faith – God's Word Girl

When Good is Not Good Enough

Discipleship 1:3

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During my teenage and early 20 something years, I babysat a boy that I practically got to watch grow up. Though I don’t know where the family was spiritually, they did make reference to God often and were pleasant. I frequently took an Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories book to share with Ricky. He asked for them when I came and listened intently to the stories as was proved by his comments and his questions. I did my earnest best to gently share the love of God and his need for Him whenever and wherever I could.

He shocked me, though, when once he told me about an aunt that was a nun; there was no need for his personal salvation as her position gave him an automatic “in” to heaven. I couldn’t have been more floored. In fact, I repeated what he stated, which he confirmed, and asked if he believed it to be true, which he did. Until he made that comment, I didn’t realize that theology, if you wish to call it that, existed. Yeah, I’d battled falling into the performance trap based on my own merit, but never considered that my salvation hinged on someone else’s merit. It opened up a whole realm to me as to why people may take pride in having family members in “religious” service, no matter their faith, and why they may be so lack in nurturing their own spiritual well being. That’s problematic. I put that skewed notion right up there with the fellow student who told my girls that she was a Christian because she was homeschooled. ?! Uh, I don’t think so.

Today’s discipleship lesson is very closely related to something I recently posted entitled Approved and goes into greater detail about my battle with trying to earn God’s favor by my performance. When I was “good”, my relationship with God was “good”. When I fell short of expectations contrived by me or written in the Word, I often put myself into a corner and had a time of avoidance with Father because I felt like I disappointed Him. Wow. That hurt to write but there it is.

Generally speaking, if we ask anyone what one must do in order to be saved and go to heaven, they would most likely say, “Be a good person.” Then they may even go on to list what is considered good based on their own belief system. But in order to have a relationship with God and eventually make our home with Him in heaven, we’d have to have a righteousness that equals His. That, my friends, is impossible and that is what is so amazing about grace.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, … Romans 3:21-23 NKJV

What does this mean? Man couldn’t nor can we even now keep the Law given through Moses. Our best attempts will never be good enough to earn salvation. The best attempts of those we may attach our salvation to will never be good enough. Only Jesus’ sinless life could put us in right standing with the Father. He bridged the gap. Grace, charis, undeserved favor was extended to us. And how do we obtain it?

“… through faith in Jesus Christ… “

“… and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;… Philippians 3:9 NKJV

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV

If we could earn our salvation be keeping the Law, by being “good”, then Christ died in vain. We cheapen His sacrifice by doing all we can do instead of leaning on what Jesus has done.

I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. Galatians 2:21 NLT

Maybe it’s humanity’s weakness to lean on what we can do to maintain a good relationship with God. I link that to the original sin: pride. Do any of us really want to be dependent on someone else? I personally know of people who have caused physical injury to themselves because they did not want to ask for help. I myself have often pushed the ticket as to what I am capable of because I didn’t want to ask for help. We are never ever going to be good enough. No one person we may depend upon will ever be good enough. As the tax collector in Discipleship 1:2, we must humble ourselves before the LORD so that we may be forgiven and justified. Salvation comes through faith in Christ alone, period. Salvation is a gift waiting for us to open!

But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:4-5 NLT

To get the most out of this study, I suggest meditating on the scripture verses presented until the next post and taking the time to look them up in different versions. If you desire to go deeper, study key words in their original meanings.

At any rate, I hope you are blessed by this and that you will continue to join me. Until next time, blessings!

The Grace in Waiting

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Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18 NKJV

Delays are not denials. Men would pluck their mercies green, thwarting the love and wisdom growing there, when the Lord would have them ripe … “Do not grieve Him by doubting His love. Lift up your head and begin to praise Him even now for the deliverance which is on the way to you, and you will be abundantly rewarded for the delay which has tried your faith….” ~ Adam Slowman “Expectation Corner” reprinted in Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Cowman.

“God is a wise husbandman,…He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessings, is as needful. Be assured that if God waits longer than you could wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious….” ~Andrew Murray reprinted in Streams in the Desert.

Wait in the sunshine of His love.

But to you who fear My name
The Sun of Righteousness shall arise
With healing in His wings;… Malachi 4:2a NKJV

Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20b NKJV

Hear the Word of the LORD. BELIEVE. Be firmly persuaded. Believe solidly. Be established in the LORD and you will be established. Amen! — is another way of saying “it” — the thing, the word — is solidly, firmly, surely, verified and established.

Allow me to reiterate with Slowman: Delays are not denials.

