CHOOSE

Each day we must choose to follow Jesus. We must decided to serve Him and surrender our will to Him.
- Do this first thing each morning
- Make a choice to obey God
- Surrender your power of choice to God
- Believe that he will give you the power to obey His will.

Stop making excuses and rationalizing. Walking in the flesh is not pleasing to God. Not to choose is to choose to be under the power of darkness.

Choose this day whom ye will serve. Joshua 24:15

SURRENDER

The only way to a better and happier existence is the way of the cross. Dying to self, living to God.

In reality we lose nothing but gain everything when we surrender our way to God’s way.

The only way to get control of our lives is to start surrendering more fully to the Lord. As we surrender to Jesus control, He gives us strength to be in control.

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25

VICTORY

God can give us immediate victory over sin if we want it with all our heart and are willing to surrender to Him, and seek His strength to overcome it.

Choose to believe that in temptation God will keep his promise to you and make a way of escape.

Remember that you have chosen to serve Christ, to surrender to His will. Remember therefore that whatever the temptation, it is not a option for you. Seek God’s help to remain surrendered and steadfast.

But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become sons of God, even to them that believe his name. John 1:12

REVIVAL

Revival is not something that I have to wait for, it can start in my heart today.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;  with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

Your love puts a song in my heart.  Love grows with expression. Sing much.

Firmly fixed, immovable, unchanging love that never lets go, never gives up.  Unimaginable love.

You keep calling us and drawing us, patiently waiting for us.

Always inviting us to come away with you. 

I have loved you with and everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3

Consumed with our lives we love You too little, faithless instead of faithful.

But You always love much , believing in us, in our brokenness helping us.

Merciful beyond measure, grace lavishly given. 

Faithful forever, a promise that Your love is everlasting.

Teach me to love like you do - unconditionally, patiently, faithfully.

You have been the dwelling place, the hope of my great great grandparents, my great grandparents, my grandparents, and my parents….blessing passed down, kindling fire in my heart for You. 

God our refuge, our place of safety….our dwelling place. 

The one we run to, the one we seek when we feel  helpless and weak, seemingly bound by ways we don't want to live and not strong enough to do anything about it. 

When we are fearful and confused when we don't know what to do, which way to walk, when things are not heading the direction we anticipated. 

When we are exhausted and discouraged, and have no more energy and just can't see the light, but know that we need to look up and enter into the Light. 

When we are frustrated and angry because life is not fair and words can wound deeply.

Overwhelmed, because life is too complicated for us to figure out and we are empty.

Desperately desiring something more, desiring the peace only You can give. Peace that heals our hurting hearts.

You are always waiting for us to come, always waiting to embrace us. 

You are faithful, love, everlasting. 

You desire to be our dwelling place, the place where we stay, where we live our lives, not just the place that we run to.

Our dwelling place because You are the One our hearts desire and love above all else.

In Him we are to live and move and have our being.  We were created for this.

Open our eyes that we may see You, love You, adore You, walk with You. 

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Do we understand the meaning of the words “have been?”  It is something that has already happened, it is an accomplished fact, it has taken place. 

We have given our hearts and lives to Christ, so why do we so often snatch it all back, hug it close, refuse to let go of them again? Can I really do a better job of my life on my own than He can do working in me?

The phrase of the great preacher comes to mind, “I die daily.”

Crucified with Christ?  Do I really get it so many centuries down the line in these modern times? 

Christ chose to surrender His will to the will of God…to carry the weight of the sins of humanity….my sins…He died to self to rescue you and me.  I can’t help but get sidetracked pondering His sacrifice and the amazing grace poured out on us at the cross…..for you, for me.

Crucified with Christ....actively choosing to surrender my will to the will of God, letting goof self and choosing to live in the freedom of the truth, dying to self and making space for Christ to live in me.

Oh the deepest desire of my heart, to be surrendered to the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me….to know the joy of living by faith, of living in His presence,having Him live in me…and to no longer be flesh controlled. 

Our Father, the lover of our souls, is answering and giving us the greatest gift and the desires of our hearts. 

