Today's Promise

Some days there is a promise that just catches your eye. One to write down and reflect on. That’s what today’s post is. Just a simple promise from God to carry in our hearts. A promise to reflect on and remember….remember who is in control….remember what it’s really all about.

God will be what holds things together,
    fast and firm during these times.
He will be boundless salvation,
    the roots and fruits of wisdom and knowledge.
Zion’s most precious possession
    is the people’s awe-filled respect of the Eternal.
Isaiah 33:6 (VOICE)

In that day he will be your sure foundation,
    providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of the Lord will be your treasure. (NLT)

God keeps your days stable and secure—
    salvation, wisdom, and knowledge in surplus,
    and best of all, Zion’s treasure, Fear-of-God. (MSG)

And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His. (AMPC)

A Different Kind of Freedom

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 (NLT)

A couple of weeks ago, I did something that at the time seemed good. However, immediately after I did it, I felt this twinge of doubt. I had decided to do something that involved someone else but I didn't ask them first. I knew the twinge was probably because I wasn't respecting the other person and giving them the honor that was due to them.

On the big scale of things, this doesn't seem so bad. I reasoned that I was going to fix it and no one would ever know and all would be well. But, as days slipped by and it was not rectified, I also reasoned away the prick of my conscious. 

Finally, one day during my worship, I felt the Holy Spirit, with more force than a twinge or a prick, tell me to deal with it. Not only did I need to fix the mistake I made but I had to tell the person I had ignored and apologize.

To be clear, I did not want to do this because well, admitting you are wrong and apologizing, that's hard for this sometimes wayward human heart. But I knew God's voice was not going to get quieter and that if I didn't listen and he stopped talking about it, I would have dishonored my relationship with him. While the other unknowing person in this situation would probably never have known, God always does. I had a choice to make.

My relationship with God is more important to me than my pride so I fixed the situation, went to the person, told them what happened and apologized. They were gracious and forgiving. 

The next thing I felt was relief. I'd been carrying that around for two or so weeks and I could feel it festering in my soul.  Suddenly, it was gone. I was freed from that thing that was invading my walk with man and my walk with God. There are all sorts of freedoms that we can celebrate today but, the ability to live free in your heart is the very best one.

A Word To The Wise

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  James 1:5-6 (NLT)

There was something wrong with the calculations I did for a project at work.  I could feel it. Something wasn't sitting right.  It kept nagging at me but I didn't know where to look.  Finally, I prayed about it and through a set of circumstances that unfolded (that's another Thought), I felt like I should look into this one area.

So, I put it off. You'd think that I would have immediately gone to that spot, to the very place that was revealed to me and fix the problem, right? But I didn't.  You know why? Because I would have had to admit that I made the mistake and well, that was embarrassing.

I was trying to put my faith in my abilities and not rely on God's wisdom. After a few days, I took a deep breath and faced it. I had a missing value in a spreadsheet that was throwing things off. After I figured that out, I took out all the spreadsheets and redid all the calculations to see where we stood. And then, I shared my findings with the team.

I've heard today's text over and over again. If you need wisdom ask God but it wasn't until very recently that I noticed the next verse. But when you ask him, be sure your faith is in God alone. I was asking for wisdom but I was trying to put my faith in my capabilities instead of in where God was directing me.

What if I'd buried my head in the sand and not looked?  What if I never got the courage to face my mistake? Lesson Learned?  Ask for wisdom because you'll get the answer. When you get the answer, dive into it and put your faith where it needs to be.  In God alone..