Knowing God - His Voice Produces Stable Ground

Gen 1:9

 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

The Lord’s Voice Produces Stable Ground

When God created the earth as we know it, He spoke things into being and He spoke things into placement.  God’s Word was used to create and establish boundaries.  The words of God moved the waters into one place and allowed the dry land to appear making inhabitable places for man He was to create.  God’s Word still has this power and authority today.  He can speak to those things in our lives that, like the waters, may be covering things that have great potential and the ability to cultivate and enjoy.

 When we place ourselves in His Word, whether by individual reading and studying or with other believers under pastoral teacher, we invite God to speak to things in our lives and make them take their proper place.  Our lives can be so overwhelmed by the waters of responsibility, affliction or other floods of events that we may find ourselves drifting and unable to stand.  The Word of God will move those things over in our perspective of reality enabling us to stand and look at them without being drowned or moved by them.

Proverbs - Prudence is a Good Thing

Proverbs 12:16-17

 A fool's wrath is presently known:

but a prudent man covereth shame.

 He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness:

but a false witness deceit.

Prudence is an old-fashioned word.  We rarely use it these days but it is an attribute, we as women, should desire to have in our lives.  It is:  being able to decide on the right thing to do at any given moment regardless of how we feel, or natural bents or even the influences and pressures of people or culture.

A prudent woman is a woman that people can’t predict what they will do just by knowing their personality.  A prudent woman hears the leading of the Holy Spirit and responds in a way that He directs and people realize she is a wise woman that seems to know what to do in most situations.  Here, in verse 16, we see that a prudent woman covers shame.  She doesn’t talk about the failings and mistakes of others in a way to make her look good or to prove herself right.  She looks out to present people in the best light according to truth.  She purposes to believe all things and hope all things.  She walks in love.

Knowing God - He Will Tell Us When to Stop Crying

Jer 31:16

Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

                                                                                               

The Lord is telling Jeremiah to stop crying.  Jeremiah often wept at the state of God’s people and the unnecessary trials and devastation they went through due to their neglect of the covenant they had with the Lord.  Here the Lord is saying that there is a time to stop crying and look forward with confidence that they will return to Him.  There is a time to cry and there is a time to mourn. 

The Lord will tell us when these responses are good and appropriate.  Perhaps you are weeping when you should praise.  Perhaps you might be crying when you are supposed to be standing in confidence.  Listen to your God.  He has made our emotions and He knows what sort of expression is appropriate and beneficial for the situation you are facing.  Our God is a God who can counsel us even when we should weep and when we ought not.

Proverbs - Wisdom Comes From Hearkening

Proverbs 12:15

 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes:

but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

When we are confident in ourselves we are most likely playing the fool.  If we are confident in the Lord’s counsel through His Word and basing our confidence upon His precepts we are wise.  When in a disagreement within yourself or with another maintain humility and be open to correction.  The Lord gives grace to the humble but resists the proud.

LISTENING to counsel is not the same as HEARKENING to counsel.  We can expose ourselves to the best bible studies, books and influences and still remain fools.  May the Lord give us the ability to HEARKEN unto counsel - to adjust ourselves to the Lord’s counsel and take it as we would a prescription.

“I thought about MY ways, and turned my feet to YOUR testimonies.” (Ps 119:59)

Knowing God - The Lord Opens Eyes

2 Kings 6:17

And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

The Lord Opens Eyes

Elisha could see something that the young man couldn’t.  How often the ‘young men’ in our lives can’t see what we may see.  Instead of trying to persuade the young man to see it, Elisha prayed.  Then, the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw.  Our God is able to open eyes to see things that they couldn’t see before.  He illuminates perspectives and spotlights things that are often hidden in the shadows of distraction and deceit.  The Lord heard Elisha’s prayer for this young man and He will hear ours as we ask Him to open the eyes of those we love.  What a faithful and personal God we serve.  May He open our eyes and those around us to all that He is and is doing in our lives! 

Proverbs - What Comes Out of our Mouths

Proverbs 12:13-14

The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips:

 but the just shall come out of trouble.

 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth:

and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

                    Our mouths oftentimes direct the flow of our day and relationships.  Here we see that satisfaction also comes from the fruit of our mouths.  What kinds of things are you saying to your children, your husband, your household or yourself?  Many times conflict and strain in relationships results from the wrong words being spoken.  Ask the Lord to put a guard over your mouth today and to speak through you to everyone today.

Proverbs - Working or Following Empty People?

Proverbs 12:11-12

 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread:

but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

                                Verse 11 tells us that if we till our land we shall be satisfied.  Sometimes we find ourselves not satisfied or sensing we haven’t had enough of something.  We thirst and hunger and don’t know why.  This verse tells us that one remedy for this is tilling our land.  How have you been tending to your dishes, laundry, dusting, making the beds, gardening, cooking etc.?  Do you find yourself procrastinating on tilling your land and then wandering from store to store, or this snack to this snack hoping something will settle you down?  Try tilling your land.  Instead of eating that food when you aren’t hungry go do a chore. Instead of going to that mall, clean out a cabinet.  Working and laboring God-given assignments surprisingly bring about a strong sense of satisfaction.  “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much....”(Eccl 5:12a)

          I think of many an afternoon talk show or soap opera as these vain persons a woman could be tempted to follow.  Even the expression, “Are you following the story?” could be used to express an avid soap watcher. If we are on social media too much and following certain sources or watching worldly ‘reality’ shows we can be following empty persons and what they depict as important or worthy as opposed to what the Lord deems worthy of our time and focus.

As women, there is so much to be done always and the Lord has given us both the responsibility and the privilege of keeping home.  The television/internet/radio are full of vain persons and if we follow them we will be women void of understanding.  Let us keep our home and have it reflect the God of order who set everything in its place and maintains creation in an orderly manner.

Knowing God - He Lets Us Start Over

Gen 3:23

 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

                                                             

The Lord sent Adam from the garden HE had created for him to a different land where he was going to establish a NEW garden.  Although Adam lost out on a garden already prepared by the Lord for him, the Lord was giving Adam an opportunity to start over. 

Our God is a God who disciplines us because He is a great father.  Although He deals with us, He deals with us with mercy.  He gives us the resources and opportunities to do things right.  Adam could have focused on the banishment and not set out to start over but the Lord wasn’t through with Adam yet.  When the Lord deals with us we must remember that the consequences we face are always accompanied with mercies and new beginnings.

Our God loves to show Himself as a God who, not only deals with our sin by inevitable consequences but will be with us as we start over even if takes more work than it could have.  Our God doesn’t just send us away from certain blessings we might have remained in had we not sinned, but to a new place where we can still enjoy His fellowship and presence regardless of where we end up.                             

Proverbs - Animals

Proverbs 12:10

 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast:

but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

Animals were created by the Lord and put here intentionally.  In the beginning the Lord gave Adam the privilege of naming the animals. “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. “ (Gen 2:19)

 The Lord gave Adam and Eve ‘dominion’ or ‘rulership’ over the animals.  We are accountable for what we do with this responsibility.  Do we neglect the care of our household pets?  Do we loathe animals that the Lord entrusted us with?  Do we idolize our pets and have them rule over us?  A righteous man cares for the needs of his beast and esteems this dominion as God-given and a commission he or she must handle faithfully.

Knowing God - He is Our Dwelling Place

Ps 90:1

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

The Lord is not just a God we connect WITH, but a God we can run INTO.  He has been a dwelling place for all generations.  He has been available for everyone to go into and live and move and have their very existence IN Him.  The place in which we dwell is to be considered home, safe and the place from which we gain fortitude and positioning.  The Lord, Himself, is to be that dwelling place.  We are not to visit God as if He were a distant relative we see on certain holidays or if we happen to be in the vicinity of their dwelling place.  We must dwell in the Lord.  Move in and stay there.  Explore every room.  Enjoy every square inch and find that His love and ways are unsearchable.  We will never exhaust the discoveries of His great love, wisdom and companionship.  Oh Lord, be the dwelling place for us and our children as You have been for every generation!

Proverbs - Don't Honor Yourself

Proverbs 12:9

   

 He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better

 than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

                                Sometimes we want to give off a good impression regardless of the state of our being.  The Lord Jesus never concerned himself with other people’s opinion of Him.  He focused on pleasing the Father and was so confident in who he was that even if they called Him Beelzebub, the prince of devils, He was not shaken nor needed to defend Himself.

Our true worth is not defined by the evaluation of others.  We may want to appear one way in the eyes of other people to give us a sense of importance or worth.  This leads us to be hypocrites and really we are actually speaking lies with our lives.

