Pastor's Daily Word - Daily Practical Insights Into A Believers Life
February 6th, 2012
Developing a Tender Heart
The Lord wants to give each of us a "heart of flesh" so that we will be pliable and responsive to Him. When touched by the finger of God, a tender heart yields to the pressure and assumes the form He desires, much like a lump of clay that allows the potter to determine the shape of the vessel.
To aid in this process, God has sent the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer and awaken responsiveness in him or her. By yielding to the Spirit's promptings with ready obedience, the heart becomes increasingly tender and sensitive to His leading. The Lord is able to impart greater understanding of His Word to a soft heart because it has faithfully accepted and obeyed previous teachings.
Any resistance to God will result in hardening. But those who are accustomed to intimacy with Christ—which is the result of submission to Him—will be quick to deal with sin and return to the place of obedience and blessing.
People with tender hearts stay closely connected to the body of Christ, seeking to build up and encourage others in their walk of faith. Such individuals are not only receptive to what God wants to tell them; they are also teachable, in that they are willing to listen and be corrected by others.
This week when you read your Bible and pray, let your heart be soft toward the words of God. As He pokes His finger into each hard area, listen to His instructions, and rely on the Spirit's power to help you yield and obey. Let Him shape you into a beautiful and useful vessel.
February 5th, 2012
Constantly Communicating
This is a pointed way in which to begin a verse--"At that time Jesus declared." If you look at the context you will realize that no one had asked Him a question and that He was not in conversation with any human being. Yet it is written, "Jesus declared, I thank you, Father." When a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him. Who, then, had been speaking to Christ? His Father.
Yet there is no record of it; and this should teach us that Jesus had constant fellowship with His Father, and that God spoke into His heart so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance peculiar enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of Jesus to talk with God.
Let us then learn the lesson that this simple statement concerning Him teaches us. May we also enjoy silent fellowship with the Father, so that often we answer Him, and although our friends don't know to whom we speak, we will be responding to that secret voice that they do not hear but that our own ear, opened by the Spirit of God, recognizes with joy.
God has spoken to us; let us speak to God--either to affirm that God is true and faithful to His promise, or to confess the sin of which the Spirit of God has convinced us, or to acknowledge the mercy that God's providence has given, or to express agreement with the great truths that God the Holy Spirit has revealed to us.
Intimate communion with the Father of our spirit is a great privilege! It is a secret hidden from the world, a joy with which even the nearest friend does not interfere. If we desire to hear the whispers of God's love, our ear must be purged and fit to listen to His voice. This very evening may our hearts be in such a condition, so that when God speaks to us, we, like Jesus, may be prepared at once to answer Him.
February 4th, 2012
Stay with the Truth
Read Job 21:1–34
Chances are good that many of you who are reading these lines are currently the target of someone's lying accusations. That can be an anguishing cross to bear. I've been there, so I speak from painful experience. Since this is an ongoing issue for many of us, it should be helpful to draw a few guidelines to follow based on the way Job handled his accuser.
Listen to what is being said, considering the character of the critic. Stay calm!You will be tempted to jump in and rashly react in the flesh, saying things you will later regret. Do your best to listen to what is being said. While doing so, keep in mind the character of the person who is the source of the accusation. Calmly take it all in. Job did that, which prepared him for his further response.
Respond with true facts and accurate information, knowing the nature of your accuser. Speak truth! Stay on the side of accuracy, regardless. The other person may be a former husband or former wife. He or she could be your previous or current boss, an employee, a neighbor, a pastor, or a friend. It doesn't matter who the individual is. If you are being accused, you need to focus only on facts. Don't react or ponder ways to retaliate. If you yield to either temptation, you'll come off sounding like the accuser. God honors integrity. Maybe not immediately, but ultimately you'll be vindicated. Remember David's prayer: "Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity" (Psalm 26:1). Truth will prevail among people who traffic in it and make their decisions based on it.
Abraham Lincoln was told that he needed to fire his postmaster general. All kinds of accusations were being leveled against the man. Lincoln weighed rumor against hard evidence, and on July 18, 1864, he wrote Secretary Stanton a letter saying he was not going to do that because the information was based on hearsay, not accurate facts. In that letter he correctly concluded, "Truth is generally the best vindication against slander." Wise response.
Stay with the truth. Don't exaggerate it, don't deny it, and don't hesitate to say it.
February 3rd, 2012
Finding Clear Guidance
How can you be sure you’re making the right decision? Sometimes it may seem as if God plays hide and seek when we’re trying to know His will, but that’s not the way He operates. He wants to give us clear direction. The real question is, What do you need to do to hear His voice?
Clear the pathway. We have two main obstacles that hinder our discernment: sin in our life and our own strong desires about the situation. To receive the Lord’s guidance, we must repent of all known sin and make our desires secondary to His.
Exercise patience. Sometimes it takes a great deal of strength to stand still when everything within you is shouting, “Hurry! Time is running out!” But if you rush ahead of God, you may miss His will.
Persist in prayer. The Bible clearly instructs us to keep coming to the Lord with our concerns. As we continue to pray, He will gradually weed out anything confusing until we come to His conclusion about the matter.
Search the Scriptures. The Word of God has an answer for every need, and the Holy Spirit knows just how to point us in the right direction. I remember times while I was reading the Bible that a verse jumped off the page and supplied the exact answer I needed to make an important decision.
So often when we’re faced with a critical choice, all we want from the Lord is a quick answer. But He delights to meet with us in order to deepen our relationship with Him. Don’t let the urgency of your need keep you from enjoying the intimacy of His presence as you seek His will.