Day 145

Turn to Me

“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn yeeven to me with all your heart, and with fasting,
and with weeping, and with mourning” Joel 2:12.

What a blessing it is when we are able to get away for a fasting time from ministry, housework, errands, and responsibilities of everyday life. On our last get away we didn't move our truck for two days. Now that is my kind of fast!

We walked leisurely enjoying the beauty of the scenery and God's creation with the mountains in the backdrop of the lake. We heard the birds singing, fish jumping, the doves cooing, boat motors humming, the wind whistling, the rumble of the thunder, and the sound of rain on the roof. These are things we often don't take the time to observe or take in on a daily basis so to pull apart is a sort of fast from the pace of the world. It is a time we can hear from God which is what a fast is all about anyway.

Most of us don't take the time to stop and take in the simple pleasures of a leisure life. We always have an agenda, a meeting to attend, an event to get to, a task to do, a TV program to watch, or an email that needs to be responded to.

I remember going to Africa in the same fast mode of speed I normally do at home. As we traveled from village to village I was on full speed and the nationals we were with kept saying, “Slowly, Slowly”. You think we might be better off to learn the lesson of taking the time to go slowly, to take the time to really see and hear the voice of God through His creation, a whispered word, or by taking the time to read His Word.

Maybe you need to fast from some of your activities and take the time for a special retreat to meet with the Lord. You can do that on your back porch, but if you are like me it helps to get away. If we stay at home we are often distracted with all around us that needs to be done. First thing you know we are caught up in a chore or a hobby and before you know it the day is gone. Take a look at your calendar and make plans to spend a day with God alone. Remarkable things happen when you do.

Day 144

Pile Your Troubles on God

“Pile your troubles on God's shoulders....He'll carry your load, He'll help you out” Psalm 55:22. (The Message).

Our office is a distance from the parking lot so each day I carry a load on my shoulders. Between the computer, the books I carry back and forth, lunch for the day, and supplies for the office it can have me dragging by the time I get to the door.

I have been looking for a rolling bag I could use to help carry the burden, but had not found one that would fold up sufficiently to go into my car. The bags I found were either too small to carry my load or too large to store in my trunk. Then other days the load seems a little lighter and I can carry it without trouble. Isn't that the way life is, some days our burdens feel too heavy to carry and sometimes it feels like the weight of the world.

My friends knew I was searching for a rolling bag and began helping me look. Eventually they found one and brought it to me the other week. It is so much easier to put my items in the bag and roll it to the office. My shoulders feel such relief and I am so grateful to have help with the load.

He tells us in our key passage to pile our troubles on His shoulders. Do you know what a relief it is to have someone come up and offer to help carry our burden? It feels like a weight has been lifted when we can hand some of our load over to them. So why do we find it so difficult to roll our troubles over on God, the One person who can help us more than anyone? In another passage in 1 Peter 5: 7 He tells us to cast all our anxieties and worries, all our concerns on Him, for He cares for you, to paraphrase.

We feel the relief in the physical realm, but isn't it a relief to be able to share your burden with someone else and have them carry it in prayer or walk beside us through our difficult time with a listening ear? God is available to do that twenty-four seven but we often choose to continue to carry the load ourselves. Won't you take His advice today and cast all that concerns you on Him? I promise if you do the load will be a lot lighter to carry.

Day 143

Do The Things I Don't Want To Do

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” Romans 7:15-17.

I use to read this passage to our son and he would say, “That's it, that's how I feel. I don't want to do the things I do, but then I find myself doing just that”. The life of addiction always seems to be a constant struggle. God says He has made a way out of any temptation so why do we find ourselves doing the things we don't want to do? Why does the addict continue to go back to the drug in spite of warnings, attempts at rehab, the effects of their actions on their families, or the threat of loss of some sort in their lives?

I have a book on my shelf entitled, “Why Don't They Just Quit”? Is that not the question we have asked many times as parents of an addict or have had it asked of us? I use to put our granddaughter's picture up before our son in hopes of keeping him from using drugs, for their sake, but it was never enough. I had an alcoholic tell me one day he would literally pick his daughter up and set her out of his way in order to open the cabinet or refrigerator for the next drink.

