Balance

For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish--that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 2 Corinthians 12:20

If you find some of the things around you that Paul mentions here, like gossip, conceit, disorder or jealousy, take a sober assessment of from where they're originating. Then pray for the wisdom and grace to slowly have them removed from your surroundings. Things that don't build us up eventually wear us down.

Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis

Never Give Up

“Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 24:14

Hope from heaven is a dependable handle to hang on to through the ups and downs of life. Like a skilled mountain climber we hook our rope of trust to the face of the solid rock, so we have secure support. It does not mean we are absent of fear, but it does mean in the middle of our fears we can have faith in Holy God to handle the inclement conditions.

The wisdom of the Lord is not illusive, but available to all who humble their hearts and take the time to invite in His influence. Truth is sweet to the soul and it will nourish your heart like spiritual nectar. Belief is a worker bee on behalf of God that takes the pollen of providence and produces the sustenance of salvation. You may have tried religion and found it lacking, but do not give up on God—enter into a growing relationship with Jesus.

“The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 19:22-23).

Hope keeps your heart fertile to grow the seed of God’s word. Perhaps past regrets have choked out your confidence in Christ, if so—determine not to give up—but to give Him another chance. You may be like Paul, Moses, Naomi, Hannah, Sarah and Abraham who saw the Lord use them much more in the second half of their life than the first half. As long as there is breath in your body, you have the potential to be a bold witness for God.

Jesus does not cut off those who trust Him, but leads them down the path of productive Kingdom living. Lift your eyes off yourself and look to Him and seek out how to serve those in need. Make sure you follow Him by faith—do not ask Him to follow you. Hope in the Lord adds fuel to your fire of faith. It is your soul’s internal combustion for the cause of Christ. Finish well by not giving up, but by giving all you have for God!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

What is the Lord calling me to give over to Him and to not give up on Him?

Related Readings: Psalm 119:116; Isaiah 57:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 John 3:3

Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey

Stand Up

“The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?’” Joshua 7:10

There is a time to pray, and there is a time to act. There is a time to listen, and then there is a time to do. There is a time to weigh your options, and there is a time to choose what’s best at the time. Prayer gives you clarity on what needs to be done, and faith gives you courage to follow through.

If you know what to do but are still praying about it, you are praying extra, useless prayers. There is no need to delay your decision anymore. Do not hide behind the need for prayer. God’s Spirit has made clear to you your next steps. Now is the time to act. It may be confronting a friend over their path of destruction. It may be resigning from your job. It may be breaking off a relationship. It may be a short-term mission trip overseas. It may be a phone call, an e-mail or an in-person visit seeking forgiveness.

Whatever God has already told you to do, do it quickly. There is no need to delay the inevitable. You are better off dealing with this sticky issue sooner than later. If you wait any longer, you will allow anger to permeate your thinking. Obsession with someone or something other than Christ will distract you from God’s best. Now is the time to stand up and move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Push fear aside. You cannot control the response of the other person or the fallout from the confrontation. But, you can rest in the fact that the Lord is leading you through this process. As you communicate, He will give you the words to say, in the right spirit. Yes, there are times it is easier to pray than to act, but prayer without action is presumption on God. So get up from your passive posture, and translate your prayers into gracious and passionate obedience.

Standing up does require faith. The level of faith that brought you to this point will not “cut it” going forward. Faith needs are fluid. For this next stage of living you will need a larger beaker of belief. Leverage off your faith that led you to Christ, but do not stay there. Stand up and move forward in the power of the Holy Spirit. God has prepared the way. Set fear aside. Place it back in the closet of intimidation and shut the door. God has great things in store for you, but it requires greater faith to stand up and move forward.

Yes, there are unknowns that sometimes haunt you, but this is when God shines the brightest. It is on the cloudy course of uncertainty that God’s Word illuminates your path. Read, believe and act on His Word. This is your assurance. Remaining where you are is not an option. We are either growing by faith in Christ, or we are regressing in fear. There is no middle ground. If you stay put in passivity, you will digress in discouragement. Your step of faith may be the very thing needed for others to do the same. Your life is a catalyst for Christ-centered living.

Yes, there is a battle to be waged, and sometimes the enemy infiltrates into your own relational ranks. Do not underestimate his influence. He may even use his “Christianity” as a badge of deception. Do not be intimidated by his lies. Stand up to “sin in the camp” with truth. The truth of God cannot be bought or used for selfish purposes. Rather, it is a cleansing agent for individuals and communities. Speak the truth in love and watch God work. His truth cuts to the chase. It dives deep into the heart of the matter. Stand up in love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, with the Word of God on your breath. This is faith in action. Since you have prayed, now you can act!

Taken from Dose #58 in the 90-day devotional book, Infusion.

Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey

Prayer

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14,17-19

Let this be our heart and our prayer for one another.

Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis