I used to work with a man that had a retirement cabin on a lake. The name of his cabin was Lagniappe. He explained to me that it meant “a little something extra”. That cabin was his something extra.
According to Wikipedia, A lagniappe is “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase” (such as a 13th doughnut on purchase of a dozen), or more broadly, “something given by way of good measure.” It can be used more generally as meaning any extra or unexpected benefit.
I was reminded of this when I started to think about what God expects from us. We need to be willing to give all that we can give to the cause of Christ. Not just what is expected or required but we need to give the little something extra.
God is worth us making the effort to give that little something extra. To go above and beyond what is required.
Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Jesus did not deserve the punishment he received. He went above and beyond what was required of him. We have been given a so very much because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Since the word says whomsoever, much is given of him shall me much required. It leaves me to ask, what is required and how can I give a little something extra?
MATT 5:40-42 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Jesus shared how his disciples should treat others. He says if someone asks us to go a mile with them we should go two. Many times we do not even want to go one. This is when we need to remind ourselves that Jesus went above and beyond for us. He gave more than we could ever give. So we should be willing to give more than is required.
MATT 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Loving our enemies is a difficult thing that God asks of us. It is hard to be good to those who are trying to destroy us. But Jesus was our example. When Peter cut off the ear of the soldier that came to take Jesus away. Jesus healed him. That was an act of love on Jesus’ part. He also saved Peter who was acting on emotion. Without proof of Peter cutting off the man’s ear, there was no way he could have been punished for a crime of assault on the man.
Our actions can affect those around us, both good and bad. We have to be ready to do all we can to further the cause of Christ, even if it is Lagniappe.
There are masks like the ones used to make movies and television shows. They make the actors look like someone else. There are the masks that people wear to a masquerade ball. Then there are the ones we put on every day if we aren’t careful. In the world we live in, we often wear many masks.
Prov 6:16-19 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
These six things the Lord hates. I am going to cover a couple of them today. It is the unintentional and the intentional masks. God hates a proud look. Pride is something that Lucifer developed before he was kicked out of heaven. His pride led to his downfall.
For a long time, I thought a proud look was someone who walked around with their nose in the air, like they were really important. That is one way to look at it. But the more I think about it, a proud look is the mask we try to hide behind.
The first mask I want to talk about is the unintentional mask. In a culture that doesn’t allow us to be vulnerable, it is hard sometimes to show people the real us in a world where if you show weakness, it could be what others would use to bring you down. To protect ourselves, we put on a mask and go out into the world. Pretending things are fine. When we may be crumbling inside. We may be going through horrible storms all the while wearing a fake smile.
This false face causes people to look at Christians as fake pretenders. Some Christians tell people that if they serve Jesus, everything will be sunshine and rainbows. Giving people a false sense of Christianity. Many times, we do not realize we are putting on this face. But is wearing this mask not a form of lying or deception?
When people in the world decide to turn to Jesus, based on observing the masked church. They will either buy into it all and create their own mask, or they will feel like a failure for letting their emotions and disappointments show.
They will not understand why their life is not a bed of roses. They will return to a life of sin because they cannot live up to the illusion. When they come under their first attack from satan, they will feel like they failed as a Christian because they struggle.
2 Cor 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Learning to allow ourselves to be human is one of the hardest things. We need to understand that we are weak and only in Christ are we strong. We need to have confidence in our God. Being real for one another will help everyone to grow. What if showing that you struggled with something, you encouraged someone else that they are not alone in their struggles.
It is time for us to set aside our pride and focus on what matters. God needs us to just be real, true and authentic. That is the only way we are going to win the world to Christ.The second mask is the intentional mask. This is the false face that people put on to deceive others; the mask of deception. They want to make everyone think they are on fire, Christians. When they want to gain an advantage over others, to manipulate. They are the enemy of the cross. They can be false shepherds out to deceive the congregations by clothing themselves with good deeds. Their purpose is to sow discord among the people in order to tear down the work of the Lord. Satan has sent his children of darkness to deceive and destroy.
These people say all the right things and do all the right things. Only by the spirit of discernment can we see behind their mask. It is time you show the world the real you. God made you the way you are; you are special in his sight. Look to him and live for him, free from the mask.
The title of today’s episode: TEN BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
Today, I want to encourage you with a list of things to remember when going through troubles and trials. God will never leave us or forsake us. He is always in control, no matter how things look. Maybe he is waiting for us to relinquish our free will before he can move, so we need to check ourselves. God’s timing is perfect; he will always lift us up. Jesus is the foundation for our lives, and we can be sure he will work things out for our good. He will give us strength in our trials. He will fight our battles; we just have to remember to praise him.
GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE US
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Many places in His word says that he will go with us. He will not forsake us. Having the assurance that He is always with us, even in the trials, is a guarantee that should give us peace.
Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
He will go with us even to the end of the world. This should strengthen our courage to keep going when the trials are difficult.
GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL
Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
If we would stop and think about how beyond boundaries, how big our God is that he measures out heaven with the span of his hand. He weighs the mountains in scales. He is in control of very complex things. He understands everything. We should trust that he knows how to fix our problems.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
With God, all things are possible. Even when our situations seem like they have no answer. When we feel like there is no way out. It is possible with God and he holds the answer to all the issues of our lives.
MAYBE HE IS WAITING FOR US TO RELINQUISH OUR FREE WILL
Gal 5:16-17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
There are times when we face situations in life because we make wrong choices. God may lead us to make changes or different choices. We can pray and ask for him to fix our issues, but he will not override our free will. He is waiting for us to yield to his leading. Then he will step in and strengthen us and fix our issues. Walking in the Spirit means we have surrendered our free will.
HIS TIMING IS PERFECT
1 Kings 18:36 His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.
He is an on-time God. We can rely on him to be fair and just. He is faithful. We can count on him to work things out at the perfect time. Many examples in the Bible, situations seemed to be impossible, but God would always come through for his people. His timing is precise and perfect.
Eccl 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
He holds the times and seasons in his hand. We can trust him.
HE WILL LIFT US UP
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
When we fall down, He will pick us up. When we get bogged down in the cares of this life, he will lift us out of our troubles.
Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
We can trust God to save our souls. We trust his word that we will have a home in heaven. Then why can’t we trust him with our problems and issues? He reached down and pulled us up out of the pit and placed our feet on solid ground. We should remind ourselves that He will lift us up. He will take care of us.
HE WILL BE OUR SURE FOUNDATION
Jesus shared a parable about a wise man and a foolish man. A wise man will build on a solid foundation. Jesus is the foundation on which we build our lives. The wise man is anchored to the rock, so when the storms of life blow, he will not be moved.
The foolish man builds on sand, and when the storms come, his house falls. The lesson to take from this is to allow Jesus to be the foundation of our lives. It will not matter what kind of storm blows into our life, we will not be destroyed because we stand on a solid foundation.
WORKS THINGS OUT FOR OUR GOOD
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Many people cling to this verse in hard times. It is reassurance that God orchestrates our lives; he allows trials for our good. In difficult times, we grow stronger.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
STRENGTH IN THE TRIALS
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
God’s word says not to fear. Often, when trials and storms come, the enemy will attack us with fear. God doesn’t want us to fear but to have faith. His word tells us he will strengthen us.
GOD WILL FIGHT OUR BATTLES
2 CHR. 20:16-17 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.
This is my go to story to remind me that God is fighting for me. I love how this story reminds us to worship in our trials and let God fight for us. When Jehosophat and his army arrived at the battlefield, his enemies had destroyed each other. The only thing left for Jehosophat’s army to do was collect the spoils.
God will fight for us and leave us to collect the blessings from the battle.
10) PROMISES NEVER FAIL
NUM 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
His promises are a guarantee. If he said it, he will do it. We can count on him to take care of us. He will do what he has promised.
I hope the next time you find yourself walking through the fire, you will find that God is in the fire with you. He has made us so many promises in his word. We can count on all of them.
When we think of redeeming, a gift card or coupon normally comes to mind. We trade them for something valuable to us. When we redeem the time God has given us we use every moment wisely. We must seize the opportunities to be a light and a witness to others. Life is too short to have regrets about not doing enough for God.
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
We have no guarantee of tomorrow. That is why we have to seize the opportunities given to us. As we look to God for guidance and direction, he will lead us to where we need to be in life. His plans are not always our plans; however, we need to be able to discern his plans and yield to them. He wants only what is best for us. He sees the big picture when we only see a puzzle piece.
Eph 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
The word circumspectly means mindful, careful, cautious, attentive, and not extravagant.
We are to walk carefully or wisely, not as fools. Making the most of our time because the days are evil. We do this by understanding the will of the Lord and not walking unwisely according to man’s ways.
The best way to know God’s will is to listen for that still, small voice. He says his sheep know his voice. We have to be led by the Spirit. Spending time with him is never wasted; it is the best way to redeem our time. The more time we spend with him, the more we will know his voice.
