Faith Needs Prayer (Matthew 26:35-41)

Have you ever made a decision of faith, but then never follow through with the action of it? Maybe you sat in church, listened to a sermon and made a prayerful decision that never came to fulfillment. Possibly in devotions, the Lord impressed upon your heart as you read the scriptures and spent quiet time with him and you never moved beyond that. Why? Was your decision insincere? Was it simply an emotional decision and not a truly faith one? If it was real, why didn’t it happen?

After eating the Passover meal, the Lord revealed to his disciples that he would be smitten and they would be scattered. Peter responded that he would not be offended in him and that he would rather die than deny Christ. You probably know the outcome that he denied Christ three times and then wept bitterly. He had faith and failed terribly.

Why did it happen? We know the type of relationship that Peter had with the Lord and we also know the greatness of his faith by walking on water with Jesus and also bring the first to proclaim that he believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. But with all that faith, why did he fail?

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus being full of heaviness in heart and mind, petitioned Peter, James and John to pray with him. When he returned to them sometime later, he found them asleep. He questioned them as to why they could not pray with him and then admonished them by saying, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Peter, whether he knew it or not, was in a battle. Events were going to transpire that would keep him from standing strong in his faith. Jesus provided to him exactly what he needed in order to be victorious and that was prayer. Peter, great in faith, had a spirit which was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, but in order to carry out the actions of his faith, he would need his body and its faculties to cooperate with him at standing strong and speaking out loud his faith to Jesus’ captors and those he would meet over the next 18 hours and beyond. For that to occur, he would need to pray. It wouldn’t be some short mumbling of words, but instead a battling place where he would petition God for his grace, strength and courage. Had he done that, the outcome would have been different and Jesus would have never made the statement about his denial.

Our lives are no different than Peter’s. We have faith and in our hearts we make determinations and proclamations concerning that faith. However, decisions are not enough. As we face the constant battle with the world, the flesh and the Devil with his aids, we need to spend time in prayer with God. The flesh never wants what is spiritual. As we pray, we are strengthened in the inner man. Our spirit and soul are in harmony with the leading of God’s Holy Spirit. The stronger the inner man becomes, the weaker the flesh is. Prayer or spending time communicating with God and fasting, which is a denial of the body and flesh of what it wants, will strengthen the inner man and weaken the flesh. Remember, it is prayer that enables you to fulfill your decisions of faith.

Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)

When you make a decision of faith, don’t just stop there. Create check points throughout the day for you to stop, seek God’s face and ask him to provide his strength to you. The greater the faith decision, the more prayer will be needed. You may need to petition others to pray with you just as Jesus petitioned Peter, James and John. The battle you face is important and you can be victorious because the Lord would not have impressed upon you to make that faith decision if you could not do it.

It is not terrible people who make faith decisions and then fail to follow through with them. It is people, who lack strength, who fail to live up to their faith. Prayer is what you need so that you can actualize your faith. Have faith and remember, you must pray.

Thanksgiving (Psalm 50:4)

What is giving to God? Think about it, you cannot give anything to him because he already owns everything.  Giving isn’t a yielding, because he can take it anytime that he wants.  So what is giving to God.

Giving stems from a desire and that desire should be to express how you feel towards someone.  When we give to God, we express how we feel towards him.  The Psalmist writes that the emotion behind his giving is thankfulness.

Offer unto God thanksgiving... ( Psalm 50:14)

A thankful heart is what God wants. Gifts to God result from thankfulness. These gifts aren’t given out of coercion, responsibility or even guilt.  They come from hearts that recognize what God has done for them and are mere expressions of that thankfulness.

As I look back, I can see many occasions when my gift to God was nothing more than the relinquishing of my possessions to him.  I guess I’ll see those items as wood, hay and stubble at the bema seat, but there were many times when along with the possession, I gave to God a heart overflowing with thankfulness.

To correct my errors, I have decided to check my heart before each offering to God and make sure that I am expressing gratitude instead of obedience or any other attitude. Secondly, I will guard my heart for complaining and instead ask God to help me recognize his plan so that I can be yielded and thankful for his sovereignty and provision.

Did God Forget Me? (Psalm 9:12)

When people forget about you and your needs, it is a hurtful experience. It conveys the absence of love and concern. There are times in our lives when we face trials and difficulties and it appears as if God has forgotten us. We pray and ask for deliverance, but nothing happens. Has God forgotten us?

...he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. (Psalm 9:12)

God has not forgotten you. His love and concern has not been set aside and your life and its concerns have not been mislaid or lost. God has heard your cry, he knows the problems that you face and the heaviness in your heart that you carry because of it.

So, why doesn’t he answer? Why doesn’t he deliver? But he has and he will. God has heard your prayers and is providing the grace that you need. Many of learn the grace and truth go hand-in-hand. It seems that you cannot have the one without the other. God I want you exposed to truth concerning him and buy the truth he will be able to exercise grace in your life. Paul experienced this and wrote about it. God’s grace was sufficient for him because of his reliance on the truth of the power of Christ.

Until your actual deliverance comes, expose yourself to the word of God: read it, listen to the testimony of others, attend church services and listen to the preaching of God‘s word and God will begin working his grace in your life.

How long must you rely on this grace until the deliverance comes cannot be known. Remember as God works in the details of your life, he is also working in the lives of others. He wants to use grace in your life to shine as a light to the lost. He also may be working in the lives of others to bring them to repentance before he moves his hand in judgment or chastening. Until then, you must wait on him. Thankfully because of his grace, you will be able to endure.

...he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

Forget Karma: God is Watching (1 Samuel 26:23)

If the Lord gave you what you really deserved, would you be ready for it?  Would you look forward to it with joy or does the thought frighten you?  What we fail to recognize is that it is not just a hypothetical question. 

The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: (1 Samuel 26:23)

These were words spoken by David when he interacted with King Saul who sought to kill him.  He knew that God was sovereign and would return upon men that which they have rendered to others.  The same still holds true today.  The New Testament describes the principle as sowing and reaping.  What you sow, you will also reap.  It may take some time before it arrives, but it is coming.  Just like it takes all summer for apples to grow and ripen on a tree, it may take most of a person's life before they reap what they sow, but be sure, they will reap.  

Much of this principle concerning sowing and reaping is in relation to how we treat other people.  If we sow righteousness towards others, then we will get righteous treatment back, but if we sow wickedness then wickedness awaits us.

Some may ask, "What guideline could I follow that would aid me in sowing righteousness?"  The answer would be to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39). If you allow your actions to be motivated by what is best for another person or make decisions that enable you to meet the needs of someone else instead of focusing on yourself, you will most consistently sow righteousness.  This doesn't require you to give all of your money to the poor or even to live a dejected life.  It only requires you to start focusing on others instead of yourself.  Give somebody recognition.  Show patience and mercy, try looking at situations from the other person's perspective or even take time to listen to people and their problems are opportunities that each of us have to sow righteousness.  It will not cost you one penny, but it will be an investment worth millions of dollars.

For you, the world of people is a field ready for planting.  What kind of seeds will you sow?

Faithful in Christ (Colossians 1:2a)

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: (Colossians 1:2a)

What is it to be faithful in Christ?  Is it to abide by a doctrine of beliefs?  Do I need to continually learn doctrine and make sure that my beliefs are correct?  Doctrine is important, but looking back over my life, I can say that such a task has been a life-long endeavor.  Doctrine may be important, but it does not make us faithful.

Is being faithful in Christ a matter of living a certain way or up to a certain code of behavior?  We would all agree that God hates sin and that any aspect of sin in the life of a believer is besetting.  But at what point of living would a person be considered as faithful?  How much sin is allowed or how many times can a person fall before they are considered as unfaithful?  If this were the standard for faithfulness, then nobody would be faithful, because everyone is still a sinner and falls short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

So, what is it to be faithful?  The word faithful comes from the Greek word pistos which means faith or believe.  To be faithful could be stated as to be believing.  Those who are faithful in Christ are those who continue to believe in God and his testimony to men.

When the trial comes, they believe in the goodness of God. When they face great need, they believe that God will provide for them as he provides for the birds in the air. (Matthew 6:26). When loved ones die, they believe in look for his comfort. When they have been sinned against, they believe in God's solution and forgive passing all vengeance to God.  The faithful in Christ are those who exercise faith as they face situations in life. Never is it easy, but with Christ in us who is greater than all that is in the world, it always is possible.

