The Spirit intricately ties the shape of the future to those who cooperate with Him to bring it to pass. They have the ability to influence and shape the future because they know what wants to emerge because of what the Spirit has revealed to them.
The Spirit discloses the things that are to come, the things that want to emerge. It takes a company of influencers who can combine what they see, by the Spirit, what wants to emerge with words that captivate hearts to join in the ushering in of a day and an hour of new wine for the 21st century. I have something absolutely important and exciting to share with you. I urge you to prayerfully approach what you are about to read.
In every generation the hand of the Lord moves on some to move the heart of nations. They have a desire to be a redemptive influence in large sectors of the culture. They carry an intense passion for His glory, and have been moving His heart in the secret place long before their public appearing. They have learned how to feed on “honey from the rock". The meat is to do the will of the One Who authorizes and sends them.
Showing posts with label Humbling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humbling. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Lessons from a King – Manasseh
Suzanne Benner
Take today’s next step: People often ask, “How can God forgive a murderer?” This video helps to answer that. Share it with your friends.
“Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.” (2 Chronicles 33:13b)
The Old Testament books of Kings and Chronicles provide a history of the kings of Israel and Judah. The records remain to teach and warn us. We remember Manasseh as an evil king who worshiped idols and desecrated God’s temple with altars to other gods: “Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end – besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” (2 Kings 21:16a)
The LORD then spoke to Manasseh and His people, but they paid no attention: “So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.” (2 Chronicles 33:11)
Monday, 16 April 2012
Say You're Sorry
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10
A friend wrote to tell me of an incident in his home, a scene uncomfortably familiar to many of us. He and his wife had experienced some conflict -- nothing major, just enough to leave the air a bit tense as the breakfast rush ended and the kids disappeared for school.
My friend, Keith, admitted that he had "developed the fine art of winning arguments at any cost, especially when I am in the wrong!" So when his wife began to come down pretty hard on him for what he had done, he was half listening and half preparing his case for a suitable response.
"As I caught my breath," he wrote, "readying my tongue for the task, something happened. Just at that moment, God did one of those surprising things it seems He loves to do. No words came. I watched my wife fall silent in turn, as she waited, girding herself for my self-defense. But in place of my impeccable logic, five simple words came out of my mouth: ‘I'm sorry. I was wrong.'"
Repentance is never easy. We know. It's even bitter at times. But the fruit is sweet: Husbands and wives forgive each other and discover fresh joy, hope and oneness in their relationship. Children regain loving, attentive parents and are raised to fear God and keep His commandments. The estranged are reconciled. The haughty are humbled. The guilty find relief and rebellion. A family reformation begins.
Keith concluded, "Husband, don't argue with your wife from a position of authority or gifting or power or capacity. Don't win just because you can. Simply apologize." And ask for forgiveness.
Don't you love the way that sounds?
Discuss
How often do you repent to your spouse? In what situations do you argue rather than repent when your spouse points out a problem?
How often do you repent to your spouse? In what situations do you argue rather than repent when your spouse points out a problem?
Pray
Ask God for a heart that doesn't argue when caught -- that your first thought would not be of self-defense but a desire to see how your actions (or inactions) are affecting your spouse. Pray that you will be quick to admit fault and ask for forgiveness.
Ask God for a heart that doesn't argue when caught -- that your first thought would not be of self-defense but a desire to see how your actions (or inactions) are affecting your spouse. Pray that you will be quick to admit fault and ask for forgiveness.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Maybe God's Waiting on You
Laura MacCorkle
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments.
Deuteronomy 8:2
"Sometimes I wait on God to change a situation only to realize he was waiting on me."
A friend of mine said that recently, and that thought has stayed with me ever since. I'm so quick to point to outside circumstances for why God is not changing a particular situation in my life. I question, I complain. And in essence, IIsraelitize! That's right. I'm just like a cranky Israelite who's wandering in the wilderness and wondering if I'll ever reach the Promised Land.
As I refreshed my memory about the plight of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Egypt and what happened during their 40-year wilderness experience, I was reminded that they did have a earlier opportunity to enter the Promised Land—two years into their ordeal.
During those two years, the Israelites had been trained and instructed in how to fight battles (it was not if but whenthey would occur). They were also given laws (The Ten Commandments) and instructed how to worship (detailed plans and guidelines for the Tabernacle, offerings, priests, etc.). So this time period was not for naught. It was to prepare the people, to test them to see if they would trust in God, worship him and submit to him as a unified body.
But they still didn't get it. And in the face of great blessing, they chose not to trust the Lord and disobeyed him.
In Numbers 13:1, we read:
The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites."
There it is, plain as day. God was going to give the Promised Land to the Israelites, and they knew this. But when the twelve spies came back with their report, ten of the twelve prevailed and offered their own plan:
"We went into the land to which you sent us," they said. "And it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. … We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are" (Numbers 13:27-28, 31).
The Israelites were scared and they were "sold," so they began grumbling and weeping aloud. Moses and Aaron quickly tried to reason with the people ("Do not rebel against the LORD"), but it was no use. The Israelites were going to do what they were going to do.