Col 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
We are to use wisdom when speaking to people who do not know God. We have to show them God’s love through our actions and our words. Knowing how and what to say to people sometimes is difficult. We must always tell them the truth in love. Knowing God’s voice will help us to know how deep and far to go.
We are trading the temporary for the eternal. If we redeem our time, God will use it to build the eternal. We can be a part of people’s stories of how they came to know the greatest story ever told. The story of God’s redeeming grace.
Proverbs 13:20 – He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
The wise redeem their time, but fools waste their resources. If we redeem our time, we will plan ahead. That is being wise. Look at the parable of the ten virgins; five were wise and five were foolish. Five of them redeemed their time and planned ahead, preparing to meet the bridegroom. They had their lamps filled with oil. The five foolish didn’t redeem their time and they were caught unprepared without oil in their lamps.
This is a parable about being filled with the spirit of God. They were all ten good moral people; they were virgins. But five of them were wise enough to have oil, which is a representation of God’s spirit or anointing. We have to be filled with his spirit and be prepared for the bridegroom’s return. This is what it means to redeem the time. We have to make sure we have walked wisely and mindfully of God’s ways, so that we are ready to meet him when He returns.
No one knows how long we have until Jesus comes and gets his bride. We do not know if we will even see sunrise. But God wants us to use the time we have to further his kingdom; nothing else matters.
Tucked away in the Old Testament is a book called Amos. It is a small book and like so many in the Old Testament. But it carries a lot of truth. Amos, like so many of the prophets, was sent by God to call Israel to repentance. Anytime a group of people forgets who God is they find themselves in a mess. War, famine, and disease are all side effects of a broken society. When a society embraces God, it is prosperous. America almost went too far; we were close to being destroyed.
A few years ago, everywhere you went you would see two bible verse, 2 Cor 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
They were both reminders that we needed to get our society back on track. As we watched America decline, some of us got the message God was sending. People paid attention to God’s leading and started to pray again in earnest. Prayer is turning around our country. We are not out of the woods yet, but we will see God’s power and glory. Revival is about to hit our land like a tsunami. God will not allow evil to win.
I was talking to a friend of mine about a situation with another friend. This person knows what they need to do. God has showed them, but they are not willing to be obedient, but they keep asking for prayer that God will change the circumstances. If we are not willing to do our part, we cannot expect God to do his. He will not override free will. We have to be strong enough to step out in faith and do what God has asked us.
We have to decide are we going to do what God asks, or are we going to walk in our free will and do our own thing? Israel would walk in God’s ways so far, then when the pressure of life lessened and they became prosperous, they would slowly turn their backs on God. They would turn to lesser gods.
As God gets us through the storm that we have facing us a nation and we get to the revival, we cannot allow the blessings to get us to the point of being complacent. We must continue to dig deep into the Word and to run after God with all of our hearts.
We do not want a repeat of what happened with the children of Israel. We do not need to turn back to bondage because things will look a little different. We do not need to return to the idols that were once at the forefront of our lives. Which brings me to the scripture I want to share with you.
Amos 7:7-9 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. 8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: 9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
Just as God showed Amos, he was about to get out his plumbline and use it to check Israel, He is going to check the church of today. Before the final harvest can be gathered, the church has to be ready to receive and disciple them.
Many phrases in our culture speak of being right. When people speak of walking a fine line, it is the place where two contrasting opinions meet. It is another way of describing the plumb line. I used to watch my grandpa build cinderblock walls; he would stretch out a line between two points and would hang a plumb line on it. That let him know that the wall was not leaning one way or the other. A plumb line keeps things balanced.
God’s word is our plumbline; it is what we measure ourselves with to make sure we are not leaning on our own understanding or on man’s religion. God is going to separate his sheep from those that say they are his sheep. We can see it happening with some of the mega church pastors and churches already. Sad to say, many more are going to fall because they leaned on their own ideas, charisma, and abilities. They are master manipulators that the enemy has used to deceive many. God has called to them and tried to turn them around. Some have listened but others love their kingdom more than God’s and they will fall. Denominations are splitting over liberal ideas and the truth of God’s word.
Now is the time to check the plumb line and make sure what you are building is not leaning on anything but Jesus Christ. We cannot be guilty of fence sitting or ignoring sin because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. It is better that they have hurt feelings than to end up in hell. We need to tell them the truth and do it in love, from a place of concern. We cannot go about it with a self-righteous and judgmental attitude and then say, “Well, at least I told them.” That is not the love of God. Even if we are loving toward them and show them concern, they still may turn away and reject our words. But if we do it from a place of God’s compassion, then we have done all we can do, except pray for them.
The word plumb means to examine minutely and critically, check the vertical as in a wall. To measure the depth of water.
A plumb bob is used by ships to check the depth of the water. This prevents the ship from scraping the bottom. The plumb line is used to check the to see that the wall is not leaning.
We use God’s word to check that we are growing deeper in the things of God. That we are not in shallow water to get stuck or damaged. We can use it to make sure that we are going up straight in understanding. That we are not leaning on our own understanding. Take God’s word and use it to make sure your life is plumb.
The title of today’s episode: PROMISE TO FULFILLMENT
There is often a testing period of time between a promise and the fulfillment. There are many examples in the Bible. Abraham and Sarah allowed the time between God’s promise of giving them Isaac and the fulfillment of that promise to get to them. They started to doubt God’s promise or his word, and they ended up with a lot of heartache. They did what we all like to do, they tried to make it happen themselves. God doesn’t need our help to fulfill his promises; he needs our trust. He is able to perform what he has said he will do.
The word promise is defined as a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen. Synonyms for the word promise: vow, word of honor, pledge, guarantee, covenant or oath.
The waiting period before fulfillment is the hardest time to walk through. During this time, the enemy will try to make us doubt God’s promise. He will make us question if we really heard from God. There is often pain in waiting. But we must push through and trust God. We have to remember that we have a guarantee; if God said it would happen, it will. He cannot lie.
Exodus 3:19-22 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty. 22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.
God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh he needed to let the children of Israel go. God knew Pharaoh would refuse and that they would have to walk through a process of learning to trust God. Every time Moses went to Pharaoh, and he refused to let them go, God sent a plague.
The Pharaoh would grow angry and make things more difficult for the Israelites. They were constantly having the pressure turned up. Our enemy will often try to turn up the pressure. The more difficult the pressure, the closer we are to our breakthrough. I am sure the children of Israel felt like they were never going to be free.
At times, we feel like the pressure is going to crush us. We are squeezed so hard that we feel like we cannot breathe.
When the day finally came that they were free of the enemy, they didn’t leave Egypt without resources. They had everything they needed to create their future. They had walked through a lot of pressure and uncertainty between God’s speaking to Moses from a burning bush and the time the Red Sea parted, and they were truly free. The fulfillment was beyond anything they had ever imagined.
Heb 10: 22-23 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
We have to draw closer to God with a true heart. We cannot allow doubt to cause us to fall into fear. It is a process of learning to fully and completely trust God. His promises are true; we have to hold onto that assurance of faith. We cannot allow the time between the promise and the fulfillment to cause us to doubt God.
2 Cor. 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Do not allow the enemy to cause you to give up when you find yourself in the waiting. We are often tested to see what we are made of and if we will trust even when it seems like the answer will never come.
Olives do not produce oil, unless they are squeezed. If the olives were like people, the crushing would be painful. The crushing brings forth the anointing. In our hardest times, the most painful things we walk through produce the oil of anointing. As we look back over the deepest, darkest valleys, it was those times that made us the strongest spiritually.
When you are in the times between the promise and the fulfillment, remember that every promise of God is true. We have strength through our Lord Jesus Christ to stand strong and wait for his promise. We cannot allow the enemy, our reasoning or anything to stand in the way of our belief that every promise of God is true.
Our country is in one of these times between promise and fulfillment. We have to not be shaken by how things appear. We have to stand strong in our faith and wait for the fulfillment of his promises that he will restore our country back to the foundation of our faith.
The title of today’s episode: DON’T FEAR THE STORM
Not every wind that blows through our lives like a storm is from the enemy. We tend to give him too much credit. Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe God allowed the storm to make you stronger. Strong winds will break off dead or weak branches. But the trees are spared. They will have a spurt of new growth once the branches that were a drain of strength are removed. It is for the good of the tree.
Things sometimes happen to give us freedom. God will remove people from our lives that are a drain on our spirit. He knows that it is time to move on from the job we have had for a long time. Even though we are comfortable. When we have done all, we can in a place or to help a person, He will move us on to a fresh place. Somewhere, we can be effective and help someone else.
After a storm, the air smells cleaner, and the ground has been cleansed with fresh water. Maybe the new place has someone who will never find Jesus unless we are there to encourage them in that direction. Maybe the new territory is to give us what we need to grow stronger. There could be someone there that will mentor us to grow stronger.
