Why Worry?

Worry.  One of the most common strong holds that will keep us knotted up.  One of the quickest  ways to wear out our hearts physically, and one of the very things that Jesus told us not to do in His Sermon on the Mount. Why do we do it? First, Let's read part of His sermon below.

Matthew 6: 25- 34 NIV

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?        

 ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?                           

 ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 
²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 
³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 
³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? 
³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 
³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 
³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In the KJV, verse 28 is even more specific and says the "Lily of the field"  Lilies, like many other flowers, are very beautiful and its life (blooming) span is only about 24 hrs.  Why mention that?  Life is fleeting.  As short of span in time that 24 hrs may be, our time on this earth is just as short, especially to God.  The Bible says that with God, a thousand years is as a day.  So if He spent more time planning our time and purpose on this world, and only spoke the flowers into existence, why would they be so beautiful and taken care of and yet we honestly have a hard time trusting God with the situations that are before us?

We, from a christian stand point as well as just being human, have the habit of believing that God will take care of some things, then completely fall apart when a situation will present itself  in front of us.   All have done this at some level at one time or another. We could let the situation play over and over in our mind, of every scenario imaginable happening, producing more and more anxiety.  This is one of those situations that is not grey.  Friend, the truth is either we trust the Father and take Him at His Word, or we don't.  But hold on. Don't loose hope!!

God already knew this about us.  He did create us after all. That is why He keeps giving us opportunity to LEARN to trust Him.  That's why He said that the faith of a mustard seed is our portion in the beginning, but the matter of our faith growing, is up to us.  

When in one situation in our lives, God works things out for us, we Thank Him. And when the next situation comes along, we should remember that He was there last time,  He will be here with me this time.... The more this happens, our faith will grow each time.  Repetition will tell us that God is always there, and He will work all things out for our good. 

As wonderful as this is, we must remember that it is always up to us, in every situation, to remember that God was always there and know His promises are true, which comes from reading His word....... He will never leave us or forsake us and will comfort us when times of trouble come. 

My friend, He is waiting on you, wherever you are. Trust Him.  Dare to learn to trust Him more than you ever have.  He is our Heavenly Father, and He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us.  Dare to believe in Him, He will never let you down.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for who You are in my life.  I thank You for the one who is reading this now thinking, "I wish that I could trust like this".  I thank You for Your Presence enveloping them, letting them know that You are there with them. You see everything that they are going through, and You alone hold their answers. Give them the courage to trust You like never before.  Show them that Your Word is Life to us, sustaining and thriving.  You are always enough, and always relevant to our situations, everyday. 
Father, remind them again, that they are not alone, and if they can trust you just one more time, they will see you show your Glory in their lives.  They will remember that You ARE God. Your Love for us is unfailing.  I thank You that You will work all things out for our good, and Your glory.  In all of our situations, may You be Glorified in the all the earth.

I ask all of this, in Your Name Believing,  Amen.

Give it another try, He is there waiting on you!
Blessings friends, Have a great day!!!

Psalms 139 Conclusion

Good Morning!

Before we go to Ps. 139, let's read for a moment, Ephesians 6:12 (KJV) :

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We must always know, or search through prayer until we understand, what God means in His Word; not letting it become ammunition used against another person in the situations that we encounter in our own lives. Let me show you what I mean.  Psalms 139:19-22 says this:

¹⁹ O God, if only you would destroy the wicked!
Get out of my life, you murderers!
²⁰ They blaspheme you;
your enemies misuse your name.
²¹ O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you?
Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
²² Yes, I hate them with total hatred,
for your enemies are my enemies

Knowing that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood" means the people around us are not our enemies.  There may be confrontation from time to time; in the work place, people we know, and even people in the church or family.  But we are never to look at them as they are our enemies, or God's, for that matter.  Jesus came that we might ALL be saved.  Though not all will choose salvation, God's desire for that to happen and His provision are in place. Who or what is this enemy referred to?  It is the principalities, powers, or rulers of darkness that are against God.  We tend to shift our focus off of the big picture, and put a person's face to the problem. The war is with the spirit that drives hatred, rage, murder, addictions, pornography,  the sex slave trade arena, a thirst for power, and the list goes on.

There is always a reason why confrontation exists...... and we need to remember that God doesn't cause confrontation but, He will use it like any other road block in our lives, to work out the plan that He has in our life. The last verses of this Psalm, shows us how to pray, as often as needed.

 

Psalms 139: 23-24 (NLT)
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life 



I have prayed this. Actually, I have prayed it many times. And this I know for sure, the word of God will always be what it needs to be in our situation now and not just in our situations past.  The word is alive and present in everything that we go through, everytime.  Mercy, Grace and God's Love doesn't run out on us, it is always there, and it is us who makes the decision to recieve it. If you would, let's walk out this prayer. 

