Sift Through the Entertaining to Find the Sustaining

We watched part of Shark Week which highlights activities and history of sharks. It’s pretty dramatic at times, especially when the larger sharks are showcased. On one episode the crew fought a 70 foot shark! Huge beyond imagination – longer than our house.  I was shocked and awed by it all. I even shared some of the information with a couple of friends.

The next evening we were talking about it with our family.  They asked me if I had read the scrolling information at the end of the show. I had missed it entirely.  They said it was hard for them to read so they slowed it down with their DVR. The words told the truth regardless of what we’d seen. “Dramatized” was the main word for me. The producers had deliberately misled the listening audience. I had been misled. Until I read the truth I had believed a lie. Seeing it in writing I could no longer believed the lie, nor could I share the lie with anyone else. It was all staged for their own profit.  I had been snookered into believing something I had seen. But it couldn’t be backed up with truth.

There is much in this world that we can learn. There is also much that isn’t true. How do we know the difference? How do we sift through the entertaining to find the sustaining? How do we click through the fiction to find reality? How do we keep from being misled and let God lead us into all truth?

Preachers give us the food that teaches us how to live. Teachers give us insight that they get from much study. But we must take in the Word for ourselves. We must be students of God’s Truth. Daily, as we read His Word and ask for the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of our understanding we will know quickly what is false and what is true. Without the Holy Spirit teaching us as we take in the Word we will stay confused and believe whatever we hear. Our faith will waver and our hearts will wonder as we try to mix everything together and find the answers.

Oh beloved, run to the Truth this morning. Let God reveal Himself to you and then let Him guide you into all truth!  He will not only speak facts to cover your fiction, He will speak love to cover your affections. He knows your feelings, He knows your desires and He knows your dreams. He also knows that many times you followed the lie because it seemed easier, felt better and required little if anything from you. But God says if you will trust Him today, He will love you beyond your wildest dreams and show you how to live. Others may have told you they were true but left you fallen and alone. He will replace your mistakes and your missteps, your broken heart and dreams with His friendship, His fellowship and His life. Then you will be able to walk in freedom, share the Truth and gain treasures in heaven. As you grow in His Truth, you will be more than a listener; you’ll be an overcoming believer!

God is true and His Word tells you the truth: that He loves you and He’s for you always and forever and that’s all that really matters.

 

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Psalm 119:160 The very essence of Your words is truth; all Your just regulations will stand forever.

Psalm 19:7 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work. (AMP)

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

You ARE On a Need To Know Basis!

Kids are so inquisitive. They seem to pick up on the very things you try to talk about in private. Their ears perk up more on the quiet whispers between adults than anything else. Ask them to clean their room, close the door, turn down the music or do their homework and they’re often oblivious.




I can remember asking my own parents for more information and mother hushing me. I can remember my ow...n kids inquiring and telling them never mind. I often remember hearing people say and may have used the phrase myself, “You’re on a need to know basis and you don’t need to know!”



Unlike kids, who don’t really need to know everything, believers are on a need to know basis and they do need to know everything! They need to know the Word of God, so they can live not just exist. With the entire counsel of the Word of God, children of the Heavenly King know how to live, how to manage, how to fight and how to win. Not only that, they need to know desperately what it means to be a child of God and just what all is available to them as His children.



Believers need to know that the entire Word of God is true. We need to know that the council of God is right for their life. We need to know that the precepts of the Lord are pure and that they will enlighten the eyes of our understanding. We need to know that the ways of the Lord are right and will keep us walking close to Him. We need to know that the Love of God is always available to us, along with His mercy, grace, and peace. We need to know that we receive our strength from waiting on the Lord.



We need to know how to walk in blessings, how to live in security and how to shine the light of the Gospel for others to see. We need to know that every single Word of God is written so that we may be strong and invincible, victorious over our enemies.



Oh beloved, what do you need to know this morning? What are you wrangling with? What have you heard? You may have gotten a bad report, been told wrong information and become discouraged, disappointed, fearful or worried. Those feelings are not from the Word. God tells you this morning that regardless of your circumstances, which are always temporary, He has a plan for your life and it is wonderful. His plan was settled for you before the foundation of the world so that when you could not see beyond your troubles you could rest on His Word and delight in Him no matter what. Run to His Word, read it all and live by it for that will bring you the Truth in the midst of a perverse generation that knows nothing about the Bible and lives in exact opposition to it.



