Tag: trust

Streams in the Desert – Singing in the Fire

Posted on by Dorci

I wanted to share today’s Streams in the Desert devotion with you. If you aren’t familiar with Streams in the Desert, it is a wonderfully insightful devotional that was put together by Lettie Cowman (L.B. Cowman), wife of Rev. Charles Cowman, an evangelist and missionary, and first published in 1925. The devotions are compilations of various teachings and poetry she read that had inspired her.

The devotional is just what it sounds like: a refreshing encouragement for anyone going through a spiritual desert. It reminds us that our suffering is not in vain. In Christ it has purpose, both for now and for eternity. And it reminds us that we are not alone. We join the millions of followers of Christ (and even Christ Himself) who, over the centuries, have suffered in the process of walking with Jesus. God has used it in my own life many times to help pick me back up and set me on the road again. The devotional is available on Amazon, and you can also read it online, a new one each day, at http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/desert/.
God bless you!
Dorci

They sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: “Great and astounding are your deeds, Lord God, the All-Powerful! Just and true are your ways, King over the nations! (Rev 15:3)

The following incident is related by Mrs. Charles Spurgeon, who was a great sufferer for more than a quarter of a century:

“At the close of a dark and gloomy day, I lay resting on my couch as the deeper night drew on; and though all was bright within my cozy room, some of the external darkness seemed to have entered into my soul and obscured its spiritual vision. Vainly I tried to see the Hand which I knew held mine, and guided my fog-enveloped feet along a steep and slippery path of suffering. In sorrow of heart I asked,

“’Why does my Lord thus deal with His child? Why does He so often send sharp and bitter pain to visit me? Why does He permit lingering weakness to hinder the sweet service I long to render to His poor servants?’

“These fretful questions were quickly answered, and through a strange language; no interpreter was needed save the conscious whisper of my heart.

“For a while silence reigned in the little room, broken only by the crackling of the oak log burning in the fireplace. Suddenly I heard a sweet, soft sound, a little, clear, musical note, like the tender trill of a robin beneath my window.

“’What can it be? surely no bird can be singing out there at this time of the year and night.’

“Again came the faint, plaintive notes, so sweet, so melodious, yet mysterious enough to provoke our wonder. My friend exclaimed,

“’It comes from the log on the fire!’ The fire was letting loose the imprisoned music from the old oak’s inmost heart!

“Perchance he had garnered up this song in the days when all was well with him, when birds twittered merrily on his branches, and the soft sunlight flecked his tender leaves with gold. But he had grown old since then, and hardened; ring after ring of knotty growth had sealed up the long-forgotten melody, until the fierce tongues of the flames came to consume his callousness, and the vehement heart of the fire wrung from him at once a song and a sacrifice. ’Ah,’ thought I, ’when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified, and our God is glorified!’

“Perhaps some of us are like this old oak log, cold, hard, insensible; we should give forth no melodious sounds, were it not for the fire which kindles around us, and releases notes of trust in Him, and cheerful compliance with His will.

“’As I mused the fire burned,’ and my soul found sweet comfort in the parable so strangely set forth before me.

“Singing in the fire! Yes, God helping us, if that is the only way to get harmony out of these hard apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before.”

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Posted on by Dorci

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

Sometimes I wish I could have sat as Jesus’s feet, listening to His words and all the inflection He gave each of them, watching His facial expressions and the gesturing of His hands. Thankfully, the Greek language gives us a peek into what it must have been like for His disciples.

When Jesus refers to Himself as He says “Abide in Me…” and “He who abides in Me…” and “without Me…” the word “me” is a prolonged, or emphasized form of the word me.

“Abide (stay, continue, dwell, be present) in ME…”

I can almost hear His gentle pleading and see the passion in His eyes… “Don’t wander away, even for a moment, don’t get sidetracked, don’t try to find hope or purpose in anything or anyone else but ME!”

In other words, don’t forget why we’re here. There’s so much we need to do in this life – make a living, raise a family, and all the other concerns in life that keep us busy – and those are good and well, but we can’t get so focused on any of those that we begin to abide in them instead of Christ.

He is to be the focus of our lives. Why? Because without Him we can do nothing, He says. We need the power that only He has in order to first, grow in Him, and second, to bear fruit.