The true evaluation of our character is what we really have in our character NOT what we want others to think we have.  We may use social media to present ourselves in a purposefully slanted way to somehow gloss over those things that God has spoken to us to surrender or turn from. We may honor ourselves and try to appear as something we are not only to discover when we are alone that we are lacking the very things we wanted others to think we had.

We are not to decide what to say or what to do based on whether other people will be impressed or be bothered by what we do.  We are to live in a way that pleases God EVEN if others despise us for it.

When we speak up for what is right we may find ourselves despised but, in fact, we are rich in righteousness and our stability and sense of order will be just as if we had servants at our beckoning.  Righteousness will establish us and give us enduring riches. We must focus on doing the will of God rather than exalting ourselves in the eyes of others.

Those who boast in all they are and all they have oftentimes have little enduring riches.  We must be careful not to boast or honor ourselves.  This is very much our pride wanting to exalt our gates and it is so much easier to let people down when they have an inflated view of us.  Let us exalt Christ and boast in our weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon us.

Knowing God - Watched to Be Accused

Mark 3:2

 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

The people were watching Jesus to see if He would heal a man on the Sabbath.  They were NOT watching to see if this man would be blessed.  They were NOT watching in order to see the power of God.  They were watching that they might ACCUSE him.  Jesus continued doing what He was called to do regardless of what the people around Him were going to do in response. 

Jesus wasn’t steered by the motivations or judgments of others.  Jesus was focused on pleasing the Father and loving people.  He was not concerned about His reputation in the light of those who were figuring Him out.  The Lord was focused on doing what the Father led Him to do and would not allow the judgments and opinions of others to change His course or actions.

 Our God is firm and focused.  He is not threatened by theological analysis.  He is not shaken by hermeneutical scrutiny.  He is not interrupted by the general sway of public opinion.  Our God is a rock.  He is a God who has done what He has done, is doing what He is doing and will do what He will do.  We have a God who is firmly focused and faithful.

Proverbs - Wisdom Produces Commendation

Proverbs 12:5-8

The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood:

but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

A man shall be commended according to his wisdom:

but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

The Lord has given us the mind of Christ.  Rather than listening to the counsels of the wicked, we should be quiet enough to hear His leading within us confirmed by His Word.  The counsels of the wicked are found on television, magazines, web sites, non-Christian co-workers and family members as well as books.  We need to meditate on the Word of the Lord and allow His Word to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Perversion produces foolishness.  Righteousness produces wisdom.  If we are to be esteemed as wise women we had best stay close to the commandments of God.  In Psalm 119:30 we learn that we are to lay HIS judgments before us. We must make a time to focus and expose ourselves to HIS counsels. This will result in priorities and choices that are wise and endure time.

Will Resume June 22

Daily posts will be on break until Monday, June 22

Knowing God - He is Not Intimidated by Death

Ps 49:15

 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

Grave has a power – the power of death, but God will redeem our souls from the power of the grave.  Death is an enemy that comes and tries to conquer.  It looms over every human in an intimidating and threatening way.  Our God is not intimidated by death.  He, Himself, went through death and conquered it on our behalf to show us that even death, is no match for our God.  How does God redeem us from the power of the grave?  He does this by receiving us.  He awaits us on the other side of the door which has a sign over it that says ‘death’.  The door itself is quite unattractive.  It stands as an unknown path to all of us, but the Lord stands on the other side ready to receive us.  If someone you love is facing death, if God is their God, if they are in Christ, they will be received. They will be redeemed from the power of the grave, for God will receive them.

Proverbs - Virtue vs. Shame

Proverbs 12:4

 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:

but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

                    We can shame our husbands by living in a way that is not virtuous.

                   By exposing ourselves to women’s examples on television, movies or books that exalt immorality, flirtatiousness, immodesty, deceit and other wickedness, we could find ourselves admiring these wicked qualities and demeaning the virtues that are a crown to our husbands.  We must be careful to take in those sources that exalt the things that the Lord says are noble and define those qualities the Lord says are detestable.  We are so easily seduced into thinking the things that are noble are worthless and the things that are to be judged are admirable.  Ladies, maybe today you can come before the Lord and ask Him to search out the influences in your life and usher in those things that are virtuous so that the king you desire to rule your home will indeed be crowned with a virtuous wife.

