A SINNER'S PRAYER

 

A SINNER’S PRAYER

Is. 59:1-2 Listen! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem---your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. NLT

Hear me now! The Lord is not too weak to save you! There is no sin beyond the Lord’s ability to forgive. No, not one!! No matter what you have been told or think, if you are not saved today, the Lord can do it for you. If you admit your sins to Him, take responsibility for them, ask him to forgive you, and believe that He has done it, you will become a child of God. If you call on Him, He will hear you

However, if you continue to hang onto your sin, the Lord will not help you. Sin keeps us away from God. It is our enemy and cuts us off from God. Sin keeps God away from us and prevents Him from hearing us when we pray. The only sinner’s prayer that God can answer is that of confession and repentance.

If you are living or dabbling in sin, you have a choice to make. You will either choose to seek the Lord’s forgiveness, or you will push Him away. There is no room for both Christ and sin in your heart. The Lord will not stay around where sin rules the heart.

It’s not a matter of can God save you; He can save anyone. It’s a matter of are you willing to let Him save you? God is not willing that anyone be lost, dying in their sins, but He will not force His way into your heart. Only you can stop God from saving you. Please, do not delay. Open up your heart to Him today and you will find peace with God and eternal life with Him.

Lord, for anyone who may be reading this devotional today who has never turned to you for the forgiveness of their sins, I ask that You move them to turn to you right now. Lord, convict them of their sins, move them to confess them before you and seek your forgiveness. Lord, if they do, please forgive them and bring them into the fold of your love and grace. And Lord, if there are any believers reading this today who have unconfessed sins, please convict them of them and move them to repentance. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

YOU CAN BE SAVED

 

YOU CAN BE SAVED!

Is. 59:1-2 Listen! The LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem---your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. NLT

The Lord is not too weak to save. His ability to save is stronger than the worst of sinners. There is no one who is beyond God’s saving grace if they humble themselves before Him, confess their sins, and turn to Him for forgiveness. He hears and answers every sincere prayer of repentance.

Sometimes we let sin get in-between us and God. The more we let sin into our heart, the more distant God becomes to us. It is not that God has wandered away from us; we have wandered away from Him. God has not changed. He is as He always was and always shall be. He hears and answers us when we call on Him, when we approach Him with holy hearts. Sin breaks off the lines of communication. It prevents God from hearing us when we call on Him.

If it seems like the Lord is no longer near to your heart, it is probably because of a sin problem you have. If your prayers keep bouncing off the ceiling, you need to first examine your heart before God. If you don’t know what your sin might be, ask the Lord to show you. He will not hide it from you. He wants you to know your sin so you can confess it and be forgiven.

Honesty of heart is essential when dealing with sin. We must admit it before God when we sin. There is no way to avoid this step. Confession involves taking responsibility for our sinful choices. Sin is done willfully, and we must declare it so before God. Sin cuts us off from God and unless it is dealt with, God will turn away from us. He cannot overlook sin; it must be dealt with. He is holy and without holiness of heart, no one will see God.

If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

THE LORD'S DAY IS HOLY

 

THE LORD’S DAY IS HOLY

Is. 58:13-14a Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the LORD in everything you do, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this, the LORD will be your delight. NLT

This is a truth of God’s Word that has long plagued me. I understand that we no longer live under the law. We are no longer compelled to obey the law in order to be righteous and holy. Jesus has fulfilled the law’s demands on us and has made us right with God.

But, I am convinced that the Lord’s Day should be a day we set aside for worship and restoration. It should be a day in which we break away from the normal routines of life and turn our thoughts to the Lord.

Rarely do we keep the Sabbath Day holy anymore. We fill it with all sorts of things that drain us. We take more delight in the things that we do than we do with the Lord. We squeeze in time for worship when we can, but it’s not the priority of the day. How is it honoring to the Lord to spend the day of rest He put into our week with activities that crowd Him out of our thoughts?

So often we use the Lord’s Day as a day to catch up on what we did not do the rest of the week. We catch up on our rest, our laundry, our housework, our work in the yard, our paperwork, etc. For many of us our workplace compels us to work. Each of us must decide how we handle the Lord’s Day. I wonder how many of us have ever prayed and asked the Lord what we can or cannot do. All I know is that the Lord speaks about it a lot in His Word for a reason. He considers it to be an important matter and so should we.

If you want the Lord to be more of a presence and pleasure in your life, a good place to start would be to examine the way you spend your Sabbath, or Sunday, rest. Do you keep the Sabbath Day holy?

LIKE A RESTLESS SEA

 

LIKE A RESTLESS SEA

Is. 57:20-21 “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea. It is never still but continually churns up mire and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked,” says my Lord. NLT

There just is no peace to be found for the soul apart from the Lord. All the promises of the world for peace are so shallow and empty. The soul is restless without the Lord and will never settle down to a life of peacefulness. The least little thing can break the appearances of peace. Because the soul without Christ is self-centered, it will always have problems with those who do not cater to its wants.

Living without the Lord never satisfies the longing of the soul. It is impossible for the soul to be content without the Lord. There will always be a craving for something else to satisfy. No matter what a person does or accumulates in life, it will never be enough. There will always be an emptiness, a lostness of the soul. People will crave for a sense of purpose and meaning for their lives but will not find anything in the world which can give it to them. The restless soul will always be threatened or jealous of the accomplishments of others. It’s a life that never finds rest. There is no such thing as a wicked soul who has it altogether and is satisfied with it.

God gave us souls with a need for Christ. Only Jesus can clear up the muddy waters that encase the soul. He alone can give us what our souls need. He alone can give us purpose and meaning for living. When the Lord has control of the soul there no longer is a longing for something else. A relationship with God is what we were created for. In Christ alone, we find the peace the soul craves for.

