February 19, 2018
Category: How Great is Our God
February 17, 2018
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Joshua 1:2
God here speaks in the immediate present. It is not something He is going to do, but something He does do, this moment. So faith ever speaks. So God ever gives. So He is meeting you today, in the present moment. This is the test of faith. So long as you are waiting for a thing, hoping for it, looking for it, you are not believing. It may be hope, it may be earnest desire, but it is not faith; for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” The command in regard to believing prayer is the present tense. “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Have we come to that moment? Have we met God in His everlasting NOW?
–Joshua, by Simpson (from Streams in the Desert)
If you are a child of God, Jesus is there, with you, right this very moment. He will help you. He IS helping you. Lean on Him. Talk to Him. Tell Him your heart’s cry. He is listening. He is a very present help in trouble, our refuge and strength. (Psalms 46:1)
Leaning hard,
Alesha Kay
It Came to Pass
Sometimes, I think the end result is all that matters.
- Getting out of debt
- Losing weight
- Graduating a child from homeschool
- Attaining a large number of “followers”
- Beating cancer
- Getting the promotion
- Breaking the attendance record
- Being chosen for the solo in the production
- Winning the trophy
- Earning the bonus
But God is clearly concerned about the process of reaching those goals. The final outcome is always determined by the steps we took to reach the goal.
I want to rush things along. I get tired of the waiting. I grow discouraged that it is Taking. So. Long.
I forget that God sees the big picture. He’s in it for the long haul, if you will.
This quote from evangelist Bro. Brian McBride puts it beautifully:
May God give me grace for the journey. May I keep my focus on knowing Him in a more intimate way while I’m pressing forward toward the prize.
And Lord, help us not to be discouraged when the finish line seems oh-so-far away.
I pray that you will be encouraged to use your time wisely, getting to know Him, while you’re on your way to your final goal.
Hebrews 11:6
What He Wants
Salvation is an option we much choose. The Lord does not force His forgiveness on us. He died for our sins and paid a debt He did not owe, but we must accept that payment on our behalf.
It isn’t His will that any person die and go to Hell. He is exceedingly patient and will continue to woo us to Himself. But the ultimate decision is ours. Will we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, or spend eternity in a Lake of Fire?
He is not willing for you to spend eternity separated from Him. He has done His part.
Now, will you do yours?
Simply call out to Him, admit you are a sinner in need of salvation from your sins. Ask Him to be your Lord, surrender your will to His, and commit your life to Him.
Romans 10:[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
[10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
[11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
[12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
[13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
If you’ve made that decision today, it is important that you tell someone! Remember what verse 11 said above – If you believe on Him, you won’t be ashamed. I’d love to hear from you if you received Christ as your Saviour today. Drop me a line in the comments below.
The Great Re-Creator
There are times when we blow it. We sin, we transgress against God, either outwardly or inwardly. Maybe we do something we know we should not do. Then again, maybe we’ve refused to do the very thing we know He wants us to do.
Either way, our fellowship with the Lord has been broken.
Sometimes, we are just discouraged. We start to doubt God’s goodness, and grow bitter in our pain.
We haven’t lost our salvation, but we’ve lost our communion with the Father and our peace of mind.
What do we do? How do we cope? Will the Lord forgive? Will He restore?
I can answer with a resounding “Yes!”
My Pastor put it this way recently:
Our Lord has the incredible ability to remake what’s He created. He can take us in our broken condition and restore us to Himself.
Where our heart is wounded, He can heal. Where our will is broken, He can renew. Where our emotions are shattered, He can bind and restore.
And what is our part in this miraculous process?
We must confess, repent, yield and obey.
Walk away from our sin, leave our bitterness at His feet, crawl back up on the Potter’s wheel, and cry out, “Here I am, Lord! Do whatever You want with me!”
He will begin again with us. He’ll pound us, and smooth us, and perhaps use sharp instruments to mold us into His perfect vessel. The process won’t be a gentle one. But the finished product will be beautiful!
I encourage you, if you feel you’ve been broken beyond all repair, to surrender yourself to the Master Potter. He is waiting to recreate you into a useful vessel to be used for His glory
Rejoicing Trees
Psalms 96:12-13
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Obtaining Mercy 