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| Beware of the Shadows Edge
Psalm 91:1-2 We live in the shadow of the Almighty, sheltered by the God who is above all gods. This I declare, that he alone is my refuge, my place of safety, he is my God and I'm trusting him.
What does it mean to live in the shadow of something? well, it depends on what the shadow is. If your living under the shadow of fear and doubt then that means that you find yourself second guessing what others are doing and saying. What if you live under the shadow of greed? This would mean living always to make all your decisions based on what will it profit you no matter what harm it may do to someone else.
Lets say that you choose live under the shadow of God Almighty in heaven, this would mean that you are his child and He is your father. He is the strong tower that protects you. He is your provider, your healer, the one who is compassionate like no other.
Standing in the shadow of the Almighty is like standing in the shade of a huge oak tree. No matter what the weather in your life is, if you stay in the shadow that means that you are staying close enough to the root, to the trunk of the tree. A shadow is always strongest at the base of its source and it becomes less protective at the outer rims. So think of it like this, if you stay close to God and to the root of his word, to the trunk of his goodness you will be blessed with a more peaceful outlook no matter how hot or disturbing life may seem to become. His shadow will bring you relief when the day is full of hot headed people, when the heat of a sin is chasing you, or when the danger of being luke warm is lurking at the shadows edge.
Beware of the shadows edge. It's a place where you are still standing in the shadow but can be easily deceived into thinking that stepping out of the shade will not be as harmful as it actually is. The shadows edge can deceive you into thinking that nothing will be different and you won't get burned. You can feel more heat at the shadows edge then you can at the source of the shadow.
Gods shadow provides a cool rest, a breeze of blessing. His word is strong like the trunk of a towering oak. Relax in his shadow, stay away from the edge and let him protect you. It's easier to enjoy the day when your not struggling to block the glare of things that would pull you from his peace.
Stand in the shade close to its source and get a better view. You can see more clearly from the shade then you can when the glare of sin is blocking your judgment.
www.preparingyourheart.com | | |
| Unlocking the Door to Happiness Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:3
Humble men are very fortunate for the kingdom of Heaven is given to them.
The kingdom of Heaven!!! Wow ... Don't over look this statement and let it get lost in the sermon that was given on the mount. Jesus came to bring the kingdom of Heaven down to earth. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is the maker of the heavens and all the earth. He is giving us the key to unlock the door to happiness. He has told us how to get what our purest heart totally desires, and that is to be nearer to the heart of God, to be close to our Savior, to see him face to face and to live in daily communion with him. This is heaven, ...... To be able to live in the place that the most high lives, to be able to join our spirit with His in a place of total knowledge. Heaven on earth is having the ability to converse with the God of all creation so that we can have a taste of what lies ahead of us in heavenly places. Sin has corrupted this world and it is no longer a garden of Eden. Although earth may not be perfect, Gods peace is.
Jesus told us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand ........ What did he mean????
He was telling us that He ... Jesus the Christ .... the Son of the Living God has come to give us the peace, the knowledge, the wisdom and understanding that only His Spirit can give. And he told us how to obtain the everlasting thoughts of God, how to obtain and grasp the key to eternal happiness. He said as simply as he could put it that being humble will open the door of heaven to you. It is through humility that our knee will bow and our tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. It is that same humility that will lead us to turn the other cheek when others do us wrong so that as we turn our cheek, they might see Christ in us. Being humble is not being weak ... Jesus who is God humbled himself into a human body so that he could conquer sin and death to save us from the sins that separate us from Gods glory. If you want to follow his example of humility then its time for you to turn your selfishness into humility, to turn your hate into humility, to turn your life and your will over to the one who describes you as being fortunate if you can find humility. For it takes true humility to deny yourself and give yourself to Christ. Your act of humility to bow to the Son of God is an act that proves your willingness to believe that the word of God is true and that he is real and that He does have a plan and purpose for your life.
