Isaiah 59

Behold, the Lord'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Calamity is punishment for sin

9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. 11 We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; 13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. 14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. 15 Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.

Salvation is only of God

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. 17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. 18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. 19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. 20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. 21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.

Isaiah 59:1-21 (KJV)

Trying to Earn God's Approval? You Can't.

Salvation is a work of God for man,
rather than a work of man for God.

Lewis Sperry Chafer

You Can't Save Yourself

 

Before an individual can be saved, he must first learn that he cannot save himself.

M. R. DeHaan

Pour Contempt on All My Pride

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Isaac Watts

Hallelujah, What a Savior!

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

Philip P. Bliss

Look for the Light

“Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive.”         

Jeremiah 13:15-17 KJV

 

    This verse depicts our salvation accurately, although this was not the original intent. As we refuse to seek the Lord and to listen to Him we invariably embrace ourselves, our pride. We must give glory to God or we will find darkness and we will stumble; yea, we may even fall. In this struggle, we may look frantically for the Lord’s light, but in correction, He only shows us the shadows of death. If you won’t listen to God, Believers will grieve for you. They grieve because they know that you have ceased listening to and pursuing and the Lord, you are in darkness and because of this have been taken captive either for a season, to learn and be disciplined; or for eternity. . . .


 

Salvation!

Salvation!

“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”

Isaiah 41:17-18 KJV

     Are you poor and needy? I know that I need to be, because spiritual hunger, thirst, and need (desperation for the Lord) opens the door for the Lord to answer me, make the rivers flow, and restore my soul!  David had this type of attitude throughout his Psalms. He cried out to the Lord and was desperate for the Lord’s direction—he wouldn’t act without it.

     Where are you? Pause and examine yourself, are we desperate for the Lord? If so, you may want to record how He starts answering you and providing small bits off refreshment in the desert and on the barren heights. Close this devotional time by reading Matthew 6:33.

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The way I see it, there are three major decisions/events in a person’s life.

            #1 Accepting Christ’s free gift of salvation is the most important event in your life coupled with maintaining a vibrant relationship with Him through communion with the Holy Spirit.

             #2 The calling that God has placed on you. Everyone has a calling (2 Peter 1:10). Your calling can be to serve in ministry, your career, a hobby, serving at your church, simply listening to people, and the list goes on. The possibilities are huge and fathomless because God makes us unique people that can use our talents in specific, yet personal ways. God has a specific thing—or things!—that He wants you to do in your lifetime. Have you sought Him for what that or those things are? Why or why not?

              #3 The greatest decision that you will ever make in the natural world is who you marry. You will be bonded to this person for the rest of your earthly lives; you will need to follow God’s leading together in your marriage; and the fruit of your marriage may be a family. Are you going to marry the right one? How will you know? Call upon God through prayer. Does God want you to marry the specific man or woman you are interested in? The Bible talks about asking and receiving: if you need wisdom, then ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). Isn’t wisdom required to make the decision of who you will marry? Then why not ask God? God will speak! If you seek Him, you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). Ask Him, you may be surprised what He reveals. If you truly hear His Words, they will line up with the Bible.

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The Three Big Decisions of Your life

The way I see it, there are three major decisions/events in a person’s life.

#1 Accepting Christ’s free gift of salvation is the most important event in your life coupled with maintaining a vibrant relationship with Him through communion with the Holy Spirit.

#2 The calling that God has placed on you. Everyone has a calling (2 Peter 1:10). Your calling can be to serve in ministry, your career, a hobby, serving at your church, simply listening to people, and the list goes on. The possibilities are huge and fathomless because God makes us unique people that can use our talents in specific, yet personal ways. God has a specific thing—or things!—that He wants you to do in your lifetime. Have you sought Him for what that or those things are? Why or why not?

#3 The greatest decision that you will ever make in the natural world is who you marry. You will be bonded to this person for the rest of your earthly lives; you will need to follow God’s leading together in your marriage; and the fruit of your marriage may be a family. Are you going to marry the right one? How will you know? Call upon God through prayer. Does God want you to marry the specific man or woman you are interested in? The Bible talks about asking and receiving: if you need wisdom, then ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). Isn’t wisdom required to make the decision of who you will marry? Then why not ask God? God will speak! If you seek Him, you will find Him. Ask Him, you may be surprised what He reveals. If you truly hear His Words, they will line up with the Bible.

A Thought from Oswald Chambers on Regeneration

“Our part as workers for God is to open men’s eyes that they may turn themselves from darkness to light; but that is not salvation, that is conversion—the effort of a roused human being. I do not think it is too sweeping to say that the majority of nominal Christians are of this order; their eyes are open, but they have received nothing. Conversion is not regeneration. This is one of the neglected factors in our preaching to-day. When a man is born again, he knows that it is because he has received something as a gift from Almighty God and not because of his own decision. People register their vows, and sign their pledges, and determine to go through, but none of this is salvation. Salvation means that we are brought to the place where we are able to receive something from God on the authority of Jesus Christ, viz., remission of sins.”

My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers

Thought 270: Found. . . .and named Angel from Ryan's devotional book series Thoughts

Thought 270

Found….and named Angel

   One day as I was going to get the mail, I found a stray cat. Now I strongly dislike cats, but this one was different. I brought it back to the house and fed it and played with it.  Shortly after doing all that I named it Angel.

     My Grandmother came over that day and saw how well me and my sister were getting along with the cat (which was still outside) and said that if Dad didn’t let us keep it that she would take it.  Well, Dad said no (we already had several pets) and a few days passed where I went outside and called “Here kitty, kitty” or “Angel” and the cat would come running from somewhere in the woods to me. In short, we never did get to keep the cat, but my Grandmother did take her. And the bond that used to have existed between myself and that cat is gone today when I visit: she avoids me and won’t come when I call her. Isn’t that how we are with God sometimes? We are following Him for a while, answering His every call, but then we get fed and placed in the comfortable indoors becoming cocky and prideful instead of humble and grateful.

   Are you still found . . . and named Angel and running to your lover at His every call? Or are you into Yourself and living in your found home?