WAITING ON GOD

“You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not.”
Matthew 13:11 (NLT)

Did you catch that? Jesus said there are secrets in the Kingdom of God.
I don’t know about you but I have a hard time resisting secrets – especially God-sized secrets. So when I discovered this verse, I immediately wanted to know more. Don’t you?
What secrets might God share with me? What secrets will He reveal to you?

To be perfectly honest, for years, and STILL now, much of the Bible seemed like a giant secret I wasn’t let in on.  I just didn’t get parts of it—many parts of it. Was I one of those “others” who hadn’t been permitted to understand? I wondered and even thought I wasn't holy enough for God to let me in on His secrets or maybe I should get a secret decoder ring and suddenly my Bible would make sense to me (just kidding).

I just wasn’t sure this average, everyday gal could ever figure it out all by herself. Turns out, I was partially right.
This passage is one EVERYONE should hear:
“You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand.” (Matthew 13:11-13, NLT)

According to Jesus, God grants us the ability to recognize Kingdom truths. Jesus promises if we are truly open to His teachings, He will help us understand spiritual realities. Therefore, it’s not up to you or me to figure out the mysteries of God or the deep truths of the Bible with our own perception.

Jesus took His disciples to a secluded spot on a mountain top. “As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance changed, and his clothing became dazzling white, Mark 9:2-3, NLT). Suddenly a cloud came over them and “a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him’” (Mark 9:7, NLT).

God never hides truth from sincere seekers. In fact, He came to earth in the person of Jesus to ensure that we’d learn His secrets and understand His ways. Our task is to open ourselves—ears, eyes, and heart—and listen intently to Him. To concentrate and apply ourselves through prayerfully reading the Bible.

So, when I don’t understand something I read in scripture, I look to Jesus. I ask Jesus to help me understand. I consider the example He set while here on earth –   I ask His Holy Spirit to guide me into all spiritual truth. And I’ve been amazed by what I’ve found.

I sure don't  understand everything in my Bible cover-to-cover or no where close yet, but I have discovered some truly empowering secrets to life in God’s Kingdom.  And I trust more revelation is to come, simply because Jesus said it would. He promised an abundance of knowledge to those who listen to Him.

It’s easy to miss the full impact of the first dozen words of today’s key verse and zero in on the last four: “You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not.” Don’t make that mistake.  Don’t assume you’ll never “get it.”  If you are a follower of Christ, listening to Him with your heart, He will reveal to you victorious secrets for life in His Kingdom. Open your eyes to Him. Open your ears to Him. Open your heart to Him, and dig into His Word.  Pray for revelation and understanding.
And be ready to record the amazing things He reveals as you do.

Dear Lord, I willingly and eagerly open my eyes, ears and heart to You today. Speak to me through Your Word, I pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

WHY I WANNA BE MORE LEAKY

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” Isaiah 55:10 (NIV)

On my grandma's back deck are 2 identical flower pots that my mom and I planted at the same time. They contain the same variety of flowers and the same soil. They both get the same amount of water, shade, and sun. They are similar in every way but they look very different.
One is thriving.
The other is not.

One is full of flowers cascading down its sides. It is lush, full of blooms, and an absolute delight to look at.
The other has a few flowers among the greenish brownish leaves. It is sparse with a few sprigs — not exactly a pot to be proud of.So, I asked dad the otherday why he thought the two pots of flowers were turning out so differently. “Simple,” he said, “one’s got holes so excess water can leak out and the other doesn’t.”
Interesting.
The one that has the ability to leak out excess water is the one that’s thriving.
The one keeping all the water in its container is the one that’s not such a beautiful display.
While I was reading Isaiah 55:10-13, it made me think of the  flower pot situation.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

Water is supposed to be poured out, create growth, and leak out so it can evaporate, having accomplished what it was created to do.
It was never supposed to be poured out, sit stagnate, hoarded by the container thus stunting the growth of life within it.
So like God’s Word.
God’s Word should be poured out into our lives, creating growth, and leak out through the way we live our lives. People should notice we’ve spent time in God’s Word. They should see our joy and peace.
We should be a little less prickly like the thorn bush and briers. We should be a little more fragrant and lovely like the juniper and myrtle.
We should leak God’s Word.
Which got me thinking about how I respond to criticism and harsh situations. And I am challenged.
It’s not enough for me to just respond properly when I am criticized. I should use those criticisms to remind me how much the world is desperate for encouragement.
I should be a little more leaky with positive comments and msgs (considering I'm on fb a lot) or notes or thank yous to the peope I come in contact with on a daily basis, and to those who bless me.I’m not one to criticize. But I also shouldn’t be one to stay neutral and stagnant either.

