Believe The Whole Bible....And Follow It Completely

Isaiah 48:9-11 - For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off.  See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.  For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.

 

It was Isaiah’s sole job to deliver God’s exact words to the people. He relayed the words of God’s hope….comfort….and this time anger and disappointment….to a people that God had planned so much more.  All God really wanted was for them to love him more than anything else…trust him…and keep the promises they made to him. But they fell so short of God’s goal for them.

 

They became comfortable in the wealth of their city….and built false confidence in the blood lines of the Jewish nation.  They let the fortified city they lived in become their salvation…thinking falsely that its tall walls could protect them from anything. So God allowed the refining fires of oppression teach them that he was their salvation…not the material things around them.

 

It’s a concept that satan uses to his advantage. He tricks us into thinking that because we are good…because God is blessing us with good things…that we are centered in God’s will. But the good things we surround ourselves with give us a false sense of security…and allow our hearts to relax its dependence on God. We begin to love things… instead of the promise we made to God to love him with all our heart and soul and mind.

 

God doesn’t save us because we are good...he saves us simply to show his love to us. God’s greatest desire is to build a relationship with us…that includes prayer and Bible study. He wants us to seek him with all our heart and souls and strength…so that we will have the confidence of Moses…or David….or Abraham…to walk the path he has planned for us.

 

We know when we have found his will.  Isaiah tells us in verse 18….it says…. “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” That peace like a gentle river comes only when we have fixed our eyes… ears… and heart on God…and given him our full attention. …truly grasping the commands he gave us…not trying to rationalize and justify away the ones we don’t like.

 

Maybe that’s what John was talking about in Revelation 3:16.  It says… “So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” We can’t have our cake and eat it too.  We either believe the whole Bible….and follow it completely…or we don’t believe it at all. God doesn’t want part time…or pick and choose Christians.  We do more harm to his kingdom than good when we ride the fence.

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to build a relationship with you that stokes my heart to its hottest degree.  Forgive me for riding the fence so many years….and wearing a mask of hypocrisy that hid my many faults.  Help me to identify the many ways satan has tricked me into thinking that having a good nature and doing kind deeds will make me a better Christian.  Help me listen better …and follow all your commands so I can feel the peace of that gentle riven flowing through my life and decisions.  Amen.

Real Power And Pleasure Come Only From God

Isaiah 47:8 and 10 - "You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom, living at ease and feeling secure, bragging as if you were the greatest in the world! You say, 'I'm self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone! I will never be a widow or lose my children.'

….  "You felt secure in all your wickedness. 'No one sees me,' you said. Your 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' have caused you to turn away from me and claim, 'I am self-sufficient and not accountable to anyone!'

 

Isaiah was warning the people of Babylon that the days of their rule over God’s people was coming to an end.  They had not achieved any of the power and knowledge they thought they had on their own…they had just been used by God to discipline his children.  They had become way too comfortable in the pleasures of life…and grown a bit too big for their britches.

 

I must once again admit guilt….for Isaiah’s words made me think of the many times that I have let pleasure…or the simple head knowledge of something make my decisions. And I don’t have to go down alone on this one.  Satan used pleasure to guide David…in his sin with Bathsheba…and every other person who has ever committed adultery…or looked at pornography …or gone inside an adult book store…or just decided to be intimate with anyone before marriage. And that only covers the pleasure of our physical bodies. 

 

Let’s consider the pleasures that money ….or wealth….or credit cards…..or that new car…. or that prestigious job bring.  Oh…and don’t forget how much pleasure food can bring….we have to eat don’t we? What about the whole world of drugs and alcohol?  And you fill in the rest of what I have left out.

 

We could open a whole new can of worms when we discuss the way satan uses knowledge to trick us into sin.  Perhaps that is how he keeps the confusion in our hearts over the debate about creation…. marriage with same sex partners….or evolution.  We don’t have confidence in what is God approved because we don’t look in our Bibles first for the answer. We let power and pleasure build physical strength…but the spiritual side of our lives take a back seat. W do not study to know what is going to be good for our lives on a long term basis…we let the needs of the moment guide us into temporary happiness. Bottom line…if the Bible don’t say it…it shouldn’t be in our lives.

 

Power and pleasure pass….never having any permanence in our lives.  The wealth and feelings of security they bring in their seasons give our hearts a false sense of security...letting satan trick us into thinking that we don’t need God to help us make our decisions. When we let power and pleasure make all our decisions…then God has no room to move in and teach us how to love like he taught Jesus. 

One last thought.  Where would we be if Jesus had let pleasure and knowledge rule his life? Would we even have the opportunity to come to the cross at all?  Would we still be living in a time where only the Jews could even come to God.  Would we still be bringing him blood sacrifices? And how many brothers would God have had to send to earth after Jesus chose to satisfy only himself?  Tough questions…that no one has an answer for… because Jesus did use all of his resources to stay focused on God and complete the task his father gave him to do. He died on a cross for our sins and made a way for us to be with him in heaven…if we just believe in him and repent of our sins.

