September 17, 2021

My Devotion 

My Heart

Guide, Satisfy, & Strengthen

Teresa Jenkins

The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah58:11

This verse keeps coming back to me this week, I must be needing the reminder.

Guide: God will show you the way, the what, and the how...one step at a time.

Satisfy: He will meet your need and sprinkle in your wants.

Strengthen:  God will make you stronger through His strength, His wisdom, and His love.

I have never met a human being that does not worry or fear to some degree.  I do know people who stress very little.  The other day I was fretting about something, choices to make, insignificant, really, but still I allowed it to rile up within me.   After a while of complaining about it and trying to talk to my husband, but it was insignificant to him.  So, I stopped talking to him about it, because that wasn't helping.  I went about my day and said in my heart, "God, I know this insignificant, it won't matter one way or the other, so here it is, You take it and I will trust You to solve it."  by the end of the day, it was solved.  Not an issue anymore.

I know my issue was insignificant, but god listened.  He helped me in the most microscopic issue.  He guided me straight to the answer after I gave it up.  It's harder for me to ask for help in the little things than in the big things...but even the BIG things to me are dust under HIs feet.  Still, we live in a time that fear is a big ugly monster stealing our joy, our hope, and our peace of mind.  There is turmoil in our spiritual wellbeing.

He tells us to pray about everything.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

Every detail about life is important to God, and that means you and and what you are going through today.  Our darkest most difficult times always brings the brightest tomorrows.  Every past situation you or I have endured, has give us greater faith, hope, and strength.

Christianity is a practice.  With life we get better at it, we've learned from experience that God is the God of guidance, satisfaction and strength.  We didn't learn it because life was always easy.  Easy is in heaven.  IN this life we will have trouble, but take hold of your heart, be courageous, HE has overcome the world.  God may be silent but He is always at work for us.

Indeed, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  God is not laid back on His throne watching us suffer, He is a loving God, not wanting anyone to perish, but give us life through Jesus His Son.  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  the Lord shall preserve you from all evil.  ...He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.  Psalm. 121:4-8

Fear is a liar, it is relentless in deception; it will make you believe and follow those who seek to destroy you.   But God, He liberates us because He is for us.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.  what can man do to me? ...It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in kings.  Psalm 118:6, 8-9

Trust Him.  He will guide you, He will satisfy you, He will strengthen you.  In Christ, we are invincible until He calls us home. 

In HIS Time

For HIS Glory

No Troubled Hearts

 

No Troubled Hearts

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John14:27

I don't talk (as in lengthy conversations) to many people on a day-to-day basis.  Like you I go through the days of my life at work and at home.  I listen to some news, and occasionally the social media outlets.  I have been a Christian (born-again, saved) since I was a child.  But being a Christian did not shield me from being sinful, disobedient and rebellious to my Father's commands,  As a person, created in the image of God, I=as the Bible teachers does not give us automatic tendencies not to sin once we are saved.  Paul wrote to the church of Philippi, "...continue to work out you salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12. So there is some work to be done and there are many days that I feel like I'll never be where I should be but at the same time I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.  Over the course of my life, I've hit a lot of road barriers, detours, and wrecks along the way.  Oh, God's grace really is unlimited. 

As this new year dawns, it brings with it a whole lot of known uncertainties.  Yes, I said, known uncertainties.  For example, we appear to be in a volatile time, politically, socially, and economically.  We know there are issues, that is certain, how they will be handled is uncertain.  We have accepted the status quo for so long we aren't really sure if we can ever get back to the biblical principals we started with.  The "woke" generation is about canceling out anything and anyone who doesn't agree with them. 

When I was young I remember the nightly news discussing the wars and politics of the day, I also remember my parents and extended adult family talking about the news of the day.  But I don't remember being frightened about it.  What I didn't realize that slowly and quietly we were being inundated with ideas and cultural changes through television and entertainment.  Now it is blatant accept all ideas and lifestyles or else.  People are attacked in the streets for wearing political apparel that is opposite of the attacker.  The world is a much scarier place than it used to be.  My mother had a famous quote, I'm sure a lot of parents, would used when asked if could wear something inappropriate or go somewhere I shouldn't; "Would you jump off a cliff if someone else did?"  A pretty ridiculous statement, but it got her point and answer across loud and clear.

God is the same way He knows what is best, His ways are not our ways, and though His way isn't always the easiest way, when we follow He always leads us to triumphant victory.  

This world is not hour hope for a better year or tomorrow, Jesus is our hope.  If it's not time for His return, He is our hope for endurance and looking forward to His return is the best thin we can do. That is the prize we wait for, that we work toward when our faith becomes sight.  Paul said something else in letters, I have not already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me.  I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do; Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

The world is not going to get any better, but we must press on in our Father's work, being a light in this dark world, preaching, teaching and following Christ's example, glorifying god for all His mercy, kindness, strength, and help for each day.  God does not expect us to do more than we know and what we have not yet learned from Him, Paul goes on to say in verse 16, "Only let us live up to what we have already attained."  In other words, do what you know to do, and keep moving forward.

The wo5ld will continue to taunt us with its lies and fear mongering, Jesus said; Peace I leave with you; MY peace I give you.  His peace, even as He face His accusers and soldiers who beat Him and then crucified Him, carried Him through what God sent Him to do.  I do not give as the world gives.  Promises made and then broken, lies and betrayal of our trust.  Look around, doe you see peace in this world?  Jesus said... DO NOT LET let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27.

Just as the Father was with the Son, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit is with us.  If God is for us, no one can be against us.  We know the end of the story; Jesus comes backe, takes us out of here, and we live with Him forever...No troubled hears!  Oh, The King is Coming!

In HIS Time

Teresa