BESIDE STILL WATERS

BESIDE STILL WATERS

He leads me beside still waters

Psalm 23:2

14 Devotions About

A closer walk with God

Introspection and meditation

God’s goodness and mercy

“Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.”

From the Hymn “Just a closer walk with Thee” Lyrics by Anonymous/ Unknown

For the words of the full Hymn, see http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Just_a_Closer_Walk_with_Thee/

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalm 23:6

FOREWORD

The writer of this book is well known to our Assembly. Marga has been a member here with us for a number of years. She has grown in the Lord and has a real passion to see a change in people’s lives. As she has grown in Jesus Christ she has had a great effect on many a believer around her. Inspiring and lifting people and helping them believe that there is more to Serving Jesus, than just going to church.

Prior to writing this devotional book her love for Jesus Christ has taken her into a ministry that few others have gone into. She had the privilege to minister to a group of hearing and sight impaired individuals at a school. This unique ministry has taken her to other countries to further her knowledge of this area. And expanding the Kingdom of God.

This same love for God’s work has been poured into this devotional book that has seen the light.

In this book you will find lots of thought tingling and inspiring pieces. Many of what has been written you will be able to ponder on into the late hours of the night. This book challenges you in a good way to think in a new way of God’s love and care for His children.

This book will take you from where you are now and bring you to a place where you can sit at the feet of Jesus Christ and listen to His voice and obey every command. As you read you would feel like finishing it in one go, but put it down from time to time and allow God’s Holy Spirit to change you from the inside out. Think on it, meditate on it, ask God to reveal to you, how big is His love.

I hope this book is not the last we have seen coming onto the shelves of bookshops.

I hope you too will enjoy this book as much as I have. May you be blessed and enriched through the pages that come to life by His Spirit.

God Bless

Charl Kalamer

Senior Pastor, AFM-Harrismith, South Africa

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marga Stander studied linguistics and drama and also developed a love for painting and art, which she all incorporated whilst teaching university students and deaf learners.  She holds a doctorate in linguistics.

She survived cancer with God’s grace and healing, and believes that every day is a gift from God.  With a love to study the Word, she keeps a journal of messages from God and wants to share them with others.

She is married, has two sons and lives in the Free State province of South Africa.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2013 Dr Marga Stander. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.

*All scriptures are from the ESV unless otherwise stated.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

About The Author

Copyright

Table of Contents

A lonesome road

A new beginning

Born to reign

Carry another's burdens

Cast Your Burdens

Let go...don't let go

Reign through your words

Reign through your thoughts

What about God's will?

When pride stands in my way

Whenever I am weak...

Winter in the desert

Hear His Voice

When the fire goes out

A LONESOME ROAD

Matt 7: 13 “Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (ESV)

Jesus tells us that there is a right road and a wrong road.  The true road is both narrow and difficult. (David Guzik – Updated Study Guide for Matthew 7)

We have to choose which road we want to take and it is often a lonely one.  Once chosen, we have to stay on that road.  There are certain conditions.  We cannot jump to and fro.  The road is often long and lonely.  Sometimes it is winter and sometimes we go through a desert.  And sometimes it is dark.  But this is where we meet God … in the cold, the drought, the darkness and the silence.  On this road God is clear and He is big and we can easily see Him.  On the other road there are too many things and we cannot see God.  There are too many noises and we cannot hear Him.  There are too many things to do and we don’t have time for Him.  On the still, dark road His lights shines brightly and clear.  There we have time for Him, there it is quiet and we can hear Him clearly.

Matthew Henry  also explains what the wide and easy road is like.  There are many travellers on it; you will have lots of liberty; you can do what you want; go with the crowd.  But it will be the wrong way.  If we want to go the way of grace, we must enter by the new birth, (Matthew Henry Commentary on Matthew 7)

John 3:3 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

The narrow gate is hard to find, and hard to go through, like the two rocks that are described in 1 Samuel 14:

1 Sam 14:4 “Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side.”

We must have a new heart, a new spirit and all old things must pass away.

To be able to pass through this gate, we must become like a child again.  But we are not in heaven immediately, no, we still have a path to walk; we have to go through a wilderness.  We must go through tribulation.  Only a few find it and choose it.  Many will see it, but will pass.  They won’t choose it.  They won’t want to.

Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door.  For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

We cannot enter without divine grace, but it is not impossible if we strive.

PRAYER: In the stillness of the night I hear Your voice, I see Your light, listen to You, oh Lord. In the winter of my life You give me strength. In the desert I meet You, Only You, And Your Spirit fill my whole being. My spirit, my soul, my flesh becomes spirit through Your will. In my weakness I become strong.  Through Your power that lifts me up and renews me to do Your will. Amen.

A NEW BEGINNING

Isa 43:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Old customs are hard to break.  It is not easy to learn new things.  Before I can start doing something new, a new idea has to be created.  I can have a vision of what I want: I can picture myself with a new hairstyle, outfit, being slimmer, a new car, having a new job, living in a new house and all sorts of things.  But all of these are earthly things.

I could also see myself as a new person:  more friendly, loving, kind, faithful, dedicated, loyal and helpful, caring and so on. Maybe I want to have more self-discipline, work harder, read more, write a book or study something.  All of this, however, could stay with the picture in my mind. Nothing of this will come true if I don’t do anything about it.

I once made a painting of houses, but was not quite satisfied with it.  I wanted to change it, but didn’t know how.  I put it away somewhere and forgot about it.  Years later I took it out again.  I covered the whole painting with fresh paint and created a whole new picture.  This time the picture is not about houses anymore, it is filled with trees and clouds. You can’t see any of the houses anymore.  It’s the same board, but a completely different picture.

It is a choice we have to make.  It is a decision we have to take, pray about it and trust God.

Each new idea is like a seed that needs to be planted. If we don’t plant the seed, it will stay a seed.   First we have to prepare the soil and then plant the seed. Once the seed takes root, we have to start caring for it; give it water, nurse it to life.  In a few days the new shoots will show above the ground. It will take a while to become a strong plant.  It won’t happen overnight.  Not like Jack and the beanstalk.

Ezek 17:5 Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters. He set it like a willow twig, 6 and it sprouted and became a low spreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

I plant, Apollos gives water, but the growing is done by God.

