My three treasures

Do you know you have a treasure in your home, in your office, or even in your drawer and briefcase ?

What is this treasure?
It is the Bible. The words of God are a priceless treasure. That is my first treasure.

Within this treasure, read Isaiah 33 : 6, my second treasure.
Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the LORD is His treasure.

There is yet one more treasure that you may not have realized that you possess.
It is inside of you. As the apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11,
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

If you know Jesus as your personal Savior then through the Holy Spirit you have the
life of Jesus being "manifested" in your body.

Psalm 119 : 161 - 162
Princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure. I hate and abhor lying, but I love Your law.

(0302)

HE is my source

I can not do anything without God.

HE offers me peace in the midst of chaos.
HE offers me strength when it feels like I have nothing left to offer.
HE offers grace beyond what I deserve.
HE offers everything I need for every situation I may encounter.
HE feeds my soul.

John 15 : 5
I am the vine; you are the branches ... apart from me you can do nothing.

(0301)

Wait on HIM

When we have committed ourselves to wait on the Lord, there are several things that we have to observe.

Being impatient and decide to follow our own plans apart from God’s leads us directly outside of HIS will.
Ignore pressure from outside sources. Remember that only God’s viewpoint alone is relevant to you.
Do not fear that you will not succeed. Trust God and wait patiently on HIM is your only solution.

Psalm 25:1 - 5
I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No-one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.

(0300)

Everything is OK

You can find peace, joy and contentment when you focus on God instead of your circumstances. Believe in God's sovereignty. It enables you to view life differently, because no matter what happens around you... everything is well.

Galatians 5 : 22 - 23
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

(0299)

Do not worry

Yes sometimes we just can’t help it. Sometimes problems are too big for us not to worry. Yet God tells us to worry about nothing.

Pray about everything.
God can handle anything, big or small. If it concerns you, it concerns Him.

Tell God your needs.
Talk things over with God and tell Him what you need. Ask Him for guidance and His supply

Remember to thank Him for His answers.
Start by thanking in advance. Then exercise your faith.

If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

Ask God to tell you how to deal with the worries that crowd in upon your heart and mind today. Ask God to quiet your heart and mind today. Ask God to help you see each worry that creeps in as a call for prayer.

Philippians 4:6
Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything: tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers

(0298)

Recipe for success

Be encouraged and never give up!

Proverbs 3 : 5 - 6
Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. But in all your ways acknowledge Him

(0295)

Do not judge others

Very often we allow our personal preference, peer pressure and concerns affect our relationship with our family members and friends. We should not let our personal opinion or position to influence them. Most important of all, we must not judge others. We should always bear in mind to always please God and honour Him in ways we feel are appropriate.

Let us ask God to guide us and help us not to judge others based on human observations and our preference about those conclusions. Ask God to help give us courage to honor Christ according to our convictions, but also to give us the wisdom to do so in ways that bless God’s people.

Romans 14 : 5
One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

(0294)

Be obedient

Whenever things become difficult, who do you blame ?

The right attitude must be one of complete reliance on God. When once we get there, there is nothing easier than living the saintly life; difficulty comes in when we want to take over the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own ends.

Whenever you obey God, you will enjoy peace. Whenever the peace does not come, tarry till it does or find out the reason why it does not.

You have doubts whenever you cease to obey. When you have obeyed God, the problems never come between you and God. Any problem that comes between God and yourself springs out of disobedience.

John 14 : 27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: . . Let not your heart be troubled.

(0293)

Why wait ?

Many of us do not like to wait, standing in lines, waiting for appointments or held up in the traffic. We do not like our plans to be delayed !!

When God is taking a bit longer to answer our prayers we struggle to wait on the Lord.
Be patient ! do not make any changes without God’s approval.

We will discover God's will and purpose.
Our impatience can cause us to miss out on the best that God has planned when we make alternative plans. The goodness of the Lord will be poured out upon those who choose to be still before Him. (Lamentations 3:25)

We will acquire supernatural strength for the work.
Frequently, the Lord asks us to serve in capacities beyond our natural abilities. Through His Holy Spirit, He will provide the empowerment needed for the task that He has assigned.

