Streams in the Desert

"And the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7)

There is what is called the "cushion of the sea." Down beneath the surface that is agitated by storms, and driven about with winds, there is a part of the sea that is never stirred. When we dredge the bottom and bring up the remains of animal and vegetable life we find that they give evidence of not having been disturbed in the least, for hundreds and thousands of years. The peace of God is that eternal calm which, like the cushion of the sea, lies far too deep down to be reached by any external trouble and disturbance; and he who enters into the presence of God, becomes partaker of that undisturbed and undisturbable calm.
--Dr. A. T. Pierson

When winds are raging o'er the upper ocean,
And billows wild contend with angry roar,
'Tis said, far down beneath the wild commotion,
That peaceful stillness reigneth evermore.

Far, far beneath, the noise of tempest dieth,
And silver waves chime ever peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth,
Disturbs the Sabbath of that deeper sea.

So to the heart that knows Thy love, O Purest,
There is a temple sacred evermore,
And all the babble of life's angry voices
Dies in hushed silence at its peaceful door.

Far, far away, the roar of passion dieth,
And loving thoughts rise calm and peacefully,
And no rude storm, how fierce soe'er it flieth,
Disturbs the soul that dwells, O Lord, in Thee.
--Harriet Beecher Stowe

"The Pilgrim they laid in a large upper chamber, facing the sun-rising. The name of the chamber was Peace."
--Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress

Obedience or Preference..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Obedience or Preference

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 26:36-42

Every believer must choose whether he will live by the principle of obedience or follow his preferences. When a person commits to doing the Lord’s will, then every situation and decision is sifted through the standard of "God said it, so I’m going to do it—and that’s the end of it." He may complain, weep, or try to argue. But in the end he will be obedient, no matter what.

I recall being invited years ago to interview with a church in Atlanta. During the entire road trip, I told the Lord that I didn’t want to move. I fussed and carried on a good while, but I knew Atlanta would be my new home. I didn’t like the idea, but the alternative was unimaginable: there are few things more unpleasant than living with the nagging anxiety that you missed out on something good.

The Lord certainly understands our need to question, cry out, and petition Him for the strength to do what He asks. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Jesus wasn’t excited or happy about the cross. He grieved over the coming separation from His Father. Nevertheless, He was committed to following God’s will (Matt. 26:39). No one took Christ’s life from Him; He laid it down (John 10:18).

Our lives are about fulfilling God’s purpose. Many people miss His awesome plan for them because they choose to follow their preferences. Obedience is sometimes hard, but the struggle and sacrifice are worth it. There is joy and peace for the believer who pleases the Lord and lives by His principles.

What to Do With Tough Relationships..... LYSA TERKEURST

 What to Do With Tough Relationships

LYSA TERKEURST

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6 (NIV) 

Do you ever feel like relationships are sometimes impossibly difficult to navigate? Me too, friend. Especially in the midst of all of the complicated, messy and unpredictable situations that can arise.

Sometimes I try so hard to figure out just the right words to say and talk through things. While talking is good, sometimes the conversation starts running in a circle, and there aren’t any productive words left to say. When this happens, it can make a girl feel like giving up. But before I give up, I’ve learned to pause, wait and get quiet, so today’s reaction doesn’t become tomorrow’s regret.

Spending time getting quiet can really be the best remedy for tangled situations. Taking a step back from all the emotion, frustration and exhaustion to sit quietly with Jesus will do more to untangle a mess than anything else I’ve ever found.

Here are five beautiful things that can happen in the quiet:

1. We can feel safe enough to humble ourselves.

In the heat of a mess, the last thing I want to do is get humble. I want to get loud and prove my point. I’ve learned I have to step out of the battle and humbly ask God to speak truth to my heart for things to start to make sense. Never have I had a relationship issue where I didn’t contribute at least something to the problem. Usually, I can only see this something in the quiet.

1 Peter 5:6a says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand …” (NIV).

2. God will lift us up to a more rational place.

When we are in the heat of a tangled relationship, crazy emotions can drag us down into a pit of hopelessness. The only way out of the pit is to make the choice to stop digging deeper and turn to God for a solution.

1 Peter 5:6b says, “… that he may lift you up in due time” (NIV).

3. Anxiety gives way to progress.

We can pour our anxious hearts out to Jesus who loves us right where we are, how we are. And because His love comes without judgment, we can feel safe enough to humbly admit we need Jesus to work on us. Trying to fix another person will only add to my anxiety. Letting Jesus work on me is where real progress can happen.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (NIV).

4. We see our real enemy isn’t the person with whom we’re in conflict.

The truth is, we have an enemy, and it’s not each other. Satan’s influence on me and the person offending me is the real culprit. I can’t realize this in the heat of the moment. But in the quiet, I become alert and can gain a strategy for acting and reacting in a more self-controlled manner.