In John 11 we find a man named Lazarus who was sick. His sisters sent word to Jesus saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” v. 3

Jesus’ response? “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” v. 4

Let’s look at this:

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. v .5, 6

Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;…

Be gracious is to be inclined to have compassion or bestow favor on someone. It is an attitude marked by compassion, generosity, kindness and a consideration that will refrain from further wounding the bruised and suffering.

When the days of Lazarus being dead are tallied up, he had already passed when Jesus got the message that he was sick. Jesus already knew that. He did not delay His going so Lazarus would die. He did not delay to punish or ignore the sisters. Then the age old question, Why?

“And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.” v. 15

His delay was going to produce a greater miracle.

As soon as Martha heard Jesus was coming she went to meet Him. She declared that if Jesus had been present Lazarus would not have died. True. Then she made a profound statement:

“But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” v. 22

Do we have that kind of faith in the midst of our losses?

Even after their exchange, the one in which Martha stated that Jesus is the Son of God, she slightly wavered when He commanded the stone to be rolled away. Mind you, Lazarus had been dead FOUR days. The commentary I read said many resources say that the Jews in that day held the belief that the spirit of the deceased hung around for up to three days looking for re-entry, but four days? That exceeded all reason of explanation. Not only that, there is decomposition to consider.

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” v. 39

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” v. 40

Has Jesus said that to you concerning your situation? Do you believe? Are trial and time making you weary? I get it. The things I’m sharing here with you today, they are born of my own wrestlings, of entries in my own journal, and ruminations. I can relate to Martha’s slight hesitation, but I know that if I can hold on like she did, I will receive the greater miracle. And so will you. Beloved, Delays are not denials. There is grace in the waiting, and if we ask, He will reveal it to us.

Apparently she established her belief because they took the stone away. The next part of verse 41 is essential for victory:

And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”

That is reminiscent of this:

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against (against their enemies);…and they were defeated. 2 Chronicles 20:22 NKJV (parenthesis mine)

These are the instructions in the great Book:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

“But I can’t,” you say, “I am broken, crushed.”

You would have to read about David to appreciate all that he’d been through and it finally came to this: in I Samuel 30 we find that David’s ragtag army had returned to their city, plundered. Their refuge, burned. Their wives and children taken captive. The men who once stood with David were now talking of stoning God’s anointed.

Now David was greatly distressed,… v. 6a

Most likely an understatement, …

…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. v. 6b

This was his choice of action before the verse was finished. And how do we strengthen ourselves? The joy of the LORD is our strength! (Nehemiah 8:10) We must refuse to allow our trials to swallow us whole and:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 NKJV

May we, like Martha, declare Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, and trust in His love, that He will perform the greater miracle for the glory of God, in His time. And may we, like Jesus, offer thanksgiving first. praise, Praise, PRAISE!

By the way, Lazarus was raised from the dead (v. 44) and, Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. v. 45

Join me in believing in Him . . . no matter how long the wait. Our commandment during the wait?

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Time of Restoration — Unknown

The weather channel said we had a marginal risk of severe weather. The storm came when predicted. It hit hard and fast. It was at suppertime for us. A few minutes before found us scurrying for candles and battery operated lanterns and alternative lights as the sky had grown very dark. The table was mostly set, I was doing a few last minute things, the girls were sitting at the table. When I next looked in, they were standing with strange expressions on their faces. I discovered later that they looked the way they did because of the debris hitting off the dining room window — the window at their backs. Had I not been in the midst of the end of the suppertime shuffle, I would have seen the emergency weather alert on my phone a lot sooner, the one that warned people to get away from windows due to the 80 m.p.h. winds.

The fury of the storm lasted for ten to fifteen minutes. We lost our electric almost from the moment it started, which was kind of bizarre. Normally, the lights flicker first if an outage is on the brink. Not this time. We were out cold. Can’t say I gave it much thought. We have a very good energy provider and our outages rarely last. We blew out the wax candles, placed battery operated candles in the bathrooms and a small battery operated light strand on the banister leading upstairs and went to bed. These things never last long.

I was slightly alarmed to discover our electric had not yet been restored when Bob and I woke to ready him for work. We briefly got into the refrigerator to pack his bucket and make him breakfast. After he left, I went upstairs to use our ancient land line phone to call our electric company and get an update. The phone was dead. That was shocking. That good old standby never failed, not like the cordless phones. I went back to bed. It was dark and I was bewildered. When I rose the second time the girls were awake and had a towel under the refrigerator; not a good sign. I thought of our freezers in the basement; one that contained a lot of farm meats and the other that had frozen produce — the second one was not a big concern to most of my family. My husband, especially, could live without brussel sprouts.

I took my cell phone upstairs and hoped for enough service to call our electric corporation for an update. That’s when it began: “The current expected restoration time is unknown.” That would be our mantra for days.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I listed the things to be thankful for in my journal.

