New Beginnings

Psa 36:6-7 [show] Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. 7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

If only we could all share David’s viewpoint! Here, he exclaims his appreciation for God’s sovereign reign… This passage describes God’s decisions as being always fair… His protection and provision covering all people and animals… His love being abundant in providing shelter from life’s storms!

Points to Ponder

Throughout this week, as you experience different things, try having David’s perspective! Thank God for His fairness… for His protection, provision, trustworthiness, faithfulness, and abundance. Be grateful that He is no respecter of persons – that He loves each of His creation and cares for us equally… that He supplies grace to us all sufficiently!

Prayer:

Father God, I thank You for being all that You are! Lord, please forgive me for all the times I have fallen victim to myself by losing sight of the fact that You are always there for me to protect me and provide for my needs. I know that I don’t always lean on You as I should and at times, I even let doubt creep in. It is in those times when I suffer the most from this world, and I acknowledge that You are my comforter – You are the shelter that I run to when I am feeling weighed down by life’s elements! I praise Your name for all that You have done in my life – for showing me that You are almighty and that You are always in control. I pray that the Spirit continues to convict me of my shortcomings and remind me of my blessings in the name of Jesus! Amen!

Forgiveness is such a difficult process that so many people walk away from situations harboring resentments that they end up ignoring rather than truly letting go. In the Lord’s prayer, there are the words, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…“{Matthew 6:12 [show] and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
} What Jesus was inferring was that we are to ask God to forgive us in the same manner that we forgive others. This goes without saying that if we refuse to offer forgiveness then we essentially are refusing to accept it as well.

Thoughts to Ponder

As you go about your week, consider the people who have been placed in your life throughout the years… anyone who has caused you pain. Do you still hold the hurt in your heart? Do you still catch feelings of anger or bitterness when you think of them, or when someone says their name? Are those memories still vivid in your mind? If so, chances are you haven’t forgiven them. Begin praying for God to deliver you of those feelings… and to help you let go of the pain so that you are able to move forward with the process of forgiveness. Keep in mind that people are not always going to ask for forgiveness – and quite often, you will find that they may not even care whether you’ve forgiven them or not. Many times, your transgressors will deny any wrongdoing. However, your ability to forgive them doesn’t affect their own righteousness. It affects your own. Just because it may have been a while doesn’t mean you’ve let it go… Letting time and distance take their course has nothing to do with the natural process of forgiveness.

Prayer

Father God, please touch my heart and allow me to recognize the negative emotions I’ve let penetrate my spirit in connection to the hurtful relationships of my past. Friends have wronged me, Lord. Associates have sought to harm me. People I trusted with my love have destroyed my trust and now I am looking to You to mend my brokenness and help me to rid myself of the bitterness, anger, and resentment that I have opened my heart to. I’ve ignored myself for so long while inadvertently fostering a spiritual environment that has let those feelings grow and thrive subconsciously. I commit myself today to letting go and giving those things to You, knowing that Your hands can repair me and make me whole. It is my mission to be pleasing unto You and to open myself to forgiveness as I learn to forgive those who have trespassed against me and love them as You have loved me in spite of myself. I pray that You also bless those who have abused or misused me in my life - that You show them the error of their ways just as You convict my spirit and that through You they find salvation. In Jesus’ precious and perfect name, I stand before Your throne in prayer. Amen.

Romans 15:1-2 [show] We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (ESV)
“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”

As you go about your week, keep in mind that when we are strong, we are supposed to carry the burdens of those who are weak. The strong aren’t always strong and the weak aren’t always weak. There will be times when you are one; and times when you are the other. Be sure that you stand in your place today, either carrying the burden of another in their time of need or allowing yourself to let go of your burden if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Thought to Ponder: There will be times in your life when you are weak and look around only to find that there is no one willing to bear your infirmities. Those times are blessings – because they cause you to look to God to lighten your load! The trial of your faith develops patience… and increases your faith in God as you realize He will never let you down.

Prayer: Father God, as we begin this week, please help us to remember that You never purposed us to be alone. You always intended for us to lean on You and to be there for one another. Lord God, it’s so hard to realize that there will not always be people standing in support of me in my troubles; but I am so thankful that You have never left me and will never forsake me. Thank You for that reminder today, Father God, and thank You for carrying me when I’ve lost my strength. Lord, I ask that You give me opportunities to glorify You by placing in my path those who are in need of a Word from You – those who need someone to help lighten their load. Father, please accept me as Your willing vessel and touch my heart so that I may be a pure and effective witness, attesting to Your grace, mercy, and love! In the preciously perfect name of Jesus, AMEN!

“If you are always planning evil, you will earn a reputation as a troublemaker.” – Proverbs 24:8 [show] Whoever plans to do evil will be called a schemer.

As you go about this week, concentrate on your motives and intentions in all that you do. Evaluate yourself and be honest about your thoughts and feelings in relation to the things going on in your life.

