September 26, 2008
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” C. S. Lewis
“Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can avoid joy.” Tim Hansel
One of the things you can count on in life is that your life will be shaken. The very things that you feel are most secure will be tested and tried. That’s the way life is. Jesus said in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Your marriage, your business, your health are all things we can take for granted, but require a solid foundation that can withstand the storm. Jesus told a story about how to build a life:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-2
The key is to build your life on Christ. Jesus says it’s building your life on obeying God’s word and putting what you know into practice. It’s not just knowing a lot about the Bible, but putting those things into practice. We call that obedience.
“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6
To do that, we need a spiritual family that we invest in and are invested in by. God designed us for the church. We are the church. We are the body. We were designed to need one another; when life falls apart, the church family is to pick up the pieces.
We also turn to prayer.
“And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” –Psalm 50:15
“Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” –Psalm 94:17-19
Whenever we pray, we cease to worry. Whenever we worry, we’ve ceased to trust. God has promised to never leave us and to never forsake us.
Make It Count Moment
What does your life revolve around right now? Who or what is at the center of your life? Do you spend your time worrying or praying about the challenges you face?
It is so wierd that the devotions always touch on what I need. It is so true that we all struggle with something. It is so wonderful that through faith in Christ that we will get through even the toughest times. I am not perfect by any means but I will continue to strive to be have integrity and good character. I know that Christ is always with me and that is what gets me through every day.
Seemingly, prayer defines our exponential degree of a personal relationship with God.
We all remember the day we encountered Jesus Christ & were saved. God became alive in us – it is a supernatural occurrence, yet we also know… that moment was very real. We all remember the genuine transformation from inside-out & the fire that was suddenly in our bones. We all can recount how new & fresh our lives were & can remember when we prayed, we prayed with a child-like faith.
And it's really neat that our supernatural encounter, yet our very real encounter & transformation…our foundation, our relationship with God began with a prayer. That's the power of prayer. And today, it sustains our pilgrimage. Child-like faith in prayer…to move mountains…gotta love it!