The Endurance of God's Word

This week's post comes from Kassie at Guiding Light From His Word

TODAY IN HIS WORD COMES FROM

(Jer. 36 25-28 NASB)

Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.  And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to  seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the  Lord hid them.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had  burned the scroll and the words which  Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying,

 " Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were  on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah burned.

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

God's Word will not be held back or kept from us. God desires to speak to us, and one way or the other His message will be delivered to us. His Word is alive and active. God speaks to us through activities around us, through the voice of others, and most importantly His Written Word.

TODAY’S INSIGHT INTO HIS WORD:

When King Jehoiakim heard the words spoken against him that were written in the scrolls, he tried to destroy them; thinking that if he did, he could somehow stop the prophecy spoken about him. The problem was, the words that had been written on the scroll were not a man's word. They came from God. A man may have held the pen (Baruch a scribe and helper to Jeremiah), but the message came from God Himself. The Lord gave his message to Jeremiah who spoke it aloud (giving even more strength to it), and Baruch aided in writing it down.

Jehoikim became angry and literally destroyed the scroll. But that didn't stop God's Word. The Lord (through the help of God fearing servants) hid Jeremiah and Baruch, and the Lord said to Jeremiah, "Write it again." And do you know what? God's message did not change. My friend, do you know what else? His Word was proven true. Every word spoken/written against Jehoiakim came to pass.

It didn't matter that the scrolls had been burned, the Lord made sure they were written again. And, what's amazing is they were written again by the same chosen vessel of God as the first time. It reminds me of Exodus 32. Moses held two stone tables that God Himself had written on, when he came down the mountain to see the total dismay of the people Moses had left in the care of Arron. In a rage, Moses threw the tablets down destroying them. (Verses 15-20) But God's Word were not to be lost! God had Moses come right back up on the mountain a second time with a set of new tablets for God's message to be written down all over again! (See  Exodus 34:1-3 and 27-28)

When God means to tell us something He will not be stopped! Think if you will to when the Pharisees tried to have the crowd silenced at the shouting of Jesus' arrival (See Luke 19:28-44), but Jesus said "NO!"

Some of the Pharisees  in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent,  the stones will cry out!" (Luke 19:39-40 NASB)

Do you know why Jesus would not do as the Pharisees wanted and silence the crowd? Because GOD'S WORD said they would shout for him. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have  blessed you from the house of the Lord. (Psalms 118:26 NASB) And God's Word will not be denied.

My Friend, when God speaks to you. His message will not be lost or destroyed, and can not be taken away from you. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away (Mark 13:30-31 NASB). What He tells you, hold to. It may be a long time in coming but know that God is faithful. His Word will come to pass and do what they have said. So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa 55:11 NASB)

So my friend rejoice with me-- stand and declare that which God has said to you. And then stand firm in your faith and let no one move you.

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us  rejoice and be glad in it.

O Lord,  do save, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have  blessed you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God, and He has given us  light; Bind the festival sacrifice with cords  to the  horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God,  I extol You.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalms 118:24-29 (NASB)

PRAYING IN FAITH:

Father God, we praise You for Your Word that will not be held back or destroyed. Lord, we praise You because Your Word is true and can be trusted. Thank You that You speak to us in such amazing ways. Thank You for showing us Your will and leading, and guiding in Your Word.

Father I come before you with this reader today and ask that You would enrich them in the knowledge of Your Word. Lord, I pray that the words You would speak to them will be planted and rooted in them so that they will stand on Your truths that You would share with them. Lord, I pray that You will help to anchor them to You and help them to remain strong in You. I call upon you, the great I AM, the Lord almighty to protect them from being deceived and to fill they with a strong spiritual discernment as they seek You and Your direction for them. Lord I ask You to bless them by the power of Your Word.

In Christ Jesus Name,

Amen.

~ My friend, have a mighty and glorious day!

Kassie

Today's Daily Devotionals are written by Cypress Ministries, all rigths are reserved.

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Erased and Forgiven

This week's post comes from Salina at State of the Heart

Acts 3:19

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” NASB

A little boy was standing in the aisle of a card store looking over a vast array of cards. He had been walking up and down the aisle for quite a few minutes and had attracted the attention of the store clerk working at the register. He watched as the boy would pick up one card, look at it, and then put it back on the shelf. Thinking he might be able to help, the clerk walked over to him and asked what he needed. "Was it a birthday card for his mom, or a sympathy card for a neighbor, or maybe he needed a get well card for a good friend?" Shaking his head no after each card mentioned, the little boy scrunched up his nose and with a very serious expression on his face asked the clerk if they happened to have anything that looked like a blank report card?

Have you ever felt like that, too scared to go home and show that report card to your parents? I'm sure most of us have had that happen to us, if not over a bad report card, I'm sure there was something else you dreaded going home to confess. Now that we are all grown up we no longer worry about going home to face the music, but there are still times in our lives when we would love to have a blank card. Maybe the time you inadvertently said something hurtful to a friend, or the day you repeated a bit of gossip you heard on the way to work, or it sure would have come in handy last week when you had that big fight with your husband.

Can you think back to all of the other occasions where you would have liked a do over, a way to completely wipe the slate clean and start over? The list would be long and hard to keep track of wouldn't it? As Christians we sometimes get complacent in our lives and then before we know it we feel like we are stuck in a rut with no way out. We might even think do overs are only meant for new Christians, that somehow being mature in Christ keeps us from asking for help. I know that may sound crazy, but do you sometimes feel like you've used up all your second chances? I'm not talking about just the big things; I'm referring to those "little things” that you mess up on every day, the things that are different for each one of us, but equally important. What makes us think we can’t ask for more? Do you think God is keeping a running tab on all our mistakes and then after so many says "nope, you used your last blank card yesterday." I assure you that He doesn't work that way. Remember in Luke 17:4 Jesus said, “If a person wrongs you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” He wouldn't have told His disciples this unless it was something He wanted them to follow, something He follows Himself.

Forgiveness is the platform we base our entire Christian life on. Jesus sacrificed Himself in order to provide forgiveness for each of us. He loves you sister, not because of who you think you are, but because of who He knows you are. Run freely to the cross today with the knowledge that He will be there waiting to forgive you once again.

Please pray with me:

Lord;

Why is it so hard for us to realize we are only as far away from You as we allow? Help us to see that we can't continue to judge ourselves by how long we've been a Christian, or by the things we do for You. Your grace is much bigger than anything we can comprehend, but yet it continues to cover us with an all-forgiving hand. Thank You for giving us the opportunity for blank cards and the ability for second chances.

Amen

{I Am} All That You Need

This week's post comes from Dawn at The Most Perfect Gift

Listen in your heart as the Lord whispers to you, “All that you need…I AM.” 

The Very Heart of Worship

When I read these words I felt God’s presence, His embrace, warmth and love and I was reminded He is all that I need.

I AM

Two short words that signify so much.

Many times I hear people say, “Don’t put God in a box.” or “God is bigger than your troubles.”

When I first began my walk with Christ, in my mind, I used to make God too big, unreachable – at least for me. I believed the stories in the Bible and people’s testimonies how God performed signs and miracles, but for some reason I felt that didn’t apply to me. It was like I was just reading a book standing on the outside looking in.

I desired to be close to God, yet to grasp and know that God is with me, He loves me and that He made me to have a personal relationship with Him took some time. The more I read His Word and meditated on scripture, and the more I spent time in prayer and worship that distance began to shrink. Now I am happy to say, I now know I am part of the story! I am one of the characters in God’s book – my book – my life He has written just for me.

When I read those words in my dear friend’s book they touched something deep within my soul. Just the fact that the Lord whispers reminds me how gentle He is and does not force himself upon us. He waits for us all along to come to Him, to trust Him and surrender our lives to Him. He will provide all our needs. Sweet friends we don't need to worry, for nothing is impossible for God!

He is all we need.

He is I AM.

Then those words “I AM” prompted me to look in my Bible for all the times they are said. Here are a few. As you read them, let them sink deep into your soul.

