God Is Always in Control..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 God Is Always in Control

Dr. Charles Stanley

Isaiah 45:5-7

I admit that I often don’t understand why bad things happen. Even so, I believe that God has a purpose for everything He does or permits. My faith is rooted in the biblical principle that says the Lord is sovereign (Ps. 22:28). He is in absolute control of this universe, the natural and political climate of this earth, and my life and yours.

When we are in the midst of a trial, it is hard to resist crying out, “God, Why is this happening?” Sometimes we get the answer and sometimes we don’t. What we can be sure of is that nothing happens by accident or coincidence. He has a purpose for even our most painful experiences. Moreover, we have His promise to “cause all things to work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28).

Seeing in advance how the Lord will work evil or hurt for our benefit is very difficult, if not impossible. My limited human perspective doesn’t allow me to grasp His greater plan. However, I can confirm the truth of this biblical promise because the Father’s good handiwork appears all through my pain, hardship, and loss. I have experienced Him turn mourning into gladness and have seen Him reap bountiful blessings and benefits from my darkest hours.

As believers, we must accept that God won’t always make sense to us. Isaiah teaches that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own (Isa. 55:9). He sees the beautifully completed big picture. We can rely on the fact that God is in control, no matter how wildly off-kilter our world seems to spin.

Abiding Fruit..... Craig Denison

 Abiding Fruit

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview: 

The absolute, most important single act of the children of God is making space to encounter our heavenly Father in the secret place. Abiding in God is the foundation on which every other aspect of the Christian life finds success. It establishes roots which enable us to receive all that we need to bear the fruit of the Spirit. It guides us to constant refreshment and revival in God’s presence, thereby supplying and sustaining the abundant life God intends for us. My prayer is that you would be marked by wonderful, satisfying, and fulfilling encounters with the presence of God as we look at John 15:1-17 this week. Make room in your heart and mind to rest in the love of your heavenly Father as we look at the different ways we are to abide in true vine of God.

Scripture:“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16

Devotional:    

You have been chosen and appointed to bear eternal and impactful fruit. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” God created all of us with a longing to make an important and lasting impact with the intention of satisfying that longing in him. He has a plan for your life that doesn’t belong to anyone else. You alone can accomplish the works set before you, and you won’t find true satisfaction until you do. Your heavenly Father has placed desires in you which he has plans to satisfy in magnificent and joyful ways. He knows for what purposes you were created and longs to lead you into a lifestyle of good works that will fill you with all the abundance of life available to you through Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” You were created to live a lifestyle of good works. It is not outside of your nature to accomplish amazing things no matter how you’ve lived your life up to this point. God takes what the world has deemed broken and useless and transforms it into the very likeness of his son, Jesus. He has plans to transform you into his disciple: ready, equipped, and useful for every good and fruitful work. Believe today that God would use you and discover the wealth of plans he has set before you. Surrender to the truth that God has better plans than you can ask or imagine in store for you if you will follow him. Come before him with expectation today, ready to receive all the he would guide you to. Let’s dive wholeheartedly into God’s word and presence as we learn from him how to live the fruitful life he has appointed for us.

In order to bear the fruit God has set before us we must abide in him. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit without the nutrients the vine provides, we cannot bear fruit without being connected to our only source of true life, our heavenly Father. God leads us into the plans he has for us as we spend time in his presence and his word. Psalm 1:1-3 says,

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

It’s in God’s presence and word that we are molded, refined, and transformed. It’s only in spending time with him that we become nourished and ready to bear fruit. Just as a tree must be pruned in order to bear more fruit, we must allow God to tear away parts of our life that are keeping us from the good works he intends for us. We must spend time in God’s presence being fashioned, healed, and transformed.

In order to bear the fruit God intends, we must learn to allow the Spirit to work in and through us. God not only transforms us as we spend time with him and his word, but empowers us through the Holy Spirit to do good works we could never accomplish in our own strength. It’s only through God working in us that our weaknesses are turned into strengths so we can truly love one another. And it’s only through the Spirit that hearts are changed and drawn to our heavenly Father. God longs to give you his heart for people. He longs to empower you to speak and work with his authority. He longs to do works through you that can’t be explained except by his reality. If you will choose to humble yourself before God and allow him to work in and through you, you will begin to bear the very fruit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. The disciples had no great gifts or power on their own. It was only by the working of the Holy Spirit that Christianity exploded in size and influence and changed the world. Co-labor with the Holy Spirit in all that you do. Allow him to move and work in every part of your life and experience all the incredible ways he desires to use you to bring the kingdom of God to earth.

Spend time abiding in the true vine of God today. Open your heart and mind to his word. And allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how he desires to work in and through you. May the amazing plans God has for you bring peace, purpose, and joy to your life today.           

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to produce important and lasting fruit through your life.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

2. Spend time in God’s presence allowing him to nourish and empower you for good works. Ask him to reveal what he has set before you to accomplish for his kingdom today. Ask the Holy Spirit to work in and through you.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

3. Commit to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit today as he guides you to producing good fruit. Choose to love others as God has loved you. Choose to live a lifestyle of agreeing with the Holy Spirit in every way that he leads you.

How vast is God’s love for us that he would not only save us, redeem us, and set us free, but he desires to use us, a broken and needy people, to change the world. God desires to anoint his people with his Spirit to accomplish his work. May your life be marked by the wonderful and lasting fruit of a child of God surrendered to and in love with our heavenly Father.

Extended Reading: Romans 8

When Your Earth Quakes..... TAMMY BROWN

 When Your Earth Quakes

TAMMY BROWN

“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” Habakkuk 3:18-19 (NLT)

My husband went out the door with not only shirts, pants and a toothbrush but also with life as I knew it.

I went from together to alone. Homeschooling to commuting. Married to a pastor to divorced from one. And in the eyes of some, respected to suspected. On that day, the earth beneath my feet began to shake.

Perhaps a significant life event has moved you from secure and safe to teary and trembling. A doctor says, “Cancer.” Suspicions about your child’s bad behavior are confirmed. A negative performance review appears in your work email inbox. Or maybe your earth begins to shake with one small tremor, followed by another, until things around you start to feel unfamiliar.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Habakkuk received a message from God that shook his world. Habakkuk had been wondering why God seemed to turn a deaf ear to his pleas. How could God allow the violence and destruction in Judah to continue? How could God allow the nation to continue their evil ways? Surely, He would bring such wickedness to an end!

But no. God was mobilizing an even greater source of evil. A fearsome enemy, far more heinous than Judah would ever be. Babylon, the epitome of depravity, was about to invade the little nation. The prophet’s response? “I trembled inside when I heard this …” says Habakkuk, “My legs gave way beneath me …” (Habakkuk 3:16, NLT).

Habakkuk felt his fear, yet responded to his circumstances in faith. Whereas I too often pray a worried list of "God, what-ifs," Habakkuk prays a list of “God, You haves.”

God, You have shown Your power and might.
God, You have rescued Your people.
God, You have fiercely defended those You call Your own.

For Habakkuk, faith was not the absence of fear but a determination to trust. Even though the crops fail and the food runs out, even though the cattle die and the barns sit empty, even though all that Judah has relied on is gone, Habakkuk says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (Habakkuk 3:18-19).

Perhaps your present circumstances are causing you to tremble. Our fear does not mean we lack faith. It means the ground beneath us is shaking. It means that what is happening to us is legitimately scary. Don’t bother trying to force down your fear, muster up your courage or look on the bright side. In the face of real suffering, we need a real Rescuer. Along with Habakkuk, remember what God has done. Recite how God has worked in your life, in the lives of fellow believers and in the lives of those whose stories are recorded throughout the pages of Scripture.

We can remember one thing Habakkuk could not — the cross. If you doubt God's ability to be trusted with your circumstances, look to the cross. In the cross, God is our ultimate Rescuer. If He can be trusted to save us from our sins, He can be trusted to save us through our circumstances.

Habakkuk knew the Object of his faith. He knew God’s track record. God had proven Himself time and again. So even when the ground quaked with the rumble of enemy chariots, Habakkuk could rejoice, finding joy and strength in his God who would never fail. He will never fail us, either.

God, I know I am safe in Your care. But despite what I know in my head, sometimes my heart feels anxious. Help me to focus my thoughts on You and not on my circumstances. Remind me of Your track record of faithfulness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 94:19, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (ESV)

Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (NLT)

Praying for Open Eyes..... By Brent Rinehart

 Praying for Open Eyes

By Brent Rinehart

“Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” - 2 Kings 6:17

You’ve probably heard the saying that someone “can’t see the forest for the trees.” It’s often used to describe a person who is so involved in the details of a project that they are unable to view the situation as a whole. Put another way, it’s when present circumstances shield the bigger picture. Thinking about this concept spiritually, sometimes the hardships we are facing can cause us to be blind to how God is moving in and through them.

I love this story about Elisha found in 2 Kings 6. The king of Syria was aiming to invade and take over Israel. His massive army surrounded the Israelite camp, and Elisha's servant was alarmed – with good reason! He didn't know what to do, so he ran to the prophet Elisha. Elisha said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (v. 16).

Elisha then prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes, so he could see the same thing Elisha could see. “So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17).

I take great comfort in this passage, for it reminds me of a couple of key principles. First, it shows that God is still working even when we can’t see it. Second, it reminds me that sometimes, God may give us vision if it's His will to do so... if we ask Him.

It may seem like the enemy is all around. It may appear like the odds are stacked against us. This world brings all sorts of trouble. From health scares and financial woes to job loss and relationship struggles, sometimes it feels like the world dishes out more than we can take. We can feel like we are fumbling around in a dark room trying to find the Light. But, we can rest in knowing God is in control. Remember, greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). He’s working all things together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

Even more, this passage shows us God’s willingness to give us His vision. We can ask God to open our eyes and open the eyes of the ones around us. When I can’t see God moving, I should pray for open eyes to see what He’s up to. When the ones I love around me can’t see God moving, I should pray for God to open their eyes so they can see the big picture. God may not always let us in on His plans, but I believe the process of asking Him reminds us that He is at work and we can trust Him.

What are the circumstances in your life blocking your view of how God is moving? What hardships are you facing that are keeping you from fully trusting God? We can ask God to give us His eyes. Whether or not we ever see the mountain full of “horses and chariots of fire,” we can trust and have faith that God is good and He’s working in and through our difficult circumstances.

Traveling Mercies..... by Shawn McEvoy

 Traveling Mercies

by Shawn McEvoy

You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day. - Psalm 91:5

With Memorial Day weekend's arrival, summer travel season has begun, so I've been reminiscing upon all the times the Lord has watched out for me on the road through all my journeys. Here are just a few examples:

When I helped my wife - before she was my wife - move from Columbia, South Carolina to Farmville, Virginia, we rented an auto transport to trail her car behind the U-Haul so that we could both ride together in the truck. I had helped load her car onto the transport before we left. We decided to get out of town and onto the interstate before we gassed up. We'd traveled up and down hills, across several railroad tracks, on the interstate, in stop-and-go traffic... and it was raining. You'll understand the reason I tell you all that momentarily.

When we pulled into the gas station, we realized we didn't have Valerie's key chain. It held the keys to her car, her new home, her old home, and several expensive keys to the University of South Carolina. Neither of us had any idea where they could be. I got out of the truck to think... and I spotted them, there on one of the two-inch thick beams of the auto transport. I yelled for Valerie, who came to look. I carefully touched the keys with my fingertips... and they dropped to the ground. Neither of us could believe our eyes, or that those keys had remained there of their own accord over the route we had driven. It had to be the Lord. If not, well, He got the praise and glory anyway.

Another time, when I was just a boy, my mother's station wagon had a flat tire on a remote stretch of road outside Tucson. My sister and I were in the car as my mother struggled to get the hubcap off. In those days, on that model, a special tool was required to be able to get to the lugnuts. We didn't have the tool. Just then, a guy rode up on a bike. He happened to have the tool. He handed it to my mother, who to this day swears he was an angel. I'm not sure I can argue with her.

At other times there have been individuals who showed up with just the right help during blowouts, or - believe it or not - airline personnel who actually made my trip better than it could have gone. The most memorable of these instances, truly, have come during times I prayed, read my Bible, and had decided in advance not to get bent out of shape about delays or other problems. One such cross-country trip resulted in an out-of-nowhere upgrade to first class from Philadelphia to Seattle, where I also ended up in a position to calmly solve a dispute between passengers. Indeed, the Lord has been gracious to me in travel.

My wife's family has a tradition before every trip they take to read Psalm 91. It reminds them that God is their refuge as they go, wherever they go. And of course before every trip we take, my family prays for safety, and mercy... and the opportunity to minister, even if it is an inconvenience to our plans.

One way or another, this prayer is always answered. Still, it's hard to remind myself of goodness and opportunity in delay. Sometimes I still feel that the trip, the vacation, is my time… that whatever gets in the way shows that the Lord does not care, or did not "bless" our travels. That’s when I remember Paul's travels. I am certain the Apostle didn't think shipwrecks and imprisonment were helps toward spreading the Gospel. But in the end, they were. Are our travels - no matter what purpose we think they hold - any different?

Jesus told a story about a traveler who had been robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the road. Those who passed him by had in mind only their own agendas and their desire not to be inconvenienced, even if they were priests by vocation. What would you do? Would you have the time, yearning, and empathy to interrupt your travels to do as the Samaritan did?

Understand that I am not discounting that the Lord must lay on your heart the decision to stop and help, especially in these troubled and dangerous times. But do be open to it. So few times anymore do we venture outside our home or neighborhood. Those times we do should not merely be restful, but ministerial. Pray that God would give you opportunities to serve him - and yes, to see His glory in watching over you! - as you go.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Be on the lookout for fellow travelers who are stranded. Gas costs may cause some motorists to run out of fuel. Consider taking along a spare gas container and can of fix-a-flat to assist stranded folks who might be in need of genuine help (and the gospel message).

Further Reading

Luke 10:25-37
Psalms 91

A Prayer for Walking in Truth and Grace..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for Walking in Truth and Grace

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

“Sanctify them in truth, your Word is truth.” - John 17:17

Truth and grace are two words that can cause much tension in the world, and they should. Truth and grace are not of this world. They stem from the heart of our holy, perfect, righteous God and because of that, they pierce the hearts of those who have turned to Him.

Over 2000 years ago, our Savior was born. The long-awaited Redeemer. The Son of God, the Son of man - was here. The One who would exude truth and grace all the days of His life on this earth. He came to make man right with God. He came to teach those who would be attentive to His Word who He was and why He was there. The same happens today because Jesus is alive and seated on the throne next to God the Father. He wants you to know who He is and why He came for us.

This past year has taught us many things, but some of the most important are: we need a relationship with our Savior, truth is found in Christ alone, and grace is found in Christ alone. We watched an entire year unfold that had us all on our knees and deepened our dependence on the Lord. He drew us in with His truth and grace. As Jesus said would happen in John 17:17: “sanctify them in truth, your word is truth.” He has deepened our expectancy of all Christ has done, is doing, and will do before He comes again.

While I of course wouldn’t want to go through everything that we’ve been through again, I do pray the hunger we experienced for God's leading would linger for generations to come. This year led many of us to the threshing floor. He stripped us of our pride and our idols. This caused many of us to work through our pain.

You see, walking with the Lord is so much more than emotional worship experiences, following the popular Christian figures, and hearing a sermon on Sundays. Walking with the Lord is about a personal relationship with Him, drawing near to Him through His Word, resting securely in our salvation because of the cross, and joyfully accepting the sanctification process.

As this year plays out, may we hold loosely to our plans and submit to the Lord as He leads the way. May we follow Him with boldness and assurance of who we are. Let us live in a constant posture of keeping our hearts tethered to our always truthful, all-sustaining, Heavenly Father, and may we boldly share why Jesus came and that He will be coming again.

Pray with me...

The Lord thank you for always leading us and loving us through the gift of truth and grace. I pray your truth guides all of my steps, my decisions and plans this year. I pray that when I struggle with doubt or uncertainty, that I would be renewed by the conviction that your Word is truth.

I pray for grace – for myself and for others. I pray I would know the depths of grace I have in you. I pray that grace would help make me more gracious to those in my life.

Help me to be bold for the Kingdom of God and not shy away from opportunities to be your hands and feet. I pray for a desire to know you more deeply and look to you as sustainer no matter what comes to pass.

In Jesus’s Name, Amen.