Sunday Devotional ~ Making Room for God

 

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)

As Christians we want more of God in our lives—more of Jesus. We are selfish for Him to give us greater, bigger, and more extravagant blessings. It reminds me of one of the old hymns we sang at the small church my family attended when I was younger:

Showers of blessing,
  Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy-drops round us are falling,
    But for the showers we plead. (Daniel Webster, 1883)

Yes, we are thankful for the drops of mercy we receive from the Lord, but we all want showers of blessing. And we know that our God is capable of doing this.

God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine… (Ephesians 3:20)

But exactly how do we get more from Him? By making room. We make room by decreasing—decreasing our wants, our desires, ourselves, and giving that space to the Lord. There is no such thing as “awkward silence” with the Lord. Silence is golden. It’s by waiting to hear from Him that we receive His word and His blessings. But do we want those things enough to give up things that might seem good to us now, but hold us back from receiving even better from our God? Do we let making ourselves comfortable take preference? Do we fill our time, our minds, our bellies so full of things that we provide that we don’t allow the Lord to provide even better?

I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. 

Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. (Psalm 81:10)

Instead of trying to fill ourselves up and doing our own thing, and making our own way, let us take a moment to allow ourselves to be empty and then allow God to fill us up. We may just find out that His showers of blessing were just one step, one choice away. While we’ve been busy trying to find a way to fill the void in us with other things, God has been waiting for us to just turn to Him.

Today my prayer is that we open ourselves up to God. That we make room for Him in a new way. If we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will tell us where we’ve been failing to make room. Then all we have to do is let go of that thing and allow God to fill us up!

Sunday Devotional - Dealing with Discontentment

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. 

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, 

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

(Philippians 4:12)

Most of us know what it's like to be in need. But have we ever known what it's like to have plenty? We rarely have enough money, enough food, enough love in our lives to be satisfied and content. We're always striving, looking for the next big break, the next thing that will thrill us, the next meal. Being content is understanding when we've had enough.

“The leech has two daughters.

    ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.

“There are three things that are never satisfied,

    four that never say, ‘Enough!’:

the grave, the barren womb,

    land, which is never satisfied with water,

    and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’

(Proverbs 30:15-16)

There are places in our lives where we feel we can never get enough. Whether we have addiction to approval, food, Netflix programs, attention, sports... the list could go on. But once we have finished with one thing, we're looking for the next, even when we really don't need it. We rarely know when to be satisfied.

Praise the Lord, my soul;

    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

 Praise the Lord, my soul,

    and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins

    and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

    and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

(Psalm 103:1-5)

The only one who can satisfy us and truly show us contentment is God. He is the one who satisfies our desires--not food, other people, Netflix, or money. Nothing satisfies us except Him. So when we're feeling like we can't get enough, when we feel like we need something more in order to be happy, it's time for us to turn to God in prayer and praise Him for fulfilling our every need. When we feel a need in our heart for something more, He is the one who can fill it.

Today my prayer is that we will turn to the Lord when we feel empty. Let us not turn anything else into an idol by looking for it to satisfy us. Instead, let us turn to the one who provides true contentment.

Sunday Devotional - What are you a slave to?

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NIV)

In Exodus chapter 1, we find that God delivered the Israelites from 400 years of bondage in Egypt. Generation after generation of slavery. So much so that the people who God delivered through Moses knew nothing about being free--slavery was all that they had ever known. They had no choice but to jump when their taskmaster said to. They couldn't say, "no." It wasn't an option.

When God sent the plagues to Egypt and Pharaoh finally let them go, they had a hard time adjusting to this new life of freedom. They still felt they needed someone to tell them what to do. They needed to be busy. They had no idea what to do with all this free time. Their minds were still fixed on being slaves.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath

 to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son

 or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, 

nor any foreigner residing in your towns. (Exodus 20:9-10)

God wanted the people to remember Him. To not just sit around and do nothing on the Sabbath day, but to spend the time with Him, in worship, prayer, and studying His word. 

While we work we might "forget" about Him, momentarily. If we get too busy, we might go hours without remembering. This is slavery. Without being plugged-in and in-tune to our God, we're doing things by our own strength instead of His, and our batteries will soon run dry.

Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried 

and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. 

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her. 

(Luke 10: 41-42)

What are we enslaved to? What keeps us from listening to and taking in the Lord? Are we busy serving the church and missing out on the relationship we need to have with Jesus? Are we busy chauffeuring our kids around from event to event? Too busy checking emails and social media? What are we enslaved to?

Today my prayer is that we take the time to think about what seemingly innocuous things we're giving our time to. With God's help, we can decide if we should cut back, and think about giving more of our time to sitting at the feet of Jesus. Let us remember why we are free.

Sunday Devotional ~ Choking the Word of God

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or 

‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 

For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows 

that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God 

and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

(Matthew 6:31-33)

Life happens. We wake up and we're immediately assaulted by responsibilities, choices, and the demands of others on our time, energy, and resources. It's not impossible to go through a whole day without talking to our spouse, much less spending a moment in prayer. That is unless we make time. 

Every relationship needs to be fed with time. We have to spend time with the word and with God in order to grow spiritually. But if we allow the responsibilities we have overcome us, they will push God out.

Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, 

and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, 

and he becomes unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

Notice what Jesus says chokes the word in us. Not Satan. No, it's the cares of this world. 

If we're chasing after what might make us happy, that is the deceitfulness of riches. There are many ways to be rich... rich in love, rich in family, rich in health. And if we're chasing after any of those things to be happy instead of trusting in God and seeking His kingdom first, we are choking the word in our lives.

Today I pray we will see what we are choking our spiritual lives with, and make a change. Small changes add up to big ones over time. Lord, please help us to carve out more of our day to be with you. Help us to care more about chasing you than chasing happiness, because you have promised that all these things would be added to us, if we put you ahead of them.

Sunday Devotional ~ It's Okay to ask God to Hurry

And let us not grow weary while doing good, 

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  

(Galatians 6:9)

God has His own timing, called "due season." In this day and age, we're always in a hurry, but God never is. However there's a major benefit in asking God to hurry, even while we wait. Asking God to hurry keeps our prayers honest. 

It may seem like it takes greater faith to say, "God, take your time," but the psalmists often asked God to hurry:

But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! 

You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.

(Psalm 70:5)

Be pleased, O Lᴏʀᴅ, to deliver me! O Lᴏʀᴅ, make haste to help me! 

(Psalm 40:13)

O Lᴏʀᴅ, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! 

(Psalm 141:1)

God wants our prayers to be fervent. Fervent means passionate, heartfelt, and honest. He doesn't want us to pretend to not be in a hurry when we are. Asking God to hurry means that we understand who is in control of all timing. He is. It gets our minds straight so we expect God to answer, know He's going to answer, and ask Him to please not delay.

If we're honest in our prayers, we'll feel the longing in our hearts and we'll be stirred to pray even more persistently. When we believe God will answer quickly if we ask Him to, He will honor it.

 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 

(Luke 11:8)

Asking God to hurry makes our prayers persistent, expectant, fervent, and honest. This is exactly the kind of prayer God tells us He wants from us. If you've been waiting a long time for something, maybe it's time to start asking God to hurry?

Sunday Devotional: Complaining Under Pressure

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

For whom the Lord loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives.”

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (Hebrews 12:5-8)

God has big plans for us. But to fulfill those plans, we have to lean into the correction He gives us. His plans are for our success and for us to become a better, greater, bigger person than we are now. But if we don't understand that His correction is for our best interest, we might grow to despise it.

Oh Lord, why can't we be like everyone else?

Is that what we really want? Often when we are in the midst of our change, we groan, complain, and wish we were like everyone else. But do we really? If we've known the love and forgiveness God provides, we don't want to live without it. But this love and forgiveness also comes with correction. We are not undisciplined children. Instead, God wants us to grow up to proper adulthood, and not be wild.

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

(1 Peter 5: 10)

As we grow, there are growing pains. But they are always temporary, for our benefit, and to make us stronger in Christ. So let us not be weak in our weariness and complain how we want to be like other people. Instead, let us determine to endure and remember there's a purpose in our pain.

Sunday Devotional: Getting Nowhere

via GIPHY

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

Sometimes it feels like our spiritual life is getting nowhere. We think we're working hard and doing all the right things, but just like the cat on the slide, we're not getting to where we should...fast. Maybe it's time to take an honest look at ourselves. Are we really doing everything we should be? Are we truly giving 100% of our hearts to God and giving Him the first fruits?

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? 

But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; 

it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)

Able gave God the firstborn of his flock--he gave to God first. But Cain gave "some" of his fruit--was it the best that he had? Likely not. Cain's heart wasn't in the right place, so he wasn't accepted. What Cain then did was minimize his sin. He decided that he'd done everything just as well as Able had, and that God was unfair for not accepting and blessing his sacrifice.

Whoa. That one hits home for me this week. I've been feeling like I'm running on a treadmill and getting nowhere, but is it because I'm not giving God the best of myself, the best of my time, the best of my energy? Sure, I'm giving God "some" of my time, but is it because my heart longs for Him, or is it because it's a chore, duty, or burden? 

If I'm minimizing my sin, then I'll decide that I'm doing what I should do, I'm giving "some", so why aren't I getting the blessing?

The Lord is near to all who call on him,

    to all who call on him in truth. (Psalm 145:18 emphasis mine)

I want for God to be near to me. I want to have the kind of acceptable life that Able had. I don't want for sin to crouch at my door desiring to have me. I want to rule over my sin instead of it ruling over me. But to do this, I need first to be honest with myself. If I haven't been giving God the best of my life, I need to determine to do it now. I don't ever want my time with Him to be a burden or a chore. I want it to be sweet and something I look forward to. 

That is my prayer for all of us today. Help us oh God, to be honest with ourselves about what we give and about what we do. Help us, Lord, to cry out to you in truth. Draw nearer to us, Jesus, so that we feel the goodness of your presence. With all of our hearts, Amen.

Sunday Devotional - Dealing with Discontentment

One of the hardest things to deal with as a child of God is when we're disappointed with the One who provides all things. Sometimes we think that we deserve more than we have, better than we have, or something faster than we're getting. It's easy to see other people gaining what we want and then feeling like it's unfair that God's holding back His blessing from us. Especially when we've been good.

Like a child throwing a tantrum, we want to rail at God for being unjust.

Satan moves in like a lion waiting to devour right about now, too - he's there to provide all the coaxing that we need to feed our feeling of dissatisfaction.

• Everyone else has more, even though they aren't even believers.
• You've worked so hard this week, you deserve that reward - but God didn't care to give it to you.
• Why should you bother fighting temptation when it makes no difference?
• Why should you have to keep waiting for what you want?
• God obviously doesn't care.
• He doesn't really love you.

The eyes of all look to you,

    and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand

    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

(Psalm 145:15-16)

God has not changed who He is. He does love us and He does care. He is the provider of all good things - but in the proper time. His time. Our every desire will be satisfied by His hand. Just because He provides differently from what we expect, or at a different time than we hope, doesn't mean He won't provide. 

When feeling discontented, the first thing we need to do is tell God how we feel. If we're mad, tell Him. If we're sad, tell Him that, too. The Psalms are full of discontented voices asking God to hurry up. Once we've emptied out our feelings, we then need to denounce the lies and remember the truth of God's word. His promises are real and meant for us. We need to remember everything He has provided for us already, then thank Him and praise Him. Lastly, we need to wait upon Him. Wait for the contentment, or the blessing. If we know we are going to receive His promise, but haven't yet, we need to wait for it in great expectation. It's coming, even if it's not on our timetable. 

