You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Jesus’ tag.
A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way? Proverbs 20:24
Once upon a time there was a commander of an army. He was a very wise Commander. He knew every move the enemy would make. His weapons were far superior to anyone else’s. His fighting men were given every opportunity to prepare for battle.
One day, word came to the commander that an enemy army was coming to destroy his kingdom. His weapons were in place. His battle plan was flawless. His men were ready…well, almost ready.
A call to arms was issued and everyone reported as trained. But just before the army was to embark on this mission, a mission which was destined to succeed because of better weapons and a superior strategy, trouble arose. One of the men approached the commander and said, “Sir, I don’t understand your plan. In fact, I’ve been talking with my friends and they don’t really understand your plan either.
Soon a murmur spread through the crowd. Some openly began to doubt the commander’s plan. Some of the men in the back ranks even questioned whether the commander was even real. Others argued that he was real alright, It’s just that his plan is outdated and his weapons too weak to overpower the enemy. Still others questioned the wisdom of going to war and complained that they were being confined by the strict rules of the commander.
The commander stopped. He began to go to each of his men to explain every move, the strategy of the enemy, the results of various other battle plans and how they would be benefitted by following his way. One by one, the men began to understand. However, in the time it took for the commander to explain every part of the battle strategy, the enemy overcame him and his nation was defeated, even though he was stronger and smarter than the enemy.
Silly story? Yep. But don’t we tend to take the same attitude when it comes to our Heavenly Father? We claim to have faith but we lack trust. Faith says I believe God is real and able to defeat my enemy. Trust says that even when I don’t understand the process God takes, I follow Him without question.
Several times in scripture we are likened to soldiers and this journey we call life is referred to as a battle. Our commander, Jesus, knows our heart. He knows what makes us afraid. He knows our limitations and weaknesses. He wants nothing more than for us to experience a close, loving relationship with Him
To be sure, there will be times when we don’t understand His ways. There will be times when we may lack a clear view of His presence. We may be battered and bruised by our decisions or the abuse of others. That doesn’t mean Jesus has left us. A good commander may put his men in a position that challenges them, but He will never allow them to be completely destroyed.
Trust in God’s plan doesn’t mean we’ll understand everything He puts in our way. Trust in God plan means we endure the hard times because we know that victory comes in the end. Every day, every moment, every nano-second of our lives are carefully planned by a loving, merciful, all-powerful God. You won’t understand everything He does-guaranteed! But by growing in relationship with Him you will learn how to fight the battles that come across your path.
PRAYER: Father God, I look back at my past and forward to my future and at times really struggle to know why things went the way they did. I ask that you would forgive me for doubting your plan and empower me by your Holy Spirit to trust your ways over mine. Thank you that my commander understands my every fear. In Jesus name, Amen.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
It’s amazing to me how much power we have to affect the lives of others as well as ourselves. We think of God as being all-powerful and we as being weak human beings and, comparatively of course, that’s true. The all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God is no match for our frailty as human beings.
The other side of that coin is that we are made in the image of God. As such He has given us the tremendous power to choose. The most important choice we make everyday is whether to believe what God says about us or to believe what we and others say about us.
This battle has raged in our lives since conception! There is research to suggest that the tiniest of embryo senses the love of its mother. Then, from birth the formation begins in earnest. Our parents love and compassion, or anger and frustration tell us (often unintentionally) that we are good or bad, smart or stupid, and while most parents would never admit this, worthy or worthless.
We enter school and learn quickly whether we are part of the ‘in crowd’ or not. If we are we have worth, if not, then destiny will take its course and most likely we will spend our lives wishing we could be something we are not and overlooking the jewel that we are.
Solomon tells us a cheerful heart is medicine for a crushed spirit. A cheerful heart is a heart that knows who I am and knows that although I may fail, I am a child of God. I have worth. I am just exactly how He wants me.
For many of us our spirit was crushed years ago. The phrase ‘dries up the bones’ has the word picture of the very marrow of the bones being dried up. When our spirits are crushed we wither away from the inside until we are nothing but a shell. No one sees dried bones. They are covered by the skin, the mask we put on every day.
Dried bones so often can start with a single, well-placed word of condemnation by a parent, a friend or a spouse. Jesus says, “If you speak in anger against your brother you are guilty of murder”; James says that “If we never stumble in what we say we are perfect.” Paul says, “Let no unwholesome word come from your mouth;” and the list goes on.
How you feel about yourself and others is shown in the words you speak. How you feel about yourself is often determined by your reaction to their words. The best cure for dry bones, the healing salve for a crushed spirit is Jesus. Don’t listen to the voices that have so long told you that you can’t, or won’t succeed. Stop believing the lies that have been impaled on your heart for so long.
You are God’s greatest creation. Jesus died for you because He loves you. Now that He sees how you turned out…He’d do it again. Listen to the heart of God concerning you. Today make the choice to believe what He says about you. Let the healing salve of His love soothe your crushed spirit and bring life to your dry bones.
PRAYER: Father, I’m brought to tears when I think about the lies I’ve listened to all these years. I’m ashamed of the times I’ve probably been responsible for crushing a few spirits of those I love as well. In Jesus name I ask that you would forgive me for the damage I’ve done and heal the damage others have inflicted on me. By the power of Your Spirit I’m resolved, starting today, to live in the awareness of Your love and presence in every aspect of my life. Amen.
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13
Christian author and speaker Charles Swindoll states, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” Each of us chooses how we will react to life and all that comes with it.
When people encounter trials in life they may try to blame someone, an ex-spouse who cheated on them and left them for some other, younger prize, a boss that refused to trust them, abusive or non-existent parents, a tough childhood.
Other people blame God. “If God is a God of love and justice why did this happen? If He is so powerful why can’t He change this situation I’m in? He must not love me or He’s angry at me, or He’s too weak or too uninterested to act.”
Still other people blame themselves. “I’m no good. I’m a loser, I will never amount to anything.”
The problem with these kinds of attitudes is that they don’t only affect the person harboring these destructive thoughts, they affect everyone around them. Everyday people wake up and make a decision (consciously or unconsciously) about the day they will have. Chances are, the decision they make will come true. If today is going to be sunny and warm with flowers all around and birds chirping, then that is probably the way the day will go.
If they decide the day will be cold and stormy with frequent flashes of lightning and hail, then you’d best hope you aren’t in the path of the storm.
Just as a negative attitude is contagious, so is a positive one. But positive attitudes that will bring change to your world have to have a solid base. ‘Happy all the time’ emotions are shallow and flaky. People will see through them right away. But a heart that is at peace in all circumstances brings calm to a situation and can even bring joy.
Positive attitudes are a choice each of us must make. Real happiness is a choice we make based on our faith belief that God is bigger than any problem that comes our way. Positive attitudes based solely on human emotion are sure to fail because they are based on human strength which will never stand during the storms of life.
As you go about your day today, chances are you will run into crabby people along the way. Hopefully you aren’t one of them! Choose from the moment you get out of bed that today will be a good day. Show it to the crabby lady behind the convenience store counter with a kind word and a smile (no matter how bad her service is).
Show kindness to the sarcastic and demeaning policeman as he pulls you over for speeding, causing you to be late for work.
Show humility to your boss when you try to explain why you are late…again.
Show patience by not kicking the dog when you get home because it’s been one of those days!
The happiness you show others will brighten their day as well as yours, plus it brings glory to God. Don’t let your reactions to others be based on the fickle, shifting sands of human emotion. How you react to them will either make their day better or worse and it’s all under your control.
PRAYER: Father I ask that you would help me to be a source of happiness and joy to each person who crosses my path today. May my life shine in such a way that Your name is glorified and the pain of others is lessened just because they crossed my path. I pray these things in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, amen.
I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6
Have you ever been in a situation where you were waiting anxiously for something to happen? Perhaps you were waiting for God to answer a prayer you had for a loved one who was sick? Waiting for the doctor’s report. Waiting for word on a loved one in the military. Waiting for word from the bank about a loan, or if you were going to keep you house. Waiting for your employer to decide who keeps their job and who becomes unemployed. Waiting for the judge to decide the sentence.
Waiting. It can be agonizing. Waiting can become so much a part of you that controls your thoughts, your sleep, your eating habits, your moods. Waiting can affect your relationships, your outlook on life, and your opinion of God, yourself or others.
I remember when I was going through a terribly stressful time in my life. Everything I had counted on was gone. I was at the mercy of a legal system I didn’t trust. I had no money, no job and, perhaps, no future.
Sleep was fitful at best. I’d go to bed very, very late (or should I say early in the morning) and wake up from a fitful sleep just a few hours later. The lack of sleep caused fatigue which made the problems seem worse. My physical, emotional and spiritual health was failing.
The one thing I looked forward to every morning was seeing the sunrise. Light seemed to ease the fear and the pain. Being able to see what was around me gave me comfort in the midst of hopelessness. I hated the darkness of night.
I would imagine that is the word picture the Psalmist wants us to have in Psalm 130 when he likens waiting to the work of the night watchman. When the Bible repeats a phrase or a word it does so for effect, to show importance. Darkness was scary. Darkness was dangerous.
Today we have security lights and motion detectors. In his day there were torches and, sometimes moonlight. Daylight brought the assurance that you made it through the night without enemy attack. In the daylight you could see the enemy approach and arm yourselves. In the dark you were really at your enemy’s mercy.
That’s often how we feel when we are waiting expectantly, hopefully, earnestly for God to make something happen in our lives. The foundation on which we wait has to be trust. Trust in God’s character. Trust in His word. Trust in His promises. We do what we can to resolve some problems, but there are some where we just trust God for His word.
Your Heavenly Father loves you. He’s promised to take care of you. Everything He brings your way, the good and the bad, is given you in order to draw you closer to Him and trust His promises. Hard as it is to wait, waiting is easier when we really learn to rely on God to see us through the darkness and into the dawn.
PRAYER: Father God. I confess that I’m a lousy wait-er. I want answers and I want them now. I get impatient and don’t understand why you won’t answer me. Right now I’m in a very dark place in my life. I have issues with my relationships, my finances, my health, my faith. I need to see some light. Empower me by your Spirit to endure the darkness and draw close to you. Keep me safe until the dawn. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 