Rejoice!

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. ~Psalm 118:24

What are you rejoicing about today?

To God Be the Glory

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name. -Psalm 29:1-2

When we arrived at my sister’s home to celebrate the Fourth of July, we found our relatives in a somber mood. Nicholas, our niece’s toddler, was missing in the Wyoming mountains. While camping with his parents and other families, little Nicholas had wandered away. Our hearts ached, and we fervently prayed for his rescue and safe return.

Many searched for Nicholas on horseback and by foot, but he wasn’t found by nightfall. The next day a canine team and the Civil Air Patrol canvassed the heavily wooded slopes and sagebrush meadows. When they didn’t find him the second day, we feared the worst. How could a 2-1/2-year-old survive another night at 7,000 feet elevation when temperatures dropped at night?

Hundreds of volunteers kept searching. Fifty-six hours into the search, one searcher stopped to pray, walked three steps, and found him–unharmed. Nicholas was sitting on his clothes in some underbrush, wearing only a diaper. Police reported it had been warmer than expected those nights. How we rejoiced and praised God!

In Psalm 29, David speaks of God’s strength. His powerful voice controls even the weather. Just as God was sovereign over the thunder and lightning mentioned in this psalm, he spoke in the mountains of Wyoming and the weather warmed.

Twenty years later, we remember this event as one of the greatest miracles and answers to prayer we have experienced in our family. It reveals God’s sovereignty, his mighty strength, and his compassion. It appears God changed the weather pattern those two nights and wrapped one small boy in the warmth of his love.

Mighty God, help us see the wonders of your hands and realize the power of your majestic voice. In response, we’ll praise you, and ascribe to you the glory and strength due your name.

You Have Insight All Along

”Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” [Genesis 18:17]

We say and rightly so—we walk by faith and not by sight—this does not mean we are oblivious to what God is doing with, in and/or through our lives. Not judging with natural eyesight forces us to look within, where the Spirit of God dwells and the windows of our soul reveal His Will and Way. Here are four windows.

Window of direction—“…I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” [Isaiah 48:17] When choices abound, God’s presence will make it clear which way to take.

Window of revelation—“The secret things belong to the Lord our God—the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever…” [Deuteronomy 29:29] The wonderful sense of belonging to a far greater purpose than you ever dreamed possible is wide open to you.

Window of guidance—”For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” [Psalm 48:14] No short term contract with God—no broken commitment—no change or double-mindedness. What He has said He will accomplish, and we are honored to participate.

The more readily we accept the responsibility of looking, listening and learning to follow His voice from within, the more we see what formerly seemed to be hidden. Faith is not blind—faith sees—unlike man’s philosophy of “seeing is believing,” the saints of God know that believing is seeing. Without faith, spiritual eyes are blind to the glorious insights and sounds of the Kingdom but with faith, direction, revelation and guidance are yours for the asking!

Related Reading:  Amos 3:7 John 16:14

Diane Hale
For the past 30 years, Diane has served as evangelist, trainer, teacher, mentor, and consultant for churches of many denominations. To visit her website, click here.

Truth about Truth

A genuine quest for truth in our journey with the Lord inevitable leads us to the valuable lessons taught to us in Scriptures and through the life and words of Jesus Christ. We must measure all of our beliefs and decisions according to these two facts before moving forward in life.

Therefore, the first question when approaching any challenge in life should be, “How does my view of this situation align itself with the character of God?”  An honest evaluation involves comparing the holiness of God and the absolute assurance that He is incapable of sinning against us.

When addressing our outlook on difficult circumstance, Precept Ministries’ Bible teacher, Kay Arthur says, “Anything touching our lives is first filtered through God’s fingers of love.”  The Lord always operates in the realm of His unfailing love and faithfulness. The persona of the Lord counteracts any lie attached to our feelings when the storms of life block a clear view of our Savior’s intentions toward us.

The question to ask when making decisions should be, “How does my choice align itself with God’s Word?’  The Lord never directs His people in opposition of the principles of the Bible. So when our thoughts, words, and deeds are spoken from unselfishness and with the best interest of others in mind, then the edification of others and the Lord blossoms from them.

Philippians 2:6 says, “Though He (Jesus) was God, he did not demand and cling to His rights as God.” (NLT).  Let us strive as sisters-in-Christ to gain perspective to what nourishes our philosophies and cling tightly to the truth about the Lord and His example to living life here on planet earth.

To leave a comment:

• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’.  That’s it!  We look forward to hearing from YOU!

