Maybe you’re praying for one thing, but God wants to do something above and way beyond that. Listen, God is at work. He knows what He’s doing. Put your trust in Him. Not in you, but put it fully in Him. Keep going with your prayin’..not usin' scripted form prayers per se. Who needs those? Wait Him.. know Him well. Wait on His timing and Way. He is our wisdom and JOY!
“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor. The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray. The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.” Prov. 12:24–27
- Say yes to wisdom because God in His wisdom has sought / is seeking you out.
He is the Imitator and I am the responder. You might think that you initiated the seeking for the Lord. Didn’t happen. He found you. Yes, Jesus initiated the seeking for you — it’s because He wants you and sought you out for relationship. You were created for an intimate, passionate, fruitful and worshipful Friendship with the wisest Person there is, Jesus Christ! God has never been lazy, passive, foolish, indifferent, apathetic or selfish. He loves you!
Q: Does this mean that I shouldn’t seek the Lord? Nope, never stop seeking to know Him better as the Spirit woos you in closer.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Lk. 19:10
“I must confess that I never would have been saved if I could have helped it. As long as ever I could, I rebelled, and revolted, and struggled against God. When He would have me to pray, I would not pray … And when I heard, and the tear rolled down my cheek, I wiped it away and defied Him to melt my soul. But long before I began with Christ, He began with me.” ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon
- Say yes to wisdom because God in His wisdom that’ll get you out working (with all the difficulties that brings) when it seems like the whole world just remains home looking for their next government stimulus check.- Say yes to wisdom because God in His wisdom made and sustains you.
“She (wisdom) is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed. The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew..” Prov. 3:18–20
“The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old.” Proverbs 8:22
“I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,” Proverbs 8:27
“..when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,” Proverbs 8:28
“Wisdom offers you long life, as well as wealth and honor. Wisdom can make your life pleasant and lead you safely through it. Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life. The Lord created the earth by his wisdom; by his knowledge he set the sky in place. His wisdom caused the rivers to flow and the clouds to give rain to the earth. My child, hold on to your wisdom and insight. Never let them get away from you. They will provide you with life — a pleasant and happy life. You can go safely on your way and never even stumble. You will not be afraid when you go to bed, and you will sleep soundly through the night. You will not have to worry about sudden disasters, such as come on the wicked like a storm. The Lord will keep you safe. He will not let you fall into a trap.” Proverbs 3:16–26
“By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.” Proverbs 24:3–4
- Say yes to wisdom because God in His wisdom shapes and matures you. He grows each beloved believer up.
What will ya say? Please...
- Say no to folly because it makes the benefits of wisdom like peace, purpose and joy so distant.- Say no to folly because it pulls you into distractions and pushes you into working too much ..at the expense of your marriage, family and spiritual life.- Say no to folly because it’s the way of pain, pride, rebellion and shame — so very deceptive just like the foolish Mr. Lu-Cifer.- Say no to folly because it’s deadly as it repeatedly points you towards selfishness, sinning and Satan’s goal for you.
Folly will take you farther than you wanted to go. It via spiritual compromise and sin will keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and it will cost you far more than you wanted to pay.
Q: Have you been challenged today by the anxiety from too much business? Have you been tempted to become too busy.. like with serving?
Jesus “replied to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, that which is to her advantage, which will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:43 amp
“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10
It’s easy to get distracted away from your main focus. A Person (Jesus). Let’s not be. Let’s NEVER go away!
Seven ways to wisely stay joyful no matter what:
1. Wait on the Lord in prayer -- stop seeing this as doing nothing. This is not passive stagnant slothfulness at all. It's to be a top priority -- it's not being a lazy person. You're allowing your soul to grow in His presence. Stop complaining and start praising (Him first). No more lagging behind Jesus, and no more running out ahead of Him. Be still and hear God early. No more backbiting, bro. No more fainting all weak, no griping, cussin', frettin' or murmuring at all. Stop it - instead be empowered and controlled by His Spirit.
2. Hang around joyful people who are wisely growing in the Living Word (Christ).3. We each can be busy seeking the Lord, sowing to the Spirit that we don't have time to sow to the fleshly nature, to this world system, and to sin. Let's "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:4-8) -- daily get alone with Jesus to get real candid and to hear His word. JOY and Peace! Yes, Spend some time in the presence of the wisest Person there is, Jesus Christ. How can you be best friends with someone you never even spend time with? Remember the sisters, Mary and Martha in the gospels.. and who chose the better part? Why did Jesus know it was better?
