately I sensed a "sermon" coming on. The Bible calls the devil that "old serpent". Don't think for one minute that he will not try to worm his way into your prayer time. He will do all he can to distract you. He will try to make you get your mind off of the Lord. He will try to come in on your prayer to confuse you, to cause doubt and steal your faith. He doesn't just stay away because you are praying. He doesn't excuse himself from tempting you while you are making your request known to God. He is trying to stop you from praying. He knows that prayer is powerful. It isn't just conversation with God. It is the avenue by which God moves in the earth-- He acts in response to our prayers of faith. (Matthew 7:7)

The snake had gone but as I was sitting there, I heard birds in the tree behind me begin to do lots of chirping. I knew that sound. (They are good to let you know when a snake is around.) So I got up with hoe in hand to see if it was around. I saw it. I prayed for the Lord's help to kill it and down on top of it with the hoe I went. Needless to say that snake won't be in my prayer place again! When the devil tries to distract you in prayer, listen for the voice of the Spirit who will make you aware that what you are experiencing is the devil's scheme to get you to stop. Then use your weapons that you have been armed with to destroy him. Put God's word on him and cut him up. He will leave and you can continue to win victories through prayer.

Have a great day. When the devil tries to get in your place of prayer, use your weapons and destroy him.

For further reading:

2 Corinthians 10:4
Revelation 12:9; 20:2
Matthew 4:1-11

"God Is Good And Great"

"The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." Psalm 145:9 

There is a certain prayer that has been taught to children for generations that they say before meals-- I learned it, my daughter learned it, my granddaughters have learned it. "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. Amen." Many times it is repeated without any thought to what it says, we just say it out of habit.

The truth is God is good, and God is great. God's goodness is seen in His kind and tender mercies that He shows to us daily. His goodness is connected to His glory. Moses desired to see His face and He showed him His goodness. Goodness is not just something the Lord possess; it is what He looks like. His goodness is with us because He is with us- never leaving or forsaking us. His goodness follows us all the days of our lives.

God is great. His greatness is seen in creation. He created the smallest atom and the largest planet. His greatness is shown in His saving, delivering, healing power. Sin is not too great that He can't forgive and cleanse a repentant heart from it. There is no bondage, or life controlling substance, that can withstand His delivering power. There is no disease or sickness that is more powerful than His ability to heal.

The next time you hear a child, someone else or even yourself say that simple little prayer think about what is being said--- God is good and God is great indeed.

Have a great day. God is good and God is great.

For further reading:

Exodus 33
Psalm 23:6; 48:1; 145:3

"Get Dressed"

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11

I want to encourage you this morning to put on the armor of God before you begin your day, before you go to your workplace, before you have dealings with any person, before you step out of the house. Daily we fight battles. They are spiritual battles, but they are very real-- more real than the natural ones. In these battles we don't fight against flesh and blood-- other human beings. Our fight is against the enemy of our soul, the devil and his forces.

I also want to encourage you to make sure you have it all on-- the full armor. Don't leave off any piece. Whatever you leave off will be unprotected and make you vulnerable in that area. If you leave off the helmet of salvation your mind will not have any protection from a flood of evil thoughts and lies. If you leave off the girdle of truth your spirit will be left open to attack by discouragement and false teaching. If you leave off the breastplate your heart is left open to temptation. And so on with every part. There was a reason why God gave us individual pieces for specific areas and then told us to put it all on. They all work together to protect our whole self.

So, let me ask you this morning, "Are you fully dressed? Or are you going out into the world only partially dressed?" Every article of the armor you leave off leaves you exposed in that area.

Have a great day. Are you entering the world today fully or partially dressed?

For further reading:
Ephesians 6

"Races Of Faith"

"... let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1b

Don't give up. Don't quit. Don't stop running the race that you are on. There is a prize that awaits, and it is only given to those who finish. We often think it is about starting the race, but it is about finishing it. Anyone can start it, but it takes patience, perseverance and discipline to finish it.

This race that you are on is not a sprint or 50-yard dash, it is more of a marathon. It is not ran in a few seconds or minutes, it is ran over a lifetime. Anyone who has ran a marathon can tell you that you have to stay focused-- you have to keep your eyes on the goal. You can't be distracted by what's on the sidelines, or the cheers of the people that are looking on hinder you. They also know you have to keep looking forward, you cannot look behind. They know too that you have to press through the fatigue and not give into the weakness that you are feeling.

The race that I am taking about is the race that you get in when you receive salvation-- it is the race that we run through life to eternity. But there are many other races that you run while on this "racetrack"-- races of faith. You may be running toward a dream, you may be running toward a promise, you may be running by faith concerning a relationship, you may be running toward the plan of God in a particular area-- well, keep running. In order to finish this race you can't be distracted by the cares of this life or by the words of others. You can't look back; you have to keep looking ahead. You can't give into weariness or impatience. There is a prize that awaits every race we run-- the fulfillment (the time when faith becomes sight).

Have a great day. Whatever race you are running, don't quit because there is a prize that awaits those who finish.

For further reading:

Galatians 6:9
1 Corinthians 9:24
2 Thessalonians 3:13

"It's Simple To Seek"

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near." Isaiah 55:6

Do you need answers this morning? Do you need guidance? Do you need direction? Do you need wisdom concerning a situation you are facing? Your answer is simple, it is found in the verse above-- "seek ye the Lord". While this is the answer, many will do everything but follow its instruction mostly because it seems too "simple". We want to make everything difficult. We think we have to do more-- we have to strive, we have to do some sort of works, we have to go around in circles. No, all we have to do is "seek the Lord".

He has the answer to the questions. He has the solution to the problems. He has the wisdom in the matter. And in seeking Him we will find whatever it is we need.

Seeking Him is simple, it is not difficult. The discipline to seek Him is what is difficult. It is so easy just to run here and there to get your answer. It is so easy just to seek out other things. "While He may be found" implies that He may not be found readily, at the instant you begin seeking Him. It takes discipline to stay on our knees until we "pray through". It takes discipline to learn to wait for Him to answer. It takes discipline to train yourself to hear what He is saying. And it takes discipline to obey what we do hear Him say once we have sought Him. Often, He speaks but we don't like what He says. He doesn't always give us the answer we want. His answer often involves more waiting.

The answer you are looking for is simple-- "Seek the Lord" because He has and is your answer. Learning to discipline ourselves to seek and to wait until He answers may not be as simple. But if we will seek Him and if we will learn to wait until He draws near to answer, we will have the right answer to meet our need.

Have a great day. Seeking the Lord is simple, it just takes discipline to do it and to wait until He answers.

For further reading:

Matthew 6:33
Psalm 37:7