.....oath

This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them. Joshua 9:20

Joshua and the people of Israel were in the Promised Land. They were winning battles and were feeling good about their progress. One day a band of Gibeonites came by dressed as travelers in order to fool Joshua. They wanted to make Joshua believe they were merely travelers instead of enemies. 

The Gibeonites asked Joshua to make a peace treaty with them. Since Joshua chose to believe their story, he did just that. That was a mistake on Joshua's part. The Bible says Joshua did not inquire of the Lord about the Gibeonites. This forced Joshua to uphold the peace treaty with the Gibeonites, even though it was made under false pretenses.

Keeping our oaths before the Lord is a serious matter. One might think that Joshua had every right to consider the agreement with the Gibeonites null and void since it was done on false pretense. However, Joshua knew how God viewed oaths. He knew that a man's word, once it was given, should be good as done. There was no reversing it. He also knew that if he did not keep his oath, he was subject to God's disfavor, which meant his ways would not be blessed. 

Whenever we become a child of God, we represent Him. When His children follow unrighteousness, He takes this personally. Unrighteousness opens us up to satan's attack. 

God's protection shield is removed. So Joshua knew that if he did not honor his oath, he would be subject to God's judgment.

Is there any unfulfilled oath you have made to anyone? 

Ask God this morning if you have not fulfilled a commitment to anyone. Then, if there is, go and fulfill. 

.....peace

I opened my journal and wrote, "Father, I am listening."

I turned to my reading for the day, and He responded, "Peace be with you." John 20:21

I took that phrase, inhaled deeply, and exhaled, saying, "Peace be with you."

I repeated the simple exercise multiple times throughout the day.

What did I learn from this simple meditation?

A meditative pause is healthy. Pausing for meditation throughout the day calms my spirit, heart, head, and body. It works if I am in traffic, eating a meal, drinking a cup of coffee, or taking a walk.

Peace is possible. Even amid chaos and crisis, moments of peace is achievable. The pause can be brief and may not last long, but even a momentary pause makes a difference. God wants me to have peace. He is the initiator of peace. He modeled peaceful pauses, is the giver of peace, and knows I need these moments of relaxation.

God's peace is more than just being quiet. His peace involves trust. His peace leads to wholeness. His peace reminds us that we are not alone.

When Jesus spoke these four words, His followers were trying to process His death, then His return. They were about to move into the most incredible adventure of their lives. Jesus knew they needed His presence and peace.

On any given day, we may face death and unimaginable heartache. He responds with, "Peace be with you." Accept it. Embrace it.

-tom norvell

.....you

At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness.  "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?"  The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't hear the question.

 

"Isn't it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" the lawyer repeated.  The witness still did not respond.

 

Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question."

 

"Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."

 

I seem to have the same trouble when I'm preaching.  Everybody thinks I'm talking to everyone else!  It's easy to listen to a sermon thinking, "Boy, I sure hope brother so-and-so is listening to this one!"  

It is crucial, though, that we listen to all messages that come from the word of God with the thought, "What does this have to say to me?" because only when I make personal application can I learn and grow.

 

"Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:3-5

 

It's an important lesson. 

-alan smith

.....remnant

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples'. Luke 11:1

God is calling out a remnant of believers throughout the world who understand the role of prayer in their work. These people have learned that prayer is not a five-minute exercise in the morning devotion time, but it is a vital strategic tool to discern and know God's will and purposes in their work lives. They have learned that their business lives are their ministries to God and others.

These men and women have entered into covenant relationships with intercessory prayer partners who help discern the activities they should be involved in. Some even have paid staff, who intercede for the decisions and activities in which they will be involved. They are a small remnant of believers who know that skill and technique are not enough to fulfill God's purposes.

A servant of the Lord has well said: Prayer is the rail for God's work. Indeed, prayer is to God's will as rails are to a train. The locomotive is full of power: it is capable of running a thousand miles a day. But if there are no rails, it cannot move forward a single inch. If it dares to move without them, it will soon sink into the earth. It may be able to travel over great distances, yet it cannot go to any place where no rails have been laid. And such is the relation between prayer and God's work. 

Without any doubt God is almighty and He works mightily, but He will not and cannot work if you and I do not labor together with Him in prayer, prepare the way for His will, and pray "with all prayer and supplication" Eph. 6:18 to grant Him the maneuverability to so work. 