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a healthy, vibrant, budding, fruitful branch abiding in the life-giving Vine.

Grace and peace,

Thankful Thursday – Living in the Light

Posted on by Dorci

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  1 Peter 2:9

Over the last couple of months or so God has been speaking to my heart about living in the light, and I don’t think His word is only for me.  So throughout the year I’ll be sharing with you some things He’s shown me, and I’m sure will show me, about living in the light, about being a light and about sharing His light with those around you.

Because of certain circumstances throughout my life, I grew accustomed at a young age to rely on myself, and dealing with mounting difficult circumstances alone taught me to keep secrets.  By the time I was saved at 26, that way of living had become second nature.

It’s been 25 years since the day Christ shown His light into my heart and life, and yet more and more He’s showing me that my habit of running and hiding when life gets hard hasn’t included hiding from just people.  Without really realizing it, I was, to a degree, hiding from God too.  I was still in the mode of dealing with much of the pain and circumstances of life on my own.

But through His love and grace and mercy, He’s been coaxing me out from hiding and telling me “It’s okay.  I already know how you feel, I already know what you think, and I love you no matter what.  I don’t love you as others have.  I love you unconditionally, with an all-consuming  love, and nothing can take that away.”

The world tells us the opposite: that we have to earn love, and that pursuit can overflow into our relationship with Christ.  The enemy works hard to keep us working for love, although he never reveals to us that love can never be earned. In trying to earn it, he dangles love as a carrot that’s always just out of reach. And in trying to conceal God’s love, the enemy also tries to conceal His light.

The thing the enemy doesn’t want anyone to know is that unless we come into the light, allowing our sins to be exposed by talking to our Heavenly Father about our pain, our confusion, our brokenness, and letting Him deal with it all, there can be no healing. satan loves when we keep secrets, when we live in the shadows, because he knows that Christ’s light will offer us forgiveness and will bind up our wounds.  That He’ll use them grow us and give us a greater capacity for compassion toward others who are going through their own painful circumstances. satan doesn’t want us to know that our shame and guilt were nailed to the cross along with our sins when we received Christ as Lord and Savior.

But they were, and we are free.  We are free to come into the Light.

Some truths are finally moving the long journey from my mind to my heart.  As I’m growing in the Lord, I’m growing in His grace, and I’m finally starting to understand what those words mean.

And so, for the freedom to stand boldly with arms raised in the light and love of Jesus, I’m thankful.

 

How to Find the Abundant Path

Posted on by Dorci

Here we are, standing at the beginning of a new year with countless paths before us, each with their own forks leading into valleys, mountaintops, hushed wooded groves, deep waters, blue skies.  Some would lead us closer to God, some further away. So how do we know which ones to take?  Which paths are the Lord’s, and how do we follow Him on His paths of abundance?

There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12

There is a way which seems right…..

Too many times we make decisions based on what seems right, on what we feel at the time.  What we feel one day we may not the next, and making a decision based on our ever-changing feelings – or as the world might say, following your heart – can be disastrous, and lead us down a path full of snares.

So.  If we can’t make a decision properly based on what seems right to us, how do we know what really is right?

The word abundance in Psalm 65:11 is the Hebrew word deshen which means “the fat; figuratively abundance; specifically the fatty ashes of sacrifice.”

Genesis 4:4 talks about Abel’s offering to the Lord.  “And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering..”  Abel didn’t keep the first or the best for himself, giving the Lord his scrawny leftovers.  He brought the best of the best to give as a sacrifice to the Lord, and the Lord accepted it and the proof of His acceptance were the ashes.  The sacrifice was acceptable and good in the sight of  God.  It was a bountiful, generous, overflowing, richly abundant banquet between the Lord and Abel.

Fast forward a few thousand years to the hill of Calvary.  There is a cross, and on it the lamb of God.  God’s very best given as an acceptable sacrifice for our sins.

This Offering was an abundant, sufficient, once-for-all Sacrifice for our sins.

Only this Sacrifice was raised again on the third day and now lives to make intercession for us to the Father.  From Him all blessings, wisdom and direction to the very fullness of our sanctification lies with Christ.

Oh my dear friends, the abundant path is Christ Himself.

