I blew it

Yesterday, Dina’s devotional challenge was about her 5 year-old neighbor that asked her if she had asked Jesus into her heart. Her neighbor would not give up until she knew for sure that Dina had experienced a saving transaction with Jesus Christ. After hearing that story, I was compelled to share how I failed to do what that little 5 year-old was bold enough to do.
A few weeks ago I was shopping with Dina and my daughter at Boscov’s in the shoe department when I overheard the following conversation between 3 young clerks

Clerk #1: I wouldn’t want to know, would you?
Clerk #2: Well, I sure would not want to get a phone call finding out it was going to be tomorrow.
Clerk #3: Do you even believe in an afterlife?
Clerk #2: (shuttering) I don’t even like to think about it….I’m just afraid that there isn’t anything. We just die and that’s it. There is nothing.
Clerk #3: Well, according to the Bible, none of us can go to heaven anyway.
Clerk #1: My mother said they changed that…
Clerk #2: Oh, right! They changed the Bible?

What an opportunity, but I was not a part of this conversation and I could not think of a way to naturally get involved in it. After walking away, I thought of a few ideas but by then it was too late. It grieved my heart that these three young ladies are lost, confused and scared and I was too slow or chicken to offer them the genuine hope of Jesus Christ. It was an opportunity lost. Yet God is sovereign, and the salvation of those three young women was prevented because of my failure. Their eternal destiny does not rest on my shoulders, but on Christ’s. However, that being said, I missed the opportunity and the blessing God was ready to pour out on me.

Be alert. Be ready. Let the love of your Savior flow from your lips to the ears of a searching heart. 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”

My neighbor “The Evangelist”

Recently I was going for a walk around the lake here at Keswick with my son and two of my neighbors. It was about 7:30 in the evening and the grounds were quiet. My one neighbor remarked how peaceful and quiet it was and she asked me if I enjoyed peace and quiet. To which I replied; “yes, it’s great, I love the peace and quiet”. She agreed and said she liked to spend time with her bible when it was quiet. She then shared with me that she had asked Jesus into her heart and she very directly inquired if I had asked Jesus into my heart. I told her yes I did and that I loved Jesus. She said she loved him too. Then I shared with her that my son also loved Jesus. She was very intent on making sure it was a true transaction of faith and asked me point blank, “But did he ask Jesus into his heart?” I assured her he had done so. She also shared her joy in her eternal security and said; “I am really glad I did that because I will forever be with God and I will never have to go to Hell, which is a burning lake of fire.”
Rev. 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Let me let you in on the most remarkable part of this story; the neighbor I am speaking of is five years old! She is a fiery little thing with a sincere concern for the souls of people around her. Who knows what the Lord will do with such a passion.
I can relate to her passion, I had that same passion at one time and sadly I must admit I have not stoked the fire in me enough. It was also a humbling and convicting moment for me. How many times have I let an opportunity to witness to someone go by, or not even look for an opportunity! I was ashamed of myself and glad for the conviction. Later that evening I was sharing the story with my son (who is 11) and he asked me how hot I thought Hell was. I answered; “I’m not really sure but it’s probably hotter than we could imagine.” I added that even worse than the eternal fire would be the eternal separation from God with no hope of ever being saved. He then said; “Mom, don’t you think God can be a little harsh?” I said no, He sent His only Son to suffer so we don’t have to. We can choose.

Allow me to stoke the fire and make this personal;
Do you love Jesus? Have you set your affections upon Him? Have you asked Him into your heart? Have you surrendered your life to Him?

If the answer is no or you are not even sure how to be sure, let me extend the offer to email us back at Victory Call today. We are here for this very purpose

Mark 19:14

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these

Dina

Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.”

Sometime that task that lay in front of us seems insurmountable. We wonder how we can possibly do this. It seems so overwhelming we never start. We stay frozen in indecision. “People who want to move mountains must start by carrying away very small stones.”1

Perhaps you remember the movie from a number of years ago, “What About Bob” with Bill Murphy and Richard Dryfuss. You recall that Leo Marvin (played by Dryfuss) is a Psychiatrist that wrote a book called, “Baby Steps”. After his first session with Dr. Marvin, Bob begins immediately applying the principle to get on the elevator. You can hear him talking to himself: “baby steps onto the elevator, baby steps onto the elevator, baby steps onto the elevator.” Taking small steps he actually gets onto the elevator. As the doors close behind him, he screams all the way down. It’s a funny, feel good movie but that truth is very practical.