To accomplish this, the step is simple: abide in the vine. What is abiding? It is to continue, to tarry, to stay, or to remain with Jesus. It is turning your heart and affection towards him. Jesus commended Mary as she demonstrated this important aspect of the believer's life. To be faithful, you will need to sit at the feet of Jesus and have a love relationship with him. The earlier mentioned incorrect views were part of a duty relationship to Christ. Those you cannot always perform.  God is more concerned with our hearts because when the heart is right, everything else will fall into place.

Family Head (Ephesians 5:23)

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.  (Ephesians 5:23)

Christ as the head of the body is the savior of the body. The reference to savior in this passage is not the salvation of the soul, but the saving of the body or the church.  This savior is the deliverer or preserver of the body.  A closer look at this verse reveals that the husband as head of the home is the savior or preserver of the home.  As husbands and fathers, we are to nurture, love and protect those in our home.

Husbands can accomplish this by providing emotional security to their family members as they accept them for who and what they are and not strive to push them into being anything different than what God has planned for them.  Love is a decision and action and should be displayed by men as they place their family member's needs above their own and meet those needs through verbal expression and quality interaction.  As leaders of the home, husbands are to protect their family from destructive people, attitudes and influences.  All of these are the actions of the head of the family, which is the savior.  There is never a time that the leadership of the family should be passed over to another.

Therefore as you face life, it is imperative that your recognize your responsibility and influence as the family head.  Their protection and deliverance depends on you.

Gaining Understanding (Proverbs 2:9)

I don't understand why God has allowed this to happen.  It does not make any sense.  It's useless.  Have you heard these terms before?  Have you said these or similar words?  One of my favorite songs that we sang in the nursing home ministry back in the early 80's was Someday, He'll Make It Plain To Me.  There are some situations in life that we will not be able to understand until we get to the other side in glory, but there are many times that we will be able to make sense of events that do not seem to make sense.  How we can gain this ability is found in Proverbs chapter two.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 

(Proverbs 2:9)

There is a blessing to be received for memorizing scripture, but as with all spiritual blessings it is dependent on the condition of the heart and not the action performed.  When I was the principal of a Christian school, we had children memorize a portion of scripture each month.  It was a mandatory obligation for which many waited until the end of the month to achieve.  For those who did the task out of obligation, I believe that they received little or no benefit from the task because Proverbs 2:1-2 indicates that those receiving and hiding the word of God as a treasure are doing so in the hope of gaining wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  Scripture memory out for obligation purposes falls short of this.

God later promises to those, whose hearts are crying out or seeking him as a hid treasure, that they will gain and find what they seek and also gain protection from God.  It is after this that God shares that the result of receiving God's word as a treasure will bring an understanding of every good path.  From this we can be confident that if there is a way to know and understand God's ways, it is through hiding God's word in the heart of a person truly seeking him.

Being Poor Brings A Blessing (Matthew 5:3)

Blessed are the poor in spirit:for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Bad attitude, strong willed, heavy handed, and high minded are all terms that we have heard and to some degree understand.  However understanding the term poor in spirit is another story.  Sometimes to understand a term it may be best to consider the opposite.  By doing this, it can shed light on the original meaning.

The opposite of poor in spirit is rich in spirit.  When a person is rich, they, in a simplified definition, are considered as having all the resources necessary to do whatever they please.  A person who is rich in spirit will be self willed to do and act in any manner that they desire.  However, a person who is poor in spirit will see themselves as inept or unable to do or be as he wishes.  This is how you and I were when we came to Christ.  We formerly were self willed, independent and running our own lives, but by the sovereign work of God and the calling of the Holy Spirit, we came to a point where we recognized ourselves as weak, hopeless and beggars before God.  When we did, we finally trusted Christ and the richness of his salvation and the presence of his spirit in our hearts made us supremely blessed.   However, the position of poor in spirit is not simply for salvation.

When a person is poor in spirit, he chooses to empty himself.  Just as Christ emptied himself to become man or he submitted the free working of his divinity to his father, we too must empty ourselves and submit ourselves to the father.  We do this when we recognize that we don't have any rights and we determine that for our lives, we don't have any say.

Paul exemplifies this in II Corinthians 12:11: I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.  Mark records Jesus as saying, And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. (Mark 10:44)

The secret to the blessed life is always contrary to worldly wisdom.  The secret to getting, is giving, the secret to living is dying and the secret to success with happiness is to give up or to give up on yourself and submit to God.

