GOD’S ASSIGNMENTS: OPEN DOORS

“…I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down…”—Nehemiah 6:3

 

After Nehemiah head about the desperate condition of the Jews who had returned from exile to Jerusalem, his heart was burdened, “And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and the gates are burned with fire.’  So it was, when I [Nehemiah] heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days: I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1: 3-4).  God got Nehemiah’s attention by hearing about the extremely difficult conditions of the Jews and then He revealed His assignment to him. (Read all of Nehemiah).

 

Although Nehemiah was not near Jerusalem, and was a servant of the king he still felt the weightiness of the assignment.  Some times the word “burden” is used to describe when an individual feels that God wants her or him to do something.  But, if I use the term “weightiness” I think it best describes the feelings that are often associated with an assignment by the Lord.  When the assignment is from the Lord, the “weightiness” is like an even pressure distributed over your personage; however, if it is a false “weightiness (burden) then it is pressure only in one area.  The enemy uses this tactic to get us off course and to not complete our assignment. 

 

Whenever God gives us an assignment He will open a door to accomplish His will.  In this case, the Lord used Nehemiah’s sad expression and desperate prayer to prepare a pagan king to send him on his assignment (Nehemiah 2:2). 

 

How do you respond when you sense that the Lord is calling you to a task that seems beyond your abilities?  Do you list all the reasons why you can not possibly do it?  God already knows everything about you and the situation.  He is not asking your permission to proceed; rather, He is calling you to move forward with faith and obedience.  He did not make an error in choosing you for the assignment.  God will equip you for whatever He calls you to do.  Also, He always provides for the assignment.  He does not send you out to fail and He will provide people to help you complete the assignment. 

 

Even though the enemy sends distractions through objections as to why you cannot complete the assignment, do not fear; God is on your side and determine not to: “come off the wall”—be persistent to complete your assignment, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). 

 

Prayer—Father I ask You to shut the mouths of those who speak against me and those who have come against the assignment that You have given to me, and I ask You to strengthen me for the task to bring it to completion, in Jesus Name.  Amen. 

 

 

 

START WHERE YOU ARE

“Then Jesus said to then, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”—Mark 1:17

 

The purpose for Pentecost was not only for empowerment, but also to enable the Christian believer to hear and recognize that God is ever present in our lives.  The early Christians soon learned that through the Holy Spirit that He leads, guides, speaks, directs and orchestrates life events.  The Holy Spirit is still the same today.  He has not left you.  You are not alone.  When you cooperate with God’s presence in your life, He enables you to go beyond your natural abilities to unite with Him in purpose and productivity.   

 

Jesus is still speaking to people just like He did to Simon and Andrew, “…Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).  Peter became a fisher of men and wrote in his second epistle that God “has given us everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3 my own emphasis added).  Notice the tense of the verb—has.  It has already happened.  Be like Moses.  If God lays on your heart to cross the sea, He will enable you to do it.  If it is to build, buy or start something new, He will help you complete it.  You are a child of God who has inherited riches beyond your ability to conceive.  You have been given everything you need—to do what God has called you to do.  And remember that you must start where you are and use what you have.  It is enough when you are following Him.

 

Prayer—Lord thank You for giving to me Your Holy Spirit.  Thank You that Your presence empowers me to do what You have asked me to do with Your help I will begin today to _____________.  Thank You for leading and guiding me and bringing godly people into my life, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

CHRIST FILLS THE VOID OF LONELINESS

 “…for He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”—Hebrews 13:5

 

People all over the world struggle with loneliness; however human beings were not designed to walk through this world alone.   Loneliness can cripple a person emotionally and spiritually.  We are made for relationship, which God gladly supplies.  

