Read Psalm 40-John 3:14-16

The will of God is for everyone to live in such a way as to bring honor and glory to Him.  God has different things in mind for different people.  We must continually stay in His Word so that He can make it clear to us what His will is for us.  We must also be still and know that He is God.  He takes great joy in those who cheerfully do His will.

Steps to understanding God’s will for our lives.

1-  Believe in Christ Jesus- As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; ¹⁵ so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His  only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life John 3:14-16

2-  God’s will for each believer is to be sanctified           But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation  through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. ¹⁴ It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14

3-  Apply it to our lives                                                      The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29                                                Do not just take someone’s word, search the scriptures for yourself.                                                                   Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so Acts 17:11 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ² Hebrews 10:23-25

 

I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;

I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;

I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation. Psalms 40:10

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and He turned to me and heard my cry. vs. 1

 

 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him; to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord. Lam. 3:25-26

 While we are waiting we should strengthen ourselves in the Lord through reading His Word and memorizing it, it encourages our hearts! We can rest, because our hope is in Him. He teaches us His truths while we wait for Him. We will see His salvation while we wait silently.          Sometimes the wait is long but be assured that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him.

I would encourage you to keep a journal or even just in your bible the promises that God has kept for you. When you are discouraged and waiting on the Lord go back and see what He has done in your life and your heart will be strengthened in Him.

 How are you delighting in His will?

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

What has the Lord done for you in the past?

 Father, Thy will be done in our lives.  Help us to delight in doing your will.  To be totally surrendered to You in all areas of our lives.  Today help us to keep remembrances of what you have done in our lives and what You are now doing.  Help us not keep it to ourselves but share with others to bring You honor and glory.  Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You.  Lord be magnified!  Ame

 

 

 

 

 Today's Psalm: Psalm 27 & John 8:12

I've never been a patient person... patience has never been a virtue I could claim. If you're anything like me than we really need to park here in Psalm 27 to discover David's secrets to waiting on God. I found several truths we can hang onto while waiting...

1.) Believers have no reason to fear while waiting:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besieges me, my heart will not fear though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. - Psalm 27:1-3

With God as our light and salvation, what is there to fear? When God is the stronghold of our lives there is no reason to fear. One of the great marks of a truly believer is that they do not fear people. Not so with those who don’t know God, stress and anxiety are often the number one cause of illnesses.

When we spend time in the presence of the Almighty, circumstances and others seem so insignificant and we begin to desire His approval, His protection, His peace above all else.

2.) Believers can be confident while waiting:

…though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident. – Psalm 27:4b

The closer we stick to God and the more we remain in His word, the more confident we will become even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

3.) Believers have access to Almighty God:

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple. - Psalm 27:4

David allows us to see the desire of his heart. What he greatly longs for is to dwell in the house of the Yahweh. He wants to be there not just for a few hours, days, or months, but he wants to dwell in the house for all eternity.

We know that because of Jesus and all He has done on our behalf we now have been given access to Almighty God. Being in the house of God allows us to behold His beauty,  but also we can seek instructions from God, obtain wisdom, and most importantly, learn God’s will for our lives.

4.) Believers are kept safe and protected.

For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock. – Psalm 27:5

 I thought it was interesting in this verse that God not only shelters David, but sets him high upon a rock. I had to think on that for a bit. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, but the bottom line is, He will keep us safe, and how comforting is that?

5.) Believers are set above others to give Him glory and praise:

Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord. – Psalm 27:6

When we think of God’s faithfulness, mercy, and love, it should drive us to praise Him even more. We can’t even begin comprehend all the ways God works in our lives, and this one fact should fill our hearts with thankfulness and cause us to praise Him!

6.) Believers should wholeheartedly seek Him:

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help…
Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living. – Psalm 27:7-13 (emphasis mine)

(To be honest, this is probably my favorite part of the whole psalm, for I can’t tell you how many, many times I have prayed verse 8 back to Him.)

Beloved, we must continually seek to develop a closer relationship with God and this is achieved through prayer. I truly believe David wouldn’t be called a man after God’s own heart if he wasn’t praying constantly, for it would be impossible to develop a close relationship with God without praying, or even sitting quietly in His presence listening.

7.) Believers can be assured that God will never leave them, nor forsake them.

Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.

Others may, including our own family, may turn on us, but we can trust God never will. I think this verse in Hebrews 13:5 nails it!

Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] (AMPC)

8.) Waiting on God builds our faith in Him.

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord! – Psalm 27:14

Stop & Reflect:

 Psalm 27 has always been one of my favorite psalms for these reasons, but how about you?

Have I missed something?

What are the lessons that you can share with us?

Let’s Pray:

Holy Father, You are the Light that is full of goodness. Your mercies are renewed everyday. You cause the sun to shine on both the righteous and the wicked. You are the light of the world, and our salvation. In You, we are rescued from despair, anxiety, and this cruel world. There is nothing we need fear, for you are with us in every moment. O Father, My heart says to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek for I long to be know as a woman after your own heart.  Forgive me for my inadequacies and shortcomings.  O Lord, You are my rock and redeemer. You are my comforter during times of stress. You save me from the empty void and the temptations of worldly pleasure. Teach me your ways and lead me on a level path. You are a lamp to my feet. You guide and direct me. Keep me on your perfect path. Help me always to look to and lean on You when I am called to wait upon You, Lord. 

Blessings, 

In the story of Elizabeth, we see the faithfulness of God to Elizabeth and her husband as He blesses them with the bountiful fulfillment of His promises.In fact, Elizabeth’s name even declares hope in God’s promises. In Hebrew, the name is “Elisheva” which means God’s oath or God’s promise. In the Greek, “Elizabeth” means God’s abundance. 