1 Cor 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

So who is “I” and who is Apollos?  They were Paul and one of the ministers, called Apollos, but they are not the ones we should believe for salvation; they only brought Jesus to us.  We have different ‘jobs’ in God’s kingdom; some plant, some gives water and so on, but it is always God who gets the work done.  (David Guzik – Updated Study Guide – Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 3)

The biggest change we can make is to give our lives to the Lord.  Then we will be completely changed – a total makeover.  Like the seed that needs to be ‘planted’, buried in the ground, before it can start to grow, we also need to be ‘buried’ first.

Rom 6: 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Matthew Henry  makes the following observation about this: We must first “observe the nature of sanctification … dying to sin and living to righteousness … putting off the old man and putting on the new, ceasing to do evil and learning to do well.”  To walk in newness of life or living to righteousness  (Matthew Henry – Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible – Commentary on Romans 6).

So we are ‘buried’ with Christ (by baptism into death) in order to be raised (like Christ). We are no longer the same person.  We now walk with “the power and effectiveness of His resurrection and can ‘walk in the newness of life’”(Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest – April 8).   When the seed has grown into a plant, it doesn’t look like a seed anymore; it has a new ‘look’ – the ‘look of life’. There is life in it and the life in it causes it to grow.  “This is the miracle of life.  We do the same thing in ministering Jesus to other people.” (David Guzik – Updated Study Guide – Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 3).

We often get frustrated when we want to water when we have to plant instead or when we want to plant, but God wants us to water.  “Real fruitfulness in ministry happens when we are peacefully content with what God has called us to do.” (David Guzik – Updated Study Guide – Study Guide for 1 Corinthians 3)

Gal 2:20 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.

The seed is no longer ‘dead’ – it has new life.  It is no longer on its own as a seed.  It has life in it.  It is no longer I that live on my own.  I have Christ in me.  Like the water that sustains the plant, so Christ sustains me and my faith is in Him.

Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

“Former predictions of God, which were now fulfilled, are here adduced as proof that they ought to trust in Him alone as God; namely the predictions as to Israel’s restoration from Babylon.” The ‘new things’ refer to the Messiah, who is to bring all nations to the worship of Jehovah (Isa 42:1,4,6).  The words “spring forth” point to plants beginning to germinate and even before that happens, God “tell you of them”.  (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown – Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Isaiah 42 by A.R. Fausset)

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

C.H. Spurgeon says that when we are in Christ we are in a state of grace .  A new Christian needs to grow and grow up more fully unto Christ Jesus in all things.  The more we grow, the nearer we grow to glory, closer to perfection and we will think and act and live and move more and more in Christ to become one with Jesus in all things.  (C.H. Spurgeon – The Believer a New Creature – 1869, July 18th ).

To be a ‘new creation’ means a radical change, not just any change.  This is a total conversion.  The change should go much deeper than the outward life, otherwise we are not saved, not a new creature and not in Christ.  “Grace does not reform us, but re-creates us…it implants a holy and divine principle which goes to instant war with all indwelling sin, and continues to fight until corruption is subdued, and holiness is enthroned.”  (C. H. Spurgeon).

Ezek 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Things won’t always come easy, but we must learn to endure. It takes time, patience and hard work.  We will have obstacles along the way, but we should not get discouraged.  If one door closes, another will open.  We have the strength of God in us.  If we are weak, then He is strong.  We must just let Him work in us.  He will give us water for our spirit and we will be revived.

Judg 15:18 And he was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day.

Like a plant that withers, so our souls get tired and become dry, but God will restore my soul with living water. Just ask Him, hold on to Him.  A plant cannot water itself.  It needs a person or the rain.  So we are dependent upon Him to nourish us.  It needs no more.

PRAYER:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. -Ps 23:1-3

BORN TO REIGN

Gen 1: 26 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Here it is important to notice the words “us” and “our”. Ray Stedman explains:

God did something first before something could happen.  First, He made us in His image, after His likeness.  Then He said: "...so that they may rule ..."

"God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." The question immediately arises, to whom is God speaking? Who is the other party or parties to this conversation?

There are some who suggest that he is talking to the angels; that since man was not yet made, the only other creatures with whom he could converse would be the angels. But this is impossible, in view of the very next verse which says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God ..." (Genesis 1:27a RSV). He is not therefore talking to the angels when he says "let us make man in our image." The only other possibility is that here is the first major revelation in the Old Testament of the fact that God is not a single unity but that there are other Persons within the Godhead, and he is talking to the other Persons involved." ... "God exists in a strange three-fold unity, three-in-one -- not three Gods but only one, yet subsisting eternally in three remarkable Persons." -  Ray Stedman

We are made in God's image.  He was satisfied when He created us.  He doesn't make junk.  We are no accident.  We are not without sin, but we are created in a perfect way.  God made us so that we can "rule over all the earth and all the creatures on the earth."

But...are we doing that?  He made us perfectly, so when do we start to reign?  We start to reign the earth when the Holy Spirit fills us with His breath.

God told Adam to reign over the earth and all that is within it.  We should do the same.

I Cor 11: 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

When God calls us to do something, we get a "sense of destiny" and we know that there is nothing else that we want to do. We know this is His will and we should obey.

Jesus knew what His purpose was since He was born.  Many things happened to confirm His calling, e.g.  in Jerusalem when he was a boy of 12; when John baptised Him in the river Jordan; when the devil tempted Him in the desert; and many more.

Jesus came to show us how, to give us an example. We are to imitate His life, His teachings and His truth.

We all are doing different things in this life here on earth and it doesn't matter where you are or what you do, remember this:  you are in His service and under His authority.  He has put us here to reign with Him and bring order to the chaos of this world.

All will go well, because God is in control.  We are reigning with Him.  Elijah was obedient and did what God told him.  He reigned with confidence.

1 Kings 17: 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

Decide upon something and confirm it with the Lord.  But remember, be in agreement with Him.

1 Kings 17: 13  Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent; neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

What the Lord told Elijah, happened.  The oil and the flour didn't run out.  And it did rain:

1 Kings 18: 1 After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.”

1 Kings 18: 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man's hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’”

How do we reign?  We ought to reign as slaves of righteousness.

