DELIGHTING IN THE LORD

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you shall dwell in the land, and
surely you will be fed. Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he shall
give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:3-4

“God’s Word makes it very clear to us that He Himself, by His Spirit,
resides in our bodies. They are called His temple, His habitation, His
residence here on earth (see 1 Corinthians 6:12-20).

In other words, both God and I are joint occupants of my body. We share
the same premises. We cohabitate in the one residence. He is, therefore,
my CONSTANT COMPANPION. An acute awareness of this [should] change my
entire attitude toward the Lord.

There will begin to dawn upon my spirit and soul the deep desire to
delight in HIS companionship. If we live together, love each other,
respect each other, then surely we are bound to enjoy each other. Too
often there is a tendency to try and make this simple relationship
between God and man to mystical; too mysterious; almost magical. It need
not be.

So how does one delight in God? Here are just a few simple suggestions.
Use the same five physical senses of your body that the world exploits
to intrude into your life, to make yourself aware, instead, of God.

1. Use your EYES to read His Word – to study it. Use them to revel
in the sublime beauties of His creation around you.
2. Use your HEARING to listen to the sounds of wind, waves,
streams, bird song, the laughter of children, great music.
3. Use your sense of SMELL to inhale the fragrances of flowers,
fresh earth after the rain, ozone off the sea, hay curing in the sun,
orchards in blossom. Thank Him for every perfume.
4. Use your TASTE BUDS to relish clear, cool water, delicious food,
the delicacy of fresh fruits and vegetables. All come from Him.
5. Use your sense of TOUCH to feel the smoothness of a rose, the
roughness of a tree bark, the warmth of sand between your toes, the
luxuriance of grass and pine needles beneath your feet, the hand of your
wife, husband, child, or sweetheart.

Every good and perfect gift comes to us in generous measure from our
God. On every side He surrounds us with an overwhelming outpouring of
His loving provision for our bodily welfare. Submerge yourself in His
generosity. Let an upwelling stream of gratitude and delight pour from
you in every ardent appreciation for His presence that surrounds you on
every side.

It is in Him that you live and move and have your being. And it is in
you that He lives and moves and has his very being. Become acutely,
intensely aware of His interrelationship. Revel in Him. Rejoice in Him.
Rest in Him. It is He who will impart to you His own exquisite desires.
It is He who will impress upon you His own divine designs. It is He who
will consummate all of these as you share life with Him, walking
together in sincere, calm, quiet harmony. Walking with God can be
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!” from the pen of devotional author and
lecturer, the late Phillip Keller (A Shepherd Looks at the Twenty-Third
Psalm) in his book, WALKING WITH GOD.

Great quote: Just as in prayer it is not we who momentarily catch His
attention, but He ours, so when we fail to hear His voice, it is not
because He is not speaking so much as that we are not listening. We must
recognize that all things are in God and that God is in all things, and
we must learn to be very attentive, in order to bear God speaking in His
ordinary tone without any special accent. A man must not stop listening
any more than praying when he rises from his knees. No one questions the
need of times of formal address to God, but few admit in any practical
way the need of quiet waiting upon God, gazing into His face, feeling
for His hand, listening for His voice. “I will hearken what the Lord God
will say concerning me.” God has special confidences for each soul.
Indeed, it would seem as though the deepest truths came only in moments
of profound devotional silence and contemplation. Charles H. Brent

FINDING GOD’S PRESENCE

On of the classic books that has ministered to millions is Brother
Lawrence’s PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD. Today’s devotional reading is
from this powerful little book.

How do you find the presence of God in your life?

1. First, you need to guard yourselves from doing, saying, or thinking
anything that would offend God, and you need to keep a short account
with Him. If you slip, go straight to Him and ask for His forgiveness.
We’re talking about purity of life.

2. Next, you need to keep your heart’s eye focused on God always,
remembering in love to stay quiet and humble before Him and not let your
worries or day-to-day problems get in the way or dray you off the path.