Many are the things, which God wills to do, and would like to do, but His hands are bound because His children do not sympathize with Him and have not prayed so as to prepare ways for Him. All who have wholly given themselves to God: 'Do examine yourselves and see if in this respect you have limited Him day after day'. [Watchman Nee, Let Us Pray (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, 1977), 11.]

Is prayer a vital part of your life? 

Put prayer on the front lines, instead of making it an afterthought. You will begin to see renewed power in your life.

-kanni mbogo

.....going

Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?'  Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' John 14:5-6

When Billy Graham was the keynote speaker honoring the delegates to the United Nations, he shared the following story as apart of his speech...:

There was a time when Albert Einstein was going on a train to an out-of-town engagement. The conductor stopped by to punch his ticket. The great scientist, preoccupied with his work, with great embarrassment rummaged through his coat pockets and briefcase to no avail. He could not find his ticket. The conductor said, "We all know who you are, Dr. Einstein. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it. Everything is okay."

The conductor walked on down the aisle punching other tickets. Before he moved to the next car, he looked back and saw Dr. Einstein down on his hands and knees looking under his seat trying to find his ticket. He came back and gently said, "Dr. Einstein, please don't worry about it. I know who you are."

Einstein looked up and said, "I too know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going!"

Like Einstein, we often don't know where we are going.  That's why we are often compared in the Scriptures to sheep -- animals which have a very poor sense of direction.  They have no idea where they came from or where they're going.  That's one of the reasons they are in such dire need of a shepherd.

Like sheep, we have all "gone astray." Isa. 53:6.  

We need someone to show us the way.  

And Jesus not only shows us the way -- He IS the way!

-dave langerfeld

....isolation

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalm 46:10

There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities--simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something," while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness. 

Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of being still? 

Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after. 

-os hillman

....confront

As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 1 Samuel 17:48

When we face a crisis, what do we usually do? We worry. But worry isn’t very productive. In fact, it’s counterproductive. And by the way some Christians act, you would think the Bible says, “Worry about everything and never pray about anything.”

However, the Bible actually says the very opposite: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6–7

When David was about to face the giant Goliath, he said, “Everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us! As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him” 1 Samuel 17:47–48.

David ran toward his giant to attack him. Earlier in the story we read that Goliath left the Philistine ranks to come out and taunt Israel. That’s how sin is. It will get closer and encroach on you. And if you tolerate giants, they’ll take over your territory. They’ll come right up on your doorstep.

That’s why you don’t run from giants. For example, let’s say that you have a problem with a substance of some kind. Maybe it’s drugs. Maybe it’s alcohol. Or maybe it’s something else. You need to bring it into the light of day and say, “I have a problem, and I need to face this giant. I need to deal with this.”

Quit covering it up. Quit rationalizing it or justifying it. Push it out of the shadows where it has lurked and bring it into the open. Start praying and using the spiritual weapons that God has given you because He is bigger than your giant.

God is in control, and He is more powerful than our adversary. 

-greg laurie

....let

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him. - Isaiah 30:18

If you're anything like me, you've come face to face with situations in life in where, out of faith, you let go of trying to control things and turn them over to God.  You may even agree with me that while letting go of our concerns is hard enough, it's even harder for some of us to refrain from taking them back! 

We get impatient with God.  We want results from Him the same way we expect to get our French fries from a drive-through window!  And, all too often, we want things to develop according to OUR plan, not His.

Perhaps that's why the above verse means so much to me in regards to this spiritual dilemma.  It's loaded full of comforting answers and reassurances to the reader.  From just a few little words, it reminds us that...

God YEARNS to give us the very best.

God is COMPASSIONATE, i.e., He suffers with our pain and understands our hurts.

God is FAIR and His justice for our welfare far exceeds just giving us what we want.

And out of our patience, encompassed in trust, we obtain that PEACE which can only be gotten when we see that no matter what, God's got our back!

So the question I must ask myself is this: Am I going to go through this day without any anxiety about the future; fully trusting that God is in control of all things and knowing that He loves me more than I can imagine?  Well, so far - so good.  

Thank you, Lord, for your Word that reminds me whose I am and gives me strength to combat the anxiety monster and live peaceably in your arms this day!

-glenn w. miller

.....speaks

The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, 'Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you. Ezekiel 3:22

God speaks in many different ways to His children. He spoke through a bush to Moses. He spoke through a donkey to Balaam. He spoke through prophets to His kings. He speaks through other believers. He speaks directly to us through the invisible Holy Spirit. And He speaks even through circumstances.

