Archive | August 2020

God Will Be Known

Aug31

I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”‘
Ezekiel 38:23 NASB

As you read the Scripture prior to this statement by God, “that many nations will know that I am God”, it is not a pretty picture. It is a picture of destruction.

God is gracious and has great mercy but when blatant disobedience continues with no regard to God’s love, lordship, grace, mercy, His will and way, then punishment is inevitable.

🌹How far are you willing to push the limit of God’s grace and mercy? God will make Himself known to all.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

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Obedience Required

Aug28

Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.
Ezekiel 33:29 NASB

Ezekiel, under the direction of God, spoke to the Israel nation warning them to obey God’s command and turn back to Him.

What is a Pastor? A man called of God to speak His word. Both Prophet and Pastor are called to speak God’s word.

Our responsibility is to listen and obey. We are blessed at this period of time to have God’s written word and the Holy Spirit to be able to discern the truth coming from the mouth of a Pastor. Is it truth? If you are reading your Bible and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will be able to accurately discern the truth.

What is your habit of church attendance? Is your Bible open? Are you relying upon the Holy Spirit to discern the words? Are you listening and ready to obey?

Or are you just attending for the sake of attending?

“But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the Lord.’ They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.
Ezekiel 33:30‭-‬31 NASB

🌹”They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them”
Obedience requires action.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Joy

Aug27

You, O Lord, rule forever; Your throne is from generation to generation. Lamentations 5:19 NASB

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.
Psalms 45:6‭-‬7 NASB

Are you anointed with the oil of joy?

There is much joy to be found in knowing God is eternally seated on His throne. Our God who rules in righteousness and justice and love.

On awakening this morning and checking on the hurricane hitting the Louisiana and Texas coast, I read “this could have been so much worse”. Were you praying for the people in the path of this storm? God answered prayer. It may not have been the way we wanted but it was better than expected. Did you thank Him for His mercy in this situation?

As numbers seem to be rising in Covid cases, are you turning to, relying on the One who sits upon the eternal throne? God has this. Are you abiding in His strong tower? Is He your refuge?

But You, O Lord, abide forever, And Your name to all generations.
Psalms 102:12 NASB

God is your only hope in a world seeking their own way, truth and life. Jesus is the only way, truth and life and no one comes to the throne of the Father but by Him. Can you rejoice in that? Can you enter into the Holy of holies and bow before the throne? If not it is time to bow down in surrender to God and His will. That is where real joy is found even when everything around you is falling down.

“But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.
Psalms 102:27 NASB

Hallelujah!

🌹The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Do Not Fear

Aug26

Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord. We lift up our heart and hands Toward God in heaven; We have transgressed and rebelled, You have not pardoned.
Lamentations 3:40‭-‬42 NASB

“We lift up our heart and hands toward God in heaven;”. Do we? With repentant hearts or with raging fists?

Nothing happens without the approval and working of the Lord God. He did not make all of creation, including people, and then not involve Himself in His creation. As you look around what do you see? Are we looking for pardon yet living our lives as if our Creator has no say or part in where we go, what we do? If so, we need to “examine and probe our ways”. When we do we will find that we need to return to the Lord.

God is patient not wanting anyone to perish but He is also holy and just and will not allow us to continue in disobedience to Him.

Now is the time to seek the Lord with repentant hearts, turning to Him, crying out to God who can redeem you and give you peace even when the rebellious world around you is falling apart.

You have heard my voice, “Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief, From my cry for help.” You drew near when I called on You; You said, “Do not fear!” O Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause; You have redeemed my life.
Lamentations 3:56‭-‬58 NASB

🌹Are you experiencing peace, content in the Lord or are you walking with and looking like the world around you?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

For His Namesake

Aug25

The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy.
2 Chronicles 36:15‭-‬16 NASB

God warns before punishment. Why? Because He has great compassion on His people. But there comes a point when enough is enough.

and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. Jeremiah 40:3 NASB

Remedy:

For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,” declares the Lord.'” Jeremiah 39:18 NASB

The world is going through some scary, hard, uncertain times. But God. . . It is all about Him. Until we confess, trust and realize all things happen for His namesake we will continue to live in fear and uncertainty.

Then you will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.'”
Ezekiel 20:44 NASB

He is the way, the truth, the life. It is all about Him. We have the awesome privilege to walk and work along side THE Almighty God, but He will not force Himself upon us. The choice is ours.

🌹Does your life demonstrate the fact that life is all about God? All for His namesake?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

His Eternal Covenant

Aug24

“Thus says the Lord , ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.”
Jeremiah 33:20-‬21 NASB

What a promise! Thank God we can’t change night and day. We would be foolish enough to try. Just as we can’t change God. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever. Thank God for His Son, Jesus, who reigns forever.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 NASB

🌹 Thank God for His new covenant in Christ.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

For Debbie B.

Aug21

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.                     Jeremiah 17:7‭-‬8 NASB

Sometimes we have to face the heat of unexpected, unwanted circumstances. Fear can grip us, immobilize, and draw us to a dark place.

But God. . . Jesus. Light of the world who makes the darkness light. He is Almighty God. He knows us intimately. Our every hurt, fear, joys, ups, downs – our every thought, our very soul. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

That is why we can trust Him. That is why trusting Him is peace for the soul. Dig deep into the sweet water of His word, flowing with wisdom, peace, the revelation of God Himself.

As we trust God, especially in the heat, we can be fruitful. Peace beyond the world’s understanding shines the Light for others to see God as we trust in Him.

🌹 Trust and obey.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

God’s Grace

Aug20

Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die. Ezekiel 18:4 NASB

The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. “But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his righteousness which he has practiced, he will live.
Ezekiel 18:20‭-‬22 NASB

God created all people and their soul belongs to Him. God created us and just like Adam gave us freewill to follow or not to follow Him in obedience.

Each individual is responsible for their own sin. No blame can be placed upon upbringing, social class, nationality or any one thing or person but self alone.

We were created out of love and for the purpose of fulfilling God’s will. For that reason we need to seek God so that we may live.

For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God . “Therefore, repent and live.”
Ezekiel 18:32 NASB

It is only by the grace of God that He offered His Son, Jesus, so that we may live in His righteousness. “Therefore, repent and live.”

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Romans 8:10

🌹 If you need to know the grace of God, talk with a believer today.

🌹 If you are struggling in sin and disobedience, call out to God and repent of your sin and disobedience.

🌹 If you have a personal relationship with Jesus, thank the Father today for His incredible gift of grace.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

No Other

Aug19

The Lord has made known His salvation;
He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. Psalm 98:2

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” Acts 17:30‭-‬31 NASB

“Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation” 2 Corinthians 6:2b NASB

“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:22 NASB

🌹 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:8 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

I Surrender

Aug18

For thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land At this time, And will cause them distress, That they may be found.” Jeremiah 10:18 NASB

“I will cause them distress, that they may be found (Lit. find)

What is it that the Lord wants us to find?

I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but with justice; Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing. Jeremiah 10:23‭-‬24 NASB

Realize that we can do nothing, have nothing, are nothing without God. After all, He is the one who created us.

When we wander too far into ourselves we are lost and become dependent upon ourselves. It is at this time God saves us through His justice and punishment. Calling us to repentance and surrender to His will and purpose.

🌹 Are we still fighting the Almighty or surrendering to His will, His way, His purpose?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon