Are You Ready to Get Some Real Rest?

                                                                          When traveling late in the evening I usually get very sleepy. As always, as I get sleepier I start dozing off. When I start dozing off I jump awake and ask Danny if he’s sleepy. I’m always concerned that he will nod off as well. Every single time I ask him he always says the same thing, “No but you are”. It’s hard to relax because my drowsiness makes me think he’s surely going to be drowsy too. But in reality how I am feeling has nothing to do with how he’s feeling. His wakefulness is not thwarted by my lethargy. He is alert and watchful even when I am completely asleep. He’s never scared me or had a wreck while I was asleep yet I keep asking every time we travel. Finally when I am overcome with sleep and can’t keep myself awake I just have to let it go and trust him. He’s never failed me. I know I’m safe as soon as I let myself rest.

I think we may tend to treat God the same way. We find ourselves in a state of commotion – we are worried. So we wonder if God is with us. We’re fearful. So we wonder if God will protect us. We’re in the dark about a situation and we wonder if God sees us. We forget everything we already know. We forget to remember how He’s seen us through other crises in the past. We get drowsy spiritually under the load of present circumstances and we think God might fall asleep – He might miss this one.

God speaks to my heart: You cannot call the shots on your life. As well as you plan things are going to happen. It’s time to let go the desire to control things and learn to rest in My presence. My Word is your book of rest. Inside its pages are the truths that I breathe out over your life. You don’t have to question Me. You don’t have to worry about what I will do. You don’t have to think that just because you are in a dark place that My light won’t shine this time. Your fear doesn’t lesson My protection. But it will lessen your faith in Me. Your constant worry is not prayer. But your prayers are always received by Me. I miss not one tear, not one loss, not one problem. I AM the Lord who protects, guides, watches over and keeps you safe even when you are sleeping. Even when you are thinking I might not come through this time I AM already working out the plans for your life. It’s time to trust Me and let yourself rest. Rest in My promises. Rest in your circumstances. The rest I give rejuvenates your faith, revives your spiritual senses and redeems your times. Trust and rest go together. Prayer and faith gives you purpose. I will never leave you or forsake you. When have I ever done that? Quit wondering if I will be with you now, for I have said I will be with you always, even to the ends of the earth.

Oh beloved, time to wake up from the spiritual lethargy of worry, fear, regret, control. Time to let God breathe His Truth into your mind and let it go all the way to your heart. Settle things with Him now. Repent of disbelief and let Him drive. He has never forsaken His own and if you are His you are His own you can be assured by His Word that He is in charge of the trips of your life. Nothing is too difficult for Him. He has never missed a problem, been surprised by the ordeals you go through or been caught napping in your troubles. The things you are encountering in your life are not going to ruin you. Rather they are going to build up your faith in God.  If you’re having problems resting in His presence get out the Word of God and recite it over your life. Let His Word dwell richly in you. Don’t scrimp when things are hard. It costs nothing to go to the Word and it wields great dividends to the one who lives in the light of His mercy and grace.  Remember His promises and rehearse the truth about Him. You will find that when you let Him lead and rest in Him you will always feel renewed. Things may look worse, but God is making it better.

He loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth trusting Him to take care of it all and letting yourself rest in Him.

Isaiah 43:11-12 I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me.  “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God.”

Isaiah 44:8 “Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none.”

2 Samuel 7:28 For you are God, O Sovereign LORD. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. NLT

Hebrews 6:18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 4:8  In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust. Amplified

Read the Best Christmas Catalog Ever!!!!!

Our Christmas tree only has one package beneath it. I have a few more things bought but haven’t had time to wrap them. I still have some shopping to do. While I love buying presents and the look on loved ones’ faces when they open the presents, it does take a lot of time and planning to get everyone something they really want.

By the time you get my age you know that people don’t always get exactly what they want for Christmas every single year. That’s okay. Because by the time you’re my age you also know that the most important gifts are not the packages under the tree. 

It’s a wonderful thing to realize that Jesus paid for everything we will ever need. And we can have the best Christmas ever no matter what. He lived and died and rose again to secure the most wonderful gifts for us. Yes, He made a way for us to live eternally in heaven but oh there’s so much more.

Reach under the tree and see what all is there for you.  There’s all the joy you will ever need, enough to get you through the saddest moments, that abiding joy is yours. Then there’s the peace that passes all understanding – it will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. There’s a full package of the love of God and. Keep looking and unwrap every gift from God – don’t leave a thing unopened for you need all the gifts God has for you to make it in this world, to excel as a believer and to triumph over anything the enemy throws at you. Every blessing God has is yours – every promise God spoke is for you. It’s as though you can buy anything in the store and keep it forever – straight from the storehouse of God’s Word!

Oh beloved, run to God's Word and read it, for it contains more promises of gifts from the Giver of Life than any Christmas catalog ever designed.  And don’t let your heart worry over what might not be, but instead concentrate on the gifts of God that belong to you in Christ Jesus. See how wonderfully blessed you are? Look beyond the temporal to the eternal and rejoice that Christ is indeed Lord of Christmas and Lord of all.  He loves you and He’s for you and that’s a gift no one can take from you no matter what. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE GIFT of God is eternal life.

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Psalm 119:111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.

Get Out Your Receipt Book: It's All Been Purchased!

Back in the day cash registers had keys like typewriters. When you got a receipt it was either hand written or just a tiny piece of paper with numbers on it.  Now the receipt is quite elaborate. It shows the date, the time, the store number, the items you buy, their numbers, the prices of each individual item, the taxes, the total and how you purchased everything.  Every detail of your visit to the store is there.

