Category: Isaiah

Posted on

Trust Isn’t a One Time Thing

Verses of trust are running through my heart this morning. So, I will share a few with you. Also, the words to the old hymn: “trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey”.

In my morning quiet time, I took time to reflect and repent. We had a lovely time. Our campsite was beautiful and we hardly had any other campers around us. A real place of solitude.

However, unknowingly, cares and concerns began to creep in. Circumstances beyond our control and to be quite honest, I started to become overwhelmed and lost some of the peace that the Lord has promised to those who keep their minds “stayed or established” in Him.

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

Trust is not a one time thing!

It is a daily, sometimes, minute-by-minute or hour-by-hour, commitment to God and His word.

“Praise the Lord! He has heard my prayer for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted him with all my heart. He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to him. 8 The Lord protects his chosen one. He saves him and gives him strength.” Psalm 28:6-8 ERV

“The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. 3 He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place, my place of safety, high in the hills. He is my savior, the one who rescues me from the cruel enemy. 4 I called to the Lord for help, and he saved me from my enemies. He is worthy of my praise!” II Samuel 22:2-4 ERV

Did you know not all enemies are physical? Worry is a terrible adversary; it is a thief that steals our joy and our peace.

” Some people trust the power of chariots or horses, but we trust you, Lord God. 8 Others will stumble and fall, but we will be strong and stand firm.” Psalm 20:6-8 CEV

“Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.” Isaiah 41:10 ERV

” God is the one who saves me. I trust him, and I am not afraid. The Lord Yah is my strength. He saves me, and I sing songs of praise about him.[a]” 3 You people will get your water from the spring of salvation. Then you will be happy.” Isaiah 12:2-3 ERV

Footnote for Isaiah 12:2 Literally means, “Yah, Yahweh is my strength and praise. And he becomes my salvation.”

I encourage you to do what I did just a few hours ago. I took my basket of worry and laid it down at Jesus’ feet, again. He can handle it, He wants to handle it but we have to give Him permission to take it.

Trust is not a one-time thing. It is a daily, conscious commitment. “I trust Him”!

God our Father is trustworthy! Have a trust filled day!

Posted on

Wisdom Speaks

I have a question for you. How many times in the last week have you found yourself saying, “I just don’t know what I should do – or what choice I need to make – or what path I should follow”?

Yes, I’ve been there and done that more times than I would care to admit. So, you can imagine how excited I was this morning when I opened my Bible to Proverbs 8 and there was the header at the top of the page which said, “Wisdom Speaks”.

“I am Wisdom—Common Sense is my closest friend; I possess knowledge and sound judgment. 13 If you respect the Lord, you will hate evil. I hate pride and conceit and deceitful lies. 14 I am strong, and I offer sensible advice and sound judgment. 15 By my power kings govern, and rulers make laws that are fair. 16 Every honest leader rules with help from me.

17 I love everyone who loves me, and I will be found by all who honestly search. 18 I can make you rich and famous, important and successful. 19 What you receive from me is more valuable than even the finest gold or the purest silver. 20 I always do what is right, 21 and I give great riches to everyone who loves me.” Proverbs 8:12-22 CEV

Wisdom and common sense, sensible advice and sound judgement, more valuable than silver or gold. These are the gifts of wisdom. When I read verse 17, it immediately triggered what James, the Apostle, said when he wrote his letter on godly living:

“ Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. 6 But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind.” James 1:5-6 ERV

God the Father, who is the giver of wisdom, enjoys giving to everyone who asks. The key in that is not doubting the wisdom God provides.

“ Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

When we take our prayers to the Lord, He doesn’t want us to worry about anything – ANYTHING. We ask for everything we need – WISDOM. God’s peace will direct our decisions and guard our hearts. This is practical wisdom.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. 12 “So you will go out from there with joy.
 You will be led out in peace…” Isaiah 55:10-12 ERV

“Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 ERV

I have long lived with trusting the peace of God. I’ve learned that if I’m not at peace about something, I shouldn’t proceed. God has been faithful to lead me by His peace.

Let’s close this with Wisdom’s words at the end of Proverbs 8.

“By finding me, you find life, and the Lord will be pleased with you.” Proverbs 8:35 CEV

Wisdom Speaks life into our situations!

Posted on

Rest Again and Again

I want to speak to you this morning on rest, re-charging, re-energizing, Again!