I've had a great bout with discontentment this week. I felt as though I'd been battling hard, fighting to gain ground, but when I checked to see how much ground I'd gained, I'd actually lost some. I was heartbroken, cried, and spent a few hours having a temper-tantrum of sorts. Then God reminded me of His provision. He reminded me that it's about the relationship I'm developing with Him, not about the outside sources or rewards. 

Jesus is the only source of true joy and satisfaction. He is my reward. 

Yes. I had a child-like tantrum and afterward, I felt a great deal of guilt. But God gave me a good hug and reminded me that I'm already acceptable to Him. If you're feeling discontented like I was, I pray that this short message and testimony will find you where you are and help you remember where you're reward is, too. May God bless you on your continuing journey with Him.

Fruit of the Spirit: Love (Part 4)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

(Galatians 5:22-23)

The First Fruit: Love (Continued...)

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. (Luke 6:35)

"Do good..." Love must become an action. We can declare all day that we love this, or love that, but unless we can demonstrate our love through action, they are simply words.

How do we do it? How can we act in love?

To demonstrate love, we have to remember the 15 attributes of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13~

Love is patient.

Love is kind.

Love does not envy.

Love does not boast.

Love is not arrogant.

Love is not rude.

Love is not selfish.

Love is not provoked.

Love thinks no evil.

Love does rejoices in truth.

Love bears all things.

Love believes all things.

Love hopes all things.

Love endures all things.

Love never fails.

In the rest of this blog series on Fruit of the Spirit: Love, we'll go over a few of these attributes per post.

Love is patient - Love endures all things:

Our patience is our willingness to endure. Endure discomfort, endure inconvenience, endure disappointment, endure heartbreak. We may be asked to suffer any of these negative things and not let it affect us in such a way as to veer us from our path. We must love in spite of the things which happen to us. To stand out as a believer in Christ, we must be willing to endure.

 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. (Hebrews 10:36)

It's all about focus. If our focus is on ourselves, then we will not be able to endure. The first discomfort, inconvenience, disappointment, or heartbreak will send us off to recover. We want to avoid these negatives in our lives, because we don't deserve them. But love says endure it. Be patient. keep your focus on Jesus, and remember His promises. Remember how much He endured to save you and realize that this suffering is temporary. Though at times it may feel like forever that you've been suffering through it, this momentary lapse is just a blip in the face of eternity. So today, I pray that you will endure whatever is troubling you and act in the love that shows patience.

Fruit of the Spirit: Love (Part 3)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

(Galatians 5:22-23)

The First Fruit: Love (Continued...)

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)

Change your mind and change your heart. If you cannot think loving thoughts toward another, or toward yourself, you will not be able to experience the change of heart that allows you to experience the kind of agape love that is a fruit of the spirit.

So how do we change our mind and what do we think on when we see others?

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

When we encounter a gruff person, someone who is less than easy to love, our usual reaction is to protect ourselves from the harshness of the other person. We'll close up and look out for our own interests instead of looking at the other person's. Chances are the harder that person is to love, the more they need it. Chances are that their own gruffness is caused primarily because that person is closing up and using those spikes to protect their own, fragile heart. When someone is angry or hard to get along with, always try to find the reason way.

In order to do that, we have to stop looking out for our own interests and look out for the interest of the other person. Look beyond their outward appearance and find out what they need. Love then becomes an action as we consider prayerfully how to fulfill it.

What if, while we are trying to fulfill that gruff person's need, they abuse us or mistreat us?

If we are grafted in Jesus the way that we are supposed to be, then we find our joy and our comfort in Him. He fulfills our needs to the point of overflowing. And that overflow is supposed to splash on those around us. If our lives are full of Jesus, then we do not need to be filled by anyone else. So what this person does to us or their response to our attempts at filling their needs should not be a total surprise.