In those times in which we wander from God and reject His role in our lives, we find ourselves restless and unsatisfied. Peace eludes us and life is miserable. Dear friend, if you have wandered away from God or have rejected Him altogether, you will never be satisfied or find the peace your soul desperately needs. Only in Christ will you find what your soul craves for. Do not let another moment go by without the Lord. Turn to the Lord, confess your sins and the foolishness of your ways. Ask the Lord to forgive you and He will. In place of the emptiness of your soul, He will give you a peace that passes all understanding.

Don’t believe Satan’s lies that you can find peace in the world apart from Christ. The only thing you will find is misery and death for your soul.

MERCIFUL DEATH

 

MERCIFUL DEATH

Is. 57:1-2 The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For the godly who die will rest in peace. NLT

Here are a couple of verses that should be taught and learned by all of the body of Christ. We often wonder why certain people die when they do. In our minds, it just doesn’t seem to be right, especially if they are young and are offering so much to life. It is especially true when their death is compared to that of those who may survive and have very little to contribute. It just doesn’t seem fair to us that some die when they do. Why would God allow people to die who are having great impact on their families, churches, friends, and the world? We will never know the answers to the questions we often have. Yet, we can take great comfort in God’s Word today.

God sees and knows what we don’t. He knows what the future holds for us. He knows the affect the future will have on us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. In order to protect His children from certain disaster in the future, the Lord may call some home in what we would say would be prematurely. The death of His children is a good thing. It is a testimony of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. For those who die, the Lord is sparing them from what is to come. For those who remain to mourn their passing, the Lord gives them comfort and peace as they rest in His presence. And, He reassures us that even though one may pass on into eternity ahead of us, we will indeed see them again.

For the believer, death is a good thing. It is what each of us lives for. Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glory and grace. We will see the Lord! Let us not look upon death as an unwelcome intrusion in our lives. Let us not turn against God in our grief and sorrow. Let us instead thank the Lord for sparing us from what we don’t know and bringing to us rest from our labors. Let us thank the Lord for the wonderful life that awaits us in Christ beyond the grave. Let us thank Him for the comfort He gives in knowing that those who die in the Lord are with Him for all of eternity.

BE FAIR TO ALL

 

BE FAIR TO ALL

Is. 56:1-2 “Be just and fair to all,” says the LORD. “Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you. Blessed are those who are careful to do this. Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest by refusing to work. And blessed are those who keep themselves from doing wrong.” NLT

Want to honor the Lord in your living? The Lord gives us three things to do here that will honor Him. We are to be just and fair. This reminds us that how we treat others does matter. Being just means that we don’t treat people in ways they don’t deserve to be treated. We honor the Lord’s admonition to be loving and gracious. When it becomes necessary to punish someone for the wrongs they have done, we don’t cower away from it. It is only fair that people be punished for the wrongs they do, but when we do it, we do it out of love and not vengeance. The goal should always be to motivate others to repent and change their ways, to restore them to good standing before God and man.

It also honors the Lord when we honor the Lord’s Day. Now I know that there is a tremendous amount of disagreement in the Church over what this means in practical terms, and I don’t want to upset anyone or stir up a debate. What I do want to do is to challenge you to think about what the Lord’s Day is designed to do for us. Scripture says that when God had finished His labors of creation, He rested on the seventh day. I don’t believe it was because He was tired, but it was because He had completed His work, it was good, and there was nothing else for Him to do to make it better. He wants us to take the time to reflect on the works He has done, to appreciate them and to understand that what He did and continues to do is for our good and His glory.

He admonishes us to rest from our labors one day a week because He knows that we are not Him; we need the rest. We get weary from our labors physically, mentally and emotionally and it affects our souls. God knows that when man is always working, he is not paying attention to his soul like he needs to. Whatever you do on the Lord’s Day, take the time to refresh your soul, to be holy before God. You need the Lord more than anything your labors on earth may accomplish for you.

It also honors the Lord when we keep ourselves from doing wrong. What we do does matter to God. Sin affects our relationship with God. It keeps God at arm’s length in our souls. We can never be right with God as long as we allow ourselves to sin against God. It is never okay with God when we wander into sin. When God’s children sin, it insults God. It brings shame not only upon us, but it dishonors His holy name. Sin in our hearts keeps God’s blessings at bay in our lives. We must heed the admonition of God to be holy, even as He is holy.

In what ways are you honoring the Lord in your life? Do you treat others the way you should? Do you honor the Lord’s Day in the way you should? Do you keep yourself from sinning before God? Blessed are those who honor the Lord in all things.

GOD'S WORD IS FRUITFUL

 

GOD’S WORD IS FRUITFUL

Is. 55:11 ...”It is the same with my word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I sent it.” NLT

Why should we proclaim God’s Word? It always produces fruit. It always accomplishes the purposes of God as it is proclaimed. Why should we be witnesses for Christ? It always bears forth fruit. No word spoken about Christ is vain. In God’s world, it always is profitable.

Now understand this, we are not always going to see the fruit that the Lord sees when we proclaim His Word. The Lord works in ways we don’t know or understand. Whenever we plant seeds, it falls to the ground. The Lord may bring instant fruit from it or He may leave it in the ground for a season, or many seasons, before it bears fruit. The promise is that our proclamations are never in vain; they always produce fruit.

There are many different ways we can proclaim God’s Word. God uses our creativeness for His glory. Whatever means we use, when the Word is communicated it produces godly fruit. The important thing is that we do what God has commanded to us to do, “Preach the Word.” It is our duty to be messengers of the Truth; it is God’s role to use it to bring forth fruit. God cannot do what He wants to do through us if we don’t do what we are given to do.