I like that because there are times when I get home and what I thought I bought is not in the bag. I look through the contents and read on the receipt. One time I went back to the store to get the things the checker forgot to put in my cart . Another time I was sure I purchased peanut butter, but upon looking in the receipt I found that I actually didn’t.

We are purchased people. And God has given us a receipt. It’s a length, completely detailed receipt. It’s the Word of God. Now unlike mere paper receipts that fades and get torn and thrown away, this receipt is God breathed. The ink won’t fade because it’s written in the Blood of the Lamb. God’s heart, mind and honor is written on every single page. When you are received into the Kingdom of God by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you get the entire contents of the Word sealed into your heart by faith.  You are the only thing that’s been purchased. Once you have this ownership decision taken care of everything in God’s Receipt book is yours for free. No purchase required. It all comes with the exchange of Jesus’s life for yours.

There are times when you may have been sure that you believed something but you can’t seem to find that faith. Go to God’s receipt and read again. It’s there. You received all the faith of the Kingdom of God.  Maybe you are dealing with regrets of the past, things you can do nothing about. Pull out your receipt and read: The Steadfast mercies of the Lord are new every morning. You might have been rejected: God’s Word says you are accepted; mark that on your receipt! Someone may have told you you are worthless. Show them your receipt! God says you are blessed and highly favored by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Did you think that disappointment was your only asset?  Read again. You have been given His appointment so that you can walk in triumph every single day.  Maybe you aren’t sure if you’re pretty enough, thin enough, smart enough, educated enough…the list may go on and on, but listen: God’s list goes on further and further! It reaches beyond what you see and transcends what you don’t see.

There is deliverance, divine favor, eternal care, wisdom, faith, hope, love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulness and more….every single item has been bought and paid for on your behalf. You are a millionaire in the store of faith because God wrote you an entire book of receipts to go back and read time after time. His Book tells you how to respond to problems, how to live in troubles, how to walk in His love, how to overcome trials, how to live like a blood bought child and even where you will live long after this life is over.

Oh beloved, run to your receipt book this morning and read! Every single page, every single Word, every chapter, every verse were breathed out by the Star Breather Himself. There are no mistakes in the Receipt and the Warranty is secure forever! Whatever it is you are dealing with, don’t see with your eyes or can’t find in front of you can be checked and found in His Word. Everything you need to remind you the Truth about you and your life is there.

God loves you and is for you and that’s written in the receipt and written on your heart for eternity. You are indeed Beloved!

1 Corinthians 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory.

Romans 4:20-21 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

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

 

Hijacked by Malicious Thinking? Run to God's Word for Protection!

One of my friends was telling me yesterday that when she got home from work she discovered a pop up on her computer.  It read that it was a warning from the FBI, something like this “Warning. Your computer has been blocked due to illegal downloads of music.” It went on to give detailed instructions to go to the local discount store, purchase a $200 money card and go to their website. Enter that money in the website for the fine and the owner of the computer would then have their computer unlocked. Imagine the person who has been downloading music finding this on their computer. The hijacker who built the program desires to get rich at the expense of an unwitting computer owner.  

Malware. Malicious programming appearing real that hijacks your computer. Some malware is fairly benign. Other programs are serious business. From minor irritation to complete ruination of the hard drive, malware is rampant. If we don’t keep our virus software updated and turned on anyone one of us is subject to succumbing to this nuisance.

We too as believers are subject to malicious programming.  The enemy of our souls wants to speak lies and half truths into our hearts. His desire is to strike terror and make us believe we have to pay over and over again for things in our life that we try to overcome.  If he can hijack our faith he can render us useless in the Kingdom of God.

Oh beloved, are you feeling tortured by past regrets and future fears? Are they playing over and over in the screen of your mind and heart? Have you tried to pay up only to find that the cost is way too high? Run to the Lord this morning and tell Him all your troubles. He will restore you to right standing with Him and He will wipe your life clean by His atoning blood.  Not only that, His Word is your best protection against the viruses of life that will try to come back on you.  His love is your complete protection, His Word is your soul survival and His promises are your road of blessing. Unlike computer hijacks that can wipe out your computer, God’s Word always restores and always covers so that we can always walk in the Light of His Word! What a Savior! What a Protector! Thank Him today for His unspeakable gift!

2 Samuel 22:3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

Psalm 31:4  Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in You alone.

Psalm 91:4  He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

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

Isaiah 33:21  The LORD will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross, that no enemy ship can sail upon.

Nothing to Fear When You're Looking into the Father's Eyes

Stella is learning to be a toddler. Sometimes she will take a step or two on her own. But most of the time she likes to hang onto someone’s finger with one hand. She’s little yet, so her mother gets a backache after a while. The other day she held on to a stick that her mother was holding onto. She walked and walked. As soon as she let go of the stick she was down. Her mother would try to let go of the stick and Stella would teeter for a moment and go down again. Some would call that a crutch. I would call that faith.  She knows that the stick is not important but the fact that her mother has the other end, that’s what’s important. She’s not looking at the stick itself for support but into her mother’s eyes.

Learning this life of faith can have its ups and downs.  We try to hang onto people, things, dreams, money and more.  We look at each one and if it fails or we lose our handle on it, we find ourselves down again. But when we look at the Lord, hold tightly to Him and let Him hold all our possessions for us, we walk confidently as our eyes are on Him.

Oh beloved, look into your Father’s eyes. Concentrate on Him alone for He is the one who gave you new birth and will carry you through to the end. He promises that nothing will separate you from His love, that all things will work together for good and that no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Hang on tightly to His Word for that is His Nature. He means what He says and when He says I love you and I’ve got you He means it! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Micah 7:7  As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.

Psalm 112:7 They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 12:2 a We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Romans 8:28  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.