CCCS Women

Look To The Lord

What a wonderful scripture I found during my time with God today. I am in the book of 2 Chronicles and enjoying reading the Bible chronologically. During one of the battles when the Eastern Enemies came against God’s people, Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. He was a king who did good.

The enemies’ army was a “vast multitude” and scripture says that Jehoshaphat was afraid. I would say that is a normal emotion at a time like that. What do you think he did in his fear? This is what 2 Chronicles 20:3 says that he did. “Jehoshaphat was afraid, so he resolved to seek the Lord. What a novel idea!

I thought about his response and then began to look at situations in my life that make me fearful at times. I questioned my responses to many of them and I’m sad to say that there were times that seeking the Lord was not my first choice. Some of my choices were to panic, fix it, stick my head in the sand, etc. I will say that those choices did work in some situations but I never had peace in them. Why do we struggle so with allowing God to be our Guide, Counselor, Protector and Victor? Is it a trust issue? Do we believe God can, but maybe He’s too slow or needs help from us to tell Him how to do it? Or, could it be that we don’t like how He has goes about His work? I’m sure all of those have probably come into your mind at times too.

I was encouraged with Jehoshaphat’s prayer and I hope you will be too. He says, “We are powerless before this vast multitude that comes to fight against us. We do not know what to do, but we look to You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12. The last phrase is vital. We must admit that we don’t know, but we know Who does and we're seeking God. What army is pressing in on you? Wherever and whatever battle you find yourself in, look to the Lord.

Becky

Who Stands By You

Who Stands By You?

As I enjoyed my Quiet Time this week, one of my readings was Acts 27:23. “For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me.” This is from the account of the severe storm at sea that jeopardized the ship, Paul, and all the passengers on their way to Rome.

The message from that angel was “Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.” Then Paul said, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me” (Acts 23:24, 25).

How could Paul be so confident and bold? I think verse 23 speaks first to that. A few versions use the words “whose I am and who I serve.” You see, Paul knew who he was. He had a personal relationship with Christ. He was redeemed (bought) by His blood and he lived for Him (Christ) who died for him (2 Cor. 5:15). Paul lived with a God-ward focus. He became a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1, 2).

And, secondly, he knows from past experience that God stood by him. He stood by him when he was in Corinth (Acts 18:9, 10), and when he was in custody in Jerusalem (Acts 23:11). And, he told Timothy that when all others deserted him that “the Lord stood with me and strengthened me” (2 Tim. 4:16, 17). These all took place at a crisis in Paul’s life.
Thirdly, he believed God. It’s not just believing in God, but believing God that gives us comfort, courage and peace. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.” In a study by Beth Moore entitled “Believing God”, we learned that:
1. God is who He says he is
2. God can do what He says He can do
3. I am who God says I am
4. I can do all things through Christ
5. God’s word is alive and active
“I’m believin’ God”

When we Belong to Him, Serve Him and Believe Him, we need not fear. He will Stand by me. The promise is that He will not forsake me but instead be with me and strengthen me. I’d like to close with a quote from John Bunyan from his cell in Bedford Jail where he was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. “The prison very sweet to me hath been since I came here; and so would also hanging be, if Thou didst then appear.” It was said of that quote that Bunyan was saying that if his trial revealed more of Christ to him, it was worth all the pain. If God used this storm to reveal more of Christ to Paul or to bring any of the men on board to Jesus Christ, the life-threatening ordeal would have been well worth it.

How about you? Do you know whose you are and who you serve? Do you have confidence to share with others what God is revealing to you? By the way, what is He revealing to you about Himself and your relationship to Him? How’s your Quiet Time?

I’m reminded of an older song .

“Once I stood in the night with my head bowed low,
In the darkness as black as could be;
And my heart felt alone and I cried, O Lord,
Don’t hide Your face from me.

Like a king I may live in a palace so tall,
With great riches to call my own;
But I don’t know a thing in this whole wide world
That’s worse than being alone.

Hold my hand all the way,
Every hour, every day
From here to the great unknown
Take my hand; Let me stand
Where no one stands alone”

Who Stands By You?

Becky

"Other-Worldly"

In Tozer’s book “The Pursuit of God”, he makes a statement that I believe is worth each of us considering. “To most people God is an inference, not a reality. He is a deduction from evidence which they consider adequate, but He remains personally unknown to the individual.” Oh, to be sure, most Christians would say that they believe in God but when push comes to shove, can and will they say that they have experienced God personally? If that is not the case, God is no more real to them than He is to the non-Christian. In other words, this person believes in God in theory only.

I know that it is hard for the Christian living in this present world of sin to experience, by faith, the presence of God. Nevertheless, He is present. “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:16, 17).

Our dilemma is that the visible becomes the enemy of the invisible; the temporal, of the eternal. We forget that the invisible Reality is God. We get so indebted to this world’s value system that we forget to bank eternal values. These are not just deposits for heaven, but values from a loving God to insure that we can live “other-worldly” now. This means living to please God. What this physical world cannot see should be visible reality to you and me. Of which does your life testify; worldly or “other worldly?” Are you happy with your answer? It takes a great deal of faith to walk in “other-worldliness.” Scripture addresses this in Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

I have no 3-point thoughts or (as many of us desire) short-cuts, to magically make God, Author of the “Other-world”, a Visible Reality in your life, but I do have a word from God. “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8) “As you begin to see His goodness and focus on Him, the things of the spirit will take shape before your inner eyes.” (Tozer). Result? Living “Other-worldly.”

Enjoy!
Becky