“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
7.20.2011
7.11.2011
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.
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.
7.05.2011
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
Let this be our heart and our prayer for one another.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
6.22.2011
Worry Is Wearisome
An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 12:25
Worry is wearisome. It is fatigue to our emotions like physical pain is to our bodies. Worry can trigger stomachaches, high blood pressure, headaches, anxiety disorders and depression. It is an enemy to executing a joy filled and productive life. Worry can so weigh you down that you are immobilized for lack of energy and because of fear.
Your family tree may have borne the fruit of worry over generations, but you can purge out obsession with negative thinking through trust in the Lord. Jesus’ teaching is very clear, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).
Exercised trust energizes the weary. Your personality may lend itself to worry. You can see it in your furrowed brow, or in your brooding countenance. You worry about the economy and its effect on your retirement. You wring your hands over the war and wonder when it will ever end. You are stressed out over work, because of situations and people you are unable to change. Anxiety may have paralyzed you as a parent, because you don’t feel qualified to carry out your responsibilities.
Alcohol has become your outlet for those things that you cannot control, but the gnawing fear is still there the next day. One simple solution is to make a two-column prayer list with the headings ‘Things I can’t change’ and ‘Things I can change’. Ask God for faith and patience with the former and wisdom and courage to act on the later. Prayer is your time-tested prescription for worry:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).”
Furthermore, look for those who long to be encouraged, who feel trapped by the anxieties of life (Luke 21:34). They need the truth of God’s word, because the cares of this world try to marginalize the truth. Truth can be forgotten in the fearful suffering of severe trials. Your kind words remind them of Christ’s care and concern for their health, their family and their faith.
Lift yourself and others out of the downward spiral of depression by cheering them up with truth. Read the Bible out loud with a friend and meditate on its promises that are filled with hope and encouragement. Use uncertainty as a reason not to worry, but rest in the Lord. You are freed up when you don’t fret, but apply faith instead. Above all else, His word wins over worry and gives strength for your faith journey!
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
What promise from the Lord can I rest in and trust to overcome my chronic worry?
Related Readings: Luke 1:37; 5:1; 11:28; Acts 13:7; Ephesians 6:17
Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey
Worry is wearisome. It is fatigue to our emotions like physical pain is to our bodies. Worry can trigger stomachaches, high blood pressure, headaches, anxiety disorders and depression. It is an enemy to executing a joy filled and productive life. Worry can so weigh you down that you are immobilized for lack of energy and because of fear.
Your family tree may have borne the fruit of worry over generations, but you can purge out obsession with negative thinking through trust in the Lord. Jesus’ teaching is very clear, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).
Exercised trust energizes the weary. Your personality may lend itself to worry. You can see it in your furrowed brow, or in your brooding countenance. You worry about the economy and its effect on your retirement. You wring your hands over the war and wonder when it will ever end. You are stressed out over work, because of situations and people you are unable to change. Anxiety may have paralyzed you as a parent, because you don’t feel qualified to carry out your responsibilities.
Alcohol has become your outlet for those things that you cannot control, but the gnawing fear is still there the next day. One simple solution is to make a two-column prayer list with the headings ‘Things I can’t change’ and ‘Things I can change’. Ask God for faith and patience with the former and wisdom and courage to act on the later. Prayer is your time-tested prescription for worry:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).”
Furthermore, look for those who long to be encouraged, who feel trapped by the anxieties of life (Luke 21:34). They need the truth of God’s word, because the cares of this world try to marginalize the truth. Truth can be forgotten in the fearful suffering of severe trials. Your kind words remind them of Christ’s care and concern for their health, their family and their faith.
Lift yourself and others out of the downward spiral of depression by cheering them up with truth. Read the Bible out loud with a friend and meditate on its promises that are filled with hope and encouragement. Use uncertainty as a reason not to worry, but rest in the Lord. You are freed up when you don’t fret, but apply faith instead. Above all else, His word wins over worry and gives strength for your faith journey!
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
What promise from the Lord can I rest in and trust to overcome my chronic worry?
Related Readings: Luke 1:37; 5:1; 11:28; Acts 13:7; Ephesians 6:17
Source: Wisdom Hunters by Boyd Bailey
Influence
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
James 3:10-12
Be intentional today about what you say and how you say it. You never know who might be listening and how they might be impacted by your commentary.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
James 3:10-12
Be intentional today about what you say and how you say it. You never know who might be listening and how they might be impacted by your commentary.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
6.20.2011
Effort
Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:8b-10
Notice that this passage doesn't say "do what is pleasing to the Lord," it says "try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." He's not asking for perfection from you, so don't beat yourself up if you're not perfect. He's asking for effort, so put forth that effort and rest in knowing that He will honor that.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
Ephesians 5:8b-10
Notice that this passage doesn't say "do what is pleasing to the Lord," it says "try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord." He's not asking for perfection from you, so don't beat yourself up if you're not perfect. He's asking for effort, so put forth that effort and rest in knowing that He will honor that.
