Category: Strength for Today

Jeremiah 7:13
“And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;”

One of the complaints I often hear from people is that they just can’t get their prayers answered. Oftentimes we quote Scripture when we pray to remind God that He promised to hear and answer prayer. We will quote Jeremiah 33:3 where He says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee…” We quote Matthew 7:7 where it says, “Ask, and it shall be given you…” Every Christian wants the LORD to answer their prayer.

However, let’s put the shoe on the other foot. Are you answering when the LORD prays to you? I know, this sounds strange, but lets look at the definition of prayer. The word “pray” means, “to ask or petition with earnestness.” That means when God asks us to do something, He is praying to us. He is asking us to hear His prayer to us.

It says in the verse above, “… I called you, but ye answered not;” God told Jeremiah that He called to His people, but they would not answer. He spoke to them early, but they would not hear. Sadly, the same people who wanted God to answer their prayer would not answer His prayer.

This action by God’s people not to hear Him when He asked them to do things had severe consequences. Verse 16 shows us those consequences when it says, “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” Because they wouldn’t answer God when He prayed for them to obey His voice, He would not hear them when they called for His intercession. There are a couple of lessons we need to learn from this verse.

First, when God calls He expects you to answer. God doesn’t ask you to do things for no reason. When God asks you to go witness to someone, He expects you to answer. When He asks you to surrender to His will, He expects you to lay aside your will for His. When God speaks He expects you to listen and obey.

Second, God responds to your prayers according to your response to His. God responded to Judah’s prayer according to their response to His. It was not that God hadn’t given them ample opportunity to respond to His requests, for He had. Whenever you feel your prayers are not being answered, you would be wise to ask yourself if you are responding to the LORD’s requests in your life. I’m afraid we oftentimes ignore the LORD’s voice in our life because of our own agenda or opinions. God is a responder. He responds to us the same way we respond to Him. James 4:8 shows us this when it says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you…” Your willingness to hear and obey God’s requests to you has a great impact on whether He will hear your prayers.

Are you answering the LORD’s prayers in your life? Let me encourage you to be more attentive to the voice of the LORD as He speaks to you through the Scriptures, preaching, teaching and voice of the Holy Spirit. You will find that the more you listen to the requests of the LORD in your life the more He will hear your prayers.

1 John 3:21-22
“Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Having confidence is important in any area of life. When a speaker has confidence in the subject they are speaking on, they have a much better chance of getting their listeners to believe in what they say. Confidence was one of the things that separated Jesus from the Scribes and Pharisees. That is why His ministry increased and theirs decreased.

One area where many Christians suffer a lack of confidence is in their prayer life. Many Christians struggle with praying simply because they don’t have the confidence that they are being heard. Jesus knew that Christians would struggle in this area, so He gave us a formula to gain confidence in our prayer life. A confident prayer is a believing prayer. A believing prayer will become an answered prayer because God promised that He would answer if we pray without doubt. What does it take to gain confidence in prayer?

First, it takes an obedient Christian life. You will notice that the verse above says that He will answer our prayers “because we keep his commandments.” You will never have confidence in your prayer life when you are disobeying the commandments of God. You may be able to fake your Christianity to others, but you know that God knows what you are doing. When you know you have sin in your life and will not deal with that sin, then God cannot and will not hear your prayers. Sin must be removed to gain confidence in praying.

Second, it takes a loving Christian. In this chapter, God talks about loving the brethren. Loving the brethren is more than just being kind to them in their presence, but it is doing what you can to meet their needs. When you see a brother in need and you have the wherewithal to fulfill that need and do it, then that will give you the confidence with God that you need to get your prayers answered. There is something about being able to tell God that you obeyed Him with meeting another’s needs and knowing that gives you confidence with God.

Third, it takes a transparent Christian. God is not interested in facade Christianity, but He is interested in Christianity that is exemplified in deed and in truth. This type of Christianity is real Christianity. This type of Christianity is what changes the lives of individuals. You can talk all you want about how great of a Christian you are, but your life should speak for itself. God is not interested in what you say to others, but He is interested in what He sees you doing. You will gain confidence in your prayer life when both your private and public life are the same.

Last, it takes a praying Christian. I know this sound trivial and obvious, but you cannot get your prayers answered if you don’t pray. You have to ask before God can answer. If you don’t have a personal time with God daily, then He cannot answer your prayers.

You can maximize your prayer life if you will do what it takes to gain confidence in your prayers. You can pray for hours on end, but without confidence you will just be filling time. I encourage you to do what it takes to have a confident prayer life so that you can have the power needed in your Christian life to be the help to others that Christ wants you to be.

