Tag Archives: Relationship

‘If Only’ Pondering

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What does ‘if only‘ pondering mean? When we pray, we often pray for an outcome. If only I had a house, if only I had a raise if only, I was married, well, wealthy… The prayers are doubtful asks. We are not praying to God because He is God. We are praying to God asking Him to prove He is the God of the way, the truth, and the life.

Our relationship with God is not founded on what He can do for us. It is founded on the fact that He sent His only begotten son to die for our sin. It is through faith that our relationship is real and solid. I believe that we do not often focus on the phrase, ‘only begotten son’ as demonstrating the depth and breath of His love for us. My question is, what if God had not sacrificed His Son for us, would we be crying ‘only if’? A statement that decries a state of darkness.

Like many in the Bible, we learn that once they ceased crying for things that they felt would improve their lives and coexist on the planet, the very same moment their circumstances changed. Their belief in our Almighty, Sovereign God took away the sting of their circumstances. As the sting dissipated, their vision cleared, and avenues illuminated alternatives that previously were not viewed. It is difficult to see in the dark, and in the blackness of night, you are blind. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Through Him, there is light that leads the way. Our ‘only ifs’ seemingly rear their faces as selfless requests.

God is the I AM, not a God who must jump through hoops to prove Himself to us. ‘Only if’ we could understand the vastness of His love for us and enter prayer with the intention to deepen our relationship with Him and not to offer up a Christmas list at every turn.

Helpful Scriptures

Jesus is the Light

John 8:12. Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.“

Psalm 27:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Ephesians 5:8. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light.

1 John 1:5. This is the message which we have heard from him, and declared to you, that God is light, and him there is no darkness at all.

Faith and Doubt.

Proverbs 3:4,6. Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Mark 9: 22-23. But if you can do anything, take pity on us, and help us. “If you can?“ Said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Matthew 28:16,17. “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain, where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”

Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith, it is impossible to please, God, because anyone who comes to Him, must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

James 1:2-7. “Considerate, pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Where doubt reigns, faith cannot abide. (Billy Graham) When we utter the ‘if only’s’ we are in essence doubting our maker, and faith cannot abide. When we doubt the ‘if only’s’ weaken our faith, in fact it renders it void. Our faith resides in the truth that Jesus is our Savior, who cares for us, directs us, and provides for us. Praise, and Thanksgiving should replace our ‘if only’s’.

Images: Hebrews 11:6, Highland Park Baptist Church; John 8:12, wiirocku.tumbler.com; Ephesians 5:8,9 Pinterest, Laura Huntington; @studentdevos

Scriptures: Jesus is the Light. Bible Verses About Jesus Christ, Light of the World. ccg.org; 10 Bible. Erases About Faith and Doubt. Jesus film.org; Biblegateway.org


When God Calls

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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)

When God Calls, do you listen? Do you act?

Images: IMDb 2018; CentreNDL

Do You See His Glory

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Hi, Welcome to 2024! Food for thought.

How often do we overlook the glory of God in the things we see? His glory is evident if we shift our visual perception. Are your spiritual eyes targeting God’s glory?

We live fast paced lives and are rushing around throughout the day, trying to meet deadlines, packing our days. Our focus is on what lies before us, myopic and laser tight. The problem is, we are focusing on the world through our physical eyes. This daily chaos is detrimental to the development of our spiritual sight.

As long as Satan can deter our spiritual growth the greater his opportunity to control your life. If he can control you, unbelief will continue to separate you from Christ. Your faith will falter and you will experience a fissure in your faith which he uses to further separate you from God.

“God’s glory is the revelation or manifestation of His attributes or excellences.” (Veresbyversecommentary.com. John 11:40) This scripture in part is about delay. Martha and Mary sent word to Jesus that his friend, their brother, died and they wanted Jesus to come and save him. They lived in a time when it was a Jewish believe that it took three days for a body to begin decomposing and the soul to leave the body. So they felt that if Jesus was able to get there within that three day He could retrieve the body and bring Lazarus back to life. But Jesus, knowing the tradition chose to wait a fourth day to prove that he is Messiah by bringing Lazarus back to life after his soul left him.

