Genesis 16:1-2

Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne him children. She owned an Egyptian slave names Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “Since the LORD has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps I can have children by her.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

The practice of surrogate motherhood was common in ancient near-eastern cultures, so Sarai’s suggestion to Abram was not unreasonable, as our culture would see it. In this case, however, Abram should have read between the lines. Sarai felt cursed by God, and her heart was breaking because she could not bear him children. What she really needed was his assurance that God would keep His promise to them. His agreement to go to Hagar reveals his lack of faith, as well. To produce a child through her indicated they believed God’s promise was for Abram and not for Sarai.

All Sarai knew was that her own efforts could not fulfill God’s promise, so she looked for another means. Our own efforts will never fulfill God’s promises, either. When we need a work that only He can do, we must trust Him to do it. Otherwise, we might have some illegitimate “children” on our hands that we have to feed. Our ability to fully enjoy what God brings through promise might be hindered by the obstacles we create for ourselves along the way. If God has given a promise, He will fulfill it in His timing. Your job is to be obedient and trust until He does.

The wait is always the hard part for us. We begin to question ourselves. Did we really hear from God? Did we miss direction or opportunity somewhere? Is God punishing me by withholding what I truly want? All of these questions are self-related. In times of waiting and questioning, we need to take our eyes off of ourselves and start reminding ourselves of who God is. God is greater than our need. He is able to do what He says He will do. He does love us enough to give us that thing. We need to look away from ourselves and upward to Him.

You are not cursed, punished, nor disqualified. Your God is able, willing, and greater. Simply believe, and walk in Him daily. Give it to Him completely because there is nothing you can do with it, anyway. Enjoy this life God has given you while you wait for His promises to be fulfilled. Embrace the grace He has given you, and watch your dreams unfold.

Have a blessed day!

James 5:16b

The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful.

We tend to pray more intensely or fervently over needs that we feel personally. I can’t help but believe this is the very reason God allows us to go through certain things. When we have a particular void or need, we will spend more time in prayer and know better just what to ask than someone who doesn’t have the same need.

God cares about our needs, and when we take them to Him, we can be assured He hears the intensity of our prayers. He feels the need right along with us. We can better pray for that need because we feel it. Perhaps, this is why Jesus said it was easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. The rich often don’t feel lack or void and cannot recognize their need for Jesus. Quite often, salvation requires depletion and the need for help greater than ourselves.

What needs do you feel today? What burns upon your heart? Where do you see a great need for divine intervention but feel helpless to do anything about it? God is calling you to pray. Take these things to Him and pray with intensity. Our righteousness is found in Christ, and we can know that God hears us when we pray intensely over the things that burn in our hearts. The intense – fervent – prayers of a righteous man or woman are very powerful before the throne of God. We serve a Mighty God who can do all things, and nothing is impossible for Him. Take the longings of your soul to Him, and watch Him do mighty things for you.

Have a blessed day!

Genesis 26:22

He (Isaac) moved from there (Gerar) and dug another (well), and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Open Spaces and said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

God extended His promise of blessing from Abraham to his son, Isaac. God made Isaac very prosperous, and his neighbors became jealous. They blocked the wells Abraham had dug, so Isaac moved to Gerar and dug more wells. The Philistines quarreled with him over the new wells, so he named them Quarrel and Hostility and turned them over to the Philistines. From there, Isaac moved on to another area and dug a well, where he found peace. He named that place Open Spaces because God had finally made room for him to grow and become fruitful.

Gerar means “to chew the cud.” These are the places where we contemplate, meditate, complain, argue, and ask the “Why” questions. While every road to success has a Gerar placed in it, we don’t have to stay there long. Opposition may create an obstacle to our success, but it doesn’t have the last word. If we will move just a little further down the road and dig a new well, God will grant us Open Spaces to success. 

Like Isaac’s enemies, we are disillusioned if we think any well is the source of our blessing. Wherever Isaac moved, God moved with him, and He does with us, as well. No one else can steal your blessing or prevent what God has destined for you. Your success is God’s success because when others see you, they are drawn to Him. While the Devil will try to block you, expect God to make a way for you. Move a little further down the road, and find Open Spaces, where you can be fruitful and multiply as God intends.

Have a blessed day!

2 Thessalonians 3:5

May the Lord direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s endurance.

God has a purpose for you, and the Devil knows it. He will do everything he can to try to derail you from experiencing the glorious promises of God to you. Fear, discouragement, disappointment, and guilt are some of his greatest weapons. As Paul urged the Thessalonians to pray for him, so we should pray for each other. The very thing that can see us through times of testing or attack from the enemy is remembering that God loves us and Christ endured the cross for us.