 

Father…I thank  you for the reminder that I need to check every decision I must make with your Holy Word.  Forgive me for the times that I have let pleasure or knowledge alone make my decisions.  Help me to use the power of the Holy Spirit to help me focus on you…so that I always seek you first.  And father when my heart is confused….always let me seek the knowledge that you left for me in the Bible. Amen.

Only God Can Really Save Us

Isaiah 46:3-5 - "Listen to me, all you who are left in Israel. I created you and have cared for you since before you were born.  I will be your God throughout your lifetime -- until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you."  "To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?

 

God placed Isaiah in just the right place to watch some oxen and a cart laden with heavy idols become so off balance that the idols it carried fell to the ground. Then God gave Isaiah these words that he used to help the people realize that it was God that had created them….watched over them…and rescued them.  No other God could do what he did for them. No other God had the power to help them do anything.

 

God’s promise of caring for those that believe in his name started way before we said yes to his soft voice… the one that convicted us of the sin we needed him to save us from.  It started the moment we were conceived in the mother’s womb that carried our tiny form while he completed every part of us. He watched over us as we were literally pushed into a crazy world…and has never left our side.

 

It gets tricky here…for some have yet to accept him. But that just means that God is watching and waiting on them to realize that God wants to be involved in their life. He has a plan for all of us…even those that have not been convicted of the sin in their lives.  He even knows the moment they will begin to love him back…or the moment/s they will turn away from his help.

 

Some of us have accepted him into our lives…but we still cling to that oxen cart of other stuff in the world to sustain us.  We don’t even see the breakdown ahead of us…we are blinded by the money we know we have in the bank that can fix the cart.  Or perhaps the cart has already broken…and we have allowed something else to pick up the pieces and care for us instead…perhaps never even asking God to help us.

 

Some of us are so dazed when that ox cart breaks down that we just sit in the road and cry. That’s what happened to me. And that’s when I realized just how much God loved me.  God picked me up and helped me to crawl right up in his lap….then he whispered to me that it was all going to be okay.  He gave me a whole new support….and helped me walked away from the broken cart….and is still teaching me how to never go back to those pieces…but rather keep building the new life that he intended for me all along.

 

Walking away from the broken pieces of that cart is very hard sometimes.  Maybe it is all we have ever known…and we are scared to try something new.  We have become so attached to the pieces …especially if they helped us in good ways…that we just don’t understand the dangers of making them more important that God.

 

The bottom line is that there is only one God.  He has to be more important than anything else in our life. Any other support we use to do anything …that is not given to us by God…will eventually break down and become useless. We must find a way to give him complete control…let him pick our supports….let him call the shots.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are the one true God…no other created being can do for us what you do.  I praise you and thank you for creating me…and working gently on my heart till I turned my life over to you.  Forgive me for all the carts I have tried to build without you….help me to stop trying to pick up the broken pieces and fix them myself.  Show me how to build a life that only you control…so you can show me your will…and then help me complete it.  Amen.

What Has God 'Anointed' You To Do?

Isaiah 45:1-3 -  This is what the LORD says to Cyrus, his anointed one, whose right hand he will empower. Before him, mighty kings will be paralyzed with fear. Their fortress gates will be opened, never again to shut against him.  This is what the LORD says: "I will go before you, Cyrus, and level the mountains. I will smash down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.  And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness -- secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name."

 

Isaiah was used this time to tell a gentile king named Cyrus that he was anointed by God. God told him he was going to give him great strength….and reveal vast treasures within the earth for him to keep. God said he was going to use him to crush the kings that threatened to completely overcome his people.

                                                                                                                                                                                 

That is proof to me that God can use anybody he chooses to do his work. God can embed anyone… anywhere…with the power they need to do what God needs them to do. Isaiah used the word ‘anointed’ when he spoke of Cyrus’ power.  Jesus told us in Acts 1:8 that anyone who believe n him would receive all the power we need when we let the Holy Spirit he sent consume us.  

 

He gave Moses …in Exodus 2…what he needed to do his work in the form of a simple shepherd’s rod.  It was even passed to Aaron when Moses had completed his part of the task. He used it to show God’s power to pharaoh…then he used it to remind the people he had been sent to lead that God had a plan…even if it did not fit the scenario they had imagined in their heads.

 

We just have to ask ourselves what God has placed in our hand to use for him.  It might be the ability to remember huge quantities of knowledge and discover the cures of diseases like cancer that take life after life. It might be a computer...and a simple way with words….that God can help you type insights to his word each morning.  It might be a classroom full of excited …or not so excited students…that God has placed in your keeping for one period of time to be the one light they see in a world not so bright around them each day.  It might even be that minimum wage job he has given you for a season… so he can use you to model contentment in him ….no matter where he has placed you for the moment.

 

It is a reminder to me that I have more than one thing placed in my hand. My day may begin with sharing insights to his word on a blog…but for at least one more year…I have also been given the privilege of touching lives in a school classroom each day. Sundays…he uses the voice he blessed me with to sing praises and help others worship…and on Wednesday nights…I am used to teach English as a second language to some sweet Japanese ladies. Even as I list these 4 jobs…I am sure I could list more…given a bit more time to reflect.

Father….thank you for reminding me that you use the ‘rod’ you placed in my hands to do so many things.  Forgive me for not realizing each morning the importance of each of my jobs. Help me to embrace all of them in a new and passionate way….so satan cannot trick me into slacking.  Open my ears…and eyes to all the new ways you want you use me in the future.  Uncover the secrets and treasures that you have waiting for me…if I am obedient in following what you have given me to do.  Amen.

God Calls Us To Listen....Not Just Hear

Isaiah 44:1-3 -  "But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one.  The LORD who made you and helps you says: O Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid. O Israel, my chosen one, do not fear.  For I will give you abundant water to quench your thirst and to moisten your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children.

 

Isaiah used the beginning of this chapter to stress the  importance of listening.  Before he gives Jacob the important words he had been giving by God…he simply tells him to listen. Then he pours out on him the promise of blessing…abundant water….and the pouring out of his spirit on his children.

 

I admit that listening is not one of strengths.  Sometimes I don’t even try.  Sometimes I pretend to hear…but my mind is a million miles away thinking about something else.  Sometimes I hear the sounds…but they never divide into understandable words.  Sometimes I try really hard…even take notes….but still seem to forget what was said too quickly.

 

Isaiah doesn’t tell us how to listen better in this passage…so I did my own research. James 1:19 says… My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”  That tells me to ponder what I hear a longer time before I react to it with words. I can use the time I am thinking about what was said to ask God to give me the right understanding…and whether at all I should say anything at all.

 

The story of Samuel in 1 Samuel 2 and 3 tells of a small boy who had been dedicated to God. He lived in the temple and heard someone calling him.  He thought it was his teacher…but after three sessions of being awoke in the night by God…his teacher finally realized who was talking to him. Once Samuel knew it was God…he simply said… “your servant is listening.”  That tells me to first be sure what you are hearing is a credible source…then give him your best attention.

 

We hear a vast amount of information evry moment of the day.  Sometimes the sounds are as simple as a bird chirp…or as ominous as a thunder clap. We can hear those as just a bird...or just the weather changing….but sometimes God uses those simple moments of nature in the world to speak a soft message to our heart.   Sometimes the sounds are voices in our head…they could be God…or they could be satan. We just need to remember to discern who is giving us direction before we act.

 

But sometimes God leads a lost soul…or a confused Christian into our lives….and like Phillip in Acts 28… we need to take the time to listen…really digest what has them confused….and take them to the scriptures to find the way to help them.  Phillip was so effective at listening…that he was able to guide him through the plan of salvation and baptize him moments later.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to work on my listening skills.  Forgive me for not taking care of this weakness before now...and help me to develop these skills to their best.  Help me learn to discern your spirit when I meet a person who needs me to listen. Bridle my tongue till I hear a clear word from you of what I need to say to lead them closer to the will you have planned for them.  Amen.

He Chose Us...Named Us...And Planned Good Things For Us

Isaiah 43:1-2 -  But now, O Israel, the LORD who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.  When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

 

Isaiah throws the word ‘but’ in his opening sentence so we are sure to see the comparison to many of the harsh words God gave him to speak before these sentences.  Chapter after chapter… Isaiah was given harsh words ….words that told the people what would happen if they kept going in the wrong direction. “But”  ….God gave Isaiah sweet loving words to start this chapter….words that reminded his people of his gentle mercy …his love …his protection.

 

It reminds me that we simply cannot lose if we pick God to be on our team.  He has already chosen us. He even knew our name even before our parents picked it out for us. As long as I keep my eyes…my ears…my heart...completely focused on him …nothing can destroy me. There will never be a ‘bad thing’ in my life completely consume me if I trust this promise of God. He will hold my hand through anything he asks me to endure…he will equip me with all I need to stand in victory over everything I think is bad in my life.

 

The reason he does that for us is recorded just a bit further in verse 18…you read that even though God had done great miracles in their life…he had even more planned in the future. That tells me that God is not through with me if he woke me up this morning.  He has work for me do…and miracles to perform that are so great and mighty my eyes and ears and heart will be humbled and amazed.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 gives us the same promise.  It says… “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  Sin might have separated me from God for a time…but God doesn’t want it to end that way…he wants me to wake every morning….tell him I am sorry for any sin that has distanced our relationship…and reclaim the promise of his mercy and love so we can see the new miracles he has planned for our good.

 

 

Thank you father for reminding me that I can never lose you.  Thank you for choosing me…giving me a special name…and a special purpose.  Thank you for walking through the valleys of sadness with me…and helping me to recognize the sin that kept me from seeing you in all your glory.  Forgive me for all the years that I sat in ignorance and let bitterness blind me even more.  Help me to keep your name so embedded in my heart that you don’t have to work so hard to keep me focused. Let my love and passion to serve you grow and give me stronger faith and trust in the good future you have planned for me.  Amen.

Gentle Love...Not Bitter Hate

Isaiah 24:1-3 -  "Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations.  He will be gentle -- he will not shout or raise his voice in public.  He will not crush those who are weak or quench the smallest hope. He will bring full justice to all who have been wronged.

 

Isaiah’s words in the passage describe the Messiah that they all waited to appear and change the world.  He would be a gentle man….breathing new life into a world filled with fighting…shouts of tyranny ….and poor people who had lost so much hope that they had turned to idols. He was describing the Messiah….he would right every wrong that existed and bring about a new way to live…and he would do it with a peace that surpassed the understanding of any who had ever lived.

 

Perhaps they had as much trouble wrapping their brain around the thought that gentleness has more power than aggression too. Many Jews still don’t accept the small gentle baby who was born to save the world.  His DNA was fully human….fully God…and fulfilled this prophecy well. Jesus walked… preached… healed… fed thousands… even let himself be led to a cross to die for our sins.

 

Gentle did not mean powerless.  He had so much power he had to rein it in at times. He could have called down angels at any moment….but he knew that would not be God’s will…and it would not save a dying world from their sins. He had to keep his gentleness till he gave up his last breath.

 

I am sure that he struggled with being gentle all the time like we do. I want to think that he may have raised his voice just a little to make his point to satan when he was tempted…but he probably scared satan more with his soft voice of rebuke.  He knew the power was in the knowledge of the scripture. I want to think that he screamed at those money changers when he dumped their tables of money …but he probably voiced his disgust with the softest rebuke they had ever heard.  I want to think that he wanted to shout at his disciples the night he caught them sleeping instead of praying…but I bet he only shook his head as he softly chided them for not helping him pray.

 

 

I am reminded that I am supposed to be modeling Jesus too. And if you think about it…the Bible says that our DNA changes when we accepted Jesus as our savior. Maybe my human DNA wont show God’s chromosome like Jesus’ did…but my outward appearance…my spirit….my  actions….all my words….can sure show it more than I do at this moment in time. Perhaps I do so little because I have never tapped into the power that gentleness can give. Perhaps it was Jesus’ gentleness that gave him the confidence to know it held more power than bitterness and hate.

 

And I just can’t admit guilt on this one and be any closer to understanding it.  I have to make a commitment to rein in my own temptations to scream…shout….and be overly aggressive when I am dealing with any situation. I have to ask Jesus to show me how he became so selfless….a servant for the people he came to save.  I have to let him show me how to be the gentle…selfless…servant he was.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to be a gentle servant.  I need to think that phrase…what would Jesus do….before I react in any situation.  Forgive me for the times I have not been gentle.  Forgive me for thinking that was ever the correct way to handle anything. Help me to feel the spirit that descended on Jesus at his baptism….that will help me feel how to be gentle like he was.  Help me learn to be more like Jesus….and solve my problems with gentle love…not bitter hate. Amen.

God Chose Us...For A Lifetime

Isaiah 41:10-13 - Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."  "See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and ashamed. Anyone who opposes you will die.  You will look for them in vain. They will all be gone!  I am holding you by your right hand -- I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.

 

Isaiah was really talking to Israel. They were worried that God had left them….so God sent Isaiah to tell them that he loved them still.  He got to put away his gloom and doom messages for one day at least….so he could encourage the people that God had chosen to be his…forever.

 

All people have an opportunity to be God’s chosen now.  He made a way for all of us to be in that group when Jesus sacrificed his life for all our sins.  All that remains is that you accept his free gift of love…that enters into your heart.  He has already chosen you…he is just waiting for you to realize the peace it will give you and accept.

 

He said to not be afraid…he would be with us.  He said to not worry…he would do that for us. He promised to strengthen us….and uphold us in all that we do that is within his will. That just about covers anything we might run into.

 

I can testify that it is true. He has never left me…even when I found myself bitter and angry…even at him. It reminds me of a mom…who sees their child in their room sulking.  She knocks gently on the door to see if you want to talk…but the scream comes from inside to just go away. Then she just waits…till you are ready to let go of all that anger and bitterness and tell her that you are sorry.

 

I admit that I have had to say I was sorry way more than I should.  I must have a ton of Israelite blood in me…cause I stray away from his will constantly. And because of my stubborn will….I have had to wander in some pretty bad wildernesses.

