The touch of their God

And I will give them one heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God], Ezekiel 11:19 AMP

Last night my daughter was worshipping God at a conference. She told me that she had put her hands out during the worship time, and had felt God touching her hands. Her words were, "It was weird and .... amazing."  I am so grateful to God for showing His love to her in this way, and secondly for the restoration work He has done in her life. She has been given a tender tangible reminder that God loves her.

As I have been thinking more about her experience of receiving a touch from God, I have been reading some of the accounts in Matthew of Jesus tangibly touching people, healing and restoring them.

And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed. Matthew 8:3 AMP

He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and began waiting on Him. Matthew 8:15 AMP

Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith and trust and reliance [on the power invested in Me] be it done to you; Matthew 9:29 AMP

In Matthew there are also accounts of people who reached out to Jesus, expecting to be change when they touched Him.

And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment;

For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health.

Jesus turned around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was restored to health. Matthew 9:20-22 AMP

And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent around into all the surrounding country and brought to Him all who were sick

And begged Him to let them merely touch the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched it were perfectly restored. Matthew 14:35-36 AMP

Sometimes I think we can get into the habit of doing things a certain way, particularly in the way we worship. It can be easy to forget what it is like to have a tangible touch from God, an encounter with the Almighty God, maker of the heavens and earth. My daughter's experience has reminded me to always enter into worship with an open and expectant heart, ready to reach out to God with all my love and gratitude, and ready to receive His touch.

Question for today, when was the last time you received a 'touch' from God? Maybe you have never had an experience like I have described above. If that is the case, why not play some worship music, lay down all your preconceptions of who God is, what God does, how God loves us, and just come to Him like a child, trusting and expectant of His touch. Reach out to Him and wait.

And they kept bringing young children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples were reproving them [for it].

But when Jesus saw [it], He was indignant and pained and said to them, Allow the children to come to Me—do not forbid or prevent or hinder them—for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive and accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] positively shall not enter it at all.

And He took them [the children upone by one] in His arms and [fervently invoked a] blessing, placing His hands upon them. Mark 10:13-16 AMP

I shall not be moved

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8 AMP

There have been times in my life when I have felt like a tree trunk in the midst of the storm.  There has been wind, rain, hail and sometimes even lightening, trying to knock me down, to reduce, even erode my trust in God. Have you ever felt like that?

It takes a decision to trust in God and continually stand, and not be moved. It is His grace that enables us to make that decision in our times of trial and suffering.

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved. With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyeilding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God! Psalm 62:5-7 AMP

For me, one of the biggest challenges in standing firm, when under pressure, is to 'keep my mouth closed'. My whole being wants to scream and yell (and sometimes I do that by myself in the quiet of my car!),  however I know that God does not want me to stay in that 'place' of screaming and yelling. He wants me to push through that frustration, disappointment and anger. God wants me to come to a new place of quietly waiting on Him, being able to stand firm, and not be moved. In the quiet, when meditating on all He is, and He has done, the ability to praise Him comes.

To you belongs silence (the submissive wonder of reverence which bursts forth into praise) and praise is due and fitting to You, O God, in Zion; Psalm 65:1a AMP

It is a journey of the heart gently led by the Holy Spirit, our counsellor, our comforter and friend. I have found it is a journey well worth taking. A journey that enables me to, despite the 'wobbles', say, 'I shall not be moved'.

Question for today, is there something in your life that is causing you to 'wobble'? Maybe it is causing you to question what you believe, and ask where is God in all of this? Please let me encourage you to keep seeking God in the 'wobbling'. He is there, sometimes we need to quiet our voice, our mind, our soul and listen to His voice. He is in the midst.

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning]. The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our Fortress and High Tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Psalm 46:5-7 AMP

A God of faithfulness

He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are law and justice. A God of faithfulness without breach or deviation, just and right is He. Deuteronomy 32:4 AMP

Have you ever woken up in the morning with a feeling of dread or a wondering of how this circumstance is going to turn around?  This morning I awoke with those types of thoughts in my head. Between getting out of bed and getting to my bible, as I was fighting those thoughts, I felt God say to me, do the declarations. 

A couple of years ago, a friend gave me the book, I Declare - 31 Promises to speak over your life,  by Joel Osteen.  There are a couple of declarations I regularly speak out aloud over my life, particularly when my mind is wanting to go down the path of hopeless and negativity. Here are the declarations I spoke out this morning, from page 169

I declare I walk in the blessing of almighty God. I am filled with wisdom. I make good choices. I have clear direction.

