Looking for Wisdom and Power?

The last couple of days have been so very nice, weather wise. We’ve hardly turned the heat on and it’s very pleasant this morning. Weird thing is, we’ve been under a winter weather advisory since yesterday. I see no winter weather out my window. I feel no chill yet. But the weather forecaster says the cold is returning, even if temporary. That means we’ll have to turn the heat on again. I’m tired of the roar of the central heat. I’m especially tired of the high electric bills. Last month we used wood heat on the coldest days and still our electric bill was even higher.

We’re thinking it’s time to upgrade our system. You’d think we’d have already done it, but weighing the expense to the savings up till now has made removing the old original system not so money wise. But now with the electric bill soaring every month we think it may be time. It’s a functional thing. Have a huge electric bill every month or pay for a new system. We’ve looked at some units and now Danny will be doing some real research to prepare for the upgrade.

We can’t control the weather. But we can work to make our home as efficient as possible. We can’t keep from preparing for more winter, even though today it feels so wonderful. We’ll have to turn on the thermostat before the day is out and we are prepared.  

God speaks to my heart: Just as you cannot control the weather, you are not in control of the changes in life. You plan, you prepare, you pinch pennies, you watch for signs, but plummeting situations are sure to come into your life. While you can’t control the circumstances of life, you can prepare for the worst of them. Each and every time you face the wintry blasts of life is an opportunity to upgrade your life in Christ. It’s a learning experience for each of my children. While heating and air systems are about function, I AM about relationship. I want you to get closer to Me. I want you to reach out to the Word when things look grim. I AM the one who is calling you back to Me. I will be there for you to guide, direct and oversee. And even though it seems so hard to go through, your bond with Me will grow sweeter and more intimate, surer and more confident.

Oh beloved, now is the time to run to the Lord. Before things get any worse, before your cost rises. Before you think you can’t make it anymore. He is ever ready for your  worst circumstances. They are no big thing to Him for He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He can get you through the worst, He can give you victory in the midst of the fray. He will show Himself to be all you ever needed as you live in the light of His Word. No matter what you have or who you are in the natural, it won’t help to call on your own resources when it all plummets to fear, worry or pain. Only in calling on the Lord can you find a way through the pressures of life. When the news shouts disaster, whether weather, war or famine – you can call on your Savior and He will show Himself to be all you ever needed to start with.

God loves you.  Because Jesus went to the cross you can count on that love forever. God is for you.  Because Jesus faced the enemy and was victorious on your behalf you can count on His watchful care forever.  Stay very close to Him, read His Word, get to know Him more, for it will be in the knowledge of Him that you will be able to triumph over the changing weather of life as you learn to live in the light of His Word.

2 Corinthians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

Job 12:13 But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are His.

Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Colossians 2:2-3 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

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.

 

God Answers in Agape Love

 

This morning I am reminded of conversations heard throughout the generations, including conversations I had with my own children. Can you remember your parent being so busy that when you finally got their attention they shot out, “What do you WANT!?” with a good dose of irritation they would turn their attention away from whatever to you.  I can remember feeling a little ashamed of interrupting. I’m sure at those times I was short with my own children they felt something other than love and care as well. We are human parents and we occasionally get it wrong. It’s just one of those things. Fortunately most parents aren’t always distracted by life and we all know how we love our children and desire their best.  As mine are now older I cherish a heartfelt conversation with each of them.

Sometimes we think God is like an earthly parent. He’s too busy. He has too much on His mind. Others are more in need of His time. He doesn’t care, He isn’t available, it doesn’t matter.  We’re concerned that He will rebuke us or get angry with our interruption of Him.  We often put earthly personality issues into our relationship with the Lord.

God speaks to my heart: Precious child of God, when you call out to Me, you will never hear that harsh voice that is irritated at the interruption. You never have to worry that I AM not going to answer you with Agape Love, for I AM your Father and I AM love. My essence and very nature are perfect love. So when you call out to Me, because I AM God, I hear you. Not only do I hear you precious one, I already have the answer in My hand, formed from the foundation of the world. Before the world was, My answers were available. Before you were a glimmer in your parents’ eyes, I was holding you in My heart.

Oh beloved! Do you understand? Do you know who you are IN CHRIST? Do you realize that God is a loving Father, He makes no mistakes, He misleads no one, He never lies, He’s never too tired or too distracted. He is here, right now, for YOU.  You may not know where you are, you may be in very unfamiliar territory, you may feel that you are walking in a dark cave with no light whatsoever, but you are walking in the presence of God – you walk with Him if you are IN HIM.  And you are IN HIM when you are born again. We leave behind the country of humanity – short tempers, distracted minds, busy lives – and travel into the spiritual country of God’s welcoming arms.

Go ahead, reach out and talk to the Father, for He delights in hearing from you and talking with you. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s what makes a relationship with Him so absolutely wonderful all the days of your life!

Psalm 116:1-2 I love the LORD, because He hears My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. (NAS)

Psalm 118:21 I thank You for answering my prayer and giving me victory! (NLT)

Ephesians 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (NAS)

Philippians 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (NLT)

Isaiah 30:19 O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. (NAS)

Tune Your Heart to God

Young people don’t have a clue what a transistor radio is. Remember the days when we would have to move them around till they faced the frequency of our favorite station? Or when we’d put them in the window to touch the metal screen to get a better signal?

We loved our stations. Some of the best were far away. Sometimes we’d go out in the yard and move the car or truck around to get it pointed r...ight and listen to music with all the windows down. If the weather was right you could hear foreign language radio as well. 

Back in the day you had to have your TV antennae outside or your rabbit ears inside turned a certain way as well. In order to tune in, to receive a clear picture and hear well it all had to line up with the station’s signal.

God speaks to my heart yet again. Just like tuning the radio, I have to tune my heart towards Him.

If I’m having trouble hearing Him, if I have issues I can’t seem to get through and distortion abounds, if my heart can’t receive, I am the one who must adjust. It’s not for God to adjust Himself to me. If the reception is off and the signal is weak I am going to be weak and unable to hear His message to me. If I don’t know what He’s saying them I’m going to be in trouble.

It’s only by God’s grace and my willingness to tune my heart towards Him that I even get up in the morning. Without Him I can do nothing. Without His touch every single day I would be without a signal for my daily walk. Without my tuning towards Him I would hear nothing but the noise and static of life.

Has your signal gotten weak? Are you trying to make up your own music and listen to the world’s message? Life will drown out every signal from God. Circumstances will keep the world tuned in and God tuned out. Many things want to drown out the sound of His voice to keep us from hearing the Lord clearly. Life can be so hard and the days so mundane that when we fail to tune our hearts to Him we become more and more frustrated and eventually we will be worn out and done in.

Oh beloved! There is hope! There is peace! There is joy! None of those things can be found while tuning in to this world. But they can be found in abundance through our faith in God. Do you hear the still small voice beckoning you with love to stop this morning and adjust your hearing? He calls you by name! Turn your heart towards His voice and keep turning it until you hear clearly again! Your life will be blessed, your strength will be renewed and the fog will clear in your life. Others will be blessed as well as you teach them to tune in to God for their every need.

God has put His signal of love out so strongly that the weakest can hear and live! And He surrounds you with His Word, His love and His care so when you do walk out into the world you’ll be victorious, overcoming every obstacle that comes your way because you are tuned in to Him everywhere you go!

Psalm 125:4 O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with You.

Proverbs 2:2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

Psalm 34:9-11 O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear. The young lions lack food and suffer hunger, but they who seek (inquire of and require) the Lord [by right of their need and on the authority of His Word], none of them shall lack any beneficial thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you to revere and worshipfully fear the Lord. (AMP)

Isaiah 45:9 I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek Me if I could not be found. I, the LORD, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.

Amos 5:4 For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me that you may live.”

Is Your Identity Being Stolen From You?

There’s a lot of talk about identity theft. I can’t imagine it happening to me, can you? Years ago when my niece’s son went to rent an apartment they found out that someone was using his social security number. If I remember right, they had achieved bad credit and because he was trying to use his identity to secure an apartment, it came up suspicious. They got things worked out but it was scary for them to know someone else had taken what belonged to them.  We had a bogus bill that kept coming to us, so we took it to our lawyer. In the course of working it all out, we found out that our lawyer’s wife had her identity stolen when she was a child! When she grew up and tried to establish her own credit, she found someone else had left a bill unpaid in her name.  I had no idea, but someone can even get your identity and use it to get medical care. 

There are safeguards to protect your identity.  Even if you’ve had your identity stolen you can recover. It takes time. But it’s worth it. Often people work under the radar so it pays to check your own credit scores and make sure there’s nothing listed that doesn’t truly belong to you. 

Spiritually speaking there is an identity thief lurking in our lives. His desire is to steal our identity in Christ and make us live with the consequences. He wants to steal, kill and destroy every nuance of our faith. He wants to subvert the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives and divert the assets of our faith so that we cannot use them in our walk.  He likes to replace the truth with half-truths so that we aren’t able to live freely in our faith.  His greatest desire is to kill all hope in us. He also loves to steal our hope and destroy our dreams.

Have you been a victim of identity theft? Are you living as though the Word is not available to you? Are you full of fear, dread, sorrow or disappointment? Do you believe that your credit report reads that you are unworthy, unfit, unlovely or unlovable?  Maybe you think you don’t have any rights left to live a free and productive life in Christ!