We have not been injured. We have not lost our home or had any property damage.
We have gravity flow water so there was no need to haul water outside of our drinking water. Thank God we could still flush the toilets! (We also have an excellent hot water tank that our energy provider supplied us with years ago. Our water was still hot enough that, used sparingly, we could take a warm, quick shower.)
Our stove runs on propane, not electric, so we could still have hot meals.
It was not peak summer or winter so we could remain relatively comfortable.
Last but not least, my parents who live a mile away and have a different electric company, did not lose their power, thereby making it possible for us to borrow their generator. They were so good to us; providing egg salad sandwiches for one breakfast and Dad bringing us pizza for supper another day.

Despite the generator, there was still a certain amount of stress. Isn’t that the case when our “normal” has been disrupted? All of our needs were met, but life was not “business as usual”. I probably checked at least three times a day for an update but continued to hear: “The current expected restoration time is unknown.” I called less as the days progressed because it was so disheartening to hear. I was grateful to have had the laundry done for the most part before the outage but the hampers were beginning to vomit. And I had to forego using the dishwasher and return to hand washing dishes — one of my very least favorite household chores. It was that chore that tipped the cart during my pregnancy with Rachel and sent me crying outside. Bob bought me the dishwasher shortly after. The clouds parted and the angels sang that day as they shared in my joy.

I got to thinking about how closely related the energy outage is to our spiritual lives. Ever pray about something so intently only to hear “unknown”? I have heard it said that God answers in three ways: Yes, No, Wait. Then Mom made me aware of one that I had not contemplated but it deserves some consideration: Maybe. She had a I-know-everything-Christian argue with her that that is not one of God’s answers. When she explained the situation, it gave me pause to wonder. She had been praying for something and kind of sensed God asking her is she was sure that’s what she wanted. That being said, it wasn’t Yes, No, or Wait; it was Maybe, dependent on, Are you sure that’s what you want? Well, when she returned to her request and looked at it from a different angle, she changed her mind. We’re not puppets, we do have choices.

But that “unknown” message, that’s disheartening. Have you ever felt like you kept seeking and kept getting the same indefinite response? I have. I have just very recently confessed to the LORD that I have been weary in well doing. LORD, I believe, help my unbelief! Sometimes living is so exhausting. But it’s because I make it that way. I loose my grip on the Word and the joyful vision that originally came with it. We must keep the Word stirred and see what it’s creating for us. God created everything that we see with things that we do not see. So we must imitate Him and hold that much is being accomplished in the spiritual realm if we can but BELIEVE, and that we will see it in the physical realm.

My spiritual takeaway during our power outage: For the most part, we kept our spirits up. We kept putting gratitude forward and focusing on what we did have. That made the whole ordeal a lot more bearable and I believe it opened up doors of provision for us. How? My parents did lose their electric for about an hour and a half one night which could have been catastrophic as far as refrigeration is concerned, but God sustained them. We must continue to look unto the hills from where comes our help. And look up, because our redemption draws nigh. We must keep watching and waiting and working until it’s done.

I had gone to bed. We were now moving into the fourth day of no electric. Bob stayed up in expectant anticipation. Rachel, whose room was too warm for her to sleep, joined him in the living room.

“Should we unplug the generator and wrap the cord and flip our house breaker in hopes of our electric coming back?” he asked.

Being exhausted, her response was less than enthusiastic; she just wanted to sleep. Bob continued to watch. Then, about 2 a.m., he saw what he’d been watching for: the outdoor light on the church next door came on. Is it ironic that what alerted him to the return of the power was the church light? He was jubilant, so noisily jubilant in fact, that I was wakened from my slumber upstairs.

Beloved, hold on. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep looking for the time of the precious being fulfilled. Hold on. God will not fail. He doesn’t know how to.

Before

I want to share a few familiar passages of scripture with you today in the hope that you, too, will see something you never saw before. Here we go.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. Genesis 1:1-5 KJV

Now let’s jump to Genesis 1:14-19 KJV:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Creation. One of the first things we learn about in Sunday School. It’s so wonderful yet elementary at the same time, isn’t it? Are you scratching your head, wondering why I’ve returned to this simplistic foundation? All these years, all the times I have read and/or listened to the Creation account, I never saw it.

Day One: “Light!”

Day Four: sun, moon, stars.

God created light before He created the sources of light. Isn’t that amazing?

Now, let’s look at another familiar passage.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 KJV

We are healed. Not will be healed, are healed; Old Testament, not New Testament — before the cross.

Don’t you see, Beloved, before there was need, He met it.