Today I am grieved once again as I watch an addict leave rehab stating she just wants to go use. We hug her and try to encourage her not to go that route. I am haunted by the vision of this young lady as I looked into my rear view mirror. She has made the choice to fight against the rules one too many times, doing those things she didn't want to do maybe; what she hates doing maybe; but what she finds herself doing. I drove away wishing I could help her, knowing she is not ready, knowing I can't fix it, but vowing to pray for her.

One statement in the book I mentioned is this: “Addiction is never satisfied. After it has destroyed health, devastated families, ended careers, and put children in foster homes, it still wants more”. No one is immune to the devastating effects of drugs, not the rich nor poor, not the Christian nor the non-Christian, not the young or old, not the mother or father, nor the business man or woman,

Won't you join me in praying for this young lady today and those like her who are blinded by the enemy in a world of addictions. I know this girls image will be in my mind for a very long time. Lord, help those in the darkness to see a great light. I pray you will draw her to yourself. Let her recall the positive things she learned while in rehab and cause her to turn from the destructive path she is walking to return to You. Oh Lord, I do pray she has made the decision to invite You into her heart. Protect her on those streets tonight Lord. Oh Lord, hear our cry on her behalf and all addicted to substance. Break the strongholds that bind them. Amen

Day 142

Obey God Immediately

“Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you” Jeremiah 7:23.

As I got to meet and talk to a young lady yesterday she said God had called her to a ministry to help the homeless but she was scared, she kept doubting. She didn't know where the supplies would come from to give out, nor how she would obtain the gas to go. She kept expressing her fear to take the next step in obedience. I reminded her that fear does not come from the Lord; she said, “I know”. We often know but our response does not show we believe. I remember reading somewhere that when God calls you it will probably be something only He could do, not something that you can accomplish on your own.

As we shared I told her if she truly believed that God was calling the only thing to do was to obey immediately. Sometimes we have to step our foot into the water in order to see it part right? The call requires action. We either act by obeying or we say no as we keep seeking or praying over something we know He has already told us to do.

I have seen people say that God has called them to a ministry but end up having more excuses why they can't obey. Could this be a form of rebellion? It is certainly disobedience. How long will God continue to call if we continue to say, “Not yet Lord, let me go tend to my sick one's, or bury the dead or raise my family, or maybe when I retire”. Isn't that often what happens? We want to live our life our way, on our time table, and when we do that we are in direct disobedience to Him.

We need to take His call seriously. He doesn't contend with us forever. If we don't obey there may be a time He stops calling. I for one do not want that to be my plight. I want to always be obedient immediately when He calls me to a task. How about you, will that be your choice the next time He calls you? Make the decision right now to say yes immediately.

I remember the chorous to a hymn entitled, Trust and Obey: “Trust and Obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”. Obedience brings with it joy and pleasure. Obedience also may mean laying aside your agenda, your leisure, maybe even family time in order to fulfill His purposes. As you are obedient in little He will trust you with more and more. There is nothing like living in His perfect will for your life. Nothing!

Day 141

Restoration After the Locust

“I'll make up for the years of the locust, the great locust devastation----locusts savage, locusts deadly, fierce locusts, locusts of doom, that great locust invasion I sent your way. You'll eat your fill of good food. You'll be full of praises to your God. The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder” Joel 2:25-26. (The Message).

Do you feel as if you have been stripped sometimes when you have gone through a hard struggle in life? Have you ever seen plants stripped by locust? Nothing is left. Not the leaves, not the fruit or vegetable, nothing but the stem is left. That is the way we often feel after our stripping process.

For years our family felt like that stem---stripped by our son's drug addiction, stripped of family members in tragic ways, stripped of jobs, stripped of self-reliance, pride, and so much more. Such great devastation caused great wailing in the passage in Joel and we often find ourselves in the same position, wailing for our children or things we feel we can't live without.

As I reread this passage I realized that God said He had brought the locusts to do the stripping. They had slowly but surely accomplished the work needed. Even now when something needs to be stripped from our thoughts, our attitudes, or our words He allows the locust to come and do their job. He allows the stripping to hopefully bring us to a time of repentance and restoration.

Praise God along with the stripping He gives us a promise that one day we will eat our fill again. We will sing praises to Him for the journey, for loving us enough not to leave us like we were. The Lord comes to strip us over and over to take away those things we put in place of Him, things yes, but maybe even a relationship we have made our priority over Him.