Rom 6: 16 you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

But we can do anything through Him who gives us strength.

John 14: 12 - Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

We should reign over our circumstances.   It should not steal our joy.

Matt 16: 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

We should reign over each situation and emotion, because we are standing in a relationship with the Lord.

Sometimes the enemy tells us otherwise.  He wants to derail us from our position in the Lord.  To reign is part of our relationship with the Lord.  If we are obedient to the Lord, it happens as He has promised.  Not because we are so "good", but because He is almighty.

Eph 6: 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Because we have Christ in us, we can overcome evil.

1 John 4: 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

“Thank God for the glorious and majestic truth that His Spirit can work the very nature of Jesus into us, if we will only obey Him” – Oswald Chambers (My utmost for His highest – April 8).

PRAYER:  You are almighty oh God.  You reign over all and You are in control. Help us to be obedient. Amen.

CARRY ANOTHER'S BURDENS

Gal 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

This is not just something nice to do when we feel like doing it.  Or something that others can do for me.  Instead we put burdens on other people’s shoulders and make life difficult for them. We won’t help them carry their burdens.

Matt 23:4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.

No, this is not what we should do.  We should clothe ourselves with humility and serve those who cannot do it themselves anymore.

1 Pet. 5:5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

This is actually a command from the Lord; the law of Christ.  And we have to be obedient.

John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

We have to care for others, carry their burdens. Of course we have to ask how they are, show interest in their problems and pray for them. But that is not all.  The scripture says: "carry" one another's burdens.  This means we have to handle their problems, take care of whatever needs to be taken care of.

A simple example would be if someone is carrying a heavy bag, I should take that bag and carry it, or at least help to carry it. It may sometimes not be possible to take over someone's problems, but in so far as it is possible, I should do it. There are many examples of how we can do this.

Each one of us has our own circumstances and ways to deal with it.  You will know what they are and amongst the people you know, your spouse, children, family, colleagues, people at church, friends and others. If we really start caring for them, really start taking their interests to heart, we will find ways and means to carry their burdens.  Even if there are people we don't know, we can help them too.

Matthew 25: 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

But if we are selfish and keep ourselves apart from others, we won't know about their burdens.  We need to become involved.  How else will we know?  If we live only for ourselves, we won't be able to carry another's burden.  We will be too concerned about our own problems. If we are too busy, we won't have the time to care for others.

It is not a matter of "oh, I don't know... ", or “I don't have the time", or "That's not my problem", or "I have enough problems of my own", or "you know, those people ...", and a million other excuses.  Jesus didn't say:  "If you can or want to, carry one another's burdens."  He said: "Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ."  This is an order and this is what we have to do to fulfil His law.

As Christians we want to be like Jesus.  We are part of the body of Christ.

We are part of the Christian community and we rely upon each other. We are dependent on our fellow Christians. Just like the different parts in our bodies need each other.

1 Kor 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

We each have a different role in this body.  Ask Jesus what your role is and do it. This is our responsibility.

Romans 12:4-5 as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

The scriptures are full of examples of how Jesus carried the burdens of others.  But the biggest and most amazing thing that He has done was to carry our sins with Him on the cross.  There is no greater love than this that He died for our sins on the cross.

We should let this love of God shines through all our actions.  We shouldn't do it for ourselves.

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

To carry another's burdens, is all about love.  Firstly, love for God and then love for our neighbours.

Leviticus 19: 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

This is what Jesus wants us to do, what He expects us to. And we will be blessed. May the Holy Spirit live in us and guide us so that God's love can be seen in us.

PRAYER: Dear Father, forgive me for not caring enough about others.  For not showing Your love to them.  Help me and guide me through Your Holy Spirit to make me aware of the needs of others.  Amen.

CAST YOUR BURDENS

Psalm 55:22  Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

It is second nature to worry about things.  Some of us worry more than others.  Some of us appear to be carefree, but we also worry about some things.  Some of us worry about big things and some about small things.  If we cannot handle the big things, we give them to the Lord, but still keep the small things to ourselves.  We don't want to burden the Lord with trivialities.  He has enough to worry about.  We will take care of the rest.  We can handle the small things.

But is this what the Bible tells us?

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) says: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."  The Amplified Bible says: 'Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. (1 Peter 5:7 AMP)

It doesn’t say only the big cares, no it says "all your care".  This means big and small.  Even things like eat and drink and clothes: Jesus said,

'Do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For [non-believers] run after all these things...' (Matthew 6:31-32 NIV)

We are believers; therefore we shouldn't worry about it.   It is the non-believers who worry about such things.  Does it mean then if I am a believer, but I worry about something, that there is something wrong with my faith?  Well?  Not necessarily, but it means that we have to search our hearts.

Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

Oswald Chambers said in his book My Utmost for His Highest, that "We must recognise the difference between burdens that are right for us to bear and burdens that are wrong. We should never bear the burdens of sin or doubt, but there are some burdens placed on us by God which He does not intend to lift off." (Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest - What to do when your burden is overwhelming (13 April)).

Why doesn't He want to lift them off?  Because He wants us to cast them back on Him. Then "He will take away that immense feeling of responsibility, replacing it with an awareness and understanding of Himself and His presence." It is important to know that God still wants us to be part of our burdens, we are still involved, "but you need to deliberately place one end on God’s shoulder. “. . . the government will be upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6).""

I have read the following in Faith for Daily Living, October 2012: 'Then a friend came up with this novel idea: "Why don't you try this worry coupon. It entitles you to worry as much as you like, but only if: (a) it will feed and clothe you; (b) it will add to your life instead of taking from it; (c) it will make tomorrow better; (d) you don't mind acting like a non-believer!" Then he said, "If that doesn't work make a list of all the things you're worrying about, place it in a box and put it up on a shelf where you can't see it. If God is either unwilling or unable to take care of it, you can always go get the box and start worrying again but at least give Him a chance. And while you are waiting for Him to answer, pray, stand on His Word and don't give your worries a voice."'

What causes us to worry?  Fear and anxiety.  And what does the Bible say about that?  There is a whole list of Bible verses that we can read.  I will give a few here and the rest you can find at the end of this passage.