Do you want to be happy?  Then see yourself as poor and dependent on God and he will bring blessings to your heart.

Praising God And Others (Psalm 148:13)

Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. Psalm 148:13

The word of God is filled with principles for living.  When we follow them, we place ourselves into the position of receiving the benefit or promise that they claim.  Some of the principles are clearly stated, but others are a bit obscure.  This passage contains a principle that we can generalize to all areas of our lives.

The previous verses in this psalm command all that is in Heaven and Earth to praise God.  The reason for giving praise is because The Lord's glory is above all that is in Heaven and Earth.  The principle is that when you encounter anyone who can do something beyond your scope of ability, give them praise.  Fathers, if your son can do anything better than you, praise him.  You may have athletic ability and your son may be very lacking, but there are skills that he has that you do not.  Identify those skills and praise him for them.  Moms, if you have strength with fashion and decor in the home, but your daughter does not, recognize her abilities and praise her for them.

When we praise people for their strengths, we become an encouragement to them and we also recognize what gifts God has given to people for aiding us in our lives.  Because of that, we will appreciate them more or maybe for the first time.  We also will have other recognized reasons for praising our God.

Fear The Lord (Psalm 147:11)

As a kid growing up, did you try to satisfy your parents?  Many of us strove to bring them satisfaction by getting good grades in school or by displaying proper behavior.  However there were some who sought to bring satisfaction by engaging in activities that interested a parent.  I wonder how many boys have played ball as a means of satisfying their father.  Their reasoning may have been since baseball means everything to him, then if I am good at baseball, I too will mean everything to him.  That situation or anything similar to it is a sad state to be in.  Thanks be to God that we do not need to live in that manner to be pleasing to our father in Heaven.

What brings pleasure or satisfaction to God is when we fear him.  Fearing him and being afraid of him are not the same thing.  When we fear him, we have great respect for him.  Many men enjoy hunting and when they do, they have great respect for the rifle or shotgun in their hand.  They recognize that it is not a toy, but something to be feared. Those who enjoy cooking recognize that the stove or any other appliances can be very helpful, but at the same time can be dangerous and cause great harm if not used carefully.

I first recognized this term when I worked at a steel mill in eastern Pennsylvania.  While making steel, there were times when additional scrap metal or ingredients needed to be added to the furnace.  For this to occur, a mechanical arm would remove the top of the furnace similar to removing the top from a pot on the stove.  When ingredients were added to the molten mixture, flames would shoot 50-60 feet in the air.  It was a dangerous time.  As a safety precaution, each time the lid was removed an extremely loud siren would blast through the building.  When I heard that sound, I would immediately stop what I was doing and check my location to where the furnace and crane would be.  It was a moment of fear, but I was not afraid.  In fear of the situation, I took precautions to make sure my actions would keep me safe.

We can fear The Lord by following the same precautions.  As situations arise in life, we need to step back and take a moment to recognize God's voice and to gain his perspective as to how we should act or respond to those circumstances: to make sure that the action we do will be safe or pleasing to him.  When we do, we are fearing The Lord.  God does not want us to be afraid of him.  He wants us to love him.  However, he does want us to fear or respect him each moment of our daily lives.  It is at that moments when we fear him that our lives are pleasing to him.

God's Support (Psalm 145:14)

The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Psalm 145:14

Every year I look forward to growing tomatoes in my garden.  My plants usually grow more than seven feet tall and yield large softball sized fruit.  Because of this, I would drive poles into the ground and tie the plants to the poles.  As the plants grew and bore their heavy fruit, the poles would prop up the plants.  Did you know that The Lord does the same for us?  

When he upholds us, it can also be said that he is propping us up.  When we fall, he brings the support into our lives to keep us standing and from falling again.  Falling down does not necessarily mean falling to sin, but it can also mean being fallen, cast down or bowed down from the burdens of life.  From this verse we can be assured of the promise that when our hearts are fallen from the burdens of life, The Lord will be there to raise us up and provide the support needed for us to stand.

If you are fallen, don't plan on remaining there because The Lord is behind you and ready to pick you up.  

The Enemy (Psalm 143:3)

The Psalmist declares, "The enemy hath persecuted my soul."  With this statement we are forced to ask ourselves, "Who is the enemy?"  When you can identify the enemy, you can best recognize his tactics and defend yourself against their attacks.  But again, who is the enemy?