When God wants to speak a very important word directly to us without interruption from the noise of our busy lives, he will take us "into the plain." The plain is a place of no distractions and no other persons. It is a place of silence. It can be a place of great need as it often fails to have the normal provisions we are accustomed to. It can be a place we go to voluntarily to seek His face, or we can be moved there without choice by His supernatural ability. More often, it is the latter method that brings us into the plain. In modern times, it often means a separation from our normal activities such as jobs or families.

The plain can also be a place where we discover afresh that God's hand has been on us all the time. When we are so busy with life, we sometimes forget that God's hand is still there, gently leading our path. When our lives get so busy that we are not listening or responding to His gentle touch, He must take more aggressive measures to get our attention.

Thus, the plain is one of those appointed times of one-on-one communication with our heavenly Father. No distractions, no people, no beautiful surroundings to capture our thoughts. It is a barren place designed to allow us to seek and hear clearly. When He speaks, we need to be able to listen. We hear much better in the plain.

Do you need to hear God's voice today? Is your life such that you cannot even hear His voice? Each day God calls us to our own mini-plain in order to speak to us and for us to hear. If we neglect this time of open communication, we may be invited to His plain in order to hear without distraction. Pray that you might make time to hear.

-os hillman

...taste

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.Psalm 34:8

We pulled into a packed parking lot and looked for a slot. This particular turnpike stop had an eye-catching fruit stand out front. The salesperson encouraged me as she held out a plate of samples, "Take a taste; they're so juicy!"

I didn't need much pressuring. They looked beautiful, now for the taste test. They were as delicious as they were pretty to look at.

We bought a bag, and opened them as soon as we got back on the highway. Peeling off the skin, separating the sections of the orange, I ate a piece still attached to the peel. The fruit was seedless and sweet, but the inside of the peel was bitter. The acrid taste lingered.

The bible verse popped into my mind, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" Psalm 34. Then another, "Test the spirits to see whether they are from God" 1 John 4, because even believers can be deceived Matthew 24.

Just because something is a 'good thing' doesn't necessarily mean it's a 'God thing'. In addition to choices between good and not good, there are sometimes choices between good, better, and best. 

Thankfully we don't have to determine this just on intuition; the Holy Spirit guides us.

-sally kennedy

.....armor

David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. 'I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them.' So he took them off." 1 Samuel 17:39

David, the young shepherd boy, heard the challenge from the Philistines to send someone to fight Goliath. No one volunteered to fight except David. 

King Saul reluctantly agreed and offered David his armor. David put on the weighty equipment, but quickly concluded he could not fight in this heavy armor.

God equips each of us in such a way that is unique to our strengths and abilities. David was trained as a shepherd to use another weapon. For David, it was a slingshot. David showed great maturity in realizing he could not be effective with Saul's armor. 

What are the gifts and talents God has given to you? Have you ever tried to accomplish a task with tools you were not trained to use? God allows each of us to develop skills that are unique to our life. He will not call you to use someone else's tools.

However, this is only half of the equation. These talents must be mixed with faith. Talent alone is not enough. Faith alone is not enough. It is only when the two are combined that God's power is released and manifested in the physical realm. 

Mix your unique gifts with faith today; you will be surprised at the power of God that will be manifested

-os hillman

....light

John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light John 5:35.

The moon is lovely on a clear night only because it reflects the light of the sun. It has no qualities by itself to reflect its beauty. Without the sun shining onto its surface, you and I would never see the moon. It would simply be a dark object in the sky.

A diamond is designed to reflect the light to reveal its true value. The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. There is no single measurement of a diamond that defines its cut, but rather a collection of measurements and observations that determine the relationship between a diamond's light performance, dimensions and finish. 

Jesus came to bring the light of His love and grace to each of us. However, we are born into a world dulled by the sin created by Adam and Eve that makes our lives dark until we meet Jesus.  "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ….." Rom 3:23-24.

Jesus contrasted in many parables that those who allow His life to live in them will live in the light amidst darkness. When you invite Jesus Christ to live in your heart it is as though a light is shining upon your life in order to reflect the glory of God’s Son through you. 

Jesus calls you to be a vessel to reflect the brilliant light of His love to others.  How are your reflective qualities? Ask Him to make your life a continual reflection of His light to others.

