November 25, 2024

Gone Astray?

November 4, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

The Lord is good and does what is right;
He shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way.
Psalms 25:8-9

Are you confused?  Lost?  You don’t know what to do next?  Or have you knowingly wandered off the path you know was set before you?  Remember, God knows everything—all you need to do is ask Him for help and He will guide you.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.
That is why He broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one was there to help them.
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; He snapped their chains.
For he broke down their prison gates of bronze; He cut apart their bars of iron.
Psalms 107:10-14, 16

One thing I love about God is that He is accessible.  Even though He lives where we cannot physically see Him (like we would our friends or family), He is still ever so close to us.  He also has a limitless wealth of wisdom and knowledge, and He is willing to share with us!

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.
He will not rebuke you for asking.
James 1:5

God can be mysterious, but the more and more we grow in relationship with Him, the more and more we can understand Him.  So, go to God and let Him set you straight.

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Guidance

November 3, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

He guides the humble in what is right, and teaches them His way.
Psalms 25:9

Guidance is a word that communicates something for which we often ask.  For example “I need God’s guidance for me to find a spouse…how to do my business…, etc.  Good guidance is when we expect the Spirit of God to take full charge in us and when we listen and discern to what the Spirit is saying.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left your ears will hear a voice behind you saying “…this is the way, walk in it.”
Isaiah 30:21

And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.
John 10:4

There are times we seek God’s guidance even though we have already made mistakes in some of our choices.  Before doing anything or embarking on any project we should seek God’s guidance.

When we allow God to guide us:
He will watch over us so that nothing comes against our plans and the plans of God and that the will of God on us will be accomplished. We shall have good success.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Psalm 32:8

He will be our God forever and ever.
…for this God is our God for ever and ever He will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 48:14

We shall be walking in prosperity all the days of our lives.
The Lord bless you from Zion,
And may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
Psalm 128:5

He will take us into glory.
You will guide me with Your counsel and afterwards You will take me into glory.
Psalm 73:24

He will guide our path.
I will lead the blind ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them.
Isaiah 42:16
(also Isaiah 48:17, Luke 1:79)

He will guide us in all truth.
But when the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you in all truth. He will not speak of His own, He will speak only what He hears and He will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:13

So, where do we get this guidance?  Joshua 1:8 tells us… “in the word of God.”

Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth meditate on it day and night
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.
THEN and I say THEN you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)

(…In KJV the successfulness is connoted as having “good success”.)

Let us make a choice of involving God in everything we do, and seeking His guidance. And also make sure we are guided by the Spirit of God through the Word of God. I know we all need good success.  May God help us!

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Father, we thank You for the word that has come at the right time.  May we find pleasure in meditating on Your Word so that we may do everything therein allowing You to direct our path always for our good success.  In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.

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The Humble

November 2, 2014 by

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He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.
Psalm 25:9 AMP

As I read this passage, my eye kept returning to the word humble.  Being humble is something I have struggled with.  Not necessarily that I think I am better than anyone, but that I know what is best for them or the best way to handle a situation.

The world’s view of humble and the Biblical view of humble are vastly different.  The world tends to view humility as a weakness, being a wimp. The biblical Greek translation of humble is “a lowliness of mind.”  That doesn’t mean putting yourself down or talking bad about yourself.  As the Pulpit Commentary defines it, being humble means you are “submissive, meek, contrite, teachable.”

Humility is an absence of self. It is a heart attitude…not an act we put on.  A humble person willingly submits themselves to God.  Humility is giving up our desires for the good of another—a willingness to step aside so another can shine.  Being humble means giving up my right to be right in order to do what is right.  It takes a strong person to put oneself aside.

Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves,
you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12

Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic,
should love believers, and be compassionate and humble…
1 Peter 3:8 HCSB

But, why should we be humble?  1 Peter 5:5 (AMP) offers the best reason I can think of:

Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble.