We may not understand what He is doing during the stripping process, but as we cooperate with Him in it we can look back and be grateful knowing that all things work together for good to those who are His own. We should always thank Him for loving us so much that He strips us of those things that keep us from being the best we can be. 

Day 131

Iron Sharpens Iron

“As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend” Proverbs 27:17.

God has blessed me with good friends in my life time. Some come and go, some stick through thick and thin, some are gone a while but when we meet we start right back up like we have never been a part. Some are more like the sister I never had and we can share our hearts, laugh and cry together accepting each other as we are. There will be up's and down's, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings but no matter what we remain close friends.

Thankfully God has blessed me with friends who love me unconditionally, who can hold me accountable with love, correct me when I am off base, affirm me when appropriate, and who pray for me often. I know you know what I mean by the importance of good friends. When I was going through such difficult times in our family I could always depend upon those friends to intercede on our behalf. Never did I doubt the power of their prayers which I knew got me through the long nights.

In my Bible I have a card a friend gave me in 2003 as I prepared to go on an overseas mission trip. It is a promise to pray for me. Her words were: “I will be faithfully praying for you”. It is such a blessing to know someone is praying as you go. Those prayers give protection, guidance, direction, and wisdom beyond your human capabilities. I am so grateful to have had those faithful prayer partners over the years. I know God has heard each one and He has heard mine for them. We definitely sharpen each other.

Do you have friends who pray for you as you face a difficult situation or make a decision? Do you have friends who hold you accountable not just telling you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear? Are you like iron that God uses to sharpen your friends to be all they can be in Christ? And do you allow them to sharpen you?

On Wings is also blessed to have prayer partners who are committed to pray for our families and the ministry needs. We are praying each and every day for God to bring the prodigals home. We also lift up the family members who are hurting and troubled over their loved one. Our prayer room is available to all our families who want to come for times of prayer. God uses us all to sharpen each other and we are gratefultthat we feel more like family as we grow closer through our prayer time and Bible Study together. 

Day 130

Dry Bones Praying

“Again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD GOD to these bones. Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and your shall live” Ezekiel 37: 4-5.

It was my privilege to attend a seminar years ago led by Sylvia Gunter. I had long bought and read every prayer book she had available as they led you to pray scripture for every subject you could imagine. One day I was thumbing through one of her books and came to the Dry Bones Praying page. It is based on Ezekiel 37 and Sylvia had written it to be prayed for the Prodigal. I have prayed it and given it to other mother's to pray for their children who needed to be reached.

I remember finding a bone while at the seminar on the property and I brought it home and wrote Dry Bones on it as a spiritual marker to remind me to pray the prayer for my prodigal and others. When we moved our office next to God's Acre we chose to set up our prayer room in the room facing God's Acre and were amazed that God had placed us right beside the dry bones, some of which will rise to meet Him in the air one day.

Why don't you open your Bible to Ezekiel 37 right now and pray verses 1-14 for your prodigal and/or other prodigals you know. A prodigal is anyone who has walked away from God's plan and purpose in their lives. Do you know anyone like that? Will you intercede on their behalf, crying out to God to breath life back into them and free them to be His servants.

I want to share with you what Sylvia has written at the end of the prayer” “You may be standing in a desperate situation in the battle of a lifetime. You may feel that your are in the darkest storm of your life. You may be the parent of an out-of-control child, and it seems that everything in your world is out of your control. Good news! It is! But God is still in control. El Roi, the God who sees, knows it all and has a plan that He is working out. God will change your prodigal inside out, not just clean up his act. Take strength and comfort from these prayers. Re-center yourself in God's purposes and promises, and take up new prayer weapons to fight the real enemy, not the person”. Taken from Living in His Presence by Sylvia Gunter.

If you would like a copy of the Dry Bones Prayer please let me know and we can either email or mail to you. You can email me atsandra@onwingslikeadove.com.

Day 129

A Time to Fast

“And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” Mark 9:29.

A fast usually means to abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink. It means self-denial. When the Dr. tells us to fast we always dread the thoughts don't we? We are use to picking up a drink or snack anytime we like. Food companies have made it easy to slip a snack pack in our purse so we have easy access to it any time. We are not use to doing without, so it is hard to wrap our minds around the need to fast for spiritual reasons.

Fasting can actually benefit us physically as we cleanse our systems of all intake and remove the buildup of toxins to be removed. Spiritual fasting can have the same cleansing effect as we allow His Word to purge us of sin such as: wrong attitudes, pride, a critical spirit, a lying tongue, gossip, jealousy, as well as many others. Repent and confess anything God shows you is between you and Him. Restore that relationship so that you can then pray on behalf of others.

Maybe God is calling you aside to a time of fasting today. Maybe you need a break through in a decision you need to make or to get a new sense of direction. His Word sayswhen you fast, not if you do. Allow Him to show you what you need to fast from. Choose something that you may have made a priority in your life. It should be something that cost you, something that is a true sacrifice to you. It can also be things other than food such as, TV, the internet, sports, your reading materials, relationships, or it can be setting aside a specific time to be alone with the Lord by pulling away from the demands of everyday life and responsibilities.

As we look at the whole context of our passage we see it is dealing with the healing of a boy with evil spirits. In verse 29 Jesus told the disciples that, “this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting”. Let's make the choice to fast and pray for our prodigal's, for our nation, for a lost family member or friend, or for the person on the street without Christ. As you fast spend that time on your knees on behalf of these needs with God's Word as your guide as you talk with your Abba Father. Let's be found standing in the gap on behalf of those who can't. Fasting and prayer can break the yoke of bondage and bring about a release of God's presence, power, and provision.

Day 128

The Lost Diamond

“Either what woman having ten pices of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, an sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?” Luke 15:8

I immediately thought of the woman who lost her coin and sought for it diligently as I looked down and discovered that my diamond had come out of it's setting....it was lost! One of the prongs had broken off and snagged my shirt getting my attention. After forty-five years of marriage I found myself without the diamond that had been part of me so many years. It's not just the thought of the lost diamond, it is the sentiment behind it.

I thought of the woman as she probably frantically searched everywhere looking for her lost coin. She was not a rich woman and the coin might have meant food or rent for her at that time. I looked all over the car we were in and came home and swept up the garage floor and went everywhere I had been during the day searching for it. It would truly be a miracle if I found it because I had been many places throughout the day. It is not impossible, but improbable that I will ever find it. It is a sad thing, but not life altering.

Can you just imagine how I would rejoice if I did find the diamond? It would be a true blessing. I would probably call my friends and family to share the news. But can you imagine what it is like when someone especially wicked comes to know Jesus for the first time? What a time of rejoicing that should be. The passage says even the angels are filled with joy and praise. Now that is life altering!

We so often pray to find our lost money or piece of jewelry but do we pray diligently over a lost family member or friend.? Then when they return do we call everyone for a time of celebration and rejoicing that the lost one has come home. The father not only rejoiced in the return of his son but he killed the fatted calf and called his neighbors in to celebrate for this one who was lost had been found.

Let us find ourselves expending as much effort searching for lost souls as we do other things we might have lost that have no eternal value. Now that should be what upsets us, that others will die without Jesus. Examine your heart, call to mind at least one person who needs Jesus and pray for them until they find their way home to the Father.

Day 127

Prayer Works

“Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;” Psalm 88:2.

For seven years the Lord allowed me to facilitate a Bible Study for friends and co-workers. Back in the day, when it wasn't taboo, we met in the Board Room at the hospital after work to study God's Word together with a plethora of teachers. After seven years the Lord impressed on me to pull aside to begin ministry in a new direction.

Recently I was invited back to share at the end of this group's Experiencing God Study about the God encounters I have had along the way. It is always a blessing to be remembered by those with whom you spent so much time over the years. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing and getting to meet new people.

As our group was breaking up to go home a young lady came bounding in the room to greet me. As I realized who she was I was thrilled to see her. Three to Four years earlier I had come to that very church with she and her mother to check out the Celebrate Recovery Group that met there each week. At that time she had to be dragged there, but now she was coming on her own. God had arranged for us to meet that night as she heard my voice as she passed our room. No coincidence!

It was such a pleasure to see her in such a good frame of mind and so motivated to attend the sessions on her own. There was joy in her heart and a bounce in her step that so encouraged us all. Praise God she has found freedom from the chains of addiction that once had her bound. It was such a demonstration of transformation and answered prayers of so many people over the years.

