“God-Wrestler” are you a “Jacob?”

Genesis 32: 25 NOG “When the man saw that he could not win against Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that it was dislocated as they wrestled.”

Can you imagine wrestling with God?  I think it was something amazing to experience.  Jacob seemed to be a strong man and he was very determined not to give up. 

I wonder what God thinks of us when we step into His wrestling ring.  As you place your foot on that mat and grab hold of God.  Are you willing to wrestle with God for something you need in your life this very minute?  Do you think it’s just not the right thing to do?

If you continue reading Genesis chapter 32 you will see that in the end “the man said, “But no longer, your name is no longer Jacob.  From now on it’s Israel (God-Wrestler); you’ve wrestled with God and you’ve come through.”  Oh my goodness, Jacob persevered and won.

We have many battles and we should choose them and not step into every fight we encounter.  The war is still to come and while we are still preparing for that great day we need to say focused.

Every time something happens in your life and you seem to be struggling and just cannot move forward, wouldn’t you say this is “wrestling with God?”

Think about it, sometimes everything is a struggle, you just cannot find the right job.  You just cannot say the right thing, then there is a fight.  You just cannot do the right thing then you are in trouble.  You just seem to be struggling with your finances and you seem to be struggling with life as a matter of fact.  Think about it are you in God’s arena right now? Is this your WWE smack down?

Prayer

What a privilege it is to come into Your presence today Abba Father.  If we have been selected to come into your arena right now we pray for the necessary wisdom and insight that You want us to learn.  Our struggles seem so hard and difficult at times and we don’t always seem to understand everything but today, we pray help us understand what You want us to learn.  Teach us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen

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#Repentance - #Teshuva(T'shuva)

Isaiah 9: 13 AMP “Yet the people do not turn back [in repentance] to Him who struck them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts [as their most essential need].”

Isaiah is speaking to the people and telling them what is wrong in their lives.  Israel is heading in the wrong direction and the LORD is warning them through Isaiah.  As we meditate and focus on God’s word today, are you heading in the right direction?  The path you took; is it still the right one?  Are you so busy now that you just don’t seem to find the time to spend with God?

Looking at the word Teshuva it means “to turn back.” We need to turn away from evil and turn back to God.  Sometimes we make a decision to do a specific thing and by taking that decision we start moving into another direction.  Perhaps you met this man or woman and you believe they are the right person for you.  As you grow in the relationship you find they love partying and drinking and smoking, which you absolutely don’t do.  In the mean time, you start compromising your beliefs and value systems in adjusting to this person.  Before long you are frustrated and feel miserable continually.  Nothing is working out, the person is still “happy-go-lucky” but you are not so happy.  My question is this, are you still on the right path? 

Do you feel that you need to “Teshuva” right now?  I believe there is no time like the present and if you decide to make the decision and turn back to God things will change.  Always for the better.

Prayer

Heavenly Father we hear Your personal message to us through Joel chapter 2 verse 12 “But there’s also this, it’s not too late – GOD’s personal Message! – “Come back to me and really mean it!  Come fasting and weeping, sorry for your sins!”  Lord, humbly we stand to pray please forgive us, we repent of our wrongdoing and turn back to You, in the Holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen

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Listen to God's word and obey it!

Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 AMP “Hear, O Israel!  The LORD is our God, the LORD is one [the only God]!  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being].  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] in your heart and mind.  You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up.  And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand(forearm), and they shall be used as bands (frontals, frontlets) on your horsehead.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

I read somewhere that the Jewish believers have been taught to pray the “Shema” since long before the Lord Jesus Christ.  This prayer is taken directly from Deuteronomy chapter 6 the LORD God commanded the Israelites to obey God’s word.  The Hebrew word “Shema” literally means “hear” and “obey.” 

When the Lord Jesus was teaching He would also use the same word “he who has ears, let him hear,” here He was telling His followers to listen to His words and obey them.

As you go through your day, do you take the time to meditate and focus on anything you have read out of the Word of God (Bible)?  Or do you only pay attention to the Word on Sunday and when you leave the serve it slipped your mind as you cannot remember what the sermon was about.

