Communion with God Archives - My Manna

The key word is time!

MyManna — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 22:00:15 +0000

Although God knows everything about us, he still wants to be a Father to us.
Isn’t that amazing?
King David wrote about how much God thinks of us:
“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:17-18).
Knowing how much God thinks about us (especially in light of how little we think of him) should give us an incredible feeling of worth.
Our response to God’s constant attentiveness, however, should never be out of obligation.
God doesn’t want us to hang out with him only because we feel we have to.
Revelation 2:4 warns us to avoid allowing our love for God to lessen or end.
God wants us to grow beyond our initial commitment to him, just like in a marriage where love continues to grow.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen.
Many people who become Christians are really excited about their new relationship with God.
But as problems come up, the excitement often wears off (just like what happens in some marriages).
To maintain a growing relationship with God-
The key word is time!
Daily time with him, time with others who know him, and time (in years) to grow to appreciate his love for you.
Though God is anxious for an intimate relationship with us-
– he will wait for the day when we’ll experience for ourselves what loving him really means.
And what a wonderful day that will be!
(PA)

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Free from fear

MyManna — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 22:00:59 +0000

“He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler…” (Psalm 91:1).
Is it possible to live free from fear in this dangerous and unpredictable world?
Yes!
It most definitely is!!
Because protection is a solid promise of God.
But it’s not a promise that’s offered to just anyone.
It is promised to those who abide in the Lord.
To abide means to dwell, to remain and to continue.
To abide in the shadow of the Almighty is-
– to live in continual union with Him,
– keeping His Word and obeying His voice.
Those who abide in the Lord can live without dread of what the devil will do.
God’s promise of protection doesn’t guarantee-
– that the devil will leave you alone!
Christian security is-
– not absence of danger-
– but presence of God!
It means that God will give you a way of escape-
– every time the devil rears his ugly face at you.
If you are afraid of the dangers around you-
– spend more time in the Word and in prayer until your trust in God overcomes your fear.
Draw closer to the Lord until you are abiding in the shadow of the Almighty.
No matter how dangerous your situation becomes–
He surely shall deliver you!
You can live free from fear!
(PA)

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One-on-one!

MyManna — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 22:00:52 +0000

“God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
God wants us to regularly spend time with Him-
– talking about our issues and seeking His guidance.
Even though we are offered this remarkable privilege-
– we are reluctant to make that commitment or to carve out any meaningful time with Him.
We treat this offer with complete nonchalance.
Does that even make sense?
Think about it this way.
Suppose there is a voicemail on your phone when you get home from work today.
It’s a call from the Prime Minister’s House.
It says:
“The Prime Minister would like to spend some one-on-one time with you this week. Just 1 hour to get to know you a little better and to see what the Prime Minister can do for you.”
Your first thought would be, “This must be a joke. Who is messing with me?”
But what if you found out the call was real?
And the Prime Minister really did want to spend time with you?
My guess is you’d be excited and feel pretty special!
But do you know that any Prime Minister or any President of your country-
– is small in importance and power when compared to God?
Think about how quickly you’d jump to go spend time with the Prime Minister.
Then think about the awesome privilege-
-that the God of the universe continually gives us to spend one-on-one time with Him!
(PA)

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The law of the Lord

MyManna — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 22:00:08 +0000

“His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2).
How do you feel about Bible study?
Is it a delight?
Or a drudgery?
Unfortunately, many of us look at our time in God’s Word as mere drudgery.
Perhaps it’s the way we read the Bible.
Many of us read God’s Word in a hunt-and-peck method.
We read a little here and a little there with no genuine concern for context or what a book of the Bible is teaching.
We read the Bible sporadically-
– then we can’t understand why we are not able to benefit from what the Scriptures teach.
Psalm 1 tells us that the wise person of God meditates in the Scriptures day and night.
What does it mean to meditate?
By meditation the Bible is not speaking of a so-called transcendental meditation-
– where a person disengages their mind to the point of receiving impressions from elsewhere.
The meditation that the Bible advocates deliberately engages the conscious mind with the truths of God’s Word.
Meditation involves studying the Bible with our minds and truly thinking about what we are reading.
You should ask yourself a series of questions when you study the Bible.
Next time you attempt to meditate on God’s Word, ask yourself these four questions:
Is there any sin here for me to avoid?
Is there any promise for me to claim?
Is there any victory to gain?
Is there any blessing to enjoy?
When we read with these questions in mind-
– we demand a real sense of anticipation.
We’re no longer just reading the Bible like it is an assignment in a classroom.
Instead, we recognize that this is the Word of God.
And we are to value God’s words more than gold.
There are great rewards for the person who meditates on the Scriptures day and night.
(PA)

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Above All

MyManna — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 22:00:54 +0000

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8-10.

Two conflicting opinions about material wealth exist among believers.
One says that to be truly spiritual, a Christian must keep few worldly goods.
Proponents of the opposite idea think that prosperity is a sign of God’s favour and, therefore-
– a desired possession can be claimed by faith.
Bewildered, many followers of Jesus wonder-
Which of the two is the correct approach?
But neither answer gives the full picture.
A hindrance to answering the question is our common view of what constitutes “good things”; usually these are defined as items and experiences that make us feel happy.
From God’s perspective, however, the good things in life are-
– those that fit into His individualized purpose and plan for us.
His will could include prosperity, robust health, talents, and opportunities.
But more than likely-
– the Lord’s plan involves some periods of trouble and need, and He considers those times valuable too.
When our vision of what is truly good clears-
– we are ready to understand how to receive God’s blessings.
The key to receiving life’s good things is to seek the Lord Himself rather than just the treasures He has to give.
We often approach God with an empty basket rather than an open heart-
– we tell Him what we need and wait for the bin to be filled.
But an open heart says:
“God, I just want more of You.”

According to Psalm 34:8-
God is good, and James 1:17 says that He is the source of “every good and perfect gift.”
Giving blessings from His storehouse is in God’s nature-
– but He wants His children to seek Him above all else.
(PA)

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Arrange Your Schedule

MyManna — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 22:00:24 +0000

We often think seconds are not very important.
But seconds tick away into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into days.
We have all been amazed at how swiftly days turn into weeks, months, and years.
Think of it this way:
A 70-year-old has lived the equivalent of about two billion, two hundred seven million, five hundred and twenty thousand seconds!
While you read that last sentence-
– about five seconds of your life elapsed, and you can never go back and decide to use them differently.
As small as they are, seconds are precious because they are a creation and a gift of God.
How we use even these small time increments makes a difference.
Since our heavenly Father has a plan for each life—that we live for His purpose and His will-
– then we must consider how we spend not just years, months, and days, but even minutes and seconds.
And the time to decide is now-
– before any more of your life passes by.
Understanding the value of each moment, the apostle Paul urged us-
“Be careful how you walk… making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians. 5:15-16.

In essence, he is instructing us:
“Take advantage of every opportunity God gives you. Don’t waste your time!”
Let Jesus be your role model for keeping a balanced schedule.
He knew that spending time with the Father was the most important thing He could do.
Follow His example, and begin each day in the Father’s presence.
He will help you arrange your schedule and can make every second count.
(PA)

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Fast Food

MyManna — Sun, 07 May 2017 22:00:49 +0000

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”Jeremiah 33:3.

In today’s society fast food is making billions.

It’s slogans are “have it your way” and “have it hot and and have it now”.
How easy it is for us to fall into this “fast food mentality”.

It has almost become who we are.
But in God’s kingdom there’s no fast food!

We can’t always have it our way and now.
When we are caught up in this fast food mentality, we lose the true meaning of patience.

True patience is the ability to wait on the Lord-
– through trials without complaining and worrying.
It is to be tested and persevere through trial.

We need to be patiently waiting on the Lord to answer us in a new way!
We cannot shortcut the things of God.

If we want a deeper life in the Spirit-
– we need to avoid this fast food mentality.

We cannot have a deeper walk with the Lord-
– without spending time in his Word,
– without spending time in intimate prayer,
– without walking in repentance and humility, and
– without practicing a life of holiness.

Is this a tall order?
Yes, but when we are focused on God and patiently waiting on Him to answer-
– He will be preparing a blessing beyond our imagination!

Let’s not settle for a hamburger, fries and coke-
– when the Lord has a delicious, heavenly feast prepared for us!
(PA)

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Noise in Your Life?

MyManna — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 22:00:57 +0000

“After the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12.

Sometimes we look for God in the wrong places.

We assume there has to be a hundred-voice choir singing before we can hear from God.

We look for God in thunder and lightning, trumpets and billowing smoke.
But that’s not always God’s way.

He can speak through fire or earthquakes or any way he chooses.

But when we hear him whisper, he knows we’re really listening.
The hardest thing to do sometimes is to be quiet and listen.

We don’t like silence.

We mistakenly assume that-
God isn’t pleased with us unless we’re active-

– so we’re always looking for things we can do for God.

We confuse stillness (spending quiet time with God) with idleness (doing nothing).

We’d rather be doing something–anything–than sitting still, so we immerse ourselves in noise and activity.

Then we wonder why we don’t hear from God.
But God shouldn’t have to shout in order to be heard.

He is God!

He shouldn’t have to compete with the other noises in our lives.
If we want to hear from God-

– we need to stop making so much noise.

We need to get comfortable being quiet before the Lord-

– doing nothing but reading his Word,

– getting familiar with his Spirit,

– enjoying just being with him.

We must stop our activity long enough to listen for his whisper.

If we’re quiet, we’ll hear it.
What things make the most noise in your life?

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God is Near

MyManna — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 22:00:40 +0000

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. (Ps 145:18)
Isn’t that a great promise? It’s one you can put to work today.
God is near to those who are stumbling.
The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. (Ps 145:14)
You may have stumbled and fallen. Perhaps you just didn’t do what you should have. Maybe you stumbled in your job, and you are embarrassed and worried about it. Perhaps you have stumbled into sin.
God is near to those who carry burdens. Those who are bowed down with the weight of care can find rest if they will call upon Him.
God is near to those who are starving.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
(Ps 145:15)
Verse 16 shows how simple it is for God to answer prayer:
You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Ps 145:16 ESV)
All God has to do is open His hand to meet our needs today.
The problem is, we often don’t open our hearts and cry out to Him.
God is near to those who are seeking.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
(Ps 145:19)
God is near to those who seek Him with love.
The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (Ps 145:20)
Follow the advice of James:
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
God is not far from you.
He’s waiting for you to take that first step, to cry out to Him and say, “Lord, I want to draw close to You. Here I am.”
Have you stumbled? Are you carrying a burden, or are you in need?
He promises to be near to all those who call upon Him.
He neither leaves you nor forsakes you!

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A Delight

MyManna — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 22:30:18 +0000

“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

“I just don’t understand the Bible.”

That’s a comment I hear quite often, even from believers.

It is no mystery why those without Christ are unable to comprehend biblical concepts.
But why do those who know Him struggle?

Some people think that a seminary education is the answer-
– but I have met several trained pastors and teachers who didn’t really understand the Word of God.

They knew few facts, but they had no excitement for the Scriptures or for the Lord.

The key is-
– not education,
– but obedience.

As we act on what we read-
– the Holy Book comes alive,
– and we begin to hear and understand the voice of God.

However, if we have not obeyed what He’s previously revealed to us-
– why would He give us His deeper truths?

“The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him” (Psalm 25:14).

So who are “those who fear Him”?
They’re the ones who obey His commandments and are promised “a good understanding” (Ps 111:10).

Living a fleshly lifestyle amounts to disobedience before the Lord.

It will-
– cloud our eyes,
– diminish our ability to hear,
– and fog our thinking.

Although we, as believers, have full access to the mind of Christ-
– attachment to our own sinful ways can prevent us from tapping into the rich treasures of wisdom that are found in His Word.

As you read the Scriptures each day, look for God’s instructions.
Then with reliance upon the Holy Spirit, commit to do what He tells you.

When you obey His voice-
He will reveal deeper truths,
– and your understanding will grow.

Soon your time in the Word will become-
– a delight instead of a duty.

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