Devotionals 26-30

Patience "O thou of little faith" Life's uncertainty Loneliness

God is more interested in your character than in your comfort. We must be willing to let Him direct our lives in such a way that he may close any door, or choose any path that may have the potential to lead us away from His plan or will. Each of will face frustrations in our life such as long waits at a doctors office, frustrations at work, misunderstanding between friends or a simple traffic jam on the way to work or to an appointment. These frustrations of the heart and soul must be understood as God's opportunities to build patience and virtue in our life. When things do not go our way we must not allow those situations to met with quick tempers and escalating emotional feeling of contempt. God's plan is to allow trials to come in our life so that we fashion our life to become reflections of His glory and perfect work in us. God has ordained that the trials of our faith in frustrating circumstances are to be the garden for patience to grow and discipline to be learned. It involves a deep level of trust and knowing that God is in control. Those who grow in this disciple of patience will find themselves as a refreshing spirit in a crowd of contemptuous people. Patience will also help our own spiritual growth. Our level of faith will be strengthened in time of stress and difficulty. Contrary to this our own lack of patience will cause us to react with immaturity to situations when we feel pressured or anxious . A faith that can not be tested can not be trusted, but on the other hand spiritual maturity leads us to lean on God's wisdom. Our reasoning seasoned with patience during anxious trials causes us to shift our focus from our own limited ability to what God can do. Patience gives us a clear purpose of God's leading in our life. He has something wonderful in store for us if we would wait on Him. Waiting and trusting God are necessary ingredients for us to become people of understanding and godly wisdom. God will always seem closer when we seek to see life from His point of view. We will have a greater faith in God when we let patience have its perfect work in us. Patience will cause our faith to be refined when lives pressures are intensified. Oswald Chambers wrote, "To wait on the Lord and rest in the Lord is an indication of a healthy, holy faith, while impatience is an indication of an unhealthy, unholy unbelief."

"O thou of little faith" Matt. 14:25-31

What is the greatest need in you life? Is it more money? Is it a physical need? Are you battling an emotional need of loneliness, hopelessness, or despair? Has someone disappointed you or are you in need some rest from a chaotic situation. Perhaps your need is encouragement.
When Peter walked on the water he began to sink because his faith shifted from the Savior to the situation. When Jesus is with you in the midst of storm, He is all that you need regardless of your situation. Most of our needs are not so much physical in nature as much as they are issues of faith. We may rationally discern the nature of our circumstances, but those troubles or disappointments will remain until we learn to put our faith in the God of all circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances are so great that we feel like Peter who cried out, "Lord, save me!" When you faith seems to run dry and it seems almost impossible to trust God, that is the time when God wants to teach us the most if we would just look to Him. George Muller writes, "The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety." God does not lead us to chaotic stressful situations to stretch our faith thin, but rather to build our faith and trust in Him, so that we may be better equipped to be a tool and a testimony of His rich grace. Difficulties will always compound when you try free yourself from a frantic situation in your own strength. Perfect faith in God says, "He already knows about my situation before it ever happened, and He already has taken care of my problem." D.L. Moody said, " A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul." Don't be afraid to experience Gods' love to you by forsaking all and trusting Him. He waits for you in order calm your fears and give you comfort during your painful turns on lives road. Whatever your need is, let God be personally involved.

Life's uncertainty Psalm 46:1-3

How old are you? The answer to that question depends upon whom you ask the question. A child will say "I'm six and half." Those half years are very important to a child. A grandmother may answer that question with, "I'm sixty and have five grandchildren." Whatever your age is, it is certain that life goes by fast. Job said, "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope (Job 7:6). David said, "Behold, Thou hast made my days as an hand breadth; and my age is nothing before thee: (Psalm 39:5). The Bible teaches that life is uncertain and appears for a moment, and then vanishes away (James 4:14). Because life is swift and uncertain we should number our days (Ps.90:12) and redeem the time (Eph.5:16). Even though life is uncertain and death is for sure, Jesus can give us victory every day though a life lived through Him. Jesus overcame death in His own resurrection, so that we may live victoriously in Him. His power to raise the dead (Lk.7:11-15) is available to us in our daily walk with Him. His power provides comfort in our sorrows and our struggles. When trials and tribulations come we can be certain that Jesus is, "The God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all tribulation , that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (2Cor.1:3&4). Jesus is our refuge and strength in times of uncertainty. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee; Yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Is.41:10).
One reason God sent Jesus Christ was to mend our broken hearts and help us to go on living (Is.61:1-2). Life is never uncertain to those whose focus is stayed on Him. It is He who gives us meaning to life and our time here on this celestial ball.