Knowing God - God Gets Grieved

Gen 6:6

                                                                                     

 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth,

and it grieved him at his heart.

The Lord is grieved by the wickedness we may do.  He is not just an impartial judge but a God who loves us and cares for us.  He watches us and when we choose to do things in ways that are contrary to His loving boundaries, it grieves Him in His heart.  This is not a God who, like a police officer, is just monitoring violations and handing out citations in an indifferent and impersonal way.  This is a God whose heart of love is the motivation for every law and commandment He gives.  We might start to confess our sins, not only as legitimate offenses deserving judgment, but also as those things that grieve our God.  Every sin we commit is a sin against God.  If we love Him we will keep His commandments. When we go against His word, we speak with our actions that we don’t value His voice.  Our sins are not just offenses against some written standard but against the very One who wrote them.

 Tell Him how sorry you are and that you want your love for Him to motivate you to keep His commandments.  God has a heart for us. May that work in us a heart that desires to obey because we don’t want to bring Him grief, but delight.

Proverbs - How to Stay Rooted

Proverbs 12:2-3

 A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD:

but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

 A man shall not be established by wickedness:

but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

When a palm tree faces hurricane force wind, the tree will bend and the leaves may depart.  It will not be uprooted though, and eventually straightens back up and re-grows the palms that make it a landmark for all to see.  The palm tree will have to regain composure and be healed a bit from the effects of the storm but remains positioned and established.

 “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,…” (Ps 92:12)

As we seek to do things righteously we will not be moved.  No matter what is thrown our way, no matter how we may bend to the point of almost breaking, if we have established our responses by the Lord’s standards, we will not be moved.  Endure with the Lord’s leading and you will find yourself standing strong again positioned and gaining back those things that may have departed during your hurricane time.

Knowing God - He is MY Father

Jer 3:4

Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me,

My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

The Lord asks His people will they, from now on, cry unto Him.  Will they not call Him their personal father and their guide in their youth?  The Lord is reminding us that we need a Father at all ages.  He wants us to call Him “MY Father”.  The Lord wants us to remember how He guided us when we were young.  Because He is our Father and has been our guide, we need to cry unto Him as a Father and as our guide.  We can take the time today to address Him in this way and watch ourselves rest as His children.  As we tell Him how He has guided us when we were young, we can be confident that He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  The same God who guided us in the past, is the same God who will guide us today.  He is my father and the guide of my youth.

Proverbs - Love Learning

Proverbs 12:1

 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

                    A good teacher is one who wants to learn.  A teacher that doesn’t mind being corrected in order that truth may be exalted, is a teacher whose students will love learning.  Sometimes a mother will try to teach her children and wonder why they don’t seem excited to learn from her. Her children need to see her love for instruction.  What does she do when her husband corrects her?  Does she like to read and look things up? Are there new things she is exposing herself to?  Ladies, do you ever go to the library just to learn something about history, crafts, science, etc.?  Do you ever share with your children something you learned from the Word of God?  When they share something they learned, do you rejoice with them and ask them questions?  To be a woman who loves instruction is to be a woman who loves knowledge.  This will be contagious and your children will be much more easily corrected and instructed.

Knowing God - In Him are Treasures

Col 2:3

In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God has hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.  This is not a hide-and-seek game.   To those who are in Christ, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are no longer hidden.  If I were to hide your birthday presents in a room and I told you that ALL of your presents are hidden in a room you haven’t been in, those gifts would be unknown and mysterious.  If I opened the door and you came into that room and had access to that room, the gifts would be plainly available and obvious to you.  If you are in Christ, look around!  There are treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Him.  Enjoy discovering them and having them available to you.  God has put these treasures in Christ and if you are in Christ, you can enjoy wisdom and knowledge for they are found in Him.

Proverbs - Winning Souls and Righteous Choices

Proverbs 11:30-31

 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;

and he that winneth souls is wise.

 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:

much more the wicked and the sinner.

                    Much of Proverbs deals with wisdom.  One of the ways we can be those wise women who build our homes is by being concerned about the eternal destination of those around us.   Do you have a tender heart towards those who have yet to know Christ as their Savior and Lord?  Have you prayed with your children for those family members who are yet dead in their trespasses and sins?  Do your children know the plan of salvation and that more than all of their pursuits you desire for them to have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life?  If your household sees a woman who looks ahead to eternity, they will see a wise woman.