Proverbs 5:3-4
“For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword”

In most vehicles there are warning lights in the dashboard to tell you that something is wrong. It may be a check engine light to tell you that something is wrong with a sensor or the engine. It could be a light to warn you that the air pressure is low in a tire. It could also be a light to warn you that the oil in your engine is low. Ignoring these lights can have costly consequences. As much as you hate those lights when they come on, continuing to drive without addressing the problem will end up costing you more money than if you had addressed the problem when it first came on.

God gives some warning lights about the strange woman. It is truly sad to see people walk down the road where the purity of a youth is destroyed or the joy of marriage is severed. There are four definite warning lights that warn you about someone who is about ready to destroy their life with a strange woman.

First, verse 12 says that they hate instruction. In other words, they hate it when someone comes to instruct them on what they need to do. I’m always amazed how someone will try to help another get their lives out of a mess, but their instruction is truly hated. You may think you have everything under control, but your warning light is on when you hate the instruction of those who are trying to help.

Second, verse 12 shows that they despise those who expose their wrong. I have seen this happen time and time again where someone is shown the evidence of their wrong, and instead of correcting their wrong they turn on the one who reveals it. The one showing you your wrong is not your enemy. They are the one who is trying to help you get your life back together before it’s destroyed. When you find yourself attacking those who are showing you your wrong, then you better realize that your warning light is on.

Third, verse 13 shows they refuse the teachings they once followed. Why is it that something used to be right, but now what you once used to believe is seen differently now that it disagrees with your current life situation? Justifying your sin by refusing the truths you once held will not halt the consequences of sin. You can redefine the Scriptures and what they teach to match your lifestyle, but that doesn’t change that what you are doing is wrong.

Fourth, verse 13 shows they refuse the advice of those who are trying to help them turn things around. Your warning light is on when you disdain what you are told you need to do to get help. Sin always has a way of getting you to hate the very advice that will help you turn your life around. Don’t refuse this advice. It is there to help you turn things around and to save you from heartache.

Is your warning light on? The end of refusing God’s warning lights is a loss of honor and all that you have invested your life in. The end is bitterness and the pain it causes. Let me encourage you to heed the warnings of your warning light. They are not there to hurt you or destroy you, but they are there to help you. If you will heed the warnings of your warning light, then you will continue to enjoy the blessings God has for your life.

1 Peter 3:7
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

There is a saying that I really don’t like that says, “You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them.” This is of course a saying that men oftentimes say about their wives. If the truth be known, the reason it is so difficult for a man to live with his wife it is because he hasn’t taken the proper actions to be a good husband. A wife might be easier to live with if men would make the effort to be a good husband.

The verse above talks about the husband dwelling with his wife. Whether or not you like it, when you are married you have to live under the same roof. Dwelling together can be a heavenly experience if you will follow God’s advice in being a good husband. Let me discuss God’s advice and how you can apply it to your marriage.

First, dwell with them according to knowledge. I’m afraid most men fail at this very first piece of advice. You will only know what your wife wants if you listen. Listening is giving your full attention to what your wife says without thinking about what you are going to say before she is done talking. Most men want analytical conversations that give the facts and no more. Ladies are going to be more story tellers in their conversations. Men could probably say in ten words what a wife will say in twenty. If you are truly going to understand your wife and dwell with her according to knowledge, then you need to listen. Set the remote down and give your undivided attention to what she is saying.

Second, treat your wife honorably. I’m amazed how many men treat their wife. Men, honour your wife by being faithful to her. Honour your wife by opening the doors for her. Honour your wife by always having something good to say. Talking negative about her behind her back is not right just because she doesn’t hear you. If you won’t honour her when she is not around you, then you won’t honour her when she is in your presence. You might be surprised how well she will treat you if you learn to treat her properly.

Third, don’t expect her to do what you can do. God calls the wife the “weaker vessel.” Just because you can carry the pressure of the world on your shoulders doesn’t mean she can. Just because you go on after tragedy doesn’t mean she can. I know we live in an age that portrays ladies in a masculine view, but that portrayal is wrong. Remember, your wife is not going to be able to do as much as you. Stop demanding your wife to respond to life and tragedy the same way you do.

Fourth, be heirs together. In other words, learn to make decisions together. Your wife has information that she should be able to give concerning decisions. Don’t be so foolish as to not listen to her advice concerning decisions that need to be made. Yes, you should make the final decision, but take your wife’s advice seriously.

