Devotional Fuel to Reboot Your Mind

Romans 4:26-27: “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his (Abraham’s) faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”

Abraham is such an example to us of a man who had strong faith. He believed what God had told him as it says in Romans 4:18-19: “In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told . . . He did not weaken in his faith . . .“

Abraham squarely faced the impossible – he never doubted. He experienced being tested by difficulties (Gen. 12:10 – a famine in the land). Yes, Abraham had weaknesses and mistakes during his lifetime, – sins, and failures. When he was under direct pressure, he distorted the truth, but he was also noted for having wisdom, was a caring father, and even allowed an opponent to set the rules in handling a dispute. Abraham purposefully and steadfastly trusted God. So his faith then pleased God. How did he do that? He continued holding onto God’s promise (or covenant) despite obstacles and odds of it coming to fruition because he accepted as true, God would do what He said – therefore he remained steadfast in his faith.

Our faith is like a muscle. When a muscle is stretched properly, it becomes stronger. That is the purpose of physical therapy. It helps rejuvenate motion and mobility and contributes to reducing pain. Physical therapy exercises and massage therapy, bring oxygen and blood flow to injured places in our body. It takes work and time to rebuild ligaments. The same is with our faith. When I am “in the wait” or being tested yet again, my faith is stretched, pulled, and tested. If I resist, my faith will not improve the quality in my relationship with God, and will not be able to become stronger, better, or deeper. Do I enjoy it? No, of course not. I admit at times I have been weak, and other times I have been mighty in my faith, hope, and trust in God working through various trials in life. It could be called – learning to live with the hand you have been dealt.

I have a gift box that I keep on our mantel in the living room. I have a gift card on the lid that says:

To: Steve and Linda Killian and Friends and Family.

From: God.

Inside the box I keep answers to prayers that I have written down on 4X6 white cards. When I need my faith strengthened, courage, encouragement, or my mind rebooted to look upward, I go to this box and read what I have written on the cards. Each one is dated so I can reflect on when and how God answered each one of these prayer requests.

I opened this box this week and sorted by date each card. I put the cards out in front of me according to the date. What a joy to read through each one of them. I couldn’t help but notice that the year 2016 had the most cards. I don’t remember 2016 being a challenging year necessarily. The shortest stack of cards was from 2012. That shocked me. I remember that year as being long and extremely difficult. However, I can now see how God rewarded, established, and used those incidents to strengthen our faith in Him. We failed many times in doubting God and asked why but eventually we were able to say “Yes, why not?”

I had problems with many fears back then of all the possible “what ifs?” But if I had not lived through each detail, had not seen how God brought us through each one, as He eventually delivered us out of our own Red Sea experiences, I would have never identified with what I call my signature verse – Psalm 119:92: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” Then my prayer became: “Teach me Your Word during this season of my life like I have never known it before and make this verse my testimony when I emerge from this place.” I learned to be strengthened in my faith in God, by reading and living out His faithful promises found in His Word, such as Genesis 18:14a: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”

Are you wanting to “emerge from this place” too in your life right now?

How can you be like Abraham, squarely face the impossible, and have hope beyond any hopeless situation?

“Look to see God’s provision for today. “God help me to see my abundance.” Keep a tangible testimony of the Lord’s provision.” Pastor Todd Smith.

There is a note in my NIV Application Bible regarding 2 Peter 3:18 that says: “No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are in our faith, the sinful world always will challenge our faith. We still have room for growth. If every day we find some way to draw closer to Christ, we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances.” That is so true!

“Satan will do everything he can to make a fool of you.” Beth Moore, “Jesus, Because Life is Complicated, Part 3.”

Our daily assignment and application must become: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!” 2 Peter 3:18.

How can you be strong in your faith today despite the circumstances?

What verses do you hold close when your faith needs to stand firm?

May we remember that the Lord’s mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness! Sometimes we just have to wait (oh how I hate that word) quietly for the Lord’s deliverance (Lamentations 3:22-26). Put your hope in Him.

My prayer for today: “God I ask for your guidance today. Help me to make right decisions that will have the right long term results.”

Listen to Danny Gokey’s “Comeback.”

https://www.com/watch?v=hfhFWjaOfJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvr64VsNT-s

 

Psalm 25:20-21: “Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”

I receive an email every morning from Miriam Webster’s “WORD OF THE DAY.” The word “manumit” appeared one morning and I could immediately see a correlation for this term I had never heard of before with our Christian life. Don’t we all have various circumstances throughout our day that  hold us in bondage where we need to be set free?

A few typical daily adrenalin boosting stresses may be:

• Did I let my boss down in that situation?
• Did I perform well enough at my presentation at work or a ministry teaching spot?
• Will my children remember more of the good things from their childhood rather than the mistakes I made as a parent?
• Is anyone praying for me?
• Why can’t I make everyone to get along?
• How could I have said that? They must think I am terrible!

Care to comment about any of your own?

