How to Hold On

Read | Psalm 37:5-7

Job was a man who certainly knew trouble and temptation, and yet he boldly claimed, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15). That is commitment. Job had lost his children, his fortune, and his health, but he refused to abandon faith in God. The stricken man was determined to hold on because he trusted the Lord to do right.

Unwavering commitment to trust the Lord in all situations is a cornerstone of unshakable faith. From the vantage point of that foundation, we can focus our eyes upon God alone. It is easy to be distracted by circumstances and allow them to dictate our emotions. But if that’s the case, then when life is good, we’re happy; when times are tough, we’re frustrated; and when hardship pours in, we’re downright miserable and looking for escape.

Unlike Job, we are fortunate to have Scripture, which reveals God’s nature and promises. And it is a wise believer who claims those promises when enduring hardship. For His Word tells us that our Father is always good, always just, always faithful, and always trustworthy. When we take our eyes off the whirl of day-to-day activity and concentrate on honoring Him and following in His way, we find a consistent peace that carries us through both plenty and poverty.

In order to hold on to God through any trial or temptation, commit to trust and follow Him all of your days. Lay claim to His promises: The unchanging Lord and Savior (Heb. 13:8) is committed to caring for you in all circumstances (1 Peter 5:7) and will never leave or forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

Dr. Charles Stanley

Anxious Thought

 

Here’s Today’s Devotional from The Vine…

Therefore, I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? - Matthew 6:25

Of course we are to take thought in a true sense. Why were we made with brains if we are not to think with them? It would be as if God bade us not to walk after He had given us feet, or not to talk after giving us tongues. We are to train our minds and to think with them, and think about the future too, laying plans with a long reach into the years before us. It is not forethought that is forbidden, but anxious thought, worry, fear. We shall see as we go on just what we are to do instead of being anxious. At present let us get the simple lesson that we are never to be anxious. This is not a rule with exceptions. It is not a bit of creed that will not work in life. It is a lesson that we are to strive to carry out in all our days, however full they may be of things calculated to distract us.

But why are we to take no thought? The “therefore” helps us to the answer: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore take no thought.” So, then, taking thought seems to be serving mammon. We say we are God’s children, and yet when mammon seems in danger of failing us we get anxious. Practically, then we trust mammon more than we trust our Father. We feel safer when mammon’s abundance fills our hands than when mammon threatens to fail and we have only God. That is, we trust God and mammon. Anxiety about the supply of our needs is therefore distrust of our heavenly Father.

If we serve God only, we should not worry though we have not even bread for tomorrow; we should believe in our Father’s love. Money we may lose any day, for “riches make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven;” but we never can lose God. Nothing can rob us of His love, nor rob Him of the abundance He possesses from which to meet our needs. So if we trust God we ought never to be anxious, though we have nothing else.

Toot, please share your thoughts on“Anxious Thought”

Joy,Joy,Joy!

Bible Verse of the Day

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…

James 1:2

Joy

Joy

Joy

No I am not breaking into song…. J, just contemplating.

242 times the word joy is found in the bible in one form or another. But why?

Joy- What does it mean?

Dictionary.com defines it as

1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally goodor satisfying;

keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son’s success.

2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly

valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.

3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

4. a state of happiness or felicity.

The Greek word used here is Chara which means basically the same thing… Gladness, cause for occasion of joy, bringing joy.

So we know what the definition of it is, but why is it so important?

It is important because it is the key thing the enemy comes at to steal from us first. He knows better than we the power of lost joy in the lives of God’s children.  He knows that if he can steal our joy it will open up doors to him to gain access in other areas of our life.

Take this morning for example I woke up in a good mood with hope for the day.  As I set at my computer to write the BVD, joy began to be assaulted through electronics.  An hour and half lost due to issues with my computer, another 20 minutes with trying to fix phone issues.  As I attempted to figure out what was going on I lost sight of what was really going on.

These inconveniences that I gave power to began to strip away my joy and next thing you know I can feel my heart racing and head pounding with frustration that can set a tone for the day if I am not careful.

I know the enemy did not create the computer or phone issues, but he is 100% behind the message that follow… things like…

Why are things so hard?

What is the point?

God where are you?

Oh he is indeed crafty and his intent is to rob our hope and joy and to lead us to resignation, it is then he can ruin our lives and the lives of those around us.

Hold on to the joy and the hope that God is good, that He loves you, that He is engaged and working hard for good in your life.  Do not let this be robbed today.

Thanks for letting me vent about silly things that I let drive a wedge in my heart. I am back on solid ground with a proper perspective.

Have a blessed day,

Goodheart Ministries

http://goodvibes37.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/joy/

Put Your Hand to The Plow

 

Image via Wikipedia

LUKE 9:61-62

 

Very few people in this day and age appreciate Jesus’ use of the plow as an illustration of a life dedicated to the Lord. The ancient plow, shaped much like the antique version of more recent centuries, was a single wooden blade attached to two handles. A mule did most of the work by pulling the apparatus forward, but the farmer held on to direct the path of the blade.

I tried out an old-fashioned plow once and discovered that using it was no easy task. The simple machine bumped and jerked under my hands as it tore up the ground. There was only one way to make a straight line, and that was to stay focused on the work and keep my eyes forward every single second.

When a believer trusts Jesus Christ as Savior, he “puts his hand to the plow.” The idea is for us to follow the Lord in absolute obedience—always keeping our eyes on Him. That’s how we reap a harvest of faith. Discouraged believers oftentimes plow a crooked row, because they’re looking over their shoulder to dwell on past regrets or peering around to see what pleasures await. Their field of faith looks like a disorganized mess. Moreover, distraction slows them down, with the result that spiritual growth is sluggish, if they mature at all.

Give up whatever draws your attention away from the Lord. Believers who focus on past failures and present distractions end up all over the place in their Christian life; peace and joy are elusive and prayers go unanswered. Follow God earnestly, and He will bring forth much spiritual fruit.

Dr. Charles Stanley

The Isolation Chamber

TGIF Today God Is By Os Hillman

“Be still and know that I am God….” Psalm 46:10

There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities–simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, “You must do something,” while God is saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can’t seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after.

God Works Within Us

EPHESIANS 3:20-21 

Let these words slowly sink into your understanding: “able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (v. 20). What an amazing description of God’s ability to work within us.

Yet so often our focus is mainly on what we want Him to do around us: If He would change this situation or fix that problem,then my life would be better. But He invites us to think and ask bigger—He wants to change us!

The Holy Spirit has more than enough power to transform lives from the inside out, but working change within is usually a slow process. Spiritual fruit takes time to grow and mature. That’s why we need patience and faith to believe He is working even when we don’t see the results right away. God is never in a hurry and will never give up on us.

The Lord has a purpose for your life, and He is constantly working to achieve it. Although He has an individualized plan for each one of His children, He also has an overarching goal—to conform every believer to the image of His Son Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish this, He may have to bring us through some struggles and heartaches. It might make no sense to us, but God knows exactly what He’s doing.

What would you like to see the Lord do within you? As you read the Scriptures, look for qualities that God considers precious, and ask Him to work them out in your life. Then rely on His wonderful promise to do even more than you have asked or imagined.

Dr. Charles Stanley

Less Changing…More Becoming

How often do we feel like we aren’t enough. Like there is something about ourselves that we need to change. Whether that be something we need to change about our physical selves, like our weight or our hair. Or something we need to change about our inner selves, like being more patient, having more faith, or simply spending more time in God’s Word. Often, we look at ourselves, and we feel like the very essence of who we are just isn’t enough. Yesterday, as I was endeavoring to go deeper and connect with God during praise and worship at church, God spoke something very powerful to me through His Holy Spirit. He simply said, “You’re Enough.” I paused for a second, a bit confused. Then, I heard Him speak the same words again, “You’re Enough!” Suddenly, I could feel the tears beginning to fill my eyes. Of course! It finally hit me, if the God Who is more than enough not only lives inside of me, but literally created me in His image, wouldn’t that at least make me enough? I mean, think about it for a second… No, you are not perfect…I am NOT perfect. But, I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the very image of God. Follow me for a second here… That means that the person that God originally intended for me to be, the person that I am predestined to become, that person, in the eyes of God, is enough. That means that my goal should no longer be to simply “change,” but to “Become”! To become the person God originally created us to be. So many times you hear people say things like, “I can’t change…this is just who I am.” Well, I have some great mews for those people-you don’t need to change, but rather to become! And that is NOT who you are, but rather who Satan wants you to be stuck as. Really, it’s about growth. Growing into the person you were created to be. While change can often seem impossible, growth, on the other hand, given the proper nutrition is inevitable. Think of a child. My son is always growing. He outgrows clothes and shoes like nobody’s business! Why? Because he’s slowly becoming the man that God created Him to be. Now, you may be thinking, “Sister Ameerah, he’s only one! What are you talking about growing into a man?” Well, God is not simply looking at where you are now, but the end result of who He predestined you to become. That’s why, to Him, you are who you were created to be, just like my son. You are enough. All you have to do is grow. Now, I don’t want to imply that growing and becoming is easy. It takes constant communion with God so that He can reveal the areas in you that He wants to heal, restore and transform. It takes meditating on His Word so that you can renew your mind and begin receiving the mind of Christ. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes patience. It takes faith. But, it is not changing into some unattainable ideal. Rather, it is becoming the Real you. Doesn’t that sound worth it? AmerrahLewis thehemofhisgarment.org

