Category Archives: Faithful is He that has Promised!

“This” Time Is Now!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #428

17 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Choices And Consequences, Choose You This Day!, Faithful is He that has Promised!, For Such A Time As This, Jesus Is The Only Way!, The Only Way, The Word, Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done, TODAY, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #428    “This” Time Is Now!!!

 

As we make our way through this cold winter weather that is gripping much of the U.S., I couldn’t help but think about the times that we live in—things are cold and then they get hot! When they’re cold everyone is crying for it to get warm, when it is hot, people clamor for it to cool off! It’s the nature of the dissatisfied human heart. But for those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ the King of Glory—we ought to look at things with different eyes; we ought to recognize that God is ever at work in our lives, regardless of the temperature, the time or the political climate. God has called us to serve Him faithfully wherever HE has placed us; or as someone as so aptly put it, “Bloom where you’re planted”; and while that isn’t scripture it does have it’s roots in scripture. Let’s take a ‘gander’ at The Word.

Esther was a godly young woman who found herself in a pagan culture, in the palace of a King—yet God hadn’t placed her there by mistake.

“Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther,

Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape

in the king’s house,

more than all the Jews.

14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace

at this time,

then shall there enlargement

and deliverance arise to the Jews

from another place;

but thou and thy father’s house

shall be destroyed:

and who knoweth

whether thou art come

to the kingdom

for such a time as this?

15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,

16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan,

and fast ye for me,

and neither eat nor drink

three days,

night or day:

I also and my maidens

will fast likewise;

and so will I go in unto the king,

which is not according to the law:

and if I perish,

I perish.

17 So Mordecai went his way,

and did according to all

that Esther had commanded him.”   Esther 4:13-17

Esther wasn’t looking to be a hero, but when confronted with the opportunity to serve God ‘where she was planted’, even at the risk of her life, she chose to be available to God, for His service, even if it cost her life—so she fasted, prayed and obeyed God!

What is your “such a time as this”? What circumstances are you wanting to change, get out of, rearrange or scream and cry about? Well my friend, those circumstances haven’t caught God by surprise. “God never says ‘oops’!” and He hasn’t misplaced you or me! We are living here, now because God created us “for such a time as this”—no matter what our “this” is!

Only “YOU” can do what God has created ‘you’ to do, and we ought not wait for someone else to do what God wants us to do. Just as Mordecai told Esther, God’s plans won’t be thwarted because of our cowardice, laziness, apathy, fear or greed—God will use someone else if we refuse to heed His call. And we will never know the blessings that God had for us if we fail to step up to the bat right where we are!

We’re not called to fret over tomorrow, or yesterday but to live “this” day to its fullest for Jesus, to follow Him anywhere/everywhere He leads—to minister His Word, His grace and His love in whatever way He has called us to minister! And YES, we are all ministers of that which we have received from Jesus! Praying always, as He taught us!

“After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father

which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.(in me)

10 Thy kingdom come (in me)

Thy will be done

in earth, (in me)

as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread……”.   Matthew 6:9-11a

We are to seek His kingdom, His will, and His provision for each day! Just a little further on in this ‘Sermon On The Mount’, Jesus spoke these words to all of us who are HIS!

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and his righteousness;

and all these things

shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow:

for the morrow

shall take thought

for the things of itself.

Sufficient unto the day

is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:33-34

So what’s your “this”? You’re there for “such a time as this”; what will you do with your “this” today? Pray and obey, as Esther did, or desert? The choice is yours, but choose wisely, there’s a test at the end! Amen and Amen!

Heir Apparent Or Bondservant??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #426

10 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Choose You This Day!, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Gratitude, Humility, Made like Jesus!, The Only Way, The Word, What's In Your Heart?

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #426 Heir Apparent Or Bondservant???

 

When we come to Jesus and are born again “of God”, we become the children of God by the power of The Holy Spirit; but many today seem to be presuming upon God, being more concerned with living like an “Heir Apparent” to the throne, rather than as one who has been saved by the mercy and grace of God. While God has, does and will continue to call people to Himself by the good news of Jesus Christ and His substitutionary, atoning sacrifice for our sin, it will never give us the right to usurp the power, position or place of God. We must come to Him in faith, recognizing that we are sinners doomed to hell, and Jesus has willingly, lovingly, paid our sin debt that we might have eternal life.

