Be the One God Is Searching for

2 Chronicles 16:9

The LORD keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to him. You have acted foolishly, and so from now on you will always be at war.”

God is looking for people who are passionate about the things He is passionate about. He is looking for people who will wholeheartedly pursue Him. He is looking for people who will love people on their jobs, in their neighborhoods and homes; those who are committed to loving the lost, the poor and the needy. He's looking for those who are willing to start doing what the Bible tells us to do.

Second Chronicles 16:9 says that God is always searching to "show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him."

Are you one of those people? If not, I want to encourage you and let you know that you can be that person who God seeks.

Whether you have known the Lord for many years or are just beginning your new life in Him, you can be that person who will passionately seek God and listen to the Holy Spirit. You can be that person who can actively make a difference in the lives of hurting people.

Today, rise up, and be the person God is looking for.

Prayer Starter: God, more than anything, I want to be the kind of person that You are searching the world for. Lead me and guide me in the way You want me to go, and shape me into a person who loves others, obeys Your Word, and truly knows You.         

Posted by Kachi                                                                                            

We Can Stop and We Will Stop

Throughout scripture we see the battle of self-control described as an ongoing war between the spirit and flesh. Here is one of many scriptures that describe that war:

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. - Galatians 5:17

Paul goes into great detail on the subject in Romans chapter 7:

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. - Romans 7:19

The flesh is that voice in your head that tells you, "If it feels good do it." It tells us that we need things when we don't, and if we followed it we'd sleep too late, eat too much, and eventually come to poverty. That's where the heart wants to lead us.

While the Spirit is the voice that tells you, "If it is good do it." The closer you walk with God, and the more time that you spend in His presence the more that you become aware of His will in your life.

His covenant is written upon our hearts and our minds, but there's a battle within each one of us. Satan wants to pull us away from our faith.

And how does he do that?

Most of the time it's with arguments that make a whole lot of sense in the moment, but in the long run they always lead to destruction.

Take Adam and Eve for example. They were given one commandment--only one. They could eat from every tree in the garden, but one was forbidden to them.

Satan is cunning. He came in the form of a serpent to tempt them to disobey God.

Eve said, "God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." (Gen. 3:3)

And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Gen. 3:4-5)

Part of that was true they didn't die a physical death. They went on to live for many years, but the real truth of the matter is that that they experienced a spiritual death the moment they chose to disobey. God doesn't lie, but scripture can be distorted and it can be twisted to fit our agenda.

The minute that something doesn't make sense to us, we want to figure out why. It's okay to be a deep thinker and to study the will of God. By all means, we should. But if we come to a cross road where we have to chose the wisdom of God over our ability to rationalize it, we must be willing to follow the Spirit.

If we're only obeying God when it makes sense to us then we're living to serve ourselves, not the Spirit. God's laws don't always make sense to us, because sometimes they require us to step out of our comfort zone or to feel the sting of refinement.

We live in our modern self-centered society that encourages people to be happy at any cost. We're fed this idea what modern women are strong and in control because they do what they want, they say what they want, and they live any way that they want to.

 

I came across an interesting article in the New York Times

by John Tierney, called "A Generations Vanity Heard Through the Lyrics." He writes, after a computer analysis of three decades of hit songs, Dr. DeWall and other psychologists report finding what they were looking for: a statistically significant trend toward narcissism and hostility in popular music. As they hypothesized, the words “I” and “me” appear more frequently along with anger-related words, while there’s been a corresponding decline in “we” and “us” and the expression of positive emotions.

* Miley Cyrus recently came out with a song that peaked at #2 on the US Billboard's top 100:

Doing whatever we want
This is our house
This is our rules
And we can’t stop
And we won’t stop
Can’t you see it’s we who own the night
Can’t you see it we who bout’ that life
And we can’t stop
And we won’t stop

She's right and she's wrong. Perhaps you won't stop, but the truth is that you can stop. That's what self-control is all about. 

Assuming that someone is strong because they do whatever they want to or whatever they feel like doing in the moment, is foolish. It takes strength to bring your flesh under subjection to your spirit.

Have you ever found yourself opening up a second bag of chips or a candy bar, because, you just can't stop? 

What about losing your cool and telling somebody off because you couldn't help it? 

