Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

I will lay thy stones with fair colors (Isa. 54:11).

The stones from the wall said, "We come from the mountains far away, from the sides of the craggy hills. Fire and water have worked on us for ages, but made us only crags. Human hands have made us into a dwelling where the children of your immortal race are born, and suffer, and rejoice, and find rest and shelter, and learn the lessons set them by our Maker and yours. But we have passed through much to fit us for this. Gunpowder has rent our very heart; pickaxes have cleaved and broken us, it seemed to us often with out design or meaning, as we lay misshapen stones in the quarry; but gradually we were cut into blocks, and some of us were chiseled with finer instruments to a sharper edge. But we are complete now, and are in our places, and are of service.

"You are in the quarry still, and not complete, and therefore to you, as once to us, much is inexplicable. But you are destined for a higher building, and one day you will be placed in it by hands not human, a living stone in a heavenly temple."

In the still air the music lies unheard;In the rough marble beauty hides unseen;
To make the music and the beauty needs
The master's touch, the sculptor's chisel keen.
Great Master, touch us with Thy skillful hands;
Let not the music that is in us die!
Great Sculptor, hew and polish us; nor let,
Hidden and lost, thy form within us lie!

Seeing Obstacles through God's Eyes..... Dr. Charles Stanley

Seeing Obstacles through God's Eyes

Dr. Charles Stanley

Joshua 2

Jericho was the first city that the Israelites needed to conquer in their quest for the land of Canaan. When Joshua sent a pair of spies to check it out, he probably didn't realize that he would receive a glimpse of God's impressive behind-the-scenes activity.

God wants us to look at every obstacle through the lens of His unlimited strength and resources. Anything that appears to block His plans is an opportunity for Him to demonstrate His sovereign power. Just because we don't see anything happening, that doesn't mean He's inactive.

Always remember that God is at work on the other side of our obstacles, arranging the details and bringing His plans to fruition. When the spies returned to Joshua, they reported that the people of Jericho were scared to death. Having heard about the Jews' deliverance from Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, they were gripped by fear of the Lord.

The stage was set for the conquest, yet by that point, Joshua had done nothing. Sometimes we think we need to be involved in the solution to our problem, but God is not limited with regard to whom or what He can use to accomplish His will. In this case, He worked in the hearts of the enemy by instilling demoralizing fear.

For Christians, great obstacles need not be reasons for discouragement. Although much of the Lord's activity is silent and invisible, we can be sure He is dynamically working out His will for our lives. When the pieces of His plan are in place, He will move us on to victory.

Answers That Don’t Seem Like Answers..... LORRAINE EDWARDS

Answers That Don’t Seem Like Answers
LORRAINE EDWARDS

“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.’” Exodus 14:15 (ESV)

When I became a Christian, I knew there were depths in my soul that needed healing. A noticeable gap separated me from the proclaimed freedom found in Christ.

I could see this freedom in other people’s lives but felt lost in how to get it for myself. A gentle whispering somewhere inside me said, “There is more than this.”

Today’s world pushes an ideological promise that a “better you” is one book away, one pill away or a few counseling sessions away. Having found those promises to be for naught, I still found it difficult to accept all Jesus had to offer.

I felt like God wanted me to start talking about things I had kept meticulously hidden — and I didn’t want to.

Breaking the sound barrier of my past became the mountain range between who I had been and who God was leading me to be. My frustration with what I didn’t want to do, mingled with the promise of freedom, brought me to a place where the urge to continue began to outweigh my fear of God’s unknown.

I stood in silence, waiting for an answer from the Lord that fit my criteria of an answer. I wanted Him to tell me exactly what to do.

If I’m honest, I wanted to be able to blame God if His plan didn’t go well.

In Exodus 14, the Israelites were backed into a corner, the wilderness and the Red Sea on three sides and Egypt in full pursuit on the fourth. God responded to Moses’ silent pleas in Exodus 14:15-16, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground’” (ESV).

Forward might not seem like much of an answer. I’m sure it didn’t seem like an answer for the Israelites whose “forward” was the Red Sea. The definition of “forward” according to Google is “in the direction that one is facing or traveling, toward the front,” and, “onward so as to make progress, toward a successful conclusion.”

Over and over, I had cried out to God for an answer, and here it was with none of the attributes I thought it would have. Simply go forward — and yet somehow, I knew exactly what He was telling me.

When God speaks, the assurance of His truth is expressed more clearly than the most detailed of directions. His responses rarely come how we think they will, and they rarely make sense.

Many times, God gives answers that don’t seem like answers. But I think that’s because He is answering a cry in our hearts that even we don’t understand. He sees what is on the other side of our Red Sea. He is aware of our wilderness and the approaching attack of our Egypt.

Sometimes His answer is, “Why do you cry to Me? Go forward.”

Heavenly Father, You are my forward, and in You, there is no fear. Remind me, Lord, in times of uncertainty, that while I may not understand the path I’m on, Your call is irrevocable, and Your direction is faultless. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Philippians 3:14, “I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us.” (TLB)

Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (NLT)

What is True Spirituality?..... by Alex Crain

What is True Spirituality?
by Alex Crain

"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." - Genesis 3:6 NASB

It seems clear to me that the root of all human sin is unbelief. Doubt. I've heard people argue that the most basic sin is pride, and well, I suppose that's somewhere lurking on the other side of the coin. But if we start at the beginning of the Bible, the Genesis 3 account shows that Eve first doubted God. That was her sin. After her unbelief came the outward act of disobedience.

Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this, said: "By her doubting she called God a liar. Eve doubted… mankind in revolt doubts God" (chapter seven, True Spirituality).