4. Stay thankful and express it. Do a check up from the neck up on your motives and attitude. Ditch the stinkin' thinkin' including the feeding upon (via ears and eyes) what pulls you downward..even if the music style with those lame lyrics is cool. Express gratitude both upwards and outwards.. even on the smallest kindnesses shown.
5. Find beauty in, and take time to appreciate even the smallest blessings that God gives.
6. Outright ask God for fresh wisdom so you can clearly see things from His perspective and then skillfully act accordingly.
7. Choose the way of wise diligence over foolish slothfulness. If you don't have a job even (though you've been actively looking for one) then go find someone worse off that yourself and help them however you can. Doin' my best I commit the rest, Lord. Yep, pray as if it's all up to God and then wisely work as if it's all up to you. There's the balance. Take some time out devotionally away from work to hear, to stay, to pray some more.. to play some, and to rest.
How do you experience lasting joy, peace and victory? Know Jesus, know peace, joy and life. No Jesus, no peace or joy or life.
So what is your personal weakness? Got one or some that keep gettin' in the way of joy? Is it, or are they related to the gold, the glory, or the girls?
Historically, in these three areas is where many ministers have sadly stumbled or fallen.
We don't have to. Let's live totally dependent upon Jesus by His Spirit. Christians are prone to wander, so instead let's sow to the Spirit in the Word and mortify the fleshly nature within.
Why are more Americans going to psychologists and psychiatrists than any other people on this earth? People need hope, and peace, and love, and purpose, and joy inside -- we all need Jesus.
In Christ, God the Father promises a deep-seated joy that can be with you no matter what you’re going through or will go through. You can only find that joy if you’re a reborn Christian.
In the book of Philippians the Apostle Paul refers humanity to the mind, to your personal thinking, and to remembering.. how many times? Well, 16 times. In this book the secret of joy is found in the way that we relate to God and think daily.
A lot of people today want the blessings of the Christian life today without giving anything in exchange for it. They want to have the benefits of biblical faith, but they don’t want to meet the criteria.
We want to be happy, blessed and.. if possible.. joyful. But we want it our way. We want it on our own terms when we want it. That isn’t going to work.
Paul is saying we can’t live that way. If we want to experience the promises of joy found in Philippians, we must first be true believers, followers of Jesus Christ.
In the last chapter of Philippians, Paul wrote, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. . . . For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:11,13 nlt).
It comes down to this: We’re seeking to be happy and blessed, but we’re going about it in the wrong way many of us. For most people, happiness is entirely contingent on good things happening.
In other words, when things are going well, we’re happy. When they aren’t going well, we’re unhappy. This is the cycle of life.
The problem is that no matter how much you accumulate or how much you accomplish, you’re always going to come up a little bit short. No matter how beautiful you are, you never will be as beautiful as you want to be. Clothes never will be fashionable enough. Cars never will be fast enough. Houses never will be elaborate enough. Relationships never will be romantic enough or fulfilling enough.
Life is never full enough. That’s why Solomon said, “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content” (Ecclesiastes 1:8 nlt). It’s never enough. We’re always going to come up empty.
The answer? C. S. Lewis said, “God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
In the New Testament Book of Philippians, the apostle Paul wrote about something better than happiness, at least the world’s version of happiness. It’s something called joy. Without question, joy is the dominant theme throughout.
When Paul wrote this epistle to the Philippians, he was living in a place of extreme discomfort to say the least. He’d been imprisoned for his faithful proclamation of the gospel. He was chained to a Roman guard. For a guy like Paul, that was very difficult to endure.
Paul was a go-getter. He was doer. He was the kind of guy who would get the job done. So for him to be immobilized would be very frustrating.
He knew a lot about suffering. Consider this statement he made: “Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm” (2 Cor. 11:24–25, 27 nlt).
The Bible way is a smooth path for a difficult journey here. It ain't a cakewalk--you know this. That wasn’t a plea for sympathy from Paul; it was a statement of fact. The Apostle was saying, “I know what it’s like to experience hardship.”
Yet there he was, writing to the Philippians about joy when he was in a situation where someone normally wouldn’t be very happy. In fact, this is probably the most buoyant, joyful, and happy letter that Paul ever wrote.
Have you disobeyed God? We've all sinned but God can forgive and hope can be found. Turn, trust Him, ask for the old ancient paths. It's okay. We can want the good old path, without living in the past. Christ is God's good Way for you and me.
