Have you ever faced the problems of
– Dullness, darkness and dryness?

Certain days come to us that are simply dull. There may be sameness and tameness about them.

And sometimes we have to go through periods of darkness, and we wonder what in the world God is doing.

Or we experience dryness – we are so spiritually dry, hungry and thirsty.

What is the answer to dullness? The Word of God.
“Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them” (Psalm 119:129).

Life cannot be dull when we read and obey the Bible. It has a way of taking the ordinary things of life and making them wonderful. When our minds and hearts are filled with Scripture, everything we see appears different.

What is the answer to darkness?
“The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (v 130). Entrance means the opening up, the expounding, the unfolding of God’s Word. As Scripture is explained to us, it illuminates us.

If you find yourself in darkness today, read your Bible, and it will give you light.

What is the answer to dryness? Sometimes we feel so dry and needy.
“I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments” (v 131).

The Word of God is like fresh air when we feel smothered, like water when we are parched, like food when we are famished. If you are having a dull, dark or dry day, turn to the Word of God.

Its truths will brighten your soul, and its promises will encourage you. God designed the Bible to meet your needs. So when the discouraging days come, feed your mind and heart with the Word.

(PR)

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Have you thought lately about the faithfulness of God?

Too often we are prone to focus on our own faithfulness and our own faith. Our living a victorious Christian life indicates that we are trusting a faithful God who cannot fail, not that we are faithful to Him.

How should we respond to the faithfulness of God? Read Psalm 89:1-10.

First, sing of His faithfulness! “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations” (v 1). Are you praising God today for His faithfulness?

When you find yourself unfaithful to the Lord, consider His faithfulness. After all, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Second, share about His faithfulness!! “With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” In giving our testimonies, we sometimes brag about ourselves.

I was in a meeting once where the leader said, “Let’s give praise to the Lord, and let’s be careful not to give praise to ourselves.” The psalmist said, “I’m going to share the faithfulness of God –
– not what I have done, but what He has done; not what I am, but what He is.”

Third, submit to His faithfulness!!! “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those who are around Him” (v 7).

Our God is faithful. Can we trust Him today? Yes, we can. Is His Word going to fail? No, not one word of all His promises has failed.

Is His grace going to run out? No, He has vast riches of His grace. God is faithful in everything.

Have you learned to respond to God’s faithfulness? Praise Him for His faithfulness, share it with others and submit to it. He can be trusted.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

(PR)

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The newspaper reminds us of the uncertainty of life. Things happen that are unexpected, tides turn, fortunes shift, lives end. One of the basic needs of humans is a sense of security!

Yet, the events of the day remind us of the insecurity that comes from the uncertainties of life. We just don’t know what’s next.

While most people look for security in something, the Christian finds it in the Sovereign! In the Bible we find reasons to feel secure!

Simple but strong answers are found in Romans 8:31-36.

We are secure knowing that:

• His purpose will not be frustrated. Since God is for us, none can be against us (Romans 8:31).

• His generosity will not be quenched. Since He has not spared His Son, God will withhold nothing in taking care of us (v 32).

• His forgiveness will not be canceled. No prosecution can succeed, since God our judge has already justified us (v 33–34).

• His love will not be severed. God has revealed it in Christ, and nothing, even the ten powerful items listed here, will separate us from Christ’s love (v 35–36).

Nothing can frustrate God’s purpose. Nothing can quench His generosity. Nothing can cancel His forgiveness. Nothing can sever His love from us. None of these nor all of them heaped together can budge the fact that you are-
-dearly loved,
-definitely forgiven and
-divinely secure in the Lord Jesus Christ.

God holds us in the palm of His steady hand. We are-
Secure in the Sovereign!

(PR)

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“Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21).

In all honesty, by the time Jesus got to Bethany, Mary and Martha were pretty upset. Martha, specifically, was quite outspoken. And sure enough, there she was to meet the Lord as He came walking into Bethany.

Loose paraphrase: “Lord, with all due respect, You didn’t come through. We told everyone, ‘Jesus is our friend. We will send Him a message, and He will come and heal Lazarus. You watch. He cares about us. He loves us.’ Then You come strolling in here a few days later. Now my brother is beyond sick. He is dead.”

Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again” (v 20).

“I know that, Lord. I know he will rise in the final resurrection,” Martha replied.
He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (v 25–26).

“Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (v 27).

Martha wasn’t getting it. She wanted a healing; Jesus wanted resurrection. Yes, He loved Lazarus. But
– He wanted to do something more dramatic.

In the same way, we say, “Lord, you have to do this. . . .” But do we ever stop and think that God may want to do more? Do we ever stop and think that God might want to do abundantly above and beyond that which we could ask or think?

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

(PR)

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“Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD” (Psalm 4:6). 

How easy it is to be deceived-
– when we are not walking in the light of God’s Word.

A pilot tells about the time he was flying in a dense fog over Newfoundland.
He noticed moisture beginning to freeze on the wings of his plane.
He thought, “This great adventure is going to come to an untimely end. What shall I do?”

Then, he had a moment of inspiration.
He pulled his plane up and out of the fog and burst into the dazzling sunlight.

Have you ever felt like you were living in a fog?
He has a word of encouragement for you.

You can get near to the heart of God.
Focus on the Sun of Righteousness.
His light can shine even in the darkest corner of your heart.

Ask God to shine His light into the darkness of your heart.
Ask Him to reveal your doubts and fears.
Ask Him to reveal your sin that lies covetously in your heart.