We will receive answers to prayer.
By remaining where we are, we will be rewarded with a response from our God as well as His direction and help. (Psalm 40:1 - 3)

We will see God at work.
The sovereign Lord - Creator of heaven and earth, giver and sustainer of life - will turn His efforts toward us for our gain and also for the benefit of others. (Isaiah 64:4 )

Ask God to develop in you a character that is willing to wait.

Isaiah 40:28 - 31
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no-one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

(0296)

Continue to grow

We know something is horribly wrong when a child is not making progress in his or her growth and maturation. Arrested development is a cause of great concern. The same is true of our spiritual lives. God wants us to progress and mature spiritually. HE wants us to continue to grow.

Let us thank God for loving us and saving us. Ask God to help us to mature, as we seek to follow HIS habits and fill ourselves spiritually with the things that will help us to grow. Let us acknowledge that true growth can only come from God.

1 Peter 2 : 2 - 3
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

(0292)

Turning our weakness into strengths

We have the power of the Holy Spirit to fight against our sense of inadequacy. We can turn our weaknesses into victories!!

We have to acknowledge our weaknesses. We have to acknowledge our fears.
We need to pray for strength. Ask God to teach you , to give you knowledge and wisdom
We need to act in faith.

Colossians 1:9 - 12
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

(0290)

HE knows everything

God always know everything.

God knows everything - all things possible, everything actual; all events and all creatures of the past, the present, and the future. Nothing escapes His notice. You cannot hide anything from God

We need not have to be concerned whether God hears our prayers because He knows our thoughts and the intent of our hearts. He is capable of giving the same attention to our prayers as to the million individuals who are praying to Him. He knows everything.

Ezekiel 11:5
For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

Psalm 139 : 1 - 5
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. You chart the path ahead of me, and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You know what I am going to say before I even say it. You both precede and follow me, and place your hand of blessing on my head.

(0309)

Why wait ?

We must all learn to wait on the Lord. When we wait on the Lord we encounter problems. Our human nature wants to take action and take hold of what we desire but the Holy Spirit wants us to remain still and receive from God. If we remain obedient, God’s Spirit will help us grow.

Our faith will be strengthened.
During times of uncertainty or great stress, we find comfort as we are quiet in His presence. The more we develop a strong belief system, the better we will become at practicing this discipline.

We will be more humble.
We must be convinced that we need God and that we cannot live without His guidance. Only then are we willing to submit our lives and ourselves to His way and His timing.

We will be more patient.
This characteristic is essential if we are to remain in our present situation and refrain from taking action until God directs us otherwise.

We will be more courageous
When we are hesitant in our decisions godly courage is required. Through our practice of quiet dependence on the Lord, we will be able to stand firm.

Psalm 27:1 - 14
The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD. Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, Seek his face! Your face, LORD, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Saviour. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD

(0291)

Trust

Yes we can trust in God. The Lord is really faithful.

As we look at history and we know God to be intensely faithful to His people. We are now assured and can launch out into the future with confidence because God is always there !

Jeremiah 17 : 7 - 8
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought.

(0297)

Radical Choice

You have heard that it was said "You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. - Matthew 5:27-30.

Jesus talks of cutting off your hand or plucking out your eye if they cause you to give in to temptation. Most Christians and churches have not interpreted this as being literal. But Jesus in these brilliant statements relates very powerfully the need to protect ourselves from the negative effects of sin even when there is great personal cost involved.

If you have addictions the only way to be free of them will be through a radical change in your life. It just depends on whether or not you want to really have life or just go through the motions of living.

If you decide that you are going to make that radical change in your life you will not be alone. Jesus will be with you and will empower you to make the right choices that are needed. Through the power of God you will be able to make the radical decisions and changes necessary to be free of your addiction.

(0073)