In order to be the grand display of God I should be, I need to be, more holy…or holey as this case may be, lol!
Be a little leaky this week sweet friends. The one that LEAKS is the one that THRIVES!.

Dear Lord, forgive me for the time I’ve been stagnate. I want Your Word to leak out of me so others see peace and joy. Use me today Lord as I seek to respond to others in a way that always pleases You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SELF CONTROL

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” Proverbs 25:28 (NIV)

Have you ever been in a discussion with someone and suddenly your blood pressure skyrockets, your nerves fray, and the worst version of you begs to come out?
Not that this ehhhhhver happens to me of course.
Ahem.
Of course it happens to me. I live with other humans. But what I’m trying to better understand is this whole concept of self-control. So many times in the Bible we are told to display self-control: Proverbs 25:28, Galatians 5:23, 1 Peter 4:7, and many others. It's a fruit of the spirit, probably the hardest one for me to practice.
But it’s hard to display self-control when it feels like someone else does things out of our control and yanks our emotions into a bad place. So, here’s one little tidbit I’m learning. When someone else’s actions or statements threaten to pull me into a bad place, I have a choice. I do. It may feel like I don’t have a choice. It may feel like I have to react according to my feelings, but I don’t. I have a choice.
My choice is whether or not to give them the power to control my emotions.
When I react by yelling or flying off the handle or making a snappy comment back, I basically transfer my power to that other person. When I’m void of power, I’m void of self-control. So, it seems to me if I’m going to remain self-controlled, I have to keep my power.

Now, when I say “my power,” I don’t mean something I conjure up myself. I am referring to God’s power working in me. When I react according to God’s Word, I feel that power. When I react contrary to God’s Word, I feel powerless.
Isaiah 55:10-11 is such a good reminder of how we can tap into God’s power no matter what situation we are facing:

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (emphasis mine)

Did you catch that? The answer to keeping God’s power with me and working in me to produce self-control is LETTING HIS WORD GET INSIDE ME. His Word seeping into my mind and my heart will accomplish things – good things – powerful things – things that help me display self-control.
So, here’s my new tactic. When I’m facing a situation where someone is getting on the last good nerve I have, I’m going to start quoting God’s Word in the present tense. Take 1 Peter 5:6-8 for example. Here’s how I plan to use these verses if someone starts acting NOT SO SWEET:

In this moment I’m choosing to be self-controlled and alert. Your actions are begging me to yell and lose control. But, I realize I have an enemy and that enemy is not you. The devil is prowling and roaring and looking to devour me through my own lack of control right now. But, I am God’s girl. That’s right. I am. So, I am going to humbly and quietly let God have His way in me right now. And when I do this, God will lift me and my frayed nerves up from this situation and fill me with a much better reaction than what I can give you right now. So, give me just a few minutes and then we’ll calmly talk about this.

Girl, that’s some power right there.
And that will make you shine with so much self-control your friends, family, and co-workers won’t know what to do with you.
That statement was just taken from one little set of verses found in 1 Peter. Can you imagine what might happen if we wrote out powerful responses using God’s Word on 3×5 cards and pulled them out every time we found ourselves in a situation

I love being God’s girl. Don’t you?