Maybe, unlike me, you had these revelations before (see what I did there? 🙂 ) I presented them. Then take what I have brought to you today as a gentle reminder. But if like me, this is the first you really thought about how awesome it is that God provided before we ever had need, then join me in meditating on it, thanking God for it, and sharing it today. It’s a word worth passing on.

LORD, I have brothers and sisters today who are submersed with all kinds of need. Perhaps they can’t sleep soundly and have gone so far as to become ill from worry. May we take Your word to heart today that You have supplied all of our need before there ever was need, no matter what it is: physical, financial, relational, spiritual, emotional — You have provided for everything. May we take our rest and find our peace in this word. May we, in faith, praise You in advance for what You have already provided. Though we may not see the answer yet, we will reap the harvest in due time if we do not grow weary in doing good. Let us also recall that the joy of the LORD is our strength. Add to that, when we feel we may be weakening, let us draw encouragement from fellow believers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Some of the Saddest Words Ever

²⁶For the king himself knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this thing was not done in a corner.

²⁷King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.”

²⁸Then Agrippa said unto Paul, “Thou almost persuadest me to be a Christian.” Acts 26:26-28 KJV

Almost persuaded.

Several years ago we were at one of our “go-to” campgrounds. It was quiet, the campground nearly empty, when the host dropped by for an extended visit at our picnic table. How our conversation got to where it did is a mystery to me, but the point is, we ended up witnessing to him about Jesus. I felt compelled to reinforce how much God loves him. And yes, life doesn’t make sense, and bad things happen, and we make bad choices that sometimes lead to bad consequences, but that doesn’t change the truth that God is a good, loving God and yearns to have relationship with us.

Jim was “on the line”. I could tell by his tender expression and quiet contemplative engagement with us that Holy Spirit was moving upon him. I could also feel his hesitancy. I sensed about him that once he’s committed to something he’s committed, which is good and proper, especially where relationships are concerned. In Luke 14:28 we are told to “consider the cost”, maybe that’s what Jim was internally doing. Not wanting to push, and feeling a window instead of a full-fledged door of entry, I asked him to consider what we discussed, he said he would; I offered prayer, which he welcomed; I gave him a ministry magazine that I had with me that he received.

We still go to that campground, but we have never returned to those weighty, spiritual conversations and I have yet to know whether he has made a decision for Jesus. I wish I had that assurance, for I know God was reaching out to him that day.

Are you one of those who are almost persuaded to be a Christian? I hope not. If Holy Spirit has moved upon you I hope that you will be wholly persuaded and open the door and let Him in. If you wish to consider the cost, do so; that is a good, wise choice. I ensure you that true discipleship is costly, it is also worth the price. If you are willing to embark on a relationship with Jesus, please say this prayer with me:

God, thank You for sending Jesus, Your only begotten Son. I believe that He suffered and died for my sins, that He received all the punishment I deserve. I also believe that he is risen from the grave and is seated at Your right hand, and is preparing a place for me with You in eternity.

I’m sorry for the way I’ve lived, for the things I’ve done that have hurt You and others. Please forgive me and come into my life. Lead me, strengthen me to the live the life that You have purposed for me. I know I won’t do life perfect, but from here on out, I want to do it with You.

Thank You, I love You. Amen.

Perhaps today’s post made you think of someone that is almost persuaded. Join me in a prayer for them today:

Dear LORD, You have called us to be salt and light and we are doing that. There are dear souls that You have brought into our lives to point them to You. We pray that we drop seed, water seed, shine on seed, and gather seed as You direct. Oh, my God, cause us to do no harm but only good to all of our fellow man, but especially to those who would walk this pilgrim path with us. May “you almost persuade me” not be heard in our ears, but rather a “Yes” for You.

Thank Your for Your goodness and Your faithfulness to us all. Amen.

Providence — Not the one in Rhode Island, U.S.A.

As the title says, today’s topic is Providence, but not the one in Rhode Island, the One in Heaven, the One in our hearts — if we so chose.

For several weeks, I’d been turning a passage of scripture around in my head. The portion is from Leviticus 25. God is instructing the children of Israel what to do when they come into the land that He is giving them. These verses deal a lot with the land itself. One of the things they were to do was let the ground fallow on the seventh Sabbath year; that means no tilling. Matter of fact, they were supposed to go so far as to not even prune their trees. In verse 20 they asked a legitimate question: “What are we going to eat?” God smiled and shared with them His marvelous plan. They would have triple the harvest in the sixth year, thereby providing for the sixth, seventh, and even into the eighth year before that harvest. And what were they supposed to do with the volunteer produce during the seventh year? It was for the poor of the land and the animals. It was a testament to His chosen people and to surrounding nations of God’s marvelous provision for those who regard Him and His Word.

In kind, I thought about Elijah and the widow woman in Zarephath. He came on the scene as she was gathering sticks so that she could take her handful of meal, her little oil, and make a cake for her and her son so that they may die. Sounds disheartening, doesn’t it? The prophet asked her to do the unthinkable: “Do as you said; but make me a little cake first.” Many would probably think: The audacity! Let’s look at this: his request came as direction given him from the LORD for his care and a promise from the LORD for provision for all three of them. If she served him first, she could feed them from the meal that would not run out and the vessel of oil that would not empty until the LORD sent rain on the earth.

Can you imagine what might have crossed her mind? Who knows? In verse 9 the LORD tells Elijah that He commanded a widow woman there to feed him. How did He speak to her? There’s no indication that she believed in the God of the Jews but she certainly recognized Him for she said to Elijah, “the LORD thy God” when stating how little in substance she had. That being said, she was expecting someone, right? But she probably didn’t have a clue as to who. Did she speak to the prophet the way she did to feel him out, to see if he was the one of whom the LORD commanded? Regardless, she did as she was told. She trusted a God that was not her own and acted on the words of the man of God thereby feeding them all. What results could we expect by trusting a God that is our own and act on His words?

I know I’m on the right track by coming to you and presenting us a case to trust the LORD to provide for us. As I was turning scripture over in my mind, I happened upon a little snippet of a ministry program. The hostess was sharing that many years ago they needed rent for their little meeting place. If memory serves, they needed $75, only $30 came in. They prayed and recounted. This I believe she said they did three times; on the third time they had the full amount. On another occasion they were in a foreign country and wanted to provide dinners for the ministers there. They ordered for the amount of those who reserved their place; twice as many showed up. The servers did not fret, but instead prayed and trusted the LORD to provide — which He did; the meals that they ordered multiplied and all were fed.

We need to think outside of the box. Many of the things I’m presenting are for physical sustenance. When we return to the story of the widow, we discover a few verses down that her son became sick unto death. It was the prophet, through the power of the living God, who raised him from the dead. If she had not stepped out in faith in the first place, she and her son would have died. But the encounter with the man of God not only sustained them through drought, but brought her son back to life. This was the first recorded instance in the Bible where a person was raised from the dead. The faith that the two of them had was illogical — there was no precedence for resurrecting the dead. And yet, for whatever reason, Elijah petitioned the LORD God Almighty and he believed for what they could have considered impossible.

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26 KJV

What are you facing today? Does your situation look as bleak as the widow woman’s? Bleaker? Then be of good cheer! ”Christi, you’ve gone mad,” you say. No I haven’t.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 KJV

Reflect upon what the prophet believed for and received from God before Jesus’ coming. He didn’t live on this side of the cross, he didn’t have the promises of God from the lips of His Son, he didn’t have the blood of Jesus speaking for him — what he did have was faith in God and actions to back it up. What we have is better than what Elijah had and yet he saw the dead come to life. Just think of it! How? How?! you ask.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 KJV

There’s no instruction to fast, to pray ten hail Mary’s, or feed 100 homeless people, there’s nothing to do on our part but seek God and His righteousness first. Then some things will be added unto you. ”You’ll have a little meal and a little oil, I’ll get you through the next three days and then you’ll die.” No, that’s not how God rules. He said all these things shall be added unto you.

Sounds so simple, right? And it is! Yet I sit here at my desk, rowing the same boat with you. I am turning things and needs over in my head, battling distractions so that I can be quiet, seek God, and hear what He has to say about these things; if there are directions I must follow them. If not, I must wait in expectation, quietly trust in Him, and praise Him for the answers I do not yet see with my natural eye.

2024 may feel like a roller coaster ride with highs, lows, faith and blows, but through it all, if we purpose to seek, to obey, and trust God, I believe we will not only be sustained, but we will experience the miraculous. Is there anyone out there who couldn’t stand to see the power of God displayed in their life?

Dear LORD,

We don’t know what lies ahead, but You do; not only do You know, but You go before us and beside us. We thank You for that. Help us to not be moved by what we see or hear, but may we plant ourselves in Your Word — believing nothing and no one that doesn’t line up to You and Your Word, oh LORD.

We need You. We purpose here, together this day, to seek, obey, and trust in You to provide all that we need . . . and more, for You are the God of more than enough. May we be witnesses to those around us of Your marvelous, supernatural providence, and lights to those who stumble in the darkness. May we be living testimonies, bringing praise, glory, and honor to Your name,

in Jesus’ name, Amen.