Matthew 6:9-13 – “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” NKJV
When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray this is the prayer that He gave them as a guide. It is so powerful and sadly has become something committed to memory and uttered frequently with little thought as to what is being said.
Let’s consider it briefly:
It begins by recognizing the Heavenly Father as Hallowed.
It moves to the recognition that His Will is preeminent overall in both heaven and on earth.
It recognizes that our daily provisions and life come from Him.
It recognizes and acknowledges that He is the one who can forgive.
It acknowledges our responsibility to forgive others remembering our own forgiveness.
It seeks His help, guidance, and enablement to not succumb to temptation and to be protected and delivered from the work of evil.
It concludes with the recognition of God’s Position, Power, and Permanence.
If that won’t get your motor running your engine is dead. As you pray this prayer think about what is being said, acknowledged, and requested. I believe that as you do you will view life differently and others with a different perspective.
May God be with you as you go through your day! Blessings
Luke 2:1-20 – “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Glory in the Highest. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” NKJV
May today be a day that is long remembered as a very special and blessed day in your lives! God bless and keep you is my prayer – – MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Luke 2:1-3 – “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.”NKJV
The prophets of old declared that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Had Augustus, an evil tyrant, not made his decree Mary & Joseph would not have been in Bethlehem. They were there to fulfill the prophecy that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. God used a tyrant to facilitate the fulfillment of His prophetic word. Isn’t it amazing how God will use the base things of this life to achieve His purposes? While I never applaud evil governments or tyrants I applaud this event in that it helped facilitate the purposes of God and we would have a day that we would come to celebrate as Christmas in honor of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ the Savior!
I don’t know what was going on in the hearts of Mary & Joseph that night as the time of delivery neared. I know the Bible tells us that Mary pondered things in her heart regarding this child and the words of the Angel from God.
As we stand on the Eve of the day that we have set aside to celebrate the birth of our Messiah let us allow the anticipation and excitement that heaven must have had flood our hearts. Then on the morrow when we gather around the tree or whatever your custom is, consider the “Reason for the Season.” I’ve had people tell me Christmas is for kids. I beg to differ it is for mankind.
It is for Redemption, Restoration, and LIFE! It is for Remembrance of what the birth of Jesus meant then and now. Without that event, we would still be in darkness bound by the powers of darkness and slaves to the devil. But because of a cold, dark, meager stable as a place, we have HOPE! In those humble surroundings the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS came into this world for the express purpose of Redeeming that which was lost – You and Me!
On this Christmas Eve allow your mind to entertain the real reason for this holiday and I believe that it will have a transforming effect on your heart and mind and even your relationship with others. It will most assuredly make this day and tomorrow even more special to you!
With that, I say MERRY CHRISTMAS to all. May the richest and best of the blessings of the Lord be yours on this Christmas and may Jesus become the focal point of all that you do as you reflect on God’s incredible love!
Luke 21:7-36 – – [Key v. 26] – “…men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” NKJV
Let’s take a look at today, and when we do, we realize that the Seeds of Fear are everywhere. Let’s examine some cases in the Bible where men overcame fear and walked in trust.
In Judges 3 we have the story of Gideon. He had an army of 32,000 to face an army of 135,000 which is about 4 to 1 odds bad but not terrible. God said, “That’s too many send the fearful home” and 22,000 left. Thanks a bunch Lord! Now the odds have shifted dramatically it is not 10,000 against 135,000 or 13.5 to 1. That is not good in anybody’s book. But God wasn’t through and said “Still too many” so when he got through there were only 300 left. This is impossible! 300 against 135,000 that is 450 to 1 and nobody in their right mind would attempt those kinds of odds UNLESS your focus is right. Gideon TRUSTED GOD!
I believe that he had a Covenant Mentality as is described in Joshua 23:10 – “One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised.” If you will recall the Promises of God you remember the words of Leviticus 26:8, “Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand…” Then you go to Deuteronomy and you find in 28:7 –“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they shall come against you one way and shall flee before you seven ways.”
I’m liking this! In Deuteronomy 32:30 – “How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight UNLESS their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given them up?” You see with God All Things Are Possible! If the Lord is for us, then who can be against us and if they are, they are in deep trouble!
If you look at what Hollywood and television are producing these days, you quickly realize that we are being set up for the bombardment of the supernatural and they are planting seeds of fear. The increase in mass shootings, military unrest in the world, the rise of Islamic jihad, the political agenda, and even the natural disasters all link together to cause man to FEAR! But we do not have to fear and are even instructed to not fear.