Exodus 14: 13 Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Genesis15: 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified) says: "...once and for all..." ...so it means I should never worry again. No one knows what will happen in the future, except God.  And because He knows, we can trust Him. Things can change overnight.  If we worry about something, chances are 100% that it will play out differently anyway.  Someone told me that to worry is like carrying an umbrella with you all the time, just in case it will rain. If I look back at my life I can see how things have worked out. And therefore I know, no matter what, all will be fine.  The devil will always give you something to worry about just to take your mind off Christ.  So don't give your worries a voice and don't give the devil a chance.

God is great and if He says He will take care of it, He will.  He does not lie.

PRAYER:  Lord, help me to stay in touch with You always. I want to have an intimate relationship with You.  I cast all my burdens on You. Help me to remember Your promises.  Amen

Other scriptures that you can look up for yourself in your own quiet times:

Numbers 14:9; Deut 31:6; 2 Sam 13:28; Psalm 27:3; 46:2; 112:7; Prov 3:24; Isa 12:2; 35:4; Jer 17:8; 39:17; 42:11; Ezekiel 2:6; Joel 2:21,22; Haggai 2:5; Zech 8:15; 2 Tim 1:7; 1 John 4:18

LET GO...DON'T LET GO

John14: 27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

It is hard to let go.  It is hard to leave your problems behind.   Like a woman leaving her new born baby in the care of someone - even if she knows them and trusts them. Your children are very special to you.  And sometimes our problems are too.  We just won't let go.  We care so much for them and want to cuddle them.  We don't want anyone to take care of them.  We won’t trust anyone to help us.

We don't want God to take care of them. As if we don't trust God enough.  So we just live with them.  They make us sick and miserable.  But we won't let go.

Sometimes we cannot change anything - at least not immediately.   We want to find solutions ourselves, instead of asking God first.  Often He is the last one we would go to for help.  Maybe He is talking to us, but we won't listen.  We are too focussed on our problems that we can't hear His voice.

Oswald Chambers said: “But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get.  We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account.” (Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest – August 26.)

We need to let go sooner.  We need to cast our burdens on Him as soon as possible.

Psalm 55: 22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Let go of your worries, but don't let go of God.

Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

He wants us to hold on to Him.  He is the anchor of our ship. We need an anchor in rough seas and the rougher the weather, the more we need an anchor. He is the One who helps us not to drift away and perish.

Heb 6: 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

But we are not anchored to the ground, but upward in heaven. Jesus has entered into the Father’s presence so that we can follow Him there. (David Guzik – Updated Study Guide – Study guide for Hebrews 6)

He is our rock, the one on which we can stand when the seas in our life are rough.  He will protect us, He will put us on a safe place, and He will cover us with His hands:

Exodus 33: 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

“Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms”…full of support, provision, comfort and strength.  And once His touch comes, nothing at all can throw you into fear again” ( Oswald Chambers. Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest – May 24).

Deut 33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, Destroy.

If we recognize and admit the limits of our own strength, He reveals Himself to us.  He won’t do anything if we don’t allow Him to do the impossible.

Ps 18:2-3 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

God speaks about Jerusalem when he says He is even stronger than a fortress or a wall.  He is the wall Himself, like a wall of fire. (David Guzik:  “God promises to bring so many people to Jerusalem that the crowds will overflow the walls of the city – but that won’t matter because God will be their protection, not walls.  He will be a wall of fire all around her…Today Jerusalem is indeed a city without walls, because in modern warfare they are useless in defending the city.  Ultimately Jerusalem will be a city without walls because the prince of peace will reign from Jerusalem and He will be her protection.” – Study Guide for Zechariah 2. )

Manmade walls and strongholds cannot protect us like He does.  We should rely on Him in times of trouble.  We should cast our burdens on Him and not rely on our own strength.

Zech 2:5 ‘And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.’

If we hold on to Him, if we “make the Lord our hope, his favour the good we hope for and his power the strength we hope in” (Matthew Henry – Matthew Henry Commentary on Jeremiah 17), we will be like a tree planted by the waters. Trees that stand close to water will be strong to survive the heat, their leaves are green; they are strong and alive and bear lots of fruit.  In times of drought they will survive, because they have enough supplies inside of them.  If we are like these trees we will also not have fear or anxiety and will survive, because the Holy Spirit is inside us and will sustain us in times of trouble.  Our leaves will be green and we will bear much fruit.

Jer 17: 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

God can do that and much more.  He can take care of all our needs. We need not be concerned about anything:

Philippians 4:5b The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Ray Stedman (Ray Stedman – Adventuring Through the Bible – The Message of Philippians) says that we should not just sit there and fret or turn our minds off.  We should not suppress our anxieties, but pray to the Lord about them, with thanksgiving, and leave them with Him.  God won’t forsake us.  If we come to Him in prayer,  He will never turn us away.

Ps 9:10-11 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. But we ask:  can it be that simple?

It is that simple.  But we often want it to be more complicated. We don't have to make it more difficult than that.  Are you holding on to Him?  If not, try and do it today.  He is there, next to you.  Just reach out and touch Him.  He is waiting for you.  Do it now.  And see how God will hold you in His arms and hold you close until the storm has past.  Just be still, don't struggle on your own.  Let Him protect you.  Let go of your fears.  Hold on to Him.

Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Let go of your burdens, you problems, your fears and cast them upon the Lord and you will find peace.

Ps 4:8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for holding me close.  Help me let go of my fears. Amen

REIGN THROUGH YOUR WORDS

Daniel 11:32 Then with smooth words he will defile those who have rejected the covenant. But the people who are loyal to their God will act valiantly (NET)

In a previous passage we have seen that we are "Born to reign". We are also called to reign through our words.

Gen 2: 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

What did Adam do wrong in the Garden of Eden?  He didn't use the authority that God gave him. When did he discard his rule?  When Eve brought him the fruit from the tree which they were not allowed eating from.

Gen 3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Sometimes God brings things on our paths to see if we can withstand it and rule over our situation. Can we take a stand, can we speak up? Is there power in our words?

