He Will Place Us On a Firm Foundation

A pastor friend recently shared these powerful thoughts with me:

It seems to me that much suffering comes through broken relationships -- places where the enemy comes and seeks out who he can destroy.

We are told to stand firm. Don't fight like the world fights. Be strong in our faith. Then God will restore, support and strengthen us. If we duke it out like the world does,  we lose the opportunity to be light in a dark situation.

However if we humble ourselves, come under God's authority and stand  firm, He will place us on a firm foundation.

1 Peter 5:5b-11 (GWT) Furthermore, all of you must serve each other with humility, because God opposes the arrogant but favors the humble. ⁶ Be humbled by God’s power so that when the right time comes he will honor you.
⁷ Turn all your anxiety over to God because he cares for you. ⁸ Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. ⁹ Be firm in the faith and resist him, knowing that other believers throughout the world are going through the same kind of suffering. ¹⁰ God, who shows you his kindness and who has called you through Christ Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, strengthen you, make you strong, and support you as you suffer for a little while. ¹¹ Power belongs to him forever. Amen. 

Grateful 

4 Directives for Living

* Live in harmony with one another. 

* Do not be proud. 

* Be willing to associate with people of low position.

* Do not be conceited.

* Live in harmony with each other.
* Don’t be arrogant.
* Be friendly to humble people.
* Don’t think that you are smarter than you really are.

(Directives for Living from Romans 12:16.)
  

Grateful

The Key to Being Humble

Let's remember that the key to being humble is being grateful lest we become proud in our "humility".
-- Dr. Jerry Porter, General Superintendent Church of the Nazarene

We can only truly humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord by thanking Him again and again for the extreme expression of His love towards us and for being grateful for the plans He has for us --whatever those plans may be and wherever those plans may take us.

Think about it. Even at the tomb of Lazarus, we know Jesus was humble, because before calling Lazarus out of the grave, God the Son gave thanks to God the Father for hearing His prayer.

I thank you very much for everything, my God.
In Jesus' Name.
Amen and Amen.

Click here: Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart - YouTube

God, Your name is "Faithful" and my name is...
"Grateful"

"I Am Here to Help!" -- Our Holy God

(15) Our Holy God lives forever in the highest heavens, and this is what He says: Though I live high above in the holy place, I am here to help those who are humble and depend only on me."
-- Isaiah 57:15 (CEV)

Click here: He is Here - Gaither Vocal Band - YouTube

Holiness unto the LORD!
Grateful

Consider Others More Important Than Yourselves

(3) Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. (4) Care about them as much as you care about yourselves (5) and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought. -- Philippians 2:3-5 (CEV)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

He Heard Our Prayer

(21) And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that He would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. (22) For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship Him, but His fierce anger rages against those who abandon Him.” (23) So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and He heard our prayer.
-- Ezra 8:21-23 (GNT)

Holiness Unto The LORD!
Grateful

A Palm Sunday Proclamation: "I Will Go!"

Today is Palm Sunday 2011. Some 2,000 years ago, King Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem to announce in His own humble way that His Holy Kingdom was underway. On that day, He was also declaring A Palm Sunday Proclamation that all of Heaven understood totally. Yes, as Jesus humbled Himself on Palm Sunday, He was proclaiming that "He would go to the Cross on Good Friday."

Now, it's our turn. Will you say, will I say, "I Will Go?" This Crystal Lewis song will help make such a proclamation more understandable:

Click here: YouTube - Crystal Lewis - I Will Go (ppt)

Count it all joy.
Grateful

Facedown on the Ground

Moses and Aaron... they fell facedown on the ground, THEN the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to them.
-- Numbers 20:6 (NLT)

If My people... will humble themselves and pray...
-- 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)

Click here: YouTube - We Fall Down by Chris Tomlin (lyrics)

Holiness Unto the LORD!
Grateful

Can We Live Without Revival?

If we can Iive without Revival?
Then we're not where God wants us to be!
-- Leonard Ravenhill

Let's humble ourselves before the Lord, praying and seeking, that is, desperately gasping for Revival with every breath we take. Let's turn from all other deceptive imitations of life-support, and only inhale and exhale God's holy invitation found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 -- yes, indeed, His invitation to breathe, to really live in the realm of Revival for forever and today.

If My People... Will? I Will! -- God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14
Grateful

Under God or Gone Under?

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." -- President Ronald Reagan

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. -- 2 Chron. 7:14 (NLT)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

"GOD, I NEED YOU!"

I was in a prayer session with about 70 leaders from our local church this past Monday night. It was the most honest season of corporate honesty before God I remember being immersed in ever. One precious young lady, with deep cries from the depths of her desperate soul, prayed this four-word, heart-wrenching prayer to the top of her voice: "GOD, I NEED YOU! GOD, I NEED YOU!"

Her honest crying immediately gave way to our humble crying. It was indeed 2 Chronicles 7:14 illustrated. I have been echoing that prayer ever since and will surely echo it for many days to come:

"GOD, I NEED YOU! GOD, I NEED YOU!
In the Name of Jesus. Amen and Amen."

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a (one) righteous person has great power and wonderful results. -- James 5:16 (NLT)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Grateful

Be Honest. Be Humbled. Be Healed.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves... -- 2 Chronicles 7:14a (NLT)

Humility is the consequence of honesty. If we will get honest before God, humility will immediately follow. Let's get honest with God. Let's humble ourselves in His Holy Presence.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL (HUMBLE THEMSELVES)?
I WILL (HEAL THEM... THEIR LAND)!
God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Lord, I Want to Be Truly Humble!

God sets Himself against the proud,
but He shows favor to the humble.
James 4:6b (NLT)

What is your definition of true humility?

What might be the results if you and I were to write down the words above from James 4:6 on a note card and take it around in our pocket, spontaneously and purposefully praying for thirty days:

Lord, I want to be truly humble!
I truly need Your favor in my life!
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Seven Verbs for Revival

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. -- 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)

Could it be that God's simple, yet profound formula for revival is all written down in the form of seven verbs in 2 Chronicles 7:14?

In this verse there are four verbs for us and three for God:

If we will...
(1) humble (2) pray (3) seek (4) turn?

God says He will...
(5) hear (6) forgive (7) heal!

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

We Kneel, He Lifts?

Could it be that a humble kneeling posture on our part might cause our lives to be lifted by God's healing power?

Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. -- 2 Chron. 7:14 (NLT)

But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. -- Matthew 23:12 (NLT)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Just Remember Jesus Cares

A Gospel song I heard in the early eighties encourages me to this day. Here are some of the encouraging words of the song written and performed by the Ross Family from Monroe, N.C:

Just remember Jesus cares.
He cries when you cry.
And He lifts your case,
to the Father up on high.
Place your trust in Him today;
For He is the only Way.
And remember Jesus cares;
Just remember Jesus cares.

Mt. 9:36 (NKJV) -- Jesus was moved with compassion for them...

Romans 8:34 -- (NKJV) -- Christ... is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

1 Peter 5:-6-7 (NKJV) -- (6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

ALL JOY!
Grateful