Monday, May 31, 2010

Before Every Fall

“But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys.” Daniel 6:20-21

Pride always comes before a fall. We must guard ourselves against this evil. Remember that Satan before his act of rebellion was a beautiful creation of God, who led the angels in worship to the Lord of Heaven. But then pride was found in him and he was cast down to the earth. He became an evil serpent - the adversary of our souls.

Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon began to attribute his glorious success to his own achievements. He became proud in his heart and did not glorify the Lord. God made him like a beast. His hair and his nails grew long and he crawled on all fours. It was only after He humbled himself before the Lord that He was restored to his senses. God then also restored to him his kingdom.

When we fall into pride, we become subject to the base elements of our nature. We are fallen beings that can only follow God as we walk in the Spirit. Pride rebels against the Holy Spirit. When we follow after pride, we open ourselves to all the works of the flesh. Instead of mirroring our Maker, we take on the attributes of the devil.

Our only hope is to humble ourselves before the Lord. He will meet us with mercy. He will restore our standing before Him. Pride is an ugly abomination to the Lord. We all, at times, are guilty of it. Let's learn to be meek and quiet in spirit. Let's acknowledge the Lord in all our ways. As we do, we will draw near to the only One who can keep us from falling.

Dear Lord of Heaven and Earth,

I acknowledge that You alone are King. Left alone I am wretched and prone to sin, but I submit to You. Thank You for enabling me to follow You. I give You all the glory and all the praise for what You have done and what You will do in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

A Prayer of Surrender

Dear Lord,

I have harbored a dream. Now lodged deep within a chasm in my soul. Many years have washed over this stone now smooth to the touch. Where their once was an aching cry for You to move, now there is a silence. Yielded to You I come. I surrender my hopes to You Lord. Only You can resurrect these bones. For You are the breath of life.

Have Your perfect way in me. In the beginning, I had a vision of what I wanted to do for You. Now I want You to have Your way. Let it be Your dream that I pursue. I give you the rights to my life. Lord I give You my destiny. You now are seated on the throne of my heart.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Divine Surgeon

The doctor listens
Thump thump
With his ear he examines
The heart in motion

Other tests reveal
The condition of the organ
The physician determines the diagnosis

The man lies flat on his back
Fast asleep
A surgeon cuts deep into the patient's flesh
Skillful hands bring a cure

God sees our heart
He perceives the complexities
Of our nature
And judges our thoughts and intentions

Sharper than a scalpel
His word cuts away those things that harm us
So we can bear more fruit

The Father loves us
Like the physician He is concerned about our complete well being
He desires only what's best for us
The same hands that cut away sin administer healing

In the presence of the Holy One
We are made a little more like our Maker
Becoming holy as He is holy

Who are we to resist
The hands of the Divine Surgeon

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Courage

The Lord said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

The young woman brushes her hair after trying on three different outfits. She glances at her watch and realizes she needs to leave in ten minutes to make it to her first job interview. She grabs her cell phone and thinks of dialing the secretary at the office where she has the appointment. It would be easy to cancel. She could simply say that she had a family emergency. But she wipes the sweat from her forehead, grabs her keys and her portfolio, and closes the door behind her.

Our lives are filled with many challenges – it takes courage to face them. We must be brave to become the winners that God intended us to be. Whether it's learning a new skill at work, telling a friend about Jesus, or confronting someone who needs to hear the truth, it takes courage to meet these challenges head on.

Courage is more an act of obedience than it is a feeling. That girl who left for the interview was courageous even if her stomach churned and her heart raced throughout the entire meeting. She chose to make the attempt instead of canceling. Almost every time I have shared the gospel with someone I've had to fight fear. But every time I've opened my mouth, God has been faithful to give me the words to say. And every time I've been obedient to God in this regard, I have had the satisfaction of knowing I did my part to help someone get acquainted with Jesus.

But there have been many times when I allowed fear to get the better of me. When this happens, I run to the Savior. He is quick to forgive me, as I repent for my disobedience. Are you walking in the courage of the Lord? He stands with you to give you His strength. We must learn to put His armor on and fight the giants. Let's be men and women of courage. When we do, we are reflecting the One who willingly died in our place.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for making me strong and of good courage. I choose to resist fear and follow You wherever you lead me. In Jesus name I command fear to leave my life, and I commit to be strong in You Lord and in the power of Your might. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Gift of Joy

The gift of joy
It's offered to those
With a servant's heart

It bubbles over when we
Love the unlovely
Choose righteously

When we say no
To ungodliness
Joy becomes our friend

When we fellowship
With the Holy Spirit
Joy is in our midst
When we smile
He smiles in return

The joy of the Lord is our strength
We become overcomers
When we praise our King
With all we are

We shine like beacons
In a world where empty smiles flood the streets
God beckons us to tell the story
To spread the joy

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Joyful Expectancy

Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen, though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God. I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God's Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain! Habakkuk 3:17-19 The Message

Faith lays hold of things unseen. It rejoices in the face of lack and hard times. Faith lays claim to God's promises. A person of faith will believe the Lord for great things, even when the fields are barren and the earth is void of rain.