Do you feel like you are waiting for God to intervene in your life? If so, you are not alone. From this story we learn that just because we are waiting it doesn’t mean that God is not there or that God doesn’t care. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah had been waiting. They were waiting for God to bless them with a child. In that day, lineage was important and to be barren was often considered a curse. In fact, if a wife was barren, it gave right to the man to seek divorce. 

But this couple didn’t concern themselves with what society thought their life should look like. They were both from priestly lineage and they remained faithfully married and serving the Lord. “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” (v6). God’s silence in their lives didn’t deter them from trusting Him and serving Him. God had not just been silent to this couple but He had been silent to the people of Israel for 400 years and yet the priests continued to carry out their duties. It was in this duty that Zechariah, who faithfully prayed for a family of his own, would have the honor of a special visit and promise from an angel of God.

“But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.” (13-15)

Zecharia may have struggled to accept this promise initially but Elizabeth rejoiced in it. Imagine thinking that your biological clock quit ticking and God tells you that His clock, His timetable is all that matters. He rewarded her patience and faithfulness. Her response: ““The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.””(v25)

As amazing as this miracle was in Elizabeth’s life, she would be granted the blessing of witnessing an even greater promise fulfilled. Her son would point others to the promised Messiah and the infant John began doing this even from the womb. 

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”” (41-45)

Elizabeth wasn’t just grateful for how she had been blessed in her personal circumstances but she was genuinely happy for the greater blessing placed upon Mary. Imagine as a seasoned older woman what a comfort she must have been to the young teenage virgin who was also a mother to be. She admired that Mary believed and trusted in what God had promised and I’m sure she encouraged her faith. 

In Elizabeth’s story, we can be encouraged to believe in God’s promises too. We can be encouraged to remain faithful even when we feel that God is being silent. We can be encouraged to wait for God’s perfect plan and purposes to be revealed in our lives. We can learn from her selfless example and rejoice in the promises and blessings we see God extend to others. 

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Welcome!  We pray that you have all had a precious time worshipping the Lord this morning!  Below you will find some thought provoking questions that will provide you a starting point to your journal writing to complete this week.  We hope that you will find this time soul satisfying!

Our reading this week was Psalm 54 - 78...

1. Fear that grows out of a lack of faith in God’s protections is not just a nuisance - it’s sin. What circumstances or relationships cause you the most worry? List your five greatest fears and pray through each one, asking yourself, “Why should I fear?” God is supreme.

But when I am afraid, I put my trust in You, O God, I praise your Word. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4)

2. What is the single greatest desire of your heart? What is the hope that gives you strength and encouragement throughout the day? What stands in your way of sincerely praying this prayer of the psalm writer? Ask God to be the strength of your heart.

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. (Psalm 73:25-26)

3. Describe in detail a time when you were 100 percent certain of God’s miraculous presence and work in your life. Put a mental bookmark in that day or week or year. When you face trail or hardship and simply can’t find reason to worship God, think back to that time and worship with hope.

O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as You? You are the God of miracles and wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. You have redeemed your people by your strength, the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph by your might. (Psalm 77: 13-15)

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Welcome!  We pray that you have all had a precious time worshipping the Lord this morning!  Below you will find some thought provoking questions that will provide you a starting point to your journal writing to complete this week.  We hope that you will find this time soul satisfying!

Our reading this week was Psalm 25 - 53...

1. When do you feel as though you are sitting in a waiting room-waiting for answers, waiting for direction and guidance? Ask God for patience, and for help to trust His perfect timing.

“Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” (Psalm 27:14)

2. Remember being forgiven by someone you loved? How did that experience impact your relationship with that person afterwards? Reflect on the magnitude of God’s forgiveness for you.

“Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!" (Psalm 32:1)

3. In what area of life do you constantly struggle to surrender to God? Job security? Children? Health matters? Finances? List those specific items and relationship that you must submit to Him. Talk with God about them.


“Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you.” (Psalm 37:5)

• Have you ever been so consumed in a particular ministry and right in what you thought was the middle of it, it suddenly takes a completely different turn, or comes to a complete halt altogether?
• Have you ever desired something so desperately only to get your wish, but in a way you never imagined?
• Have you ever been stuck waiting on the Lord when the circumstances don’t seem to make any sense? You’re ready, willing and able to move forward, but you find yourself still waiting on Him?

1. Paul’s words brought Felix under the conviction of the Holy Spirit; Felix knows this message is for him and it fills him with fear. Yet, rather than bringing a change of heart to Felix, he chooses to postpone any decision. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Felix ever came around to accepting the gospel message Paul spoke of. Therefore, we need to be ready to embrace the message when the Holy Spirit convicts and not put it off until later.
2. How often do we justify inaction because of our busy schedule? Or  fool ourselves into thinking that by not deciding we “keep all the options open", for indecision is a decision. and we may find we’re truly only deceiving ourselves.
3. Luke lets us see Felix’s true motive is one that comes from his own greed. He was hoping to receive some sort of pay off or bribe in exchange for Paul’s release, which tells us we should always be quick to examine our own heart motives with the decisions we are making.
4. Finally, Felix, like Pilate with Jesus, seems to be more concerned with the opinions of the Jews, that have falsely accused Paul, than with the truth! He, having “more exact knowledge about the Way” was no dummy. He knew Paul was innocent, but still chose to keep Paul in prison. We all need to be careful we don’t allow the opinions of others to determine our actions or inactions.