Embracing God's Sovereignty

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.  Isaiah 40:25-26

 To my fellow believers who walk with the LORD,

 As we grow and mature in faith we see more clearly that our Father is Sovereign over every aspect of life, as surely as He is the galaxy-filled universe. Our loving Father uses trials to instruct us about who He is and reveal to us who we are.  At first, our old sin nature hides from us and then we try and hide from it. The testing God sends exposes our self-effort to improve ourselves; rather than humbly learn the grace of God. My grandson works to get fed by turning his head side to side in newborn panic, his legs and arms flailing in search of food, for he does not realize all his harried efforts are of no avail and likely delay things a bit. He must relax into his mother or father who holds the source of nourishment, then there is rest. What a picture we make trying to live the Christian life by our own efforts, flailing in our own strength and delaying our growth. There will be no rest for us until by faith we relax into our Father, embracing His Sovereignty.  He alone is rest and just as loving heart and hands were much busy to meet my grandson’s need before it arose, so also our Father provides for us, for He is no less loving

 Two things mark spiritual growth; one is a deeper sense of th sinful old nature, the other s a greter longing after the Lord Jesus Christ. The sinfulness is discovered and felt as the power of the Holy Spirit increases; for many a thought and act passes without pain th the conscience where the Lord Jesus is leass before the soul, which will be refused and condemned as the knowledge of the Lord increases in spiritual power within. JBS

 Just as God led Israel into the desert; causing them to thirst that they might drink from that Rock who was Christ. (I Cor 10:4)  God takes us into the desert leading us into trouble where we are required to cast ourselves on Him. Is there any god who compares to our God, Namer and Sustainer of the Stars? So we find out what we are in times of testing! We say we believe God is Sovereignty. Words easily spoken when life is not too stressful. Then a relationship is torn and our hearts bleed, a child makes a bad choice affecting him for years, or a loss in some area and feelings rampage our doubting heart, we feel devalued and ill used and life hurts and hurts. Trusting in His Sovereignty is at a whole new level! It is then we need to remember God is not only Sovereign, He is good. He is faithful. He is near. He is loving.

 Recently a wounded relationship pushed me to my knees. ‘Fear’ and the question “but what if” became a repetative dialogue in my mind magnifying ‘worst’ scenerios which play unbidden and in full color. Choosing faith is so hard when emotions rule the heart. It must be a deliberate, willful action. I needed to ask: do I believe what I spout? To believe in God’s Sovereignty is to believe He is in control, He is good and He is working in this situation. He is aware of every nuance and painful detour. This truly reveals whether I believe what I claim. Sovereign or not?  If God is sovereign and He is good, faithful and trustworthy.... then what room is there for fear or resentment of anxiety? Do I believe my circumstances are His will? If so then my choice is to die to my will and embrace His with praise. Yes, praising Him whether I feel like it or not, kowing the sweetest praise is when I exercise the sacrifice of praise ( Hebrews 13:15) not from a spiritual high but  from a surrendered heart that chooses Truth: I am crucified with Christ and I will exalt Him with a spirit of thanksgiving because He is worthy. Let this scripture instruct your heart, seeping in and filling you with awe, until you are prone before Him in tears!

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

   How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! 

 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”  For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36 

 I am fickle. My natural inclination is to make everything about me. When I operate in the flesh I look at divine things as they suit my thinking about myself. How often I cry out, “LORD, help me want Your will more than my own!” O to trust Him fully and find Him fully true! He is Sovereign and in His wisdom, He may deliver us from our trials or He may deliver us in our trials, either way it comes from who He is.  He cannot operate from anything less than His compassion and lovingkindness for us.

 Evil and suffering formed the crucible in which God demonstrated His love to humankind. His love comes to us soaked in divine blood. RA

Those who receive deliverance from their troubles never grow like those who get strengthened in the difficulties. How slowly one learns that His sympathy is not expressed in removing the affliction but in raising one above it to Himself, so that He becomes so endeared to the heart that He is more an object to the heart than oneself. JBS

Speak Truth aloud. “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in fear, He is in control.

The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want of strength, for He is strength

The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want of peace, for He is my Peace.

The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want for Hope, for He is Living Hope.

Continue to speak aloud Truth when in the midst of your trial and praise Him with

truth: Praise the LORD my Shepherd who gives grace and wisdom to me.

