25 April 2019
Follow that Cloud
Numbers 9:22-23 NLT
Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.

Today, Believers enjoy the gracious gift of God’s Holy Spirit living in us. He is there to guide us.

But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 
(John 14:26 NLT)

The cloud guiding the Israelites is a wonderful physical representation of how God leads. When he directs us to move, we move; when he directs us to stay we stay.

That’s so hard for us in our modern culture because we think we always have to be on the move and making things happen and shaking things up. God’s Holy Spirit certainly leads me where I should go, but often I go in a direction he is not leading. I think of the cloud for the Israelites. I’m here, but the cloud is over there. That means God is not a part of what I’m getting myself into. Letting God’s Holy Spirit lead me means going where he directs, saying what he would have me say, doing what he would have me do and sometimes even laying low and being still.

A simple example for me occurred when my kids were very little. I’ve always enjoyed the ladies’ Bible Study at church, and I love teaching it too. But there was a time that it wasn’t for me. Wouldn’t it have been fine for me to pursue anyway, after all it’s so churchy. But no. There are times in our lives God directs us to lay something down no matter how spiritual of a thing it might be. Thankfully, in my case, after a time of being still and laying low in that department, God began leading me to pick it back up again. And I’m sure that won’t be the last time. The most important thing is to travel in the same direction as the cloud.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. (Galatians 5:16 NLT)
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Dear God,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit. I want to be where you are and live how you instruct. Let my obedience and my conduct be thankfulness to you and how I worship you. I love you and thank you for making it so I can be where you are. Amen.

24 April 2019
God’s Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Don’t you realize... No.

Ephesians 5:17 describes me better – Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. I think I pile up way more thoughtless words and acts in a day than remembering to remember who lives in me ready and willing to help me understand what God wants me to do.

I do think it is wonderful, though, that the One True Living God is present and active with me. I do not have to go to a particular location or meet with a holy person. God made me a holy person when he gave me his Holy Spirit. No other religion, seminar or self-help book can impact my life like he does. He gives me understanding and insight and the ability to do what pleases him. HE is the remedy for my thoughtlessness, for he promises to fill me with his thoughts.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the (ability) to do what pleases him.  (Philippians 2:13)

If the Holy Spirit of Christ were not available to Believers, we would be left to our own thoughtlessness every single day. But God has generously decided to give me options to my own close-minded, one-sided, stubborn, selfish way of thinking. But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.    (1 Corinthians 2:10-12 NLT)  
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Dear God,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit who is freely accessible and never leaves. Please forgive the times I speak and act from my own thoughtlessness. Thank you for making me holy by your presence. Thank you for not holding my sins against me as I deserve. And thank you most of all for making pleasing you and following you possible through the power of your presence in my life. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

23 April 2019
Easter Sunday and Always

Psalm 103:1-5 (NLT)
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death
    and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
    
Easter Sunday was just a couple of days ago, and today Psalm 103 is a fantastic reminder of what we celebrate! He forgives all my sins! He heals all my diseases! He redeems me from death!

While he was teaching on Sunday, Rob reminded us that Jesus died to receive the punishment for people not angels or invisible beings. We are going to be accountable for what we have said and done, and there’s nothing we can do to make up for any of it. It would be great if someone would take our punishment for us – serve the sentence of death for us. And Jesus did. And when he came back from death, he proved he is God’s Son capable of taking away our sins.

If a regular man died, he would just remain dead with no proof of invisible sin forgiving. Plenty of martyrs have died and not much changed for their efforts. And not one of them ever returned from death. But Jesus sure did. He was no martyr; He IS a risen Savior. He said he would come back in 3 days, and he did. So, if he says by believing in him my sins are forgiven (John 3:16), then they are forgiven. He redeems me from death. Indeed!

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. 16 We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.  (Hebrews 2:14-18 NLT)

If you forgot to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus on Sunday, do it today! Accepting and reflecting on what he has done will fill your heart with joy and thankfulness.
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Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for saving me from fear, death, sin and everything else I could be afraid of. You have indeed done good things for me – may I NEVER forget. I love you and praise you in your name, amen.

​9 April 2019
Look Up When You’re Up
Exodus 14:15-16
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.