1 Cor 4: 19: But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. (Also refer to 1 Cor 2:4 and 1 Thes 1:5).

The New English Translation (NET) refers to “idle talk”, which means that if our words are empty or “idle” then it means nothing.   Our words are the reflection of what is in our hearts and spirit.  The Bible gives us the example:

Zech 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Words = Power = Spirit.  Paul's words in 1 Cor. 2: 3-5 explain this to us:

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Which words of wisdom is he talking about?  Verse 5 tells us that it is the wisdom of men.  Chuck Smith (Transciptions for the C2000 Series) believes that Paul means here that his words were not merely his own wisdom (man’s wisdom), but that it was a demonstration of the power of God and of the Spirit of God working.  (Also see Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown)

1 Cor. 2:6-8 speaks about the “hidden wisdom of God”, which “He has determined before the ages for our glory” (NET).

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The hidden wisdom of God is meant for those who are matured in their Christian walk and experience, who are able to understand true wisdom.   So when we have the Spirit in us, we can speak with true wisdom and authority. (Chuck Smith (Transciptions for the C2000 Series)

God gave Adam the authority to name the animals in paradise.  The names he gave them, stayed with them.

Gen 2:19 out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

Likewise, we can have that authority in the name of the Lord. What we speak, so it will be.  Elijah had that authority as well.

1 Kings 17: 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”

What comes out of our mouths?  What is inside our hearts will be reflected in our words.  If our spirit belongs to God, then the following will be heard in our words:

Gal 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Try to answer the following questions:

* What impact do my words have?

* How helpful are my words?

* Does anything happen when I speak?

* Is their power in my words?

Prov 18: 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

There is power in our words if spoken through the strength which comes from God's grace through the death of His son.  So when we make decisions, when we rule over our circumstances and speak out, we are speaking with the authority which we have in Jesus Christ.

Job 22:28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.

29 For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’; but he saves the lowly.

30 He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

And in the end, if we endure, our names will be found in the Book of Life. Jesus will speak up on our behalf, His words will have that power, He will declare our names before the Father.  This is the grace of God.

Rev 3:5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

PRAYER:  Thank you Father, for Your grace.  Help me to discover the power of my words. Amen.

REIGN THROUGH YOUR THOUGHTS

2 Cor 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

It is so easy to just let your thoughts go.  We are often encouraged to let our imaginations run freely, to be creative and to give free reigns to our thoughts.  In today's modern society the person with the most creative thoughts often gets the highest on the corporate ladder, or becomes the most successful in whatever their field.  It is all well and good and we are happy for those people who succeed.

This is the positive side, but unfortunately there is a negative side to this as well.  If we don't control our thoughts, it can cause lots of trouble, not only for us, but for other people as well.  And this is nothing new. As far back as the book of Genesis we read:

Gen 6: 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

There is a fine line between what is right and what is wrong when it comes to our thinking.  Our thoughts have a way of running away with us, fast.  If you start daydreaming and you wake up, you find yourself thinking about things you shouldn't.  Or you find yourself thinking negative thoughts.

So what should we do?  We should turn to the word of God, where all truth lies.  King David told his son:

1 Chron 28:  9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

Every project of our Lord was disciplined to the will of His Father.  Are my thoughts or projects merely an impulse and do we just jump into action immediately, or do we take it to the Lord and find out what His will is.  Oswald Chambers says that “true determination and zeal are found in obeying God”.  We should not only be doing work for God that has been activated by our own human nature; but it should have been made “spiritual through determined discipline”.  (Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest – September 9).

We should seek what God wants and obey Him with a submissive and willing spirit, so that our words and thoughts are acceptable to the Lord.

Ps 19: 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

God knows all.  He knows our hearts and our minds.  He knows what we are thinking.  We cannot hide anything from Him.  Therefore we should be extra careful what thoughts we host in our minds.

When Jesus was casting out demons (Luke 11:14-16), people were saying all sorts of things, as though they didn't believe it was really Him.  They started to have doubts; maybe kept their thoughts to themselves, afraid to speak about it, but Jesus knew their minds. And He warned them of the consequences of their doubtful thoughts.

Luke 11: 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.”

Although Jesus is referring to the suspicions the people had of whether “He was doing this by the power of the devil”, what is important for us here, is that Jesus knew what they were thinking.  He knew their thoughts. (Chuck Smith – Transcriptions for the C2000 Series).

Jesus asks Peter the piercing question “Do you love Me?” (John 21:15-17) three times and Jesus knows the answer. He knew what it did to Peter.  “The true love within our spiritual self can only be discovered by experiencing the hurt of this question.”   Oswald Chambers explains that it does not only hurt on the natural level, but also on the deeper spiritual level so that it discerns our thoughts and intentions of our heart. (Oswald Chambers – My Utmost for His Highest – March 1).

Hebrews 4: 12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word of God teaches us how we should keep our thoughts busy and with what:

Phil 4: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

“What Paul describes here is a practical way to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (David Guzik – Updated Study Guide (for Philippians 4)).

The Christian’s walk depends a lot on the mind.  Romans 12:2 speaks of being transformed by the renewing of your mind … and 2 Corinthians 10:5 reminds us to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

How can we do God’s work and be acceptable to Him if our minds are filled with sinful and negative thoughts?

PRAYER:  Dear Father, grant us the wisdom to know what Your will is.  Guard us against having negative and sinful thoughts enter our mind.  Remind us of our authority and responsibility to reign in Your name.  Cleanse our minds so that we are acceptable to You.  Amen.

WHAT ABOUT GOD'S WILL?

Matthew 6: 9: "So pray this way: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honoured, 10: may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I don't know about you, but I sometimes struggle to find out what God's will is and I often struggle to accept His will.  I want to follow my own heart and will.  I am stubborn and disobedient and I need to understand this.  I prayed about this and God showed me the following:

If we ask God for something and He gives it to us, do we thank Him enough?  Do we acknowledge that it was Him who gave it to us?

Do we really thank Him, or do we say it was this or that or someone who gave it to us?  If I apply for a job and pray about it; and if I get it, do I think it was because of my own abilities, my skills, qualifications and intelligence? Or do I say the company gave it to me in stead of giving God all the glory. Sometimes it seems impossible to do or get something, then I pray and ask God to do it.  But when I get it, I take all the glory for myself or give it to someone else.

When I get what I've asked for, I am tempted to doubt if it was really His will.  Then I start to think maybe it was only my wish and something that I wanted.  Why don't I just believe?  Isn't that I was asking for?  He has answered my prayer and gave me what I've asked for, so why these doubts?