3. In addition, you need to warm up your spiritual muscles and focus on
the Lord before you begin any daily chores or regular work. That way
you’ll stay fixed on Him all the way through it and afterward. But don’t
get discouraged; it takes a long while and a lot of hard work to develop
this kind of habit. Once you’ve got it, though, a great abundance of joy
comes to live in your life.

Doesn’t it make sense that our hearts would be the first and last to
love and worship God, because the heart begins and ends all that we do?
After all, the heart – the center of life – powers the rest of our
bodies. The heart sets the pace, spiritual and otherwise. So it’s the
heart that lets us focus on God within in a way that’s natural and
simple, without a fancy plan or a complicated agenda.

4. When you’re coming into God’s presence, I’d suggest you describe your
feelings in a few words such as ‘I’m all Yours, Lord, “God of love, I
love You will all my heart,” or “Mold my heart to match Yours, God.” Or
tell God in your own way on the spur of the moment how you love Him –
whatever works for you.

In the process, though, be careful not to let your mind wander back to
thinking about everyday things. Stay close to God so your will can keep
your mind in line, focused on the Lord.

5. Working into this kind of presence of God is tough at first –
painful, even. But with a little practice, this habit will secretly
start doing things in your soul with incredible results. It’ll draw down
showers of God’s grace, and oh-so-quietly lead your right back to that
simple, 360-degree view of God. That kind of holy contact with the Lord
is the most real, yet the easiest kind of prayer anyone can pray. It’s a
prayer bursting with life.

6. Remember that drawing this close to the God takes denial – saying no
to stuffing our lives full of everything the world has to offer. Cut the
umbilical cord! No one who is still attached to worldly pleasures can
find full joy with God.” Adapted from Practicing the Presence of God by
Brother Lawrence and published by Navpress

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy;
at Your right hand are pleasures forever more.” Psalm 16:11

Great quote: I love that word “encourage” – when you do it, you
literally put “courage in” to that person. Someone who may be more
battered than you know, closer to going down or giving up than you could
imagine. You never know when your encouragement might literally be the
difference in that person’s life. When you’re bruised and hurting, it’s
that person in your corner who can get you back in the ring for another
round. Ron Hutchcraft

If Freedom Fighter is an encouragement to you, share it with a friend.
And we’d love to hear how it is encouraging you in your daily walk with
God. Drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

“God doesn’t want to discourage you or spoil you. Embrace the difficult
circumstances you find yourself in – even when you feel they will
overwhelm you. Allow God to mold your THROUGH the events He allows to
enter your life. This will make you flexible toward the will of God. The
events of life are like a furnace for the heart. All your impurities are
melted and your old ways are lost.

As for the humiliation you feel when you see your faults – simply see
how sensitive your self-love is. The pain you feel at your own
imperfection is worse that the faults themselves. Your problem really is
that you become so irritated by seeing YOUR faults. Learn to live with
yourself as you really are without being so upset. If you do this, you
will soon have peace.

Patiently endure the ups and downs of everyday life. Behind every
annoying circumstance, learn to see God governing all things. See that
He trains you THROUGH troubling situations as well as pleasant ones. The
intrusions that God sends you will in no doubt upset your plans and
oppose all that you want. But they will also chase you toward God. Sit
still before Him and yield your will to Him. Your unbending will shall
begin to learn flexibility.

EVERYTHING that comes from God’s hand produces good fruit. Sometimes the
annoyances that make you long for solitude are better for producing
humility than the most complete solitude could be. Use the circumstances
of each moment to the fullest. Sometimes an exciting book, or an
inspirational devotional time, or a deep conversation about spiritual
matters will make you feel extremely satisfied with yourself. You will
believe that you are farther along than you really are. TALKING about
the cross is not all the same as EXPERIENCING it.