Maybe you're having a secret affair, and you can't break it off because you'll be physically sick if you do?

Whether we're getting up early to dig into the word, controlling our appetite because it's the right thing to do, or breaking off a relationship that's detrimental to our marriage, we're gonna feel the sting that comes with refinement.

The Bible compares the refinement of our faith to fire. It hurts. It stings. It's difficult to endure... But once you come out on the other side, you see that "joy unspeakable" is yours for the taking. Temporal happiness could never compare to the inner peace that comes from serving the Lord!

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: - 1 Peter 1:6-8

Finally I'd like to close with this old Cherokee legend. It's good food for thought on the topic of self-control.

A grandfather was teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

After thinking about it for a minute, the boy asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old man simply replied, “The one you feed.” (FirstPeople.us)

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. - Galatians 5:24

* Please note: I mentioned some lyrics in this post to illustrate how pop culture is breeding a "me" generation. I'd like us to keep the comments focused on the topic at hand, and avoid the temptation to slander young pop stars. Thanks chicklets!

 

Credit: Darlene Schacht

Posted by Kachi

God Helps The Helpless

because you have always been my help.
In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

Psalm 63:7
7Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

I have had people tell me, “Pastor Prince, please pray for me. I can’t see a way out of the mess I am in. I know that this whole thing is my fault. Right now, I don’t even know whether God will hear my prayers.”

If you think about it, a whole lot of our troubles are of our own making. But it is when we deserve the punishment and not the blessing that we can receive grace — the undeserved favor and unmerited help of God!

When we stop trying to be deserving of God’s help, we find God more than willing to be our Savior. But when we continue to try to work things out, we are trying to be our own saviors. God will say, “Save yourself because I can’t help you when you don’t need My help.”

You might be thinking, “But Pastor Prince, don’t you know, God helps those who help themselves?”

Contrary to popular belief, this saying that “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible! God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who are helpless and dependent on Him. He helps those who look to Him as their only source of help for their problem.

If you say, “My problem is that I am weak.” God says, “That is not a problem. I am your strength.” If you say, “Lord, my face is the problem. I am ugly.” God says, “My face will shine on yours. I am your glory.” If you say, “Lord, I am the problem. I am a nobody.” God says, “I will make you a somebody.”

Unfortunately, many of us are still trying to help ourselves, thinking that for certain matters, we don’t really need God. But God says, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Do we really believe that? Or do we believe that without Him, we can still do some things to help ourselves?

Only when we realize that we can do nothing, and are nothing in and of ourselves, can we do all things through Christ who strengthens us! (Philippians 4:13) Then, we will see the undeserved
unmerited help and favor of God deliver us from every evil!

Thought For The Day
God helps those who are helpless and completely dependent on Him.

Credit: Joseph Prince

Written by kachi

The powerful glory of yielding power

Perhaps the only thing harder for prideful humans than humbly wielding power is humbly yielding power.

And the most beautiful Old Testament example of this is the way Jonathan yielded Israel’s throne to David. But as we see in 1 Samuel 23:15–18, he did far more than just yield.

Abinadab had watched his fugitive younger brother receive Jonathan like royalty. Such an embrace. Such intimate talk. Such weeping in farewell. What had David divulged to the enemy’s son?

He stepped beside David at the cave’s entrance and they watched Jonathan depart — returning to serve beside his father whose homicidal paranoia was forcing them to run like foxes and live like badgers.

“David, you won’t like my asking, but I need to. Is it wise just letting him go back to Saul?”

“My life is never safer than when it’s in his keeping.”

Abinadab shifted uneasily. “I know you love him. You’re very loyal. Very trusting. It’s one of your great qualities. I just hope your loyalty isn’t naïve here.”

David said nothing, his eyes still fixed on Jonathan.

Abinidab continued, “Brother, these are treacherous days. You barely escaped Doeg’s loose tongue. And those cowards of Keilah would have offered you as a peace offering to Saul despite the fact that you had just saved their necks from the Philistines. We need clear thinking here. Jonathan is next in line to be king. You’ve been friends. But the fact is, you’re now his one rival to the throne. Isn’t it possible that the blood of royal power may be thicker for Jonathan than the water of your friendship?”