He leads us on difficult, winding rocky paths, sometimes through the storm and the fire, stripping everything away, yet right by our side, never leaving us for a moment,providing all we need to survive. 

In our helplessness we truly begin to understand that it is not about us – it has never been and it will never be!  We are not in control, and that everything is by faith and for His glory.  He is the key to everything we need – we are complete in Him. 

Until, when self is cut away, and we know the joy of living in Him and living by faith,  and we can truly say, “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

The trials of this life are His mercies in disguise.

 

The greatest desire of your heart sometimes seems like an unreachable dream.  I wonder if a little fasting wouldn’t prove to be a huge blessing and move you from unreachable dream to reality?  You know how the Spirit can speak loudly sometimes, reaching deep into your heart and soul revealing true realities to you?

Stay with me for a few lines….

THE TRUTH:

‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’Luke 10:27

THE PROMISE:

But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deut 4:29

THE WARNING:

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Prov 4:23

 

THE BLESSING:

¹³ ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. Deut 11:13

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Matt 6:33

 

THE DESIRE:

We desire to know God more intimately, and to walk more faithfully with Him….but somehow the progress seems so slow, we struggle to become who we want to be in Him.

Perhaps the words in Him are the key to a deeper relationship with Him.

Are we living our lives in Him or in the world if we are honest with ourselves?

 

THE DISTRACTION:

Think about it, what did you do with the spare moments you had yesterday….did you reach for our smartphone, iPad, laptop?  Was it Facebook or Pinterest? Was it email, newsletters or web-surfing? Did you flop down on the couch and see what was on TV?  Did you reach for the phone to chat with a friend about trivia?   

Did you tell yourself you deserved to have this break? 

How much time did you spend – 5, 15 or 30 minutes? Time flies when you thing you are having fun….

In the big picture, did what you do count for anything, did you grow for it, were you really refreshed by it? 

Could it be the answer is no, not really?

 

 

THE BIG QUESTION:

Did you think to stop and spend time with Christ? Did you take time to talk to Him or listen to Him speak to you through His Word?

It would have drawn you closer to Him.

Deepened your relationship with Him.

Fallen more in love with Him.

You would have grown for it,

Been strengthened by it, 

And would have come away

Refreshed and Inspired.

 

THE CHALLENGE:

Perhaps it’s time to fast, maybe for a day, a week, or even a month.  Time to fast from and to set aside some of those things that fill our lives but don’t add true value, and focus on Him in those little moments in our days.

IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

The words of this song have been so much on my mind and in my heart as I have traveled a path this year back to my home country for now, leaving my two twenty-something children an ocean away.  A path that is uncertain and unknown to me and yet totally known to the God who daily is providing for me... 

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Surely I believe that although I can't see and don't understand right now,  it will all turn out for the greatest blessing in the end...for He is faithful who has promised.  I am believing and praying that the trials of this life truly are His mercies in disguise.

"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him" (John 4:23).

God desires that we worship Him in spirit and in truth.  He desires that we be wholehearted for Him and for the truth and that our worship would be based on the truth and on our deep love for Him.

STUDY TO KNOW THE TRUTH FOR YOURSELF – MAKE IT A PRIORITY, MAKE TIME, TRUTH MATTERS!

TAKE TIME TO WALK WITH GOD THAT YOU MAY FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM AND BECOME WHOLEHEARTED FOR HIM.

At the center of that gospel is Jesus, the incarnate God,the God who through forces and means that our minds cannot even begin to grasp came into this world as a human being.

God has a call on my life, on the life of every one who claims to be a Christ follower, to share the amazing good news that Jesus, the everlasting God, came to earth to save them.  Jesus is the center of the everlasting good news, He is the good news for all peoples though all ages.

Lord open my eyes to see others as you see them, to be moved with compassion for them and a desire so share your glorious gift of salvation with them!  

MAY THE LOVE OF CHRIST MOVE US TO SHARE THE AWESOME GIFT HE HAS GIVEN US.

In sharing there is always blessing.  Please share  how you make the truth a priority or how you walk with God.

