Come Out of Hiding

 

 

The power of the Lord was upon Elijah (1 Kings 18:46).  Yet only one chapter over we find Elijah hiding from Jezebel's threats; pleading with the Lord to end his life.  Too often we allow the enemy's voice to override God’s.  Satan takes pleasure in paralyzing us by circumstances. He knows in believing the lie, we will go into hiding and abort our call.  The Lord's will for our life will be blinded by the darkness of our untamed thoughts and anxieties that rapidly breed in our minds.  Enough is enough.  There is a secure Hand of provision and help just beyond these looming shadows.  There is light; there is love; there is hope just outside the cave.       

                                                                       

Father, forgive us for allowing doubt and fear to enter our hearts.  We let the voice of fear, the voice of others, the voice of the enemy to muffle Your voice.  Your voice that was once so clear to us becomes a forgotten sound.  Your power that defeated circumstances in our lives becomes a doubted memory.  Your faithfulness proven again and again becomes an overlooked blessing.  We cast away all doubt and we choose to believe Your promises.  We incline our ears to You once again.  Speak to us, Lord...

 

 

Scripture Buffet

 

When we fail to be in God's Word, we tend to create our own litmus test as to how we are doing spiritually.  Our obedience is measured against our personally tweaked moral compass rather than God’s moral absolutes.  We take certain Scriptures we want to give ourselves wholeheartedly to and others we conveniently pass over because they don't appeal to us, require too much of us, or they are a challenge to our personality.  We deceive ourselves when we think we can pick and choose.  God isn’t into serving buffets.

"Man does not live on bread alone, but on EVERY word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

In all truth, as obedient as we may be in the Scriptures we handpick, we are still living a life of disobedience.

 

"For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws." James 2:10

 

Please don't misunderstand me.  I am in no way sitting over here in a ditch saying we are saved by our works or that our works define our Christian faith.  We need the Holy Spirit working in us to be able to live a life pleasing to God.  It is nothing we can do in and of ourselves, BUT it is our responsibility to align ourselves with the Holy Spirit.  It is our job to cooperate with His working in us to make adjustments in us that line up with what God desires from His children.  If we truly desire to serve God, our actions will line up with our confession.   

 

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." John 14:26

 As we point fingers and whisper about others, is it possible we are lacking in areas that are just different?  OF COURSE WE ARE!  We have to get our eyes off of judging others.  We have to quit comparing our lives to them and look at our lives in comparison to the Word - the whole Word.  It is one thing to be concerned for a fellow believer.  We should be!  If what we call “concern” is manifested in gossip, slandering, making fun of individuals, blasting insults about them, we can be assured that we are operating out of a spirit of pride and judgment.    A heart of love and true concern for the falling of another person will not shun or condemn the person, but will reach out to them, grieve for their condition, and fight for them in prayer.  

We are saved by His grace.  It's all about what Jesus did and nothing of ourselves.  We all need His continued grace and mercy each and every day because we all fall short.  In different areas?  Yes.  Other's faults tend to look worse in our eyes when put next to our own, but this is not how it is for God.  He sees all sin the same.   Sin is simply put as missing the mark.  When we hoot and holler that we hit a portion of the target and our neighbor here lost his arrow in the woods… the truth is, we both missed the bulls-eye.  We all need the same innocent, perfect shed blood of Jesus to cover us.

I think if we start viewing it as God does, the time we spend gossiping and throwing stones at others can be used instead to seek Him with our whole heart.  It becomes "How am I measuring up to Jesus?" rather than "Look at him. I can't believe he calls himself Christian."  

If we are seeking Him with our whole heart, we will have His heart.  We will view others differently.  We will love them differently.  We will reach out to embrace, not to crush.  We Christians are all foreigners TOGETHER in the earth.  It's time we stick together, spur one another on, and build one another up in the faith.  Our strengths are different.  Our weaknesses are different, but we are all on the same team.

Lord, we need our eyes opened, our hearts humbled, and our spirits hungry for Your Word. Jesus is the Word made flesh and we know apart from the fullness of Your Word, we limit ourselves in knowing You.   All too often times we create a god in our own image that suits our ways and our lifestyle.  We want to serve You, the ONLY true and living God.

