Oh God...

We've all had one.  Yes, you too.  Believers, and even nonbelievers,  at some very distinct point in their lives have experienced this kind of moment.  You know that moment.  It was the time(s) when something happened in your life that was so gut-wrenchingly awful or so wonderously wonderful, you just couldn't wrap any words around it.  No statement seemed to suffice for expressing what was bubbling up to the surface from deep within you. You tried to speak, but your mouth just hung in the balance. Finally, an unction gets your lips to part and birth out an all-encompassing, "Oh, God!". You don't even really know where it came from.  But it was the only thing that seemed to adequately cover everything you were thinking and feeling. Times like that are either horrible or beautiful.  Think back.  You'll recall that time.  

Anyway, I recently had one of those moments.  There had been a series of unfortunate events and I found myself mulling over things.  You know, trying to figure it all out.  

                                                                               how can I fix this...

I CAN'T FIX ANY OF THIS! 

......but it all has to be fixed.....

yes, but I CAN'T FIX IT....

I HAVE TO FIX IT...

....you have no control over any of this...

well, get control over it.

It has to be fixed. Period.

then, I'll fix it

...but how?

That inside conversation with myself went on until I finally came to my senses and concluded that every ability I had meant nothing in this situation. I needed God. I needed prayer.  The problem was I couldn't even get a prayer out right.  I was so in my head, that when I opened my mouth, it just...hung open.  Finally, after some laboring, I pushed out an "Oh, God...".  It was so weak.  It was a pointless, ineffectual prayer.

I love God.  He wouldn't let me come to Him like that.  He knows the cruciality of prayer.  And he knew I was in a crucial situation.  It wasn't what I was praying that made it weak, it was the place within me that I was praying from that was taking away from the effectiveness of my "Oh, God!".  I was praying from my head, not my spirit and heart.  I was begging when I should have been declaring. So being the God that He is, he helped me.

More thoughts passed through my mind and again my mouth hung open in waiting until eventually I pushed out another "Oh, God".  But this time was different.  This time, I heard my "Oh, God" promptly followed up with "My God, how excellent is your name in all the earth."

Huh? Where did that come from?

Wherever it came from.  It kept coming.

"Oh God..................My God, how excellent is your name in all the earth???"

"Oh God..............My God, how excellent is your name in all the earth..."

"Oh God.........My God, how excellent is your name in all the earth."

"OH GOD, MY GOD, HOW EXCELLENT IS YOUR NAME IN ALL THE EARTH!"

Amen! I hear you, God.  Why am I begging?  Why am I praying outside of my faith? You are God!  And how excellent is your name in all the earth!  

Everything that was bottled up in me, came pouring out in prayer. It came pouring out with tears of assurance.  It came pouring out in faith.  God is who he says he is and he will do what he says he will do.  Amen.  It's the truth. He is the truth. It's from this place within us that our prayers must come: a place of faith.

All of that was said to say this.  Should life compel you to pray that "Oh, God" prayer, for reasons good or bad, finish that prayer on up.

"Oh, God...Our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth." 

After all, He is our God.  He is excellent.  And there is NOTHING greater than Him in all the earth.

Psalm 8King James Version (KJV)

8 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. ² Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. ³ When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; ⁴ What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁵ For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. ⁶ Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: ⁷ All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; ⁸ The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. ⁹ O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

 A Fitting Song....Enjoy!

It's In You

It's in you.  Whatever you are meant to do, your purpose....it's already in you.  You don't need to create a purpose for yourself, you just need to connect with it.  You have gifts and abilities that you have already been putting to use in one way or another.  You may have been using them and not even realize that they are gifts and abilities that not every one has.  Think about the things that you do that cause time and circumstance to melt away.  You get lost in doing this thing.  You are drawn to it and you are drawn to others who enjoy it as well.  It is likely that this thing will point you towards your purpose.

In the Bible, God directed Moses to build a tabernacle for him.  God already chose who would help and God had already given them the ability to get the job done:

Exodus 31: 1-6

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you"

Two things to note in this scripture:

1. God chooses  specific people for specific purposes.

2. God provides his Spirit, wisdom, understanding and knowledge with the skills/abilities he gives us.

 

So then, God provides purpose and ability.  Seek him concerning yours.  2014 is approaching.  There is something that God would have you to do in this upcoming year.  Ask for his guidance concerning what it is that he wants from you.  Also be mindful that God provides his Spirit, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge along with the skill.  Don't use the skill in isolation.  If God provides these elements as a package, then it would suit you best to use them as intended (together).  You'll find that using your God given ability without the wisdom and knowledge of God may get you to a certain point, but it will certainly leave you hanging sooner or later.  Ask Michael Jackson.  No one can deny that he had a God given ability to entertain.  His ability served him well.  Eventually, though, Jackson left off from the wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and Spirit of God.  Then the gift that served him severed him.

