Like the Deer

Living on the farm, we have the delightful joy of watching the deer gather, graze, and lounge beneath the shade trees.  It is so peaceful to watch them in the evening move about the property with such peace. We also have a cool, running creek on the property which draws these lovely deer to find tranquility and sustenance on the farm. 

My heart went to the Scriptures. I read in Habakkuk 3:19, "The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places."

I have noticed if a car drives swiftly by, it startles the deer and they will run toward the field, gracefully jump the cattle fence and flee to safety.  To watch them from the yard it is almost as if they air glide right over the fence without any effort or restraint. They are able to jump high fences without effort.
Both in 2 Samuel 22:24 and also in Psalm 18:33, we see the Scripture resound, "He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places."  God desires that you and I accelerate to high places in the Spirit realm. 
He has provided for us like the deer insomuch that we graze near streams of water and take ease in fleeing the hand of the enemy. We should also escape calamity gracefully and with extreme ease simply because our heart trusts in Him. We will jump obstacles placed in our path because the Lord has made our feet like hinds' feet.

Rewards

We love it when we find a great rewards program. We want an app or credit card with the most rewards. But when we think of heaven, I do not believe we can truly fathom what God has in store.  Scripture even confirms this thought in 2 Corinthians 2:9, "Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him." We cannot begin to imagine the rewards of what heaven will be like.

First of all, the City will be more than we could ever imagine - with streets made of pure gold and a crystal sea. The gates will be made of the finest pearl and jasper stone and will be so huge in size that it would blow our puny minds. It will be unlike anything we have ever seen before and more beautiful than we could ever conjure up.

Records are being kept of all we do for the Glory of God, including our monetary giving. Heaven keeps record of our smallest acts of kindness and love toward others. Oh, to know the love of God and treat others with that pure kind of love. Matthew 10:42 teaches us, "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." 

Eternal rewards await us for showing compassion on the needy (Luke 14:13-14) and treating our enemies with kindness (Luke 6:35).  Ephesians 6:7-8 declares that we will receive rewards in return for doing good works with a pure heart as unto the Lord, "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free."

Consider the kindnesses you could show to others and increase your heavenly rewards. That's the reward program I want to be a part of! The rewards are not only immediate, but eternal.

Winter Freeze

Every where you look you can see the handiwork of God.  “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:7-10)

Although we often complain, there is nothing quite as beautiful as the winter freeze.  When the weather of winter turns bitter cold, good things happen - all the germs disappear. The flies, spiders and other insects stop being our pests.  There is no more working outside and sweating profusely.  There is no garden or flowers to water. But what there is - is a reminder of the crisp clean canvas of the Holy Spirit doing His work in us.

God is amazing and there is nothing quite like a personal relationship with Him. And we can see the Glory of God in nature and all of creation. In Romans 1:20 Scripture declares, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

When the winter freeze takes your breath away, remember God is at work in you and in all creation. He knows exactly what He is doing and He has not forgotten your petitions.

Serving

Jesus taught unreservedly and exponentially about the joy and blessing of serving. He constantly preferred others. His concern was for the needs of people, not His own welfare.  And He taught that if we conducted ourselves with a compassionate heart of service like His, our lives would be followed by blessing. There are so many areas to be involved in serving your Church. 

Perhaps we need to ask ourself the following three questions. 

1. What is my purpose in the body of Christ?  
2. Where can I serve at my Church and impact others like Jesus?   
3. How can I use my God-given gifts to bless others and serve the Kingdom more effectively?
4. What am I doing to impact others for Christ?

In Matthew 20:26-28 Jesus taught, “…..Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you, must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Mankind and his carnal nature vies for position, prestige and recognition instead of simply acting on his faith in Christ alone. It is our transformed heart that should drive the believer to anxiously volunteer and serve the Church in any capacity. Getting connected at Harvest should be our passion. We should look for needs and seek to fill those needs. We should wave our hand and eagerly volunteer to fill places of service. 

Warning

There are times you will find a warning sign: Roadblock ahead. A storm may cause a large tree to be down across a roadway blocking the flow of traffic.  Or an accident may create a roadblock when the authorities stop all traffic or post bright orange road signs that detour you around the debris for safety purposes. Whatever the reason, a roadblock changes our pattern of direction.

Sometimes believers will face a roadblock to their financial giving to the House of the Lord.  One common roadblock is a change in the pattern of our heart called greed.  Scripture in Luke 12:15 encourages, "Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 

We know that Christ commands us to give. We also know that there are great blessings and rewards in giving unto the Lord.  As believers, we realize it is an act of obedience to give, yet sometimes we face a roadblock and giving seems hard to us.

We must realize that this earth is not our home.  Storing up treasure here where moth and rust destroys and thieves break in and steal - makes little sense.  Christ teaches us that where we place our treasure - that is where our heart is. (Matthew 6:19-20)

So let us daily reflect on the goodness of Christ our Savior and remember His grace and generosity toward us.  May we shun a heart of greed and walk in God's lovingkindness by maintaining a heart of giving. Blessing always follows.

