The Absence Of Spiritual Power

                                                      When The Door Slams 

Then she let him fall asleep on her lap and called a man to shave off the seven braids on his head. In this way, she made him helpless, and his strength left him. Then she cried, "Samson, the Philistines are here! When he awoke from his sleep, he said, "I will escape as I did before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.                                                                                                     Judges 16:19-20   

        One of the signs of a heart that has shifted from God is the absence of spiritual power. If you are like Samson, you will not be immediately aware that God's power has left you. Only after he tried to defeat his enemies did Samson recognize that something was wrong. He went against the Philistines as before, expecting their swift defeat. But this time the Philistines easy prevailed over him. 

        If you allow sin to creep into your life, if you refuse to obey Your Lord, if you do not reconcile with those who have hurt you, your spiritual vitality is fading away. You may assume everything is fine, but when you pray, answers do not come as they once did. You once had a positive effect on those around you, but now your influence is negligible or even harmful. 

        Your life once brought reconciliation, but now you experience problems in your relationships. Those around you who have relied upon your strength are discovering that you are not as helpful to them as you once were. Your lack of spiritual power is not crying out for attention; but you are seeing deceptive changes in your spirit and in your relationship with God.

        Think about this: How can you stop this spiritual decline? You must regularly repent of any sin. You must invite God to search your heart and life to see if there are attitudes, relationships, or activities that need to be removed. You must fervently obey and trust the Lord will. If you walk with the Lord God in this manner, you will grow spiritual strength and be used mightily by Him. 

You are to tear Yahweh your God and worship Him. Remain faithful to Him and take oaths in His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome works your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt, 70 people in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky. Deuteronomy 10:20-22) 

You are the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps His covenant of lovingkindness. Nehemiah 9:32)

From within, out of the hearts of men proceed evil thoughts, sexual immorality, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evil things come from within and defile a man. Mark 7:21-23)

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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When The Door Slams

                                                      Think About This 

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress;                                       have mercy on me and hear my prayer.                 Psalm 4:1                                   

You are the living God, And there is no god besides You. You put to death and You bring to life, You have wounded and You will heal, And no one can deliver from Your hand.                                                      (Deuteronomy 32:39) 

I will recall to mind the former things, those of long ago; You are God, and there is no other; You are God, and there is none like You. (Isaiah 46:9)

                                                        Confession                                                                                    When I sin against the Lord, I may be sure that my sin will find me out. (Numbers 32:23) 

                                                        Renewal                                                                                      May I not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of my mind, that I may prove that the will of God is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) 

May the God of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give me a spirit of wisdom of revelation in the full knowledge of Him, and may the eyes of my heart be enlightened, in order that I may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the incomparable greatness of His power toward us who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19)

                                                        Petition                                                                                Whatever I do, may I do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31) 

                                                        Intercession                                                                               We should offer petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving on behalf of all men, for kings and all those who are in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and reverence. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (Timothy 2:1-4)

                                                        Affirmation                                                                           There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

                                                        Thanksgiving                                                                               I do not lose heart; even though my outward man is perishing, yet my inner man is being renewed day by day. For this light affliction which is momentary is working for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while I do not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

        Think about this: The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness, And He will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord will also be a refuge for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, For You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:7-10)

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.            

                                     

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Are You Set Apart By God

                                                     When The Door Slams 

Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;                                                             the LORD hears when I call to him.                               Psalm 4:3

        No one is more precious in the Lord's sight than a godly person. God is pleased whenever He finds someone who strives to live a righteous life and bring glory to Him. God sets such people apart in a special place in His heart. They are always kept before Him, and He stands ready to respond to their faintest cries for help.

        Sin separates us from God, causing Him to close His ears to our praying. It is futile for us to pray when we are knowingly practicing sin. But the opposite is also true. God Chooses to honor us by listening to our every cry when we are living a godly life. An abiding security comes with living a blameless life. The righteous person never has to wonder whether God has listened to his prayer (1 John 5:14-15). The godly person has confidence that God has indeed heard her prayer and will immediately respond in all of His power.

        Think about this: It is exhilarating to be set apart by God, knowing that God observes your consecrated life and is pleased with what He sees. What a tremendous privilege to know that your life holds a special place in God's heart! The world may not accord any special status to you, but you will know that you are cherished by God. The world continues to find new ways to honor people, but even the world's most extravagant accolades are pitiful compared to the unfathomable blessing of holding a special place in the heart of God!  