The Joy Set Before Him

Image by pizzodisevo via Flickr

Here’s Today’s Devotional from The Vine…

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. - Matthew 18:8

 

This life is so full of danger that even its best things may become stumbling-blocks. Our very qualities of strength may become fatal forces driving us to ruin. Human beauty is a reminder of life as God originally intended, and yet beauty has proved a snare to many a woman, drawing her away from God. Power to make money is a risky gift, which has led many men to spiritual ruin. It is better to throw away the power to make money and instead go through life poor with the talent wasted and shriveled, and reach heaven, than to exercise the gift and grow rich, and be lost forever. These are illustrations of our Lord’s meaning when He speaks of cutting off the hand or the foot which causes us to stumble.

The appetites, desires, and ambitions are part of the glory of humanity, and yet unconstrained they have sent many good people to destruction. A steam ship which had been out on the sea for a long time finally arrived in port. An accident had happened which caused it’s delay. The coal gave out; then all that would burn – cargo, stores, furniture – had to be burned up to bring the vessel home. At last she gained the shore, but stripped of everything of value. Yet it was better to burn up all her cargo and stores than perish at sea.

Some men can get to heaven only by sacrificing every earthly pleasure and crucifying every desire; but who will say the prize is not worth the sacrifice? The hand had better be chopped off than steal or strike down another. The foot had better be cut off than carry one into crime or sin. It’s better for your eyes to be pulled out than cause your soul to die by watching pornography. A man on a wrecked ship had better throw his bags of gold into the sea and have his life saved, than hold on to the gold and sink into the waves.

Apply This To Your Life Today… Be careful of those things that vie for your attention and can cause you to stumble!

The Right Focus for Tough Times

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PHILIPPIANS 1:12-20 

Paul did not picture himself as a victim. Despite tremendous physical discomfort and emotional turmoil, he believed he was under God‘s sovereign hand. So instead of growing resentful and walking away from the faith, the apostle turned to the Lord and continued to mature spiritually.

We can learn much from Paul—He was determined to focus on God’s sovereignty rather than his own will. It’s easy to be bitter over the mayhem that another person has caused in our lives. However, the minute we start thinking that our enemies are in control, we’re defeated. The Bible says that God “has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Ps. 103:19). He is in absolute control. We may not understand His reasons for permitting hardship or pain in our lives, but His plan is always for our good and His glory (Jer. 29:11).

Moreover, believers can learn from Paul’s commitment to focus on positive results rather than on personal agony. Pain, whether in the body or the heart, often absorbs all of a person’s attention. But there is no victory to be had in dwelling on our hurts. God has a plan for that anguish, and Paul is a good example. He rejoiced when the gospel spread to the Praetorian Guard—his jailers.

Difficult circumstances are a crossroads in the believer’s life. If we take the path of blaming God for our strife, we’ll be dealing with resentment and negativity. But if we focus on our heavenly Father‘s love and provision, we will find trust and hope as we seek to go His way.

Dr. Charles Stanley

Brokenness-The Plan

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JOHN 12:20-26 

Do you desire God‘s best in life? And do you hope to become the person He created you to be, able to accomplish all He has planned? Most likely, your answer is affirmative to both questions. But are you willing for the Lord to do whatever is necessary to bring about full submission in your life?

This third inquiry oftentimes does not receive a resounding “yes.” Yet in order for us to enjoy the best of God’s blessings and to blossom into the people we were designed to be, we have to surrender our will. Let me be the first to admit that it is not an easy process.

All of us have certain desires and habits that we simply do not want to relinquish. Today’s passage teaches us that dying to ourselves is necessary before we can truly live for God.

As you would expect, that is inevitably painful. It would be much easier if we could just choose to give up our stubborn wills. But according to Scripture, when we become believers, we retain unrighteous behavior patterns, which can be rather ingrained. God has to permit enough difficulty to enter our lives so that our old “flesh” tendencies are broken. Only then can we yield our hearts to the Lord without reservation.

Though it is hard to understand, our heavenly Father allows pain because of His great love. Just as a parent hates for his child to hurt, God takes no pleasure in our difficulty. But He so desires that we experience fullness of life in Christ that He allows hardship to shape us.

Dr. Charles Stanley