Delight In The Lord

Delight in the Lord 

The Psalmist tells us that if we want the desires of our heart we should delight ourselves in the LORD. 
And He will protect us and take care of our needs.

Children are gifts

Children are gifts  

 

“BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE … KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT.” EPHESIANS 4:2-3 NKJV

When it’s easier to talk to outsiders than it is to your own family, something’s wrong. Your family should be a support system – a safety net to catch you when you fall. For many people ‘family’ means money problems, troubled children and warring couples. That’s why Paul writes: “Walk … with … long suffering, bearing with one another in love … keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It takes a big dose of grace to make it all work!

So start praying for your children instead of just setting boundaries that create distance between you when you don’t see eye to eye. You won’t always agree, but you must learn to respect each other. When God said, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Pr 22:6 NIV), He didn’t say what qualifies as ‘old’, or when your investment would start paying off. Every family has its ups and downs. And every family tree produces a few nuts! In fact, sometimes the best part is underground! But if you bail out when things get tough you’ll miss the rewards you’d have received by hanging on. Often the child that blesses you most is the one who didn’t reflect your views, married someone you don’t like, and doesn’t invite you over to dinner!

In the long run none of that matters because your family is a life-long investment. What’s important is to love and support one another unconditionally right now.

Winning the battle

Winning the battle

 

 “FOR THE SINFUL NATURE DESIRES WHAT IS CONTRARY TO THE SPIRIT.” GALATIANS 5:17 NIV

How can we win in the unrelenting battle between our flesh and our Spirit?

  First I acknowledge that there is a battle! my flesh always crave satisfaction in the very things God hates. There's civil war going on because my flesh never takes a holiday.

  I admit that I am powerless to win without God’s help! By consciously submitting to God, I draw on His strength in the first moments of each test. And my ability to do that will grow as I keep practicing this Spiritual discipline. The closer I draw to God, the stronger I become when faced with temptation.

  By deciding that self-discipline is a personal matter! I can depend on no one else to develop it for me. Paul writes, “I run … I box … I discipline my body” (1 Co 9:26-27 AMP). This is something only I can do. If someone else has to restrain me, it doesn’t work!

  I understand that ignoring the consequences invites disaster! Lack of self-discipline will inevitably lead to embarrassment for me, and those I love. So before I indulge, I consider the fallout! In 1 Co 9:27 (NAS), Paul speaks about being ‘disqualified’. What does that mean? It means losing respect in the eyes of others. It means limiting God’s ability to use me for His purposes. It means hurting the cause of Christ in the eyes of a world that’s always watching. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, Nathan the prophet said to him, “By doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt” (2 Sa 12:14 NIV).

Want to win the battle? It's better to keep these things in mind!

Direct access

Direct access

 

“WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST WHO HAS PASSED THROUGH THE HEAVENS.” HEBREWS 4:14 NAS

Once a year Israel’s High Priest would walk through the two outer areas of the temple and go into the ‘Holy of Holies’ to obtain pardon for the people’s sins. There were many priests but only the High Priest could do this. The Bible says that Jesus, our High Priest, passed through the Heavens and entered the Holy Place in the heavenly temple to offer a ‘once-for-all-time’ sacrifice for our sins (see Heb 9:24-26).

Jesus passed through the first Heaven, which we call the atmosphere; then the second Heaven, which we refer to as outer space; then into the presence of God, or the third Heaven.Now, if you’re living on earth, what you want to do in prayer is get into the third Heaven where God’s throne is. The problem is, we can’t get there unless someone takes us.
One day during the American Civil War a soldier sat on a bench outside the White House looking distressed. A little boy came by and asked him what was wrong. The soldier said he needed to see President Lincoln but the guards wouldn’t let him in. Hearing this, the boy took him by the hand and led him directly into the President’s office. ‘Father’, he said, ‘this soldier really needs to speak with you’. That boy was the President’s son, who had direct and continuous access to his father.

Because Jesus, the Son of God, is related to the Father, He can bypass all the stuff that blocks us. That’s why when we pray in Jesus’ name, we have direct access to God, are automatically welcome in His presence, and get our needs met.

Strive to be sexually pure

Strive to be sexually pure 

 

 “AVOID SEXUAL IMMORALITY.” 1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-4 NIV

Be grateful that God made you a sexual being. Sex wasn’t a mistake He made when He ran out of ideas. When Adam first saw Eve he didn’t say ‘I’ll bet she’s got a wonderful personality!’ No, he said, “This is … flesh of my flesh” (Ge 2:23). But when we don’t understand God’s original intent for sex, bad stuff happens. God doesn’t want to destroy our ability to experience our sexuality. No, He wants to teach us how to enjoy it.

Saying ‘I’m reserving sex for marriage’ may raise eyebrows and may get you excluded from the guest list of some parties. So be it! When there’s physical intimacy without true commitment, count on it; somebody’s going to get hurt. You need to resolve in your heart to read God’s Word and follow His directives on the subject. And you need to do it now, before you get into situations where you’re tempted to compromise your character, because then you’ve waited too late.

We all struggle at times with our sexuality, particularly in today’s culture. Sex is such a deep part of us. And guilt about sex has a way of making us feel separated from God like nothing else. So in order to determine your values and set some ground rules, you need to vow before God, ‘I’m not going to allow my impulses to dictate to me, or sin to separate me from You. I choose to keep Your standards, to rely on Your Spirit to give me strength day by day. And if I do sin, to seek Your forgiveness, get back up and move closer to You.’ Count on it – that’s a prayer God will answer!