We get so caught up by the numbers. We want to see the fruit. We want to see what difference we are making in the world. But God doesn’t always work like we want Him to. He sometimes takes a lot of time to bring forth the fruit. It may take many people working in their own unique ways to get the fruit to grow. It’s not any of our business what the Lord does with His Word as we spread it. His promise is that when we do what we are given to do, it’s never in vain. His Word always produces fruit and when we get to heaven, we will then see the difference our faithfulness has made in the lives of others.

GOD'S WORD NEVER FAILS

 

GOD’S WORD NEVER FAIL

Is. 55:10-11 The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. NLT

One of the great mysteries of the Gospel is how God uses it when it is sent forth. The effectiveness of the Word to bring about change in the human soul lies solely in God. We can do nothing to cause anyone to hear the Word and let it change their life. Nothing. The messenger is only that, a messenger. It doesn’t matter how well or powerfully the messenger may speak. It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable he may be. It doesn’t matter how acceptable he may be amongst man. It is not about the messenger; it’s about the message.

The Word never fails to fulfill its mission that God sends it on. When God’s Word is proclaimed, God makes sure that someone gets the message He intended for it to deliver. It always touches a need and produces fruit in the heart of man. Always. We must never pass up opportunities to get the Word out, because God has promised that when we do proclaim it, God will bless our efforts and use His Word. It doesn’t matter how you do it or how well you do it; it just matters that you do it. Do your part and God will do the rest.

God sends His Word out. He knows where and when it is needed. He knows who to send it with and to. He never fails to offer people an opportunity to hear it and apply it to their life. Not everyone is willing to hear, but nevertheless, God gives them a witness. No one has an excuse to reject Him when they hear the Word. The Word will either draw man to God or condemn man for rejecting God. Each will be judged by the Word revealed, whether it be the written or Living Word.

God has entrusted you with His Word. Don’t deny anyone the opportunity to hear it and know it. He holds you accountable for what you do with it. Your life is your pulpit. Proclaim loudly the Word and God so that all who are in your world will hear it. God will put it into the soil of people’s souls, water it, nurture it, and cause it to take root and grow.

FIGURED OUT GOD?

 

FIGURED OUT GOD?

Is. 55:8-9 “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” NLT

God doesn’t think like we do. His thoughts are immeasurable and unknowable. He is the thought behind the thought. He knows what we don’t know. His knowledge is complete and absolute in all things. The things we discover about life and creation are but a fraction of what God has already thought of and done.

No matter how noble your thoughts may be, they are nothing compared to the thoughts of God. No matter how much you may know about life or your field of expertise in life, they are nothing compared to the thoughts of God. No matter how much you may know about the Scriptures, you know nothing compared to what God knows. No matter how well you think you know yourself, it is nothing compared to what God knows about you. The sooner we recognize and accept that God knows far more and understands far more than we do, the sooner we will be able to get along with Him.

The ways of God cannot be figured out. No matter how hard we may try, we cannot do it. If we could, God would cease to be God. Several years ago a book was written called, Your God Is Too Small. If you have God figured out, your God is way too small. God is mysterious. The moment you take away the mysterious aura of God, you cease to have anyone worthy of worship and adoration. God is worthy of our adoration and devotion because His thoughts and ways are far beyond our ability to comprehend; He can’t be put into a box. He is God. Let Him be God.

GOD'S THOUGHTS AND WAYS

 

GOD’S THOUGHTS AND WAYS

Is. 55:8-9 “My thoughts are completely different from yours, says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” NLT

Let us pause and think about these things for a few moments. The Lord says that He thinks differently than we do about things. He has an unrestricted and unlimited capacity for thought. His thoughts are not influenced one iota by sin. Every thought of God is pure an. d good. Everything God thinks about makes perfect sense. He never has to change His mind about anything.

God’s ways are far beyond anything we can imagine. No one can know how God did what He did in creation. Scripture tells us that by the mere utterance of His word all things were created. How is that possible? The vastness and variety of creation is beyond our understanding. We can’t begin to imagine the things God can and does do. It is futile to think about the things we cannot know.

There are things going on right now that we don’t have any clue about. God is working out of our sight preparing creation for His coming and our reunion with Him. We must simply accept by faith what we cannot know and bow before Him in awe.

Because God is who He is and does what He does, it ought to cause us to bow down and worship Him from the very depth of our souls. He is our Father who oversees all He has created, He is our Savior who died for our sins, He is our Sanctifier who makes us holy, and He is our Lord who rules over His church.

“Thank you, Lord for who you are and all the things you have done, are doing, and shall do for me. I thank you for making yourself known to me, Lord. You are the Lover of my soul and I bow before you today in worship. You are all that I need to know about life from its beginning to its end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

NOW IS THE TIME

 

NOW IS THE TIME

Is. 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. NLT

One of the saddest things in all of life is our buying into the lie that there will always be another day, another opportunity, to make things right with God. The thinking is that God will always be available to save us. God will wait for us while we go out and do our thing. He will be there when we get tired of what the world has to offer.

But, will the Lord always be nearby? Will He stand by and wait for us to self-destruct before we come to our senses? The Lord will be near, but we may not be. Sin drives us away from God, and we can be driven so far away that we will not be able to hear God calling us to repentance. We can drift so far away from God that we can’t find our way back to Him.

Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him while he is near. If you don’t, you may wander into the darkness of sin so far that you will never find your way back. God doesn’t change. He will always be the Light of the world. But, will you always be able to see the Light?

That, my friend, is the question you must answer today. There is forgiveness for you today. Don’t wait until it is too late. The window of opportunity for you to repent may soon be shut.

