Trusting God
Do Not Worry
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”
Matthew 6:25
In this passage of scripture, Jesus made a very in-depth statement that is often overlooked when this verse is quoted to someone who is having fear about their need being met and their financial resources providing them the stability that they believe they need. Notice also that this verse begins with the word “therefore” which tells us that we need to look at the previous verse to understand the foundation from which Jesus was making His point.
As we look at Matthew 6:24, we find that Jesus was instructing us that no one can serve both God and riches. While there is nothing wrong with being financially prosperous, there is a problem when you begin to love and depend upon your financial resources, rather than on God alone to meet your need. Many Christians are quick to claim God as their source and provider, until they lose their job or have an unexpected event happen that costs them a considerable amount of money. At that point they become fearful, frustrated, and fatigued because all of the sudden their “nest egg” is gone and they begin to say things like; “I just don’t know what I am going to do” or “ I just don’t know how we can make it now.”
When we make fearful statements about our need being met once our financial comfort zone is gone, it exposes an area of weakness in our life that must be dealt with. In the last sentence of Matthew 6:25, Jesus is attempting to direct our attention to an even weightier matter of understanding than what presently consumes the thoughts and lives of many. Notice Jesus ask us the question; “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Jesus ask this question to motivate us to think about a deeper understanding of why we must depend upon Him and Him alone. You see, satan takes great pleasure in getting God’s children to panic over little things. Furthermore he (satan) finds great joy in being able to disrupt your life with minimal effort, rather than having to spend a great deal of time trying to tear down your wall of faith and dependency on God. However, Jesus is seeking to help us to understand that there is more to life than worrying about having our physical needs met; such as food and clothing, but rather we should be focused on our spiritual state as it relates to our relationship with Him. Jesus said in Mark 8:36; “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world , and loses his own soul?”
Having a solid relationship with God through Christ Jesus, assures us that no matter what comes our way, we know that God is our source of strength and peace during the midst of any uncertain time in our life, especially as it relates to having our physical need met and having financial stability. But think about this; satan doesn’t really care about your worrying that you won’t have money on Friday to buy groceries or pay your bills, because even he knows that God will meet your need. But what he (satan) is after by leading you into worry about having your need met is so you will: 1. Question God’s abilities thereby disrupting your faith, 2. Decide that because of your desperation you can’t afford to pay your tithes or give offerings thereby bringing a curse on your finances, 3. Cause physical problems in your body such as ulcers, anxiety, or stress thereby making you too sick to eat the groceries when they do show up, and 4. Provoke you to making “I just don’t know how” statements thereby demonstrating to those around you your true spiritual integrity during a minor storm. Satan is not interested in just tripping you. No, he wants to make sure you fall down and fall down hard so that it will disrupt your relationship with God which will not only affect your life but also the lives of others around you such as friends, family, co-workers, children, etc. Paul instructed us in Philippians 4:6 to; be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Begin to thank God that He is faithful and that your need has already been met through Christ Jesus. Praise Him that even though you can’t see how things will come through for you, He has already made a way were there seemed to be no way.
Remember; fearfulness allows satan to be in control of your present situation. But faith and praise toward God says that there is no situation because Jesus has already handled it!! – God Bless
-Darren McClerren
A Prayer of Repentance
God, I come to you in Jesus’ name. I confess that I have sinned against You and have come short of Your standards. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus to pay the price for my sins. Jesus thank You for dying on the cross for me. I repent of my sins and ask You to be the Lord of my life. I give you my life today and I receive God’s free gift of eternal life. Thank You Lord for saving me. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Sifting For A Purpose – Part 2
And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.
Luke 22:31-32
We will pick up where we left off last week in reviewing some very important principles found in this passage of scripture that will help us to cope with and endure some of the trying times that this walk of life has to offer.
Last week we ended our devotion by discussing why God allows us to be sifted by the enemy. We discovered that God allows times of sifting by the enemy to expose weaknesses in our lives that we need to overcome to be more Christ-like, as well as, giving us an opportunity to gain wisdom that God can use through us to comfort others who may be enduring similar storms. Back on the farm, my dad used to ask me when I made a mistake, if I had learned anything from that mistake? He would say that wisdom gained from a mistake made, was valuable because we have learned first-hand why we should never make that mistake again. Well a similar principle applies to the storms in our life. When God allows us to endure storms in this life, it is always intended to give us greater wisdom, as well as, helps us acknowledge God’s presence in the midst of any storm. It also gives us understanding that we can use to encourage others and if needed, helps us to endure the same storm again, while this time maintaining our strength, peace, and joy, thereby not allowing the enemy to cause us to rebel against or doubt God and His plan.
