"The Rewards of Faith"

"Jesus is Calling"

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  Rev. 3:20
 

The famous painting of Jesus knocking on the door is forever etched in my mind.  As a young girl, I would sit in church and see this image week after week. Even then, I somehow knew that Jesus must have been a very friendly man.  For someone to invite himself in to a strangers house and not be afraid of what people thought of him,  he must have had a good message to share.  Jesus was knocking on the door of all of our hearts to see if we would take the time to listen.  Every summer during Vacation Bible School, VBS,  I would memorize Bible verses about Jesus and sing happy hymns and listen to many stories about Him.  My favorite Sunday School teacher was always so enthusiastic to share one more wonderful lesson that Jesus taught.  I was a believer!  Who could resist such a kind, loving Saviour who had given His life so radically and completely so that we could have eternal life and forgiveness of sins!  Not only that, I now more fully understand that His Life has given us even more than we could imagine.  I wanted to be that person who opened the door for Jesus to come in!

Years went by.  Experiences, people and life, took its toll on me and I found myself at a place where I had to readjust my spiritual thermometer. My life had become one of religious tradition, kind of just going through the motions and doing all of the "churchy" things but not having much of a desire to spend time alone reading the Bible, praying or seeking God by myself.  Much to my surprise, this is when Jesus knocked on the door of my heart.  It was during a time in my life where I was excitedly pursuing great dreams, goals and accomplishments that I thought were good and wonderful.  So, He let me go for it!  For a while, it was great.  But all of a sudden, yet not without a long season of compromise,  I was feeling and sensing a greater hunger inside of me for something I didn't even know was there.  It was God.  He had finally gotten my full attention and made me realize that if I would continue pursuing my own plans without consulting Him, that my life would gradually fade into a miserable existence without His Blessing.  That was the turning point in my walk with Him.  I had to make some serious changes in how I mapped out my future, and now it would include Him leading and guiding me.  I decided that no man, no job, no career is worth putting above my relationship with the Lord God.  Finally, I had stepped into a new realm of joy, fulfillment, adventure and purpose because I had heard Him knocking on my heart's door, and I opened it!  My life has never been the same since that eternal, eye-opening experience at age 23.  Since then, I have been so blessed with a godly husband and four wonderful children, that we are now actively training to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit and to find the ultimate success in life, and that is namely knowing Jesus and making Him known.

Today's prayer:  "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for your life, death and resurrection.  I choose to follow You and submit to Your Word and be empowered by Your Spirit. I renounce any and all things that would pull me away from Your Presence and Purpose for my life.  Today is the day that You have Made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.  Amen.

"Witnesses, Workers, and Winners"

"Jesus went through all of the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field."  Matthew 9:35-38.

Do you want to be a winner in life?  Of course, the answer for all of us is most likely a resounding "Yes!"  The Bible is our compass to success.  In it we find all of life's solutions and every answer we need for every encounter we face.  In this day and age, we have got to live by some sort of moral compass because it's very obvious that the modern culture in which we live is in a decaying slump.  When society begins to ignore, demean, and disregard the holy and righteous things of God it should raise a red flag in all of our hearts and spirits to truly recognize what is happening.  That's why Jesus told His disciples while face to face with them that there is, and always will be a great need for witnesses and workers to continue to advance the Kingdom of Heaven and proclaim without shame or fear the liberating truth of God's Word.  What a tremendous joy it is to be filled with the wonderful Holy Spirit and witness to others of the life, power and resurrection promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Acts 1:8 and Luke 24:49 says that we shall receive power to witness from the Holy Spirit.  Being a worker in God's harvest field is not only a privilege, but also carries a great responsibility.   You should expect many adversities, challenges and obstacles.  That is why we need the power of the Spirit to operate in and through us continually to refresh and propel us throughout our journey in order that we would come to bear much fruit!  What a faithful God we serve.  He gives us everything we need for our assignments and he also allows us to have joy while walking through the fiery and unexpected challenges we will face.  Be encouraged and rest in the Lord as you carry on as a mighty warrior in the army of God.  The harvest is plentiful, and the workers are few.  But "little is much" when God is on your side!  Hallelujah!  Expect victory and miracles every day. Jesus is Lord!

