Satan's Tools - Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert Daily Devotional, Charles Cowman, Christian Bible Devotions:

The failure of Israel to enter the land of promise began in murmuring, or, as the text in Numbers literally puts it, "as it were murmured." Just a faint desire to complain and be discontented. This led on until it blossomed and ripened into rebellion and ruin. Let us give ourselves no liberty ever to doubt God or His love and faithfulness to us in everything and forever.

We can set our will against doubt just as we do against any other sin; and as we stand firm and refuse to doubt, the Holy Spirit will come to our aid and give us the faith of God and crown us with victory.

The challenge we all face daily is to keep our eyes on Christ. In doing so, we more easily see our situations as "better than" or our glass is "half full". This attitude will help us guard against murmuring and allowing the junk of life to hamper our walk and testimony for Christ.

Enjoy this devotion linked here today and remember, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" ~ Philippians 4:13. With such a great and powerful statement to stand on, we should never be anything but positive.

Blessings & Peace

Robert

LOVE WINS.

I saw the title for this post today on a bumper sticker.  Very simple white lettering on a black background.

Yes, I had one of those moments.  You know the moments in our walk with Christ where we become awestruck with a flood of images.  Christ on the cross with His arms held open.  Truth is we have example after example where Christ embodied the love of God in His short life here on this earth.

Verses that give us great descriptions of God's displayed love.  From the beginning right through to the point where our Father kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden.  "Then the Lord God said, 'Behold the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.  Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever-' therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken." Genesis 3:22-23

God couldn't allow us to live forever in this condition.  Separated from Himself for all eternity by our sinful flesh, this wasn't in God's plan for mankind.  Tossed out because of His great love, not out of anger or as a punishment.  Just shown the door so the plan of redemption could begin in earnest.

This one example sets up the beginning of centuries where God with grace, only the grace He alone can provide, shows mankind over and over again His love.  The depth and breadth of which we only ever catch but a glance.  Aw moments in this life.

We really only get very little pictures into God's great love.  We struggle with "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19)  or "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)  The bottom line is that has never changed and never will.  His great love for us cannot and will not change.


All the way to the cross God has shared His love for mankind.  The goal is the same now as it has always been.  Our creator desires a relationship with us that is deeper than any we've ever know. For some, we had great relationships in this life and other haven't been so blessed.  Regardless of where we stand in the previous sentence, God desires to show us love as only He can.


Seek God and you will find him!  Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you - James 4:8, paraphrase.


Blessings & Peace

The Nature of Degeneration | My Utmost For His Highest

The Nature of Degeneration | My Utmost For His Highest:

"The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, “I am my own god.” "

So, you think you're in control. You think all that takes place in your life is the result of your masterful ability to wield your will on everyone and everything around you so that your desires and plans come to pass. That's great for you.

 Now, what about that empty place within you? You just knew it would be filled when you reached your goals!  The trouble with your plan and "lordship" over your life is you still haven't replaced that which is lost to you. You didn't create yourself and therefore you can't meet your own desperate need.

What we need in this life is what we were created for to begin with, an intimate relationship with our creator. Adam's curse for us was this desire to be in charge and have absolute authority over our lives. This is the sin, to desire status equal to God Himself.

Throughout history, man has tried again and again to reach God, our Creator, by our own means and ability. We fail every time and yet God still loves us and has not once withdrawn HIS provision.

Christ sacrificed everything so that God's plan of redemption for mankind would be accomplished. Although man has repeatedly chosen to follow his own path. God has and still does desire that we will choose His way, that we decide His plans are best for us.

More than anything else, we need to come to the place where we know God alone is the source and God alone can and will provide for our life. Only God can fill the void in our life that we try desperately to fill with stuff.

Choose everlasting fulfillment and life in Christ. He alone can help us overcome the deep rooted desire to be "my own god". When we choose Christ we choose life.

Blessings & Peace

'via Blog this'

Seeking What We Truly Need

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.
I worship you as my first beginning.
I long for you as my last end.
I praise you as my constant helper.

~ Clement XI


Jesus said, "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son." ~John 14:13


I John 5:14, "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."


Not only do we truly need each point in Clement's prayer, each one is asked in accordance with our Father's will.  God wants us to have ever greater faith, strengthened trust, deeper love for Him and greater depth of sorrow for our sins.