Luke 12:32 – “Fear not little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Remember the Lord’s message to the Church at Smyrna in Revelation and to us today in Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the Crown of Life.”
We overcome Fear with Truth! We need to know who God is! We need to know what Jesus has done! The 1st Adam lost dominion, but the Last Adam won it back and has brought to the human race Redemption!
KEEP THIS IN MIND:
We are Sons and Daughters by Faith – – Galatians 3:6-9
The Abrahamic Covenant is Ours – – – Galatians 3:13-14
God’s Promises to us are not set aside by the Law – – Galatians 3:19-21
We are Heirs by Faith through the Work of Jesus Christ – – Galatians 3:25-29
As Galatians 5:1 tells us, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free…” Remember Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians 1:18-23 – “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the Glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
We are One Body – His Body! (Ephesians 2:10-16) and have been made complete in Him – (Colossians 2:9-10)
Remember that if we are In Christ the devil has “no legal claim” on us. Jesus stripped him of his authority, and he cannot take back what Jesus has already taken we just need to live in Christ’s victory. We need to understand that Restoration is not us taking something back it is receiving what Jesus has taken. The Tabernacle is a picture of the Christian walk and shows the process and progression of Birth then growth.
We are to be living manifestations of the Finished Work of Jesus Christ in this present world. We have nothing to Fear because we have Him who has overcome all the power of the wicked one. We are More Than Conquerors through Jesus! Therefore, when Fear tries to grip your heart, remember Christ’s Finished Work and Resist and the devil must flee!
Luke 21:7-36 – – [Key v. 26] – “…men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” NKJV
Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday, regarding Faith and Fear let’s dig a little deeper today. Hopefully, this will provide some useful thoughts that will help you walk a more victorious life in the face of the assaults of the enemy. The subject matter from yesterday brings a question to the fore that reflects the problem.
How do we gain or maintain control to face something we can’t control? The problem is we have participated in Adam’s sin and become a part of the Cosmic Rebellion that doomed the human race. That sin or fall created the need for Jesus to come, live among us, and die on the Cross. The Cosmic Rebellion was Disobedience and basically was that man decided, with the help and suggestion of the devil to become the Center of His Universe. Remember in Genesis when the serpent said, “you shall be as God”? Man fired God and installed Self on the throne of his life in an attempt to become god, which is the ultimate rebellion.
Romans 6:16 – “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?” NKJV
Putting it as simply as I can, when we “disobeyed” God, we “obeyed” the devil and through that act became his slaves. Man lost dominion, lost authority, lost power, lost relationship, and lost covenant. Simply man was L-O-S-T! One preacher said it was as though man was “born-again backward.”
We understand that the devil is a supernatural being and we are natural beings. When we come to that realization, we will understand that when he brings things into our paths, we are no match for him in our own strength. That causes FEAR to rush in like a flood. As we allow SELF to occupy the top spot in our lives, we are a prime target, for inordinate FEAR. However, if our focus is truly on God – – WE DO NOT FEAR!
From what the Bible teaches us there are two basic approaches to fear for man:
Psalm 56:3 – David said: “When I am afraid, I will put my Trust in Thee….”
Isaiah 12:2 – Isaiah said: “Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.”
Both are good, but one is better! It is far better to TRUST first and not FEAR than to FEAR first and then TRUST. Both reached the point of trust, but one took a more difficult route.
Luke 12:32 – “Do not be afraid, little flock, for our Father has chosen to gladly give you the Kingdom.”
Hebrews 13:6 – “…so that we can confidently say, The Lord is my Helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?”
1 John 4:18 – “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
Psalm 27:1-2 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall, I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? When the evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.”
Psalm 31:13-14,20 – “For I have heard the slander of many, terror is on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they schemed to take away my life. But as for me, I trust in Thee, O Lord.”
Proverbs 1:33 – “But he who listens to me shall live and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.”
2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given to us the spirit of timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline (sound mind).”
Proverbs 10:24 – [Key: Get this straight] –“What the wicked fears will come upon him, and the desire of the righteous will be granted.” This is not talking about a momentary bout with fear but becoming Fearful and being Wicked. It is a Spirit of Fear!
Hebrews 2:14 – Speaking of the work of the Cross: “Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render POWERLESS [unemploy] him who HAD [past tense] the power of death, that is, the devil.” [Emphasis mine]
[v.15] – “and might deliver those who through FEAR OF DEATH were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Basically, there are two groups of people living on this planet. Those who are in Slavery to the Fear of Death and those who have been delivered.
