Archive | August 2014

Anticipation

Aug22

Have you experienced being called by God to do something and you are so excited and are confident that things are moving forward toward that goal God has placed on your heart? Well about a month ago God rekindled in my heart a vision I had about 3 years ago. I have prayed, planned and waited on God’s go ahead. When God is ready to use you it is so exciting, scary, exhilarating, challenging all at once. But God doesn’t just drop a plan in your lap and expect you to fulfill His plan alone. No, He continues to walk with you revealing His plan as you trust in Him.

Last night I had some young women over to my house to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. Now this plan had been moving forward for a month now and I kept praying that God would use me for His glory and that I was not going to expect anything but would anticipate that God would do something this night. As of Wednesday I had confirmed that 3 women would be coming. I continued to trust the Lord that even if it was just those 3 that God had a plan for them.

Wednesday morning He sent me this scripture passage via a text that is sent to me each morning:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” — Luke 4:18-19

What affirmation that Jesus is with me and still fulfilling His purpose through me. Jesus came to preach the gospel, release the captives, free the oppressed and He is still doing it through His followers. Seeing and reading this passage encouraged me so much. I heard God telling me that Jesus would be with me and through me He would continue what He started many, many years ago.

Then yesterday’s scripture was:

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. — John 15:16

I took full advantage of this verse believing that God has chosen me to share the gospel with these young ladies and I was bound and determined not to let my Lord down. I would bear fruit, fruit that would remain. I prayed some more for these ladies and the night. God leads through scripture. God encourages through scripture. And through prayer He used me last night to His glory. He blessed me with a very receptive group of women. That group totaled 7 of us. Is my God not amazing?

Seven women. Anticipating His greatness and work He blessed me. Of those 6 beautiful women, all participated in the activities and listened intently to what I shared. Best of all . . . they all want to come back next month. I am overjoyed at the work of the Lord through this imperfect person He calls His child.

I can’t wait until next month to see what He has planned. I will wait in anticipation of His work. No expectations, just anticipation. God is awesome and I am blessed. Thank you Lord for using me.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

God Really Cares

Aug21

casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:7

What are you worried about? What in your life is causing you anxiety? Do you know that God cares for you and that you can take anything and everything to Him in prayer?

God is Sovereign which means He is in control of all things and knows what is happening in your life. If God is in control of your life, that means you can trust Him. Who else can you trust with every aspect of your life? God says He can and He will. If we trust Him than it is a sin to worry/have anxiety. Our faith is weak when we worry. Why are you carrying the burden of worry when the Lord is waiting to hear about all that makes you anxious? He cares for you.

Okay, lets say that we are good at taking our worries and anxieties of life to God and spilling it all out to Him. That is wonderful. But do we take it back or leave it in His capable hands, trusting Him to see us through and give us direction? Take each specific worry or anxiety to God telling Him all about it. After each specific statement tell Him you trust Him to take care of that which is worrying or causing anxiety in you. Then trust Him for the outcome knowing He cares for you. To God be the glory in your life as you cast ALL your anxiety and worry on Him. He really cares for you.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith. The beginning of faith is the end of anxiety” — George Muller
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength” — Corrie ten Boom

B.I.B.L.E.

Aug19

With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. — Psalm 73:24
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death. — Psalm 48:14

God’s counsel is for all of life. He has not left us to flounder in this world without Him. It is His character to guide us. What comfort it is to know that He loves us, desires us to trust Him as He guides us, and will not stop guiding us until death when we are ushered into glory.

Remember that God’s word is truth. Those times when you feel like life is overwhelming and you have no direction, cling to God’s promises. His counsel is what guides. Where do we find His counsel? In the Holy Word of God, the Word of Truth, the Bible. God has a wealth of information, counsel, guidance right at our fingertips. What is stopping you from receiving His counsel? Seek Him today and know the counsel of our Lord to guide you until death.

One of my sons has an acronym for Bible:
Basic
Instruction
Before
Leaving
Earth.
I thought it fit for this devotional.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Justified

Aug18

Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? — Job 4:17

How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? — Job 25:4

If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? — Psalm 130:3

nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. — Galatians 2:16

It is only by and through Jesus Christ that we, “mankind”, can be “just with God”, “pure before his” (our) “Maker”, “clean”, and able to “stand”. There is no other way. We need to realize that we are nothing without Jesus and it is all about Him, not us. Turn your life over to Jesus today so that you may be “justified by faith in Christ”.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Live in Grace

Aug17

And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain — for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.

God’s timing is always perfect and aren’t we glad that at the acceptable time He listened and helped us on the day of our salvation? Let us not receive this grace in vain. ”Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—

Let our talk reflect our walk and our walk give no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, especially the ministry of Jesus in us.

How do we do this? In everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God.
In much endurance by the power of God!

By the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, The armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-17) and prayer. (Ephesians 6:18)

By glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. In every second, minute, hour, day and night of our lives. Serving and encouraging others to live enduring lives, surrendered to Jesus.

we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. — 2 Corinthians 4:8-11

God’s blessing and strength as you put on the armor of God, pray and receive God’s grace and live it with no regrets. Let us not receive God’s grace in vain.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

How About You?

