Need A Specialist? You Have the Lord!

He called my office looking for information about pecan trees. No one was in the office except me so I tried to find the information for him about a particular variety of tree. Without having any luck online I got his number and called an agent in another county who is known for his incredible knowledge of pecan trees. As I asked a couple of questions, the agent began giving me information. It was apparent that he knew his stuff. I found out things I never knew about pecan trees as well as the information that my client wanted. I hung up the phone amazed at what that agent knew.

The agent’s reputation preceded him but now I had experienced it for myself. My experience plus his reputation made for certainty. Had I called a cattle specialist with the information I needed I would have come up empty handed. They might have known about pecans but they wouldn’t have the detailed specific information I needed. It’s not their specialty.

I also noted that this agent who had all the information about pecan trees wasn’t just a knowledge base. He loved pecan trees. He enjoyed studying them and sharing his information with whoever called. It was educational to talk with him but it was a delight also. His incredible knowledge was only trumped by his obvious love of the subject. He enjoyed talking about pecan trees with anybody who asked.
It’s obvious when we are in need that what we need is a specialist. We need someone who knows more than we do about the need. But we want more than mere intellectual information. We need more than mere head knowledge. I can find information, but I want heart and soul mixed in. I want someone who loves their subject and is willing to share it with me whenever I need.

God speaks to my heart: Our specialist is God Himself. He has all knowledge. He has information for any situation we may find ourselves in. But He’s not just full of knowledge, He loves us. He loves to share all of His truth with us. He has a knowledge base of all we could ever need to know in the Bible. But He didn’t just send us a book of facts. He sent us a Savior, who went to the cross to give us new life. But more than that. He sent us a Helper, Holy Spirit, to reveal God’s truth to us in wisdom, power and love. God could have just had holy men of God write His Words and put them in a book. But His love compelled Him to want relationship with us. Because of His great love we have fellowship with the One Who knows all. Aren’t we blessed?

Oh beloved, this same Specialist, who knows all, knows all about you as well. This knowledge seems to wonderful to you, I understand. Too good to be true but it is! He will meet all your needs. Every question you have, every desire of your heart is met in Him. Every mistake you want to leave behind and every worry, fear and concern you have is known by Him. And He loves you, so that when you have a need you can go right into His presence and ask anything, knowing that because He is God and He is your Savior and He is your Comforter, He will answer you. Nothing is too hard for Him. He wants to share His amazing information with you. He wants to fellowship with you. He loves you so much that He shares His truth in love. Others may have given you their version of the truth and it may have left you feeling rejected, despised, alone or fearful. Someone may have given you some worldly advice but it did nothing for your heart and soul. God will always give you His perfect Truth. He will tell you the Truth about yourself and that truth is full of His love and grace and mercy. He will not put you down, kick you out or leave you alone. He will also give you peace in the midst of the storm, joy in the midst of the suffering and strength when you are at your weakest.

What an awesome God! To think that we can have fellowship with Him, the one who set the stars in orbit and created the heavens and the earth. Beloved, run to Him first for your needs. He will guide you, direct you and keep you as well as work things out for your good and His glory. He will send you help in due season, friends who know Him well enough to be trusted and give you the ability to stand amidst it all. God loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that really matters as you seek His face and live in the light of His Word.

Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. NIV

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 17:25 and human hands can’t serve His needs—for He has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need.

Psalm 139: 1,5-6 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

What Have you Been Hearing?

“So then Faith comes by hearing…and hearing by the Word of God” Romans 10:17

My husband gets tickled at me as he watches me grab bits and pieces of conversations all around the room. Problem is I just get bits and pieces. I may hear two or three words, but then if I don’t hear the whole thing I may perceive a whole different story than was actually spoken. Later I might ask him about the $90,000 house to find out that particular conversation revolved around 90 people not $90,000!

There is much to listen to in this world. Even the weather channel no longer deals strictly with weather. You can find politics and other stories if you watch for very long. And when it comes to reporters, even those who are considered conservative will wander over into views that aren’t really that conservative. So much information, only two ears and throw in muffled talk and muted voices and you could make up your own version of most any story.

When it comes to faith, though, we don’t have to take other peoples’ word for the truth. They may be speaking the truth, but for us faith comes by hearing and that hearing should be coming straight from the Word of God. Our best quality of information gathering comes when we go straight to the Word of God for our information.  There are many “channels” of faith talk, but we must always sort through the Word of God for ourselves – straight to the source – to make sure we’ve heard things right.

What have you heard?  Maybe you heard that you are useless, castoff, done for. You may have been given a piece of information that said you don’t fit in, you don’t have the right criteria, you are less than. You may have thought you were hearing correctly when the sentence of judgment came past your ears. Those things don’t feed your faith because they don’t line up with the Word of God. Unless you go straight to the source and find out the truth for yourself, you will be destined to live in the darkness of untruth and half-truth.  Partial information hinders your walk, maims your life and keeps you fettered on the sidelines, unable to break the chains and run free.  