 

God’s promises are not unconditional. Humans, given free will, mustmake the choice to obey the Lord, to do what He commands, not as a means ofsalvation but as a revelation of the reality of the love relationship that theyhave with God. 

LORD BECAUSE I LOVE YOU I DESIRE TO OBEY YOU

Obedience is to be the fruit of my relationship with God, and if I amnot desiring to obey, then in reality perhaps my love has grown a little cold,I have fallen away, and if I am honest with myself, perhaps I am not making Godthe center of my life.   Maybe it’s timeto slow down and consider.  Maybe it’stime to go running back to God and to passionately pursue Him.

Scripture teaches us that we are free to choose our path in life andour own destiny. We have the option to choose whom we will serve and worship,and the fulfillment of the promises is dependent upon the choices that we make.The Bible is filled with wonderful promises to any and all who faithfully seekand serve Him.

Freedom is an amazing gift and an amazing responsibility, oh Lordthank you for Your promises that you have given to guide me, please teach mehow to choose wisely and how to live with eternity in sight.

LORD BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME YOU LET ME CHOOSE MY OWN DESTINY

God in His great love for me and in His desire to receive true love inreturn from me has given me freedom of choice. I can choose to obey God because I love Him and desire to pleaseHim.  This as a result opens my life upto be able to receive the gifts and blessings from God that He desires to giveme.  When I stop to read all the amazingpromises that God has made to me thorough His Word I am overwhelmed by His loveand His faithfulness and how He offers to provide for me.

THROUGH LOVE AND OBEDIENCE YOU OPEN YOURSELF UP TO THE BLESSING

At the same time because God is so loving and so fair, if I don’tchoose to love and obey God, He won’t force what He has to offer on me, forthat would be taking away my freedom of choice. 

TRUE LOVE GIVES FREEDOM OF CHOICE

From the first day in Eden, God has longed for fellowship with man andto restore man to His image. Some have lived lives of faithfulness, but howoften our fathers have drawn near, only to later be swept away by the cares ofthis life and fallen away again.  Howmany times I have drawn near, only to be carried away by the busyness and thecares of this life.  How clearly thisreveals the awesome reality that our loving God has given us the ultimate giftof free choice.  Oh Lord, help me not tobe swept away today, but may I live in your presence. 

FREEDOM OF CHOICE IS THE ULTIMATE GIFT

Will we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? Will wedrift along doing what they did or will we dare to learn from the past, learnfrom what happened before and be different?

Will we point the people to the Lord’s leading, to His promises, andto the conditions of those promises?  Thesharing of the Word should be Christ centered, pointing to what the Lord hasdone for us, what He offers to do for us, and what He will do for us, all onthe condition that we come to Him in faith and repentance.

WILL YOU SHARE THE BLESSING OF LOVE AND OBEDIENCE? DON’T THEY NEED TOKNOW?

Can you hear God calling through His Word to Zechariah saying: repent,turn from your own self centered ways, learn from the past, and put your hopein the Lord and the promises of the Lord for the future.

O how we hate to admit that we are making mistakes, that we areunfaithful, that we are self-centered, and yet this is the turning point if wewould really live, really be happy, really have His joy. 

HE IS FOREVER CALLING FOR OUR HEARTS

How much we need to come to the Lord and worship Him in an attitude offaith, repentance, and obedience.

Oh Lord lead me today in the way of repentance, true faith andwholehearted obedience.  As You havesaid, I realize that I am powerless to do any of this without you, so pleasehelp me to stay with You today, please give me the desire and strength I needto be wholehearted for you, faithful and obedient.  Thank you for the promise that You will workin me to will and to do of Your good pleasure. 

When all is said and done, the reality is that though obedience cannotever save us, there is no such thing as salvation without it, regardless of howflawed our obedience so often tends to be.

 

What does Jeremiah 29:10-14 tell us about the character of God? What hope can we, in our own context, take from these texts?

