Trust In The Lord and Rejoice

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“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” Psalm 5:11-12

When you completely trust in the Lord your spirit will rejoice at all times. He is working everything out, so you can be at peace and rest.  He is working both the good and the bad things together for your good.

“The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Neh. 8:10

You can ever shout for joy, because your eyes have not yet seen, and your ears have not yet heard all He has prepared for you. What God has planned for you is so glorious that you can shout for joy. No matter what you experience each day you can rest in the fact that tomorrow is a new day and joy will come in the morning.   The Lord is your source for joy.

“… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

It is a personal choice that you make each day; so choose this day who you will trust.

Choose today to enter into the joy of the Lord, and you will receive strength to face whatever comes your way.


Are We Hurting Our Children?

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“Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet… and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse”  (Malachi 4:5-6).

kids are watching us

A model is a smaller version of an item.  A model car is a smaller version of a real car.

Our children are models, a smaller version of us.  They are like mirrors that we can look into and see ourselves.  We demonstrate certain behaviors in front of our children and they act out what they have learned.  Therefore, our children typically become like us.  If we are not careful in how we live our lives, that can be a very painful reality.

Certainly, most parents work hard to raise their children in a way that will honor God.  We certainly hope their lives are filled with joy and happiness, and that as they grow older they will find meaning and purpose in the Lord.

As we are raising and giving discipline to our children, we expect them to listen.  We want them to do what we say.

They may follow our instructions, but unfortunately, they may also do as we do.  They watch us and follow our example.  If there is inconsistencies between our instructions and our actions they will be confused.  Are you showing the example of Christ?

Read Malachi 4:5-6 again.  Look at your children, and then look at who you have modeled your life after.  Ask the Lord for help to make a change.

“Like a sparrow in her flying and a swallow in her wandering, so the curse without a cause cannot come” (Proverbs 26:2).

For a closer look at living in the image of Christ (and raising children) you might find our teaching on Burden Bearing to be interesting.

Where Do I Turn When Trouble Hits?

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“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me…” Psalm 27:5

Place of peaceAre you going through a time of trouble?  There is a place where you can find safety and rest.  It is the Secret place of Psalm 91:1.

The Secret place is the set apart place where you personally meet with God.  If you follow the Lord as He calls you to the Secret place when life is going well, then you will know where to run to when troubles come.  The Secret place is a hiding place, a shelter from the storm when it is raging. When you are safely hidden in the Secret place it is like being in the eye of the storm, where it is calm even though the storm is raging all around you.

Noah knew the shelter of the Secret place.  He must have been in the Secret place many times, because he was able to build a safe shelter on earth to take his whole family into when the flood came.  Since Noah had been with the Lord for many years before the flood, he knew exactly where to go for safety.

Many years ago I discovered the Secret place where I meet with God daily.  In times of trouble I know ahead of time where to go.  I run to safety into the Secret place of the Most High.  When my son was in a coma, although I sat by his bed and I was present in the situation on planet earth, my spirit was dwelling with the Lord.  It was during the darkest nights here on earth that I experienced the greatest comfort from the Lord.  Had I not known where the Secret place was ahead of time, I might not have known where to run to.

It is the Lord himself that takes you there; He lifts you up and sets you on high. Safe under the shelter of His wing, resting in His presence hid away and comforted in His arms. Ask the Lord to take you to the Secret place.  Then you can easily find your way back in time of trouble.

Holding on to what God Has Promised

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“…We who have fled to him for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before us. Now we have this hope as a sure fast anchor of the soul…”(Hebrews 6:18-19).

faith to move mountainsWhat are you hoping for? By faith you hope, or hold onto what God has promised.  Hope is the anchor for your soul and is what keeps you stabilized when everything around you is unstable.

A good sea captain knows he must drop the anchor when he wants his boat to stay steady, anchored in a certain place.  We must throw out our anchor and to stay where God has placed us.

When things get tough, like Hebrews 6:18-19 says, we take refuge in Him.  We run to Him for strength and encouragement so we can stabilize and stay steady when things get tough.  When we run to Him, He teaches us how to remain steadfast.  As we obey His instructions, He strengthens and encourages us by His Spirit.  Take refuge in the Lord and you will be steadfast, unmovable, and anchored as you hold on and wait for what He has promised you.

WHO DO I TRUST

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“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.” Psalm 7:1

We can trust in God because He is always faithful. We trust Him because we trust what He says in His Word.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

trust in GodGod’s track record has been recorded and He has been faithful to do what He says He will do all through the ages.  He has always come through.  When we trust others based on their track record we have a hard time trusting them.  Everyone makes mistakes and we have a tendency to focus on their mistakes. We want others to trust us because we have good intentions, but we only trust them based on their past behavior.  A person may have good intentions to do what they say, but many times it cannot be accomplished.

Trust is established over time.  Trust the fruit that is being produced in a person’s life over a period of time, not an isolated event.  Just like fruit on a tree is produced over time, fruit is produced in a person’s life over time through their relationship with God.

In Philippians 2:13 Paul says; “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

The fruit or evidence that God is working in a person’s life is the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy and peace found in Galatians 5:22-23.

