Talks in the Dark

Privacy is a right that we often hold dearly, and confidentiality is a privilege among those that we trust. In Luke 12: 3, Jesus warned "What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs." There are no private conversations that can be hidden from God because He is omnipresent; He hears and sees all. When you are tempted to say something to someone, or about someone else, consider whether or not God would pleased with your conversations, as He has a way of bringing private conversations out into the open.

Walk in the Light

God has a way of exposing us in ways that we cannot imagine. In John 3:21, the prophet says that "whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." When we have been delivered, he will shine the light on our testimony to help someone else; when we struggle, He will shine the light to direct someone to pray for us. Wherever we are in our Christian walk, God will continue to shine his light on us, and through us, to show that He is still with us.

Decreeing a Great Week

Today begins a new week; a week full of promise for some, and despair for others. Both of these groups are impacted by their perspective and attitude. In Job 22:28, the Bible declares that "you will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways." We have the power to decree a thing in faith and know that it will be established for us, especially when we decree God's promises over our lives. Instead of falling into a case of the "Monday's," decree that this will be a great week.

Walking in Truth

It's easy to get distracted with the cares and troubles of this life, especially when lose our focus on our relationship with Christ. In Psalm 86:11, the psalmist prays "Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth, give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name." Whatever this life takes us through, our faith will carry us through it, when we walk in the truth of the sovereignty of God.

Weapons of Warfare

We hear many news reports about the powerful weapons that our enemies have that would destroy us, as well as most of the world, should they decide to launch those weapons against us. In Corinthians 10: 4-6, Paul encourages his readers that "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Regardless of the weapons that the enemy intends to use to destroy us, natural or spiritual, they are powerless against the power of God that He has given each of us who dare to believe that God is indeed sovereign.

Rejoicing in Suffering

At some point in our Christian walk, we will suffer some things that will make us uncomfortable. Trials and tribulations are simply part of this life. In Romans 5:3-5, Paul encourages readers to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. " We may suffer, but we never suffer alone because God has given us his spirit to comfort us in all that we go through.

Scent of Water

Water is one of the most critical elements in our world; without it, most living things will wither and die. Most people will go through a desert experience, where it seem as though all that sustains us has dried up. In Job 14:7, the Bible declares "there is hope for a tree: if it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail." Verse 9 says "at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." Just as there is hope for the tree at the scent of water, there is hope for all of us that God will restore and refresh us when we sense His spirit.

Looking the Part

Just as the larger society has cultural expectations, so does the church. We learn to look the part of a saint from others in our church community as we become a part of that community. Paul warns his reader about keeping up appearances in 2 Timothy 3:5; he describes a list of all the characteristics that are directly opposite of "saintly," then he says that they "have a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." It's easy to look the part of a saint, but we must remember that God is more concerned with the way that we are living than He is with the way we look.

Not just "me, myself, and I"

In this "dog-eat-dog" world that we live in, we all have our moments of selfishness, sometimes masked as self-preservation. It's easy to overlook those who are in need because we are just barely scraping by ourselves. In Philippians 2: 3-4, Paul urges his readers to "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”God is more concerned with our willingness to help others than the with the amount and extent to which we are able to help. A smile, a kind word, or a helping hand may not cost anything to the giver, but it can mean everything to the recipient.

Just as I am

A common misconception that people have, concerning Christ, is they have to get themselves together before they can accept him as Lord and Savior. The opposite is true; we cannot clean ourselves up or deliver ourselves. We don't have the power to do so on our own. In Romans 5:8, Paul encourages his readers by declaring that "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Regardless of where we are in our faith walk, we all were sinners. Even in our most wretched state, God loves us so much that He sent Christ to die so that we could live an abundant life.

Beautiful Feet

Our feet are two of the most important parts of our bodies, as they support our bodies and keep us balanced. They are also, at times, our most neglected parts of our body. In Isaiah 52:7, the prophet declares "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" The same is true in the body of Christ; the feet of those spread the gospel are critical to supporting the body of Christ, and are truly beautiful in God's sight.

Delayed, not Denied

Sometimes it's frustrating when you pray and don't receive an answer or an action from God as soon as you hoped. In Daniel 10:12, Daniel became discouraged as he waited 21 days for God to answer his prayer request. An angel comforts him, saying "since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard." Verse 13 says that "the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia." God hears your prayers and begins to work on your behalf, even if he has to send an angel to your rescue.

Just Want to Thank You

When someone does something for you, it is polite and expected that you will at least say "thank you." Think about all of the things that God has done for us; from providing for our needs and keeping us safe, to forgiving our sins and sending his only begotten son as a ransom for us all. God has done more for us than we can comprehend with our limited minds; He is truly worthy of our praise. Take a praise break and just tell the Lord "Thank You," for that He has done.

Preparing to Meet the King

Queen Esther spent an entire year in preparing herself to meet the king. Esther 2:12 states that she and the other girls who were candidates to be the next queen, "had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics." Verse 14 says that "She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. " We may not have physical beauty treatments, but we certainly have prayer, fasting, and worship that beautify our spirit to make us beautiful and pleasing to the King of Kings.

There's a War Going On

Some people believe that once they receive salvation that all of their issues will disappear; in many cases, the opposite is true, that is when the war truly begins. As Paul says, in Romans 7: 22-23, "in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." Deliverance is often a process and rarely an instantaneous miracle; the key is to persevere as God continues to lead you through your deliverance little by little, and keeping your faith throughout the process.

Work When No One Is Looking

It's easy, even tempting, to just enough at work to maintain and keep your job. Consider the times that you have come in late when you knew that your boss was out of the office, or worked fewer hours than you reported on your time sheet. In Colossians 3:23-34, Paul urges his readers "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." When you are working on your job, remember that God is aware of all that you do even when your coworkers and supervisors are not. Remember that you not just working for a paycheck; you are working to build up God's kingdom.

Keeping the Word

God's word is one of the most precious aspects of our Christian lives. In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, Paul urges his readers "What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us." Without the word, we would have little guidance and direction to maneuver through the snares of this life. Keep the word, and the teaching of God's servants, with faith and love; guard it, as the word is your instruction manual for living a godly life.

Represent

An ambassador is considered a representative of a higher entity who speaks and acts on their behalf. For example, ambassadors for the US Department of State goes to foreign countries and represents the United States, speaking on behalf of our president. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul reminds his readers "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." Remember that as Christians, we are no longer our own; we represent Christ for the world. When people in our world interact with you, remember that you are the only Christ that they may ever know, the only Bible that they may read.

Friends and Associates

Be wary of the friends that they make because others often judge you by the company that you keep. If you make friends with a liar or a cheater, then people assume that you are a liar and cheater as well, even if that is not true about you. In Proverbs 22: 24-25, the Bible warns "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared." You can replace "anger" with any undesirable emotion; the principle remains the same: be cautious when you select your friends and associates. Instead of becoming what others assume that you are, continue to grow into who God has predestined you to be.

Called, Justified, and Glorified

The dictionary defines the term justified as "to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit." That's is exactly what the blood of Christ does for us when we accept salvation. In Romans 8: 29-30, Paul declares "those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Regardless of what we have done in our past, God has already predestined us into our calling, he justifies us through the blood of Christ, and he glorifies us through the power of his Spirit.