Song of Solomon 2:15 (Amplified Bible) My heart was touched and I fervently sang to him my desire] Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom.
The little foxes do spoil the vine, don't they? Life's little worries are the worst. But Satan attacks most often as a little fox, not as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
Some say problems come in threes, and it is true that little problems seem to come in bundles, but not randomly. These problems come by design. The enemy knows that a barrage of little problems can easily add up to a big problem for YOU. It takes very little time and effort on his part to make a Christian feel overwhelmed. Often, the first thing to go in a situation like that is a believer's prayer life. With the shield of faith down, it is easy for all those fiery darts to wound.
The enemy will often use random people to irritate and upset you. Like the gum chomping girl at the doctor's office who takes forever to check you in because she's too busy texting. Or the busy salesperson who averts his/her eyes from you instead of acknowledging and saying he/she will be right with you. Or the neighbors who borrow your utensils or tools and never return them.
But Satan's favorite tools to use against you are those closest to you. Christians are the most effective tool of all. Your family. Your church. Your friends. A stranger can only hurt you to a limited extent. But someone who is close to you can deliver a mortal blow. Because they are close to you. Because you trust them.
The little foxes merely prepare the way for the final wound. Weakened and wounded, a Christian is an easy target for such an attack.
If you cannot trust God for the small problems in life, how then can you expect to trust Him for the big ones?
posted by Will Ravelob at the PHIAA e-group
Seeking God with all of our heart demands that we be Intentional and Intense.
Often times it’s only when we are in a crisis that we become semi - sincere about seeking the face of God. I use the term semi sincere because after the pressure subsides or the need is meet, we return to casually seeking God, thinking that there is no urgent need for Him at the moment. This is because some only seek God for the blessings in His hands and not His face which is symbolic of His presence.
In God's presence there is peace, joy and rest for our souls. When we earnestly seek the face of God, we are seeking His counsel, guidance, correction and wisdom regarding every aspect of our lives. This must be done intentionally and with intensity because every decision we make affects our destiny.
When I seek my Lord and Savior intentionally and with intensity, I make Him first priority in my life, understanding that everything else is secondary. So often many of us have become consumed with the cares of this world. We are intentional about building our careers, building homes, building our image and building unhealthy relationships that pull us away from God.
We have allowed all these things to turn us away from the source and strength of our lives, and before you know it God becomes an afterthought in our everyday affairs.
We acknowledge Him with our mouths but our hearts are far from Him. Proverbs 3:6 says, “Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your path”.
We are also reminded in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
God knows what we need and He promised that He would provide for all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
As we continue to move forward on our journey with our Lord and Savior be intentional about seeking His face through spending time with Him daily in prayer and devotion.
Meditate in His word for understanding and not just to acquire knowledge. Seek an understanding of God's word that will be manifested in your behavior, mannerism and disposition. Never put anything before God. I have learned through experience that anything you put before God will turn on you and devour you.
Selah (think on that). Seek God with your whole heart and watch the amazing things that He will do in and through your life. Always know that whatever concerns you concerns God deeply and He has His hands on the pulse of the matter. Don’t allow any situation you are facing to consume your thoughts and speech but rather magnify your God over the situation.
Finally my sisters and brothers remember that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20) and He truly rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6b).
posted by Will Ravelob at the PHIAA e-group
Legend has it that Michelangelo painted with a brush in one hand and a candle in the other to prevent his shadow from covering his masterpiece in progress.
That’s the kind of attitude we should adopt if we are serious about wanting to display the masterpiece of God’s glory on the canvas of our lives.
Unfortunately, we tend to live in a way that draws attention to ourselves—our cars, our clothes, our careers, our position, our cleverness, our success. And when life is all about us, it’s hard for people to see Jesus in us. Jesus saved us to be reflections of His glory (Rom. 8:29), but when we live for ourselves, our shadow gets cast on the canvas of His presence in us.
When the believers in Corinth were feeling too full of themselves, Paul warned them “that no flesh should glory [boast] in His presence” (1 Cor. 1:29), and reminded them of what Jeremiah said, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31; Jer. 9:24).
Think of your life as a canvas on which a picture is being painted. What would you rather have people see: the masterpiece of the presence of Jesus?
or the shadow of your own profile? Don’t get in the way of a great painting in progress.
Live to let others see Jesus in you.
“My life is a painting created by God,
And as such I’ve nothing to boast;
Reflecting the image of Christ to the world
Is what I desire the most.”—Sper
A Christian’s life is the canvas on which others can see Jesus.
Strength for the Journey
WB Journal
Seize The Day!
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
The Message Bible, translates our text, for today, in this way: "Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.” Carpe Diem, Seize the Day!
“Carpe Diem.” Seize the day. Make the most of every opportunity. Seize – the day. Notice the phrase is not “with utmost care and caution, after you have worked out the cost/benefit analysis and determined that there is no logical reason why all systems should not be go, and have assured yourself that the risk is zero, or as close to zero as is theoretically possible, slowly and timidly reach for the day, keeping eyes peeled at every moment for other factors which would render that decision less logical than previously expected and mitigate a sudden and calculated pull-back from the day-seizing operation.”
God expects your best! Each day. Every day. God expects your best. In the Old Testament God refused to accept the sick or infirm animals as a sacrifice. He expected a sacrifice to be the best you had to offer. He did no less Himself when He gave the ultimate sacrifice in the person of His son Jesus. God wants your full and complete dedication each and every day.