I would much rather bask in God’s grace than have God oppose me; wouldn’t you? Psalm 25:9 states that if we are willing to be humble, God Himself will teach us His ways.  I couldn’t ask for a better teacher!  Plus there are so many benefits to being humble:

  • If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
    2 Chronicles 7:14 HCSB
  • I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word.
    Isaiah 66:2 HCSB
  • Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will listen carefully
    Psalm 10:17
  • The humble will eat and be satisfied.
    Psalm 22:26a HCSB
  • But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
    Psalm 37:11 NASB
  • The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
    Psalm 69:32a NLT
  • …a humble spirit will obtain honor.
    Proverbs 29:23b NASB
  • Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
    James 4:10 NASB

The world may try to convince us humility is a weakness, but all it offers in return is self-satisfaction.  It cannot offer anything that compares to what God offers the humble.  And there is not one of these benefits I am willing to give up.

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Father God, we thank You for Your grace.  We thank You for the blessings You are waiting to bestow upon us if we are willing to humbly submit ourselves to You.  What the world has to offer pales in comparison.  Gently remind us when our attitude shifts away from humility.  Continue to help us as we struggle to become humble and teach us Your ways.  In Your Holy name I pray, Amen – It is so!

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Answer My Prayer

November 1, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Answer me when I call to You,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

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You will answer, ask and it is mine
You will answer, seek and I will find
You will answer, ask and it is mine
You will answer, seek and I will find

Whatever I do and wherever I go You will be there
Whatever I need and whenever I call You will answer
I make the mistake of working on my own
But then I awake to see I can’t alone
You wrap Your arms around me, then You comfort me
And give me just what I need

When troubles defy You know that I can rely on Your providence
When tough times annoy I can count it pure joy, perseverance
The trials that I’ve had and the things I’ve done
The good and the bad comes to everyone
With any situation it’s assuring to know
Anytime I can go

That special place alone I long to meet You there
I’m happy knowing You’ll answer my prayer

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This Week…Psalm 4:1

October 31, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Answer me when I call to You,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

How many times have you prayed a prayer similar to this one?  Many times, if you like me, call out to God in times of stress and distress!  And this week my friends who contribute to our Seeking Him devotional blog have each shared on this verse with similar thoughts.  Here is a quick reminder of some of the things that Ann, Ahmee, Cynda, Laura, and Tina have written.

Cynda wrote in her devotional entitled, Perfect Prayers, how she loved the simplicity of David’s prayer.  She reminded us of how God always looks at the heart not all the superfluous things.  And she wrote, ‘ Prayer doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be heartfelt. It needs to be uttered with passion. God honors fervent prayers by being merciful and gracious to us.”

Ann shared her heart in Prayerfulness that there have been times when she ‘…cried to my God to answer my prayers because I felt that they were not being answered…this only brought discomfort and fear in me. All the faith had gone…all I could see was unanswered prayer.”  But the Holy Spirit spoke to her saying, ‘You know what, Ann? Cast all your cares unto God and He will give you rest.”  <Simple but oh-so-necessary!>  She compelled us “I urge each one of you to be earnestly prayerful and regularly engaged in prayer.  With faith, we will have answered prayers.  All that we need is to ask God for help. Our prayers will be granted.”

Ahmee encouraged us, in Just A Reminder, to see the importance of rest—directing us to Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 11:28-30.
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.  She also wrote: “So, take your request to Him and then rest. {Do not forget about the resting part!}”

Tina focused on The Provider aspect of God’s love and care for us. “When we are in distress, we call out to God. We expect Him to answer us immediately,” Tina wrote.  And she reminded us that God is able to handle our upsetment!  In addition, she gave us the example “…of Abraham who left his father, took his wife and nephew, and moved away from all that he knew. Just because God called to him. But Abraham received a promise. A promise to become a father of many.”  And we know how abundantly and miraculously God has provided for what He promised Abraham!

In her blog, Answering The Caller ID, Laura took the part of the verse that says ‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness…” and brought it all back to a call we need to heed: “…Here is one call that we are supposed to answer no matter what.  The caller ID is our heart being tugged at by Jesus wanting us to accept Him as our Savior.  It is a call that should be answered every time.  By answering the call of Christ, our faith is strengthened and fortified.”  She also wrote, “When we answer Christ’s call, God hears us.  We become blessed even more.” Oh, yes we do!

My heart was encouraged day-by-day as I read and considered the words and Truth being shared by these friends of mine (and yours!).  As I prayed and studied, two Scriptures came to mind; may I share them with you?  I hope that they will encourage and comfort you…reminding you to always call out to your heavenly Father…who is always listening…He always hears and always answers!

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
Psalms 145:18-20

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him,
that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask,
we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
1 John 5:14-15

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Perfect Prayers

October 30, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Answer me when I call to You, O God who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me [be gracious to me] and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1 NLT

I like the simplicity of David’s prayer.  Reminds me of a Max Lucado devotional entitled, Prayer’s Aren’t Graded:

“Jesus downplayed the importance of words in prayers. We tend to do the opposite. The more words the better! We emphasize the appropriate prayer language, the latest prayer trend, the holiest prayer terminology. Against all this emphasis on syllables and rituals, Jesus says in Matthew 6:7: ‘Don’t ramble like heathens who talk a lot.’  There’s no panel of angelic judges with numbered cards.”

I love the line “There’s no panel of angelic judges with numbered cards.” Sometimes we pray like we think there is. God doesn’t count our words or measure our syntax. He doesn’t edit our grammar. God looks at our heart.  As the Scriptures tell us:

Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible,
but the Lord sees the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7b (HCSB)

For You look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.
Psalm 7:9b (NLT)

In this verse David used only a few words, but he prayed with passion.  David’s prayer came from deep within his heart.  Take a look at James 5:16b (AMP):

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man
makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

It doesn’t say the ‘perfect’ prayer.  It doesn’t say the prayer of 100 words or more.  It says the “earnest (heartfelt, continued)” prayer.  God already knows what is on your heart.  He just wants you to share it with Him.  It doesn’t really matter how you share it, as long as you do share it with Him.  Even if you can’t put it into words or express it verbally.  Romans 8:26 (AMP) states:

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness;
for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf
with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

Prayer doesn’t have to be fancy.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  It just needs to be heartfelt.  It needs to be uttered with passion.  Even if it is only to call His name – Jesus!  God honors fervent prayers by being merciful and gracious to us.

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Holy Father, I am so thankful my prayers do not have to be perfect to be heard. You know what is in my heart and You long for me to share it with You.  Thank You for the intimacy prayer brings.  Thank You for the mercy and grace you extend to me, undeserving as I am.  May I lift up my requests to You with heartfelt passion.  In Your Holy name I pray, Amen – It Is So!

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Provider

October 29, 2014 by

Psalm 4:1
Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

When we are in distress, we call out to God.  We expect Him to answer us immediately.  As we walk through the pain and the anguish, we sometimes rant and rage at Him.  And that is okay. He is a big God. He can take whatever we can throw at Him.  As long as we are respectful, we can become angry.

And sometimes we have to become like children and trust God will answer our prayers.  When we were children, most of us did not have to worry about where our food was coming from, we did not have to worry about a place to sleep, because it was there.  Our parents provided everything we needed.  Not what we wanted…but what we needed.  That is what they are supposed to do.  That is what our heavenly Father does for us as well.

In the Bible it tells us of fathers who loved their sons.  It tells us those who have blindly trusted God.  It tells us of those who walked in faith what God would have them to do.  Scripture tells us of Abraham who left his father, took his wife and nephew, and moved away from all that he knew.  Just because God called to him.  But Abraham received a promise.  A promise to become a father of many.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people
and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
Genesis 12:1-3

God, through Jesus His son, offers us a promise.  When we accept Jesus into our heart, and make Jesus Lord of our life, we have eternity.  We may not have an easy life, but a life of great reward, a life rich with God’s blessings.  This past month, I was given a task of putting together a program for our Hallelujah Hoedown at our church. It was a stretch for me, but I knew God had given me this opportunity to help me grow in my ability to lead and for me to become accountable.  I don’t have issues with delegating.  Nor do I have an issue with calling on those whom I know can do a job.  I just have to learn to lean on God more for everything…and I did.   He did not let me (or those who watched our performance this weekend) down.  We all had a wonderful time, performing and worshipping God and letting the little ones worship with us.  I think the adults had just a much fun as the children did!

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My prayer is for everyone to know Christ as Someone we can go to for our everyday needs and concerns.  God wants us to seek Him for our every need before we make little AND big decisions.  He wants us to do a heart check, to assure our thoughts align with His Word.

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Just A Reminder

October 28, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Answer me when I call to you,
O God, Who declares me innocent.
Free me from my troubles.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

I almost get the feeling that the psalmist is trying to rush God in Psalm 4:1.  In my mind, I picture God just shaking His head thinking, “Rest, my child. I see your troubles and I have handled them.”  Then again, the psalmist could just be making a sincere plea to God for Him to answer the prayer.  Regardless of how I decide to perceive this verse, I feel the Lord’s verbal response would be the same—Rest!

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:28-30

This verse says that if you come to the Lord, He will give you rest. So, take your request to Him and then rest. {Do not forget about the resting part!}

And don’t forget this:

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

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Lord, help me take my requests to You and then to rest.  Thank You for the ability to rest in the midst of troubles, knowing that I am adequately taken care of.  Amen.

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Prayerfulness

October 27, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Answer me when I call to You, O my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress,
Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

This verse reveals the kind of person who will be answered by God in times of distress—it is one with an earnest desire for God’s help.

There are times in my life when I have been down and cried to my God to answer my prayers because I felt that they were not being answered and that I was left alone with no one to turn to.  And this only brought discomfort and fear in me. All the faith had gone…all I could see was unanswered prayer and so it led me to focus on the issues and not where the solution can could come from.  But the Holy Spirit communicated to me saying “You know what, Ann? Cast all your cares unto God and He will give you rest.”  And it was at this time when my eyes opened and I remembered Jeremiah 33:3.

Call to Me and I will answer you,
and I will tell you great and mighty things,
which you do not know.

Prayer is a weapon for answered prayer especially when it comes from an earnest heart…and so earnestly He will answer us. Make a choice to engage into a different dimension of living.  Engage in a prayerful gear and you will appreciate, too, what I appreciated.

O Lord, in the morning You hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.
Psalm 5:3

In this verse, we see David committing himself to three actions

1. Confident that God will hear his voice, he persists in prayer
2. He will pray in the morning – if we orient our lives around God, morning prayers will be a natural thing to do
3. He will wait in expectation for answers to his prayer and throughout the day he will search for signs that God is at work in his life

I rise before dawn and cry for help I have put my hope in Your Word.
Psalm 119:147

The Word of God is not false it is a living thing that helps us to build trust in the Lord.

And then was a widow until she was eighty four.
She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.
Luke 2:37

Therefore, my brethren, with the few Scriptures quoted in this devotion, I urge each one of you to be earnestly prayerful and regularly engaged in prayer.  With faith, we will have answered prayers.  All that we need is to ask God for help. Our prayers will be granted.

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Lord, I pray that You hear me when I pray as I come to You. I pray for Your mercy to hear me when I call, Lord. Supply to me according to Your riches in glory. Silver and gold is all Yours! Have mercy on me, Lord, and on my sisters in the Lord, too. We seek You and thank You that all things will be added to us, Lord. Glory and honor be unto You always. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

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Answering the Caller ID

October 26, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness:
Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress;
have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

Do you have caller ID?  Most everybody does.  It is one of those digital advances that most people cannot live without these days.  It is a way of identifying who is calling you.  You can decide whether or not to answer the phone when it rings. You can decide whether to answer the phone if you don’t know who it is. If you miss a call, you can go back and see who called. Then you can decide whether or not to call that person back. You can ignore tele-marketers and bill collectors. Caller ID has certainly made it easier to ignore those we don’t want to talk to when the phone rings.

As humans we can select who we call and whose call we answer here on earth. However, when it comes down to it, there is one call that we are supposed to answer no matter what. The caller ID is our heart being tugged at by Jesus wanting us to accept Him as our Savior. It is a call that should be answered every time.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

By answering the call of Christ, our faith is strengthened and fortified. Our spirit is healed. Our heart becomes stronger in the Lord. We begin to strengthen our faith and fortify it through listening to Christ and practicing what He teaches us. We strengthen ourselves through our relationship with Him. When we answer Christ’s call, God hears us. We become blessed even more.

God blessed us when His Son sacrificed Himself on the Cross for our sins. He showed us mercy. Jesus brought us closer to God by shedding His blood. God heard the call to be saved from death. He gave us a way to be reconciled with Him. All we have to do is recognize His call on our internal caller ID—our heart—and accept the gift that Jesus gave on the Cross.

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Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for calling us to You. Thank You for giving us an internal caller ID to recognize Your spirit and love. Thank You for strengthening us and fortifying us. Without our own internal caller ID, we would ignore You and not listen. We would be facing an eternity of fire instead of an eternity filled with love and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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