 Father of all life and holder of all breath, there is no God but You. It is a fearful thing to come to You as Sovereign, Creator and Sustainer... Job struggled with his pain and loss and Your hand heavy upon him. He trembled at the thought of You. It is difficult to reconoiter the fierceness of Your being with the tender mercies of You, my Abba, my Daddy.  O that I would glorify You in every trial because You live through me. LORD, I want to be living proof  that You are alive and Sovereign and good.  Keep me from making this life about me. Open our eyes and remind us of Your goodness. I surrender...  to You the Holy One who reigns now and forever, in whose Name there is power Jesus. amen

His Sovereignty is my comfort and my good,

AZ

"Abba, Abba"

But He knows the way that I take;

      When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10

Greetings in Jesus Name to fellow believers running the race marked out for you,

My friend was at a Bar Mitzvah celebration on a beautiful sunny day. She saw a small boy running in an effort to keep up with the older children. He fell, tearing his pants and scraping his knee. Tears burst forth as he cried out, "Abba, Abba". His Father, the Rabbi, deep in conversation with other men, heard his cry from afar and turned to see his precious son running toward him with arms out stretched. Each step lessened the distance to his Daddy who scooped him up in strong, comforting arms. As my friend observed this tender scene, God spoke to her.... 'Am I not a Father to you?' and tears brimmed for she saw herself in this little boy running to his Abba, Daddy! Just as the Father bent low and caught his son up in his arms to console him. Our Father, our Abba, bends low to lift us up! He is filled with compassion for His children. He cares about the smallest detail of our lives.

This loving Father allows trials in our life to teach us to trust Him and prove Him faithful. Learning to endure comes by enduring. I do not like trials and this past week was one of enduring rejection, accusation, emotional attack and disdain. It is so hard to choose to refuse self pity (and comfort food). Feeling no strength to deal with it, I chose to go a step fartherand forgive, resulting in freedom for me in Christ. Chip Ingram said "Trials are inevitable. Trials make us or break us. Victims refuse to move beyond asking 'why' and are stuck in their pain. Conquerers and survivors stop asking why and ask what.

A holocaust survivor was beaten, stripped and searched. Everything was taken from him. The only thing he had was his wedding band. When they took this last thing, something seemed to break inside him and yet he chose his attitude, refusing to be bitter as his right. Another prisoner questioned him as to why he didn't hate the Nazi's and why he wasn't bitter. He answered:' The only thing I have they cannot take from me is my attitude. I refuse to give them that power over me.'

My attitude may be the only thing in a trial, in which I have a choice. Often in the battle my feelings shout, "I can't do this one more minute... i just can't do this any more..." the Holy Spirit says, 'Daughter, I know you can’t, I will endure through you'. God gives us a 'will' (which is our 'chooser') and we are to choose to walk by faith and not live by feelings. The world's message is counter to this teaching. The world says "do what you feel in your heart, don't deny yourself, you have rights". God’s word says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?  Jer 17:9 

He not only works in us to 'will' but also to 'do' (giving us His power to endure). To trust a person requires knowing them. If we are Biblically illiterate we will lack discernment and in bitterness blame God for our pain. His love for you is immeasurable and He is filled with compassion knowing the way you take. Such Comfort! 

Faith says to rejoice in our trials for we know He is creating the character and beauty of Jesus in us. 

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Phil 2:13

 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. Romans 5:3  

The tests are for us to pass because God is for us. Question: "Am I rejoicing?"

We live in a fallen world, people lose jobs, suffer great loss personally and financially, experience broken relationships and ill health. These things being a catalyst to turn away from God but He alone gives His children strength to endure brokenness. His Joy is our strength. 

What privilege is ours to run to His word! It says 'consider it all joy'when we encounter various trials. The word 'consider' indicates 'choice'. I am reminded the testing of my faith produces endurance. I am to expect fiery trials; they are a gift. God has grace for every moment of every trial and wraps every trial in His loving-kindness. Do I believe God measured the trial into my life as the best way to accomplish His perfect will in me? Do I believe if there was a better, kinder, more simple way to accomplish His desire, He would have taken me by that path?

God may have singled you out to be a special object of His grace. You may expect to be honored with stricter discipline and greater suffering than less favored ones are called upon to endure. To accomplish His supreme work of grace in you He may take from your heart everything you love most. 

The sculptor does not use a manicure set to shape the rough stone into a thing of beauty; but the rasp, hammer and chisel. Amy Carmichael lay for 35 years on a bed of pain inspite of a great many faithful believing prayers for her healing. She left a treasure of writings that live to minister to many today.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. I Peter 5:10-11

What a promise! I know, something wonderful happens inside me because of trials when I choose to trust rather than waiting to feel good over a situation or feel God is in control. Feelings have nothing to do with faith and demanding to know 'why' may be a fruitless venture. Some answers will not be given on earth, but He gives all we need to endure this moment. O that His will would consume my heart! 