God will always help you. He will either help you out or help you through. Regardless of your circumstances God is with you. His Word is His bond and you need to know this day, He loves you and He’s for you and that’s the most important thing you will ever know.



Psalm 119:89 Your eternal word, O LORD, stands firm in heaven.



Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.



Psalm 19:8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.



Philippians 2:15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,



Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection.



John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free



John 17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

God is Faithful and That's the Truth

I bought a movie for my hubby for Father’s Day. Since he loves sci-fi I thought I’d get him a new one with a cast of great actors. About 8:30 last night we settled in to watch it. Not far into the show, however, I discovered that it just wasn’t something I wanted to watch.

The lead actor has never been in a movie I didn’t like. So I was well prepared to enjoy even the science-fiction version of something he does. But this was such an incredible stretch from his other movies. I found myself very disappointed in the actor and the movie.  I forgot that he is just an actor. He’s in it mostly for the money. The movies that actors are in don’t often mean anything to them personally. They don’t invest their hopes and dreams in the character they portray; they just learn the lines, act their part and collect the money.

We believers are not acting a part. We can’t just say the words, speak the sonnets, pray the prayers and collect the gifts God gives. We must throw ourselves into something we believe in. We must make sure that what we portray shows the Father heart of God! It won’t matter how good we “act” if our heart’s not in it. We have to decide at some point if we’re going to live for the Lord, even if it costs us everything.

Maybe you have been disillusioned by someone you thought really meant what they said. You believed them and you believed in them. They followed the lines, did a great job and yet you found out their heart wasn’t really in it. You were scorned by someone you thought was real only to find out they were merely an actor, imposter, a pretender. You thought you were loved, you thought you were cared about, you thought it was more than a whim. You’re hurting and you feel so betrayed. You trusted, you followed, you agreed and you cheered them on. Now you’re left alone, left out and feel like someone’s old discards.

In the big screen of life there is One who will never let you down, always live up to His standards, and give completely of Himself to help you believe.  He stoops to help you, pick you up and set you upright. He is the Truth in print, screen and life. He is pure, He is love, He is God!

Oh beloved, run to the Lord this morning and let Him show you the Truth about Himself and about you! He will always lead you into His Truth and you will never be disappointed by a single word or action from Him! He is so incredibly committed to portraying Truth because He is Truth! He is completely committed to portraying Love because He is Love!  He is your way to faith, fellowship and a bright and promising future. If you will trust Him first and foremost, listen to His Words and follow His lead, you won’t have to worry about pretenders, imposters or actors.

Be real with God this morning and let Him show you the genuine favor, blessings and care He has for those who love Him. You’ll never be disappointed for His love is the real thing!

Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (NAS)

 

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (NAS)

 

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?

2 Corinthians 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. (NAS)

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

Troubles Raging? You Will Be Victorious Through God

There’s been a stomach bug raging through the family.  It’s been a real kicker.  It started before Christmas with one daughter. As it went to the next daughter’s family, her kids all got it, one after another.  One day right in the middle of the worst of it, 2 year old Caleb exclaimed, “I don’t like this!” This virus picked people off at random, even hitting in-laws who had happened by to visit.  No ordinary 24 hour bug, this one has been quite lengthy for some.  Between the cold weather, gray skies and this – we’re all ready for spring. We’d just as soon skip the rest of winter!

If we could see viruses with our eyes, we’d avoid them for sure.  We would not purposely enter into the virus’s territory. In the midst of the illness, we find ourselves asking if it will ever end. Being in the throes of these viral events keeps us focused on the sickness and any thought of it being over and a healthier day is hard to believe.

In life’s throes, we often have extreme times of worry, fatigue, fear, sorrow, exclusion or more. In the middle of our troubles, trials and situations often all we can see is what we’re feeling.  We may not have intentionally walked into any of it. It just happens. We look to place the blame so we can avoid it in the future, but life happens. Not everything we go through is sweetness and light. The only way to live a life that might bring us little sorrow is to become a hermit who doesn’t work, doesn’t play, doesn’t travel, doesn’t go outside of our own homes. And, that’s not living.  Besides, trouble doesn’t see the fencepost, the door locks or the boundaries.

