Trust In The Lord

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. Jeremiah 17:7

The key to success and victory in life is not in ourselves but in God. David was a shepherd boy, unskilled in the weapons of war, but he defeated Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, with a single sling shot. He was not a professional musician in the temple of God, but he wrote most of the psalms in the Bible. He was not of royal lineage, but he went on to become the greatest king Israel ever had. What was the secret of his greatness? It was his dependence and his trust in God. David cried, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1).

John Knox, the famous Scottish revivalist, was famous for his power in prayer. Queen Mary said she feared his prayers more than Europe’s armies. When the Spanish Armada fought the English in 1588, Queen Elizabeth I of England called the nation to prayer. As a result, a storm arose and destroyed 65 of the Armada’s 130 ships while the English lost none. It is evident that as long as men seek God, as long as we pray, our lives will be successful and victorious. We will be able to achieve our aims and remain protected. In the course of King Asa’s reign over Judah (1 Kin. 15:9-24), he changed both its history and future. Under his rule, he courageously deposed of his infamous idolatress grandmother, who had severely influenced Judah toward idolatry. He also drove out the Sodomites and then destroyed all the idols that his father had worshiped. Not only did this great leader himself seek after God, he commanded the entire nation to do likewise.

The prophet, Azariah said this of King Asa, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chr. 15:2). As we look back in history, we see that the Word of God is true: Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength (Jer. 17:5, 7)? God is no respecter of persons. His word works for all who would believe and act upon it.

The Season Of Preparation

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is a season of preparation for every servant of God, but very few are willing to pay the price of being made ready for the task. The prophet Isaiah describes the season of preparation of the Messiah: “The LORD has called Me from the womb; from the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me” (Is. 49:1-2). Like a polished arrow, Jesus was prepared and hidden in the quiver of His heavenly Father.

The “quiver experience” is very hard for most people. Many would think that after going through the painful experiences of being polished and sharpened in the hands of God, they are ready to be sent forth. But now they ask, why am I waiting aimlessly in the secret place of the Master’s quiver? But this is a time to learn patience. God has a perfect time to “shoot” forth the believer so that it hits the mark God ordains for him. Look at Jesus. He came to the earth at the perfect moment in history. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son.” Jesus, who was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, waited patiently for the moment in which He would be revealed.

Moses was destined to be the great leader of Israel, but there was a perfect time known only to God for the release of that “arrow.” When Moses killed the Egyptian, it was not the perfect time for him to be Israel’s spiritual leader. Moses had to be in the quiver for another 40 years. David was destined to be king over Israel. He was anointed when he was about 17 years of age, but he did not ascend to the throne until he was 30. David had to wait in the quiver for 13 years.

While David could have killed Saul on a number of occasions to gain the throne for himself, he did not. He chose to submit himself to God’s divine time and not man’s. Temptations and pressure will come to you, from without and from within, urging you to move ahead of God’s timing. However, let us develop patience and wait for the timing of the Lord, for He is the only perfect Marksman. Remember the exhortation in Hebrews 6:12 that says, “That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

God Tests The Heart

But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, testing the mind and the heart, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have revealed my cause. Jeremiah 11:20

God tests the mind and the heart of His servants. He will arrange situations to reveal a person’s true inner motivations, intentions, thoughts, values and priorities that cause him to make choices or act in a certain way. In Numbers 22-24, Balak, the king of Moab, saw how Israel had defeated all of her enemies in the land. He feared they would destroy his nation as well. Consequently, he offered to pay the prophet Balaam to curse Israel and to put an end to their victories (22:6). Balaam responded to Balak that the Lord had told him not to go with the elders of Moab to curse the people of Israel. Balak tried again, sending more distinguished ambassadors to persuade Balaam to do otherwise (22:15).

This time, God told Balaam to go with the elders of Moab and Midian, but to speak only the word that He would give (22:20). Balaam went to Balak, but each time he inquired of the Lord, the Lord told him to bless Israel. And this greatly frustrated the Moabites and Midianites. But God was testing Balaam’s motivation. God allowed Balak to tempt the prophet’s motivation continually. Would he sell out, or would he be faithful to God’s word? Balaam was tempted again and again and each time the size of the bribe increased (22:7, 15, 17). Unfortunately, it appeared that Balaam’s motivation did not stay pure, though he initially tried to remain faithful to speaking only the word of the Lord (23:12, 26). Balaam failed the test.

Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” Deuteronomy 8:16 says, “Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end.”

We see then that God uses tests to expose our heart condition, not to harm us, but to do us good in the end. It is to purify us so that our desires are for His kingdom and His glory. A person may serve God for what he can get out of God, rather than what he can give to Him. A person may use his gifts to glorify himself, rather than God. God puts His servants through tests to expose any ungodly desire, so that He can replace it with a righteous desire to serve Him out of a pure heart of love. “He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Mal. 3:3).

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Therefore, do not be double-minded like Balaam, but draw near to God and stay pure in your heart toward Him.

The God Of New Things

That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

In our world today, men pride themselves with new inventions, new ideas, new fashions, new hypotheses, new methods, new expressions, which throw out and relegate the old. But Solomon declared “that which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). Is there anything new in the kingdom of nature? Consider the creation: “the works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb. 4:3). The powers of nature and the laws that govern the universe are still the same ever since they existed. Men’s hearts and the corruptions within are still the same. Their desires, pursuits and complaints are still the same.