“But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

to become the sons of God,

even to them that believe

on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.” John 1:12-13 

God gives us “new” birth because we “were dead in trespasses and sins” (See Eph. 2:1-10), and that act of love and sacrifice should always cause us to be humbly grateful for God’s grace and love! It should never lead us to presume upon God, nor exalt ourselves, but to faithfully serve HIM in love and humility—never arrogance.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,

and he shall lift you up.”   James 4:10

We become children of God—those who love and serve the One who gave Himself for us. Where did we get this mindset of arrogance that presumes on the goodness and mercy of God? Yes, we are His children, but we are to be loving, obedient children not spoiled brats—but then we see to be living in a culture of spoiled brats (pardon my bluntness). Everyone has an attitude set on demanding “MY rights” whether it’s right or not. God never expects us to pout, doubt and dropout, for He calls us to a life of grateful service and devotion to the One who gave Himself for us! In the same passage where Paul mentions our ‘right’ to call God our Father, He also talks about how we are to “suffer with him”—oops, you don’t hear much preaching and teaching about that anymore. Do you?

“For ye have not received the spirit

of bondage

again to fear;

but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,

whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness

with our spirit,

that we are the children of God:

17 And if children,

then heirs;

heirs of God,

and joint-heirs with Christ;

if so be that we suffer with him,

that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the sufferings

of this present time

are not worthy to be compared

with the glory

which shall be revealed in us.”    Romans 8:15-18

God’s glory is to “be revealed in us” not by our arrogant boasting or grabbing the glory for ourselves, but by our faithful service to our God. A faithfulness that often shines brightest in the face of unjust suffering! Surely we must be misreading this? No, we’re not! Jesus told us that when we choose to follow Him, we would generally receive the same treatment that He did! And ‘they’ loved Him ‘to death’—the death on the cross—all for you and me! What will you do with that attitude? I pray that we will take a moment today and ask God to help us join the Psalmist in praying for His spotlight of love to shine on our hearts, and reveal to us what is really there! For Jesus said that what is in the heart will come out of the mouth (and that means not only what we say but how we live—humbly or presumptuously). Here are a couple of passages for us to ponder today! May God work in you, and me that we might bring HIM glory today!

“Search me, O God,

and know my heart:

try me,

and know my thoughts:

24 And see if there be any wicked way

in me,

and lead me in the way

everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

“Not that which goeth into the mouth

defileth a man;

but that which cometh out of the mouth,

this defileth a man…..

19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,

murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

20 These are the things

which defile a man:

but to eat with unwashen hands

defileth not a man.” Matthew 15:11,19-20

Remember, what’s inside will come out!!! What do you get if you squeeze a lemon? Whatever is inside, that’s what will come out!!! Amen and Amen!

Make Like A Tree??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 24

07 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Choices And Consequences, Compromise, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Make Like A Tree?, Salvation, SIN, The Only Way, The Word

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.24 Make Like A Tree???

 

Do you remember those days of childhood and silly ‘knock-knock’ jokes, and riddles and tacky puns that only children think are funny? One of those “funnies” came to my mind this morning as I was reading Genesis, and remembered the childish phrase, “Make like a tree and ‘leave’!” Well, this morning as I thought of God’s first family, Adam and Eve: those two who were created in perfection; who were given a perfectly prim and pristine environment to live in; who had an intimate relationship with God their creator; who were given productive work to do in tending to God’s perfect Garden of Eden, with only one proviso—don’t eat of the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’! Only one rule—they were given moral responsibility in that one restriction, and Satan came and convinced them to doubt their God and friend, and to do that which God had forbidden.

“And 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 fowl of the air,

and over the cattle,

and over all the earth,

and over every creeping thing

that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God created he him;

male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them,

and God said unto them,

Be fruitful, and multiply,

and replenish the earth,

and subdue it:

and have dominion over

the fish of the sea,

and over

the fowl of the air,

and over

every living thing

that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said,

Behold,

I have given you every herb

bearing seed,

which is upon the face of all the earth,

and every tree,

in the which is the fruit

of a tree yielding seed;

to you it shall be for meat.”    Genesis 1:26-29

I love the creation account; it is so amazing to me, to see that Almighty God, who knew what we would do, created us in HIS image anyway! He knew we would sin against HIS commands, and created us anyway! He knew that we would fail HIM and walk away from HIM and HIS Word, but HE created us anyway! That is more patience, compassion and unconditional love than I can comprehend—yet God had and still has that kind of love for His master creation—mankind! He loves you and me so much, and Jesus loves us so much that He came and lived a perfect, sinless life so that He could die a perfectly sinless, substitutionary, atoning, sacrificial death for all who will come to Him in repentance and faith. That is such “Amazing Grace” that words cant’ express it, nor the mind of mankind comprehend it! He has done, is doing and ever will reveal His wondrous grace to those who will come to HIM.