Joy Just Ahead

The Psalmist sings out a loud song of testimony to the Lord. Psalm 30 records, "I will extol Thee, O' Lord; for Thou hast lifted me up and hast made my foes to rejoice over me.  O' Lord my God, I cried unto Thee and Thou hast healed me.  O' Lord Thou hast brought me up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.  For His anger endures but for a moment; in His favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."  

"And in my prosperity I said, I shall not be moved.  Lord, by Thy favor Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled.  I cried to Thee, O' Lord and unto the Lord I made supplication.  What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?  Shall the dust praise Thee?  Shall it declare Thy truth?  Hear, O' Lord and have mercy upon me: Lord, be Thou my helper.  Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent.  O' Lord my God, I will give thanks unto Thee forever."

Even in the Christian journey, there will be hard times and times of desperation.  There will be times when you need healing and God's sustaining power. But rejoice, because your mourning is about to be turned into dancing.  So dance and give God praise. His promises are faithful. I absolutely love verse 11.  God turns my downtrodden heart into dancing and binds me up with gladness. God is able to change any circumstance, so do not lose heart.

There may be moments when you feel as if your prayers are not being heard, but God is a strong tower.  He is working on your behalf to bring a solution.  Continue to trust because God will come through.

Disappointment

The next time you are disappointed about something, do not panic or act rashly to remedy your situation. And be mindful to not give up or become discouraged by your happenings. Simply, be patient and let God remind you that He is God and He is still in control of your situation. Often, disappointment is caused by unmet expectations. And God desires that we totally trust Him.  He will work all things together for our good and He knows our future.

Remember Scripture spoken by the prophet Isaiah, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts; your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. So you will go out in joy and be led with peace."

Most of the time, we truly do not understand or see the big picture of what God is doing in our lives. You must trust God that your steps are ordered by Him and He has your life in His control. Let God and let God do a mighty work in your life.

Our Rock

At times when our walk seems unstable and insecure, or when times arise that we are uncertain of tomorrow - we can be certain (without a doubt) that God divinely and Sovereignly guides, provides, and protects the steps we take in life. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delights in his way.”  Therefore, even when we feel our vision is blurred and our decision-making is completely unclear -  God is our Rock and sure Foundation. 

A builder understands how important it is to have a secure foundation. Precious time is given to ensure that the house being built is built on a foundation that is stable and firm. And Jesus Christ became our sure foundation at the very moment we surrendered to Him and accepted Him as Lord.

Daily, believers surrender their day to God in humble adoration. They pray to the Heavenly Father and surrender thanksgiving, confession, and requests for answers and blessings.  And daily they walk along making decisions that govern their future. But they are confidently able to walk in the wisdom of God because they have committed all things to His Trust. In Isaiah 28:16, the prophet Isaiah declares, "Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion...a sure foundation."  

So no matter how life seems around you right now - whether with earthquakes, tornados and hailstones of life - for the simple reason that you have made Christ the Lord of all. The foundation of your life will remain constant, steadfast and sure in Christ.  Simply for the reason God never stops being dependable and unchanging. If we hold onto the Hand of God as we walk through daily life - He will remain our constant, sure foundation, stable, unshakable and firm. Our rock.

Courage

When you face a battle, you must be strong and courageous.  Sometimes the battles we face are physical and sometimes they are spiritual. At times, we even face emotional battles or financial battles.  But whatever battle you face, you must place your trust completely in Christ.

In 2 Chronicles 32, Hezekiah sensed the fear of the people and encouraged them to, "Be strong and courageous!" We find, they were facing a vast army, and it seemed overwhelming to them, but this great leader reminded them who was fighting their battle. 

God is great and mighty. He goes before us and fights our battles. We must press on and be determined to have courage in the midst of fear. We must realize that we always win when God is on our side. He wipes out our enemies, He strengthens our inner being and He tackles the army of our adversary before they ever get to us. We can depend on Him. So be strong.

No Weapon

Did you realize that righteousness deletes oppression? The prophet Isaiah declares the Scripture, "In righteousness you will be established; you will be FAR from oppression; for you will not fear: and from terror; for it will not come near you." Many today suffer from oppression and it is only a device of the enemy to keep you downtrodden and your spirit hanging low. 

You have an adversary that desires to keep you in a state of mind that is controlled by the old sin nature and frustrated in fear and worry. I encourage you to stay constant in the Word and let the righteousness of God pick you up.

This oppression sets in when we forget that God is in control of our circumstances, not us. We cannot possibly control our life.  We would like to change our situations and manipulate the behavior of others to our benefit.  But it does not work like that. Often, our situation is just too big for us to handle or resolve alone. We do not have the answers. But no problem is too big or too difficult for God. He is Sovereign and Almighty.  And He desires that you and I allow Him to be in charge of our circumstances.

The prophet continues in Isaiah 54, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper..." God has "got your back!" (past tense - it's a done deal). We only need to learn to trust Him and ask Him daily to help us to overcome oppression and live in constant victory both in mind and spirit. So start now and fill up on the Word which possesses the life to change your world.