His Power

I have this scripture hanging on my wall and read it every day. Every day. But somehow, it had gotten twisted in my mind. And by somehow, I mean Satan. Satan had twisted my thinking. 

This is how I read it: He is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that I have to activate that is at work within me.  

Seriously! I had inserted myself into the equation. His power is alive and well inside of me—because I invited Jesus into my life at nine years old. He lives in me—and he’s powerful. I am not. The only way I insert myself into this principle is by getting in the way of his power!

My mind immediately went to Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God…” My job is to be still. The Blue Letter Bible describes this Hebrew word as “to sink down, to relax, to let drop, abandon, to let go!” Basically, I am to get out of the way. When I do, God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, super-abundantly immeasurably more than I can ask, imagine, or fathom—infinitely above my greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams!!

What do I need to let go of today? Pride…my way…and wrong thinking.

The Promise

In II Samuel 7, God promises David that his kingdom will be passed from him to his sons and that it will never end—from generation to generation.  We know now that Jesus Christ was and is the fulfillment of that promise. He is of the lineage of David and he will reign forever. 

But Jehoiada the priest knew of that promise, too.  In II Chronicles 23 when all of the royal heirs were being killed, Joash was hidden by his sister (the wife of Jehoiada) in the temple for six years. When Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada made an elaborate plan to declare Joash as king and to kill Athaliah (the wicked mother who thought she had killed all of the royal heirs and then made herself queen.). 

Jehoiada stood on this promise, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the Lord has said of the sons of David.” He knew the promise. And he stood in faith believing what God had said. That’s why he was willing to take the risk to make Joash, a descendant of David, king. 

What has God promised you? The Bible is filled with hundreds of promises. God may have spoken a promise directly to your heart at some point. Are you standing in faith believing?

Decades had passed from the time of God’s promise to David—and then Jehoiada standing in faith on that promise. But God is faithful. He keeps a promise for thousands of generations—or forever.  

Stand on God’s promises. He won’t fail.  

Finish Well

For years, I’ve prayed, “God, please let me finish well!  What does that mean? What does it look like? It means you’ve lived a life to honor and obey God. You listen to Him. You ask Him for direction. You submit to God’s will instead of following your own. It also means you run the race well—you don’t give up or throw in the towel. You keep going even when you’re overwhelmed or dog tired.  

Jehoshaphat totally redeemed himself after that first battle when he hadn’t consulted God—he’d  committed to a battle before asking God if it was the right thing to do. The next time, he asked God for help FIRST! He saw God move in and confuse the enemy and they completely destroyed themselves!

But then…then Jehoshaphat made an alliance with a wicked king to build ships together. He never asked God about it. God wasn’t happy. He sent a prophet to Jehoshaphat to tell him his works would be destroyed. This is our last story of him. He didn’t finish well—even though “good things were found in him.”

God, I know my race hasn’t been perfect. There has been so much of “Becky” when there should have been more of You! I haven’t always listened nor obeyed. But I love You with all I know to love You. I want my life to look like Jesus’. I want to pull aside and hear You, consult You, love You, and submit to You. Please, please, PLEASE let me finish well!  I give You all that I am and all that I have. Let me push through and reach out to You as I cross the finish line! I want to do it with praise for You on my lips and a heart full of gratitude for all You’ve done! In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Jehoshaphat

Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, is the first king that God says was most like David. He loved and obeyed God, tore down idols, and established the priests who taught the law of the Lord. God blessed him and he became powerful and wealthy. So it’s hard to believe what happened next.  

Jehoshaphat went to visit Ahab, the king of Israel. Ahab asked him to go to war with him against Ramoth Gilead.  This, then, is the order of events:

1. Jehoshaphat agreed to go to war with Ahab. He said, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in war.”

2. Jehoshaphat asked for a word from the Lord from a prophet of God. 

3. The only prophet of God prophesied that Ahab would be killed and his army scattered. 

4. Ahab suggested that Jehoshaphat dress in his Royal robes while he disguised himself. (Setiously! Didn’t Jehoshaphat clue in at this point?)

5. Jehoshaphat is almost killed, but cries out to God who saves him. 

6. Ahab is killed and his army is scattered.  

All of this because Jehoshaphat got 1 & 2 backwards. To his credit, when he came home safely, he turned his people back to God. 

It’s so easy to see what Jehoshaphat should have done…but do I know to turn to God first when I’m faced with choices? God, may I always ask You for direction before making an agreement!!!!

To and Fro

Who Will Be Left?

One of the saddest stories in the Old Testament is that of Rehoboam, king of Israel and Solomon’s son. He rejected God, rejected the advice of the elders, and he rejected the priests from serving the Lord. 

Because Rehoboam no longer worshiped God and the priests no longer fulfilled their duties, the priests left their common-lands, the lands given to them by Joshua when he divided the Promised Land among the tribes.  They no longer served God. “Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel along with him.”  “And then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he’d made.” II Chronicles 12:1, 11:4

What if the priests had refused to leave their posts?What if they’d continued to serve God by offering sacrifices to God? What if they’d obeyed God rather than man? Obviously, they might have lost their lives. But they also might not have created a spiritual vacuum and opened the door to demons.  

We can’t leave a spiritual vacuum either. DON’T LEAVE YOUR POST!! Proclaim the Word of God. Offer Him sacrifices of praise. Lift up your voice and sing with all your might. Shout hosannas to God. Rightly divide the Word of Truth. 

Who will be left when a king rejects us from serving God?

Do What You Say

In Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the temple in II Chronicles 6, he says something about God which stood out to me this morning. He said it twice: “You have both spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day.” Basically, Solomon was saying, “You’ve done what you promised!”

Do you know someone who says they’ll do things…and then never does them? Or someone who constantly quotes the Word of God…but doesn’t practice what it says? Their words are empty and you soon learn that you can’t trust them. 

God has given us an example: if you make a promise, do it! Work with all your might to make it happen. Let your hands do what your mouth says. Otherwise, you’re full of emptiness and lies. 

Blessing Your Children

Have you ever blessed your children? I’m talking about an intentional and thoughtful time you’ve set  aside—where you’ve prayed about how to bless your child—and then you speak it over them. If you don’t know what to say, spend time praying about it. Ask God what you should say—every child’s purpose or “bent” is unique. He wants you to bless your children individually and He knows what they need to hear! Let me tell you how powerful it is.

David blessed Solomon in I Chronicles 22:12 with these words: “Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.” He was preparing Solomon to become king over Israel. Later, God appears to Solomon and asks what he wants. In II Chronicles 1:10, Solomon replies with this: “Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of yours?”

Why do you think he asked God for wisdom and knowledge? It was in his mind and heart because of his father’s blessing. A blessing is a powerful thing. It doesn’t just enter the mind or soul of the person you bless. It enters their heart or spirit. They know it’s significant because you’ve set aside time. You’ve set aside a place. You’ve prepared words which are for them alone—words from God’s heart to yours to theirs. And they grab hold of those words. I’ve found it a good thing to write out my blessing so they can read it again and again. Bless your children. Bless your grandchildren. Bless your friends. 

Jewish men bless their wives each week. Jewish parents bless their children each week. The Jewish population in American prisons is 1.7%.  I believe those blessings are significant and powerful and live on in the hearts of those children for the rest of their lives.  

Start blessing your children! Do it soon.