 

Have you ever noticed that throughout Jesus’ life that He would say things like, “I must be about my Father’s business,” and “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working?” (Luke 2:49, John 5:17).   He was the first person that ever called God His Father, and through this we see how His life demonstrated that intimate connection with the Heavenly Father.  The Heavenly Father desires our companionship just like He did in the Garden before the fall.  In the Garden, He called out to Adam and Eve seeking them, “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).  God has not changed; He is still seeking those who are separated from Him and feel alone, “For the son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).  Only Christ can fill the void of loneliness in your life.  No man, no woman, no child, no object, or animal was ever created to take the place in our hearts that is reserved for God Himself.  He has said, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

 

Even when we feel that we are alone and that no one cares, nothing can compare to drawing near to God “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8).  God wants every believer to completely trust that He is near.  And in case we forget that the Lord is near, He gave the Bible this consistent theme: I love you and I am with you always.  People need one another—Look around you and allow the Holy Spirit to use you to bear another’s burden in some way.  When we help others, our problems do not look as big.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You for reminding me that You are with me always.  I ask You to open my eyes to see someone that I can help with the resources that You have given to me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

GOD HAS A PLAN OF RESCUE

“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.  Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name, my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”—Psalm 63: 3-5

 

Jericho was completely shut off from the children of Israel.  No one could go in or out of the city.  Rahab, the harlot, and her family were shut-up within this city.  The army of Israel was on the outside of the walls.  The same people whom Rahab had helped were now encamped against her city. 

 

Today you may be facing a similar situation as Rahab, and feel completely shut off from any help or solution to a problem.   Perhaps you have rescued some of God’s children, and you yourself, now need to be rescued.  I want to encourage you today that just as God had a plan for rescuing Rahab and her family; He has a plan to rescue you.  He is saying to you today: in the day of trouble I will come to you I will rescue you.  I will never leave you.  I will never forsake you.     

 

The very plan that God gave to Joshua to take the city of Jericho was the plan that rescued Rahab.   Because God honors His Word above His Name, He will honor His Word that He has given to you.  The plan that God gave to Joshua and the army of Israel was to march around the city once a day for six days not saying a word.  Seven priests were to carry seven rams’ horns before the ark; however the seventh day the army was to march around the city seven times and then the priest were to blow the ram’s horn.  When the people of Israel heard the sound of the trumpet they were to shout with a great shout.  The army of Israel and the priest obeyed the plan of the Lord.  On the seventh day they went around the city seven times, and when the people heard the blast of the ram’s horn a loud shout went up and the walls of the city fell down.  Rahab and her family were the only people in the city whose lives were spared that day because they put their faith in a delivering God (Joshua 6).

 

The word “shout” as used in this scripture means to shout for joy, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.   Praise according to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary means, “The act of glorifying or extolling God.”  Praise means speaking well of, extolling, or magnifying the virtues of someone.  Praise comes from a close relationship with God.  Praise must always be vocal.  It is not silent.  Thanksgiving occurs when we whisper a prayer of thanks to God.  But, praise occurs when we tell someone else about God’s goodness.

 

One of the words used for praise in the book of the Psalms is shabach.  In Psalm 63:3-4 David says, “Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee [shabach].  Thus will I bless thee while I live.”   David was saying that he would give a loud shout for joy unto the Lord.  There is a time when it is appropriate to give a loud shout of praise unto the Lord.  This is the kind of praise that STOPS the Devil and advances the plans of God.

 

Put your faith in God’s delivering plan; begin to shout the praises of God, and see the Devil’s plan stopped and God’s plan advance.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that you have given me a weapon of praise to use to stop the Devil and advance your plan, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

CRY OUT TO GOD FOR HELP WITH DISCOURAGEMENT

“Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything [without weakening].”—1 Corinthians 13:7

 

David wrote Psalm 38 at a time that he was very discouraged.  He was a man whom God said was “after His own heart,” and yet here we see him downcast and discouraged, struggling and crying out in distress to God. “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart, My heart pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes it also has gone from me. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response” (Psalm 38:6, 8, 10, 13-14).

 

Reading this Psalm, we get a picture of a man who is plagued by discouragement.  His soul is “cast down” to the point that all he could do was cry.  This is a man who hungered for the Lord and daily poured out his heart to Him in prayer and worship.  But now, discouragement has settled in on him and he can see no way out of this situation.

 

Many Christians are discouraged, and like David are trying to figure out why they feel so empty and broken in spirit. In this state, the enemy brings every failure, sin and foolish deed before them.  He then brings the thought to their minds, “Am I so wounded that I am beyond hope?” 

 

Even at his lowest point, David would not allow himself to excessively indulge in unbelief. Because of David’s relationship with God, He continued to cry out to Him in faith. “For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God” (vs. 15).

 

Today, you can cry out in faith to God for His help.  God is a God of love and His love never fails, even when we do.  His love is unconditional.  He loves you because He is love and He does not withdraw it from you—ever.   I Corinthians 13: 4-8a list the remarkable characteristics of God’s love. 

 

“Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy; is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited—arrogant, and inflated with pride; it is not rude (unmannerly), and does not act unbecomingly. Love [God’s love in us] does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it—pays no attention to a suffered wrong. It does not rejoice in injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything [without weakening].   Love never fails—never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end” [emphasis added].

 

As you mediate upon these Scriptures, strength and courage will come to your heart knowing that you can trust in God’s love for you; therefore, leaving no room for discouragement to grow.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that Your love dwells in my heart by faith, and where there is love discouragement cannot have a place in me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

JESUS RESPONDS TO THE CALL FOR HELP

“In the multitude of my (anxious) thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!—Psalms 94:19 (Amplified)

 

I personally do not know of anyone who has not experienced a time of testing and trials, in their life.  The Apostle Paul gave us an example of his mind set concerning what he was going through when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 that, “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed.”  In essence he was saying, we may be going through hard times, but we are not going to be overwhelmed by them.  Today you may be experiencing some difficult times, but I want to encourage you.   You Are Going To Make It!  God will never leave you, nor forsake you.  He will never leave your side.  He is always with you, always willing to calm the storms of life. 

 

A man brought his son to Jesus’ disciples for a mute spirit to be cast out.  The disciples did not have any success in casting out the mute spirit, so when Jesus came up to see what was happening, He asked the scribes what were they talking about.  The father replied that he had brought his son for deliverance of a mute spirit that would seize his son, throw him to the ground, and cause him to foam at the mouth and gnash his teeth.  Jesus had the son brought to him, and told the father when he questioned if Jesus could cast out the spirit, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:14-27). 

 

Although the father had witnessed the distressing trial of the demon spirit seizing his son from time-to-time, the father still called out for help.  Jesus is still responding to the call for help even when times seem the darkest saying, “if you can believe, all things are possible.”  Furthermore, Jesus is not intimidated when the devil puts on a show.  The Scripture says that the enemy goes about as a roaring lion…he is not a lion. When your heart seems to be overwhelmed with anxious thoughts, remember that the Father has never left your side.  Reach out to Him with faith today; He is the peace in the storm.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that You are always with me even when I am not aware of Your presence. You are there, in Jesus Name, Amen.         

GOD HAS PEOPLE TO HELP YOU

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen; to the glory of God through us.”—2 Corinthians 1:20

 

Many grandparents have remarked to me that their homes are “YES” homes when their grandchildren come to visit.  Whatever the grandchild or great-grandchild asks for, the answer is always “yes!”  A conversation with a grandchild or great-grandchild usually goes something like this…

“Can I have some cookies?”

 “Yes.”

“Can we play a game?”

“Yes.”

“Can I have some ice cream?”

“Yes?”

“Can I have some ice cream before dinner?”

“Yes.”

“Can I have ice cream with dinner?”

“Yes.”

Whatever the grandchild/great-grandchild wants always results in a “Yes” response. 

 

When I was very young, our family was visiting my grandparents, and my mother laid me down for a nap.  My grandmother was in the bedroom next to the one that I was to be napping in; however, I very much wanted to see my grandmother instead of taking a nap, so I quietly got down from the bed, and made my way into my grandmother’s room.  Her welcoming love filled arms were outstretched to me as I struggled to climb into the big bed with her.  Although my grandmother was a double amputee and her hands were very crippled with arthritis, she helped me get up into the bed.  In essence, she was telling me “yes,” and I will help you come to me.  I do not remember the conversation we had, but I still remember the feeling of contentment as I lay with my grandmother that warm spring afternoon.   