Also, dear believer, if you are being controlled by sin in your life, don’t mess around and let it drive you farther away from God. Don’t assume you have plenty of time to repent. This may be your last opportunity to make things right with God. Don’t take the chance of entering into eternity with the baggage of sin on your shoulders. Be sure your heart is right with God.

SEEK THE LORD

 

SEEK THE LORD

Is. 55:6-7 Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. NLT

The admonition here is for us to seek the Lord. The Lord puts upon us the responsibility of seeking. He initiates the contact, but we must do our part. The Lord will not intrude on our space by forcing himself upon us. We must reach out for Him in response to His reaching out to us. Are you seeking the Lord? Are you intentionally and diligently looking for the Lord’s presence in your life?

The Lord may not always be around to be found. If we ignore Him enough times and for long enough, we may no longer be able to find Him. It’s not that He moves away from us, but it’s that we move away from Him. We can shut Him out to the point where we will no longer be open to the desire of the heart for Him. If you are guilty of shutting the Lord out of your life, you are treading on very dangerous soil. Sin hardens the heart and eventually leads to such deadliness of soul that one will no longer let the Lord in.

Ignoring or neglecting the disciplines of Bible study and prayer causes us to drift from the Lord. We become independent of Him and no longer deem them to be essential for our lives. We become spiritually dull and lose our sense of connection to the Lord. Soon we begin to allow sin to creep in and no longer feel guilt and shame over it. We become conditioned to sin and it takes over our lives.

If you are guilty of doing your thing and not seeking the Lord, take seriously today’s admonition. Seek the Lord while He may be found. If you don’t consistently make the Lord a part of your living, you will wander away from Him. You may drift far enough from Him that you won’t find your way back. Ignoring the Lord is very serious business. Turn to the Lord now while he is near to your soul. The Lord will forgive you and restore you to a right relationship with Him. He is waiting for you.

WIDE OPEN EARS

 

WIDE OPEN EARS

Is. 55:3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love that I promised to David.” NLT

Come to me with your ears wide open. How many times do you do that? Do you approach God with an intention to just listen to Him, or do you come with an agenda that you want to unload on Him? When was the last time you intentionally went to the Lord to hear from Him? When was the last time God actually spoke to you and you heard it?

God speaks to us through His Word. He shows us things we need to know in it. In the Word, we find a response from God for whatever our souls need. God uses His Word to convict, instruct, guide, encourage, correct, comfort, inspire, and challenge us. He knows what we need for each day, and if we are listening to what His Word says, we will hear what we need. It is one of the reasons why we must hide the Word in our hearts so we will hear it speak to our needs.

In order to hear God speak, we must have quiet hearts. We must not be distracted by all the things going on around us or in us. We must focus on Him and Him alone. We must seek Him out. We must let His Word sink deep within us. We must forget the clock and wait before Him. Don’t expect to hear from the Lord while you are rushing in and out of His presence. We must take the time to appreciate the life we have in Him and express our gratitude for it. We must take the time to praise Him.

Beware; sometimes the Lord may have to put us on our backs in order for us to be in a position where we can listen to Him when we get too busy to do it on our own. The Lord has things to say to us and if we don’t take the time to listen, He may very well force us to take the time we need. We must listen to the Lord for our very souls are at stake.

The Lord is ready to take an active role in your life. He desires to pour out on you His unfailing love and mercies. He has wonderful things for you to enjoy in life. He longs to give you all the blessings He has stored up for you. Will you give Him His rightful place in your heart? Will you take the time to worship Him and listen to what He is saying to you? Will you open your ears wide open so you can hear Him?

PRONE TO WANDER

 

PRONE TO WANDER

Is. 53:6 All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s path to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. NLT

Sheep are interesting creatures. They are so engrossed in their grazing when they eat that they are oblivious to where they are going or what is going on around them. They are not concerned about anything but feasting on what is before them. They know what they want and go for it until they get their fill. They often wander away from their shepherd’s protective care and must be sought after and brought back. We are much like sheep.

All of us are prone to wander away from God. No one is so spiritually minded that he is beyond the ability to stray and fall into sin. We think we are, but we need to be careful about what we believe about ourselves. We are inherently inclined to sin. It comes naturally for us and will be a problem for us all of our earthly lives. We want to do what we want to do, and when it conflicts with what God wants us to do, we often win out. We feast on the pleasures set before us and wander around seeking more of them without regard to whether or not they are good for us or take us away from God’s protective care into the dangerous clutches of Satan.

Yet, we don’t have to be victims of our sinful tendencies We can resist our urges and choose to do what pleases God instead of ourselves. We can minimize the times we fall into sin. We can break sin’s death grip on us. God laid on Jesus our sin, guilt and shame. He determined that He would do that which otherwise would be impossible for us to. Jesus satisfied God’s demand for justice against sin. He stood between God and man and declared innocent all who put their faith in Him, and God said that it was good. In Christ we are made righteous and acceptable to God.

Only in Christ can our wandering days come to an end. Only in Christ do we find that which is good for our souls. Only in Christ are we able to find our way home to God. When we are constantly abiding in Christ, then, and only then, are we able to gain victory over our sins.

JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS!

 

JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS!

Is. 53:4-6 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried. It was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment for his own sins. But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we are healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s path to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sin of us all. NLT

Each step the Lord took on His way to Calvary, He took with us in mind. Every agonizing moment He endured for us. He understood our need for a Savior and that He was the only one who could do it. He knew that no one would understand what He was doing until afterwards. He knew the capability of man to do harm, but faced it boldly and without complaining for us. He knew that what He was about to go through was not for anything He had done, but was for what we had done. Jesus knew each step He took that His death was needed for our freedom.