Trees

In fifth grade our class had to memorize the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer, an early American poet.  Mr. Kilmer was killed  by a sniper at age 31 in 1918 during the First World War.  Prior to his military service, he was widely regarded as the premiere Catholic poet of the day. His writings were focused on the simple beauties of nature as well as his faith in God.

Mr. Kilmer’s poem is one of those things that for some reason or another periodically pops up in my head. This season is one of those times.  As spring has sprung the past few weeks, it has been impossible not to be awed by the colors and beauty of nature. There are six shades of green outside my dining room window right now.

On a recent drive on a perfect day, the wind began to blow and the trees that lined the highway began to move. The treetops did not sway but about midpoint of each tree, the wind seemed to push the branches downward. Their tips almost brushing the earth, it appeared as though they were bowing. The trees seemed to me to be praising the Creator for the leaves and blooms that now crowned them.

It was a fantastic sight. The words from Chris Tomlin’s “We Fall Down” popped into my head and there I was  singing at the top of my lungs “we fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.” I had a moment right there in the car, just me and God.

It’s difficult to understand the skeptics who would have us believe that all this beauty merely happened by chance.  They just don’t get it, but Mr. Kilmer did. 

Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

TREES

by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

I THINK that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is presst

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like  me,

But only God can make a tree.

Failing Eyesight, Sluggish Tongue

My eyesight isn’t what it used to be.  Thankfully, my tongue isn’t either.  Sometimes sluggish body parts can be a blessing.

My dear brethren, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  James 1: 19-20

 

My tongue used to have the same vigor as the rest of my youthful body.  Quick to judge, quick to respond, quick to anger, fast on the draw.  It took a miracle – a King with a miracle for healing the one part of  my body that needed it most – my tongue.

Teaching me compassion calmed my words.  Giving me love for others softened my speech.  Showing me how to respect others restrained my judging spirit.

I’m periodically tempted to take back control over my tongue.  It doesn’t take long though to recall the anguish a foolish tongue can cause.  Even the sense of control or power it temporarily brings isn’t worth the pain it inflicts on its victim.

I’m a happy girl with my less-than-perfect eyesight and my slow-moving tongue.  I’m pleased to know that my words are more often a blessing than a curse.  My eyesight may worsen over time, but I’m believing my tongue will offer grace and kindness because my King performed a miracle in my heart and on my tongue.

To leave a comment:

• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’.  That’s it!  We look forward to hearing from YOU!

Coming Out of the Pit

The Bible refers to our troubles as a pit. Unfortunately most of the pits we find ourselves in have been self induced.   The word pit simply means a hole, a cavity or a miserable and depressing situation.  And I am here to tell you some of us are dealing with some holes in our lives–some depressing and miserable moments in our lives.

Look how David described the pit situation in Psalm 40:2 “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.”

If you are in a pit today because of your own doing, then take responsibility for it.  Stop moaning and trying to blame everyone else for your problems.  Make every effort to remedy the situation as God instructs you.

You may be experiencing Christian growing pains. Sometimes when we are being tried, we can think it’s a pit because it’s painful.   Lamentations 3 makes it clear that life can be hard.  Life is not just a bowl of cherries, sometimes it’s a bowl of pits. Sometimes in the rose garden we don’t get the flowers, just the thorns.  Again I am not denying the blessings of life, not at all.  Because there are glorious times, times of blessings and joy, times of rich celebrations.   I thank God for those times.

But perhaps you are in the valley of despair today. Most of us can identify with this too.  An incurable disease.  A broken heart. A financial crisis that robs us of all status, style and security.  Whatever it is, how we react to it determines whether or not despair becomes the ruler of our lives.  Despair does nothing good to us.  It will take its toll on our families, our relationships, and even our health.

First, despair distorts the facts and truth by producing an outlook of utter hopelessness.

Then despair dominates our feelings by keeping our attention and focus on the distorted facts.

Also despair denies our faith.  Despair is not the exercise of faith. 

Praying in the pit is not really a sweet polite prayer, but it is an honest prayer.  There is no need to censor or hide or pretend to ignore our feelings.  Just give it over to the Lord, all of it.

Maybe it’s time to pray:  “Lord take vengeance and right all wrong.  Make all things right with our enemies and with us. Father, have mercy on us.  Lord, we believe, help our unbelief.”

Now you can say to yourself, I am coming from my pit of destruction.  I am coming from my pit of heartaches.  I am coming from my pit of defeat and doubt.

Praying from the pit can be a bold expression of faith. Because God can handle the pits.  Here is the truth, God came after us.  He came after us by climbing into the muck and mire of all our pride and walked with us in the pit.

Whatever the situation you  find yourself in, remember God has a plan for you, and you are not going to find it sitting in the pit, wringing your hands and holding your head down.  It’s time for action.

