I WILL REJOICE!

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, no fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls – Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17-18

The Lord knew that I needed this devotional this morning. I trust it will be a blessing to your life:

“At times it seems that everything around you is collapsing. Endeavors you invested in may fail. People to who you minister may disappoint you. The business or career you worked hard to build may crumble. These times, as difficult as they are, are opportunities to stop and examine what is truly important to you.

Habakkuk witnessed the collapse of most of what mattered to him. Yet through the loss, failure, and disappointment, he was able to distinguish between what was precious to him and what was transitory and empty. He came to the point where he could sincerely say that even in EVERYTHING around him failed, he still would rejoice in God. If the fig tree bore no fruit; if the vine produced no grapes; if the flocks and herds stopped reproducing; he would still praise God.

His praise might not come easily, as he watched everything fall short of his expectations, but he would praise God nonetheless. Habakkuk could not make fig trees produce figs. He could not control the productivity of the flocks and herds, but he could control HIS response to God. HE CHOSE TO PRAISE THE LORD!

Do things seem to be falling apart around you? You can still praise God. Your praise for Him does not depend on the success of your endeavors but on God’s nature and His love and faithfulness to you. Ask God to help you look past worldly concerns to understand the reasons you have to praise Him.”

From Experiencing God – The Devotional – Henry Blackaby (Broadman and Holman)

Something to think about: “Christians with the most spiritual depth are generally those who have been taken through the most intense and deeply anguishing fires of the soul. If you have been praying to know more of Christ, do not be surprised if He leads you through the desert or through a furnace of pain.” Mrs. Cowman

IF YOU LACK WISDOM … ASK

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

We all face those times in our lives when we are at our wits end. We face a challenge, a problem, a difficult situation, throw up our hands and say, “I don’t know what to do!” We find ourselves needing wisdom for the challenges and problems we face like:

* Paying bills

* Dealing with debt

* Problems with our businesses

* Challenges with our kids

* Issues with our boss or fellow employees

* Decisions about our future

The word “lack” means a deficit of some kind; a short-fall, a shortage.
We all face those times when we find ourselves backed into a corner and there is no apparent answer or solution to the challenge we are dealing with. We need wisdom – divine wisdom to help up us.

There is a difference between “education” and “wisdom.” One writer says, “Education givens you information and facts; but wisdom gives you principles, solutions, and answers. Wisdom gives you special insight that helps you know what to do. Wisdom contains the principles that will lead you out of that baffling situation and into a place where things begin to work again! Wisdom guides you to do what is right. Man has education, but God has wisdom.”

When you and I are lacking wisdom – we have the privilege of ASKING our heavenly Father for the wisdom needed to make right decisions. The word wisdom means to be adamant in requesting and demanding assistance to meet tangible needs. It also expresses the idea that the one asking has a full expectation to receive what has been firmly requested. And by the way – the word “ask” is not a suggestion, but a command!

Listen to what this devotional author wrote: “You see, God wants us to come to Him for wisdom FIRST instead of trying to figure things out on our own. Instead of relying on your EDUCATION and the books on your shelf to give you the answers that you need, go to GOD FIRST and firmly ask for wisdom. Approach Him with respect and honor, but also be bold.
As a child of God, you have a right to request wisdom from God when you need it.

When your mind is suddenly enlightened and you miraculously see exactly what you need to do or what steps you need to take, those problems that have seemed so mountainous will melt before you. You see, your biggest problem is not the one that is staring you right in the face. Your biggest problem is your lack of wisdom about how to deal with that situation.”

I know that today I am facing a difficult challenge. This verse today was EXACTLY what I needed for today. “If anyone is baffled and doesn’t know what to do … he should be bold to ask …” That’s what I am doing today! How about you? Are you needing wisdom? Cry out to him and ASK with boldness and confidence.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: In perplexities – when we cannot tell what to do, when we cannot understand what is going on around us – let us be calmed and steadied and made patient by the thought that what is hidden from us is not hidden from Him. Frances Ridley Havergal

STAY IN THE SECRET PLACE

“My voice shall thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” Psalm 5:3

Here is some practical advice on getting alone with God from one of America’s beloved devotional writers, A. W. Tozer:

“Retire from the world each day to some private spot, even if it be only the bedroom (for a while I retreated to the furnace room for want of a better place). Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God’s presence envelopes you.

Deliberately tune out the unpleasant sounds and come out of your closet determined not to hear them. Listen for the inward VOICE till you learn to recognize it. Stop trying to compete with others. Give yourself to God, and then be what and who you are without regard to what others think.

Reduce your interests to a few. Don’t try to know what will be of no service to you. Avoid the digest type of mind – short bits of unrelated facts, cute stories and bright sayings. Learn to pray inwardly every moment. After a while you can do this even while you work. Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility. Pray for a single eye. Read less, but read more of what is important to your inner life.

Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul. Practice spiritual concentration.” From TOZER ON CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP (CHRISTIAN PUBLICATIONS)

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: How to understand a Bible passage: Read it through. Think it clear. Write it down. Pray it in. Live it out. Pass it on. – Dr. Adrian Rogers

THE POWER OF PRAYER

“Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God.”
(Acts 12:5)

Do I really believe in the power of prayer. So much of what I do, I try to do in my own strength, and then when I am desperate, I pray. God has been showing me that this is one of the most powerful resources available to me – and yet how little I really use it.

This morning these words burned into my heart from STREAMS IN THE
DESERT:

“Prayer is the link that connects me to God. It is the bridge that spans every gulf and carries us safely over every chasm of danger or need. Do I really know the power of our supernatural weapon of prayer? Do I dare ask to use it with authority of a faith that not only asks but also commands? God baptizes us with holy boldness and divine confidence, for He is not looking for great people but people who will dare to prove the greatness of their God!

In my prayers, above everything else, beware of LIMITING God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking I know exactly what He can do.
Learn t expect the unexpected, BEYOND ALL that I ask or think.

So each time I intercede through prayer, first be quiet and worship God in His glory. Think of what HE can do, how He delights in Christ His Son, and on my place in Him – then expect great things.

Am I experiencing sorrow? Prayer can make my time of affliction one of strength and sweetness. Am I experiencing happiness? Pray can add a heavenly fragrance to my time of joy. Am I in grave danger from some outward or inward enemy? Prayer can place an angel by my side whose very touch could shatter a millstone into smaller grains of dust than the flour it grinds, and whose glance could destroy and entire army.

What will prayer do for YOU? My answer is this: Everything that God can do for you!” Streams in the Desert – Mrs. Cowman (Zondervan)

Will you join me on this prayer adventure? Are you willing to use the weapon that God has given us? I trust you will. And lets together expect great things!

Something to think about: “My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God.” – Oswald Chambers

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my door.” Proverbs 8:34

Yesterday was one of those incredible days of experiencing God is a wonderful way. I shared with you that we were having a special day of prayer to cry out to God about our finances. My prayer was that God would meet our need in a way that would point directly toward what only HE could do so that we couldn’t get the credit for the answers.

Well we had a very special answer to prayer. At the end of the day I stopped in to talk with our CFO and he said, “So is the $10,000 a part of an estate or just a gift?” I had a puzzled look on my face and said, “What $10,000 gift?” He explained who the gift was from and I went back to my office to read the letter that came with the gift.

I laughed and cried when I read the letter. The gift was from the Board of another ministry that was dissolving because their President had gone home to be with the Lord. I laughed because this lady was one of my dearest friend/mentor/encourager – Dr. B! If she had still be alive, she would have been right there with us yesterday participating in our day of prayer and encouraging us to trust a “Prayer-answering-God!”

Now the gift could have come several days ago and it would still be a blessing. But for it to come yesterday of all days was one of those “kissed-by-God” moments for me. A reminder that HE DOES ANSWER PRAYER. And He did it through someone who has already gone home! It was like Dr. B was saying to me from heaven: “Keep on truckin’ and trustin!”

My heart resonated with these verses in Psalm 28 from THE MESSAGE: “Blessed be God – He heard me praying. He proved He’s on my side. I’ve thrown my lot in with him. Now I’m jumping for joy, and shouting and singing my thanks to him!”

I will share some additional insights with you tomorrow, but please hear me: GOD IS A GOD WHO IS DELIGHTED WHEN HIS KIDS CRY OUT TO HIM! Have you talked to HIM lately? Today’s a great day to start doing it!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: “If we are to live out His plan carefully [for our lives], then besides consecration to Christ there must be daily consultation with Him, for He is the Master of the plan in all details. We should practice consulting Him about EVERYTHING, but especially about those things which seem like frustrations or contradictions.” – J. Sidlow Baxter

Crying Out To God in PRAYER

The ministry of America’s KESWICK is a faith ministry. It has been that for 110 years. Historically, we have had seasons where we have found ourselves in difficult spots financially and those have been exciting times because of our believe that God is the One who provides for our needs.

We have a rich historical perspective of crying out to God for Him to show up to display His glory during these crunch times. We are there right now. Our Board made a decision over 11 years ago not to borrow money from the bank, and it has been exciting to see HIM provide for our needs in ways that can all be traced back to HIM!

Today we are crying out to God to provide for our needs because we are facing a huge deficit. We don’t want to be behind in paying our bills as we believe it is not a good testimony to our vendors. We don’t want to borrow money from the bank. So we have made a commitment to cry out to the Lord as a staff.

I have a team who meet with me daily for prayer and we have been praying together for the past several weeks about our finances. We have looked at ways that we can make budget cuts and seek ways to be better stewards. We looked for all OUR answers to make it work, and then I was whacked on the side of the head — where is God in all of this? I was seeking all of OUR ways to make this happen. Is HE not able once again to demonstrate HIS power and glory? Doesn’t HE delight in HIS kids crying out for help?

I was reminded of one of my favorite chapters in the Scriptures. I first thought it was just my trying to force a passage to fit our current status except that in several places in the past three days it has come up in my devotional readings, and then our speaker in staff chapel referred to it yesterday. I encourage you to read it … Here are several verses that reappear four times in this text:

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting … Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them from their distresses.” (Psalm 107:1,6) Check it out. It will encourage your heart.

I don’t know HOW or WHEN HE is going to work, but I am thanking HIM today as we cry out to HIM. I do know this — that when the answer comes it will only be traceable to HIM.

If you would like to be a part of our day of prayer right where you are, respond to this email. We are looking to fill fifteen minute time slots beginning at 7:00 AM.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Sometimes we don’t feel like praying. But if there were ever a time that we need to pray, it’s when we don’t feel like it. We need to pray until we DO feel like it. — Adrian Rogers

Words of Encouragement

When you pray do you ever imagine who you are talking to and where He might be and what He might be doing?  Heb. 2:9 says “.. we see Jesus, .. crowned with glory and honor;” Picture Jesus on His royal throne with all of the holy angels and the saints that have gone before.
 
What do you think he might be talking about? In Hebrews 2:11&12 we read “… 11Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. 12He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
 
Can you believe that? He is not ashamed of you! He has never been disappointed with you. Disappointment comes from failed expectations. Since He knows all about us from our birth until your death, He has known what we are even when He chose to redeem us.
 
When I first realized that God has never been disappointed with me I cried. I am so often disappointed with my walk and lack of faithfulness. He is not just “not disappointed,” He is actually proud of you and me telling the angels all about us and how He can’t wait for them to meet us

How did Sin begin?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: What we surrender, God takes. What He takes, He cleanses. What He cleanses, He fills. What He fills, He uses. – Dr. Adrian Rogers

Before and during the time I’ve written the October Freedom Fighters, I’ve done five funerals in five weeks.  I can’t ever remember a similar time in almost forty years of ministry.  These five weeks have reminded me of the great need for rest from the trouble and pain of life and death on planet Earth.

I’ve sat in funeral home with families that live with grief and the pain of loss.  Some have lost a spouse.  Others have lost a mother or father.  Many have lost a good friend.  It hurts.  One man, standing at the casket of his wife of more than fifty years said, “I didn’t know it would hurt this much.” 

Jesus knew all the pain life can bring when He spoke the words Matthew recorded in his gospel (11:28-30).  He knew the stress that can invade our lives.  He knew the turmoil of troubled families, difficult jobs and loved ones who die too soon.  He knew we would need His help.

So, He invites us to come to Him.  He promised to give us rest.  He relieves us of the burden of sin and guilt.  Then He instructs us to take the Yoke and learn from Him.  Jesus tells us that the yoke is easy; it’s designed for each of us.  The burden is light.  He’ll teach us all we need to know.  He’ll protect us as we stay close to Him while walking in the yoke.  We’ll benefit from His wisdom as He shows us how to walk in the new life He’s given us.

Then He tells us the result of all it.  “And you will find rest for your souls.”  It’s the best rest ever!  It’s rooted in who Jesus is and His power to meet every need that comes our way.  When we lose jobs after a factory closes, He gives us rest for our souls.  If family members bring grief our way, His rest sustains us.  The loss of the one we love more than life itself doesn’t destroy us because His rest takes root in our souls.

It’s this simple: Jesus tells us to come to Him and receive forgiveness.  He tells us to come to Him and learn from Him.  He tells us that the result will always be the same—rest for our souls.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy lade, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Can you think of any good reason to do anything other than live in the yoke?  I sure can’t!  (Pastor John Strain)

We’ve considered Jesus’ invitation/instruction to come to Him and take His yoke for our own.  He expands the opportunity for us when He tells us that after taking the yoke and walking with Him, we can learn from Him.  I can’t think of anyone from whom I’d rather learn!

When the Apostle John   introduces us to Jesus in the first chapter of his gospel, he calls Jesus the logos.  He is the living embodiment of God’s Word.  He not only knows the Word, He is the Word!  When we receive the invitation to take the yoke and learn, we know we’re going to learn from God Incarnate—the Living Word!

He first invites us to come to Him, promising us that He will give us rest.  We’ve already learned that this rest is the rest we find in salvation.  Next, He instructs us to take the yoke.  It’s a different way for Jesus to say “Become my disciples.”  Disciples are learners.  So, Jesus calls us to discipleship and promises to be our teacher when we take the yoke.

Think about all we need to learn to live as Jesus calls us to live.  We all need to know about abiding in Christ (John 15).  How better to do that than to walk in the yoke with Jesus?  You and I need to know how to live in obedience.  Can we do better than to live in close relationship with Jesus as He teaches us how to live? 

We don’t think of it often, but we all live in danger.  The enemy of our souls lurks around us, looking for the perfect opportunity to attack.  Walking in the yoke with Jesus gives us opportunity to gain His wisdom for the war.  Without that wisdom, we’re sitting ducks waiting to be picked off.  Jesus knows that’s just one more reason we need the yoke.  It’s a safe and good place for those who follow Him.

What are you learning these days?  Do you have more knowledge of the world than you do the Word?  Do you live with Jesus in ways that allow you to learn from Him?  Jesus says “learn from Me.”  Don’t lose that opportunity.  It’s time for Freedom Fighters to get in the yoke. (Pastor John Strain)