I seems best to first recognize who is not the enemy.  The enemy is not a person.  Some may incorrectly identify their boss, spouse, neighbor, the lost or even disciples of other religions as their enemy.  This may appear to be true, but is not.  Remember, Paul said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore people will not and cannot ever be our true enemy.  

Our enemy is a spiritual enemy.  Ephesians 6:12 states, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."  These spirit beings may be oppressing people to move against you and if so, they are the enemy and the individual is just their pawn.  The boss who rides his employee because he is a Christian is not the enemy, but a tool used by the enemy.  Those who attack believers by speaking lies, backbiting or spreading gossip are nothing more than the same.  Children who depart from Christ and seek to attack their family for their beliefs are just tools in the enemy's hand.  Against earthly people, we cannot fight nor can we win because the battle is so vast. However we can fight against our true enemy.

Our method of warfare is prayer.  We must pray to God against the true spiritual enemy.  As God thwarts their wiles against you, the tools or pawns in their hands crumble.  When we fight our battles in this manner and recognize that people in our lives are but tools in the enemy's hand, it enables us to love our earthly opponents and to have empathy towards them.  We marvel when we hear how a believer reaches out to people in this manner.  We think them to be spiritual giants, but all they simple have that we may not is the spiritual insight to recognize who the enemy really is.

As you fight your way through your battles today, make sure that you do it on your knees.  It is there that the true enemy is defeated.

A Bound Life But A Free Soul (Psalm 142:7)

Many years ago, I served in a prison ministry to the Spanish speaking population.  I remember needing clearance to enter the facility and to make it to where the bible study would be held required that I pass a few check points.  I needed to have my picture taken and on each visit, I was required to empty the contents of my pockets.  The prison staff did this to make sure that all the inmates stayed within the prison and none would escape.  For me, it was nothing to walk in and out of prison, but for the inmates it was a different story.

However, I must say that I myself have been held in prison on many occasions.  As the Psalmist, my soul too was in prison (Psalm 142:7).  It was not held with iron bars, but instead with the trials or circumstances of life.  My spirit was shrouded in and my soul was bound within the walls of my troubled circumstances.  Most people did not care to even take a second look at my circumstances and of the few that did, there was little that they could do to help.  Escaping the circumstances or finding refuge was impossible (Psalm 142:4).  My only deliverance could come from God and he would only move in his time.  

Eventually deliverance came but in a manner other than what I expected.  Instead of God delivering my life from the circumstances created by others, he delivered my soul through the circumstances.  As men of war could take refuge in a strong tower, my soul was able to take refuge in God.  His word delivered me from fear to comfort.  His presences strengthen me from worry to hope and his promises broke the chains binding my soul and gave me liberty.  The circumstances in life were very much the same, but my spirit and soul found refuge in God.

While in the midst of trials, continue to seek after God by searching his word and lifting your heart before him in prayer.  You too can experience this deliverance from a trial while still in the trial.  When you do, God will be exalted in your eyes and you will be compelled to praise him before men.

God's Love For Me (I John 4:9)

Recently I spoke with a man whose wife had just called to say that she was leaving him.  Needless to say, he was distraught and angry.  As I witnessed his hurt and anger, I asked myself, "Why do people who are supposed to love you, hurt you on purpose?"  Do they really hurt you purposefully or are they doing what they want to do, but know that their actions will bring you hurt?  I pondered this thought and considered my relationship with God.  I do not hurt God purposefully, but I know that my sin does hurt him.  When I fall to the temptation of sin, I cease regarding God and how my actions will affect him.  As I am drawn away by my flesh, I am only concerned of my self.

But then, God in his mercy is willing to forgive me.  Why?  He has every right to act in hurt and anger, but he chooses not to.  Many will say that he acts this way because of Jesus' blood and they are right.  But with his foreknowledge of how I would act, why did he still choose such a plan to enable him to be forgiving?  He could rightly have said, that man's heart is wicked and that even with being purchased from sin, adopted into his family and fellowship with himself established, he would continue to willfully sin.  Therefore, I will not redeem man and instead allow him to plummet into an awful judgment.  And yet, he chose not to.  Why?