On the contrary, the person who is at peace with God does not doubt Him. Rather, he/she trusts God. Schaeffer says this is the simplest way to describe true spirituality: it is believing God.

But it is more than just believing God at one isolated point in life. It is believing God and having ongoing belief in Him. There must be moment-by-moment personal communion with Him.

God created us to be relational, not mechanical. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. But communication is an always-in-flux, moment-by-moment kind of thing. That is why all our mechanical efforts at the Christian life fail. It's not about reading a set number of chapters of the Bible each day. It's not about praying for so long.

No. What is needed first, and what inspires trust is, throughout the day, seeing before us the most basic teachings of the Bible:

God exists and He is personal.

God is holy and sin will be judged, but Christ's atonement removes the guilt of sinners.

We are saved from condemnation by the finished work of Christ, and we are brought into a proper relationship with God in a personal way.

We are joined to Christ spiritually.

We can enjoy communication with the Creator on the basis of what Christ has done. (1 John 1:5)

These truths don't change, regardless of how I feel at any given moment.

The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life.

In our lives, what generally causes us to distrust Christ and run elsewhere is that we often think that we have a better way. We think that, somehow, God really doesn't have our best interests at heart. Like Eve, we think that God is withholding something good from us.

Intersecting Faith & Life: The rediscovery of believing God and these truths moment-by-moment is what lifted Francis Schaeffer out of a long, dark season and re-energized his life. If you've come to see that God doesn't deserve our suspicion, seek His aid to maintain this moment-by-moment walk of faith with Him.

For Further Study: Isaiah 30:15 "Thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.'"

Growing to Look Like Jesus..... By Kathy Howard

Growing to Look Like Jesus
By Kathy Howard

You may be familiar with the passage in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Galatia that lists the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” - ( Galatians 5:22-23)

In Galatians 5:22, the word “fruit” is translated from the Greek word karpos. According to Mounces Complete Expository Dictionary, karpos refers to the natural product of a living thing. Primarily used to describe the literal physical product of trees, vines, and crops, karpos is also used metaphorically to refer to the natural product of a spiritual being. Paul used karpos to help us understand the natural product of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every believer. The fruit of the Spirit then is produced by the Spirit, not by the Christian.

Obviously, an individual cannot display the “fruit of the Spirit” unless the Spirit is present in that person’s life. The Bible tells us that when a person places his or her faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, God provides and guarantees their salvation by placing His Spirit within them ( Titus 3:4-7 and Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit takes up residence or “indwells” every person who has a saving relationship with Jesus. If you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living within you ( Romans 8:9-11).

Yet, like physical fruit needs time to grow, the fruit of the Spirit will not ripen in our lives overnight. Like a successful gardener must battle against weeds and disease to enjoy the sweet fruit they desire, we must constantly work to rid our lives of the “weeds” of our sinful natures that want to choke out the work of the Spirit.

The great news is, the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to reject those sinful desires and yield our wills to what the Spirit wants in our lives. We can say “no” to sin and accept the “way out” God faithfully provides ( 1 Corinthians 10:13) by following the Holy Spirit’s leading.

Then, as we give the Spirit more and more control of our lives, He begins to do in and through us what only He can do. The Spirit’s endgame – His primary goal - is to shape us and grow us to look like Jesus.

From the moment of salvation until the end of our lives on this earth, the Holy Spirit works to transform our nature and character to reflect Christ’s. Since God’s goal for all His children is for us to be like Jesus ( Romans 8:29), the Holy Spirit constantly works to rid our lives of the “acts of the sinful nature” ( Gal 5:19) and display His fruit instead. Therefore, the presence of the “fruit of the Spirit” is evidence that our character is becoming more like Christ’s.

A Prayer for an Undivided Heart When Things Fall Apart..... By: Meg Bucher

A Prayer for an Undivided Heart When Things Fall Apart 
By: Meg Bucher

“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” - Psalm 86:11

When my plans fall to shreds, first comes anger. Then disappointment. Unrest. Then all of the possible solutions to try and make things right. Why is this my go-to reaction when my plans fall apart?

David wrote Psalm 86 when he was facing tough circumstances. Plans didn’t go the way he wanted them to, either. I’m inspired by the way he chose to praise God in times of uncertainty. Through the whys?, David believed in the power of worship. He reminded Himself of the unchanging character of God and poured his heart out to Him honesty and wholly.

When we drain our frustrations onto the feet of God, He is faithful, compassionate, and full of mercy. He is forgiving when we’ve sunk our own battleship, and reliable when we are defenseless.

Let’s pray now for an undivided heart that relies on God, not our own plans.

Father,

Give us undivided hearts, that we may rely on your faithfulness. Let us break the pattern of running on the hamster wheel full of anxious thoughts and man-made solutions, and lift our arms, voices, and eyes fully to you in full surrender and praise. You are in control, even when our world is unraveling. Your plans for us are good, and cannot be thwarted.

We were never promised this world would be easy on us, yet we are still shocked by its depravity and injustice. Soothe our wounds, Lord. Save us, Lord Jesus, from ourselves, and our own toxic thought spirals. Develop in us a pattern of turning to you first, every day, so that when our plans are shredded, we default to praise.

Jesus, you died so we could live life to the full, yet so often we allow the devil to kill, steal, and destroy. Increase our capacity to see through those lies, and guard our hearts from evil schemes, Lord. Comfort and encourage us. Help us to stand up, walk one step at a time, and trust You with our shredded plans.

Guide our children to your feet, and use our faithful seeking and worship of you in good times and in hard, as assurance they can depend on you in all circumstances. We know everything you do is done in order to draw us closer to you. Remind us, when the proverbial rug has been yanked from underneath our feet, that your arms are fully capable of holding us.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.