"Restoring Your Hope"

DAY # 76 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy." John 16:24 NCV

Where (or who) do you place your HOPE in? The worldly circumstances, the doctor's diagnosis', the words of friends & family or the Word of God and God Himself? Do you have FAITH in God, that He will do and say all that He promises? Do you have a sincere HOPE for tomorrow? Have you 'asked' God for those desires, sincerely asked in the name of Jesus? We should be continually seeking the face of God, and the plans that He has for us. Our desires and wants, wishes and dreams can be fulfilled if we live according to God's plan, and if they are in His will and desire for us as well. "Genuine heartfelt prayer produces powerful changes in us and in our world." ('A Woman of Faith' Devotional. Day 76. ©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC. Nashville, TN. 37202)


 When we truly believe with faith, which is truly believing without seeing, than God can and will do a GREAT work in our lives, and in our world.

This 'asking' is just not petitioning for your own self, but for those around you. Think of the world around you, your home, your family, your work/co-workers, your church family, your community, your city, your province, your country, and countries around the world. Are there questions about your future (or theirs) that you cannot answer alone -- needs that you cannot meet (such as the turmoil going on in Japan) -- do you really know what your purpose is? Do you just have simple questions about life? God can and will meet those needs, and answer those questions, if you SEEK Him. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33)

Whatever your desire, need, prayer request may be, keep on praying. Pray continuously -- never lose HOPE! Not just saying 'hope' frivolously, as in 'I hope God answers my prayer' or 'I hope I can go to Africa' -- but a true and sincere that is stronger than desire. According to dictionary.com, 'hope' is defined as;

–verb (used with object)

6. to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.

7. to believe, desire, or trust: I hope that my work will be satisfactory.

–verb (used without object)

8. to feel that something desired may happen: We hope for an early spring.

9. Archaic . to place trust; rely (usually followed by in ).

—Idiom

10. hope against hope, to continue to hope, although the outlook does not warrant it: We are hoping against hope for a change in her condition.

The worldly view of 'hope' is just looking forward to with desire & 'reasonable confidence', meaning don't wish too hard, don't believe too much just incase it doesn't happen. A Christian's view of 'hope' should be a totally different outlook. We can look forward to with the confidence and assurance that God will do what He says He will do. We don't put our 'hope', 'trust' and 'faith' in the circumstance or the desire, we put our 'hope, trust and faith' in the God that provides. I've said it before, and I will say it again and again (& I've heard others mention it -and too many mention the opposite, which is why I will write it again), we need to STOP seeking the healing, the provisions, the desires, the revivals, the signs & wonders/moves of the Spirit and we need to START seeking the Healer, the Provider, the Miracle worker, the Reviver, the Spirit himself who is above all, who is GOD. We need to SEEK HIM, and Him alone... don't just seek for the Spirit, or for more of Jesus -- we need GOD as a whole, Father, Son & Spirit. God gives us the Spirit here on earth, so yes we can desire moves of the Spirit, but we have to seek GOD Himself to receive the Spirit, and we need to believe that God sent His Son Jesus and it is His BLOOD that cleanses us and makes us new. We are protected by that blood. We need to stop looking at the circumstances around us because we are basing our faith, hope and trust around them too much. We need to place our faith in the BLOOD of JESUS, the POWER of the SPIRIT and the GREATNESS of GOD! Our God is greater, stronger, higher, awesome in power and He is the Healer, the Provider, the Giver of Life and more. (See 'When I Speak Your Name' devotional here for more.) For more information you can check out, http://www.learnthebible.org/praying-in-the-name-of-jesus.html or just Google "in Jesus' name" or "power in the name of Jesus" or "names of God".

So if you feel as if you have the worldly form of hope, faith and trust -- then SEEK the Lord and ask Him to fill you with His Faith, Hope and Trust -- but then you need to have the faith, hope and trust to believe that He will do what you asked. God is able, actually more than able to answer our requests (if they align with His will) - we just need to ASK! 'A.S.K.' -- Ask, Seek & Knock.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!