          God is not mocked.  Whatever a person plants, that person shall reap.  Sisters, do you know that if you choose the right thing you shall be recompensed in the earth?  Perhaps not immediately, but every righteous choice we make is certain to bring forth fruit.  Have the patience of a farmer and continue planting choices that please and honor God.  You will eventually reap a wonderful, delicious harvest. 

Knowing God - He Cares About YOUR Nets

Luke 5:4

 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Jesus had been teaching the multitudes.  He gave them wonderful instruction about their lives, the Lord and truth.  Then Jesus stopped speaking to the multitudes and spoke a directive to Simon.  The Lord loves His people and has so much to say to us as a flock, as a body and as His children, but He loves to speak to us directly as well.  Our God speaks to us about our individual lives.  He talked to Simon about Simon’s boat, Simon’s net and Simon’s profession. 

Do you know that your Lord loves you and wants to speak to you about YOUR possessions, YOUR responsibilities and YOUR day?  Do you ever place yourself as just a part of His FLOCK instead of realizing that you are His individual lamb as well?  How wonderful to know that our Lord loves us and desires for us to hear Him leading our individual decisions and course! 

Proverbs - Forecast: Gusts of Wind Brought on by Foolishness

Proverbs 11:29

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind:

and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.

Inheriting wind is not something we can really put our hands on.  Wind coming upon us is rather shaking, displacing and oftentimes loud. The Lord warns us as women, that if we are the ones who trouble our own house we shall inherit the wind.  This word trouble means, to stir up or afflict.  Ladies, we have so much influence upon the climate of our home.  Keep your tongue and keep your heart!  Much of what you may be troubled by within your home is actually that which you have planted.

A foolish woman tears down her home, but a wise woman builds it up.  Be careful!  God has put you in authority over your children and the climate of the home.  Don’t stir things up!  You don’t want to inherit the wind, but rather a calm quiet home where the Wind of the Spirit moves freely and soothingly as opposed to the tempest wind of our pride.

If you have found that the climate of your home or relationships is a tad ‘gusty’ due to your own foolishness, confess it to the Lord, apologize to whomever is wind-blown and ask the Lord to make you a wise woman in those specific areas where you have been acting the fool.

Knowing God - God Asks Us to Do Difficult Things

John 4:16

                              

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The Lord Gives Difficult Commands

Jesus tells the Samaritan woman to get her husband and come back.  The woman is unable to do this because she is not currently married to anyone but, rather, living with a man.  Could the Lord have been referring to her first husband because that is the one the Lord would have considered her husband?  Or could He have been giving her a command she was unable to keep to show her the incredible need she had for the One who was truly the companion she had been looking for in the many lovers she had had? 

The Lord may, indeed, give us directives we find ourselves unable to meet.  This should not lead us to discouragement or dismay but lead us to Him.  The Lord has the right to pose any sort of question or command to us and He has purposes behind these.  If we are unable to carry out His command, we need to be frank and honest with Him allowing the dialogue to continue and do the work He wants to do in us. 

When the Lord gives us a command let us be sensitive to our inadequacies and bring them to Him.  He knows it all.  He has reasons for asking. Let us respond with honesty and humility trusting He is wanting to reveal Himself as the answer for all things.

Proverbs - Fall or Flourish

Proverbs 11:28

 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall:

but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.

We must not look at our bank balances as the net that would catch us should we have financial trouble.  We must look to the Lord and know that even if we have money, it is the Lord that has brought it our way.  If we are someone who always goes back to what we ‘own’ as a place we find our peace, the Lord warns us that we will fall.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that our riches will FAIL but we will FALL.  It means that ‘riches’ cannot deliver us when we face a myriad of challenging trials.  When someone is facing unfaithfulness in their marriage, a terminal illness or a rebellious child, their riches are NOT able to deliver them and are NOT to be that in which they trust.

We must remember that God’s blessings on us are wonderful and His provision is intended to bring into our lives things we need, extra good things, provision for His work and to bless others, but NOT to be relied on as our security or confidence.

Choosing to do the right thing, as a righteous person will help us, like a branch, remain flourishing, stable and secure in whatever trying times we face.  We must realign any confidence we may have put in what we OWN and place it in the God who wants to direct our responses in a righteous and secure way. 