So remember this: Do not seek annoying circumstances, but when they come
bear them in peace. It is easy to delude yourself! Do not seek God as if
He were far off in an ivory castle. He is found in the MIDDLE of the
events of your everyday life. Look past the obstacles and find Him.”
From THE SEEKING HEART by Fenelon, written over 400 years ago!

“And not only this … but we EXULT in our tribulations, knowing that
tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, produces
character; and proven character hope; and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through
the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

Great quote: When we are spiritually free, we do not have to worry about
what to say or do in unexpected, difficult circumstances. When we are
not concerned about what others think of us or what we will get for what
we do, the right words and actions will emerge from the centre of our
beings because the Spirit of God, who makes us children of God and sets
us free, will speak and act through us.

“Bow unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE all that
we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto HIM be
glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without
end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20, 21

“In the great prayer which Paul just prayed (see previous verses in
Chapter 3 of Ephesians), he had apparently reached the highest
expression possible of the life to which God’s mighty power could bring
the believer. In this doxology he rises still higher and lifts us up to
give glory to God as “able to do exceedingly abundantly ABOVE all that
we ask or think.” Pause a moment to think that EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY
means.”

Think of the words, “the exceeding great and precious promises.” Think
of “the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe according
to the working of the strength of His might which He wrought in Christ
when He raised Him from the dead.” Think of the grace of our Lord as
exceeding abundantly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus, so
that where sin abounded grace did abound more exceedingly.

He lifts our hearts to give glory to God as able to do “exceedingly
abundantly ABOVE all that we ask or think,” according to the greatness
of that power which works in us, nothing less that the exceeding
greatness of the power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. And as
our hearts begin to feel that there is here a prospect of something that
God will work in us beyond all our imagination, He lifts our hearts to
join in the universal chorus: “Now unto HIM be the glory in the Church
in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, forever and ever, Amen!

As we worship and adore, the call comes to believe in this Almighty God,
who is working in our hearts, according to His mighty power, able and
willing to fulfill every one of His exceeding great and precious
promises, and, where sin abounded, to prove that grace abounds more
exceedingly.”

Editorial Comment: I started to type this and “accidentally type “Bow”
unto Him rather than “Now” unto Him. But Andrew Murray’s concluding
statement is interesting …

“Paul began this great prayer, “I bow my knees to the Father.” He ends
it by bringing us to our knees, to give glory to Him as able to fulfill
EVERY promise, to reveal Christ dwelling in our hearts and keep us in
that life of love which leads to being filled with all the fullness of
God. Child of God, BOW in deep adoration, giving glory to God, until
your heart learns to believe: the prayer will be fulfilled, Jesus Christ
will dwell in my heart by faith. Faith in this Almighty God, and the
exceeding abundance of His grace and power will teach us that the
abiding indwelling of Christ in the heart is the secret of the abiding
presence.” From Andrew Murray’s devotional, GOD’S BEST SECRETS

Good words to think about and ponder as we take this day to corporately
worship HIM!

BEFORE YOU CALL I WILL ANSWER

I am always amazed, and shouldn’t be, at how many times in my morning
quiet time, the Lord gives me verses that I will need for the day.
Yesterday in my devotional reading of the Word, this verse appeared: “
… before they call, I will answer …” Isaiah 65:24.

Like many of you, we had torrential rains throughout the night Thursday
and into Friday. Around 1:30 PM yesterday, the sun came up and the
temperatures started dropping and along with that came high winds. A
large pine tree near our main building snapped was about to fall. Our
maintenance crew were in the process of trying to pull it in the
opposite direction as the way it was falling, it was obviously going to
take down the power lines that feed to the Raws Administration building.

While this seen is unfolding we had 250 ladies checking in for our fall
Women’s Weekend. The tree fell hitting another tree and broke the main
feed pole which took out the power in the Raws Building, Saint Memorial
Lodge and Victory Hall. We immediately called the power company, but our
experience in the past is it takes hours for them to respond.