She also shared that On Wings Like a Dove had ministered to a friend of her's who had been in prison and received our newsletters and corresponded with one of our pen-pal's. She shared how the correspondence had totally changed his life for good. What an encouragement God gave me that night both in seeing the young lady we had prayed so long for and in hearing the change in her friend because of the ministry God has called us to. God certainly gave evidence that night that He had inclined His ear to our cry for her deliverance. What a blessed night

Day 126

Happy Mother's Day

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” Exodus 20:12.

Mothers Day is meant to be a special day of appreciation and a demonstration of love as Anna Jarvis believed as she campained to have it recognized as a national holiday. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared that Mother's Day be celebrated on the second Sunday in May. It is said to be the most celebrated day of the year.

The celebration should be acknowledged daily for the sacrifice of our Mother's, but we are often too busy with life to thank our life giver. Thankfully we have the opportunity to make it a very special day of recognition. It seems to become more important as we see the closeness of losing that opportunity as the years take their toil.

Many have lost their Mother's or Mother's their children, and the day is a reminder of that loss each year as it comes around. Many people do not have the fellowship with their Mother's in the way it was ordained to be for one reason or another. Maybe there needs to be forgiveness granted for perceived wrongs.

Some Mothers are missing a child at their dinner table and the void is real. I remember it being so difficult to watch other Mother's with their children eating out or shopping as they laughed and shared the time together when our son was absent. It's hard not to envy that in your time of loss.

Today let's honor all Mother's by praying a blessing on those who feel their lost most astutely this year. Pray that God will pour a full measure of comfort over them today. Pray He will show them favor in some way through someone He sends their way to speak a kind word or do an act of service for them that will bless them. May they know they are not forgotten even though they often feel they are. Pray that they may hear from that long lost child today from whom they have been estranged. Help them know they are loved Lord. Be ever near and dear to each Mother today and catch her tears in Your bottle, wash her with HOPE for the future. Even if she has had to say goodbye for now help her to know they will be reunited for eternity one day in the heavens. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Day 125

The Lord Looks on the Heart

 “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7.

Several owners in our community have given their places of business a new face lift. Some totally tore down the building and started from scratch and some redid their place on the inside and outside. Some only updated on the outside to promote the curb appeal which often draws people inside but then can be a turn off when they enter the doors.

Then some buildings that had been there for many years were demolished to make way for the new more modern facilities. One bank has been torn down to make way for one of my favorite doughnut place of business. But then there are abandoned buildings, one which had a fire years ago and stands in the middle of our community like an eyesore.

Some times more time is spent working on the exterior that the inside because it seems that is what attracts people. We often spend more time on our bodies than we do on the inner man and the closer someone comes the better they can sense what is going on as they observe our words and actions. We judge by the outside appearance rather than what's on the inside, until we enter the inside of a building or a relationship with a person. Sometimes the appearance is decieving. Once we get to know the person we may find out their heart is not kind or loving even though their appearance first attracted us.

Then the opposite is often true as we realize that the person on the inside is so much more that what the exterior may show. They are beautiful on the inside and we somehow don't see the external in the same light anymore. We find we like going there where we can feel comfortable and loved unconditionally.

I remember as a child going to my friend's home where everything was not in place like mine, yet I felt so at home and accepted when I went there. It was an attractive place to me where I felt unconditionally loved and accepted. That's how God wants us to feel in His house, accepted just as we are. We don't need to put on any airs , dress a certain way or look a certain way. He wants us to come in then He begins to clean us up from the inside out.

Sometimes we feel as if we need to look different on the outside or maybe even be totally revamped or rebuilt before we can enter His house but that is not what He says. He says He doesn't look on the outward appearance but on the heart. Praise Him today for continuing the daily process of beautification as He makes us more like His Son. Oh Lord we want to remade on the inside.

Day 124

He Will Carry Your Load

“Pile your troubles on God's shoulders, He'll carry your load, He'll help you out” Psalm 55:22 Message.

Our office is a distance from the parking lot so each day I carry a load on my shoulders with my computer and books weighing me down. Some days the load is light but most days I find myself with such a heavy load that I can't wait to sit it down by the time I get to the office door. I have been looking for a rolling cart that would be both large enough for all the books and stuff, but small enough to fit in my trunk.