As we grow in His grace, our faith is increased because we continually take steps of faith in obedience to His direction.  Our trust is expanded and grows stronger because we trust and not just trust, but we are learning to trust in Him completely.  God's unimaginable love for us starts to come into focus because we seek to love Him more.  Sorrow for our sins... on such a deep level that only the Holy Spirit can intercede on our behalf, since we can't express the utter shame of our sorrow.


Through this journey as we ask and receive each of the points in this prayer, we see ourselves joining Clement XI.  Worshiping God as our first, last and constant helper.  Drawn to worship in and through the moments of this life.  Thankful to be His through Christ, thankful to share our belief, thankful that even when the day is long, He is our Father and we His children.


Ask and receive, seek and find.  Go ahead and believe God for He has never changed and never will.  He sought us first to provide everything we need.


All we truly need..... HIM!!!


Blessings & Peace

The Goal of Life

TGIF « Marketplace Leaders:

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe…”(Ephesians 1:17-19).

Knowing Christ brings the only real meaning and purpose to the human soul. Spend time today getting to know the Lord in a more intimate way. Then you will discover real meaning and purpose in life."

It's interesting how we are excited, thankful beyond description, or feel completely indebted to Christ for our salvation on the day we accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Our eyes firmly fixed on Christ or are they really?

I'm not calling into question your salvation or mine, only making a point from another direction. We know Christ has filled the void of our life, placed the stopper in the hole of our life which can't be filled with stuff. Yet, we continue to seek to find fulfillment without looking daily to our source.

When we decided to accept Christ as Lord and Savior for our life, salvation isn't the only thing we needed. We also need to seek His direction for our life, daily. As Christ is the only one who can provide us with eternal salvation. He is the only way we will find true fulfillment in this life.

Fulfilling the purposes and mission of Christ by glorifying our Father is the goal. This goal will provide us with the daily fulfillment we seek. Being used by God as the image of Christ to reach the lost, bring comfort to those in need and provide as we can to those who are without. These things glorify God and and bring fulfillment in this life.

God has blessed each of us with different abilities and gifts. We each touch lives and glorify God in ways that no other person can. Each person plays a specific role in the body of Christ and in the kingdom. Seek to do your part with your eyes firmly fixed on Christ.

Blessings and Peace

'via Blog this'

Free Through Suffering

Streams in the Desert Daily Devotional, Charles Cowman, Christian Bible Devotions:

"If Joseph had not been Egypt's prisoner, he had never been Egypt's governor. The iron chain about his feet ushered in the golden chain about his neck.--Selected"

The richness of "Old English" always brings to mind heartier times. Meaning more rustic days as compared to the modern conveniences of today. Might the simpler days have been better, not really. Every person is born for their time and here's the point....

Even today, we seek the easier road. There's no doubt that mankind has always sought to make things easier, better and more efficient. If that wasn't true, we wouldn't be where we are today with technology.

Hard work produces satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Anything EASILY gained or received is just as EASILY dismissed. We have in this devotional another example that brings home this point.

Joseph, always having the dreams of an easier life where he's in charge and set above. He never dreamed what it would take or actually be like to lead.

So the journey took what appeared to be in the opposite direction. Utter failure and maybe complete loss seemed to be his lot for life. However, God ordered the events of his life in such a fashion that he would with greater faculty lead and love.

Only through great trials, he learned how to lead with the love, compassion, and heart of God. Forgiving what appeared to be great "wrongs", because he recognized God was in every step and at every turn.

We too must choose to endure the rough, ugly, and perplexing times of this life with our eyes firmly fixed on Christ. Only through the fire will we shine and glorify our Father and His kingdom.

Blessings and Peace

'via Blog this'

The Awareness of the Call | My Utmost For His Highest

The Awareness of the Call | My Utmost For His Highest:

"If a man or woman is called of God, it doesn’t matter how difficult the circumstances may be. God orchestrates every force at work for His purpose in the end. If you will agree with God’s purpose, He will bring not only your conscious level but also all the deeper levels of your life, which you yourself cannot reach, into perfect harmony."

Are we running from His call and purpose for our life? As I look back on my own life, questions and comments come to mind. While I believe all have been well meaning, I suspect the same ones have been shared with others, the thought is how has it shaped my actions?

Obedience starts with the small steps. Reaching out to someone in need, sharing Christ when prompted or saying that prayer when from nowhere someone comes to mind.

Only through following through on these "little" steps will be find our way. Our way has been set before us with great care and purpose. Only by faith in Christ alone will we discover the life God has planned and in that greater wonder than we could have ever believed possible.

Blessings & Peace

'via Blog this'