“But we speak the wisdom of God

in a mystery,

even the hidden wisdom,

which God ordained before the world

unto our glory:

8 Which none of the princes

of this world knew:

for had they known it,

they would not have crucified

the Lord of glory.

9 But as it is written,

Eye hath not seen,

nor ear heard,

neither have entered into the heart of man,

the things which God hath prepared

for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them

unto us

by his Spirit:

for the Spirit searcheth

all things,

yea, the deep things

of God.”     1 Corinthians 2:7-10

All I can say is Amen and Amen—God has revealed Himself and His glory to us in Jesus. Because Jesus redeemed what Adam and Eve lost to Satan in the garden!!! And God knew it all beforehand.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who hath blessed us

with all spiritual blessings

in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us

in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy

and without blame

before him

       in love:” Ephesians 1:3-4

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed

with corruptible things,

as silver and gold,

from your vain conversation

received by tradition

from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ,

as of a lamb without blemish

and without spot:

20 Who verily was foreordained

before the foundation of the world,

but was manifest

in these last times

for you,” 1 Peter 1:18-20

What an awesome God we serve!! But back to Adam and Eve, they were given perfection and the ultimate, intimate relationship with God, but they failed—why? A lie is why!

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying,

Of every tree of the garden

thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree

of the knowledge of good and evil,

thou shalt not eat of it:

for in the day that thou eatest thereof

thou shalt surely die…….

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man,

made he a woman,

and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said,

This is now bone of my bones,

and flesh of my flesh:

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken

out of Man.”    Portions of Genesis 2:16-23

This was the ‘real’ perfect woman, brought to the ‘real’ perfect man, by the perfect, holy God who created them and established marriage—what a wonderful gift! But our focus isn’t the marriage, but the mess-up that came afterward! God provided for this precious couple by giving them productive work, a beautiful environment, and an intimate and rewarding relationship with Himself—but they fell for a lie! Yet even the privilege to choose was a gift from God– God who didn’t create us as ‘puppets’, but as free, moral agents to whom HE gave the privilege of choice/will. He wanted mankind to love and serve Him because they wanted to, not because they had to. And like I have often said, you are free to choose to reject God, go your own way, and sin all you want, but the choices you are free to make don’t grant you the freedom to choose your consequences! And just like God told us through the Apostle Paul:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”   Galatians 6:7

Adam and Eve chose to believe the “Father of lies” rather than their faithful, true and loving Creator God!!!

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman,

Yea, hath God said,

Ye shall not eat of every tree

of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent,

We may eat of the fruit of the trees

of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree

which is in the midst of the garden,

God hath said,

Ye shall not eat of it,

neither shall ye touch it,

lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman,

Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know

that in the day ye eat thereof,

then your eyes shall be opened,

and ye shall be as gods,

knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw

that the tree was good for food,

and that it was pleasant to the eyes,

and a tree to be desired to make one wise,

she took of the fruit thereof,

and did eat,

and gave also unto her husband

with her;

and he did eat.” Genesis 3:1-6

Adam and Eve fell for the lies of the devil, as he bombarded Eve with subtle lies and stirred up doubts about God’s love and faithfulness to them. He is still working the same way today—he causes people to doubt that what God says is true. He tries to convince people today that God is less than honorable toward us—and that, my friends, is still a big, fat lie!!! But on the man-ward side of this equation, Eve didn’t handle what God had said with integrity—she kind of stretched what God had said: while God had told them “thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”, Eve told the serpent that they weren’t to touch it or they might die! It is absolutely imperative that we know The Word of God, and know it for what it is—God’s Word! We must study it, and learn to understand that God means what He says, and says what He means! And while this first couple didn’t die physically immediately—they did die spiritually immediately—and eventually they died physically; and that death was passed on to all men, until Jesus came to pay for sin, and overcome sin, death and hell! Amen!

But what does all this have to do with “Make Like A Tree”? A lot, but to see that we’ll need to dig a little deeper:

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? ……… 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Portions of Genesis 3:7-15

These two ancestors of all mankind, brought sin, death and hell into the lives of all who would come from them, yet God had a plan for our redemption—the One who would come and bruise (defeat totally) the head of the serpent, by His own bruising (on the cross). But in the mean time, Adam and Eve tried to cover their own sin, with their own devices; they sewed “fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons”! And the ‘buck got passed along’! Now let me put a little ‘southern’ perspective on this picture.