Source: The Daily Verse by Kat Davis
Wife Support
“Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.” Genesis 31:16
Husbands need the support of their wives. Of course, it works both ways, as the wife needs to feel the support of her husband; but for a man, support is huge. A God-fearing husband knows the Lord has placed him in a position of leadership. It is overwhelming sometimes because he can feel squeezed by the pressures of life. The last thing a husband needs to feel is distance or distrust from his wife. Wives, your encouragement may be the only thing that is preventing him from giving up, so do not underestimate the strength of your support. Your affirmation is valuable and powerful for the ongoing success of your husband. Men are not as self-sufficient as they may seem.
On the outside he may seem invincible, but on the inside he is needy and desperate for recognition and validation. A man needs to know his wife trusts his decision-making and his ability to provide for his family. Her confidence in him propels his self-confidence to higher levels. Your belief in your husband builds him up to believe in himself. It is difficult for a man to rise any higher than the opinion of his helpmate. Men long to be built up by their brides, so brag on him in public and affirm him in private. Look to your husband as the leader God has placed in your life. Pray for him to lead lovingly and wisely. Be patient, so as not to usurp his authority when things are not getting done. Trust him with God, for He can handle him. Give him over to God and trust in the accountability of the Almighty. Sometimes a man needs to fail before he can be successful.
As a husband, it is imperative in God’s sight that you lovingly lead your wife and children. You may feel your wife is more qualified, smarter, and more spiritual. These all may be very true. However, God’s plan is for you to take the position of leadership in the home. She is looking for you to do whatever God has told you. Prayer is your mantle of responsibility. See it as a privilege to enjoy and not an obligation to tolerate. She will trust you more and more as you remain trustworthy.
It takes time to overcome a track record of distrust. Remain in the process of listening to God, following His commands, and then leading your family to do the same. There are days you don’t feel like leading or even listening to the Lord. Life can be overwhelming. It can get you down to the point of wanting to walk away from all your responsibilities. But by grace, you carry on in your commitment to Christ, your wife, and your children.
It is foolish to flee from your responsibilities as a husband and father. Fools give up, but God has you in this position so you can learn about Him and His plan for you and your family. Do what He says with passion and abandon. It may mean moving to another country. It may mean downsizing for a season. It may be organizing a family vacation. It may mean planning the calendar and budget for the upcoming year. Men, love leads. Love follows God and leads his family. Give your wife the assurance that you listen to and follow God. She will respect you and trust you for this. Wives, support your husbands in ways that make him feel supported. Wife support is life support.
Taken from the June 16th reading in the 365 day devotional Seeking Daily the Heart of God.
Husbands need the support of their wives. Of course, it works both ways, as the wife needs to feel the support of her husband; but for a man, support is huge. A God-fearing husband knows the Lord has placed him in a position of leadership. It is overwhelming sometimes because he can feel squeezed by the pressures of life. The last thing a husband needs to feel is distance or distrust from his wife. Wives, your encouragement may be the only thing that is preventing him from giving up, so do not underestimate the strength of your support. Your affirmation is valuable and powerful for the ongoing success of your husband. Men are not as self-sufficient as they may seem.
On the outside he may seem invincible, but on the inside he is needy and desperate for recognition and validation. A man needs to know his wife trusts his decision-making and his ability to provide for his family. Her confidence in him propels his self-confidence to higher levels. Your belief in your husband builds him up to believe in himself. It is difficult for a man to rise any higher than the opinion of his helpmate. Men long to be built up by their brides, so brag on him in public and affirm him in private. Look to your husband as the leader God has placed in your life. Pray for him to lead lovingly and wisely. Be patient, so as not to usurp his authority when things are not getting done. Trust him with God, for He can handle him. Give him over to God and trust in the accountability of the Almighty. Sometimes a man needs to fail before he can be successful.
As a husband, it is imperative in God’s sight that you lovingly lead your wife and children. You may feel your wife is more qualified, smarter, and more spiritual. These all may be very true. However, God’s plan is for you to take the position of leadership in the home. She is looking for you to do whatever God has told you. Prayer is your mantle of responsibility. See it as a privilege to enjoy and not an obligation to tolerate. She will trust you more and more as you remain trustworthy.
It takes time to overcome a track record of distrust. Remain in the process of listening to God, following His commands, and then leading your family to do the same. There are days you don’t feel like leading or even listening to the Lord. Life can be overwhelming. It can get you down to the point of wanting to walk away from all your responsibilities. But by grace, you carry on in your commitment to Christ, your wife, and your children.
It is foolish to flee from your responsibilities as a husband and father. Fools give up, but God has you in this position so you can learn about Him and His plan for you and your family. Do what He says with passion and abandon. It may mean moving to another country. It may mean downsizing for a season. It may be organizing a family vacation. It may mean planning the calendar and budget for the upcoming year. Men, love leads. Love follows God and leads his family. Give your wife the assurance that you listen to and follow God. She will respect you and trust you for this. Wives, support your husbands in ways that make him feel supported. Wife support is life support.
Taken from the June 16th reading in the 365 day devotional Seeking Daily the Heart of God.
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