My friends were helping with my search because they were concerned about the load I was carrying each day. We have a fold up wagon at the office that is helpful when I need to go back for more items but it is not suitable to fold up in the car all the time. So today my friends surprised me with a rolling bag. It was so much easier as I made my way back to my car today.

We sometimes feel the heavey burdens we try to carry through life are either too small to worry God with or so large we somehow need to help Him out. Most often we just take the burden on our shoulders and forget that God is willing to help us carry our load.

He tells us in our passage to pile our troubles on His shoulders. Do you know what a relief it is when someone comes up and offers to help carry your load? It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted when we decide to lay our burden down. This is such a promise that God with uphold the believer in the struggles of life. Aren't we glad to call Him our burden bearer? But we tend to pick the load up again.

We can feel the relief in the physical realm when we lay down our load, but isn't it a relief to share your burden with someone else and have them help carry it in prayer or by walking beside you through it. We are also instructed to help carry the burdens of our brothers and sisters. Whose burden can you lift today just because you chose to listen or offered to pray? Give God your heavy load and watch to see how He will work it out for good.

Day 123

he Storms of Life

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:37-41.

A few years ago at our Fall Retreat we were treated to a boat ride after dinner. The wind was blowing pretty fiercely and it was cool but we decided to go out anyway. By the time we got back it was so windy there were white caps on the lake. I hollered to the back for someone to wake up Jesus so we could make it safely to shore. We were all bundled up in jackets and blankets to keep warm. I think we were all happy to back at the dock by the time the ride was over.

The wind blew and howled all night to the point we got up a couple of times just to look out to make sure there was not a tornado coming. It was a tad unerving.

I began to think of the disciples in the boat during the storm with Jesus sound asleep in the bow of the boat. The storm was raging and they were frightened that they might lose their lives thinking Jesus didn't care. The winds starting sweeping through the narrow surrounding gorge of the Sea of Galilee where violent storms are said to come up all of a sudden just like the storms of life.

The winds were such a reminder of the Holy Spirit as it blew in and surrounded us with His love and mercy. We read the story in Mark 4:35-41. God was reminding us that He was in the storms with us no matter how fiercely it blew. It may sometimes appear like He is asleep when the hurricane force winds blow in on us, but He knows our struggles and often reminds us of His presence. He promises to never leave us, nor forsake us.

All He has to do is speak peace be still and the winds obey His voice. We will often face storms in our lives but will you choose to keep your focus on your Captain? When the waters seem to be crashing in threatening to sink you go to Him in prayer asking for wisdom and to His Word which will be an anchor to your soul.

Day 122

God Provides

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” Hebrews 11:6.

Years ago God began to teach me that when He called me to a task He would provide the means, the words, and the strength to accomplish it. It was at my first call to Kenya that this truth began to take form for me. There was such a strong pull to go but I had never left my family, didn't have the funds, and wasn't sure I could get off work for the eighteen days we would have to be gone.

I remember holding tightly to the pew in front of me until I felt my heart ready to jump out of my chest. I finally said, “Okay Lord, I will go down and get the details about the trip, but I don't see how I can possibly go”.

After discussing it with my husband we decided that I would answer God's call to me. I thought I would help God out by finding a weekend job (on top of my full-time position), but quickly discovered I could not keep up that pace. I remember saying, “Lord, I can't do this”. In my spirit He clearly said, “I didn't ask you to”. I quit the second job immediately and watched as He brought all the money needed from one source, then another.

His lessons were all in preparation to teach dependence on Him for the ministry He would call me to. It takes faith to believe God for each months supply for ministry expenses and outreach opportunities, but for eight years we have had our needs met every single time.

We find that each new assignment requires a new level of faith. Sometimes we have to step out into the water before God will part them. He is waiting on our obedience which often requires major adjustments in our lives. Sometimes it requires leaving your family to go clear across the country to share His love with those who have never heard. Sometimes it means ministering day by day denying yourself to do His will. Sometimes it means changing directions from a lucrative career to a remote area where they have never heard the gospel. Wherever it is or whatever it is, be assured He will provide all you need to complete the task He has called you to. Do you need to step out in faith today where He is calling you?

Day 120

Prayer of Renewal

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will keep My judgments and do them” Ezekiel 36: 26-27.

