Where Can I Go to Find Safety?

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“It is better to trust and take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”  Psalm 118:8

In the days we are living, there is troubling news on every side.  There are wars and rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes in various places. Everywhere you turn, you hear of devastation. Many are like the man who called our office today from another country asking: Where do I go where it is safe? I couldn’t tell him whether or not he should leave his country, but I could tell him to take refuge in the Lord and He would lead him to safety.

In Ps 91:2, the psalmist David says the “Place of Refuge” or safety is the secret place where you go to spend time with God.  In the secret place, your quite time, all voices are silenced and you can focus on hearing the voice of God.

God is your refuge. He is the only one who knows the answer to your present problems.  Take refuge in Him and the answer will quickly come. In the refuge of the Lord, the enemy cannot touch you, taunt you, or discourage you.  You are safe under the shadow of His wings.  Find the secret place every day.  There you can find rest for your soul and strength to overcome the trials of these difficult days.

Psalm 112:7, “He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, his heart is firmly fixed.”

God Calls for A Time of Rest

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“Come unto me all who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”   Matthew 11:28

God Calls for A Time of RestAre you tired and weak from the busyness of life?  Are you tired from the heavy burdens you are carrying?  The Lord is calling you to come to Him and rest awhile.

The only way you can truly rest is by laying your burdens down.  Lay them down and let Him tell you what He wants you to pick back up.

God set forth times of rest from the beginning.  Even when everything He created was good, He didn’t just keep going.  He stopped on the seventh day and rested.  Even when everything we are doing is good, we still need to draw away from what we are doing to rest awhile.

Do you hear Him calling, “Enter into rest”? If so, pray the following prayer:

Lord, I hear Your calling to enter into a time of rest, to cease all busyness and draw closer to You.  In obedience to Your calling, I choose to enter into a time of rest.  Lord, I see this as a higher calling and I will gladly lay down those things You show me are hindering my time with You, which are _________________.

Lord, I know I need a time of rest because I am very tired and my burdens are heavy.  I need a quiet place to lay my burdens down until you tell me what to pick back up again.

I need a place, where I am not drawn to the expectations or demands of others, a place where I rest in You and hear Your voice.  Lord, I ask You to lead me to that quiet and peaceful resting place.

Lord, my desire is to cease all busyness and activities that are based on striving and performing.

Lord, every area of my life that is not at peace, I surrender to You.  I ask You to do a work of righteousness within me. (Isaiah 32:17) You have said the work of righteousness shall be peace.  I want every area of my life to be in alignment with Your will, Your plan and purpose for my life.

Search me O Lord and know my heart, try me and know my ways, and show me every way within me that is not Your way.

Show me the heavy burdens I have picked up that You did not give me to carry.

Show me responsibilities that are not mine that need to be laid aside.

Show me all the projects I have started for the wrong reasons and even the futile serving I have done out of my own need to be needed.

Lord, I want to lay down everything that it hinders my relationship with You.

So, as I cease from my labors for the next 21 days, I ask You to reveal Your will for my life, Your plan and Your purpose. Have Your way in me Lord.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Cleanse Your Spirit With the Word of God

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” The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”  Psalm 12:6

purifying fire“You have to drink plenty of water,” my mom would say to me whenever I was sick as a child.  Drinking fluids helps flush out the harmful bacteria in your body that causes you to be ill.

Guilt, shame, and condemnation are like harmful bacteria in your spirit.  Unless they are flushed out by the Word of God, these things will reside within you and cause spiritual damage.  They can hinder your personal relationship with the Lord. The very words of the Lord refine us and cleanse us deep within our spirit. Without them we become vulnerable to all of the impurities in this world.  It is imperative for you to allow the words of the Lord to settle deep down in your heart.  His words will drive out all the things that are unclean and replace them with His truth.

Pray this prayer with me: “Lord, I thank you that I have access to your Word at all times. I ask that as I read Your Word, you would cleanse and purify my heart. Make me whiter than snow. In Your name I pray. Amen.”

