For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. ~Proverbs 2:10
We should not add Jesus to whatever we are doing like an ingredient in a recipe to justify our actions. We need to be willing to search the scriptures for His truth and change our ways to be like Him.
We can ask God for wisdom and understanding. Jesus should come first and direct the rest of our actions. If this means our actions change, at first it is uncomfortable, and we resist. But if we trust Him fully and let Him lead us, the result is even better than we can imagine.
Our plan of action leads to sin and dissatisfaction. Jesus’ plan & God’s will in our hearts leads us by the Holy Spirit and ultimately His plan for us. Let Him lead the way to the kingdom= JOY!
On the flip side of that coin, just as we should not add Jesus to justify, we also should not leave Him out. Everything in the Old and New Testament points to Christ. This is God’s story of redemption to bring His people to Himself. Scriptures are written for our instruction and the lessons are timeless. (Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11-12) Cultures come and go but God remains the same throughout the ages and His word still stands today. Christ died to give us eternal life. It is not a secret society; it is an open invitation with eternal significance and our choice has eternal consequences. Thank you, Jesus! Merry Christmas!
For the time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Our prayers and goals are interchangeable. We pray for the goals we want for ourselves. We may not get the answer we think we wanted, but God always gives us something better. We cannot see the bigger picture or the view from His perspective. We are like a mouse in a maze. Our view is only of the wall in front of us. When we come to a roadblock, we can feel discouraged. But looking down over our lives is our Heavenly Father who sees all, knows all, and can guide us to the right path. He can remove the obstacles and place people in our lives to help us along the way.
I heard a minister on the radio who said our prayers need to be specific and measurable. His belief was that if we just ask for a blessing that could come in the form of a problem. Blessings are little problems that keep you from a bigger problem.
That reminded me of a lady I was in a life group with a few years ago. She always told us we need to be specific about what we want in our prayers. She told of a friend who prayed for a husband. In her words, “that is all she got!” I had to laugh about that one.
I believe if we are continually pouring ourselves into the Father, He will pour more into us. The closer our relationship with Him, the more we align our desires to what He wants for us instead of what we think we want. God always knows best and wants the best for us.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we do not know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
(Romans 8:26, NLT)
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted? (John 15:7, NLT)
Have you ever seen an elephant without a trunk? I recently saw this article about a baby elephant that was spotted with just that issue. See video and article here: https://nypost.com/2018/09/07/baby-elephant-without-a-trunk-sparks-concerns-over-its-survival/ This is an elephant’s most vital tool for survival. It uses it to smell, eat, fight off predators, and basically survive.
It made me realize, this is how we are when we try to live life without Jesus- (our most vital tool for survival). We need Jesus to help us fight off the enemy, eat (bread of life), drink, (living water), and survive.
We basically cut off our nose to spite our face when we try to go this life alone. In order to bear spiritual fruit we need to be in communion with Jesus every day. What small steps can we take today to invite Jesus into every part of our lives? I am glad you asked…
Here are a few small things you can implement into your daily routine:
Spend 10 minutes in quiet space (thinking and listening)
Ask God what He wants for you
Prayer time
Read Bible
Start a Bible plan on your phone (I use the YouVersion)
Invest in a good study Bible (I use the NLT study Bible)
Pick up the Bible and open at random asking the Holy Spirit to guide you where to read
Journal anything that sticks out to you
Spend time in nature with God
It does not need to be all at once – you can start small and add things as you go so you do not get overwhelmed.
Listen to his instructions and store them in your heart. (Job 22:22 NLT)
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. (James 1:5 NLT)
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NLT)
A Greek word meaning: to believe. The verb denotes trust. An action decision to believe in the trustworthiness of a person. It can also signify an ongoing state of belief and the action associated with faith. (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, Greek glossary section).
Last week, I lost someone that had only been in my life a short time. But during this time, he made a great impact on my life. My new boss of only 78 days died at a very young age. Although at times, especially early on, the days could be challenging, God used him to help me use my voice to speak up and set some needed boundaries on my time.
