In step

[RiverOL]

How Kind of God
Romans 2
"... not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" (v. 4)

One of the places where Christianity parts company with modern-day psychology is over the matter of our ego. The ego is that part of us which contains our sense of individuality -- our self-esteem. Secular psychology says the stronger our ego and the more central it is, the better equipped we are to handle life and to live it to the full. Christianity sees the ego as important and does not (as some critics might suggest) seek to demolish it; rather, it puts it in its proper place -- at the feet of Christ. On August 12, 1973, Charles Colson, President Nixon's right-hand man, was feeling deeply disturbed by the events in which he was involved.

He went to see a friend who read to him from C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. Later that evening, he began to sob so deeply that he became quite alarmed. He realized that something spiritual was happening to him and cried out to God: "Take me, take me." That night was the beginning of the period during which this strong, ego-centered man found a new focus for his life -- the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what repentance is all about: it is a change of mind as to where life is to be found -- brought about in conjunction with the Holy Spirit. Real life is not to be found in the pursuit of self-centered goals, but in living out God's will and purposes for one's life. Charles Colson is one of Christ's most powerful modern disciples. He appears to have continued the way he began -- with a mindset that puts Christ first and himself second.

Prayer:
O God, may I have this same mindset too-- a mindset that puts Your will ahead of my own. Teach me more of what is involved in the act of repentance for I see that without an understanding of it I can make no real spiritual progress. In Christ's Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Have You Missed It?

. . . he rewards those who seek him—Hebrews 11:6

If God chose to speak to us using methods unmistakable, undeniable—a clearly audible voice or a conversation with an angel, perhaps—identifying his voice would be simple. Such encounters would be impossible to ignore, even for the distracted or dissenting among us. He employs methods like these, however, only but very rarely. Much more often, he uses methods any of us can mistake, or even deny—methods like his still, small voice and human agency.

Identifying his voice when it comes through these latter methods is—by intentional design—more difficult. Note the story of Elijah on Mount Horeb, when God uses his still, small voice (1 Kings 19:9-18). He makes it clear the nature of this voice is not dramatic, nor the volume loud; it’s a gentle whisper. Unobtrusive. It’s not forced upon Elijah, nor upon us. The same is true of human agency. When he speaks through family, friends, acquaintances, his voice is likewise easy to mistake, easy to deny. Such people talk with us every day and the few words that are inspired can get lost among the many that are not. Again, unobtrusive.

But, though unobtrusive, Elijah still heard God’s voice. And so can we. We can hear it—but we must listen determinedly. Otherwise it’ll fade into noise. Why? Why does God allow us to find him when we seek him earnestly and hide himself from us when we do not? To do differently would be coercion, or close to it. And that’s not how he works.



Get rid of distraction. Drop the skepticism. Drop the defiance, brother. He wants a two-way relationship with you, one in which you speak and are spoken to . . . by God Almighty. That’s an astounding offer. All he wants is for you to choose him, freely. Choose him.

 

[RiverOL]

Staying Connected
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already clean because of what I have said to you. Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.
(John 15.1-5)

Reflect:
Jesus in talking to his disciples encourages them to stay connected to him as a branch does to the vine and as he does to his Father. As we do so we receive the power and presence of the Spirit abiding in us. This is so key in our life with God, which is utterly dependent upon this connection. Abiding in Christ is the source of our love, joy, peace, strength and fruitfulness.

Respond:
Go over these words several times and pray. Ask the Lord for his help in staying connected with him in all the demands and distractions of our daily lives that so often distract us.