Life presents situations and circumstances with a man-made deadline. We pray for answers that are parallel to the circumstances and situations. If the prayer is not answered within the timeframe expected, we consider it a delay, or that God is not listening, and is ignoring us. The truth is, God‘s timing is always accurate. His time may not be our time, but his delay may be for our spiritual growth. Once we shift our focus from a physical plane to a spiritual plane, we see God‘s glory in the entire timeframe of the incident. We should always look for the glory of God in everything that goes on in our lives from the breath that we take to the actions that are required of us, to the rest that we receive at nightfall. God‘s glory is prevalent in everything that occurs in our lives. We simply must have the faith to see and receive.

As in the case of Lazarus, Jesus wept when he saw Lazarus’ sister’s grieving. He weeps for us as well, he knows our grief. He knows our expectations, and he knows our joy. He knows what will strengthen our relationship with Him. The Lord listens to our prayers and petitions. The reality is, He knew we would make the petition long before we did. He also knows that blessing us in the form of our petition may not bide well. It may prove to be detrimental to us, the timing may not align with the lessons or timing with His next steps for us. What we can learn from this scripture is that our faith focuses on God’s glory, not the miracle, or the answered prayer, but on Him and Him alone.

Finally, know this, God will call us by name just as He called Lazarus to come out of the tomb and back into life. He will answer our prayers because He intimately knows each of us. His glory is always prevalent, even when we think it is not. “And whenever and whatever God speaks to the need you have, He will call you by name so that His glory is revealed in your situation.” (Wellspringchristianministries.org)

Photo – LAB Photos

God’s Character Never Changes

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Humans are not steadfast. Our character ebbs and flows. Our sin nature does not allow us to be steadfast, we always falter, some more than others, until Jesus returns we are locked in the the fate of sin. The only constant in our life is that God’s character and standards never change.

This means the God who spoke in the Old Testament is speaking to us today. He spoke to His people through the disciples, prophets, and most importantly Jesus. The story always remains the same. Adam and Eve sinned and were thrown out of Eden. We entered eternal sin as the result of their disobedience. The Messiah will come and save us from eternal sin. Jesus will be crucified and return to heaven. He will return again to redeem His people, and we will live as one people in peace through eternity.

We all need stability. God’s character is our stabilizing force. Why? No matter what happens on earth, His plan is consistent, it does not waiver or deviate. The world today is not much different that the world of old. There are still false prophets and leaders who fail to surrender to the Will of God. Leaders still take bribes, or are rewarded by lobbyists. Many priests and religious leaders are bought by large contributions to their church, and fall pray to idols (money, fame, and fortune). Families still struggle to maintain the nucleus to hold the unit together. Economies and social justice are still at odds. And, the Word of God is still lost to many who only hear the noise of chaos.

This seems like desperate times, and in some respect it is. However, this world will operate in phases until the end. Our loving Father will love us, warn us of our wrong doing, judge us and restore us, each time hoping that we will turn back to Him.

The only thing we can rely on is His unfailing love and character that is ever-present, even when it seems He is not with us.

Our Lord never forsakes us or leaves us. He does not turn a blind eye to this world. He sees all, and remembers everything. He is always with us, holding us up when we cannot walk or take another breath. He provides for us when we cannot provide for ourselves.

He is here with us in the light and darkest moments. HE IS FAITHFUL throughout time. Rest assured, the sun will rise and set everyday as part of His creation and plan for our salvation. He is our loving Father who cannot fail. He is all truth and His character is unwavering.

Spiritual Exercise

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When we exercise, we usually develop a routine that we follow on a daily basis. My question is, do you have a spiritual exercise routine? Do you wake in the morning and, the first thing, praise God for another day’s journey? Do you schedule prayer breaks in the same way you schedule breaks at work? Do you pray before all of your meals, regardless of where you are eating? And finally, do you pray before you go to sleep at night thanking God for all he has done, his direction, and the fact that he saved you from things that you were not even aware of?

If not, perhaps, today is the day to establish your spiritual exercise routine.

Newharvestchristianfellowship.com

Prayer only becomes difficult if it is not intentional.

“Being intentional simply means to pray on purpose or as intended.” Spiritual exercise while designed by you is led by the Holy Spirit. This being said, God’s time is not our time. Your routine is your template, the Holy Spirit is your guide. Stay on track and let him guide you. Your prayer may be only a moment long, or more lengthly. God will provide the time and everything else will fall in place.

Looking in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to be purposeful—to pray always. (biblestudytools.com)

Prayers About Praying:

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Resources – soveryblessed.com; bible.com

Indecision Is a Form of Spiritual Paralysis

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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