This is a message I repeat frequently because I need it frequently. This morning I just sat in the quiet letting the Father bring rest to my soul and strength to my body. I hate getting up tired.

We all get busy and tend to burn the candle at both ends but what do we do to rest? Do we veg out and watch TV or maybe relax with a yoga class or have a glass of wine? Maybe we think that resting is going to bed earlier and getting more sleep – whatever you think will bring rest, does it really?

Weariness can come from being overactive, but it can also come from worry or anxious thoughts.

“The Lord protects defenseless people. When I was weak, he saved me. 7 Be at peace again, my soul, because the Lord has been good to you. 8 You saved me from death.
You saved my eyes from tears ⌞and⌟ my feet from stumbling.” Psalm 116:6-8 GW

Look at what God’s word has to say.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 KJV “

Waiting on the Lord – waiting on God will renew our strength. It will give us rest.

Jesus was a prime example of this. He would minister all day and night and then he would send the disciples away and He would go to a place to pray – He would wait on the Father. After leaving these places of waiting, Jesus would go about ministering to folks, rested and renewed.

“Jesus healed many of those who had different kinds of sicknesses. He also forced many demons out of people. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was. 35 The next morning Jesus woke up very early. He left the house while it was still dark and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. 36 Later, Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. 37 They found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus answered, “We should go to another place. We can go to other towns around here, and I can tell God’s message to those people too. That is why I came.” Mark 1:34-38 ERV

It’s time to rest, again. If you are feeling tired today – worn out, exhausted take time to WAIT on the Lord. He will renew your strength!!

Posted on

Restore My Soul

For the last hour I have been reading verses of hurt, hope and healing.

Yesterday, I shared “Good Thoughts”. We especially need those good thoughts of God’s word to get us through the hard days.

“Why am I so sad? Why am I so upset? I tell myself, ‘Wait for God’s help! You will again have a chance to praise him, your God, the one who will save you.’” Psalm 43:5 ERV

Thoughts come rushing in and many times they bring fear and anxiety with them. That’s when we have to take them captive – lock them away like some hardened criminal. Cast them out like rotten and decaying food that is thrown into the dumpster.

“ We live in this world, but we don’t fight our battles in the same way the world does. 4 The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments, 5 and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:3-5 ERV

Our heavenly Father’s plan is for our healing and our restoration.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. He sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have been set free. 2 He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad, 3 those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant.’” Isaiah 61:1-3 ERV

This is the very message that Jesus said He came to deliver to all who were on the earth. God’s message of comfort and hope.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. 4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4 ERV

In the dark times – as dark as death, we are not alone. He is always with us! He will always be our comfort and our guide. He is our Shepherd, our Good Shepherd.

These verses are not just words on a page. They are the living Word of God. They are filled with all the power of God Himself. Let me leave you with this:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT

To those who are weary, listen to the Lord’s leading. Lay down in green pastures and let Him restore your soul!

Posted on

All I Need

This morning as I was praying a verse came to mind and when I looked it up I realized I had never thought of this as an “in Christ” verse before but there is was.

“My God will meet your every need out of his riches in the glory that is found in Christ Jesus. 20 Let glory be given to God our Father forever and always. Amen..” Philippians 4:19 CEB

In Christ, every need I have has already been met.

He became my sin so that I could have His righteousness II Corinthians 5:21

He took stripes on His back so that I could be healed Isaiah 53:5

He told me to come boldly to his throne to find Help (Him) in time of need Hebrews 4:16

He became my strength when I am weak Philippians 4:19

He became my peace when things around me are in chaos. Philippians 4:6-7

He gave me a cup that runs over and abundance when the enemy is trying to steal, kill and destroy Psalm 23

He gave me wisdom when I asked for it James 1:5-6

As I am sitting here and thinking about what my day has in store, I know that in Christ, He has already supplied all that I need!

That’s a good thing!!

Posted on

Still Standing

I was thinking this morning. What keeps you grounded when life’s storms have your boat rocking? …hmmmm and the storms will come – health, finances, accidents, death, divorce, family issues or physical storms (tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, earthquakes). Where do you find peace and safety?

Peter was in a physical storm and he learned that he would sink or walk based on one thing – the Word of God. Jesus said “Come” and on that one word direction from the mouth of the Son of God, he walked.

If we are going to be grounded, we have to be standing on the word of God. It is the only sure and firm foundation.