I AM your shield - Gen 15:1

I AM with you - Isaiah 41:1

I AM the LORD your God – Isaiah 43:3

I AM the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God – Isaiah 44:6

…for I AM your husband – Jeremiah 3:14

I AM the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? – Jeremiah 32:27

I AM with you always, to the very end of the age – Matthew 28:20

I AM the bread of life – John 6:35

I AM the living bread that came down from heaven – John 6:51

I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. – John 8:12

I AM! – John 8:58

I AM the gate for the sheep – John 10:7

I AM the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved – John 10:9

I AM the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – John 10:14

I AM the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die – John 11:25

I AM who I am – John 13:19

I AM the way and truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me – John 14:6

I AM in the Father – John 14:11

…and I AM in you – John 14:20

I AM the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing – John 15:5

I AM the Alpha and the Omega – Revelation 1:8

I AM the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. – Revelation 1:18

I AM coming soon – Revelation 3:11

Dear God, we praise you and thank you for all that you are and for being I AM. You are all we need!

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Have a blessed day sisters!

Dawn

Welcome!

This week's post comes from Starla Espinoza at Keepin It Real

Hey Sista. Welcome and thank you so much for stopping by.  If you are seeking an amazing group of women who love God with all their hearts and souls then you have found us. We have a strong passion to bring glory to God through writing. God has strategically placed us in each others path via Girlfriends in God on FB. We have never met each other in person but after many discussions and viewing each other's blogs, our spirits connected and we realized how powerful it would be to combine forces and form "Blogger's in God" aka BIG sisters.

I love the way God order's the steps of His children. We are His willing vessels to be used for His glory and honor. I am so honored to be used by God in any way that He chooses to increase His kingdom. I believe that the formation of this group is the beginning of something BIG.  Look forward to a weekly post from someone in the group.  I am the first to kick things off so please check out my post below and have a blessed week.

Let The Words of My Mouth

I am a Christian, do you know what that means? That means I'm far from perfect, simply redeemed. These are the words to the beginning of a song by Isaac Carree called "Simply Redeemed". The journey of a Christian is far from perfect. There are so many times that I have had to repent and ask God for forgiveness for either thinking the wrong thing, saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing.

Right before Christmas I struggled with a rude voice mail from one of my colleagues. Well, this person works for the same company as I do but she is located in the Southern part of our state and I am in the North. I work in Accounts Payable at my company and we process payments for the entire company. Since the end of the year was approaching, the deadline was fast approaching for projects that need to be accounted for on time. Tension is thicker than ever and people wanted to get things out of the way so they could take extra time off for the holidays.

I was attempting to explain to someone that there wasn't enough funds on their purchase order to pay their invoice. She only understood enough to be dangerous. Sooo, she called me but I was already gone for the day so she decided to leave the rudest voice mail that I have ever received. She was talking to me like I didn't understand what was going on. Her vocabulary included several four letters words that start with an F, S and a D. I think you get my drift. When I returned to work the following day and listened to my messages, the first message was actually an apology from this person. She said that she was sorry and she knows I am just a human being and no one deserves to be talked to that way but she doesn't agree with the way we do things in our department. She didn't sound sincere at all but more like she was trying to cover her behind.

I hadn't heard her initial message yet so I skipped through a few messages and came to her original message. I often listen to my voice mail on speaker phone and some of my co-workers overheard what was being said to me. Everyone was so upset so I discussed it with my boss and he asked me to forward the voice mail to him so he could listen to it. My co-workers were very offended not only by the way this person was talking to me, but she also put our entire department down. She simply did not understand why things are handled a certain way. I have forgiven her even though her apology was not sincere at all. I prayed for her a few times but I have not spoken to her since this incident.

To "keep it real" and be honest, I have been that person speaking to someone in a condescending manner and after being on the receiving end of some one's wrath, I get it. I understand how others have felt when it was me talking to someone when I was obviously annoyed and frustrated with them. I have hurt people's feelings before (w/o cussing) and have apologized to them for being rude. The moral of the story is, our words can really slice through a person like a sword. Even if we are not literally cussing them out, our tone can set the stage for an ugly battle. This has taught me to be more careful about the way I deal with anyone when I am frustrated. I say to myself, "Starla girl you have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you."

Lord, you know how often I ask you for forgiveness due to my mouth. I know that if I don't forgive others, then I should not expect you to forgive me. Teach me to be slow to speak, slow to anger, slow to judge, quick to listen and quick to forgive. Create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Starla Espinoza