Abba, Daddy, i run to You. I know You so much better because the trials have caused me to cast myself at Your feet. You make no mistakes... You are life and breath and Hope and I choose to trust You. Thank You for taking the hard things and using them to benefit me. Who but You O LORD could redeem even trouble, wasted time, wrong choices or the hard things that comes my way? There is no God but You. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. You alone will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish me, enabling me to trust You at a whole new level! Thank You, Abba. In Your Son's most precious name.

az

If you want to know how to receive Christ as Savior and know forgiveness of your sins, click on this link:  http://www.campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

Doveseye a once a week email devotional: http://az-doveseye.blogspot.com/

Consenting to Be Loved by a Holy God

Whom have I in heaven but You?          And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.     My flesh and my heart may fail,          But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73: 25-26 My dear Sisters and Brothers in the LORD, greetings in Jesus Name, Through out time and eternity God is and has been and will be Sovereign over our circumstances and He alone can redeem every difficulty, every failure and every tear, for our good and His glory.  These words are living truth not platitudes!  Great are His purposes because He is great. Shall the wrath of man not praise Him and serve His will? Shall He neglect to comfort and transform? He has said, "All things".   All things serve Him... Psalm 119:91 niv I struggle to include my sin and failures under this divine umbrella. So many times i fail to live a surrendered life and am less than He saved me to be! Am I quick to weep over my fleshly ways? Am i  quick to learn from what God has permitted, quick to receive all He wants to teach me? As i abide in Him, do I praise Him in faith because I truly believe 'no affliction can reach me without His permission' and that He has permitted it for my own best interest? Am I quick to focus on Jesus?  I would love to shout a resounding "Yes!" but it is so easy to live by feelings missing an opportunity to prove Him faithful. That alone should cause me to weep.  "All that we pass through is that we may get a fresh view of the Lord Jesus, or a deepening of a former one; but often we are so occupied with ourselves and the circumstances, that we fail to 'behold the glory of the Lord." C.T. In our failure and rebellion (choosing our own will over His) and in disappointment, instead of humbly learning our Father's grace we naturally try and improve ourselves! The flesh avoids the cross at all costs and humbling ourself is dying to self. We soon forget that to be disappointed in ourselves is to have trusted in ourselves. We need to realize two 'source' truths:  1.The Lord Jesus is the source of my Christian life and I am complete in Him, I am a new creations in Him II Cor 5:7. Read this sentence again and hear it....   2. We are to appropriate this fact by faith and are brought into the practical reality of it day by day in our experience. He is the living Word and gave us His Word. To believe this changes everything. The scripture does not teach us to focus on our sins, our growth or sanctification, not on love, hope, or experiences; we are to focus on Jesus alone. Growth is progressing in spiritual knowledge of what we actually possess from the outset.  Since we are complete in our Lord we are not to try and add to that finished work. It is now a matter of walking by faith and receiving or appropriating from the ever-abundant source within. mjs I need reminding again and again that my part is not production but reception of my new life in Christ. This means Bible based, fact finding, faith in Him; trusting Him to work His purposes in my life, even when it makes no sense. Will you trust along with me (faith choice) that He is taking us through the necessary process to create in us the likeness of His precious Son?  I read these words in Acts 4:13  When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.  i heard Jesus question ordinary me: 'Has anyone recently been astonished at my Presence in you?' How could it be otherwise if I am abiding and beholding Him? Tears of regret are so often tears which side-track us and plunge us into self-pity. To learn grace is to expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more lack of worth. To believe and consent to be loved  while unworthy is the great secret. And to hope to be better (hence acceptable) is to fail to see yourself in Christ only. WRN  Refuse unbelief and see yourself as God sees you, in Christ.  To you (alone), O LORD I lift up my soul; in You I trust, O my God. Show me your ways... teach me your paths; guide me... for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Psalm 25:1,4-5      He is the Source of every grace, all mercy needed. His word lives and is the greatest source of Truth. Allow Him to live through you in obedience to His word. His patience and love, His peace, His strength, His joy, His wisdom, His power, His resurrection life, His fruit through you, transforming you, and astonishing others. O Love, that has no beginning, You who hung the world on nothing, i run to You! You who have loved me from eternity past, who after giving absolutely everything, You gave Yourself! i come to the God who pursued me even to the depths of my lostness where my sins had subdued me, taking the form of a slave to set me free from slavery to my sin. You died a torturous death to cleanse me from all sin. i run to You, hear my cry, 'change me!'  Forgive me for running from You, for refusing so many times the love You offer. i am worthy to be an outcast from Your Presence. Free me from trying to live in such a way as to give You cause to love me; for You are love that knows no end. You are the love that my sins could never quench. Such love terrifies me and i long to know you intimately and follow, taking up my cross, denying myself by faith. You are life and breath and I love you and invite You to cleanse and fill me.  Teach me to behold You in all Your glory. thank You i am in Christ. Praise Jesus, amen In the Love that was independent of all I am, az

Appalled!