Aug16

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? (Some messages read see the face of God) — Psalms 42:2

I don’t know about you but I am so looking forward to seeing the face of God, standing before Him, seeing His glory. All fear gone, all hope fulfilled, O glorious day! There is only One living God and my soul thirsts for Him. My soul is quenched by reading His word and spending time in prayer with Him. But then I get thirsty again. I need the thirst quenching words of God daily. How about you?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

I Commit

Aug15

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth. — Psalm 31:5

This is one of those verses that I am sure I have read a million times but it jumped off the page today and overwhelmed me. Into Your hand, the hand of God — the Creator, Almighty, Sovereign, Perfect, Holy, Omnipotent, Righteous, Just, Eternal, Omniscient, Merciful, Loving, Truthful, Redeemer, Savior! Wow! What better guardian of my spirit could I commit?

Then the overwhelming emphasis of the word “commit”. Commit is a word not to be taken lightly. We commit to stay married for better or worse. We commit to a job to be faithful and loyal. We commit to go out to eat with a friend. But this commit is to GOD. . . This commit is essential to our spiritual walk. This commit is total surrender to the Ruler of our hearts. This commit is to give all that we have and are, to entrust, pledge ourselves to the One who ransomed us. Again, Wow! I am blown away at the gravity of this one little word.

I had to take a look at myself and ask if I have committed my spirit to the One who ransomed me, Jesus Christ. Have I entrusted my spirit to the God of truth? I had to step back and evaluate my walk. I want to be able to truly say, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit” to the God of all truth so He can do a good work in me for His glory.

Thank You Lord Jesus for ransoming me, for paying the price on Calvary. I trust You and so I commit my spirit into Your hand. May You be glorified through me in the fulfillment of Your perfect plan. To You Lord God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Have you truly committed your spirit to the Lord? If not, take this time now to do so. Evaluate your level of commitment. It really is all or nothing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ambassador for Christ

Aug14

God is love. — 1 John 4:8
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. — John 3:16
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; — 2 Corinthians 5:20a
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.– 2 Corinthians 5:21

Jesus loves us despite the fact that we are sinners and even though we don’t deserve it, He fulfilled God’s purpose. Jesus demonstrated His love for us, put into action that love, when He died on the cross paying the debt for our sin. Jesus fulfilled God’s purpose of redemption for all of mankind. Jesus out of love for the Father obediently saved mankind from the sin of death and gave us eternal life.

So what is our purpose? To be ambassadors for Christ, the righteousness of God in Him. Just as Jesus, our example, we are to love others even though they are sinners and demonstrate God’s love to others even if we think they don’t deserve it. We are to live for Jesus, drawing so close to Him that we become like Him. And like Him we love, demonstrate love, and let Jesus use us to draw others to Him so that He may transform them into the righteousness of God, ambassadors for Christ!

God wants to use you for great things. Are you ready to be an Ambassador for Christ? Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Then you are ready to be an ambassador. Continue to seek Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

He Is Everywhere

Aug13

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good. — Proverbs 15:3
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. — Psalm 139:7-10

God is omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time). There is no hiding, running, escaping His watchful eye. This can be either good or bad depending on your perspective. The Lord’s eyes are in every place watching the evil and the good.

If you have no regard for God or don’t believe in Him I guess this would not bother you. It should since He is real, alive and there is no escape from your Creator. For those of us who believe in Almighty God through Jesus Christ we might find this intimidating. To think He is with us seeing everything we do. Everywhere we go. Hearing everything we say. It would behoove us to remember this as we journey through our day.

A comforting perspective is that God is with us at all times. We can’t possibly be anywhere that He cannot reach us. If you know Jesus and walk with Him you can take confidence in this promise (fact). No matter where we are He will lead us and His strong right hand will hold us. That is something to rejoice about. Take confidence in the One True God. Seek Him to know Him. Therein lies your comfort, peace and confidence.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Make Me A Servant

Aug12

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:26-28

Jesus changed the world by His radical teachings. Jesus came to serve. This was as contrary in Biblical times as it is today with so many people looking out for number one, themselves. “It’s all about me” mentality is the norm today. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. . . hmmm.

If Jesus is our example how are we to be in the world today? Servants to all — to those who say thank you for your kindness and those who don’t. Those who you think deserve it and those who don’t. Those who are lovable and those who aren’t. Our deep love and gratitude to the Lord God should fill our hearts with the desire to serve.

Our servant-hood in the world can make a change in those around us — those observing how we tend to others and those to whom we attend. Serving not for attention, acknowledgement or reward but for the glory of God and the changing of hearts toward God. And no good deed goes unnoticed by our heavenly Father. For He will make you great and first, exalting you for His glory. Jesus was exalted by the Father as He humbly served to the point that He gave His life for many!!! God was glorified and Jesus as well.

Lord, make me a servant I pray
Guide my feet in your way
As I serve others today
May they see Your glory
And follow You. Amen

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon