Thought 238: Black Out from Ryan's devotional book series Thougths

Thought 238

Black Out

  Have you ever come close to blacking-out?  I almost did one day when needles were mentioned. So here’s the story: one day I was mowing up by the road at the corner of my parent’s property and was stung four or five times by a yellow jacket. Most of body swelled up with hives and my mom called an ambulance. When it got there they said I was stable and they could take me to the hospital and give me an IV, but there wasn’t any real need to. I am scared ‘to death’ of needles; I hate shots and the mention of needles made me start to turn white. I made some excuse to go to the bathroom right after they said that, but halfway there my vision was narrowing steadily. I turned around and made it back to the kitchen where the paramedics and my mom was. My lips were white when I came back and I ended up laying down to regain my vision—I came awful close to passing out. As I was recovering on the floor, the paramedic said that he “was just waiting for me to drop” because I looked just like the people that are afraid of needles and pass out when they are given an IV. Long story short, if you have ever come close to blacking out, you know just what it is like to have your vision constricted because of fear. Likewise, when fear is dominating our lives it becomes increasingly harder to steer away from the temptations and the broad paths which so often stem off of the straight and narrow. 

When you are blinded by fear you are cut off from freedom.

Thought Provoker

V  Think hard, are you ensnared in any fashion? Is a spiritual ‘black out’ drawing nigh? Or are you already so blinded that you don’t even realize it (lukewarm), because the blindness has been the norm for so long?

   If you are ensnared, Pray and ask the Lord to remove the shackles of fear, and ask Him to open your eyes to what wicked and ugly things (though sinful things are lustfully beautiful at first) ensnare you.

Thought 237: 2009 Clarity. . . . 2010 Moving Forward from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 237

2009 Clarity…. 2010 Moving Forward

 A previous pastor at my church, Pastor Brock, preached a couple of sermons, each at the beginning of separate years in which he testified to what God had spoken to him about the coming year. God revealed to Pastor Brock that the year of 2009 would be a year of CLARITIY in our decisions, dreams, and desires; the truth was that it was a year of clarity for me. When I look back to 2009 I remember the joy of rededicating my life to the Lord, of being called into the ministry, of being told to write this book, of water baptism, of the birth of my second sister, and of much more. It was a year of clarity! Is all this a big coincidence? No, this is God simply using a servant of His to spread His word to His people and it was proved true over the course of that year!  Nothing happens by accident, because God reigns over all. God still speaks today, He is not silent and uninvolved!

In 2010, a few months before God moved him to a different state, Pastor Brock again had a message. This time the message was Moving Forward in faith, future, favor, and finances. Well, it is only September 9^th as I am writing this, but yet again this message has rung true in my life. This year hasn’t been as clear as last year was and I have had to exercise faith much more. Likewise, financially, God has blessed me with work and monetary gifts, my average income per year, based on a rough estimate will be doubled by the end of 2010.  In terms of favor (grace), God has been raining down many blessings this year: from completing my Gold Medal of Achievement (like Eagle Scout) to the blessing of being self-taught in 11^th Grade (except for Spanish and geometry)—I am also doing better and developing self-teaching skills that are bound to prove beneficial over the course of my life. In addition, God has helped me to realize that my work with young men isn’t about helping them earn a Gold Medal of Achievement that is simply a benefit. The ultimate goal is for me to continue to be faithful to Christ and mentor the young men that God allows me to serve. God also led me to start teaching a Young Adult Bible Study which has had some pretty neat results.

To keep this short, I won’t go on about the many other ways the Lord has blessed and helped me Move Forward this year, but I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal to you some of the things that He has done in your life over the course of a years’ time.

  I have found that writing a list or article about what God has taught me throughout a year to be a source of encouragement. Perhaps if you develop a similar compilation it will be an encouragement to you.

Thought 236: Trials, Tribulations, and Faith from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 236

Trials, Tribulations, and Faith

  Trials are simply testing periods during our walk with God. Just like with Job, Satan, has to receive God’s permission to torment or take something away from you. The Lord sometimes grants these requests to our Enemy and it is often difficult to understand why (and if we ever understand it is usually after the testing has occurred). For example, did Abraham not understand why God told him to sacrifice his son—Isaac was a gift!—yet God told Abraham to sacrifice the young man. . The command of the Lord did not make sense, but Abraham knew that God was speaking to him, not some Satanic messenger. So Abraham OBEYED in faith. Abraham had faith because he lacked the reason or evidence of why God was asking him to do such a thing, yet he believed it.

 Ultimately, Abraham’s obedience foreshadowed the coming of Christ our Savior. Christ was the final sacrificial Lamb upon an altar to the Lord. Only the ultimate sacrifice of God’s very being, who was in a human form, can rapture us to the Lord after our earthly death. Remember, this world is not our home, and our earthly death is merely the beginning of our eternal bliss with a Loving, gracious, and Merciful Lord, who is also Sovereign, Just, and Eternal! Hardship was necessary for Abraham and our Lord Jesus, we need not fear it, but endure it and place our faith in God’s wisdom and plan.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” 1 Peter 4:12 KJV

Thought 235: Laziness from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 235

Laziness

 God has a plan for your life, but that plan includes valleys of shadow and mountains of revelation: hard times and easier times. Your human nature desires to find an easy way out of the hard times. Thus, laziness is a temptation and it can become a habit.

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame. . . .The labour of the righteous tendeth to life: the fruit of the wicked to sin.” Proverbs 10:4-5,9 KJV

The word of God says that if we deal with a slack had we will become poor, but the hand of the diligent prospers. The same Word says that all hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads to poverty (Proverbs 14:23). Why did America become so rich as a growing nation? Because the people recognized that they were to work as unto God and not as unto man (Col. 3:23) and as they worked extremely hard, they reaped abundant harvests. This doesn’t mean that they never had crop failures or tight times, but God blessed their diligence and honor of His Word.

When greed and selfishness have snatched the heart of a man, he is in trouble whether he has one dollar or one million. It not only becomes hard for him to surrender all and come into eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but he opens himself up to get rich quick schemes, and the false philosophy of the “easy” life.

Do you deal with laziness habitual laziness in any area? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you do by taking few moments of prayer and silence to listen for His small, still voice.

 

 When tempted Remember that

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

If you are stuck in a habitual pattern Remember that

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV

Thought 234: Fire refines from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 234

Fire refines

  Fire removes impurities. In a like manner, hard times, those times that life feels like Hell are actually going to refine us. Not only do we learn what our character really is, but we learn what we need to work on. For example, if we cower easily when trouble comes, then we probably need to search our Bibles about humility, perseverance, and standing strong.