Timing Of God

Life seems to be set on a certain schedule. We work from 8 to 5, 7 to 3, 3 to 11, etc. The kids have practice after school. The bus arrives at a certain time. We are very much plugged in to this sense of things having a certain time to happen. It is natural for us then to think that there is a certain timing needed for the things of God, right? Well, God’s timig is perfect because He knows everything. But God’s timing may not always be our timing.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James made it clear that we will have those trials in our life. When they come we need to be prepared to wait upon God. The trying of our faith can be something like being willing to trust that God is on our side even though we have not yet seen the manifestation of our prayer request. There is a perfect answer to our prayers and a perfect timing. When we learn patience, we will never lack because we will be “perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” These things will always work together for our good.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Today, if we can learn patience, we can stand and watch our great God deliver us and our families. He never fails us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. There is darkness in the land. We need Your kingdom in the earth. Send us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us when we miss the mark. Heal us from the hurts in life, both physical and emotional. Deliver us from temptations. Let us be a sign for good. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

It Is Good To Start Afresh

Here at the first day of the New Year, it is a great time. There is a sense everywhere that we as people are starting over, that we can start over, and that starting over can make things better. It reminds me that God has this same plan in mind. However, His plan is even better. With God, we get to start over at least every day.

Lamentations 3:22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

He also never leaves us, even if we make mistakes, if we will just turn back to Him for forgiveness and believe that He is on our side.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

He even has a plan for our debts.

Deuteronomy 15:1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord’s release.
3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

Our God is a very great God. He will deliver us and save us. He will keep us from all harm. We can be thankful that our God allows us, at any and every moment in time, to start over, to start fresh, if we will turn to Him and His ways and away from everything else.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King. We ask that this year You deliver us from our debts. We ask that you let heaven reign here on earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us for the past. Help us to build a better future with You. Heal us and deliver us. Show us a sign for good this year. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Back In The Game

Recently I saw a few clips from a football game that was for a playoff position. It was a pretty rough, physical game, and one of the main quarterbacks was injured in what appeared to be a cheap shot by the opposition. The quarterback had to leave the game for a while to be attended to and the team suffered for it while he was out. The opposition appeared as if they were now going to dominate the game. But after a while the injured quarterback came slowly walking back out to the bench with the quarterback who just stood to watch the game for a few minutes. There was some question by the announcers as to whether or not he would play. Then, the quarterback licked his fingers, picked up a ball, and began tossing it back and forth with another player. When his offensive team returned to the field, he led them, and he led them to victory that day. It reminded me, as I thought about it this morning, of our Christian walk. As believers we can leave the game.

James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Once out of the game, we can cry out to God for healing and deliverance. If we are out of the game due to sin in our lives, we can return by repentance. God will always take us back.

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

The point here is that we have an enemy. He will try to knock us out of the game any way that he can. But if we call out to God, He will heal us. If we turn to the scriptures, our trainer, we will get the sustenance and ointments needed to bind up our wounds and get us back in the game of life. We can have victory over our enemy, if we will just turn to our God and give Him our whole hearts once again.

Prayer
Father, we exalt you as the Most High God. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. We need You to make it. We need Your kingdom to make it. Today, many of Your people need You to pour out Your overwhelming provision. We need Your provision for our lives today, Father. Forgive us when we get distracted and walk away from You. Help us escape those temptations. We need Your love and Your caring. Heal us. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Edifying Ourselves

Thinking in the early hours this morning about the possibilities that face us as believers for both good and bad days, I thought about how there are days when I wished someone would just say something to make me feel better. It was not until this morning that I realized that that someone could be me. I could build myself up, and in fact should do so. Scriptures might refer to this as meditation, or muttering to oneself, as it can also be translated.

Psalms 119:97 MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
102 I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Here we see that the psalmist deliberately uses the scriptures to speak to himself to build himself up. He does this all day long. This is one of the best ways to be edified, and also to edify others. Today, if you have a struggle, meditate on God’s commandments, and build yourself up!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. Send us Your kingdom. We long for Your reign here. Give us Your overwhelming provision today. Forgive us when we just get this stuff wrong. Heal and guide us. Deliver us from evil. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen

Why Not Today?

We are on a road as believers to something and from something. If we are trying to get it right, we should be moving toward God and away from our old lives, our old selves. For the most part we do that, if we truly love God. For those that are taking the time to read this, you most likely do love God. Otherwise, why take the time to read something that professes to be a Daily Devotional, right? But like most people, we have our lives and jobs and families and friends… we are busy. It becomes easy to lose focus on just what God is doing. But it is possible to reestablish that focus on God. For me, that is why a Daily Devotional is so important. David spoke of this often.

Psalms 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

Solomon also spoke of these things.

