II Corinthians 12: 9-10
"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." ... For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul had asked God three times to take away the "messenger of Satan" that caused some kind of physical infirmity, and God's answer told him that he needed this reminder to keep pride at bay for the magnitude of the revelations God had given him.
So his response was that he would rather boast of his weaknesses rather than his strengths, so that God's strength would empower him.
O my Father, thank you for showing me how weak I am. Whenever I think that I have a little strength in myself, Father, show me then that I am weak. Only then will I reach out to You for Your strength. Only when I can be strong in Your strength will I be able to succeed in that that You have placed before me to do. Even in the little day-to-day things, especially in the daily things, I need Your strength and faithfulness, for I have none in myself.
Thank you, Father, for giving me enough time to do everything You want me to do. Help me to not be anxious thinking I haven't enough time, or to be lazy thinking I have plenty of time. I have enough time; help me not to waste even a moment, and give my mind clarity and my hands diligence to accomplish this day my part in Your great Plan of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, April 1, 2017
Friday, March 31, 2017
The Lord On A Lofty Throne
Isaiah 6: 1-8
In the year King Uzziah died I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Attending Him were mighty Seraphim. ... They were calling out to each other, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heavens Armies! The whole Earth is filled with His glory!" ... Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am. Send me."
Holy, holy, holy; You, Lord God, are beyond all human understanding in Your glory, Your majesty, Your beauty, Your wisdom, Your justice, Your grace, Your righteousness, Your mercy, Your patience, Your vengeance. All credit for everything that is accomplished is Yours; for You are carrying out all Your plans and Your intentions will be satisfied.
O my Lord God, my Father, my Redeemer, I surrender to You all that I am. I surrender to You my tears; I seem to have far more tears than one person's allotment--let them be for those who have no tears, those whose bottles are empty; fill them with my tears!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
In the year King Uzziah died I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Attending Him were mighty Seraphim. ... They were calling out to each other, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heavens Armies! The whole Earth is filled with His glory!" ... Then I heard the Lord asking, "Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am. Send me."
Holy, holy, holy; You, Lord God, are beyond all human understanding in Your glory, Your majesty, Your beauty, Your wisdom, Your justice, Your grace, Your righteousness, Your mercy, Your patience, Your vengeance. All credit for everything that is accomplished is Yours; for You are carrying out all Your plans and Your intentions will be satisfied.
O my Lord God, my Father, my Redeemer, I surrender to You all that I am. I surrender to You my tears; I seem to have far more tears than one person's allotment--let them be for those who have no tears, those whose bottles are empty; fill them with my tears!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, March 30, 2017
What Sorrow for those
Isaiah 5: 20 (read the whole chapter)
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is darkness, that bitter (poison) is sweet and sweet is bitter.
Let us come before God confessing the sins of our Nation: We are known in the World as God's people, a Christian nation; and we are despised for all our lewdness and shamefulness.
We have called evil good in promoting perverted acts, and called good evil in calling God's Word, the Bible, a book containing hate-speech.
We have called dark light in "keeping an open mind," and called light darkness in viewing God's glorious Gospel, which is free to all, as exclusive and discriminatory.
We have called bitter sweet in promoting chemicals as "sweeteners" even though they are artificial and are not recognized by our bodies as food; and we have called sweet "bitter" in condemning God's natural sweeteners, like honey, to be "high glycemic."
We have had children ruling over us, with women ruling over them.
O our Father, forgive us! Cleanse us! Heal us! Grant us leaders who will throw down all the altars and shrines and idols of all the demons we have been worshiping instead of You, our Maker and Redeemer. Continue to wake up Your church in our Nation, to follow Your ways, to open the door to receiving Your blessings again, as we did in the past. Let us remember the heights from which we have fallen and do again those good things according to Your good ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is darkness, that bitter (poison) is sweet and sweet is bitter.
Let us come before God confessing the sins of our Nation: We are known in the World as God's people, a Christian nation; and we are despised for all our lewdness and shamefulness.
We have called evil good in promoting perverted acts, and called good evil in calling God's Word, the Bible, a book containing hate-speech.
We have called dark light in "keeping an open mind," and called light darkness in viewing God's glorious Gospel, which is free to all, as exclusive and discriminatory.
We have called bitter sweet in promoting chemicals as "sweeteners" even though they are artificial and are not recognized by our bodies as food; and we have called sweet "bitter" in condemning God's natural sweeteners, like honey, to be "high glycemic."
We have had children ruling over us, with women ruling over them.