 

What is so great about that is the lessons I have learned from wandering.  God never left me…he used the time that I was focused on me to teach me what was wrong about that. He is showing me that nothing is more important that seeking him each night by reading his Bible and praying….nothing is more important than waking each morning to chat about what I read the night before. I know that someday he will help me get it right…and be so focused on him that I always put others first.

 

Father…I thank you for reminding me this morning that you will never leave me.  I thank you for allthe chasing you have done so far…and ask your forgiving for making you work so hard.  help me to claim these promises….to know the next time life tries to trick me into worrying…or getting mad….that I will stop and ask you to keep your promise…and let you do that for me. Amen.

God Equips Us To Comfort Others

Isaiah 40: 28-31 -  Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.  He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.  Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

 

It is one of Isaiah’s best works…the go to for all of us that are facing a storm…are in the middle of a storm….or just come through one safely. It puts the whole of God’s being in a nutshell.  God will never be completely understood.  God gives power to everyone that needs it…..IF….we wait on is timing.

 

The beginning of this great chapter tells us to continue the work of comforting others. The end tells us where to get the power and strength to do it. The boundaries of our capabilities … only known to God. The sky is the limit…which gives us a pretty big playing field….cause the atmosphere that God created to support our need for oxygen is about 60 miles thick.  And when you multiply that by the almost 8,000 mile diameter of the planet God lets us live on….that gives us 480,000 square miles of playground.

 

The bottom line for me when you put the two together is that when he called us to comfort others…he also equipped us with everything we need to do it with.  We just have to tap into his love by accepting the gift of salvation he offers to all.  That scripture isn’t just for us when we are in a ‘pickle.’ That scripture is a call to tell others about the power God holds to comfort everyone who has ever suffered pain.

 

Do me a favor this morning…or afternoon….or sometime today.  And read that scripture with you name in it.  …….in a slightly different tense.  ____________,Have you never heard or understood? _____________,Don't you know that I AM the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? _____________,I never grow faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of my understanding.  ____________,I give power to you when you are tired and worn out and strength when you are weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up.  But ____________, if you trust and wait on me, you will find new strength. You will fly high on wings like eagles. You will run and not grow weary. You will walk and not faint.

 

For me…the fact that he helped me through so many storms… means he is going to use me to comfort others that are stuck in the middle of one somewhere. That’s how he equips us…he takes our hand and walks with us through a storm so we can guide someone else who doesn’t know him. The first hand experience he gives us is a powerful tool he uses to help others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I can have all the power I need from you…if I wait on the right timing to have it.  Thank you for helping me through the storms you have allowed in my life.  Help me find the people you need me to comfort…and reveal to me just the right part of what you taught me to share with them. Forgive me for not seeing some of the ones you already sent. Open my ears and eyes and heart to hear like you do…so I don’t miss anymore. Amen.

Attitude Is Important...Always Look For the Positive

Isaiah 39:6-7 The time is coming when everything you have -- all the treasures stored up by your ancestors -- will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.  Some of your own descendants will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon's king."

 

Hezekiah had been a little too prideful with his material wealth.  He bragged to the Assyrian ambassador’s one too many times. He wasn’t even all that upset when Isaiah told he was going to lose everything…even some family.  He just thought to himself that the peace he had been granted was enough to make him happy.

 

I had to read some commentaries to really process this one…cause my brain was saying what??? He was happy that he was losing everything…and that included some of his family.  Gill’s Exposition Of The Word says this… “Hezekiah was at once convinced of his sin, acknowledged it and repented of it, and owned that the sentence pronounced was but just and right; and that there was a mixture of mercy and goodness in it, in that time was given, and it was not immediately executed:”  And Coffman says this… “The short chapter ends with the submissive resignation of Hezekiah to the fate of his beloved city and the personal rejoicing that he would not live to see the disastrous prophecy fulfilled. Also, he found great comfort in the assured time-lapse before the promised fulfillment of it.”

 

So perhaps the important thing to remember here is not Hezekiah’s attitude…or even the punishment handed down….but rather the quick acceptance of what God had spoken.  He knew that it was futile to pray for change this time…and looked quickly to find the positives in the situation that would keep him moving forward…..not hang in the misery of what was going to happen years into the future.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that my attitude toward your discipline is just as important as my actions because of it.  Forgive me for the times that I have fought your decisions…and for seeing only the negatives in what happened.  Help me to be more like Hezekiah…and always see the positive.  Help me achieve true serenity by accepting the things I know in my heart are not to be changed….letting you provide the courage for the things I know in my heart to be changed…and always pray for you to tell me the difference.  Amen.

You Can Change God's Mind.

Isaiah 38: 1 and 4-5 -  About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: "This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness."

…Then this message came to Isaiah from the LORD:  "Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life,

 

The news from Isaiah was not good… Hezekiah was about to die.  Upon hearing the news he turned his face to the wall and cried out to God to save him.  He cried tears.  Then he let the obedient things he had tried to do pass through his memory…which of course God and everyone around him could hear. And God heard him and granted him 15 more years of life.