Life is full of seasons, just as the earth has spring, summer, fall, and winter. We will walk through many different seasons. We can be sure that God is with us and will empower us to do the right thing. We have to listen to his still, small voice that is our guide.
God allowed the storm on the day Peter walked on water. Jesus was trying to get the disciples out of their comfort zone. He was trying to teach them that his power was real. Because of Peter’s ability to push aside his fear, he walked on the water. The rest were too complacent or too afraid to try. They had to learn of God’s power in other ways.
Nahum 1:3: The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
When life’s storms blow into our lives, God will not waste them. He will use it to draw us closer to him. The whole purpose of our life’s journey is to learn how to love God and rely on him. To learn how to walk in his love and show others love.
We are safe in the hollow of his hand. He is our strong tower that we can run to when life gets rough. He is our hiding place, the secret place under his wings. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We can count on him to keep all of his promises.
Some storms are sent by our enemy to rip apart our lives. It pleases our enemy when he sees our lives falling apart. God will often send us warnings about people and situations long before the storm of attack hits us. Often, we can stop the enemy’s attack before it ever comes, or at the very least lessen the damage. By praying against his plans.
God has plans for us, too; his plans consist of good things. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. God comes to add to and multiply the good in our lives. If we are obedient to Him, he will see us through any storm the enemy can send our direction.
Things look scary in our world right now. We cannot fall into fear. The enemy will not prevail. God is watching over his people. He will never allow us to be overtaken; he will give us the strength to stand against our enemy. God is our fortress, our safe place to take shelter during the storms of life.
When we come to Jesus, we are sinners. People often say that because we have repented, we got our hearts right. But getting our hearts right goes beyond salvation. It is a process of learning to walk in the ways of the Lord. We can be saved and still not walk fully in a position of having our heart completely right. Out of our heart flows the issues of life. It controls how we handle the various things that come our way.
Especially new Christians will not react from a place of a right heart. We all have room to improve not walking by flesh but by the Spirit that lives within us.
I am going to share several verses that will show how important the heart being right is to a person.
Matt 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Jesus was talking to the Pharisees. Because they knew the words of the law, but didn’t have a godly attitude he called them viper. They spoke the things of their flesh instead of speaking the things of God.
Prov 4:20-24 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
If we listen to the word of God and study it, until it gets into our hearts, we will find that it gives us life. The words of the scriptures are health to our flesh. We are to keep our heart with all diligence ( which means careful, persistent effort) because out of our heart flows the issues of life. Just as our fleshly heart provides life-giving oxygen and nutrients to our body, our spiritual heart can be life or death depending on the path we choose.
Prov 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.
Even Christians can sometimes fall into a belief that they are right. This is why there are so many denominations. Everyone believes they are right. But God looks at our hearts, he knows those in every building that is called a church, who will come to surrender fully their will and ask God for his perfect understanding and will. He sees us as we can be, if we will fully surrender to him.
Ezekiel 11:21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.
Many believe they are right in the sight of God. But they are too full of religion. Isaiah 64:6 says our righteousness is as filthy rags. Walking the Christian Walk is about a right heart. From that heart comes our attitude, our words, our actions. If our heart is weak, we will fall into the works of the flesh. If our heart is strong in faith and the desires of God. We will have the fruit of the Spirit showing in our lives.
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
We want to be found bringing good treasures to others. If our heart is right, we will share that perfect love of God. It is a process to increase our surrender to God. The more of our life we give him, the more our heart will reflect his love and mercy. Walking in love and compassion is not a sign of weakness, but of great strength.
It takes love to forgive those who have harmed you. It takes love to walk away instead of arguing with someone. It takes compassion to do good to those who have tried to destroy you in multiple ways. But the word says His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Receiving his Spirit and learning to walk by that Spirit is the beginning of having a right heart. Even if we are not perfect, we will walk in God’s love and shine our light. Showing the world what it means to have a right heart.
The title of today’s episode: STAND STILL AND WAIT
Standing still and waiting for God to move is always a hard thing to do. We pray, and then we have to stand on our faith, knowing God will answer. He rarely answers the way we think he will. His timing rarely happens when we think it should or want it to be. If we wait on him, doors will open that we could not have even imagined.
We are not the first to be surprised at how God chooses to help us in our situations. There is no way the children of Israel could have known that God was going to provide them an escape through the Red Sea. Many of them didn’t even see God delivering them at all. They accused Moses of bringing them out into the desert to die. But God came through for them and saved them from their enemy. I am sure that many responded first with shock, seeing the waters part.