Thoughts to Ponder: Are you reacting with ill motivation? Are you creating conflict for others as a means of moving yourself into a better position? Are you planning against others out of spite, revenge, or even jealousy? Are you delighting in the misfortune of those around you? If you find that your motives and intentions are not always of a pure heart, search yourself and determine why you feel as though these methods are effective, beneficial, or acceptable. Once you understand why are you acting in this manner, try to figure out how to catch yourself when you are making trouble for others – purposely or unconsciously – and stop yourself from acting this way in the future.

Prayer: Father God, I give Your name reverence and I come to You with thanksgiving in my heart recognizing all that You have done in my life. Lord, please forgive me for things I have done with bad motives. I know that harboring ill will toward others and planning – or even wanting – bad things for them reflects a spirit of contention and displeases You. Please create within me a clean heart and help me to purge myself of the desire to take part in – or even wish to see – the downfall of another person. I rebuke the temptation to act as a planner of evil, or to find myself being regarded as a troublemaker because of my actions or desires. I thank You for loving me in spite of myself, Lord, and for forgiving me as I forgive others. In the preciously perfect name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

This time of year, we hear so many people speak of spring cleaning – the annual practice of getting rid of the old to make room for the new – or at least preparing the living quarters for a new season to come. It’s time for us to treat our spirits with the same consideration we treat our homes – after all, our heart is home for the Holy Spirit and we should take care in being prepared for new works He is doing in and through us. We prepare ourselves for a new season by engaging our spirits in incessant prayer (personal and intimate fellowship with God) and studying His written Word. The one thing in your home you should never have to dust off is your Bible. As you begin this week, make a point to read Scriptures daily, remembering that living on bread alone will leave your spirit starved and your faith empty. Develop a habit of giving God your undivided attention and listen for His voice as He speaks to Your heart of His divine and perfect Will for your life.

Father God, I come to You this morning humble and seeking Your face. I know that I have not lived up to my commitment fully and I am rededicating myself as an open and willing vessel for Your use. Lord, in all that I have seen, I know that my life is in Your hands and I trust that You will continue to watch over me – protecting me, and providing for my every need. I would ask, God, that You bless those who are less fortunate than I am – that You provide for them as abundantly as You have for me; I also pray for those who possess more fortune in this world that I do… that those who have been stripped of the spirit through their love for worldly gain may be led back to Your arms and receive revelation of the Truth in their lives.

Lord God, I thank You for being my defender, comforter, and protector. You shield be from unseen dangers and for that I am grateful. Father God, I also praise Your name, Lord, for loving me so completely and unconditionally that You are able to forgive me of my sins while giving me the strength to forgive those who wrong me. Lord God, I pray that Your will comes to pass in my life. I know Your Word says that You are able to do exceeding abundantly more than I can ask or even imagine… in this truth, I realize that what I want cannot even compare to the great things already in Your plan for my life. I submit to You and thank You in advance for going before me in all things, allowing me to find favor, and working for my good those things the devil purposed for my defeat. In Jesus’ name, I have the victory… all these things I pray in His preciously perfect name. AMEN!

MEMORY SCRIPTURE of the week: Deuteronomy 8:3 [show] And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (ESV)
“man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (see also Matthew 4:4 [show] But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
& Luke 4:4 [show] And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'" (ESV)
)

“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, do you now perfect yourself in the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it is even in vain?” Galatians 3:3-4 [show] Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? (ESV)
(MKJV)

What Paul was trying to accomplish in saying this to the church of Galatia was to make them realize how foolish it was to start out in faith with God’s strength then turn back relying on their own power to finish. They had turned from being justified by faith (depending on Christ’s blood to atone for their sins) to being self-justified (depending on their ability to be obedient and not sin). Paul’s question to them was basically, “So, now you believe that you can make yourself righteous by your own works? Were all of your experiences for nothing? Surely, it isn’t so!”

Thought to Ponder: In our love for God and our strong desire to please Him, we sometimes lose sight of the reason Jesus sacrificed his life for us. In doing this, we revert back to attempting to earn God’s love and acceptance and inadvertently making Christ’s sacrifice obsolete. We cause ourselves undue stress as we are always under pressure to do more, to be better, to win God’s heart. As you begin this week, make a conscious effort to understand the role of faith in your life and use that faith as motivation to be obedient instead of allowing yourself to be fooled into thinking your obedience alone can justify you before God. Since we can never be fully obedient (perfect in our own flesh), our faith in Christ and in the perfect sacrifice made by His bloodshed is what reconciles us to God!

Prayer: Father God, I come to You humbly and in awe of Your ability! Please help me to understand the truth of Your Word and allow me wisdom enough to apply it to my daily life. I constantly fall short of Your glory, Father God, and You knew that I always would. Thank You! I praise Your name for sending Your Son to die on the cross because You loved me so much that You would not allow my foolish, sinful flesh to cause me to be eternally separated from You! It is by Christ’s blood that my sins are washed away, and by my faith that I am justified. For everything I have done that has been displeasing to You, I repent and ask forgiveness as I forgive those who have wronged me. I pray for Your provision in my life as I know Your grace is sufficient for me! I come to You in the preciously perfect name of Jesus, AMEN!

