Welcome to the new Life is for Living for 2009. We are excited about the Life is for Living blog and hope you are too! Each month we will be posting a new Life is for Living blog for you to enjoy. We believe that the Lord created each human being with a purpose, a destiny, and a future. The Lord loves all people and desires for each of you to know Him as your Lord and Savior. As you obey God and choose to place your life in His hands, you can be assured that He is there; and He will not fail you or let you down. He is calling out to you each and everyday. The question is; are you listening? When you go throughout your day and walk out the busyness of your life try to remember to stop, listen for God’s voice, thank Him for His many blessings, and enjoy His beautiful creation! Remember that "Life is for Living!"
Daily Bread- The Lord desires for you to take refuge in Him and to place your life in His hands. It is in Him that you will find peace, joy, comfort, and protection. The Bible teaches that there is a covering and a hedge of protection for every believer; and that you can find refuge and safety in Christ Jesus through your obedience and cooperation with Him. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, is with each Christian leading, guiding, and speaking to you the way that you are to go. It is vital not to ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit; and not to choose to walk in a way that is displeasing to God. When an individual chooses to go in a direction that is contrary to the will of God for their lives, they put themselves in harms way and open themselves up to fall into the pitfalls and traps that the devil has set before them. The Bible teaches that the devil roams about like a lion seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
On a daily basis the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart and warn you not to do something or not to go to a specific place. There are times when listening and obeying His voice will save your very life. The Lord puts in place guidelines and instructions for a person’s life not to control or inhibit them, but to liberate them. He desires to keep His people safe and protected from harm and from the wiles and traps of the devil.
An example of this is displayed in the Scriptures. In Matthew 2:13-15 and 19-23 (NIV) it says; “when they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.”
This passage of scripture refers to baby Jesus, His mother Mary, and His father Joseph. King Herod was enraged with jealousy because of the birth of Jesus Christ, the King and Lord. Due to King Herod’s jealousy, he went forth with a plot to try to kill Jesus. In order to save the life of Jesus, Joseph obeyed God and went to Egypt. Joseph’s obedience to God saved the life of his Son; and put his family in a place of security from death and harm.
This passage of scripture reveals two very important truths. First, it reveals the importance of listening to God’s voice. The Lord speaks to His people in many ways. In this Biblical passage He spoke to Joseph through a dream. Joseph had a personal relationship with God. Therefore, he recognized God’s voice. He knew that He was speaking to him; and he listened intently to what He was saying.
All Christians have the promise of hearing God’s voice. This is His desire and will for you; to know Him and to fellowship with Him. How then can you hear His voice? Take for instance a child. As a child grows they learn the voice of their father. If their father calls for them, they know exactly who it is. The child knows their father’s voice because of all the time they have spent with him. How much more is it and should it be with your Heavenly Father? As you fellowship with God and come to know Him more, you learn His voice and who He is.
Secondly, this passage of scripture reveals the importance of obeying God’s voice. There are many individuals who hear God’s voice, but they do not obey Him when He speaks to them. They treat His presence as common and do not hold fast to the instructions He gives to them. Had Joseph chosen not to obey God, there could have been detrimental consequences. This passage is just one Biblical example of how listening and obeying can serve as a rescue for your life.
How then can you learn to obey God when He speaks to you? Take for instance a young lady who has a boyfriend she knows she should not be spending time with. It is a Friday night and her boyfriend calls asking if she wants to go out to a movie. The Lord speaks to the young lady not to go out with this young man and to walk away from the relationship. In this moment, this young lady has a decision to make; to obey God or to disobey God. If she chooses to obey God in what He is asking of her, then she will begin to change on the inside. She will begin to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Name because she is choosing to deny her flesh, take up her cross, and follow Christ. As you make the decisions He is calling you to make you will begin to change inside. You will become more sensitive to God’s Spirit, you will become more Christ like; and you will begin to live a life of intimacy and fellowship before the Lord.
Today, I encourage you to be still and silent before the Lord. I encourage you to give Him an opportunity to speak to your heart; and to guide you in the way that you are to go. I encourage you to listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within you and to obey His leadings and guiding in your life. I encourage you to allow God to transform your heart through your listening and obedience to His voice.
You can start by praying this prayer aloud to the Lord;
Dear Lord Jesus,
I ask that You would forgive me for the times when I have not been obedient to Your voice. I ask that You would be the head of my life and that You would lead, guide, and direct me in all that I do. From this day forward, I commit to walking in Your way and in obedience to Your Holy Spirit. I ask that You would keep me Lord and protect me. I ask that You would help me to hear Your voice more clearly and help me to be more willing to obey. I thank You for this, in Jesus Name, Amen.
Date Idea of the Month- In today’s economy many couples don’t have the extra money to go out on a date. Even though times are tough, it shouldn’t prevent you from spending time with the one you love. Cook a nice meal at home. Afterwards, take your spouse or loved one out for ice cream. This is a simple and cost effective date, and gives you an opportunity to be with the one you love.
Movie Must See- “Faith Like Potatoes”
This is a truly inspirational story about a man who finds hope, love, and redemption in Jesus Christ. He learns to have "Faith Like Potatoes,"and goes forward dedicating his life to the ministry and sharing faith, love, and hope with others. This is a movie must see! You can rent or purchase this heartwarming story on DVD.
Music Must Hear-
MercyMe's "Finally Home" from the album "All That is Within Me" is a beautiful and touching song about a man who desires to see the Lord and meet his Dad one day when he gets to heaven. This is a must hear! You can download this song on iTunes. You can visit the band’s website at http://www.mercyme.org/ or go to the band’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/mercymeBible Verse of the Month- “All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.” (Deuteronomy 28:2-8) NIV
