I don't know what you are going through or experiencing. I know that life has a LOT of things to get caught up in. Some are necessary. Some are not. It takes a delicate balance of both to make it all not weigh or wear you down. Sometimes we just need to sit at the feet of Jesus.
That was me this morning. I was overloaded with good intention but trying to focus on too much at once and in too many directions. I began to just sit at my desk and pray out loud to God. That turned into quiet singing of a few songs and ending with Just As I Am (linked below).
I really appreciated what brother DeMarcus shared on His YouTube channel this morning. I gained more perspective. I knew that His yoke was easy and His burden light. (Matt. 11:28-30) What I had not actualized in my mind was the perspective of pairing the weak with the strong. That just fleshes the Word out a bit more in my understanding. Yes, His burdens are lighter than the burdens of the world - because He is doing the biggest share of the pulling. I feel like I understood it but on a lesser level. I just always thought of it as not having to do it by yourself. You have help, like two horses yoked together. What is falling afresh on me this morning is that one of those horses is like Paul Bunyan and one is more like a runt.
That is the magnitude of the disparity between the two. I am sure even that is disproportionate to the actual difference. Only Jesuswas able to drink from the cup of suffering. (Luke 22:41-44) Only Jesus is worthy to open the scroll in the book of Revelation. (Revelation 5:1-10)
That is who we are yoked to. Wow. Let that really sink in. 🤯
🌺💗 Take heart and be encouraged this morning. Yes, there are things that you are called to do. God has plans for you to prosper you and give you a future with hope. What He is not calling you to is doing it in your own strength, spiraling, spinning and burning out. Be not weary in doing good. (Galatians 6:9) God is for you. The spirit of Jesus, if you are a believer, is within you. He walks beside you, behind you, and goes before you. He abides in you and is eternally yoked to you. Rest in Him and let your burdens be light. ✝💖🛐 Be blessed.
“As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 125:2 ESV
God Wants You To Take A Break!! - Devotions with DeMarcus
So often we find ourselves in disappointment, disarray, dysfuntion, or some other "dis."
We look for peace to replace the chaos, noise, and mess that we are feeling in our souls at the time. Or maybe it is none of those things but we just find ourselves disconnected from a feeling of wholeness, feeling incomplete or lacking. It feels like something is missing, so we keep searching for "it." We look for "it" in people around us, in being popular, in hobbies, in buying "stuff" in stores, in so many directions and we can really only find peace in one place.
Peace is not a "thing" to strive for, toward, or to buy. The reason we struggle to find peace sometimes is because it is a person- the person of Jesus Christ.
The book of John gives us great insight into this. In John 14:27, it is written in the words of Jesus,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
He has already given us what we need- a gift of Himself. He said He would never leave us nor forsake us. That means that is is eternally with us, offering us His peace.
Why don't we have it then? Why don't we feel it? If Jesus is continually with us, we should feel it all of the time.
Yes, we should. Then why don't we? He said HE would never leave US. That doesn't mean that WE will never leave HIM. Just like the ancient Israelites, we ebb and flow in our affection and obedience to Him. And Just like He was ever-present with the ancient Israelites, even through a cloud and a pillar, He is with us. Of course, it looks a little different today because the ancient Israelites didn't have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as we have the ability to accept now.
Yet, as a people, we are still fickle and led astray by whims and emotions and tickling of the ears. We have the same God but also the same devil. The devil is using the same old tricks and schemes and we get snared. The reason we get snared is because WE have strayed. We have not held close enough to the presence of Christ. So, like a lost child in a department store, we need to find our way back where we belong. That is in His presence.
"In Your presence, there is fullness of joy." ~ Psalm 16:11
"4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be[a] My disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. 11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete." ~ John 15:4-11
I hope you were blessed with this reminder. I know that it was the epiphany that I needed the other day while I was listening to DeMarcus. I heard "Peace is a person" and my brain just stopped listening for a moment because my spirit was testifying to the statement's truth. Below is the whole devotional so you might be blessed. You might hear something else that touches your spirit at the right time. Thank You, Jesus, for everything. 🌹💗🙏
"But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." ~ 1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT)
Have you an area that you know where God is leading you to? He has given you a task to do. Have you done it? If not, why?
I have been asking myself the same question. Why? In fact, this very blog post is staring me in the face months after I started it. Why? I have no good reason for the distraction- not for this long. I sat and stared at it tonight in reverent shame. I felt, in the following moments, similar to Peter when He is crying to Jesus that he (Peter) is a sinful man. I felt unable to lift my eyes to Him. I felt as if He was looking to me for an answer for my action/ inaction. I was uncomfortable. I had no answers, only sorrowful regrets.
You might say, "That's a bit much. It's only a blog post." But it isn't.
God and I have been in this blog idea together for some time now. Except He has shown up faithfully and I have not. It's more than a blog post. It is a matter of obedience. I am reminded of what God said about Saul in 1 Samuel 16:7-8:
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
A few different times when I have been indecisive of my next move and feel restless, a friend has asked me, "What was the last thing that God told you to do? Do that."
This blog is one of the "last thing(s) He told [me] to do." It's so much more than a blog. It is a proving ground of faithfulness. So far, I am losing greatly.
I thought originally that this blog was my idea. I thought it was a hobby and that God was allowing it. As such, I have not taken the dedication as seriously as I should have. More and more, I am realizing that this is really God's blog. He has put the desire in my heart and has been waiting for me and He just needs me to put my hands to the proverbial plow.
He has been sending me whispers and prompts here and there along the way about things He wants me to share. Sometimes I have not been able to do it in that moment and have then forgotten. Sometimes I am feeling tired or unable to focus for the loudness of mind. Sometimes I plan to do it but then I get sidetracked and don't. Regardless of the reason, it is wrong. "Delayed obedience is disobedience."
"23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." ~ Romans 3:23-24
"15What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[k] as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, 18and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness." ~ Romans 6:15-18
I praise God that there is forgiveness for all of our sins, whether we think them great or small, through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
My words of the year are Focused, Faithful, Fruitful, and Free. All of these words go together and pretty much in that order. I began praying for a word in the last couple of months of the year. I heard Focused. I thought that was great. Yet, one by one, the others were added. It is a four-step plan of freedom. God and I are walking them out together throughout this year. Clearly I feel I have a long way to go but, holding His hand, I am confident that we will get there.
This message was laid on my heart quite awhile ago. At the time, the focus was people. In this moment, I am reminded of it for the moments of obedience and for the last line: "The first thing you need to do is just show up."
Here is one more thought about obedience. Do you have anyone that you are having continual issues in getting along with? Have you checked your heart and your deeds? Maybe something undone for God is standing in your way. Prayer is good for getting along but so is obedience.
I hope that you are not experiencing any disobedience. If you are, I pray that you address it today directly. Thank God for all that He has given to you, tell Him you are sorry (if you are), and then commit your ways unto Him. He will direct your steps.
"6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7
I leave with you two songs that are stuck in my head. The first is The Goodness of God, particularly the chorus:
"All my life You have been faithful All my life You have been so so good With every breath that I am able Oh I will sing of the goodness of God"
And this one, Promises by Maverick City, (feat. Joe L. Barnes and Naomi Raine)
"Great is Your faithfulness to me
Great is Your faithfulness to me From the rising sun to the setting same I will praise Your name Great is Your faithfulness to me, oh"
💗 We are to be holy because He is holy. We also need to strive for faithfulness because He is faithful. May God bless you richly and may you stay close in step with His Holy Spirit.
It is so easy sometimes to get caught up in the flood of things that seem important. Maybe they are important for our overall well-being. Maybe they are important for a project or deadline. Maybe they are important to us, personally, for our goals or even just for our quiet time. Yet, nothing is more important that our time with God.
God is the source and center of life itself. If it were not for God, we would not exist. Period. There is no other possibility that we, as we are in this physical state and form of living and breathing could have happened any other way. He is also the author and perfector of our faith. Everything that we have and do stems from Him. He is gracious and He is kind.
He is the King of Kings and He knows us by name. It's not a formal sort of knowing but the most personal there can be. He knows us intimately because He is the one who formed us in our mother's womb. He knew exactly the type of person that He needed to be in this world. He knew exactly what He wanted them to look like- stature, eye and hair color, and how their voice would sound. He designed them perfectly for His purpose. He knew exactly where He would place each one in time and location. He knew who they could impact and be impacted by for His good. Some would be seeming to the world to be missing vital parts of their bodies...feet, legs, sight. Yet, those differences would serve to build a strength of character in those people to not only live their own lives but to encourage and touch so many others by learning to maneuver around their weaknesses, and finding their strength in Him.
God knows our every need and desire. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He watches us while we sleep and waits for us to rise so He can walk with us through our day. Yet, do we think of Him when our eyes open? I think there are quite a lot of us who do, if even just to say thank You for another opportunity to get it right and to continue working to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Then what? Do we continue the conversation and ask what He wants us to do today? Do we spend time in prayer and worship? Or do we determine our own steps for ourselves and for the Kingdom and trudge ahead, trying to make our own path?
When we wake up in the morning, it seems as though we are but one person. Depending on if we have a spouse or others that we live with, there may be no other tangible person in the room as we go about our routines and activities. But God. He is eternally omnipresent. He is right there with us, 24/7. We don't physically see Him but we can feel Him in our spirit and see Him there sometimes, too. He waits for us and longs for us to look for Him, talk to Him, and to lean into Him. He is our heavenly Father. He loves us with an unfailing and everlasting love.
Today, I was doing what seemed plausible to do on my day off. There is a buffet of things that "need" done. I put my hand to the plow first on spiritual things- Bible studies that I am starting to fall behind in. I am also needing to study for one that I will be leading. I zoned in on which focus needed to be a priority. That is fantastic. Except one thing- it wasn't.
While I was pursuing that path, it's almost as if the Holy Spirit Himself tapped me on the shoulder and I was in sudden awareness. I had gotten so busy trying to do things FOR God and not drop the ball of accountability, that I had not included Him in it personally. I had not had my quiet time with Him. You can liken it to having breakfast or coffee with a friend. You sit, you discuss, and you set out plans. Then you put it into motion. Where had I stopped to sit with Him this morning? I had instead, essentially, spoken to Him in passing as I waved and set about my day. Wow. 😦😞
I was immediately humbled. I apologized to Him and went to YouTube to listen to worship music. There was already song up where I left it for "later" (I am the queen of tabs) but "later" had not yet come. I hit play and began to listen. I was spiritually on my face as the words washed over me. They were so true. I apologized to God for not seeking Him in all these things. God created us for communion with Himself. I acknowledged that I need His help every moment of every day. (I am hearing Danny Gokey in this moment singing the chorus of We All Need Jesus. "24/365."
I have had to leave this post and come back and still, the lyrics and message of this song just hit me in my spirit every time I replay it. I will leave it here for you to listen to as well. I pray that it hits your spirit in the same, sweet way- with the realization that He is always infinitely bigger and wiser than we can ever hope to be. His arms are always ready to embrace us to encourage, comfort or to just simply love us. He is always willing, ready, and trying to lead us. We just have to get out of the way first. 💗
🌹Be blessed and spend time with your heavenly Father.
I will also link the Danny Gokey song. It is so important that we try to see others through God's eyes.
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