All of us deserve to walk the walk that Jesus did. We all deserve to die for our sins. Not a one of us can claim to not have a sin problem. All of us have determined in our hearts to go our own way and do our own thing. Only Jesus can claim to have perfectly followed God’s will. Only Jesus lived a sinless life. Yet, it was Jesus who died for sin, not us.

Everything Jesus endured as He died for our sins was so that we could have peace with God, a peace that would never go away. He was a willing participant in God’s plan. He let our Father put all of our sins on himself, even though He knew no sin. All of our sin, guilt and shame became His.

Let us today humble our hearts before Him and admit that it was for our sins He died. Let us thank Him for doing what we could not do, satisfy God’s demand for justice against sin. Let us thank Him today for freeing us from sin’s death penalty and giving us life in fellowship with God. Let us worship Him today for He alone is worthy of worship, honor, glory, and praise.

DESPISED AND REJECTED

 

DESPISED AND REJECTED

Is. 53:3 He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. NLT

Have you ever walked in Jesus’ shoes? Has anyone ever despised you or rejected you? How did it make you feel? Your heart was probably heavy with grief.

Has anyone ever turned their back on you and would have nothing to do with you? How did that make you feel? You probably felt like an outcast, unwanted and unloved.

Let me ask you another question, have you ever despised, rejected, and wanted nothing to do with someone? How do you suppose the other person felt? No matter how you were treated, two wrongs don’t make it right. Jesus knows what it was like to be on the receiving end of people’s scorn. Even His closest friends deserted Him in His hour of greatest need.

He was hated by those who would not listen to Him or accept Him. His heart was broken over those who He knew would be in hell because of the way they received and treated Him. He was ignored by most and most did not care that He was suffering for their sins.

No matter what you have gone through at the hands of others, Jesus understands. He not only was beaten to a pulp by those who crucified Him, He carried on His soul the full weight of the world’s sin.

Jesus took the worst that man and Satan had to offer and overcame them so that you and I could have victory over our sins. He overcame and is more than able to help you overcome, too.

Cast all your cares on Him and He will take them and carry them for you. Will you let the Lord into your mess and let Him help you through it today?

ORDINARY LOOKS

 

ORDINARY LOOKS

Is. 53:2 My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. NLT

In a world that puts so much emphasis on appearances, we need to grasp the significance of this passage. What you see is not what you necessarily want or need. No matter how well put together the package is, if the content is not good, it’s a waste of time and effort to get the package. What is worth having is worth the effort to find out what you are really getting.

Jesus did not stand out amongst men because of His appearance. He was just a common man amongst many as far as what the eye could see. What made Christ different was His character. He was not like anyone else; He lived a life totally pleasing to God. He could never be accused of sinning, because He never did. He drew a large following for what He shared. Depth of character was certainly His strength, even in His death.

When you apply these truths to people, it changes everything. Instead of going after those who appear to have it altogether, we need to go after those we know have it altogether. Many people of great character have been spurned because of outward appearances. It would be interesting to know how many wonderful opportunities we have passed up on because we were not willing to get beyond the appearance of someone to really get to know them. Also, I wonder how many people develop low self-esteem and fail to live up their God-given potential because they are spurned by those who are more focused on appearance than substance.

I also believe that one of the ways we can help curb the divorce rate is to encourage one another to look deeper than the appearance of a person and get to know the heart before we make a commitment to fall in love and marry. Far too many marriages fall apart because couples discover in the daily routines of life the person they married is not the person they thought they knew.

Is there someone you know whom you have failed to get to know because of their appearance? Is there someone you have put on a pedestal simply because of their appearance? If so, ask the Lord to correct your soul’s vision today. Ask Him to help you see people on a much deeper level than you are accustomed to. Ask Him to forgive you for your shallowness and for your passing up opportunities that He has given to you to really know someone special in your life that you have passed up on. Heart-to-heart connections are the only connections that will stand the test of time and circumstances.

DETERMINED TO DO HIS WILL

 

DETERMINED TO DO HIS WILL

Is. 50:7 Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be dismayed. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will triumph. NLT

Don’t let life throw you for a loop. The Lord is sovereign over life, and if you are living in him, there is nothing that is beyond His ability to see you through. You can overcome any obstacle in your way because the Lord is your helper.

Let the Lord help you; set your face like a stone. Determine in your heart that you will do His will. Don’t let anyone or anything take away from you your focus. Set the desires of your heart on the Lord. Commit to living a life that pleases Him. Determine in your heart that you will say no to sin. Determine in your heart that you will strive to live a holy life. Seek the Lord above everything else, and He will help you to do it.

You will not fail if you set your heart on doing God’s will. You will become holy in Him. You will be led by His hand. You will overcome all the obstacles Satan puts in your path, for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

If you find that you don’t have the determination you need to follow through on your commitment to do His will, ask the Lord to help you. Ask Him to strengthen your resolve. Ask Him and He will do it. His help comes through His Word and in your prayer closet. There is no way around it. If you want to do God’s will for your life and please Him, you must be consistently and faithfully into His Word and in touch with Him.

So many like to live on what they think they know. However, with the Word a little knowledge does not go a long way. There is so much the Lord wants us to know and understand beyond what we know. No matter how much you study the Word of God, there is more to learn. No one ever masters it all. The Lord uses His Word in different ways to minister to us, depending on our needs at the moment. The same passage we study today may be used by the Spirit to address our needs tomorrow in a totally different way.

For those who are determined to seek the Lord out daily to do His will, they will live in victory.

