 “But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer” (Psalm 38:15)
We have our people that we contact when we need support, mother, father, siblings, best friend, pastor, etc. Yet, one gets to the point where you can’t talk about any longer. All one can do is wait only on God. He alone can fix it. Quoting Charles Spurgeon: It ought to be the daily habit of the believer to commune with his God; we ought to make him our Confidant in all things. You will go amiss, depend upon it, if you do not wait upon the Lord for guidance. “Bring hither the ephod,” was David’s command to the priests when he was in perplexity, and knew not what he ought to do. Israel made a great mistake with regard to the Gibeonites because the case seemed so simple to them that they did not need to consult the Lord concerning it. Here were men with dry and mouldy bread, and with old shoes and clouted upon their feet; they said they had come from a far country, and the matter appeared so plain that the Israelites asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord, but took of their victuals, and made a treaty with them, as they would not have done if they had consulted the Lord. I do not think that God’s people often go astray in the most difficult cases, for they do take them to the Lord in prayer. It is in simple matters that we make our greatest blunders, because we think we know what to do, and therefore we do not wait upon the Lord for guidance. Yet he who leans to his own understanding is trusting to a broken reed which will be sure to fail him just when he most needs it. Thus, we know where our true help comes from. We know in whom we must place our trust. ”But for you, O LORD, do I wait.” Oswald Chambers wrote, “At critical moments it is necessary to ask for guidance, but it ought to be unnecessary to say always — “O Lord, direct me here, and there.” Of course He will! If our commonsense decisions are not His order, He will press through them and check; then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.” GiGi❤️
0 Comments
 “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)
We are apt to think that God is far off when we are in the midst of our trial. Trials and tests can be a lonely space to navigate. Yet, we should be encouraged because the same God that inhabits our praise is the same God that is in the midst of our pain and sorrow. Oh yes, he is a God that is with us, never an abandonment, and never leaves our side. This understanding of the nearness and activated presence of God helps us to be patient as we trust Him for our deliverance. We know that it is inevitable. Here are just a few scriptures that highlight the nearness of God: “Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5-7) “That they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) One of our greatest examples of a man who understood that his God was near, is Job. He also understood his providence. Therefore, he could exercise patience. James 5:11 - “You have heard of the patience of Job,” [KJV] “and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” The traces of imperfection which we see in Job prove all the more powerfully that grace can make great examples out of common persons, and that experiencing feelings of resentment under apparent injustice need not prevent a person from becoming a model of patience. I am thankful that I know that Job did in fact speak somewhat bitterly, and proved himself a common man, for now I know that it was a man like myself who said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” [Job 1:21]. It was a man of flesh and blood, such as mine, who said, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” [Job 2:10]. Yes, it was a man of similar passions that we have who said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” [Job 13:15]. You have heard of the patience of your Lord and Master, and tried to copy it, and half despaired; but now you have heard of the patience of his servant Job, and knowing as Job did that, your Redeemer lives, you should be encouraged to emulate him in obedient submission to the will of the Lord. Charles Spurgeon Job illustrated for us that, even in our weakness, God is strong. Why should we worry or be overly concerned when we serve a God that is all knowing and is everywhere. Therefore, no matter what it is that we face today, we must place our hope in ‘Immanu El (‘with us is God’)” (Isaiah 7:14). GiGi❤️  Everything we go through has meaning. There are no coincidences with the child of God. Nothing is by happenstance. Everything matters, down to the smallest detail because we serve a God of order. He orchestrates circumstances in our lives that serve to either make us humbler and draw us closer to him, or we can become more cynical and hard hearted and choose, only to do what we think is best for us.
Oswald Chambers wrote, “We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be.” Furthermore, “God is not concerned about our plans; He doesn’t ask, “Do you want to go through this loss of a loved one, this difficulty, or this defeat?” No, He allows these things for His own purpose. The things we are going through are either making us sweeter, better, and nobler men and women, or they are making us more critical and fault-finding, and more insistent on our own way. The things that happen either make us evil, or they make us more saintly, depending entirely on our relationship with God and its level of intimacy.” I assure you that the thing we face today has manifest in order to draw us closer to our Lord. Let’s keep our eyes on God, talk less, and pray more. Remember, this trial that we face, is “so that the proof of our faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7)  For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11)
Without bad or difficult days we would not appreciate the peaceful ones. Our lives must be blended with both. What one of us considers a hardship might be considered ease for another. We all have our own cross to bear and rest assured the Lord knows exactly how much we can bear. Can’t nobody do it like Jesus. One preacher proposed that without that thorn in the flesh, without those rough days, those tests, those trials, “he would never get us to heaven.” Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Let it always be sufficient for you to think that you are where God put you for a reason…Let us believe that whatever he allows is best; let us choose rather his will than our own. If there were two places, one a place of poverty, and another a place of riches and honour, if I could have my choice, it would be my privilege to say, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." Whether you have, or don’t have; whether you are at the top of your game, or struggling; whether you are considered in high esteem, or overlooked, you should be content with your position. Rest assured, whatever it is, it fits you…Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you find yourself, God would have put you there. You are put by him in the most suitable place, and if you could have had a choice, just for one-half hour, you would have come back and said, "’Lord, choose for me, because I was unable to choose what was best for me after all.’" There’s an old Aesop’s fable of the men that complained to Jupiter of their burdens. Jupiter became angry and suggested everyone get rid of their burden, and choose the one they would rather have. They all came together and took him up on it. There was a man who had a crippled leg, and he thought he could do better if he had a blind eye; the man who had a blind eye thought he could do better if he had to be poor and not blind, while the man who was poor thought being poor was the worst; so he thought he would rather be rich despite the fact that he would have to take on the rich man’s sickness as well. So they all made a change. But the fable said that within an hour they were all back again, asking if they could have their own burdens back. They found the original burdens to be so much lighter than the one they had chosen. So would this be the case for us. Thus, we should be content; we wouldn’t be better off if we had different burdens. Let us take up our cross; we couldn’t have a better trial than the one we have. It is the best for us because it sifts us the most. Yes, the trial that so easily besets us, it is exactly what we need. It will prove to be the most effective means of making us perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. Dear Lord, bless us to pick our cross back up and follow you. You said that “your yoke is easy and your burden light.” Strengthen us, we pray, to be content in whatever state we find ourselves in, in Jesus’ name. Taken from Charles H. Spurgeon’s sermon, Contentment, New Park Street Pulpit Volume 6, March 25, 1860. GiGi❤️  "Now the Lord said unto Abram..." (Genesis 12: 1)
Abraham is mentioned or alluded to throughout the entire Bible. However, his story is officially found in Genesis chapters 12-25. It is here that we ride along on the adventure of faith from his beginning in Ur to his burial in Machpelah. As we follow Abraham, watching and witnessing his life, we are able to identify at least seven signs that seem to be responsible for him having faith that works. Here is the first sign. 1. Faith that works listens. "Now the Lord said unto Abram..." (Genesis 12:1) We have no idea exactly where Abraham was or what he was doing when the Lord first spoke to him. Yet, we do know that wherever he was and whatever he was doing, he stopped and listened. Listening to God is the key component of faith. It is when God speaks that you recognize the voice as belonging to Him. It is when God speaks that you hear His plans for you. It is when He speaks that you understand that He has purpose for you. Abraham did not turn a deaf ear to God. Abraham did not have a hard head with respect to God. Abraham did not ignore God. When God spoke, he listened. Listening is such a simple thing and, yet, such an essential thing. For, if you don't listen, you won't know what to believe. If you don't listen, you won't know what God wants you to do. If you don't listen, you won't know how to invest your faith. If you don't listen, you won't know which direction to take. Listening to God is the backbone and bottom line of your faith. As you seek God today, close your mouth, hold your tongue, open your ears, and listen. Pastor Ben 🙏🏽  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4:16)
We must not come before the Lord in arrogance or presumption, for it is to a “throne” that we are invited to come, although that throne is “the throne of grace.” I have heard prayers that have seemed to me like dictating to God, rather than the humble, reverent petitions which should be presented from us to our maker, or by the children of God to their loving Father in heaven. We are to come boldly to the throne of grace, yet always with submission in our hearts, even as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” I think that this adverb “boldly” means that we may come constantly, at all times. Even the patrons of a kingdom could not just go before the king whenever they wanted. Although Esther was made queen by Ahasuerus, she was not allowed to go near him unless she was specifically called, but that’s not the case with us. The path to the throne of grace is always open, there are no guards or police to bar the way of those who come in the right spirit. There are no set times for prayer, one hour is as good as any other for coming to the throne of grace. Whenever the Spirit of God inclines the heart to pray, the ear of God is open to hear our supplications, and the mouth of God is open to grant us gracious answers of peace. “Boldly” also means that we don’t have to hold anything back from God, with all sorts of petitions. Whatever it is that lies as a burden on your heart, come with it to the throne of grace. Do you really need something huge from the Lord? Then, come and ask for it. Or do you need some little thing? Then, come and ask for it. Have you some care that is crushing you? Come and leave it at the mercy seat. Have you some little care that worries you, some thorn in the flesh, some messenger from Satan to buffet you? Come and tell your God all about it, cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. He will not be angry with you for asking so much from Him, and don’t imagine that you will insult Him by asking Him for little things. He is not annoyed. If you are a believer in Jesus, God is your Father, so speak to Him as you would to earthly fathers, only have far more confidence in coming to Him than you would have in approaching the parents that you love so much. Yes, more confidence. “Boldly” also means that we may come freely, with simple words. Do not say, “My words are not good enough to speak to God, I need to get a book of prayers and learn how to pray better” Please don’t! Your Father in heaven does not want you to come to Him in a stiff, formal way, but just to cry out, as simply and naturally as possible, the desires of your heart. Dear Lord, help us to come to you boldly, without reservation or intimidation. We know that you accept us just as we are because you see us and know our hearts. “Our Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” (Luke 11:2-4) Taken from the sermon, BOLDNESS AT THE THRONE (NO. 3182). Published on Thursday, January 27, 1910, Delivered by C.H. Spurgeon GiGi❤️  “And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.” (2 Corinthians 8:5)
The church at Macedonia left us a great example of what is required of us before engaging in service to God. They taught us that before you do anything in the name of the Lord, you must first commit ALL to him. In them we saw a church that had counted the cost and had forsaken all, otherwise they would not have endured. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “I do not think that these Macedonians would ever have thought of giving themselves up to the church if they had not first given themselves up to God; for in those days, you know, to join the Christian church meant enduring shame, and persecution, and frequently death itself. They had to steal away by night to the private assemblies of the saints; and if they joined the church, and it was once known, there would probably soon be the cry, “throw them to the lions!” and they would be taken to the amphitheatre first to be exhibited, and then to be devoured by wild beasts. Men did not care about joining churches in those days unless they first gave themselves to the Lord.” Before the three Hebrew boys faced the fiery furnace, they had already committed ALL to the Lord. Before David faced Goliath, and endured the wrath of Saul, he had already committed ALL of himself to Lord. Elijah dared not attempt to pray fire down on a flooded altar unless he had first committed his ALL to God. In Acts 19:11-17, the story of the Jewish exorcists provides us with a visual of what a lack of commitment or the absence of a relationship looks like. “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.” This is a commit ALL endeavor. Yes, Jesus wants us to commit ALL of ourselves to him. Dear Lord, we commit ALL to you today. We understand that it will take a wholehearted commitment, not half or partial in order to face our challenges. Remind us all the day long that we are overcomers in you, knowing that we have been crucified in Christ. We no longer live, but it is you that lives in us. This life that we live in this flesh, we commit ALL to you in faith. GiGi❤️  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) What God requests of us is an abandonment, a pure submission. It is only then can we present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If there is something in our pocket that we forgot to lay on the altar, something hidden in our closet, or stuck under the sole of our shoe, the Lord wants us to bring it out into the open and lay it before him. All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. (2 Corinthians 3:13) C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying, “Christ says, "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good...Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked--the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.” Charles Spurgeon wrote, “In the regeneration of every soul there is a destruction as well as a creation. The old man has to be destroyed—the stony heart has to be taken away out of our flesh. And though this is not done in all of us—no, nor in any of us completely—yet the day shall come when sin shall be utterly destroyed—both root and branch and all evil principles shall be torn up by the roots and, like our sins, they shall cease to be—so that if they were searched for they could not be found.” The mind must be renewed, not just once, but daily. (Romans 12:2) Each morning a renewal, each day turning over to God, once again, something else that we held on to much too long. But God! Dear Lord, regenerate us, renew our minds. Search us Lord and remove anything that is not like you. Purify us with hyssop and we shall be clean. GiGi❤️ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9) When we hear sad and discouraging news we may become despondent, overly concerned, or fearful. Yet, let us be encouraged today in knowing that there is still good that is being accomplished on the earth. God is still doing a great work. He is still winning souls. Although there is in existence a spirit of deception, there is also a spirit of truth. The Lord has put “a sense of eternity in our lives. We possess an innate knowledge that there is something more to life than what we can see and experience in the here and now.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) We may attempt to make sense of our lives, try to find happiness, and completeness in so many things, whether that is through people, things, or money. The enormous amount of decisions that we make to move us toward something or someone larger than ourselves leaves us more frustrated and emptier. “All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” C.S. Lewis What man is really seeking after is to reconnect with God. There is only one truth and one Jesus. There is only one way, “You must come in at the door” in order to know God, to know truth, to find peace. When Adam was perfect in the garden of Eden, God walked with him in the cool of the day. God and man held the most intimate and affectionate intercourse with one another. Man was a happy creature, God was a condescending Creator, and the two met together and held sweet converse and communion. But from the moment when Adam touched the forbidden fruit, the way from God to man became blocked up, the bridge was broken down, a great gulph was fixed, so that if it had not been for the divine plan of grace, we could not have ascended to God, neither could God in justice come down to us. Happily, however, the everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure, had provided for this great catastrophe. Christ Jesus the Mediator had in old eternity been ordained to become the medium of access between man and God. Charles Spurgeon Jesus is now the Mediator, our access to God. There is no other way. So when we hear sad and discouraging news, let us take time out to pray. Because despite the presence of evil, the spirit of truth can be imbued through the power of prayer. As long as we have the spirit of truth dwelling in us, we have the power to make a difference. Dear Lord, as we move throughout the day remind us to pray every time we are tempted to shake our head in disbelief. Manifest yourself in the lives of others through the power of our prayers as we pray for people, some we don’t even know. Strengthen us Lord, to show others the way. Jesus is the way. GiGi❤️  Remind your people of things like this, and tell them as before God not to fight wordy battles, which help no one and may undermine the faith of some who hear them. For yourself, concentrate on winning God’s approval, on being a workman with nothing to be ashamed of, and who knows how to use the word of truth to the best advantage. But steer clear of these unchristian babblings, which in practice lead further and further away from Christian living. False teachings are as dangerous as blood-poisoning to the body, and spread like sepsis from a wound. Hymenaeus and Philetus are responsible for this sort of thing, and they are men who are palpable traitors to the truth, for they say that the resurrection has already occurred and, of course, badly upset some people’s faith. (2 Timothy 2:14-18)
We have very little time to dilly dally with nonsense and untruths. Being present requires us to hold fast to truth, hold fast to the gospel, hold fast to Jesus. Be very careful of your Sundays: you will not have many of them. Do not go on the Sabbath to hear whatever comes in your way, or you may hear to your ruin. Go to hear the gospel. “How shall I know where the gospel is preached?” Well, you will not have to enquire long: you may readily judge for yourself. Unless the name of Jesus is sounded out often, depend on it, you are in the wrong place. Unless you hear the words “grace,” “faith,” “salvation,” you may conclude that you are not on gospel ground. It is true that mere terms may not always be a sufficient guide, but as a rule, as straws show which way the wind blows, so will these terms by their presence or absence be a guide to you. It will not take you long to find out whether the man preaches of works or grace, ceremonies or faith, man or Christ…Go where you hear about the Lord Jesus and his redeeming blood. If you hear no mention of “the blood,” clear out of the place, and never go again. Charles Spurgeon Dear Lord, give us a spirit of discernment, clarity of mind. Help us to see and know the truth and discern it from a lie, no matter how cloaked the lie may be. Help us Lord, to “hold fast to that which is good.” GiGi❤️ |
Archives
September 2024
|
RSS Feed