"Seeking His Blessings"

DAY #47 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him, and He will help you." Psalm 37:5

The verse just before this one (v.4) is also important - "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:" (NIV) "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart... Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." (NKJV) WOW! Can you imagine the blessings that God has in store for you, if we delight ourselves in Him, commit our way to Him, and trust in Him. Sounds fun and exciting, but to seek His blessings is not what we should be doing in life... we should be seeking Him, the giver of those blessings first. Matthew 6:33 says, "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (NIV) We need to stop ourselves from seeking revival, seeking healing, seeking blessings, seeking protection, seeking created things, etc first... we need to seek the Reviver, the Healer, the Blesser, the Protector, the Creator, etc. God desires us to seek Him above all else, and then ALL those other things shall be added unto us.

"When our dreams come true and our plans prove successful, we find it easy to thank our Creator and easy to trust His divine providence. But in times of sorrow or hardship, we may find ourselves questioning God's plans for our lives" ('A Woman of Faith' Devotional. Day #47. ©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC. Nashville, TN. 37202)

It's not easy to trust God in good and bad times, but it sure is rewarding. God never gives us tests that we cannot pass. In our own mindset we can seem to be a failure, or we can fail by the wrong choices we make, but His plan for this world is that we all 'pass'. He has BIG plans for all of us. (See Jeremiah 29:11)

 God is still God, and always will be God. All (small 'g') 'gods' have all passed away, or will soon pass away. We need to put our hope and trust in things that last, and God is something that has been, is, and will be forever and ever. We can't just trust God on Sundays, and give Him parts of us. We need to trust God with EVERYTHING... finances, health, provision, protection/safety, workplace circumstances & co-workers, our homes & family, daily circumstances, emotional moments,  relationships & friendships... EVERY area of our daily lives (inside and out). But we cannot always expect immediate blessings for obedience and trust. Sometimes God desires us to wait on Him for the answer. If things come too quickly we will start to think we can gain in our own strength. But when we wait on the Lord, He shall renew our strength... (Isaiah 40:31) And in just a few verses after today's verse it says, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." (Psalm 37:7) 

We need to stop any immediate thoughts of jealousy or envy - - wicked people of the world might be seeming to succeed, but the Lord will take vengeance in time. We also cannot become jealous or bitter towards fellow Christian brothers & sisters who are receiving blessings - especially blessings that we are desiring or that we think we are deserving of. We need to celebrate with them in their joy, for they have been found faithful in the eyes of the Lord. We need to step forth in love, and not judgement and bless them in return as well. God can and will do things for us, but we need to be in the right place with Him.

Lessons learned today...
#1 SEEK GOD FIRST (& His kingdom)!
#2 DELIGHT yourself in the LORD
#3 COMMIT all that you do to Him...

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

''Discipline Matters''

DAY #30 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: ''I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.'' 1 Corinthians 9:27 HCSB

NIV - ''No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.''
NKJV - ''But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.''

KJV - ''But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.''
NLT - ''I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.''
MSG - ''I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.'' (v. 26-27)
 
**Editor's Note: Reading different translations is always good. One thing about having the Bible online, you can do that quickly and easily. I usually use http://www.biblegateway.com for my Online Bible needs. A friend was just mentioning today that since their move, they have found a lot of Bibles. She/He didn't know they had that many. They were giving thanks that we live in a free country where we can read our Bible and not worry about being persecuted or killed because of it. Some people around the world cannot even have a Bible at their home, and these people had more than that. The BIBLE is a very important book, and should be treated that way. It is HISTORY... Historical NON-Fiction and it is the ONLY book that is alive. We are truly blessed to be able to get our hands on several different translations of the Word of God. Which one is right? Which one is the correct wording or understanding? Read in the translation that you desire, and seek the Lord to give you the true understanding and wisdom regarding His word. **
 
We need to discipline ourselves as diciples of Christ, so that our words, thoughts and deeds reflect the way we are sharing God's love and the truth of His Word with others. I love the Message Version "I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.'' We need to discipline ourselves for us #1, as we need to make sure that we are not missing out ourselves, yet we also need to do it as an example to those around us. We need to basically 'practice what we preach'. As this translation says, we need to 'stay alert and in top condition'. In the case of an athlete, they are alert and train to be in top condition when they compete in or play their sport. They can receive a lot of harmful injury if they didn't train properly before their sporting event. In the case of a team sport, they not only affect themselves, but they affect those others on the team with them. Same as Christianity, we are a 'body', and each of us plays a special part. If one person hurts, we all hurt.
 