When things are not going the way we expected them, we might feel as if God has rejected us. We may feel unworthy or fear some sin or failure has disqualified us from God’s blessing. These are times to turn to God and not run from Him. By confessing any sin to Him and trusting in His unending and unfailing love for us, we can overcome the darts of the enemy against us. Christ died for our sins, and anything submitted to Him is covered by His blood. God is not holding it against us. The Devil, however, will remind you of your sin and try to convince you that God has rejected you and cannot use you. He is a liar! Christ endured our punishment on the cross for us, and God has accepted us as His own children.

Do you know someone going through a difficult time? Pray the Lord directs his/her heart to God’s love and Christ’s endurance. Are you drowning in despair yourself? Remember God’s love for you and all Christ endured for you on the cross. That didn’t happen for nothing! Christ died so you could be set free from sin, death, guilt, shame, and suffering. He died so you could be free, greatly loved, and highly favored by God. Remember God’s love for you and Christ’s endurance today, and share this message with someone else who needs to hear it.

Have a blessed day!

Romans 10:8b-13

This is the message of faith that we proclaim: if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. Now the Scripture says, No one who believes on Him will be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

We often turn to these verses when witnessing to someone about becoming a Christian, but they also apply to any area in our lives where we need to assert our faith. If we are struggling in any area – health, finances, relationships, addictions, etc. – we need to acknowledge our sin and make Jesus Lord in that area. Too many of us trust Him with our salvation, but we have trouble surrendering other areas to Him.

If Jesus can save our souls from hell, which we could never do by our own merit, then certainly He can save us in the lesser issues of life. We simply have to turn from our own self-effort to satisfy a longing that we cannot meet and allow Him to be Lord in that area. When we do, we experience grace to overcome the strongholds that have held us back from really living. 

I find comfort in the words of this verse. No one who believes on Him will be put to shame, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This promise is not reserved for a few but is extended to anyone who would believe and call upon the name of Jesus. We can all overcome our sins and struggles by proclaiming faith in Christ.

Are you tired of living a self-sabotaged existence? Do you long for more victory in your Christian walk? Address any undisciplined areas of your life today, and make Jesus Lord over them. By His grace, He will save you, and you will not be put to shame. This promise is for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Where Jesus is Lord, grace abounds!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 87:7

Singers and dancers alike will say, “All my springs are in you.”

Singers and dancers come together in an act of praise and worship in this Psalm that celebrates the rebuilding of Zion – the city of God. Springs are a sign of flowing water or a fountain that refreshes. In this act of worship, they acknowledge that all refreshing or renewing of life is found in God.

After going through difficult times or from enduring a hard, cold, winter, we need times of refreshing and renewal to give us strength and encouragement for what lies ahead. Victory may be just around the corner, and we need something to revive us to keep going. These springs of refreshing are found in God, who can surprise us at any moment with an act of grace or favor that changes everything and gives us hope to continue our journey. In His very presence, we find assurance that we belong to Him, and He will not fail us.

Sadly, many look for springs in the wrong places. After watching awards ceremonies such as the Emmys or the Oscars, one might think springs are found in achievement. Many great performances and works of art are never recognized, however. Only a select few get to choose what is really great in their own eyes at these awards ceremonies. While achievement may give you a temporary boost, it cannot ultimately satisfy the deep longing inside because you will surely thirst to achieve once again. Only the springs of living water that Jesus promised the woman at the well will satisfy that thirst. His salvation is a source that can continually refresh, and all of our springs are found in Him.

If you are in need of refreshing today, remember that all of your springs are found in Christ. Turn to Him for strength, comfort, hope, encouragement, or whatever you need to continue. God is a builder of cities and a builder of people. He is building something in you. Trust His workmanship, and refresh yourself in His word.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 1:14-15

There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.

God gave Zechariah more details than He gave Manoah when He proclaimed Samson’s birth. Manoah’s wife must carry out the Nazarite vow, and their son would deliver Israel from the Philistines was the only information they received. They knew nothing about the boy’s character or what his arrival would mean for them. Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a son that would bring joy and delight, and everyone would rejoice at his birth. From the time he arrived, he would bring blessing. Their son must also follow a part of the Nazarite vow by not drinking wine or beer. God would fill this baby with the Holy Spirit in the womb, so He would be born with God’s presence living in him. Manoah sought more details but was given none. God even gave the original announcement to his wife. God, however, spoke directly to Zechariah and gave him much more detail from the beginning.

Only God knows how much information we need in order to believe. Perhaps, our circumstances determine the amount of information He gives us at times. By and large, however, the degree of our faith determines God’s communication to us. He desires to increase our faith, and if we can handle more information, He gives it to us. Manoah seemed to want to know the details before he would believe. Had he known the details, he may have even tried to advise God on just how to equip the boy. God decided to grow his faith by remaining silent. Zechariah seemed to know God could do something great because he prayed for a son. The information he received caused him to question whether or not the message was trustworthy. God chose to keep Zechariah silent to increase his faith.

