repent

What’s Hidden?

November 4, 2021 by Bill Leave a Comment

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24).

In the first twelve verses of Psalm 139, King David mentions several things God knows about us: when we move, where we go, what we think, what we say. He’s always with us and has His hand on us. We can’t get away from Him and we can’t understand all this. But He’s there! That’s amazing!

As I was reading this passage one morning, I was reminded of a vision God gave me at work once. I had gone into the mail room at MEOC to see if I had anything in my mailbox. The 60+ boxes were all in a wooden rack on the wall arranged in alphabetical order. I could see in my box near the top but the contents of the other boxes to the side and below were in shadows. The light from the room revealed what was in my box when I looked directly into the space. The other boxes, especially the back portions, were in the shadows. It made me think of my life and the different compartments in me. Are there hidden things in compartments in my life that I need to bring into the light? Do I need to ask God to “search me” and “see if there is any offensive way in me”? The answer is YES! We all need to have this attitude. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23).

As we ask God to search us, He will respond by shining His light into one of our “boxes” and say, “Here child, look in this box, this is something you need to deal with.” We may already know what’s there but we have to empty that box and throw away what’s in there. Let’s do some purging of the things that are hidden. God is there to assist.

Steps To Victory

October 22, 2019 by Bill Leave a Comment

In 2 Chronicles chapter 20, we read about King Jehoshaphat who was in a very difficult position. Israel’s enemies had joined together and were coming to defeat them. Jehoshaphat was alarmed and called all the people together and proceeded to follow these steps:

Seek the Lord. – “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 20:3)
Admit you can’t handle it. – “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)
Listen to God.
- Don’t fear – “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)
- It’s His battle – “You will not have to fight this battle.” (2 Chronicles 20:17)
- Thank and praise God – “(They) stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.” (2 Chronicles 20:19)
- Have faith – “Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” (2 Chronicles 20:20)

You may be facing an enormous battle today. You would do well to use the same battle plan Jehoshaphat used. God handled it for Jehoshaphat and He’ll handle it for you! So, follow these Steps to Victory and do as Moses commanded the people at the Red Sea, “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today;” (Exodus 14:13). #Godisincontrol

The Next Chapter

December 31, 2013 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given December 31, 2013

As the year 2013 comes to a close and 2014 looms ahead, let’s look at this like a book of our lives. Chapter 2013 is finished and we’re ready to turn the page to the next chapter. What is in this new chapter? Will it be a continuation of the last chapter? Will things that happened in previous chapters affect this new one? Is there something new and wonderful in store in chapter 2014? By the way, who is the author of this book of our lives? Let’s look at that.

“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16). God’s eyes saw us before we were born and He made a plan for us; that’s pretty awesome. He wrote His plan down and it was set into motion on the day you were born. But there is a problem; the devil has a plan for us too, “to kill, steal, and destroy” us, (John 10:10). But didn’t Jesus defeat the devil when He rose from the dead? Yes He did but old Satan and his fallen angel crew are real good at deceiving and tricking us into believing his lies. So what about our book?

First, a thought about previous chapters. We all have made mistakes in our past lives that we can go back and read about in our book. Don’t do that! If we have confessed our mistakes, repented, and asked for forgiveness, those things are not in God’s book. Look what He said, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25). God erased your sins from His book, for His own sake, He doesn’t want to see us as that old sinful person. So why do we keep going back and reading our bad chapters? The only reference to those bad decisons may be a footnote at the bottom of the page to show us how that mistake was used by God, (if we let Him), to grow us and bring us to the next level of accomplishment. So it’s OK to look at the footnote for learning but not for guilt. He even said anything we lost or had stolen from us back then would be restored, (see Joel 2:25).

So, what will we read in chapter 2014? A lot of it is up to us. Will we follow what God has already written or will we write our own life version? I’m not sure what God’s version for me is but I read from His book that it’s pretty good. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). So let’s humble ourselves, pray, seek God, and turn away from evil, (see 2 Chronicles 7:14), and chapter 2014 will be one to remember. Let’s not just copy and paste chapter 2013 but let’s allow God’s writing to come to pass. And you know, we’re almost to the end of this book.

Picture This – Broken

June 19, 2009 by Bill 1 Comment

Given July 2002

A Christian man or woman praying. They are thanking God for their status in life; for their education, training, job, and the things they’ve accomplished. They are pretty proud of what they’ve done and are thanking God for His part in their life. They’re feeling pretty good.

God replies, “Yes, you’ve done pretty well for yourself but that’s not exactly the way I would have done it.” God’s response hits them hard and they realize they had spent most of their efforts on education, employment goals, home building, and other tasks that define what the world sees as success. They immeditely drop to their knees before God and repent saying,”Father, I’m sorry for building my life the way I thought it should be. I now fully surrender to you and ask you to break me and re-make me the way you intended even before I was born.” “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I set you apart; ” Jeremiah 1:5.

When the person asked to be broken before God, the next scene shows them instantly being zapped into a pile of grey/brown dust. God stands beside the pile with a bottle of oil. He pours the oil onto the pile of dust and begins forming and shaping the dust into His image. That’s the way He wants to do it. “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalms 51:17. Are we really broken?

This Is The Way

February 7, 2009 by Bill 1 Comment

Given February 6, 2009

Everyone knows we are all on a path to somewhere. Some are walking on the narrow path that leads to Heaven and others are crowding the wide multi-lane that’s taking them to Hell, (Matthew 7:13-14). God is leading us on the narrow path toward the narrow gate but there are exits on either side. From somewhere off the exit, temptations are enticing us with tantelizing sights and sounds and sometimes we’ll give in and take the exit, “Only for a little while.” I can imagine Father God saying, “No son, don’t do it! Stay here with me and let’s keep going.” But we go anyway.

Then there are times when we get just off the ramp, come to our senses, and realize this is no place for us. In these cases, we can get right back on the opposite ramp leading back to the right course and never really get off on the wrong road. God is waiting there for us and we must repent for our bad choice and move on.

But, you know, there are other times when we DON’T readily realize we’ve misstepped and DO get off on the wrong road without God. We turn left, then right, make a u-turn, get turned around and lost following that evil temptation. It all doesn’t look so good now and we wander aimlessly lost in the darkness not knowing which way to go to get back on the path of righteousness. It’s at that time we cry out to our Father, who is actually near by, who will direct us back to the on ramp where He is waiting. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.””, Isaiah 30:21.

The right thing to do is to keep our eyes and ears on the Lord so we won’t be tempted by the exit signs. We can do it!