Once the fruit of love is evident you know God is working. You can count on it because God is working in and through that person. That person may still let you down but God is working in them and you can trust Him.   He is the only one that can be trusted to come through. He is the only one who is steadfast. So wives trust God at work in your husband. Husbands trust God at work in your wife. Instead of looking at their failures try looking at how God is working in their life and trust in what He is doing.

The Path: Look past the natural into the supernatural and trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Examine the Fruit

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“Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

We can determine the condition of our heart by observing the fruit our life has produced.   To measure fruitfulness, you look over the past season or over the past year and see what has been produced.  In the fall a farmer looks over the previous growing season to determine the condition of the field.  We can also look at the past year of our life and determine the condition of our heart by looking at the harvest.

Jesus taught His disciples that their life should produce fruit – from 60 to 100 per cent.  A fruitful Christian is one that receives God’s Word and the Word that is planted in their heart produces a harvest even up to a 100 fold return.

You may have a Word from God, but if it is not given to another in love, it will not produce a harvest.  This is why the condition our heart is so important and it determines the fruit we produce.  By observing the fruit our life has produced, we can tell what condition our heart is in.

Pray this prayer daily and watch what happens: “Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Awaken Your Faith?

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“Aroused by faith, Moses, when he had grown to maturity and became great…” (Hebrews 11:24).

awaken my faithIt is interesting that Moses had to be aroused by faith.  The word “arouse” means to be awakened; to be stirred up and awakened from slumbering.  We can get so consumed and overwhelmed with the struggles of life that we become discouraged to the point that our spirit slumbers, or shuts down and sleeps.

When you give in and are overcome by discouragement, you have a slumbering spirit.  An awakened spirit keeps you focused on what God is doing; even in the midst of trouble, you see the light.  There is so much bad news today that many are overtaken with discouragement.  We need to ask God to awaken our spirit.  All those who are called to be a modern day “Moses” need to wake up.  Those who are called to be a modern day “Elisha” or “David” all need to wake up and take their post.  It is not a time for some to sleep and some to work; it is a time for everyone to wake up and do what they were born to do.  We were born in this time in history for a reason.  It is time for everyone to face this reality and embrace who they are, and what they were called to do (Romans 13:11).

Pray this prayer: “Wake me up Lord – I want to discover my divine calling, and know what I am to do in the work of the Kingdom.”

Making Important Decisions

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Making Important decisions require much prayer and reflection.  If you want to make the right decision, it is vital that you seek the right source.  We want to encourage you to take every decision to the Lord.

Order My Steps

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…” Psalm 37:23

order my stepsThe Lord delights in giving His children revelation. He seeks a man traveling an ordinary road, and “suddenly a light from heaven” (Acts 9:3) shines on him. And a “stairway resting on the earth” (Gen. 28:12) can reach from the marketplace to heaven, transforming a life from one of drudgery to one of grace.

Ask your heavenly Father to fellowship with you through your everyday work and service, and be your companion as you take an ordinary journey. As God orders your steps, your life will be transformed by His presence.

Ask the Lord to order your steps and then wait upon Him to do so.

I Shall be Planted

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“And he shall be like a tree planted by the river of water: that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither: and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalms 1:3

 

I shall be planted“…they shall be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

As you spend time daily meditating upon the Word of God you will become strong like a huge oak tree firmly planted.  Secure and deeply rooted so the storms of life will not blow you away.

A tree that is planted beside a river has a constant water source. As you stay planted by the river of God, your life will produce good fruit. So don’t move; stay firmly planted.  Do not get discouraged, fruit is not produced overnight, fruit is produced over time.

 

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: Those that are planted… shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Psalms 92:12-13

The river of God is a life source; it will never run dry.  The river of God is His unconditional love.  As you experience His love and forgiveness you receive more and more life.  God’s love produces abundant life (A lot of life).  All you do is continue receiving His love, and as love flows through you to others your life will produce fruit.

Stay firmly planted by the fresh water source.

Drink until you are refreshed with the water of His Word.

 

The Power to Move a Mountain

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“You will know and understand the hope to which He called you and the greatness of His power.” Eph 1:18

Faith to move a mountainWe have access to His great power when we are in His will.  The power to create the universe, move a mountain and change history is in His hands.  He has placed me as His child, His representative on the earth, to call on Him to create, move or change something. Sometimes we get so preoccupied that we forget our purpose.

Have you ever gone into the grocery store and forgotten what you intended to buy?  After a couple of steps into the store you have a thousand voices speaking to you!  You see all the brands of cereal and the sales, and you forget what you wanted to purchase.  The same is true in our daily life.   The calls, the options, and the sales grab for our attention.

What happened to the still small voice that spoke into your spirit the moment you woke up?  Was it drowned out within the first few steps into your world?  We must realize how Christ was able to carry out His assignment on planet earth.  He set His face like a flint towards the cross and He didn’t let anything distract him.  The world could not hinder, discourage, slow down nor stop Him.  Know what your purpose is and rely on the greatness of His power to accomplish it.