1 Peter 5:8-9a says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith …” (NIV).

5. I can rest assured God will use this conflict for good — no matter how it turns out.

If I make the effort to handle this conflict well, I can be freed from the pressure to make everything turn out rosy. Sometimes relationships grow stronger through conflict. But other times, relationships end. Because I can’t control the other person, I must keep focusing on the good God is working out in me through this and leave the outcome with Him.

1 Peter 5:10-11 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (NIV).

In the end, this struggle can be used by God to make me stronger and more capable in my relationships. If I am humble enough to receive from Him in the quiet what He wants to teach me through this, I can rest assured with whatever the outcome is.

Dear Lord, help me stop trying to figure this situation out and just sit in the quiet with You for a while. God, humble me. Show me Your steps toward restoration. Or show me Your steps toward a healthy parting. Take my anxiety and replace it with Your peace, wisdom and security. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (NIV)

Out-Truthing the Devil..... By: Alisha Headley

 Out-Truthing the Devil

By: Alisha Headley

“Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written…” - Matthew 4:10

I don’t like to spend a lot of time talking about our enemy, Satan. Why? Because I don’t feel he deserves to be written about. But the fact is, Satan is real. His deceptive character and work is active all around us every day. I don’t say that to scare you. Quite the opposite. I say that to remind you. Remind you that there is a war going around us each day (Ephesians 6:12). And to remind you to stay “alert…as the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (I Peter 5:8).

We are taught in Ephesians 6 about the armor of God. As believers, we have been given the armor to “stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Each piece of armor is to be “put on” to help believers overcome the temptations and attacks of the evil one. Someone once told me that a police officer doesn’t go into work without putting one’s gear on first, their armor. In the same way, we should not start our day where the devil is waiting for us to wake up without putting on our God-given armor to protect us as well.

While the armor includes everything from head to toe as defensive weapons to fight against what comes at us. There is only one, yet powerful, offensive weapon we have at our fingertips, and that is the Sword of the Spirt (Word of God). This is the same offensive weapon used by the Lord Jesus himself against Satan as mentioned in today’s Scripture.

After Jesus’s baptism, and right before the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus was led by the Spirit to battle the devil in the Judean desert after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. Knowing this could be a potentially weak time for Jesus, Satan attempted to divert Jesus from his calling and ministry.

Have you been called to something, but feel the enemy attacking you right before you step foot into that calling? It’s because God is about to use you in powerful ways, and the enemy knows that and will do everything he can to distract and divert you from making an impact for the Kingdom.

As our greatest example, Jesus, did not yield nor give in to the temptation of Satan. Three times Satan tried to tempt him, and once even tempted him with words from the Bible itself. Did you hear that? Satan quoted Scripture as his attempt to tempt Jesus. Ladies & Gentlemen– be aware that Satan does indeed know Scripture and he will twist it in an attempt to deceive you.

However, be hopeful – for we have the power to defeat the deceit (Luke 10:19). One of the most powerful ways you can beat the devil in his temptation game EVERYTIME is by OUT TRUTHING him. Just as Jesus did in the wilderness. Satan is familiar with the Bible and tried to deceive Jesus, but Jesus combatted with truth. Satan knows how to twist the Bible and twist the truth as he also did with Eve in Genesis 3:1 where it says, “the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God has made."

It’s time as people of valor who fear God, that we get craftier than the enemy who is trying to destroy our minds with lies, destroy our marriages, and destroy our families. The way to do this is to know the Word of God inside and out so that when the enemy comes in whatever form he comes in, we can out truth him.

Spend time in His Word daily, listen to Scripture based podcasts while driving, read and sign up for blogs like this one that is based around Scripture. “Meditate on Scripture day and night” (Psalm 1:2) Allow it to saturate deep into your heart. So that when the enemy comes next time, you’ll know how to out truth and beat in his attempts each and every time.

The Context of Stillness..... By Katherine Britton

 The Context of Stillness

By Katherine Britton

"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

How many times have you heard this verse? A hundred? A thousand? This snippet of a psalm is a pet verse of mine. It constantly pops into my head when I start getting too busy or stressed out. Ironically, I hadn't taken time to read the whole psalm in months until the other night, and I had no recollection of the verses surrounding my favorite one-liner. Here's a sampling of the other verses in Psalm 46:

"Though the earth gives way…" (vs. 2)

"Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea…" (vs. 2)

"The nations rage, the kingdoms totter…" (vs. 6)

"Be still and know that I am God… I will be exalted in the earth!" (vs. 10)

"The God of Jacob is our fortress." (vs. 11)

I had been picturing an idyllic, Psalm-23-ish passage as the setting for my pet verse, but the context is completely different. This psalm is actually the meditation of a man holding back fear with faith. In a setting of uncertainty, war, and all-around "trouble" (vs. 1), the psalmist focuses on the peace that comes from being the presence of God... even though the earth around him threatens to fall apart. The verse holds even more power in this context than in my imagined setting, doesn't it?