Isaiah 8:12 – “…you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it….”
As you go through life look to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith and the one who, through His Finished Work on the Cross defeated the devil permanently! You are victorious through Jesus!
I will stop here and pick up tomorrow for a little more! Blessings!
Luke 21:7-36 – – [Key v. 26] – “…men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” NKJV
Those who know me know how much Covenant is a foundational principle in the ministry and passion that God has planted in my heart. I’ve had people say about me, “Get around Roy for 5 minutes and he is talking about Covenant.” That is because God has burned it in my heart, and I see it as the foundation for everything in our Christian lives once we have received Jesus as our personal savior and Lord!
But before one can get to the Covenants, which is a full 12 to 18-month study if we met once a week for at least an hour and examined the details of Covenant and how they relate to us today. It is far to, vast a subject for me to even attempt in these brief devotionals. Yet knowing that Covenant is the “Heart of God” for His People and the Key to our Becoming what He is coming back for – A Glorious Church! A Church without spot or wrinkle, walking in the fullness of His Victory at the Cross and that through Covenant we come to a more complete understanding of our Completeness in Him, I must try!
Before we can even remotely consider Covenant, we must come to an understanding of what has happened, what is happening, who we are, as well as the Time in which we live. We are in what I call, “The Battle Before the Battle.” I believe that we are living in the most crucial time that the World and the Church have known to date. We must Redeem the Time and Discern the Time of our Visitation.
In that respect, it doesn’t matter where you are in your spiritual development. This is critical whether you are a “babe in Christ,” a “seasoned theologian,” or a “fully matured” believer. It is important because, in my view, you cannot walk in the fullness of God’s Covenant if you do not understand the Covenant and its Foundation!
Keep in mind that much of what I am going to present is elementary. It is Basic Christianity! The fundamental, foundational principles must be understood if we are going to be All We Can Be for the Kingdom and in the Kingdom!
InMatthew 10:26-28, we find Jesus instructing His disciples concerning their mission gave them authority, power, and warning of the dangers and problems which lay before them. They were told where it would come from as well as how to respond to it.
[Verse 36] – “And a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.
HOUSEHOLD – – – Root = “oy-kos”: Family (kin) – – can also include spiritual family, church, denomination, persuasion, etc. No Loyalty! No Covenant! It is a picture of Life with self at the center.
I urge you to hear this carefully. We’ve been taught that satan’s greatest weapon is creating “doubt,” but I believe that “doubt” is a by-product of the problem, not the problem. In my personal view, the greatest weapon is Fear!
Fearful people make irrational decisions. They can only see the problem (perceived or real). They can only see the Danger or Potential Danger, not the Solution. Fear creates a state of hopelessness and creates doubt! It is impossible to walk in Faith and Fear at the same time!
FAITHhas Hope FEAR is Hopeless
FAITHhas VisionFEAR is Blind or Visionless
FAITH TrustsFEAR Distrusts and Doubts
FAITHhas JoyFEAR has Torment and Depression
FAITH has PatienceFEAR has Impatience
FAITH produces LifeFEAR produces Death
The opposite of Faith is not Doubt it is Fear! Doubt is a by-product of Fear and Fear is the result of having a Wrong Focus! Fear comes when we view or face something that we perceive to be bigger than we and beyond our control. It focuses on our Ability, not God’s Covenant and Promise! I will stop here and pick up tomorrow with more on this subject.
God be with you as you go through your day and enable you to walk in Faith rather than Fear! Blessings!
Proverbs 29:12 – “If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.” NIV
If you want to know what is wrong in the world today, this is one of the factors. Our leaders are listening to and telling lies. The lies may be coming from other people or the imps of hell themselves, but a lie is a lie and the result is corruption to all associated with it.
We are not isolated islands and what we do, hear, listen to, and say affects others not just us. I’ve had people say, “Well I’m not hurting anybody, just myself.” WRONG! You are affecting more people than you realize by your good and bad. It is especially harmful when it is a clear leader or ruler because the number affected escalates exponentially depending on the prominence of the leader. Then every official under him/her affects lives and the lives they affect touch others and it becomes a never-ending line of harm.
If you want something or some way to pray, I suggest we pray for leaders. I suggest we pray that God will cause them to Hear & Speak the TRUTH! They may reject it, but at least they will have heard it and God will deal with that in a sure way. He will deal with it in us and those in positions of leadership. He will, as He did with King Saul, remove them from their positions if they reject His directive. It is not praying for the removal of a leader or leaders but for them to HEAR TRUTH! Their response to truth will judge them.
