Ephesians 3:16
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.
Now that we are in the Spring season, my mind starts to think about hiking. I love to get out and walk the Appalachian Trail. In order to be ready, I have been either walking or riding my bike each morning. I want to strengthen those lazy winter muscles.
Strength is a necessary part of the outdoors experience. When my wife and I started to add children to our family we stopped hiking because of the limited time we had. Since I have started back up again I have lost 30 pounds. (Pounds that I had “found” up till that time!)
I can tell you by experience that out of shape people cannot enjoy hiking as fully as those used to the rigors of trail life. I remember well the pain in my legs and back when I first started. I had to stop every few feet while going uphill, just to breathe. Thank God, I am starting to get in shape again!
More important than physical condition, however, is the shape of your inner being. The spiritual trail you are on is far tougher than any wilderness trail. God wants to strengthen you for that journey.
It is going to take quality time spent in the presence of the Lord. That is why your time in the presence of the Lord is so beneficial. It builds you up internally. To do this you must free yourself from distractions so that you can concentrate on Christ.
Let Him strengthen you today. Spend time before Him just drinking in His Spirit. Take the time necessary so that your inner man is ready for the road ahead, no matter how rough the path.
Tags: Appalachian Trail, Bible, Christian, devotion, distractions, encouragement, Holy Spirit, inner growth, inner man, inner strength, intimacy, out of shape, path, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, problems, spring, strength
2 Corinthians 1:8-10
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.
It is my hope and prayer that you are never in a life-threatening situation. I know, however, that weather, accidents, and natural disasters can come when least expected. It seems like everyday there is something going on in the United States that could have tragic results. If and when that occurs, you will be faced with a choice – do you despair and give up or do you continue to put your hope in God?
I have been in that kind of situation. I know what it feels like to be trapped by an unforeseen incident with no way out and no help in sight. It is truly in those times of need that God proves Himself faithful. I can say, without hesitation, that God has never abandoned me to my problems.
The key to making it safely through a future problem is to make the choice now, that whatever happens, you will not abandon your trust in God. You will find that He is always there with you to help you in your time of need. In your prayer time today, reaffirm your trust in the Lord to take you through the hard times. Place your life fully in His hands.
Tags: accident, Bible, Christian, Christian witness, deadly, despair, devotion, encouragement, fear, God's faithfulness, God's love, hope, hope in God, natural disaster, overcoming, peril, prayer, prepare, problems, protection, strength, trust, victory, weather
Isaiah 55:12-13
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.”
We have the power to transform our world. It would be an amazing thing if we could see this verse happening as we going about our daily tasks.
I have mentioned that I enjoy hiking on the Appalachian Trail. There is a portion of this trail in Pennsylvania that traverses a barren, polluted wasteland. It became that way because of the carelessness of man’s industry. Nothing grows there, and you cannot drink the water. You just want to get through it as quickly as possible. It is an ugly scar on the earth.
What a joy it would be to see it blossom with new life before our very eyes. Unfortunately, the literal fulfillment of this verse will have to wait for the coming of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on earth.
The good news is that there is another way to bring this verse to life. We can fulfill this every day in the area of our attitude. That is what makes all the difference in our outlook. It can change our whole view of the world around us.
If we are always looking for problems, disappointments, and sorrows, we will see plenty of them in this world. But, on the other hand, if we are looking to see God’s Spirit at work, opportunities for ministry and things to praise God for – this attitude will transform our world. We will see it change from thorn bushes and roadblocks to myrtle trees and singing mountains.
Transform your world today. Renew your attitude in the presence of the Lord. Let Him realign your focus so that you see His goodness and grace, instead of your problems.
Tags: attitude, barren, Bible, blossom, calling, Christian, devotion, disappointment, distractions, encouragement, faith, focus, goodness, joy, opportunity, outlook, overcoming, pollution, praise, prepare, presence of the lord, problems, sorrow, transformation
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I have learned many valuable spiritual lessons as I have been hiking. One of those lessons has to do with bears.