I love the Psalms because of their deep meditations on humanity confronted with God's holiness and faithfulness. I can see real men writing the lines, reminding themselves of the bigger context for their troubles. I see people who - like me - wondered what would happen next in this life. But every one of them comes to the realization that they serve a God who supersedes their worries and replaces them with worship. The psalmists heard the command to "be still and know" and found that God blew their imaginations.

I often look at looming elections and financial woes and start getting jittery, wondering about outcomes and impacts. In times like this, I slip into a mentality that thinks "being still" and listening to God can only happen in Psalm 23's green pastures. But the real context of Psalm 46 tells me otherwise. God's amazing peace works most powerfully when the world's craziness reaches a crescendo. Hope lives amid despair, not perfection. Like they say, context is everything.

Intersection of Faith & Life: Look up your favorite one-liners of the Bible today, and read the surrounding passages and chapters. How does the context add to your understanding of the verse? What more does it reveal about living the Christian faith?

Further Reading:

Psalm 37

When Anxious Thoughts Tie You in Knots ..... By: Anne Peterson

 When Anxious Thoughts Tie You in Knots

By: Anne Peterson

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7

No matter what the beginning of our year was like, once the pandemic hit, nothing has been the same. We don’t act the same, we don’t feel the same and with partial coverings over our faces, we don’t look the same. We’re not certain about what will happen in the coming months and even in the coming weeks.

So how do we face each day without worry and fear? What is the answer to our anxious thoughts? I don’t want to give you a pat answer here. But I’m going to give you the only one I’ve found helpful. Prayer. And it’s not even my idea, but it was from the Apostle Paul, who often was tempted to feel anxious.

Paul, the one who would sing as he was shackled in prison, tells us how he found peace no matter what situation Paul found himself. We go to God.

In fact, the only one who doesn’t want us to go to God in our anxiety is the enemy of our soul, Satan. He wants us to devour all the news we can till we find ourselves tied up in knots. And there we sit, paralyzed with fear of the unknown, and anxious thoughts that fly around our troubled heads like pesky gnats.

Paul tells us to bring everything before the Lord because Paul knew God’s character. God is sovereign, which means supreme. God isn’t surprised by anything we discover. He’s omniscient which means all knowing. He’s omnipresent, which means always present. He’s omnipotent, which means all-powerful.

Satan wants us to worry and to believe that God has forsaken us. God told us that he would never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). And we know God means what he says. He’s not a man that he should lie (Numbers 23:19).

So, what do we do when we start entertaining some of those lies? How can we get our eyes back on the Lord? We can do this by corralling our thoughts and bringing them into captivity (2 Corinthians 10:5).

I visualize something to make this concept clear to me. I gather up all my thoughts and bring them to Jesus. And he hands back to me only the thoughts he thinks are worth keeping. And I’m not surprised to find the ones Jesus hands me are those that Paul talked about.

God tells us we are to think of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Those are the things God wants us to dwell on. And isn’t the Lord, all those things? And don’t all those things pertain to God?

When I go for a walk I spend time singing to the Lord and bringing my concerns to him. I know God has given us access to his throne room. It’s open all the time. Like little children, we can go right in and climb on God’s lap, telling him whatever is troubling us. Nothing is too small, not to the one who created butterfly wings.

So the next time your worries tie you in knots, take them to God. Knots are his specialty.

Knots

I’m trying to untangle, Lord,
these stubborn knots I see.
But every single time I try
they’re getting worse for me.

And then I see Him smiling
as he takes them in his hands.
And I just watch with wonder
as he loosens every strand.

A Prayer for Using Your Spiritual Gifts..... By Greg Laurie

 A Prayer for Using Your Spiritual Gifts

By Greg Laurie

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:26

Have you ever watched a fire begin to burn down to the point that all you have left are coals? It looks as though there is no fire actually left, because the coals may be under a layer of ash. You can’t really see much. But when you take a fresh log and toss it on top of those coals and stir it around a bit, it suddenly ignites, and you have a whole new fire going.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). That phrase stir up the gift means to fan it into full flame.

There may be live coals in your life, but you have allowed the fire to go down. You haven’t been using the gifts that God has given you, the talents He has given you. It’s time to fan them into full flame again. It’s time to be reignited. It’s time to say, “Lord, how can I use what You have given me for Your glory until You return?”

We need to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. There are those who want to have the big, visible ministries. They want the applause of men. But if we will humble ourselves and take what we have and offer it to God, if we are willing to do what He has set before us and be faithful in the little things, then He will give us something better than visible ministries or applause – He’ll give us the peace and joy that comes from pleasing Him.

Any time you take a chance, you can fail. But it’s better to try than to never have anything happen in your life. I would rather try and fail than never try at all.

Heavenly Lord,

Do not let us neglect Your Spirit or the gifts You have given us. Give us the courage to use these gifts and the humility to not use them for our glory, but for You and Your glory. Help us see the good work You have ready for us and embrace that work with willingness and joy.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.