Search me, O God, - I am coming to you about my faults, and not someone elses. 
and know my heart - Inspect my heart, thoughts and intentions.
test me and know my anxious thoughts - Try my thoughts and intentions and see if they are of you. Take my fears and regrets, I can't carry them anymore.  You offered to take this away, if I am willing to give them up.  Here they are Lord, I lay them down and surrender to your ways.
Point out anything in me that offends you - Keep me on the wheel Oh God, show me the things  that are not like you or your ways.  Create in me a clean heart and make me more like you.
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.-  Guide me through this life, that it may end with eternal life with you.  In Jesus Name  Amen.

I pray that through Psalms 139 it shows the reality that our relationship with our  Heavenly Father really is a journey.  And it's a journey that is worth it!  Keep learning to trust in Him. The benefits brings peace and contentment that none can compare!

 Blessings to you, have a great friends!

Psalms 139 Part 3

 

When Psalms 139 was first in my spirit, I thought that I was just going to write about a couple of different sections because the end of the chapter was what I originally had on my mind.  But as I began writing, I heard the Father ask me, " Did I ask you to skip over any of it?" So since the last entry was about asking God about a decision first, I took some time to listen to what He had to say. So let's look at the next set of verses. (insert a smile).
(NLT Version)
¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.

¹⁷ How precious are your thoughts about me,^[b] O God.
They cannot be numbered!
¹⁸ I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
you are still with me!

This section of text, describes the depth of love the Father has for us, and how completely miraculous it is!  If the Father put this much effort and attention to our beginning,  How much more do you think God cares for our future?  It seems to me that my life could not be in better hands.  

On days when it seems like things are not going so well, remember verse 16 were it says:
You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book. 
Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 

So on these days that things are not going so well, remember that God is not surprized or dismayed.  He doesn't sit on His throne in Heaven, running His fingers through His hair thinking: What are they doing?  Just because we find ourselves surprized at some of the things we do or mistakes we make, it doesn't change that God knows, sees and still loves us with an everlasting love; and still has a plan for us.  So I challenge you to do the same thing that we all have to do from time to time.  When we find our selves in any situation in life, no matter what it is, run to the Father. Tell Him what "it" is and ask Him to help you since we know that He is the only one who holds our answers. He is our Refuge.  Trust Him and know that His word is true, and that He will work all things out for our good and His glory. Please pray this with me if you would like.

Dear Heavenly Father:
I praise you this morning for your grace, love and mercy upon my life. "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They can not be numbered." You amaze me everyday, and in your presence I find my only source of strength.  I thank you for taking my mistakes, and turning them into a testimony of your goodness and love.  You amaze me at the unfailing love that you give me each day, and your mercies are new every morning.  Please take my life and form me into the vessel of your love that you have designed for me to be.  I praise you and thank you for every blessing that is in my life, great and small.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Well, I pray that this is a blessing to you today, and I hope that it is okay with you that we still have more of this chapter for go before we finish it.  Put your Hope and Trust in  Abba Father.  He never fails us !

Have a great day Friend!

Psalms 139 Part 2

This prayer above is the essence of what the next segment of verses is saying. What we should be praying. Let's take a look at what chapter 139 says next.

Psalms 139: 7-12
⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

What an opening statement for this entry!!  The author of this Psalm is not only being transparent to God about reconizing who He is, but also that from his life experiences, the psalmist has wanted or even tried to run.  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever had something happen in your life to where you thought that it was better to quit.... maybe it seemed like the right thing to do, or maybe you thought you would just feel better if you ran away, or get away from that situation?  Friend, let me declare first and foremost, that running from a situation is never the answer.  All that happens when we run, is that we will end up in a place where we will deal with the same or similar situation, thus giving us an opportunity to make the correct choice this time around. 

I remember a time when I have made statements like, "I don't ever want to deal with this again!"
Of course, I meant it when I said it, but did I make the decisions or take the appropriate measures needed to insure that I would not go through that again?  For example, more often than we care to admit it, we have this vision in our heads of the perfect person for us; who it is that we want to spend the rest of our lives with.  How often is God at the center of these types of decisions?

In any situation in our lives, there are some things that we are to do, or we can expect a problem.  The Psalmist is saying, "no matter where I go, you are there" And oh how true it is! so with this knowledge, what is the first thing that we should do, in making a decision?  If He is the one that is always there, shouldn't we get His take on the situation?  Since His word is our guideline, when we are reading His word, we should be looking for answers to the issues of life.  He should never be left out of the equation.

God must be in the center of  EVERY decision that is put before us, in all situations.  His Word, The Word of God, must be the guideline of every thought process that we have. The Holy Spirit must be the guide that helps us search out God's will for our lives while we are reading and seeking God's plan for our lives.  I pray with all of my heart and soul that we understand how vital this is.  And it is not hard to do, except that we are used to acting upon a situation according to what we think and feel.  Now that last part doesn't sound bad, but if what we think or feel is not in complete harmony and obedience to what God is saying in His Word, then we make mistakes even when our intensions are good.

