A Divine Exchange

Life can throw many things at us, but thankfully, God has everything already covered.  He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and conquer everything that comes against us.  Our job is to receive all that He did for us through a divine exchange of our circumstances for His comfort, love, and victory.  

Comfort: God's Holy Exchange

All of us will be walking in more of the Luke 4:18-19 ministry of Jesus as we go on with God:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

Luke 4:18-19 NKJV

    

Jesus began his ministry on earth quoting from Isaiah 61:1-3. "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD ... has sent me ... to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

Jesus defined His call and His eternal relationship with us when he quoted this passage in His first public sermon. He brings good news to us, binds up our broken heart, and comforts our mourning in our grief. These days may not feel like His goodness or His faithfulness, but His Word promises that dark clouds are under God's feet (Ps 18:9). He never stops inviting us near him to love, guide, deliver, heal, and comfort us. All we love is in His hands. He hears our prayers and our tears when there are no words. He counts them as liquid intercession, which is precious to Him (Psalm 56:8a). He is our Mighty Warrior and contends with those forces that contend with us (Isaiah 42:13; Psalm 35:1).

Be blessed with a still heart, while God fights for you (Exodus 14:14; Psalm 46:10). Be blessed in His covenant of love that can never be taken from you (Romans 8:35,38-39; Psalm 18:19). Be blessed to know that everything is for His glory (2 Corinthians 4:15). He is being glorified in you.

God's promise is sure that he is able to guard what you have entrusted to Him (2 Timothy 1:12). Receive His covering of His sweet presence and peace that passes all understanding in all your cares. He never loses sight of whom He designed you uniquely to be and whom He designed those you love to be. His plans for you are written on the palm of the nail-pierced hands of His Son.

Be blessed to know Him as your Father of compassion
and God of all comfort, who comforts you in all your cares.
2 Cor 1:3-4

Reprinted with permission from From Seek Him Meet Him weekly online devotional, © by Sylvia Gunter, The Father's Business, P. O. Box 380333, Birmingham, AL 35238, www.thefathersbusiness.com.  Email: info@thefathersbusiness.com

For Everything There is a Season

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." As grey skies begin to outnumber blue, the last read and gold leaves cling to bare branches, and crickets have quieted their nightly chorus, it is becoming evident that a new season will soon be upon us. Though we know what to expect from the icy bite of winter each year, sometimes seasons come upon us and we find ourselves quite unprepared for what lies ahead. Such was the case a few years ago in my own life. Thankfully, God always has a path prepare for us and He reminded me of that with three simple words... 

Walk, Watch, Wait

While on a camping trip with my family, I had an opportunity to go for a run along an unfamiliar stretch of the Great Allegheny Passage. As I laced up my running shoes, my mind raced with anticipation of the beautiful scenery that I knew lay ahead of me. Little did I know that in addition to the breathtaking landscape along the trail, the Lord had a message for me.

Wildflowers flanked both sides of the trail and the air was filled with the songs of birds. The sun dappled the trees and the cool freshness of the morning awakened my spirit. This quiet stillness of dawn was just what I needed to prepare my heart for prayer. As my family stood on the cusp of a new season in our lives, my heart was heavy with anxiety, worry, and fear of the unknown.

My daughters were heading off to Kindergarten, and I was forced to redefine myself as I let them go. The thought of coming home to an empty house each afternoon conjured feelings of loneliness and I wondered how I was going to fill the time until they came home each day. These and other uncertainties kept my mind spinning and I woke up many nights with feelings of heaviness and a sick stomach.

As I continued along the trail, I poured out my heart to God and lay at His feet all of my cares and concerns. The trail twisted and turned as it followed the snakelike path of the Youghiogheny River. The bends in the trail made it impossible to see what lay ahead, forcing me to focus on the path at my feet. That's when the Lord wrote His loving message on the tablet of my heart. Walk, watch, and wait.

I had been so caught up wondering about the future, that I hadn't done what God had called me to do right then, which was simply walk. Press on, move forward, and continue in the direction He had pointed me. There were no decisions or plans to be made. The Lord simply asked me to go on with Him, one little stretch at a time. The path was clear and straight before me. Daily time spent reading His word and in prayer would keep me from veering or turning around.

As I continued on, the Lord also asked me to watch. There were bends in the road ahead, but I was not to focus on them. If I did, I would miss the beauty that was already surrounding me. He wanted me to breathe in the fragrance of the wild flowers, listen to the songs of the birds and the crickets, and enjoy this stretch of the trail upon which I walked. I was to take in all that was going on around me and watch for what He was doing in my life at that time.

A bend in the trail loomed ahead and the unknown lurked around the corner, but for that the Lord simply said wait. Just wait and rest in Him. Thankfully, He knows what lies ahead for me and He has already taken care of it all. He prepared the path and He will lead me down it. Side by side He walks with me over every bump and along every twist and turn. My Companion knows the way, knows what is ahead, and will make sure I am prepared for it all.

The next day, I turned my first corner. I didn't know what it looked like on the other side, but I was certain that it would be beautiful and there would be a loving hand waiting to hold mine and lead me down the next section.

"The path of a righteous man is ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way." Psalm 37:23

By Shannon M. Nass

The Time Keeper

As we go about our days with one eye on the clock and the other on the tasks at hand, time can seem to be slipping through our fingers as we face busy days and full schedules.  When I start to feel overwhelmed by it all, I stop, reflect, and refresh myself in the One who holds time in His hands. God's got it covered and He will equip us to do what He has called us to do.  Rest in Him.  His timing is always perfect!

Alignment Of Your Times 

Hear God's Word for you in Psalm 31:15. "My times are in your hands." And in Daniel 7:25. "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws." And in Revelation 1:8. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Let God bring your spirit, soul, and body into alignment with His divine time. Choose to stay in the present tense of God's time. Be blessed as you understand the wiles of the enemy to change God's times (Dan 7:25). Ask God to deal with all warping of your time. Be blessed in every part of your spirit to be in harmony with God's time. Ask Him about time, timeliness, and bringing time into alignment, so that you stand in His victories and the breakthroughs already won. 

Be blessed with lining up with your birthright and with God's divine time, so that no portion of your being or spiritual identity or inheritance is out of kilter. God who is out of time can keep your spirit, soul, and body in right relationship to the flow of his days for you. Anticipate His timing on your coming and going. Be blessed to see His fingerprints upon everything that concerns you. If it concerns you, it concerns Him. Look for and receive His nurture, and grow and increase and be strong in all that your Father has for you to receive. You have worked hard over time to overcome brokenness. Trust God to propel you forward, because He is nurturing your whole being. Fragmentation is a thing of the past as God brings all of you to full stature, as Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Be blessed with being whole in every part: spirit, soul, and body.

Be blessed to know the fullest dimensions of what God has placed inside you. Be blessed with knowing your identity in Christ for such a time as this. Understand what your Father designed you to do and how He wants to implement your gifts to accomplish that work with authenticity. He is mentoring and coaching you in the completeness of Christ's likeness. Be blessed with receiving that spiritual deposit now. You have a powerful destiny and purpose. He is guiding and equipping you to demonstrate his magnificence. 

Recognize that God's hand is on every circumstance of your life, as He gives you opportunity to learn and to express all of Himself in you. Be blessed as you accept the giftedness He has placed in you, and know that you are a gift from Him to all the people in your circle of influence. Be blessed today in God's redeemed time. He made everything beautiful in His time.    

Be blessed in the name of the Alpha and Omega, with whom time has no beginning or end (Rev 1:8).

Reprinted with permission from From Seek Him Meet Him weekly online devotional, © by Sylvia Gunter, The Father's Business, P. O. Box 380333, Birmingham, AL 35238, www.thefathersbusiness.com.  Email: info@thefathersbusiness.com

A Very Present Help

God loves His children and is intimately acquainted with all of our ways.  He promises to be a very present help in our hours of need and is there when we call out to Him. No need is too great or too small for Him to meet.  He's proven Himself faithful to me in this area and He wants to do the same for you.  Be blessed!

In His Care

A few year's ago, my husband’s job required him to work ten days straight with no break in between.  No break for him meant no break for me.  As a stay-at-home mother of four-year-old twin girls at the time, my days were filled with activity so any respite I received was welcomed and appreciated.  The thought of ten busy days ahead with little to no quiet time was daunting to say the least.  However, as with all things, I entered into it with prayer and trusted that God would be my strength. 

The first week went by smoothly for the girls and me as we got together with friends and enjoyed spending time out of doors.  By day seven; however, my grace and mercy towards my children was waning along with my strength.  I was just plain tired and the tiniest little indiscretion on the part of my children set me off.  The three of us were missing my husband and we were all displaying it in different and unsavory ways.  

After shamefully raising my voice at them, I realized that what I needed was a little break from the action.  I asked them for their forgiveness, and then asked God for His forgiveness and strength to finish the day.  Shortly after my outburst, the Lord put it upon my heart to go for a run on the nearby walking trail.  Running has always been a way for me to alleviate stress and reconnect with my heavenly Father, but I was so tired that it was the last thing I wanted to do.  However, He kept pressing it upon my heart and before I knew it, I had my running shoes on, the jog stroller in the trunk, and the girls loaded in the backseat on the way to the trail. 

After running the first mile, I could feel the stress melting from my body and my mind.  It was a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining, a cool breeze blowing, birds chirping, and the newly blossomed honeysuckle assaulting our noses with its heady fragrance.  Before long, the rhythm of the stroller combined with the fresh air and cool breeze lulled my girls to sleep.  I finished up my last mile, and then slowed down to a stroll and enjoyed the blessed quiet time.  It was then that I realized what God had in mind for me all along.  

While a run wasn’t even on my radar, He knew it was just what I needed to restore my soul.  I walked and talked with Him, thanking Him for the much needed break in the middle of my day.  I marveled at how He knew just what I needed, when I needed it.  He embraced me in the beauty of His creation and I drank in the sights, sounds, smells, and most importantly, His love. 

According to the world’s standards, I’m pretty insignificant, but God showed me on that trail that I matter to Him. The Creator of the universe searches my heart and knows me intimately.  He comes to me in my time of need and is there for me when I cry out to Him. 

I will never forget that afternoon with my God, enjoying His presence and drawing from His strength.  He refreshed my spirit, renewed my mind, and bathed me in His forgiveness, mercy, and love.  Since then, I've learned to lean more fully on Him and dwell on His grace, mercy and loving kindness, keeping in mind that He is dwelling on me and that I do not go by unnoticed by Him.  

He loves all of His children this way and He longs for us to come to Him and drink deeply from the living waters.  Seek Him and you will find that He is already there waiting to meet your needs and display His love to you.  Run to Him.  He is waiting for you with open arms.  

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:1-3     

By Shannon M. Nass