I declare I am blessed with creativity, with good ideas, with courage, with strength, with ability.

I declare I am blessed with promotion, with success, with an obedient heart, with a positive outlook.

I declare whatever I put my hand to will prosper and succeed. I will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. I will be blessed when I go in and when I go out.

I declare I will lend and not borrow, and I will be above and not beneath.

I declare right now that every negative word, every curse that has ever been spoken over me, is broken in the name of Jesus.

I declare the negative things that have been in my family even for generations will no longer have any effect on me.

I declare that from this day forward I will experience a new sense of freedom, a new happiness and a new fulfillment.

I declare I am blessed!

Did making these declarations change my circumstance? No. But they did change my thoughts and attitude towards my circumstance. As I made these declarations, hope started to come. I felt God's strength building within me. I felt myself being pulled back into line with God's truth for my life. He is a faithful God. He doesn't deviate like we do.

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). Hebrews 13:8 AMP

I was able to then re-start my day with a completely different outlook. An outlook that centred on the truth that our God is faithful. 

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord. At an acceptable and opportune time, O God, in the multitude of Your mercy and the abundance of Your loving-kindness hear me, and in the truth and faithfulness of Your salvation answer me. Psalm 69:13 AMP

Question for today, are you feeling hopeless or negative about a circumstance in your life? Do you believe that God is faithful, just and right? Why not make some declarations out loud to the atmosphere about what God has to say about you and your circumstance? Use the ones I have mentioned above from Joel Osteen, or any scriptures God places on your heart. Ask God to help you not to deviate, but remain firm, standing on Him, the Rock.

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower. Psalm 18:2 AMP

Jesus, thank you for your faithfulness, mercy and loving kindness. Please help us not to deviate, but to remain faithful to you whilst we wait for your opportune and acceptable time. Thank you for being our Rock. Amen.

Godly Wisdom

My Son, be attentive to my Wisdom [godly Wisdom learned by actual and costly experience], and incline your ear to my understanding [of what is becoming and prudent for you], that you may exercise proper discrimination and discretion and your lips may guard and keep knowledge and the wiser answer [to temptation]. Proverbs 5:1-2 AMP

Today, let's look at some of things God has to say about wisdom in the Book of Proverbs.

The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 AMP

What is your starting point when seeking wisdom? Is it other people? Is it google? Is it God and His word?

For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 AMP

Is Godly wisdom staying in your heart, continuing to guide your life's choices?

Get skillful and godly Wisdom, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation); do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth. Proverbs 4:5 AMP

Are the decisions and choices you are making aligned with God's wisdom?

I have taught you in the way of skillful and godly Wisdom [which is comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God]; I have led you in paths of uprightness. Proverbs 4:11 AMP

Are you letting God prune you so you can gain more understanding of His wisdom?

When swelling and pride come, then emptiness and shame come also, but with the humble (those who are lowly, who have been pruned or chiseled by trial, and renounce self) are skillful and godly Wisdom and soundness. Proverbs 11:2 AMP

When it comes to expousing wisdom to others, how do you measure up?

The words of a [discreet and wise] man's mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful and godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving]. Proverbs 18:4 AMP

Here is what God promises when we find godly Wisdom.

So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if you find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off. Proverbs 24:14 AMP

Question for today, are you seeking your own wisdom, worldly wisdom or godly Wisdom? Let's seek more godly Wisdom in and for our lives. Look at what God will give us in return.

Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God's Word and life's experiences]. Proverbs 3:13 AMP

He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered. Proverbs 28:26 AMP

Thank you God that your Wisdom is freely available to us, every hour of every day. Please forgive us for seeking wisdom from sources other than you. Please help us to continually seek your Wisdom from our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

How well do you love yourself?

Jesus said, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion, prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second set alongside it: ' Love others as well as you love yourself.' These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."  Matthew 22:37-40 The Message

How do you go on the 'love others as well as you love yourself' test? I failed dismally this week. I failed to show grace when needed. I pulled out those awful judging, criticising and assumption-making weapons that can cause mass destruction in relationships. It was not a pretty sight (or sound!).

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. Proverbs 18:21 AMP

So yes, I indulged myself and succumbed to the destructive thoughts in my mind. The fruit of my public unruly outburst was an awkward situation which subsequently required me to humble myself and apologise for my 'bad behaviour'.  I have learnt from past experience it is better to apologise quickly rather than let the feelings fester.

When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation,  your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.  Ephesians 4:26 AMP

Despite failing in obeying the first part of Ephesians 4:26, by the grace of God I did manage to obey the second part of the scripture. Since making that apology,  I have been asking God, why is it that I had such a reaction? What is the trigger? Again God has been gracious and led me to the above scripture about 'as you love yourself'. 

Here is the root issue - Do I love myself, just as I am?   Or am I still looking for acceptance and approval from others? Is the hint of assumed rejection, a trigger to my feelings of inadequacy, leading to a need to express my feelings in a very child-like (tantrum) way? So maybe, I didn't fail the test, maybe I just don't love and accept myself enough to be able to love others well.

Oh, still so much to process and learn. I am drawn back once again to one of the scriptures God gave me to focus on this year,

Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God's love for us). 1 Corinthians 16:14 AMP

It looks like I need to spend some more time with Jesus in worship and meditating on the Word, getting more revelation of His great love for me, so I can in-turn, show greater love to others.

Question for today, how well do you love yourself? How well do you understand God's amazing love for you, despite what you do and don't do? If you are unsure about God's unconditional love for you, ask God to show you today, how much He loves you. He is ready, willing and able because He loves you intensely.

But God - so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favour and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgement and made partakers of Christ's salvation). Ephesians 2:4-5 AMP

Amen!

Be on your guard

Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind]. 2 Peter 3:17 AMP

Have you ever found yourself listening to someone talking about God, and then questioning what they are saying? Questioning the truth of what they are saying, wondering if they have spiritual insight from God? Or are they speaking from a position of  blissful ignorance? Peter is warning us against this. In the previous scriptures he says,

And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (that which is conducive to the soul's safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [the distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures. 2 Peter 3:15-16 AMP

We have a responsibility to 'be on guard' regarding the teaching we hear and receive into our hearts. Our primary source needs to always be God Himself, revelation via the Holy Spirit from The Bible and during times of worship and prayer. Of course listening to teaching is important. I have learnt much from many sermons and teaching, with the deliverer being an open authentic vessel for God. But ultimately God wants us to have deep and intimate knowledge of Him, and that can only come when we have regular purposeful direct contact with Him. Through these set aside times, we can grow in our understanding of God's love for us and the hope He has called us to.

[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones) Ephesians 1:17-18 AMP

Question for today, what teaching are you letting into your mind and heart? Are you on guard and regularly spending time with your Heavenly Father to ensure what you are hearing lines up with His truth? If not, ask God to help  you make time in your day for this alignment to take place, so you can grow in recognition and understanding of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

But grow in grace (undeserved favour, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honour, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)! 2 Peter 3:18 AMP

Light up the darkness

Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we're proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, "Light up the darkness!" and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't been broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us - trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us - he lives!  2 Corinthians 4:5-10 The Message

There is so much to be gleaned from this passage of scripture written by the Apostle Paul, a man whose encounter with Jesus was dramatic by anyone's standard. Throughout all his experiences after his conversion, he is constantly saying (my paraphrase), 'It isn't about me, it's about Jesus. It is all about Jesus, who He is, and what He has done for us.' 

In this scripture Paul is explicit in saying (my paraphrase again), 'We have suffered. We don't have all the answers. We don't know everything. But we do have Jesus. It is Jesus light that shines and gives hope, not us.' The Amplified Bible puts it this way,

However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7 AMP

In our lives we can sometimes be 'surrounded and battered by troubles', and our challenge during those times is to let God's light continue to shine out of our lives. It is hard, I know from experience.  We want to run away, or have all our troubles taken away, but it doesn't work like that. God wants us to run to Him, so He can show His 'exceeding greatness of power' to others through our lives. It actually isn't about us, it is all about God's plan to reconcile us to Him.

But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favour, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave us to the ministry or reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. 2 Corinthians 5:18 AMP

Question for today, is there some struggle or trouble in your life that you would like to disappear? Ask God to show you how to use this circumstance to let His light shine through you. There will be a way, even if it is a small flicker of light to begin with. Give Jesus the opportunity to shine His light out of the darkness in your life. Pray for people in your sphere of influence to see His light in your life and move further along their path of reconciliation with Jesus, and grow in their understanding of Jesus.

For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake, so that the more grace (divine favour and spiritual blessing) extends to more and more people and multiplies through the many, the more thanksgiving may increase [and redound] to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 4:15 AMP