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1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Beware of victories. (Huh!)  I love a victory.  It means that things have gone right and are good.  We have seen God work and we are on the mountain top.  Life is great.  So…why in the world am I putting a damper on this wonderful experience?

The truth is that during the time of victory we are the most vulnerable. When we are in a valley, we know who we have to depend on.  We seek God’s face and direction.  We are in constant communication with Him because we need and want His help and direction.  But, in the time of victory we can become over confident.  Self can run ahead of God.

Victories are wonderful. Rejoice in them and thank God for them, but remember it is only ONE battle won.  There are more coming.

I know you think I am pouring water on your parade but I’m not. I’m not being negative and down in the mouth.  I am being honest.   It’s important to recall the victories in your life – they will give you the strength and encouragement to keep on keeping on;  just don’t park on them.

1 Corinthians 15:58 goes on to say, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”   Life is full of battles and will continue to be so until the Lord takes us home.  A good soldier rejoices in the battle won but then continues to be steadfast, unmoveble, and abounding in the work of the Lord as he moves on to the next one.

Proverbs 22:13, “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.”

The Bible has much to say about the slothful or lazy person. This in one of my favorites.  Among excuses this is definitely one of the most creative.  It’s even better than the dog ate my homework!

Picture this person explaining away his laziness. “I can’t go out to work or do anything constructive because there is a lion out there and he is waiting to slay me.  Alas, I must stay inside and do nothing.  Can’t you see that I am forced to do this, it’s not my fault!”

Now, this really seems bizarre. But wait a minute.  Our excuses as to why we cannot do what God is asking us to do probably sound just as bizarre to Him.  We should examine our reasoning when we are making excuses as to why we can’t do this, or that.   Such as:

• I can’t go to church because……
• I can’t read my Bible because……
• I can’t help out a friend because. ……
• I can’t find time to pray because…..

I’m sure you get the idea. Are your excuses as crazy as this man’s reasoning in Proverbs 22:13?  If so, examine yourself to see if you are just being lazy or even slothful.  If that is the case, you’d better reexamine your position and get up and get out and do what needs to be done for God. No excuses.  Remember, if God is the one directing you, He will take care of that LION!

THINK ABOUT IT! Nothing good is ever said in the Scriptures about the slothful person.

Hebrews 13:5b, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

 Have you ever been lonely?  Webster’s dictionary defines loneliness as: sad from lack of companionship, being without company.

I believe loneliness is a feeling of no one caring. There is no one to talk to and share our thoughts and needs with.

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

John 14:16,17b say, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; … for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

The truth is that you are never alone.

            Jesus is with you …. God is with you …. the Holy Spirit is with you.

This truth of God’s presence in our lives can be a great comfort to us, but God knows that the companionship of other people can also be desired. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly:”  It’s possible that you need to take the first step to reach out to someone else who also may be lonely.  Invite them to lunch, start a coffee group, visit nursing homes, be creative.  There are so many people out there who are suffering from lack of companionship.  We need to step out of our comfort zone and offer them our friendship.  Church is a great place to start!

Psalm 69:17, “And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily.”

 Yesterday, we talked about the privilege of prayer and indeed it is a privilege. This verse is a continuation of that prayer.

The psalmist David is pleading with God to hear him. His very words are:  “for I am in trouble: hear me speedily”

How often has this been our prayer – different circumstance but with the same urgency.

This is a quote from my book “I Want to be a Better Me for God” Chapter 20, page 76.

“So often we have a need. It is real, it is important, it is critical that we receive an answer quickly (or so we think.)  But many times God does not rush to answer our prayers.  It is not because He does not understand our need or that He does not care.  The truth is, He can see all the aspects involved in answering our prayer.  He has a divine purpose and plan.  He knows what is best.  It really is a matter of trust on our part.  Don’t give up hope.  Learn to wait — the blessings will be greater and the glory to God will be greater!”

It’s okay to ask God to answer your prayers speedily, but if He doesn’t, trust that He has a plan and a purpose for making you wait. God’s timing is always right!

Psalm 69:16, “Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.”

 “Hear me, O LORD:” This is a sincere request by a mere man to a Holy God.  The God who created this universe.

We all have needs, wants, and requests and we are asking this supreme God to hear us. How is this possible?  The answer is in the second part of this verse.  God hears us not because we are worthy to be heard but because of His lovingkindness and tender mercies.  He cares about us and desires to fellowship with us through prayer.

I fear we often take this privilege too lightly. We can rattle off our prayers with little thought and much speed without even considering WHO we are talking to.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

Prayer is one of the greatest benefits of the Christian. We have direct access to a Holy God who loves us and wants to guide and direct us through this uncertain and rocky life.  He wants to meet every need that we have.   (This access is available to us through believing and accepting the work that Jesus did on the cross.)

The next time you go to prayer, think about the great privilege that it is, and think about WHO you are talking with.  Don’t forget to thank Him for this privilege and make sure you take time to listen for His answer!

Proverbs 3:27,28, “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.”
“Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.”

This particular verse is concerned with helping others. God wants us to jump in and help – now, not at some future date when it is more convenient.  (Wow!  I never realized it before but God is the originator of the principle – Do it Now.  This is a clear directive to stop procrastinating.)

