Terms of obedience

Regardless of how painful the surrender of our will may seem, obedience to God saves us from unhappy loss in this world and irrecoverable loss in the world to come.

Proverbs 14 : 12 reminds us that a sinful insistence on self-will can be self-destructive.

Trustful obedience to God’s way brings blessing both now and forever.

King Saul blatantly disobeyed God’s instructions, then told Samuel the priest, “I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (1Samuel 15 : 13). When Samuel challenged him, Saul declared his innocence. God saw it differently and removed Saul from the throne of Israel because of his willful disobedience.

When you identify yourself as a citizen of God’s kingdom, you must follow His definitions without tailoring them to suit your own ideas. That is obedience.

1 Samuel 15 : 22
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

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The great wall of China

The people of ancient China built a massive wall to protect themselves from the barbaric hordes that swept down from the north The wall was too high for the enemy to climb, too thick to tear down and too long to go around. Yet during the first 100 years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded three times.

The enemies simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched easily through a gate.

The fatal flaw in this defense system lay in spending its wealth to build a wall but paying much less to build the character of the gatekeepers.

Proverbs 14 : 34
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people

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How to handle temptation

All of us have been so close to a temptation that we lost our perspective.

It may have involved something as small as a rumour that we knew should not be passed along, but the urge to gossip blocked out our sense of love and good judgement.

The moment of temptation seems so overwhelming, the idea so irresistible.

James 1 : 12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Adam and Eve faced a similar problem long ago. They became so preoccupied with one plant in their garden paradise that they could not see the forest for the tree. The garden was created for them. In it there were not evils, no trials, no sickness, no death. Yet they gave up all they had just to eat of the fruit of that one forbidden tree.

How to handle temptation
(a) Seek God with your whole heart - Psalm 119 : 9-16
(b) Listen to wisdom – Proverb 8 : 1- 11
(c) Resist the devil; draw near to God – James 4 : 7-8


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Faith

Faith is spoken of in the Bible, under the emblem of all the senses.

Sight: Look unto me and be ye saved.
Hearing: Hear, and your soul shall live.
Smelling: All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia; thy name is as ointment poured forth.
Touch: By this faith the woman came behind and touched the hem of Christ's garment, and by this we handle the things of the good word of life.
Taste: Except a man eat my flesh," saith Christ, "and drink my blood, there is no life in him."

Song of Solomon 2 : 3
His fruit was sweet to my taste.

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Conceited ?

The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the conceited satisfaction of an experience to which he can refer back, but who is not working it out in practical life.
Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent; it came from the pit, no matter how beautiful it sounds.
Continually bring the truth out into reality; work it out in every field, or the very light you have will prove a curse.

John 12 : 35
Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.

Walk while you have the light before darkness come upon you.


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A good worker

How to avoid disputes about words, which does no good, but merely ruins the hearers.

How to do your best to present yourself to God for His approval, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling His word of truth.

Your firm foundation stands sure, bearing a seal which says two things:
(a)The Lord knows those who are his.
(b)Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."

2 Timothy 2 : 14-21 A workman unashamed
Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and, Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

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Good virtues

Character is measured by the love and faithfulness we genuinely show in our daily lives. These are not simple virtues that we can fake.

We show merciful love when we have power over another but choose to treat them with kindness and genuine concern.

Faithfulness is being a person of truth -- genuine and trustworthy in word and deed.
These virtues need to be a part of our everyday lives and permeate our very identity. When they do, others will notice and God will be pleased.

Proverbs 3 : 3-4
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.

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Trust

No matter how terrifying things around you seem to get, trust God.

He will

always be faithful
never be out doing something else when you need help
be right there to deliver you from any problem
be right there to deliver you from any catastrophe
be right there to deliver you from any kind of devastation

No other can deliver like Him!

Psalm 91:7-10
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

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Problem solving

When you run into an impossible situation, when you simply do not have the strength or the ability to handle, are you often tempted to simply give up and accept defeat?

If you

are facing a crisis today
are sick and medicine has failed you

If your

finances are out of control
family is falling apart

If bad habits have you hopelessly bound

You have done absolutely all you know to do and you still have not got results

Rejoice! For when human strength ends, the power of God excels!
Believe! God's grace is sufficient for you!

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

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The secret place

After we have entered our secret place and have shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray; we cannot get our minds into working order, and the first thing that conflicts is wandering thoughts. We have to discipline our minds and concentrate on wilful prayer.

Prayer is an effort of will

To enter the secret place means to shut the door deliberately on emotions and remember God. God is in secret, and He sees us from the secret place; He does not see us as other people see us, or as we see ourselves.

Matthew 6 : 6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

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Humility

What is your source of significance?

Humility and association with the lowly and oppressed are valued by God. Abusive power and arrogance are not. God sent us his Son to demonstrate it. Now if we can only learn to live it.

Jesus does give us the opportunity to demonstrate it when he says, "Follow me!"

Proverbs 16:19
Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.

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Fear

Could you live without fear?

Fear is not just a reaction to external circumstances.
It's a spiritual force. It begins inside a person. And it is totally destructive.

In fact, fear is Satan's primary weapon. He moves in response to fear, the way God moves in response to faith. He challenges the promises of God with it.

The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Use it to fight Satan every time he comes against you. Hold up your shield of faith and quench all of his fiery darts. Speak words of faith and fear will depart.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but
a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

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Care for others

To get,
we must give

To accumulate,
we must scatter

To make ourselves happy,
we must make others happy

To become spiritually vigorous,
we must seek the spiritual good of others.

In watering others, we are ourselves watered.

Proverbs 11 : 25
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

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Self-consciousness

Take every element of disintegration as something to wrestle against, and not to suffer.
Do not allow self-consciousness to continue because by slow degrees it will awaken self-pity, and self-pity is Satanic.

The complete life is the life of a child

When I am consciously conscious, there is something wrong.
It is the sick man who knows what health is.
The child of God is not conscious of the will of God because he is the will of God. When there has been the slightest deviation from the will of God, we begin to ask - What is Thy will?

A child of God never prays to be conscious that God answers prayer, he is so restfully certain that God always does answer prayer.

If we try to overcome self-consciousness by any common-sense method, we will develop it tremendously. Jesus says, "Come unto Me and I will give you rest," i.e., Christ-consciousness will take the place of self-consciousness. Wherever Jesus comes He establishes rest, the rest of the perfection of activity that is never conscious of itself.

Matthew 11 : 28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Self-consciousness is the first thing that will upset the completeness of the life in God, and self-consciousness continually produces wrestling. Self-consciousness is not sin; it may be produced by a nervous temperament or by a sudden dumping down into new circumstances. It is never God's will that we should be anything less than absolutely complete in Him. Anything that disturbs rest in Him must be cured at once, and it is not cured by being ignored, but by coming to Jesus Christ. If we come to Him and ask Him to produce Christ-consciousness, He will always do it until we learn to abide in Him.

Never allow the dividing up of your life in Christ to remain without facing it. Beware of leakage, of the dividing up of your life by the influence of friends or of circumstances; beware of anything that is going to split up your oneness with Him and make you see yourself separately. Nothing is so important as to keep right spiritually. The great solution is the simple one - "Come unto Me." The depth of our reality, intellectually, morally and spiritually, is tested by these words. In every degree in which we are not real, we will dispute rather than come.

Matthew 11 : 28
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

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Fear

What are we to do when faced with fearful, distressing circumstances?


We should first remind ourselves of the One with the ultimate power and capability


To God alone will someday every knee bow and tongue confess (Philippians 2:10-11).

Our faith in the One with the ultimate power gives us strength to move forward through whatever may come our way. Habakkuk is just one of countless millions who can testify to this spiritual fact.

Strengthen yourself in God. Live by your faith in God who is greater than all others. Your reverence for Him will empower you to face whatever may come in your life.

Habakkuk 3 : 16

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.
When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.

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Mercy

Mercy of God is tender and loving
It heals the broken in heart and binds up wounds

God’s mercy is infinite – you cannot measure it and it is so great that it forgives great sins and gives great favour and great privileges. It also gives great enjoyments.
It is undeserved mercy.

Psalm 52 : 8 The mercy of God
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

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Our will

The profound thing in man is his will, not his sin. – Oswald Chambers

All the unhealthy and wrong choices we have made were decisions that ignored His ways and His principles

Our deliberate acts of selfishness will all be covered over and forgiven when we confess them to Him.

Let the words of Scripture help you focus on God and His hope as you chose, with an act of your will, to lift your eyes off yourself and your circumstances. Your perspective will change as you ask His Holy Spirit to help you make this your prayer today.

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Undecided

What happens when you hesitate to do something God has told you to do?

The devil gets the jump on you.
If you want to live by faith, hesitation is one of the most hazardous habits you could ever have.
A person who is hesitant is "unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, and decides".

When God speaks, do not waste a moment. Step right out in faith. By doing this, you can always keep the devil a step behind you!

James 1:6-8
But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all he does.

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I am in debt

We should feel an obligation to pass along to others the kindness shown to us.

We are indebted to God for everything. And the least we can do is to show our appreciation by telling others about Him.

Whether it is a smile to a stranger, an unexpected gift of money to the poor, a helping hand, a word of encouragement or witness, do it for Jesus’ sake.

Galatians 6 : 10
Do not hesitate to do good to all

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Do not worry

"Take one day at a time"
"Don't worry about tomorrow".

It is also about obedience.

It is about trust. Do I trust God to look after my future, or do I need to look after myself?

Matthew 6:34,
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you

Remember when God promised to send manna to the Israelites in the desert, so that they would always have bread to eat? (Exodus 16:1 - 36) Some people didn't believe God would send manna again the next day; they weren't sure they could trust Him, so they gathered extra just in case. The next morning the manna they had collected was crawling with maggots.

Listen to what God said to Moses about the situation. "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions" (Exodus 16:4.)

The people's obedience to God was a measure of their faith in Him. If they followed His instructions, it was proof that they trusted Him.

When Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow was a good command. He knew we would be overwhelmed by the weight of the future (remember the Israelites were in the desert for forty years.) Therefore He instructed us to obey Him today and trust Him for tomorrow.

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When do we need help ?

There are times when we need help . It's not a weakness or a fault; it's simply part of life.

*Sometimes it will be physical needs money, a job, a car or toys for the kids.

* It may be a need to be left alone.

* You may need emotional stability where there is challenge or change.

* You may need wisdom and insight when you face confusion or question marks in life.

* You may need patience when you face some circumstance in your life.



God gives us a simple tool to use in times of need in our own lives. He says we are simply to praise His name. It's important to intentionally bring our focus to Him.

Praising His name helps us focus on what His name means to us.
It is the source of life to our hearts in the midst of trying times.

Philippians 4 : 19
My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus

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Discipline

Discipline is considered troublesome, exasperating, and unnecessary. We want freedom and no direction because it might conflict with what we want to do.

God disciplines out of love to bless us. It is a sign of his delight. Why?

He is not content to leave us unchanged, unmotivated, and disinterested. He wants to move us closer to Him!

Proverbs 3 : 11-12
My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

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Words and actions

Words

We can tell people that we love them. We can explain how precious they are to us.

Actions

When we sacrifice our preferences for another, we show our respect and affection.

When we sacrifice ourselves, our wishes, and our preferences for a friend, we give the greatest of all gifts and prove our love beyond any doubt.

John 15 : 13
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

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Possessed by seven demons

Mary of Magdala was the victim of a fearful evil. She was possessed by seven demons. These seven demons caused much pain and suffering to the poor woman. Hers was a hopeless, horrible case. She could not help herself, neither could any human succour avail.
Jesus passed that way, and unsought, He uttered the word of power, and Mary of Magdala was healed. All the seven demons left her, forcibly ejected by the Lord.
What a blessed deliverance!

What a happy change!

She became a constant follower of Jesus.
When Jesus was lifted up in crucifixion, Mary remained the sharer of his shame. She could not die on the cross with Jesus, but she stood as near it as she could, and when his blessed body was taken down, she watched to see how and where it was laid.

Mark 16 : 9
He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he
had cast seven devils.

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Be truthful

Love has its delights.

One of those delights is in what is authentic and genuine -- TRUTH!

Let us not be deceitful, manipulative, or coercive in our relationships.

Instead, we must be transparent, intimate, and honest.


Why?

Because true love delights in truth.


1 Corinthians 13 : 6
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth

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Trust

There are times in our lives when we face challenges far too big for our own resources and strengths.
The real question that each of us must face is very simple:

Where do we place our trust?
What is the source of our confidence?

Is it
our abilities ?
our skills ?
our insight
our strength ?

Or is it God's?

Zechariah 4:5-6
'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

Zerubbabbel faced such a challenge.

God sent a prophet to remind him, and us through him, that our greatest victories will not be won by our power and might. Greatest victories will occur when we trust that God's power is greater than our weakness and God's might is greater than our insufficiencies.


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What is the source of our strengths ?

There are times in each of our spiritual lives when we face challenges far too big for our own resources and strengths.
The real question that each of us must face is very simple:

Where do we place our trust?
What is the source of our confidence?

Is it
our abilities ?
our skills ?
our insight
our strength ?

Or is it God's?

Zechariah 4:5-6
'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

Zerubbabbel faced such a challenge. God sent a prophet to remind him, and us through him, that our greatest victories will not be won by our power and might. Greatest victories will occur when we trust that God's power is greater than our weakness and God's might is greater than our insufficiencies.

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Reasons for telling the truth

Reason for telling the truth


is that the Bible tells us not to lie or to mislead

is that we usually become caught up in our lie in some way changing our lives for the worse.

is that sometimes we are not found out and no one discovers the truth about our lie. As a result, we have to live the lie constantly guarding our lips from telling the truth. We have to live with the guilt of knowing we have deceived and lied to others. The burden grows and grows upon us as the years go by.

is to save ourselves from all of the embarrassment. Your life could very well become defined by the lie that was told for years and years.

is to avoid arrest, fines, attorney fees, even jail or prison time. However, countless other people have been caught up in legal problems because of not telling the truth. Some have lied about their educational credentials and signed a legal oath, which has criminal penalties. Others have lied on other legal documents, which also can result in criminal penalties.

is that you feel good about yourself and do not have to worry about what would have happened if you had told a lie instead.

Telling the truth may not be easy and may result in temporary embarrassment but it is always the best path to take.

What if you are already caught up in the web of a lie or lies you have told?
You need to begin to inform all who know of the lies, of the truth, and to rectify if possible any harm caused by the lie or lies.

Telling the truth may be hard at times but it will be much easier to live with yourself. Instead of trying to keep your lies straight and to remember what you have told one person or another you can just tell the truth. So, when in doubt, just tell the truth!

Leviticus 19:11.
You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. -

Colossians 3:9-10.
Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who
created him.

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Getting into HIS stride

The test of a man's religious life and character is not what he does in the exceptional moments of life, but what he does in the ordinary times, when there is nothing tremendous or exciting on.

The worth of a man is revealed in his attitude to ordinary things when he is not before the footlights (John 1:36).

It is a painful business to get through into the stride of God

In learning to walk with God there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride; but when we have got into it, the only characteristic that is evident in itself is the life of God. The individual man is lost and the stride and the power of God alone are manifested.

It is difficult to get into stride with God, because He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined into His ways. God's Spirit alters the impression of our way of looking at things, and things begin to be possible which never were possible before. Getting into the stride of God means nothing less than union with Himself. It takes a long time to get there.

Genesis 5:24
Enoch walked with God.

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Telling the truth

God reminds us that our words and the way we use our speech greatly influence the quality of life we enjoy.

Evil speech and lies we tell - they set loose a force of deception and damage that we cannot control. This unleashed power not only damages those about whom and to whom we speak, but they eventually bounce back and come back and bring their deadly effect back into our own lives. Let us speak what is right, good, wholesome, holy, true, and a blessing. (Ephesians 4:20-5:12)

Psalm 34:12-13
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.





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