When we are bogged down by the circumstances in our day that are like pebbles in our shoe, and like a paper cut, we become enslaved and in captivity to them. God is always there to release us from the bondage of our fears, our misgivings, and pressures of life. Why do we carry the load we were never intended to take? As Jesus said in John 8:31-32: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” We are set free by the truth of God’s Word!

Last week something happened in my job, that weighed me down. I was in a panic about a certain incident that looked like it was going wrong. I was caught in this situation where I was blamed for something that was out of my control. I had done everything right, but something went south with a new customer, and I was left responsible in the end. Then something else occurred, and I was overcome with feelings of self-inadequacy and wanted off my merry-go-round. Even though it was in the high 90’s outside, I took a walk to help free my thoughts. I suddenly remembered 1 Peter 5:7: “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” I told God: “OK, you take them!” I literally held an invisible bundle in my hands and threw them up to the sky as I was casting them up to God to keep them and carry them as I continued walking. I needed the Lord’s rescue in setting me free of this turmoil and I needed His rescue of the right solution. His working out the justice part of my dilemma was required.

A half hour later, my cell phone rang, and the problematic customer called me, apologized for his silence, and took full blame. We had a brief discussion, he acknowledged the part of his fault in the matter, and a compromise was agreed that was not totally what I wanted but it would work. The other situation I realized could have been all my imagination and over thinking (which I am told we women often do more than men) which had a boomerang down rolling spiral effect on me. My own fretting thoughts were holding me hostage, and I needed to be set free from their captivity and thanked God it was Friday!

Next, I suddenly remembered I had just posted that morning my devotional Blog post on “Craving Righteousness.” One of my points about what craving righteousness requires was: “Know yourself, accept yourself, and try to be yourself to the glory of God.” Then just the week before I wrote a post titled “Consolations.” “Bottom line: Anticipate the enemy to hit you in the area of your greatest influence . . . consider where you’re feeling the strongest these days. And expect to take some hits at those particular areas. Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God.” Yep. I had taken some hits. The reality is six months from now neither of these things may even matter. And by the way, that new problematic customer of mine that was last Friday’s fingernail on my chalkboard? His needs drastically changed in my favor this week much to my surprise! Bravo God!

When that pit is on the bottom of your stomach, cast that burden onto the LORD, and remember Isaiah 30:18b, & 21:“For the LORD is a God of justice . . . And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

“The gravitational pull of life presses on us and shrinks us down, yet the hope of the gospel is that we can lift our gaze and know that there is a God, the Maker of heaven and earth, who is going to come on our behalf and rescue us. A God, who, even when the world is closing in around us, is at work, making everything possible in our lives . . . As we ascend daily into God’s presence, we remember His greatness, live in confidence, rest in His grace, respond in worship and pour out His love into the people around us so that many will put their trust in the one who rescues and restores.” Louie Giglio, LIFT.

Relief from God doesn’t always come when we want it. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out to God for help, in Exodus 2:23-25. They had to wait a long time to be manumitted to freedom, but God rescued them when He knew the time was right. God is never late. He is always on time. We just cannot see His timetable.

Are you looking for a way out of something? Do you need manumission? You may not see even a glimpse of the end of your trouble, but as my pastor, Todd told me at a heartbreaking time in our life, “There is always an end coming no matter what it is.”

It says in John 8:31 we are truly Jesus’s disciples if we abide in His word. The Message puts the next part of this verse this way: “Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”

Manumission is found in knowing and abiding in God’s Word.

Question: How can you train your heart and mind to look for God at work in your life? In what ways does an awareness of God’s presence change the way you live each day?

The goal and challenge is to become more like Christ and be a mirror of Jesus at all times one day at a time. Will that change anything you do today?

May the Lord fill your heart and soul with the freedom of His peace and hope, giving you needed perseverance for whatever may try to hold you hostage next. The trial may not yet have its end, but the peace of God gives liberation. Shalom.

Listen to Danny Gokey’s “There’s Hope in Front of Me.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KIhYZQ_ovw

 

 

Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

I have been reading John MacArthur’s book this summer on Revelation, “Because The Time is Near.” That sentence he stated about righteousness made me stop reading for a moment and really think about what it means to “crave righteousness.” How do you define that? What does it really mean?

Righteousness is a lifestyle. It does not mean following a set of rules and traditions– that is legalism. Instead, it is living in complete obedience to Christ, having faithful perseverance, and putting Him first above anything else. Righteousness has to do with attitudes and intents of the heart, not just conduct. It has to do with the character. It distinguishes a true Christian – a Christ follower, instead of following the world’s culture and philosophy.

Romans 12:1-2 is a good description of what righteousness means: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable.”

When one is thirsty and dehydrated, the tongue will stick to the roof of your mouth due to lack of saliva. You have an intense desire, strong craving, and an intensely focused pursuit to find satisfaction from drinking Gatorade or perhaps  Coconut Water, to replace the electrolytes lost in your body. It is with that same kind of intensity and passion that the believer needs to pursue righteousness.

Do I have that same amount of passion in pursuing righteousness? Do I crave the approval of God more than anyone else?

John MacArthur has said: “If you claim a relationship with Christ but you aren’t hungering and thirsting for righteousness, you need to honestly question whether you know Him.”

Jesus promised fulfillment in Matthew 5:6b when He said, “for they shall be satisfied.” Does that mean you will get that promotion, long life, perfect marriage, perfect children, and perfect friends, from pursuing righteousness? No. So what then? If you seek to have a truly Christ honoring lifestyle, it starts with your heart that is changed from the inside out. But you have to want it. It takes passion. It takes determination.

Craving Righteousness Requires:

• Eagerly pursuing a consistent life of honoring Christ in all things.
• Priority of spending time in prayer and giving thanks to God for all of the many blessings He has given.
• Righteousness holds God’s will to be at the highest level of importance, producing His power in our lives (Matthew 7:21).
• No longer seeking praise first from your spouse, friends, fellow employees, but seeking God’s approval above anyone else. Ouch. But that is what craving righteousness is all about.
• Know yourself, accept yourself, and try to be yourself to the glory of God.
• Confess sin immediately be it anger, bitterness, envy, lack of contentment, grumbling, gossip-whatever it is, squelch it quickly.
• Having meekness over pride. It requires power under control.
• Showing forgiveness and mercy to others as God has shown mercy to you (Matthew 9:13).

Right now I am sitting at my computer, staring at the screen, and rereading these words. My arms are bent, elbows are on my desk, and my chin is resting on my hands. I have such a long way to go.

We all need compliments, don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I so appreciate your encouraging comments about my women’s devotional blog. I need them. Keep them coming please! But we should not crave and only live for the applause of others, as John Piper has said: “Make much of God instead of wanting others to make much of us.”

We can enjoy being appreciated but not live to crave it. That is the difference.

Acts of kindness can change someone’s whole day with just a loving and spontaneous kind word or compliment. That is how we lift each other up by making much of others rather than merely ourselves. Looking at our glass half full instead of half empty. Again, this is yet another area where I have a lot of work to do.

As Paul said when he faced death calmly in 2 Timothy 4:7-8: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearing.” Dear Jesus come quickly!

How can you be more effective today for Christ than you were yesterday?

The same passionate drive and ambitions that are needed in winning at sports, exceling in a sales job, being an effective leader, or maybe just wanting to be the best at something, is what is likewise needed in a Christian pursuing righteousness. When we are spiritually hungry God feeds us through His Word. But we must read it in order for us to know Him. He gives to all the invitation: “Come everyone who thirsts . . . Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he may be near.” Isaiah 55:1, 6).

Matthew 5:6 NIV declares: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Make craving God’s righteousness your passion and thirst today.

Listen to Mercy Me’s song “Word of God Speak.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74

 

 

Psalm 94:19: “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”

The dictionary definition for the word consolation: Noun. The act of consoling. Comfort received by a person after a loss or disappointment. Synonyms: Comfort, solace, sympathy, compassion, pity, commiseration, empathy.

We all need to be comforted from time to time. We just need someone to listen to us and preferably over a cup of coffee or tea. Don’t be quick to tell us what to do, but listen to what is aching our heart. Advice is not always wanted, but a good listener is what is needed first in being compassionate.

We that are mothers get to have the role of compassion with our children. Women are nurturers. That is our bent. That is our nature in life. I still need my mother to talk to for those times when I am deeply bothered, or my daughter, or  with a close girlfriend. We women bond in this way with one another. We have girl-talk.

Job’s three friends missed the mark in giving consolation. They listened at first. They spent time with him and just sat with Job, wept, and were there alone with him for seven days, not saying anything (Job 2:11-13). However, afterward they misjudged Job. Job answered these men with: “. . . miserable comforters are you all (Job 16:1).” Job further states their long winded speeches did not give him the empathy that he needed (Job 16:2-3). He confronts them in Job 21:34: “How long will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.” Their human empathy was lacking in the end.

The book of Psalms is the book in the Bible that I go to for comfort. Friends and family are needed and so appreciated, but the Holy Spirit is the true and genuine comforter. God is always ready to listen. He will never put you on hold or tell me: “You already told me that.”

Here are ten verses from the book of Psalms that have given me comfort at needed times:

• • • Psalm 94:18: “When I thought “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.” God is my stronghold when I feel like I have blown it.
    • Psalm 3:3-4: “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.” Yes, God takes my chin in his big hands and tells me to look up at Him instead of looking at my circumstances.
    • Psalm 23:3: “He restores my soul.” Feel like you can’t breathe due to stress? This is my specific CPR verse!
    • Psalm 27:1-2: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” When I feel intimidated by someone else  I try to remember this verse.
    • Psalm 27:13: “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!” This was the verse God pointed out to me, when we were in the decision process of moving from Minnesota to California in 1991. The “land of the living” was and is California.
    • Psalm 103:13-14: “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame, he remembers we are dust.” Yes, men can show warm comfort to their children. God comforts me with His presence as He holds my right hand (Psalm 73:23-24).
    • Psalm 107:9: “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” Only God can fill one’s heart and replace feelings of overwhelming emotions with His presence. That is the right time to be stubborn. Fight for righteousness. We all have a target on our back with Satan’s arrows being shot right into its bulls eye. Pull them out one by one by reciting God’s Word in your defense.
    • Psalm 119:92-93: “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.” This has become what I call my signature verse. My prayer then became, “Teach me Your Word during this season of my life like I have never known it before and make this verse my testimony when I emerge from this place.”
    • Psalm 56:3-4: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.” We all are fearful at times. But God gave David courage to fight the giant Goliath; He will do the same for us – we just have to ask for courage, release our fears and anxieties in prayer, and hold onto our hope. God is faithful to His promises.
    • Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Sometimes I need to stop fretting and just “be still.” God will always have the final victory. Give Him praise! Bravo! Bravo!

Oh, there are so many other verses throughout the Psalms that leap out at me from the pages of my Bible, when wisdom or comfort is needed within my heart.

It states in Acts 4:36, that Barnabas’s name meant, “son of encouragement.” The KJV uses the words: “son of consolation.” Barnabas was a great example of how to minister to new Christians. He spent time teaching and encouraging them. He was a man who was able to give empathy and commiseration to others young in their faith.

“If I were your enemy, I’d disguise myself and manipulate your perspectives so that you’d focus on the wrong culprit—your husband, your friend, your hurt, your finances, anything or anyone except me. Because when you zero in on the most convenient, obvious places to strike back against your problems, you get the impression you’re fighting for something. Even though all you’re really doing is just . . . fighting. For nothing.” ― Priscilla Shirer, Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer

While we are living on this earth, we will have trials. We will have conflicts. We will need to be comforted. However the source of our battles needs to be examined. That argument you had with your husband, your boss, your fellow employees, your children – they are not the real enemy. Satan is trying to break your fellowship with God and to cripple you with discouragement and shame (Revelation 12:10).

“Bottom line: Anticipate the enemy to hit you in the area of your greatest influence . . . Consider where you’re feeling the strongest these days. And expect to take some hits at those particular areas.” Priscilla Shirer, The Armor of God.

Read and reread a verse that gives hope, encouragement, increases your faith, and restores your soul, throughout the day and again before you go to sleep at night. Be aware of the source of the real battle you have been engaged in, and fight back with the sword of power found in the scriptures in your Bible (Ephesians 6:10-19).

Do you have a burden that keeps you awake at night?

Is it hard to concentrate on your work due to a heaviness that you are carrying?

Or maybe you are in-between coming out of a trial and going into your next trial. Ask God to increase your faith. Ask God to take control over your heart and mind. Be still.

Who can you give a gift of encouragement or comfort to as God has given His divine consolation to you? That would be a gift that does not cost any money, but would be cherished greatly.

May our prayer be: “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Psalm 94:19 NIV.

Listen to Mercy Me’s Song “Even If.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6fA35Ved-Y

Psalm 92:12, 14-15: “The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon . . . They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

We are used to seeing palm trees in California and sap on various trees. But did you know how unique palm trees and cedar trees in the country of Lebanon are?

• Palm trees can grow up to 120 feet tall.
• An African oil palm produces two types of oil. It is used chiefly in making soaps and ointments.
• Palm trees are robust and can withstand severe weather. They will bend and be flexible in a wind storm and normally not break. It has been reported that they can bend over 40 to 50 degrees without snapping during a storm.
• Their root system is so secure that it will not be uprooted and will survive no matter what the weather conditions contain.
• Can live up to 200 years old.
• Unlike other trees, as the palm tree grows it will break a band that is placed on its trunk.
• The author of Psalm 92 likened the righteous to that of a palm tree.

A righteous man, as it says in Psalm 92, will have the Lord’s positive presence and blessing in all areas of his life. He will grow strong in the Lord and not collapse much like a palm and cedar tree continue to grow despite adverse circumstances. Cedar trees are resistant to decay and disease, so they symbolized a long life. They live to be up to 3000 years old. Cedar trees in that geographical location were prized for their high-quality timber, oils, and resins. They were used in the construction of ships, palaces (David’s and Solomon’s), and temples. Lebanese cedar lumber resisted disease and decay in salt water better than most type of wood. Isaiah 60:13 states: “The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious.”

Likewise, those that have a stable relationship with the Lord will stay strong and have perseverance in withstanding the storms of life. We can have confidence and stability as we trust in God during the sticky times. We get opportunities to trust God more as we mature in our life on this earth. “Been there, done that” becomes a shadow of remembrance in observing those younger than ourselves as we age. Some call it acquired wisdom from experience.

However, just because you are a Christian, doesn’t guarantee we won’t have trials in life. Jesus said in John 16:33: “. . . In the world you will have tribulation . . . “ Remember what happened to Job? Remember Stephen? Stephen was stoned to death at a young age. Acts 6:8; 7:59: “And Stephen, full of grace and power was doing great wonders and signs among the people. . . And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

God just says to us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8. In other words, it is like God is saying to us, “be that as it may, trust me. I am the great I am.”