Life is not always a joy-ride.  Centuries ago people from Europe went to countries all over the world: America, Africa, Australia and so on.  It was not a holiday trip.  Things were hard, it was rough country.  Many died at sea on their way there or after they arrived.  Disease and illness killed many.  But they endured and started a new life for themselves and their families with God's help.  Many stayed behind in Europe and England, because it was not God's will that they should leave.

What about His will?  I have spoken only about what I want.  Is He a God who can only say yes or no to our requests?  NO!  He is so much bigger than that.  Do I know what His will is?  NO!  Have I asked Him?  Yes, but only what He wants for ME.  Always about me.  Never have I asked what He wants.  And if I don't like His will, if it doesn't fit my plans?  Then I'm unhappy and angry.  How do I get peace in my heart?

If His answer is NO, then I should accept it and make peace with it.  I should pray that I shouldn't be afraid; that I shouldn't be worried about what will happen or how it will happen.  I should pray that He will give me the assurance that all work according to His plan.

Proverbs 3: 5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding."

There are so many things I don't understand.  If I pray and He grants me my request, I should be glad and it should be a sign that He agrees with me.  But if things happen that are not in accordance with that, what does it tell me?

Should I now believe that it is no longer God's will?  Or should I read into it that I should keep on believing?  I want to believe!  I want to keep on believing that it was the right thing in the first place.  But how do I conquer these other obstacles?  By keeping on PRAYING.  I don't have all the answers, but God does.  And He brings things on our paths to test our faith; to strengthen our faith.  I always pray that He should strengthen my faith, now is the chance.  Now is the time I should stand firm in my faith.

Make a list of what you have prayed for and tick the box if the answer is yes or no or not yet.  Even if you don't have an answer yet.

PRAYER

YES

NO

NOT YET

Just keep on praying that His will be done.  If the answer to my prayer is yes, then I know it was God's will, not some magic or luck.  Then He will also provide all the other things necessary to complete His plan.  Even if I haven't asked for that or thought about it. Sometimes we don't think about everything or about the consequences of our requests.  He will also remind me what I have to pray for.  I should pray that He will show me what to ask for and what His plans are.

Hebrew 10: 36 "For you need endurance in order to do God's will and so receive what is promised."

Sometimes my plan looks so good, but not without problems.  But those problems - are they the things that make me doubt?  Or are they the things that will convince me to keep on believing?  If I ask God for something and He gives it to me, do I give up hope when the first small problem arises?  For example, I ask for a car and I get it, but around the first bend I get a flat tyre.  Is this a sign that I shouldn't have the car?  Am I now to abandon the car and walk away?  Or will it convince me to change the tyre and drive on?  To tackle the problem and get over it, because I believe in the bigger cause.  If I cannot change the tyre myself, do I ask for help?  If I cannot solve my problem, I can always pray about that.

If God gives me something, He doesn't promise that nothing will go wrong.  Sometimes there are lots of things involved or included in the package.  Good and not so good things.   I cannot always have just the good things.  The bad is sometimes part thereof.  The good should just convince me that I should have the package.  Otherwise I shouldn't have received it in the first place.

If someone gives me a piece of chocolate cake, with all the nice icing, cream and maybe cherries, I might be delighted, even satisfied.  But in that cake are bad stuff that is not good for me and could make me sick and fat - sugar, fat and maybe gluten.  I don't see them if I get the cake, but they're there.  I eat the cake with all the good and bad and I accept that.  Life is the same, with all the good and the bad and we have to live it.  This is a gift from God.  We have to accept the whole package.

If God plants a desire in my heart to do His work, this feeling does not go away easily.  It stays with me the whole time.  If it is not His will, He will take it away and replaces it with peace.  All that I have was given to me by God. If He takes anything away from me, it shouldn't bother me, because it didn't belong to me in the first place.

Luke 22: 42 "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done."

PRAYER: All that I ask is Father, "what is your will?"  Let Your will be done.  To Him all the glory. Amen.

WHEN PRIDE STANDS IN MY WAY

Prov. 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

When we become new-born Christians it is very important that we should grow.  Many start growing in the Lord with a lot of enthusiasm and vigour, and they continue to grow.  Many grow only a little bit and then stop.  What makes us stop growing in Christ?

The answer to this question is not so easy.  There are many things that can prevent us from growing in the Lord.  Sometimes we don’t have time to spend with the Word, sometimes we get too busy with other things.  We lose interest and become more interested in worldly things.

1 John 2:16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

A new born baby needs the right food in order to grow.  Without their parents, they cannot grow.  We are the same; without our Father and the right spiritual food, we cannot do it on our own.

1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

But sometimes we think we can.  We don’t rely enough on God for our growth.  When something stands in our way, it will block our path until we realise it and remove it.  Like pride; when we recognise pride in our heart, we have to remove it before it becomes a monster that can destroy us.  Hezekiah humbled himself, not only he, but the inhabitants of Jerusalem as well.  God doesn’t like pride, He likes a humble heart.

2 Cron 32:26 But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

When we stop to be humble, pride steps in.  Pride destroys a humble heart. If we don’t humble ourselves, we will be humbled.  But there is a reward for those who humble themselves:

Luke 14:11 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Also see Luke 18:14; Matt 23:12).

What is pride?

From one of the wisest men who ever lived, Solomon, we learn in Proverbs what pride is.  He compares pride to other less desirable things; like arrogance and perverted speech:

Prov 8: 13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate.

And disgrace:

Prov 11: 2a When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

And then Proverbs makes a contrast between pride and wisdom:

Prov 11: 2b but with the humble is wisdom.

Also read: Prov 14:3, Prov 21:24, Prov 29:23, Isa 2:11

A proud heart cannot escape God; it is not above God; it will not make us superior.  It will stand in the way of our spiritual growth in the Lord.

Jer 49:16 The horror you inspire has deceived you, and the pride of your heart, you who live in the clefts of the rock, who hold the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as the eagle's, I will bring you down from there, declares the Lord.

The good news is that we can grow spiritually. We need to make a decision to take the responsibility to grow in Christ. Because we have the Holy Spirit in us, it is possible.