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:6)

In order to be wise and cunning, we should pray from the start that the reaction of the person is revealed to us so that there aren't any surprises. And if we expect no love in return, we will not be disappointed, either. It's hard to give and get nothing in return, but remember that we are working toward Heaven, and find the source of our strength in Him.

So to change our mind about someone, we need to look past their faults and see their needs. And then when we fulfill their needs, we need to look for no reward, and no thanks. Through these changes of mind, we can begin to see what it's like to love someone who we previously thought was unloveable. And our love might be just what an unloveable person needs in order to change their mind, as well--though that shouldn't be our goal. Today, I pray that we make our goal to change ourselves and to change our minds so that we can feel the love of God toward others, and let the overflow splash upon them.

Sunday Devotional - Unfinished Business with God

The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.  
Then the Lord called Samuel. 

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” (1 Sam 3:3-4 NIV)

There are times when the Lord calls me, and I'm busy. Like Samuel in the passage above. He was laying down and going to bed...after a hard day's work. His pillow was likely calling his name. But when the Lord called him, Samuel jumped up and said, "Here I am."

As Christians, we have to remember that God doesn't work according to our timing. He has His own. If we try to take the timing out of his hands and into our own, this is sin. It is not wasteful to leave a task unfinished. 

If I'm in the middle of doing the dishes, and God calls, I need to leave the dishes and answer. If I'm in the middle of eating, and God calls, I need to put down my fork and answer.

What we think is left unfinished might be exactly where God wants us to be. Sometimes people die leaving work in a state that seems unfinished, but is right where God wanted it to Be. We never see the full picture in this life, but we need to trust in His call, His word, and His timing.

What is God calling you to leave incomplete today?

Sunday #Devotional for #tWorship - Controlling Peace - Guest #Blog

Controlling Peace

by Barbara Ann Derksen

The winter sky, this morning, is the same color as the snowy landscape, not so great for those of us who think of ourselves as photographers. But there’s no wind and the temperature is slightly moderate in light of what it could be at this time of year.

I’m working on my latest books, writing, social networking, and doing research, all necessary to the work of a writer. In the midst of it all, God tells me through Paul, in His letter to the Colossian church that “You have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Col 2:10 (NIV)

I can relax knowing that Jesus is in control. The following is an example of someone who tussles with who she is in Christ. Marsha struggled with the task in front of her. She needed to complete this one before she could begin the next. There is always a next one, she thought. She had a hard time saying no. Marsha loaded the table with fresh produce for the food bank and then picked up the inventory list. Keeping track of what came in and what was taken by needy people in the community was part of her job as food bank coordinator.

Marsha loved the accolades she received from leaders in the small town she lived in. And yet, she was never satisfied that she’d done enough or that she received enough community awards. She felt a deep emptiness inside. These volunteer projects were supposed to fill that void, guarantee her a place of honor in heaven someday. Nothing seemed to be good enough, however.

As a Christian, God has come into our lives to fill that empty spot, the void that was created so that only He could fill it. People try all sorts of things. They work hard to load that emptiness with good deeds, but they leave God entirely out of the picture. It doesn’t work because it remains ‘human doings’ instead of God doing through us.

Our walk with the Lord, our daily time with Him, fills us to continue through the rest of our day. Because we are content, because we feel loved and cherished by God Himself, we seek to volunteer, to do whatever we can for someone else, not so we can earn anything but because of what He has given to us. We want to share His love with others because He gave His love to us when we least deserved it. Our life is full, content, and we have only God to thank for it.