As you go through your busy day, you are talking to people, your family and friends and you are so busy.  Do you take a 5-minute break and think of the LORD?  Do you speak to God while you are walking to your next meeting?  Is God real to you? 

We forget that we are here for only a short time and we should be preparing for our eternal life.  We should obey and hear God when He is speaking to us, the thing is how tuned in are we to God?

When you are sick in the hospital and the Doctors tell you they don’t have a cure who do you call?  You call the Pastor or your Priest.  You start to pray and you cry before the LORD.  Those are the times you realize “I need God, I don’t want to die.”

Prayer

In humbleness LORD GOD we pray forgive us for not always hearing and obeying You.  We seem so caught up in this world with all our responsibilities.  We forget that You are in control and that we need to sit at Your feet as You watch over us.  Teaching us what we need to learn.  Lord forgive us we aren’t always faithful.  Lord thank You, for Your, mercy and grace that are new every day.  In the Name of Jesus Christ.  Amen

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You are covered by day and by night

Exodus 13: 21 AMP “The [presence of the] LORD was going before them by day in a pillar (column) of the cloud to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they would travel by day and by night.”

Reading the Hebrew words and their means for some the words today I want to tell you about the word “Ananei HaKavod which means the Cloud of Glory.”  I was so impressed by the meaning I really wanted to share my thinking.  It is said that the Jewish Rabbis called this cloud the “Ananei HaKavod.”  They teach that in this cloud God provides for His people and that God keeps them safe.  Now that is inside the cloud.  I also realized that without the cloud the people would have been fearful but the knew God was with them during their travels because of the cloud, they saw His presence with them.  God sustained them during their travel through the desert for 40 years.

Life can come at you from all angles and you might just be facing a trial right now.  In my own life, I am also going through situations, things that I just cannot control and I do not have any control over them.  It isn’t fun and I do get frustrated but today as I sit here thinking about the Cloud of Glory I feel confident that I too may approach the LORD and ask Him to cover me.

I believe that God is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  I believe that He will keep me and that He will sustain my life.  I may feel that I am in the desert right now, but I also believe that His cloud is covering me by day and the Fire column at night.  I believe that I am covered day and night.  So are you.

Prayer

I stand here in absolute awe of You LORD God Almighty.  My life is in Your hands and I believe that Your Cloud of Glory is covering me this very minute.  I cannot go anywhere without You.  You are with me now and always.  In awe and adoration I praise and worship You for the knowledge and I thank You, Lord, that You are with me.  Each and every day in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Amen 

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I stand in Awe of God

2 Corinthians 13: 5AMP “Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers.  Examine yourselves [not me]!  Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit?”

The Apostel Paul is reminding each and every one of us to test and evaluate ourselves to see whether we are in the faith and if we are living our lives as committed believers.  As I sit here and think about my own personal walk with the Lord I believe that I am a committed believer.  I fear the Lord my God with all my being.  I believe that I respect and have reverence for the LORD my God and I worship God on and off.  I read that the word fear is translated “yirah” in Hebrew.  This means “awe” which also refers to “respect, reverence, and worship.”

I am constantly examining my own personal relationship with the LORD.  I believe this is an ongoing process some days I feel that I am on top of the World other days I don’t.  I believe that the LORD JESUS Christ is living within me, and I do want to be clothed with the LORD Jesus Christ.

Of all the people I love and know I think I am the weird one, I am constantly worried that I might fail the test and be considered as counterfeit.  It is my heart's desire to be a true Child of God.

As you consider your own life and test and evaluate yourself today I want to remind you that we should all stand in fear ‘Awe’ of the Lord Jesus.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have been considering my own life and I do want to stay true to You each and every day of my life.  Lord as I evaluate my life before You today, I pray that YOU Holy Spirit will check my heart and my motives.  LORD that I will be cleansed and that I am able to stand in Yirah before YOU Lord.  I want to worship YOU and praise YOU.  In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Amen

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Are you being pushed away or pulled in?

Galatians 4: 19 NKJV “Until Christ is formed in you.”

