How do we keep the faith? By developing our spiritual life through the disciplines. Mandy writes on what, how, why on many of the different ways we can grow in Christ.
My Word of the Year is Intentional. As I began looking for a verse that I might claim, I kept finding verses where messengers of God said, “But as for me…” I thought, “These people are intentional in their lives. I want that”. So we will start looking at these scriptures. I have some friends helping me out and they are already stepping on my toes.”
Today, we have a beautiful devotion by my sister. Kandy Chimento and her husband, Tony, live in Liberty Hill, Texas. They have spent many years in ministry together. Their greatest joys are their two amazing kids; Christa, and Tyler (and his lovely wife, Rebekah), and their two grandsons, Gideon & Jude. Kandy is the Director of Operations at a local Food Pantry & Resource Center, where she enjoys working with the hundreds of volunteers she manages, and the neighbors they assist.
But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
Psalm 5:7 NASB 1995
My Word of the Year is Intentional. As I began looking for a verse that I might claim, I kept finding verses where messengers of God said, “But as for me…” I thought, “These people are intentional in their lives. I want that”. So we will start looking at these scriptures. I have some friends helping me out and they are already stepping on my toes.”
David was intentional about his morning prayers. It’s a goal of mine as well… to open my eyes and first call on God and look to Him. If I start my day with HIm, I can invite Him to stay and walk with me through the entire day. If I don’t I find myself dredging through the day on my own.
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My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.
Psalm 5:3 NKJV
Steps for David’s Morning Prayer
Calls to God and recognizes Him as His God and King and there is no other. God wants us to come before Him in reverence and to recognize His Holiness. It is then that we realize our sinfulness. In the shadow of His Righteousness, we see that we are but a worm and we are humbled. Noting that God will not lend an ear to those who enjoy wickedness, he humbles himself before the great God of the Universe. And in this, he makes a firm stand that he will come into God’s house in fear and reverence
He begs for guidance comparing the wicked to the righteous he sees that he needs God to direct his path. How can we face the day if not with His guidance? We are sure to go astray without Him by our side throughout the day. And friend, He will not come along uninvited. We must ask Him to lead us through our day. I believe if we try this pattern, we will be utterly blessed. We will find so many things going well rather than having to struggle at each turn of the day.
He states that there is joy for all those who trust in God. Stating these facts makes it all real. God doesn’t necessarily need to hear these things but when we say them aloud we confirm in our own hearts that it is so. That’s why the gratitude journal is so important. Along with this morning prayer, I like to list at least three things I am grateful for. It refocuses our hearts on the Lord instead of our problems.
Another declaration is that God will surround the righteous with His favor as if with a shield that covers their entire body. We can declare this because He has already promised to do it! It is David’s only request. You see, everything else will fall into place if we are guided by His Hand and surrounded as a shield by Heaven’s Armies.
In Conclusion
What a pattern for morning prayer! Declaring the righteousness of God and asking to be led on that very path. How could your day go awry when you have shielded yourself in His righteousness.
And, ah, now we see how to dress one’s self in the complete armor of God (Eph 6)
Don’t forget your Morning Prayers. Use Psalm 5 as a pattern for prayer until you find your own words of prayer.
Ah! June the month of weddings. A perfect time to take a look at Queen Esther. The fairy tale story: orphan meets King and saves her people. But it was probably just that… a fairytale. What have you learned in the past about her? I’ll venture to guess you only know the fairytale. Let’s dig a little deeper today.
Since the days when Moses was given the law on Mount Sinai, the people waited for His Spirit. They were not able to keep the law on their own. Spiritual amnesia kept drawing them back into the grasp of sin and darkness. Oh, how they needed God’s Spirit to live in their hearts and lives.
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Joel 2:28b, NLT
And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.
Ezekial 36:27, NLT
Every year, the Children of Israel would bring their sacrifices to the temple. They came at Passover and offered their sacrifices to God. It would remind them about how the death angel passed over their homes and they were freed from slavery in Egypt. On the first day of the week after Passover, they celebrated the Feast of Firstfruits bringing to the Temple the first sheaves of grain from their fields.
