Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son... I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven; …because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:16-18).

And from that day to this, men have been learning that when, at God's voice, they surrender up to Him the one thing above all else that was dearest to their very hearts, that same thing is returned to them by Him a thousand times over. Abraham gives up his one and only son, at God's call, and with this disappear all his hopes for the boy's life and manhood, and for a noble family bearing his name. But the boy is restored, the family becomes as the stars and sands in number, and out of it, in the fullness of time, appears Jesus Christ.

That is just the way God meets every real sacrifice of every child of His. We surrender all and accept poverty; and He sends wealth. We renounce a rich field of service; He sends us a richer one than we had dared to dream of. We give up all our cherished hopes, and die unto self; He sends us the life more abundant, and tingling joy.

And the crown of it all is our Jesus Christ. For we can never know the fullness of the life that is in Christ until we have made Abraham's supreme sacrifice. The earthly founder of the family of Christ must commence by losing himself and his only son, just as the Heavenly Founder of that family did. We cannot be members of that family with the full privileges and joys of membership upon any other basis.
--C. G. Trumbull

We sometimes seem to forget that what God takes He takes in fire; and that the only way to the resurrection life and the ascension mount is the way of the garden, the cross, and the grave.

Think not, O soul of man, that Abraham's was a unique and solitary experience. It is simply a specimen and pattern of God's dealings with all souls who are prepared to obey Him at whatever cost. After thou hast patiently endured, thou shalt receive the promise. The moment of supreme sacrifice shall be the moment of supreme and rapturous blessing. God's river, which is full of water, shall burst its banks, and pour upon thee a tide of wealth and grace.

There is nothing, indeed, which God will not do for a man who dares to step out upon what seems to be the mist; though as he puts down his foot he finds a rock beneath him.
--F. B. Meyer 

The Consequences of Drifting.....Dr. Charles Stanley

The Consequences of Drifting

Dr. Charles Stanley

Hebrews 3:12-13

Spiritual drifting--the gradual wandering away from God and His will--takes place when a believer ceases to steer toward the Lord. Like an empty boat set loose upon the waters, he or she makes a slow and lazy glide away from good practices like disciplined obedience, regular Bible study, prayer, and assembling with fellow Christians. And there are consequences for casting yourself on uncharted and dangerous waters.

A life adrift is outside of God's will and therefore in sin. The Holy Spirit pricks a believer's conscience to send a message when he is off course, but the drifter is prone to ignore such warnings. If a Christian continually excuses his wandering ways and denies sin, then his conscience gradually numbs. A person who becomes desensitized to wrongdoing has paved the way for more sinful behavior with less guilt. Can you imagine a more dangerous situation?

As the drifting believer's conscience becomes anesthetized, his spiritual ears are also deadened--truth cannot gain entrance because he has invited wrong attitudes and philosophies into his thinking process. What's more, his heart hardens to the things of God. Shrinking away from testimonies about divine power, grace, and mercy, he avoids situations that might reawaken the conscience and stir his spirit to repentance.

People drift from God in search of more--more freedom, choices, and pleasure. But since the consequences are a hard heart, a numb conscience, and dead ears, what they end up with is less. The drifting believer sacrifices the victorious life in Christ for an existence devoid of permanent satisfaction.

Learning to Live With a “Yes” Heart

Learning to Live With a “Yes” Heart
LYSA TERKEURST

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) 

It all started the day God told me to give away my Bible.

I was exhausted from traveling and speaking. All I wanted was to get to my assigned seat on the plane and settle in for a nap. I was just about to close my eyes when two last-minute passengers made their way to my row and took their seats.

Reluctantly deciding to forgo my nap, I opted instead to pull a manuscript out of my bag and read. I didn’t want to chance the embarrassment of falling asleep on anyone’s shoulder.

When the guy sitting beside me asked what I was working on, I told him I was a writer and was working on a book about leading women to the heart of God. He smiled and said he thought God was a very interesting topic. I agreed and asked him a few questions about his beliefs.

Before long, I found myself reaching into my bag and pulling out my Bible, walking him through some key verses that dealt with the issues he was facing. He kept asking questions, and I kept praying God would give me answers.

All of a sudden, I felt God tugging at my heart to give this man my Bible. Now, this was not just any Bible. This was my everyday, highlighted, underlined, written-in, tear-stained Bible. My kids had even drawn pictures in this Bible. I started to argue with God in my head, but His message was clear. I was to give away my Bible.

