Speaking Through Humility

Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:

"Who is this that darkens my counsel

 with words without knowledge?

Brace yourself like a man;

 I will question you,

 and you shall answer me.

Job 38:1-3

In the book of Job, Job was a blameless man in everything he did. God chose to expose him to all kinds of attacks from Satan to show the wonderful servant in Job. And when things fell apart in his life he did not turn on God or curse him, even if he was encouraged to. He remained faithful. Even his friends turned on him saying that he must have sinned in order that these things were happening. They kept on pushing and Job pushed back. And I think this is where Job erred. He because so resistant that he did nothing wrong that he didn't allow himself to be searched thoroughly. He just wanted to die already and wished never to be born because of all his sufferings. Even though he was blameless his one fault was that he claimed to know the situation. He failed to recognize God's mystery.

I, like lots of men, try to figure things out and try to fix the problem. I want to know this or that but that can lead me to my own downfall. We all have parts of this life that we are meant to understand but there are some things that God just says we can't understand, it's beyond what our minds can handle. That's the problem, we try to control the things we can't and fail to address the things that can. I need the wisdom to understand what they are... it's like the serenity prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your blessings today and every day! Help me to scrub my own heart daily so that I can lead a life like Job before his trials so that my heart will be ready for his trials without the accusations. I will learn to lean on Your ways and understanding not mine. In the wonderful name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!

Uninterrupted Fellowship

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29

Eating of the bread and drinking of the cup acknowledges our Savior's sacrifice, death & resurrection through the power of the Father. Coming together to partake of this offering is a symbol or fellowship & remembrance, not to gorge ourselves with food and wine. And this isn't really about the filling of our stomachs either. It's about coming to God's table in pure fellowship not personal agendas and selfishness. It's not really even a time to have ministry type meetings. The apostle Paul writes that if we are hungry we should eat at home (v34) before coming to fellowship. This needs to happen so we can be like Mary, not Martha and sit at the feet of Jesus to experience each other as a body.

This is another classic case of wanting to do stuff instead of spending time with Jesus. You may even want to call it our Sabbath. I feel like I've had a good mixture of not being tied too much into ministry, work and home time with Michelle. I also need to study (which needs to increase) to keep up with my courses. So this message is very appropriate and God's reminding me not to lose that balance with everything; to keep spending time in devotions, worship & fellowship. Do the things that need to be done, yes, but don't bring them to the table when it's time to be with God.

Thank You Father, You are all knowing and I'm so appreciative that You continue to guide my thoughts. I know You have much for me yet and I cannot express how much You mean to me. I will guard my heart to be open but strong to withstand the attempts by my own flesh and the evil forces around me. Thank You for showing me the way. I love You! In the matchless name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen!

Loving Him Right Here, Right Now

What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Paul just came out of talking about if you're married you should stay married and if you were unmarried you should stay that way. Whatever situation you're in you should not seek to find a way out of it just because you're saved. This quoted passage explains it all; time is short and the world around is temporary so just start loving Him right here, right now.

I usually think about the next 5 situations that MIGHT be coming up... Like Pastor Elwin said, we worry about things we can't control 92% of the time, it's not in our control. So I fill my mind with anxiety and so much confusion because I'm dealing with stuff that probably won't even come true. What I need to do is focus more on the things that deal with today. I've always been conditioned to prepare for tomorrow... save for college, family, retirement, career... so on and so forth. That's all good but what I'm doing is putting all that stuff before my "today." What happens is that today will shape tomorrow and doing it without God today ensures not having God tomorrow. I need to spend more time focusing in what good I can do today and God will provide for tomorrow.

Thank You Father God for all Your provisions. I know You want to provide all my needs but I seize control over and over. Help me release my burdens. You've done so much and I need to will myself over my own stumbling blocks. Help remind me with Your mighty Holy Spirit to always seek truth... YOU! I love You! In the matchless name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Given Over to Satan

When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5

I remember thinking about this passage thinking it meant to put this man out of the church or at least out of a certain group membership so that he can come to grips to God's counsel. This passage and the rest in this chapter leads me to think that we are to expel these type of people because they will infect the other members of the body. But what struck my heart this morning was that we aren't to get rid of these people but the sin itself. We are to do everything possible to lead the man into a confrontation with the source of his sin, the devil's work in his life. Not all bad things come from the devil as we've been led to believe. A lot of times it's our own mistakes and lack of God's discernment that results in consequences, not punishment. So we are to usher people to examine their own hearts to see the source of their troubles. They need to see what the devil is doing in their lives and engage in spiritual warfare. Their sin must be handed over to Satan to be destroyed.

This scripture, "generational curses" & so many other thoughts on spiritual warfare can make your head spin but the bottom line of today's lesson is that we need to see our place in the Divine-human relationship. We can be distracted even when it comes to whose sin is it, mine or from the devil. I acknowledge there's always a human element to it and we create our own situations, our own consequences, helping the devil out at destruction. I need to careful identify and be aware of sin and the equipping God has provided to conquer it in His name.

Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing me with the discernment to acknowledge light from dark. But I know this isn't enough, I need the volition to will myself to be more like You and fight the good fight. Protect Your children's minds with Your grace and correction today. Thank You for such wonderful gifts. In the precious name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!