In our own lives I pray that we we will always seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and apply that truth, light, and love to our lives. May we seek to walk in the center of His will and fulfill His purpose in our lives on this earth daily! If we do, I can assure you He will not only lead us into truth but will bring peace and prosperity to our lives. It may not be money but prosperity that begins on the inside and works its way out into the everyday living of our lives.
Ephesians 6:4 –“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” NKJV
Colossians 3:21 –“Fathers, do not exasperate your children so that they will not lose heart.” NASB
Proverbs 22:6 –“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” NKJV
Since I was a child, much has changed regarding the accepted norm in child-rearing and whose responsibility it is to train the child. Scores of books have been written about discipline or the lack thereof, about spanking or the damage that does, etc. My dad was a disciplinarian in our home. He could not quote a lot of Bible verses, but he did now a couple and practiced them.
Proverbs 13:24 – “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” NKJV
Proverbs 23:13-14 –“Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.” KJV
He knew those, believed those and practiced those while teaching me discipline, the value of giving my word and honoring it, respect for my elders. He instilled in me the importance and value of doing what is right even when no one is looking. He taught me that it was unacceptable to fail to treat women with respect and dignity. In his mind, it was unconscionable to fail to give a full day’s work for a day’s wage. Those are a part of my internal makeup and shape who I am. My father applied the “rod” more than once to my young anatomy and to this day I am grateful that he loved me enough to discipline me and keep me heading in the right direction.
God wants fathers to both “train” and “admonish” their children. Training has to do with actions. It has to do with teaching them how to and in some cases how not to. Whereas admonition has to do with words, what you say and how you say it. I’ve heard fathers constantly tell their children that they were stupid, worthless, and would never amount to anything.
I witnessed a relative tell his son & daughter how worthless they were from the time they could walk. He told his daughter she would be a “whore”, a “tramp”, a “slut” and his son that he would never amount to anything. Both children, now grown, have experienced major problems and both have looked to me through the years in times of trouble as a haven to run to, often too late.
My dad, though a disciplinarian always instilled in us that we could do anything that we set our hearts and heads to. He had very little formal education but knew how to do more things than most men I know, as could my maternal grandfather. His administering of discipline was not out of anger or because he was the adult and we were the child and he could, but because he wanted to prevent us from taking the wrong course in life. I know that every child is different and differing types of discipline works with different children but for me, he had the right course of action, I needed a firm hand.
I’ve been told that I have a “mother’s love” for my children because of the great love that I demonstrate toward them. Yet, I respond to that saying, “No, I think that you misunderstand the love that most men have for their children, I just express it a little differently than many.” A true father has no greater desire than to see his children grow up and become responsible, productive members of society. If he is a Christian father, he can have no greater joy than to see them serve the Lord and then raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
One of my closest high school friends father drank heavily and would come in and beat his wife. My friend, by the time he was 15 could take it no longer and on numerous occasions would physically fight his drunk father to protect his mother. His father provoked him to anger and though he recognized him as his biological father he held no respect for him and later when his dad turned to the Lord it was almost impossible for the son to accept the change, because of the history.
I raised my sons with a firm hand but always attempted to communicate to them that what I was doing was out of my love for them and attempted to teach them not only what was going to happen but why and what the objective was for their lives. Both, are great young men today, serving the Lord and loving their dad (me) as I love them.
God disciplines us because He loves us not because He doesn’t. Sometimes, He just speaks, and a word is enough. Sometimes, He allows us to fall into our own pit for a time because a word was not enough.
We are sometimes like the little lamb that would run around everywhere without discipline and finally fall off the cliff onto a ledge. We cannot get off by ourselves and the wise shepherd will sometimes allow that little lamb to stay there for an extended period of time, while closely watching and carefully guarding the lamb and then will pick it up from the ledge and the shepherds have been known to break the little lamb’s leg and then carry it on his shoulders until it is healed before allowing it to run free again.
The result was the lamb responded to the voice of the shepherd! I’m not saying God is going to break our legs, but He will let us lay on the ledge for a time so we can see the folly of our ways and then pick us up and nurture us back to health.
Fathers if you have a problem with anger, your children will too! If you discipline in anger, they will not get the message you truly want to convey unless it is you want to hurt them. If you discipline, admonish, nurture and train them in the Love of the Lord, then when they are old, they will not depart from it. Your job is important but not more important than your family. Your ministry is important but not more important than your family. God has placed under your care and keeping, children (if you are a parent) and holds you accountable for their nurture, admonition, discipline, and training.
