One is not a lonely number. Nor is it weak. One shows its beauty in its strength because it stands firm when others may be wavering. One holds on in faith to God, Who is their surety of hope. When others cannot work it in their hearts to see beyond the now into something better to come, one sees more by faith.
One makes a difference. Although God would love to use the multitudes for His glory, He only needs one who will open everything up to Him and simply believe.
Think of Noah in the days of old. The whole world had gone mad and corrupt, but there stood this one who found “grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen. 6:8). By faith, he “moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house…” (Heb. 11:7).
And what of Rahab? Although she was a harlot, when she heard about God and all He had done for His people, she took steps of faith that not only saved the messengers but also her house and relatives (see James 2:25; Joshua 6:17, 25, 23).
So, if you sometimes feel like you are the only one – the only one concerned, the only one willing to take steps – then you are in great company with others whose single decision to believe led them to follow God with feet stepping out in faith.
Your impact matters. When you feel like you’re standing alone, stand even taller knowing that what you do will never be forgotten in the eyes of the Father. He sees you.
You may be just an individual. But you are an individual meant for change. Because you refuse to give up, even when it seems you are walking alone, other lives may draw closer to the Lord. Both Noah’s and Rahab’s families experienced a tremendous deliverance because one person in that family chose to stand in faith.
There is power in one! You make a personal impact! You are an individual with influence! Stand, and be that one!
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Determination and decisions not only impact this day but also become a foreteller of what all your tomorrows will be. Are you ready? Refuse the what-ifs of life and be resolved to go where God is leading.
Her name may call her a bee, but she was lionhearted, sure, confident, and decisive, and she literally rose to the occasion when her people needed her the most. She was a spiritual champion who wielded her faith unflinchingly. Her name was Deborah.
In many ways, encounters mean everything to one’s progression forward. People judge others on first encounters. We often hear the importance of making a good and lasting first impression. It will determine if one should go deeper in the relationship or not. Opposite that, there are experiences with encounters that can go sourly wrong if not handled correctly. Think of a surprise meeting with a wild animal such as a bear.
Moses learned early on in his encounter with God that God cannot be approached in a haphazard fashion (Exodus 3:2-5). One must be very serious when coming into the presence of God. The standard has to be raised from the normal, and the steps which one treads to approach Him must be done with reverence because He is God.
Approximately two months after God’s final blow of the last of the 10 plagues, the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, and Israel’s departure from that land, the people have traveled and arrived in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19:1) and are now camped at the base of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:2).
Moses was then called up the mountain to come before God (Exodus 19:3). From that place, God began to speak words of promise and instruction for Moses to relay in the hearing of the people. God wanted them to remember their deliverance and how He brought them out of that land of oppression (Exodus 19:4). Afterward, God laid out stipulations for being in a covenant relationship with Him. Unlike the Abrahamic Covenant which was unconditional, the Mosaic Covenant had guidelines, rules, and rituals for the people to follow: “If ye obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant,” God spoke, “then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people,” (Exodus 19:5).
Moses then called the elders of the people together and relayed all of this to them and their status as a “holy nation” (Exodus 19:6-7). After, the people agreed to do what God commanded (Exodus 19:8).
But now that they have met with Moses and received these terms, it’s time for them to prepare their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to meet with God. Moses was relaying all this pertinent information as God’s mouthpiece to them, but God wanted a one-on-one audience with His chosen people, His peculiar treasure.
As far as the purpose for that audience, God made it very clear: “Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever,” (Exodus 19:9). God wanted them to hear and experience His power up close and personal. He wanted them to hear and bear witness for themselves, as He spoke with Moses, so that they might believe and listen to Moses as His chosen leader, who receives His words and instructions and passes them on to the people. Although the covenant is for all His people, it was given to Moses; thus, it is referred to as the Mosaic Covenant.