These four areas are not the fix all for your marriage, but they will certainly help you to dwell together in a peaceable manner. Don’t just read this devotional and forget it, but take its advice and work hard on each area. It will make your marriage the great institution that God originally intended for it to be.

Isaiah 50:4
“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.”

We oftentimes hear how one of the greatest things you can do in life is help others, and that is very true. What is often not mentioned is what helping others entails. Of course, Jesus Christ came to Earth to die for the sins of mankind, but He also came to be a help to others. His ministry is described in Mark 10:45 where it says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” This verse coincides with the verse above. There are four things you need to know about what it takes to help others.

First, the desire to help others is a great and spiritual desire. Helping others is one of the most selfless things you can do. You don’t help others because you want to get something out of it, but you help others to get them through their hardships. You are mirroring the life of Christ when you give your life to helping others.

Second, be ready to be attacked. Verse 6 says, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” This is sad because the very ones whom Jesus came to help were the ones who were smiting Him and spitting in His face. You will soon learn that when you start helping others you will become the focus of their attacks. Just like the dog who is hurt will bite the hand that is helping it, so will the person who is being helped tend to turn their attack on the person who is trying to help them out of their situation. You must be ready for this, because it will happen.

Third, don’t take their attacks personally. It is sad, but you have to realize that you are dealing with broken people who most of the time are responding because of sin. Broken people have a broken response system that can be fixed if you won’t give up on them. Paul asked the church of Galatia in Galatians 4:16, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” He felt the strong attack of these people, but he didn’t take it personally. The Devil would love for you to take their attacks personally so you will give up on them. If you just keep helping people, God can fix them.

Fourth, God will help you to help them. The verse above says, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary…” If you can work through all the negative reactions of the hurting without becoming angry and bitter, then God will help you to help them. God will give you the very words you can say to help those who are hurting. Throughout the years of my ministry, I have always found that God gives me that very word to say at the right time to help those who are hurting.

Friend, wanting to help people is a great desire, but you must be aware of the dangers that come with it. Don’t let those dangers scare you away. The pleasure that comes from investing your life in the hurting is far greater than their attack. You will find that when the broken are fixed that they will oftentimes become your greatest supporter and friend.

James 1:1
“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

Quite the interesting greeting James gives when he calls himself “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “servant” can certainly carry a negative meaning if not quite understood. A servant is different from a slave in that a slave is held in an involuntary manner while a servant voluntarily serves his master. Both serve their master, but one does it out of obligation while the other does it out of love for their master. Now the question we should ask ourselves is this, are we a slave or a servant of God? In this chapter, God shows us four characteristics of a servant.

First, a servant is joyful in trials. Verse 2 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;” The servant of Christ doesn’t complain about their trials, but they realize that their trials are perfecting them for the work of the LORD. You can be a slave and complain about the hardships of the Christian life or you can be a servant and take your trials and determine to let them have their “perfect work.” The servant realizes that God loves them enough to put them through hardships because those hardships prepare them for a greater work later in life. If you are going to be a servant of the LORD, then you are going to have to learn to be joyful in trials.

Second, a servant is firm in the faith. Verse 6 says, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” The servant of Christ has determined that the life of Christ is the best life to live. When trials or hardships come, the servant of Christ doesn’t consider another life, but they have already determined that they are going to serve Christ no matter what. The slave is “double minded” and “unstable in all his ways.” The slave second guesses if the Christian life is really for them. You need to settle it now that the Christian life is the life you are going to live no matter what comes your way.

Third, a servant is obedient to the Word. Verse 22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” The servant of the LORD doesn’t just listen to the sermon, but they obey what the LORD told them to do through the sermon. They don’t question the Word of God, but they obey the Word of God by faith. The slave constantly asks, “Why?” If you are going to be a servant of the LORD, then you must not just listen, but by faith obey what God tells you to do.

Fourth, a servant cares for the afflicted. Verse 27 shows how the servant visits “the fatherless and widows in their affliction.” The servant is does not make life about themselves, but they make life about serving others. On the other hand, the slave will only do what benefits them. The servant of Christ realizes that their purpose is to please their master, and the way you do that is through living a selfless life.

Let me ask you, are you a servant or a slave? You can live the life of a slave, but you will eventually become bitter about the Christian life. I encourage you to accept being a servant of Jesus Christ. You are going to serve someone, but your mindset will determine whether you serve as a servant or a slave. Choose to be a servant as this is the most fulfilling life you can live.

Isaiah 35:1
“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.”

Spending several years of my youth in California gave me the opportunity to see the difference between a fruitful valley and a desert. I spent many years in the Salinas Valley which is an agricultural area. You could drive for miles and see lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower. You could go to the hills and see acres of strawberry fields. The fruit and vegetables that this area provided literally feed the country.