I am from the Deep South, and there are a lot of fig trees in the south, and they do have “LARGE” leaves, so a few would cover a lot of ‘skin’! But fig leaves are scratchy—real scratchy!!! Not something you’d have expected them to miss–“knowing” about the ‘itch’! After all, Satan had promised them that they would be as smart as God! NOT!! Not then, not now, nor anytime in between. Man caused a problem that only God could resolve—and the resolution would cost Him His Son. Yet the man and his wife tried to hide from The God who sees and knows all; they tried to cover their nakedness with their own wisdom, just as we talked about in 1 Corinthians 2—the wisdom of man isn’t sufficient to save anyone! Only Jesus can save. And not only did they try to solve a sin problem with a wardrobe solution, they tried to “Make like a tree, and leave” God! No one can hide from the God who holds it all together, the God who had already made provision for our redemption–for them and for us—through The Redeemer who would come and pay for man’s sin and give ‘eternal life’ to all who would come to Him in repentance and faith!

“For God so loved the world,

that he gave

his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world

to condemn the world;

but that the world

through him

might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him

is not condemned:

but he that believeth not

is condemned already,

because he hath not believed

in the name

of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation,

that light is come into the world,

and men loved darkness

rather than light,

because their deeds were evil.”    John 3:16-19

So will you “make like a tree” and “leave” God, and His salvation, or will you draw near to Him and receive the saving grace that Jesus Christ provides at Calvary? I pray that you will choose wisely—there is a test at the end!

“Come unto me,

all ye that labour

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you,

and learn of me;

for I am meek

and lowly in heart:

and ye shall find rest

unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus will take your burdens and give you “life” not “lies”, as the enemy of your soul will do. You can become a son of God or remain a child of the devil. Not easy to say, but it’s the simple truth. Who will you believe and trust?

“Why do ye not understand my speech?

even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil,

and the lusts of your father ye will do.

He was a murderer from the beginning,

and abode not in the truth,

because there is no truth in him.

When he speaketh a lie,

he speaketh of his own:

for he is a liar,

and the father of it.

45 And because I tell you the truth,

ye believe me not.” John 8:43-45

Believe the One who died for YOU! Don’t “leave”!!!

“Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.” James 4:7-8

Come to HIM or leave? Truth or lies? The choice is yours. I’m praying that we will all recognize the truth in Jesus! And you can belong to HIM!!! No leaving!

“My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life;

and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me,

is greater than all;

and no man is able to pluck them

out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30

Are We Knowing Or Going??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #421

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in 'Tis The Season?, Choose You This Day!, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Joy To The World?, Knowing Or Going?, Salvation, The Only Way, The Word, Worship Him!

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #421 Are We Knowing Or Going???

 

As we approach Christmas Day, I want us to consider an unusual twist on a familiar part of the story of the incarnation and birth of Jesus. The most important part of the truth of Christmas isn’t in the celebrating, or the frou-frou, or even the food and fellowship that we enjoy during our celebrations, but the most important thing is what each person chooses do with Jesus?

Let’s consider two groups of people in this account; one group knew the facts yet had no interest in pursuing them or finding the ‘Newborn King’, the other group followed a star in faith, believing that it would lead them to The King—and they found HIM!

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying,

Where is he that is born King of the Jews?

for we have seen his star in the east,

and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him….he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes ….he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him,

In Bethlehem of Judaea:

for thus it is written by the prophet,….

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, …… he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king,

they departed;

and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,

went before them,

till it came and stood over

where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star,

they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house,

they saw the young child with Mary his mother,

and fell down,

and worshipped him:

and when they had opened their treasures,

they presented unto him gifts;

gold,

and frankincense,

and myrrh.”     Portions of Matthew 2:1-11

When the ‘wise men’ found Him, they worshipped Him and gave Him gifts, expressing their own personal faith in, and love for Jesus and what He had come to bring—salvation to all who would believe. Yet those who knew the facts sat unaffected in Jerusalem, without any interest in going the short six miles, or so, to Bethlehem to see this long-promised Messiah and Savior! These strangers from the east came looking for the Messiah; they were “going without knowing”, much like Abraham. Yet when they came to those who did ‘know the place’, and found out where to go, they continued their quest, while those in the ‘know, didn’t go’! These religious leaders had no interest in finding Israel’s long-promised Messiah! That is amazing to me, yet not so much, for many today respond to Jesus in the same way; they know the facts about Jesus, but have no desire to know HIM personally. What about you?