Midday Meditation:
I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
(from the Hymn Abide With Me)

Evening Reflection:
Through the dark hours of this night protect and surround us
Father, Son and Spirit, Three
Forgive the ill that we have done
Forgive the pride that we have shown
Forgive the words that have caused harm that we might sleep peaceably and rise refreshed to do your will
Through the dark hours of this night protect and surround us Father, Son and Spirit, Three

 

[RiverOL]

Jesus Christ Is Lord
Matthew 4:12-25
"From that time on Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'" (v. 17)

There is a strange lack of emphasis on repentance in many parts of the church today. Our text tells us that our Lord's very first sermons in His preaching ministry was "Repent." We see from other passages in the Gospels that He stresses this message again and again. Peter took up this same theme on the Day of Pentecost, in the first sermon he ever preached (Acts 2:38). Indeed, the word repentance appears in one form or another throughout the whole of the New Testament. Why, then, is repentance such a missing factor (generally speaking) in contemporary Christianity? Is it because in our anxiety to get more converts we avoid the subject of repentance and prefer the quick sales job of getting people to pray the kind of prayer that requires no radical transformation?

Once I heard an evangelist tell his converts: "Pray this prayer after me, and you will have a mansion in heaven ... perhaps even have charge of ten cities when Christ returns to this earth to establish His kingdom." The prayer he then invited them to pray went something like this: "O God, make me a Christian ... and grant that I might inherit all that is available to me in Christ." What bothered me about the prayer was not that it was invalid but that it was not based on first principles. The primary thing we have to understand on entering the Christian life is that Jesus Christ is Lord. That means we are no longer lord over our lives -- He is. Happy are those who enter the Christian life with this clear understanding.

Prayer:
O God, help me put first things first. I see that successful Christian living depends on You being first and me being second. Am I really ready and willing for this? Help me search my soul. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Rejoicing in Difficult Circumstances
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

—Philippians 4:8 NKJV
In one of the prisons where the apostle Paul was incarcerated was a dark hole, with barely enough room for the 42 prisoners crowded inside. Those in the black chasm who had received the death sentence knew they would be crucified, strangled, skinned alive, or beheaded.
Imagine the apostle Paul, shackled in a rat-infested cell, having food dumped down on him. He is surrounded by sin and death and fear. But in Philippians 4:4 (NKJV), he says: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

Paul had mentally entered into God’s rest. Can you imagine what the other prisoners may have thought when they heard him say this? They were about to be brutally slain. But for Paul, Jesus had stripped away the power of sin, death, hell, and the grave when He rose from the dead! He disarmed fear with His precious blood, and He also set you free from its grip.
Now you can enter into His rest by accepting the reality of the atonement.

 

[RiverOL]

Face to Face
Morning Encounter:
Read:
The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated. Then it flowed down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations. God’s curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God and will see him face to face. God’s name will be written on the foreheads of the people. Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule forever.
(Revelation 22.1 – 5)

Reflect:
In Genesis we hear of God walking with Adam and Eve in the garden. Now in Revelation, we have a picture of God dwelling face to face with his people. The life with God is now in all its beauty and fullness, the Kingdom of God complete.

Respond:
A Prayer: Lord, thank you for your presence with me throughout this week. At times your companionship has been clear at other times less so. We can’t wait for the day when we will see you not through a glass darkly, but clearly face to face. Until that day, help me to stay close to you and occupy all of my heart.

Midday Meditation:
“There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God; those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it." (Brother Lawrence)

Evening Reflection:
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight,
and give your Angels and Saints charge over those who sleep.
Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ.
Rest your weary ones, bless Your dying ones,
Soothe your suffering ones, pity your afflicted ones,
Shield your joyous ones, and all for your love's sake. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Flightless Butterflies
Acts 26
"... I preached that they should repent and ... prove their repentance by their deeds." (v. 20)

Some evangelists asked me: "Why don't we see more of the kind of converts coming into today's church that we used to get a few decades ago -- those who from the very start seem 'out and out' for Jesus?" I replied that I thought it had something to do with the way we present the truths of Christianity to potential converts, and I told them the story I heard John White, a Christian psychiatrist, tell.

