Author: cslacey

            When our daughter was a little girl, she would call from her playroom, “Mom?” I’d answer and she would say, “I love you.” “I love you too,” I’d say, knowing she really asked, “Mom, are you still there?”

In Mark 10:14-16 The Lord declares that the kingdom of God belongs to children, (of which we all are.) That we must accept and welcome His kingdom with the same trust and assurance of a child with a loving parent. Then He took them into His arms, placed His hand upon them and blessed them.

            Lord, I am so grateful to be Your child and I long to rest in those same loving arms, to feel Your hand upon my head and hear a blessings just for me. I loved it when our little children would run to me, sure I would provide what they needed. But the sweetest times were when they just wanted to feel my arms around them, to absorb the affection I delighted in giving.

            Help me see You in that same way, Abba, Father. To come running into your presence, to experience for myself Your delight, and that same assurance in times of need, that You are still there.

Psalm 107: 9  “For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

          In essence, my devotional said my reluctance to witness was rooted in unbelief. I tried to ignore that, but the Lord kept it stirring in my mind. Was it true? Did I fail to speak up because what if I prayed and they weren’t healed? Or what if they ridiculed my beliefs or asked questions I wasn’t prepared to answer? My reasons were endless-and full of unbelief!

Didn’t the Lord promise to be with me always? Didn’t He say He would give me the words I needed when the time came, just as He said to Moses in Exodus 4:12? “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” Didn’t He say it was His kindness (spoken gently and lovingly through His children) that would lead people to repentance? Didn’t Jesus say the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts people of sin and righteousness? That truth, the Word of God, is what sets people free?

          I truly want my roots settled in believing that God would do what He promised, so I prayed and asked for divine appointments. That day a man came to inspect our newly installed furnace. He was talkative, said he had done furnace work for years and had missed much of his children’s and grandchildren’s lives. He said he was 77 and people he knew that were younger than him were dying and he wanted to make a change.

          Without hesitation (which amazes me, looking back) I said, “And where are you going after you die?” His mouth fell open. After a moment he said. “To heaven.” I said, “how do you know that?” I could see he was thinking about it. “Because I love Jesus and He is my Lord,” he said. I gave him a thumbs up. “Good for you,” I said.

          After that we had the best time talking about the Lord. He couldn’t get over that I had questioned him and followed up with the “how?” He was so delighted, he stayed and talked to my husband and me, even asked if he could come see us again sometime!

          My most precious memory of this encounter is that it was totally and wholly God. He made it so easy for me to challenge someone’s beliefs. The conversation flowed as naturally as asking about the weather or plans for the day. I was in awe of the Lord’ grace and thrilled at being used to bless that man.

          The next morning I asked for more divine appointments and then came thoughts of “but what would you have said if he wasn’t already child of God?” The temptation to list (I write all kinds of lists and notes to myself) all I would have to be sure to say if that happened, came to me. Immediately, I felt a check in my spirit. It would be God who would give me what to say, my job was to know Him and His word, He would take care of the rest.

”   (You) shall take root downward and bear fruit upward.” Isaiah 37:31 NKJV

Each morning in December a big upholstered chair in front of my Christmas tree becomes my prayer closet. I take my Bible and snuggle between the oversized arms and hunker down. Cup of tea in hand, I come into God’s presence, staring at the tree. It is covered with ornaments and balls that bring memories of past times, family, friends, joy and sadness. It is dark and uninviting until at 5:40 the lights snap on.

What a difference! It goes from a replica of a living tree with objects that would have no reason for being, to something almost alive. The lights shimmer through see-through ribbons, sparkle off colored balls and twinkle on ornaments as if announcing joy. My gaze is pulled to the angel sitting regally on top. At any minute I expect to hear her proclaim, “peace to all men of good will.”

The transition from dark to light brings my thoughts to our Savior, the Light of the world. Praise pours from my grateful heart for the memory of when His light clicked on in me years ago…a light that has never been extinguished. I’m sorry when the tree darkens again, I remember what it was like to be in darkness. But even now when things darken my world, He assures me He is still with me, the light is still on.

“I am the light of the World. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.  John 8:12

 

 

 

In a study by David Jeremiah, he wrote about the “Misapplication of good works,” something that had caught my eye in Titus 3:8. The verse ends telling us we “should be careful to maintain good works.”

My Bible notes defined good works as “Our authentic response to God’s grace revealed in Jesus.” I couldn’t get the thought out of my head, and began to pick apart the words.

“Our,” or me, my response.

“Authentic,” genuine, the demise of ego led behavior, unhindered expression of the soul, baring ones shortcomings despite consequences, not trapped by others expectations. Wow! Much to contemplate.

“Response,” our answer, A spoken reply, what we do with information, knowledge or a revelation. Lord forgive me the times I’ve put things off, hoped someone else would get the message or just ignored Your call.

“God’s grace,” The enabling manifestation of His power and favor. Lord, I know You would strengthen me to act upon what I should do, and Your unearned, undeserved blessing would follow, why do I hesitate or doubt?”

“Revealed in Jesus,” His character, obedience, sacrifice, selflessness, servant hood, unconditional love, all demonstrated by our Savior. Thank you for coming to save us and restore us by Your Holy Spirit, Lord. Apart from You I could do nothing, Please help me, teach me to put aside my agenda and walk in love.

A trip through the Scriptures revealed a lot about “good works.” We are called to be ready for, be a pattern of in doctrine and integrity, maintain to be fruitful, be zealous for and more. And God has promised unbelievers will observe them and glorify God, use them to silence the ignorant and foolish, make us complete in to do His will, and that it pleases Him.

We are told to repent of “dead works,” things done in our own strength, not productive or not your assignment, that His blood cleanses us from dead works to serve living God. That they, can deny Him, be an abomination to Him.

A teacher’s wise word has stuck with me since salvation: God’s callings are His enabling s. The word of God equips us to act upon His grace. Our response authenticates our faith as we take part in our opportunity to emulate Jesus

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will guide you with my eye.” Psalm 32:8

“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you began to change, grow, and transform.”  Roy T. Bennett

Feeling overwhelmed (again) by too many things on my plate, I glanced at my calendar that nags of what is expected today, but also has a Scripture for the week. A favorite of mine, Psalm 62:5, leapt off the page. “My soul wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” I went to room where the Lord and I meet each morning and a devotional I’m reading was all about when you feel burdened by too many things. Go figure!

So I climbed into His lap and He reminded me my sufficiency is in Him and His abundant grace. I looked up Scriptures on sufficiency and was immediately assured of His promise to be there for me, guiding, prioritizing, enabling and empowering me to face the day’s demands, confident in His strength of carry me.

I was reminded I am not sufficient in myself, it is from God. That He makes all grace abound toward me so I’ll always have all sufficiency for all my needs. That I have grace given sufficiency for every good thing I need to accomplish, the call He assigned before I was born.

I believe He was saying I have a purpose and He will see that I’m equipped to do it. That my assignment is a holy calling, given according to His purpose and grace, gently revealed to me. Psalm 20:4 says “May He grant you according to your heart’s desire and fulfill all your purpose. Sounds like our heart’s desire is wound up with the purpose He gave us. How great is that??!!

Psalm 16:5 adds, “He maintains my lot.” What more do I need?

“neither can you (bear fruit) unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4

“The greatest need of every human heart is to know the resources and sufficiency of God.”  A. B. Simpson

 

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LONGING FOR HIS PRESENCE

I came with longing for the Lord’s presence and as I sat quietly waiting on Him, my heart’s desires poured forth. Lord, I long for Your blood to flow in my veins, Your thoughts to be in my mind, Your words to pour from my lips. I long for my heart to beat with Yours, my mind set on Your will, Your plans to overshadow mine, Your love to flow in my heart. I long for Your grace to prepare me for today, Your mercy to cover my failures, Your truth to be my plum line and Your joy to be my strength.

I long for your kindness to be my mantle, Your patience my goal, my yoke to rest on Your shoulders, and to partake in Your holiness. I long for your sacrifice to inspire dying to myself, Your peace to nullify my anxieties, Your gentleness to overrule harsh responses, Your longsuffering to awaken my need to trust You are in control.

I long for Your boldness to diminish my reluctance, Your forgiveness to be my pattern, Your wisdom to be what I seek, and Your knowledge to open my understanding. I long for Your counsel to guide my actions, Your help the first place I run to, Your convictions quick to correct and Your righteousness never doubted.

I long for Your trustworthiness to overcome my unbelief, Your humility to be my cloak, Your thankfulness my constant whisper. I long for Your praise to flow freely from my heart, Your presence to trigger worship, Your song to well up throughout my day, Your name to be continually on my lips.

Lord, I long for Your blood to be my protection, Your steadfastness to warm my soul, Your power to heal my afflictions, Your sufficiency to awaken my spirit and to know You as I am known,

He is so much more than this but He met me where I was, blessing me with assurance and awe as a manifestation of His holy presence surrounded me.

“Oh that I might have my request, that God would grant me the thing that I long for. Job 6:8

“An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children.” A.W. Tozer

Shortly after I was saved I would find myself rocking back and forth when I prayed, especially when I was seeking God about something with my whole heart. What fun it was recently to discover it is an old Jewish way of prayer called ‘davening.’ “It is ‘getting lost in communion with God while reciting texts or intense prayer,” my Bible notes recorded, “a part of meditating on His word.”

Once I needed to know if I should spend money we didn’t have to visit two of my children with their children, ministering in South Africa. After ‘davening,’ God said, “Go, I will provide the money. My husband agreed and off I went. The second day there he called to say he had received a bonus, (the only one they ever gave out.) It was almost the exact amount of my plane ticket.”

To this day I often find myself davening, or in some way moving about, usually while praying in the Spirit for a pressing need. I find that God is true to His word in Jeremiah 33:3. “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty (isolated and inaccessible), things you do not know.”

” His secret counsel is with the upright.”  Proverbs 3:32

“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, it is laying hold of His willingness.” Martin Luther

Romans 8:37 says, ”   I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me.”. The verse begins, “Yet in all those things…” Backing up to verse 35, the “things,” that cannot separate us from Christ’s love cover every possible attack or circumstance, including our inner battle with too much “me.”

We don’t fade under tribulation because God is greater in us than He who desires to bring disasters. The distresses we go through can’t match our ability to do all things in His strength. The persecution of being bombarded by worldly viewpoints doesn’t compare to the joy that awaits in heaven for those who stand for truth.

We lack nothing of importance so famine cannot void His promise to “freely give us all things.” Nakedness, (which God pointed out to me years ago represents guilt,) has been forgiven along with doubt and cannot badger us. And the possibility of a violent death through some accident or a ravaging disease, (peril or sword) cannot keep us from trusting Him who has promised to never leave us helpless or alone.

I am forever grateful that because God promised and His word is not disputable, I am more than a conqueror an neither these nor all the forces of hell, cannot, can never separate us from our Savior’s love.

“All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness.” Psalm 111:8 NKJV

“Anything under God’s control is never out of control.” Chuck Swindoll