And then they waited. 50 days for the Feast of Weeks. 7 weeks. Pentecost translates as 50 days. All these feasts were to remind them of their sinfulness and to offer praise and sacrifice to God who forgave them every time. All this time they didn’t realize that it was part of the Promise of God to put His Spirit in their hearts. It would be the only way to chase away the amnesia because then The Holy Spirit would live within them reminding them constantly of their God; Softening their hearts toward their Maker.
But not only that
With the Holy Spirit within them, they (and we) now have the POWER to live godly lives. (2 Peter 1:3) He guides us. He helps us live lives that please God. Consider Peter. Remember how he failed time and again even though he wanted to serve Jesus. He swore He would never deny the Lord, but He did… three times. Other times, he would speak out and Jesus would have to rebuke him.
Until Pentecost
What a difference it made when Peter received empowerment from above. Suddenly, He was bold and able to preach the Gospel to everyone in Jerusalem and later everywhere He went with no “foot-in-mouth” disease.
And Guess What…
We can have that same power. If we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit comes in to live with us. And when we die to ourselves, we are empowered to live faithful lives. Paul shared with the Galatians that when we give control to the Holy Spirit, we won’t fulfill the lust of the spirit any longer. Instead, we will produce the Fruit of His Spirit. Let’s look…
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Galatians 5:16-25, NLT
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No More Sacrifices
Jesus’ Death and Resurrection removed the need for the sacrificial system. His Great Sacrifice was perfect and suited to save all men who would accept Him. Once and for all our sins are forgiven. (Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, 25-26)
So what does God expect of us? Are we allowed to just go about living the same lives? NO! (Romans 6:1-3) That would nullify what Jesus did for us. We are to put our carnal selves to death and allow the Spirit to live through us. Consequently, He now guides and directs every part of us. Back in the “old days”, they would say to give God the “unknown bundle”; that is, we give Him everything, even the things to come that we don’t know about. Whatever He wills, is our will.
When we sign a contract, the stipulations are all laid out and we sign on the dotted line. But with the Unknown Bundle, we sign on a blank sheet of paper and hand it to God. Then He places His plan for our lives on the paper.
And Praise His Name
He will empower us to follow the will of God. Sure, we may fail at times; but He will convict our hearts and we can ask forgiveness which He gives freely. The goal is that we will become increasingly more like Jesus.
I’m so glad that I have the Holy Spirit who goes with me every day, all day. I am empowered to live for Jesus.
As Christians, we are celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples found in Acts 2. But did you realize that the Israelites have been celebrating this same day since God instructed them to celebrate in Leviticus 23? Pentecost in Hebrew means 50 days. They were to celebrate on this day… 50 days after Passover and the Feast of Firstfruits. Called The Feast of Weeks.
My Word of the Year is Intentional. As I began looking for a verse that I might claim, I kept finding verses where messengers of God said, “But as for me…” I thought, “These people are intentional in their lives. I want that”. So we will start looking at these scriptures. I have some friends helping me out and they are already stepping on my toes.”
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Back in September, God began to place a ONEWORD for 2022 on my heart. He did this by presenting the word through different avenues – preaching, reading, and even devotions. Today I want to share about two books that confirmed this word – intentional in my heart.
A few weeks ago as I sat down in the early morning with my cup of coffee, my Bible(s), my devotional books, and my notebook, the Lord spoke very loudly to me in the quietness. The scripture for that particular morning was Ephesians 3:14-21. I read it over and over, in two versions: New International and New Living.
Wow!
What a powerful, powerful prayer Paul wrote in this letter to the church at Ephesus!
Have you thought about family worship in the Old Testament? How does it transition to our lives today? I wonder, “Are we working to include family worship as part of our family legacy?”
READ God’s Word. Do you see Family Worship in the Scriptures?
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