"Avoid the Trap!" (Video by Pastor Heidi Hitchcock)

Avoid the traps the devil sets for us! Galatians 5 speaks of the "works of the flesh," which are the traps the enemy sets for us. With God's power and grace we can overcome every temptation, in Jesus' name..

"Ready, Get Set, SHIFT!"

"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.  He says to the snow, Fall on the earth, and to the rain shower, "Be a mighty downpour."  So that all men he has made may know his work, ...Job 37:5-7

Life is certainly full of shifts, changes and adjustments!  As a young teenager learning how to drive, my father so wisely took it upon himself to teach me how to maneuver a 5-speed automobile.  At first, it was very scary as I would find myself stalled out in the middle of an intersection trying to change gears or at the top of an "intimidating" hill slowly creeping backwards as my hands tightly gripped the steering wheel and absolutely freaking out because of my very real struggle!  If there wasn't a pond at the bottom of that small hill in Sussex County, I may have reacted a bit more composed.  Eventually, after lots of encouragement, practice and lessons I finally learned how to enjoy driving a manual-transmission car.   What I thought was absolutely an unfair and difficult feat for my parent to want me to learn actually turned out to be a joy, accomplishment and life lesson!

Now, many years later as I struggle at times with the seasons and changes of life, I am reminded of the patience and love of God there waiting for us all the while as we frustrate ourselves by trying to do things without His help or guidance.  Are we asking Him to lead us and open doors for us, or are we trying to work out our own path all by ourselves.  God's word so clearly instructs us to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL these things (that we pray about) will be added unto us at the proper time and in the right circumstances.  He has our best in mind, just like a good father who wants his daughter to learn how to safely drive a car.  When we can learn as believers, to enter into that "resting place" where even when it feels like the world is caving in around us, we have total peace and trust because we have practiced driving with the Father!  Sometimes, God says, "It's time to shift!"  We hear the engine getting louder, like the enemy getting angry at our progress, and we know that our lives are like a car in that we were made to "Shift."  In fact, if we refuse to become pliable, adapting to life's changes and kicking back against situations that could bring us into a higher level of maturity,  we will certainly miss out on the full potential of what God has created us to become.

Today's prayer:  Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for everything.  I even thank you for the unexpected bumps, and potholes in life that sometimes stops me in my tracks because I know that you have my best in mind.  Help me to trust you through the rough places, and to be ready to shift whatever you see in my life that is not moving closer to you.  Lord, you are my firm foundation and I know that you are working all things out for my good, even when life gets tough.  I am so glad that you are watching over me and preparing me and speaking to me.  Today I choose to Believe!  Amen.

"Accepted Just as You Are"

"For God so Loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.'  John 3:16-17

The Love of God is deep and wide enough to embrace every kind of person and situation.  It may appear to some that there is no hope for them considering the many evils they have committed.  But the truth of the Gospel is that God loved the whole world with a everlasting, unconditional kind of love.  It's not the love that we can earn or work towards by anything that we do, it is simply God's very nature.  It's exactly who He is.  He even loves us when we don't love Him back.  Imagine that for a moment and how we tend to compare God's loving embrace with anything we have experienced on this earthly realm.  The fact of the matter is that there is absolutely no comparison.  This gives us unending peace and hope when we are faced with trials and circumstances beyond our control, and to know that God's love is covering our minds and hearts.

As I listen to the heart of the youth in this generation, I am starting to recognize one of their greatest needs.  They are crying out to be accepted!  For so many of them, they have been rejected by their parents, loved ones or even society.  My heart breaks as I hear some of the emotional pain and heartache that they have endured already in such a short lifetime.  But God!  God in His great Mercy has given us a way to rise up out of our ashes and to become all that we could ask or think.  He is a God of more than second chances, His Love for us is greater than any pain or suffering we have endured.  When I think of some of the lowest points in my personal journey, they have usually involved some form of rejection.  Whether or not it is on the same level as someone else or not, still the Love of God is able to heal, restore and rebuild any broken life.  The only reason I did not give up when life hit hardest, is simply because the Love of God was shined into my life in some way or another.  Thank God for Christians who operate fully in the Love of God.  We can have all the talent in the world, but if we do not have love, we are only as a clanging cymbal or a noisy gong!
(I Cor. 13:1)  And I don't know about you, but I want my life to make a difference and I'm not impressed with dead religion.  Why even bother with going to church meetings and doing all of the "good works" that impress people, while being a stench in the face of God and not making any difference in eternal matters.  But before we can actually Love the world with this heavenly love, we have to know it and embrace for ourselves first!  You absolutely cannot share something you do not have yourself.  God loves you and accepts you just as you are.  You were not an accident, but rather were created on purpose, by purpose and for a purpose!