For this “meeting” to take off properly, what the people do beforehand is of great importance. They had to consecrate themselves before approaching God. Filth had to be washed off, clothes had to be changed, and the people had to be sanctified (Exodus 19:10, 14), or “set apart.” Boundaries had to be set (Exodus 19:12-13). His sacredness was going to pervade that mountain, and the people needed to respect His presence. During that time, even intimate relations with their spouses were prohibited to be considered ceremonially clean (Exodus 19:15).
Friends, if we are to go deeper, if we are to be a people who will draw near to His presence, then we must, ourselves also, prepare for the approach as they did in the days of the ancients. Not with ceremony, but with sincerity. Not with rituals, but with a heart seeking an intimate relationship with the Father as the driving force. There is no greater place to be, nor any greater experience to experience than whole and beautiful, sweet fellowship with our God.
But when we start discussing rules, compliance, and the like, it tends to put people off. As we are born with the nature of free-will beings, sometimes it bucks against the very thing that is most helpful for us to have a better life. That is discipline, order, and obedience to the One who knows the healthiest guidelines for our lives to be directed by.
Any child of God should hunger to be nearer to Him than the day before. Therefore, daily, we need to monitor and adjust our approach if need be. We need hearts and minds prepared for the encounter.
How do we do that?
We must ready ourselves.
For anything important we want to do or any event we want to attend, we work hard to make sure we are properly prepared. Oh, how much more the effort should we put forth in readying to meet our God!
The people of old had to wash off any dirt and be sanctified. Is there anything that needs to be removed from your life that would be an impediment to the approach? Hebrews 12:1 says, “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Everything that wants to hold us back; everything that stands as an obstacle to our spiritual success; everything that works against our salvation, preventing us from a proper approach.
The people of old set boundaries and had to remain where the borders allowed and not enter where they prohibited. Previously, I shared, “God’s Word is filled with instructions, commandments, statutes – lines, if you will, not to confine us, but to give us a life far greater. Jesus taught, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).” (We Need the Lines/WordforLifeSays)
His holy Word shows us the guidelines for the approach. It reveals to us not only the importance and how of drawing near to our Heavenly Father, but also life principles and directions that will help us to keep the pathway of relationship clear of obstacles and hindrances: “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble,” (Psalm 119:165).
We are promised “In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16:11). In that, we should not want anything to come between us and the moment of that great, holy experience. So, like the ancients, what we do beforehand will determine how close we can draw near.
The Bible encourages us to “Examine yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5); prepare for our day of approach both now for relationship, and for eternity, where we will finally hear those blessed words: “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). For it is then and there, we will experience the Holy Encounter like never before.
God’s desire has always been to have an up-close and personal relationship with each one of us. May we let nothing hinder our coming closer. Are you ready?
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
“Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you,” 1 Peter 4:12
“Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we may through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,” Acts 14:22
One of the best things about being an avid reader is the happy ending that appears at the end of almost every book I read. When you first dive into a new book, you begin to get familiar with the characters and their life. Each turn of the page takes us along on their journey, revealing to us their joys and sadness, hardships and pain. By the time we reach those last few pages, everything has worked itself out. There’s almost always a reason for celebration and the typical “aww” moment, especially if you’re into romance novels.
That’s the great thing about books. They allow your imagination to soar, taking you into worlds you may not otherwise get a chance to explore. Your mind’s eye becomes connected to the writer’s vision for the book, and soon a vivid story begins to unfold before you. Though there are no pictures, illustrations begin to form, revealing all that is written therein. Television has its place – oh, but to read a book!
Whether it’s a movie, a television program, or a book, the stories we hear and see transport us, giving us a reprieve from reality. But when the last page is read or the screen goes blank, it’s back to reality. And reality isn’t always as picturesque as the stories we left behind. Sometimes love does not find its way. Sometimes the bad guy does get away. Sometimes the hero doesn’t make it home. Sometimes the disease doesn’t heal. Sometimes the child does not find their way home. Sometimes the friend does not stick closer than a brother, and so on.
Sometimes life is just not fun! I think more so than ever that we have not heard enough about the reality of life. Instead, we are raising up a generation of rose-colored glasses wearers. Even from the pulpit of most American churches, the messages of peace, prosperity, and wealth have taken over the reality of life. Jesus Christ Himself clearly stated that in the world you will have tribulation (John 16:33). Peace and blessings will come. Promises will be fulfilled, but our physical being is living in the world right now, and while we are here, we have to face the reality that everything, every day, is not going to be easy.
This philosophy breeds a culture of disillusionment. Romanticizing life leaves one totally off guard and taken aback when troubling times come. A hard life is a hard life, no matter which way you look at it, and when one is not ready in the least for it, the residual effects can be devastating. “We may through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God.” It is going to be hard sometimes.
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you,” 1 Peter 4:12. In other words, the test is going to be hard sometimes. Tests are not passed with a fly-by-night attitude. Tests are passed when people are prepared for them. But the wearer of the rose-colored glasses will have a harder time because the tests seem like a “strange thing” that has happened to them.
Listen, prepared or not, some things in life will just come out of the blue and whip your world around, causing you to say, “What the what?” It’s inevitable. The idea behind not romanticizing life is to expect the unexpected. We don’t want to lose out on those promises God has for us because we have the false illusion that nothing will ever happen to us.
The promises are coming, that’s a given. In John 16:33, after Jesus warned, “In the world ye shall have tribulation,” He also gave us cause to celebrate. He said, “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And after Peter wrote of the “strange thing,” he exhorted his readers with verses 13-14a. He said, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you . . .”
Oh yes, thank God for the promises. Every word that speaks of them is true. But don’t be surprised when we have to go through some stuff today before we reach those promises.
If you have ever spent time in a garden, you know to get the most out of what you are planting, you must first spend time cultivating the soil. This involves preparing the soil to support the life of the seed or the plant. It is about nourishing and amending the soil. This ensures it will have all the healthful benefits needed to reach full maturity and fruitfulness.
Many want fruitfulness. However, the way we have been pursuing it has left many less than satisfied. They feel deflated, worn out, and frazzled because of all it takes to reach it in this world of demands.
Our modern culture allows us to do many things. This increase in perceived productivity has been helpful in some areas while taking its toll on others.
The physical, emotional, and mental burnout that people have come to equate with success has created dissatisfaction. This has awakened a not-so-silent call for a better way to live. There must be more than this constantly rushing about.
Many have become aware of the unhealthy way our over-rushed and overworked culture has pushed us forward and the term “slow living” has regained our attention. Dealing with constant busyness and hurried lifestyles has caused some to take a step back. In this, they reflect and reevaluate what is really a priority for them to have a wholesome, balanced, and healthy life. And what many are finding out is that there is a real need to put space on the calendar or the everyday routine of life to let go, and get slow.
Slow, misunderstood, and used wrongly, can be viewed as laziness. But slow can be beautiful because you are deciding to be purposeful with your life. Moving forward at a hundred miles an hour is not your goal, rather you account that people and life, in general, are made for so much more than mere zooming by without the time for deep connections. So, you take the time to love, nourish, be intentional, and simply live and enjoy all the ways God has blessed you.
You are cultivating, on purpose, the ground of your life to support more than agendas and achievements. The abundance you are desiring cannot be confined to such trivial things. The greatest example is in our relationship with Christ.
Jesus promised us an abundant life (John 10:10). That abundance is not about forcing or focusing on things we can gain in this world or material wealth. The richest thing one can invest in to be more intentional with the life they have been given is more of Him. That cannot happen if we are always distracted by constantly doing and never taking the time to sit and be where He is (Luke 10:40-42).
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10).
Cultivating slow living is not about shirking responsibilities or approaching life with a lackadaisical attitude. This is about valuing everything I have been given, especially the people in my life, and I want to care for each and honor each in a way that lets them know I esteem them, I am here for them, and I love them. I want to use this life in a way that pleases God by stewarding well what He has given me and not have my focus continually on climbing some invisible ladder of success.