Eph 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Then we can walk in the true light and grow into healthy children of God.

Prov. 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

Does pride stand in your way?    If it does, take it to the Lord and ask that He removes it from your heart.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, forgive me for not taking the responsibility to grow in You every day. Remove the pride that stands in my way.  Please grant me the wisdom to do it.  Amen.

WHENEVER I AM WEAK...

2 Cor 12: 9 But he said to me, "My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

A while ago, I was at a very low point.  All felt wrong and total darkness surrounded me.  I could not get out of it, no matter how hard I tried.  It felt as if God also had left me and nothing could make the darkness better.  After a few days of struggle and prayer, I began to hear God's voice. It was a small voice, but He told me the following:

When you at your weakest, you are in the best place, because you can fully surrender to Me.  When you are desperate and don't know what to do, it is good, because then I can work in you.  If everything looks dark, it is good, because then My light can be seen.

We are at our strongest when we are at our weakest.

Does this sound right?

When all goes well in our lives, we tend to think that we can do everything ourselves and we often get a false picture of our own strength.  Then we are deceived by our own capabilities.  When we have everything and lack nothing, we forget about the Lord.

But when we have nothing and we don't know where to turn to, then we remember Him again and He can help us.  He cannot help us if we have everything and want to be in control of everything or think that we are in control.

It is when we are at the lowest point when He can pick us up and we can see His power at work.  Then we can see what a wonderful Father He is.  We can stand back and see Him at work.  Then we don't have to do anything.

It sounds like a contradiction.  You may ask, "Why is it 'good' to be at such a low point?"

Where are you?

Are you at this stage where you just don't know anymore?  Don't despair... you are at the place where God can lift you up.  Now you can wait and see how God works in your life.  Now you can totally surrender to Him.  Now you can see what His will is for you.

He has brought you to this point where you feel absolutely lost, anxious and desperate.  But His Holy Spirit worked in you; He convinced you that you are at a place where He wanted you to be so that He can work in you.  You must stand back now and let Him do His work.  Don't think about anything.  Don't worry about anything now.  Don't make any decisions at this moment before God hasn't shown you what you should do.  And this He will do in His time.  He is never late.  He is always on time.  Even when He is four days late...

John 11:17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb four days already.

God's way is the best way

We can stay awake all night long, making our own plans, but God's plan is the best plan.  He knows what He is doing.  He knows His plans for us. That's why we need to follow His instructions.  And in His time He will reveal them to us.  We shouldn't ask now, we will know later.  Things will become clear later on.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know what I have planned for you,' says the LORD. 'I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.

We should not become despondent.  Or anxious or be in a hurry.  God will show us in time.  He has planned and worked things out long ago.

PRAYER: Lord, we serve an almighty, perfect God.  To You all the glory. Amen.

WINTER IN THE DESERT

Psalm 23 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

It’s winter in the desert. The wind blows the sand over the dunes. The sand rolls down the dunes and the yellow grass lies against the back of the dune. My feet make deep holes in the sand - only to be filled with sand once again. They become small footprints, small dumps, and small holes. On top of the dunes -stands the Lord. He is waiting for me with outstretched hands. He is calling me - I hear Him clearly, His voice is clear. He calls me, winks at me. I take His hand; He leads me into the desert onto a huge open stretch of land. It is green with yellow flowers. It is vast with no trees, except for one tree on a hill next to a small house. The house is old, unkempt; empty, no-one inside. But the small house welcomes me and I feel at home.  I cross the green field, there is no pathway anymore, and it is overgrown.  I step onto the green pasture, this is fertile soil.  There must be a lot of water here.  The wind blows softly over the grass and it moves in the wind.  I’m nearly there…

This was a dream I once had – long ago, from my childhood.  This dream stayed with me all my life.  And whenever I think about this dream, I think about Psalm 23 and whenever I read Psalm 23 I think about this dream.

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This is such a well-known Psalm, and still it has new meaning every time I read it.  This Psalm is a comfort in any situation.  For me, it is also praise to the Father.  With this, I worship Him.  This tells who He is and all that He does for me.

Who is He?  He is the Lord; He is the good shepherd (my shepherd)

What does He do?  He makes me lie down; He leads me; He restores me; He is with me, He comforts me, He prepares a table for me; He anoints me…

What do I do?  I don’t need anything; I walk in the valley of death; I fear no evil;

Where am I (on my own, without Him)? In the valley of the shadow of death; amongst my enemies

Where does He lead me?  In green pastures; besides still waters; paths of righteousness; to His table; in His house

What does He give me? A cup that overflows; goodness and mercy for all my life; a dwelling place in His house; forever.

Why does He do this?  For His name’s sake

He does this, not because I am so special, but because He is Lord.  I don’t deserve this.  He does it for all His children.  He is the good shepherd; He does it for all his sheep.

PRAYER:  Thank You Father, You are Lord and nothing is impossible for You. Amen.

HEAR HIS VOICE

John 10: 2 (ESV) “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens.  The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

In John 10:3 Jesus tells the parable of the good shepherd and the sheep, but it is important to note that the shepherd knows his own sheep by name – and they also know his voice. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are His sheep; He knows us by name and we know His voice!  If we don’t have a personal relationship with Him, we won’t know His voice; and we won’t hear it!  The sheep won’t react to any shepherd’s voice, only the one they know.

God speaks to us, to each one of us differently.  Don’t try and hear God’s voice the same way as another person.  God has His own unique way of speaking to you.  He also speak to us in different ways; one day He can speak to you through a loud noise and the next day He can speak to you in the stillness of the night.

Deut 4:36 : Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you.  And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire.

We don’t recognise His voice immediately.  Read what happened to Samuel (1 Sam 3) when he thought that it was Eli calling him:

1 Sam 3:4 “Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.”

It was only after the 3rd  time that Eli told Samuel that it was the Lord calling him and then he answered: “Speak, for your servant hears.” (Verse 10)

One of the many ways in which God speaks to us, is through the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:17 “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy

19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;

20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

In this passage above we see different things -   God speaks to different people: sons and daughters, young men, old men, and servants.  We also see different ways in which He speaks: prophesies, dreams, visions, wonders in the heavens and on earth below.