“Grass dies and flowers fall, but the word of our God lasts forever.” Isaiah 40:8

” Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35

“Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock.” Matthew 7:24-25

“ That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.” Ephesians 6:13 ERV

There’s an old hymn that I love to sing, it was written in 1876 by Russell Carter.

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,

through eternal ages let his praises ring;

glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

standing on the promises of God.

Refrain:

Standing, standing,

standing on the promises of Christ my Savior;

standing, standing,

I’m standing on the promises of God.

2. Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

by the living Word of God I shall prevail,

standing on the promises of God.

(Refrain)

3. Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,

bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord,

overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,

standing on the promises of God.

(Refrain)

4. Standing on the promises I cannot fall,

listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,

resting in my Savior as my all in all,

standing on the promises of God.

(Refrain)

Stand on His Word – it will never fail. When the battles are over we will still be standing!

Posted on

Always Faithful

For days I have been encouraging you to stand strong on God’s word. He is faithful, He does not fail!

But sometimes, we get weary. Let me tell you about a man who never gave up even when circumstances seemed undaunting.

Let me tell you about a man who had a good heart and knew that he is destined for greatness. He had been assigned a place of leadership, however, the current leader was still actiively fulfilling the role.

The current leader became jealous and did everything he could to destroy his successor. Constantly he thought of ways to pursue and destroy this man. He enlisted the help of well-meaning by-standers.

The current leader’s pursuit was so relentless that this man with the good heart became exhausted by his efforts to avoid conflict.

He let God be his defense and his strength! He didn’t retaliate or bad mouth his pursuer. He did all he could to remain humble and pure of heart.

This is the story of David who was anointed king while Saul was still ruling. Saul sought to kill David and pursued him relentlessly. David avoided capture. Even when David had opportunity to kill Saul, he didn’t.

“The Lord put you within my grasp today in the cave, but I refused to kill you. I was merciful to you. I said, ‘I won’t hurt my master. Saul is the Lord’s chosen king.’… Now, I want you to understand this. I want you to know that I am not planning anything against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me and trying to kill me. 12 Let the Lord be the judge. I hope the Lord will punish you for the wrong you did to me, but I won’t fight you myself.” I Samuel 24:10-12 ERV

I don’t know who or what is pursuing you today – who is making it their personal vendetta to destroy you, but you can trust the Lord to be your strength and your defender.

“Praise the Lord! He has heard my prayer for mercy.7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted him with all my heart. He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to him.8 The Lord protects his chosen one. He saves him and gives him strength.” Psalm 26:6-8 ERV

If you are going through a particularly tough time right now and feel like you are being harassed and attacked I encourage you to read I Samuel 18-31. Read how the Lord protected David through all of Saul’s plotting. These words in the Psalms will have greater meaning when you realize this is the situation that surrounded them.

God is always faithful!

“I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth. 3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.” Psalm 121:1-3 CEV

“So the Lord is waiting to show his mercy to you. He wants to rise and comfort you. The Lord is the God who does the right thing, so he will bless everyone who waits for his help.” Isaiah 30:18 ERV

God is always faithful; even to a thousand generations!

Posted on

Yes and Amen!

One more morning blog on the promises of God.

The little chorus I sang as a child goes like this. “Every promise in the book is mine, Every chapter every verse every line. All are blessings of His love divine. Every promise in the book is mine.”

The Apostle Paul put it like this:

“All of God’s promises have their yes in him. That is why we say Amen through him to the glory of God.” II Corinthians 1:20

Somebody needs this this morning. I just love it when God wants to minister to someone and He decides to use me to bring the message.

When God makes a promise He keeps it because simply put, God cannot lie. What promise has God made you that you haven’t seen come to pass yet? Don’t get weary, stand strong it will happen!!

Joseph had a dream that all his brothers would bow down to him one day. He had that dream as a 17 year old and then his brothers sold him into slavery because of their jealousy. I’m sure Joseph was beginning to wonder how God was going to make this all come about but he knew God was with him.

“The traders who bought Joseph took him down to Egypt. They sold him to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, Potiphar. 2 The LORD helped Joseph become a successful man. Joseph lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the Egyptian. 3 Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph and that the LORD helped Joseph be successful in everything he did.” Genesis 39:1-3

Then there’s Abraham who had God’s promise that he would be the father of many nations. He had this promise from God and had to wait 25 years to see if come to pass. During that time he hoped against hope, knowing that God was faithful. At age 100 he saw God’s promise come to pass.