Being born again is one thing and renewing your mind is another thing, it is a process that is taking time.  Once the concept of becoming a newborn Christian has taken place there will be a process that is going to take place in changing you to becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus.

The only way you are able to become more and more like the Lord Jesus is during your intimate time you spend with the Lord.  You are building a relationship with God and the only way to do that is through studying God’s Word – The Bible and your quiet time with the Lord.  This needs to be done on a daily basis.

As young Christians, you start forming an alliance with the Lord.  You become more and more like the Lord and you are able to recall many scriptures.  Now God is changing you from the inside and you are being Holy.

Just as you think you almost got this down to a T, you start to find that things happen which constantly are pushing you in all directions.  You find people are irritated with you, you find that your appliances start breaking one after another.  Things just seem to be so difficult, the pushing and pulling into all directions makes you feel like you might be an elastic. 

Don’t lose heart, you are being molded and you are being formed as the Lord intended.  Yes sometimes it is painful and you don’t like being pulled around.  The pruning is difficult and you don’t always understand why.

Prayer

Lord, we don’t always understand how to deal with the pushing and pulling in our lives, it is difficult and time seems to stand still in these trials.  Lord help us to adapt and help us to become pliable and accept the changes that You are making in our lives.  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen

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pEople pLeasers?

Galatians 1: 10 NLT “I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.”

It’s easy to fall into that trap of trying to please everybody and trying to keep everybody happy because you want some peace and quiet at home.  The problem with that is that you are constantly walking on eggs. 

Then there are times when you are supposed to be doing things that are pleasing to the Lord but you also have to keep everybody around you happy.  Causing you to slip up with your quiet time and bible reading. 

If you are anything like me, you need to stand up for what you believe in, I am supposedly a freak because I can only speak about the LORD.  I have other interests but to be honest I love to talk about God.

I found when I was working that people couldn’t really get along with me because they felt uncomfortable in my company.  I was told that I acted “holy than thou” which to my way of thinking wasn’t the case.  I was just trying to be friendly and kind, listening to what people said and if I thought of something that they were doing I would say where it could be found in the Bible.  This made a number of people mad.  Do not tell them stories in the Bible that reflect on their lives.  I never thought it was a bad thing but apparently, it was.

I haven’t changed much I still enjoy talking about the LORD and I still remind people of what they are doing may or may not resonate with the LORD. 

Who are you pleasing, God or people?

Prayer

Lord, it is difficult to be different and stand out from the crowd, I always feel like a square being pushed into a round whole.  I never seem to fit in and I don’t always understand people's point of view.  Lord, help me to never disappoint You.  I don’t want to be a people pleaser I want to be on Your side all the time.  Show me the way forward and lead me in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen

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tHe dArkest hOur oF the nIght cOmes jUst bEfore the dAwn.

Galatians 6: 9AMP “Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap if we do not give in.”

I am thinking of a specific person in my personal life, this lady is hard working and really goes the extra mile.  I just feel sorry that she has been influenced by someone in her own personal life.  This lady has the ability to be friendly, stay kind and is normally very generous. 

The funny thing is this person was always doing good deeds and never trying to receive accolades and cheers of greatness until the person she knows started pointed out that she is not getting these important accolades.

My dear friend doesn't lose heart and do not grow weary and do not become discouraged in doing good, for you will receive at the proper time and you will reap if you do not give in.  Life can be trying at times and it isn’t easy but I think God wants each and every one of us to get up and dust ourselves off.  Do the good we can and never stop being kind and loving.

Time moves fast and before we know it, the time has run out for all of us.  The thing is we are all growing older and older each and every day.  We have to do what we can and it is expected that we do our best all the time and if not our best we should strive to do our best.  This business of giving up isn’t allowed in our lives.  We have to continue and never ever give up, these words must not come out of our mouths. 

We all are God’s precious jewels, He bought each one of us with a price, the Life Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Come on people, lets us never give up on God or people!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give us the strength to stay focused and never grow weary or become discouraged in doing good.  Lord, we need Your strength and we need You to help us face each day.  We cannot do this on our own we love and worship You with all our heart, body and mind and soul in the lovely name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Amen

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Are you Happy?