A butterfly, struggling to get out of its chrysalis, was given a helping hand by a well-meaning observer. As a result, however, the butterfly was unable to fly because it is in the struggle to emerge that it develops the strength to soar. The observer, intent on making it easy for the butterfly to leave the chrysalis, inadvertently contributed to its early demise. We do something similar when we help people avoid the struggle that radical repentance invariably brings.

The modern-day church (with some exceptions) is like an inexpert midwife bringing damaged children into the world -- damaged by lack of attention to basic principles. To return to the metaphor of the butterfly, in the church today there are many butterflies unable to fly because when they emerged from their spiritual chrysalis someone made it easier for them than they should have. We can do that by wrong statements or incomplete statements or even by a misplaced emphasis. Evangelism is making it easy for men and women to be saved, but we must be careful that we do not make it easier than it should be.

Prayer
O Father, stir us as Your church to put the emphasis where You put it -- on the lordship of Christ and the need for complete and utter surrender to Him in the very first moments of conversion. In Christ's Name we pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

It's a Choice
The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
—Psalm 118:22-24 NKJV

Gladness is a choice. Notice, the Scripture says: “We will be glad.” As one of my daughters sometimes reminds me, “You need to notify your face that Jesus is Lord!”
You may feel you have reasons not to be glad. I had a reason one morning when I woke up very tired from a late night of work. In my haste, I grabbed what I thought was spray gargle, but I squirted deodorant into my mouth instead!
When things like this—or much worse—happen, choose to say, “I will be glad in the Lord.” You can develop a spirit of gladness and joy!

 

[RiverOL]

God at the Centre
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day – not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That’s why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.
(Exodus 20. 8-11)

Reflect:
The Jews understood Sabbath as a 24hr period of rest that had a different rhythm of life to the rest of the week. Sabbath reminds us that life is not all about productivity, work and consumption and so God commands a time set apart from regular life to help us remember that there is a God at the centre of the universe, and it isn’t us.

Respond:
Try to make this a day or time of rest. Take a nap if possible; turn off your mobile phone if you can, fast from media if that helps. Get some exercise, eat well, enjoy some fresh air – above all be aware of the goodness of God on this day.

Midday Meditation:
“Sabbath, in the first instance, is not about worship. It is about work stoppage. It is about withdrawal from the anxiety system of Pharaoh, the refusal to let one’s life be defined by production and consumption and the endless pursuit of private well-being.”
(Walter Brueggemann)

Evening Reflection:
It is wonderful to be grateful and to sing your praises, Lord Most High!
It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are.
I enjoy praising your name to the music of harps, because everything you do makes me happy, and I sing joyful songs. (From Psalm 92)

 

[RiverOL]

Agreeing with God
Isaiah 30:12-21
"In repentance and rest is your salvation ..." (v. 15)

A definition of repentance I once heard someone use and which I like very much is this: "Repentance is agreeing with God." When we repent, we adopt the attitude that God is right and we are wrong. When you think about it, there is very little point in disagreeing with God over anything because being God, He is always right. So many problems people have brought to me during the years I have been involved in Christian counseling were rooted in a difficulty they had in their relationship with God. Time and again I have heard people say things such as: "But God can't really expect that of me." " Isn't God being too hard on me in wanting me to yield to Him on this?" "Sometimes God seems to forget that we are human." What underlies all these statements? A difficulty in believing that God is right in everything He says and does.


This is why whenever I hear such statements I ask people to tell me something about how they entered the Christian life. Almost always I find that they never underwent a radical repentance when they first became Christians. Because they never knew what it was to agree with God (that is, fully repent) when they first came into the Christian life, subsequently they seemed to want to argue with Him (or at least raise objections) over any issue that appeared to threaten their self-centeredness. Our wills have to capitulate to God's will if we are to develop a deep relationship with the Almighty. And the best moment to understand this is at the moment of conversion.

Prayer
Father, forgive me if my response to Your challenge is one of resistance and argumentation. If my ego is not at Your feet then help me put it there today. For the sake of Your Son who gave His life for me. In His Name I pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Want to Get Stronger?

