And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
1 Samuel 3:10 NLT
God calls us in many ways. It is not often a vocal communication but more like an unction. The unction is the Holy Spirit who dwells within us guiding, directing us, and preparing us for our journey to walk with God. “The Holy Spirit helps us realize God’s purposefulness to orchestrate our lives and prepare us for heaven.” Bible Study Fellowship, Study of the Book of John, Doctrine of Sanctification, pp 243)
We communicate with, or should I say, God communicates with us in diverse ways. Just as we communicate with others in diverse ways, no one way is correct. Samuel originally mistook God’s call, he did not recognize His voice. Do you hear a voice but do not recognize it is the Lord? Does He have to call more than once to get your attention like Samuel? When you recognize it is God, how often do you respond in the same way as Samuel, saying, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
And when you do respond how often do you act on what is being conveyed? Do you listen and choose not to act? Is there quandary prior to acting? Or do you respond, “Yes Lord, and immediately follow His instruction?
Our walk carries a great degree of responsibility. We are all God’s disciples and we each have a path to follow and purpose to do God’s work on earth. Do you point others to God?
“God equips us all with gifts and graces, interests and talents to be used to bless one another.”(workingpreacher.org. God Calls Samuel. Oct 17, 2021)
As we celebrate the birth of Christ and the light He brought to the world, we must also think of the way in which he treated people and how his love covered us in the worst and best of times. Our world is currently clouded in hate, the evil one is working through the hands of men to devastate the world, but we cannot be overcome by the darkness they launch into the world. As Christians, we must continue to project the love of Christ and not fall into darkness. We must see the good of humankind in the darkest of days. Most of the people in our world are not evil. They want nothing more than to live their lives in peace.
John 8:12 NIV so clearly reports Jesus’ words, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of
As Christians, we have been given the gift of light. It is time that as Christians, we pray, and act in the light. We cannot become laxed, feeling the weight of the world. We are the light bears that Christ authorized us to be.
John 1:5 NIV, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In the 18th and early 19th centuries men were hired to light gas streetlamps. Today we represent the street lighters, lighting and wrapping the world in the love of Christ.
When we pray and meditate, we must envision the world covered in light. The light represents love and love will always outweigh the darkness. Our prayers are important and collectively they can change the world.
Ephesians 5:8 EVS, chronicles our responsibility so well, “For at the time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
As children of light, we must exude the light in our daily walk and envision the world wrapped in light (love).
We are the designated warriors, Ephesians 6:12-18 NIV, spells it out thusly, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one period and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God; Praying always in all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to the end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
In closing, I listed scriptures that focus on the light. Keep them close to your heart, and in the darkest of moments, personal and universal, never stop seeing the light of Christ as the victor in the moments of darkness. Remember, God’s perspective of time is different than ours, therefore what may seem like an eternity to us is “but do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8 ESV) This scripture should encourage all of us to continue to walk in the light, spread the Good New and wrap the world in love when we pray.
Psalm 18:28, “You come a Lord, keep my light burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation dash whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life dash of whom shall I be afraid?”
James 1:7, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; That put darkness for light, and light for darkness..!”
The trumpet has blown, the war between darkness and light, good and evil is present, as the Lord’s warriors, we are to gird up and enter the battle, praying endlessly, presenting the light of Christ in our walk and living as God has empowered to live, regardless of what we see or read.
As we come upon another year’s recognition of our Savior’s resurrection, let us pray for peace, love, and security for all. Jesus’ resurrection saved us from eternal hell. Let us vow to uphold peace, kindness, patience, gentleness, self-control, and goodness. Pray God’s Spirit prevails in our lives and the world. Our desire should be eternal life and not eternal damnation, the path of evil. We have been set free.
The world is oblivious to God’s power and love for us. The traits of the world are working desperately to create a world of idol worship, placing things in our path that draw us away from Christ. Embrace Christ’s Resurrection Day to the fullest throughout the year. This is not a one day event, we should celebrate Him and what He accomplished for us everyday.
“His death was a gift of eternal peace. We all have sinned and fell short of God’s perfection, holiness, and glory…He was prosecuted for the sins of humanity…He triumphed over death and redeemed us from sin, which is the core of our belief and foundation of our faith that stems from Christ’s resurrection.” (6 Reasons Why Easter is Celebrated. Bibilium.com.)
Supporting Scriptures:
2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV, He him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Galatians 5:1 ESV, for freedom Christ has set us free; standing firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (sin, idolatry).
Psalm 40:8 ESV, I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.
Galatians 5:16-1 I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immortality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, ethnicity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and all things like these. I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God…The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law, and those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit let us also keep step in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, or envying one another.
John 15:10 ESV, If you keep my Commandments, you will abide in My love; justice, I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
The Resurrection of Christ means I have eternal life. He bore my sin so I could live.
As I contemplate my life, I recognize that I (We) are blessed. So many Christians do not possess the freedom to share God’s Word through this or any other medium.
When we are instructed to wait on the Lord in Isaiah 40:31, God is not instructing us to sit and twiddle our thumbs or coil, writhing in pain over what we should or should not do. The phrase ‘wait on the Lord’ means to wait in expectation, trust in Him, and put your hope in Him, not the circumstances you may be experiencing. If the farmers experience low crop yields, do they say, I will not plant seeds this year and I know God will supply a prosperous crop. No, they plant their seeds, care for the crop and pray that it will be bountiful. If we need a job, should we sit paralyzed or should we search for work and pray that God will direct us to the perfect position and give us favor in the employers eyes.
