Video Bible Lesson - When God Is Doing Something New, and We’re Still Stuck in the Old by Debbie McDaniel

When God Is Doing Something New, and We’re Still Stuck in the Old

by Debbie McDaniel

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

1/6/2020

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

When thou passest through the waters... they shall not overflow thee (Isaiah 43:2).

God does not open paths for us in advance of our coming. He does not promise help before help is needed. He does not remove obstacles out of our way before we reach them. Yet when we are on the edge of our need, God's hand is stretched out.

Many people forget this, and are forever worrying about difficulties which they foresee in the future. They expect that God is going to make the way plain and open before them, miles and miles ahead; whereas He has promised to do it only step by step as they may need. You must get to the waters and into their floods before you can claim the promise. Many people dread death, and lament that they have not "dying grace." Of course, they will not have dying grace when they are in good health, in the midst of life's duties, with death far in advance. Why should they have it then? Grace for duty is what they need then, living grace; then dying grace when they come to die.
--J. R. M.

"When thou passest through the waters"
Deep the waves may be and cold,
But Jehovah is our refuge,
And His promise is our hold;
For the Lord Himself hath said it,
He, the faithful God and true:
"When thou comest to the waters
Thou shalt not go down, BUT THROUGH."
Seas of sorrow, seas of trial,
Bitterest anguish, fiercest pain,
Rolling surges of temptation
Sweeping over heart and brain
They shall never overflow us
For we know His word is true;
All His waves and all His billows
He will lead us safely through.
Threatening breakers of destruction,
Doubt's insidious undertow,
Shall not sink us, shall not drag us
Out to ocean depths of woe;
For His promise shall sustain us,
Praise the Lord, whose Word is true!
We shall not go down, or under,
For He saith, "Thou passest THROUGH."
--Annie Johnson Flint

Setting Goals for Fruitful Living

Setting Goals for Fruitful Living

Dr. Charles Stanley

2 Samuel 7:18-22

In the 70s, I experienced a turning point in my walk with Christ. It started with 2 Samuel 7, which inspired me to follow in King David’s footsteps. He spent time alone with God, offering praise and thanksgiving. He would also listen as the Lord revealed truth and offered insight about the future. Because of what he learned, David was able to set goals and stay aligned with them.

Desiring that kind of solitude, I spent several days alone in a camper at Georgia’s Stone Mountain. Most of the time, I was silent, listening intently for God’s voice. I asked Him to speak to me regarding my future, and He answered. Using a journal, I recorded the goals He inspired. The things He communicated so impacted my choices and so greatly blessed me that I continued the discipline every couple of months.

Let’s discuss how to establish aims in this manner. First, come before the throne of Almighty God with a repentant heart, praise, and thanksgiving. Then, ask Him for direction in areas such as spiritual life, career, and family. In silence, wait patiently and attentively—as you read and meditate upon God’s Word, He will speak. Most often, His guidance is experienced as a prodding or conviction in the heart. When that happens, be sure to write down what you’re “hearing” so you can review it later.

In order to stay on the path God intends for our lives, we should plan times to stop, ask, and listen for guidance. The world throws confusing messages at us all day long, and we need to check our course frequently. These conversations with the Lord are vital for a thriving life of godly impact.

Valley of Blessing

Valley of Blessing
BRENDA BRADFORD OTTINGER

“On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the LORD there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.” 2 Chronicles 20:26 (NLT)

We looked like a normal family. On weekends.

Every Friday night, my husband’s plane would land, and we’d cram all manner of family life into two insufficient days before Monday barged in with the next flight out. Week after week, month after eight long months.

Weekdays were a crash course in “single-mom” life for me as employment changes split our household across 800 miles.

As we searched for a job that would bring us back together full-time, my heart beat to the rhythm of a familiar refrain: Lord, “we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12b, NIV).

This prayer by King Jehoshaphat is one I return to often, for it speaks into the deep of a troubled-yet-trusting heart.

You see, the king prayed these words after hearing a large army was on its way to destroy Judah.

People throughout Judah came to Jerusalem seeking God’s help, and as Jehoshaphat prayed with them, the Spirit of the Lord spoke through a gentleman in the crowd, advising them that God would fight for them.

Upon hearing this, the king and all the people worshipped and praised the Lord.

Friend, at this point, the enemy was still on its way to attack them! Judah didn’t reserve their worship until the enemy was defeated, but praised God for a victory yet unseen.

The next morning, while en route to meet their rivals, Jehoshaphat appointed singers to walk ahead, praising and thanking God.

And, oh how the Lord honored their worship — the moment their praise began, He caused the enemies to turn on each other and start fighting themselves!

Since text messaging wasn’t yet a thing, and Judah’s army was still traveling to the battle, they weren’t aware of this news — until they came upon the place where God had already been, and they were shocked to find their enemies lifeless on the ground.

Always faithful to His Word, the Lord went ahead, a little farther from their sight or ability, and declared victory over the valley.

For three days, they collected plunder from God’s victory, and “On the fourth day, they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked God there …” (2 Chronicles 20:26a).

And guess what they did next? They marched back into Jerusalem the same way they left — singing and praising God.

Friend, have you noticed how praise and worship are the bookends of our victories?

As we worship God along life’s winding path, He moves in ways we can’t accomplish alone. And oh, the freedom of praising God for what we can’t yet see as He claims victory over life’s battles.

My husband and I didn’t know how the Lord would guide, but we offered our imperfect sacrifices of praise through exhaustion, keeping our eyes on God as He moved ahead. In time, we witnessed His movement as He restored our household under one roof.