For years I have prayed Ezekiel 36 for our son. The passage is a Prayer of Renewal for Israel, but I prayed it would become a time of renewal in our son's life. I prayed that his stony heart which was self-willed would become a heart that was responsive to the Word of God. I longed to see him do God's will and live by His commandments. I always prayed that God would revive the Word that had been planted in his heart as a young boy and we would see him walk in God's statues.

Reading on down the passage in verse 31 it says, “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations”. Each time our son found himself in trouble or in jail I prayed he would remember his ways that were not good and would loathe himself, thus driving him to confess, repent and turn to God.

Then I would pray on down the passage that he would be cleansed from his iniquities and the ruins would be rebuilt. I longed to see and hear others say that his life was no longer desolate but had become like the garden of Eden. I the Lord have rebuilt the ruined places verse 36 states. Then came the promise: “I, the LORD, have spoken it and I will do it”. I always believed that and held tight to the promise that I would see the desolate land restored.

I longed to see God put His Spirit within our son as his teacher, and his guide. If you have never prayed this prayer for your prodigal why not do that There is no better way to pray than by praying through the scripture. Apply this passage to your loved one and take the promises there for your own circumstance. Start at verse 16 and pray to the end believing that God is capable of turning your prodigals life into a Garden of Eden.

The answer to this prayer did not come overnight by any means, but gradually we have been privileged to see fruit from this prayer. Our son is now asking for scriptures each day and slowly the ruins are being rebuilt. We feel blessed to be seeing what we have so longed for over the years, a turning back from the enemies camp.

Day 119

Avoid The Buildup of Sin

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” Ephesians 4:31.

Every time I opened our freezer to get something out I was confronted with the ice laden shelves. I knew that it needed to be defrosted but I kept putting it off. I had many excuses; no time to do it, it would be a messy process, and it would take some chiseling as thick as the build up was. Now if I had started the clean up process when I first saw it begin it would have been easier. But no, I let it build up over time making the job harder and a much longer process.

Yesterday I decided it was time to get it done. I unplugged the freezer and let it melt down but in order that it not take two days I decided to get the hammer out to break up the thick pieces. You heard me right, a hammer.

I thought about what would happen if we allowed the build up of sin in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we allow many things such as, offenses, pride, and hurts to build up in our hearts. Then comes the explosion, the harmful words, or the bad attitudes. But if we take care of it in the beginning by going to God's Word for instruction and healing on a daily basis we can avoid the build up and therefore God's hammer!

Daily repentance and worship will help keep our spirit connected to His Spirit so that we will hopefully exhibit His love to others. Maybe you have a buildup of bitterness, anger, unforgiveness in your heart. Maybe you need to let His Word chisel it out. Confess your sin before Him today as an act of putting it away from you. Then stay connected to His power making confession a daily habit in order to avoid the buildup.  

Day 118

Repentance

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” Luke 5:32.

Repentance means to turn around or to turn back to God. It means you change your mind and make a 180 degree turn to go in the opposite direction. We understand that when it comes to salvation sometimes. We repent of our sins and He cleanses us and sets us free. But it doesn't stop there, repentance should be a daily thing because we sin daily.

You might think, oh well I don't sin but if you do a self examination you will discover you do. We tend to think of sin as the “Big” ones, like murder, or robbery, or sexual misconduct. We don't consider gossip, pride in our self, our stuff, or lying, a critical spirit, or not reading God's Word as a sin but they are just a few in a long list of sins we commit daily.

David's repentance was obvious and to the point in his prayer shared in Psalm 51. He said, “Against You and You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight”. He asked to be restored to his salvation, to be in right standing with God. God is willing to forgive confessed sins just like He did with David who was a man after God's own heart. David had consequences for His actions, but his confession made him white as snow again. Aren't you glad we have that same capability, confess and be restored.

You might need to get on your knees before Him right now and confess any known or unknown sins that stand between you and your fellowship with God. You do not want to stand before the Saviour one day and be ashamed. We must be found holy as He is holy. Choose to return to Him with your whole heart, repentance is free and so liberating. If you have never confessed your sins and invited Him into your life do that right now. Or maybe you have Him in your heart but you know there is something in your life that needs to be dealt with before you experience true freedom.