wallowing

August 16, 2019

“A Well Full of Water”

19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. – Gen 21:19 NLT

Genesis 21:15-19 NLT

For years, I have thought and read this verse as God miraculously giving Hagar water for her and her son.  But that isn’t what the verses imply at all, they say “God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well full of water”.  It was there all the time, she just couldn’t see it because she was fearful and wallowing in self-pity. Not only was the well there but God had already shown shown her evidence that there was water in the area. He showed her a bush large enough to lay her son under and a bush that large takes some water to grow.  How many times have we found ourselves in a spiritual desert experience moaning and groaning about our situation and missed the encouragement that God was trying to get us to see?  How many times have we whined about what we didn’t have when we are living in a land of plenty and abundance.  Just as there was water and not jut enough to fill the wineskin but a “WELL FULL OF WATER” close enough for Hagar to see and she didn’t see it, God’s provision for each of us is there, let us ask Him to open our eyes to see the provision He has given us to continue our journey.

Divine Promises

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 08-16-2019

Advertisement
May 7, 2016

Get Up And Eat!

even-smaller-bug-light1

7 Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” — 1 Kings 19:7 NLT
1 KIngs 19:1-8 NLT
God had just used Elijah to defeat the 400 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, after that, God had given Elijah supernatural physical strength so that Elijah could catch and outrun Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel.  Now, Jezebel had threatened his life.  She promised to kill him before twenty-four hours had passed.  After seeing the miracles God had just performed, how could any human being think that they could do anything to one of God’s chosen people?  Even worse, after all Elijah had experienced, how could he possibly believe that God could not protect him from the threats of Jezebel?  Is the God on the mountain not still God in the valley?  Yes, He is!  We want to spend our lives living mountain top experiences.  We should take notice that there is very little life on the mountains above the timberline.  The view is great and the atmosphere is exhilarating, but there is not enough dirt or oxygen to sustain life.  The life-giving elements are down in the valley and we need to spend some time there as well.  Elijah was having his valley experience, wallowing in self-pity, as we so often do.  God said “get up and eat”.   He was preparing Elijah for a journey that would take all of his strength.  When God calls us to do a work, He always provides everything we need to accomplish the task.  It is up to us to decide whether or not we are going to “eat” the spiritual food that will prepare us for the trip through the valley and to the next mountaintop. 
If  we don’t eat the spiritual food God provides, the road will be rough and the journey will be miserable.  But if we do eat and prepare, the road will seem to be smooth and the journey will be a joy as we experience the presence of Jesus leading us home.
Post 05-07-2016
June 1, 2014

Praying for Each Other is a Privilege and a Responsibility

God is waiting to show you the way.

God is waiting to show you the way.

1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. 4 And we are confident in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we commanded you. 5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.–2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 (NLT)
​None of us have reached perfection and we won’t as long as we inhabit these tents of flesh. Therefore, we need the prayers of our Christian brothers and sisters just as they need us to pray for them. We need Spiritual and physical strength to carry on God’s Kingdom work here on earth. “The harvest is great, but the workers are few” so we need to pray and ask God to send laborers into the fields.(Matt 9:37,38 paraphrased). We need to ask God to guard our thoughts because the mind is the spiritual battlefield where our personal battles are won or lost. The Lord is faithful. He has promised that we will not be tempted above our ability to resist and that He will always provide a way out for us. We don’t always find the way out because the flesh gets great pleasure from wallowing in its old sinful ways. We need to pray for each other that we will continue to do the things that God has commanded us to do. When we practice doing the right things, we receive more understanding and patience which allows us to better show sinners the greatness of God’s love toward us and them.​
Post 06-01-14