My first thought was that I did not know what he believed. I did not have time to share any of my personal testimony with him or ask him anything about himself. But God is now using his death for a purpose in my life- to fuel the fire God placed in my belly to share the truth of Jesus Christ with others. I do not want his death to be in vain. I was deeply saddened over this loss and grieve the shortness of a life with such potential, but will use it to fan into the flames of the gifts God gave me, tell my story, share my testimony with anyone God places in my life that needs to hear it.
God gave me peace with the loss and I know he is in a better place, but it also reminded me of the urgency of telling everyone I love about the intimate relationship that is available to us and what a difference it made in my life. We are all called to share the gospel. We need to be good stewards of our gifts, talents, time, and treasure. If we are unsure of your gifts, let us ask God. Then stop talking and lean in to listen to what He has to say. “For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened,” (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007 Matthew 7:8).
We are called to be fishers of people. (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, Mark 1:17). Jesus’ last commandment was to go out and make disciples- The Great Commission. (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, Matthew 28:19). Life is short, who do you love enough to share the truth? Ask the tough questions, take risks for the sake of the Kingdom. Give God all the glory. Be grateful. Share your faith in love. Galatians 5:3 says, “What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world so much He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. This brings new life. Do you believe this? Do you believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means for us?
It is not enough just to believe, but we must put our faith into action and follow Christ wholeheartedly. Stop straddling the proverbial fence and go all in. If you are lukewarm, He will spew you out of His mouth. Jesus calls His followers to believe in Him, but also to trust, love and obey Him. Sometimes we have trouble with that word ‘obey’, but it is not the authoritative tyrant kind of obedience He calls us to. It is the type of obedience that a loving Father knows what is best for his little children. He says choose you this day whom you will serve. We can not serve two masters. We have a free will to choose, but there are always consequences to our choices.
When our time is up, do you we want to be found following this world, which is temporary? What do we have to show for our efforts when this world is gone? It is my hope that you choose Jesus because what He offers is an eternity of joy and peace. We are to lay up our treasures in Heaven, (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, Matthew 6:20) People like to skirt around the truth and make everyone feel better about the choices they make, but the truth is written in God’s word for us to follow. It is a guide called the Bible. It tells us there will be a judgement day for the choices we make in our lives, but there is redemption through the blood of Jesus, who died for our sins so we can be saved and spend an eternity with Him in glory.
This Good News is be shared – It is my hope that you know Christ as your personal Savior, but if you have any questions about how to accept Jesus in your life or desire an intimate relationship with Him and not sure how or where to start, please reach out to me at angela@faith-ealk-ministries.org.
“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord,” (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, 2 Timothy 1:6-8)
(V9) “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did not do this because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time- to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.”
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and He will give you everything you need.” (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, Matthew 6:33)
This is another story through the eyes of the character…thank you for allowing me some liberties in the details of his feelings. The story is based on the biblical account of Moses’ brother Aaron.
Moses older brother, Aaron, was an imperfect leader. Even though he was chosen by God for an honorable position, in his disobedience, he died in the wilderness without seeing the Promised Land. As Moses mouthpiece, he spoke to Israelite leaders on behalf of the Israelites to convince Pharaoh to allow them to leave Egypt. He was also chosen to become Israel’s first high priest.
Taking second fiddle to Moses most of his life, Aaron dreamed of the day he himself could lead the people. At this point he only repeated messages God gave Moses. Aaron sat on a stump, carefully carving each letter of his name on a staff that would represent the tribe of Levi. His thoughts racing, he tried to imagine the staff budding and what that meant for him and his family. If he were chosen, everything would change. This would be a great responsibility. He could feel the palms of his hands begin to sweat, and the tension in his brow became apparent as did his intense grip on the staff. His jaw tightened and then in one extreme exhale of air, he began to relax a bit. He would just have to await until the appointed time.
He delivered the staff to Moses, who took it with the eleven others, representing each ancestral tribe, to the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, and placed them in the Lord’s presence. Then they waited. The next day, when they arrived at the Tabernacle, Moses found that Aaron’s staff not only had buds, but it had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds, (New Living Translation, 1996,2004,2007, Numbers 17:8). You could not ask for a clearer sign. God had shown the people who will oversee the Ark and the staff was placed there permanently as a reminder.
In amazement, Aaron picked up one of the almonds and touched it cautiously with the tip of his tongue for a brief second and then jerked back. It was real. He chuckled under his breath and popped it in his mouth, relieved and nervous at the same time. Although a bit of arrogance crept in at first, he knew this job could not be taken lightly. If Aaron allowed anyone near the sacred objects of the alter, both he and them would die. God also provided for Aaron and his family, by allowing them to receive a portion of the most holy offerings. He had special garments made just for Aaron and his sons that would distinguish him as a priest set apart for the Lord’s service.
Great skill and care went into making the chest piece that Aaron would wear when seeking a decision from God. He would always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord. The breastplate held sacred jewels representing the sons of Israel with each name engraved on them like a seal, serving as a reminder that the priest represents the people of Israel.
The four rows of gemstones carefully placed were:
red carnelian, pale green peridot, emerald, blue lapis lazuli
turquoise, white moonstone, orange jacinth, agate
purple amethyst, blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper
The weight of the breastplate rested on Aaron’s shoulders as a reminder of the great responsibility given to him by God. But God also provided everything Aaron needed to accomplish his feat and fulfil his purpose. God has always provided for us, even when we cannot see it. He generously bestows knowledge, wisdom, spiritual gifts, talents and fully equips us with everything we need to accomplish our God-given mission.
Aaron’s story leads him in the wilderness, his impatience with the Lord led him to make a golden calf for the people to worship; and his life was ended before seeing the Promised Land because he challenged God. This should stand as a reminder that even though we are chosen by God for a purpose and He equips us for the journey; we are not to worship His creation, but the Creator Himself. Our disobedience makes us miss out on blessings and joy in this life. Our gifts and talents are not to be made idols in our lives, but we are to always look to the One who generously gave us those gifts and give Him all the honor and glory He so richly deserves.
God’s timing is perfect. When we rush it or try to do it by our own efforts and take control, we are edging God out by letting our ego and impatience take first place. But when we surrender all to God, the Creator of all things, who knows all, sees all and has a plan for our lives, we are blessed beyond measure and everything will fall into place, as God designed. We can trust God with the outcome. He has proven to be faithful and saved us from our own destructive behaviors more times than we can count. His faithfulness endures forever. We when are struggling with something, we can ask God what He wants for us; but we must be willing to listen and make the necessary changes. That is not always easy, but it is worth it. Surrendering to God changes lives.
You are a chosen son/daughter of the King. That is not a heavy burden but an honorable mission that brings delight when we allow God to lead us one day at a time and trust Him with the outcome. It will put you out of your comfort zone into unknown territory, but it is a risk worth taking, every time.
The debate of the legitimacy of miracles is nothing new. The word itself is overly used, by many, in the wrong context and it is hard for us to grasp the occurrence of real miracles. In reality, no one completely understands God’s natural process either, we are not meant to fully understand. In explaining the verses in Amos 5:8-9, the NLT study Bible denotes that, “the Lord understands and controls natural processes that seem mysterious to humans.” If we do not understand natural processes how can we understand supernatural events?
If we understood everything perfectly, we would not need to rely on God. His intentions are for us to come to Him for understanding and wisdom. We will not know or understand perfectly until we are with Him in eternity. In all manner of speaking our very existence is a miracle. We weaken its stature when we throw it around in everyday conversation. For instance, we could remark what a miracle it was that we passed an exam. The God we want to portray, in all His glory and power, gives us reason to attest a true miracle comes from divine intervention, although unbelievers will argue otherwise. Some claim they are natural occurrences or hallucinations.
I agree that not all claims of miracles are miracles, but in contrast, the sentiment, “it’s a miracle” has echoed through time on the lips of those whose loved ones survived chronic illness or tragedy. To the ones who experience it firsthand it is nothing short of a miracle and serves as a reminder of God’s love and divine intervention in our lives.
Some find it hard to accept Jesus’ resurrection as reality or even take the Bible seriously and question the legitimacy of it. Let us explore another event in history for a moment. We learned about the Civil War throughout our childhood. We were not there, but we believe it because of the testimony and eyewitness facts from people who were. We may even have family members from previous generations that fought in it or lost loved ones to it, therefore we take the stories past down to us as factual. Not only that, be we know great care was taken in the preserving of these historical events and were written form eyewitness testimonies shortly after their occurrences.
Then why not compare the accounts in the Bible as a historical document that commemorates the life of Jesus, just as we do other historical accounts? In the same regard, there were eyewitnesses to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It is not likely the disciples made up the story because they were not expecting Him to die and be risen in the first place. We see in Luke 9:44-45 Jesus telling them once again about His forthcoming death, but they did not know what He meant. They could not understand it and were too afraid to ask. The gospels were consistently representing the disciples as misunderstanding Jesus.
There were also accounts after Jesus’ resurrection, such as improbable disciples who underwent a profound transformation after encountering the risen Jesus. Take Apostle Paul for instance, in Acts 9:1-28, we see the story unfold of a ruthless man with a personal agenda to kill Christians. Literally dragging them out of their homes until Jesus appeared to him. We can see the transformation he went through as he immediately began to preach the gospel. What causes a person to undergo such a transformation or lay his life on the line without a divine intervention?
There were hundreds of other accounts from people who were previously skeptics, who proclaimed to see the resurrected Jesus. The historical reliability of the biblical accounts of Jesus’ resurrection can also be supported by the fact there was an empty tomb. By opening a window to the possibilities that Jesus performed miracles and indeed was resurrected leads to the kind of faith God calls us to have and points to the power of the Kingdom. (Matthew 12:28)
The NLT study Bible also encourages us in Acts 8:5-8, that miracles remind us of the truth that, “nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). Our faith leads us to believe these events happened which in turn aids us in believing in miracles. Hebrews 11, the hall of faith, if you will, serves as an overview and reminder of the many faithful servants of Christ, whose faith and obedience led to many miracles.
Like pieces of a puzzle we can’t see the whole picture of our lives while God is still working on it. He’s always working on us. He sees the bigger picture and knows what is best for us. We are to trust and believe. Some days that is hard.
It’s like me not wearing my glasses. The words are fuzzy and out of focus. I strain to see but only see in part. But when I put on my glasses, I can see all the words clearly and it makes more sense. When God brings us through whatever we are going through, and we can begin to see more clearly the bigger picture then it makes more sense to us.
We just need to do our part each day, one day at a time, knowing some day it will all come together. We are not alone during the waiting season. God hears our cries and is answering our prayers even when we think He isn’t. It may not look like what we think it should but that is where faith comes in. He is a trusted Father who loves us and wants the very best for us. Our pint size dreams and plans for ourselves are no comparison to what He is working on for us.
Our story is not over, it’s just beginning, and it’s a beautiful journey. We can’t be in every room of the house at the same time. Rest assured God is there waiting for us when His timing is right.
Do you feel like your life is in a holding pattern right now? Rest and wait for the next door to open. When all the pieces are in place God will reveal His plan and your path will become clear. We just need to show up and be willing to listen and obey through trust and obedience.
He has proven from our past experiences that He is the ultimate friend and trustworthy to follow. He has our best interest at heart now and forever.
Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophesy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. I Corinthians 13:9
(v12) Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All I know is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
In II Timothy Paul wrote a letter to Timothy about God’s word. Paul, who was chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus was sent out to tell others about the life he has promised through faith in Christ Jesus. (II Timothy 1:1)
He writes in II Timothy 3:16-17; “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
With that in mind, we cannot only embrace the Scriptures we like and discard the ones that go against the grain of human nature because they do not agree with our worldly views. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And My ways are far beyond anything you can imagine.” (Isaiah 55:9)
God sent disciples of Christ to share the Good News and save as many people as possible. The Lord is not really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent. II Peter 3:9
We can trust the reliability of these Scriptural Prophets because they were sent by God. (2 Peter 1:19-21) It is by Peter’s own eyewitness testimony. “Above all, you must realize that no prophesy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.” It does, however, warn us against false teachers who will drag us into sin because of their lies.
