Day Four 2012

Today is the fourth day of my fast. I meant to blog every day and that hasn't happened. Not off to a good start!

I was hoping to blog each day and have a small devotional thought plus list some prayer needs that I have prayed for. Maybe I can start today and go forward.

Today, Shirley is on my mind. I just found out she went to the hospital yesterday. She asked for something to read so tomorrow I'll go over and take her a book.

Char needs prayer. I know she is getting ready for her operation tomorrow.

Cathy is on my mind too. She is having a hard time with her stomach issues and it is knocking her out from doing the things she wants to do.

Dan Bohi is traveling and preaching at churches and will be here next Thursday and Friday. These services will be at 7 pm. I believe he will help us draw closer to God and give our lives to living a holy life. I am excited to see what God is going to do. I am praying that he will use Dan to transform our hearts.

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This morning I read about David testing out his armor and it not working for him. So he took it off and instead picked five smooth stones. He then went forward with God's power and those five stones.

It only took one. One stone. That is God's power. We prepare and then we give it to God. He takes it and says, "Watch what I am gonna do!" And he does the amazing. And ultimately this led to him becoming the king of Israel.

The question my book asked was, "What are your five stones?" And she was talking about picking five pieces of Scripture to be the mainstay of what your stand on during this time of preparation for whatever God has in store for you. This is all about seeking God. Knowing him well.

How many of us would say we know God well? If God walked up to us in the flesh, would we be able to say that he is our best friend? Would God agree based on His experience with us? Do we "hang out"' with God on a regular basis?

Fog & Faith

Here is a story of faith:

“We had George Muller of Bristol on board,” said the captain. “I had been on the bridge for twenty-four hours and never left it and George Muller came to me and said, “Captain, I have come to tell you I must be in Quebec on Saturday afternoon.” “It is impossible,” I said. “Then very well, if your ship cannot take me, God will find some other way. I have never broken an engagement in fifty-seven years; let us go down into the chart room and pray.”
“I looked at that man of God and thought to myself, “What lunatic asylum can that man have come from, for I never heard of such a thing as this?” “Mr. Muller,” I said, “do you know how dense this fog is?”
““No,” he replied, “my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God who controls every circumstance of my life.” He knelt down and he prayed one of the most simple prayers. When he had finished I was going to pray, but he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray. “As you do not believe He will answer, and as I believe He has, there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.”
“I looked at him and George Muller said, “Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years and there has never been a single day when I have failed to get an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, and open the door and you will find the fog has gone.”
“I got up and the fog indeed was gone, and on that Saturday afternoon George Muller kept his promised engagement.”


Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996).

Utmost for His Highest

I wanted to share this devotional today. Like most of his stuff, this is incredible to think about.

Do you see your calling?

Separated unto the Gospel. Romans 1:1.

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God. The one thing that is all important is that the Gospel of God should be realized as the abiding Reality. Reality is not human goodness, nor holiness, nor heaven, nor hell, but Redemption; and the need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker to-day. As workers we have to get used to the revelation that Redemption is the only Reality. Personal holiness is an effect, not a cause, and if we place our faith in human goodness, in the effect of Redemption, we shall go under when the test comes.

Paul did not say he separated himself, but—“when it pleased God who separated me.…” Paul had not a hypersensitive interest in his own character. As long as our eyes are upon our own personal whiteness we shall never get near the reality of Redemption. Workers break down because their desire is for their own whiteness, and not for God. ‘Don’t ask me to come into contact with the rugged reality of Redemption on behalf of the filth of human life as it is; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes.’ To talk in that way is a sign that the reality of the Gospel of God has not begun to touch me; there is no reckless abandon to God. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul is unconscious of himself, he is recklessly abandoned, separated by God for one purpose—to proclaim the Gospel of God (cf. Rom. 9:3).

Hard Week!

I had a hard week. Maybe some of you guys did too.

Have you heard the expression, "Rode hard and put away wet!" Well, it refers to when horses were ridden to exhaustion and then putting the horse in the barn without a cool down and brush down time. It is very bad for the horses' health.

So there ya go.

I hope your week is better and you grow closer to God everyday.

The Daniel Fast

I was looking up some information on the Daniel Fast and came across this site.

I signed up and got an email with a list of foods that are "allowed" and "disallowed." It really helped me.

Many times I have seen people talking about fasting in order to receive some financial boon or for some super special end. I think we all know that God is not a "magic wand" God. So, instead, why don't we focus on fasting as a way to grow closer to God and His will. Let it be ANOTHER discipline that helps you remove things from your life that remove you from God.

For me, fasting is about Sovereignty. God is to be first in my life. Not my needs, not even my physical ones. I was reminded just tonight about Elijah that had to run for his life from a King that wanted him dead. God told him to go to a special place that would keep him safe. Elijah asked what he would eat. And God said, I will provide you with food.

God, you are my King. It is by your hand that I am able to do anything. Let me be reminded.

December Godtime is Up!

Just thought I would post a quick note to let you know that if you go to "Downloads," you will find the weekly family devotionals for December ready for your family enjoyment and edification!

Enjoy! Edify!

Sweet!

Run Home to Momma

Did you know that across a lot of different peoples in the world that a toddler will still push the boundaries from where that toddler feels safe?

That means that a child may start out taking five steps away from momma before glancing back to make sure she is still there, but, eventually, that child will go to ten steps and then to twenty. When it comes time to run home to momma, because of something bad happening or a feeling that the child needs to feel/be closer to momma, the child knows exactly where momma is. The child is safe.

In Psalm 25:12, it asks, "Who are they that fear the Lord?" The fear in this sentence is not one where we think of God as a great big bully. God isn't a bully. He loves us. There is no love in being a bully. The fear that is meant here is more like a respect but you have to add in a cup of admiration and adoration. Big words. It means that not only should we respect God but we should respect Him in such a way that we look up to Him and love him.

Sometimes we are loving and respecting God and we are so close to Him. And we go through our days and life-stuff happens. We get bullied at school. People treat us mean. Lots of stuff. Those that truly "fear" God will always think of God immediately when these things happen. God will be in their thoughts constantly, whether there are bad things happening or good things happening. God will be right there in the front of their head, just like the child's momma is always in the child's thoughts even when momma is twenty steps away.

Down to the Devil

So many times we blame things on Satan. Instead it is simply that we have not trained ourselves to listen to God instead of what we want. Satan's job is made easier by our unwillingness to do what God asks of us. We simply want what we want. And, that is okay if what we want is what God wants. The problem is that we are not listening to God and seeking what He wants for us because we care more about what we want.

My reflections from Oswald for today

A Good Morning

This morning I was reading from Oswald Chambers. Pretty cool stuff!

It was from Ephesians 1:18. It said "so that we may know the hope that He (God) has called us." Oswald sums it up by saying that "you must work out what God has worked in."

When God saves us, we don't just become like a museum. Getting lots of webs and dust on us. We have to do stuff for God. You know how you hear people say you can tell if they are a Christian by their fruit? Well, that is kind of what this is saying too. God is going to challenge us. Not because he is some big mean God, but because the more we use our faith the more faith we will have. We have to trust God and have hope in Him. We must be ready to face anything! Are you ready to face anything today?