 

This passage should be the go to for anyone who has been diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Of course we are not all told we are getting extra years added to our life.  Sometimes God is just finished with us…and since we can’t see how glorious and wonderful heaven really is…we try to convince ourselves that the death sentence we have been given is a bad thing.  Satan reminds us of all the family and loved ones we are leaving behind…and perhaps we just don’t trust that God is going to take care of them after we are gone.  

 

But sometimes…God decides to give us a few more years…and use the miracle of how he saved us to speak to others about his supernatural power that is greater than death.  When we get to be one of the Hezekiah’s that God heals...we need to say what he said in verse 19… “ Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation can make known your faithfulness to the next.” That is really the only reason God has to let us stay. All those things God helped us accomplished don’t mean anything…they have already happened. But if we can convince God we can help him bring more people to him being alive…then maybe we might get a few extra years added on like Hezekiah.

 

Either way…the lesson is clear.  God is in control…and he knows what he is doing.  It is our job to accept the things we cannot change ….ask for courage to change the things we can…and ask God to give us a spirit on discernment to know the difference.  Hezekiah spoke life with his prayer…and somehow changed his mind.  So did Moses.   So did Jonah.   And there are probably others that never made t the cannon of the Bible.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I always have the opportunity to come to you with my heart.  Thank you for reminding me that I can change your mind with my tears. Forgive me for the times I never asked…and help me to discern when I should the next time. Amen.

Get Serious About Prayer

Isaiah 37:1-2 - When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the Temple of the LORD to pray. And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the court secretary, and the leading priests, all dressed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.

 

 

Hezekiah knew how to handle a problem.  When he heard a report from his high officials that sounded really bad…he immediately went into fasting and prayer mode. Then he sent for the best preacher he knew to seek advice…Isaiah.

 

 

Prayer was taken very seriously back then.  You tore your robe…no matter what brand name or how much it cost.  You put on sackcloth…a scratchy material that also encased food for animals…and you fell to your knees.  If it was really serious…you went to the temple…to be sure you were close enough to God for him to hear you cry out. There was none of that silent prayer stuff….or whispering a short request for help driving down the road.  If you were serious…then everyone around you knew you were serious.

 

 

It had more than one purpose. Rendering yourself in that scratchy garb showed your humility.  It showed God you knew who was in charge…and you were not above letting anyone who saw you know that too. It also focused your heart and mind on the need you were praying for.  Everything around you was less important than the need you brought to God’s attention.

 

 

I admit…I am one of those that has never tried to be this serious about a need. I have never humbled myself so much that I tore my clothes...or dressed in a more simple way to show I was praying really hard for something. Perhaps some attempts were made when I wore a black ribbon to show I was praying for the family and friends of someone who died.  And that pink ribbon I wore for a while to remember to pray for someone with cancer a while back. I have fasted something for the last 4 years…to ask God to save a couple of students I know are lost.  But all of those seem now to be very weak attempts at what Isaiah describes in Hezekiah.

 

 

Bottom line for me…I do not spend enough time in prayer period…let alone on my knees in fervent…focused….God I need this in the worst way prayer. So I guess the lesson is to think of ways I can go to the next level.  Just this last Sunday…with tearful eyes…I admitted to some of my dearest friends I had not taken their prayer requests serious enough. So I started a new prayer journal…and will start anew...and try to get more serious about my prayer time. Baby steps that God can broaden and make more mature the more I stay focused on him.

 

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I really need to get this prayer stuff where you have always wanted it.  Thanks for not giving up on me…and chasing after me with one more reminder to keep working on getting it right.  Forgive me….and help me to really take this prayer stuff seriously.  Show me how to lose the inhibitions that keep me off my knees unless I am at your altar in a church.  Show me how to take that altar with me everywhere I go. Amen.

Ponder God's Goodness In Your Heart

Isaiah 36:8-9 -  "I'll tell you what! My master, the king of Assyria, will strike a bargain with you. If you can find two thousand horsemen in your entire army, he will give you two thousand horses for them to ride on!  With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master's troops, even with the help of Egypt's chariots and horsemen?

 

Even King Hezekiah…one of the best…most righteous kings ever to rule….had a weak spot.  And satan had a plan…to send the enemy in and try to strike a deal. Hezekiah thought he was strong… but his confidence in the wealth he had accumulated ended up being his downfall.  

 

Isaiah was given the task of letting Hezekiah know that even though he did not accept the enemies offer…he let his enemy in the back door when he exposed all that he had to those ambassadors.  He falsely thought that this army was too weak to hurt him…or threaten what wealth he had built up.

 

It is that way with satan…if we don’t let him in the front door…he will just find a way to get in the back door…or even climb through a window. He lies and schemes and tricks us into speaking out loud things that we should be keeping to our self.

 

I think of Mary…just after Jesus was born…and those kings came to visit.  How humbled it must have made her feel to have those great wise men bow before her and her son. She could have let it puff he up in pride and rattle off that he was going to be king someday too! But she didn’t.  Luke 2:19 says…. “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

 

It is a huge reminder for me to keep silent more than I speak….which means I got a lot of work to do. Gods knows I love to talk more than anything.  Yes… there is a time to brag on God…but more times than we do…we are to ponder and seek the lesson for ourselves.   Another friend reminds me often that what I say in my spirit is for God’s ears only….and what satan can’t hear…he can’t attack.

 

Father….thank you for the reminder that you allow me to witness with my eyes…and hear with my ears….sometimes….. just to let it sink into my heart and seep way down deep into my soul.  Forgive me for the times that I have set myself up for an attack of satan because I did not know when to shut up.  Help me learn to bridle my tongue…so you can reveal just the right moment…and just the right person to brag on you….so what comes out of my mouth is pure praise for what you have brought me through.  Stop me any way you need to when I am about to turn any testimony into a bragging session that will increase the pride I so desperately fight to stay under control. Amen.

Speak Life....Encourage...Strengthen

Isaiah 35:3-4 -  With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.  Say to those who are afraid, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you."

 

With all the gloom and doom messages Isaiah had to deliver...this message of hope must have been a welcome breath of freshness. For once he got to deliver a message of hope….and remind us that part of our calling as chosen followers of Christ is to help spread hope and love to the hurting in the world.

 

He said simply…give strength…speak life into those tired hands you meet.  He said simply…encourage those people that God allows you to meet that have not weathered a storm very well.  He said simply….tell others that your knees were meant to be on the ground more than they were meant to walk…..because humble fervent prayer is the strongest weapon we have against sadness….evil…and pain.

 

He did not tell us to pick and choose which people to do this for…he just said do it.  I know that I know that I know…that God places people in our pathway to see if we will obey this command. I also know that I know that I know…that sometimes those people are also angels….sent to test us.

 

It reminds me of that scripture in Matthew 25….where everyone was confused cause Jesus said they had helped him.  They knew they had never seen him before...let alone done anything for him personally.  He said… translation mine …if you have done it unto anyone ….you have done it unto me. 

 

I admit that I have failed a bunch of tests that were never on a piece of paper at school.  The tests I failed were life encounters where I looked the other way at the dirty woman who was walking down the street with an armload of groceries.  Or the time I thought to myself...that man begging next to the road is one of those imposters that makes a million a year dressing up like a hobo and begging a few weeks out of the year.   Or perhaps it was the phone call I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to deal with the drama I ‘thought’ I would encounter when I picked up the phone.

 

I can remember times when I got it right…so my grade point average isn’t 0.  But that is just another way of making myself feel better about the tests I failed.  If my grade point average isn’t a 4.0….then I still got some studying and attitude changes to make.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that every thought I have should be a breath of new life that builds people up.  Forgive me for the tests I failed and help me to see clearly the redo’s you will send my way to check if I mean what I say.  Help me to make the changes in my attitude that will allow you to use me to encourage…to strengthen…and to give courage to those around me. Amen.

Listen...God Is Angry

Isaiah 34:1-2 - Come here and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words.  For the LORD is enraged against the nations. His fury is against all their armies. He will completely destroy them, bringing about their slaughter.

 

Isaiah is back to delivering the harsh words of judgment to the nations around him.  First …he gets their attention. Then he delivers these very simple…very clear words.  God is not happy with our world…he is angry…he will eventually destroy it.

 

We are told the specifics of why God is angry this time.  Isaiah just pours out vision of how God is going to reverse the order of the creatures he placed on the Earth.  Man is going to the bottom of the list…and the birds of the air will have the say so in how things are ruled. Death will be so great the blood of men will stain the Earth.

 

I have to admit…it is so very hard to read these harsh words…they paint such a horrid picture in my head.  I selfishly want to be gone from the Earth before this happens…cause God is going to have to give me a better stomach to endure this scene.  I can’t even watch scary movies…the blood and gore is just too real to my heart.

 

I don’t want anyone I love to be here either.  And since the Bible tells me I must love everyone (read John 4:7)…that means I need to be warning everyone about this horrible time so we will all be in Heaven when it happens.

 

Don’t think that you can just say it has already happened…or we will all be raptured out before it gets too bad….cause I sure haven’t found a concrete scripture that proves completely either point of view. If you think about it….it is satan that tries to put those thoughts in your head anyway.  He knows that if we justify the horror away…then we won’t work as hard to spread the gospel.