-os hillman

today

Today,

For what I am that I ought not to be,

Forgive me.

For what I am not that I ought to be,

Forgive me.

Be with my mouth in what it speaks

Be with my hands in what they do

Be with my mind in what it thinks

Be with my heart in what it feels

Work in me

...through me

...for me

...in spite of me

In the precious name of Jesus,

.....valleys

The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the Lord says: 'Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord'." 1 Kings 20:28

Whenever we stand on the mountain, we are able to see clearly. It is the best vantage point to see what lies ahead. Wouldn't it be great to live on the mountain all the time in order to anticipate what is ahead? God allows us to experience the mountaintop at times. 

Joseph's first mountaintop experience was as a young man. He had the favor of his father, Jacob. He was given a fine coat and even had a dream about his future. As a young man, Joseph had a sense of destiny about his life. God often gives us a picture of our future so that we will remember this picture when we are being tested to trust Him in the valley. This picture usually does not reveal how God intends to bring about the visions for our life.

However, none of us really derive the character qualities God desires for our lives while we are on the mountain. It is in the valley where the fruit is planted and harvested. It cannot grow on the mountain; it must grow in the valley. 

God is a God of the mountain, but he is even more a God of the valley. 

In the valley, it is more difficult to see ahead; the clouds often cover the valley and limit our sight. Joseph was thrust into a deep valley that left him wondering if the God of his father had forsaken him. Jesus hoped that He might be able to avoid the valley that caused Him to sweat blood. 

There is a valley that each of us must enter, usually unwillingly, in order to experience the God of the valley-and to experience His faithfulness in the valley. Once we have spent time in this valley, we come out with something we would have never gained if we had not entered it. The valley brings much fruit into our lives so that we might plant seeds into the lives of others. 

God does not waste valley experiences. If we are faithful in the valley, we will enter a new dimension with God that we never thought possible. There is a harvest of wisdom and virtue that can only be grown in the valley.

Has God brought you into the valley? Know that the valley is a place of fruitfulness; it is a place of testing. It is where God brings what you know in your head into your heart. 

-os hillman

....prove

Everyone suffers an occasional rejection. A high school senior doesn't get into college or into the college they wanted. Someone doesn't get the dream job they counted on or the promotion they deserved.  Someone gets turned down for a date.  Someone is not invited to an event.  Someone is not recognized for what they have done.  

 

Sometimes, people so internalize the rejections they encounter that they become paralyzed by life. They abandon their dreams. They settle for less than God intended with their lives. They give up and resign themselves to mediocrity.  They allow the judgments other people pass on them to define them. What a shame!

Imagine the difference that would have been made in our world if certain people had accepted others' rejection of them as the final word on their worth. Beethoven's music teacher said he was "hopeless" at composing. The Wright brothers were ridiculed for their dream of a flying machine. Albert Einstein was feared to be mentally handicapped as a child.

You've no doubt seen pictures of Michelangelo's David. Maybe you've stood in front of it and marveled at its flawless lines. Many judge it to be the world's most perfect piece of sculpture. The torso of the biblical hero who went from shepherd boy to King of Israel is rendered in exquisite detail.  Down to the muscle contraction etched on his forehead, it seems almost ready to come alive.

The masterpiece that is David was carved from a single block of marble that two other artists had already discarded for its imperfections!!! And so it might have been with the historical figure himself.  When God sent his prophet to anoint the next king for Israel, neither Samuel nor the family patriarch to whom God had sent him considered David to be in the running. He wasn't even invited in from the fields to meet the visiting holy man. He was, after all, just a boy tending sheep.

The David story contains this marvelous line: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” 1 Samuel 6:7  

Just as Michelangelo would later see possibilities for a flawed block of marble others had discarded, God saw possibilities for a raw young man for whom others appear not to have forecast greatness.

A rejected marble block in Michelangelo's hands yielded artistic brilliance. 

A slighted youth in God's hands became the legendary King of Israel. 

So why should you let life's slights and rejections define you? 

In the hands of The Master, you still have infinite possibilities before you to prove the critics wrong.

....audience

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

What audience do you play to? Each day you are seen by many who will make a judgment about the way you handle yourself among different audiences. Politicians have learned to play to their audiences, customizing messages for the needs of their particular groups. Musicians have learned to play to their audiences. Pastors play to their congregations each Sunday morning. Workplace believers play to the audiences who will buy their product.

