Date:
Thursday,
July 02, 2015
Chapters: Psalms 109-113
Message Title: Getting God's Attention
Hello My Friend,
Many Christians put up a good front, they appear to be happy, but deep down, they are sad, depressed, and full of self doubt. The devil has a way of bringing us down to our lowest when we are down on ourselves, he stops at nothing to get us to dwell on the past or present circumstances in order to keep us from seeing just how blessed we are. While we cannot do anything about our past, we can do something about now, God does not want us depressed and living sad lives, He wants us living full and joyful lives. God cannot force us to be happy, He can bring us joy no matter what we are facing, but only we can decide to accept it. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” - John 15:11.
Faith, it's the key to getting God's attention, but if we are not willing to make an effort to change our situation, we will not get much of His attention. David, weary and distraught, pleas with God to deal with his enemies, he tells Him how much he as prayed and fasted, but still saw no end to his troubles. Then, he stops asking God to destroy his enemy, and asks Him to simply deliver him from them. “Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.” - Psalms 109:1-3,7-10,21-23.
We can pray, fast, and read the Bible all we want in hopes that it will change things, but it will not until we have a change of heart. The key to change our heart is forgiveness, we must forgive ourselves, we must forgive our enemies, and we must accept that God has forgiven us for all our foolishness. If we do not forgive ourselves it's just as bad as not forgiving those who wronged us. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” - Ephesians 4:30-32.
Once we take that step to do something about our situation the next is to seek God's attention. Now, seeking God's attention is more than just praying, which is asking Him for things, and reading the Bible, seeking God's attention means to fear Him. Fearing God means giving honor to Him, thanking Him, praising Him, giving Him the glory for all things, confessing our sins, simply just seeking His presence. Simply put, it's giving Him attention, even when we do not feel like it. The more attention we give Him, the more faith we will have in Him, and the more we have faith in Him, the more attention He gives us. “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” - Psalms 111:1-5,10.
God does a great work in us when we praise Him with a whole heart, even when it's hard to even get up out of bed. Remember, God knows our heart, and while the flesh and mind change constantly with our circumstances, out heart shows the real picture. I will admit that I have gotten so depressed that I stopped talking to God, even though I was reading His Word and praying. I got this horrible attitude of despair. I wanted to give up and run off to any place that will take far away from where I am. In the midst of my crying and feeling sorry for myself, the Holy Spirit reminded me of where I was when God was not in my life, and where I would be right now. We must never let the guilt of the past or presence circumstances blind us from all that God has done for us. “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” - John 16:21-24.
Fearing God in the midst of our circumstances not only gets God's attention, it gives us hope, puts our trust in Him, gets our heart right with Him, and blesses us greatly. “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” - Psalms 112:1-7.
If we do nothing, but complain about our current circumstances, nothing will ever change for us. If we start appreciating what we have, and let God show us what we need to do, things will change dramatically for us. While we should not seek the riches of the world, God will bless us as we continue to fear Him and seek His attention. If we want to see what happens when we keep praising God in the midst of our circumstances, and our heart begins to change, then we need to keep doing it. When we seek God's attention, that is when we get blessed beyond measure. “The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.” - Psalms 113:4-9.
Let me tell you, when God changed my life, I never got married, I had no kids of my own, and I even lost my house. God took everything I desired and worked so hard for away from me, but today, I am a keeper of God's house, I am a mother to many children, working on a new relationship, and surrounded by so many things given to me that I cannot even remember all that I have. God truly blesses those who give their heart to Him, we are not always going to be wholehearted for God, and that is when He brings circumstances in our lives. If your life is not where you want it to be right now, give it to God, let Him take the reins and guide you where He wants you to be. It may be hard at first, but you don't need to ask God for much, just His presence, and once You seek that, everything will fall into place. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” - 1 Peter 5:6,7.
Today's Prayer: God, Life brings us down, and it's so hard to get back up sometimes, we pray, and pray, read Your Word, every day, in hopes of change, yet, nothing changes. In order for us to see change we need to get Your attention, and not by prayer or Bible reading, but by simply giving You our attention. Lord, today, I am not asking for anything, but You, You are my Lord, my God, my everything, I am nothing without You. Show Yourself to me, take hold of the reins of my life, and lead me where You want me to be. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Chapters: Psalms 109-113
Message Title: Getting God's Attention
Hello My Friend,
Many Christians put up a good front, they appear to be happy, but deep down, they are sad, depressed, and full of self doubt. The devil has a way of bringing us down to our lowest when we are down on ourselves, he stops at nothing to get us to dwell on the past or present circumstances in order to keep us from seeing just how blessed we are. While we cannot do anything about our past, we can do something about now, God does not want us depressed and living sad lives, He wants us living full and joyful lives. God cannot force us to be happy, He can bring us joy no matter what we are facing, but only we can decide to accept it. “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” - John 15:11.
Faith, it's the key to getting God's attention, but if we are not willing to make an effort to change our situation, we will not get much of His attention. David, weary and distraught, pleas with God to deal with his enemies, he tells Him how much he as prayed and fasted, but still saw no end to his troubles. Then, he stops asking God to destroy his enemy, and asks Him to simply deliver him from them. “Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise; For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.” - Psalms 109:1-3,7-10,21-23.
We can pray, fast, and read the Bible all we want in hopes that it will change things, but it will not until we have a change of heart. The key to change our heart is forgiveness, we must forgive ourselves, we must forgive our enemies, and we must accept that God has forgiven us for all our foolishness. If we do not forgive ourselves it's just as bad as not forgiving those who wronged us. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” - Ephesians 4:30-32.
Once we take that step to do something about our situation the next is to seek God's attention. Now, seeking God's attention is more than just praying, which is asking Him for things, and reading the Bible, seeking God's attention means to fear Him. Fearing God means giving honor to Him, thanking Him, praising Him, giving Him the glory for all things, confessing our sins, simply just seeking His presence. Simply put, it's giving Him attention, even when we do not feel like it. The more attention we give Him, the more faith we will have in Him, and the more we have faith in Him, the more attention He gives us. “Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” - Psalms 111:1-5,10.
God does a great work in us when we praise Him with a whole heart, even when it's hard to even get up out of bed. Remember, God knows our heart, and while the flesh and mind change constantly with our circumstances, out heart shows the real picture. I will admit that I have gotten so depressed that I stopped talking to God, even though I was reading His Word and praying. I got this horrible attitude of despair. I wanted to give up and run off to any place that will take far away from where I am. In the midst of my crying and feeling sorry for myself, the Holy Spirit reminded me of where I was when God was not in my life, and where I would be right now. We must never let the guilt of the past or presence circumstances blind us from all that God has done for us. “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” - John 16:21-24.
Fearing God in the midst of our circumstances not only gets God's attention, it gives us hope, puts our trust in Him, gets our heart right with Him, and blesses us greatly. “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” - Psalms 112:1-7.
If we do nothing, but complain about our current circumstances, nothing will ever change for us. If we start appreciating what we have, and let God show us what we need to do, things will change dramatically for us. While we should not seek the riches of the world, God will bless us as we continue to fear Him and seek His attention. If we want to see what happens when we keep praising God in the midst of our circumstances, and our heart begins to change, then we need to keep doing it. When we seek God's attention, that is when we get blessed beyond measure. “The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.” - Psalms 113:4-9.
Let me tell you, when God changed my life, I never got married, I had no kids of my own, and I even lost my house. God took everything I desired and worked so hard for away from me, but today, I am a keeper of God's house, I am a mother to many children, working on a new relationship, and surrounded by so many things given to me that I cannot even remember all that I have. God truly blesses those who give their heart to Him, we are not always going to be wholehearted for God, and that is when He brings circumstances in our lives. If your life is not where you want it to be right now, give it to God, let Him take the reins and guide you where He wants you to be. It may be hard at first, but you don't need to ask God for much, just His presence, and once You seek that, everything will fall into place. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” - 1 Peter 5:6,7.
Today's Prayer: God, Life brings us down, and it's so hard to get back up sometimes, we pray, and pray, read Your Word, every day, in hopes of change, yet, nothing changes. In order for us to see change we need to get Your attention, and not by prayer or Bible reading, but by simply giving You our attention. Lord, today, I am not asking for anything, but You, You are my Lord, my God, my everything, I am nothing without You. Show Yourself to me, take hold of the reins of my life, and lead me where You want me to be. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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