Jonathan’s silhouette melded into the dusky shadows of the Horesh hills. David wiped his eyes and turned back into the cave. “You don’t know him, Abinadab. I’ll forgive this offense to his honor. We’re no more in danger than if that was our father walking away. But it’s not Jonathan’s affection for me that I trust. It’s his faith.”

Abinadab followed David. “Well, I hope I’m wrong, I really do. But Jonathan’s coming out here makes no sense to me if it’s not to spy you out. If he wanted to protect you he should never have come at all! What if he was followed?”

“Nobody’s more skillful at traceless trekking than Jonathan.”

“Maybe. But why would he come just for a friendly visit? Think of the risk. If his father finds out that he’s been here and didn’t report it, his life won’t be worth a pigeon’s. The king has nearly murdered him twice already! If he came here for love then he risked his life and all of ours. Why?”

“To strengthen my hand in God, Abinadab. Because he knows me. He knows how discouraged I can get.” David looked down and smiled. “God sent him because he knows how dark it’s been for me. I know what God has promised me. But with barely a step between me and death, it’s like I forget.”

David sat down on the rock near his gear and pulled some parchment from his satchel. “I’ve been working on this psalm. Let me read you the first lines:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
And by night, but I find no rest. (Psalm 22:1–2)

“Today,” David paused, clenching back sobs. “Today Jonathan risked his life to help me rest—to remind me that God is not far at all. What he said to me was, ‘Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel,’” David paused again as tears flowed freely, “‘and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.’

“Jonathan believes God, Abinadab. It’s his faith I trust. Jonathan loves God more than he loves power. And more than he loves me. He loves me because he loves God. That makes him the safest man in the world to me. He has no equal.” David hung his head. “I only hope he survives his father’s insane faithlessness. I so desperately want him next to me.”

David had a very difficult calling: to wield the power of Israel’s kingship with God-dependent humility.

Jonathan’s calling may have been more difficult: to yield the power of Israel’s kingship with God-dependent humility.

But Jonathan didn’t just yield to David. He loved David (1 Samuel 18:1), empowered David (1 Samuel 18:4), protected and advocated for David (1 Samuel 20). And when David’s faith-hand was losing its grip, he sought him out and “strengthened his hand” by reminding him of God’s promises (1 Samuel 23:17). He could have only done this if he trusted in the Lord with all his heart (Proverbs 3:5).

Like Jonathan, God wants us to seek first the kingdom (Matthew 6:33), not our prominence in it. When we trust God enough to yield our prominence (or expected prominence) to someone else for God’s purposes it’s a sign and wonder. And when we go beyond that to doing everything in our power to help them succeed — nothing else quite images the Philippians 2:5–11 glory of Jesus.

Jonathan did not consider the throne a thing to be grasped, but he made himself nothing for God’s sake and became a Christ-like servant. Let us also “have this mind” (Philippians 2:5).

This story is from 1 Samuel 16:8; 1 Samuel 22:9–19; 1 Samuel 23:1–14; 1 Samuel 14:24–46, 20:30–34; and 1 Samuel 20:3

 

Credit: DesiringGodblog

 

Posted by Kachi

The Virtuous Life

Today however, many people see charity as little more than a duty. It's something we do at Christmas time--another reason to write out a check. But agape love is much more, in fact it's the greatest virtue that one can posses.
And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13
In addition to this being the greatest virtue, it is the most important commandment as it sums up God's deepest will for our lives:

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. - Matthew 22:36-40
As we see in this scripture, love is more than merely having affection for God and our fellow man, it's a willingness to lay down our lives for the sake of our Lord and to put our own desires aside for the good of our neighbor.

How is this reflected in the virtuous life of a Christ-centered wife?

The choices she makes reflect a heart that is abandoned to Christ. She's willing to say,

My body, mind and spirit are Yours Lord. May I be used as an instrument of Your peace.  Should my passions or desires dare to stand in my way, may they be crucified so that I might serve You above anything else. 

She knows that serving the Lord is a beautiful thing, and that service calls her to walk in humility esteeming others higher than herself. Her love for God and man is the driving force behind the choices she makes.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. - Philippians 2:3
Being equal to her husband, she is not in competition with him. She is ready and willing to step down in order that he might lead their family as scripture commands him.
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. - Ephesians 5:23-24
She is driven by love.