 

The reminder for me…is to always keep the worst it could get in my spirit…so I never forget what God is going to save me from. If I keep my mind stayed on him…(Go back to Isaiah 26:3)…then his peace will protect my heart from worrying about it at all.  And that will free up all my energy to do the work he place me to do in the first place. The worry I might have engaged in will become power to stand through any storm that might come before I am called to Heaven.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are all I need.  Thank you for reminding me that this is not my permanent home.  Thank you for giving my life purpose and meaning and showing me how to weather the storms in my life so far. Help me to always keep in the very far corners of my heart the vision of the end…so I will always remember to thank you for saving me. Keep it there to prompt me to share your love with others…so we can all be together in Heaven some day. Amen.

God's All Consuming Fire Can Reveal The Best Of Who He Created You To Be

Isaiah 32:14-15 -  The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. "Which one of us," they cry, "can live here in the presence of this all-consuming fire?"  The ones who can live here are those who are honest and fair, who reject making a profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong.

 

Isaiah…how he must have been focused on God to hear these words day after day.  This chapter …about in the middle of what is recorded….tells us about an all consuming fire that will burn up the evil in the world…but protect and shelter the good.

 

I thought of Moses immediately…the first man recorded to have stood in the midst of that fire.  He heard the voice of God…and had to take off his shoes while he stood so close to his presence.  His testimony recorded in Exodus 3 provides a visual of just how close we can be to God if we get curious enough to go see that smoke we stare at from a distance.

 

Moses had an encounter with God that changed his whole life…..changed his whole perspective on life.  It turned his focus from what can I do…to what can God do. It took the simple shepherd rod he held in his hand…and turned it into a rod powered by God himself. The evil in his life melted away and was replaced with strength and courage

 

To evil…to sin…the fire is a great fear.  It destroys the life that satan has helped us build apart from God.  But to the Christian…who has accepted God into his heart…the fire is a light…it reveals the good God placed in us to help him…so we can become the messenger God wants us to shine to the world. And we can’t stray too far away from his all consuming fire or we lose our way….start listening to satan again.  He can disguise himself in some pretty creative ways…so that most of the time we might even think it is still God.

 

I wonder how many times Moses saw that fire before he approached it.  I wonder how long it was before he got curious enough…empty enough to go let God help him.  I guess that really doesn’t matter.  What matters is he eventually went….took off his shoes…gave a few last effort excuses…then placed that shepherd staff in God’s hands. God took over from that point… so he could change Moses’ life and all the Israelites lives that God gave him the skills to lead to safety.

 

Father….thank you for reminding me that you are an all consuming fire. Forgive me for being so afraid of it…and waiting so long to come enjoy the warmth of your power. Thank you for helping me see the benefits of staying close to your fire.  Help me discern the lies of satan…so I don’t stray too far away again. Help me to see what I have in my hand that you can use to spread your light to the world. Amen. 

Stop Thinking With Your Head...Start Thinking With God's Heart

Isaiah 32:2-4 -  He will shelter Israel from the storm and the wind. He will refresh her as a river in the desert and as the cool shadow of a large rock in a hot and weary land.  Then everyone who can see will be looking for God, and those who can hear will listen to his voice.  Even the hotheads among them will be full of sense and understanding. Those who stammer in uncertainty will speak out plainly.

 

Isaiah speaks of that time when all people will realize who God really is.  They will not just wait for his second coming…but run to the window of their homes to see if he is on the way.  All eyes and ears will be focused on him…everyone able to speak plainly about his love.

 

There will be a time of clarity for all people.  The atheist will realize his theories were wrong.  The wealthy cheater will be exposed.  The lazy person will have no more food. All of them will see the truth. They will see the wasted moments and earthly treasures they built for themselves are no more.

 

But those of us that have waited on God will see a time of peace and rest ushered in.  The winds will cool those in hot deserts. The rivers will refresh those in the mountains.  The valleys in-between will share perfect weather for a time. God will provide his supernatural protections and shelter to all who have believed in his name.

 

It reminds me to keep trying to share the truth with everyone who is lost before it is too late.  Once this time comes…the ones still straddling the fence won’t be able to change their minds.  But the oppressed will be released from all oppression.  The poor will have an abundance of food and all needs met in excess.  The ones who have more than they need will willingly give to those they see in need around them.

 

Before this time….people will still be tricked into thinking that we should concentrate on ourselves.  We will still stockpile our material wealth…and let next door neighbors starve.  We will rant and rave about illegal children coming into our nation…instead of looking into the hearts of the mothers who sent them here in hopes of a better life.  We will still lie and cheat to pad our pocketbooks and keep our favorite jobs. But what we sometimes forget…is that all that self-centered thinking makes us lose part of the focus we should have on God.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I should think more about what you want for me… than what I want for myself.  Forgive me for the times that I have let my selfishness take my focus off doing your work.  Help me to stop thinking with my head…and start thinking with your heart. Keep a hedge of protection around me so that satan can’t whisper lies in my ear that will trick me into being so selfish anymore.  Amen.