And then the Lord spoke:
For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you (Numbers 14:34).
The Israelites could have experienced tremendous blessing so much sooner. But because of their disobedience, they suffered for 38 more years in the wilderness. They brought it upon themselves! And therefore, they had to wait.
It's a story that shouldn't feel too distant from you and me today—despite the time gap. Think about it. How often have you brought upon yourself the various wilderness experiences in your own life? Times when you're uncomfortable or you don't like your circumstances or you don't understand what is happening and where you're going?
Either we wait for God's perfect plan in our lives and for him to unfold events exactly when and how he wants them to be, or we will wait to get out of what we have planned for ourselves. So what are you waiting on God to do today? And what is God waiting on you to do or to learn or to repent of and confess to him?
The next time you are even thinking about turning away from God's Word and rejecting his plan for your life, remember the Israelites and get on your knees. Remember God's kindness. Remember his mercy. And remember to wait on your faithful Father whose hand has provided everything an unfaithful people will ever need.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What are you grumbling about today? What's going on in your current wilderness? Is it a relationship? A work situation? Your spiritual life? What got you there? And what is God asking you to do in the meantime while you wait? If God's waiting on you, then it's time to pay attention and start following his plan for your life.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 30:18
Proverbs 3:5-6
**Listen to the audio/podcast version of this devotional here.
http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/laura-maccorkle/maybe-gods-waiting-on-you-11640046.html
Deuteronomy 8:2
"Sometimes I wait on God to change a situation only to realize he was waiting on me."
A friend of mine said that recently, and that thought has stayed with me ever since. I'm so quick to point to outside circumstances for why God is not changing a particular situation in my life. I question, I complain. And in essence, IIsraelitize! That's right. I'm just like a cranky Israelite who's wandering in the wilderness and wondering if I'll ever reach the Promised Land.
As I refreshed my memory about the plight of the Israelites after they had been delivered from Egypt and what happened during their 40-year wilderness experience, I was reminded that they did have a earlier opportunity to enter the Promised Land—two years into their ordeal.
During those two years, the Israelites had been trained and instructed in how to fight battles (it was not if but whenthey would occur). They were also given laws (The Ten Commandments) and instructed how to worship (detailed plans and guidelines for the Tabernacle, offerings, priests, etc.). So this time period was not for naught. It was to prepare the people, to test them to see if they would trust in God, worship him and submit to him as a unified body.
But they still didn't get it. And in the face of great blessing, they chose not to trust the Lord and disobeyed him.
In Numbers 13:1, we read:
The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites."
There it is, plain as day. God was going to give the Promised Land to the Israelites, and they knew this. But when the twelve spies came back with their report, ten of the twelve prevailed and offered their own plan:
"We went into the land to which you sent us," they said. "And it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. … We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are" (Numbers 13:27-28, 31).
The Israelites were scared and they were "sold," so they began grumbling and weeping aloud. Moses and Aaron quickly tried to reason with the people ("Do not rebel against the LORD"), but it was no use. The Israelites were going to do what they were going to do.
And then the Lord spoke:
For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you (Numbers 14:34).
The Israelites could have experienced tremendous blessing so much sooner. But because of their disobedience, they suffered for 38 more years in the wilderness. They brought it upon themselves! And therefore, they had to wait.
It's a story that shouldn't feel too distant from you and me today—despite the time gap. Think about it. How often have you brought upon yourself the various wilderness experiences in your own life? Times when you're uncomfortable or you don't like your circumstances or you don't understand what is happening and where you're going?
Either we wait for God's perfect plan in our lives and for him to unfold events exactly when and how he wants them to be, or we will wait to get out of what we have planned for ourselves. So what are you waiting on God to do today? And what is God waiting on you to do or to learn or to repent of and confess to him?
The next time you are even thinking about turning away from God's Word and rejecting his plan for your life, remember the Israelites and get on your knees. Remember God's kindness. Remember his mercy. And remember to wait on your faithful Father whose hand has provided everything an unfaithful people will ever need.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
What are you grumbling about today? What's going on in your current wilderness? Is it a relationship? A work situation? Your spiritual life? What got you there? And what is God asking you to do in the meantime while you wait? If God's waiting on you, then it's time to pay attention and start following his plan for your life.
Further Reading:
Isaiah 30:18
Proverbs 3:5-6
**Listen to the audio/podcast version of this devotional here.
About Laura MacCorkle
Laura MacCorkle is Crosswalk.com's Senior Editor. Prior to Crosswalk, her dot-com experience began at Musicforce.com, a leading Christian music e-tailer where she was the Senior Editor. She has also worked as a copywriter for LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee and KMA Direct Communications in Plano, Texas. Born in "The Lone Star State" and raised by Yankee parents, Laura enjoys reading just about any periodical, singing in a civic chorus, winning Scrabble games and playing with her two Tonkinese cats. She holds a B.A. in Communication from Messiah College in Grantham, Pa.
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