Category: Whispers (Page 1 of 176)

There is so much we hide in our hearts, and God wants us to come clean with those things that need to go to the cross. We can’t fix ourselves, for only the Lord can forgive us, cleanse us and set us free. But He does want us to share the broken parts of ourselves with him so He can make us new. It feels good to come clean with the Lord, speak honestly with Him, give Him all our baggage and not try to worker harder to get free of our guilt. He already paid the price for our sin!

It is wonderful if we also find a spiritual mentor to help us through some of these times. Many others before us have gone through dry times and dark nights, and they can help us understand and guide us through. Instead of feeling we are going backward, we discover that the Lord is doing a deep work in us and calling us closer to Him. We are to be honest and open with Him, and also with others along the way as He directs. Our pride wants to hinder us from that, but let us be willing to humble ourselves so we can draw close to the Lord and set free.

We are assured the Lord will give us good gifts, as He knows better than we do what we really need. In chapter one He tells us to ask for wisdom, which I know I need, and to ask in faith and not doubt. James also says that every perfect gift is from above and comes from the Father, so we don’t need to fear. When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we cover a lot of ground as we are asking for His kingdom to come, His will to be done, for provision of our daily food, for forgiveness, to keep us from temptations and deliver us from evil.

But how do we ask? The Message translation says in Luke 11:10, “Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and -seek game we’re in.” We are to be open and honest as we ask our requests with faith. If we don’t get something the first time, we are not to just forget it. Like the song goes based on Luke 11, “Keep on asking, keep on seeking; keep on trusting, keep on believing; keep on praying more and more and more; keep on knocking at the door.”

Challenge for today: The next time you have a need, go first to the Lord and ask of Him, and remember to thank Him when the answer comes.

Dear Ones, Hope you have a blessed day. I made a layered dessert for company coming today and Al and I sampled it already!   

The question gets down to: whom are we really serving? Is it for the Lord and to please Him alone or is it that others should notice our efforts? If it is not out of love for the Lord that we serve, we will be disappointed when others don’t express their thanks for our labor. We will need an adjustment in our motives. In Colossians 3 Paul says, “Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.”

I keep going back in my mind to how Jesus gave us the ultimate gift of salvation by giving His life for us. We can never pay Him enough for rescuing us and we owe Him everything. No matter how much we do in this life, it can never compare to what He has done for us, so our serving others is only an expression of our gratitude and love. We deserve nothing and owe Him our very lives. Let us keep that in mind when we are tempted to complain of how our work is not fully appreciated, but instead thank the Lord for the opportunity to express His love.

I am presently reading the book of Proverbs and it was written especially for those who are simple and young and want to become wise. I think of the youth of our day that are being called to leave the worldly ways behind and seek to know and fear the Lord. Going the way of our society has only led further into ways that leave them feeling empty, lonely and lost. But what a beautiful sight to see many of them all across America joining with other Christians to hear, worship and serve the Lord!

The Lord waits for all of us to seek Him, gaining wisdom and understanding to follow His ways for our lives. When we submit to the Lord, it says in Proverbs 3 we will be blessed and have peace, prolonged lives, spiritual prosperity, good name, favor, etc. Wisdom calls to all of us and it says in Prov. 8:34-35, “Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.”

We are to be done with people-pleasing if we want to be God-pleasers. We need to stand strong in who we are in the Lord and not give undo attention to how we dress or how we come across to others. Jesus accepts us just as we are and when others reject us, we are to pray for them and not go into a tailspin. We pay a big price if we want to be popular with everyone rather than a God-pleaser.