We must act on our faith. James said faith without works is dead. So if we believe that God is going to bless the work of our hands, we must work diligently. If we believe God's promises concerning victory over sin, we must exert every effort to resist temptation, while we trust the Lord for His grace. If we ask the Lord to heal us of sickness or disease, we must thank Him and praise Him for our healing.

Let's be men and woman of faith. As we spend time meditating on God's word, our faith will rise, and as we stand upon the promises of God, our Lord will be faithful to answer our petitions.
He requires that we live our lives sold out to Him. As we seek Him first and strive to live upright, He will see to it that all our needs our met. We cannot earn His blessings, they are freely given by His generous hand as we walk by faith, but God requires that we put Him first in our lives.

The Lord would say to us, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). Let's believe the Lord for great things – for ourselves and for the kingdom of God. After we've made our requests to God, there may be a delay before the answer comes, but we can stand and sing as we look to the Lord with joyful expectancy.

Dear Father God,

Thank you for your precious promises to me. I choose to believe Your word. I will rejoice, even when it looks as though You have not answered me. I will act like Your word is true. I believe I will receive what I ask of You for You are a faithful God. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Heaven Sent

This fruit is not forbidden
If we wait until the suitable time

God wants us to experience this pleasure
In the proper context

But some dive right in and partake
They feast on delicacies outside the covenant
The world spins inside their heads for they are drunk
Mesmerized by evil
Their eyes and their bodies commit the sin

Yet God extends His forgiving hand
To those who've gone their own way
He desires to restore them
To set each one back on the right path
His blood can bring about a full cleansing

Sex is a wonderfully good thing
If experienced within the safety of marriage
This intimacy mirrors the oneness we have with Christ

Sex inside the marriage circle
Of man and women
Is heaven sent

Sunday, May 9, 2010

No More Worry

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:25, 27

The attentive seaman exercises every effort to ensure his ship does not crash into icebergs, while sailing through frigid waters. One encounter with one of these could quickly cause water to engulf the hull of the ship and soon submerge the vessel. Even a small tear in the body of the ship could eventually cause it to sink.

One small tear in our spiritual lives can cause us to be emptied of the Holy Spirit's control. Worry works like this. It is detrimental to our relationship with Christ. Like cancer, it chokes the life of God within us. The Greek word for worry is “merimnao”. It simply means to divide. When we become anxious we think on more than one thing. Part of us may still trust God, while part of us believes that our circumstances will win out in the end. This division causes us to sink spiritually. James said that a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways (See James 1:5-8).

When we worry, we see God as smaller than He really is. Our vision becomes impaired and this affects our perception of reality.

The antidote to the sinful habit of worry is found in Philippians 4, where it states: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. One by one, we are to bring each worry to the Father. We surrender our cares to Him and thank Him for taking care of us. Then we can experience His wonderful peace.

God wants to restore our sight. He desires to make us one with Him – He does not want us to be divided any longer. If worries are choking out the life of God in you, if you are sinking like the Titanic, draw near to the Lord. His caring arms will lift you up as you surrender each anxiety to Him. He is more than able to take care of every detail in your life. God's precious peace awaits you.

Dear Father God,

Thank You for Your great love for me. Please show me any areas in my life where I am not trusting You completely. I do not want to be guilty of the sin of worry. I cast all my cares upon You for You care for me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

© Copyright 2010 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mercy

The stone sinks deep into the water
Ripples radiate
Circles multiply

One act of love prompted by the Spirit
Is far reaching
It touches many lives

If we will take the time
To lend a hand
To speak a word in season
We will make a difference

Mercy's impact is only a stone's throw away

© Copyright 2010 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Believe and Speak

It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13

If you have placed your trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). God has made you brand new on the inside. Did you know that He calls you righteous? The word even says that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loved you (Romans 8:37). It's important that we remember how God sees us in the light of our redemption. As we bring to remembrance the many positive things God's word says about us, it's important that we cultivate the practice of speaking out these things in declaration over our own lives.

When we speak out loud affirming Scriptures, we grow in confidence. This helps us to succeed in all of life. It also enables us to accomplish God's will for our lives. Let's believe the encouraging words we read about ourselves in the Bible, and then let's declare these words over our lives. Let's face it if we wait for someone else to encourage us, we may be waiting a long time.

Let's be like David who returned to Ziklag only to find the city burned with fire and he and his men's wives and children missing. David's troops were ready to stone him, when David remembered the covenant He had with God and then encouraged himself in the Lord. David led his men to defeat the Amalekites and they recovered all including their loved ones. The Scripture even says that David obtained a great spoil from the battle.

Others may be saying negative things about us, but we have the power to rise up and declare the good things of God over our lives. By doing this we can recover all that the enemy has stolen from us. Let's cultivate a healthy confidence by believing and speaking what God says about us. By doing this we position ourselves for victory.

Dear Lord of Glory,

I believe that I have been made righteous through Your sacrifice. I believe that I am more than a conqueror because You died and rose again. I choose to remember all of the positive things you say about me, especially when I am feeling down. Thank you Lord for your great love for me. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

© Copyright 2010 by Tom Toya. All rights reserved.