Silent Prayers

Silent Prayers

“THROUGH FAITH IN HIM WE MAY APPROACH GOD WITH … CONFIDENCE.” EPHESIANS 3:12 NIV 

  

We can pray in our mind without having to speak a word out loud. All of us know the power of unspoken communication. Many of us grew up with parents who didn’t have to say a thing to make their will known. It may have been the way they cocked their heads, a certain look in their eyes or some other signal. But whatever it was, we knew exactly what was being communicated and how we were expected to respond.

Our goal in prayer should be to maintain such a close relationship with God that we can communicate back and forth no matter what the situation, the time of day, or anything else. And we don’t have to shout, or use the right words in the right order, because our hearts are in tune with God’s heart.
Like the story of the little boy who wanted a bicycle for Christmas. He was praying one night at the top of his voice, telling God the kind and color of bike he wanted. His mother said, ‘Son, you don’t need to shout for God to hear you’. He replied, ‘I know, Mum, but I need to shout if grandpa’s going to hear me and buy me that bike!’

The truth is, we don’t need to shout for God to hear us – and we don’t need to try to make our own answers to prayer happen either. Jesus said our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask. He gives to us because of our relationship with Him, not just because we say it at a decibel level loud enough to be heard... by someone.

The benefits of humility

The benefits of humility

“ALL OF YOU, CLOTHE YOURSELVES WITH HUMILITY TOWARD ONE ANOTHER.” 1 PETER 5:5 NAS

  “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility … for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:5-7 NAS). Peter expressed four very important thoughts. And he combined them for a reason. Let’s look at each:

(1) “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.” Peter’s expression “clothe yourselves with humility” referred to a white scarf or apron typically worn by servants. Did you get that? We’re called to be servants, not celebrities! ‘All’ lets us know we all stand on an equal footing before the cross.

(2) “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Those who are self-centred find themselves at odds with God, while the humble enjoy His blessings.

(3) “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” The phrase “The mighty hand of God” is used in Scripture to symbolise two things: God’s hand of discipline, and His hand of deliverance. And you need both. So submit to His discipline today and you’ll experience His deliverance.

(4) “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Peter addresses the core issue – worry … that if we don’t look out for ourselves nobody else will. But if we really believe that God “cares for us,” we needn’t worry about serving our own interests. We can focus on the needs of others, confident that God will spare nothing when it comes to meeting our needs.

Run to win

Run to win

Run in such a way that you may win. 1 Corinthians 9:24 NAS

Paul writes, "Run in such a way that you may win." The Isthmian Games to which Paul referred were open to everyone. Obviously the object of running any race is to win! But it's not just a matter of putting on your Nike's, wearing the outfit and enjoying the scenery: "Run in such a way that you may win."

So, what's the secret to winning? "Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things" (1 Co 9:25 NAS). Athletes who run to win, exercise restraint over their impulses, emotions and desires. They watch their diet, get sufficient sleep and train their bodies in just the right way. They're not doing things that could limit their performance on the track. They measure the consequences of every indulgence according to whether it will help or hinder them. Paul says that those who ran in the Isthmian Games did so to win "a perishable wreath." Actually, the victors were treated like royalty. Often their debts were cancelled and they were allowed to live tax free for the rest of their lives. In some cases they were given a lifetime supply of food so that they could rest on their laurels.

So Paul points out that, as valuable as that leafy crown was, it can't compare to the eternal rewards for which we strive. In other words, run with eternity in view. Obedience to God, even in details, enhances your Heavenly reward. At the end of a life of deep commitment and detailed obedience, Paul could say, "There is laid up for me a crown." So, live each moment with that crown in view!

Don't give up hope

The plans I have for you...are...good...to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 TLB

A few years ago the Soviet submarine Kursk went down in the Barents Sea. When the diving crews finally reached it they heard SOS signals coming from inside. Desperate sailors wondered "Is there any hope?" Sadly for them there wasn't.

Do you feel trapped in an impossible situation you can't seem to change or escape? If so, God is saying to you today, "The plans I have for you...are... good...to give you a future and a hope." Now, hope is not just the absence of despair, it's the presence of something greater; something only God can give. Hope is not passive; it's the most active force in the world because it's derived from the most powerful being of all - God. And it's never further away than He is. Clint Eastwood became famous for starring in a movie called The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Four decades later some of us still use those words when describing certain aspects of life.

But here's the good news: through His amazing grace God can take the good, the bad and the ugly experiences in your life and use them to make you unbelievably better at what He created you for, whatever that might be! In God's economy all is redeemed and nothing is ever lost. He can take the good things we remember fondly, the bad things we might like to forget, and the ugly things that shaped us into people we didn't start out to be, and use all of them to facilitate His purpose for each and every one of us. So, don't give up hope!

Believe in the Wonder!

You'll never know until you try..

Richard Foster writes: "We had a swing set, a real custom-made job - huge steel pipes and all. But our children would soon be beyond swing sets, so we decided to sell it. I went out in the back yard and looked it over. 'It should bring a good price,' I thought to myself. 'In fact, if I touched up the paint I could charge even more.' All of a sudden I began to monitor a spirit of covetousness within me. I asked my wife, Carolyn, if she would mind if we gave the swing set away rather than selling it. 'No, not at all!' I thought to myself 'rats!' But before the day was out we'd found a couple with young children who could make good use of it, and we gave it to them - and I didn't even have to paint it! This simple act of giving crucified the greed that had gripped my heart - at least for the time being."

When was the last time you gave something away? Something that meant something to you. Not easy, is it? It requires trust that God will look after your needs in ways that you'll never see until you give Him the opportunity.

Dallas Willard said, "The cautious faith that never saws off the limb on which it is sitting, never learns that unattached limbs may find strange, unaccountable ways of not falling." Is it possible that you don't have the intimacy with God you desire because you haven't given enough away? The truth is that, you'll never know until you try it!