She makes every effort to be patient and kind with her husband giving all diligence to understanding his heart. She's a vessel of love that's pouring out grace both in and outside of the home.

Her charity stems from a heart of compassion that reaches out to the world. Her hands and her feet are messengers of the gospel, bringing good news of God's love to mankind.

She's not arrogant or selfish or rude, because she's defined the grace of God and nothing less.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20
She's not perfect. In fact she has days like anyone else where she feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. She wonders how she could fail so miserably, why she doesn't measure up to the other women around her, and how God could possibly love her on those days when she can't love herself.

That's when God reminds her of His unfailing grace and how He loved her before she loved Him.

Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we do is God's gift of grace upon our lives.

He's not looking for perfection--we've already been perfected by grace.


You are loved by an almighty God,

Credit: Darlene Schacht

Posted by Kachi

When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned

I am a type A personality through and through. I can make lists for days and I love having a “plan.” When I was younger I had big dreams and I loved writing in my journal. I would sit back, imagining how God was going to bless every decision I made.

Life was all going to go according to my plan.

I transferred to a Christian college my sophomore year and my mission was to get a ring by spring. It was my plan to find a Godly husband. I assume God didn’t get my memo because I stayed single most of college and was bitter that God was not bringing me the man of my dreams within my timeframe. Then one by one, each of my plans fell through.

When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned…

My senior year of college I fell into a deep depression, grieving over the loss of my brother. That wasn’t part of my plan.

After I graduated, I battled with alcohol and the repercussions of my actions. That wasn’t part of my plan. 

God surprised me by writing the most amazing and unpredictable love story for me. That wasn’t part of my plan.

I allowed Satan to use the guilt and shame of my past to cripple me for years. That wasn’t part of my plan.

Shortly after our first anniversary, my husband felt called into full-time ministry. That was not part of my plan. 

When the stick I was holding showed,”You are pregnant”. That was not part of my plan.

Having a 6 month old baby and moving from Connecticut to Texas for a new ministry opportunity. That was not part of my plan. 

Hopefully you are getting the idea. All of the “plans” I told God long ago may not have happened but I am so thankful that they didn’t. It’s funny how quickly we forget that God is in control and that His plans are always best.

It’s not about our plan, it’s about His!

Looking back I can see how the consequences of my sin infiltrated into God’s plan. Those times are some of the hardest, most faith strengthening times in my life. I may have hated every second of them, but God used those times to grow me and mould me into who I am. I can now use those moments that have shaped my testimony to glorify Him and help others.

What about you? Do you continue to tell God your plans? Are you in a season of life right now, where you are hating every second?

Oh sweet sister, I hope I can encourage you by telling you, it will get better. It may not be a part of your plan, but rest assured that our God is sovereign. Continue to cling to Him and His Word during this tough time and reach out to other believers for help and counsel.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

God finally taught me to stop making my own plans. I now live each day for His glory and ask Him to guide my steps.

 

Credit:  Liss East

Posted by Kachi

Every Curse In Your Life Destroyed

Galatians 3:13

13: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

Many believers probably know that when Jesus died, our sins were forgiven because He shed His blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22) But why did Jesus have to die on the cross, since the capital punishment of Israel during the time of Christ was stoning and not crucifixion?

Jesus hung and died on the cross because He knew the law, which says that “he who is hanged is accursed of God”. (Deuteronomy 21:23) He wanted to redeem us from every curse of the law, so He went to the cross, “having become a curse for us”. Jesus took all our curses at the cross, so that we can take all His blessings!

The moment you received Jesus, every curse in your life was destroyed. And the way you experience this is to simply believe and confess what Jesus has done for you. Say, “Because of Jesus, I am blessed.” The more you say it and believe it, the more you will experience it.

So if there is an area in your life in which you feel oppressed, for example, a skin condition that refuses to heal, say, “Christ has redeemed me from this skin condition. I refuse it and reject it in Jesus’ name because by His stripes I am healed!” (1 Peter 2:24) Believe it and say it until you see it!

“But Pastor Prince, my father died of cancer. His father died of cancer. And I have been told by my doctor that there is a likelihood that I might get it too. It’s in our blood!”

My friend, the blood of Christ shed at the cross has redeemed you from all curses, including diseases like cancer! God put the curse of cancer on Jesus at the cross. And He put all the blessings of Jesus on you. Therefore, expect only the blessings of Jesus to come upon you and overtake you!