So, when we read hard truths and instructions on how we should live in the Bible we tend to think it does not apply to us now. We should ask for wisdom and discernment as we read the word. Ask God how to apply and live it in our daily lives.
As for the old testament, Malachi 1:2 notes in my study bible explains: The touchstone for God’s activity in all of history is the event of Christ- the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. These events in history form the Good News. I believe we do have to understand the time and place of the circumstances, but we can still take away some valuable lessons and learn more about God’s love for His people.
One particularly chilly morning after a rainy day, I stepped out on the pavement before taking off to run to check for ice. It seemed wet but not icy, so I ventured out. I saw a bridge covered in water ahead but forged on to cross it in an area of low water thinking I could squeeze by without getting my feet wet. As soon as I hit the bridge my foot slipped, and I immediately come to a screeching halt. I tiptoed over to the sidewalk and got past the danger zone before I continued.
This is so like the enemy. Just when we think it is all smooth roads ahead and we are happy, the enemy will try to trip us up. He lays in wait to attack us at any moment with traps of all kinds that appear to be good but aren’t at all. He makes bad things look good and tries to convince us to do that thing you’ve been thinking about. Truth is he is the one who put the temptation on your mind and makes it look good to us.
The best way to defeat the enemy and stay continually cautious of his tactics are to study the Word of God. The more we know God’s truth the easier it will be to recognize the enemies’ lies. Matthew 16:10 says, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees’. Have you ever wondered what that means? I was directed to this in my Bible reading while working on this message; so, I looked up the definitions. A Pharisee is a self-righteous person, a hypocrite. A Sadducee is someone who denied the afterlife and lived only by the law. In other words, these are false teachings from people who try to trip you up. Yeast is a symbol of sin and evil- deceptive teaching falls into that category.
My dad used to tell a story from the pulpit about a young banker who wanted to make sure he didn’t accept any counterfeit bills, so he began to study them. An older banker asked what he was doing and when he told him he was studying the fake money so he would recognize it, the older wiser banker told him that was unnecessary, if he studied the real thing he would easily recognize the fake. (the day after I wrote this message, I read almost the exact story in my “100 Ways to Brave” devo by Annie F. Downs-A powerful little book by the way!) What a great message. Study God’s truth for yourself and you will recognize the counterfeit (or false teaching) others try to pass on to you.
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil., He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. I Peter 5:8
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. Ephesians 6:14
Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees- religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. Luke 20:27 (verse that led me to Matt. 16:10)
I have been seeing a man from my neighborhood walking his dog when I run. I usually run past them a couple of times on my route. This dog is huge, ya’ll. He always shows his affection towards me with a growl and lunge in my direction. I am pretty sure I would just be a Scooby snack for this pup.
I find myself praying for protection as I approach them and for the man to have a really good grip on that leash! So far, that has been the case. The man is always kind and tells the dog to leave me alone, thankfully. That dog would chomp me down in one bite, without even chewing. I also pray for the dog, if he did get me, I would probably give him an upset tummy.
Then one morning as I ran on the opposite side of the road from them, I decided to take a different route back so I could avoid them all together. This sparked something biblical and reminded me of the scripture in I Corinthians 10:13 where it talks about temptations. God will not allow the temptations to be more than we can stand. When we are tempted, He will show us a way out so that we can endure.
God always provides a way out, a different route, if you will, to avoid the dangers of temptation and possible danger. But if we are not tuned in to listening for His direction and instruction, we are only relying on our limited way of thinking and that can get us in trouble. We cannot see the whole maze to find the best route on our own. Allow God’s perfect perspective guide us to the best path He has laid out.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. I Corinthians 10:13
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