Tell the people to get moving! Get moving? Where? At the that God said these words to Moses, the Israelites were absolutely boxed in by taking the route that God had told them to. Where exactly were they supposed to go all boxed in like that with only a ginormous body of water in front of them? I don’t think it entered their minds that God was going to literally part waters for them, but he did. When Rob was teaching on Sunday, he said, “God often leads his people to a place where he is there only hope.” And the events in Exodus 14 certainly prove this.

God leads his people to a place where he is their only hope... This is a fascinating thought. We’ve heard so many testimonies of people who hit the “bottom” and finally turned to the saving grace of the One True Living God after they had tried every thing and burned every bridge – Jesus was their only option, and he saves. He always saves those who are “boxed in” and their only way out is a way only he can provide. He is always merciful to those who are down and finally look up. He is amazing!

But another truth I have noticed is that we don’t have to just look up when we’re down; we can look up when we’re up! A heart fixed on Jesus is a miracle and a testimony in all shapes and forms. He tells us the following:
1. We can use our money for good.
 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
(1 Timothy 6:17-18)
2. We can use our position for good.
 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant... (Matthew 20:25-26)
3. We continue to be guided by his Holy Spirit, not just once, but all the time!
 For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to (constantly) fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:5)

Thankfully, God makes himself available when we are at our most desperate. And I am equally thankful that he keeps being there, keeps being miraculous, keeps leading us to places where he is our only hope even when we already know he is our only hope.
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Dear God,
You are my only hope today. May I not trust in any events or strength I can muster on my own will and will power today. You are my plan A. I don’t want a plan B. You are great and greatly to be praised, so helpful and kind and I am so thankful for your continual presence in my life. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

5 April 2019
Who is Like You?

​Exodus 15:11 NLT
Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—glorious in holiness...



All gods, except God, are products of man’s imagination. They are created fantasies. Their attributes and characters are limited to man’s imagination. When Moses says there are no gods like God it’s because the One True Living God is the only one not born from human imagination. The reason God stands out with attributes un-ascribe-able to any other god is because man can’t ascribe holiness to a man-imagined god because holiness comes from God. Without God, the idea of holiness wouldn’t be on our radar; it is not something we would think up. Holiness is unique to him. Only God is holy, and that is why there is no other god out there, ancient or otherwise, with the attributes of God.

No one knows holiness without God. That’s why there’s so many songs about God in the Bible; his attributes have to be explained to people. Without God there is no knowledge of or possibility of holiness. His qualities are unique to him because he wasn’t invented my man. Therefore, we are blown away when we realize his goodness because we don’t get this from anywhere else in life – only through him do these good and pleasing qualities appear on man’s radar.

He revealed his character to Moses
    and his deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us,
    nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
(Amazing attributes of God unlike that of any other god from Psalm 103:7-13)

Dear God,
There is no one like you because all that you are can’t be conceived of by our human imaginations. We do not imagine holiness. We have to have you to know what that is. Thank you that through your Son, Jesus we have been made holy and have access to your wonderful ways that truly are not like any others. Thank you so much for who you are. I love you and praise you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

​3 April 2019
Having a Fire Drill
Exodus 14:13-14 NLT
But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Don’t be afraid isn’t a suggestion; it’s a command. Living in fear reflects a heart that does not trust God. So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:6-7)

Just stand still means that the be a mover and shaker mentality of our culture directly conflicts with God’s expressed will for us. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

Watch the Lord rescue you proves that “The Lord helps those who help themselves” is an old timey quote made famous by Ben Franklin and not based on scripture at all. Scripture says that Christ came to rescue us while we were utterly helpless not after we tried to get our act together. (Romans 5:6)

The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again... So many times I take action (or even inaction) because I’m worried about what someone else might think. But am I ever going to see them again? Why be so concerned with “looking good” when the Bible says to fear the Lord and serve him only not serve the expectations of others. (Joshua 24:14)

The Lord himself will fight for you means that God doesn’t out source. He wants to be with me. In John 17:24 Jesus clearly expresses that he wants us to be with him always.

Just stay calm are fire drill words. Remaining clam will not all of a sudden come upon a person, it is something to be practiced and drilled so that when chaos is present, I rest in these truths:
- God will never leave me
- strength comes to those who wait on the Lord
- Christ rescues
- other people’s perceptions of me aren’t what matters
- Jesus chooses to be with me always
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Dear God,
Thank you for these truths from the OT still being true today. You act on my behalf, I don’t save myself, following you is what matters most and you love me and desire my company. Thank you so much that life with you is rich and full, good and everlasting. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.