Lamentations 3:21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

If we commit to halting our world just long enough to focus on God, we can re-establish that connection. We can take time to praise Him. We can restart that process of moving closer to Him and His ways. We get the opportunity to do that every day. Let’s do that today!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. Our hope is in You, and in Your deliverance of our lives from destruction into the marvelous light. We want Your kingdom here on earth. Send us today Your abundant blessing. Forgive us when we stumble, or get distracted, or are somehow too busy to spend time with You. We need Your healing and Your deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

God Has His Hand In Life

When evil befalls us, especially at the hands of others, it is easy for us to become concerned, confused, saddened, or any of a number of pretty negative emotions. However, if we look at the end of the entire matter, we can see God’s hand in it for good. Sometimes the end of the matter can be a long way off, even years. This is what happened to Joseph when his brother’s sold him into slavery and God made him the number two man in all of Egypt. It was so that Joseph could save His family.

Genesis 45:4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:
10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:
11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

The challenge for me is when people suffer. It is difficult to see someone suffer and see it for good. Obviously we have many examples in the scriptures, including the death and resurrection of our Messiah, that show that suffering is meant to be, that it brings about a better ending. But it is still difficult for me, as a human, to see these things and not be distressed.

The good news is, like in the lives of Joseph and his family, we are not alone. Our God is on our side and He alone will deliver us from all our troubles.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as our King. You alone are worthy to be praised. Mold us into Your servants according to Your will, that Your kingdom would shine in the earth. Send us today Your abundant provision. Forgive us when we do what we should not, or do not do what we should. Heal our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the temptations of this life. Help us to see what You see, to see what You are doing, and to do those things. In Yeshua’s (Jesus) name. Amen.

For The Weary

Today as I was thinking of all those I know that have struggled for some time, living for the hope of the return of the King, I decided to write something for these people. for there are times that I have been one. Our God has established the rules of engagement. These rules set up way posts for us. These are places where can go and be in absolute safety. Mostly, this place is not really a place, but a place in time. It is called the Sabbath. If we run into it, we will be safe. We will be under the shadow of the wing of our God.

Psalms 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

So many people quote these scriptures and have so little understanding of the promise and the power they contain. God has ordained a certain order in the earth. If we will follow that path. then we receive what is on it. What is on it is the blessing of the Father

Today if you are weary, rest in Your Father’s Sabbath with Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our Mighty King. We may be afraid, but we will choose to trust in You. We need Your kingdom. Send us Your very abundant provision now. Deliver us from temptation and forgive us when we sin. Heal us. There are so many that need healing Father. Heal them now. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Between Two Opinions

There is a scripture I have heard referred to frequently by preachers trying to make a point for those that do not believe.

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

The thing to be noticed about what is taking place here is that the people are not unbelievers. They believe in something, some god other than the One True God. The are deceived believers, one could say. Maybe they believe in a mixture of what Israel believes and what the pagans believe. So here is the question to ponder today. How pure is what we believe. How much of what we believe is a mixture from some other religion, say, I don’t know, maybe a holiday or something? If so, and if Elijah were alive today, which side would what we pay homage to be on, our God or theirs? If we take what we believe and look into the roots of it, what do we find. Since we just had a holiday, there is a good place to start.

See what you find.

If God be God, serve Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. We need Your kingdom in our lives. Please send us abundant provision. Forgive us when we mix things together. Deliver us from such evil, and heal us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Thankful For The Messiah

I woke up long before dawn this morning. It was one of those suddenly awake experiences that I have come to know is God reaching out to me to pray. I prayed for a good friend of mine who became very sick yesterday on a day when he was to go in for a scan for another medical issue. In times like these I am thankful that we are never alone. We have a Messiah and His name is Yeshua (Jesus). He is always watching over us and cares for us very deeply. It is He alone that can intervene to the Father on our behalf. When we cry out, He hears us and responds. Always.

1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

We were ransomed from the evils that befall mankind. The price was paid. Yeshua (Jesus) paid it. We are free from the bondage of sin and death. We need only to claim our freedom by calling on His name, asking for forgiveness, and proclaiming Him Lord of our life.

Today, if you have not sought Him, perhaps this would be a good day to so do. Simply say, “Yeshua (Jesus), I am asking for Your forgiveness for the sin in my life. Please come in to my heart and cleanse me. I want You to be my Lord and Savior.”

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. You alone are our King. We need Your kingdom. Send us Your abundant provision. Forgive us our sins, though they be many and varied. Heal us, especially my friend Jim. Deliver us today. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.

Fighting When You Feel Inadequate

It is easy for us as believers to feel we are not up to the fight. Parhaps we do not undersstand all that is involved. Or maybe we do and we realize that we are not perfect, that we still have issues to deal with in life. But even the saints of old had these same issues, being human. Yet they did not let that stop them. And it did not affect their ability to change things for God for good.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

For me, I do not say this to compare myself to the prophets of old. I am not worthy of such an honor. Yet, even they were like us. They had the same misgivings, the same faults. But they did not let it stop them from pursuing the truth, from calling out to our God, or from fighting the good fight with their prayers. And as we can see, these preyers were still affective on the situation at hand.

Don’t give up. None of us are able on our own. But we can still call out to God, and He will still respond.

Call out today, and watch our God work!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Great Worker of Miracles. You alone are worthy of our praise. you alone are the source of truth, mercy, and justice. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. forgive us our passions that do not exalt You. deliver us from such temptation. Heal us and deliver us. Be the Great King over all. In Yeshua’s (Jesus’) name. Amen.