For further study: Phil.4:11; 1 Tim. 6:8;Heb.13:5

This is an excerpt from the devotional Road Trip. The book of Matthew, Chapter five, begins the greatest sermon ever preached. In this chapter and all the way to the end of chapter seven, God gives us clear direction on how we are to live our lives as Christians. He covers a host of topics leaving no doubt that He loves us and wants only the best for us. Road Trip is an easy to read study of those principles to encourage you in your daily walk. http://t.co/S6NymPvv

~*~

Watching the expressions on the faces of her readers is what drives author and speaker, Barbara Ann Derksen to write. Her favorite genre is murder mystery but each book brings forth characters who rely on God as they solve the puzzle in their life. With 14 books to her credit, Barbara works hard to develop a social media presence. Her books can be found on Amazon, at Barnes and Nobles, and on her website, www.barbaraannderksen.com. Canadian born, Barbara is a member of The Word Guild, Manitoba Writer’s Guild, The Writer’s Collective, and Christian Motorcyclists Association, USA.

Morning Person

I am a morning person, I always have been.  The funny part is that God has blessed me with a marriage to a night owl.  He’s certifiable.  My husband goes to bed somewhere around the time that you’d hear Reveille played at boot camp.  We barely spend two hours together in the same bed.

He is rigid, while I tend to be flexible.  So I have bent my schedule so that I can be with him more. I have ended up going to bed somewhere around one a.m., but because of that “morning person” programming that I have, I’m still up by seven or eight.  So I’ve learned to take naps.

But here’s the problem as far as this concerns my walk with Jesus.  Because I’m a morning person, I love to spend that time with Jesus.  My bible gets read, I listen to teaching, and I spend time in praise and worship while I work.  I love this time of day, I can hardly get on without it, and it’s even more precious because usually no one is around, so I can almost live like a monk in a monastery. 

Then the household wakes up.  We home school our son, so I get him started with his lessons.   We live on a horse farm, and my day job is teaching riding lessons. So come about three in the afternoon, all the teenagers start to show up, and I become the hostess of a party that goes on about five hours every day.

It might amaze most people how being “happy and encouraging” no matter how you actually feel can be draining.  But by the time that I’m done with my “day”, the sun starts going down.  That is precisely when Satan’s attack on me begins.

 Suddenly, all I can think about is myself.  I’m hungry.  I’m tired.  I’d rather watch TV than read my Bible – and especially something brainless so I can vegetate.  Then come the cravings – something sweet. . .no that didn’t do it. . .something salty. . .nope, maybe something meaty. . .better try something sweet again.  And no matter what I eat, I just can’t seem to be satisfied.  So the pounds have packed on.

Now the reality is that I know the truth.  It’s not food that I crave – it’s fellowship with the Lord.  But I’m too stubborn for that, I already fellowshipped with Him this morning, and I worked really hard all day.  This is my time, right? 

Today the Lord has taught me that I don’t fellowship with the Lord because He needs it, but because I do. 

“He delights in the Lord’s instruction and he meditates on it day and night.” Psalm 1:2 (HSCB)

I’ve only been giving the Lord half of what is required of me.  I need to think on him day AND NIGHT but I refused and held back the night.

“And don’t for a minute let this Book of the Revelation be out of mind.  Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it.  Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed.” Joshua 1:8 (MSG)

I let myself do exactly what the Lord told me not to do.  I would go about my day with my mind upon Him and His word, then the minute that I got among people my mind would start to slip.  And once they left, and I started to feel tired, Satan would slip in and tell me how I deserve this time for “myself” and that certainly the Lord couldn’t deny me this, Right?  So I let my Lord and His teaching go straight out of my mind completely, refusing to let Him back in.

Now I’m begging for His deliverance, for Him to save me from my “self”.  I believe that Jesus showed me that this is the way that I am to walk so that I can find my way out of my personal wilderness.  He has told me:

“You’ve been going around in circles in these hills long enough;” Deuteronomy 2:3

I feel as though I have awakened from a long sleep.  It’s so obvious to me now.  How could I not see this before?  Oh Lord forgive me for not keeping my every thought captive to your obedience, and how I pray Lord that I my progress and my witness will be seen by all.  Just as the promise in 1Timothy 4:5 – “Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them as your ministry, so that your progress may be evident to everybody.”