Shortly after placing the call I heard the power trucks. Could it be?
Well it turns out that a crew just “happened” to be riding by the
property on 530 and noted that the fuses on the pull had popped. They
turned around and decided to come on our property to see what was up.
They hadn’t even been dispatched to the job! I chuckled in my heart …
“yes, Lord, before they call, You will answer.” The crew did an
outstanding job and by 9:45 PM power was restored and all the ladies
were able to sleep in their rooms.

Just another lesson for me of the awesome power of our great God. We
were also grateful to the Red Cross who were willing to bring cots,
blankets and pillows so that we could set up emergency housing for our
guests in the event that the power would not have been restored. It was
a pleasure to work with them.

Thank You, Lord, for your amazing answers to prayer EVEN BEFORE WE CALL!

Have a blessed day!

Great quote: In the total expanse of human life there is not a single
square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not
declare, That is mine! Abraham Kuyper

ACT MEDIUM

From the pen of Charles Swindoll …

“The children worked long and hard on their little cardboard shack. It
was to be a special spot – a clubhouse, where they could meet together,
play and have fun. Since a clubhouse has to have rules, they came up
with three:

Nobody act big.
Nobody act small.
Everybody act medium.

Not bad theology!
In different words, God says the same thing:
“Give preference to one another in honor.” (Romans 12:10)
“Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.”
(Philippians 2:3)
“Through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)
“Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slaves.” (Matthew
20:26-27)
“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not
your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2)

Just ‘act medium.’ Believable. Honest, human, thoughtful, and down to
earth. Regardless of your elevated position or high pile of honors or
row of degrees or endless list of achievements, just stay real!

Junk any idea that you deserve some kind of super recognition for a job
well done. Who did you do it for anyway? If you did it for God. He has
an infinite number of unseen ways to reward you. If you did it for human
glory, no wonder you’re seeking the credit! So easy to draw out that
praise for yourself, isn’t it? Ye olde ego is a wily one!

Just “act medium.”

Again, what Solomon said? “Let another praise you … a stranger, and
not your own lips.”

Meaning what? Meaning no self-reverence to some enviable accomplishment.
Meaning refusal to scratch a back when yours itches. Meaning no desire
to manipulate and manufacture praise. Meaning authentic surprise when
applauded.

Like the inimitable Principal Cairns, headmaster of an English School,
who was walking onto the platform along with other dignitaries. As he
stepped up, a burst of spontaneous applause arose from the audience. In
characteristic modesty, Cairns stepped back to let the man behind pass
by … as he began to applaud his colleague. He genuinely believed the
applause was for another.

Just “act medium.”

But one final warning: Don’t try and to fake it. False humility stinks
worse than raw conceit.

The answer is not in trying to APPEAR worthless or ‘wormy.’ The answer
lies in consistently taking notice of others’ achievements, recognizing
others’ skills and contributions … and saying so. That’s called
serving others in love. And that’s what Christ did.

Got the rules memorized?

“Nobody act big. Nobody act small. Everybody act medium.” Such good
advice from a clubhouse full of kids who, by the way, are pretty good at
practicing what they preach.” From The Finishing Touch – Becoming God’s
Masterpiece, published by Word.

Good words for today!

ANOTHER WHACK ON THE HEAD

One of the dangers that we face in our lives is thinking that the more
we DO for God the more He will love us. We sometimes think the BUSYNESS
is a sign of an effective, mature believer. The bottom line is that God
is more interested in us BEING first than doing. The DOING is an
outgrowth of our RELATIONSHIP with Him and will be more balanced if we
keep the proper perspective.

Today’s thoughts from Oswald Chambers help us with an understanding of
that proper perspective:

“The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical
work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the system of
the world. This work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no
PRIVATE life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus
said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation … for indeed,
the kingdom of God is WITHIN you.’ (Luke 17:20-21) It is a hidden,
obscure thing. AN ACTIVE CHRISTIAN WORKER TOO OFTEN LIVES TO BE SEEN BY
OTHERS, WHICH IS THE INNERMOST, PERSONAL AREA THAT REVEALS THE POWER OF
A PERSON’S LIFE.

We must get rid of the plague of the spirit of this religious age in
which we live. In our Lord’s life there was none of the pressure and the
rushing of tremendous activity that we regard so highly today, and a
disciple is to be like His Master. THE CENTRAL POINT OF THE KINGDOM OF
JESUS CHRIST IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, NOT PUBLIC USEFULNESS
TO OTHERS.

Your strength lies in being immersed in the truths of God to soak in you
before Him. You have no idea of where or how God is going to engineer
your future circumstances, and no knowledge of what stress and strain is
going to be placed on you either at home or abroad. And if you waste
your time in over-activity, instead of being immersed in the great
foundational truths of God’s redemption, then you will snap when the
stress and strain do come. But if this time of soaking before God is
being spent in getting rooted and grounded in Him, which may APPEAR to
be impractical, then you will remain true to Him WHATEVER happens.” My
Utmost for His Highest

Take time today to allow the Word of God to soak into Your heart. You
cannot negate your own personal time with the Lord just because you are
busy. As NIKE said – JUST DO IT! 🙂

Great Quote: Wherever God’s finger points, His Hand will clear the way.
Never say in your heart what you will or will not do but wait until God
reveals HIS way to you. As long as that way is hidden, it is clear that
there is no need of action that HE holds Himself accountable for all the
results of keeping you exactly where you are.

IT’S NOT FOR THE GIPPER

You might think that I have lost my marbles … hang on … stay with
me. President Ronald Reagan used the phrase often … “Win on for the
gipper” or “Let’s do it for the gipper.” One of Reagan’s nick name was
the “gipper” coined after a baseball friend whose name was George Gipp.
He died at an early age from a throat infection.

Before dying he told the coach that someday they were going to be
playing with their backs up against the wall and not sure what to do.
Tell them to go out there and “do it for the gipper.”

Some of us get frustrated in life in the areas where we work. We THINK
we are doing what we do for a boss or an organization or a Board. We
work and serve in an imperfect world surrounded by imperfect people and
sometimes forget who we are really serving.

“Abraham Lincoln once made these two statements, as he evaluated the
decisions he was making in his attempts to heal a worn-torn nation:

‘I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at
the end, when I come to lay down the reins in power, I have lost every
other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that
friend shall be down inside me.’

‘I do the very best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep
doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said
against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all
wrong, then a legion of angels swearing I was right will make no
difference.’

‘Whatever you are doing, and in whatever conversation you find yourself
engaged give it:
* Your whole heart
* Your undistracted attention
* And your maximum energy.

Give your all to each task you choose to do; give you best creativity to
each idea you ponder. You may not be the greatest success in the world,
but you will have made a success of YOUR world.” (from “God’s Little
Devotional Book for Leaders”

But it goes beyond that … the bottom line is that we need to
continually remind ourselves of what the Apostle Paul says … “And
WHATEVER YOU DO, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men … And
WHATEVER YOU DO in WORD or IN DEED … do ALL in the name of the Lord
Jesus …” (Colossians 3:23; 17)

Today, go out and give it your best – not for the gipper, but for the
Lord!

Great quote: It has been well said that no man ever sank under the
burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden
of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load
yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least
remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the
future to Him, and mind the present. — George Macdonald

SOMETHING SERIOUS TO PONDER

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through
which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians
6:14

“They were people who were living to themselves. Their hopes, promises,
and dreams still controlled them, but the Lord began to fulfill their
prayers.

They had asked for a repentant heart and had surrendered themselves with
a willingness to pay any price for it, and He sent them sorrow.
They asked for purity, and He sent them sudden anguish.
They had asked for meekness, and He had broken their hearts.
They had asked to be dead to the world, and He killed all their living
hopes.
They had asked to be made like Him, so He placed them in the refiner’s
fire.
They had asked to help carry His cross, yet when He held it out to them,
it cut and tore their hands.
They had not fully understood what they asked, but He had taken them at
their word and granted them all their requests.
They had been unsure whether to follow Him such a long distance or
whether to come close to Him. Yet there was an awe of Him … The
disciples were so filled with awe, they felt like asking Him to either
depart from or to hide His glory.

They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to work than to give up, to
carry the cross to hang upon it. But now they could not turn back, for
they had come too close to the unseen cross of the spiritual life, and
it’s virtues had pierced them too deeply.

Now at last their opportunity had come. Earlier they had only HEARD of
the mystery, but now they felt it. He had fastened His eyes of love on
them, as He had on Mary and Peter, so they could only choose to follow
Him. And little by little, from time to time, with quick glimmers of
light, the mystery of His cross shone upon them.

They say Him “lifted up from the earth” and gazed on the glory that
radiated from the wounds of His holy suffering. As they looked upon Him,
they approached Him and were changed into His likeness. His name shone
out through them, for He lived within them. Their life from that moment
was one of inexpressible fellowship solely with Him above. They were
willing to live without possessions that others owned and that they
could have had, in order to be unlike others so that would be more like
Him.

This is the description of all those who throughout the ages who “follow
the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). If they had chosen
selfishly for themselves or if their friends had chosen for them, they
would have made other choices. Their lives would have shone more
brightly here on earth but less gloriously in HIS kingdom.

Yet God strengthened them and protected them, even from themselves.
Often in His mercy He held them up when they otherwise would have
slipped and fallen. And even in this life, they knew all that He did was
done well. They knew it was good to suffer in this life so they would
reign in the one to come; to bear the cross below, to wear a crown
above; and to know that not their will but His was done in them and
through them.” Adapted from Streams in the Desert

Very powerful words for us to consider today. Something serious to
ponder …

Great quote: Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens. Give me a
willing heart to bear the burdens of others. Give me a believing heart
to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord. John Baillie

HIS ROAR IS WORSE THAN HIS BITE

Our dumb dog Crystal is really a good watchdog. Her bark is quite
impressive. It is so loud that when she barks the ground beneath you
shakes. But deep down, she is a big baby and loves people. But if you
didn’t know her personality or were acquainted with her, she would scare
you.

The enemy of our souls, Satan, is like that. We need to not dwell on him
and make him our focus, but neither should we be like an ostrich burying
our heads in the sand. We need to be aware of his methods and devices
and also become acquainted with his ways.

Peter wrote in his letter “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
adversary, the devil, prowls about LIKE a roaring lion, seeking someone
to devour. But resist him, firm in YOUR faith, knowing that the same
experiences of suffering are be accomplished by your brethren who are in
the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

My friend, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. And the
reality is that Satan DOESN’T love you and has a plan for your life. He
is always on the prowl seeking someone to “gobble up and destroy.” His
ways and methods are so subtle. He and his crew are desperately
unfurling and unleashing their wicked ways to try and take you and me
out of the race. We must remember that while he is walking around
seeking someone to devour – he is already a defeated foe!

But I love what one writer said: “If Satan is/was defeated, why does he
still control “the lie?” In reality, his fangs have been removed and he
has been declawed, but if he can deceive you into believing that he can
chew you up and spit you out, he can control your behaviors. In reality,
he is faking Christians into defeat!” Wow!

My dear brothers and sisters, this is why we need to be in the WORD
constantly. This is the instruction manual for life to keep is alert and
sober in these evil days. Remember today – his roar is worse than his
bite. Don’t fear him – resist him!

Good words to consider for today.

Great quote: “Those who have been gripped by the power of the Holy
Spirit and are used for God’s glory are those who have been broken in
their finances, broken in their self-will, broken in their ambitions,
broken in their lofty ideals, broken in their worldly reputation, broken
in their desires, and often broken in their health.” _Mrs. Cowman –
Streams in the Desert.