Wrestling with God

Devotion:  Genesis 32:22-32

God is so good!  He alone knows that for which we have need.  He can and will appear to us in strange ways.  Many times I think we don’t truly acknowledge Him and walk in the authority of His Word.

Jacob was truly in a spiritual battle.  He was dreading obeying the voice of the Lord.  He had just struggled with Laban his Father in law because of ill-treatment.  He had not parted well with his half-brother Esau.  It had been twenty years since he had seen him.  Jacob was afraid of how Esau would respond to his moving back into his God-ordained homeland.

He then wrestled with the Angel of the Lord for a whole night.  Jacob was the one who would not let go until the Lord blessed Him.

 ^{Verse 28 is key in this passage. “}And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but ^[i]Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

After you wrestle with God, you can never be the same.  Life’s struggles bring you out changed.  Jacob would always walk with a limp.  It seems strange to encounter God with such force and come out maimed, at least in the world’s eyes.

You see sometimes the health and prosperity gospel doesn’t align with the world’s definition of health and prosperity.  I can guarantee you that Jacob never forgot that encounter.  He was reminded with every step for the rest of his life.

Wrestling with God brings blessing but we can know we will come out changed.  It can be a painful process but we must never let go.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord Jesus, I know that in this world I will have tribulation but I will not be afraid for You have overcome the world.  It’s not if but when I wrestle with You, I will never let go because I want to be changed by the close encounter with You.  I love You my Lord and my God.  In Jesus precious and Holy Name, I offer up this prayer.  Amen.

Old Wineskins

 

Devotion:  Mark 2:22

I always wondered why new wine would burst old wineskins.  I googled it. Here’s what I found.  “The new cloth had not yet shrunk, so that using new cloth to patch older clothing would result in a tear as it began to shrink. Similarly, old wineskins had been “stretched to the limit” or become brittle as wine had fermented inside them; using them again therefore risked bursting them.”

I guess it’s not rocket science.  Right?  The Bible tells us “If any man be in Christ He is a new creation.  Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.”  As we age our skin can become quite wrinkly.  It doesn’t have the elasticity of a growing child.

In today’s culture, the camel backs or “skins” people carry on their backs while running are made from plastic.  In Bible times people would make long journeys and instead of a car they had to travel by camel, donkey or horse.  They had to be prepared with water or wine placed in animal skins.

Everyone knew that you could never place new wine in an old skin.  Why?  Because of the process of fermentation.  Fermentation changes the wine.  It grows and moves while it is changing.  In new skin, there is the ability to stretch without the probability of bursting.

Many Bible scholars speak of the new wine being God’s Holy Spirit.  The law shows us our sin.  Christ came that we might have life, eternal and abundant while still on this earth. When we invite Him into our hearts, we are being made new.

Once you confess your sin and invite Jesus into your heart; your old ways will no longer work. Just as the old wineskin will burst and all the wine spill to the ground; continuing in the old ways of our flesh will cause anything we are trying to do for Christ to spill out onto the ground.  Wasted!

Believers are sealed by God’s Holy Spirit for our day of redemption.  We should be continually growing in Christ, being made new on a daily basis.  We may become wrinkled outwardly but we are being renewed by God’s Holy Spirit on a daily basis. He is making us new!

Prayer in Motion:

Lord, thank You for filling us with Your precious Holy Spirit.  What a treasure we have in You.  You are the One in whom we are sealed for our day of redemption.  We are being made new.  Thank You for leaving us with this wonderful parable.   In Jesus Name.  Amen.

 

There’s Us

Devotion:  Psalm 73:26

When my husband and I go to Panther games, there’s always a cameraman who looks for people to throw up on the big screen.  He tries to catch them by surprise.  At a recent game, there was a couple who pointed to themselves and I could see them mouthing; “There’s us.”  I think they were quite surprised to see themselves out of all those people on this enormous screen.

It made me think about what it will be like when we appear before the great judgment seat of Christ.  Oh Jesus, I pray all of our lives won’t be on the big screen.  Here’s the thing; I should be more concerned about appearing before Almighty God than caring about the gazillion other people looking on.  Good grief.

We don’t think much about our actions and reactions here on earth, however, God knows every thought before we think it.  He is after all Omniscient and Omnipresent.  He doesn’t miss a thing.  Never has.  Never will.  I wish we would all take this more seriously.