When God judges His people, His question is clear: “Don’t you see how serious your sin really is? Turn to me.” Great deception took hold in ancient Israel, leading to idolatry and to judgment.
America too has chosen the wrong paths and direction. Many have been calling darkness “light” for quite some time. We can have hope in God despite the past direction we took, or of our nation’s morality and lame spiritual state.
"Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the roads and look; ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is; then walk in it, And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’" Jeremiah 6:16 amp
Morally and religiously, our US culture has traded light for darkness. Our culture has lied to herself, believing that the consequences of rebellion are pretty manageable and that idolatry will lead to freedom. It isn't and it won't. She has chosen weird new paths over good ancient paths.
Ever been called Islamophobic, intolerant, or racist when you've never been or even acted that way?
Man, who wants to be intolerant and racist and Islamophobic ever? Not me. I want to be tolerant but not of sin.
Seems like Americans have become afraid to offend anybody except God. It's actually better NOT TO offend God and then let the chips fall where they may.
If you're readin' this as a Muslim, let me say that God the Son/Jesus loves you and real Christians do too and we never want to be painting all of Islam with the same brush.
We're at the crossroads USA even though many here have chosen the wrong direction.
The sin of intolerance in the West seems like it's become the unforgivable sin.
Someone wrote these words that help: If you can believe that there are no absolutes and believe that.. absolutely. If you can teach young minds that there are no objective truths, and yet you teach this truth objectively. If you can close your mind to the ideas of those whom you consider to be close-minded. If you can refuse to tolerate anyone you choose to label as intolerant. If you consider it immoral to stand against immorality. If you can make the judgment that judgmentalism is wrong and you can further make the judgment that others who judge things to be wrong, are just too judgmental. If you can force others to conform to your idea of diversity. Well, it goes on and on.
Then you are very PC -- politically correct, even Paralyzingly Complicated.
Have you chosen the wrong path before? Have you chosen to have a same-sex marriage? My opinion doesn't matter on this but God's does.
Have you struggled with same-sex attraction? I'm not here to judge anybody but to encourage you towards the One who made you.
In America the destruction of God's version of marriage and the family is sadly well on its way.
And that's why a governor can sign a bill that says that you can have more than two parents, boys. If they're transgender they can go into girls washrooms! It's wrong. But what's really going on? There is a violent revolt against creation, against femininity, and masculinity. This nation has been changing the rules.
So many people have been choosing the wrong path of no joy, but God says very clearly: Choose the ancient path. It's one of JOY.
Man, that doesn't mean that you and I should live in the past. No, no. You can learn from the past without living in the past and God says that we as a nation, must choose the right Way. Sure, if we want to experience JOY and life to the full.. unending.
Said ..go with the good ancient paths, but they said we will not walk in it. Hey stop.. pay attention to what's good for you, for us.
In a time of inverted values, like now in the USA we can still have hope. God is still seeking for those who will turn to Him in repentance and faith. America needs more people who will weep for the sins of our Land, even as we reach out to the lost. Who does our nation need to see?
- Those who weep for the sins of their nation, turn from worldliness and fleshly dead works.- Those who worship the Lord on His terms and continue to believe.- Those who wait upon the Lord and guess what.. brand new strength!- Those who work serving the Lord whole-heartedly for His glory.- Those who witness for Jesus (by life, attitude and words) so others will believe.
Does a real Christian have two natures in em? What is the Bible talking about when it refers to the flesh? Is it our physical bodies or our sin natures?
What does it mean to mortify the flesh? Is mortification a biblical concept?
What is my status and position as a result of being in Christ?
You and I want to walk in victory! Is it possible to be truly and fully free from sin in this lifetime?
What does it mean that we all have an enemy within us? What daily opposes my spiritual growth in Christ is my flesh, is this world's system, and is fallen angels. Yes, Satan is my real enemy.
What is your take on such an important principle? And better yet what's God's take -- what is the real the meaning of Galatians 5:24?
Why is the struggle with sin so difficult?
What are some of the wrong understandings of what it means to be spiritual?
How can I know if a desire is of God, or of my own sinful nature?
The Spirit first works in the humble willing so that any of us will want to seek and know God.
What does it mean to be praying according to God’s will?
What is the true meaning of Romans 13:14?
By believing in and obeying the Word of God.
What is the lust of the flesh? What is the meaning of 1 John 2:16?
Why is virginity so important in the Bible? Why is it a sin for two people who are in love to have sex before marriage? Why is purity and faithfulness of mind, soul, heart, and whole person so important for all individuals?
What is the difference between being godly and ungodly?