Do you have an overwhelming task before you? Are you uncertain where to start? Begin by breaking the task into smaller more manageable tasks and then start with the first one and work at it until you complete it, then move on to the next one. It may even be helpful to give yourself some reasonable deadlines to complete each task by. Even if you don’t hit the deadline perfectly, you will be surprised at what you can accomplish when to take thing in bite size chunks.
My Aunt Lorraine, who has long since gone to glory, used to say to me, “Inch by inch everything’s a cinch.

What are you putting off because it looms too large in your thinking? Start by carrying away very small stones and look to the Lord to direct you steps

Diane

1 Vern McLellan, “Wise Words and Quotes” Tyndale House Publishers, 1998.

What is your passion?
Synonyms for passion are fervor, ardor, enthusiasm and zeal. In my experience personally and professionally our propensity is to be zealous for the wrong things. We develop passions for people or things, but how often are we passionate about the things of God? “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.” What an illustration. Phinehas had a passion, a zeal for the things God has a passion for. Can you say that? Are you passionate about the things God is passionate about?
Let me share 3 foundations to appropriate passion:
1) Are you passionate to know and believe God?
a. “Isaiah 43:10, “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And my servants whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.”
2) Do you seek to love God passionately?
a. Matthew 22:37, “Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
3) Are to passionate in your obedience to God?
a. John 14:15, 21, 23, 24, “If you love Me, keep My commandments…He who has My commandments and keep the, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” …Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him…He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

What are you passionate about? Are you taking steps to pursue that passion to the glory of God?

Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with
thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Praise:
“And the Lord…” – the same Lord who works in our lives today. This verse is one given by Moses to Joshua. He instructs him in front of all Israel to lead the people into the Promised Land. His words are from the Lord to Joshua and the people, but they are also promises to us today in our lives.
Psalms 23:1 – my shepherd
Psalms 25:4-5 – God of my salvation
Luke 2:11 – a Savior
Philippians 2:11 – Jesus Christ, my Lord
Promises:
“…he it is that doth go before thee…”
He is not just in the past or in the present, but goes before you!
He knows everything in your path, and you need to trust Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – He will direct your path
Psalms 119:105 – His Word is a lamp unto your feet
Matthew 28:20 – I am with you always

“…he will be with thee…”
We all need to know we are not alone. He promises He is with us at all times.
Hebrews 13:5 – I will never leave you
1 Peter 5:7 – He care for you
Isaiah 55:6 – He is always near for us to call on Him

“…he will not fail you…”
So many people feel everyone has failed them, or they have failed everyone else.
1 Corinthians 13:8 – love never fails;
Jesus never fails
Psalms 119:76 – God is love and His love is unfailing

“…neither forsake thee…”
Jesus knew what it was to be forsaken as He hung on the cross. He cried out,
“…why hast thou forsaken me…”. God could not look on the sins He bore for us
When we accept Jesus as Savior, He says, “I’ll never leave you, my child.”
1 Corinthians 15:13 – I will not forsake you
Psalms 9:10 – the Lord has never forsaken seekers of Him

Peace:
“…fear not, neither be dismayed…”
Christ’s words are, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Instead, He offers peace. He calls us His little flock and says, “Do not fear.”
He gives us perfect love, and perfect love casts out all fear.
John 14:27 – Christ’s words
1 John 4:18 – don’t be dismayed, put your trust in Him
Psalms 56:3 – instead of dismay, allow joy to take its place

Dottie

A few years ago I picked up a little book at Barnes and Nobles called, “Famous Last Words: Fond Farewells, Deathbed Diatribes, and Exclamations upon Expiration” complied by Ray Robinson.
I found some interesting and others humorous. Permit me to share a few:
“Death is nothing, nor life either, for that matter. To die, to sleep, to pass into
nothingness, what does it matter? Everything is an illusion.” Mata Hari
“What have I lived for?” Lorenz Hart
“My dear, before you kiss me good-bye, fix your hair. It’s a mess.” George
Kelly
“Am I dying or is it my birthday?” Lady Astor
“My mother did it.” Arnold Rothstein
“Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something.” Pancho Villa
You may wonder why I mention these. As I read this book it made me consider what my last words would be and further, what would I want to be remembered for?
What legacy are you leaving? What do you want to be remembered for? Will you have any regrets? You are leaving a legacy either intentionally or unintentionally. Which do you prefer?
Let me encourage you to give consideration to what statement to you want to make with your life to the generations that will follow you. Once you determine that, live every day in light of that goal with purpose and intention.

