First Things First

Greetings, 

There's a lot going on in our country right now, and our nation is bruised, battered, and divided.   Many of us are concerned about our future and our safety.  What is the answer?  Some believe a change in leadership would help...  Others want tougher laws...How about more peaceful protests coupled with an increase in the police force?

All that is fine and dandy, but FIRST THINGS FIRST!

Our priority should be to take God at His Word:

"If my people, who belong to me, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land" (1 Chronicles 7:14).

If you and I, God's precious children, go to Him in prayer and pour out our hearts seeking Him and His forgiveness, guidance, protection, provision -  acknowledging that every good thing comes from Him and that He is the only One Who can help us - then that is the first step in God healing this great nation.

God spells out the order very clearly in this verse.  We must  first be humble.  That should be an easy one for us.  Do any of us believe ourselves to be so  self reliant that we can take care of ourselves without Him?

Once we realize how small we are and how great He is, the next logical step is to pray and seek Him. Why? Because God is a good and generous God Who desires deeply to share with us all that He has to offer.  He longs to be compassionate, gracious, merciful and kind. We receive these blessings when we pray.

None of what we just read matters, however, if we don't turn away from sin.  God does not call us to perfection, but He does call us to make an effort, people. We will all fall down in the mud, but we don't have to live in it.  We can get up right away and get back on track.  The way we keep on track is by turning away from our wrongdoings and turning toward God in prayer.

When we do all this GOD HEARS FROM HEAVEN AND HEALS!

Seems to me like we are getting the better end of the bargain.  We admit we need Him,  we tell Him so, we turn away from evil and sin and turn toward Him, and He responds by healing and helping us and our country.

NO BRAINER!                  

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, Thank You for the promises in this verse.  We come to You today and declare how much we desperately need You - minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day.  Help us stay focused on You.  You are our Father and You keep us safe.  We seek Your face because in Your presence there is joy and peace.  We repent of our sin.  Forgive us for our wrongdoing.  For those grudges we have held, the anger we have used to lash out, and for (FILL IN YOUR OWN BLANK). Thank You that You have heard from heaven and are healing our land right now. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

He Will Lift You Up~

Happy Thursday!

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.

This is such an encouraging verse.  When we run to our Fortified Tower and get down on our knees before Him and tell Him that we can’t do it on our own, He will help us get back on our feet! 

First we go down, but then we get lifted up.  And what speaks to me the most about this verse is that as soon as we humble ourselves, He takes over.  He gets busy seeing how to go about getting us back up. 

I love not having to worry about the particulars.  In fact, God always says for us to seek Him, run to Him, call upon Him, cry out to Him, depend on Him, trust Him, and then He will handle the rest.  That really does relieve the pressure!

Back in 1999 the company Jorge worked for suddenly went bankrupt.  Within a few days our income stopped, and both company cars were repossessed.  I am not too ashamed to admit that we never saw it coming, and that my husband actually rode the bus for a while.  It was rough.  The bills still demanded payment, the kids were in private school, and we had a mortgage to pay. 

This verse became so special to us during that difficult time.  Night after long night Jorge and I would go to the Lord and freely admit that we needed Him.  We had no clue what to do or where to turn.  Looking back now we can both see the hand of God moving actively in our lives to get us back on our feet again.  I am pleased to report that even though it has been a journey, we have never lost faith in God.  We have never not paid a bill.  Jorge has had a car for several years now, and God has lifted us higher than we could have ever imagined.  Jorge is working in a field he loves, he is working for himself, and enjoying God-given success.

Where could you use a pick-me-up? In what area of your life would you like to feel significant?  Is it your love life? Your relationship with your children? Your career? Your finances? First, you must get down on your knees.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for lifting us up when we need it.  Thank You that as soon we call upon You for help, You take over.  We are depending in You to get us back on our feet.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~