No matter how well planned your day might be, you can count on something unexpected turning up. When it does, the advice of “the preacher” in Ecclesiastes is to grab it do it! That is great advice! However there is more to this verse than expecting the unexpected. We are also encouraged to do the expected. Not only are we to do the expected, we are to do it exceptionally well.
There is always something for “someone” to do. Complaining about being the one to do “it” won’t bring in a single customer, it won’t sell a single product, it won’t pay a single bill. The only thing that will be of any use is if we just do “it”. Out of the thousands of tiny chores that crop up in the day, every single one is important. Every single one is important enough to give it our best.
The second part of that verse tells us to do it with all our might. That means to tackle our work with zeal. The puritans had an ethical code that called for doing a task with earnestness. We should practice earnestness in workplace today. Whatever we do, we should do it heartily, with enthusiasm, with passion, with zeal, with 100% commitment.
If you are following God, and you truly believe he is in charge, then you must also believe that you are where you are today because God want you there. If God wants you to be where you are, then you must understand that He wants you to do your best. We must give it all to God.
Life is short. Death comes to us all. You only have one chance to do what you are meant to do on this earth. Seize the Day. Grab life by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. If you intend to do some good work, or if you have some grand plan, do it now. Don’t wait. God has put you in the place you are to be a part of His plan. "Carpe Diem" - Seize the day!
posted by Will Ravelob at the PHIAA e-group
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" . . . God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM . . . Exodus 3:10-15
The call and the encounter must of been so unexpected for Moses. raised in the palace and i think sensing the call to leadership and even as deliverer Moses had once before, while in the position of the palace, tried to rescue the Hebrews (Exodus 2) which had led him to the desert. this encourages me, that i am not disqualified when i make a mistake.
How many of us respond to the call of God like Moses? WHO AM I? When God called Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1 he said the exact same thing WHO AM I? I am too young. When God called Abraham and told him he was going to be father of nations Abraham said the same thing WHO AM I?
I am too old. Moses is shaking his head, " Who am I, that I should be the one to do this?" He doesn’t verbally say it but I bet he is thinking it. I am murderer! That’s who I am! I’m on Egypt’s most wanted list! I’m just an adopted guy, not even brought up by his real parents! I’m a coward cause I ran! Ran right out of Egypt! I’m a guy with a speech problem! Probably got my stuttering from my nerves! I’m a nobody!
That’s who I am…so, why me? And I can imagine the Lord reading His thoughts, knowing his heart, and thinking, ‘Oh Moses, it’s not who you are… Or was.. It’s who I am! It’s not what you can’t do, or what you’ve done, ….it’s what I can do!’
Who am I? That’s not really the question. God’s answer, to all 3 of the who am I’s above… I AM GOD I AM WITH YOU.
God dares us – sometimes He dares us the most impossible things – but with Him, all things are possible. God + 1 is all you need! When God calls He qualifies, He empowers, He equips. God dares and He enables! Don’t look at who you are but at the GOD who is calling you. Don’t be intimidated by the task ahead but have faith in Almighty God! God’s promise is I AM WITH YOU!
When you get a clear understanding of WHO God is you draw nearer in faith. You take Him at His Word. You know His promises. You know His heart.
True faith – that propels us into serving God and changing the world – is founded on what you believe about God and what HE is capable of.
Steven Furtick – WB Journal
God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:1-6
Moses’ first encounter with God is recorded in Exodus 3. The way their meeting goes down should be extremely encouraging for anyone who has ever felt super ordinary and insignificant. Let’s have a quick look at Moses’ call.
The setting is the far side of the desert.
Moses is tending sheep.
The sheep belong to Moses’ father in law.
A bush catches on fire.
Moses walks over to look…
In reality when you peel back the layers… it’s really quite ordinary.
Moses is performing menial manual labor.
Working for his father in law.
Does it get any more mundane and ordinary?
We position ourselves for encounter by walking with Jesus every day.
Being obedient and faithful in our ordinary lives.
Having regular time of prayer and worship.
Reading the Bible regularly, if not daily!
We position ourselves to be used by God as we live a life that pleases Him,
being transformed and making outward the inward righteousness.
Taking up our cross, dying to self daily, refusing to compromise and bow to the status quo of the world around us.
In the ordinariness of our life God can shine – God WILL SHINE – and do amazing things.
Will you turn aside and check out the bush, like Moses did?
Will you remove your shoes, draw close, and receive your assignment?
Will you give the Lord permission to ignite your ordinary?
posted by Will Ravelob at the PHIAA e-group
There are many moments in life that reveal our character. On a few rare occasions, good times or blessing can reveal something about our personality. But it is more often the tough times that truly show what we’re made of and what we harbor in our inner person.
Nearly anyone can plan and anticipate situations that may come to pass – and to some extent plan how they will respond to those situations. Oftentimes, however, situations come upon us that we cannot anticipate, never in a million years. How we react at those painful or embarrassing or difficult moments is the most revealing insight into our basic nature.
C.S. Lewis saw this and wrote the following: “Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.”
When you are caught off guard, what is your first instinct? When you’ve been unexpectedly hurt or slighted, where do your thoughts lead? How many rats are there in YOUR cellar? What does it take for them to get loose?
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. – James 1:19-20
PRAYER: May we learn to react like Jesus in both the good and the bad moments in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
DayBreaksDevotions-WB Journal