God is Bigger

God is Bigger

 

 

As the Nation of Israel was preparing to enter and conquer the Promised Land, God used Moses to remind them of what they had been through, prepare them for what was to come, and to impress on their hearts and souls that nothing in their past, present or future was left to chance. God is always in control!!!

• Deuteronomy 4:9 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,
• To honor God, and so that you won’t forget, intentionally recount and remind yourself of the wonderful things God has done for you throughout your life; and then encourage others by telling them about it.

• Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
• To reveal what is really in your heart, God puts you in situations to humble and test you; not so He can find out the results (He already knows), but so that you can discover who you really are.
 
• Deuteronomy 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
• Through the blessings and trials of life, it’s not the temporary things that really matter; but God’s Will and His Word that rule over our earthly and eternal existence!

• Deuteronomy 8:16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end
• Even as we face the consequences of our sin, God is merciful; He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are set apart for His Glory!

 

 

Not only is our God always in control, but He is always guiding things according to His plan. And His plan is always for our benefit (whether it feels like it or not).

• Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

 

Lean on God. Be honest with Him about your frustrations, hurts, doubts, worries and confusion. He understands our weakness, but desires us to trust in His sovereignty. Whatever your situation, God is bigger!

 

 

Prayer

 

 

Father, so many of Your children are hurting over circumstances they don’t understand and can’t control. I pray that Your Spirit will give them peace and comfort. I pray that you will help them relinquish control and trust You for the perfect outcome. Even if things don’t turn out how they hoped and prayed, may they see Your Hand at work. You are faithful and true. I love You, praise You, and pray to You in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

  

Escape

Escape

Internet, television, radio, movies, books, magazines, advertising, the way people dress, the things people talk about, email, texting, social media…; the world bombards Christians with temptation. Now don’t get me wrong, everything listed here can be used to glorify God. But honestly, sometimes it feels like I am drowning in a sea of temptation.

 

But no matter how high the waves get, regardless of how many sharks are circling, even when you feel like you can’t tread water any longer, God has promised a way to escape every temptation we face!

• 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
• Verse 12 is a strong warning; don’t stand in pride and let down your guard. If you do, you are inviting disaster (1 Peter 5:6-7).
• God allows temptation in our lives to help us grow. But He will never allow us to be tempted with something He has not equipped us to resist (Psalm 66:10, 1 Peter 1:6-7).

 

In Chapter 2 of Second Peter, while warning us about false teachers, the Apostle Peter also comforts us by providing examples of how God delivers the righteous before administering judgment upon the wicked.

• 2 Peter 2:7-9 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
• Lot was tormented daily by the filthy conduct of those around him. Yet God faithfully delivered him from the midst of these trials and temptations before destroying the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-25).
• But as we learn from the example of Lot’s wife, when God has delivered you from temptation, be obedient to his instructions/commands or there may be dire consequences (Genesis 19:26).

 

So how do we experience the victory over temptation God has promised?

• Psalm 34:17-19 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
• Regardless of the troubles and temptations we face, cry out to God in repentance, be broken over the sin in our lives, and live in total dependence on Him and His strength (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

 

A way of Escape is promised. God is Faithful. Stand in His strength lest you fall in your weakness!

• James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

 

Prayer

Faithful Father, Loving Lord, You have promised to deliver us from temptation when we call upon You and live in dependence on Your strength. May Your spirit guide us to submission and obedience to Your Word and the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Victory is ours in Christ, and it is in His name I pray, Amen.

His Mercy and Faithfulness

His Mercy and Faithfulness

Christians often define mercy as ‘not getting what you deserve’. This is a simplistic but effective way of describing the times when God reduces or eliminates the consequences of our sinful actions. In the context of all of scripture, this can be applied to our eternal life - salvation (1 Peter 1:3-4) and our finite lives this side of eternity – God’s compassion (Psalm 123).

In a very personal way, I think of mercy as what your spirit cries out for when you don’t want to face the penalty for offending God. Thankfully, God is merciful! He doesn’t try to be merciful; it is part of His very nature. He is perfect and always bestows His mercy righteously.

The LORD's Mercy

• Sustains My Life
• Lamentations 3:22-23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
• Saved My Soul
• Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 
• Satisfies My Needs
• Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When I take His Mercy in my life for granted, I notice that complaining, anger, resentment, rebellion, disrespect, covetousness, selfishness, being judgmental and pride start to creep into my attitudes, thoughts and words.

Forgive me my LORD! Forgive me my family! Forgive me my brothers and sisters in Christ. Forgive me whoever I have wronged!


God is faithful to His character. Praise God for His Mercy and Faithfulness.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Search for ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ is you are not familiar with this hymn.

Prayer

Merciful Father, loving Savior, life without Your mercy would be intolerable. Eternity without Your mercy is Hell! I thank You and praise You for Your abundant mercy. May Your mercy sustain those suffering and save those bound for Hell. You do all things well. I trust You and am in awe of Your Holiness. I pray in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I Call Him Father

I Call Him Father

Each of us has an earthly father. Yet no matter how good, bad or nonexistent our relationship may be with him, as Christians, we also have a Heavenly Father. Have you ever prayed and searched the scriptures to gain a deeper appreciation of how God is a Father to His children?

Our love for Christ/God/Our Father (Isaiah 9:6) is so important, He said that our feelings for our earthly father (and others) should be like hate compared to our love for Him.

• Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

 

Seeing God as Our Father

• Old Testament
• Deuteronomy 32:6 Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you?
• Isaiah 63:16 Doubtless You are our Father, Though Abraham was ignorant of us, And Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Lord, are our Father; Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.
• In the Old Testament God was viewed more as the Father of the Nation of Israel.
• New Testament
• Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
• Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
• In the New Testament God is viewed as a loving Father to every Christian. We are so close to Him that the Holy Spirit prompts us to call Him ‘Daddy’!

 

A Few of God’s Fatherly Attributes

• God Gives Life – God is the creator of all life. He lovingly created each of us. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-14, Colossians 3:10)
• God Provides – We may not get everything we want, but God provides all that we need. (Psalm 23:1, Matthew 7:11, Philippians 4:19)
• God Protects – Although we are not promised an easy life (to the contrary, we are promised suffering for Christ’s sake), God not only protects us, he also gives us the armor we need to stand for Him and the weapon we need for spiritual warfare, His Holy Word. (Psalm 3:3, Psalm 28:7, Ephesians 6:10-11)
• God Listens – Sin impacts our relationship with God and can become a barrier to our communication with God (Psalm 66:18, Proverbs 28:9). But when we approach Him honestly, humbly and in repentance, He will hear us. (Psalm 5:1-3, Daniel 9:19, Hebrews 4:16)
• God Disciplines – As a father disciplines his children to correct and teach them, God perfectly disciplines His children as part of transforming them into the image of Jesus Christ. (Proverbs 3:12, Hebrews 12:9-10, Revelation 3:19)

I have given you just a few verses and thoughts related to why I Call Him Father. Take some time this week for reflection, prayer and Bible study and then list some additional reasons and scriptures elaborating on why God is your Father. And remember, God is the perfect Father; He doesn’t make mistakes. All He does and allows is for your benefit!


Prayer

Dear Lord, what an awesome privilege to call you Father. Although my understanding of Your perfect love for me is limited, I thank You for all You do to care for me and sustain our relationship. I pray You will use Your Word to touch other’s hearts with the amazing truth about Your Fatherly role and responsibilities in their lives. Thanks in advance. I praise You and love You. In Christ’s name, Amen.