What about Noah? He was told by God that it was going to rain and he needed to build an ark and collect two of every kind of animal. In all the time that it took to build the ark, he kept preaching, waiting for his neighbors to repent because God was going to send the rain and it had never rained before. The neighbors never repented but God sent the rain. Promise kept.

I will ask again what promise has God made you?

“My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Philippians 4:19

“Great shall be the peace of thy children for they are taught of the Lord.” Isaiah 54:13

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises up against you, you shall condemn for this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;” Psalm 103:2-3

“Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God believe also in me” John 14:1

“The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and destroy but I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

I’m not sure if your promise is in this list but if it isn’t add it. God will keep His word; He is faithful to a thousand generations. He hasn’t lied in the past and He’s not going to start now by lying to you.

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Your answer is yes and it’s just about here.

Posted on

Hold His Hand

Just a few words of encouragement this morning. Not knowing who you can depend on or turn to in difficult times. Here’s some direction.

“ The Lord says, ‘You people are my witnesses and the servant I chose. I chose you so that you would help people believe me. I chose you so that you would understand that ‘I Am He’—I am the true God. There was no God before me, and there will be no God after me. 11 I myself am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. 12 I am the one who spoke to you, saved you, and told you those things. It was not some stranger who was with you. You are my witnesses, and I am God.’ (This is what the Lord himself said.).” Isaiah 43:10-12 ERV

“I drew a picture of you on my hand. You are always before my eyes” Isaiah 49:16 ERV

“I, I am the one who wipes away all your sins. I do this to please myself. I will not remember your sins. 26 But you should remember me. Let’s meet together and decide what is right. Tell your story and prove that you are innocent.” Isaiah 43:25-26 ERV

“The Lord will save his people. They will return to Zion with joy. They will be very happy. Their happiness will be like a crown on their heads forever. They will be singing with joy. All sadness will be gone far away. 12 The Lord says, ‘I am the one who comforts you. So why should you be afraid of people? They are only humans who live and die like the grass.'” Isaiah 51:11-12 KJV

“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Ezekiel 34:11-12 KJV

“ I give my sheep eternal life. They will never die, and no one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father is the one who gave them to me, and he is greater than all. No one can steal my sheep out of his hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” John 10:28-30 ERV

Do you see the reoccurring theme?

The Lord promises “I, even I”; “I am the Lord”. These words are similar to what the Lord said to Moses when he asked how he should answer pharaoh when pharaoh asked who gave Moses his authority and the Lord said, tell him I AM has sent you.

Our Father God is the great I AM! He is I AM – everything we will ever need. And here in these verses He is repeating I, even I, am and will always be your Saviour, your deliverer, whatever or whomever – I, even I, am He!

Today you have the invitation to walk hand in hand with I AM!

Posted on

Build on a Firm Foundation

When I went to bed last night I had an idea of what I would be sharing with you this morning but that all changed. I must have awaken at least 3 or 4 times with the words of this song rolling out of my heart and my head.

“Holy, there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder
And show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken
And I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
And I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken”

The main thing that stuck with me all night long was “I will build my life upon Your love It is a firm foundation. And I will put my trust in You alone and I will not be shaken.”

There is so much worry and anxiety in the world. People, good people, are being overwhelmed by everyday stress, not to mention the state of our world condition.

This last weekend the Lord reminded me of His peace. We had two very windy nights. I was concerned about the stability of the roof top tent. I know what it’s like to have high wind in an RV and also in a ground tent, so those concerns were not unfounded. However, they were unnecessary.

The tent was solid. Solid as a rock!

That’s the image the Lord brought to mind with the words, “a firm foundation”.

“ ‘Whoever hears these teachings of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not fall because it was built on rock...’ 28 When Jesus finished speaking, the people were amazed at his teaching. 29 He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like someone who has authority.” Matthew 7:24-29 ERV

“ I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

“…for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” Hebrews 13:5b AMP

The Lord is as deeply concerned about our mental well-being as He is about our spiritual. He died for our entire person, spirit, soul and body. He does not want us to be overwhelmed.

“ Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.” Isaiah 53:4-5 AMPC

Whatever gusts of worry and distress blow at you today, remember that Christ and His amazing love has given you a firm foundation and you do not need to be shaken! Trust the foundation!!

Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress