We have ample evidence that the Lord is able to guide. The promises cover every imaginable situation. All we need to do is to take the hand he stretches out. ~ Elisabeth Elliot ~

I read the following thought today: “God’s Holy Word is a transforming, life-changing, one-of-a-kind treasure. A passing acquaintance with it is insufficient for Christians who seek to obey God’s Word and to understand His will.”

God’s Word will transform our life in some respect today if we actually take the time to soak it into our lives. It is the covenant promises of God Almighty that should give us the fuel to face whatever difficulties our day holds.  I’m afraid that we try to rely only on what we hear of Scripture on Sundays. If we truly believe His Word to be His transforming truth, we should be studying and meditating on it every single day.

How well do you know the promises of God?  He has a new revelation for you today if you will take the time to meditate on His Word and allow Him to speak His indescribable love to your heart.

Joy is the soul’s buoyant response to a God of promise, presence, and power.  ~ Susan Lenzkes ~

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:9-10

Many have started out the month of May with a heavy heart from family illness or death or other struggles. Remember that the Lord is your stronghold (a place of security, a fortified place) in times of trouble.  He can use every situation, even the most difficult ones, for your good and His glory if you will allow Him to.

When the bed is the softest we are most tempted to rise at lazy hours; but when comfort is gone, and the couch is hard, if we rise earlier to seek the Lord, we have much for which to thank the wilderness.  C. H. Spurgeon

“The waves you face may be big today. Don’t take your eyes off of Jesus.  He has power over the waves.”

Every day we have the choice to be swallowed up by the waves or to reach out to Jesus, and it is my prayer that each morning this month finds you reaching out to Him.

It will serve us well on this Monday morning to remember that nothing in this world can satisfy our inner longing which only the Lord can satisfy. If we could live this week with His kingdom in view, that ‘other country’ as Lewis describes it, we would not be tempted to be unthankful for our earthly blessings, and we would also not be tempted to seek our fulfillment in those earthly blessings.

What difference would it make in your life this week if you made God’s kingdom the main object of the moments of your days and your greatest desire to help others to do the same?

When God entered time and became a man, he who was boundless became bound. Imprisoned in flesh. Restricted by weary-prone muscles and eyelids. For more than three decades, his once limitless reach would be limited to the stretch of an arm, his speed checked to the pace of human feet.

I wonder, was he ever tempted to reclaim his boundlessness? In the middle of a long trip, did he ever consider transporting himself to the next city? When the rain chilled his bones, was he tempted to change the weather? When the heat parched his lips, did he give thought to popping over to the Caribbean for some refreshment?

If ever he entertained such thoughts, he never gave in to them. Not once. Stop and think about this. Not once did Christ use his supernatural powers for personal comfort. With one word he could’ve transformed the hard earth into a soft bed, but he didn’t. With a wave of his hand, he could’ve boomeranged the spit of his accusers back into their faces, but he didn’t. With an arch of his brow, he could’ve paralyzed the hand of the soldier as he braided the crown of thorns. But he didn’t.

But want to know the coolest thing about the One who gave up the crown of heaven for a crown of thorns?

He did it for you. Just for you.

We need to be reminded how great is this gift of grace and just how personal the gift is to each of us.

As we prepare to worship together tomorrow, give some thought to this list and decide if you need to confess to God that you do not love Him as you should. Let's enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, as we lay aside our grumbling and grudges in order to give Him our best worship.

We often find ourselves enduring times of waiting. Times when we aren’t sure of the next step. Here are a few truths about waiting from some great thinkers:

 Waiting souls, remember this:—assurance is yours, but the time of giving it is the Lord's; the jewel is yours, but the season in which he will give it is in his own hand; the golden chain is yours, but he only knows the hour wherein he will put it around your necks. Well, wait patiently and quietly, wait expectantly and believingly, wait affectionately, and wait diligently, and you shall find that scripture made good with power upon your souls, "Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." (Hebrews 10:17). Thomas Brooks

Pray and stay are words for every day. Good words and wise. Practise both. Worship and wait. God's answers are not always immediate. His delays are not denials. C.H.Spurgeon

John Oswalt notes that waiting upon Jehovah denotes “complete dependence on God and a willingness to allow Him to decide the terms.”

If we trust ourselves, we will faint and fall; but if we wait on the Lord by faith, we will receive strength for the journey. The word “wait” does not suggest that we sit around and do nothing. It means “to hope,” to look to God for all that we need (Is 26:3; 30:15). This involves meditating on His character and His promises, praying, and seeking to glorify Him. W. Wiersbe

Any of us who are tempted to despondency because of the pressure of adverse circumstances should lay hold of the facts which we have accepted by faith, as well as gather from our experiences of God’s merciful dealings with us, that He, the Creator of all things, is “the same yesterday and today, yea, and forever,” and therefore has the same power at our disposal as He manifested in His creative acts. He never suffers from overexertion; and since His understanding is infinite, He knows all about us. Our most trying experiences, whether from without or within, are not only known to Him, but are under His absolute control. He appoints the time for His interposition and our deliverance. W. E. Vine

In reality, I think we all constantly find ourselves in holding patterns of one form or another in different areas of our lives.  These are all good words to hold on to and be reminded of.  Pray and stay, worship and wait, and allow God to decide the terms.

Did you know that God didn't save you just to keep you from hell and get you into heaven? His top priority while you are here on earth is to shape you into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). But at this stage of our sanctification, He doesn't do it all for us. We have a responsibility to cooperate with Him and actively participate in the process. Yet many Christians have a passive attitude about the life of faith. They tolerate sin and smooth it over with the age-old excuse, "Nobody's perfect!"

When you received Christ as your Savior, you took the first step in your walk with Him--a walk that will last the rest of your life. However, you also stepped into spiritual warfare with Satan. The enemy may have lost your soul, but he's going to do everything he can to hinder, sidetrack, and discourage you. The last thing he wants is a saint who's on fire for the Lord and useful in the kingdom. But many believers have abdicated their responsibility to live holy lives. In fact, some of them look and act just like the unbelieving world.

Have you allowed something in your life that shouldn’t be there? If so, you need to drop it now. You don't want a thread of sin to become a rope, then a chain, and finally a cable that traps you in a stronghold. Turn back to the Lord, and let your sanctification continue.

I think this is a daily challenge. Each day we need to determine if we will stand up against the attack of the enemy and choose to live an active, growing life of faith. Or will we choose the easy way and let the current of life take us where it may, and when it leads us into sin we pull out the ‘nobody’s perfect’ card? You may not reach perfection (Christlikeness) today, but that should be what we are pressing on toward every day.