O our Father, forgive us! Cleanse us! Heal us! Grant us leaders who will throw down all the altars and shrines and idols of all the demons we have been worshiping instead of You, our Maker and Redeemer. Continue to wake up Your church in our Nation, to follow Your ways, to open the door to receiving Your blessings again, as we did in the past. Let us remember the heights from which we have fallen and do again those good things according to Your good ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Don't Jump To Conclusions
I Corinthians 4: 5
So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, He will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give everyone whatever praise is due.
This is why we are told not to judge one another. We may get a wrong, negative impression, but that does not give us the authority to pronounce them unfaithful. We do not see the whole picture, as God does.
God's servant stands or falls to God, not to another servant. We each will stand before that judgment seat, and we're told that no negative repercussions will result at that time and place, but only "whatever praise is due."
Help me, Father, to put a guard on my tongue, to think and consider before I open my mouth to speak; that I will say only what is encouraging, and uplifting, and beneficial to the hearers.
Help me to "be patient with those who abuse" (4:12) and not react negatively, but respond thoughtfully, following through with gentleness and consideration, and compassion.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, He will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give everyone whatever praise is due.
This is why we are told not to judge one another. We may get a wrong, negative impression, but that does not give us the authority to pronounce them unfaithful. We do not see the whole picture, as God does.
God's servant stands or falls to God, not to another servant. We each will stand before that judgment seat, and we're told that no negative repercussions will result at that time and place, but only "whatever praise is due."
Help me, Father, to put a guard on my tongue, to think and consider before I open my mouth to speak; that I will say only what is encouraging, and uplifting, and beneficial to the hearers.
Help me to "be patient with those who abuse" (4:12) and not react negatively, but respond thoughtfully, following through with gentleness and consideration, and compassion.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Beware In Your Plenty
Deuteronomy 8: 1-18
Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. ... When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. But this is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations and laws. ... Always remember that it is the Lord your God Who gives you power to become rich, and He does it to fulfill the covenant He made with your ancestors.
God knows our hearts, how weak and broken we are. He knows that when we have succeeded and become rich, then our own pride arises in our imaginations and we think that we have gotten all this wealth ourselves; when it is God Who has been faithful to His own Word, the covenant He made with His holy ones of old.
God provides His blessings of abundance in response to our obedience to His commands, regulations and laws; not because of our own efforts.
We are rich when we have enough food to eat, warm clothes to cover our bodies, and a roof over our heads to protect from the elements. Many in the world today do not have even these. When we have more than this, we get spoiled, we allow our hearts to deceive ourselves into thinking that we "deserve" all these extra pamperings, and throw tantrums when we think we're being deprived of some trinket.
Please, Father, open our eyes to see the Truth of what is happening in our land. Set us on fire for You, Lord, to cast down all the altars and idols and shrines to all the demons, and let us return to You, our true Shepherd of our souls.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. ... When you have eaten your fill, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. But this is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations and laws. ... Always remember that it is the Lord your God Who gives you power to become rich, and He does it to fulfill the covenant He made with your ancestors.
God knows our hearts, how weak and broken we are. He knows that when we have succeeded and become rich, then our own pride arises in our imaginations and we think that we have gotten all this wealth ourselves; when it is God Who has been faithful to His own Word, the covenant He made with His holy ones of old.
God provides His blessings of abundance in response to our obedience to His commands, regulations and laws; not because of our own efforts.
We are rich when we have enough food to eat, warm clothes to cover our bodies, and a roof over our heads to protect from the elements. Many in the world today do not have even these. When we have more than this, we get spoiled, we allow our hearts to deceive ourselves into thinking that we "deserve" all these extra pamperings, and throw tantrums when we think we're being deprived of some trinket.
Please, Father, open our eyes to see the Truth of what is happening in our land. Set us on fire for You, Lord, to cast down all the altars and idols and shrines to all the demons, and let us return to You, our true Shepherd of our souls.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, March 27, 2017
A Time And A Way
Ecclesiastes 8: 5-6
Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.
O my Father, Your wisdom truly is so far above what any Earthly, worldly wisdom can even comprehend. Teach me Your wisdom, my Father; I sit at Your feet, ready to learn the details of how I am to conduct my life this day: To see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and to understand with Your perception of the truth of what is transpiring around me and in my life.
Strengthen me with Your strength, for I have none, I am weak and broken. I find that I tend to lose myself in my own little world, and Father, that is not good; that is selfishness and self-centeredness and even pride. When I isolate myself from others I'm saying that I don't need others; others You have given to me to help me, and for me to help them.
Thank you for the accountability You have provided for me, and the people, the friends and family members You have placed around me. Help me to continue to grow into the woman You created me to be.
Use my life today to draw others to You, and may You receive all the honor and glory for this day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.
