Is Anything too Hard for God?..... Streams in the Desert

 Is Anything too Hard for God?

Streams in the Desert 

Is there anything too hard for Jehovah? (Genesis 18:14).

Here is God's loving challenge to you and to me today. He wants us to think of the deepest, highest, worthiest desire and longing of our hearts, something which perhaps was our desire for ourselves or for someone dear to us, yet which has been so long unfulfilled that we have looked upon it as only a lost desire, that which might have been but now cannot be, and so have given up hope of seeing it fulfilled in this life.

That thing, if it is in line with what we know to be His expressed will (as a son to Abraham and Sarah was), God intends to do for us, even if we know that it is of such utter impossibility that we only laugh at the absurdity of anyone's supposing it could ever now come to pass. That thing God intends to do for us, if we will let Him.

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Not when we believe in Him enough to go forward and do His will, and let Him do the impossible for us. Even Abraham and Sarah could have blocked God's plan if they had continued to disbelieve.

The only thing too hard for Jehovah is deliberate, continued disbelief in His love and power, and our final rejection of His plans for us. Nothing is too hard for Jehovah to do for them that trust Him
--Messages for the Morning Watch

The Passion to Obey..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Passion to Obey

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 14:15

For a sermon I gave several years ago, I jotted down a list and titled it "The Evolution of a Passion to Obey God." That passion doesn't just spring up, full-blown at salvation. We do enter our new life in Christ with a desire to please Him, and that does include obeying Him. But an intensely determined pursuit of His will develops more slowly.

In fact, the first stage--fear of the consequences of disobedience--barely qualifies as reverence for God. But as we progress in our faith and form a commitment to obey the Lord, we eventually reach the final stage, which is love and devotion to Christ. Wouldn't you rather follow Him out of love than out of fear?

Getting from the first stage to the last begins with what you might expect--an increasing knowledge of Jesus Christ. As we dig into God's Word to see how He provided for the saints, we develop a desire for His best. Men like Moses, David, and Paul weren't satisfied with what the world had to offer, and we won't be either when we witness His work in the lives of His followers. So we test out obedience and discover that God's promised blessings are real. As we acquire a record of consistent rewards for doing His will, we recognize the wisdom of obedience.

Can you find yourself on the spectrum between fear and devotion? It is my hope that you have committed to obeying God and that you are reading His Word daily to learn how to keep your promise. God wants your best--your passionate pursuit of His will--because He is giving His best to you.

When Your Husband Has Given Up..... LYSA TERKEURST

 When Your Husband Has Given Up

LYSA TERKEURST

Lee en español

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV) 

I know the heart-ripping hopelessness of a relationship unraveling.

The silence. The rejection. The harsh words. The absence of intimacy. The questions. The lack of answers. The hurt.

Many of you know about my story — the shattering discovery of my husband’s affair and the long road of uncertainty I walked for several years.

In the early days and months of that season, I remember wishing I could be put to sleep like when you have surgery. Why is it they only call in the anesthesiologists when you are surgically cut open? When you are being ripped open emotionally, it’s no less painful.

The shock and heartbreak and relationship implosion impacted every level of my life. Nothing was left untouched or undamaged. And I felt the harsh realities every single day.

Days turned into months. Months turned into years. And slowly I turned into someone I didn’t recognize. My strong but normally carefree spirit became a confusing mix of anxiety, panic attacks and soul-blinding pain so intense I thought I’d never feel healthy or regain a sense of normalcy again. And because I’d been through so much that was hard to process, a darkness started to cloud my outlook that used to be optimistic.

Because I know these feelings so personally, my heart aches for anyone in a marriage that’s struggling.

And I think one of the deepest hurts comes when one spouse resigns while the other is still trying. There is a panic that arises to somehow make the other person wake up, stop their resignation and help you fix this relationship.

A situation like this is much more complicated than simple answers I could offer here. But might I give you one stepping stone upon which to stand, to stop the panic and balance yourself?

Decide today that you are worthy.