The author of Psalm 92 goes on to say that even when palm and cedar trees are fully mature, they are full of sap. The sticky substance that drips on your car when parked under a tree, is  sap. The sap is a vital part of a tree’s life. Hormones, nutrients, vitamins, all make-up the contents of fluid (sap) which gives the tree its life from the soil to the rest of the plant. A tree will ooze or drip out sap due to pruning, pests, be damaged, or have a disease. For example, when a bark beetle invades a tree, the tree will produce its sap as a matter of defense and to prevent the insect from laying eggs.

Wisdom to be gained from Psalm 92:12-14:

• Evaluate how you spend your time. Remember every person’s days are numbered. We each get one day to live at a time to fulfill God’s purposes. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not here yet.
• The palm tree and cedar tree symbolize strength. Take time to verbally praise God for the grace and mercy He has freely given so you can become all that He wants you to be. Keep on keeping on for God. Have perseverance. Neither one of these trees reach their full growth in a day. It takes time.
• Even in our older years we can still “bear fruit.” Be vigorous in obedience and in taking in God’s wisdom from His Word daily and live it.

Verses to put into practice to deepen our spiritual roots and be filled with scripture nutrients to our heart (think of it as our sap):

1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Colossians 1:10: “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Ephesians 6:16-18: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

Getting sticky sap on your car or skin is irritating. But the sap serves a purpose in protecting the tree. When a tree is green under its bark, it shows that it is alive and not dead. It will still produce leaves and continue to grow. Trials in life have a similar purpose. They cause us to grow and realize we cannot make it on our own. God is our strength. He is our rock. God is molding us into His image, and sometimes it comes in the form of  discipline. His purpose is to make us stronger.

Only when you have felt a particular deep hurt in life can you in turn, encourage and comfort others that are needing your consoling “apples of gold –  words fitly spoken (Proverbs 25:11).”

I never seem to learn from my successes. But oh the lessons I have learned from my mistakes!

Do you ever feel old and useless? As long as you are still breathing God has a plan for your life. Psalm 90:12 HCSB states: “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.”

What trial(s) in life have you and God worked through together that has made you a stronger woman of God? You need to share these lessons you have learned with a younger woman to encourage her from your story.

Remember a picture of a palm tree or a cedar tree in Lebanon  next time a windstorm hits your life. Don’t be surprised. Be ready with your armor on.

Remember the purpose of sap? Thrive and grow in obedience to God and feed your soul from a verse or chapter in the book of Psalm that will speak to your heart and protect it (like sap does for a tree). God will be your rock. God will be your refuge. Trust in Him.

“Often in the desert you will find orange or lemon trees growing beneath the shade of palms grouped together.” Brian Bell. How important fellowshipping with other Christians is so needed for our refreshment and encouragement.

Who does God want you to share with that He is good and just?

Who is your spiritual mentor? Why?

“Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into intense periods of spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear.” Charles Stanley.

Be a living testimony that the Lord is faithful to His promises. You are one of them! “They (insert your name here) still bear fruit in old age; they (insert your name again) are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:14-15.

Listen to Danny Gokey’s song: “Masterpiece.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJMQdJeqXrs

 

Psalm 91:3-4: “For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”

A “snare” when used as a noun, is a trap used to catch animals. The purpose is to entrap or entangle unaware by the use of grain, which serves as a bribe. These type of traps are often put in a hole in the ground and are concealed from sight. The animal walks into the snare not suspecting danger and is suddenly caught. When used as a verb, the definition of a snare is to catch or involve in trickery. Being caught, enticed, and taken by surprise. Either way, a “snare” is used to capture something or someone unaware of their downfall.

But what does David mean when he said God would deliver from “the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence?” A “fowler” was a hunter of birds of all kinds around Palestine, and these birds were seized for a meal. He was a professional bird catcher. David’s response was that if we keep close to God, He will deliver us from the evil plans laid to ruin us just as a bird sometimes in his struggles in the trap, escapes from “the snare (verse 3).” God will bring us to safety, as Psalm 124:7 declares: “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers (professional bird catchers); the snare is broken, and we have escaped!”

Satan will be very creative when trying to snare us away from God’s truth and get us back into the habit of fear and anxiety. He will use many methods: trickery, circumstances, gossip, pride, fearful thoughts, anxiety, discontentment, and lack of thankfulness, selfishness, overloaded schedule, and lack of trust, lack of faith, lack of self-confidence, and lack of hope. These will keep us trapped in his snare of guilt, shame, frustration, or feelings of failure. He will change it up from time to time, when we least expect it, to try to make us fall and not rely on our Lord and Savior. It won’t just be one snare. He has many! I must admit, having a lack of patience with people has been a trap I have fallen into recently, among others.

I was listening to a sermon on TV from Charles Stanley, on overcoming discouragement. He advised that we need to be aware that giving into discouragement often leads to sin. That made me put myself in pause mode. I had to stop and think about that statement. He went on to say that “sometimes God allows disappointments to occur so that you will learn to rely on Him more fully—to walk by faith and not by sight. But never forget this: while disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice. You should not allow the challenges that arise to steal your enthusiasm or confidence in Him.” Did you ever realize feeling dismayed, depressed, beaten down, and disheartened could lead you to sin? I didn’t, but I see he has a valid point and something to be on guard against.

The male lion is the one with the beautiful mane and loud roar. Along beside a river, a male lion will scare a herd of animals with its loud and ferocious roar. However, the female lion is waiting in a place that is not evident. The lioness is hiding in tall grass and waiting. Because she does not have a large mane she is not as easily seen. Then the male lion will let out his huge roar that can be heard from up to five miles away, and come from the front. But he is not the real threat. So the gazelle or antelope will then run as far away as possible only to be eaten up by the female lion hiding and unnoticed. The various animal’s instincts were wrong and cost them their lives. They should instead have run to the roar instead away from it and avoid being trapped. Isn’t that just like our emotions? When you run from things that cause you anxiety and worry, you may be running into danger.

“If you fail to face your fears, they will always be right there behind you. You must suppress the little voice inside that’s telling you to get out of Dodge. It is not your friend. When you feel that panicky fight-or-flight sensation and you want to run away, do the opposite. Run toward the roar. You have come into the kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).” Levi Lusko. “Through The Eyes of a Lion. Facing Impossible Pain Finding Incredible Power.”

How do we keep from falling into Satan’s conniving bribery? By reading and meditating on God’s Word – even if it is only one verse for the whole day. Review it. Repeat it out loud. Have it taped to your bathroom mirror. Be on guard with the shield of faith to fight against being caught unaware in the snares of  discouragement, defeat, fear, pride, unforgiveness, and anger which will all lead to sin. Proverbs 18:10 states: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

Remember, God is your refuge and fortress. His faithfulness is a shield for you to wear. You even have angels commanded by God to guard you (Psalm 91:11)!

When facing a trial or problem stop to pray for wisdom, for God’s solution, and for His answer. Sometimes doing nothing is the answer at first. This is a process. Sometimes it involves tears. Sometimes it takes a period of grief. Sometimes it takes laughter. It takes working through anxiety (the synonym word for that is worry) of painful circumstances as God simply needs us to fully trust Him. God will prove Himself faithful. Remember He knows your name (Psalm 91:14)!

“We live in a culture that celebrates fifteen minutes of fame, but God honors a lifetime of faithfulness.” Mark Batterson, “Chase the Lion. If Your Dream Doesn’t Scare You, It’s Too Small.”

“IF YOU TAKE A SELFIE, YOU WON’T SEE THE VERSION OF YOURSELF YOU ARE MEANT TO BECOME, NO MATTER WHAT FILTER YOU USE.”  ― Levi Lusko, “Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power.”

“A failure to understand how powerful and extraordinary God’s plans for you are will lead to you being taken advantage of by the enemy and failing to live up to your potential.”  ― Levi Lusko, “Through the Eyes of a Lion: Facing Impossible Pain, Finding Incredible Power.”

Question: What verse reminds you that the end of your story has not taken place yet?

Question: What do you need to be delivered from?

What “snare” have you fallen into this week and what can you do to be on guard it won’t happen again?

May you experience mercy, grace, and the richness from God’s love in your life today as you find refuge in Him. Fear nothing. Say out loud Psalm 91:2 from the MSG: “GOD, your’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!”

Listen to Casting Crown’s song “Just Be Held.”

 

Psalm 63 was written while David was in the Judean wilderness, either during his flight from Saul (1 Samuel 23) or more likely from Absalom (2 Samuel 15; Psalm 63:11) his son, who had betrayed him and was out to kill David. Absalom led in a conspiracy against his father, with the intent of winning over the throne. He deceived the people in his revolt to be king without God’s authorization.

Psalm 63:3-5: “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.”

David knew that the same God that protected him as a shepherd boy, from the giant Goliath, was the same God that could protect him from the wicked King Saul, and his son Absalom. Despite David’s circumstances, he sustained deep devotion, faith, trust, allegiance, commitment, and love for God, by his practice of continually worshipping God. That was how David was able to stand firm in the expectation of God’s power in his life. He kept on singing sacrificial praises of God’s blessings in his life.

David’s life was in danger, and yet he declared God’s love was better than life as he sang or said words of adoration up to God. It says David held his hands up to God, which was an Old Testament posture of prayer, and an act of readiness to receive every good gift that would come from God. Question: “Was David in church when he did this or alone?” Just a thought. But the point is David did not lack words of thanksgiving and allegiance to God while undergoing an extreme life threatening situation. His stress level was over the charts. But he still maintained joy in the Lord as his strength and foundation. I don’t think I always do that during life’s ups and downs.

David refers to “fat and rich food,” which was a metaphor comparing emotional and spiritual satisfaction of God’s presence with the gratification of fulfillment and pleasure of a banquet of rich food. Today, our healthy-rich foods are – bacon, avocados, cheese, dark chocolate, whole eggs, salmon, nuts, chia seeds, and extra virgin olive oil. Each one provides numerous health benefits.

Dark Chocolate: Provides 11% fiber and over 50% RDA for iron, magnesium, copper, manganese. Outranks blueberries in antioxidants. Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure. Can improve brain function and protects skin from damage when exposed to the sun. High in fat but loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Effective in improving cardiovascular health. There you go! I need to eat more dark chocolate!

Think about the setting when David was hiding from the very people that were trying to kill him. He was all alone. He was in the desert of Judah. But David knew God was the only one to be there for him. In the stillness, in the quiet, David knew God was right there with him. So he made good use of his time by praying and lifting his praise up to God, despite his surroundings and loneliness. God’s steadfast love was very personal for David. He believed God alone was sufficient. The Message states Psalm 63:3-5 very uniquely:

“In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains! I bless you every time I take a breath; my arms wave like banners of praise to you. I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!”

David had a constant appreciation, praise, happiness, joy, and affection for God. Why? Because David owed his existence to God and he knew God’s love for him was better than life itself. David had the belief that only real satisfaction comes from our heavenly father (Psalm 63:5). David desired God’s will over his own position of leadership.

In studying the Psalms this summer, I see how David cried out to God many times when he was in deep distress. He had times of depression from circumstances. But he didn’t get stuck there. He expressed his feelings vividly up to God. Psalm 64:1 states: “Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.” David had complaints and prayed specifically for his needs. But David always in the end spoke and sang beautiful words of adoration, thanksgiving, and praises up to God. All through the book of Psalm, David calls God his shield, protector, his hope, rock, salvation, fortress, provider, refuge. David declares God answers with awe-inspiring works (Psalm 65:5 HCSB).

We all have to remember that Satan and his forces are out to threaten us with guilt, shame, frustration, and feelings of failure. That will play havoc in our lives and distract us from praising the God who gave us life. David experienced attacks on his life more than once and from his own son. David was not perfect. But he spoke and sang beautiful songs of praise to God when he needed God’s presence, protection, and provision. Psalm 62:6 David declares: “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”

Just as eating healthy fats in our diet (avocados contain 40% more potassium than bananas) will give us needed physical benefits, so will meditating on God’s word, and giving Him thanks continually throughout our day. Giving praise and glory up to God, will provide peace, joy, and result in full spiritual benefits from blessings of satisfaction, in being filled with the fullness of God.

“Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live.” Louie Giglio.

“Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.”—Charles Spurgeon

What attacks or threats have you experienced lately? How does God want you to respond?

Sometimes it is better to simply do nothing in response to feeling threatened or being misjudged. Think about that for a moment.

May God fill you with His blessings today as you give Him praise for what He has done in your life. May your soul be satisfied in the Lord much more than dark chocolate.

Listen to Casting Crown’s “Already There.”

 

 

 

Sometimes waiting is part of God’s plan. Romans 8:25 HCSB states: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.” Sometimes waiting involves courage in not giving into discouragement.

The word “wait” occurs 85 times in the ESV. In the Bible we find many people who had to “wait on the Lord,” just as we as believers have to wait on Christ’s return. We can learn lessons of accepting and tolerating delays in life from some of these Bible “waiters:”

• Abraham and Sarah had to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promise of a child to be born. God waits until it was impossible and then makes the impossible happen. His name was Isaac. Genesis 17:16.
• Moses didn’t lead the Exodus until he was 80. Exodus 7:7.
• Moses had to go up to a mountain and wait for God to give him the ten tablets of stone with the law and commandments, which God had written for Moses to teach and give instruction to the people regarding God’s laws. Exodus 24:12.
• Noah, being warned by God, constructed the ark for the saving of his family. Noah waited 120 years for rain. When the flood came, and they were all in the ark, they all had to wait for the rain to stop for many months, before they could leave the ark and live on dry land. Genesis 7-8; Hebrews 11:7.
• Job learned the lesson of waiting for God’s restoration and blessings from his many trials. He learned to know God more deeply through it all: Job 42:1: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” God restored all that Job lost, as it says in Job 42:12: “And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.”
• David waited on God alone throughout the book of Psalms for safety and deliverance from various enemies. One example is Psalm 62:1: “For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.”
• David showed steadfastness in waiting on God as it says in Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”

Listen for the Holy Spirit’s prompting in bringing to memory verses you have read and stored in your heart while you are “in the wait.” It will grip you. Ask God to make His word fresh to you. I will sometimes ask Him to make what I am reading in my Bible zing in my heart, so I get it.

WAIT on the Lord.

LOOK FOR His guidance and provision with expectation and anticipation.

HOPE – Psalm 42:5: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”

Throughout Psalm 62. David talks about waiting on God alone. He declares God is his fortress, his rock, his salvation, his refuge. He says His hope is from God alone and is reliable.