“Do it Now!”

This principle can apply to many areas of our lives, not just helping others. So, what is it that I should be doing?  Anything that needs to be done – no matter what it is.  Stop putting off the things that you have the power to do now.  We all have areas in our lives both physical and spiritual that we may need to address.  Organizing, cleaning, losing weight,  (yuk!), being more disciplined in our Bible reading, prayer, and witnessing, to name a few.

Ask God to show you areas in which you need to become more disciplined. Ask Him to help you make the choices that are necessary to accomplish the things that you should.  Let’s start making these changes TODAY.
No….. not tomorrow – remember ‘Do it Now!’

Let’s become ‘doers‘ and not just ‘I’ll do it later‘ people!

Have a Good Day –  and get working!

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

 Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines ‘first’ as: Before all others in order of time, or progression. Preceding all others in rank.

Now, I know, that you know, what first place means. It’s the top, above everything else.  This verse is telling us that this is where God is supposed to be in our lives.  TOP priority in all our considerations.  But, I fear, if we are honest, that this is not where He is located in the scheme of our activities.  It would probably surprise us as to how far down on the list He is in our daily lives.  Often, we work Him in – if possible.  Other times, He is below the line of what we have time for.

SHAME ON US!

In the earlier verses of Matthew 6, God is talking about meeting the essential needs of our lives – food, drink, and clothing. Verse 32b says, “for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.”

The problem comes when these needs became the ‘top priority’ in our lives and not God. We can get caught up in the survival mode and feel everything is depending on us.  God is telling us plain and simple that we are to put Him first and then He will take care of everything else.  (Now, God knows that you have to work and He encourages this throughout the Scriptures.  In fact, He has nothing good to say about the sluggard or lazy person.)

It really is a condition of the heart. Are you thinking about and seeking God in all the demands of the day?  Do you acknowledge His presence and talk to Him as you walk through the activities of life?  Do you spend time in His Word every day? Do you choose God’s ways over your own desires?  All these areas are ways that we put God ‘first’ in our lives.

Life is demanding. These is a constant battle going on for your time.  You will have to fight to keep God in first place.  It is possible – just keep your focus where it should be – ON GOD!

Psalm 113:3, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same
 the LORD’s name is to be praised.”

 I call this my ‘Sunshine Verse’ because it expresses an attitude of praise and thanksgiving that we are to have ALL day long. Our focus needs to be on the good things in our lives and not all the things that are irritations to us.  Life can be filled with rain clouds and problems, but remember that the sun is shining somewhere above those clouds.

We need to look through the clouds of hardships and disappointments and see the sunshine of God’s presence. We need to live in an attitude of trusting that God is in control and He is working everything out for our good and His glory         (Romans 8:28).  Believing this is the only way that praising God all day long is possible!

It is pretty hard to be grumbling and praising at the same time. It takes discipline to thank God when things are not going the way that we desire.  We could even call it a great effort, to praise God  when things are going awry.  But, the interesting thing is that when we do this it takes our focus off the ‘bad things’ and puts it where it should be – on God.

The song by Helen Howarth Lemmel, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”, sums this truth up nicely:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.”

When our eyes are on the Lord, then we will be able to praise the LORD’s name all day long!

Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

This verse is reinforcing our devotional of yesterday.    Same truth.  Same God.

Everything we need to know in order to survive in this unpredictable world is found in the Scriptures.

God is telling us to give all our problems and hardships to Him. Talk to Him from your heart.  He cares and desires to hear from you.  Problems can seem bigger than life.  They can appear to be overwhelming and insurmountable, but look at the wonderful promise in this verse…”he shall sustain thee.”  God says He will hold us up and support us in all the trials of life.  Remember God’s promises are FOR SURE, you can count on them; You can trust them.

Christians do not have to be up and down, wishy, washy and vacillating through life, because God has promised us stability and strength to meet every need.

You do have a responsibility here – you are to be the one casting your burden on the Lord. He’s waiting.
You cast – He sustains, in that order.

P.S. Don’t forget this promise is to them that are righteous – living right and godly lives!

1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

 Cast – to throw, to fling something out or off. (Dictionary definition)

I love the descriptive words that God uses in the Scriptures. They give us such a clear picture of what He is intending for us to know.  Casting is an action.  It’s a stronger motion then just meekly placing something down somewhere.

God is saying in this verse to deliberately – with purpose – bring all your worries and cares to Him. This does not give us a picture of meekly, with hesitation, taking our problems to Him.  We do not need to apologize or feel that we are burdening Him with our troubles.  He is the one telling us to come.  He is the one telling us to cast ALL our cares upon Him.  He is the one saying I want to hear from you.

The last part of this verse is always a total amazement to me, “for he careth for you.”  God loves you, God loves me, we need to let this sink in.  He wants us to bring every care and problem to Him because He loves us.  If we are living our life not wanting to bother God with our needs, we are actually disobeying Him.

Take ALL of your problems, cares, and frustrations in life to Him. You will be showing God that you believe what He says in His Word because you are following what He told you to do.  You will be living a life of obedience!