—

Do you wish to subscribe to our weekly mailings? Visit http://stepinfaith.org/subscribe!

“…knowing that a man is not justified by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ; even we believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law. For all flesh will not be justified by works of law.” -Galatians 2:16 [show] yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (ESV)
MKJV

Works do not earn God’s favor. We do not have to ever try to be worthy of God’s love. We are justified by true faith… As for our works, true faith motivates us to show it by our deeds!

Thought to Ponder: God’s love for us should make us want to be more than we are – should create within us a desire to be more like Christ… but our hearts are searched by God in His judgment. If your heart is not pure and your intentions are not good, your works will not justify you. Our hands do not impress God because He can do anything without our help! It is our faith that moves Him on our behalf.

Prayer: Lord God, I am so thankful to be able to come before You through the blood of Jesus Christ. I ask today that You search my heart and convict me of wrong doing and wrong thinking. I pray, Father, that You help me to develop in my spirit the likeness of Your Son and that I am blessed by Your hand with the wisdom and discernment I need to hold the truth of Your Word in my heart. I have no desire to bend Your Word to my desires, Lord, but rather every intention of bending my desires to Your Word. I pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen!

“I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:1-5 [show] I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

I praise God when He allows opportunities in my life for me to get the right perspective about things. Whatever your difficulties are, they will not last; contrarily, God’s care lasts forever.

Thought to ponder: We spend so much time thinking about our next problem that often we don’t focus long enough on our last solution!

Prayer: Lord, I thank You so much for everything You have done and continue to do in my life. I know sometimes I become so distracted that I don’t even notice when You move and I am sorry for that. I praise Your name, Lord, and I am grateful for the storms that cause me to seek Your refuge! You have delivered me from so many things and I am ashamed to say that I have allowed Satan to deceive me into believing that my worry is warranted by my troubles. Knowing that I have given them to You, I should always be secure in knowing that You have already fashioned a solution. I ask that You forgive me for losing sight of Your unfailing Love which is the reason for Your abundant provision. I know that Your grace is always sufficient for me. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen!

Genesis 24:7 [show] The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. (ESV)
, “The Lord, the God of Heaven… He will send His angel before you.” No matter what we are up against, all we need to ask is that God’s presence goes before us to make a way through! He will direct our paths, guide our decisions, and order our steps! Jesus said in Luke 18:27 [show] But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (ESV)
, “What is impossible with men is made possible with God.” Today, be reminded that nothing is impossible. Things may be beyond your own strength, but nothing is too big or too difficult for God.

Thought to Ponder: What is it that has been holding you back from achieving the things that the world would have you believe are impossible? Do you have a vision larger than what seems possible? Joseph (Genesis 37 [show] Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, "Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf." His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?" So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?" And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am." So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word." So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, "What are you seeking?" "I am seeking my brothers," he said. "Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock." And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams." But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life." And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him"--that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes and returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?" Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, "This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not." And he identified it and said, "It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces." Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard. (ESV)
) was a dreamer… and because of that, he was eventually put into a position of high authority!

Prayer: Father God, please help us to stop doubting the power You have over our circumstances. Lord, it is only our faith that limits the possibilities in our lives and I commit myself to believing in You to open doors that no man can close – to presenting opportunities that I never thought possible in my life! I thank You for giving me assurance and provision for the dreams You’ve placed within me. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

We also boast of our troubles, because we know
that trouble produces endurance, Romans 5:3 [show] More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, (ESV)
GNB

Paul wasn’t big on boasting, because he knew that he could be nothing and he could do nothing without the greatness and the grace of God. However, he wrote that if he is going to boast about something, he will boast about his weaknesses… and he will boast about his troubles. Why? Because in our weakness, the power of God is made perfect (2 Cor. 12:9 [show] But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (ESV)
), and in our troubles, we develop our faith and produce within ourselves endurance. It is not necessarily our troubles that allow us to endure but rather the knowledge that through the strength and grace of God, we have made it through troubles in the past, which makes us confident that we will make it through our troubles today.

Thoughts to Ponder: What power are you allowing your troubles to have over your life? How are you looking at the difficulties that you face? Do you challenge life or do you cower before it? Do you put things into the right perspective or do you adopt an attitude of hopelessness and frustration? As you begin this week, commit to changing the way you look at your troubles and watch for ways your trials bring endurance, wisdom, and change. Troubles produce endurance – how can the troubles you’ve faced benefit you today?

Prayer: Lord God, I come before You thankful and humble, knowing that You have allowed all of my experiences for a reason. Father God, I fall short of Your glory daily, but You continue to keep watch over me, protecting me and guiding me as I go about things day after day. Lord, in order that I may not grow weak, weary, and lost, You provide me with opportunities to grow in my faith and You let me know that You are always there for me. Father God, please help me to see the good that You are working out in all of my circumstances. Please help me to live by Your Word and bless Your name in all that I do. In Jesus’ precious and perfect name, Amen.

* Written by Kathleen Robertson September 29, 2008