The joy is pouring out!

Pr. 6:11:  “So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.”

This morning when I opened the refrigerator I saw a pitcher of lemonade lying down on its side.  That was a first!  After setting it upright, I checked the shelves below for puddles of liquid.

Reading about the joy of the Lord in the Psalms this morning reminded me of that pitcher, and of a Mark Condon I’ve sang.  (attached)  The chorus of this song says:

I feel the joy of the Lord falling fresh on me.  I feel the joy of the Lord delivering me.  I feel the joy of the Holy Ghost all over me.

Just as that pitcher was pouring lemonade all over my refrigerator and all it’s contents, the joy of the Lord pours over His children when we are in His presence and in His word.

It’s when we are no longer making time for that joy that the poverty of our souls comes on us.  As this song says, we deserve better.  We have been blessed, we have been bought, and we have been set free!  Jesus’ blood covered us once and for all.  We have no reason to be in need or poverty.

Let the joy of the Lord fall fresh on you today!  Spending time in His presence today, feel the joy of the Holy Ghost all over you.  God is ready to pour joy all over you.  Don’t let anything keep you from getting drenched!

Get soaked,

jamie

Advertisement

You can get satisfaction!

Pr. 20:13:  “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty, open your eyes, and you will satisfied with bread.”

I have written about this verse before; however, this morning it is speaking something different to me.   Last night I was faced with feelings of inferiority and insufficiency that sometimes attack me and try to eat away at me.  We all have our battles.

There have been times when I have given into them and allowed them bring poverty to my emotional state.  Last night I was pleasantly surprised when, in the face of those thoughts, the truth of the Word of God continued to speak truth into my mind.  This has rarely been the case for me, so the fact that God’s Word was beating out the whispers of the enemy brought me much happiness.

How did this happen?  At one point, I made the choice to get up early every morning and spend time with the Word.  I have reflected on and considered God’s Word and allowed Him to speak into the depths of my mind and soul.  When faced with the thoughts and feelings that I had last night, the Word of God was truly hidden in my heart and the Lord was able to allow His truth to be the healing balm that I needed.

Truly I have been satisfied with the Bread of Life.  No one and nothing else could have truly satisfied.  I’ve tried all the other options.  They only left me more empty and more vulnerable the next time.

When my son woke up this morning, I could hear him running to my room to get in my bed and snuggle.  In that moment of sheer pleasure for me, knowing how he longed for me, I thought of our Father in heaven and how much joy we truly bring to Him.  He loves us so dearly.  Truly He created us fearfully and wonderfully and He wants nothing but the best for His children.  When we run to Him, we are running to the safest place there is.

I hope that like me, you are spending time with the Word.  I hope that when poverty threatens to come upon you, you will have enough of the Bread of Life in your life that it will satisfy and raise you up.  I speak with experience when I say that nothing else will ever satisfy.  Open your eyes and be satisfied.  Your Savior loves you beyond what words can express.  Perhaps that’s why He chose to show us on the cross–with an action.

Let Him embrace you today,

jamie

Wake up and eat…for heaven’s sake.

John 6:48:  “I am the bread of life.”

John 6:35:  “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Pr. 24:30-34:  ” I went by the filed of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there is was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.  When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction.  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; so shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.”

Pr. 20:13: “Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty.  Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.”

Get up!  Spend time with Jesus each morning.  Be filled with “The Bread” of Life!

Both of the scriptures in Proverbs speak of poverty…I read them to also speak of poverty of the soul.  A little extra sleep in the morning; laziness keeping us from getting out of bed to spend time with The Lord, and poverty will quickly come upon our souls.  We will quickly become devoid of understanding, thorns will quickly spread upon our hearts and nettles will choke out the fruit of The Spirit within us.  A little extra slumber and we will become broken, believing lies instead of truth, exchanging the truth about our strength in The Lord with the enemy’s deceiving lies about our weaknesses.

If we will open our eyes, we will truly be satisfied with bread.  We will be strengthened instead of broken.  We will become pure through His blood.  We will be set free, instead of pierced with the thorns that come from feeding our flesh.  We will be filled with wisdom, instead of drained of all understanding.  The fruit of The Spirit will be evident in us instead of being choked out by the nettles of the fruit of our own ways.  Our souls will be rich and overflowing instead of destitute hungry.

Don’t allow poverty to overtake your soul like an armed man overtakes a victim.  Amass an arsenal of truth.  Stockpile praise as a wall of defense.  Protect yourself at all costs.  Invest in your soul.  Invest in your eternal life.  This investment is a guaranteed success!

Stockpiling,

jamie

Can’t find the time for God?

Pr. 6:10:  “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep–so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.” 

This verse is the truth that wakes me up in the mornings with the focus on getting into the Word.  There were seasons in the past when I chose to sleep instead of getting up and spending time with God.  Then, as I never made quality time throughout the rest of my day to be with God, quietly and slowly, poverty came into my soul.

Getting up in the mornings and going straight to the Word is what sets the tone for my day.  Beginning my day with God’s truth is what re-emphasizes my focus and reminds me of my reason for living.

It seems harmless to miss a day or two of Bible reading.  Not praying each day can seem like a small thing.  It’s not as if we have to do these things to go to heaven.  What happens, though, is that slowly our focus gets off the Lord and onto ourselves, our surroundings, or the world.  Without realizing it we begin to think we can do life on our own, without the Lord, and we forget that we can do nothing apart from Him.

This is how satan distracts us from our purpose.  Slowly we drift away, begin to think we have it all figured out, forget we need a Savior, and maybe even thinking that we don’t need one at all.

Like a prowler who is very sneaky, the changes in our lives happen so subtly that we do not see them happening.  Eventually we might find ourselves in a compromising situation or a place we never imagined we’d be.  We may come to a point where we wonder how we wandered so far away from our values, our beliefs, our calling, or our Father.

The cool thing about God is that He is the strongest when we are the weakest.  That means that at our very worst, He is at His very best.  When we realize He’s not our main focus, admit that we need Him, and surrender to His will and His leading, He can do so many amazing things through our lives.  What the enemy meant for evil, God will use for good; and can actually use it to save other lives.

Don’t let the enemy distract you from investing in your relationship with Christ.  We have a Savior because we need One.  He is the source of strength, our Provider, our Comforter, and our eternal hope.  Of all the things you do each day, spending time with Him is the most important one of all.  Don’t slumber.  Make the time.

I can tell you, for a fact, that your purpose in life isn’t just to make it through the day.  Get into His Word and remind yourself that there is a much higher purpose for which you were created.  People are counting on you to fulfill it.

Enjoying His presence,

jamie