Tag: God’s will

BE STILL

BE STILL

Still can mean calm, quiet, unmoving, or at rest.  There are passages in the Bible that instruct us to ‘be still’ or to ‘be silent.’

This instruction may have several purposes:  1) to require our silence, so that we will focus upon God, alone; 2) to instruct us to be tranquil and at peace; and 3) to direct us to subdue every instinct to God’s will.

Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  (Ps 46:10 ASV)

But the Lord is in his holy temple.  Let all the earth be silent before him.  (Hab 2:20 CEB)

Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.  (Zech 2:13 ESV)

Being still, silent, and at peace will bring about a great ability to focus upon the Lord.  It’s a good time for prayer and thanksgiving, as well as for a reverential form of worship.  Obviously, there’s definitely a time for joyful, loud, expressive worship, too.  But when the Holy Spirit leads us into a still and tranquil time of prayer, we should be sensitive and responsive to that leading.

One form of “being still” is to step away from our busy lives in order to connect with God.  This is a time to stay focused on God’s vision for our lives and to listen for His direction and guidance.  The obvious follow-through is our obedience to what we hear the Lord saying to our hearts.

What is the purpose of stillness?  Being still before the Lord brings us clarity.  It draws us into the moment and gives us time to clear the clutter and clamor out of our minds and hearts.  It helps us to hear God’s voice more accurately. Stilling our hearts before the Lord helps us to stop striving and to surrender our circumstances to the Lord.  In whatever situation you find yourself today, take some time alone with the Lord.

Servants of Christ

Servants of Christ

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, a number of things occurred in our lives.  Here are just three things that took place:

  • We became children of the Living God.  (Rom 8:16; 1 Joh 3:1-2)
  • We became bondservants of Jesus Christ.  (Eph 6:6; 1 Pet 2:15-16)
  • We passed from darkness to light.  (Col 1:13)

The Scriptures show a number of apostles and disciples who identify themselves as “bondservants” of Christ.  Every believer should identify with this claim.

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God . . .   (Rom 1:11 NKJV) 

For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.  (1 Cor 7:22 ESV)

. . . not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart . . .  (Eph 6:6 ESV)

A bondservant is a person who willingly becomes a slave to another person.  The Mosaic Law allowed an indentured servant to become a bondservant voluntarily: “If the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life” (Exodus 21:5-6).  Source:  GotQuestions.org. 

You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.  (1 Cor 7:23 ESV)  The Bible warns us NOT to become bondservants of human beings.

But we do need to settle it in our hearts that we are servants of Jesus Christ and of the Kingdom of God.  We need to be submitted to God’s will and plan for each one of our lives.  It’s important to remember that the Lord can see the end from the beginning.  He knows every possible outcome of our own, human decisions; but if we allow Him to direct our paths, we will fulfill His will for each and every believer.

Set aside some time to spend in meditation and prayer about this important concept.  Determine what yielding to the Holy Spirit will mean for your life.  God bless you.

Our Lives Reflects our Hearts

Our Lives Reflects our Hearts

All of our actions—whether good and kind or hurtful and evil—flow out of our hearts. 

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.  (Pro 27:19 NIV, emphasis added)

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.  (Jam 1:22-25, underscoring added)

. . . he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.  (Ps 33:15 RSV)

For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”  (Mk 7:21-23 NIV)

As the Bible tells us, we need to be obedient, active Christians who LIVE THE WORD every single day of our lives.  Our lives will surely expose whatever is in our hearts.

This doesn’t imply that we’re perfect and never make mistakes.  Absolutely not.  It means that we start with a fresh slate every day, and continue loving and serving the Lord Jesus persistently and consistently. 