 

Lord help us all.  It's so easy to get caught up in the gift and forget about the Gift Giver.  Especially, when God's word says that he doesn't take back a gift that he has given.  We can be at our worst behavior and the gift will remain.  

 

Since God doesn't take back his gifts...that also means that when we neglect our gift and begin to feel like we don't even have the talent/ability anymore....that's not so.  We just need to revive the skill. It's still in you.

 

Scripture:

Psalm 57:2

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

Psalm 138:8

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.  Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 

 

Prayer:

Lord, help us to cling to your Spirit, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge while we work the talents you have given us.  Lord may you bless the work of our hands and may the work of our hands bless others. Amen.

 

Don't You Want To Go Into The Deep

Don't you want to go into the deep?  Sometimes I think about God and I consider his pristinely systematic creations and all I can do is be in awe of the infinite depths of his genius.  I know that my mind can't even wrap around all the dots God daily connects in the world that we live in.  Then to think that there are things that are greater.  The Bible says that our minds haven't even begun to conceive the things that God has prepared for those who love him.  It also says that God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit.  This is an awesome scripture, but most people get caught up in the things.  Think beyond things.  Think beyond material or tangible.  This scripture is saying so much more than that.  What's important about this scripture is that God is allowing us to tap in to HIM.  It says that no man knows himself, like himself.  Also, no one knows God, like the Spirit of God.  So when we receive the Spirit, we receive access to flawless instruction, limitless knowledge and wisdom, infinite revelation, and gifts beyond our natural capabilities.  We receive God opened up to us.  Don't you want that? Imagine the possibilities. Imagine the relationship.  Don't you want as much of God as you can have?  Don't you want go into the deep?

If so, pray this prayer:

Prayer:
God I believe in you.  I believe in our Savior, Jesus.  I believe in your Holy Spirit.  Lord, prepare me to receive you in me. I want as much of you as is possible for me to receive. Bless me to be filled with your Spirit.  Amen.

Scripture:
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.
But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him: even so the things of God no man knows, except the Spirit of god.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
I Corinthians 2: 9-15

The Why Factor

Everything has been put in place perfectly.  Nothing has been forgotten.  Prayer, check. Good works, check. Faith, check.  You're an on-the-ball Christian and the Lord has got to be smiling on you from Heaven.  Then just when your sun is shining most bright.....boom....the rain comes.  Oh not just any rain, a monsoon.  Problems come pouring into your life with a vengeance and you wonder....."WHY is this happening to me?".   You evaluate yourself and everything seems to be in tact, so you chalk it up to a test of your faith.  You keep moving with your head high and even manage to walk away with a stronger Christian resolve..  The waters dry up and the sun dances back in....and then dances right back out again.  If you thought you had it bad before, bad is looking pretty good now.  The little problems you were having before are now monstrous and they seem unbearable. 

Why now? Why here? Why This? Why Me?  There it is......the WHY factor.  The why factor loves to manhandle our peace and sanity.  Don't allow the WHY factor to bully you.  Give it the boot.   As Christians we need to understand that there are some things that are not meant for us to know or understand.   In much the same way we deal with our children, God deals with us.  Our wide-eyed eager child may come to us with a question that has an answer we know would be a bit much for them to handle at this stage of their lives.  So what do we tell them? "I'll explain it when you get older...."  And rightfully so.  They would only be more confused and frustrated if we tried to explain further.  Why complicate life for them now?  Later they will be mature enough and/or wise enough to really wrap their mind around the knowledge they are asking for prematurely.   The same applies to us.  There will be certain things that, as long as we are here on earth, we just will not be ready for.  God knows that.  So we have to wait until we mature as much as He deems necessary.  Furthermore, there are some things that are only for God to know, things that we couldn't possibly understand.  In the Bible Jesus said that even he didn't know everything that God knows.  Now Jesus and the Father are one.  So if God doesn't share everything with the Lord, who are we to expect that God should reveal everything to us. 

That's not to say that we should never ask God questions.  There will be circumstances and situations that God is more than willing to clarify for us.  There are also situations in which people have opted to go against God's will and do something that has no reasonable explanation.  We must also understand that there are other situations as well in which God knows the whys and has decided its best that we not know why.  In those cases, we are going to have to just let go and let God....