To leave a comment:
• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’. That’s it! We look forward to hearing from YOU!

What Happens When I Pray Wrong?

My friend recently left a comment on my blog that reminded me of a time when my children were just little. Our son was learning our family’s table rules. At that time, and all the way until today, our kids have not been allowed to leave the table until they have acknowledged their thanks for the food and asked to be excused.

We were visiting my friend’s house for lunch one day. We were busy chatting and visiting, and the kids were eating and talking almost as loudly as we were. It was a great lunch time. Then all of a sudden there was a lull in the conversation until a tiny, little voice was heard.

“Mama, may I please be a goose?” His sweet face and earnest expression nearly made my heart melt. I couldn’t for the life of me, though, figure out why he’d want to be a goose! Until I realized, after a few seconds of staring blankly at my son, that he’d been ‘mishearing’ us all along. He was really saying, “Mama, may I please be excused?” (If you say it fast and pretend you’re a toddler I think you’ll hear it, too.)

When my friend brought this to my mind not so long ago it stirred something deep in my heart. You see, there are times when you and I pray for things we believe we really want. We say the things we think we should be saying, and pray the things we assume our hearts really desire.

I’m so glad, though, that God knows us and His will better than we ever will. I knew that my son didn’t really want to be a goose, I answered his request (not his words) and excused him from the table. In that same way, God knows what our deepest longings are, the groaning and aching of our heart and when we don’t get it quite right the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Romans 8:26-27, NLT

We can rest assured that the Father of Love hears our prayers, knows our hearts and gives us His best… even when we don’t know what we’re asking for.

To leave a comment:

• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’.  That’s it!  We look forward to hearing from YOU!

True Freedom

Freedom, defined in the truest sense of the word, cannot be dictated by the circumstances in which we exist.  Some of the most imprisoned souls dwell in nice homes, drive expensive cars, and enjoy all the luxuries this world has to offer. Despite this, they live in an oppression that threatens to sap the energy out of them.  What should bring pleasure and contentment instead increase their desire to hold onto everything tightly and to gain even more.

The Apostles Peter, Paul, and Silas exemplify how liberty in Christ appears to observers or searchers for peace and freedom. Soldiers seized Peter and placed him in prison with four squads of soldiers guarding him.  When the angel came to release Peter, he found him asleep. Scheduled to see Herod soon, Peter peacefully rested among his captives (Acts 12:4-6).  His sleep hadn’t been altered by the place he laid his head to rest. He knew freedom!

Paul and Silas were not only arrested but received many blows before being thrown in prison. Their feet bound in stocks didn’t prevent them from praying and singing hymns of praise to God while the guards slept and the other prisoners listened.  When the earthquake shook the prison’s foundations, the jailer awoke and found the doors opened.  He expected to find his prisoners had escaped, but instead he discovered Paul and Silas remained there ready to share the truth of salvation (Acts 16:22-26). They knew how to offer a sacrifice of praise despite their surroundings.  Yes, they knew freedom!

Jesus reminds us in John 10:10 that He came to give us life abundantly.  He came to pour freedom into our lives regardless of our difficulties and trials. May we learn from Paul, Silas, and Peter how to rest in peace and rejoice with praying and singing!

Look Ahead

The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track.” [Proverbs 14:8 The Message]

You are uniquely designed—therefore the plan and purpose [track] of your life is an original—it’s authentic because God does not make any carbon copies—He does not use a cookie [biscuit] cutter.

To be different than every other living thing is frightening at best. To stand alone in your identity would produce a perpetual self-destructive cycle. The answer? —Your identity is only secure when found IN CHRIST! In Him you are an authentic being governed by His Word and covered by His covenant.

As an authentic human being, the goal is to be fully alive, able to see and hear the plan etched in the heart and hand of God. God’s purpose is this: He wants you to succeed. His desire is for you to reach the potential for which He has invested His life in you. Here’s how you do it. “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do” [Deuteronomy 29:9 NIV] .Your life has great value; use it and plan it wisely.

He will give you the plan and set the goals. “We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails.” [Proverbs 19:21 TM] Seek Him for establishing the plan and setting your goals.

He will be your power. ”My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness” [2 Corinthians 12:9 TM]. You do the possible but—God’s plan will always require God’s power—that’s the way He’s designed it. It’s not only authentic; it’s UNIQUE!

Related Reading: 2 Timothy 1:7 Ephesians 1:19

Diane Hale
For the past 30 years, Diane has served as evangelist, trainer, teacher, mentor, and consultant for churches of many denominations.
http://dianehale.net/

Next Page »