Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Try as we might, we can never run away from God. What I have actually found is that people who try to run away from Him the hardest, end up running right into His arms. It is, as this Psalm puts so eloquently, impossible to flee from the presence of God.
If you are looking, His presence can be felt everywhere and in every situation. As a matter of fact, sometimes when I am hiking or camping in the most remote wilderness settings – far from any sign of civilization – I find His presence the strongest. The reality is that I can hear from the Lord the clearest when I am out in the wild.
It is an incredible blessing to know that the God of the universe is my constant companion. Wherever I go and whatever I do is in the company of His Holy Spirit. All I need is to ask and His guiding hand will take mine and lead me into His will for my life.
Go to Him today in the knowledge that He will never leave you or forsake you. Thank the Lord for His abiding presence in your life. Seek Him for His wisdom, strength, and guidance for the road ahead.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, devotion, encouragement, fellowship, God's faithfulness, God's will, Holy Spirit, holy worship, Jesus Christ, light, path, praise, presence of the lord, trust
I Kings 19:5-8
Then he [Elijah] lay down under the tree and fell asleep.
All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
While he was on the very edge of despair, Elijah received sustenance from the Lord. As he was running away from the stress in his life, God provided him with supernatural food to sustain him. God knew that the journey before him was too much for his flesh to handle. So, He provided what Elijah needed.
I will let you in on a secret. If you are following God’s plan for your life, then your journey is more than you can take. You will need this supernatural food to strengthen you.
That is why your life experience must have a spiritual side to it. Meeting with God in a quiet place is one of the most powerful, life-changing events you could ever plan for. Don’t neglect your spiritual food.
Take the time to find nourishment for your soul in the Lord’s presence. Cast your burdens upon Him and allow His strength to revive your spirit.
Tags: Bible, Christian, despair, devotion, Elijah, encouragement, enemies, faith, God's faithfulness, God's will, mountain, overcoming, presence of the lord, problems, spiritual food, strength
I Kings 19:3-4
Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
Elijah is probably one of the most powerful Old Testament figures. Through him, God performed incredible miracles to turn Israel around. Yet at this point in his life he was ready to throw in the towel. He actually prayed for God to take his life.
What could cause such an uncompromising individual to leave the race? The answer lies in the first line. “Elijah was afraid.” The evil queen, Jezebel, had ordered his arrest and execution. Fear had gripped his heart in spite of the presence of God in his life.
How many times do we lose sight of our calling when faced with the overwhelming problems of life? We need to take the same path that Elijah took – but not the same attitude. We need to run to the place of solitude with God and pour out our heart in prayer.
Just like Elijah, we need to admit our faults and failings. Only the Lord is able to meet the need of our inner man.
Use this time to seek the Lord’s help for the challenges you face. Confess your failures and trials. God stands ready to enfold you in His arms. Allow His strength to work in you the restoration that is needed.
Tags: afraid, attitude, Bible, calling, Christian, devotion, distractions, Elijah, encouragement, enemies, faith, fear, giving up, God's faithfulness, God's will, Jezebel, mountain, mountaintop, overcoming, presence of the lord, problems
Acts 9:3-6
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
We all make mistakes. The unfortunate thing is, that sometimes we compound these mistakes by going off into a totally wrong direction.
In this section of Scripture we find that Saul (later to become Paul the Apostle) has become self-deceived. He thought that by persecuting the church, he was in the center of God’s will for his life.
It took a wilderness journey and a voice from heaven to knock him off his horse and break through his defenses. Apparently there was no other way to get through to him. He needed to be shaken up in order for God to get his attention.
As we spend time in the wilderness we should be open for the Lord to wake us up and turn our lives around. Every once in a while God has a life altering event waiting for you just around the next corner. We need to be prepared and open for these heavenly interruptions.
As you go before the Lord today, make sure that you reaffirm your intention to obey Him no matter what comes your way. Let Him know that you will remain true to Him even if it calls for you to change your plans.
Tags: attention, Bible, calling, Christian, devotion, disciple, faith, God's faithfulness, God's will, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, light, mistakes, path, Paul, persecution, presence of the lord, Saul, self-deceived, wake up call
Acts 1:9-11
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
(NIV)
Yesterday I shared about the reason we need to know about the return of the Lord. We saw that Jesus taught His disciples that the important thing was being a witness. After explaining all this to the disciples, He rose from the earth and was taken out of their sight. The tragedy is that there are too many Christians around who are just like those disciples. You know them. It’s almost as if their life can be summed up with those words, “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING UP INTO HEAVEN?”
That seems to be their whole outlook on life. Their only goal is to find out when Jesus is coming back. “Lord, is it today? Can somebody tell me? Is it going to be this week?” Their whole Christian life is looking to see when Jesus is coming back. In doing that they miss the main emphasis given to us by Christ, which is “BE A WITNESS.”
What we usually find when we read through the Scripture is that when Jesus or the Apostles talk about the Second Coming of the Lord, the main theme of the teaching is usually about something else. The Return of Christ itself is not their main focus. When we think about it, the main emphasis should be the change that is needed in our lives to prepare us for the return of the Lord. The apostles only seem to use the return of Christ as a side illustration to emphasize the urgency that is needed to spur us on to change our ways.
There are so many people worried about what’s going to happen next. They are always asking, “Am I going to make it?” If that’s you – SNAP OUT OF IT! God is going to see us through. I’ll tell you now how it all ends – we win. All the rest is about how we get there. The end has already been written even though we haven’t reached it yet.
Christ is returning. That is a Scriptural fact. The real issue is what I am doing with this knowledge. Am I sitting back, doing nothing until He comes to get me? Or is it propelling me forward to share God’s love with others? The choice is yours.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, church, devotion, God's will, Jesus Christ, prepare, return of Christ, second coming, testimony
The Bible talks a lot about the return of Christ. Why is that so important to us?
Acts 1:6-8
So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NIV)
The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is probably the most talked about subject in all of Christianity. Unfortunately, many believers miss the point of why God put this teaching in the Scripture. Too many people want to know about Christ’s return for the wrong reasons. Some want to know simply to satisfy their curiosity. Others like sensationalism. These are not good reasons to study the Word of God.
As Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure into Heaven, He tells the them to go to Jerusalem and wait there for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When that happens, they will be given all the power that they need to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
As they share this time with the Lord, they ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” This was a burning question that they had on their minds. Think of it. Jesus rose from the dead! When Jesus was ministering on earth He was able to feed 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes. Just imagine Him leading the army of Israel. The Romans can’t kill him. He can supply all the food they need. He can get money out of a fish’s mouth. How could they lose with a commander like that? The disciples must have decided that now is the time to restore the Kingdom of Israel.
Surprisingly, Jesus tells them that they don’t need to know the Father’s timetable. The most important thing to know is how to be a witness. We know about the Return of Christ in order to be a WITNESS. Why? By knowing the times and seasons, we can better understand the hour in which we are living. We can better understand the closeness of Christ’s return. It is this information that will give us the incentive we need to bring others into the kingdom before it’s too late. That’s why Jesus shares with them the exhortation that they don’t have to worry about the “when”.
You don’t have to be anxious about the day or the hour of His return either. These things are all in the Father’s hands. That’s His job. What you and I need to know is how to be the best witness we can be. We must major on how to bring God’s glory to the earth while we still have that chance.
Tags: Bible, Christ, Christian, Christian witness, church, devotion, encouragement, God's will, Jesus Christ, prepare, return of Christ, second coming, testimony
Proverbs 2:20
Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.
(NIV)
Righteousness is a word we don’t like to use too often. It’s real religious sounding. All it really means is to be right from God’s perspective. Unfortunately, the religious definition is not always in line with the Scripture.
Having grown up in church, I sometimes got the impression that I was righteous as long as I followed a set of rules. If I was “being good” then I was righteous.
At this point I have come to the conclusion that righteousness is all about trusting God enough to live my life on His terms instead of mine. It is a path I have to walk. The reality is that when we walk, every step is a choice. Even a slight change in our stride can send us off into a totally different direction.
Each day I have a choice. I can walk the way of the world, or trust the Lord that He will bring about His plan in my life. By watching the lives of godly men and women in the pages of the Bible, or in the history of the church, I can see where this path is leading me.
Make the best choice today. Follow the advise of wisdom. “Walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.”
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christian witness, devotion, disciple, God's will, good, path, religious, right, righteous, righteousness, rules, walk
Luke 9:57-58
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
He had no corporate office. He had no house in the big city. He traveled almost the whole time during His ministry.
In some ways it is very difficult to live your life “on the road.” Jesus did it for three years. He understood the stress of always having to be on the move.
Spiritually speaking, if we serve the Lord, we can expect to be just like Him – to be constantly on the go. He does not want us to stagnate, but to press on toward the prize. To do that we must be always willing to change and to try new things as the Lord continues to call us forward.
This kind of life is forever bringing new challenges across our path. Each step of the way we are being drawn to deeper commitment, greater devotion, and higher callings. With each new opportunity for obedience comes a choice – to be satisfied with the old or to move on in Christ to the new. It is exciting following Jesus – but you have to keep moving.
Take the time today in your prayers to let the Lord know your willingness to move on with Him. If there is an area of your life where you have been resisting His change, then repent and commit to move on in obedience.
Tags: Bible, change, Christ, Christian, deeper, devotion, God's will, higher, Jesus Christ, moving forward, on the road
II Kings 2:11-12
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
It doesn’t happen very often – a supernatural, miraculous, awe-inspiring vision of God. Moses, Mary, Paul, Jacob, Hagar, and Peter, they all got a glimpse into the spirit-world that was life changing.
Chances are you will never experience anything like these people. You may never see chariots and horses of fire. You may never experience the sight of angels ascending and descending. But…as you spend quality time in God’s presence, you are giving Him permission to work in you a life-changing event.
God can speak to you in ways that are as real to you as seeing a chariot of fire. Many people ask me how they can hear from God. I tell them all the same thing – be listening. God knows you personally. The Lord knows exactly what it will take for you to know that you have heard from Him. The Lord has your address, He knows where you live and how to get to you. All you can do is listen and wait.
Be open to His Spirit today. Be ready and listening. Who knows, you may be that one in a million that receives a “sky-opening” vision. But if not, you can still hear something from God that will turn your life around.
Tags: Christian, devotion, glory, God's will, hearing from God, Holy Spirit, presence of the lord, vision
The Spirit and the Word 