We ask for Your help to stay focused; that we wouldn't let any church tradition or teaching bind us up from searching You out more; that there'd be no sin we'd rather hold onto than You.  We refuse to let this flesh of ours rule us - whether it be what we consider big sins of adultery, homosexuality, murder, stealing, and the like or what is categorized as small sins: "white" lies, dishonest gain, “managed” addiction, gossip, filthy language, etc.  Help us to realize that sin is sin.  It cost Jesus the same price for each and every one of them.  He paid a debt we could never pay.  How dare we think we can take it for granted and okay "little" sins in our life as if You don't see.  May our eyes be opened, Lord, to see our lives; our hidden lives how You see it.   Just as Jesus told the people, "You must leave all and follow Me," may nothing in our lives be too precious to let go of for Your sake, Lord.  Please shine a light on those things we are holding onto tighter than we are You.  Amen.

Intricacies of Life

I was walking through a "year round" Christmas store and couldn't help but notice all of the Christmas villages on display. From afar, they looked nice;  caught my eye, but when I really got up close and saw all of the intricacies of each individual piece, it made the display that much more beautiful and appreciated.

I began to think about our lives and how all too often we look at the BIG picture and we miss the "little" things. Years pass us by and all we can account for is eating, sleeping, and paying the bills  - a life of what appears mundane when you look through it with surface vision. 

Day after day we acknowledge the  existence of people, places, and things but fail to notice their beauty. We grow weary concentrating on what we don't have and miss out on the enjoyment of what is right at our fingertips.

Looking at the villages I was also reminded of a couple of verses in Psalm 139. "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it."

When an artist puts detail into his creation: a painting, a sculpture, a writing,  it is placed there for a reason... for the observer to take notice and  to find enjoyment in the beauty and uniqueness of it.

God is the Master Creator, the Master Artist, and He is into detail! Everything He has ever created is an authentic masterpiece made for not only His pleasure but for ours! Our job is to slow down to find the joy in the NOW.

Let’s stop merely glancing over the big picture of life. Hit the “zoom” button and you’ll discover what a fleeting look will never see.

Begin studying the individuality of your children. Love them BIG now right in the midst of their cuteness, as well as their annoyances and quirks. Begin noticing the deeper things deposited within your spouse, significant other, or your friends rather than maintaining “how’s the weather” shallow conversations. Quit waiting for an "easier" or “more convenient” stage of life to live in the now. Before you know it, the chance you had is over. Everything gets pushed off for a future that never comes.

“Slow down and smell the beauty in life.” ets

 

Worth

 

Never content

The longing never filled

Looking for love

In a person to fulfill

You long to feel worth

To fill an aching void

Then in times you hide away

Rejection – to avoid

You think through your mind games

Your protection is found

But within this vicious cycle

You only remain bound

I’m aware of your struggles

I know where the hurt lies

Beyond your tough façade

I see the inner cries

Nothing I’ve created

Was made to quench your thirsty soul

No one in your life

Can ever make you whole

These idols in your life

Will one day come crashing down

And then you’re faced with the reality

It’s in Me – your worth is found

 

Living Proof

 

They told me hope’s all over

Even set a date my life will cease

But I know an almighty and faithful God

Who is the Healer of every disease

He’s Jesus Christ, God’s only Son

Who shed His blood for me

He took this sickness upon Himself

In His name all disease must flee!

He’s Jehovah Rapha, my Healer

It’s not His will to take me this way

Satan, you thief!  You won’t end my life

I take authority; you cannot stay!

I now know that years ago

Jesus took the keys of death from you

I realize this was your last attempt

But you no longer have me fooled

Many die because they don’t know this truth

But I know what the Word of God declares

Surely the Truth will make me free

I no longer fear your wicked snares

Jesus came to set the prisoners free

To set at liberty those who are bound

Devil, you’re a trespasser being evicted

For you’re treading on holy ground

In Jesus’ name I command you to flee

Every spirit of infirmity and disease

You must obey the Name above all names

You have no place in me

I’m living proof of the Lord’s power

I’ll proclaim it wherever I go

Jesus Christ has delivered me

I’m an overcomer, healed and whole!

 

 

Father, please touch every person who is need of healing of any kind.  I speak the name of Jesus into their life now - the Name that is high above every other name (Philippians 2:9).  The Name that washes us clean from sin.  The Name that drives out disease.  The Name that defeats depression.  The Name that has the power to restore relationships.  The all-powerful Name that can conquer anything and everything that falls short of God's perfect plan for our lives.  Thank You for the name of Jesus and so unselfishly sending Him to us as our Healer.   Open our eyes to see so that we may take hold of all that You have made available to us through the price that Jesus paid for us to have.  Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zpLPh6LibE