Then, get ready for a blessing.
Draw up close because when you repent-

He’ll reach in with healing forgiveness.

Shine Jesus shine!

(PR)

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Are you facing a problem-
– that you need to be solved?

We can learn a lot about problem-solving-
– by reading the miracle Jesus performed in the feeding of the 5,000.

When Jesus and the disciples discovered thousands of hungry people-
He asked Philip, “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” John 6:5.

Jesus wasn’t asking for information.
He already knew what He was going to do. 6:6.

Instead He was trying to give Philip a revelation-
– that we should never assess our problems in the light of our own resources or strength.

We have no right to ask the world to believe our message-
– unless there is something about us that is unexplainable and supernatural.

There must be a divine dimension to our lives.

What does Proverbs 3:5-6 tell you to do-
– when faced with a problem?
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight”.

(PR)

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“And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst, of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:1-18).

Patience is one of those things…
…so hard to learn it…
…so hard to practice it faithfully in our daily walk.

But God requires it of us!

As I was reading through this passage again in Exodus-
It dawned on me that Moses sat on the mountain for six entire days before the Lord spoke to him.

He had to patiently wait for the Lord for six days!
So often we think we can just do as we please with our lives and then come running to God for a few minutes of prayer and get an answer right away but I don’t believe it is always that simple.

Even Moses needed to be prepared for six full days-
– in order to be able to experience the awesome presence of the Lord!

If Moses had to wait six days-
– then it should not surprise us if we need to wait 60 days, 60 months or even 60 years for the Lord to prepare us to receive His blessing!

As I’m writing this devotional in a cyber cafe –
I’m watching a small girl, may be 2 years old, clinging to her dad who is also at a PC near me, insisting “Abba, hold me! Hold me now!”

He is saying to her, “Honey, just wait a couple minutes and let me finish writing this letter and I will give you a treat!”
Perhaps the Lord is saying to us today:

“Be patient my child, if you wait on me I will give you a treat!”
Be encouraged!

The Lord is preparing us for great things.
Spend more time seeking Him and worshipping Him.

Keep waiting at His feet.
He will meet us!

(PR)

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“I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls; which I have made” (Isaiah 57:16).

Our heavenly Father seeks-
– our instruction!
– not our destruction!!

His contention with us-
– has a kind intention toward us.

He will not be-
– always in arms against us!

He will hold us-
– always in His arms!

We think the Lord is long in His chastisements.
But that is because we are short in our patience.

His compassion endures forever.
– but not His contention.

The night may drag its weary length along.
But it must in the end give place to cheerful day.

As contention is only for a season-
– so the wrath which leads to it is only for a small moment.

If He were to deal with us always as He does sometimes-
– we should faint outright and go down hopelessly to the gates of death.

The Lord will soon end His chiding.
Bear up!
– for the Lord will bear you up,
– and bear you through!

He who made you knows how frail you are and how little you can bear.
He will handle tenderly that which He has fashioned so delicately.

Therefore-
– be not afraid because of the painful present,
– for it hastens to a prosperous future!

He that smote you shall heal you!
His small anger shall be followed by His great affection!
His little wrath shall be followed by His lavish wonders!

(PR)

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“From this day will I bless you” (Haggai 2:19).

Future things are hidden from us.
Yet we may see the unborn years.

The Lord says: “From this day will I bless you!”
It is worthwhile to note the day which is referred to in this promise.

There had been failure of crops, blasting, and mildew, and all because of the people’s sin.
The Lord saw these chastened ones commencing to obey His word and build His temple, and therefore He says, “From the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider. From this day will I bless you.”

If we have lived in any sin,
– and the Spirit leads us to purge ourselves of it,
– we may reckon upon the blessing of the Lord.

His Spirit,
His saving grace,
His sovereign power-
– will all prove to us an enlarged blessing!

We may fall into greater opposition-
– from man because of our faithfulness.

But-
We shall rise to be closer with the Lord our God!
And have a clearer sight of our acceptance in Him!!

“Lord, I am resolved to be more true to You and more exact in my following of Your principles and precepts. Please help me.
I pray to You, therefore, by Christ Jesus, to increase the blessedness of my daily life now and forever. Amen!”

(PR)

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“Why, O Lord, do You stand far off? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalms 10:1).

One of the great mysteries of God is His ways!
Some of His ways almost appear to bring us into the most difficult places, as if He were indifferent to our circumstances.

It would appear that He is turning His head from our sorrows.
It is like Job’s experience!

But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came. (Job 30:26)
These events in our lives have a particular objective to perform for us.

That objective is to bring us to the end of ourselves that we might discover the treasure of darkness.
When we are taken into these dark periods, we begin to see light that we never knew existed.

Our sensitivities become heightened and our ability to see through spiritual eyes is illuminated.
Unless we are taken into these times, our souls never develop any depth of character.

Knowledge is gained through understanding!
Wisdom is gained through the experience of darkness.

After we go through these periods-
We discover that God was, in fact, with us throughout the entire time.

He has told us countless times that He will never leave us.
However, when we are in those dark periods –
– it does not feel like He is there because He does not rescue us from the circumstances.

He does this for our benefit in order that we might become more like Jesus!
Jesus learned obedience from the things He suffered! (Heb 5:8).

What does that say about how you and I will learn obedience?
Embrace the dark times which God has allowed.

And gain the wisdom that God intends for you from these times!

(PR)

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