Count on His Fathfullness

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
2 Peter 1:3&4

Did you know that there are about 8,000 promises in the bible? Considering they are given by a god who cannot lie, offers us eternal life, created the universe and loves us beyond our comprehension, I’d say we can count on Him to fulfill them. Our faith may waver because of the past broken promises of man, but we must separate that from the real truth of God’s word to us.

We must also be careful lest we impatiently impose natural nudging to see those promises come about. Just as Sarah took matters into her own hands when she grew tired of waiting for God to give her the child of His promise, we too are tempted to find another way to secure it. But that only delays the promise – we mess up the timing when interfere with God’s plan. Even when it seems impossible – if God said it was coming – it’s coming. He knows how old we are, how sick we are, how broke we are! He hasn’t forgotten us. He’s not too busy keeping score, too angry with your behavior, or too overwhelmed by mankind to remember his promise to you.

God is gracious to give us promises in order for us to “participate in the divine nature.” What a double blessing – to be a part of His own nature and be blessed by an undeserved gift, all at the same time. It all brings glory to the One who delivers the promise – as it should be.

Heavenly Father, I stand on the promises you have given your children. Help me to wait for your plan to be accomplished in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving

There are 34 references to "give thanks" in the King James Bible. There are 29 references to "thanksgiving". Here are a few of my favorites. Have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday wherever you may be.

Psalm 26:7
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.

Psalm 69:30
I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:6
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Revelation 7:12
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Psalm 106:1
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Model For Prayer

"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us." Luke 11:2-4 Matthew adds: And do not lead us into temptation. But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

The disciples that followed Jesus were in a position to observe His communion with the Father. No doubt they could sense there was special power in Jesus' prayers. If it were me, I would have wanted to have the kind of communication that existed between Jesus and his heavenly Father. His followers had been given a glimpse of the true Kingdom, but weren't sure how to enter into a fuller understanding of belonging there.

This model of prayer that Jesus gives them speaks to God's holiness, life on earth, provision, forgiveness and sin. Embedded in the words are declarations, praise and supplications. It is a guide for concise and deliberate prayer or conversation with God. It's simple, to the point and powerful.

We need not make prayer a complicated endeavor. God already knows our heart and the thoughts rolling around in our brain. I believe it is the praise and declarations that provide effectiveness for our prayers, and continual communion with our heavenly Father provides us with stability and peace.

Lord, help me to continually commune with you. I desire to seek your Kingdom and know You more.

So I Fall

“So brace up your minds, and, as men who know what they are doing, rest the full weight of your hopes on the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ reveals himself.”
I Peter 1:13 The J.B. Phillips Bible

This verse reminds me of the exercise you might see at a group therapy session, or at a youth retreat. One person stands with their back to a group of their peers or friends. He puts his trust in them, that they will catch him as he falls backward into their arms. It can be a scary experience, especially if you don’t know the other people well. The exercise of trust is putting your full weight into another’s hands.

What is your full weight? It’s your life – all of you. Whose hands are they? Jesus’ hands.

We live our lives, pressing through each day, with an assurance that we can trust Him for grace, happiness and eternal life. I can’t wait for the day when Jesus will reveal himself totally. I will stand before him, weeping and jumping for joy. In Him lies all that is worth hoping for. He deserves all our worship, yet he came to serve us in this way. He points us to the Father with his love.

The pain of this world will disappear when we see the gates of our new home opened by the lover of our souls. We are to consider soberly what God has done for us in his great mercy. Even when we feel despair, anguish or fear, He is standing behind us, waiting for us to fall into his arms.

Will you trust Him to catch you?

Would You Go?

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings an before the people of Israel.” Acts 9:10-15

I can just see Ananias shaking in his sandals! The Lord has just asked him to rescue the zealous enemy of the early Christian church, and Ananias was clearly apprehensive to say the least. I greatly admire this man. He was just an ordinary guy, minding his own business when, out of nowhere, God speaks this rather large request. He may have hesitated a bit, but he did go. It took a lot of courage and faith in God.
I wonder if Ananias realized just how important a job he was about to do. Isn’t it just like humanity to argue with God when approached with this kind of proposition? But you must remember, this was a formidable foe, this Saul. I think I would have tried much harder to get out of the deal! But Ananias was obedient and did as he was told – not even knowing what this all meant to the advancement of the church.
Let me ask, how many of us have our hearts primed to hear God’s voice in the first place? It takes spiritual awareness and practice to know that voice speaking in your spirit. Secondly, how many of us would have gone where He asked us to go, even though it meant possible danger? Are we ready to take on the burden of doing the tough job if we are asked? If we were as in tune with God as Ananias was, and we were as obedient as Ananias, we could change the world.
I would like to think I am among the many Christians with a heart to serve God whenever and wherever. I know that I am still learning to hear his voice and to be obedient. If the work of God is to be done, we must answer “yes Lord.” He will prepare the way and stay with us through it all. Draw courage from the experience you have that tells you God is faithful. Ananias did, and see how incredibly he was used!


Lord, I want to say yes to you. Teach me how to recognize when you are calling me. Thank you for using even the meek and lowly for your glory.

How Big Is Your God?

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hart was darkened…..For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1: 21&25

What is your concept of God, and where did it come from? Boy, is it easy to miss the mark on really knowing who God is. It doesn’t matter how long we have been a believer, we can be mistaken in our thoughts about Him.

Often our conception of God is mostly made by the conclusions we draw from life and the opinions of others. It happens slowly and without us even being aware of what is happening. If our knowledge about life and its mysteries is faulty, or biased, or based on feelings, our “knowledge” of God may be the same. This makes God a mere magnified version of a human. Modeling Him upon what we know of man may be easier, but it doesn’t fit with who He truly is. If our God was nothing more than a super-human, living somewhere up in Heaven, He would not be big enough to handle this world and all His children. We are a handful!

Have we as a Christian culture exchanged the truth of God for a lie? Yes, According to the apostle Paul, in the case of the Romans, their worship of idols and behavior in unspeakable things led them to reduce God to nothing. They paid a great price for it – God handed them over to the darkness. We must be sure that we keep God where He should be in our lives and in our churches – on the throne. There He will receive the adoration that He deserves, and we will see Him as the big God that He is.


Lord God, forgive me for the times I reduced you to smallness in my mind and heart. Help me to change my thinking by reading your word and getting to know you more.

Rescue Me!

“Yet I am poor and needy, may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God do not delay.”
Psalm 40:17

Have you seen the movie “Castaway”? Tom Hanks plays a man that gets stranded on a deserted island after his plane crashes in the ocean. It soon becomes obvious that he is not a survival expert. He spends his first night with only his wet clothes and torn rubber raft for shelter. The next day items from the plane start washing up on the beach. Several of those items were quite useful for his survival and actually saved his life.

He could have just sat on the beach, crying over why no one had come to rescue him. But he paid attention, and realized that the articles that washed up on shore could provide him with an answer, maybe not the answer he wanted, but it got him by until he was finally rescued. He came to see that he must use what was provided, and begin to build a solution to his dilemma.

How many times have we been in a situation that we thought was hopeless, and felt like we were stranded with no rescue in sight? It’s easy to sit on the beach, cry and be upset with God for not coming to take us out of that place. When we open our eyes to see that He sends us certain items or people to aid us while we wait, we can spend our time fashioning those things into tools for growing and surviving. Our rescue is sometimes delayed because God has something for us to learn. He will always send us help in times of trouble, but it is in his timing, not ours.

There is a danger that comes with refusing to wait for God’s rescue. We often invent our own way out when we tire of waiting for God. We leave the tools behind, and go out on our own. It’s hard to wait when you feel like you are in trouble. Don’t ever forget that God knows where you are, and knows just the right time to provide your rescue.

Father, help me to wait. I thank you that You care enough to send me aids in these times. I know you will come for me.