I remember a time before I was saved when I thought, “why would I want to give my life to Jesus and have to follow all His rules? It’s a thinking most people (especially the younger generation) probably contemplate. But following Jesus is not viewed as following rules as an undertaking. First, Christ is after our heart. Since He knows all things, He not only knows your hearts, but your desires and fears. When we come to Christ with everything we have and surrender it to Him, something happens. We start desiring different things. We want to serve Him and …
Forfeit the Flesh
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26) Over the past few months, I have become more aware of the intense spiritual tug of warthat is not …
Moses’ Hesitancy to Obey God
Scripture: Read Exodus chapters 3-4 … I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and am sending you to rescue them. But Moses gave several excuses including he was slow of speech. Some historians think Moses had a stuttering disorder. After some miracles and Moses continued to hesitate, God promised Aaron could be his mouthpiece. “Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who …
Do I Have Growth Responsibility
“…submit to god. resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 I was not saved until I was 17. Needless to say, that was a long time ago. Over the years, I have learned as I grew in my faith. This verse is an example. I pretty much understood submission to God. I soon learned the devil never has my best interest at heart! So, I would pray for a submissive heart and ask God to keep the devil away from me. A few years ago, studying His word, a rich revelation seemed …
Courage in the Crisis
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1: 9 (ESV) “One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as He promised you.” Joshua 23: 10 (ESV) “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed you. All have come to pass for you; …
Moses Makes Other Excuses
Exodus 4: 10-16 “Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What …
Pure Joy
Stress. That would be the single word that best describes the last few years of my life. So much so that when we rounded the corner into to the coming year, I began to pray, “Lord, will You please grant me a season of rest?” I was so weary that it didn’t seem like a selfish thing to ask for. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to keep going without some time to re-energize. Maybe I just wasn’t specific enough in my request… ‘cuz I was kind of thinking about several months, maybe even a whole year of rest! …
In the Wandering
Have you ever found yourself stumbling through the dark in the middle of the night? Whether it’s to calm a crying child or to find your way to the bathroom, we’ve all had the experience of feeling disoriented and frustrated trying to navigate through a dark place. Arms outstretched, we feel our way through the dark for something familiar. We hope our eyes adjust while we look for some sort of light. And then it happens. We run into an unexpected wall or we choose a path we were sure was the right way only to find out it didn’t …
Taking Time to Connect
I always say when God wants to minister to someone, He orchestrates a relationship! People are often more receptive when they are in a non-judgment zone. God sends people into our lives to prepare us, minister to us and sharpen us as we travel on our journeys. Proverbs 27: 17 (NIV), “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” As I reflect on my own personal relationships, I just begin to thank God. I have had the awesome opportunity to encounter some wonderful people on my path. I have been the one encouraging and have been the recipient of …
From Grace to Gratitude
Have you ever had a word from the Lord? I mean a literal word. As I was reading my Bible and several of my devotion books, the Lord kept showing me this one word. It seemed to keep popping out of the page into my face. That word was “gratitude”. And like most words I had to stop and think about what the word meant. Well, of course I know that it means being grateful or thankful. But I wanted to know more. What was it again; a feeling or expression of being thankful or appreciative. Hmmm, so being grateful …
You Were…. But Now You’re NEW
Renewed – to begin again, to make effective for an additional period. Wow, when we look at the dictionary definition of “Renewed” we probably all wish we could be that or do that. I am sure our minds go immediately to moments in life that we wish we could “do over”. Of course that’s where the enemy wants to take us…to the moments in life that we were at our worst. But the truth is apart from Jesus we are the worst. Thank you Jesus because of the cross, because of the blood shed on Calvary, because of his pain …
Who are we pleasing?
A thought has been in my mind for quite some time. A thought that seems to judge, but I am just as guilty. A thought about parenting, about the past, about what my spirit is teaching, and about what I am learning… a thought about truth. You see I look around and see. I see more deeply than before. I see what my past has done to me; the thoughts, the inescapable connections in my brain that have been hard wired because of a choice or a thought, whichever it may be, that occurred a long time ago. Sometimes I …