WRITTEN ON HIS HAND

 

WRITTEN ON HIS HAND

Is. 49:16a “See, I have written your name on my hand…” NLT

What an awesome sentence to latch onto! Think about it for a few moments. Hold your hand up so you can see it with the palm facing towards you. If you have a pen or pencil handy, write your name on your palm. Now imagine that the ink you used was a permanent marker that could not be erased. There your name is for you to see every time you look at your hand. The Lord has written your name on His hand, not with ink, but with the blood of Christ at Calvary.

You are always on the Lord’s mind. You are never forgotten. You are always known by God. Not only does He know your name, He knows your heart. He has you in the palm of His hand to always protect you. He never lets you out of His sight. He holds you close so that He is always available to minister to your needs. He wants you to always know that He will never leave you or forsake you wherever you may go. He will never wander away and leave you behind. He will never let you get outside the reaches of His hand. He has you close to His heart at all times to love and cherish you.

The Lord has written YOUR name on His hand. He will cover you up when Satan tries to attack you so you won’t get hurt. He will always have His hand under you so that you won’t fall out of His sight. He looks upon you with His loving heart and always breathes into you afresh the breath of life.

Your name has special meaning to Him. He made you special and unique. You were put together with love and tender care. He has never stopped looking at you with love. Life may have been very hard on you, but He loves you. You may have done some very bad and stupid things, but He looks at you with tender love. You may see yourself as unworthy and even worthless, but He sees you as worth dying for. He holds in His hand all who have been washed in the shed blood of Christ at Calvary. He clothes us in His righteousness and sees our sins no more. We are not who we were; we are now His precious children who have been made into a new creation for His glory and honor.

Your name is written on His hand with the precious blood of Jesus. You will never be out of His mind or His heart. The Lord always is watchful over you and will hold you close until the day you arrive home to be with Him forever. Praise His holy name!

NO OTHER GOD OR WAY

 

NO OTHER GOD OR WAY

Is. 45:22-23 “Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name, and I will never go back on my word. Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name.” NLT

People look everywhere for salvation. They try all sorts of things to convince themselves that they are right with God. They come up with all kinds of ideas as to what salvation really means. There is very little consensus as to what is the best or right way to find God. There are many paths that man travels on to God, but there is only one way that gets us to God, it is the way of the cross.

Part of the reason why there are so many different ideas about how to be saved is because there are so many different ideas out there about God. Only in the Scriptures do we find God declaring who He is. The Scriptures make it very clear who God is. God shouts the message loud and clear over and over again, “I am God and there is no other.” God does not give any of us any leeway regarding how we can draw near to Him. Jesus is the way to God. Period. Only those who come to Jesus humbly, broken over their sins, confess them, and ask Him for forgiveness will be saved. No one will see God except through a heart connection with Jesus. It doesn’t matter what man thinks about it; Jesus is THE way, truth, and life, and no one will know God apart from Him.

God always keeps His word. What He declares happens, and He makes it very clear that every knee will bow before Him and confess allegiance to Him. Everyone will be humbled before Him and declare that He is God, Lord of life. There is coming a day in which no one will deny that He is God. No matter how strongly one may declare today that He is not God or that He cannot be known in the heart, they will acknowledge that God is exactly who He reveals himself to be. You will bow before Him and declare Him to be Lord. Whether it be by your own will or by the will of God, you will declare that He is Lord.

Dear friend, don’t be a fool. Don’t wait until you will be forced to declare that Jesus is Lord. Turn to Him now and know that He is your Lord. When you bow before God on Judgment Day, it will be way too late to save your soul. Today is the day of salvation; tomorrow may never come for you. If you die without Jesus being your Lord, you will be without Him for all of eternity. Is Jesus your Lord today?

THE LORD IS GOD

 

THE LORD IS GOD

Is. 45:18 For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the LORD,” he says, “and there is no other.” NLT

The world tries very hard to get us to believe that God did not create what is, that it all somehow evolved and came into being by accident. But God did create it all. In order to not believe in God as the Creator of all things one must deny that the Biblical record is true. The proofs of God creating all that is are self-evident for those who have eyes to see them. Not only did He create all things, but God also put everything in its place and told them to stay there. Nothing is out of order in creation. Everything can be counted on to be exactly where it’s supposed to be; in fact, our very existence depends on it.

Man is constantly trying to find other places in the universe that can sustain life as we know it, but to no avail. God made the world we live in to be habitable. Everything that makes up our world runs smoothly because God designed it and set it in motion. Life is sustainable on earth because every part of it is mysteriously intertwined and dependent. There is nothing on earth that is not important for the sustainability of life. We don’t know how everything perfectly fits together, but God does. The more we discover about the mechanisms of life, the more in awe we become of what God has done.

The darkened soul fails to see and appreciate the hand of God in creation and life. He is not capable of putting God into the mix and worshiping Him. Instead, because nothing makes sense to him, he does his best to deny the very God who created him. Sin prevents God from shining in. Many set out to prove that God is not and that life has no purpose other than the moments we are in. Without the Lord, there is no hope of understanding the world we live in and our place in the universe. All understanding of God begins at Calvary.

Jesus removes the darkness of the soul that sin causes. He opens up the eyes so that we can see God. In Christ, we are able to grasp that God is and there is none beside Him. In Christ, God becomes real and personal. We discover that God is more than an explanation for life, He is life itself. God becomes one whom we can have a relationship with and not just an entity that exists apart from human experience. In Christ, everything comes together and begins to make perfect sense. We discover that it is okay to not have a reasonable explanation for everything, that what we don’t get we can accept as truth by faith because God is and has declared it to be so.