To be disciplined, according to dictionary.com is;
–verb (used with object)
10. to train by instruction and exercise; drill.
11. to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control.
12. to punish or penalize in order to train and control; correct; chastise.

We need to allow ourselves to be controlled by God, we are no longer subject to being controlled by men around us, or by ourselves. (We still do have the free-will to choose this, yet the Father is the one who created us, and knows us best.) We need to be obedient to what the Father has said in his Word (or to us directly or indirectly through the prophetic). We are also disciplined by the Father (definition #12 above) in order to train, control, correct or chastise us to becoming the M.E. (Maximum Effectiveness) that He has called us to be.

It is a learning process, and yes, you will mess up. I'm with you here... I am not preaching to the crowd, and ignoring what I say. I am in this struggle along with you. We need to discipline ourselves in reading His Word, meditating on it, praying at all times, trusting Him at all times, living in Faith and not by sight, humble ourselves, act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with Him, etc... the Scriptures themselves tell us how we should behave, how we should act. I have just named some of them. By obedience and listening to God, we are benefitted... but by disobedience and going ahead on our own strength, we are going to suffer the consequences of our decisions.
God wants us to be disciplined, diligent and mature and wants us to seek Him first in all things. (''But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.''Matthew 6:33) If we have faith and diligently seek Him, He will reward us. It's a promise in His Word; ''But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.'' Hebrews 11:6 NKJV


The responsiblity lays on our shoulders, yet the strength and power comes from Him, and we will be blessed for our disciplined life.

Remember (as in the picture above) Discipline is the bridge between your goals and your achievements!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

 

2 BLESSED 2 B STRESSED? (or vice versa)

The Lord wants to BLESS our socks off... He wants to give us all that we desire and more. Most of the things are things that we think we need, but really they are actually just wants. We need to stop stressing over things so much, and allow God to fulfill His destiny for us. We need to be able to live with the things He grants us, and desire that which He wants to give us, not just that which we want for ourselves.

When we rest in the arms of the Lord, all pain, hurt, sadness, hate, trouble and more goes away. We just float in the 'stream' with Him. The stream that grants us peace, joy, love, hope and more good things! We are not truly ready to be in the 'river' with Him, but we should be able to enter the stream of life with Him.

I thank the Lord for allowing us to 'find Him' and 'chase Him', but in the end, it is He who actually catches us. He should be all that we desire, and when we desire Him and Him alone, He will give us that which we need, and desire! Thinking to MATTHEW 6:33... "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." When we truly put Him FIRST (in the place He should be), all that which we need will be ours.  Earlier in the 6th chapter of Matthew starting at verse 25, the Word tells us not to worry. Worry causes stress, and stress causes more pain in the end than what we started with. There is a saying, 'That which angers you, controls you', and I certainly have let a lot of anger get into my heart & mind, mainly at work in dealing with disruptive, rude children. I have to remind myself to let the LOVE of JESUS flow from me instead of angry words. I taught the lesson regarding anger and bound up frustration, and what it does to you, in Junior Church and now I am having to live out my lesson, so I thank the Holy Spirit for revealing this to me. We watched LARRY BOY & the ANGRY EYEBROWS (I suggest this movie to those of you who love Veggies, or have children with anger issues.)

I have been enveloped in God's love and presence while listening to a NEW CD by Kim Walker (of JesusCulture) and one of her songs that has inspired me has just these words that SOMEONE needed to hear today. I have been sitting with this message for a bit in my heart, but because there are days when I haven't put God first, and I have allowed stress a spot in my heart and mind, that I haven't been able to share these Words of the Lord. The song is called "I Have Found", and it is written by Justin Byrne and Jon Mohr.

The words are as follows...

