Seek God With Prayer And Bible Study

Isaiah 55:6-9 -  Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

The chosen people of God had just come through a long hard storm. The freedom from captivity they had just received gave their soul a reason to shout and proclaim God’s goodness. God used Isaiah to remind them that this was a great time to draw as near to him as possible….because their limited human understanding of him would be heightened by the joy they felt in their souls.

 

The sadness they had just experienced put most of them in withdraw mode. It was harder to find God and his peace because depression dulled their hearing….even clouded their vision of what God could do. The fear of how long they might suffer…the constant reality of oppression had caused them to focus too heavily on the problem. 

 

God’s thoughts included a season of freedom and growth. But their own thoughts of fear and depression limited their vision of what God had in store for their future. God always has a better vision for our lives than we do….because his thoughts are higher than our own. Jeremiah 29:11 says…. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  They are plans to prosper you, not to harm you.  They are plans to give you hope and a future.”

 

One of the best cures for the depression major storm in your life causes…. is to begin to thank God in advance for the storm you are going through. We need to put on our best headphones...those new kind that block out all the noise from the world telling you that you are suffering too much. We need to put on some new glasses….with a little stronger prescription than we thought we needed….so that we can look a little further than the pain we are in…to the shore on the others side that is clear and focused.

 

After we block out the world and increase our vision we need to use them to focus on God.  We need to open that Bible and pray….so that God can begin to reveal the secrets that will move us forward from the storm. We need to focus on his thoughts for us….and the future of hope that is waiting at the end of the storm he is using to teach us. Bible study and prayer are the fresh drops of rain that water our thirsty soul….and begin to grow what God wanted there all along.

 

Father… thank you for the reminder that I am nearest you when I seek you actively. Forgive me for the times that I skim and speed read your word because I am tired….or just too lazy.  Forgive me for thinking that my few prayers at church…or quick requests before I lay my head down at night are enough to feed my soul. Help me…not just say it this time Lord. For you know how many times I have asked you to help me to better my prayer life with you.  Give me a new passion to really learn to pray…to let you give me the words that will increase my faith and ability to lift others up to you.  Amen.

God has a Reason For Asking Us To Walk Through Pain

Isaiah 54:1-2 -  "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.  "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

 

Isaiah brought them the wonderful news of God’s increased blessings.  They had endured the long captivity.  They had learned what God had placed them there to learn. God wanted them to know that as soon as he released them…he was going to bless them and increase their number.

 

A time of sorrow and pain can make one bitter and untrusting.  It can lead you so far away from God that you begin to wonder why you ever loved him in the first place. And satan does not waste your doubt and anger at why God would have allowed such great pain in your life in the first place. He tries to plant it deeper in your soul…so that you become separated from the one thing that can bring you out of your pain.

 

But if you see your pain and sorrow as a time of training…a blessing from God…then you build trust instead of lose it. Your faith grows stronger…so that you begin to see how complete trust in God is all that you really need to be happy. He becomes your focus….and the pain becomes a way to shed more of the sin that keeps you from knowing God’s full power.

 

Job toughed it out…and was blessed 100 fold after his great encounter with pain.  He learned that God was really the only one he could trust.  The Israelites wandered for 40 years before they saw the blessing of Canaan.  They earned that God meant what he said. Jonah spent 3 days in the belly of a whale before he admitted that God was bigger than the racial issues of where he was sent to preach. And Jesus died on a cross ….taking on the sins of all man….before he could sit victorious at the right hand of his father.

 

It reminds me that no matter what happens in my life that I perceive as bad…God has plans to use it to better me…not harm me. God wants to use the things I perceive as bad things to teach me about his perfect love.  For his love can conquer all….just like Isaiah ends this chapter in verse 17…. “no weapon forged against it can stand.”

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you had a reason for asking me to walk through the pain I have felt in my life. Forgive me for the times that I have allowed satan to trick me into being bitter and hopeless…increasing the depression I felt in my heart.  Help me to grab hold of your hand for as long as it takes to see the light at the end of my pain.  Show me how to focus so strongly on you that I can begin to see the blessings that you have waiting on me when I have finished my training.  Amen.

The Greatest Shepherds Understand Sacrifice

Isaiah 53:4-6 -  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

                                                                                                                          

Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah. He would be born to save the world from all sin….a servant so focused on his father that he would be able to take on the sin of every man and woman ever to be born. The Google said this prophecy was given some 750 years before it came to pass.

