9/19/2011

Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6

I was slightly taken aback by this verse because it is very clear that God is omnipresent. However, I think that this is referring to the fact that when the Lord reveals Himself to us and opens up our eyes to the truth, dig down deep. Take advantage of hearing God’s voice because the Devil will try to drown out what we are hearing from the Lord. This way then when the Devil does try to come to kill, steal, and destroy, we will have a solid foundation to fall back on.

I know that the foundation and relationship I have with in the Lord has carried me through many a time where either the Devil has tried to discourage or lead me down a different path. Because I knew where I needed to turn, I was able to come out of these different times of my life.

To apply this to my life, I want to renew the mindset I had at the beginning of this program. I need to keep pressing on to make the most of this time that I have to dig deeper into the Lord at PFR. In addition to this, I want to continue to seek Godly counsel in all areas of my life.

9/20/2011

Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7

God is such a gracious God. I think that it is interesting here that the Lord uses the word “let” or allow the wicked to forsake his way. Often, I think that when I see the mistakes or wrongdoings of those who do not love the Lord, I get frustrated and want them to change in a snap. But here it is saying to allow these people to forsake their ways. Give them time. My job is not to persuade them but to present the truth to them. If they are not open to the truth, my responsibility then lies in praying for them that THEY may forsake THEIR sins and not just me forsaking their sins. I want to act in the Love of God and not the wrath of God.

I want to apply this to my life that when I share the Gospel with others, I want to let the Holy Spirit do the convicting. I am to show them Jesus and let Jesus reveal to them their sin.

9/21/2011

Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

How often do I say or think something that I go “Yes! I am finally starting to get a handle on my thoughts and I gaining the mind of Christ. I want to stop right here and examine the mindset I presented. “Me” it’s me giving myself these good things…right? Wrong! I need to realize that in and of myself there is nothing good; but through Christ who strengthens me, (Phil. 4:13) true love and good thoughts are poured into my heart. I want to make myself of no reputation as Paul said so that only God receives glory.

It is like me taking the credit for a batch of secret brownies when all I did was mix the already measured ingredients into the bowl, pour it into a pan, and place it in the pre-heated oven. I didn’t figure out how much of each ingredient to put in or moreover buy the ingredients myself. Everything was set before me; all I had to do was “OBEY” with the strength He has given me.

I want to apply this to my life by directing praise to the Lord. Because no good thing is in myself but ONLY from the Lord.