God tells us in His Word to watch over our hearts with all diligence for from them flow the issues of life.  How do we stop those out of control thoughts as well as our impulsive actions, and reactions?  Our flesh is weak but our God is greater.  We cry out to Him for help in these areas.  We can no longer say, “That’s just the way I am.”  God loves us like we are but longs to help us become the new creature He intends for us to be.

I believe if we can picture our thoughts and our actions up on a big screen for all to see; it may begin to give us a cause for pause.  God knows.  He sees it on the big screen.  He wants to help you!  Lift your eyes unto the hills from where your help comes.  The only person who can help you is the Lord your God.

Prayer in Motion:

Holy God of heaven and earth, I cry out to You for mercy and grace.  You tell us to be holy as You are holy.   I lift my eyes to You from where my help comes.  I know my heart is desperately wicked, deceitful above all else.  Please help me to give the right response to the people You have lovingly placed in my life.  Forgive me for all the times I’ve said; “That’s just the way I am.”  I repent and ask You to help me remember; You see all and know all.  You are the One I offend when I give a wrong response.  I love You, Jesus, more than my own flesh.  I’m praying to You who overcame death and the grave.   All things are possible through You Jesus.  Amen.

 

 

Helping One Another

Devotion: Isaiah 41:13

I was in the bathroom at the Panther’s stadium.  After coming out of a stall, I noticed a beautiful girl trying to turn on the water at the sink.  I turned it on for her.  I couldn’t get the paper towel to come down out of the paper towel dispenser.  She helped me get out a paper towel.  She said, “Look at us helping one another.”   We both laughed.

All of a sudden, my eyes fell upon her left arm.  She was missing her whole hand.  I could have cried my eyeballs out.  If I hadn’t noticed her hand missing I would have never known.  She had a beautiful smile and a beautiful attitude.  I’ll never forget her saying; “Look at us helping one another.”

How many of us would have this kind of positive attitude?  Oh, how I pray we would.  I wish I could get to know this gorgeous young woman.  When I tell you, she was radiantly glowing.  I wish you could see a picture of this most precious young woman.  I pray I can introduce you to her in heaven.  I felt like I may have encountered an angel with one hand.

It’s so sweet to help one another in any way we can.  Precious ones may we all be willing to help anyone we see struggling whether it be with a door, a faucet, a stroller or in anyway.  You see I believe God opens doors that no man can shut and closes doors that no man can open.  Are you watching for those doors of opportunity?  Oh, how I pray we will watch expectantly for ways to help one another.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord Jesus, May I help someone today that honestly needs help.  Make me a blessing to someone today.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Delayed Response

Devotion:  James 2:2-3

Sometimes when I ask my husband a question; there’s quite the pause.  I wonder if he heard me or if he’s in deep thought about something else.

Patience is not my middle name.  Interestingly enough it is in the middle of the attributes of the fruit of the Spirit.  I get all the love, the joy, and the peace but then a screeching halt happens in my life when it comes to this fourth attribute of God’s Holy Spirit.

Father forgive me when I fail to exhibit the attribute of patience.  I so long to exhibit every single aspect.  I begin to think about how God is so patient with me!   God’s still working on me to make me what I ought to be.   He’s so good like that.  If He’s long-suffering with me then I need to be with others.

Have you ever heard someone say; Don’t pray for patience.  why do people say that?  I know exactly why.  In order to be taught patience, we must endure trials and hardships.  That’s how we learn to develop this mid-attribute of the fruit of the spirit.

Remember it’s one fruit, nine attributes of that fruit.  Think of it this way; when you eat an apple, it’s red, it’s crunchy.  It can be soft, juicy, sweet or sour, thick or thin-skinned, It may be good for cooking or good for just eating raw.

There are many different varieties of apples.  It’s the same with us.  We come birthed through the parents God chose for us to have.  There are many varieties of parents. They raised us a certain way whether they are our biological parents or we were adopted.  God in His great mercy gave us the parents whom He ordained for us.

No matter the storms He’s brought you through; He’s still working to accomplish what concerns you.

