Get out of the way!

Get out of the way! Allow God to bless you! 

God wishes to bless us but often we get in the way by trying to help him. Get out of the way!

When we attempt to help God bless, we actually hinder the work of God.  God doesn't need our help but He does demand our total surrender to Him and His will. Remember God’s answer to the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthian 12:9).

Enrich your life and enlarge your devotion to God by taking a 31 day adventure into For His Glory: 31 Daily Meditations! Check this affordable eBook and take peek on the inside or download a sample by clicking here!

Choose Brokenness*

Wise and Godly people are not self-willed nor are they self-reliant. They have discarded their will for God’s will and abandoned self-reliance for total dependency on their Lord. They have chosen a lifestyle of brokenness that is trusting in God’s grace to enable them to be the servants God desires.

Choose brokenness.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 ESV

Any day is a good day to start having a daily devotionals time. For His Glory: 31 Daily Meditations can help you get started.

Abandon

Abandon your will to the will of the Lord. Contentment and peace will be difficult to find as long as you are resolved to have it your way. There is a path that God has for you. It is narrow and may be difficult at times but in the long run it is always best.

Follow the example of Lord Jesus: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. (John 6:38)

“The Apostle Paul referred to himself as a slave to the will and the gospel of Jesus Christ” –JEB Follow @pastorbarr

If you enjoy our little nuggets of wisdom, then you will love Pastor Jim's book, For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom. Take a peek inside and see what others are saying by CLICKING HERE!

Blessed is she who believed

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke1:38 (NKJV)

Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Luke 1:45 (NKJV)

The surrender of Mary to the will of God is one the greatest examples of faith to be found in the Bible.  I dare say few would be willing to allow God to upset their entire life as Mary did.  The most important quality found in her life is she believed.  The core of any person is defined in what they believe. 

Anchor your life by believing in God and do not allow the world or Satan shake your faith.

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!

~ Priscilla Jane Owens (1829-1907)

Are You Willing?

F.B. Meyer once asked, “If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?" Jesus said, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

When Jesus called Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him, the Bible says they immediately forsook all and followed Him. They had no second thoughts neither did they take a day or two to pray about it. They just answered the bidding. They were willing to give up all for Christ. Are you willing to give up all and follow Christ?

Beware of Vices

Don’t surrender self-control to any vice – including alcohol, drugs, sexual immoralities, and harmful and/or addictive practices like tobacco, gambling, gluttony and eating disorders. Such self-control is possible through the strength of the Lord and by yielding yourself to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  

The best way to never lose self-control is to totally abstain from all vices that tend to overtake you.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (Ephesians 5:18)

Do you have a copy of Pastor Jim's book, For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom? Take a moment and check it out and see what others are saying about.

Unconditional Surrender!

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 2 Kings 5:9-14 ESV

At last Naaman’s will was conquered, and he surrendered. When General Grant was besieging a town which was a stronghold of the Southern Confederacy, some of the officers sent word that they would leave the city if he would let them go with their men. But General Grant sent word:

“No, nothing but an unconditional surrender!”

Then they sent word that they would go if he would let them take their flag with them. But the answer was: “No, an unconditional surrender.”

At last the beleaguered walls were broken down, and the city entered, and then the enemy made a complete and unconditional surrender. Well, it was so with Naaman; he got to that point when he was willing to obey, and the Scripture tell us, “To obey is better than to sacrifice.”

God wants obedience. Naaman had to learn this lesson. There was no virtue, probably, in going down to the Jordan, any more than in obeying the voice of God. He had to obey the word, and IN THE VERY ACT OF OBEDIENCE he was blessed.

My friends, if you want God to bless you, obey Him. Do whatsoever He calls upon you to do, and then see if He will not bless you.

This word of wisdom is taken from Moody, Dwight Lyman. Men of the Bible

 For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of Wisdom is a collection of meaningful and powerful reflections from real life experiences coupled with practical biblical wisdom. Going beyond the normal inspirational book, For His Glory unveils a kaleidoscope of commonsense precepts that challenges the reader to discover the wonders of living for God's glory. Eye-opening, life changing and easy to understand, For His Glory will enrich your life. See what others are saying and take a peek inside by Clicking Here! Also available on Kindle by CLICKING HERE!

THE BIGGEST FOOL IN THE WORLD*

THE BIGGEST FOOL IN THE WORLD.

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26 (ESV)

If you had asked the Egyptians who he was, they would have said he was THE BIGGEST FOOL IN THE WORLD.

“Why,” they would say, “look at the opportunity that man had! He might have been commander of the Egyptian army, he might have been on the throne, swaying the sceptre over the whole world, if he hadn’t identified himself with those poor, miserable Hebrews! Think what an opportunity he has lost, and what a privilege he has thrown away!” He had dropped out of the public mind for forty years, and they didn’t know what had become of him, but God had His eye upon him. He was the very man of all others that God wanted, and when he met God with that question, “Who am I?” it didn’t matter who he was but who his God was. When men learn the lesson that they are nothing and God is everything, then there is not a position in which God cannot use them.

This word of wisdom is taken from Moody, Dwight Lyman. Men of the Bible (p. 20).

For you personal reading enjoyment, we suggest Pastor Jim's book For His Glory: A Kaleidoscope of WisdomAlso available in Kindle eBook.

You may enjoy this blog article: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread…

Are You Willing To Be Made Willing?

The Bible tells the story of a rich young man approaching Christ and asking him what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to go and sell all he had and give the proceeds to poor, he left saddened and without eternal life; because he was unwilling to give up his riches. He is not the only one that has came to Christ with a request only to leave unfulfilled because they were not willing to give up some treasured.

F. B. Meyer said, "If you are not willing to give up everything for Christ, are you willing to be made willing?" Often our prayers go unfulfilled because we are not willing to be made willing. We ask God to save souls but at what cost? Souls are surely not going to be saved if we are not willing to walk across the street and share the gospel with our neighbor because fear of being embarrassed. 

When you bring you request to the Lord, be willing to give up everything for Christ -- AND be willing to be made willing.  

For His Glory: 31 Daily Meditations is a compilation of devotional thoughts from Saints of old plus a sprinkle of the author’s thoughts combined with selected Scripture that will assist the reader in developing a closer relationship with God. Offered at an affordable price of only $1.49. CLICK and take a peek inside.

Pouring Out Your Soul*

I have poured out my soul before the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:15.

HANNAH'S soul was full of complaint and grief, which flowed over into her face and made it sorrowful. But when she had poured out her soul before the Lord, emptying out all its bitterness, the peace of God took the place of her soul-anguish, she went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. What a glad exchange! How great the contrast! How much the better for herself, and for her home!

Is your face darkened by the bitterness of your soul? Perhaps the enemy has been vexing you sorely; or there is an unrealized hope, an unfulfilled purpose. in your life; or, perchance, the Lord seems to have forgotten you. Poor sufferer, there is nothing for it but to pour out your soul before the Lord. Empty out its contents in confession and prayer. God knows it all; yet tell Him, as if He knew nothing. "Ye people, pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us." "In everything, by prayer and supplication make your requests known unto God."

As we pour out our bitterness, God pours in his peace. Weeping goes out of one door whilst joy enters at another. We transmit the cup of tears to the Man of Sorrows, and He hands it back to us filled with the blessings of the new covenant. Some day you will come to the spot where you wept and prayed, bringing your offering of praise and thanksgiving. -F. B. Meyer