You may be in the midst of an extreme battle this day. You’ve tried everything. You may be worn out, done in, played out. Once you knew you would get through this, but now you’re not sure.  You’ve prayed, you’ve sought, you’ve medicated yourself and you’re still in the onslaught. What may have started out as a little problem has turned into a big situation and you’re in the middle of it.  Without a cure, without some respite, you are not sure you’ll make it. 

Oh beloved, don’t give in! You may be on your last leg, but there is one who is able to pick you up right where you are! The Lord is with you! You have not been fighting this battle alone. You may have no strength, but the Lord is the Host of Heaven’s Armies. You may not have seen God with you, but His Word is True and He tells you that He is with you! He tells you that He has His angels encamping around you! He also tells you you have a great cloud of witnesses! This battle is not yours, beloved, this battle belongs to the Lord! Lay your burdens, your hurts, your trials, your battle on the altar of His loving care and let Him finish off the trouble on your behalf. He is able to walk you through the valley, He is able to get you through the sea, and He will not let this flood overtake you! You may feel worn out, but you are an overcomer! You may feel the answer won’t come, but you are not living by sight but by faith. And when this trial is over, you will see yourself as the Lord sees you! You are loved! You are taken care of! You are invincible! You are victorious! Your King is in residence in your heart today and He says the battle belongs to Him!

1 Chronicles 5:20  They cried out to God during the battle, and He answered their prayer because they trusted in Him…

Psalm 18:39  You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued my enemies under my feet.

Psalm 55:18  He ransoms me and keeps me safe from the battle waged against me, though many still oppose me.

2 Chronicles 20:15 He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's.

Ephesians 6:13  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Psalm 46:7  The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Isaiah 8:13  Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

Psalm 24:8  Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle.

Joshua 1:9  This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Bogged Down? Get Out God's Assignments and Praise Him!

When we lived in Tyler we had a huge detached double garage at the back of our lot. This is where I learned to love being a teacher. I had a chalkboard and I loved to write assignments on the board. Oh they’d be long, long assignments! Usually playing school only involved me and Dee Dee, a neighbor. But we’d play! Assignment seemed to always fascinate me. I liked having something to do, a list to remind myself and then to cross it off the list as I accomplished it.  I think that’s one of the reasons Precept Bible Studies was so appealing to me.  We had homework assignments during the week. We would be sent home to glean from the Word.  If you didn’t do your homework, you could not share in class the next week.  I’ll forever be grateful for our time as both Precept students and as Precept teachers.  Learning to study the Bible in depth and find nuggets of Truth for yourself – learning what it really means – gave us an incredible foundation for our faith.

Just as there were assignments in school and in Bible study, there are assignments in life. Some are wonderful – love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gifts of the Holy Spirit, to name a few.  Others aren’t so good.  Fear, condemnation, pessimism, gloominess, hopelessness, despair, to name a few.   One set of assignments is given to us freely by the Lord when we are saved.  The other set of assignments is from the enemy of our very souls. As with all homework we must be careful of what we’re working on – for what you “work on” is what you become proficient in. 

Oh beloved! Run to the Lord this morning and learn your rightful coursework! His Assignment Book is full of good words to learn, great precepts to walk in and awesome power for living!  Every good and perfect gift is from Him! Every sorrowful and depressing gift is from another. God says to you this morning, Come to me, Your Teacher, and learn of Me. When you know Me and My Word, you won’t be tempted to follow the wrong assignments. All of my gifts, every single one of them, are good and pleasing and kind.  I love you, and because of My Great Love, you have no worries concerning learning of Me. I AM for you, so you have no worries concerning following Me! The only way to reject untruth being spoken into your life is to learn MY Truth! Come, beloved, you are heavy laden with lies and discouraging words! Let Me speak Truth into your life so that when it’s all said and done, you will be able to live as more than a conqueror!

God loves you and His Word proves it.  He’s for you and His precepts light the path for you. Hallelujah to the King!

John 17:17 “Make them holy by Your Truth; teach them Your word, which is truth.”

Psalm 19:8  The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. (NAS)

Psalm 119:14-16 I will study Your commandments and reflect on Your ways.  I will delight in Your decrees and not forget Your word.

Psalm 119:110  The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts. (NAS)

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.