 

I have often reflected on the memory with my grandmother and it reminds me that all of God’s promises are yes and amen!  Today remember that your life is full of promises that are yet to be fulfilled.  Do not give up!  Lift up your outstretched arms to your heavenly Father who desires to fulfill all of His good promises to you.  He loves you and there are people who are ready and willing to help you reach your promises.  Phoebe was a woman who helped many people including the Apostle Paul.  “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord, in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper, of many and of myself also” (Romans 16:2).

 

Prayer—Father I thank you for Your promises to me.  Thank You for the people who are ready and willing to help me reach the promises You have made to me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

GOD HAS A PLAN TO RESCUE YOU

“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.  Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name, my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”—Psalm 63: 3-5

 

Jericho was completely shut off from the children of Israel.  No one could go in or out of the city.  Rahab, the harlot, and her family were shut-up within this city.  The army of Israel was on the outside of the walls.  The same people whom Rahab had helped were now encamped against her city. 

 

Today you may be facing a similar situation as Rahab, and feel completely shut off from any help or solution to a problem.   Perhaps you have rescued some of God’s children, and you yourself, now need to be rescued.  I want to encourage you today that just as God had a plan for rescuing Rahab and her family; He has a plan to rescue you.  He is saying to you today: in the day of trouble I will come to you I will rescue you.  I will never leave you.  I will never forsake you.     

 

The very plan that God gave to Joshua to take the city of Jericho was the plan that rescued Rahab.   Because God honors His Word above His Name, He will honor His Word that He has given to you.  The plan that God gave to Joshua and the army of Israel was to march around the city once a day for six days not saying a word.  Seven priests were to carry seven rams’ horns before the ark; however the seventh day the army was to march around the city seven times and then the priest were to blow the ram’s horn.  When the people of Israel heard the sound of the trumpet they were to shout with a great shout.  The army of Israel and the priest obeyed the plan of the Lord.  On the seventh day they went around the city seven times, and when the people heard the blast of the ram’s horn a loud shout went up and the walls of the city fell down.  Rahab and her family were the only people in the city whose lives were spared that day because they put their faith in a delivering God (Joshua 6).

 

The word “shout” as used in this scripture means to shout for joy, according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.   Praise according to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary means, “The act of glorifying or extolling God.”  Praise means speaking well of, extolling, or magnifying the virtues of someone.  Praise comes from a close relationship with God.  Praise must always be vocal.  It is not silent.  Thanksgiving occurs when we whisper a prayer of thanks to God.  But, praise occurs when we tell someone else about God’s goodness.

 

One of the words used for praise in the book of the Psalms is shabach.  In Psalm 63:3-4 David says, “Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee [shabach].  Thus will I bless thee while I live.”   David was saying that he would give a loud shout for joy unto the Lord.  There is a time when it is appropriate to give a loud shout of praise unto the Lord.  This is the kind of praise that STOPS the Devil and advances the plans of God.

 

Put your faith in God’s rescuing plan; begin to shout the praises of God, and see the Devil’s plan stopped and God’s plan advance.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that you have given me a weapon of praise to use to stop the Devil and advance your plan of rescue for me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

LEAVE NO ROOM FOR DISCOURAGEMENT

“Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything [without weakening].”—1 Corinthians 13:7

 

David wrote Psalm 38 at a time that he was very discouraged.  He was a man whom God said was “after His own heart,” and yet here we see him downcast and discouraged, struggling and crying out in distress to God. “I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart, My heart pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes it also has gone from me. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth is no response” (Psalm 38:6, 8, 10, 13-14).

 

Reading this Psalm, we get a picture of a man who is plagued by discouragement.  His soul is “cast down” to the point that all he could do was cry.  This is a man who hungered for the Lord and daily poured out his heart to Him in prayer and worship.  But now, discouragement has settled in on him and he can see no way out of this situation.