They committed themselves
to the teaching of the apostles, the life together,
the common meal, and the prayers—Acts 2:42

Want to get stronger? Want to be tougher? Get connected. When we face trials and challenges, those to whom we’re connected can support us—help us find courage we’d not find on our own. When we experience pain and loss, they can comfort us—help us back from places we’d not return from, on our own. When we’re hit by fear and anxiety, they can give us perspective—help us see things in ways we’d not see on our own. When we need truth, they can teach us—help us discover and understand what we we’d not grasp on our own. When we get stuck, they can call us out, speak truth, push us forward—help us stop (or start) what we’d be unable to, on our own. When we face complicated questions, they can listen and counsel us—help us process through problems that are too difficult on our own. When we mess up, make mistakes, they can correct us and have mercy—help remind us we’re loved, despite flaws and failures, something that’s hard to remember on our own.

The Apostle Paul urged connectedness (Romans 12:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13). The early Church demonstrated it—spending time together, knowing one another, eating, learning, and praying together. Why? Alone, we men are vulnerable; together, we’re stronger and more resilient toward the ups-and-downs of life (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Connectedness ruggedizes us, restores us, fuels us for what’s ahead. And, brother, there’s important stuff ahead.



Go look at your weekly calendar. What are the major groupings, in terms of commitments and people? Work/Colleagues? Home/Family? Social/Friends? Others? Okay, now you need at least a couple people from each category who (1) know you, (2) understand the context too, and (3) who’ll make connectedness with you a priority.

 

[RiverOL]

Love
Morning Encounter:
Introduction:
How can we measure our spiritual progress? Sometimes we might be tempted to think about our attendance at church or the state of our prayer life or Bible reading. Perhaps even the ways in which we serve our church through various activities. This week we reflect on the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ as an alternative (and perhaps better?) way to evidence the work of God in us. Jesus suggested that ‘a tree is known by its fruit’ (Matthew 12.33). The fruit of the Spirit in our lives is a good indicator of our life with God, allowing us to reflect on areas in which we still need to grow. We are going to take time this week to meditate on some of the virtues in this one passage of Scripture, allowing ourselves time to pray this into our lives.

Read:
‘God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. But don’t be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.’
Galatians 5.22 - 26

Reflect:
The Trinity is a community of love. Love overflows from God to us, so that we may in turn love God and others.

Respond:
Remind someone today that you love them. Send a text, call them up or just give them a great big hug if that’s possible.

Midday Meditation:
“So we must understand that God does not ‘love’ us without liking us – through gritted teeth – as ‘Christian’ love is sometimes thought to do. Rather, out of the eternal freshness of his perpetually self-renewed being, the heavenly Father cherishes the earth and each human being upon it. The fondness, the endearment, the unstintingly affectionate regard of God toward all his creatures is the natural outflow of what he is to the core – what we vainly try to capture with our tired but indispensable old word love.“
(Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy)

Evening Reflection:
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Failure to "Feel" Saved
2 Corinthians 7
"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret ..." (v. 10)

Sometimes I am asked: "If a person does not undergo a radical repentance at the time they turn to Christ, does that mean they are not converted and will not go to heaven when they die?" My answer is usually along this line: "It is better if a person experiences a radical repentance at the time of their initial commitment to Christ, as this sets the tilt of the soul in the direction of agreeing with God. But God will come in and live in a person's life by invitation, even though the repentance is not as complete as it should be." The advantage of a radical repentance at the time of one's commitment to Christ is, as I have said, that it bends the ego in God's direction and teaches it right from the start that submission is essential.

A major reason for lack of spiritual assurance (people who have committed themselves to Christ not feeling saved) is this issue of incomplete repentance. When repentance is incomplete and there is no "godly sorrow" over sin, the effects of sin (guilt and shame) are not eliminated from the soul. Radical conversion siphons off these things and leaves the soul feeling free. It ensures there are no regrets, no hankering for former things. To change the metaphor, if the soul is not plowed up by radical repentance, the seeds sown by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God will not take deep root. Those who have never fully repented ought to do so now -- without delay. Take time this day to evaluate your spiritual condition. Make Christ Lord.

Prayer
O God, help me not to move beyond this day without clarifying my spiritual commitment. Am I first in my life, or are You? May I know the godly sorrow that leads to deep repentance. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Be Ready to Receive Your Answer
It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. —Acts 12:1 NIV

In Acts 12:1–17, we read that King Herod, who was persecuting the Church, had already killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. He then had Peter arrested and thrown in jail.
It was a dark time for God’s people. They were being hunted by brutal Roman soldiers, and one by one, either killed or imprisoned. To their credit, the disciples sought the Lord for Peter’s deliverance. Verse 5 says: “Prayer was offered to God for him by the church.”

God miraculously released Peter, but when he knocked at the gate of the house where they were meeting, the disciples didn’t believe he was really there!
Rhoda, the servant girl, was so excited to hear Peter’s voice, she didn’t stop to let him in. She just ran back and told the others. “Guess what? Peter’s here!” They didn’t believe her.
When you pray, be ready to receive God’s answer. Expect a miracle! Trust His Word and allow Him to be God. He knows what you need, and He knows the best way to meet your needs. Remember, He is a good God!

 

[RiverOL]

Joy
Morning Encounter:
Read:
You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.
Psalm 16.11

Reflect:
Joy is strength. Joy keeps us going when we’re up against it. Joy is a pervasive sense of well-being. Joy is gratitude.

Respond:
Start this day by thanking God for five things which bring you joy today.

Midday Meditation:
‘Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.’
(Henri Nouwen)

Evening Reflection:
Sing joyful songs to the Lord!
Praise the mighty rock where we are safe.
Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise.
The Lord is the greatest God, king over all other gods.

He holds the deepest part of the earth in his hands, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The ocean is the Lord’s because he made it, and with his own hands he formed the dry land.
Bow down and worship the Lord our Creator!
The Lord is our God, and we are his people, the sheep he takes care of in his own pasture.
(From Psalm 95)

 

[RiverOL]

The First and Last Word
Hosea 14
"... for in you the fatherless find compassion." (v. 3)


Repentance is commonly thought of as simply an acknowledgment and confession of sin. But the repentance God desires of us is not only contrition for particular sins; it is a daily attitude, an ongoing perspective. Martin Luther started the Reformation when he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle church at Wittenburg, and the very first of his statements read thus: "When our Lord Jesus Christ said 'repent' He willed that the entire life of believers be one of repentance." Note that -- "the entire life of believers." Repentance is not a one-time act, it is a process -- the process by which we see ourselves day by day as we really are: sinful, needy, dependent people.

It is the process by which we see God as He is: awesome, majestic and holy. Repentance is the ultimate surrender of self. The call to repentance is one of the most consistent themes of the Bible. We must be aware that no matter how radical our repentance at conversion, sinful tendencies remain in varying degrees. Constantly we need to recognize that our carnal nature may surface at any time to disagree with God. We will never be able in move into a deep relationship with God unless we maintain an attitude of repentance. "Every bit of growth in the Christian life," said one theologian, "is based on the re-enactment of the original redemptive occurrence." By that he meant that the way we came into the Christian life is the way we continue in it -- by repentance. Repentance is the first word of the gospel -- and the last.

Prayer:
Thank You, Father, for spelling out for me the truth that repentance is not merely an act but an attitude. From now on and by Your grace may this forever be the attitude of my soul. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Peace
Morning Encounter:
Read:
I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Ephesians 1.2

Reflect:
Peace is not the absence of conflict — it is ‘shalom’ or fullness of life. Peace is a rest of will that comes from divine assurance about how things will turn out.
(Dallas Willard)

Respond:
How will you actively be a person of peace today?