If you don’t know that God is and that He is yours, there may never be another chance for you to get to know Him than right now. By faith, reach out to Him and He will take your hand. Admit your sins, accept responsibility for them, confess them, ask the Lord to forgive you, and He will. You can know God is from personal experience right now. Don’t put it off. You may never be given another opportunity to do so.

WAIT AND SOAR

 

WAIT AND SOAR

Is. 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint. NLT

Waiting is like serving at a table. It is like asking Him what He wants. Those who wait on the Lord are seeking to know what He wants. He who seeks the mind and will of the Lord will find it, be strengthened and equipped to do it. He will not be weak and unable to do what he is given to do. Those who wait on the Lord find all that they need in order to fulfill God’s plan for their lives. They will have the energy and enthusiasm needed to serve the Lord. They will be free to serve Him without the baggage of life to hold them back.

Don’t be in such a hurry all the time. No one comes to the end of life wishing they had hurried more. No one will face death glad they missed out on the joys of living because they were always in such a hurry. No one will be glad they missed out on heaven because they were too busy to give God the time of day. No one will be glad they neglected to feed their soul daily because they were just too busy to bother. Slow down and learn to wait on the Lord.

To wait on the Lord means we first seek Him out before we determine the paths we travel on. It means that we linger until we know for sure what He wants us to do before we strike out on our own. It means that we slow down and enjoy the journey of life the Lord has laid out for us to travel. Remember, the Lord is in no hurry. If we want to stay in step with Him, we have to travel at His speed and not our own.

Wait on the Lord and you will discover the true secret to happiness. You will soar high above those things in life that would harm you or slow you down. You will have the strength to persevere all the days of your life. The Lord is our strength; wait on Him and you will live in victory and know His peace.

WAIT ON THE LORD

 

WAIT ON THE LORD

Is. 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. NLT

This verse is cherished by many of us. The promise is that God’s favor will be upon those who wait on Him. He will be with them and overwhelm them with freedom and strength in Him. The thought I want to dwell on for a few moments is the waiting. What does that mean for us today? A few things come to my mind.

When we wait before the Lord, we don’t get ahead of Him. We don’t strike out on our own and wait for Him to catch up to us. We let Him do the leading. It’s like the Israelites of old as they wandered in the wilderness. They stayed in their camp until the Lord moved. Whenever He lifted His presence from the Tabernacle, they broke camp and followed Him. If He didn’t lead them anywhere different, they stayed put and occupied where they were at. We sometimes get anxious about things and start moving on our own. We need to learn to wait. Sometimes we get too confident of ourselves and start moving without God’s direction. We need to learn to wait.

When we wait on the Lord, we spend time in fellowship with Him. We seek Him out just to be with Him. We linger in His presence just to enjoy Him. We spend time in the Word looking for Him. We spend time in prayer expecting to visit with Him.

When we wait, we make the Lord a priority in our lives. We value our time with Him and understand that our time with Him takes priority over everything else. We don’t rush our time or try to fit Him into our busy schedule. We understand that everything else must fit around our time with Him and if that means some things have to be set aside and perhaps not get done, so be it.

When we wait before the Lord, we linger until we know that our need for Him has been met. We linger as we bring to Him all the burdens of our heart. We linger until we have peace that all is well with our soul and our burdens are lifted. We linger with thanksgiving on our hearts for Him and all that we are so richly blessed with. We linger that we might praise Him, for He is worthy of all our praise. We understand that there is no greater need that we have than to wait on the Lord. Waiting on the Lord means that our hearts are in an attitude of worship while living in Him. Wait on the Lord and He WILL renew your strength.

OUR EVERLASTING GOD

 

OUR EVERLASTING GOD

Is. 40:28-30 Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted and young men will give up. NLT

Do you really believe it to be true? Do you know that the Lord is the everlasting God who has created all things? If you really know that God is everlasting, that is, He has no beginning or end, then you know that you can always trust Him in all things. God has not lost one iota of His creative or sustaining power. He is today as He always has been or ever will be. God created all that is and is able to handle whatever you bring to Him.

God never grows tired or weary. He has no time to get tired or weary in. He is always in the moment. We measure time, but God doesn’t. He is forever the living and energetic Spirit of all that is. He put things in place and holds them together by the power of His word. It is impossible for God to ever run out of power to keep things going.

We cannot understand God, but God understands all things, including us. He understands how to run the universe, and He understands how to run our lives. He understands when we grow tired and weary and how to revive our souls. He understands what has made us weary and what is yet to come. He knows when we reach our level of endurance and is always ready to help us.

When we turn to the Lord and trust Him, He gives power to overcome our tiredness and weariness. No matter how weak we may be, there is strength in the Lord. All who turn to Him will find the vitality they need to keep on going. All we have to do is accept our helplessness and let Him take over and help us. We all get weary, no matter who we are. We all need the Lord.

Life in Christ is difficult. Everyone goes through times in which their faith is tested. Everyone gets worn out in the struggles to stay right with God. We need to be honest about it. Our endurance level is challenged from time to time. If it isn’t, then we are not living right with God. We need the Lord. We need to stay strongly connected with Him. We must always find our strength in the Lord and not ourselves. In our own strength we will stumble and fall; in the Lord’s strength we will overcome.

NO COMPARISON

 

NO COMPARISON

Is. 40:25-26 “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away. NLT

Isaiah is writing to those who believe there is God. They have a somewhat good understanding that God can be known on a personal basis. They believe in God as the Creator of all things. He then challenges them to consider the magnitude of God. Is there anyone, or anything, that can come close to the greatness of God? Think about it for a moment.

