July 8, 2012 ~ Waiting for Him

"For since the world began,

no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You,

who works for those who wait for him!"

Isaiah 64:4

Thoughts~

God has been teaching me how to wait for quite a while. 4 years to be exact. I have become so familiar with the word wait that I jokingly say it’s my middle name. But, after this waiting period of time, I have come to cherish the fact God is ‘preparing me for the opportunity He is preparing for me.’ I no longer ask Him to rush things along. I simply wait and know He is working things out. Being impatient does not make God hurry up. It just creates havoc in our soul.

When I studied this verse, besides the mention of waiting, I was overcome with gratitude that the God we worship is THE GOD of THE UNIVERSE! In all time, no one has ever seen or heard of a God like our God. Golden idols, buddhas and new age manifestations do not come close to comparing how our God works for us. No one will ever see or hear of a God like ours because there is none like Him. He works for us in advance while we wait on Him. His time is right. He’s the love of our lives.

Action~

My love for God creates the ultimate trust in Him. He has it all covered. We can trust the Lord with all our heart while we wait. I know this deep inside my soul. This acronym is particularly helpful when you’re waiting so copy it down as a reminder! 


W.A.I.T. = Where Adoration Is Trust.

Take some time to read Psalm 40. If you want to see how the results of our waiting on God will affect others, this is an amazing chapter. My favorite, actually, of the Psalms. You'll appreciate the way the psalmist described his waiting. Here it is on Bible Gateway in the NIV version:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2040&version=NIV

 Pray~

Help us Lord while we wait. Give us strength to endure the waiting game. Help us to stay focused on You and not try to jump ahead of your perfect plan.

Trusting the Lord,

Becky

July 7, 2012 ~ The Tablet of your Heart

Keep my commands and you will live;
    guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 7:2-3

Thoughts~

I love the phrase ‘tablet of your heart’ . . . it’s a beautiful way to say “keep God’s commandments.”  Keeping God’s commands as my most prized possession (the apple of my eye) is my goal every day of my life. It wasn’t always that way for me but it sure is now. My life as a backslidden Christian was not pretty. I used to say “I’m out of fellowship” in a joking manner but it wasn’t funny at all. I did not keep God’s commandments and I didn’t have the desire to. Sad times back then but certainly a part of who I am today: a forgiven woman deeply in love with the Lord.

This verse reads so pretty but it is actually talking to a young man to avoid an adulterous woman. Yet, it applies to us all in every way because with God’s commandments in first place, we are sure to live the way He wants us to.

If I question “should I return the money the clerk accidentally refunded me” I know that God commands us not to steal, to be honest in every way, to do what is right. And how do I know this?  Simply by reading His word.

Don’t be fooled by the enemy of God who will lie to you that it’s okay to do “XYZ” as he rationalizes for you. He is a liar and his pleasures include seeing believers fall from the will of God.  The biggest joy in your life is knowing what God has to say and following through with it. Just read His word.

Action~

Don’t let satan tell you the Bible is too hard to understand. Find a Bible that is easy for you to grasp. One way to find out which version speaks to you is to find a verse you love and then look it up in various versions on Bible Gateway. Another way, for those who love studying deeply, it to use the Biblos Bible Search and Study. I love both of these sites and use them regularly. You can also go to a Christian Bookstore and find wonderful Bibles that have footnotes that help you to understand what the verse is saying. And you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand tough passages.

Don’t trust others to tell you what God has to say: Go straight to the source to make sure you get the truth.Whatever you do, DON’T neglect reading God’s word. That’s the best way you know what He has to say so that you can write it on the tablet of your heart.

Pray~

Father, thank You for Your word.  Thank You for guiding me to Your word, Your commandments, and showing me the way I should live. And thank You for forgiving me for everything I did that didn’t please You.

Trusting in Him,

Becky

Biblegateway: http://www.biblegateway.com/

Biblos: http://www.biblos.com/