This is the way, so now walk in it

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Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk ye in it”  Isaiah 30:21 

Path of GodWhen we have decisions to make and doubts are flooding our soul and others suggest courses of action that are conflicting, when caution dictates one approach but faith the other, it is the time to stop and be still.  The scripture says, “Be still and know, I am God” (Psalm 46:10).  This gives us the permission that it is “ok” to quiet the intruding opinion of others around us and then calm ourselves into the stillness of God’s presence and wait to hear His gentile voice.

It sometimes takes courage to wait in silence trusting that He will not be silent. It takes courage to bypass all the words of well meaning friends.  It takes courage to not be pulled by those who are insisting on an immediate decision or action.  It takes courage to wait on, trust in, and rely on the Lord to direct you in those difficult decisions.

God is ever present in times of trouble.  When important decisions need to be made, you will hear His voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Once you hear clearly and the decision is made, a friend may then be used by the Lord to give confirmation and support. So be still and wait on the Lord, He is not silent.

“Unto you do I cry, O Lord my rock, be not deaf and silent to me…”  Psalm 28:1

The Right Path: Lord, as I still myself before You, help me to block out all intruding thoughts and opinions. I pray as David did that You will not be silent, I ask You to speak to me and give me direction in each decision I am making today. I desire to hear You say: “This is the way, walk in it.”

Search My Heart

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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).

All through Scripture we are encouraged by the Lord to examine our heart. In Psalms 139, David prays and asks the Lord to Search his heart.

David said, “any wicked way,” this would be any wicked way of thinking, feeling or acting.  The thoughts of our heart are sometimes hidden from view, but can be clearly seen by our actions and our responses. Psalm 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” You can have the right intentions and want to respond correctly, but find it very difficult if you have been hurt or offended.  That is why the prayer that David prayed in Psalm 139 is so important for us to pray today.

The thoughts of our heart determine our decisions, actions and how we respond to others. We need to examine the condition of our heart, especially after we have been hurt or wounded by someone and know we are offended.  I believe that taking up offenses is one of the greatest traps of the enemy today.

When you ask, the Holy Spirit will reveal the condition of your heart. Ask Him to reveal every area that is not at peace. Therefore, when you ask the Lord to search your heart, don’t be surprised when the Holy Spirit brings to your attention a relationship conflict that still needs to be resolved. The level of peace clearly indicates how much we have resolved heart issues so that, we are no longer controlled our circumstances. Peace is the inward witness of the presence God, as He leads us through every situation we face.

Our God is With Us

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“I cried to the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of His holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.”  Psalms 3:4-5

Resting Place of GodThere is turmoil and difficulties in our world that continually confront us.  We are challenged every day, and it is often hard to keep our minds and hearts set on God.  We know He is with us, but we often neglect to acknowledge and recognize His blessing in our lives.  He Loves us so much that even as we sometimes ignore Him, He is always there to hear our cries gives us peace in our slumber, and greets us as we rise.

“How precious also are they thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” Psalms 139: 17-18

God’s thoughts towards you are so vast they are more in number than the sand.  The best time to receive His thoughts is when you wake up early in the morning.  His thoughts are higher than your thoughts, so listen to hear His thoughts before you start thinking your own.  When you wake up early you will be able to hear Him speak to you clearly.  Your thoughts are in your soul but your spirit receives God’s thoughts.  Your spirit needs to hear what God is speaking before your own thoughts begin.

Ask God to show you how He sees you and your situation and He will lift you up above it, so you can look from a higher viewpoint and see it clearly.  As you hear what His thoughts are towards you, write them down.

Write down in a Journal what you hear Him saying, and then wait on Him to confirm it.

The Path: Pray asking God to tell you what He thinks about you.

 

Unconditional Love: Finding the Real Thing

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5) It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6) Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”  1Corinthians 13:4-7

JGods love manifestAs you experience God’s love, you will know you have found the real thing.  He loves you with an everlasting, continual, and unconditional love.  His love is consistent and not based on your behavior, good or bad.  He loves bad boys as much as good boys.  His love is so strong that he doesn’t get offended at us when we make a mistake.

God continues to show you His loving kindness is still there for you to receive.  As you receive God’s love, your love for others is bound to change. It will be a noticeable change because you will have found the freedom that comes when you give and receive unconditional love. Relationships that are built on the foundation of unconditional love are real and lasting.