 

Many Christians are discouraged, and like David are trying to figure out why they feel so empty and broken in spirit. In this state, the enemy brings every failure, sin and foolish deed before them.  He then brings the thought to their minds, “Am I so wounded that I am beyond hope?” 

 

Even at his lowest point, David would not allow himself to excessively indulge in unbelief. Because of David’s relationship with God, He continued to cry out to Him in faith. “For in You, O Lord, I hope; You will hear, O Lord my God” (vs. 15).

 

Today, you can cry out in faith to God for His help.  God is a God of love and His love never fails, even when we do.  His love is unconditional.  He loves you because He is love and He does not withdraw it from you—ever.   I Corinthians 13: 4-8a list the remarkable characteristics of God’s love. 

 

“Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy; is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited—arrogant, and inflated with pride; it is not rude (unmannerly), and does not act unbecomingly. Love [God’s love in us] does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it—pays no attention to a suffered wrong. It does not rejoice in injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything [without weakening].   Love never fails—never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end” [emphasis added].

 

As you mediate upon these Scriptures, strength and courage will come to your heart knowing that you can trust in God’s love for you; therefore, leaving no room for discouragement to grow.

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that Your love dwells in my heart by faith, and where there is love discouragement cannot have a place in me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

ANGER REACHES THOSE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY

“Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways, and set a snare for your soul”—Proverbs 22:23-24

 

Anger can wreak havoc on both the body and soul, but its tentacles reach beyond the individual and wrap around everyone in close proximity.   Bitter outbursts and silent resentment are not just our own personal issues.

 

An angry spirit is contagious.   It is passed from one person to another—and from one generation to the next.  Workplaces can become tense environments full of caustic words and attitudes.   Anger turns homes into battlegrounds of verbal explosions or silent hostility.   Even churches suffer from malicious gossip and fights over personal preferences.

God created us to live in fellowship with others, but anger can poison our relationships. Tragically, those closest to us are the ones who suffer the most.   Children learn to respond to life's situations by observing their parents' example.   They then develop similar attitudes and patterns of behavior.   We need to give serious thought to what kind of heart we are passing down to our sons and daughters.

 

Thankfully, God is in the heart-changing business.   Just as we learn an angry person's ways by association, so we can learn right-eous ways by walking closely with the Lord.   Christ calls us to come, learn from Him—and find rest for our souls “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 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 fro your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

 

Which would you prefer: churning anger or Christ's peace? Both require sacrifice.   To maintain anger, you might have to forfeit healthy relationships and a godly heritage for your descendants.   But to acquire peace, ask God to help you leave your grudges, personal rights, and insults on the altar.  Why not do that today?

 

Prayer—Father I give you my anger towards_________________.  I repent for harboring ill feelings, resentments, grudges, and anger and I ask You to forgive me.  I ask You to deliver me from a spirit of anger and that Your peace to flood my mind and heart, in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

HELP IS ON THE WAY

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” –3 John 2

 

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul states how the help that he received from them was like a “sweet-smelling aroma an acceptable sacrifice.”   “Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.  Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.  Indeed I have all and abound, I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God, shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:15-19).  Furthermore, he pointed out that they were the only ones who had helped and partnered with him in these efforts.

 

Although there are difficulties in life, God has promised to us help.  In our scripture, the Greek word (euodoo) “prosper” means to get help on the road, to succeed in business affairs and to have a prosperous journey.  As Christians, we are, “to walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Our heavenly Father knows that while we are walking by faith it will not be easy and euodoo promises us ‘help on the way.’ 

 

Whatever you may be facing today begin to say with all confidence, help is on the way. The Psalmist wrote, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted I Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him’ (Psalm 28:7).

 

Prayer—Father I thank You that You care for me and today by faith I declare that help is on the road, that I succeed in business affairs and I have a prosperous journey, in Jesus Name. Amen.