This way we will not FALL but, rather, FLOURISH!

Knowing God - He Loves the Unfaithful

Hos 3:1

 Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel,….”

The Lord Loves the Unfaithful

      

           “According to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel…” is quite the description given to Hosea in telling him how to love this woman.  Our God’s great love is a love that we must measure all our love against.  Time and time again, God’s people would leave Him and run after other gods and other sources of strength and yet, the Lord would pursue them with a jealous love.  Our God’s love is faithful even when we are faithless.  Our God’s love is committed even when we are compromising. Our God’s love is steadfast even when we are distracted.  The love He has for us is rooted in who He is and not in whom we are. He is the loving Lord who pursues us with His love.  Let us learn this love, give this love and enjoy this love.  He is love.

Proverbs - SEEKING to do GOOD

Proverbs 11:27

He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour:

 but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

                                                                  

                    Sometimes we live in a non-seeking manner.  We exist with little motivation to pursue anything.  This is usually due to a lack of focus and understanding of why we were created.  The Lord tells us in Eph 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  We should wake up and seek good.  What works did God prepare for me to walk in?

           If we diligently seek good we will procure favor.  This word favor implies smoother relationships than if we had not sought good diligently.  Even in our marriages the Lord tells us that a virtuous woman will “.. do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”(Prov 31:12) We will find much more favor in our husband’s eyes if, rather than just withholding evil, we do good.  May the Holy Spirit lead us to those good things we can do for and to our husbands today.

Knowing God - Afraid? He WILL Come

Isa 35:4

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Here, a fearful person is being addressed.  The fearful are being told that they can be strong and not fear.  Why?  Because God will come.  God will come with two things and come and do something. 

He WILL come with a vengeance.  He WILL come with recompense.  He WILL come and save you.  God WILL come with a passion to protect you and stand up for you.  God WILL come with those consequences and inevitable outcomes that He has written into His eternal law.  He WILL come and save you.  God WILL come into those situations that produce fear in our hearts.  We can be strong and not fear BEFORE this happens knowing He will come and do these things.

Our strength and lack of fear is to be rooted in the strong commitment of our God TO us and NOT in seeing or experiencing the deliverance.  The promise, alone, will give us strength and awaken us to courage and stamina in our fearful circumstances.  He will come.  Be strong and fear not!                                                                                     

Proverbs - Money Wisdom

Proverbs 11:23-26

         

The desire of the righteous is only good:

but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.

                    So much of our financial wellbeing is directly tied to the law/principles that the Lord has established within His creation.  The opposite rule often applies to that which springs forth in our lives.  If we give, we receive.  If we die then we live.  If we lower ourselves, we will be lifted up.  When we become channels through which God can bless others, He seems to pour more through us. 

                    Many believers do not understand this.  Many times we rely upon the wisdom of the world and wonder why it just doesn’t seem to work.  One of the main sources of financial sanctification is the tithe that was set up in the Old Testament.  When we realized that the first tenth of all our labors belongs to the Lord and we are the vessels through which He sends this for His work, we will begin to see His faithfulness and provisioning The Lord tells us in Malachi 3:10‑11:

         

 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.   And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.”

                    I have heard countless testimonies as well as experienced them myself of the faithfulness of God when the tithe is priority.  Sister, do you prioritize this earthly government in giving taxes over the kingdom of God?  Prayerfully consider your liberality.  Prayerfully consider the flow of your finances.  May we honor the Lord with our substance and be more concerned with loving God and others and see what comes your way.

Knowing God - He Has an Inheritance Waiting for You

Jer 3:18

In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

The Lord is speaking about unity resulting from His people turning from their backsliding ways and acknowledging their sin before Him.  He goes on to explain that, not only will they have unity, but His people will INHERIT what He had given to their fathers.

God has an inheritance for us.  When we return to Him, to the One who has married us, we obtain the inheritance He has given to generations before us in Christ.  The abundant life we can experience is the life promised to generations before us and available to us as well.  The Lord has given certain blessings for all those who are in Christ and seeking to follow Him.

Return to Him and walk in the inheritance already set apart for you.  You might be missing out on what He has for you by NOT walking with Him.  He has given this to all those who are His children.  He loves you and He is a good Father.  Come together with all those who call upon Him out of a pure heart.  The inheritance remains.  Return.