God created all the stars of heaven. If not God, then where did they come from, a random occurrence in nature billions of years ago? Hardly. It stretches the limits of imagination to try and explain the universe without God as the source of it all. God created the stars, but not just the stars; He created all that exists. To comprehend such intelligence and power is beyond anyone’s ability to comprehend. Compare what man is capable of doing with what God has done and we are overwhelmed and driven to our knees in worship.

Not only has God created what we see, He has each star numbered and named. He knows exactly how long they have been and how long they shall be. God gives each star a lifespan, just like He does us. Each star has a specific reason for being and when it no longer is needed, it dies out. Think about it. We know that there are billions of stars in the universe. God knows each one and has personally identified each one. We will never be able to know the whys of their existence. All we can do is bow in awe before God who created them and holds them in their place for as long as they are needed.

Do you think that God is limited and cannot help you with whatever you face in life? Is God limited and unable to handle the spiritual needs of billions of people at the same time? Is there anything that is beyond God’s ability to handle? Of course not. It is utter foolishness to deny that God can help you with whatever you face in life. His abilities are incomprehensible, but very real. He is actively at work in all who will let Him.

VANISHING LIFE

 

VANISHING LIFE

Is. 40:6-8 A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field. The grass withers, and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” NLT

This is a message that must be heard. We are not immortal in the flesh. There is no “fountain of youth.” We grow old and our bodies show it. If per chance one’s body doesn’t show it, it knows it. We can’t do what we once did. We have more aches and pains than we did in our youth. We can’t escape the fact that life as we know it changes and is slipping away. We know with each passing year that our life span is getting shorter and shorter. Before we even realize it, we are there. Our bodies and minds begin to fail us.

But, there are two things we can count on to never fail us: the life of God in us and the Word of God given to sustain us.

Foundational to all truth is a belief in an unchangeable God. God is as He always has been and ever will be. There can be no absolute truth in life without an absolute and unchanging God. God will never fail to be who He is in us. He is the great I AM who dwells in us as we live in Christ.

What God has spoken is absolute and never changes. God says what He means and means what He says. It is a binding today as the day it was given. We may not understand it all, but our lack of understanding does not change the truth of it all. We must strive to learn and live what we can and believe the rest by faith because it comes from God.

Shout the message loud and clear. Don’t put your trust in the beauty of the flesh. It grows old and soon passes away. Don’t think that the life you now know will last forever. Put your trust in God and His Word which are eternal and never change.

BE DISCERNING

 

BE DISCERNING

Is. 36:10 “….What’s more, do you think we have invaded your land without the LORD’s direction? The LORD himself told us, ‘Go and destroy it!’” NLT

What strikes me here is that not everyone who claims to have direction from the Lord does. Israel was under attack and the invading army was pressing in on Jerusalem. The leader of the army was trying to convince the king to surrender. He boasted of his military might and then he declared that God had sent him to destroy the city where His people dwelt.

We need to be careful whom we listen to. Not everyone who claims to speak for the Lord does. Words can be very convincing. It is imperative that we be discerning. It is important that one gets to know the heart of man before he buys into what he hears. It is important that we always evaluate what we hear by what the Word says. And by the way, in order for us to know what the Word really is saying, we must be in sync with the Holy Spirit. Proper understanding comes from a heart that is right with God. Sin distorts truth so he who wants to hear from God must not allow sin to dwell in the heart.

Don’t be persuaded by flowery speech or the appearance of man. Don’t let anyone deceive you. Accept what you hear on your knees before God. Seek His affirmation before you accept what you hear. The Lord never contradicts himself or violates His holiness. Never. If the Word consistently affirms the message and the message leads to holiness of life, then it truly comes from God.

If you are right with the Lord, you will be able to discern truth from error. It’s all the more reason why we must stay diligent in our pursuit of holiness and diligently watch over our souls. We dare not let anything in that may cause us to be led astray from God. Let God’s Word be your shield and protector. Listen first and foremost to what God says before you accept what man says.

SALVATION IS COMING!

 

SALVATION IS COMING!

Is. 35:3-4 With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those who are afraid, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” NLT

Salvation is coming! Dear friend, we must never forget this wondrous truth. Life can be very rough at times and the world is not getting any better. It is getting harder and harder to live out a life of faith in peace. Satan is on the prowl and stirring up the world against Christ. Things are moving forward rapidly in preparation for Christ’s coming. Don’t let the state of the world overwhelm you. Salvation is coming!

Don’t look around you and get caught up in how bad things are. Look up, for our redemption draws near. Are you tired of the struggles? Salvation is coming! Is your soul weary? Salvation is coming! Do you feel like you are swimming up a creek without a paddle? Salvation is coming! Are you being harassed because of your faith? Salvation is coming! Does it seem like nothing good is happening in your life? Salvation is coming!

Oh, beloved of the Lord, let this wondrous truth strengthen your soul. You are not forgotten or forsaken. The Lord knows all about your struggles. He knows your weariness. He knows how life saps your strength. He knows how hard it is to live a godly life in an ungodly world. He understands how you feel, and He wants you to know today, “Salvation is coming!”

The Lord is coming to destroy the enemies of your soul. He is going to put an end to the constant battles you fight. He has overcome the world and will save you from your enemies. We don’t know how soon He is coming, but we do know He is. He is going to put an end to the madness. Trust Him. Persevere. It is worth the struggles. We are going to witness the subduing of the world. We are going to see our Lord in all His glory. Salvation is coming!

The Lord may make life easier for you now, or He may not. If He doesn’t, He will give you all you need in order to overcome and be victorious in your struggles. He has not, nor will He ever, leave you alone to fight your battles of life. He loves you and is with you. Call on Him and He will strengthen you and give you an overwhelming peace each step you take in your journey of life. Look up, for your redemption is near. Salvation is coming! Praise the name of the Lord!