Maybe for you, it’s not the patience attribute.  Maybe it’s the self-control or gentleness with those God has given you.  Ask Him to help you develop those weaker attributes of the fruit of His Spirit so you can be more like Him.  That’s His ultimate purpose for you dear one, to be conformed into His image.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord Jesus, help me to be patient when the answer is delayed from You or anybody else.  With You, a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day.  Abraham waited for one hundred years to be given Issac.  None of us has waited one hundred years for anything.  Thank You, Lord for being long-suffering with me. Train me to be patient with others. In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Saddest Verses in the Bible

Devotion:  Matthew 7:21-23

To me, these verses are the saddest verses in the whole Bible.  They actually go together.  Kay Arthur, who has been writing Precept Bible Studies for over forty years declares context is king.  Each one could stand alone because every word came from the lips of God and was penned by their author.  However; it’s always important to keep God’s Word in the context of the whole counsel of God.

Let’s examine these three verses. Verse 21 declares that not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will enter into His kingdom, only those who do the will of the Father.  There are many who think joining a church gets them into heaven.  There are others who think doing good deeds gets them into heaven.

Many are deceived into thinking that because they prayed a prayer somewhere long ago, they’ve got a shoe into heaven.  There is no fruit whatsoever in their lives.  They live their lives doing whatever they want, anytime they want with whomever they want.

It is God who examines our hearts and only He can see into another person’s heart.  According to verse 22, people claim to have done many wonders in the Name of Jesus and yet they did not know Him.  That, my friend, is a little disconcerting.

Verse 23 is the one that grabs my heart and brings me to tears every time.  Jesus will declare to those who thought they were saved, “I never knew you.”  These people had a form of godliness, (going to church regularly, doing good deeds and saying all the right things) but never had a true relationship with Jesus.

The deceiver is the one who deceived them into thinking they were ok when they were not.  May we all examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord, You are my Lord and Savior, my all in all, my everything Jesus.  I want to draw closer and closer to you.  You promised if we draw near to You, You will draw near to us.  All my hope is in You Jesus for this life and for eternity.  You have set eternity in my heart.  Thank You for drawing me to Yourself.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

On Fearing the Lord

Devotion:  Genesis 20:1-13, Genesis 22:11-14

When God says something He means it!  You see, Abraham knew better.  He was telling the truth about Sarah being his “half” sister.  They shared the same earthly father.  A partial truth is as good as a lie.  God spoke to Abimelech in a dream.  Abimelech feared God.  He knew judgment would come upon him and his nation if he took Sarah in for his own.

What do you do with a partial truth, when you believe all that has been told to you? You begin to operate on what you believed to be the truth.   God promises He will reveal the hidden things.  God will protect the one who has been lied to.  He did it for Abimelech and He will do it for you.

The important thing to remember comes from the Psalms.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  For the most part, believers don’t get this reverential fear of the Lord.  It’s having such a high respect for Him that we fear to offend Him in any way, shape or form.  This kind of love is built on trust in Him resulting in obedience to Him.

We hear a lot about the love of God.  God is love.  He is also a just God.  He longs for fellowship with His beloved children.  He wants us to come into His presence.  Ask Him to search your heart and see if there be any wicked way in you.  Whether it was a sin of commission or omission; ask Him for forgiveness and He will remove your sin from you as far as the east is from the west and remember it no more.  That, my friend, is part of “fearing the Lord.”

Prayer in Motion:

Lord Jesus, You are so amazing!  I worship You this day in Spirit and in truth!  “You are so so kind to me.  I couldn’t earn it.  I don’t deserve it, still, You give Your life away.”  Your love overwhelms me every day.  It is because of this great love that I want to walk in the fear and admonition of the Lord always.  Teach me Lord on a daily basis to fear You and operate out of that respect.  I love You, Jesus.  Amen.

 

Holy Laughter

Devotion:  Genesis 18:9-15

I’ not certain that the laughter freely coming from Sarah’s belly was holy.  Put yourself in her shoes.  She’s ninety-nine years old for crying out loud.  She’s long past childbearing age.  You would have laughed too!  So would I dear friend.

There are many times we overhear things we were not meant to hear.  However; Sarah was listening intently at the doorway of the tent.  She heard the truth spoken by God’s messengers and it overwhelmed her.  Have you ever received any news that overwhelmed you so much that you responded with laughter, partly in disbelief and partly because it was truly impossible?

We get the idea that Sarah’s laughter displeased the LORD.  When Sarah was called out; she became afraid and denied her laughter.  Just as God always does, He came back with the truth; “No, but you did laugh.”  Uh Oh!  Busted!

