March 5, 2017

                                                      

DAY TWELVE

March 5, 2017

Discover Your Destiny…Like Rebekah

“‘Drink, my Lord,’ she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.  After she had given him a drink, she said, ‘I’ll draw water for your camels too…" Genesis 24:18-19

Chapter twenty-four of Genesis details the marvelous narrative of the servant of Abraham who seeks out a bride for Isaac.  Most interpreters see a story behind the story in these verses.  Abraham appears to be an example of Father God, Isaac is a picture of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the servant who goes on the journey to find the bride corresponds to the Holy Spirit.

This unnamed servant, when looking for a bride for the Father’s son, had one characteristic in mind that she must possess.  It was not natural beauty, even though Rebekah was naturally beautiful.  It was not strength, even though she was strong.  The servant was looking for a person who had the spirit of giving, for a giving person would bless the son, Isaac.  When Rebekah gave him a drink and then offered to water his camels (which might take hours, by the way!), he knew that he had found the one for Isaac.

The Holy Spirit as well waits in the background until He sees the spirit of giving in you.  Then He pulls out the riches and gives you revelation of the Father’s plan.

The Holy Spirit is watching and waiting on your response to the opportunities to give in your life.  (Genesis 24:12)

The Holy Spirit will graciously confront you with the opportunity to give.  (Genesis 24:17)

Rebekah was willing to give.  She was going to the well to take care of her needs.  It was her water, but she gave it away.  (Genesis 24:18)

Rebekah was willing to go beyond the ordinary.  If you are willing to go beyond the ordinary for God, He will go beyond the ordinary for you.  (Genesis 24:19)

Prayer Focus:  Pray that Fredericksburg Wesleyan Church possesses a spirit of giving above the ordinary.  Ask God to bless you with a giving spirit.  Pray for someone you know who struggles in this area.

March 4, 2017

DAY ELEVEN

                                                       

March 4, 2017

Discover Your Destiny.…Like Abraham

"Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything" 

Genesis 14:20b

Chapter fourteen of Genesis records for us a significant event in the pilgrimage of Abraham.  This godly man becomes a warrior as he joins in defeating four kings who have united against five kings of the valley.  War would not have interested Abraham, except for the fact that Lot, his nephew, was captured and taken into captivity.  Today’s text picks up with Abraham returning as a conquering hero.  His high esteem, already in the eyes of others, has gone higher.  He is now known throughout the land.

At this point in his prosperity, he is faced with a significant choice.  In fact, his future destiny hangs in the balance of this choice.  This choice is a spiritual battle, and it is a greater battle than the physical one he just fought.  Will he become worldly with all these material possessions, or will he become rich in God’s eyes because he is a giver?

Life is all about making the right choices.  In this Bible passage, Melchizedek is a picture of Jesus Christ.  With that in mind, you can see that Abraham made a wise choice by giving back to God a tenth of what God had given him.  In your prosperity, which comes from God, do you give any back to Him?  Spiritual growth will result from worshipping the Lord through giving.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that our church is a giving church.  Pray that we will reach beyond our walls and our members to touch the world with God’s love through our talents, time, and treasures.  Ask God to reveal ways that we can grow in our giving.  Pray about your personal giving and how you can become more generous.

March 3, 2017

DAY TEN

March 3, 2017

A Prayer For Direction

"Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me." Psalm 119:133

There are at least two essentials to the Spirit-filled life – prayer and the Word of God.  As the old song says, “They go together, you can’t have one without the other.”  Prayer finds its very foundation in the Scripture.  You could not pray with purpose, conviction, or direction without the revelation of God that you find in the Bible.  Therefore, you must study the Bible and be a person of prayer.

In Psalm 119, almost every verse refers to the Scriptures.  Verse 133 is a prayer for direction.  The Psalmist here pleads for guidance from the Word of God.

Have you ever considered that God desires to guide every step you take?  He desires to guide not only the big steps in your life, but even the mundane steps you take every day in the kitchen or your workplace.  He will also guide you to the friend who needs encouragement, the neighbor who needs Jesus, and the co-worker who needs a witness of God’s love.

Prayer Focus:  Thank God for guiding our church through Scripture and prayer to purchase property and build a larger facility.  Ask the Lord to continue to give the pastor and leaders the wisdom and discernment needed to accomplish everything He has placed before us.  Thank God for His guidance of your steps.  Ask Him to continue to guide you by making the Scripture you read become alive and personal to you.

March 2, 2017

                                                               

DAY NINE

March 2, 2017

Learning To Trust Him

"Trust in the Lord....Fear the Lord....Honor the Lord" Proverbs 3:5-9

In order to receive the blessing of God, we must trust Him.  Trusting God is not some mere token confession you make from time to time.  Trusting God must be complete, total, daily reliance upon the promises of God.  Every day you will face the choice of relying upon your own understanding or trusting Him.

You and I must choose to trust God.  When you come to those places in life where the line is drawn and the question is “Can I trust God?” your answer determines whether you grow beautifully or shrivel spiritually.  The issue is, “Which am I going to choose?”  When God told Noah to build the ark, it had never rained.  Noah chose to trust God.  Abraham left everything behind because he chose to trust God.  Joshua was faced with a decision, and he said, “Choose today whom you will serve…but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”  Do you have this kind of trust in the Lord?

You can prove your trust in Him.  Trusting Him is real when you acknowledge Him, when you depart from evil, and when you honor the Lord with your time, talent, and treasures.

Prayer Focus:  Claim the following Scripture today and personalize it for Fred Wes and for yourself:  Hebrews 10:35-39, “Do not let this happy trust in the Lord die away, no matter what happens.  Remember your reward!  You need to keep on patiently doing God’s will if you want Him to do for you all that He has promised.  His coming will not be delayed much longer.  And those whose faith has made them good in God’s sight must live by faith, trusting Him in everything.  Otherwise, if they shrink back, God will have no pleasure in them.  But we have never turned our backs on God and sealed our fate.  No, our faith in Him assures our soul’s salvation.”

You Can Trust God

DAY EIGHT

March 1, 2017

A God You Can Trust

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

God expects His people to trust Him, and He is a trustworthy God!  We were created to live our lives in dependence upon Him.  Our knowledge is incomplete, our wisdom is inadequate, our power is ineffective; thus, we need our Creator.  Sin in its very essence is failing to trust God.  These verses in Proverbs tell us how we are to trust Him.

We are to trust Him entirely (verse 5).  God wants us to trust Him “ with all of our heart.”  That means everything from our salvation to physical, mental, and social needs.  That includes trusting Him with our families, marriages, jobs, relationships, finances, abilities, weaknesses, health, accomplishments, and failures.

We are to trust him exclusively (verse 5).  God commands us not to depend on our own understanding.  Why, because our understanding is fundamentally flawed with an infection of sin.  God is truly omniscient.  He knows it all from beginning to end.  He even knows the number of hairs on your head.  So follow His leading from His Word, prayer, and Godly counsel.  He is on your side, so trust Him!

We are to trust Him uniformly (verse 6).  In all we do, in every decision we make, we are to trust His wisdom, not just with big things, but also with the little things.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that Fredericksburg Wesleyan Church will be fully convinced of His trustworthiness.  Take time to praise Him today for who He is and what He does.  Take time to thank Him today for His direction of your church’s path. Thank Him for His direction of your path.

February 28, 2017

                                                 

DAY SEVEN

February 28, 2017

Can You Trust God?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

There are two ways people live their lives as they pass through this world – either remembering God or forgetting Him.  They either acknowledge His presence and live their lives in dependence on Him, or they pay no attention to His claims on them and live a life on the basis of their own understanding and abilities.  The worst tragedy and cruelest deception is the man who says feebly with his lips, “I trust God,” but an examination of his calendar and checkbook shows no difference between him and the man who does not even make that claim.  The question we must ask ourselves today is, “Do we trust God?”

The very nature of this question produces two possible meanings:  First – “Can you ‘trust’ God?”  That is, is He trustworthy?  Can He handle the decisions and the problems in your life?  Secondly – “Can ‘you’ trust God?”  That is, do you have the ability to trust Him?

These verses reveal some important things about trusting God:

The matter of trust is an all or nothing thing.  Notice how many times the word “all” is used.

The command to trust precedes the promise.  Blessing comes after trust is expressed.

The promise is conditional.  Unlike many of the unconditional promises in the Bible, this promise of direction is given only to those who exercise trust in God.

Prayer Focus:  Pray that our congregation’s faith and trust in God will grow.  Pray that we will allow God to be in control and that we will utterly depend on Him and desire that His will be done.  Pray that the fruits of our deepened trust in Him will result in guidance from Him.  Ask God to identify an area of your life where you need to yield to Him.  Give it to Him and then look for His direction.

February 27, 2017

                                                        

DAY SIX

February 27, 2017

Don’t Stop Short Of Your Dreams

“The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” Genesis 39:2a

In 1930, two young brothers named Dick and Maurice McDonald moved from New Hampshire to California to pursue the American dream of being successful.  After a few failed ventures, they struck gold when they opened a small drive-in restaurant.  By the mid-1950’s, their annual revenue was $350,000, and the brothers split $100,000 in profits.

You might think, yes, the rest is history.  But you may be surprised to know the rest of the story.  In 1954, a man by the name of Ray Kroc came into the picture.  Ray Kroc saw potential that the brothers did not see.  In 1961, Kroc bought the exclusive rights to McDonald’s for the sum of $2.7 million – now with 21,000+ restaurants worldwide, the rest of the story is history indeed.

The lessons learned from this story are:

Don’t pull up short of your God-given dream.

Don’t allow someone to out-dream you.

Don’t allow someone else to finish your dream.

Christians look to Joseph as the role model for dreaming big.  Genesis 39 holds important lessons for all dreamers.  Some lessons in this chapter that can keep us from stopping short of our dreams are:

Know that God is with us (verses 2, 21, & 23).

Know that God is aware of our actions (verse 9).

Know that God can make the bitter things in life sweet (verses 21-23).

Prayer Focus:  Pray that Fredericksburg Wesleyan Church will pursue our God-given dream to the fullest potential.  Pray that through the achievement of this dream will come more and better Christ followers for the kingdom of God.  Ask God to show you ways in which you have stopped short of His best for you.