Depending On You

 

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Ephesians 6:10

One of the reoccurring missteps I make as a Christian is becoming way too self-reliant after experiencing a little success.  This mistake is one that is easy to make as a believer in the body of faith, as it is totally unnatural to live in total dependence on God. Think about how many self-help books you can find at any given bookstore...placing dependence on God goes against everything that the world tells us we need to do.

The truth of the matter is that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle while we are here on this earth; life will be a struggle until we draw our last breath and spend eternity in heaven.

The number one rule of engagement in our spiritual battle is to draw our strength from God.  While it seems simple, our natural default mode is to depend on ourselves and not on Him.

We must prepare and equip ourselves daily by prayer and staying grounded in His Word. If we are to bear spiritual fruit, we cannot rely on our own limited resources and strength; we must tap into God's never-ending strength and resources and essentially die to ourselves.

It's the only way we can win and survive; be strong in His mighty power!!

Enjoy The Silence

 

He makes me lie down in fresh, tender green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.  Psalm 23:2

Every fall, particularly Q4 in the employee benefits arena, things move at the speed of light.  Most employers want their benefit plans to start and renew at the beginning of the fiscal year and our work load has increased exponentially this year with many employers facing double digit rate increases on their group medical renewals paired with the continued implosion of the industry due to failed ACA regulations, so needless to say, I have felt a bit overwhelmed at work recently... 

Being so busy, it’s hard for me to even imagine the “still and restful waters” mentioned in the above Psalm.  Regardless, I know that the “still waters” are where I need to go to truly begin to find quiet rest and the strength that I need to face the pressures of life.

The “still waters” are healing waters that are available to all believers at any place or any time, but rarely do we ever go there.

The next time you are feeling the need to find rest for your soul, let everything get quiet and enjoy the beauty of solitude, if only for a few moments.  We can learn more in moment of silence than we ever possibly could in all of the noise of the world.

Spend more time in the still waters and enjoy peace and rest for your soul.

Glory

 

No unbelief or distrust made him(Abraham) waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.  Romans 4:20

God promised Abraham a child that was to be an heir from his own body.  Of course, Abraham was an elderly man before he saw God’s promises finally come to pass.  All the while, Abraham continued to stand firm in his faith and believed God’s promises, giving Him all of his praises and glory along the way.

God would never expect us to do something without giving us the ability to do it.  Satan knows this all too well and this is the reason he attacks us, so that we feel doubt and unbelief.

Keep pressing on, no matter where you are on your journey and be sure keep on praising God and give Him glory.  God will never leave His promises unfulfilled and your faith will grow along the way, making you stronger so that can overcome.

Regret

 

For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief is deadly.  2 Corinthians 7:10

Can you recall something hurtful that you have said to someone else that you wish you could take back?  Sure, we all do, but some of us continue to let regret rob us of all of our joy.

There are certainly some things I wish that I could have said or done differently. But there is no sense in becoming burdened with regret over something I have absolutely no power to change.

God will always warn us prior to making a mistake or saying something hurtful so that we can change our mind before we actually make the mistake.  The enemy waits until after we have already made the mistake, long after it's too late, to heap condemnation and regret on us after there is nothing we can do about it any longer.

We must not let the enemy steal our joy any longer.  We must ask God for forgiveness and then leave our regrets in the past.

Cry For Help

 

Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you.  He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.  Psalm 55:22

 

The deeper my relationship grows with the Lord, the more I realize that He simply wants to care for me and help me whenever I ask.  Knowing this, why is it difficult to ask God for help sometimes?

You see, when we bring our burdens to God through prayer, we experience freedom from worry and anxiousness because we know that He is listening and He cares-regardless of how little or large our burdens may be.

We can receive the assurance of God’s love and concern through the promises of His Word and on our knees in prayer.

Love Is The Answer

 

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.  Psalm 128:1

The more I age, the more I realize that there is not one person on this earth that could possibly meet all of my needs in life.  Alicia and I will celebrate our 22nd anniversary this December, and while we are partners for life, soulmates, and still very much deeply in love, we both understand that only Jesus can fill the void deep within our souls.

This thinking has certainly changed for me as I have matured in my walk of faith.  Our spouses, children, family, and friends simply cannot take God’s place in meeting our needs; regardless of how wonderful they are.  

If you are looking to other people to meet all of your needs or trying to meet someone else’s needs, you will be sorely disappointed by looking to anyone other than God.  God is love, and only He can truly meet our every need!

Knock Me Down

 

Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time, He will lift you up in honor. 1 Peter 5:6

It was not too terribly long ago that I was extremely overweight and burned out from years of substance abuse.  I was lonely, on the verge of depression; my life was wrecked.  It was also not until I finally accepted the fact that I had some problems before I humbled myself and eventually asked for some help. 

Pride can prevent you from asking for the help that you need.  Humility gives you the wisdom and courage to admit your needs in any situation.  You simply won't get help-from God or from any other family member or friend-if you cannot admit you have a problem. 

When you are humble, God's power is at your disposal, and He promises to help you, regardless of any situation.  Don't let our pride stop you from getting the help you need.