When we do sin, we stop and repent before God.  After we have received forgiveness and cleansing, we begin again in perfect fellowship and harmony with the Lord, our merciful Redeemer.  Because Jesus lived on earth as a human, He understands the nature of temptation.  (Heb 2:18; 4:15; Mt 4:1)

Because we know our own flaws and weaknesses, we’re able to extend mercy and encouragement to others.  We know that as we surrender to God’s will and resist the enemy, he must flee from us.  (Jam 4:7)

We serve our loving God and the body of Christ by praying for our fellow man, whether believers or unbelievers.  We also pray for our civic and government leaders that God will lead them and send them wise counselors, and give us peace on the earth.

As we hide God’s Word and His precious promises in our hearts, our hearts will overflow with the joy, mercy, and love of God.  Our faith will be nourished and strengthened.  Our daily lives will reveal and replicate the condition of our hearts.  Glory to God!

Obedience to God’s Will

Obedience to God’s Will

The Bible says that all those who obey God’s will (which is His Word) live forever and are members of His family. 

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.  (1 Joh 2:17)

For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.  (Mk 3:35)

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”  (Mt 7:21)

Clearly this an important subject to the Lord, and it should be important to us, as well.  The Lord says that obedience is better than sacrifice.  (1 Sam 15:22)  Jesus obeyed His Father by coming to earth to become the Savior of the world.  And we are all the beneficiaries of Jesus’ obedience.

Let’s look at the Bible again:

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.  (Pro 21:3 ESV)

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him . . .   (1 Joh 2:4 ESV)

There is no way to follow Jesus without obedience to the Word of God.  This is an ongoing choice that we make daily—even moment by moment—as we continue to live by faith.  Blessings upon you.

Our Weakness Reveals God’s Strength

Our Weakness Reveals God’s Strength

How can weakness or challenges in life reveal God’s strength to us? 

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  (2 Cor 12:9)

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Cor 12:10, emphasis added)

For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.  (2 Cor 13:4)

Whenever we are weak in an area, it presents an opportunity for God’s strength to be discovered by us.  Our weaknesses, when exposed and humbly given to God, invite God’s love and strength to work powerfully in our situations.

Our weaknesses help us to see that there isn’t much that we can do in ourselves and by ourselves.  We comprehend our utter helplessness.  Problems and weaknesses compel us to turn to the true source of ALL help and power:  to the Lord Jesus Christ.  We must learn to rely upon God’s grace and mercy, both of which are abundantly available to us according to the Word of God.

In times of need, trial, or crisis, we reach a point where we are ready and willing to yield to God’s will in our lives.  Praise God!  As the Scriptures shown at the top of this article demonstrate, God is ready and able to meet our needs and to help us.  And when He does, it is a testimony to His love and mercy.

He loves to bless us and to solve our problems because He loves us.  (Joh 3:16; 1 Joh 4:19; Ps 37:40; 46:1; 63:7)

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  (Rom 8:26, emphasis added)  The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.

After we turn to the Lord and pray about our area of weakness and need, His power will flow into the situation and turn it around.  We then have gained genuine, first-hand experience of the love and mercy of God.  This, in turn, enables us to comfort and to minister to other people who are in similar situations.  (2 Cor 1:4)  It also deepens and matures our faith.

Rejoice in the strength and power of God that is available to you!

Willing & Obedient

Willing & Obedient

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.  Cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.  18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land . . .  (Isa 1:16-19)

A willing, submissive heart receives blessings from the Lord.  There are only two requirements, according to this passage: 

  • Willingness – readiness, acceptance, cooperation, and
  • Obedience – respect, submission, agreement.

Once we have settled these two issues within ourselves, it only remains that we act in accordance with God’s will and plan for us.  We do this because we are committed to trusting God to determine what is best for each one of us, and because we love Him.

Not only does God know what the “good of the land” is; but He knows the precise desires of your heart!  Lo and behold!  He has also promised to give them to you!  (Ps 21:2; 34:4)

The good of the land refers to all of the material blessings that the land can produce.  God promises to pour out these wonderful and precious blessings upon His children when He sees our willingness and obedience.

Decide now to give the Lord your heartfelt willingness and obedience, brothers and sisters!