“My son, be attentive to My words; incline your ear to My sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:20-22 ESV
We no longer bend our knee to trying times. Rather, we set our eyes on Thee Divine.
God’s Word is the only source of Life that will sustain us during our difficulties. There may be seasons in life that we are able to be distracted and find happiness, but these moments are only temporary. They deflect our minds from the negativity and tough times, but they do no more than provide momentary peace. It is only when God’s Word lives within us, that we are able to endure and face any trial that lies before us. When God’s Word does not reside in us, we will be like a canoe in the midst of a storm. We will go wherever the waves throw us, and eventually we will be overturned and ruined by our circumstances. It is only when God’s Word lives inside us that His Sovereign Hand will protect us from all difficulties. Though there be times of split homes, being jobless, wishing one was married, not knowing one’s purpose or meaning in life, we have nothing to fear. For when Christ looms within, difficulties decrease without. We no longer bend our knee to trying times. Rather, we set our eyes on Thee Divine.
It is in the tough times when we must seek the face of God and wait upon Him with full dependency and belief that He will deliver us.
All of us go through tough seasons in life. If you have not had one in awhile, then be prepared: it is coming. We all go through times where we don’t know how we are going to come out alive. It is in these times when we must seek the face of God and wait upon Him with full dependency and belief that He will deliver us. For if He does not deliver us, then who shall? People fail us all the time. At one moment it seems as if we have found our “ride or die” friend, only to quickly find out that they will abandon us. It is a travesty that many put their dependency on circumstance, riches and people. “Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:5 NKJV). Oh how fleeting these are! How quickly money evaporates when tough times come. What will fill you when a loved one has died? What will bring you joy when your family has sunken into a depressed state? What will provide peace when you have been praying for the Lord’s will to be done, and it seems that your wilderness season will never end? It is only God Almighty that will bring you through!
It is the Holy Spirit alone that lifts the soul up to the heavens and fuses it with God’s love.
“Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22 ESV). Man cannot get us through the days ahead. They can offer temporary encouragement and wisdom, but it will not last unless it has been spoken through them by the Holy Spirit. At the end of the day, man is concerned with self. Self-interest, self-worth, self-influence. Man will do anything and everything to appear good before a crowd; yet inwardly, they esteem themselves as higher than others. Man seeks for his own interests, but a man of God seeks after the interests of others, TRULY. Without attempting to reap benefit or reward. Few there be that find such a man, for we all at the end of the day put our priorities above others. It is God alone Who has given all things. It is God alone Who is the sustainer of all things. God has given everything to us, in hopes that we would freely choose Him; and if we have been genuinely born-again, then why do we refuse to go to God and His Word first? Why do we always seek validation and opinions from others, without consulting God? Oh how far we have fallen from the blessings that God wants to give. He alone can bring supernatural peace in the midst of despair. Our parents cannot give it to us. Entertainment cannot give it to us. Riches cannot give it to us. It is the Holy Spirit alone that lifts the soul up to the heavens and fuses it with God’s love. It is Christ alone that brings wisdom when we know not where to go. Only the spiritually stagnant say, “God’s Word is not enough. I need to do (fill in the blank).”
God can do anything at any given time, for He is Sovereign.
Reading God’s Word and praying through is all we need! It is by doing this that we extend our knowledge and gain understanding as to how to approach a particular situation. It is trusting and believing that if we go to God first, He will orchestrate our next steps. Of course the Bible was not written when technology was around; but God can speak to our soul through His Word and then guide us by His Holy Spirit as to what must be done. Are we unsure of what job we should apply for? Let us go to the Word and read Proverbs. One verse will open our soul to the Holy Spirit’s voice. We must only trust and believe. I have heard many stories of where God has come through time and time again. Churches that were going under and could not meet their monthly rent, chose to pray. As prayer and thanksgiving was presented to the Holy One of Israel, He brought a stranger into the church with a check for the exact amount needed. God can do anything at any given time, for He is Sovereign. We hinder Him, however, when we refuse to read His Word and have faith.
Without faith, we cannot please God. Without reading His Word, we cannot complain that He is not speaking to us.
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 ESV). Without faith, we cannot please God. Without reading His Word, we cannot complain that He is not speaking to us. It is a tragedy when people reach a point where they believe they have heard everything the Bible has to say. It is devastating to watch people dwindle away from the opportunity of receiving deeper revelations of God.
God wants to help us in the midst of our despair RIGHT NOW.
My hope and prayer for all of us is to never give up on God. May we never fall short of what He wants to do in our lives. May we never believe the false assumption He has forgotten us. God wants to help us in the midst of our despair RIGHT NOW. We must simply look into the depths of our hearts and say, “Am I going to look at this situation, based upon the material or spiritual?” May we choose rightly. Time is short and eternity is long. May we not enter into Heaven seeing all of what we missed from God due to our negligence. For on that Final Judgment Day we will see the times we squandered and the faith we lacked. Let us therefore pray like the father in Mark 9:24, and say “Oh God, help my unbelief!”
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, some of us are going through the season of our life. Lord Jesus, You alone hold the keys to our salvation. You alone, O God, sustain all things and give peace in the midst of calamity. Great are You, Heavenly Father, and worthy of praise! For we know that whatever has entered into our lives has come only by Your permission. Lord, we are not God, but we know that You are. You are the Omniscient One Who knows all. Even when it seems that this season of life serves no purpose, we can trust that You are doing something. For our faith is not in the natural, it is in the supernatural. Lord, we know that Your ways are not our ways, and Your thoughts are not our thoughts. Lift this burden of discouragement, anger, bitterness and depression from us, O Lord. We fall into the loving arms of our Savior, believing that You will deliver us in Your time. We thank You and praise You for what You are about to do. Give us the endurance to continue through this season, as we fully depend upon You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lance VanTine
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