Oh beloved, run to the Lord of Heaven and Earth and open His Benefits book this morning! Look from the first chapter to the last and reclaim your identity! Every single promise is yours! Every single encouragement was written just for you. Don’t let the enemy of your soul continue to steal your identity for you were destined to live in the light of God’s Word and that’s where your true identity lies.  In and of yourself, there may be things that aren’t perfect, but your true identity is in Christ! He paid your bad debts off at the cross, He canceled all unworthy things that were credited to you at the empty tomb and He’s seated at the right hand of the Father now, making intercession for you so that your identity will stay secure.

Oh how He loves you! Oh how He protects you! Oh how He watches over you to perform the truth in your life.  Let go of those things that are not a part of your identity and begin living the Truth. For the Truth is your guardian, your watchman, your peace and your future! Let God rebuild your identity with the washing of the water of His Word and see how you will be able to live free and justified fully!

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

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 2:9-10 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Ephesians 2:7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.

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.

Answer His Call for He Calls You in Love!

I got a strange phone call on my cell phone during the holidays. It was an unknown number and when I answered there was a recording explaining that my cell phone wasn’t set up for collect calls. It went on to explain how I could start getting collect calls. Well, of course I hung up.  Then, my curiosity being what it is, I went to the internet to see if I could figure out where the call came from.  Turns out it was from a detention center in a nearby state.  A call from a stranger in a strange place, trying to get someone to accept the charges.  In this case it was probably somebody trying to call home for the holidays but still it was a strange feeling.

The enemy of our soul likes to make calls on our life.  He wants to give us advice, get us upset, give us reason to be unforgiving, unkind, unholy and more.  He is constantly dialing our number, knowing our weaknesses, attempting to cause trouble or wreak havoc.  Not only does he desire to ruin us, tempt us, rob us, kill us; he always wants to charge us with every conceivable charge.  He wants us to pay! He will convince us, if he can, that we’ve been wronged, damaged, offended, left undefended and then when we believe him and act on the lies, he hangs up and leaves us to pick up the pieces alone.  His ultimate desire is to steal our birthright and leave us hanging on the line.

It’s time to learn the Father’s Voice and follow Him alone!  While we have an enemy, he is not our spouse, our kids, our neighbors, our friends, or anyone else.  He just uses whoever he can to ring up a wrong message and reverse the charges. Unless we know the Word of God and understand our Heavenly Father’s nature, we will be fooled into accepting the call and acting on it.

Oh beloved, there is a call on your life! Our Father in Heaven is calling you daily. He asks you to pick up the Word, eat of it and live by it.  How much He loves to have sweet fellowship with His children, but not just for the fellowship. It’s for your good and His glory as well! He will not leave you to your own devices, He won’t leave you undefended, He won’t walk away, make you pay or reverse the charges.  In fact, He took the charges for everything you’ll ever be charged with – past, present and future – and nailed a Paid In Full sign on the cross! You are free! Free to call upon Him as well! Free to be God’s child, free to make decisions that are based on His Word, His Love and His nature! 

The more you listen to the Lord’s calls, beloved, the less you will be tempted to take other calls! All of the Lord’s calls begin with “I love you”.  God loves you so much that He’s calling you to love Him, obey Him and live for Him daily.  He will take the hurtful calls, your crank calls, the damaging calls and turn them out for good because He says so! His Word is your trustworthy answer, His call is your trustworthy path and His care for you is the trustworthy way to know that He is all that matters! Now that’s a call worth taking!

Psalm 91:15  When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.

Isaiah 41:17 When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.

Zechariah 13:9  I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

2 Samuel 22:4  “I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

Philippians 3:14  I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Ephesians 1:18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called--His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

I John 4:4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

Changes Ahead? You Can Trust God!

We moved a lot when I was a kid.  It was hard to put down roots when moves happened so often.  Kindergarten was in one school, then I started 1^st grade in another school, 2^nd – 3^rd in another, but finished 3^rd in yet another school in another state.  Then we moved twice in the same town which changed schools for me.  Finally we ended up back where I’d started 1^st grade and I spent 4 years to finish  school with the same friends. It was heavenly!

It seems that God was working behind the scenes even then.  While I was yearning to stay put and belong somewhere, He was teaching me to make friends with change.  It was many years before I came to that realization. Sometimes change comes with tears, other times it comes with joy, but one thing I know, it will be alright because God is with us!

Oh beloved, things may seem real rocky right now. Your life may be in upheaval and your comfort zone may be dwindling away.  You may even think you are facing a downfall! Trust God! He never ever takes you to where you cannot endure. His ways are always for your best, even when you can’t see it.  For His loved ones, and you are surely that, He knows what’s ahead and even in the hardship He may be protecting you from further trouble.  Move on with God and let Him be the one who decides your road. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that matters!

 

Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

Psalm 121:3 “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.”

Proverbs 2:6-9  “For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.”