What have you done with the King? Have you heard all about Him, but have no interest in bowing before Him, or worshipping Him, or loving Him? Or are have you chosen to seek and follow Him in faith and to worship Him in devotion, and obedience out of love and gratitude for the gift of His life given on the cross for our salvation? He knew He was born to die.

I pray that we will all be like the ‘wise men’ and seek the Savior Jesus Christ every day, being a reflection of HIS glory to a world in desperate need of a Savior!!! The choice is yours, but remember there’s a test at the end! May you truly know Him in fullness and truth, and rejoice in this season of celebrating His coming into our world to save and deliver us from our sin.

“And she shall bring forth a son,

and thou shalt call his name JESUS:

for he shall save his people

from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

“And the Word was made flesh,

and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory,

the glory as of the only begotten

of the Father,)

full of grace and truth.”     John 1:14

Amen and Amen!!!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!

HE truly IS “Joy To The World”!!!

**And just a ‘heads up’, our Sunday post will feature a guest writer, and I know you’re going to be blessed by what she has to share.**

 

Send The Showers Of Blessing??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #420

20 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by in 'Tis The Season?, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, I Will Never Leave You, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Perseverance, Salvation, Spiritual Drought, The Only Way, The Word, Time, TODAY, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #420 Send The Showers Of Blessing???

 

I’m sitting here this morning praising God for the wonderful rain that we received yesterday! After almost two months without rain, we here in Oklahoma always get a little edgy when it starts getting dry, and we’ve experienced two years with good rains and a welcomed recovery from the previous five years of drought. And whether folks recognize it or not, only God can send the rains that we need, and my confidence is in HIM— not the government nor the weather forecasters (Even though we appreciate the meteorologist’s efforts to keep us informed, they still can’t create the weather at all.)!

Spiritually speaking, we also can go through periods of spiritual drought—times when we just can’t seem to get on track, or stay on track, or keep our focus on God and His desire for us, we feel dry and barren! But just as God sends the rain to relieve the parched ground, and nourish the trees and flowers, in the same way HE sends the spiritual rain to refresh our souls. But sometimes we just aren’t looking or listening to see or receive the rain that is providing.

“After two days will he revive us:

in the third day he will raise us up,

and we shall live in his sight.

3 Then shall we know,

if we follow on to know the LORD:

his going forth is prepared

as the morning;

and he shall come unto us

as the rain,

as the latter

and former rain

unto the earth.”   Hosea 6:3

The prophet Hosea understood that God had not only ‘the plan’ for his life and the nation of Israel, but that God also has a ‘time’, His own ‘time’, the ‘time’ in which HE will accomplish His will in all things—including us! God is ever at work in our lives, even when we think we don’t see Him! And as many are busy with the hustle and bustle of the season, I just want to share a word of encouragement for those of us who sometimes feel that ‘drought’ in our hearts and need a refreshing rain of God’s Spirit to renew and encourage us so that we can press on faithfully.

“Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work

in you

will perform it

until the day

of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6

So don’t loose heart or your confidence in God the Father, Jesus the Son, or the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is in each believer! Seeing isn’t always ‘believing’!

“God is,

a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear,

though the earth be removed,

and though the mountains be carried

into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar

and be troubled,

though the mountains shake

with the swelling thereof. Selah.”   Psalm 46:1-3

Remember it’s not what you see that keeps you going, but what you KNOW about God’s faithfulness as revealed in His Word! And that is a constant, assuring confidence!

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:

for he hath said,

I will never leave thee,

nor forsake thee.

6 So that we may boldly say,

The Lord is my helper,

and I will not fear

what man shall do unto me.”    Hebrews 13:5-6

Our ever-present help—Jesus, our Lord–has promised to “never leave thee, nor forsake thee”! So, regardless of what we see or feel, we can rest in the “Blessed Assurance” of God’s constant, faithful presence!

“My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them eternal life;

and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man pluck them

out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me,

is greater than all;

and no man is able to pluck them

out of my Father’s hand.

30 I and my Father are one.” John 10:27-30

In other words—if you are HIS—He has YOU–always! Don’t forget, but take confidence in the One who never sleeps, don’t let the past ruin your present! Press on for the prize!

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14