If you have a desire for the real thing, you must begin to realize what has been real and what has been superficial.  People who have not experienced the love of God only know how to love others on a shallow, superficial level.  Their love is superficial because it is self-serving.  Superficial love may look real at the first glance, but there are certain things that make it superficial.

Superficial love is conditional; and, it will always have a requirement attached to it.  The motive of the heart is the desire to receive something. The motive of the heart therefore is not pure.  To the degree that we have experienced the love of God is the degree that we can love others with genuine love.   Once you know God’s love by experiencing it, you don’t love others to get love; you have the real thing.  God’s love is the real thing; it is genuine. His love is totally satisfying and ends all our searching.

Let Your Love Be the Real Thing

Meditate on His Word Day and Night

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 “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto they ways. I will delight myself in thy statues: I will not forget they word.” Ps 119:15-16

awaken my faithAs you are spending time daily with the Lord, be prepared for your repositioning.  Instead of sitting in the seat on planet earth, frustrated about life’s problems, you will be seated with Christ in heavenly places. If you are a child of God it is your rightful place.

This seat is where you are to stay seated regardless of all that is going on around you.  This is a seat of perfect peace and rest, high above the turmoil of this world.  Christ is seated on the right hand of the Father and according to Ephesians 2:6 those who trust Him as Savior are seated with Him.  As you read the promises recorded in His Word, meditate on those promises all day long.

The promises of God are not hidden; they can be clearly seen as you meditate on the Word. So today delight in one principle from His word with great expectations of His full blessings.

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”   Psalms 1:1-2

 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make they way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Josh 1:8

The right path is: to read and meditate on the word daily with great anticipation.

Stay on the Right Path

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Show me thy ways, O Lord and show me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me… Psalm 25:4

stay on the pathThe Psalmist is praying, asking God to show him His ways – the right way.  We are all faced daily with decisions and desire to know the right way, or the right answer.  The Psalmist David was asking for the Lord to show him a path to walk on, and to make it clear so he would know which way to go. I believe when we ask the Lord, He will make His way very plain and clear.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”  Psalm 37:23 

His ways are so much higher than our ways, that we must wait on Him to reveal the higher or better way. The prophet Isaiah knew about the ways of God. He said they were like a highway to walk on. So the path leads up to a highway. A higher way, and a higher goal to reach. To reach a higher goal you must establish a higher standard for your life.  So ponder the path you have been walking on and ask the Lord to lead you on the path to His High Way!  Stay on that Path and don’t veer to the right or the left.  The High Way is straight ahead.

“… he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:3b

 “Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies;

 make thy way straight before my face.”  Psalm 5:8

The Path: Establish a Standard of Righteousness for your life and for your home. When you commit your ways to the Lord, He will direct you.

The Lord Will Answer You

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May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!  Psalm 21:1

God will answerMay the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high and defend you. Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh and strengthen you from Zion. Psalm 20:1-2 Amp

There are times that we need supernatural support and strength to make it through the challenges of the day. When we call on the Lord He will dispatch help from His throne. Psalm 20:2 says, “He sends help from the sanctuary.” He will send help, sometimes even angelic assistance. Scripture tells us that the angels of the Lord excel in strength at His command. They are like an emergency back up support system that is on call twenty four–seven waiting for the next assignment. When we call out to the Lord for help, He sends them forth in strength. When Joshua was preparing for the battle of Jericho the angel of the Lord appeared to him in Joshua 5:13-15 and told him he was the Captain of the Lord’s host. Joshua had the Lord’s host on his side as he fought and won the battle of Jericho. Scripture tells us the angels of the Lord are always encamped round about us. Could it be they are just waiting for the next assignment?

A house cannot stand without a strong support system. In a house you cannot see the support beams but you know they are there. It would seem foolish to sit in your living room fearful that the house was going to cave in. When you put your trust in the Lord, you can be assured the house will stand, the support system is in place and you shall not be moved. The Lord establishes the support system so you can stand even when the strong winds of adversity come.  We cannot see them with our natural eyes but we know the support system of the angelic army is in place.

The Right Path: Ask God to send help from the Sanctuary if you need extra support and strength.