"...worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" Phil 3:3-4


My Brother and Sisters who love the Lord,


Appalled! Why am I not more so? Exhausted from days of emotional struggle! Times when God seems to step back, allowing the battle (which is the Lord's) to be oppressive. Understanding His methods is not my priority but the cry of my heart is ,"Lord, teach me all you want me to learn in this! It hurts Lord."  His most precious lessons are those which move my heart to deeper dependence on Him; thereby proving Him faithful which is the fore front of His loving purposes. I am slow to learn and like the Jews in the wilderness who turned a 9-day journey into 40 years of travel, God repeats a lesson over and again until i finally 'get it'. 


One of the most difficult lessons for a believer has to do with the true condition of man. Our flesh. If we have been Christians for a while we are aware of the struggle we have with sin.  We often work to hide our failures and weaknesses from others wanting them to think we are spiritual and doing great. The enemy loves this redundant, prideful behavior as it gives him a foot in the door!


 Why are we not more willing to face up to the truth of our despicable, incorrigible sin-nature? We are not uninformed in scripture nor do we lack experience of trying hard to live the Christian life and falling far short. God intentionally made the Christian life impossible to live; so we would run to Him, "Lord, i can't do this. Help!" It is our pride that desires to have some part in our salvation. But that would negate grace and become 'works'.


For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; Romans 7:18


As long as we look and hope for something good in ourselves we are walking in the flesh. We can teach and preach and do acts of kindness in the flesh; but the Truth is none of it is eternal. Only what the Spirit does through us is eternal. God has one plan for the old sin nature... death.  We are crucified with Christ. This alone can stop the cycle of sin. We think God should make us strong, but He makes us weak that we might be totally dependent on His strength which is made perfect in our weakness. (II Cor 12:9) But like manna, it is daily. We need to believe we have the nature of a sinner or we will not surrender to Him and appropriate all Christ did for us on the Cross to break the power and bondage of sin over us. 


This prayer expresses my heart beat....
How blessed is my lack of ability, because it makes me find in You everything that is lacking in me! F.F.


God's Truth will lift you higher and hold you above all that would pull you down even when if 'feels' like you are not going to be able to stand a minute longer. Oh to learn early not live by feelings but walk by faith. (II Cor 5:7) Today let these four words bathe you: "I am 'in' Christ." Take them with you. Repeat them until they sink deep in your spirit. You are in Christ and His Victory cannot be earned, it is yours by right as His child. (if you know Him personally having repented of your sins, receiving forgiveness because you believe Christ's death was for you. 


The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin I John 1:7) 


We may seek and receive forgiveness, but then we sin again; and life goes on in a vicious cycle- sinning and being forgiven, but then sinning again. We appreciate God's forgiveness, but we want deliverance. We need forgiveness for what we have done, but we need deliverance from what we are. mjs


How greatly we need a renewed mind. Most of us grow up with a wrong mindset; unaware Satan's greatest point of attack is in our thinking, by planting fears, doubts, unclean thoughts, jealousies, fantasies and lies; then accuses us of thinking them! When we accept his lies as our own thoughts, he gains a foothold in our lives which can develop into a stronghold. We are instructed in I John to test our thoughts. Renewing our mind in His word is absolutely key to 'be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.' Eph 6:10


Victorious Father, Giver of all that is good, You who cleansed me from all sin with Your shed blood, I come exhausted from the battle. Thank You for hearing my prayers and though I did not 'feel' Your Presence, it did not change the Truth of it. Thank You for being a God who loves, corrects, disciplines, and works Your great purposes in my life. Thank You for keeping the pressure on when I cry out for relief, because You are not working for my happiness but my holiness. In the end the sweetness of You is worth all the tears and struggle. You are my exceeding and great reward. Who else could redeem our struggles and pain and trials? There is no God but You. You are the One who sets my feet to dancing and lifts me up. It is You who took my shame and gave me Your name,,,,, 'I declare I am a child of the King of kings and LORD of Lords.' I declare He is faithful and His promises are true. I declare this moment You are Lord over the painful relationships in my life, over the disappointments and failures. I declare the greatness of Your grace and mercy and love for me and for all who take time to read this. I pray You are drawing them to Yourself in ways beyond my ability to pray. Do wondrous things for I declare You are a Wondrous and Awesome God. I love You so.... and as always i am so blessed to kneel and pray in the Name above all names, in Jesus my Savior.


Failure is necessary for growth and then clearly He will receive the glory for any success. You are loved by the King of kings my brother, my sister,


az