O my Father, Your wisdom truly is so far above what any Earthly, worldly wisdom can even comprehend. Teach me Your wisdom, my Father; I sit at Your feet, ready to learn the details of how I am to conduct my life this day: To see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and to understand with Your perception of the truth of what is transpiring around me and in my life.
Strengthen me with Your strength, for I have none, I am weak and broken. I find that I tend to lose myself in my own little world, and Father, that is not good; that is selfishness and self-centeredness and even pride. When I isolate myself from others I'm saying that I don't need others; others You have given to me to help me, and for me to help them.
Thank you for the accountability You have provided for me, and the people, the friends and family members You have placed around me. Help me to continue to grow into the woman You created me to be.
Use my life today to draw others to You, and may You receive all the honor and glory for this day.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, March 26, 2017
How Are Things Going For You?
Haggai 1: 5, 7
Consider how things are going for you! ... This is what the Lord Almighty says, "Consider how things are going for you!"
Today we would say, "How's that working out for you?" As we live our lives each day, as we make all the little choices in how to think, what to say, how to say it to those in our lives, are we considering how Jesus would respond in our circumstance or just "going with the flow" of our own attitudes and thinking processes?
Are we "taking to heart" all that we have learned of God's ways? How are things going for you?
Haggai tells the people (in verse 6) that they have planted a lot of seed, but very little has grown to be able to harvest; they eat, but never have enough food; they drink but their thirst is never satisfied; they layer their clothes in the cold weather, but they're never warm enough; and when they earn wages, it's like there are holes in their pockets, there's never enough to pay all the bills.
Have you experienced anything like any of this in your life? Have you put forth the supreme effort to get ahead, only to find yourself two steps behind?
If so, then maybe it's time to pay attention to God's ways, and apply them to our own lives. Maybe it's time to really believe that God knows what's best, even when it looks like it could be detrimental to us. God sees the "big picture" of what's really going on in the World and in our own personal lives each day, and if we're not applying what we know, then we can't expect for things to work out well.
When the Doctor must do surgery to remove the cancer, he must first cut into the body and cause trauma to the bodily systems in order to remove what is harming the patient; then the body can heal.
Doctors aren't God, so they may not be able to do everything we need; but God is our Great Physician Who is also our Maker. He knows every detail of our bodies, as well as the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, and sometimes we need for Him to "cut out" whatever it is that is harming us in order that we can heal and be cleansed. We can trust Him to always do what is best for us.
My dear Father, please teach me how to be supportive, not supplanting. Show me Your Truth in what I am doing before I open my mouth and insert foot! Teach me Your ways, Father, to replace my ways. My ways only divide and drive away, but Your ways are gentle and beautiful, and promote unity and true intimacy.
I need You, Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Consider how things are going for you! ... This is what the Lord Almighty says, "Consider how things are going for you!"
Today we would say, "How's that working out for you?" As we live our lives each day, as we make all the little choices in how to think, what to say, how to say it to those in our lives, are we considering how Jesus would respond in our circumstance or just "going with the flow" of our own attitudes and thinking processes?
Are we "taking to heart" all that we have learned of God's ways? How are things going for you?
Haggai tells the people (in verse 6) that they have planted a lot of seed, but very little has grown to be able to harvest; they eat, but never have enough food; they drink but their thirst is never satisfied; they layer their clothes in the cold weather, but they're never warm enough; and when they earn wages, it's like there are holes in their pockets, there's never enough to pay all the bills.
Have you experienced anything like any of this in your life? Have you put forth the supreme effort to get ahead, only to find yourself two steps behind?
If so, then maybe it's time to pay attention to God's ways, and apply them to our own lives. Maybe it's time to really believe that God knows what's best, even when it looks like it could be detrimental to us. God sees the "big picture" of what's really going on in the World and in our own personal lives each day, and if we're not applying what we know, then we can't expect for things to work out well.
When the Doctor must do surgery to remove the cancer, he must first cut into the body and cause trauma to the bodily systems in order to remove what is harming the patient; then the body can heal.
Doctors aren't God, so they may not be able to do everything we need; but God is our Great Physician Who is also our Maker. He knows every detail of our bodies, as well as the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, and sometimes we need for Him to "cut out" whatever it is that is harming us in order that we can heal and be cleansed. We can trust Him to always do what is best for us.
My dear Father, please teach me how to be supportive, not supplanting. Show me Your Truth in what I am doing before I open my mouth and insert foot! Teach me Your ways, Father, to replace my ways. My ways only divide and drive away, but Your ways are gentle and beautiful, and promote unity and true intimacy.
I need You, Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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