Craig's Living H2O

October 9th - "When the Heat is On"

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes: but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in the year of drought nor cease to yield its fruit."    Jeremiah 17:7-8

How true these words ring! "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord."  How blessed? Even "in the year of drought," even "when the heat comes," the man or woman of God shall be blessed! In the midst of hard times we need "not be anxious." God has called us "Blessed!" Who can rescind His Word? Who can thwart His plan? We are not bound by this world's economy for we live by and on a heavenly one. God has called us blessed! When I was a kid I played little league baseball. I was the lead-off batter and played shortstop. I remember one game in particular that we played when I was in the sixth grade. As the lead-off batter I was the first to bat against the opponent pitcher who was already six feet tall and had facial hair. I was still a normal runt size sixth grader, so this pitcher looked like a giant on the mound. To top it all off his warm-up pitches were wild. Just as I nervously stepped in the batter's box it got better!  I suddenly heard his catcher yell from behind me,  "Bring the heat!"  All these years later as a grown adult, I know that this life can throw you some pretty hard pitches. But even when the devil throws us his "heat," the "blessed man" need not be anxious. God has made provision for us to increase even in these hard times. It may or may not be monetarily, but we definitely can increase in depth of character and compassion. Isaac was a man "blessed" of the Lord. Isaac sowed in the land in the year of famine and look at the outcome.

"Now Isaac sowed in the land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy."   Genesis 26:12

October 8th - "Who Daily Bears Our Burden"

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation."    Psalm 68:19

Daily the Lord bears our burdens! What an amazing thought! All the universe is His making, and yet He tenderly bears each of our burdens. Your concerns and cares touch Him deeply. Meditate on this truth today and your life will be much lighter no matter how heavy the load may be. God sees and He cares.

"For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth. By You I have been sustained from my birth ... I have become a marvel to many, for You are my strong refuge."    Psalm 71:5-7

October 7th - "The Key is Remembering"

"But Jesus, aware of this, said, 'You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up?"    Matthew 16:8-9

We can never afford to measure our faith by what those around us are doing. We are given to comparisons, but Jesus is the One who measures our faith. If we are to measure up, we must remember the loaves that He has already multiplied for us in our past. The key is remembering. How soon we forget yesterday's Red Sea partings in our lives, while only focusing on the present problem we are facing. To keep your faith level up you must focus on the God who has already multiplied your loaves time and time again. None of us wants to hear Jesus say, "You men of little faith." You must meditate on His Word and remember the faithfulness of your God and King.

"If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?  Jeremiah 12:5

October 6th - "Doubting is a Luxury You Can't Afford"

"But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'"    Matthew 14:30-31

If  you are going to walk on the water, you don't have the luxury of doubting. When Peter turned his gaze off of Jesus and on to his circumstances it brought fear. As soon as fear came in, Peter started going in the wrong direction. The Scripture says, "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life." Our thoughts either support or demolish our faith. You can't walk on the water and be a doubter. To not doubt you must be disciplined in your thoughts and keep your focus on His last Word that were given to you. We need to say to ourselves, "Though I am in a storm and out on the water, Jesus bid me come and I must obey." Remind yourself that Jesus is leading your life. He has led or allowed you to enter into your storm. Only a disciplined mind that violently resists fear and doubt, staying fixed on the Word of God, will keep you from sinking. If we do succumb to fear and doubt, Jesus will immediately rescue us. He won't let us sink. But to walk on the water and only partially succeed is in Jesus' own words, "Little faith." Great faith leaves no room for doubt.. I want to exhibit great faith. It is much better to walk all the way to Jesus then to be consistently rescued.

October 5th - "Clinging to Jesus"

"When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me."    Psalm 63:6-8

Our need is so great that we must constantly "cling" to Jesus. Even when we don't feel our need, it still remains. Any man or woman, who has come to believe that they can navigate his or her own life, has been sorely deceived. We need a compass, a North Star, a guide to lead us. If we are to find our way, then we, like a child clutching its mother when among strangers, must cling to our Savior. Make it your habit to "cling," to listen, and to obey.

"I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me , O Lord, but with justice; not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing."    Jeremiah 10:23-24

October 4th - "The Ancient of Days"

"I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow and the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; thousands upon thousands were attending Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court sat, and the books were opened."                                                  Daniel 7:9-10

Let us take this Scripture to heart today lest we get caught up in our every day routine and forget where all this is leading. Very soon, you and I are going to stand before the Ancient of Days who will be seated upon His throne. We will have to give an answer for our lives at His throne with fire coming out from before Him and thousands upon thousands looking on. All that will matter to us on that day is what is found in the books. The cares and concerns that can dominate our thoughts daily will all suddenly disappear and seem so insignificant when we shall stand naked and open before Him. For those of us who live this life for eternity, great will be our reward. Eternity starts NOW.

 

"But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come."    Daniel 7:18

October 3rd - "Snapshot of God"

"Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boast, boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth: for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord."   

There is only one good reason for us to ever boast and that is that we know God and understand that He delights in exercising lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth. Do you really believe and understand that God delights to do these things in your life? He doesn't just do them because you ask Him, but He delights to do them. Can you picture your heavenly Father smiling and laughing with delight as He blesses you with lovingkindness, with justice, and with righteousness? We need to update our snapshot of God. God is good. God is love. And God loves you jealousy and fervently. He finds absolute delight in blessing you. Walk and bask in His favor today.

 

"Let me dwell in your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings."   Psalm 61:4

October 2nd - "Silent Prayer"

"My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."    Psalm 62:5-8

Do you ever wait in "silence" before Him? I am greatly troubled that this is a new concept for many believers. Many have not been taught the value of sitting in His Presence in silence. The above Scripture can be used as a format for prayer: 1, Wait in silence, 2. Put your hope only in Him, 3. Trust Him at all times, 4. Pour out your heart before Him. This is the protocol for prayer. Did you notice that we talk last? It is difficult for us to hear when our mouths are in motion. Must He talk over us? Surely we believe that what He would say is more important than whatever we might say? Configure your prayers accordingly and you will gain much more from them.

"But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;"   James 1:19

October 1st - "Pronounced Blessing"

"So I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you."    Leviticus 26:9

A daily part of our prayer should be, "Lord, confirm your covenant with me and all that is mine today. May all that I possess walk under the blessing of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus himself." I personally pray and pronounce this blessing over my children, my wife, and myself each and every day. This is not a "magical" potion. It is an alignment. Just as the Israelites walk under the cloud of the Almighty's blessing and provision in the wilderness, so we also are to be overshadowed by His covenant blessing. Daily pronouncing and praying this Scripture reminds me to expect to be blessed in "my coming in, and my going out; to be the head and not the tail, to be the lender and not the borrower, to be blessed above all the nations of the earth."  It raises my faith level and brings me into an agreement with God's Word. The confession of my lips activates His Word in my life. This is not magic; it is simple obedience. So...... "Lord, I bless all who are reading this blog in the name of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus himself this very day. Amen."

"Indeed the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce."    Psalm 85:12

September 30th - "Simplify"

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called into one body; and be thankful."
Colossians 3:15

As a general rule, peace should be a distinguishing characteristic of the believer's life. Certainly we all have seasons of great trial and turmoil; yet even in the midst of trouble, we find His peace to master our fears. Our peace is sometimes lost, simply by the excess baggage that we are carrying through life. If peace is not an overriding condition of your life as a whole, assess your life. What can you jettison from your life to win back your peace? You must "let" the peace of God rule in your heart. The things in your life that keep your life in turmoil should be abandoned, if at all possible. A simpler life with contentment and peace is worth far more than a life with all the glitter and the stress that comes with it.

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."    Colossians 3:2