All posts tagged: Lord

Five reasons why we miss what God is doing now!


And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 ESV) In our text, Elijah had just come to this place from Mount Carmel where he saw God answered him by fire. Yeah! He prayed and fire fell from heaven. But when he came to this cave he thought that God will move in a similar way. And just like …

The Eternal One is my Shepherd


Psalm 23 The Eternal One is my Shepherd, He cares for me always. He provides me rest in rich, green fields besides streams of refreshing water. He soothes my fears; He makes me whole again, steering me off worn, hard paths to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name. Even in the unending shadow of death’s darkness, I am not overcome by fear. Because You are with me in those dark moments, near with Your protection and guidance, I am comforted. You spread out a table for me, provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies; You care for all my needs. anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil, filling my cup again and again with Your grace. Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me, where I go, always, everywhere. I will always be with the Eternal One, in Your house forever. In this version or translation of the 23rd Psalm, the message that stands out to me is this: The Eternal One is my Shepherd… He is always with …

A passionate Tozer Prayer


O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou are about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, our Lord, Thou has stopped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man takes this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant. My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine but Thine. Thou hast said, “I knew thee—I ordained thee—I sanctified thee,” and Thou has also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Who am I to argue …

You do not fall into sin you slide into it!


But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. James 1:14 Have you ever walked upon the skin or outer covering of a banana? It is one of the scariest and most dangerous slip and fall you will ever have. You begin with a slide. It may be a short slide, but at the end of that slide there is a very had fall. I want to use this scenario to describe how one falls into sin. First of all, no one ever wakes up in the morning and tells himself, “you know, today I feel like sinning. I feel like buying myself some crack or cocaine and just getting wasted. Or, you know I’m going to get myself a hot babe tonight and commit adultery.” But I am not sure that is the way people fall into sin. It is a long, gradual, progressive slide. A journey of …

How can I keep from singing your praise?


I can sing in the troubled times Sing when I win I can sing when I lose my step And fall down again I can sing ’cause You pick me up Sing ’cause You’re there I can sing ’cause You hear me, Lord When I call to You in prayer I can sing with my last breath Sing for I know That I’ll sing with the angels And the saints around the throne. How can i keep from singing your praise how can i ever say enough how amazing is your love how can i keep from shouting your name a know i am loved by the king and it makes my heart i am loved by the king and it makes my heart i am loved by the king and it makes my heart want to sing. Chris Tomlin What happens to your praise when you are going through difficult times or when you fail? Do you find your self singing only when things are going great? Is it difficult to maintain an attitude …

Selah: Pause and think about it!


I love to hear the word “advantage” in a tennis match. At this time the server has the advantage to win the match after deuce. I get excited, especially if the one I am rooting for has the advantage. Advantage means everything is in your favor. It means you have the edge over the other player. It means you have the power now to win a set or win the match. Psalm 84 give me that same feeling. The psalm is a description of the advantages we have with the Lord being there with us. The psalm divides very simply into three parts and marked off by the little word Selah. Selah means to pause and think of what has just been said. Let me simply share these verses and have you pause and think about what you just read: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout …

What is your name?


My wife has several names that she answers to. One nick name, and two other names given to her by her parents – one by her father and the other by her mother. One she loves and the other she hates. That is because names are very significant where she comes from. In the bible God gives and often changes the names of people to reflect their character or something specific about them. Their name identifies them and stands them up for something specific. For example: Abram become Abraham; Sarai becomes Sarah and Jacob becomes Israel. In the same way, God’s names reflect His character. His names are far more than descriptions or designations of some super powerful being up there in the universe. His names are actually a revelation of his ways, his essence, his character, his person and his nature. If you want to know what God is like, his person, his care and concern, you will find it in the revelation of His names. So join me as we take a look …

Adrift


I heard a story some time ago about an ungodly farmer. It is said that when he  died, it was discovered in his will that he had left his farm to the Devil. In the court, they didn’t quite know what to do with it — how do you give a farm to the Devil? Finally, the judge decided: “The best way to carry out the wishes of the deceased is to allow the farm to grow weeds, the soil to erode, and the house and barn to rot. In our opinion, the best way to leave something to the Devil is to do nothing.” In the same way, we can leave our lives to the Devil doing nothing. Just let the weeds grow, and the soil of our hearts erode and our spiritual house rot, slowly drifting away with whatever currents this world might. But the Bible warns of the dangers of neglecting our great salvation: Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the …

The CHARGE


Part 2 There are some important things in life, more important than making a buck or being popular or having the latest fashionable things. There is a God in heaven who cares about everything we do, and wants to point us to the most important things, the things that really matter. Here are some of those things Paul the mentor outlines for his son in the Lord. Things he wants Timothy to persist in: 6. Endure Suffering persist in it when life becomes hard and difficult… When persecution begins to happen because of the word, when personal problems like sickness, and loss and disappointments begin to happen… There are plenty of wonderful “highs” in serving God, but there are also afflictions to be endured.  See verse 5 7. Share your faith Persist in it even when people try to shut you out… Not everyone is called to be a pastor or a preacher, but everyone is called to share their faith…be bold, step out, tell your story as for you do the work of the evangelist… Verse 5 …

All In


Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength How to love the Lord with all your strength This is our last post in the series All In. So far, I have challenged you to take everything you have, every part of your life and invest it in this relationship you have with the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not yet fire up to give yourself completely in 2012 to the Lord maybe this last post will help you jump in. The command here in Mark to love the Lord with all one’s strength is a call for us to intensify our affections or bring all our energy to bear on one thing – loving God with zeal. In Ecclesiastes 9:10 we find the word “Might.”. In Romans 12:11 we find the word zeal. And in Colossians 3:2, 5 we find the word heartily. All of these used to describe how we need to …