I have found a peace, that plows on through the storm
I have found a joy that jumps over sadness
I h ave found a love that lights up every room
I have found, I found You

You are all I want, You are all I need
Everything my heart could hope for
We are longing for, the glory of the Lord
'Cause we know there's so much more

I have found a trust that teaches how to rest
I have found a grace that guides me by the hand
I have found a strength that stands like a mountain
I have found, I found You

Only You, fill my soul (repeat)

(then they have spontaneous worship on the CD, and the words "Let your glory rain down..." repeats. It's just amazing!)

ENJOY and BE BLESSED.

Check out "I HAVE FOUND, KIM WALKER" on You tube. =)


~Mitz

TRAIN or TURN? -- January 16th, 2010

“POINTS TO PONDER” – January 16th
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired.
If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

TRAIN or TURN?

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Proverbs 22:6 NIV

The verb “train” in this sentence means (according to dictionary.com);
To develop or form the habits, thoughts or behaviour of (a child or other person) by discipline and instruction; to make proficient by instruction and practice, as in some art, profession or work; to make (a person) fit by proper exercise, diet, practice, etc., as for an athletic performance; to discipline and instruct (an animal), as in the performance of tasks or tricks; to treat or manipulate so as to bring into some desired form, position, direction, etc; [horticulture] to bring (a plant, branch, etc) into a particular shape or position, by bending, pruning or the like; to bring to bear on some object; point, aim, or direct as a firearm, camera, telescope or eye; to entice, allure.


WOW! Training a child can be a difficult task. Think of all the things that they need training for, toilet training, training to walk, training to read, etc. They do not however need training to CRY. One of the first things that babies can and will do by themselves is to CRY. It is the easiest thing to do.


(Editor’s SideNote: *This devotional was going to be about training our children, so that they will not turn, however it is also taking a new direction thanks to the Holy Spirit. We need to teach ourselves, and our children to cry out once again!*)


Why is CRYING so hard for us to do as adults? CRYING itself is seen as a form of weakness. CRYING OUT to God is what He desires. We need to listen to the Father’s heart, and CRY out to Him for what we desire, but also for what He desires for us. We need to train our children to cry out for what they need. Unfortunately, we learn its not okay to cry. When there are babies crying in their cribs, crying and crying, as parents/caregivers we are taught time and again to ignore them, and they will eventually stop. Why do WE get so frustrated when we cry out, and think that God is not listening or acting on our behalf? God our Father does not ignore our cries, he bottles our tears. He hears our cries, and responds accordingly. We can always CRY out to Him! Lord we cry out for Your Grace and Mercy and Love!


The Bible has been translated many times since it was first written and inspired of the Lord. When things get translated, and re-worded many times sometimes they lose their original meaning, as in the infamous ‘Telephone Game’. In the MESSAGE, which I do like because it is in ‘readable and understandable’ English, this verse takes on a whole new meaning. It says, “Point your kids in the right direction— when they're old they won't be lost.” This version is the one I believe that some (a high percentage unfortunately) are following. There is a BIG difference between ‘pointing your kids in the right direction’ and ‘training your kids in the way they should go’. If you are put in charge of a heavy piece of machinery for example, would you want someone just to point the way that you should go, or would you actually like them to train you and show you how to use it?


Pointing the way to go, may seem helpful at the time, in the sense of the times when you ask people for directions to a place. But pointing is not really helpful, especially if you have no knowledge of the places you will be going, or even passing by for that matter. For me, giving directions and I don’t get along too well. I use LANDMARKS instead of street names most times. I do know the street names, but sometimes I cannot picture the intersection for example, unless you use a landmark. McDonalds, Malls/Plazas, etc… are good landmarks for me to know where you are talking about. North, South, East and West have no bearing for me either. (no pun intended). This is the same with children, or other people (for that matter). They have to have prior knowledge of the ‘area’ or even better, have a MAP to the places they are going. If you have a MAP or directions written down you can find the ‘place you want to go’ easier, and you have less of a chance of getting lost. Sooner or later, you will have ‘memorized’ the map and the directions, and it will be common knowledge, so that you can know go to the places you need to go.


Such is the life of a CHRISTIAN… a true Christ follower. On our own, we are left to be pointed the direction to go. We are given two directions… one leads to life, and one to death. Obviously any right-minded person would choose life, however unfortunately most don’t. We are given the options, but truly have no knowledge of either place. THE BIBLE is the MAP that has been given to EVERYONE (not just Christians), because we all were LOST. (Romans 3:23 –“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.") But Christians (true Christians) are the ones that choose to follow the map’s directions, and are no longer LOST. (“In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” –Read Matthew 18:12-14.) They ‘memorize’ the Scriptures and ‘directions’ in the map, and soon it becomes common knowledge in their physical mind and spirit. They now know which path to follow, and how to get there. Unfortunately, for us, the path to follow is a difficult one, and the other path looks oh so easy and more fun.


This is a lesson that needs to be TRAINED in people both young and old. However, if you train your children when they are young, they will hold on to what they know, and it will become common knowledge as was said above. They choose the path they wish to take, not just by us pointing the direction, but by us coming alongside them training them in the ways of the Lord. We need to come alongside any and everyone, physical children, and spiritual children.


The first definition of ‘train’ above says, “To develop or form the habits, thoughts or behaviour of (a child or other person) by discipline and instruction.” Our habits, thoughts and behaviours DEVELOP. Developing is a process. It doesn’t just happen. As I said in the beginning, training is a difficult task. Using the example of photography, a photographer isn’t just going to develop his film by ‘pointing’ the film to the developing room. He has to physically walk with it, and put it in the solution, and WAIT. Waiting is something that we as 21st century adults have no time for. However, I want to make the point that we have no time to WASTE.


Our children need us. [For future reference, when I use the word ‘children’ it can mean both ‘physical children’(those age 0-17) or ‘spiritual children’ (those who are babies in the faith and also those who you have taken under your wing.)] This is why such things as mentoring are important, but also why Sunday School, and Saturday/Sunday services should be an important part in the lives of our ‘Children’. These are places where are children are equipped and trained.


Too many times our children are ‘pointed’ in the way to go, or they are unfortunately ‘trained’ in the wrong sense of the word. So many children have been trained according to some of the definitions above, “to discipline and instruct (an animal), as in the performance of tasks or tricks; to treat or manipulate so as to bring into some desired form, position, direction, etc”. Some of our children have been manipulated or treated as animals and this is NOT how they should be treated. However, because of this we need to gain their faith and trust back, so we must assume caution when dealing with them.


One of the best definitions of ‘train’ is regarding horticulture, and you may think that has nothing to do with training children, but it certainly does. The definition states, “to bring (a plant, branch, etc) into a particular shape or position, by bending, pruning or the like.” In the Bible, we are likened unto branches. Jesus tells us in John 15 verses 1-8, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” The Father prunes us like branches, training us in His ways. We are trained through this pruning, and bending. He stretches us in ways we will and can not even imagine. Which we really shouldn’t be shocked about, because in Ephesians 3:20 it states, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” The Father knows what is best for us, and just like our physical parents He disciplines us and trains us for the work that He has for us to accomplish. BUT, we need to be trained to follow His ways, before He can and will direct and lead us in our lives. If we do trust in Him and come to the ‘COMMON KNOWLEDGE” of His map and ways, He will in fact lead and direct our path in ways to righteousness. (Proverbs 3:5-6 and Matthew 6:33.)


One good thing to note is that if you were not TRAINED properly, you can TURN your life around. One of the definitions of ‘turn’ is ‘to change or alter the course of’. God does allow U-turns. Turning back to Him is also a great course to follow. There are U-turns in the MAP. See the book of Jonah for more info.


Prayer:
WOW! Praise you Lord for the words from Your Word and Your Spirit. May it be used to Your glory, and to further Your Kingdom. Lord, I thank You for Your ways, which are definitely higher than my ways. I thank you for Your plans for my life, and those whom I love. Help me to help equip the ‘next generation’ of Your children (physical children and spiritual children). Help me to dig into your “Map of Life”, and let Your Word become ‘common knowledge’ in me. Encourage me as I encourage others to choose your path of righteousness. Thank You Lord for all Your many benefits and blessings that You have given and will give to us, most of all being the life of Your precious Son Jesus, and it is in His name that I pray all these things and more. AMEN!


BE BLESSED as you sow GOOD seeds and keep CRYIN’ out to God!