As you walk through the year, keep your eyes focused on Him.  Remember, this life is not about things, it’s not about climbing an imaginary success ladder, it’s about an ongoing, intimate relationship with our Abba Father.  He created us for fellowship with Him. Talk to Him and practice listening to His voice. And as you move through this life and aren’t sure which path to take, remember that He will never tell you to do anything contrary to His Word.  He IS the Word.

As you go, you’ll need to hold onto a few things.

Faith in God.

Not faith in circumstances, not faith in people, but keep your faith where it belongs: on the God who loves you, who hears your prayers, and is in the process of answering them according to His will  and His timing.  Never, ever give up.

Trust in God.

Trust is faith in action.  It’s where the rubber meets the road.  When God tells you to go there, or do that, will you trust Him enough to be obedient, even when it’s hard or even seems impossible?

Hope in God.

Hope will sustain you when nothing makes sense. Without it our souls wilt, we give up and we either make decisions in the flesh and move in the  wrong direction or we’ll stop moving altogether.  None of those will have a good outcome.  But hope will keep us encouraged, patient and joyful.

Love, for God and His people.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”  1 Cor. 13:1-3

“The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7-8

We have such a short time here on this earth.  If all we do is wrapped up in the holy love of the Lord, we will leave a legacy that reaches further than we can imagine, and we’ll lay up treasures in heaven that no one can fathom.

And what is true love?

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”  1 Cor. 13:4-8a

That is the abundant life.

In His good grace,

Stay Focused

Posted on by Dorci

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2

God knows you’re not perfect. He knew that when He sent His Son to the cross, and Christ knew that when He died for you. Don’t let the enemy keep you focused on your past sins. Repent and keep moving forward.

Then determine to focus on Christ and keep putting your faith in Him every day, in every circumstance.  He will work out the rest!

 

In His Good Grace,

Bountifully, Abundantly, Eternally Good

Posted on by Dorci

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

Psalm 145

 

The Secret of Contentment

Posted on by Dorci

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”  1 Timothy 6:6

It’s a strange juxtaposition in which we believers find ourselves.  We are filled with Spirit of God Himself, bringing heaven down to earth and all the godly riches available to us with such a glorious gift, and yet at the same time we are still on this earth, saddled with these fleshly bodies, so prone to temptation, walking among earthly riches, seeing, smelling, contemplating, desiring…

The flesh and the spirit are at war.

But Paul reminds us that while godliness is good, godliness with contentment is greater.  It is gain.

Holidays are supposed to be a joyous time, but they can be especially rough on some who have suffered a loss of some kind.  The days when seemingly everyone else is rejoicing can be a magnifier for those losses or unfulfilled expectations.

But a magnifying glass only magnifies that on which we are solely focused. And when we focus the magnifying glass on the world and its temptations, even on those things that aren’t necessarily bad, but God has simply, in His wisdom and grace and mercy, not given them to us, then our focus becomes lust and envy.

We become discontent.

Contentment means we have moved the magnifying glass to focus on our Lord and Savior.  We’re focused on Christ and God’s Spirit working in our lives, even through those losses, and have found we have all we need, and even more, to live an abundant life right here and right now.

In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul declared “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

And what is that secret to being content?

He doesn’t leave us wondering; in the next breath he tells us “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

No matter what our circumstances, and we are all in some kind of circumstances–don’t let the enemy tell you that everyone else’s life is perfect and yours isn’t—Jesus Christ gives us strength, not just to endure, but to thrive, to be spiritually well-fed and well-clothed, to have all our physical needs met to the glory of His Name, the magnification of His goodness and faithfulness.

In the world there is always something more to want, something more to chase after.  Just like we can stuff ourselves silly on Thanksgiving only to be hungry again two hours later, the world will never satisfy.  But the overflowing, never-ending, treasure of God will satisfy the soul because that’s what we’re created for.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency  in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”  2 Cor. 9:8

The same word that is “contentment” in 1 Timothy 6:6 is used as “sufficiency” here in 2 Corinthians.

Contentment–magnifying Christ in our hearts and minds–knowing He is sufficient for all our needs and able to work through those difficult or even impossible situations, watching Him move every mound of dirt until our mountain is thrown into the sea, will bring us a satisfaction that no amount of earthly riches ever will.