God’s purpose may also determine the amount of information He gives us up front. If we knew all the details, would we still follow His commands? Would we try to assist or advise Him in His plan? Would knowing more details give further direction? He knows just what to tell us in order for us to believe Him and move according to His plan. Whenever He gives us a promise, we must exercise our faith to receive it. Unasnwered questions present opportunities for our faith to grow.

What is God requiring of your faith today? Has He told you to do something? Don’t wait for Him to tell you more before you act upon what He has already revealed. As you put one foot forward and begin to step into His promise, He will reveal more as you need it. Has God given you a promise? Believe Him for it. Act where He has instructed you, and believe while you wait. God is building your faith muscles, but you must be willing to exercise in order to see results. You will rejoice at what He is birthing in you, and you have His Holy Spirit living in you. Follow His voice, and silence the voice that causes you to doubt and waver. Greater is He that is in you, and greater the joy when you follow where He leads.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 84:10

Better a day in Your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather be at the door of the house of my God than to live in the tents of the wicked.

One day of peace is better than a thousand lived in fear, doubt, depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. In fact, the plague of sin can lead to suicide or self-destruction because we were not created to live with the symptoms of an evil life. The wages of sin are death.  While sin may have its attraction at first, the long term effects and consequences can be life shattering.

As Christians, we must remember that we have no righteousness of our own. We stand in a right relationship to God through the righteousness of Christ. When we accept and admit our shortcomings and failures as sin and confess them to God in repentance, He graciously forgives us and grants us peace. Because Christ died for us, we can truly live for Him. Better is one day of knowing that peace than a thousand frolicking in sin!

While we do reap what we sow, we can stop sowing bad seeds and begin to sow good seeds by turning completely to Christ. If you have planted some bad seed in the ground, just turn it over to God and begin to sow good seed. He can take even the bad and use it for our good if we will simply trust the work of Christ on the cross for our lives. To do such a thing is to walk in grace. Spending one day with Him in peace is better than spending a thousand worrying about it. Quality truly is better than quantity when it comes to walking out this Christian life.

Have a blessed day!

2 Chronicles 9:3-4

When the queen of Sheba observed Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, his servants’ residence, his attendants’ service and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and the burnt offerings he offered at the LORD’s temple, it took her breath away.

The queen of Sheba visited Solomon to validate rumors she had heard about him. Her visit, however, should be viewed as much more than just an effort to satisfy her curiosity. Solomon had begun maritime trade activities in the Red Sea, and the queen of Sheba controlled the ports of southwest Arabia and the trade routes between India and East Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. Solomon’s trade activity could very well have jeopardized her own trade, but cooperation between the two could have greatly benefited them both. Her visit had great political and economical significance, as well.

While the queen was deeply impressed with Solomon’s wisdom and wealth, her underlying observations have much to teach us. She could not help but notice how well Solomon treated his servants and how blessed they were. Even his servants were richly dressed, lived in a fine residence, and served with excellence. If his servants lived so well, just imagine how blessed the people of the land must be! She left there with more than she brought, and it took her breath away. How great was the God of Israel, who had lavished Solomon and His people with wisdom and favor!

How we treat those who serve us matters. They are a reflection of our leadership. Solomon treated his servants extremely well, and they served him with excellence. Indeed, God has truly blessed us, and we should serve Him with the same amount of excellence. As His servants, we are a reflection of Him. The world cannot help but notice and respect our blessing when we serve Him well.

Take time today to consider how well God has blessed you. Stop your complaining, and determine to serve Him with excellence. Don’t think about the minimal amount of time or effort required of you to just get by; minimal effort produces minimal results. The more you give to God, the more He gives you in return. You can never out give God, as the queen of Sheba learned. When you give God your very best, He gives you His very best for your circumstances in return. Give your all to Him today, and watch Him take your breath away!

Have a blessed day!

How can I repay the LORD all the good He has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and worship the LORD.

While we may be able to repay debts we owe to people or institutions here in the physical sense, there is absolutely no way we could ever repay God for what He has done for us through Christ. The very fact that He sent His one and only Son to die for us is overwhelming. Then, to think of the cruel and gruesome death Jesus died so we could be saved is beyond anyone’s imagination of repayment. We simply don’t have anything to offer that would compensate for such a huge sacrifice of love.

The Psalmist wrote these words before Christ was even born. He had faith of a coming salvation through a promised Messiah, and he knew God would hold true to His word. The Psalmist decided to simply believe in this salvation and worship God. It was all he could do.

We are privileged to live on the other side of the promise. Jesus has already died for our sins, and we have the written Word to tell us the entire story. We can never repay God for what He has done, and the best thing we can do in response is to accept this sacrifice and worship the LORD. The whole reason God sent His only Son for us is so we would see His incredible love for us and worship Him, instead of all the other false gods that promise us things that cannot satisfy. What Jesus did for us goes beyond time and is eternal. Our worship is required as an appropriate response.

Worship God where you are today. Your heart is His greatest desire, and He has given all to win it. Can anyone else or anything else compare?

Have a blessed day!