Aim At And Strive After His Word

I wanted to do a follow up to my last posting 'Direction for 2010’. I want to take some time to reflect on applying Matthew 6:33 to our every day lives. I really like the way the Amplified bible translates it.

“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

The Holy Spirit is telling us here that every day we should strive (to exert much effort or energy; endeavor) after God’s way of doing things. He is saying clearly that our aim (determined course or direct, our effort) should be to seek His will and His way in everything we do. Our daily focus should be on what God has for us to do that day. How does He want to use us? Who does He wants us to speak to? How does He want us to handle certain situations?

When we put our focus on doing things His ways, the right way, we don’t have to worry about anything because we KNOW that He WILL take care of everything. He will work EVERY situation out for our good. No matter what the situation is. (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20)

To seek His way of doing things is to apply His Word to our life, living it out loud and being a doer of the Word. In order to be a doer of the Word we have to know what His Word says about whatever it is that we are facing.

If we are battling worry, fear, & anxiety His Words says,

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

“Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” Psalm 55:22

If we are angry, bitter, or harboring unforgiveness His Word says,

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:31-32

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:12-13

His Word can be applied to every area of our life (raising children,managing money, marriage,business,etc.). That’s why He had His prophets and apostles write His Words down. To lead us to Christ who is the Word made flesh. Today He uses the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. He empowers us to do His will. He uses the bible to prepare and equip us to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) So if we want to know what we should do, when we need direction and wisdom we can find it in the Word of God. (James 1:5) I love what Proverbs 2:6-11 says, especially verses 9-10:

“6 For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. 8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. 9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. 10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. 11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.”

Brothers and sisters when we know the Truth of God’s Word we find direction, hope, and freedom! If we don’t know His Word then we will be consumed by our troubles and situations, we will be destroyed because of lack of knowledge. (James 1:22, Hosea 4:6) His Word grants wisdom and it is has the answer for every situation. We just have to study this Book of Instruction continually. We need to meditate on it day and night so that we will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will we prosper and succeed in all that we do because we are seeking HIS WAY of doing and being right instead of our own way. (Joshua 1:9)

Lord we want to seek You first in every area of our life. We want to do Your will. Guide us and led us daily. Give us confirmation and affirmation through Your Word. We trust you with our daily lives. In Jesus name. Amen!

Overwhelmed With A Desire For The Word

Recently I was reading and meditating on Psalm 119. It became evident that the psalmist loved the Word of God with all of his heart. It was everything to him. The Word was his source of joy and delight, wise advice, revitalization, comfort, and encouragement. (Psalm 119:14, 16, 24, 25,50, 52, 28) He was always overwhelmed with a desire for the Word and to walk in the Word, that is where his happiness was found. (Psalm 119:20, 35) He trusted in the Word. Early in the morning, before the sun was up he’d cry out to the Lord and put his hope in the Word. (Psalm 119:147) At night he’d reflect on the Lord, therefore he obeyed the Word. (Psalm 119:55) His confidence in God’s law and love for the Word of God is beautifully expressed in this long psalm.

Here are some of my favorite verses from Psalm 119:

“If Your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.” Vs. 92

“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Vs. 105

“You are my refuge and my shield; Your word is my source of hope.” Vs 114

“The teaching of Your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.” Vs 130

“As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in Your commands.” Vs 143

I am always greatly encouraged and comforted by this Psalm. However after read it this time I immediately began to feel concerned for other believers who don’t know the Word of God the way this psalmist does. If only they would realize that the Word of God is their source for everything. If they would spend time daily reading and meditating on God’s instructions then they would not be so weak and beat up by life’s circumstances. Instead many believers go to church conveniently and don’t pick up the Word of God between church visits. The result is a starving soul, clouded vision, and a greater susceptibility to compromising our Christian principles. We have to always remember that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4;4)

I remember what a mess my entire life was without the Word of God. My emotions were all over the place. I did not know which way to go. My perception on life’s issues was distorted by ignorant and foolish ideas that did not line up with the Word. I felt anxious all the time and I wasn’t producing good fruit in my life. My light was dim and on top of that it was hidden under a bush. I am not talking about before I was saved. This was after I received Christ. I was a dormant Christian. I was inactive because the Word was not active in my life.

I most certainly have not arrived to perfection. Anyone who knows me knows what I say is true, however today I know who I am in Christ Jesus. My confidence and my strength is strong because I have learned to build my faith and hope on the Rock, the Word of God. When the pressures and stress of life bear down on me I find joy in the Word of God. His Word is my source of hope and strength. It sustains me. I can’t imagine my life without the Word of God. If I go a day without reading it I feel like something is missing. It’s not a religious condemnation I feel, like I have to read the Word. What I feel is a longing for Him, to hear His voice through the written Word.

You see I have discovered that the Lord will speak clearly through His Word. If you want to know what God wants you to do in your life or a specific situation then seek direction and counsel in the Word of God. Sure you can go to other strong believers for counsel, but the Word of God has to be our number one source for advice. It will never lead us wrong. It will direct our step every time.

Remember that Jesus is the Word and if you draw close to Him, He will draw close to you. Make spending time with Him your priority. We should not have to fit Him into our schedules. Our schedules should begin after we have sought Him first.

“Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts.” Psalm 119:2

Be blessed..

People Do No Live By Bread Alone..

‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4

The more you draw close to the Word of God the more you will realize that you need to be feeding on the Word daily. Not snacking or picking at scriptures but reading chapters and books at a time. When we are not truly eating full portions of the Word we will become emaciated Christians. We’ll be walking around sick and defeated, needing to be cared for by others. Our faces and attitudes will show our weakness and our light will be dim. If we are feeding on the Word daily we will become Christians full of the Word ready to fight with the Sword, ready to serve, ready for whatever the Lord has called for us to do. Our faces will be bright with love and the power of the Holy Spirit. We will be living on the Bread of Life.

We need the Word of God all the time. All the answers to our life’s problems are there. If there is a struggle that we are having with a certain stronghold or hindrance the Word of God will confirm in our hearts’ that He knows that we are struggling in this area. He will assure us that we can over come all things through Christ Jesus. His Word will remind us who we are in Christ Jesus and confirm that we are no longer slaves to our old sin nature that kept us in bondage before we were delivered by faith in Christ. His Word will provide the Truth we need in every situation. His Word is Power. His Word is Freedom. His Word is Life.

His Word is should be our comfort when we are down. The Psalms can encourage our souls. Reading stories about how our Lord delivered and provided for others in the bible should give us hopeful expectation because we know His Word says that He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is no respecter of persons. What He has done for them, He can do for us. His Word will give us hope when the world says that there is no hope.

We need the Word daily, in full portions to stay strong. If we are going to truly live life in this world more abundantly and grow into mature Christians we have got to live and abide in the Word of God.

“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.“ John 15:4

This means to remain, continue, stay, and dwell in the Word. If we are constantly seeking God’s face through spending time in the Word of God, then His Word will abide in us. This is more than just reading a little devotional. I am talking about sitting down and reading the Word of God knowing that the Holy Spirit has something to tell you, sure that He wants to teach you something.

The Spirit of God wants to impart His wisdom and power in your life through the Word of God. He wants to equip you for your day. He wants to comfort you. He wants to give you revelation of His love for you. He wants develop the mind of Christ in you so that you will know what He wants you to do. All this the Spirit will do as you live in the Word of God.

Lord gives extreme hunger pains for the Bread of Life. When we have not had our daily portion of the Word remind us that we can not live on bread along but that we need to be filled daily on the truth of your Word. Thank you Lord the Holy Spirit that reminds us that we need to abide in You all the time. In Jesus name..Amen.

Set Free? Only As Completely As The Word Is Applied

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” John 8:34-38

Yesterday day I started this new bible study with the women in the work release center where I do studies and it referred to these verses above. I just want to share with you this one paragraph from the study.

We’ve heard and gained hope from this verse: “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Why, then, do many of us-even though we know the truth-not walk in the freedom that is available to us? Later in the passage, Jesus tells us why: “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed [those entrusted with God’s Word]; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you” (John 8:38, italics added). When we know the truth (His Word), but it has no place in us, we are not set free by it. We must apply the truth to our lives, taking it into ourselves. We’ll be set free only as completely as the truth is applied in our lives. (Exert from Uprooting Anger- by Kay W. Camenisch)

These verses and this paragraph above ministered to my heart deeply because of certain struggles that I am seeing other believers go through, as well as myself. These verses remind me that no matter what we are facing, no matter what our struggle or vices are as children of God we have been set free. We are no longer slaves to sin or our old sin nature. However, many of us have not allowed the Word of God to truly have a place in our heart regarding whatever that struggle or hindrance is. Therefore we can not experience the freedom from that bondage because we have not applied the Word of God to our situation. So we continue to be dominated or enslaved by it.

What I find awesome about serving Christ and overcoming the battle against my fleshly sin nature and the battle in my mind is that I do not have to do it on my own and neither do you. God is working in us, giving us the desire AND the power to do what pleases Him. He equips us with everything we need to do His will and produces in us everything good that is pleasing to Him through the power of Christ Jesus. Our heavenly Father is faithful! He will not ever allow the temptations and struggles in our life to be more than we can stand. When we are tempted, He WILL show us a way out so that we can endure through the power of the Holy Spirit and the application of the truth of God’s Word in our life. The choice is ours daily, to abide in Christ or to go it alone. (Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 13:21, 1 Corinthians 10:13)

As I sat preparing and studying for lasts night’s study with my sister in the Lord and dear friend she said, “As we go over this I am reminded again that Christianity is a choice.” She’s right! Our daily Christian walk is a choice to walk on the narrow road that leads to life and freedom or on the broad road that leads to bondage, destruction, and death. Will we serve our selfish and sinful desires or will we chose to be doers of the Word, applying the truth of God’s Word to every area of our lives? Every area? Yes...especially the ones that we want to keep control of. We have to choose to allow God’s Word to have dominion in our hearts and life.

We are foolish if we ignore the Holy Spirit when He ministers to us about specific concerns that He has about our lives. He will gently, patiently, and lovingly prompt us to change or leave something behind that will hinder our walk and chip away at our testimony. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to set us free. The Word of God was given to us as a gift from God to help teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepares and equip His people to do every good work. However, it’s not enough for us to know the Word or hear the Word, we MUST DO whatever the Word says if we are going to live our life more abundantly here and now. (2 Timothy 3:16)

James 1: 22-25 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

My prayer for us…

Lord, as we draw closer to you through reading your Word and prayer help us to not just read or listen but to apply the truth of Your Word to our lives. We want to live free from anything that will prevent our light from shining bright for You. Let us always remember that we can do nothing of fruitful eternal value apart from the Word of God. We need you now more than ever in this world full of sin and evil. Thank you for your power and grace which is sufficient to help us in our time of need. We will run to you daily not just in our times of crisis. In Jesus name…Amen