 

God’s plan sure was harsh on his only son…but brought to everyone else mercy…grace…and healing. His undeserved punishment brought the possibility of peace and healing to all who believe. The messiah was the greatest shepherd who ever lived…gathering the many sheep who have gone astray…into a destructive selfishness.  His sacrifice took the sin of the world on his own shoulders…and gave all who will believe in him a new chance at life.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21  says….. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  That tells me that this sacrifice that he made for me by giving of his perfect son gives allows me to use his sacrifice to strip away the sin in my own life…and use his righteousness to make me some new clothes.

 

My new clothes are not outward physical garments…but inward dressings of the heart and soul and mind. His righteousness can clothe me with a peace that passes all understanding.  His righteousness can clothe me with complete healing. His righteousness can break every chain that binds me to this world. His righteousness can give me a power that satan can’t destroy.

 

There is one catch to this amazing power to transform us. We have to have just enough faith to accept it as real…and believe on this mind-blowing son Jesus. We have to give him all our heart to live in… a small corner won’t give him enough room to totally transform us.

 

Father…. Thank you for giving you son to die for my sins.  My brain just marvels at the sacrifice he made for me…for all of my family…for all of my friends…and for all the people in the world I have yet to meet.  My simple thank you pales in comparison to the gift he has given us all. Forgive me for not having the faith at times to give him my whole heart…for keeping pieces that I thought I needed…but instead they just built selfishness where you were trying to build love. Help me to find that faith…even as small as a mustard seed…that will help me stay focused the way Jesus did. Open up my ears to hear your will…my eyes to see the work you placed me here to do…and your wisdom to know how to go about it. Amen. 

Let God Go In Front Of You...Love Him With ALL That You Have

Isaiah 52:1-3 -  Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.  Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.  For this is what the LORD says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed."

 

God was preparing to release his chosen people from the captivity he had used to discipline them.  He told Isaiah to tell them to wake up….to clothe themselves with God’s strength….and to shake the dust off their feet as they left. He told them to free themselves from every chain that had them bound.

 

It is good advice…even now…after Christ came to redeem us and make a way for all of us to be saved. We need to wake up….to clothe ourselves in his strength….to free ourselves from the chains that satan tries to wrap so tightly around our necks. We do not have to live in the mess we created around us….for God can save and release us from anything….ANYTHING…that has us convinced we have no power.

 

God’s strength is first found in an attitude of repentance. He just wants us to speak out loud the sin that trapped us…then turn our lives over to him.  Then he wants us to gain strength and wisdom in the study of his word and constant prayer. He wants us to build a relationship with him….he wants us to call him our best friend….our BFF.

 

We become so in love with Jesus that we begin to ask him to help us live more in his will.  And as he  begins to release the chains the world had wrapped around our heart…he sends his Holy Spirit down to comfort…to guide…to give us power…to help us with every choice we have to make. He even uses the message of our story to help others find him too.

 

Other great Bible characters have said the same thing. Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 31:6…. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13…. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that my soul needs to stay awake….that it needs to clothe itself in your strength. Forgive me for the times that I forget that you can give me the power and strength to do anything.  Help me to love you with ALL my heart…and ALL my mind….and ALL my soul….so that you can give me your great strength to do anything you have asked me to do. Show me how to be strong and courageous ….and let you go BEFORE me.  Amen.

Why Do We Fear Man More Than God?

Isaiah 51:12:13 -  "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass,  that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?

 

Isaiah told them to listen to God’s words 3 times. He wanted all who sought God…all who wanted right to prevail….all who knew right from wrong….to listen to God’s plea to follow his laws and commands. He told them to wake up…to clothe themselves with God’s strength…so he could fill them with an everlasting joy.

 

After he had all their attention…he asked them a very important question.  He asked the people why they feared man more than God?  It’s a fair question…and one we still struggle with today….cause if we truly feared God the most…the threat of an Ebola outbreak in the US wouldn’t bother us.  The possibility of a major economic depression would not give us cause to worry. Obama-care wouldn’t even scare us.

 

These things would pale in comparison to spreading the love of God around to everyone we could.  We would be saddened by the loss of lives that did not know Christ…but those who truly sought God….followed all his commands…trying to do right in evry choice we make….would have a joy planted in our hearts that no man-made calamity could remove. 

 

We would know the peace that surpasses all understanding that Paul talks about in Philippians 4:6-7.   It says…. “Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  That peace is greater than any fear satan can throw at us here on earth...it can calm and comfort us no matter what life throws at us.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that I need fear no thing here on earth …..save losing my relationship with you. Forgive me for all the times I have let things worry me…and keep me from being focused on helping you develop relationships with all the lost in the world. Show me how to hold on to that peace of God…24/7….and feel the joy and comes when I let you guard my heart and my mind.  Amen.