I implore you.  Ask your Heavenly Father to guide you by the Holy Spirit to the Word of God which has our answers for every situation.  In prayer time, ask God for Him to reveal what it is that He has for you in this season of your life, and confirm it through His word, and by direction of the Holy Spirit. Please do not run from Him, but run to Him. 

Our Heavenly Father will always see you through every situation in your life. Trust in Him! He is right there with you!

Have a great day Friends !!

Psalms 139 Part 1

Good Morning!
This entry is actually going to be split into three entries.... The book of Psalms in the Bible has so many verses and choruses for every situation that we could ever find ourselves in.  Every type of emotion that we have felt in our lives, have been expressed in the Psalms.  It can be quite amazing to search it all out.  The verses of the song above are taken from the chaper below, and shows the expression of knowlege of the truth; How transparent we should be with God, and how He is with us, when we let Him in the inner most part of our heart.

In this set of entries, lets focus on three sections of Psalms 139. 
It's amazing how well God knows us, and how easily we forget that He does.  Let's take a look at :

Psalm 139:1-6 NLT
¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
³ You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
⁴ You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
⁵ You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

Oh how amazing it is to have a Heavenly Father who does know us so well, that He knows what we think, and what we will say, even before we do. This amazes me in the fact that in all of my flaws, mistakes and even my thoughts, God knows me, loves me and calls me his child despite these imperfections!  And it is the same for us all.  There are no big "I"s or little "u"s in the kingdom of Heaven.  When we except Christ as our Savior, the one who sacrificed Himself for our freedom from a sinful nature and gave us eternal life, we became Heirs with Christ.  I am not sure how you feel about this, but I stay completely amazed that God would love me enough to send Christ to be the sacrifice for all of my imperfections, and give me the opportunity for not only a better life on this earth, but an eternal one as well. 

Let's take a look at verse 5.
"You go before me and follow me.
  You place your hand of blessing on my head".....

When we are going through situations in our lives, we can know that God knows it all, He is before us and behind us [He has us Covered] and He puts His hand of blessing upon us!!!!  Just picture that in your mind for a moment, The Heavenly Father gently laying his hand upon your head, blessing you.... Isn't that amazing!

The Lord has such a love for us, His children, that we can not fully comprehend.  Imagine the greatest expression of love that you can  possibly give and multiply that times infinity!!! It's hard to grasp this concept.  Nevertheless it is truth, so do not spend another day without knowing that you know, that you know, that you know: That God has us taken care of in every situation in our lives.  Nothing gets past him, nothing catches Him off guard.  He is our Father, and He has a plan for your life.  All we have to do is trust Him.

 Keep trusting Him and learn to trust Him more; He loves you, cares for you and has a plan for your life!  In the end of each situation, you will be amazed in what He can do in spite of our mistakes!  I'll meet you here tomorrow for part 2.... Be blessed friends!

What Is Your Altar For?

A Friend on a Social Media site made a comment that has resignated inside of my spirit the more that the day goes on, and I feel compelled to share it and expand on it with his blessing.

He Stated:
The day must return that we reverence and keep it holy and not allow any and everything to parade on the Altar! #placeofSacrifice #soIStudy - David Brinson

There are churches that have altars but they are spiritual "relics" of what used to be in the church (praying, seeking God corporately) and are not used but for decoration or appearance. Then there are churches that do not have physical "altars" up front, but you find the congregation up front seeking the face of God in these times that we are all living in. 
Do not only rely on the altar of the church to be the only place you pray. The Altar of Sacrafice is where we submit our lives daily to the cause of Christ. It's our meeting place with God. And for heaven's sake the Bible tells us do not follow every wind of doctrine. Guard your Altars!!!

The Altar in a church building can not be the only place that we pray.  A few entries back, one is entitled: Never Let Your Fire Go Out.  Ever since that entry, that scripture in Leviticus 6:13 has come
up to me over and over again.  It is astoundingly important because it is a place where God Himself instructed us through the experience of the children of Israel, to never let our fire go out, never let our prayers and praise dry up!  In that time they had to offer up actual sacrifices to God. But Christ came to save us and free us! Now our sacrifices are the prayers that we pray and the praises that we sing! It will renew us, refresh us, and remind us that we are a child of the Most High God! There is no other like Him, and there is no other who will love us more! It is the life line to our strength, our joy, our answers to questions and problems that we face, and will in turn answer us through our communion with Him and the Word that He gave us. The Bible is the only book that is alive! It really does hold our instruction and solution to the life that we live. For all of us! There is no exception.

We are the children of the Heavenly Father.  The Bible says that we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation. (1Peter 2:9) Our passion for a closer relationship with the Father, will keep our focus on Him, and not what others are doing. In another way of saying it, if our focus is on a relationship with the Father, then our experiences in life will be opportunities to grow and experience His goodness in our daily lives.

The Altar in our lives, must be a cherished place where you find our Heavenly Father EVERY time you call on His Name.  The great revelation in this is that He is ALWAYS there.  Seek out His plan for your life, you will never regret it !!!

Blessings Friend.... Have a great day !!