The only possible explanation is that God's love for me is of greater importance to him than avoiding the hurt that I will bring because of my continual disobedience.  Does anybody else love you in this manner?  Do you love anyone this way?  Oh, what a wonderful God we know and serve.  His love is endless and because of it his mercy is renewed everyday.  Stop today and ponder this wonderful love and the person who loves you with such endless love.  

Pride Versus Hope (Psalm 131)

The enemy of hope is pride.  It is a proud heart that raises itself up in trying to deal with matters too lofty for itself.  It is a proud heart that refuses to adjust its behavior to what The Lord wants.  As a dependent child submits himself to his nurturing mother, a prideful heart will not stand in awe before God and submit itself to him and his plan.  A prideful heart cannot and will not wait on The Lord.

Trouble waiting on the Lord reveals a prideful heart that wants to take over.  As anxiety builds, so is pride.  A person resists submitting to God because they have already submitted to their own pride.

Pride still comes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18).  Pride is not confined to the act of looking down at others.  It is the attitude that people have after their hearts have been deceived into thinking that they can handle matters greater than their ability.  Whether it be sin, raising children, managing finances, work, or any other area of life makes no difference.  Pride moves man into the driver's seat of his life and as long as he remains there, he will not experience hope.

Man does not need to do anything to get hope.  He simply needs to remove himself and his prideful heart from the plan.  When he does, The Lord takes over and with him comes hope.

You Need To Wait And Wait (Psalm 130:5)

Make sure that you wait and wait.  Yes, wait and wait!  For the Christian there are two aspects of waiting in his life.  Regardless of how difficult life may become, The Lord wants you to wait and wait.

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. (Psalm 130:5) 

One aspect of waiting is found in the word hope.  Hope is not something that a person desires or hopes will possibly one day happen.  Hope is the expectancy of what we know will happen and is yet to come.  We have the hope of casting off our mortality and putting on immortality.  We have the hope of the Lord's return, heaven, seeing The Lord, ruling and reigning with him, the wiping away of all tears and countless other promises in Scripture.  These things will take place as promised, but until then, we need to patiently endure.  When we patiently endure, we are hoping.

Another aspect of waiting is found in the term "wait".  To wait comes from the word that means "to bind together" or "to collect".  By waiting, a believer holds himself back from anxiously trying to solve the problems in life and allows The Lord to handle them.  Philippians states it as, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."  In today's terms we could say to those trying to deliver themselves from the struggles of life, "Get a hold of yourself!"   A famous addictions recovery program has captured the phrase, "Let go and let God."  What these phrases have in common is that an individual needs to stop trying and wait on God.

Ask yourself, "am I holding myself back from trying to deliver myself?  Am I anxiously trying to bring about answers to my own prayers?  Am I accomplishing God's will in my own power or by my own efforts?  If so, you need to WAIT for what God has determined to be your hope and WAIT on God by  getting ahold of yourself and stop seeking deliverance by your flesh.

Weeping, Seed, and Fruit (Psalm 126)

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalm 126:6)

Why has the Lord allowed this trial?  What should I do ?  Can anything be gained through these adverse circumstances?  A look at Psalm 126 may give you some insight.

This psalm was written in regards to Israel and their deliverance from captivity in Babylon, which lasted for about 70 years.  Many people refer to this psalm in regards to evangelism, but its true purpose is in relation to trials.  

As Israel was taken to a land where they did not want to go, trials take us places in life where we do not want to go.  During times of trials, our hearts become heavy and our eyes wet with tears. It is in the midst of these tears that The Lord wants us to continue on and bear our precious seed.   The word for precious also carries the idea of a possession.  This possession is what we have given to us as people of God.  The New Testament speaks in this manner: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

God promises that if we continue on through tears, we will produce fruit in our lives.  The purpose for the trial is the fruit.  Seeds of faith produce fruit of faith.  Patience produces greater patience and also the fruit of victory for others as you patiently encourage them along.  

As you struggle along, sow seeds of forgiveness, temperance, gentleness and you will receive a bounty of fruit for yourself, others and for the glory of God.

Peace That Seems To Pass People's Understanding (Psalm 122::7)

Peace, in my opinion, is one of the most misunderstood terms in the bible.  Sometimes people refer to peace as a state of happiness.  Others refer to it as a condition where they are sure about something I.e. "I have peace about it.  Yet others consider it a state of contentment.  Although these emotions may be present with peace! these beliefs about peace are wrong.