Psalm 37: 4-5 AMP “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him also and He will do it.”

Today as you start your day I want to encourage you to take the first couple of minutes of your day and think of all the good things that you have received during this week.  Sit down and make a list.  Looking for each gift or surprise that came your way.  Now think of the person who gave it to you, and then say thank you.

Now think of all the wonderful gifts God has given you during this week.  Write it down and think of the people that do not have half the gifts you have right now in your life.  Then go and take delight in the LORD.

By making a mental note you cannot actually perceive the amount of great and wonderful things that you have received from the LORD.  It will disappear like mist in the sunlight.

It is with great pleasure and with enthusiasm LORD that we come before YOUR throne today.  Oh dear, LORD, we want to say thank You for a beautiful day, for the lovely flowers and for the air we breathe.  We want to take delight in YOU for being there for us each and every minute of the day.  LORD as we think of all our gifts and privileges in our lives we want to say Thank YOU, LORD. 

It is with excitement and enthusiasm that we come to YOU today.  It is with pleasure and feelings of joyfulness that we stand before YOU in awe of Your greatness, the goodness You bestowed on each of us.  Your mercy LORD is new every day, You are with us each and every minute of every day.  In awe, we worship and praise YOU.  In awe, we stand in YOUR presence.

Prayer

Abba Father, as we take pleasure in reading and studying Your Word each day, we humbly pray asking for the necessary wisdom, insight, and understanding.  With excitement, we learn as much as we can from Your word.  We delight in each and every word and we want to be an aroma pleasing to You.  Bowing down and worshiping You Abba Father in the Holy Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We delight ourselves in You today, clothing ourselves with Your presence and Your love over each of us.  We adore and worship You ABBA Father.  Thank You for this time in humble prayer.  We love YOU, LORD.  Amen

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God is good!

In my mind, God is good, all the time and all the time God is good.

Bringing praise and worship and honor to God.

Saying thank You Lord for this great opportunity.

Praising and worshiping God's Holy Name.

Standing in awe before a Holy and Might God.

Holding my focus on the Might God and Only God I love.

God is good, all the time.

All the time, God is good.

As I meditate and focus on God tonight I want to encourage you to agree with me. God is a good, good Father.  God cares and loves each one of us.  

We are in His shelter

Jealousy in marriages?

1 John 4: 18 AMP “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist].  But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].”

This is my second marriage and to be honest I struggled terribly with feelings of inferiority and feeling jealous.  This has been a thorn in my side for many years.  Well, one day feeling miserable and so jealous I could die I realized something.  If I truly loved my husband and I had such terrible feeling of being jealous where was the love?

Love covers everything and love is understanding and always believes the very best of the person you love.

Now as I was extremely jealous I was constantly monitoring my husband's cell phone, checking his every move.  Any strange numbers on the phone I would call them the next day and if it was a woman I would be extremely angry.  There are two parts to Song of Solomon chapter 8 verse 6 on the one side it speaks of love and how love seals the heart and is stronger than death.  The other part speaks to a jealous person who is severed and cruel as Sheol the place of the dead.  You see it describes jealousy as flashes of fire, a vehement flame.

And that is exactly what it feels like when you suffer from such symptoms of jealousy.  You need to get rid of this as soon as possible, do not allow it to become a stronghold in your own life.

I had to fast and pray for a couple of months to rid myself of being jealous and I still struggle with it at times.  When these feelings pop up I confess it immediately and pray that the Lord will release a fresh new perspective in my life concerning my husband.  I love him so very much; he is really such a great and good husband.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Lord You, know the problems I had with dealing with a jealous heart, the feelings that I struggled with of inferiority and being miserable most of the time.  I thank You, Lord, that I had the opportunity in bring them to You.  Praying and fasting about my life and the decisions I made.  Hoping and trusting in You that I would be safe and that I would know that You loved me first, my husband loved me and that everything was good.  Thank You, Lord, in Jesus Christ's name.  Amen