Contentment means we don’t have to worry about our needs because God’s got it covered.  We can come off the sidelines of dismay as we realize the eternal treasures that are ours in the Lord and the strength we receive frees us to carry on, faithfully doing the good work He has carved out for us to do.

In His Good Grace,

 

 

 

How to Pray

Posted on by Dorci

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”  Luke 11:1

It was a wise request, and we would be wise to ask it, too.

So what did the Lord say?

“When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
Luke 11:2-4

A lot of people take this instruction literally, and this is the only prayer they pray.  But God doesn’t want us to just recite words; He wants our hearts. Prayer is not getting God to do what we want, but it’s a gracious open door of communication so that God can show us His will and change the rhythm of our hearts to beat with His. Jesus gives His disciples, us included, a peek into God’s heart through this prayer.  So let’s unpack it just a little a bit and see how we are to pray.

“When you pray, say:”

This word prayer means worship.  Prayer is not a time to jump in, ask for a bunch of things, and leave.  It’s a time where we enter into worship of the Most High God.

“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.”

These two sentences are very telling.

Jesus introduces the radical notion that we have the privilege of calling God our Father.  He is closer to us than some impersonal God “way up there.”  He loves us as a parent loves a child (and even more) and when we go to Him in prayer we can be assured that He hears us and will provide us with every good thing.

At the same time Jesus reminds us our Father is hallowed, or holy.  He is not like our earthly fathers.  He is sacred, pure, blameless and righteous.  Any fears or emotional baggage we may have because of our earthly fathers do not apply to our Heavenly Father.  We can trust Him.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.

The word kingdom means rule, a realm or a reign.  Now that the Holy Spirit has come, we who have put our faith in Christ have the privilege of knowing God not just from the outside, but from the inside.  And to properly worship God in prayer we must continually give Him permission to rule our hearts.  It’s so easy to take back the reins, if you will.

As we give our hearts to be a kingdom for God to reside, we’ll want His will, not ours.  In heaven everything happens God’s way.  There is no sin.  It is filled with the glory of God and all He is.

In Isaiah 55:8-9, God tells us “’For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

God’s thoughts, desires and will, are all so very different, so much higher than our own.  And when we pray that God’s will be done here on earth like it is in heaven, that’ll mean He’s going to shake things up a bit, and it’s going to start with changing our hearts.  Are you willing to let God do radical things in and through you?

“Give us day by day our daily bread.”

God doesn’t give us what we’ll need tomorrow today.  He gives us what we need today today, so we need to go to Him every day.

Not only do we need to get physical bread—food, and even on a broader scale, physical or material needs–but we need spiritual bread.

Most of us would never think of going a day (or even a few hours!) without eating.  We need to be spiritually fed as often.

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35

Jesus is our sustenance.  As we remain in Him, He will bless us with everything we need.

“And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

When we hold unforgiveness (or any sin) in our hearts, whether we’re resisting repenting of our own sins or forgiving someone who has sinned against us, we put up a wall between us and God.

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2

Ask God to bring to your mind those things you need to specifically repent of, and the people you need to forgive.  There are times that past, hurtful situations come to my mind and it’s easy to sit and stew in the anger all over again.  But those are divinely-inspired opportunities to forgive someone who may have slipped from our consciousness, but God knows that anger is creating a root of bitterness, and He brings them to our minds to give us a chance to forgive.  We may have temporarily forgotten, but God hasn’t. He knows the destruction it causes in our hearts.  Remember, forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling.

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

This literally means to rescue us from the evil one–the one seeks to steal, kill and destroy.  We’ve repented of our sins and the last thing we want to do is rush right back into sin through the temptations we face.  We need discipline and as we hold onto the Lord, He will give us the strength and courage we need.

The concise way of saying all that is to remember ACTS:

Adoration – praising God for all He is
Confession – repenting of, or turning away from our sin
Thanksgiving – thanking God for all He’s done, all He does and all He will do
Supplication – presenting our needs before the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills

This is a good guideline to get our hearts right as we enter into worship so we don’t get a case of the “gimmes.”  You know, give me this and give me that.

The National Day of Prayer uses this acronym:

Praise
Repent
Ask
Yield.

And just as important as knowing what to say, is knowing how to be silent.  To sit before God and let Him speak to our hearts is a precious gift indeed.

God bless you as you pray,