Midday Meditation:
‘May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.’
(Teresa of Avila)

Evening Reflection:
Jesus, thank you for blessing us with your presence today. You are our peace and our joy, Lord. Thank you for inviting us into a life with you. We are so quick to look for our significance and identity apart from you. Help us to continually remember that we are citizens of your kingdom! Our identity is not in our jobs, our personalities, or our past. Instead, we find great joy and rest when our identity is rooted in you and what You are doing in us. Continue to transform us, Lord. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Amazing!
Romans 5:12-21
"... how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace ... reign in life ..." (v. 17)


If we are to go deeper with God, we need to know how to avail ourselves of God's grace. Our text for today talks about "those who receive God's abundant provision of grace." Though God's grace may be abundant, it is only effective in our lives if it is received. But what do we mean by "grace"? Grace is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments, and the root meaning of the word is that of kindness and favor. In the New Testament it is used chiefly in connection with God's undeserved mercy in redeeming humankind. Grace, as undeserved favor, is a term still used in business -- especially the world of insurance.

Sometimes a representative of a firm will write to a client and say something like this: "In the circumstances you have no claim, we will give you a certain sum as an act of grace." They acknowledge no indebtedness, but out of their kindness (and in hope of business to come) they give the client something to which he has no legal right. A definition of grace I like very much is this: "Grace is the strength God gives us to obey His commands." Grace is not just a kindly attitude but an impartation of power too. We can be sure that the people who seem to know God in a much deeper way than we do have received more of that power which God imparts "unmerited and free." It is by grace that they leap over all the impediments on their onward way. Grace truly is amazing!

Prayer:
O Father, how can I thank You enough that just as the atmosphere wraps itself around my body so Your grace wraps itself around my soul. May I respond to Your grace as my physical body responds to the atmosphere -- and lives. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

[RiverOL]

Preparing for a Divine Destiny
For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.—Mathew 6:8b NKJV

Do you know what is bothering you? Identify the root, and you will be able to move to a place where God can supply your needs. Then you can go forward into the destiny God has planned for you.
Here’s how to identify what’s bothering you:

• Make a God-connection. The apostle Paul said God’s people are bound together by a band of constraining love. When you truly realize this bond with God and with fellow Christians, peace and harmony result.
• Identify your strength-stealers. These can be worry, fear, stress, rejection, anger, confusion. Don’t meditate on the lies of the Enemy.
• When the Devil assaults your mind, resist him! Understand that you are in a war. Don’t entertain the lies of the Enemy when God Almighty paid such a great price for your redemption.

Nothing can rob you of your hold on grace and your confidence in God without your permission. The grace of God is too great. The love and mercy of God are too strong. The compassion and peace of God are too powerful.
You must believe God’s Word. Never release your grip on the covenant Christ made for you. The Bible teaches that you are to walk by faith, not by sight.

 

[RiverOL]

Patience
Morning Encounter:
Read:
Do your best to improve your faith. You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love.
2 Peter 1.5-7

Reflect:
You can’t grow in patience by trying harder to be more patient. Patience comes as we take steps to slow down, let go of control, respond rather than react and above all trust God.

Respond:
What do you need to let go of today and entrust to God? Where are you stressed and needing to let go of control? Bring these things to God in prayer.

Midday Meditation:
‘To wait open-endedly is an enormously radical attitude toward life. So is to trust that something will happen to us that is far beyond our imaginings. So, too, is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life, trusting that God mold us according to God's love and not according to our fear. The spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, trusting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination, fantasy, or prediction. That, indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control.’
(Henri Nouwen)

Evening Reflection:
Lord, as the day draws to an end and the work of this day is done. Help us to let go of control, hurry, stress and all burdens that we carry, so that we may sleep trusting that you will watch over us through the night. Amen