Another encouraging principle about this passage of scripture, is the fact that not only is God aware of and allows the storms that we endure, but that Jesus Himself intercedes for us with the Father. Here we find that Jesus prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. What joy there is in knowing that Jesus Christ is lifting us up in prayer and requesting on our behalf, that the Father will help us receive His strength that was made available to us, so that we can endure the “sifting” moments of our lives, and therefore be able to not only endure and pass the test before us, but also so that we will never lose sight of the Savior. Jesus lives to give us a lighted path to return to Him, rather than being forever disheartened, discouraged, and detoured from God’s plan and purpose for our life. Hebrews 7:25 says; “Therefore He (Jesus) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” So whatever storm or time of sifting that you may be going through right now, know that if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, that He is not only with you in the midst of your storm but He is also praying the strength of God into your situation so that you will endure and overcome and become more Christ-like through it all, not only for your well being, but also for the well being of those around you such as your friends, your spouse and your children.
One other truth that can be gleamed from this passage is when Jesus said: WHEN! Notice that He didn’t say to Peter “IF” you return, but rather Jesus Christ said WHEN!! Satan is the Father of lies and he loves to trouble the hearts and minds of God’s children during the storms of life with the lie that God has no more use for us and that we have failed so bad that God can never use us again. But notice that Jesus prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. Therefore we must hold onto our faith that continually reminds us that Jesus is now at the right hand of God, interceding for us and making it known with the Father that He made available to us the ability to overcome the snares of satan and that since we have received Him as our Savior and are looking to Him for guidance, we WILL endure and we WILL return not to the place we was, but to a greater place, in that we have now become more Christ-like through the present storm and have gained greater wisdom to be used for God’s glory and purpose. So if you’re enduring a time of sifting right now, know that it is not in vain and that God will bring you through it and will cause it to make you a wiser and stronger person than you were before so that you can be the strength of God to others hurting around you; even those who may not know Christ, but will desire to once they see His strength in you.
Remember, God has a purpose for everything, If you are willing, God will teach you things that will allow you to be a source of strength in the life of someone around you, even if it requires “sifting” to help us understand and realize the complete peace of God and how that He will never leave us nor forsake us in the midst of any storm. God Bless
-Darren McClerren
A Prayer of Repentance
God, I come to you in Jesus’ name. I confess that I have sinned against You and have come short of Your standards. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus to pay the price for my sins. Jesus thank You for dying on the cross for me. I repent of my sins and ask You to be the Lord of my life. I give you my life today and I receive God’s free gift of eternal life. Thank You Lord for saving me. In Jesus Name, Amen.
A Good Spring Cleaning
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
-Psalm 139:23-24-
Well, praise God, spring is upon us once again and many people have already began their, once a year, spring cleaning ritual. When this happens around our house, it is a long tedious event where everything is getting moved, hauled out, wiped down, and made to shine like new!! But as the talk of the 2015 Spring Cleaning Event was being thoroughly planned, it got me thinking about another spring cleaning event that may need to take place, and that is a thorough cleaning in our heart.
This passage of scripture as spoken by King David to God is a passage that is often quoted by many seeking to gain a deeper relationship with Christ; however, it is often spoken with very little emphasis or meditation on the primary request that is being made to God; and that is to be corrected and cleansed by God so that we can be certain that every aspect of our life is in accordance to His will.
Correction can be one of the hardest things that we endure during this walk of life here on earth. All of us can recall times in our past, especially during our childhood, where correction was given to guide us and protect us from circumstances that could have caused us great pain. When we invite God to search us and reveal to us any items out of order or anything in need of a good cleaning, it can often be a very uncomfortable experience. However, we must never forget that the basis of God’s correction is; love. God loves us to much to allow the filthy things of this world to pollute our words, thoughts, and actions, because when it does, it pulls us farther away from Him and that troubles the heart of the one who loves us most.
So, when you ask God to search you and reveal anything that may be out of order, you must prepare yourself for two more steps that will be required to complete this request. First, you must be willing to acknowledge those things God allows to be revealed in you that is in need of correction. Second, you must be willing to correct it!!