I emptied it, took a deep breath and placed it in the man’s hands. “I’d like for you to have my Bible,” I said. Astonished, he started to hand it back to me, saying he couldn’t possibly accept such a gift. “God told me to give it to you,” I insisted. “Sometimes, the God of the universe pauses in the midst of all His creation to touch the heart of one person. Today, He paused for you.”

The man took my Bible and made two promises. First, he said he would read it, and second, someday he would pass it on, doing for someone else what I’d done for him.

As I got off the plane that day, my heart felt conflicting emotions. While on one hand, I was overjoyed at what God had done, I was also brokenhearted by the flood of thoughts that came to mind recounting times I’d told God “no.”

I just kept wondering, How many times have I told You “no,” God? How many times — because I was too tired, too insecure, too uncertain, too busy or too selfish — have I walked right past Your divine appointment for me and missed experiencing You?

About a month later, the businessman I had given my Bible to called. We had exchanged business cards, and he wanted to tell me how his life had totally changed. He had taken a week off from work to read the Bible, and he’d already shared his testimony with numerous people. He also told me that after reading the Scriptures, he knew he needed to get involved in a church. God was definitely pursuing him in a serious way. And I was blessed and amazed by the way this man was responding.

When I asked him what his favorite verse was, he said it was Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

What a perfect verse to represent what God had asked of me.

When God impressed on my heart to give this man my Bible, I didn’t know what would happen. He could have thrown my Bible into the nearest airport trash can, for all I knew. Normally, I would have come up with a hundred reasons not to give my Bible away, but that day something changed in me. For the first time, I chose to be a woman who’d do whatever the Lord asked of me. A woman who wants to continue seeing God work miracles through small acts of obedience.

Lord, please forgive me for all of the times I have told You “no.” Right now, I say “yes,” Lord. Even before I know what You might ask me to do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
John 2:5, “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” (NIV)

For Rainy Days

For Rainy Days 
by Ryan Duncan

“And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:10

Recently, my Small Group decided to take a weekend retreat down to the coast. I’ve got to say, I was pretty excited. In the days leading up to the weekend I couldn’t help but imagine hanging out at the beach, playing some football with the guys, and grilling copious amounts of meat for evening meals. When Friday finally rolled around, we loaded up our cars and made the two hour trip down to the coast where we had rented our cabin. Well, it rained. All weekend.

It wasn’t the fun kind of rain either, the kind where if you get a few people brave enough you can run around outside like maniacs until you’re soaked. No, this was the cold, unrelenting kind of rain that makes you want to crawl back in bed and hibernate for a week. So I was a little surprised when Stephanie, one of the girls in our group, announced that she wanted to get baptized. She had planned on doing so at the beginning of the trip, and decided that she was going to follow through despite the weather.

She couldn’t have picked a more miserable day. The sky was gray, the sea was white and foamy, and as we stepped onto the beach, I knew it would only be minutes until we were all close to freezing. I remember watching Stephanie and her friend wading into the sea and thinking that when I got baptized it would be somewhere tropical and sunny. But when Stephanie broke the surface, the joy on her face seemed uncontainable. You couldn’t help smiling with her as she climbed out of the water.

Suddenly the sky didn’t seem so gray, the rain wasn’t so bad, even the wind, which was just as cold as ever, didn’t bother me so much. It was one of those moments where you knew God was there. Life is full of bad moments and rainy days, and it’s tempting to think God doesn’t care when cloudy skies remain the same. But here’s the thing about God, you never know him better than after he’s taught you to laugh in the rain.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Take a moment to find Joy in the life God has given you.

Further Reading

Psalms 16:11

A God Who Freely Pardons

A God Who Freely Pardons
by Lynette Kittle

Who deserves to be pardoned? When it comes to presidential pardons and the like, there is always much debate about who is considered worthy to receive it.

As the world system operates, it often comes down to convicted individuals having connections to the right people, or those whose freedom fits into a strategic political statement or agenda, who ultimately receive pardons.

Unlike mankind’s system, isn’t it wonderful news that God freely pardons, not based on who you know or if you fit into a political agenda but rather based on who God is and your priceless value to Him?

Many have the idea that God is sitting up in heaven with a big gavel just waiting for you to mess up so He can make you pay for your sins.

This distorted image of God couldn’t be farther from the truth. Timothy 2:3,4 describes how God wants all people to be saved and know His truth.

God’s heart towards you is to pardon you and it isn’t dependent on what you did or didn’t do. Even more so, you don’t have to have celebrity or political connections, or do anything to deserve it.

He’s already taken care of sin’s death sentence through Jesus’ death on the cross but it’s up to you to receive it. Colossians 2:13,14 explains how when you were dead in your sins, He forgave you and canceled the charges against you, taken it away, and nailed it to the cross.