Because you are. Worthy. You may not feel like it. But a quick glimpse at Psalm 139 assures me you are. It says, "For you [God] formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well" (verses 13-14).

You are fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving God who cares for you. Who loves you. And I’d rather depend on the solid truth of God than the roller coaster of fickle feelings.

You are beautiful and captivating and smart and capable and worthy of being loved. But if you are in a relationship full of unmet expectations, unresolved issues and frustrating communication, I suspect you feel a little less than all I’ve described.

Broken-down relationships can really break down a woman.

And if you’re anything like me, when you feel broken down, those around you get your worst. Then, upon all the hurt and anxiety, you layer regret, shame and the feeling that you’ve lost yourself. You’ve lost that girl inside who used to be so positive and happy and ready to take on the world.

Can I whisper a tender truth to you? The only way to recapture her is to come up for air and remember: You are worthy because the Creator of the universe says you are.

Then you can act worthy.

And step aside from the emotional yuck to make some levelheaded decisions. Get a plan. Talk to wise people who love you, provide godly counsel and will walk this tough journey with you.

Draw some boundaries with your husband if some are needed. Healthy boundaries aren’t to push him away. They are to help hold you together.

Pray like crazy for clear discernment. Because Jesus is the best source of help.

Honest cries for help, lifted up to Jesus, will not go unheard. He sees. He knows. He loves. And Jesus will direct you as long as you stick with Him.

Remember, you can’t control how your husband acts and reacts, but you can control how you act and react.

Reclaim who you are.

I pray your relationship survives. I pray that prayer with every fiber of my being. But if it doesn’t, I pray most of all that the beautiful woman you are rises above all the yuck, still clinging tightly to the only opinion that matters — the One who forever calls you worthy.

Dear Lord, relationship struggles are so hard and heartbreaking. Please help us to know who to talk to and who can practically help us make hard decisions. Please help us all remember we are worthy because You say so. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 54:10, “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” (NIV)

Psalm 34:17, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” (NIV)

Flying Lessons..... by Meghan Kleppinger

 Flying Lessons

by Meghan Kleppinger

"For I know the plans that I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11, NAS

While traveling to Chattanooga, TN a few years ago, I read the autobiography, Dorie: The Girl Nobody Loved, by Dorie Van Stone. The book retraces the past of a deeply wounded child transformed into a woman with heart on fire for the God who loves her.

As a child, Dorie was rejected and abandoned by her mother, and abused by orphanage workers, foster parents, and relatives. In the midst of a horrendous childhood filled with daily mistreatment, Dorie was introduced to the One who did love her and would never abandon her. Her life is now one that reflects not her past, but her Savior.

As I finished reading the final chapter on the plane, I shared with the Lord that I wanted to meet Dorie, give her a huge hug, and thank her for writing the book.

During my layover in Atlanta, I saw a woman resembling Dorie in one of the airport stores. I pulled the book out of my bag to compare the woman in the store with the photo on the back cover. I shook off the possibility and thought the same thing you are thinking now, “There is no way!” I proceeded to my gate promising myself if I saw her again I would I ask if she was, in fact, “Dorie.”

I’m not proud to admit that when she appeared at my departure gate, I was a complete wimp and did not approach her. She sat two seats behind me on the plane, and still I said nothing. In Chattanooga’s airport she kept popping up, but I continued to come up with excuses for not asking a simple question. Finally, while waiting for my baggage, I heard someone say, "Mrs. Van Stone."

I turned to her and finally asked, "Are you Dorie Van Stone?" She answered “yes” (of course). "Oh my!" was my intelligent response. I continued with, "I just finished your book on the plane."

"What did you think?" She asked, smiling.

“It was wonderful!” I managed to gurgle out. “I promised myself that if I ever met you I would give you a big hug!”

Without hesitation, she dropped her bags and gave me the biggest bear hug imaginable. I thanked her for writing the book and we quickly embraced again before going our separate ways.

I was amazed by the marvelous gift God gave me in meeting Dorie Van Stone. My adrenaline high was cut short with the reality that I could have spent a lot more time talking with her, but was too afraid. God was prompting me, but I ignored Him. Instead of listening, I waited until it was safe to ask. To this day, I regret the lost time I could have spent with Dorie.

I committed to never again allow fear to guide my decisions.

Every day, in little ways, God asks us to step out and trust Him. Sometimes He is asking us to share the gospel or help someone in need … and sometimes He is answering a prayer or simply asking us to receive a gift. Isn’t it easy to make excuses or justify saying “no?” We cheat ourselves when we respond this way. He offers us His goodness, shows us His glory, invites to be part of His work, and all we have to do is sensitive to His prompting and say “yes.”

Intersecting Faith & Life: Remember what I learned that day: when God asks you to do something that is a little challenging or out of your comfort zone, He’s not asking you to blindly jump off a bridge to your death, He’s offering you a chance to fly! So, prepare for flight, find comfort in the shadow of His wings (Psalms 36:7), and experience His goodness and love.

Further Reading

2 Timothy: 1:7

Humility at the Table of Grace..... by Susie Larson

 Humility at the Table of Grace

by Susie Larson

When I was a fairly new Christian, I got involved in a young-adults group at my local church. I didn’t comfortably know my way around the church building, church politics, or even church lingo for that matter, and though my heart felt drawn to and at home among Christians, my soul felt unsure and out of place at times. I’d watch the worship team on stage and marvel at how comfortable they were with the spotlight and with the lyrics. I imagined they were some of God’s favorites because they were so good at what they did and they seemed so established in their faith.

I, on the other hand, still had rough edges around my personality. I learned quickly that the playground in elementary school isn’t the only place where social hierarchy exists.

Feeling insecure and out of place on a regular basis, I sometimes lingered in the back rows when our large Sunday school class gathered each week. One day in the back row, I met a man who was a tad older than the rest of us. He was humble, gentle and reverent when it came to the things of God.

More than once, while leaning forward to take notes on what our speaker had to say that day, I heard a soft mumble coming from my friend beside me. I’d look over and find him with his head bowed, hands folded, and praying under his breath. Then he’d look up, listen for a bit, and then pray some more.

He wasn’t well-known in the group. And he was quite easy to miss. But whenever I asked him questions, he smiled at me sweetly, like he enjoyed and appreciated my hunger to learn. He never made me feel inferior or substandard as a Christian. And his insights always compelled me to look up.

Once, during the busy time before service when the more visible leaders in our group were bustling about with mic checks and worship practice, God turned my heart to my praying friend. Hidden in the shadows of the chapel with his Bible in his lap and his hands open to heaven, he reverently bowed his head. I knew he was praying for every soul in the room, that we’d all encounter God, and leave the sanctuary that evening with hearts more filled with love of Him than when we had taken our places in the pews. I felt a new and holy fear of God settle into my soul.

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus tells the story of two men who stood in the synagogue to pray. One was well-esteemed in the community, a leader of the faith. His prayers were lofty, elegant, and offered for all to hear. The other was a poor sinner, who stood in the shadows and prayed simply, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Jesus shocked his listeners by telling them that of the two men, it was the sinner in the shadows who left the synagogue at peace with God. Why? Because his prayer was offered in humility.

The point is, we must never stop relying on God’s goodness. He is the One who paid for our place at the table of grace. It is only in humility that we are able to partake of the feast.

A Prayer to Help You Know God’s Delight in You ..... By: Jennifer O. White

 A Prayer to Help You Know God’s Delight in You

By: Jennifer O. White

He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me - Psalm 18:19

Jesus is known as Emmanuel, meaning God is with us. He has chosen to dwell with us because He is delighted with us. He is also our Wonderful Counselor: our ever-present fountain of God’s wisdom. He is God’s wise Word delivered to us in human form long ago and now present with us by His Holy Spirit.

Are you delighted with yourself?

God longs for us to be united with Him in thought and deed. Choosing to see ourselves through His eyes is a life-changing, joy-restoring act. If we have trouble delighting in ourselves, the Holy Spirit is with us to help us change our thoughts. Here is a simple prayer to help us reach for the help He is ready to deliver:

God, I need help believing that You are delighted with me. Please fill me with Your wisdom and defend me against condemning thoughts about myself. I know I am lovingly, wonderfully made by you. I know that you know every breathe I take, and I know that you are acquainted with all my thoughts, the passions of my heart, my longings and trials. Nothing about me is lost to you, and all you know about me, both the good and bad, never changes your love for me. I know when you look at me you see something ‘very good.’ Help me know these things, help me live confidently and at peace because of your delight in me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This simple change can usher in healing in hearts and our relationships. When we rest in God’s love for us, we gain the courage to consider how much He must delight in other people. When we grow in our love of Him, we grow to love ourselves more, and can love others better too. This is the life-changing love that God offers all of us!

Encountering God through Thanksgiving..... Thanksgiving Devotional - Nov. 5

Encountering God through Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving Devotional - Nov. 5

Encountering God through Thanksgiving

Weekly Overview:

Having consistent and transformational encounters with God while on earth is meant to be foundational to the Christian life. Our God has not left us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we’ve been filled with the very Spirit of God who longs to reveal to us daily the nearness and love of our heavenly Father. We are never alone. There is nowhere we can flee from the presence of our God. May this week be filled with transformational encounters with the living God as we learn what it is to seek the face of the one who has formed us, knows us, and loves us unconditionally.

Scripture: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:4

Devotional:

Thanksgiving is a gift given to us by the good and loving nature of our heavenly Father. In and out of every season of life, we have a reason to give thanks because we serve a wholly faithful, good, and loving God. We serve the only King who would lay down his life for his unworthy, rebellious servants. We serve a God perfectly worthy of all the thanksgiving and praise we could possibly give.

In using the incredible gift of thanksgiving, we remind ourselves of how truly good our Father is. In thanksgiving, we experience the joy of a proper perspective and have our hearts stirred by the renewing of our minds. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” When we come before God with thanksgiving, we seek the face of our Father while grounding ourselves firmly in the truth of his perfect nature. When we begin our days, prayers, worship, reading, and fellowship with a heart of thanksgiving, we live out of a place of faith and reality found in the kingdom of God come to earth.

Our God is bigger and better than our circumstances, fears, wounds, misconceptions, and past failures. There is security and joy in declaring the goodness, kindness, loving, and eternal nature of our Father. We dictate the emotions we feel by what we choose to dwell on and believe. Our minds are the battleground for our emotions, actions, and desire to dwell in communion with our good God.

Ephesians 5:20 says we are to be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And Psalm 92:1-5 says:

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!

Our hearts become glad when we offer continual thanksgiving. Five minutes of thanksgiving and praise has the power to change the direction of each day. It has the power to stir our hearts and make us open to and aware of God’s will for us in every situation. It fills us with an atmosphere of joy and of the Spirit. And it can greatly assist us in choosing the life of communion with the Father over the pursuits of the world as temptations and situations arise. May you be empowered and filled with transcendent joy as you engage in continual thanksgiving.

Take time in guided prayer to practice thanksgiving and enjoy the fruits of a renewed mind and a heart filled with joy and truth.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of thanksgiving. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to offer thanksgiving in every season.

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2

“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” Psalm 95:1-2

2. Take time to give thanks to God. Think about how he sent Jesus to die for you. Think about how faithful he is and always will be. Think about how good heaven will be. Give thanks for any gift he’s given you.

“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.” Psalm 69:30-31

“We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.” Psalm 75:1

3. How do you feel after taking time to engage in thanksgiving? Have your concerns, desires, and perspectives shifted? Journal about the effects of thanksgiving on your heart and mind.

We are continually commanded by Scripture to remember the deeds of our God. When the world comes crashing down around us, it’s hard sometimes to remember how faithful God has been and will be. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the fleeting cares and problems of this life and forget how perfect and never-ending the next life will be. Psalm 103:2 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” May you be quick to remember the benefits of restored relationship with your heavenly Father today as you take time to bless and thank the Lord for all the wonderful things he’s given you.

Extended Reading: Deuteronomy 8