When The Storm Come

                                              When The Door Slams

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.    Romans 6:20-23 NIV

            When you recognize God as Creator, you will admire Him. When you recognize His wisdom, you will learn from Him. When you discover His strength, you will rely on Him. But only when He saves you, you will worship Him.

            It is a "before and after" scenario. Before your rescue, you could easily keep God at a distance. Comfortably dismissed. Neatly shelved. Sure He was important, but so was your career. Your status. Your salary. He was high on your priority list, but He shared the spotlight with others.

            Then came the storm...the rage...the lying...the fight...the doubt...the starless night. Despair fell like a fog; your bearings were gone. Evil all-round. In your heart, you knew there was no exit. You turn to your career to help. Only if you want to hide from the storm...not escape it. You lean on your status for strength. A storm is not impressed with your title, or you relied on your salary for rescue? Many try...many fail.

            Think about this: Suddenly you are left with one option: the Lord my God. And when you ask...genuinely ask...He will come.

            And from that moment on, He is not just a deity to admire, a teacher to serve, or a master to obey. He is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. The Savior to be worshiped.

Confession: Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face  from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:7-13).

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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This Stinging Ointment You Applied To My Eyes

                                      When The Door Slams

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.                                                        Psalm 23:1-5 NKJV

            Now I see that I was searching for the answer outwardly, trying to reason with my mind the best way to escape temptation and when the freeing knowledge I sought could only come by the Holy Spirit as it brings the inner light. As long as I keep struggling in this way, I was unable to return to the place where my soul might receive the fullness well-being, rest and joy.

            But You, O LORD, who abides forever, You are not angry with us in our fumbling blindness. You are so merciful to us. It was pleasing to You to reshape the deformity that was causing my blindness. You kept stirring me with the sense that I was missing some secret goodness that is in You. You kept me in a state of restlessness. Finally, I saw, inwardly, the truth about the origin of evil! 

            I saw how superior I felt, in my striving for spiritual well-being and sufficiency--but in all this striving I was still totally inferior to You. I had been so blind to what I was doing, because of pride is like a spiritual wound to the face, swelling shut the inner eyes of understanding. And through this swollenness of pride, I was groping, wandering and separated from my LORD God. But Your healing hand applied to my eyes a stinging ointment that caused my pride and self-sufficiency to subside. What was this stinging ointment? 

            Think about this: I was given a true understanding of sorrow for my sinful condition. And at the same moment that I saw myself in this way, I looked upon the LORD my Savior for mercy for me. From that day to this, I have kept that wholesome sorrow for my sins that causes me to run to Jesus my Lord and Savior for the healing of my soul. For I see now that pride and self-sufficiency before You--is the source of evil in me. Coming to You daily, weak, hungry and in need of the Holy Spirit to flow through me--that my trouble and dark-soul might gradually gain healing in Jesus name.

Related Bible Texts: Psalm 23:1-5; Romans 5:12; Romans 7:21-25

Confession: May I produce fruit worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8).

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. 

                                            Never Rest Ministries           

                      

   

Inner Conflict Rages

                                             When The Door Slams

Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, But His secret counsel is with the upright. The curse of the LORD  is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just.     Proverbs 3:31-33 NKJV 

            Each time something replaces the love for Christ within us, inner conflict is the result. We can't have habitual, willful sin and also experience serenity. Sin is much like a splinter in our unconscious mind. unless sin is removed through confession and repentance, it will fester just as a splinter festers. It will lead to feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. It is not as easy to stand tall and tell ourselves we are okay when we know we have violated God's standard. 

            Inner conflict rages. Still, we ignore it and the sin continues to fester. There is a loss of creativity and perhaps even lowered efficiency. If we continue to ignore sin, we will experience a sense of failure. After all, we have been unfaithful to ourselves and to Jesus. Even ill health can be a result if we refuse to acknowledge the presence of sin in our lives. 

            Becoming a Christian is not merely fire insurance. It is a relationship with a loving God that affects every area of our lives. It transforms our values, our lifestyles, our will, and even our sexuality. It involves obedience; unconditional love compels us to obey. Wholeness, serenity, and health are the result.

            Think about this: Habitual, willful sin is unfaithful to ourselves and to Jesus. Obedience and confession set me free The fourth step of the Twelve Step program is to make a search and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Have you done that yet?    

            Renewal: Since I call on the Father who judges each man's work impartially, may I conduct myself in fear during the time of my sojourn on earth (1 Peter 1:17). May I keep the commandments of the Lord my God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. May I follow the Lord my God and fear Him; may I keep Your commandments, hear Your voice, serve You, and hold fast to You (Deuteronomy 8:6; 13:4).

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.              

Unfair To The Natural Mind

                                            When The Door Slams

Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly and the Almighty does not pervert justice. Who gave Him authority over the earth? Who put Him in charge of the entire world? If He put His mind to it and withdrew the spirit and breath He gave, every living thing would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.                      Job 34:12-15 NKJV

            One of the most unfair parables Jesus told--unfair to the natural mind--concerned a landowner who hired men throughout the day to work in his vineyard. They all stopped work at the same time and were paid the same wage. 

            The last men hired were paid the same as the first men hired--and the first men hired grumbled about the unfairness of everyone being paid the same amount even though not everyone worked the same amount (Matthew 20:1-16). The landowner replied, "What's unfair about me doing with my money what I will?"

            Jesus' parable was directed toward the religious leaders, who thought it unfair that latecomers to the kingdom of heaven should receive the full measure of grace and kingdom standing as those who had devoted their life to God. Jesus' point is that God's actions are a blend of justice, grace, and mercy, all balanced by His perfect purposes. God is never unfair, but He is always just, gracious, and merciful. Faith comes when we trust Him to blend those elements perfectly in every situation.

           Think about this: God is the landowner, and we are the workers. It is His right to do as He will with what is His. The same grace that brings us salvation gives strength to live biblically in this age. We need grace-based living, but that can only happen as we focus our thoughts on God's Word and live it out.

            Affirmation: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age (Titus 2:11-12).  

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.  

                                                Never Rest Ministries  

          

Never-Ending Praise

                                             When The Door Slams

Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is Good! For His mercy endures. Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His Praise? Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!           (Psalm 106:1-3 NKJV)

            When the Bible directs us to give thanks to the Lord, it reminds us of the importance of extolling His goodness to us. As sinners saved by grace, we have much to praise Him for! The benefits of living a praise-filled life are too numerous to mention, but know this: changing your focus from "me to Thee" will radically change your perspective in life.

            Psalm 106:2 says, "Who can declare all His praise?" Think about it-who, indeed, can declare all His praise? Our praises should be never-ending! Don't limit your worship of the Lord to an hour on Sunday. Keep a song in your heart throughout your day. Begin first thing each morning. 

            This remind me of a story of a Minister resolved to bless the Lord at all times. Starting with his morning devotions, he rose each morning as he was convicted by his work ethic and determined to be as diligent with his spiritual growth and survival. He depend on knowing the greatness of the Lord's power, is the greatness of His love for us each and everyday.

            When we start our day praising the Lord, it keeps a song in our hearts throughout our waking hours. As we offer our praise and worship to the Lord, He dries our tears and banishes our fears. Remember that the Lord is good--be thankful to Him and bless His Holy name (Psalm 100). 

             Think about this: God honors those who honor Him and put their trust in Him. Honoring ourselves is a thankless task, and hoping to be honored by others is prideful. When we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and seek to worship and glorify Him in all we say and do, He has a way of blessing us, using us, providing for us, and establishing our reputation before others. 

            Confession: Lord Jesus, I have nowhere else to go; You have the words of eternal life. I believe and know that You are the Holy One of God (John 6:68-69).  

 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. 

                                                    Never Rest Ministries    

You Know The Story We Need A Savior

                                             When The Door Slams

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.                            Hebrews 2:9 NIV  

            When we dislike the ending of a book or a short Dust movie, we try to imagine a better one: what we think should have happened. The wonder and goodness of creation was broken when Adam disobeyed God. We feel the burden of this brokenness and separation from God. Thankfully, the Creator did not end the story there.

            Just as a producer determines the last scene of a movie and a writer carefully crafts the final sentence of a book, God mercifully provided what we desire and desperately need: a Savior. We can not save ourselves. Only God, who is powerful enough to create the world out of nothing and to gave us life, could find the perfect solution to our brokenness and separation from Him: 

            Jesus is God's final answer to the dilemma we face. He is God in the flesh, and the book of Hebrews elaborates on why Jesus is all we need. He is superior to every human leader, prophet, and priest. Jesus offers us Himself along with forgiveness, life, and meaning. 

            Think about this: God honors those who honor Him and put their trust in Him. Honoring ourselves is a thankless task, and hoping to be honored by others is prideful. When we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and seek to worship and glorify Him in all we say and do, Jesus has a way of blessing us, using us, providing for us, and establishing our reputation before others.    

            Thanksgiving: praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV).                           

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

                                                    Never Rest Ministries

When We Remember The Savior's Resurrection

                                            When The Door Slams

Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days"                                                       John 2:19 NIV

            How would knowing the outcome of a difficult situation change your outlook while going through it? Jesus knew He was going to die in Jerusalem, but He also knew He was going to be raised from the dead. He believed the Messianic Psalms applied to Him: "For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" (Psalm 16:10).  

            Jesus told His detractors who had asked Him for a miraculous sign that they would see only one sign--the sign of Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of a great fish before being rescued from death. On the third day after Jesus' own death, He came out of the grave to give the world a sign it cannot deny. For a man to predict His own death and resurrection was something only God could do.

            Did that lessen the anguish of the moments before His death? No, He was human, and He grieved the pain and suffering He was about to endure (Luke 22:44). But His faith in His Father's plan and protection was greater than His anticipation of suffering. He was wholly submitted to the Father's will (Luke 22:42). Jesus knew nothing could separate Him from God's Love, and we have also been given the same promise of resurrection Jesus was given (1 Corinthians 15:12-19 ; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). And we are to comfort one another with these promises (1 Thessalonians 4:18). 

            Think about this: The Gospel writers give us many proofs of Jesus resurrection: sightings by witnesses, nail-scarred hands, a stone rolled away, and more. Truly, Jesus was--is --alive! As you prepare to celebrate Easter, give thanks to God that your faith is not in vain--that Christ was raised for you and me (1 Corinthians 15:14). Easter is the time when we remember the Savior's resurrection, which makes our own resurrection sure.

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.

                                                    Never Rest Ministries