As Romans 8:2 explains, “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

When God takes care of your sentence, it’s complete. John 8:36 states, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

Pardoning guilty individuals originated with God. Acts 13:38 states, “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”

Along with setting you free from sin’s death penalty, God’s pardon leads you to holiness and eternal life (Romans 6:22).

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior and received God’s pardon for your sins, take into consideration “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

A Prayer for Strength and Action

A Prayer for Strength and ActionBy: Lindsay Tedder

Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we support you. Be strong and take action! - Ezra 10:4

I overuse exclamation points… to the extreme. So much so that I once addressed an envelope and accidentally placed an exclamation point after the zip code. Years later I had a boss come to me and ask me to start using periods more frequently when writing emails. She wasn’t wrong, but it still felt weird to that hear about myself. Was I too excited? Was I too bubbly or happy? Not “business-y” enough? I wasn’t sure. I guess I just figured that I wanted everyone to be able to contextually understand me and an exclamation point was the best way to get that point across. Nevertheless, I began using more periods when drafting business emails. Her small request allowed me the space to still be me, but also to develop a level of maturity and growth.

Because of my adoration of exclamation points, whenever I see them used in the Bible, I kind of squeal with excitement. The Bible is packed full of sentences that end in boring old periods but when there is an exclamation point, I know there is something powerful there. In my searching through the Word I have only found a handful of exclamation points. Total.

In Ezra 10, the Israelites were admitting that they had sinned. They had married the foreign wives that they were specifically instructed to NOT marry. As Ezra prayed and confessed to God the sins of the people, he wept and fell face down, as others joined him. They lamented their actions and made a plan. Then decided it was time to GET UP! Notice that pretty little exclamation point!

They were admitting that this matter was their responsibility and they were there to support each other. The charge to be strong and take action is twofold. We aren’t called to only demonstrate strength. We are also called to take action.

Right now, in this uncertain season of immense changes, we are to be strong and take action. Action can look different to every person we know. For some of us our action is staying home and protecting our family and loved ones. For others our action is continuing to work at our essential jobs, serving the community by providing healthcare, food, or housing. Whatever action may look like in your life, we are called to be strong and take action.

Let’s pray now, to be men and women who are, in God’s strength, strong, taking action in the places he calls us:

Thank you, Lord, for equipping me with your strength; a strength I don’t deserve and could never be capable of on my own. Thank you for carrying me when I am weak. Thank you for holding my hand when I am too scared to take the next step. Thank you for lighting the way in the bleak darkness of my reality. Thank you for the instructions to be strong AND take action. I know that these two go hand in hand. I know that I must not only be strong, but I must also take action.

Thank you for the strength that motivates us into action. I know that without action, I am simply stuck in a holding period. I know that without action, I am simply stuck. Lord, I pray to be like Ezra. I know that I am sinful. I pray for the audacity to confess boldly, repeat loudly, and lament intensely in front of others. I want to be strong and take action. I refuse to live in a holding period.

I pray that you equip me with your strength that can carry me into action, and I pray that I can use a whole lot of exclamation points to describe how amazing You are. Thank you, Lord, for designing me to be exactly who I am. Thank you for Your strength that leads to action, especially in such uncertain times. Amen.

Video Bible Lesson - Requirements of Waiting by Dr. Charles Stanley

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

7/16/2020

Sorry, No Video Today

Requirements of Waiting

by Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 25:3-5
Waiting for God's timing is neither passive nor idle--it takes discipline and commitment. I can think of four basic requirements for successful waiting.Faith. The Lord's ways and timing are nothing like ours (Isa. 55:8-9). From a human standpoint, He usually does things in a totally different way than we expect. But as we trust Him more, we'll discover that His approach isn't so strange after all. And when we live in harmony with God's will, His timing starts to make sense.Humility. To wait for the Lord, you must be convinced of your need for Him. Submission to His divine will requires humility--you cannot charge ahead with your own plans and at the same time be fully surrendered to God.Patience. Are you willing to remain in your current position until you receive clear divine direction? Pausing for clarity from God does not mean that you disengage and allow circumstances to fall apart around you. Waiting upon the Lord is a deliberate decision that requires patience.Courage. Waiting for God often takes courage, especially when there is pressure to act. If you're not careful, you might stop listening to the Lord and follow other advice. So keep your ear attuned to the voice of Almighty God, and you won t go wrong.Waiting upon the Lord is one of the wisest, most important decisions we make in life. And contrary to popular assumptions, it is an active endeavor that requires faith, humility, patience, and courage. When you rely upon God and wait for His timing, the various facets of life fall into place.

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