So if you are feeling less fortunate then you think you ought to.... maybe you should reevaluate your standard of living. Who or what are you bowing to? To whom do you give your heart, mind and emotions?..... Where does the time of day go? Are you humble enough to give him the time of day?
Jesus came to give you life and to give it to you more abundantly. He came so that you would have life, not only here in this world but in the next. So picture yourself very blessed that the Son of God came to earth so he could show you how to live a life pleasing to God and how to find the only path to heaven. Its the path of humility, the path of humble adoration to Gods only begotten Son. He calls you fortunate if He finds you humble.
www.preparingyourheart.com
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| Is your wallet bigger then your heart?
I read today in the book of Acts 5:1-10 a story we have heard and know very well...
Its all about the all seeing eye of God. He knows our heart, our thoughts, our motives. How could we possibly think that there is something He does not know. It's the little things in life that sometimes seem to trip us up. You know what I'm talking about, the little things like hidden motives, or slight suggestions to move others to give us a compliment. What about the times that we don't so humbly wear our clothing, thinking way to much of ourselves and our looks. These are the hidden motives that we would lie about to keep a false sense of humility. Our hidden motives might seem innocent and most likely won't hurt someone else, BUT..... are you hurting your relationship with God just to impress others? God is not impressed. Just as with the people in the story of Acts 5:1-10 He was very unimpressed with Ananias and his wife for lying about how much money they sold there land for. As a matter of fact, God was so unimpressed that he caused them to drop dead in the very instant that their shame was brought forth. Ananias and his wife died a physical death because of their hidden agenda, ...... but are we failing to see in ourselves that we are dying a spiritual death every time we think of our self more highly then we ought to? Or when we seek to have the attention or applause of those around us? All glory and thanksgiving belongs to God and to God alone. Anything that you and I accomplish in this day is due to the ability that God has given us and not to anything that we done on our own accord.
To understand the story of Ananias and his wife you have to read the whole story and you will see that it was not that they had to sell their house and give all the money to the community of believers, but it was the fact that they said they had sold it for less then what they actually told others they sold it for and they kept the rest of the money for themselves. Yes... it was their money and their house to do with what they pleased. BUT... they made the mistake of building up compliments and getting the attention of the others by what they clamed to be the truth about the amount of the sale of the home.
God does not need your money, He needs your heart. It does not matter how big your wallet is..... it matters how deep your heart is. Money and lies won't make the truth of God flow through you, but an honest walk with Him will allow His river of life to flood your soul and His blessings will be seen by others and the glory will be given to Him just as it should be.
www.preparingyourheart.com | | |
| Are you Standing on the Mountain?
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Is the Mountain Standing on You? 1 Kings 19:10-18
(In this section of God's word we read about God speaking to Elijah during a time when Elijah felt fearful, a time when he felt as though he was the only one left who still believed in God. He felt alone and he felt forsaken by those around him.) In verse 11 God tells Elijah to "Go stand on the mountain and as he stood there the Lord passed by and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain, it was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his scarf and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "Why are you here, Elijah?" And Elijah told the Lord his complaints and how he felt fearful because all the other prophets had been killed and now he was running for his life because he knew that he was the only prophet left. In verse 15 Gods response to Elijah was to first tell him to "Go back by way of the desert road to Damascus, and then he gave him instruction as to what he should do when he got there. God does not want us to run from our problems but he would rather have us return with a solution to them after listening to his word. After God had finished telling Elijah what he wanted him to do, we read that God then told Elijah in verse 18 " And incidentally, there are 7,000 men in Israel who have never bowed to Baal nor kissed him!" I love how God reminded him that " O bye the way you don't know what I know and you don't see what I see. In the midst of your turmoil your judgment has been clouded and you are not the only faithful one left!" God needed to get Elijah's attention inorder to give him instruction on what he needed to do next in his life. Everything around Elijah was loud and confusing and I'm sure his mind must have been full of confusing fearful thoughts. If God had been loud and confusing Elijah may have missed what God wanted to tell him. God spoke to Elijah in a soft voice and that is what got his attention because it was different from everything else that was going on around him. Elijah's world and his heart were in an uproar and all he could see and hear was scaring him. God used a gentle voice to calm Elijah down. Notice that Elijah did not hear God in the midst of the windstorm, the earthquake with falling rocks, or the fire. But he did hear God in a whisper. You and I need to remember that when our life gets loud and busy and we seem to become fearful of what is going on around us, we need to go to God and ask him to speak to us so that we can hear what he has to tell us. In verse 11 Do you suppose that God saying "Go stand on the mountain" could be his way of telling us that he wants us to stand up faithfully trusting him even when it seems that the mountains of life and its problems are crashing down on us? OR In verse 15 What about when God said "Go back by way of the desert"? Do you suppose that God would have us to realize that some times he ask us to walk the desert of life. The desert is a quiet place where we can hear God in the silence and it is a place where we must totally recognize our need for him in order to survive. Some times a busy, loud world can make us forget our need to be alone and dependent on God our creator and sustainer.