God desires peace and good things for us.  He wants to give us hope and a future – both here and eternally, and he won’t sacrifice the one for the other.  He will do whatever it takes that we will have a future in heaven with Him one day.  If life Here is difficult, He allows it to refine us and to make us more like Him, more dependent on Him and through it all He is with us, helping us and leading us.

GOD DESIRES THE BEST FOR US

He promises that when we call upon Him, He will hear us.  He is always available to us right away, and is never too busy for us or too tired to listen to us.  He says that if we seek Him wholeheartedly we will find Him.  Do we passionately pursue Him?  Is it our greatest desire to live in His presence? It it what really matters the most to us?  Is continual fellowship with Him and becoming like Him the goal of our lives?

GOD ALWAYS HEARS US

PASSIONATELY PURSUE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

If we will seek Him, He promises to set us free from captivity to sin that enslaves us, and from the trouble we find ourselves in.  He has the power to do it if we are willing to empty ourselves of self and allow Him to do the work in our lives.

IF THE SON MAKES YOU FREE YOU WILL BE FREE INDEED

It is His greatest desire to bring us back to Himself and to transform our lives. 

OUR TRANSFORMATION IS WITHIN REACH

After seventy years, as foretold, the Lord began the restoration of the exiles back to the Promised Land. Israel was to be given another chance to fulfill her prophetic destiny. The work of rebuilding the temple did not go as smoothly or as quickly as it should have. Forces, internal and external, got in the way, and the work was delayed.This was not as the Lord would have it, and He spoke through Haggai (you can read it in Haggai 1)  to let the people know His displeasure. What happened? What diverted their attention? Why is that so easy to do? 

It seems that they had lost interest in restoring the house of the Lord and were more interested in what they could do for themselves.  They had lost sight of the work of the Lord and were living lives focused on self.  It is really easy for things of this world and the cares of this life to take our attention and divert it away from God.  This is probably one of the enemy’s most effective strategies for keeping us away from God. 

DON’T LET LIFE CAUSE YOU TO LOSE SIGHT OF GOD

How easy it is to let worldly toils, worldly desires, even worldly needs get in the way of our spiritual responsibilities. The Lord let them know that they would never have true satisfaction apart from their devotion to Him and the work He had given them to do. All too often we can in our own way make the same mistake, getting so caught up in the ways of the world that we neglect what should be first and foremost in our lives: our relationship with God. Maybe the Lord is saying to us, “Consider your ways.”

Consider your ways. What do your ways, your actions, the things you do, and don’t do—what do they say about your relationship to the Lord? In what ways might you be guilty of the same things as the people depicted here in Haggai?

What you spend most of your time on and how you live your life is usually is a good indicator of what your priorities are.  We may desire to live our lives connected to God, walking with Him, but how easily our attention is diverted and we forget God because we have not cultivated the habit of including Him in everything.  We forget that without Him we can do nothing and that in order to make our lives count we have to be totally dependent on Him. 

INCLUDE GOD IN EVERYTHING YOU DO

CHOOSE TO BE TOTALLY DEPENDENT ON GOD – HIS WISDOM FAR EXCEEDS OURS!

How much we need to take time to consider our ways.  Change comes by choice and not by chance.  If we would have things differently in our lives, we have to do something differently.  More than anything else to succeed we need to purpose to seek God wholeheartedly – be intentional, make it a priority, just like you would in pursuing any other goal. 

BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT SEEKING GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY

We may commune with God in our hearts; we may walk in companionship with Christ. When engaged in our daily labor, we may breathe out our heart’s desire, inaudible to any human ear; but that word cannot die away into silence,nor can it be lost. Nothing can drown the soul’s desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the noise of machinery. It is God to whom we are speaking,and our prayer is heard.

Ask, then; ask, and ye shall receive. Ask for humility, wisdom,courage, increase of faith. To every sincere prayer an answer will come. It may not come just as you desire, or at the time you look for it; but it will come in the way and at the time that will best meet your need. The prayers you offer in loneliness, in weariness, in trial, God answers, not always according to your expectations, but always for your good. GW258

I have been inspired and encouraged...just had to share the blessing!