Obtaining Mercy

 

Daniel 6:[5] Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against
this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his
God.
[6] Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
[7]
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the
counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a
royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a
petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he
shall be cast into the den of lions.
[8] Now, O king,
establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed,
according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
[9] Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
[10]
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his
house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he
kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks
before his God, as he did aforetime.

 

Even when it was ILLEGAL for Daniel to pray and give thanks to God, he did it anyway.

I am SO thankful for these examples that God has given us in His Word.

I need to know that other Christ-followers experienced fear and pain and anger and bewilderment.  I need to know that they knew the same human emotions that I feel, and that they faced temptation just as I do.

More importantly, I need to know that they were obedient to the Lord, in spite of their emotions; and that they lived victorious lives for Christ in the midst of difficult situations.

Today, I am so thankful for the stories of Daniel, Samson, Esther, Mary, Paul, Jael, Gideon, David and Mephibosheth.

They encourage me to live for my God, in spite of circumstances, knowing that the He will bless as I obey Him.

Whose story is encouraging you today?  Feel free to share it with me in the comments.  I'd love to hear from you!

 

Blessings,

Alesha

 

 

 

 

Psalm 119:62 "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments."

 

Psalm 119:162 "I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil."

 

Psalm 119:175 "Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me."

 

The Bible is the only way we have to know the mind of God.

If I want to know God more intimately, I only need to read His Book to learn of Him.

Our churches, and our personal lives, begin to crumble when we mistakenly think that we can substitute activity for quiet time spent in God's Word.

 

"Right now we are in an age of religious complexity.  The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us.  In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart.  The shallowness of our inner experience, the hollowness of our worship, and the servile imitations of the world which marks our promotional methods all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. ~A. W. Tozer

 

The simplicity of Christ is found in the reading, studying and meditating upon His Word, the Holy Scriptures.

It is the very mind of God, in my language, and is accessible to me at any time.  Thank God that I can still enjoy a freedom that is unknown to so many the world around.

On this election day, I pray that you are voting for a candidate who will not only uphold the truths of God's Word, but one that will work to ensure our freedom to own and read that Word in this great country of ours.

God bless America and thank You, Lord, for Your perfect, infallible, inspired Word!

Blessings,

 

 

Psalm 106:[43] Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
[44] Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
[45] And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies."

 

I am thankful today that God wants me to want Him.

Even when I sin and disobey, even when I allow my sin to enslave me, even when I turn my heart from Him, He shows mercy when I cry out to Him.

He wants me to know Him, to love Him, to see His glory.

He is not content with my complacency, and will orchestrate my failure simply to draw my heart back to Him.

 

A. W. Tozer said it this way in The Pursuit of God
:

"He waits to be wanted."

 

This is amazing to me.

He created me.  He first loved me.  He drew me to Himself in salvation.

But He is not content with that.

He wants me to know Him more.

And just how much, I wonder, do I want to know Him?

It gives us much to think on, doesn't it?

Blessings to you,

Alesha

 

Psalm 79:[9]Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.
[10]
Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known
among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy
servants which is shed.
[11] Let the sighing of the prisoner
come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou
those that are appointed to die;
[12] And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
[13] So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations."

 

I am so thankful that God's team wins.

There are days when it seems that Satan's minions are overrunning us – in our government, in our workplace, even in our churches.

But ultimately, God is keeping score.

He knows who HIS people are, and He knows those who are not – whether they are blatantly attacking Him or whether they are hiding among His real children, pretending to be what they are not.

God knows.

He will have the final say.

He will separate the wheat (the genuine Christians) from the tares (those who do know know Him).

No matter how insane or wicked this world may get, I know that I am on the winning side!

So when it seems like your world is in a mess, comfort yourself in knowing the outcome of the "game."

 

Revelation 11:[15] And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices
in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
[16] And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
[17]
Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast,
and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and
hast reigned."

 

Our God will forever reign.

Never forget that!

Blessings,

Alesha

 

Psalm 30:3-5 "O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

 

I am so thankful that God's anger does not last forever.

I am so thankful that my weeping will not last forever.

I am so thankful that favor and joy come "in the morning."

 

No matter what difficulty I am experiencing, it will not last forever.

And there are definitely days that I SO need to be reminded of that!!!

 

Blessings,

Alesha

 

 

 

 

I Chronicles 16:7 "Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren."

 

 Psalm 105:1-3 "O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD."

 

We can certainly speak our words of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord; but oh, I am so glad that we can sing them!

For me, music is a great leveler.  It brings my emotions back into sync with Scripture and with my Heavenly Father.

Of course, it's difficult for worldly music to accomplish this.  That's why, with the exception of classical music (much of which was written in praise of God) and Christmas music (which is, ultimately, about Jesus too), I do not listen to secular music.

I do not need any additional fuel to feed my flesh.  My carnal nature is strong enough.  It is always present and it is always ready to take the upper hand if I reliquinsh it.

Christian music only feeds my spirit.  As it lifts the name of Jesus in praise, as it gives a voice to beauty, as it puts Scripture to song, as it reminds me of the truths of His Word, it gives me strength to walk spiritually rather than carnally.

I am so thankful for music.  It is, in my opinion, one of God's most gracious gifts.

(I thought about embedding a favorite video here, but I just couldn't decide which one to use!  So, why don't you go listen to your own favorite hymn or praise song right now!  I know it will lift your spirit and help you through the day.)

Blessings,

Alesha

Leviticus 22:29 "And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will."

 

Sacrifice – To destroy, surrender or suffer to be lost for the sake of obtaining something.

 

To be truly thankful to God for all the He has done in our lives, we must surrender the things that we desire for ourselves.

We cannot hold onto our own plans and try to be thankful for God's plans.  They are not the same.  God thoughts and plans are infinitely higher and greater than we can imagine.

 

My early plan for my life would have included travel, notoriety, and singing in churches all across the country.  

God's plan includes my singing in one church in a tiny town in a poor county in my home state.  Although I have sung at other churches, it has never been a full-time ministry for me.  I now sing only for my local church.

I
am so thankful that God sent my pastor to this town, that my mom
visited to hear the new pastor, and that my dad went in search of that
new pastor so that he could get saved.  All of those things brought
about God's plan for me.  I am so grateful for this plan.

Did
you have to let go of your own wishes, in order to be thankful for what
God allowed?  Have you made a sacrifice in your life that has led to
your own Thanksgiving story?  I'd love to hear about it.  Feel free to
leave a comment and share it with me.

As this season of Thanksgiving arrives, let's prepare our heart to be thankful…

by letting go of all that we want…

…and accepting – with gratitude – all that He has given.

 

Blessings to you on this November 1st,

Alesha