Are You Standing on the Mountain??? or is the Mountain Standing on You???
God puts the choice in your hands. This day choose life or death. Standing on the mountain brings fresh air and fresh perspective on life. It is God's word that will refresh and renew you daily. It is God's word that will allow you to see things in a different light then what the dark world has to offer.
Letting the mountain stand on you will crush your hopes and dreams. You will be smothered by your fears and you will not be able to breath the breath of life that God has intended for you to have .
As always, the choice is yours.
www.preparingyourheart.com
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| My Way? or the Highway? Isaiah 40:3
A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare the way for the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God."
Matthew 3:1-3
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying,
"Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him". I love how God told Isaiah to prepare a way for the Lord in the desert and to make a straight highway in the wilderness for God.
WOW.... can we just catch this picture in our heads a minute....... God wants us to prepare the way for the Lord to be with us at the moments we are in the deserts and wilderness of our life and he wants us to make a straight highway for him to travel on while we are in that wilderness and desert. Why is that??? I believe that God wants us to know that when life is dry and hard and we feel lost and overwhelmed by the heat of the moment that we must at that very moment in time choose to prepare our hearts for the Lord to be able to come quickly to our aid. He wants for us to be willing to make a way for him to get to our hearts at that moment of trouble, AKA.....a highway not a small dirt road. A highway implies a quick, straight smooth road with lots of wind and no stop signs. The alternate opposite route would be a dirt road which would leave you feeling dirty and shook up from the bumps. God wants to send the wind of his Holy Spirit to refresh you in the desert but the devil wants to shake you up and make you feel dirty. God wants to come to you quickly in your moment of loneliness or failure or in that moment when you feel overwhelmed by life. He wants you to build a highway, to build a way to your heart that allows him to come quick and swift to your aid and comfort. But if while you are in a wilderness or desert of fear, hatred, loneliness or sin you build walls of resentment toward God or man then you are not making a straight path for God to come to your heart and comfort you. You are building not a highway but a dirt road that leads to a dead end ditch. Repentance makes a straight way in your heart and it builds that highway to finding relief.
Repentance makes your heart wider, bigger and stronger. Like a highway for the Lord to travel quickly and swiftly on.
If you refuse to repent or to forgive others while you are in the desert of your life, you are building a road full of pot holes and lined with deep ditches that you will someday fall into.
Repentance fills in the holes and makes your soul ready to receive all that God has prepared for you through his Son Jesus Christ. John the Baptist is a great example of a voice calling in the wilderness. He preached the truth during heat and drought and that lead others to an oasis of life. Are you willing to call out truth during times of drought in your life? Are you willing to make your crooked thoughts straight with the truth of Christ? Are you willing to build a highway of repentance that will restore your path to God? And are you willing to let God use you so that others can get out of the dirt and onto the highway of life in Christ? Jesus is the highway to God,
Satan is a dirt road to self destruction. www.preparingyourheart.com | | |
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