Riches In Glory

One of the issues of life that we all face is needing financial security. Regardless of our socioeconomic status, financial security is a human need. We need to pay our bills, put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. It can be so easy for that basic human need to evolve into unhealthy patterns of behavior. Some become obsessed with money to the point of workaholism. Others resort to lying, cheating and stealing. While others fall into a victim role and seek dependence on other people to meet their needs. 

God’s initial plan in the Garden of Eden was that we would have all that we need in Him. We were to flourish in every way in abundance. The Fall of Man derailed us off that perfect plan. But God made a way back through Christ. Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ says, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Apostle Paul was talking to the believers in Philippi and thanking them for their generosity towards him. He reminded them that God is their supplier of every need. We, as believers, are blessed by the God of all creation. There are no limitations or lack in God. 

Prayer 

Heavenly Father, fill my heart with increased faith by Your Holy Spirit. I want faith to believe You for all that I need and not put my faith in other people.

Redeeming Love

When we hear the word love, we all have something, a concept, that immediately comes to mind. Some may think of love as a good feeling toward someone. Others may say that love is doing good deeds for others. However, these are byproducts of love. God’s idea of love goes beyond our human understanding. Sometimes God’s expression of love seems to confuse our carnal mind. We may think that God is good, so He will give us everything we ask for because He loves us. But God loves us too much to give us everything we ask. He knows that we sometimes ask for things that will lead us away from His perfect will for our lives. We may even ask for things that will result in being a snare of the enemy. 

II Peter 3: 8-9 says “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God’s love is not a mere feeling or material blessing. God’s love is salvation and redemption. God's first priority is that we don’t perish in our sin or rebellion. So when we don’t get what we ask for, we can be confident in God’s love and thank Him for His perfect will in our lives. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for going to great lengths to reveal Your love through Christ. I receive Your redemptive love. Holy Spirit, transform my heart to experience the deep redemptive love of God.

God of the Impossible

There are issues in our lives or in the world that may seem to be too big for God. We may hesitate bringing it before God in prayer because, in our carnal mind, it seems like a lost cause. We’ve actually lost hope. 

But the reality is that God specializes in impossible situations. He is the God of miracles. ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32‬:‭17‬ says, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.” When we position our hearts to focus on God’s greatness and power, our faith grows. Our mindsets are lifted above the situation and we can start to see things from God’s view. When we pray, according to His Word, our confidence in Him increases. He may not answer our prayers the way we expect. In fact, He will answer our prayers better than we expect. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your great power in my life. Thank You Holy Spirit for teaching me how to pray according to the Word of God. Increase my faith to believe You for the impossible.

The Heart Of God

I’ve often heard the saying “seek God’s face and not His hand.” It sounds really good. But what does it mean in practical terms? Seeking God’s face is actually seeking to be closer to His heart. It is posturing our hearts toward Him and desiring to know Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Seeking God’s hand is not wrong. The problem is when we solely focus on what God can do for us and not the relationship itself. When we only seek God’s hand, we are wanting God’s provision for our earthly needs. Again, that is not wrong. We should seek God first as our provider. But constantly being needs-focused in our prayer life can rob us of the fullness of God. He provides so much more than just earthly material things. God knows what we need. He wants us to draw near to His heart so we know Him personally and be filled with His Spirit. Ephesians 3:16-19 says “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” When we know the unfailing love of God, worrying about needs is not an issue. There is an unwavering trust when our hearts are confident in His love for us. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, fill me with the fullness of Your Spirit and draw me close to Your heart, that I would have an unwavering trust in You for everything.   

Dilemmas

Sometimes in life we are faced with dilemmas. A dilemma is “a problem involving a difficult choice” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Sometimes it may seem impossible to make a decision because the possible outcomes seem to be negative, regardless of the choice. But God’s wisdom is above all of our dilemmas. I Kings 3: 16-28 tells the story of how King Solomon was faced with a major dilemma. Two women came before him arguing about a baby. Both women had their own baby but one of the babies died. The mother of the deceased baby switched babies in the night, so she could have the live baby. The mother of the live baby went to King Solomon to get her baby back and had a hard time proving that the baby belonged to her. 

King Solomon said the unthinkable. I Kings 3: 24-25 says, “Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other’.” Immediately the mother of the living child cried out to the King to give her baby to the woman who stole him so he would not be killed. But the woman who stole the baby told the king to divide the baby and let neither of them have him. It was evident to King Solomon who was the real mother and he gave the baby back to the rightful mother. 

King Solomon’s tactic seems counter intuitive but it was actually the wisdom of God to test the hearts of those women. God gave King Solomon a unique divine strategy in that moment to solve the dilemma. When we are faced with seemingly impossible situations, our best option is to seek the wisdom of God first. Not every situation is the same. God will give us a diving strategy and specific solutions for our problems.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to seek You first in every dilemma. Holy Spirit, fill me with wisdom from heaven, so that I make decisions according to the will of God.

Be Aware

The ways of the world can be so enticing. As Christians, we are aware of the obvious sins such as sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. But the sins of the heart can be very sneaky. Our intentions and motivations can be sinful and lead us down a path of trouble and destruction. Proverbs 9:13:15 talks about the “foolish woman” who  tries to entice the simple and naive who pass by. The foolish woman represents this worldly system that is waiting to pounce on the right victim. 

If we are not aware of our own weaknesses and issues of the heart, we will be easy prey for this foolish worldly system. She tries to convince the person that sin is good but doesn’t tell them the consequences. Proverbs 9:16-18 says, “she says to him: ‘Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant’. But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell.” We must be vigilant and ask the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom to discern every situation and discern our own hearts. I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” God’s plan is for us to overcome the world through Christ, not be part of it. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give me wisdom to discern every questionable situation that I encounter. Jesus, purify my heart that I may see things clearly in the light of Your holiness. Holy Spirit, give me boldness to stand for righteousness and do what is right before You.

Ask, Seek and Knock

If we want a life of victory in Christ, all we have to do is ask Him. However, the key is to ask consistently with persistence. Luke 11:9-13 says,  “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Something powerful happens when we set our heart on a goal and pursue hard after it. As with any goal, we must consistently take steps towards it. There may be barriers or opposition but if we want a life of power in Christ, we need to position ourselves in that direction. God gave us the gift of choice and every choice comes with positive or negative outcomes. When we choose to persistently seek the Lord, the outcome is only positive. His promises are sure. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, fill my heart with a desire for Your ways. Holy Spirit, empower me to persistently follow Jesus regardless of the opposition.