Thought For The Day
The moment you received Jesus, every curse in your life was destroyed.

Credits: Joseph Prince
Written by Uju (Stella)

Covered, Protected, Delivered

Exodus 13:21 
21And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 

When the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, God led them by going before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

By day, God spread the pillar of cloud as a covering over His people in the desert to prevent the scorching sun from striking them down. The people were shaded and kept cool. Today, you are also under His covering. He will not allow you to be struck down (Psalm 121:3–8), nor be oppressed by the “heat” of the day. (Isaiah 54:14) 

At night, when the desert became dark and cold, God gave His people the pillar of fire to light the way for them, as well as to keep them warm and safe. Today, as you walk with God, you will not be overwhelmed by the cold, dark places in life because God’s Word says, “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5) You will not fear the terror by night or the pestilence that walks in darkness because God will deliver you from them. (Psalm 91:5–6) 

Like the children of Israel, who only needed to look up, and keep their eyes on the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, all you need to do today is to look up and keep your eyes on Jesus. When you need His direction for a situation, look to Jesus who has the words of eternal life. (John 6:68) When you see symptoms of sickness in your body, look to Jesus who has borne away every disease and physical affliction. (Matthew 8:17) 

When the children of Israel were bitten by serpents in the desert, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole — a picture of Christ being judged on the cross. (John 3:14) Those who looked at the bronze serpent instead of their wounds were healed. (Numbers 21:9) He who looks to Jesus lives! 

Beloved, look to Jesus. He is your covering, protection and deliverance! 

Thought For The Day 
All you need to do today is to look up and keep your eyes on Jesus — your covering, protection and deliverance! 

Credit: Joseph Prince

Written by Kachi

Believe And Act On The New Covenant

David answered, “You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied

1 Samuel 17:45
45Then David said to the Philistine, “… I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Ever wonder why two people can hear the same thing and yet have very different responses? For one, what is said makes him afraid and discouraged. For the other, his heart is so filled with faith that he dares to come against the devil and what he is doing.

In the Valley of Elah, Goliath the Philistine giant taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days. When David came on the scene, he heard the same mockings of Goliath that the rest of the Israelites heard. But somehow, those same words that caused fear in the soldiers angered David. What did David know or see that the others failed to see?

David knew that he had a covenant with God. Now, King Saul and all the soldiers with him that day also had the same covenant with God, but only David believed the covenant. And he acted on his belief. So God caused his giant to come tumbling down.

If David had such a great victory even though he was under the old covenant, how much more you and I who are under the new covenant! Today, God is asking, “Where are my Davids who will believe the new covenant?”

What is the new covenant? It is the covenant of grace. And grace means unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. God wants us to know that He has cut this covenant with us through Christ our representative. And according to the covenant, we have His undeserved favor. We are blessed because Jesus took our beating. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every giant.

Isn’t that good news? Today, God wants you to stand before your “giant” and declare that in spite of what you are going through, in spite of what is happening, you believe that God is for you because of what Jesus has done for you. And then, before your very eyes, you will see the giants of accusation, intimidation, condemnation, disease and debt fall flat before you!

Thought For The Day
Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every giant.

Credit : Joseph Prince

Written by Kachi

Parenting: Rescues, Discipline and Consequences

If someone has a hot temper, let him take the consequences. If you get him out of trouble once, you will have to do it again.

Prov19.19.



A hot-tempered child often gets into trouble. If a parent rescues him from the consequences, he may take advantage of that kindness and the lesson will have to be repeated. How many times have you rescued your child from the consequences of irresponsibility - taking forgotten homework to school, making excuses for them when they are late, or replacing something they carelessly lost - only to have the same behavior repeated?

We are called to train our children, but the best way to learn real responsibility is to give them a chance to succeed or fail on their own. One of the hardest things to do is to give our kids consequences for poor decisions. It is tough for us to see them "pay the penalty" and sometimes, we feel their mistakes reflect poorly on us. But just like the person who rescues a hot-tempered man, our parental rescues only postpone the development of responsibility.

Have clear boundaries and expectations for your kids, but allow them to experience the consequences of their decisions.

Credit: Parentingbydesign

Written By Kachi