You may spank or not spank that’s between you and God, but you are responsible for helping to shape the will of that child at a very early age so that the child will grow up responsible and learn the love and discipline of the Lord from his or her father. (Of course, mothers are vital to this but I’m speaking to the fathers). Children need their fathers in the home not just on their birth certificate. Men be a father don’t just become someone who sires children.
Matthew 21:28-32 –“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” NKJV
What a spectacular beginning to the day! Cool breeze, hot coffee, God’s Holy Word, creatures stirring and coming out of their slumber and hearing the voice of the Lord in my heart. We talked about “Campaign Mode Christianity.”
The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart regarding the political scene and reminded me of how the politicians say one thing on the campaign trail and then fail to keep their promises once they are elected. They are saying what they believe that people want to hear at the moment to buy a vote but are not really committed to doing that which they have promised. It is “verbal” not “heart”.
He reminded me that what we must have is “commitment from the heart” in all that we do, politically, socially, vocationally, financially, and spiritually. Without that, we have nothing more than “Campaign Christianity.” Our families suffer, our relationships suffer, our jobs suffer, our finances suffer, and our souls suffer. He has placed before us “life and death” and it’s up to us to choose “life”.
In this parable we have two sons, one makes the commitment and the other is in campaign mode or just gives verbal assent to what he believes his father wants to hear. One repents and acts upon the desires of his father, the other drifts into his own self-centeredness and does what he wants disregarding the wishes of the father.
Too often, we do that in our lives. In politics, this could be equated to a politician making a commitment (true commitment), to the Constitution, the people, the rule of law, and what is ethically and morally right. On the other hand, he or she could be in Campaign Mode saying what they think we want to hear then following their own greed, graft, and corruption to get what benefits them and their special interest groups or party.
In Christianity, it is a contrast of making a heart commitment, forming a conviction and following the desires of the Father with a whole heart or moving God aside and installing self as the center of our universe and following self. I do not want to be a “Campaign Christian” nor a “Verbal Christian.” I want to be a True Follower of Christ!
Today we have two choices before us, regarding our lives, the sum total of our lives; we can be in a “campaign mode” or we can be in a “committed mode”. The choice is ours! As for me and my house, we choose the Lord!
May the Lord Bless you as you begin your day in Him! May He give you the grace and strength to follow His voice, rely on His grace and strength, and enjoy His presence in all that you do! Have a great day!
Wow, another beautiful day is beginning to unfold. It is a crisp 33 degrees with a 5 MPH East wind blowing. The stillness of the morning invokes memories of my childhood as we would prepare for the field before daylight. Today in my time of Coffee and Conversation with the Lord, He brought this to my mind.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 – “Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. 2 Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.”NKJV
Troubling times are upon us in our great country and throughout the world. We are watching America being dismantled before our very eyes. The attack on freedom and liberty is such that even the most stout-hearted are facing moments of weakness, distress, and almost despair. Yet, when I go to the above-listed passage I am comforted that God has given us clear direction and warning.
Continue to do good. Don’t stop doing the work of the Kingdom. Keep casting your bread upon the waters. It will return to you. Be generous don’t withhold the good that is in your hand to give.
We do not know how evil the evil will be, but we know it will be evil. We don’t know the extent or the speed with which it will overtake this planet and people, but we know that the attack of the evil one is a sure thing. It will be and already is. We, believers, must remain vigilant and “having done all to stand, stand, therefore.”
Don’t let circumstances and present conditions, economically, politically, socially, or spiritually cause you to lose sight of the true objective – The Kingdom of God. Truly, if the clouds are full of rain it will rain. If the earth is filled with evil, evil will manifest itself. Likewise, if the earth becomes filled with the Spirit of God, God will be manifest.
If we lose sight of the One to whom we are to look and lose sight of the objective then we become guilty of being one, “who observes the wind and will not sow, and regards the clouds and will not reap.” Jesus promised a harvest and there will be one. The only question is will we be a part of it?
As I contemplate the condition of this country, the world, and my life, I have some trepidation about where this country is going as well as the world in general. I look inside myself and my cry is, Psalms 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” NKJV
I encourage everyone to keep the faith and keep the focus. Do what you know to do and no matter what happens keep your eye on the prize of the high calling of God! We will not only survive but thrive in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Roy's Covenant Corner 