"Completely Covered"

"Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord."  Psalm 139:4

God cares for His people!  There are so many blessed assurances throughout the scriptures that emphasize God's favor being poured out upon us daily.  What a good and loving heavenly Father He is!  Where can we go from His Spirit and where can we flee from His presence?  Oh Lord, you have searched us and you know us.  You know when we sit and when we rise, you perceive our thoughts from afar.  You, Oh God, are familiar with all of our ways! (Psalm 139:1-3)

It is comforting to understand the promises given to us in God's word.  When life's trials come fast and furious, we can be still and know that He alone is God.  (Psalm 46:10)  Our confidence in the Lord is built throughout the tough times in life, when we allow Him to speak "life" into our bad situations.  Not long ago, as my husband and I were ministering and sharing the good news of the life, death and resurrection power of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were also experiencing one of the most difficult financial challenges we had ever faced.  The weight and burden of a huge financial loss had taken its toll on us and our family.  It seemed as though we were never going to recover from such a devastating situation.  By God's grace and total empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we were able to climb out of that "dark hole" and slowly rebuild what was lost.  It felt like we had gotten a few battle scars in that season, but looking back, I can affirm that God was building something "in us" that was much more significant than what we thought we had learned.

Throughout that very strenuous, and difficult training period, we both as husband and wife, learned to lean upon the wisdom and strength of the Lord when there was absolutely no solution or way out.  We had to go through!  And thank God, we came through stronger than before.  It didn't mean that we endured some degree of pain, suffering and heartbreak, but the situation did prove to put us on a new level of faith that we hadn't seen before.  We had learned how important it is to keep proclaiming God's word over every situation and to never stop believing in His Goodness and Mercy, even in the middle of our greatest tests!  God cares for His people, He provides a way when there seems to be no way, and He is our greatest friend when we are left alone.   I am often reminded of the vivid picture of Jesus being the "Good Shepherd."  We all like sheep have gone astray at times, going our own way and missing it!  But, God, in His great mercy has always been there whether we found Him or not.  He was searching our heart, knowing our anxious thoughts, testing us and waiting for us to come home.  Just like a good shepherd who knows all of his sheep.  If one has wandered off, he will be the one that goes out to find him.  So it is with our precious Lord Jesus Christ,  in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us.  Making a way to bring us home and redeem us from our wicked ways!  He is our Good Shepherd and He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would have life and life more abundantly.

I declare over you today, that if you have wandered away from the loving care of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you will find your way home.  His loving arms are waiting to receive you back and forgive you and bless you with a fresh start.  Sometimes it is harder to forgive ourselves for the bad choices we have made, and we think somehow that God would never forgive us.  But, once again, I want to remind you that He is our Father, and a good Father's Love is unconditional, strong and forever.  He will never give up on you, so what are you waiting for!  God's got you covered.

Today's prayer confession:  "Dear Lord Jesus,  thank you that you are always ready and able to take care of me and to forgive my sins when I have failed you.   I am comforted to know that you hem me in- behind and before and you are my Good Shepherd.  Please help me to turn from my own ways and to follow you with a heart full of devotion and commitment.  I know this is my season of healing and new beginnings, and I am coming home to you today!  I love you Lord, and my hope and trust are now upon you and your plans for my life.  Today is my new beginning and my day of restoration.  What the enemy has stolen from me in my times of disobedience, I know that you will repay.  You alone are my strength and my song. In Jesus Name, amen."