How many times do we laugh at the impossibilities in our lives?  In our laughter, we may be refusing to believe God can accomplish the impossible.  We must believe the truth of God’s Word that declares; “Things impossible with men are always possible with God.”

Many of you know my story about having a mom who was physically unable to bear a child.  She had a scepter or thick piece of skin down the middle of her womb which would not allow the egg and the sperm to unite.

My mom and dad had their pastor come and pray over them and they chose to believe that God would bless them with a baby.  They were both in their late thirties and had been trying for eight years to have a child.

Although Georgie Setzer had to have her babies delivered by cesarean section; she had two baby girls, two and one-half years apart.  She believed God for her miracle children.

Thank You, God, for laughter and tears.  Both come from You!  May my laughter not come from disbelief but be holy and set apart unto You.  May we all be listening at the doorway of God’s Word.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord Jesus thank You for holy laughter.  You said a merry heart does good like medicine so I pray that I will laugh with a merry heart.  God’s goodness brings joy and happiness to all who choose to allow it to pour out of them.  I love You, Lord!  Amen.

 

On Being Thankful

Devotion:  Colossians 2:6-7

It’s Thanksgiving Day 2018.  It’s the time when most families gather around their bountiful tables to partake of food and have sweet fellowship together.  It can also be a very stress filled time of year as there is so much added to our plates.

How can we talk about being thankful if we have unforgiveness in our heart?  Do you have any unforgiveness in your heart?  Unforgiveness and gratitude cannot abide in the same heart.  You ask why? Because they are polar opposites.  An unforgiving heart harboring hateful thoughts can result in dissension and brings great conflict to the soul.

Go find the person and ask them for forgiveness.  You will be amazed how thankfulness will fill your heart.

If we could begin to practice rehearsing the things for which we are thankful; God will begin to help us forgive and restore the years the locusts have eaten.  If you know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him, your thankfulness meter should be over the top!  What a wonderful change in your life has been wrought.

Make a list of all for which you are thankful!  You can do it out loud, on a piece of paper or just in your head, but do it.  When you begin, I believe your list will be inexhaustible.  We have a heritage of freedom in our country paid for by the blood of many a willing soldier.

Our Jesus laid down His life for you and for me.  He created you with and on purpose to share His great love with your family, friends, and co-workers.  We have a roof over our heads, food on our table, health and strength to be about our Father’s business.  We are blessed beyond measure.

God’s amazing grace flows from heaven’s throne on a moment by moment basis.  He extends mercy and forgiveness to us 24/7.   Only God knows how many times He’s saved us from tragedy.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord Jesus, thank You for saving my soul.  Thank  You for all the people You have given me.  What a fellowship, what a  joy divine I have in you.  I love You more now than ever!  My heart is full of thanksgiving!  In Jesus Name.  Amen

 

God of Covenant

Devotion:  Genesis 15

Abram had a close relationship with his God.  He asked pointed questions when he was heavy with unresolved conflict in his soul.  He longed for an heir from his own household so that his lineage could continue.

The God of Covenant spoke powerful words of promise to His beloved Abram.  “…one will come from your own body to be your heir.”  Our God brought His servant out to gaze upon the stars and asked Abram to see if he could count them.  That’s how many his descendants would be.

…”and Abram believed and God accounted it to him for righteousness.”

My dear reader, have you ever believed God for what seemed absolutely impossible?  Have you even talked with Him about that thing?  Have you believed that His promises are yes and amen?  I doubt you have waited ninety-nine years for anything. How are you waiting?  In belief?  Oh, how I pray we are learning to wait upon the Lord in belief and hope.

Isaiah says, “Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.  They will mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint.”  While they are waiting they believe the Covenant Keeping God will always keep His promises!  He who keeps you does not slumber nor sleep.

“I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that Day.”  I’m talking about that Day when I will behold Him for the very first time.  I’ll be on my face in the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace.  You will too dear friend.  You will too.

Prayer in Motion:

Lord of heaven and earth, my covenant-keeping God, I trust You.  I believe You will accomplish what concerns me.  Yes, You will!  I wait upon You for Your timing is perfect.  You are the lover of my soul.  I belong to You my Bridegroom.  Thank You for loving me and teaching me while I wait for your promises to be fulfilled.