God sometimes shows up in ways we cannot even imagine. He is never late, but always right on time. There is often a wait between the realization of the problem and God showing how He will deliver. Moses told the people to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Standing is the hardest thing to do. I am sure the time from the revelation to the time that the answer was revealed was quick for the children of Israel. For us, sometimes it takes days, weeks, months, or even years to see the solution. But he is still God. It is in the time of the “standing still” that our faith is tried. We cannot be guilty of doubting the Lord. Doubt and worry are not faith, but break down our faith. He will see us through if we stand strong on his promises. I want to share a few verses with you.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord is not slack but is long-suffering. He wants what is best for us. He loved us so much that he didn’t want to see us perish and die in our sin. So, how much more is he willing to do for those who are his children and have accepted the work of the cross? Those who carry his Spirit inside of them. We should have faith to believe He will do what He has promised. It may not happen the way we think or want it to happen. But He will take care of our situations and answer our prayers. He has promised us eternal life if we choose to follow him.
Number 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
If God says He will do something, you can be sure He will do it. He is incapable of lying. Because God is the truth.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
God tells us to not fear because He goes with us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He says He will uphold us with the right hand of His righteousness.
Is 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This verse says If we wait on the Lord. In other words, stand still and be patient for him to work out our situations. If we wait on him and not try to fix things on our own, He will lift us up as if we are carried above our circumstances. Soaring high above the issues like an eagle would fly. He will give us the strength to run this race that is set before us. We will keep going and will not faint or give up. Because He gives us the strength to keep going. But it takes standing and waiting on the Lord. His timing is not our timing.
There is nothing in this life that we will ever face alone if we are His children. He has promised to provide for us. He has promised us power over the powers of the enemy so that we can stand strong. The comforter will be our peace, our guide, all we need to empower us to stand still and wait on the Lord.
The title of today’s episode is: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Most of us over the age of eighteen remember our first love. At a young age you open yourself up and believe that the person you are dating is the one true love of your life. We love fully without holding back our affections. Most of us end up with our hearts broken feeling rejected. It doesn’t matter the reasons, even if they are noble, even if it is the right thing, it feels awful. No one wants to be rejected.
But Jesus gave everything for us. He laid down his life. He loves us without conditions. He believes in us and doesn’t hold back any of his love and affections for us. He is jealous for us. He wants nothing but our love and adoration in return. He desires to spend time with us.
If we are not careful, we can be guilty of pushing him away. Not even intentionally lots of times, but we get distracted by the cares of this life. Before we know it we find that we have not spent quality time with him. We have not poured out our affections on him. Leaving him feeling rejected.
Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
All through the Old Testament, God’s people would do well for a little while, then they would fail God. They were excited when he brought them out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. But it didn’t take them long before they made their own god out of gold.
We cannot think that we are any different today. God will work out something in our lives and we rejoice. But a little bit of time goes by without the pressure of a trial, and we get complacent. God has to allow another trial to draw us to him. Complacency is the enemy of God’s plan in the earth.
We need to be in his presence, working to gather the harvest. Making sure that we do not leave him feeling rejected. He has poured out everything for us. All he asks is for us to love him in return.
Romans 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
When trials come, they often come to draw us closer to him. They teach us how to love in a deeper way. We are not born knowing how to love God. It is a process that we learn by studying the word. We learn about his love as he guides us and leads us into deeper understanding of his truth.
Worship should not be an act of raised hands and singing a couple of times a week at church. Worship should be something we do daily to show God affection. Let him know that we love him and appreciate all that he does for us.
It is hard for people to love God sometimes because they never had anyone in their life to show them love. They may have been born with bad parents. Something may have happened that they lost them at a young age and never experienced that bond. Without the reference of good human parents, it is hard for people to grasp how much God loves us.
Roman 8:37-39: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
None of these things can separate us from his love for us. But it doesn’t say that we do not grieve his heart when we are disobedient. It breaks his heart when we ignore him unless we have a crisis. He wants us to want him and not what he can give us and do for us.
Matt 15:8-9 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
We do not want to be guilty of being Christians in name only. Walking out our faith walk like the Pharisees. We want our hearts to not just match our words of praise but to be what generates the words of praise.
God gives us unconditional love but longs and desires for us to return to him our unconditional love.
GOD FOCUS--Psalm 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me.... 