Loneliness Psalm 73:26

Have you ever been in room crowded with people and yet still feel all alone? Perhaps you have woke up in the morning and faced the day feeling that no one cared for your soul. David in Psalm 42:5 cried, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul ?" Loneliness wears many different faces and comes from emotional abandonment, guilt, spiritual uneasiness, or lack of fellowship with God. We must be careful not to allow a feeling of loneliness to govern our lives. We must keep our focus on Jesus who loved us and gave Himself for us. Focusing on the negative side of a situation will lead us to loneliness, pity, and to doubt Gods' blessings. It will paralyze your potential . People who focus on their loneliness do what a lot of people do who are lonely, -- nothing. That's exactly what Satan wants you to do--nothing. He wants you to become so entangled with your emotions that you become tied down and frozen in a life far below your potential. Focusing on your loneliness ruins your relationships with others and with God Himself. You will begin to think that you are worthless. When you devalue yourself through your loneliness you eventually become overly absorbed with yourself and have nothing left for others. You'll have no vision for the lost. "Where there is no vision, the people perish. (Prov. 29:18). God does not choose those who are sabotaged by their feelings of loneliness to accomplish great things for Him, rather He chooses those who glory in His strength during their weakness. Paul and Silas did not allow feelings of loneliness to overcome them when they were in prison. They focused on the person and power of Jesus Christ then they sang so loudly their voices were heard throughout the prison.
God will hear your voice if you will cry out to Him in your loneliness. "Call unto Me and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." (Jer.33:3). God hears yours prayers. He knows the cries of your heart and is filled with compassion concerning your loneliness. The love of God is unconditional. The secret of joy and contentment is not in others, but in Jesus Christ. God is your source of strength in times of Loneliness.

Walk in the Spirit Gal. 5:16-26

    Man's deadliest enemy is his own inability to control his own spirit. A spirit of anger or pride will defeat you spiritually. It will rob you of your joy and peace in Christ. A spirit of worry will destroy you physically. A spirit of guilt will disturb you emotionally. Long-standing guilt is difficult to get freedom from. It seems to linger long after a Christian claims forgiveness and accepts God's grace. Anger, hostility, worry, and guilt will disrupt you socially. It will put you into shackles so that you will find that you are missing the wonderful experiences of Christian fellowship. In fact your relationship to God Himself will be broken . A spirit of resentment will be used by Satan to isolate you until you become overly absorbed in and with yourself. A spirit of pride can dam you externally if you do not flee to Christ in confession. A proud person may never humble himself to admit his need for Jesus Christ. A proud Christian robs himself of God's marvelous power and ability to show Himself real and perfect in times of weakness.
    The remarkable thing about our spirit is that we have a choice every day regarding the spirit we will embrace for that day. We can't blame our circumstances, our failures, our education, our past, or what people say or think about us. That is the very reason we are told to walk in the Spirit. When we do not walk in the Spirit we will surrender our spirit to a source outside the Holy Spirit and begin to walk in the flesh. God wants us to have a reverent spirit toward Him daily (Heb.12:29). He wants us to have a grateful spirit. Your unhappiness is public rebuke to Christ. Give your expectations to God. Be careful not to make your spouse a prisoner of your expectations. You can not change your beloved, but you can change your spirit. God wants you to have a servants spirit. It is God's way to greatness (Mk. 10:44). God wants you to have a quiet spirit that focuses on Him , not your rights.
    Thought: The real measure of a man's strength is his ability to rule his own spirit. Prov. 25:28.