God can also use us to speak to other people:  through our spiritual gifts and service in various ways:

1 Cor 12: 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

It is possible to hear Him through an audible voice.  The Bible is full of examples: Adam and Eve heard Him clearly (Gen 3:9) ; Israel (Gen 46:2); Moses (Exo 6:2, Exo 20:1);  Samuel heard His call; the disciples (Matt 17:5); and many more (Hosea 12:4, Mark 12:26, Acts 3:21, Acts 7:6, Heb 1:1).

God also speaks through the angels to us:

Matt 28: 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.”

In Acts 27:23 God sent an angel to speak to Paul:

For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar.  And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.”

There are many more examples in the Scriptures where the angels spoke to people.

God can also speak to us through a quiet voice or a whisper:

1 Kings 19:11 “And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.  And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

We often get discouraged and say that God doesn’t speak to us; maybe to other people, but not to ‘me’.  This is not true.  God speaks to us through His Word; if not in any other way.   If you can’t hear His voice in another way, be assured:  He speaks to you through His Word.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

And this Word is true for each of us:

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

However, it is important that we should obey God regardless of the way in which He speaks to us.  God’s Word is filled with promises and if we are obedient and willing, He will bless us.

Luke 11:28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Furthermore, we need to go out and share what we have heard.  It is not enough that we hear His voice, but do nothing about it.

Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, please open my ears so that I can hear Your voice. Amen.

WHEN THE FIRE GOES OUT

Proverbs 26:20 (ESV) “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarrelling ceases.”

We are often on a mission:  to lose weight, to do regular exercises, to eat healthier, to work harder, to read more, to be more helpful and friendlier, be a better person, parent, partner, friend; to finally write that book, compose that song, paint that picture; and a million other things. We couldn’t wait to start with our new venture; full of fire and with the right equipment, and lots of enthusiasm and motivation, we vigorously started off.  For a while all went well and nothing could stop us.

But we seldom succeed in fulfilling our mission. We lose interest along the way.  Somehow we are hindered to complete the exercise or something stands in our way.  That fire we once had is waning. Very few people reach their goal.  We often get side-tracked and drop it altogether.  What stood in our way?

As born again Christians, we need to grow.  I remember when I was born again; I was full of fire and just wanted to do everything.  I was so enthusiastic and wanted to turn the world upside down. I had the right equipment – my Bible; my church; prayer; friends; books; Bible study; and everything I needed.  But as time went by, that fire started to burn lower and lower. I stopped growing spiritually. What stood in my way? One thing for sure is the devil:

“The devil will do everything within his power to weaken you and destroy your zeal and make you lukewarm and if possible make you backslide completely.” (Sylvester Onyemalechi - HOW TO REMAIN ON FIRE FOR GOD - http://www.jfoutreach.org/archives/archives/howtoremainonfireforgod.pdf )

Many other things can cause this to happen.  Whatever it may be, we have to trust the Holy Spirit to kindle that fire again.

Deut 9:3 “Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the LORD your God.”

Sometimes it is not so much anything that caused the fire to die, but the absence of the Holy Spirit. Proverbs 26:20 tells us that “for the lack of wood the fire goes out”.  The Holy Spirit is the “wood” that will keep our fires burning.

Darren Woods says: “The Holy Spirit is a holy fire – He is the fire in the burning bush from which Moses was called. He’s the pillar of fire that led the Israelites through the wilderness. He is the tongues of fire that rested on the heads of the believers on the day of Pentecost. He is the fire that burns in our own souls when we’re convicted of sin and wrong. He is the fire and empowers us to witness to others about the greatness of our God.” (The Fire Of The Holy Spirit Darren Woods - http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-fire-of-the-holy-spirit-darren-woods-sermon-on-holy-spirit-general-148755.asp )

Without wood, there cannot be a fire.  Throughout the Bible there are examples of wood and fire.  First they had to take the wood before they can make a fire.  The wood acts as fuel for the fire:

Ezekiel 15:6 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, …”

In the Old Testament the priests had to put on wood every morning to keep the fire on the altar burning:

Leviticus 6:12 “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out.  The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burn offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.”

Jesus died for us on the cross, as a peace offering, once and for all.  We don’t need to bring such offerings anymore.  The fire of the Holy Spirit burns in us, day and night, always.  If the fire in you is dying, ask the Lord to rekindle it.

Isaiah 30:33 “For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of sulphur, kindles it.”

We need to get the right equipment again to light our fires. Make sure you have all you need to keep burning for the Lord.  Don’t let your fire die and don’t walk away from it.  Stay with the Lord, put on wood every day to keep your fire burning.

Isaiah 50:11 “Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled!”

God wants us to have a heart of fire; a fire that never dies, that is always ablaze for Him.

Song of Songs 8:6 “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave.  Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.”

What does it mean to be on fire for the Lord?

Sylvester Onyemalechi says that: “To be on fire is to burn with zeal for God. To burn with fire is to live for God with one’s heart and entire life. To burn with fire is to be up and doing as far as our life with God is concerned. To burn with fire is to be greatly committed to the wellbeing and expansion of the Church of Jesus Christ. To burn with fire is to zealously pursue the evangelization and discipleship of the nations of the earth. To burn with fire is to spend and be spent for the kingdom of God.”

A fire is a very visible thing in the darkness. It can be your light when you are in the wilderness. When you carry a torch, it can light your path, so you can see where you are going. When we are on fire for the Lord, it should be visible to all who can see us.  We can be their light and show them the way.

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, please rekindle my fire for You. Help me keep it burning day and night.  For Your Kingdom. Amen.

Table of Contents

Foreword

About The Author

Copyright

Table of Contents

A lonesome road

A new beginning

Born to reign

Carry another's burdens

Cast Your Burdens

Let go...don't let go

Reign through your words

Reign through your thoughts

What about God's will?

When pride stands in my way

Whenever I am weak...

Winter in the desert

Hear His Voice

When the fire goes out

Table of Contents

Foreword

About The Author

Copyright

Table of Contents

A lonesome road

A new beginning

Born to reign

Carry another's burdens

Cast Your Burdens

Let go...don't let go

Reign through your words

Reign through your thoughts

What about God's will?

When pride stands in my way

Whenever I am weak...

Winter in the desert

Hear His Voice

When the fire goes out