LEARNING TO STAND
What an exercise it is to go forward in the will of God, stepping out in faith (this is faith? Fear and trembling, more like it!) where the Spirit leads!!! We have been so accustomed by our "organized religion" upbringing to regard Christianity as a cut-and-dried, virtually powerless relic of the past. It is a real mind-bender to put our whole lives into following the leading of the Spirit, that 'still, small voice' society disavows the existence of. Yet we have found over the past few months, since coming to the end of *every* other avenue that might have been open to us, that 'He is faithful and just...'. How bizarre(?) to discover that the Word of God is TRUE, that the Bible is SOLID ROCK, that the promises are for TODAY!
Yes, I know for years I have spoken of the love of God and the need to follow Him, and the worthiness of praise of His beloved Son. And I've spoken from my heart, as many of you know. He has been my whole life for over a decade. But there has always been a corner, a segment, an area in which I retained control because it related to our day-to-day existence, and God wasn't "real" enough to govern that. It was too mundane for the Creator of the universe, know what I mean? Like, really!
Well, this past few months we have had no alternative but to turn every phase of our lives over to Him, because there was literally nowhere else to go. And to my shame, I must admit it is a real eye-opener to see doors opening that have been closely barred for years! The curbs that have hedged us in are disappearing in droves, and we are experiencing a freedom to LIVE that we had never known before. You know what we're told are the fruits of the Spirit, the love and joy and peace etc. of Galatians? Well, those wonderful blessings are meant for US - you and Archie and I! THAT is what our lives *will* be filled with as we follow HIM. Gee, guys, who among us couldn't stand a whole heaping truckload of more of those? Yet we somehow continue to visualize God as "out there" with a big stick and a fistful of 'Thou shalt nots'. Instead here He is within us, just waiting for us to take a step in faith towards Him, even a timorous one, so that He may reward us for going His way.
You will hear a voice behind you saying, This is the way; walk ye in it.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He WILL direct your paths.
Good land, people, IT'S TRUE! Reach out and GO FOR IT, you hear? In these perilous times when wars and terrorism and violence bombard us from every outside souce - turn IN, turn UP, and LIVE!
We praise You, God, for revealing Yourself as the great and unchanging Ruler of the ages. Father, You alone ARE worthy; Your word IS trustworthy and praiseworthy and true. You ARE, O precious Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. You HAVE come that we may have life, and that more abundantly. And beloved Spirit, You ARE our Comforter, our Guide, our constant Companion.
Forgive us for not having launched out in confidence a decade ago!
Oh people, seek ye the Lord while yet He may be found - for the time is short, and the need is great... and our God is faithful. He is worthy. He is ABLE!
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Keep on raining --- I won't drown;
My feet are planted on higher ground.
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GUEST EDITORIAL
JOY TO THE WORLD
"The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)
Joy is not just a dishwashing liquid with fresh lemon flavor that is tough on grease. Joy is not a temporal happy feeling you can have now and then when things are going well. It's much more than that. Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world.
The Bible says joy, the joy of God, is strength. Joy equals strength and the two are interchangeable. The devil wants to steal your joy by hitting you with problems. He wants to keep you sick, broke, in debt, unemployed, separated, terrorized, oppressed and depressed. But if you know to be in God's presence by spending time with His Word, God will show you the path of the good life that He has predestined for you to walk in and you'll have fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). That's what makes joy so crucial. You can't live a life of faith without being strong in the LORD. And when God wants to make you strong, joy is what He uses to do the job!
Joy is not just a state of mind nor a fleeting emotion. Joy is a very real spiritual force, and the devil doesn't have anything that can stand up against it. He also knows that if he can't steal your joy, he can't keep your goods. Just as fear has to yield to faith, darkness has to yield to light, circumstances have to yield to the Word of God, discouragement has to yield to joy. Since joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 together with peace and love, you already have it within you. But you must develop it, confess it, and live by it if you want to enJOY its power.
Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy. You can be strong in the LORD for Jesus brought joy to the world. You can draw on the supply of the Holy Spirit within you and come out on top every single time. Peter said that you can have joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8). Note that joy comes before the glory, the heaviness of God, shows up. Rejoice, rejoice and I say again rejoice! Throughout the Bible, God commanded us to reJOY, to refill our spiritual tank with the premium, unleaded, high octane joy of the LORD. After we reJOY, then we can enJOY the good life, the joy unspeakable and full of glory that He has ordained for us to have.
Copyright © 2002 Eddy Ministries. All rights reserved.
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Keep on raining --- I won't drown;
My feet are planted on higher ground.
Keep on reigning; You're my Lord!
Sharpen my mind by Your Spirit's sword.
Compliments of NicksHumor.net
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That's about it for now, folks. God bless you and keep you, one and all!
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