I am flying back from Idaho today where I was able to share in the Word and worship. My flight’s not in until 7 P.M. EST; So I will catch up with all my comments when things get back to “normal” on Tuesday. Enjoy today’s questions and musical devotionals.
Midday Question: What are you willing to endure to see your goal become a reality?
Midday Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Midday Prayer: Lord some of the mountains that stand between and Your goals for me are daunting. I call on Your power. Help me to overcome. Help me to endure until I see my faith made sight. Give me faith to move my mountains! In Jesus name A-men.
I am on my way to Idaho this weekend to share in the Word and worship. My internet may be a little sketchy; So I will catch up with all my comments when I return on Tuesday. For the weekend I have left you all some musical devotions and questions I hope bless you.
Morning Question: What’s your ideal future?
Morning Scripture: Jeremiah 29: 4-14 NIV
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Morning Prayer: Lord I know You love me and want the best for me. I trust You. I have my ideas, my goals, my dreams, but I only want them if they are Your best for me. So I give ,my ideas, my goals, my dreams into Your hands and ask that You would take charge of them again. Open the doors You want me to go through and close the doors that are not Your best choice for me. Help me to move with Your Spirit. In Jesus name A-men
I am on my way to Idaho this weekend to share in the Word and worship. My internet may be a little sketchy; So I will catch up with all my comments when I return on Tuesday. For the weekend I have left you all some musical devotions and questions I hope bless you.
Midday question: What challenges are you struggling with at the moment?
Midday Scripture: Romans 8:31-39 NIV
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Midday Prayer: Lord Jesus I acknowledge the challenges openly this afternoon. I also admit I don’t have all the answers. I know, though, that You do know the way…You have the answers. Show me the way. Give me your strategies to victory and come and work the win in me! Give me strength to stand until you have completed Your work! In Jesus name A-men
“When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the LORD has told me to go to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel.” II Kings 2:1,2
Do you know what the Devil’s most effective tool in stealing miracles from God’s people is? It’s convincing them to give up searching for the miracle at noon when the miracle is scheduled for 12:05. Even Elijah tried to discourage his disciple from following him across the Jordan, but Elisha was determined not to miss out on what was coming. He loved his master and didn’t want to see him go. He was also determined to receive Elijah’s final blessing. He was sticking with the aged prophet straight to the bitter end in order to get the double portion.
We are about to see an even bigger home going than Elisha saw when the chariots of fire came to pick up Elijah. We are also faced with plenty of voices who are telling us to give up the faith we’ve held on to up to this point. Don’t listen to them! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus until He comes to get you in the whirlwind of the rapture.
The Bible teaches us that bitterness is a root that brings forth all kinds of evil. David’s son Absalom gave himself fully to a bitter root. He took up his sister’s offense and turned it into unforgiveness not just for his sister’s rapist but also for the father who did nothing to punish it. The results were disastrous for an entire nation.
Here is what I see in today’s chapters:
II Samuel chapter 14 sermon topics/titles:
1. When Soldiers Try To Play Prophet: II Sam. 14:1-22
2. Burning For Attention: II Sam. 14:23-32
3. Absalom’s Kiss: II Sam. 14: 33
II Samuel chapter 15 sermon topics/ titles:
1. Building a Following: II Sam. 15:1-12
2. God Grants a Following: II Sam. 15: 13-20
3. God’s Plants In the Enemies Camp: II Sam. 15:23-37
When things go wrong we often point the finger at God and ask “why”. The old adage usually holds though “when you point at someone remember there are four fingers pointing directly back at you.” I can’t speak for you but I know some of my life’s biggest issues have more to do with how I am than with how God is.
David understood this from the lessons he learned in II Samuel chapter 12 and 13
Here’s what I see:
II Samuel chapter 12 sermon topics/ titles:
1. The Lesson of the Little Lamb: II Sam. 12:1-6
2. What Will You Do When God Calls You Out? II Sam. 12:7-13
3. Knowing When To Grieve: II Sam. 12:15-24
II Samuel chapter 13 sermon topics/ titles:
1. The Trouble With Crafty Cousins: II Sam. 13: 1-11
2. When We Arrange Our Own Temptations: II Sam. 13: 6-14
3. The Wait Of Revenge: II Sam. 13: 13-29
Have you ever blamed God for a hurt only to later realize you had brought about your own pain? What do you see in these chapters?
Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don’t beafraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 2 Kings: 1:13-15
When last we left Elijah he was calling fire down from Heaven to burn up some enemy soldiers. You would think that after losing fifty servants to the flames of God King Ahaziah would have wised-up and left well enough alone. Twice more, though, he sent squadrons of fifty to apprehend the rebel prophet. The second time the results were the same. Fifty soldiers went up the hill fifty cremated bodies were carried down the hill.
But the captain of the third squadron was a little wiser than the first two. He was smart enough to know that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So instead of confronting the prophet the third captain humbled himself before God and his man. That won the day. Elijah was given the God go-ahead to come down to Ahaziah. All God was looking for was a man humble enough to admit his need rather than rattle his saber.
We aren’t called to tough it out in our own strength. We are called to pray it through by throwing ourselves on the mercy of a God who is so much bigger than we are.
But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all. 2 Kings 1:10
Do you realize that God is for you? Sometimes I think we forget just what a powerful truth that is. If God is on our side…if God is for us who can be against us? If we truly need it God will even open up the Heavens and rain down fire on our enemies. Whatever we truly need HE will bring us on the basis of His love for us. The trick is for us to recognize we really need.
So what does your fire from Heaven look like today? What do you really need from God?
“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” ― Søren Kierkegaard
I have been praying over many things these last two weeks. One of the issues I have been facing in my prayer time is the sheer volume of my prayer list.
I’ve been saying to the Lord “God I just don’t see how I can do it all.”
Over the last two days God has been showing me that I am not supposed to do it all. Not only am I supposed to call for help but I am supposed to let go of some of the things I cannot do and entrust them to the hands of others who can. It is not that I am supposed to say no to my dreams. It is that I am supposed to give my dreams away so that they can come true. Letting go is now becoming a part of my prayer list. I must ask God what He would have me give up and release into other hands. I must ask Him to help me through the process of giving up things I would like to do but perhaps am not qualified to take to the next level.
It’s interesting that sometimes seeing your dreams realized means letting them go.
Today’s quotes:
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. — Havelock Ellis
Some think it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes it’s letting go. — Sylvia Robinson
We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the life that is waiting for us. — Joseph Campbell
Reinventing the We'll 