Where then can we find new things: renewed strength, fresh ideas or a brand new life? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” If we want to experience the newness of life, we must get a new nature on the inside and acquaint ourselves with the God of new things. It is God who puts a new song into our mouths (Ps. 40:3). It is He who will make a new heaven and a new earth that last forever (Rev. 21:1).

In John 3:27, John the Baptist gave a word of truth when he said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” As such, let us be humble and not ever be swell-headed into imagining that we have discovered anything profound without the grace and gift of God. King David says in 1 Chronicles 29:14, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.”

May we be convinced today that the only true “creator” is God Himself. He is the Revelator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Only God holds the answer to our future. He alone decides the times and the seasons for the fulfilment of all things. So, get plugged-in to God and be led by the Spirit, let Him bring you to new territories and new heights. He is the God of new things. He says, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).

Soulish Prayer

Jude 1:18-20 …….. "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.

As we discovered in recent Gists, often we do not know how we ought to pray (Romans 8:26). At times like these the Holy Spirit helps us. Therefore, the last thing we should do when we do not know how to pray is to go ahead and pray out of our soul because this will invariably do more harm than good.

Our soul comprises our mind, our will and our emotions and it will conceive an amazing assortment of unsanctified good ideas. As Godly as these good ideas might seem, if they were not inspired by the Holy Spirit, no matter how much we dress them up in religious sounding Christianese, they are soulish.

Rather than praying the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10), we end up praying our own will from our own understanding influenced by how we feel. These kinds of prayers are unspiritual and selfish. The words that we speak can be creative or destructive; a blessing or a curse (James 3:9-10).

Soulish prayers are counter-productive and can be used by the enemy to block and delay the heavenly response to genuine Holy Spirit inspired prayers (Daniel 10:12-13). Surely, true and genuine Godly prayer is born out of an intimate, deep and personal relationship with God our Father. We can only have such a relationship if we have met Jesus Christ at Calvary and become Christians.

Once born again and baptised in the Holy Spirit (John 1:29 and 33), not only do we have access to God in heaven but we have insight into His heart of compassion. As we spend time with Him we come to know His will as the Holy Spirit leads us in progressive revelation. Jesus teaches us how to pray.

When we pray like Jesus we will see life-changing and world-changing miracles happen all around us as the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord Jesus, please help us to pray like you. Amen

YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khrVXgjUOzs

My Peace I Give You

(Jesus speaking) “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid...I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 14:27, 16:23

You can have God’s peace in your heart no matter what your circumstances! You see, God’s true peace comes from having Jesus Christ as your Savior. When you ask Christ to be your Savior, He comes and lives in your heart. That means the King of Kings and Lord of Lords lives in you! You have the assurance of eternal life.

It is as if storms are raging outside, but you can be safe and secure inside a wonderful castle. In much the same way, life can have its storms. Jesus said “In the world you will have troubles, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” The fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. The apostle Paul wrote about this; when he wrote there were many troubles in his world. Yet he said that the Christian could still have great victory because of Christ in our lives.

So if you have troubles, you can pray to God to take the troubles away; sometimes God will answer right away, but sometimes troubles may be with you for a while. Even if the troubles do not leave, God can give you His peace even in the midst of troubles. Ask God to help you see things from a heavenly perspective — where someday all the trials of earth will be gone and we will be in God’s presence forever. God can give you peace even in the midst of a storm.
So, this week, let us pray and ask God

• To give us His peace even if there are storms about us
• To help us at Global Media Outreach reach millions more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ
• To keep our staff at Global Media Outreach safe in every way
  

THANK YOU so much for your prayers. Each time you feel stressed — you can come to Jesus Christ and ask Him to fill you with His peace and His joy and His love. Christ in you is the hope of glory.

May God bless you,

Overcoming Fear

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion Proverbs 28:1

Fear is an experience that is common to all of us. Faith and fear are opposites and they both have the power to affect us. How do you respond to fearful situation in your life? Here is a three-step approach on how you can identify and eliminate any irrational fears that may be hindering you from progressing further in your walk with God

(1) Analyze your fear. Most people aren’t aware of what is controlling their lives. If you are struggling with anxiety attacks, determine when they first occurred. What experience preceded the first attack? People struggling with agoraphobia (the abnormal fear of being helpless in an embarrassing or inescapable situation) can usually identify one precipitating event. it is often associated with some tragedy or failure in their lives, such as a marital affair or an abortion. Satan take advantages of victimized people if they don’t acknowledge their failures and confess their sin. proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsake them will have mercy.”

(2) Determine the areas in your life that you have allowed feat to gain ground. When God created Adam and Eve, He blessed them and said to them, ”Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion…” In which areas of your life do fear prevent you from doing what is right? How does sin compel you to respond negatively? You need to confess and commit to God those areas where you have allowed your actions to be controlled by fear. Gain back the ground that was lost and give your fears to God. Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 John 4:18-19 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves torment. but he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. “

(3) Work out a plan on how you will respond toward that fear . Decide what your response will be to any fear that may arise in your life. Go through the possible scenarios and outcomes in your mind. Then, after weighing the risks, take a step of faith and do what you thought you couldn’t do before! It is when you face your fears that you know you are on your way to overcoming that fear in your life.