Oh beloved, faith comes by hearing! Hearing the Word of God! Hearing the truth about you! You are not less than, you are more than. You are not beaten down, you are an overcomer.  You can dance free from any chains that seek to bind you by others’ words because you are free in Christ! It doesn’t matter what others say, because it’s not about them. Keep your ears attuned to God’s Word and watch as your faith grows and grows. And when your faith grows your fears subside.  It doesn’t matter what the enemy says, for you don’t have to listen to a word he speaks. He is a liar and the father of all lies. Get that  - the father of, the originator of – all lies. Anything that is spoken about you or over you that doesn’t line up with the Word of God is not a word of faith. You may need to repeat the Word out loud over the lies that come your way or the half-truths that threaten to derail your faith, but lies cannot stand in the presence of Truth.

Every Word of God holds true. The more you hear the truth, the stronger your faith will be. The stronger your faith is, the better your hearing becomes. Eventually you will begin to cast out the things you hear in the background as you discern the difference. God loves you and that’s the truth, backed by the Word of God, and He’s for you – which is another truth backed by the Word, so that you can live with clear hearing and strong faith and that’s what God has for you all the days of your life.

Luke 11:28 Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.

Matthew 4:4 But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Psalm 119:89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

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

Psalm 119:38 Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You.

Psalm 138:2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

Have You Opened Your Inheritance?

The heirs of a man who recently passed away had gone through all his belongings and were discarding old, unimportant things. One item they gave to a scrap metal collector was an old concrete-lined safe. The man, who was planning to sell the safe for scrap, was curious to find out if anything was inside and so took it to a local lock shop to see if it could be opened.

It was a laborious job that, according to the lock shop owner, took over 20 hours of work. But he finally got the old safe open. He and the man who had taken the old safe for scrap were shocked to find that the contents of the old discarded safe held a treasure trove of gold and silver coins estimated to be worth at least 2 million dollars.  

What would it be like to find a treasure inside an old safe? How would you like to be the heir of someone who had been saving such valuable items all those years?  What if, like the heirs of this man, you discarded something that had incredible value you didn’t even know?

But we are far too much like that family of heirs aren’t we? We have the most valuable item in the world and it often sits unopened on a shelf, gathering dust, mostly left as just an old book, discarded and unused. Then one day God opens our heart, changes our minds and we begin to read from that book. We find that all the treasures of God are contained inside! We begin to mine for the valuable truths contained inside. We are rich! We are heirs! And all of us get all the treasure held inside!

God speaks to my heart:  My precious child, you are a joint heir with Jesus. All My riches are yours for the taking.  When you open My Word you will find that it is alive and full of the riches of My entire realm. I have given this great and wonderful Book of Truth to you as a gift. It is full of blessings and honor and its value is beyond counting! And you are valuable to me as well, so valuable that I not only redeemed you from sin’s penalty, I have given you the riches of My kingdom to read, to study and to live out. You may think you are a pauper living in the midst of your troubles, your woes, your fears, your lack. But you have everything you need for living a godly life full of the greatest wealth. If you will open My Word daily and take in its riches, you will begin to live a rich life beyond your wildest dreams.

Oh beloved! What riches await those who take the time to open the vault of God’s Word! You are blessed beyond measure to have God’s Truth at your fingertips. Run to the vault this morning and read. Find what you need for your situation. No one who searches out God’s Truth is ever left poverty stricken. And as you read His Word, God will enlighten the eyes of your understanding and you will grow in wealth. You are an heir to all the promises of God! He knows your problems, your situation, your position and your worries. He sees where you are and what you think about yourself. But His Word will change your thinking, and then change your position and your outlook as well.  Life may have taken things from you that you didn’t want to give up, but God will fill all the gaps with His riches, so that you can be more than a conqueror, totally victorious and overcome everything that’s been thrown at you.

God loves you and He’s for you and He’s given you the riches of His Kingdom so that you can live a life of abundance. Now that’s worth living in the light of His Word!

Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

Ephesians 3:6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:3 In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Psalm 119:14 I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.

Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

 

Do You Know Him as Your Beloved Lord?

Danny and I are pretty busy. Many times we are going in different directions to get everything done. After all these years I know what he thinks and how he feels about things so I can anticipate his needs to a great extent. If we’re going on a trip I know what he likes to carry so I pack things for him. He knows me as well. He knows I like to carry too much stuff so he anticipates needing more room.

We didn’t know each other so well in the beginning. But we loved each other so we studied one another to find out how to please each other not just ourselves. I assumed I knew how to cook but you know I had to really learn how to make a meal taste good. I had to find out that we didn’t always like the same food. Although I knew Danny, I found out so much more about him when we got married and we shared everything together. We surprised each other about some things, we adjusted other things and together we learned to know another better. We found that dating was great, but being married was wonderful. I found that to know Danny was to love him and I’ve always been blessed with the trust in his faithfulness, loyalty and truth.