The term peace carries the idea of "to set at one" much like to reset a broken leg or arm.  With that understood, peace is the state that occurs after a state of division, confusion or disharmony. Consider two countries who are at the brink of war. A negotiator brings representatives of each country together for peace talks to where they finally arrive at terms of peace.  The end result is two countries that were at a division are brought together again.  When this occurs, the countries are said to be at peace.  Sometimes we use the term correctly by saying that we need to see somebody and make peace.  Others may say that somebody has made or is a peace with God.

This same condition occurs in our hearts.  Problems may arise in life to where our hearts are confused, hurt or fearful.  At that point, The Lord brings promises from his word to our attention.  Immediately after he speaks to us, our hearts are set at one again.  The problem may still be present in our lives, but his word has restored our hearts.

In Psalm 122:7, the Psalmist speaks of Jerusalem in these words: Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.  Notice that peace occurs in Jerusalem and not outside of Jerusalem.  Many think that when The Lord brings peace to their lives everything will be wonderful.  It will not be and until the Lord returns, it never will be.  But his promises of peace will occur within the walls of Jerusalem and for us within the walls of our heart.  Regardless of what takes place in our lives, we can have peace in our hearts.

While in the midst of a trial, seek God through his word so that he may set your heart at one again.

Patience And Faith (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

One winter day, I walked into the living room where my daughter was engulfed in a movie.  For the sake of not being unloving, I allowed her to watch what she wanted and I joined her.   The longer I watched the movie, the more uneasy I became.  Tension began to rise up inside and as the movie trailed on, the tension increased.  The movie seemed to go on forever.  I continually checked my watch to see when it would be over.  I finally couldn't bear any more and needed to leave, but before leaving, I asked the name of the movie.  With a gleeful smile my daughter exclaimed, "Little Women."  It may be a wonderful movie for girls, but it requires great patience or endurance for a guy to watch it.  

Similarly, as we live life, we are faced with situations that are not pleasing.  The Thessalonians experienced this and were praised for their patience and faith (2 Thessalonians 1:4).  They.                   patiently endured the hardship in life until another obstacle was faced.  It was at these times that The Lord would bring truth to their hearts and then move upon them to persuade them to follow truth and not react to the circumstance.  Their positive response to God was faith and with their faith, they continued on or endured after which the cycle began again.

Each day, we face trials.  While in those trials, we need to seek for the truth that The Lord is bringing our way and then allow him to move us to follow in obedience of faith.  It is the mixing of truth with our faith that allows The Lord to provide us the patience that we need.

We cannot muster up patience no more than we can muster up spirituality.  It is all The Lord.  It is his truth, his faith, his patience and subsequently will be his glory.  We are but vessels that he entrusts to use in bring himself glory.  What trial are you facing?  What truth or promise do you need to help you endure? Seek it and experience patience and faith.

Too Ugly To Love (Ephesians 2:4)

In biblical times, many marriages were previously arranged and those marrying had no choice in the matter.  However for most reading this, the case is much different.  When selecting a life's mate we were drawn to someone who had physical features that satisfied our desires.  We also were drawn to people who had similar interests.  But imagine what it would be like if you purposefully chose the opposite.

Could you choose someone to marry whom you thought was ugly.  Could you live with somebody who detests everything that you enjoy and the things that they like you despise?  Would you fellowship with them?  Could you?  Better yet, could you become consumed in love with them?  Not me!

Because Ephesians 2:4 states, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us," we can know that God loves us.  

• God loved you and me who were ugly with sin.  

• God loved you and me who despised him and everything good.  

• God loved you and me who enjoyed sin, which he hates with all of his being.  

Stop and think, God's love for you and me was so great that he sought us regardless of our position, desires or guilt.  If he loved you and me then, he most certainly loves us now.  If he loved us when we were consumed in sin, he loves us now that we are free through his redemption.  If he loved us when our hearts longed for sin, he will love us as we desire him to pick us up when we have fallen again.  If he loved us when we boasted of our sinful acts, he will love us when we are ashamed for falling.  If he loved us when we were ungodly or the opposite of God, he will love us now that we have been renewed in Christ.

God's love cannot be measured because God cannot be measured, but we can determine the greatness of his loved based on the obstacles that he overcame just to be able to express his love to us.