Christ has called us to play to one audience - the audience of Himself. When you seek to please any other audience in your life, you become susceptible to situational ethics and motivations based on the need for the moment. Your audience becomes a pawn in your hands because you know what they want. Is that wrong? Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.

Pure obedience to pleasing God in our lives will often meet the needs of those around us. It is God's will that you and I love our spouses, provide good services to our customers, and look to the interests of others before ourselves. This will result in meeting many needs of the audiences in our lives.

However, there are other times when our audiences are asking for something contrary to God's will. Politicians are often forced to appease their audiences, even though it may go against God's laws. When we are asked to go with the flow, we discover which audience is most important in our lives. Is it the audience of One, or the audience of many?

Today, be aware of which audience you are playing to. 

Ask yourself why you are taking a particular action. Is it to please the audience of One? Or is it to please the audience of others who might negatively impact you should you not play to their tune? 

debt

An employee in the bill-collection department of a large store gave me an insight into human nature.  He told me that he repeatedly gets the following response from customers who are delinquent in paying their bills: “I know you must have others who owe a lot more than I do.  So, get off my back will you!”

The employee then told me, “They miss the point entirely.  Sure, there are a lot of others who owe more.  But somehow I have to tell them in a nice way, ‘Look, what somebody else owes isn’t the issue.  Our records say that your account is overdue!’”

The tendency of sinful man has always been to shift attention from himself by pointing the finger at others.  Religious people excuse their inconsistencies by referring to the “pagans” around them.  And the “pagans” try to sidestep the issue by talking about the hypocrisies of the religious.  But God is not fooled by finger-pointers.

When someone else appears to be a greater sinner than we are, it’s just an illusion.  The sooner we realize that no one owes more to God than we do, the more likely we are to receive His free forgiveness.  He extends His pardon only to those who humbly acknowledge that they are hopelessly in debt.

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8

"He paid a debt He did not owe

I owed a debt I could not pay

I needed someone to wash my sins away;

And now I sing a brand new song, 'Amazing Grace'

Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay."(from the song "He paid a Debt")

-dave langerfeld

.....let

Without a doubt, this has been the most difficult few years of my life.  A small crisis within our home has pierced our otherwise comfortable existence, and yet, even in the turmoil, light has overcome darkness.

During the onset of our struggle I was angry, frustrated and felt overwhelmed.  "Why us, God?  Why us?"  I would ask, and although my answer did not come as immediately as I would have preferred, the Lord did reply later by showing me truth.  This truth was the knowledge that there is no such thing as earthly perfection, and each and every human being will face adversity at some time in their life. However, God is greater than any problem.

Whether it is sickness, disease, relationship struggles or some other hardship, our life journey will never be perfect because perfection is only found in the Divine.  Along with the beauty of laughs and smiles will be the sting of painful tears, disappointments and shattered dreams.  Relationships may fail and jobs may fall through, yet will we allow these bumps along the path to alter our ability to possess peace, even joy?

How we perceive crisis when it occurs can either make or break our peace of mind, as well as affect the outcome of the situation.  As the above quote conveys, nothing is really a problem because there will always be solutions.

The greatest lesson I learned this year is the phrase "Let go, and let God."  The most successful solution to any problem we may face, no matter how large or small, is to trust in God.

As we act to resolve problems, we should never go it alone, but to lay the issue in the hands of the Lord; knowing that where our earthly abilities may be limited, He alone is able to do all things!  While man may tell us a situation is hopeless, with God there is always hope!

And so, after doing everything possible to resolve my family's personal crisis on our own, I remembered my faith in God, and began to cleave to the Lord in a way that I have never before had to surrender in trust.  Daily, I pray about the matter, then I hand the matter over to God, knowing that I have done my part, and now it is time for Him to take over.  

As hard a period as this has emotionally been, it has ironically also been the richest in wisdom. No longer do I feel overwhelmed by the problem, because I now know that all the worry in the world will not help resolve the matter, and in fact, will only add to my own emotional distress.

Today, I encourage you to hand any problems you may be facing over to the capable arms of the Lord. Feel the peace and freedom which follows the leap of faith, and know that God is the Master of miraculous solutions.

-melanie schurr

....convenant

But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. Genesis 6:18

The Bible is filled with covenants made between God and people. Six of those covenants were made with Old Testament figures: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David. The seventh was made with His own Son, Jesus Christ. God is always the strongest partner in a covenant relationship.