Notice that David invited God to “Try Me”. What David asked; was for God to allow circumstances to come into his life that would cause any anxieties or worries to surface so that they could be dealt with and corrected. David also asks for God to “See” if there was any wickedness in him and also to “Lead” him in the way everlasting. David wanted nothing more than for God to “Know” his heart and to be thoroughly cleaned from the inside out, so that he was in a position to receive God’s best and also so that he had no unchecked areas of sin that could give the enemy an open door to come in and steal, kill, and destroy.
So if you’re going through a hardship or unforeseen circumstance right now, take a moment to praise God that not only will He bring you through it, but that through it He can show you areas of your life, whether it be your words, actions, thoughts or emotions that need to be cleaned up so that you please Him and receive His fullness in EVERY area of your life. Don’t let this be a once a year event with the Father, but rather a daily event. Stay close to God so that the filth of this world can be easily wiped away when it seeks to settle on you. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are celebrating this Easter weekend, we know that Jesus is ready with all the resources needed to come in and clean you up. So invite Him into your situation and let the righteous cleaning begin!! God Bless and Happy Easter.
A Prayer for Cleansing
Father, I invite You today to truly know my heart and help me to deal with the areas of my life that need correction. I desire to be free from any and all bondage in my life that is holding me back from receiving Your best!! I thank you for providing the blood of Jesus to wash me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I pray this In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
How Many Can You Feed?
But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” -Matthew 14:16
The feeding of the five thousand (which was probably closer to fifteen or twenty thousand if you include women and children), is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. This was only one of many occasions that Jesus took a small portion of something, blessed it, and multiplied it for the fulfillment of those around Him. While this passage was actually physical food that nourished bodies and soothed hunger, it also speaks to the ability of God to take a small portion of faith and our willingness to be obedient and manifest it into such Spiritual increase that it will uplift spirits and calm the troubled soul of those around us.
You may be wondering if Jesus could still take five loaves and two fish and feed thousands with twelve baskets left over right here in 2015. The answer is undoubtedly; YES!!! We know this because Hebrews 13:8 tells us that; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Therefore, we can be certain that the character and compassion of Jesus has not changed, therefore, His willingness to feed the hungry is still very present today and His ability to do so is still very much available to us. Then you might ask; well, why are there so many starving people, physically and spiritually, all over the world? The Bible answers that as well in Matthew 13:58. It says: “(Jesus) did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” We must never forget that little can be made much when we present it to the Lord and His work. If you truly believe that, then you will be willing to give whatever the Holy Spirit asks of you whether it is a large or small amount in your eyes.
This principle of letting God make our little contribution into a great blessing for others, does not only apply to physical things such as food or money, but to spiritual things as well. One of Satan’s greatest ways of hindering God’s plans and desires around the world is by manipulating us into believing that we must be able to fully comprehend how what we are ask to contribute could possibly meet a need so large. The problem with this kind of thinking is that it removes God and all His abilities from the equation, thereby giving way to doubt that will then emphatically steal our desire to give anything.
Whether you realize it or not, after Jesus blessed the five loaves and two fish, the miracle was administered by the hands of the disciples!! You see, when the Holy Spirit leads you to give something to someone or some ministry, even though you may think it is not much, what is happening is that God is desiring to take what little you have; bless it, multiply it and use it to meet a great need in someone else’s’ life, however, God intends for it to be distributed through YOU!! Therefore, if you refuse to distribute the blessing because you think it is insignificant, then others will starve around you because, while God can get His blessing to you, He can’t seem to get His blessing through you.
So the next time you feel that you need to send someone a text that simply says; “Thinking of you”; send it!! The next time you feel that you need to send a ministry five dollars; send it!!! The next time you feel the desire to stop and send up prayers for someone; send it!!! Don’t’ worry about trying to understand how God will take such a small contribution and multiply it into great things!! Just believe that He can, He will, and He is, and it shall be done!! So how many can you feed today from your hand? Answer; as many as God wants you to. All you have to do is be obedient, faithful, and willing to give. God Bless.
A Prayer to Multiply
Father, forgive me for the times that I have refused to give because I felt that it was to insignificant to make any kind of impact. Holy Spirit I ask you to help me remember that God can only multiply what I am willing to give Him. So Father, today I choose to stop questioning and trying to understand what you ask me to give and why. But rather I choose to give it immediately so that it can be blessed and multiplied to meet the need of another, whether physical or spiritual. I pray this In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