On the other hand, I have driven through the Mojave Desert. I remember being in the middle of the desert and having car problems. As I sat on the side of the road, the temperature was sweltering and there was no water in sight to drink. The desert truly was barren, and if I had not happened to be on the highway with people driving by to help, it would have been a hopeless place.

God said in the verse above that the “desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” This of course is looking forward to the day when the LORD returns and sets up His kingdom on Earth. Yet, I believe we can glean some truths from this that can help us in our daily lives.

You may be going through a desert experience in your life, but there is hope that it will blossom one day. Everybody will have desert experiences, but they won’t last for ever. Maybe you are going through a desert experience in your marriage; let me encourage you to keep working through it because it won’t last forever. Maybe you are going through a desert experience in your finances. Maybe it seems as though you can’t dig yourself out of your financial desert. Let me encourage you that it won’t last forever. Maybe your life in general is going through a desert experience. There is hope that it will blossom if you will keep going. Maybe your Christian life seems as barren as the desert. Maybe your prayers seem to be hitting the ceiling or your Scripture reading time is just not productive. There is hope that it will blossom one day if you will keep going.

That hope that I am talking about is found only in Jesus Christ. One day the desert will blossom as the rose, but that will only happen when Christ returns to set up His kingdom. It is Jesus Who will bring the beauty to the desert. Likewise, only Jesus Christ can bring beauty to your desert. The answer to your desert is not turning to vices or withdrawing from others, but the answer is Jesus Christ. When you spend time with Him in the Scriptures and prayer, you will find that He alone can bring beauty to your desert. You will find if you spend time with Christ that He will give you the hope that your desert won’t last forever.

Friend, don’t throw in the towel and quit. Your answer is found in Jesus Christ. The desert is not a quitting time, but the desert is time to get alone with Christ. If you’re going to make it through the desert experiences of life, then you must realize that Christ alone is the only One Who can bring the beauty of the rose to your desert experience. Don’t look to man to find the beauty, but look to Christ. Your desert experience will end, but don’t quit before Christ brings the beauty to your desert experience.

Hebrews 11:23
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.”

At the core of any accomplishment is faith. Something has to drive you to keep you going when it seems as if there is no hope. When I stepped out by faith in evangelism, there were several motivating factors that moved me. Without those motivating factors, I would have never realized the blessing that faith has brought to my life.

Moses could have chosen to live the easy life, but if he had chosen that life he would have missed out on the blessings of God and the purpose for why he was created. In the verse above, you see the motivation that drove Moses to live by faith and step out by faith. Many people talk about living by faith and stepping out by faith, but they fail to do so because they have nothing to motivate them. When you study the life of Moses, you will see the four motivations of faith.

First, faith fears Who others do not fear. When others feared the king, Moses’ parents feared God. That fear of God was passed down to Moses when he refused to be called the “son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” You will never live by faith without having a fear of God. It is the fear of God that will motivate you to step out by faith. It is not that God is some evil being waiting to zap someone with a bolt of lightening if they don’t live by faith; rather, it is a respect of God and what not serving Him will do to your life. You will never live by faith until you get a proper fear of God. Sin will cause you to fear man, but righteous living will cause you to fear God and desire the life of faith.

Second, faith values what others do not value. Others valued the riches of Egypt, but Moses valued the rewards of righteousness. You will never successfully live by faith until the rewards of righteousness become of more value than the riches of the world. The riches of the world will tarnish in your view of life when you learn to live by faith. Faith values pleasing God more than pleasing man. Faith values rewards at the judgment seat more than the riches of the world. The rewards of faith is what motivates one to live by faith.

Third, faith sees what others do not see. Moses by faith could see the Promised Land when the children of Israel could only see the hardship of bondage. You must look beyond your present conditions and see what faith can do if you want to successfully live the Christian life. It is that vision that motivates you to continue to live by faith when the works of faith have not yet been realized. You will never live by faith until you get the vision of faith.

Fourth, faith moves when others will not move. Moses had the courage to step out when others allowed fear to drive them. This is what separates those whom God uses from those who live a life of mediocrity. It is being able to take the first step of faith when others want the security of living in what they can see. Nobody has ever done anything for the LORD who didn’t have within them the courage to ignore the voice of fear and to take that first step of faith.

These four motivating factors must be in you if you are going to live the life of faith. Let me testify that the life of faith is the best life. When you walk with God and look at the results of what living by faith has accomplished in others, then it will not be hard to acquire faith’s motivation.

Isaiah 26:1
“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.”

Isaiah said, “We have a strong city…” This verse looks forward to the day when Christ sets up His kingdom. Yet, though this is looking forward to that day, the principles of making your life a strong city are still relevant for the present time. God shows us in this verse what it takes to make your life a strong city.

First, you must make Christ the foundation of your life. This is talking about two things. First, there must come a time when you accept Christ for salvation. Your life will never have the total strength it could have without settling your eternity. Salvation settles your eternity, but there is a second thing that is implied. You must also build your whole life around Christ. One of the reasons many people live unstable lives is because they include God in their life instead of building their life around Him. You will never enjoy the strength of life you desire until you build your life around Christ. Don’t build your life around your work schedule, but build your work schedule around Christ. Don’t just include Christ in your family life, but make Christ the centerpiece of your family. Making Christ the foundation of your life is the beginning of making your life a strong city.

Second, you must make Christ the focus of your mind. Verse 3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee…” Too many people make everything else the focus of their thoughts which only leads to unstable minds. Making money should never be the focus of your mind. Yes, you need money to pay the bills, but you cannot make it the focus of all your thoughts. Many people base all that they do upon friendship, acceptance, peer pressure and status in life, but these things will only lead to disappointment. Your mind must be stayed upon Christ if you want to build a strong life. When your mind is focused on Christ, then it gives you a stable mind because He never changes. It gives you an unchanging horizon in life to focus upon which will gives you a peace of mind.

Third, you must make Christ your source of strength for life. Verse 4 says, “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” In other words, don’t put your trust in anything else other than Christ. When you need deliverance from trials, go to Christ and ask for His strength to deliver you. When you need wisdom to make decisions, go to Christ Who is the source of all wisdom. When you need finances to pay the bills, go to Christ Who can supply all your need. When you need comfort, go to Christ Who alone is the source of all comfort. When you face the troubled waters of life, go to Christ Who has the power to calm the raging seas in your life. Don’t run to anyone else to help you through life; instead, make Christ your source of strength.

My friend, Christ is truly all you need. When you make Christ the centerpiece of all that you do, you will find that He will build your life into a strong city that will not be shaken by the attacks of this world. Don’t listen to the lies that would try to get you to build your life upon anyone or anything else other than Christ. Christ has been tested, tried and proven to be the only One Who builds a strong life.

Hebrews 8:10
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”

Whether it is the home, a society or the church, we all want these places to be a place of tranquility. Nobody gets married and has children with the desire to fight, squabble and deal with the pressure of incivility. Nobody wants their church to be a place where the tension is so thick you can cut it because of the incivility that goes on between its members.

God shows us the basics of civility in the verse above. He shows us that you can have peace and tranquility in every place of life, but it will not be done by accident. God’s desire for you is to enjoy life, but you will not enjoy the life experience without following the basics of civility. Let me show you the four basic principles of civility.

First, there must be rules and boundaries. God says, “I will put my laws into their mind…” There has to be clear lines drawn so people know what they can and cannot do. When you drive down the road, you have lines drawn so people know on which side of the road to drive. Those lines are not inhibiting people from enjoying driving, but those lines are there to help keep the driving experience pleasant. You will never enjoy the life experience without having clear rules and boundaries. A parent who establishes clear rules and boundaries creates an atmosphere of civility in the home. You must make the rules and boundaries clear so there is no question as to what is expected. Those rules must be followed if you want to enhance the life experience.

Second, you must have practice and action. God first established the rules, but then He told them to “write them in their heart.” This is simply following the rules. Everybody has to follow the rules, including the authorities. Rules are worthless if they are not followed and enforced. When someone does wrong, then punishment must be given. Every person must be expected to practice and follow the established boundaries, and punishment must be administered when those boundaries are broken.

Third, you must have roles of authorities. It is interesting that God says He would be their God before they became His people. This is simply showing that the roles of authority must be clear. In the home, the parents must establish their authority and the children should follow. In the church, there must be a pastor who leads the people. In society, there must be lawmakers who establish the law, policemen who enforce the law and citizens who follow the law. A clear line of authority always bring peace to a society.

Fourth, relationships are the last thing established. Too many people try to establish a relationship first which only creates the incivility. A parent must be a parent first, and then be a friend with their children; however, being a friend should not be the focus, but it is only the result of following these principles. If you will follow the first three steps, then the relationships in any area will follow.

If you want to enhance the life experience, then these four principles must be followed in this order. Whenever you take these out of their order, you create incivility and turmoil. Each of these in their proper order will create an atmosphere of peace and tranquility which enhances the life experience.