God made a covenant with Noah in order to preserve the human race. This covenant involved Noah's participation by building an ark. He'd never built an ark before. He'd never had a boat. It was a totally new concept to Noah and the rest of the world. Why would he need a boat in a dry land? 

Noah did not have to invent the ark; God gave him the plans-in specific dimensional detail. He did not have to gather the animals-God led them into the ark. God even closed the door when they all came on board. God made it rain to prove why the ark was needed.

The covenant provided all Noah needed to complete his mission in life. When God spoke to Noah to do this thing, he needed only to respond to God's call to do it. Noah could rest in knowing the covenant made with God was going to be fulfilled if he fulfilled his part.

If you have entered into a covenant relationship with God, you too can be assured that God will uphold His part of the covenant relationship. He is committed to fulfilling His covenant with you and to fulfill His purposes in and through your life. It only requires one thing on your part-obedience. He will even provide grace and faith to you to help you fulfill your part of the covenant.

Each of us has a covenant with God. But we also enter covenants with others in our personal and business lives. How are you doing in fulfilling covenants to others? God has given us the example to follow. Ask God if you have any unfulfilled covenants you need to honor. He has called you and me to be covenant keepers. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

-os hillman

....zeal

So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 1 Kings 19:8

Elijah and Moses were men of great zeal. They were passionate about their causes. Moses sought to free the Hebrews from the tyranny of slavery by killing an Egyptian with his own hand. Elijah, after calling down fire from heaven and killing the evil prophets of Baal, found himself spent physically and emotionally to the point he asked God to take his life. 

Immediately after these two events, 500 years apart from one another, both men were led to the same Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. In Hebrew, Horeb means "desolation." This barren environment mirrored the condition of Moses and Elijah. For Moses, it was 40 years of barrenness. For Elijah, it was 40 days without food. Elijah became tired of standing alone for God.

As believers we often become so focused on the goal we forget to meet God at our own Mount Horeb. This was the place God met both Moses and Elijah. It was a place of renewal, a place of new beginnings, a place of personal encounter with the living God.

Perhaps Elijah's greatest virtue was his zeal. Indeed, we shall see that twice in his communication with God, Elijah speaks of having been "very zealous" for the Lord. But zeal, unattended eventually becomes its own God; it compels us toward expectations, which are unrealistic, and outside the timing and anointing of God. 

To remain balanced, zeal must be reined in and harnessed by strategic encounters with the living God. We otherwise become frustrated with people and discouraged with delays. We step outside our place of strength and spiritual protection. 

Many of us become so consumed with our battles that we are no longer aware of the presence of Jesus. We have been traveling in our own strength. [Francis Frangipane, Place of Immunity (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Arrow Publications, 1994), 5.]

Pray that Jesus will teach us that intimacy with Him is the greatest measure of success. 

-os hillman

....woman

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Proverbs 31:28

She was the Vice President of Household Affairs for her entire adult life. She had a husband, four daughters, and one son whom she managed. Her calling was not to the workplace; it was to the home. It was a calling that she fulfilled well. She often went beyond her job description to fulfill menial tasks like sewing clothes for her twin girls, playing dolls, and even playing catch with the only boy in the clan.

Things were going along well until midway in life a telephone call came that changed everything. The caller informed her that the love of her life had been killed in an airplane crash. She was in her early 40's, still beautiful, with five kids to raise on her own in spite of the fact that she hadn't worked in the business place for nearly 20 years. 

The death of her husband removed their steady upper middle-class income, and she was now faced with the greatest test of her life. At her lowest moment, wondering how she was going to make it, she cried out to God. God answered, "Trust Me, Lillian." Those audible words became the strength that she needed to care for her family for the next 40 years. From that moment on, she came to know her Savior personally and shared Him with her family. Her children came to know Him as well. 

Grandchildren became the recipient of her prayers, and they came to know Him too. She was building an inheritance in Heaven, one prayer at a time, one soul at a time. She never remarried; Christ became her Husband.

-lilian hillman this woman was

......problems

Life is a series of problem-solving opportunities. The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you - depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring. Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:

1. God uses problems to DIRECT you.

Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? "Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways." Proverbs 20:30

2. God uses problems to INSPECT you.

People are like tea bags... if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience." James 1:2-3

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you.

Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something - health, money, a relationship - by losing it. "... It was the best thing that could have happened to me, for it taught me to pay attention to your laws." Psalms 119:71-72

4. God uses problems to PROTECT you.

A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..." Genesis 50:20

5. God uses problems to PERFECT you.

Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity."We can rejoice when we run into problems ...they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady." Romans. 5:3-4

God is at work in your life - even when you do not recognize it or understand it!  

But it's much easier and profitable when you cooperate with Him!

-dave langerfeld

 

.....patience

Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Exodus 32:1

Archibald Rutledge wrote that one day he met a man whose dog had just been killed in a forest fire. Heartbroken, the man explained to Rutledge how it happened. Because he worked outdoors, he often took his dog with him. That morning he left the animal in a clearing and gave him a command to stay and watch his lunch pail. A fire started in the woods, and soon the blaze spread to the spot where that dog had been left. But he didn't move. He waited right where he was and perished.

The Israelites, on the other hand, quickly grew weary of waiting. Moses had been gone only 40 days when they began to pressure Aaron to find "gods" that could lead them into the Promised Land. Their only thought was of the pleasures that awaited them in a land "flowing with milk and honey." They grew restless under the need to wait.

Christians face the same temptation. Often we are eager to get on with it. We have so much to do; so many tasks beckon us forward. We don't want to sit and wait, so we lurch forward with gods of our own making. We use our own wisdom and strength to try to reach goals that only God is adequate to achieve.

If you find yourself straining to go forward when God doesn't seem to be in a hurry, hold back and wait. Perhaps He has an entirely different plan for your life. Concentrate on what you must do now and let God move you ahead when the time is right.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalms 27:14

-woodrow kroll

....deliverance

 "He delivered us...

    He will deliver us...

        He will continue to deliver us..." 2 Corinthians 1:10

I quit!

I've tried my best to live

    as God expects me to,

    as my family expects me to...

I want to do the best, but I always fail.

I give up!

There's no use trying!

I just fail...

? I.............................................

"Rely not on yourselves, but on God...

    He delivered us,

        He will deliver us,

            He will continue to deliver us..."

Again and again and again,

    like food,

         like sleep

               so God will give us strength every day.

-dave langerfeld

....tuned

I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God. Zechariah 13:9

My business career has been as an owner of an advertising agency. Over the years, I have had the privilege to work on many different and prestigious accounts. One of those accounts was Steinway Pianos, the maker of the world's finest pianos. Each piano has always been made from scratch; it takes over a year to make one Steinway. 

The most impressive scene as I toured the manufacturing plant was the place where the soundboard is stretched to its maximum tolerance and allowed to sit for an extended period until it remains in the curved design. This was done in an off-to-the-corner part of the plant. If the wood were alive, it would be crying out for mercy.

After an extended time of stretching, the wood will never spring back to its original state. It is permanently changed. The piano is becoming a fine-tuned instrument. After this process takes place, the next step requires another point of stress. 

It takes 11 tons of pressure on a piano to tune it. Each step in the process moves the piano closer to a finished product that will ultimately be played by the world's finest musicians. These musicians desire a particular sound that only a piano like this can make.

God looks at each of us as a fine-tuned instrument. However, we begin as rough wood that He desires to transform into gold. Tuning us requires certain experiences that will stretch our faith, our frame, and our very life. Sainthood springs out of suffering. If we can stand the strain of this intense process, we will come forth as gold-as a sweet-smelling offering to our Maker. 

When we are in the midst of these times, it feels like fire. It is painful to be stretched beyond our perceived limits, but the Lord knows this is necessary for us to become an instrument that can play a beautiful song that others will seek after.

Let the master Craftsman have His way in your life today. You will be pleased with the instrument He fashions.

-os hillman

.....enough

You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north. Deuteronomy 2:3

Will the last three months of 2021 be any different than the first nine months?  

Will you continue to "press on" in your faith or will you continue to wallow in self-pity or live in the Land of "What If" or the Land of "If Only" or the Land of "What Could Have Been"?  

Will you focus on what lies ahead or will you continue to focus on your past?

Listen to this wonderful challenge from Ruth Graham:  

Either we can be victimized and become victims, or we can be victimized and rise above it. Often it is easier to play the victim than take off our masks and ask for help. We get comfortable with our victim status. It becomes our identity and is hard to give up. The Israelites often played the victim card, and I love what God finally tells them, 'You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north' Deuteronomy 2:3.   Turn north! It's time to move on! Self-pity, fear, pride, and negativity paralyze us. Taking off our masks takes courage, but if we don't do it, we will remain in our victim status and end up stunted."

What about you

     Do you keep talking and talking and talking about something you just can't get over?

     Are you living in the past because you just can't "let it go"?

     Do you keep wallowing in self-pity wondering what "could have been"?

     Have you discussed it over and over with different people but you've never taken action?

     Have you worried and worried about it but you've never done anything?

     Are you still living in misery because it's something you can't forgive or forget?

     Have you circled and circled and circled this issue all your life?

The time has come!!!  

You have circled this mountain long enough.  Now turn north!!!

-david langerfeld

.....control

 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said.... 1 Samuel 13:13

The prophet Samuel had anointed Saul the first king of Israel. Saul was now 30 years old and was leading the nation in battle against the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered at Micmash to come against Saul and his army. The Lord was directing Saul through the prophet Samuel. Samuel instructed Saul to go ahead of him to Micmash, and he would follow in seven days. He would then offer a burnt offering on behalf of the people of Israel.

The pressure began to build as the Philistines gathered around Micmash preparing for battle. The people of Israel grew fearful and began to scatter throughout the countryside. Saul was also afraid. Samuel did not show up on the morning of the seventh day. Finally, Saul, fearing the impending attack, took it upon himself to offer the burnt offering. After he had done this, Samuel showed up.

..."You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord's command" 1 Samuel 13:13-14.

Saul believed he needed to take control of the situation. Whenever we try to take control of a situation out of God's will, we demonstrate that we are led by fear.  Do you see any signs of over control in how you relate to others? Can you allow others the freedom to fail? Do you find yourself changing directions in midstream when you see something you don't like? Are you fearful of failure? These are all symptoms of a Saul-control spirit. Pray that God will allow you to walk in the freedom of trusting in Him and those around you.

....prep

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites. Joshua 1:1-2

A rocket launch is truly an amazing phenomenon to me. Tons of weight is stacked vertically to the sky with thousands of gallons of fuel exploding in a matter of moments. Soon the rocket drops its take-off boosters and uses additional boosters to move the rocket to the next stage of the mission. The first engines have a unique purpose...to get the rocket to the next stage.

Joshua was known for almost 40 years as "Joshua, servant of Moses." God's preparation for him required years of selfless service, training in the desert, and tests of faith. Those preparation years were booster rockets designed to move Joshua into each new stage of his development and his ultimate calling.

God allows each of us preparation times to lay a foundation that He plans to build on. Some of those foundation times appear to be laborious and meaningless, yet these varied experiences are what God is using to frame your life for the message He plans to speak through you. Without these foundational experiences, the Jordan River can never be crossed and we cannot enter the Promised Land. 

Embrace these times of seeming inactivity from God. They, too, are a rocket booster to your next stage of your walk with God.

Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus Philippians 1:6

-os hillman

....experience

So Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up. Exodus 3:3

Have you ever heard someone say, "God doesn't work that way? He would never do that." Well, there are times when God chooses to confound the foolish in order to change our paradigm of experience. Moses had never seen a bush that burned but did not burn up. It got his attention and it drew him to God.

When Jesus appeared on the water in the middle of the night during a storm, the disciples exclaimed, "It's a ghost!" They had never seen a man walk on water. This led to a great miracle-Peter walked on the water, too. When Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and get the coin from its mouth to pay their taxes, you can imagine what Peter must have thought about those instructions. When Moses got to the Red Sea, he ran out of options. God had an unexpected solution to the Israelites' problem-He parted the Red Sea to demonstrate His power and allow the people of Israel to cross over to flee the Egyptian army.

Each of these new paradigms was a stepping-stone of an encounter with God so that the individual would experience God in a new way. God used these times to enforce the principle that His ways are not our ways. Whenever we try to predict that God will act in a certain way, He changes the paradigm to keep us from becoming our own little gods. 

Have you ever been guilty of judging someone for an experience they've had that you've never had? Did you dismiss it as extreme or something not of God? God is in the business of changing our paradigm from no personal experiences to God-experiences. However, if you operate on a level of rigid logic, you may never have the privilege of having the God-experiences. 

Keep your heart free to experience new paradigms with God today.