Who shall separate me from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we face death all bay long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." Yet in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me (Romans 8: 35-37). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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Who Is At Your Right Hand

                                                     When The Door Slams

I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.                           Psalm 16:7-8 

        What does it mean to set the Lord always before you? It means that you choose to relate everything you encounter to your trust in God. What you choose to focus on becomes the dominant influence in your life. You may be a Christian, but if your focus is always on your problems, your problems will determine the direction of your life. 

        If your focus is on people, then people will determine what you think and do. In biblical times, the right hand was the most distinguished position, reserved for one's chief adviser and supporter. When you choose to focus on Christ, you invite Him to take the most important position in your life as Counselor and Defender. 

        Every time you face a new experience, you should turn to Christ for His interpretation and strength. When people insult you and mistreat you, you should seek direction from your Counselor regarding the right response. When you face a crisis, you should receive strength from the One at your right hand.

        When you experience a need, you should consult your Counselor before you react. When you face a fearful situation, you should take courage from the Advocate at your right hand. Everything you do is in the context of your relationship to Christ.

        Think about this: What an incredible act of God's grace that Christ should stand beside you to guide you and counsel you and defend you! How could you ever become dismayed over your situation with Christ at your right hand? What confidence this should give you! 

O Lord, I pray, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight in revering Your name (Nehemiah 1:11).                                                                            The Lord Jesus prayed these words for the unity of all who would believe in Him: "I ask that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You, that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given to them, that they may be perfected in one, that the world may know that You have sent Me and Have loved them, even as you have loved Me" (John 17:21-23). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed in. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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Bitterness Occurs For Many Reasons

                                                        When The Door Slams

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.                                            Hebrews 12:16

        Bitterness has a tenacious way of taking root deep within the soul and resisting all efforts to weed it out. Bitterness occurs for many reasons. It might come from deep hurts you received as a child, hurts you cannot forget or let go. Time, rather than diminishing the hurt, only seems to sharpen the pain. Bitterness can result from the hurtful words of a friend or coworker. Often the person who hurt you is unaware of the extent of your bitterness. You find yourself rehearsing the offense over and over again, each time driving the root of bitterness deeper within your soul. Bitterness can derive from a sense of being unjustly treated. 

       Bitterness is easy to justify. You can get so used to a bitter heart that you are even comfortable with it, but it will destroy you. Only God is fully aware of its destructive potential. There is nothing so deeply imbedded in your heart that God's grace cannot reach down and remove it.

        No area in your life is so painful that God's grace cannot bring total healing. No offense committed against you is so heinous that God's love cannot enable you to forgive.

        Think about this: When you allow bitterness to grow in your life, you reject the grace of God that can free you. If you are honest before God, you will admit the bitterness and allow God to forgive you. Bitterness enslaves you, but God is prepared to remove your bitterness and replace it with His peace and joy. 

May I let the fear of the LORD be upon me, and be careful in what I do, for with The LORD my GOD there is no injustice or partiality or bribery (2 Chronicles 19:7). May I meditate on Your precepts And consider Your ways. May I delight in Your statutes, And not forget Your word. Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word. Open my eyes that I may see Wonderful things from Your law (Psalm 119:15-18).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.  

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What Will The LORD Reveal About You

                                                       When The Door Slams

What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorn will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it. The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.                                            Isaiah 5:4-7

        The prophet Isaiah told the story of a man with a vineyard on a fertile hill. The man cultivated the ground and removed the stones so that nothing would hinder the vines' growth. He planted only the best quality vines. He built a tower in the middle of the vineyard so he could watch for wild animals and intruders. He constructed a wine vat so that he would be ready for the ripe grapes. Then he waited. Rather than producing good grapes, however, the vineyard produced worthless one. 

        This story illustrates the relationship between God and His people. God has done everything necessary for us to produce an abundance of spiritual fruit in our lives. He saved us when we were without hope. He gave us His Holy Spirit to produce fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). God removed our sin so that we are free serve Him. 

        We have the Bible in numerous translations. We have access to more Christian books, music, videos, conferences, school, radio and television stations, magazines, and seminars than ever before. There are churches of every kind and size. We have teachers and pastors to instruct us and encourage us. Most of all, we have direct access to God through prayer. Jesus said that to whom much is given, much is expected (Luke 1248). 

Think about this: One day God will hold us accountable for all that He has done for us. God will ask us to show Him the fruit of all of His bountiful provision for our lives. What will He find?         

May I not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the LORD with all my heart. May I not turn aside to go after worthless things which do not profit or deliver, because they are useless (1Samuel 12:20-21). 

Ask the Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                                    Never Rest Ministries