I am certain many may have experienced God’s work when seeking employment and the opportunities seem to be in conflict with their skills and education, yet that particular type of work seems to be calling. Quite often, God is sending you to a place where He needs you to be His messenger, or it may be a place that requires you to turn to Him and place all confidence in Him (a lesson, not a punishment). Is it easier to follow His direction in this instance, or to remain spirituality paralyzed? I submit, God controls everything, to assume He cannot direct your path is offensive. He created all in the world and universe, His architecture for our lives was completed long ago. He knew and knows all that we will go through in life, the good and the bad, as well as times of comfort and extreme discomfort, therefore He knows His expectations of how we are to approach Him; it is an act of defiance when we fail to reach out to Him. He expects us to firstly ask Him for direction(pray), then listen for His answer (seek), and thirdly act (respond).
God is our only avenue for deliverance. Consider your options and listen to the directions God shares with you. It may be as you hoped, and then again it may be something completely out of your purview. For many, attempting to make a decision creates paralysis and indecision; taking the path less traveled may also cause (temporary) paralysis. But, consider this, if we operate outside of God’s Will or chose our own path, we are not honoring God. God gives us strength when we seek Him. He directs us when we abide in His Word. His hope energizes us when we seek Him. When we wait upon Him, trusting He will answer and provide direction, we begin to exhibit strength, a peace of mind, and deliverance from the storm that rages and attempts to sink us, and consequently seeks to weaken and destroy our relationship with the Lord. Psalms 25:5 advises us to ask God to lead us in His truth and teaches us to learn to wait on His reply. Only God is our salvation. Psalms 27:14 implores us to wait on the Lord; to be strong and let your heart take courage as you yield to His direction. We are, according to Webster’s Dictionary, (commentary on Wait on the Lord, word search ‘wait’) stay or rest in expectation until the arrival of His answer is clear. We can rest in the knowledge that His provision will be better than anything we force.
Waiting on the Lord is active, not passive. It is preparing us to act when it becomes clear that He is directing our path. It urges us not to be indecisive and writhing in paralysis. Psalms 37:7 (ESV) shares “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.” Rest in God’s love, be active and wait on the Lord. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.” Roman’s 12:2 (NIV) Continue to plant your crop, as in the case of farming, send out your resume, share with others your need for employment, seek out communities of those also searching for employment and ask God to show you direction, ask for a sign that you are on the correct path even when His path may mean a lower salary that you are accustomed to, He is plotting your path. He will reward you for relying on and obeying Him.
Waiting on the Lord is an active and decisive practice. Indecision is passive and inactive. It is a form of spiritual passivity that creates spiritual paralysis and weakens your relationship with the Lord, our Father.
Images in order: 1) LAB Photos; 2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.com; 3) m.lovethispic.com
Scriptures: Bible.com
Resources: Barnes Notes On The Bible, biblehub.com
Colossians 3:13 instructs us to bear with each other and forgive one another…forgive others as the Lord forgave you. I believe most of us know this scripture but practicing it is more difficult.
I know this feeling and have been plagued with unforgiveness for years, yet I repented and asked for forgiveness from God over and over again. I am certain He shakes His head and says, Lisa, Lisa, my child, you must forgive as I have forgiven you. Do not replay the situation or action that takes you back and negates your repentance.
How often have we vowed to others and ourselves that we have forgiven someone, yet the situation or act continues to arise and consume our thoughts? All too often we fall prey to the wiles of the evil one who ensures we cannot let the hate, anger, and fear go.
Satan knows that if he keeps us focused from truly forgiving, we are separated from the Lord. As long as we are separated from the Lord, we are under his realm of influence. We are operating in his sinful nature and not the Lord’s righteousness.
We cannot move forward if we cannot forgive. I do not mean life stands still, but our prospects are tainted by hate, anger, and uncertainty. We are not free to love as the Lord loves us, we are not able to receive the Lord’s forgiveness as we have not forgiven others. We are gripped in a vise.
Well, many years later, I think I am getting the message and when past experiences arise, I can honestly say, I have forgiven and will no longer focus on the past. I recite the last part of Colossians 3:13 and pray that I can release the thought for good, separating it as far as the east is from the west and placing it in the land of no return. Standing on the Word has lessened the attacks, weakened their venom, and provided a peace that once evaded me. I pray you will experience the same. Our Lord forgives us. He is our example of how to forgive. Christ cried on the cross, forgive them. We are equipped to do the same and forgive those who have harmed us. There is peace in forgiveness.
I am listing scriptures that focus on forgiveness that you can use as your sword against the evil one. Read these scriptures and use them to help you overcome unforgiveness.
Ephesians 4:32
Mark 11:25
Proverbs 17:9
Matthew 6:14
Psalm 32:1
Proverbs 10:12
Luke 6:37
Matthew 6:15
Psalm 103:12
Matthew 18:21-22
1 John 1:9
Daniel 9:9
Psalm 86:5
Hebrews 8:12
Isaiah 43:25
Hebrews 10:17
Psalm 130:3-4
Ephesians 1:7-8
Colossians 1:13-14
Colossians 3:13
Scriptures – 20 Hopeful Bible Verses About the Power of Forgiveness, by Ian Palmer, updated June 9, 2022. Countryliving.com
Images – Forgiveness, Gotquestions.com; Forgive and Move On, Scott Prichard.com
Note: Forgiveness does not mean you must stay in an unhealthy situation. You are forgiving so you can be forgiven and restored, you are forgiving because God has forgiven you.
Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 