Today’s message from the 90 Day Light the World: Build The Kingdom Challenge is on Divine Restoration from Joel 2:25-26.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” John 3:16-21
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
Peace of mind can be one of the most elusive things we seek in life. It remains out of reach for most people because there will always be challenges and problems. If those things are allowed to disrupt your peace, you’ll never know it for any length of time. Philippians 4:6-7 holds the answer. I discuss it in Day 21 of the Light the World: Build The Kingdom 90 Day Challenge video.
How many times has someone said something on social media that offended you or led to you feeling hurt or angry? It’s really easy to misunderstand what someone is saying on social media or via text. It’s hard to know what someone really means without hearing their tone of voice, seeing their body language or being able to read their minds.
How can we apply Biblical principles of how to treat each other to how we interact with each other on social media platforms like Facebook?
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21
This short video talks about how to apply this passage to how we treat each other on social media.
I believe that with any significant breakthrough there’s a surrender point. Surrender has been tricky for me to understand and articulate. Perhaps it’s something you have to experience and not something one can adequately describe to anyone else.
I’ve been to the sad frustrated “I give up. Whatever you want, Lord,” point. That place feels defeated. It feels like your confidence is shattered, and you’re just going to submit to be thrown and tossed wherever God wants to sling you.
I realize now that this is really not the type of surrender the Lord wants. Or maybe He is okay with it because it’s just a step along the journey. I don’t think God wants us to feel defeated, shattered or hopeless. I also don’t believe He wants us to see Him as someone who wants to inflict bad things on us to beat us down to submission. He loves us. He wants good for us. He isn’t taking joy in tormenting us.
After starting to grasp that EVERYTHING – literally EVERYTHING is a gift and that God uses every last thing to bring good into our lives, I have come to a different place of surrender. Now I feel an overwhelming trust.
It’s being a curious observer, absolutely knowing there is good in every single moment. It’s opening my eyes to see the good NOW. It’s trusting that the future is just like now – perfect. There’s no need to worry about the future. He’s orchestrating good there too.
I watch with hopeful anticipation to see where God is taking me and how it is all going to fall together. I have every confidence it will in the perfect way, time, place and with the right people.
My job is to put Him first — seek first to be the light He sent me here to be. I do my work, do my best, but I don’t feel the need to orchestrate, control or manipulate anything. That’s His job. Every day is a fun surprise to see where He’ll place the blessings and how things will eventually fall into place.
I hope I can stay in this place. It is the most amazing, peaceful and hopeful place. By all appearances, I should be distraught and an anxious mess, but I’m as calm as a sunny morning. God is good! Life is good! I am blessed.
I’ve been praying for months now to find a new home for my Great Pyrenees. She won’t be able to stay with us long term because we’ll be moving to an apartment in the fall. I needed to find a home for her before I left to spend the summer in Utah next week. I’ve been praying for her to have a great farm with animals so she could really shine in her element. This week God led us to a perfect home for Snow. In today’s segment I share the story of how this all came together in only a way that God can orchestrate.
One of the most powerful prayers I’ve prayed is, “Lord, please open my eyes that I may see the opportunities in everything around me.” So many times we are blind. We do not see what is right in front of our faces. While Jesus healed many people who were physically blind during his mortal ministry, I believe the greater miracle is often opening our spiritual eyes.
Today’s thought comes from Matthew 20:3-34:
“And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.” Matthew 20:30-34
God is love. Everyone is special to God. He is especially fond of each and every one of us. These are some lessons I learned from watching the movie, “The Shack.” The movie helped me gain greater understanding about my own life, the challenges I’ve faced and forgive even more.
Many of us want healing in our lives — healing in our hearts, minds, bodies, emotions, and families. So many suffer from broken hearts, broken homes, lost confidence, sick bodies, and mental or emotional challenges. How can we find healing that gives hope and peace? Jesus gave this formula in Matthew 13:15:
“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