“. . . when you trust the Lord God to give you the next step, when you wait in humility upon Him, He will open the doors or close them, and you’ll get to relax until He says ‘Go.” Chuck Swindoll.

What are you waiting on God for this week? Write it down and date it on your prayer list.

What verse gives you hope and courage in working through a struggle of an unanswered burden or circumstance? Write the date next to the verse in your Bible. Scripture is the primary means for God to speak. Ask God to help you to be spiritually alert and aware of His presence and movements. Remember, God is with you everywhere and at all times.

Wait for the LORD. Look for His astounding provision. Hebrews 11:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

“God’s plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day.” Louie Giglio.

Listen to Danny Gokey – “Hope in Front of Me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KIhYZQ_ovw

 

Are you aware that when we say words of thanksgiving and praise up to God, it reshapes and changes the neuron patterns in our brain? The neural antidepressant is gratitude. Giving thanks and gratitude boosts levels of Serotonin and Dopamine – the brain’s happy chemicals and the same chemicals targeted by antidepressant medications.

Psalm 50:23: “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me, to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Grumbling, words of discontentment, having an unthankful heart grows like weeds within our mind and travels straight to our heart and corrupts it. It can become a hard habit to break.

We have mint growing everywhere in the front, side, and back of our house. It is just like a weed except it can be eaten, gives flavor to vegetables, fruits, and drinks. The roots of mint are called runners. These runners are invasive. If you plant a mint plant in a cracked flower pot in the ground, the runners will find a way out through the crack and continue to spread. Mint will take over if planted in the ground and not in a container. Mint roots can be pulled or dug out of the ground, but it will come back and take over any flower bed. Our invasive mint plants remind me of how complaining, griping, whining, all have a negative impact on our attitude. That is why mustering up a happy and thankful attitude is a choice. It sometimes takes work. Lack of joy, whittles away at our hope and faith that God has this. Nothing is too hard for Him!

The NET (New English Translation) puts it this way for Psalm 50:23: “Whoever presents a thank-offering honors Me. To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.”

It is said that thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is better.

As I was meditating this week on keeping a joyful attitude and verbalizing my gratitude up to God, I was challenged in having a thankful attitude no matter what circumstances occur. I received a call late in the work day. It was not good news and I was perturbed. This newly received information I knew would affect adversely one of my largest customers. I then had to be the deliverer of this bad news and had to make a call I hated to make. I knew this would cause a serious inconvenience and be upsetting. In barely five minutes after my phone conversation, I received an email from this customer, that did not make me happy. Their large order was cancelled, we were reprimanded, and I lost this order to a competitor. I knew I could blame others for this negative result, but it was out of our control. One important detail was overlooked (I found out the following day) of the information communicated. Stress took over analyzing all factors and missing the right solution that was there all along. My large sale vanished. Lesson learned: Ask more questions first, next time this happens. Then re-assess.

So there I was for the next hour trying to control my thoughts and digest the end of my work day. I kept reading out loud Psalm 145:1-3 over and over. I have been working on memorizing these very verses, which is a song of praise of David. Then Psalm 50:23 also came to mind. I knew it was not a coincidence that I was being tested on giving praise back up to God instead of dwelling on this work problem. It was over. What was done was done. That night I prayed: “OK God, show me your divine power. I praise You, and this is my sacrificial offering up to You right now.”

It is easy to have thoughts of resentment, and bitterness when things appear to go wrong. Then those roots turn into runners, just like the roots of our mint plants outside, and have to be weeded out of our hearts by focusing instead on thankfulness and joyful praise back up to God for all He has done in our lives. Then peace can dwell securely instead of dissatisfaction and grudges.

Here are seven verses to pray back to God, to reboot our minds in cultivating and choosing to have a thankful heart:

Habakkuk 3:17-18: “Though the fig tree not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Colossians 3:15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

Psalm 69:30: “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”

Psalm 100:4: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name.”

Psalm 113:3: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”

Psalm 145:2 “Everyday I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

“Satan so hates the genuine praise of Christ that his fiery darts of discouragement are not effective against us when we respond in praise.” William Thrasher.

How many days do you live out Psalm 113:3: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!”? David praises God throughout the whole chapter of Psalm 113. He says from sun up to sun down the name of the LORD is to be praised! I need to cultivate praising God more each day.

God is simply saying back to us when we praise Him: “But Wait! I will show you!” What will He show us? God will then show us His power, His strength, His goodness, His working things out for our good, squelching Satan’s attacks, and the list could go on and on. Giving exultation up to God will be the remedy that will boost your second wind of energy that will kick in when you feel exhausted from the frustrations throughout the day. But wait, and let God show you Himself after you offer up your sacrifice of extolling devotion and appreciation of praise up to Him.

How long can you pray without asking God for anything?

Write out your own “Tribute of Bravo” up to God. I have started to write my own in my journal book.

Listen to Casting Crowns, “Praise You in this Storm.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5bLvVjJ4MA