Springs and Gardens

 Scripture:

“The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah gives the word of the Lord here and tells God’s people that He will guide them continually. He promises to give them water when they are dry and to restore their strength. He declares that they will be like a well-watered garden and like and ever-flowing spring. This speaks to me of refreshing and strengthening. He starts with saying the will guide you continually. 

Application:

I want to be guided continually be the Lord. I want to live in His presence drinking of His goodness. Then, I can expect to have His strength and refreshing. A spring never stops flowing and a well-watered garden always produces. I want my life to have a continual flow of the Holy Spirit and to produce life for the Kingdom of God. 

Prayer:

Father, guide me continually. I want to fulfill Your will for my life. I long to walk in step with You, causing others to grow and prosper. Jesus promised that out of our belly’s would flow living water. I want to be a trustworthy spring that never stops flowing. Fill me to overflow with Your Spirit. Guide me continually and show me every step to take. I look to You. You are my source and my resource. Let Your Spirit flow through my life like a mighty river and as steady as a spring.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Occupy!

 Scripture:

““Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah is given a word for God’s people here that is powerful. After prophesying lots of judgment and gloom and doom, God says to get ready to be blessed. He tells them to enlarge their house and spare no expense because they would soon be bursting at the seams. They are told that their descendants will occupy other nations and resettle ruined cities. This jumped off the page at me this morning because I believe it is a word directly for me today and the church I lead. I believe we are ready to walk in God’s blessing and see His growth. The second part is even more appropriate for Word of Life. Our descendants will occupy other nations.

Application:

I believe in the coming season at Word of Life, we will see the blessing of God like we have never seen before. We have just this year taken steps to enlarge our borders and the expense has been paid. I believe we will shortly be bursting at the seams. I believe we will send missionaries around the world through our church. Because this is my belief, I must act on it. We must begin to move into our destiny of raising sons and daughters who will occupy the nations.

Prayer:

Father, give me the strength, vision, and direction to lead Word of Life into the destiny You have designed for her. Enable me to lead well and to cast the vision You are putting in my heart. Help me to be faithful to the calling You have put on my life and let me fulfill Your plans and purposes. I want to hear well done good and faithful above anything else. I am Yours. Take my hand and lead me step by step. Let those from our congregation occupy the nations.

Yours,

Jeff

Leave Results in God’s Hands

 Scripture:

“I replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

Isaiah was given the difficult task of telling Israel their sins and calling judgment on them and the nations around them. Nobody seemingly listened to him, but he had to deliver the message. This verse shows his humanity. He says that his work seemed useless and purposeless, but he was obedient. He states here that he trust the Lord for his reward and he left it all in God’s hands.

Application:

Sometimes God asks us to do hard things that seem unproductive. Sometimes God needs us to do things that don’t seem successful in the world’s eyes, but He still wants us to be obedient and faithful to do what He says. When it seems like we are not seeing the results we would like, we must be able to do like Isaiah and leave it all in the Lord’s hand, trusting God for our reward. Even when we feel like our life is not producing the fruit we want or expect, we must walk in obedience and trust God with the results, knowing that God will take care of us when we are obedient to Him.

Prayer:

Father, I confess today that I like to see visible results when I put my whole heart into things. Help me to walk in obedience and trust You with the results. Help me to be more concerned about doing what You say than about seeing the results I think I should see. Help me to be faithful to Your calling and to give You my very best, even when I’m not seeing the results I would like to see.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Peace and Righteousness

 Scripture:

“Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭48‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This passage demonstrates God wishing His people had listened to His commands. He says, “if only you had listened to my commands.” Then you would have peace like a river and righteousness would be rolling over you like waves. In other words, God wanted to bless them with peace and righteousness, but they chose not to listen to Him commands. Today, God wants to bless His people, but He needs His people to choose holiness and obedience to Him over other things.

Application:

Many people are looking for peace, but peace comes from obedience to God. When we walk with God and do what he says on a continual basis, we will see His good hand revealed in our lives. Many want God’s blessings, but don’t want to listen to His commands. As for me, I want to do what He wants me to do. I want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Prayer:

Father, teach me Your ways. Speak to me and help me to walk in obedience in all things. Let my life exemplify peace and righteousness. Help me to live a life that pleases You. You are worthy of my very best!

Forever Yours, 

Jeff

God’s Not Stuck in a Rut

 Scripture:

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

The Lord spoke through Isaiah and said He was about to do something new. He said He had already started. He said He was making a pathway in the wilderness and rivers in the dry wasteland. I other words, the Lord can do things we can’t even imagine and He doesn’t have to do what He has already done to accomplish it. He has resources we can’t comprehend. This also reminds me of the creativity of God. He’s not stuck in a rut. He does new things!

Application:

Sometimes we like to sit back and look at what the Lord has done in the past. It is marvelous what He has done in the past, but we can’t live there. God is always active and moving. He is always doing a new thing. He does things we cannot even imagine and wants us to partner with Him in it. We must believe in the greatness of our God. He is able to bring water out of rocks. He is able to split open seas and rivers. He can do what we cannot imagine. I need to stop looking for God to do what He has done in the past and realize He can always do something new. God is creative and will do things in our lives He has never done before.  We need to be open to Him working in and through us in this manner as well.

Prayer:

Lord, You are the God of the new thing! You always amaze me with Your creativity. You have blessed my life this year like never before and it has come through people I would have never thought. Help me not to put You in a box! Teach me to trust You more and to realize that the things I have witnessed You provide and do, are not normal. You continually do a new thing and work in ways I didn’t see coming. Help me to trust You more in these things.

Yours Forever,

Jeff