I praise God that I live on the East Coast. When I hike, I don’t have to contend with grizzly, Kodiak, or polar bears. Only cute, little (comparatively), vegetarian, black bears. Well, as many people are aware of, even black bears can be nuisances. Usually it’s the fault of a human. When we leave our food and trash out, we encourage them to hang around. They will then prowl around looking for something to devour. Hmm…sounds familiar.
A lot of the time we encourage the enemy to attack us. We do it by trying to live in both kingdoms. We try to get God’s blessing using the world’s methods. Or we try to use God’s power to satisfy our lust for material gain. These things signal the enemy to hang around hoping for a free handout.
It is time for us to “clean up our camp.” Seek God today. Is there anything that needs to be put back in order in your life? Christ will give you the wisdom, strength, and courage you need to overcome in this area. Turn it over to Him. Don’t give the enemy a free handout. Use this time to take back any foothold that you have given him in your life.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devil, devotion, distractions, encouragement, enemies, enemy, Holy Spirit, overcoming, praise, problems, protection, spiritual attack, victory
Luke 24:1-2
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
I just noticed this gem in the Scripture for the first time. I was reading my Bible this morning and the words seemed to jump out at me. The women who had followed Jesus’ ministry were very faithful to Him. They worked to support the ministry while He was alive.
When Jesus went to the cross, they were devastated. But, they continued to serve Him the best that they could. This verse says that they prepared spices for His body. Because Jesus’ crucifixion took place so close to the Passover, they were not able to go through the normal embalming process when He was placed in the tomb. It was only after the feast was over that they could proceed with it.
This was quite a bit of work on the part of these women. It involved grinding the spices to a fine powder. Then they had to crush a resin in a mortar and pestle. Only after this was done and the spices mixed, could they go to the tomb.
The problem was – all that work was for nothing. Jesus Christ had risen from the dead! Embalming spices were not necessary. The Holy Spirit started to speak to me about our walk with God.
How often do we give up on something – a plan, dream, or ministry – because it doesn’t seem to be working. We just want to put it out of its misery. So we go through all the work of preparing for its demise. Then, to our surprise, God supernaturally brings life to it again.
We need to remember that we serve a God who can raise the dead. Never give up on a God-given dream. It may go through a “death cycle.” But, God is not bound to how things appear on the surface. Don’t waste your time preparing for defeat, when the Lord’s plan is for your victory. Let Him have the final say in your situation.
Tags: Bible, calling, Christian, cross, defeat, devotion, encouragement, faith, giving up, glory, God's faithfulness, God's will, Jesus Christ, overcoming, preparation, prepare, problems, restoration, resurrection, strength, victory
Matthew 26:36-38
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
This is the time in Jesus’ life that leads up to His betrayal and arrest. He knew that the cross was before Him. He came to earth knowing that He was to die for the sins of all people.
When it comes down to the hard choices, knowing your path and walking it out can be very different. Now that the hour was at hand, the Lord needed the strength to see it through. In order to receive what He needed from the Father, Jesus did what He always knew would bring Him an answer. He spent time with God the Father in a private place, far away from any distractions.
This was not to be a time for crowds of people. He even left most of His disciples at the entrance to the garden. The only ones to stay with Him were Peter, James, and John. He would spend the night agonizing over what was ahead.
Let this today be your garden of prayer. God is waiting for you to cry out to Him. Only the Lord can give you the strength you need for the road ahead. Whether you know the dangers or not, let the peace of God rule in you this day. Find your rest in His presence.
Tags: Bible, choices, Christ, Christian, cross, devotion, distractions, encouragement, faith, garden, garden of prayer, Gethsemane, God's will, Jesus Christ, overcoming, prayer, prepare, presence of the lord, problems, solitude, strength, trust
Jeremiah 12:5
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”
God calls us to do greater things with Him than we could have ever done without Him. We can go above and beyond our abilities, because of His strength working in us. In this section of Scripture, Jeremiah is complaining about why the wicked prosper. It was upsetting him to the point that it was affecting his work for God.
Sometimes we get distracted by the lack of commitment that we see in others. What God tells him applies to us as well. God’s reply to Jeremiah is that if you are turned aside that easily – just by looking at what others are doing (or not doing) – then you will really be thrown off when you see how high I’ve actually called you to go.
It’s like the person who says that their dream is to walk the Appalachian Trail, yet all the while they complain about the number of stairs leading to their front door. Take some time to refocus your sights on the high calling God has for you. And remember, if you let the small stuff get you down, you will never move on to the great things.
Take the time to refocus your thoughts in the presence of the Lord. Let His plan for you fill your vision. In this way you will not be distracted from completing the assignment God has for you.
Tags: above and beyond, Bible, Christian, commitment, complain, complaining, devotion, disciple, distractions, encouragement, God's faithfulness, God's will, greater things, higher, Holy Spirit, Jeremiah, overcoming, presence of the lord, problems, strength
John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
I can’t think of a greater blessing! We can be children of God.
This is not for everybody. You have to want it. It comes by faith in God and what He has done through Christ. It has to be received, if we believe in His provision for us on the cross. If Jesus Christ is our Savior, then we are God’s children.
Some people look at themselves as slaves of God. Then they get the attitude that it is hard to work for Him. They have an angry look on their face and act like serving God is the worst thing you could do.
Now I do admit that children are supposed to obey their parents. In that sense we must “serve” God. I know that on more than one occasion I accused my parents of treating me as their slave. The fact is, even when you have to do what you’re told, the parent-child relationship is far superior to that of a master and slave.
This verse tells me that I am not just treated like a child of God. He doesn’t just call me His son. It is much greater than that. I have the right – with all the responsibilities and privileges – to be a child of God. This is an amazing thought. God views us as full fledged sons and daughters. That is why He both blesses and disciplines us.
Spending time with our Father should be the most natural inclination. It should be where we want to go for love, support, encouragement, and strength. Spend time with the Lord today, knowing that He wants you to experience the best that being a part of His family has to offer.
Tags: Bible, blessings, calling, child of God, Christian, cross, devotion, encouragement, faith, family, hard work, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, obedience, parent, problems, provision, relationship, savior, slave, testimony
Proverbs 8:25-26
Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world.
This verse comes from a very beautiful section in the book of Proverbs. Here Solomon uses the writing style of personification to speak for wisdom.
We are told that before creation was begun God had already mapped out His wisdom. That is a comforting thought. God’s wisdom is not a response to any event. There is nothing that ever takes God by surprise. On the contrary, all of creation is an outgrowth of God’s wisdom.
I remember the day that I committed my life to the Lord, Jesus Christ. When that happened, the Lord didn’t sit down with the Holy Spirit and say, “Now we have to figure out how to fit Nick into the kingdom.” Before I was born, my life was designed exclusively with His plan in mind. My life was made to function best in His wisdom.
This is why seeking His wisdom should be your number one priority. God wants the very best for your life. He has a plan for you that was established before the mountains and rivers were created. Seek out the wisdom of God for your life. Only then can you know the complete joy of personal fulfillment.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, God's will, God's wisdom, Holy Spirit, kingdom of God, praise, problems, response, seeking, wisdom
Psalm 46:4-6
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
Yesterday I posted about the fact that there is nothing certain in this world. Our trust, hope, and expectations must abide elsewhere. We need to fix our eyes on the heavenly kingdom.
No matter what kind of trouble this world faces, the power of God remains secure. The river of life will never fail. If we remain in Christ, then the things that shake this world around us will not affect our walk.
Rising gas prices, economic failures, terrorist threats, and global warming are just a few of the issues that have nations in turmoil. Through it all, the kingdom of God is still secure. No matter what happens I know that the grace of the Lord can still reach me. I can come to this river at any time for sustenance and refreshment.
We can face the uncertainty of life without fear. This only comes from the knowledge that our feet are securely in a kingdom that is not of this world.
Spend time meditating upon the faithfulness of God. Think about the times He has brought you through the difficulties you have faced in the past. This should inspire praise and worship before Him. Then, take your future and commit it into the Lord’s hands. Only then will you have true security.
Tags: Bible, Christian, devotion, encouragement, faith, fear, glory, God's faithfulness, grace of God, heavenly kingdom, Holy Spirit, hope, praise, presence of the lord, problems, protection, security, strength, trouble, trust
The Spirit and the Word 