Scripture:

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not depend on your own understanding...

 

Prayer:

Lord, we are greatful that it is you who knows it all, because if we knew it all we wouldn't know what to do with it.  We trust you. You are God. Amen.

Warning: Do Not Enter

It wasn't right. You knew it. You did it anyway. Let's break it down further. First: It was wrong.  What makes it wrong is that it goes against God's commandment and you are aware that it goes against his commandments.  We are God's children and He is our Father.   So like any good father who has his childrens' best interest at heart, he established guidelines to safeguard us from hurting ourselves or hurting others.  Secondly: You knew it.  You felt a sense of hesitation because you knew that what you were about to do would go against God's will for you.  You felt convicted.  Conviction is a good thing.  We cannot feel convicted unless we have an understanding and concern for what's right and wrong.  Conviction means God still believes there is hope for you getting it right, so he is attempting to steer you in the right direction.  Last of all: you did it anyway.  This is where things went wrong.  Part of you had a desire to do the right thing, but a greater part of you wanted to have it your way no matter what could result from it.  You made a conscious decision to choose this thing, whatever it is, over God. 

 

Warning! Do not enter into sin. It will cost you.  It may cost you a little.  It may cost you a lot.  It may cost you more than you ever expected to pay. 

Don't chance it.  It is not worth it.  Stay on the right path.

Psalms 19:8-11 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  Moreover by them is they servant warned: and in the keeping of them there is great reward.

Prayer:  Lord help us to overcome our weaknesses. Help us to follow your commandments. We love you.

Reach In and Recover

Somebody, somewhere is ready to give up.  Trouble is on the rise in their life and it's gotten too hard for them to stay afloat.  You may have been next to that person today.  They may have been abnormally quiet.  They may have been irritable and fussy.  They might have been open and candid about feeling overwhelmed or depressed.   Maybe something inside of you noticed that it seemed like that person was in need of...... something.  If you are like me, you would have hesitated to get involved because you have been conditioned to mind your own business.  Well, that's fine at times, but events from today have shown me that there are times when we need to get in one another's lives - with or without an open invitation.  Often people who need us the most push us away.  In those situations we have to reach in and recover our brother/sister.

 

How do we reach in and recover?  We can sit and listen.  The person may be feeling frustrated because they have kept everything bottled up.  They may just need someone to talk to who will not criticize, judge, or gossip.  We can reach in and recover by meeting needs.  We may not be able to solve all the person's problem, but we may be able to do something to help lighten the load.  We can visit and take time out with them.  Loneliness always makes hard times feel harder.  Having someone around every now and then can prevent someone from being lonely.  There are other ways to reach in and recover.  Prayer is always good.  We have to make sure, though, that when we pray we've done our part while we are asking God to do his. 

Scripture:
I Thessalonians 5:11, 14
¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Prayer:
Lord, we all have moments of weakness.  Give us the wisdom to always return to you as the source of our strength.  Give us an awareness of one another and may we always willingly reach in and recover our brothers/sisters when they need us. Amen.

Watch

Something is always out there either lurking or lingering.  If it's lurking, then it's usually something coming in the form of temptation or distress.  It wants to sneak up on you and catch you unaware and unprepared: easy prey.  If it is lingering, then it could be a gift or a blessing.  God doesn't want to catch you unprepared.  He wants to be sure that you are ready and prepared to receive what he wants to give you.  So sometimes God has to wait. Whichever the case, lurking or lingering, you must be ready.  Christians should always be on the watchtower looking out and praying for revelation of what is coming their way.   Keep the lines of communication with God open so He can be free to reveal things to you as needed.  Stay out of sin. Pray and praise.  That way, God can hear your petitions and when he answers, his answer can get through to you.  You don't have to watch alone either.  Get a prayer partner or join a prayer group.  Pray with your congregation.  The more you are on the watch, the less likely you are to miss a blessing or to fall in the trap of the enemy.  While watching out for yourself, it is also critical to watch and intercede for others.  Help those who may be temporarily disconnected from God by standing in prayer for them in their absence.  

Something is always waiting 'round the corner.  But we don't need to worry.  We just need to watch.

Scripture:

Mark 14:38     Watch and pray...

I Corinthians 16:13  Watch, stand fast in the faith....

Prayer:

Lord, help us to be spiritually alert and mindful and to watch and pray continually.