Dear Lord, I am reminded after reading this devotion that I am Your child. You made me. You know me. And therefore, You designed my heart, mind and soul to receive and respond to the power in your Word. When I lack my own power to be self-controlled help me to turn to Your truth for good, calm responses. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

DON'T DESPISE THE SMALL THINGS

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 (NIV)

What seems small in your world? That place where your vision is grand but your reality isn’t. Your influence? Your opportunity? Your business? Your ability to give? Your ministry?
Look at that small place and tell me what you see.
Well, let me tell you what I see, what God has shown to me.
I see the strings of a gift that when appreciated will spill forth as wisdom and understanding you can’t get any other way. I see the possibility of James 3:13 churning to break free in your life, in my life, “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
I see the place from which humility is birthed. That glorious rare quality that doesn’t take too much credit. That knows real success is laced with upward glances, bent knees and whispered praises to the One. The only One.
He who gives.
And He who withholds. Not out of spite, not out of ignorance, not out of deafness, and certainly not out of comparisons where others are found to be more deserving.
No. He withholds out of protection. With more urgent restraint than we’ll ever possess, He presses back the big to protect the workings of the small.
The small we should not despise.
The quiet nurturing taking place, the unfolding, the stir beneath where none can see.
Soon, a path in your soul that you must choose. One way to haughtiness. One way to humility.
If that soul has never tasted small, it will detest the humble pallet. And crave big, only big, until it is so full of big that being big inflates and distorts and eventually burstS. .ALL THINGS HAUGHTY WILL EVENTUALLY BE MADE MICROSCOPIC.
But for the soul that has tasted small, humility becomes their richest fare. The taste that fits. The thing most desired to be consumed. ALL THINGS HUMBLE WILL EVENTUALLY BE MADE GREAT.
Oh the beautiful gift of small.
The delight of knowing what small really is.
Small isn’t a belittling of one’s calling nor an indication of one’s future.
It’s a place. A grand unnoticed place. A place to be protected and remembered. A place that keeps all things big in good and right perspective.
Small isn’t what keeps us from that grand vision.
Small is what keeps us for that grand vision.

Dear Lord, help me to embrace the small today. I want to see with Your eyes what You have planned for me today. Give me the ability to understand the beautiful gift of small. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SEARCH FOR POSITIVE INFLUENCES

I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work.
 So I quit being a "low man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I denied myself completely with Him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. Galatians 2:19-20 MSG

  
   Sometimes peer pressure is good; sometimes it's bad. Why? Because some friends encourage you to obey God, and some friends don't. Wise friends help you make wise choices (choices which, by the way, are pleaseing to the Creator).Other friends, however, put you in situations where you are tempted to disobey God-these friends encourage you to make unwise choices that inevitably have negative consequences.
   Are you hanging out with people who make you a better person and a better Christian, or are you spending time with people who encourage you to stray from your faith? The answer to this question will help determine the condition of your spritual health. One of the best ways to ensure that you follow Christ is to find fellow believers who are willing to follow Him with you.

 "You must never sacrifice your relationship with God for the sake of a relationship with another person. -Charles Stanley

"You will get untold flak for prioritizing God's revealed and present will for your life over man's...but, boy, is it worth it. -Beth Moore

"Make God's will the focus of your life day by day. If you seek to please Him and Him alone, you'll find yourself satisfied with life. -Kay Arthur

Put peer pressure to work for you by associating with people who, by their actions and their words, encourage you to become a better person.

REALIZE THAT YOU SIMPLY CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! 2 Peter 1:3 MSG


  Sometimes, it's very tempting to be a people-pleaser. But usuallly, it's the wrong thing to do.
    
     When you worry too much about dates or friends, you may not worry enough about pleasing God-and when you fail to please God, you inevitably pay a very high price for your mistaken priorities.

    Whom will you try to please today: God or your friends? The answer should be simple: forget about pleasing people and focus, instead, on pleasing God. After all, if you're overly concerned about pleasing people, you're more likely to go along with the crowd-and you're more likely to make the very same mistakes that the crowd makes.

KEEP STRNGTHENING YOUR CHARACTER

The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness. Proverbs 11:5 Holman CSB


    Beth Moore correctly observed, "those who walk in in truth walk in liberty." And she was right.As believers in Christ, we must seek tp live each day with discipline, honesty, and faith.When we do, atleast two thins happen: integrity becomes a habit, and God blesses us because of our obedience to Him.

    Living a life of integrity isn't always the easiest way, but it is always the right way...and God clearly intends that it should be our way, too.

  Character isn't built overnight; it is built slowly over a lifetime. It is the sum of every sensible choice, every honorable decision, and every honest word. It is forged on the anvil of sincerity and polished by the virtue of fairness. Character is a precious thing- preserve yours at all costs. And while you're at it, never hang out with people who ask you to compromise you character. Never.