Our trust gave way to praise, and as the path before us cleared, we discovered His footprints embedded in the sacred soil of our very own Valley of Blessing.

Sweet friend, do you long to see God moving today in a battle that feels too big? May your heart rest in the reminder that our praise is not passive. When we center our worship on God rather than on the battle, His panoramic plan works in ways beyond our sight.

Dear Lord, teach me to keep my eyes on You. I praise You for every victory, seen and unseen, as day upon day I gather the plunder of Your goodness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (NIV)

Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” (NIV)

Forgive Each Other—Sounds Simple, Right?

Forgive Each Other—Sounds Simple, Right?
By Mark Altrogge

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:12-13

God commands his children to forgive each other.  For this reason: He has forgiven our incalculable debt against him, so we should forgive those who sin against us.

Seems straight ahead and simple, right? Maybe not quite so straight ahead and simple as it seems on the surface.

We live in a fallen world, and both Christians and non-Christians sin against each other. And very often in devastating ways. Sadly, even Christians fall into horrible sin at times and it can be life shattering when you are sinned against. Sin causes anguish, sadness, and misery. So when someone sins against you, I would not say you just quickly and flippantly say, Oh well, I forgive you, that’s ok. Everything back to normal.

If someone hurts or betrays us and then asks forgiveness, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about that sin and how it hurt us. It doesn’t mean we just brush it under the carpet and move on. Sin is devastating. It can take time to get to the place where we can forgive and restore the relationship.

There have been times in the past I have been too quick to encourage people to get together with someone who has sinned against them and grant forgiveness.

And forgiveness doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be consequences. Certain sins might even involve calling the police, even though someone repents. If I go out and irresponsibly charge $20,000 on my credit card, then ask my wife’s forgiveness, even though she forgives me, I will have to pay that money back. I’ll have consequences for a long time.

And even when we forgive someone, that doesn’t mean we must immediately trust them. Sin shatters trust. It can take a long time to earn trust again once it has been shattered.

Forgiving others takes the power of God. We can’t do it in our own strength. But Jesus can help us. If you are struggling with unforgiveness or bitterness toward someone, cry out to God to help you. Seek counsel, talk to a trusted mature Christian or your pastor. If you know someone was sinned against in a significant way and worked through it and came to a place of forgiveness, get together with them and seek their insights.

Forgiveness and reconciliation should be a goal believers work toward for the glory of God. Colossians 3:13 says “you also MUST forgive.” Unforgiveness and bitterness aren’t options. We’re working out our lives together. I need you to forgive me when I sin against you, and I must forgive you as well because God has forgiven us in Christ.

How to Prioritize Prayer in Your Crazy Busy Life

How to Prioritize Prayer in Your Crazy Busy Life
AMY CARROLL

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

Although I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, I’ve come to adore adopting a single word each year to guide me toward spiritual growth.

Last January as I sought God for my new word, I sensed Him leading me to the word “pray.” Terror is too mild a word to describe the way I felt about that particular directive.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve made daily prayer a practice for decades, but I knew it was still a weak link in my spiritual life. Bible study is one of my great loves, and I adore getting out to serve. But during my prayer times, my mind wanders, my faith wavers and I never feel as if I cover all the needs. Guilt and a sense of falling short typically describe my prayer life.

Have you struggled with prayer too? If you’re like me, maybe you know prayer is important, but it’s hard to wrap your mind around such a powerful, invisible force. It’s challenging to prioritize time for something so intangible with results that demand waiting.

As I surrendered and embraced “pray” with a trembling heart at the beginning of 2018, I pictured success as reading stacks of books from the 1700s. I imagined developing callouses on my knees from hours on them in the dark of early morning. But those images left me resistant instead of motivated. Truthfully, I couldn’t fathom fitting those assignments into my current schedule. Surely this was going to be the worst word-of-the-year ever.

I’m excited to report that’s not how God worked at all. Yes, He challenged me to grow in ways that required intention. He asked me to set more time aside for prayer, but He brought some beautiful, simple tools into my life that have allowed me to find peace and even joy in prayer. God directed me to:

Instagram, where I found a pre-prayer journal routine that settles my thoughts and quiets my mind.

A book that led me to pray one God-inspired verse for each of my sons every day.

A calendar with daily out-of-the-box prompts that leads me to pray for areas I wouldn’t have thought to cover.

A friend who encouraged me to set reminders throughout the day on my phone to pray for people I want to intercede for every week.

A group in the First 5 app where I write out my prayers based on that day’s Scripture.

A mentor who modeled on-the-spot prayer for those with a request: the best guarantee for follow-through instead of forgetting. Voila! Guilt free.

In a gentle yet persistent way, God brought Colossians 4:2 alive in my life in 2018: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Now my one word “pray” is an invitation for ongoing conversation with God.

As a rule-follower and reforming perfectionist, I used to look for formulas and how-to’s. Now, instead of limiting myself to a set number of minutes of prayer in a prescribed routine, the simple tools above allow prayer to permeate my thoughts. They’ve created a watchfulness in me that lasts throughout the day. I’m constantly looking for opportunities to pray, which leads to true devotion to the practice and thankfulness as I watch God at work. There are so many moments that beg for prayer!

If you long for talk with God that changes things, prayer is not as hard as you might think. Ask Him to send some simple tools your way, and let the dialogue begin.

Lord, I want to develop devotion to prayer because I long for a never-ending conversation with You. Please teach me to pray by showing me truths in Your Word and giving me the determination to use the tools You send my way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 17:6, “I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” (NIV)

Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (NIV)