Wake Up With God Every Morning...And Go To Sleep Talking To Him Every Night

Isaiah 50:4-5 -  The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.  The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.

 

Isaiah had to pose some tough questions to those that had doubted God’s power. God wanted them to know that he always had a choice when it came to providing for his people. He could react to their stubborn wills and disobedience with punishment and captivity…or he could build them up in his love and delight with blessings and honor.

 

Isaiah’s advice here is twofold. First we must wake every morning with our ears tuned in on God alone…so he can teach us what he needs us to know to do what he has called us to do.  Then we have to tune out the world and stop letting it focus our attention off him for even one second. That one second is all it takes for satan to get his confusing thoughts planted in our heads.

 

I will testify that nothing….nothing has done more to help me grow than opening up God’s Bible every night and reading at least one chapter.  Some nights the wisdom and answers jump right out of the pages…and others I wonder what in the world God was thinking by letting the words I read be published at all. Night by night….God exposes me to more and more of the truth…..and opens up my heart to understand.  Isaiah’s words….morning by morning he wakens my ear…have become my words too. I don’t want to imagine what kind of day I would have if God and I did not visit together …at least for the time it takes him to help me write.

 

I will admit that I have a bit more work to do on Isaiah’s second bit of advice.  I don’t do so well staying focused all day on him…and I have at times let satan trick me into being rebellious still. Some nights it even trickles into my time of reading…and hinders me from understanding what God wants me to know to move forward in service for him. It seeps into my morning time with God…and clouds the very thoughts God wants to give me to share in the blog he gave me to write.

 

Luke 9:23 recorded the answer Jesus gave when he was asked how to stay focused...it says…. “Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.”  We can drop everything and follow him like the disciples (Matthew 4:19)…or we can walk away sad like the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22).

Jesus modeled for us how to study…spend time memorizing scripture and references (instead of having to google it like I do) to help us fend off satan’s attacks when we are tempted.  And he also went off by himself to pray…early in the morning…and late at night. He even recorded one of those prayers as a model for us to follow in Matthew 6:5–13. I clearly have all I need and need to stop making so many excuses.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are in charge. Thank you for helping me grow stronger and learn to study your word to help me make my decisions.  Thank you for waking me up each morning with a word in my heart to share with others. Forgive me for the times that I have I been rebellious…and complained or been ungrateful for what you have done. Help me to keep growing stronger….and stop letting the world trick me into slipping into myself for even one minute…so I can grow even closer to you.  Amen.

You Are Called To Be God's Servant

Isaiah 49: 3-5 - He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."  But I said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the LORD's hand, and my reward is with my God."  And now the LORD says-- he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength—

 

Isaiah might be venting his own struggles as a servant of God here…or some commentaries theorize that this is one of several predictions to come of the Messiah God would send. It really doesn’t matter in my heart which is correct these days…for the Messiah has already come….and saved us all with the greatest sacrifice known of any servant of God.

 

The point to this passage for me is that God called me to be a servant too.  He called me from my mother’s womb ….gave me a name and a purpose…and waits expectantly for me to recognize what that is. It will bring honor to him…bring people to an awareness of God….and he will give me all the strength I need to do it. It might even be more than one job.

 

Some mornings I wake and think that I have accomplished nothing for God. I let the devil trick me into dwelling on the mistakes in my life that have hindered me even finding the job or jobs God planned for me. And even the few times I might have gotten God’s will correct…I still feel like a failure.  I mirror Isaiah’s words….that I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.

 

But God said despite all that….Isaiah was honored in the eyes of God…and he would continue to be his strength. Maybe I am stretching the context here a bit…but if God called me to be his servant too…then I am honored in his eyes too….just because he loves me. Maybe what I need to do is remember when ole satan comes knocking on my heart with words of defeat….I should pull out this verse that says….I am honored…that God loved me even before I was born.

 

The honor…the praise of God…should give me enough confidence to keep going. If I stay focused on God…and quit letting satan distract me…quit letting satan tell me I am a failure….I will be able to move forward and find the next way God planned for me to be his servant. God’s Love will power me through the next job he gives me to do.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you made me to be your servant.  Forgive me for the times that I kept my focus on myself…and didn’t even attempt to find out why you called me to be your child.  Help me to stayed focused…so I can fend off the thoughts of failure and mistakes that have separated me form your will for my life. Show me the secrets and wisdom I need to do the best job I can for you….no matter what you call me to do.  Amen.