People think they know God. You hear all kinds of things about Him. I grew up seeing Him as a benevolent old man who could get you if you crossed Him. My father called Him the “old man upstairs” so I had that picture of Him as well. But I kept thinking He was with me and watched over me. I called on Him often for help and for security. Others think of God as a distant aloof being. Yes, God created the world or something, but He pretty much leaves us alone to do our own thing. Some people fear God, others disdain Him. Some live with incredible guilt regarding Him and others blame Him for everything. He seemed nice to me, but I just didn’t know much about Him.

When we are born again, we begin a covenant relationship with the Lord. Kind of like a marriage. We begin to live with the Lord – He comes to make His home in our hearts. Unlike human marriage, which can have a rocky start as people don’t know much about one another, this union is perfect because God Himself laid it all out for us. The Bible is our marriage manual. Through it we can learn everything we need to know about the Lord God, about Jesus and about the Holy Spirit.

There is an enemy to this marriage and his name is Satan. He doesn’t want you and I to know about God. He will do everything He can to keep us from reading the Word, learning about God and living in the light of all that’s contained within those most beautiful pages. 

 

God’s desire is full disclosure – He shows us everything we need for life and godliness. Satan’s desire is to keep us in the dark, so that we don’t trust the Lord. And if we don’t trust Him we’ll find the relationship of our faith weak and distant.

The One who placed the stars and planets in orbit, the One who gave the earth its axis and set it securely in the heavens is the same One who loves you deeply and provides all your needs. He wants you to know everything about Himself, including His never ending love! God knows that if you get to know Him you will love him more. The more you read about Him the more you will learn to trust Him. The more you trust Him the more you will let Him be your leader, your guide and your friend. Every single word of love and care was written with you in mind.

Oh beloved, run to the Book of Love this morning and read about your relationship with the Lord Himself. This amazing love relationship He desires for you is beyond belief! He loves to bless you with every spiritual blessing as you reach out to know Him better. He loves you eternally – the great I AM – and He is for you always to save you, to keep you, to deliver you and to take you home with Him. Now that’s worth loving Him, knowing Him and trusting Him forever.

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (God’s) Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Deuteronomy 33:3 Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone receives of Your words.

Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 31:14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, “You are my God.”

What's In a Name?

What’s in a name?

There is not a lot of information about my Warren family ancestors. While I was searching recently I discovered that my grandfather and his father in law both had the same first and middle names. Benjamin Franklin Warren married Benjamin Franklin Reagor’s daughter. As I looked around on that genealogy site I noticed there were multiple Benjamin Franklins as well as George Washingtons. It appears that many people liked using the names of founding fathers for their children.  Those names seemed to carry much clout. One of my hubby’s childhood buddies is G. W. and you guessed it – he’s named after our first president.

There are countless books and websites on the meanings of names. There is even a website on the etymology and history of first names. Names mean a lot to us and family names are carried down throughout the history of families. My own son’s middle name is Warren. Since I was the last Warren in my family line, I wanted that name to be carried on beyond me. When we got married, I took on Danny’s family name. I’ve been a Beene for nearly 40 years. I cannot imagine now being anything but a Beene. It’s part of my nature and identity to be in the Beene family. After all these years I would not go back to being a Warren. I am a Beene.

Just as we can do a genealogy study on family names, we can also do a study on the name of Jesus. We can look into the perfect law of liberty and see everything we need to know about the Savior of the World.  We can find out His background, His nature, His identity. We also can see what clout His name carries for us who believe. If all our needs are met in Him and the Word tells us they are, then we need to know everything we can about our Savior.

Have you been struggling with your identity? Do you know, are you intimately acquainted with the One Who gave you new birth? Do  you understand that you have a new name in glory and that you are no ordinary person, but rather you are a child, a joint heir, with the King of the Universe? You may have been struggling with your past, your sorrows, your troubles or the future of your world, but when you look into the Name of the Lord, you will find that everything you need for life and godliness is found there. Your true identity is found in Him. While another may have written you off, cursed your name, driven you away, God has pronounced you His child, His heir, His recipient of great riches and honor and more.

Oh beloved, run to God’s genealogy book, the Word of God and learn all about the Lord! Find all the mercy for your past, all the power for your present and all the promise for your future! God says to you this morning that you belong to Him. He has given you His name so that whenever you need to call upon His name you will be safe, you will find power and you will be able to stand. His name is your safety, His name is your strength, His name is your focus and as you focus more and more on Him and less and less on your circumstances, pain or problems – you will find that you are more than a conqueror, you are always victorious and you will be full of His joy, His peace and His nature.

Your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has given you His name to call upon because He loves you and He’s for you and that’s more than wonderful, more than enough and more riches than you can ever contain!

I Corinthians 16:11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.

Psalm 20:7 Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God.