Think about what pursuit has you running about at a hurried pace today? The Bible tells us, “He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour” (Proverbs 21:21).
It is so easy to get caught up in what has been dubbed “the rat race,” but our daily living is made for more. These days, people, and moments are gifts to us by our Heavenly Father and we are encouraged about how we spend our time with each (Ephesians 5:15, 16).
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Changing what we pursue and how we pursue it will make our lives a lot less stressful. Take time today to slow down, prioritize, and recenter on what matters most. There is so much more to life, and we don’t want to miss it.
So, how do we make this change?
Prioritize – Look where you are now and what you want your tomorrow to look like. To achieve your desired outcome, what can you let go of or shave down some so that you don’t always feel at your wit’s end. I can attest to the fact that often we take on more than we are capable of in any given season. Laying something aside right now doesn’t mean it’s not important; it just means it doesn’t fit in with the season of life I’m in right now. So we prioritize, bringing out the best without being overburdened with things that can wait.
Recenter – Once you have strained out the main priorities for your right-now season, you can recenter and mark your path forward. When using a GPS, sometimes I look at the overview screen of the trip to see the highways and streets we must travel ahead of us. But when I need to get back to dealing with where I am currently on my journey, I need to hit the recenter button. While it’s okay to think about the future (the Bible encourages this often), we must also pay attention to where we are in our present moment. What needs our immediate attention right now? How much strength, time, and commitment can I put into this right now? These are important questions to ask. We often get hurried and over-stressed because we want to deal with all the right-now stuff the along with the what-ifs of the future stacked on top of it. Most of the daily things we deal with can be broken down into more manageable tasks and delegated to other times. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing (an attitude that overworks us).
Go slow – take a deep breath and move forward at a manageable pace. There have been times I have prayed and asked God to help me steward this day or for the best way to handle the tasks in front of me. He, who is the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9), has the wisdom and strength your day needs. Trust Him with your schedule. We are given gifts to be productive, but remember, God, who is the Author of those gifts, is also the Author of rest (Genesis 2:2,3). Not just with the Sabbath, but throughout Scripture, His call to rest is a call to trust in what He is doing in your life during this season. We become filled with ideas and inspirations and want to put the pedal to the metal and give it our all. And that’s fine. But if you are feeling burned out and extremely overwhelmed, you have to question is this what God has for me in this season, or is it me rushing ahead? And if we feel it is the Lord’s leading, perhaps we need to revisit steps 1 and 2 to be sure we have shaved unnecessary things away for now.
Don’t be disheartened. Schedules often need to be revisited to see if everything we have going on right now is for our optimal good. Recently, I have personally had to revisit how I approach certain tasks, and it is helping me see that although I love my routines, some routines or expectations may not work for certain periods of life. We must be willing to move and adjust when feeling led or if we feel like this particular thing isn’t working for now, and trust God with the outcome.
We want to cultivate a life where we are productive under God’s grace without completely feeling exhausted and stressed as if we are being buried under the burden of each day’s demands. Sometimes, slowing down will help us to do just that. Enjoy this life God has given.
Let this be your declaration today: “I do not have to control everything. The Author and Finisher of my faith is in perfect control. I may not know what’s ahead, but I know my God does – and He is sovereignly in control.”
We allow ourselves to be held captive by how we believe things need to be, said, or done. Yes, in our days we want and crave a certain amount of order, but we cannot order everything that is going to take place. We are not the Creator. We are not God. Nor do we have the abilities He does.
By faith, we can step out and do extraordinary things (as a matter of fact, we are expected to – Hebrews 11:6). But even in that, we must remember: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
In addition to His sovereignty, God is all-knowing (Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20; Psalm 147:5). He sees the bigger picture we may never see. He sees the behind-the-scenes. He sees the past, present, and future. And He knows how to properly orchestrate your life and mine.
So, how does all of this tie into our daily living?
Think of it this way: in our world, buttons are all around us. They meet us in many ways throughout the day: to access elevators, to punch keyboards, to start some cars, to turn on coffee machines, start the microwave, etc. The thing I find about buttons is, they are never there for show. Buttons are always present with a purpose. When buttons are pushed we are looking for some sort of action to follow – a release to function.
How many burdens do we carry because we can’t figure out the right way to do something? How many hours of rest do we sacrifice because we are worried about how all of this will work out?
Today, with God, we have a release button and we must learn to use it. The Bible tells us to, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7).
If you have been moved away from the peace and calm that is rightfully yours as a child of God (John 14:27; Philippians 4:7), may I suggest you push that release button today.
If this life has you teetering because you can’t seem to get a handle on those things that you are fighting with to line up according to the vision and purpose you is think is right – take a step back, and release it to God.
If you know you are trying to control and bring order to many, if not every area of your life and it’s just not working – my friend, release. Do not put more on yourself than you already have to, or carry a load you were never meant to carry.
There is help, and our Help is infalliable, stronger than we can imagine, and limitless in capacity: our Heavenly Father. He is concerned with all the details of your life and it is His blessed Word that carries these promises of release.
Push that button. Let go of the weight and trust God with the release.
“Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” Acts 8:4
Is the glass half empty or half full? This question determines whether one is a pessimist or an optimist.
How we view things determines how we categorize them, and how we categorize them determines how we deal with them.
For those in the early church, the persecution they encountered could have been categorized as disastrous. The afflictions they faced brought real suffering, and decisions had to be made for individuals to leave their homes and places of comfort and flee. But in the fleeing, something amazing happened: Their faith went with them.
The cause of Christ that burned within refused to be extinguished. Rather, through the hardships they dealt with, it found a place to grow.
In the scattering of the faithful, more people were introduced to Jesus Christ, our Lord.
The situations you face today may not be pleasant, and you may not fully understand how it can work out for your good (Romans 8:28), but God does, and He is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20).
Father God, I may not understand everything I encounter today, but I know that You always have my best in mind, and it is in Your hands I place my trust. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, I pray, AMEN.
What people witness in your life resounds more than the words that are coming out of your mouth. Evidence of belief, proof of faith, is the visual representation that most want. Many mistake others for not wanting what we have or not wanting the faith, yet they haven’t seen enough of it in action to compel them to seek after what we say we have.
So, the old phrase still rings true today: “Seeing is believing.” To a world lost, who have no hope, they look for a ring of hope they can grab onto to prevent them from drowning in the deep abyss of the darkness of this world. They want a way out. Many don’t want to sink deeper into despair, deeper into the unknown, where there is no light to guide the way. They want to see what you say you see. They want to feel what you say you feel. They want what you say you have, but do they see it currently active in you to propel them from wanting it to actually seeking it?
Your faith speaks louder than your words. Paul told the church at Thessalonica, “Your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” 1 Thessalonians 1:8. If necessary, I believe Paul would have testified on their behalf; he would have spoken up for them to assure others of their faith. But their faith was so active, their faith was so alive and in operation that he didn’t feel a need to speak at all. Their faith did the talking for them. Their faith is what people noticed, not merely the words they spoke.
A lot of people do a lot of talking these days, and sometimes it’s hard to decipher truth from fiction. Jesus gave us a key that lines right up with what Paul wrote in his letter. Jesus said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” Matthew 7:16. If one comes upon a tree that has apples growing upon it, then they are to assume it is an apple tree. The same is true with a life of faith. What they see coming out of you, or as Paul referred to as “gone out,” is what matters the most. You can say that you are an orange tree, but if I see apples, then I will classify you as an apple tree. If you say that you have great faith but all I see is the opposite, then I will not view you as having great faith. I will mark you by what I see.
Your faith matters in this world. More importantly, your faith on display matters to those around you so much that one should not have to speak up or testify for you. All they should be able to do is look at your faith in action and mark you as a person of faith.