Jehovah Shammah “When you Feel Alone”

This name for God is translated “The LORD is there”. God revealed himself as Jehovah Shammah during the time of Ezekiel when the children of Israel were in the 70 years of Babylonian captivity. During this time the Jewish exiles were convinced that God had deserted them and there was no hope. Psalms 137 clearly expresses their feelings regarding their present state of troubles.

It was during this time of discouragement that God gave Ezekiel the vision of the re-building of Jerusalem. After describing it in detail, Ezekiel ends his prophecy by revealing the new name for the city: “The Lord is There.” (Ezekiel 48:35)

We do not have to wait until the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophesy to enjoy and be encouraged by the Lord’s presence. That’s what makes our God different from all the other religions ~ Jehovah dwells with His people.

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there…” (Psalms 139:7-8)

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit lives in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16)

Every Believer can truly say, “Jehovah Shammah”, the Lord is with me. If he doesn’t seem to be in you – come back to him and let him in. Often we start crowding God out and leave little space for God in our lives. He wants to be present ~ allow God full access! “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalms 145:18). Call on him today and he will be there ~ he is Jehovah Shammah.

Lynne

Jehovah Tsidkenu “When you are Guilty

We are all guilty at some time or another. In fact, 1 John 1:8 reminds us that we deceive ourselves if we think we are without sin. When we are guilty it is Jehovah Tsidkenu “The Lord our Righteousness” that we can run to. In the book of Jeremiah we learn about Judah’s sins: immorality, political corruption and apostasy. We learn that the spiritual leaders of the time were not seeking after God. In Jeremiah 22 we are told about the judgment to come if the nation does not turn to God and repent. However, just a few verses later God declares that what He is going to do ~ He will provide the Lord, the author of righteousness and justification.
Now, I don’t know about you but not unlike Israel and Judah I too need the Lord of righteousness and justification. Without Jehovah Tsidkenu in my life I must remain stuck in my guilt. Praise the Lord I can be free of my guilt (any and all guilt) because I know Jehovah Tsidkenu. How do I receive it? How can you receive it? We need to look no further than 1 John 1:9 where it states that He will cleanse me from my sin. All I have to do is admit I can’t do it myself.

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21)
This righteousness can be yours through faith in Jesus (Rom 3:23). If you already have this faith be released from the guilt of your sins ~ Know Jehovah Tsidkenu. Are you free? Or Are you burdened with guilt? Turn to Him.

Do you make these statements? I do!

For any negative thing you say about yourself – God has a positive answer for it!
Read His answers to you.

You say, “It’s impossible.”
God says, “All things are possible.” – Luke 18:27

You say, “I’m too tired.”
God says, “I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28-30

You say, “Nobody really loves me.”
God says, “I love you.” – John 3:16; 13:34

You say, “I can’t go on.”
God says, “My grace is sufficient.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9; Psalms 91:15

You say, “I can’t do it.”
God says, “You can do all things.” – Philippians 4:13

You say, “It isn’t worth it.”
God says, “It will be worth it.” – Romans 8:28

You say, “I just can’t manage.”
God says, “I will supply all your needs.” – Philippians 4:19

You say, “I can’t forgive myself.”
God says, “I forgive you.” – 1 John 1:9; Romans 8:1

You say, “I am afraid.”
God says, “I have not given you a spirit of fear.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

You say, “I’m always worried and frustrated.”
God says, “Cast all your care on me.” – 1 Peter 5:7

You say, “I feel all alone.”
God says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” – Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5

You say, “I can’t figure things out.”
God says, “I will direct your steps.” – Proverbs 3:5 & 6

I find these verses helpful over and over. Some I got from Inter Scan, but you can add to them, as I have, as you read the promises He gives in His Word
Write and add ones He gives to you.

Dottie

Exodus 14:13-14, “And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand
still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you
today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more
forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

Lynne’s devotional yesterday on Jehovah Nissi -the Lord of our battles
reminded me of this verse in Exodus. Can you just imagine the scene? Moses
leading a mass of people who, in great fear, realize they are trapped
between the Red sea and their approaching enemy. “And when Pharaoh drew
near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians
marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel
cried out to the LORD.” Exodus 14:10

The Israelites had limited options. There is no way they could defeat the
Egyptians in their own strength. Their only hope was if Someone came to
their rescue. That someone was their God. “So the LORD saved Israel that
day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on
the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in
Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant
Moses.” Exodus 14:30-31

Do you have a battle that you simply cannot fight, let alone win? Cry
out to Jehovah Nissi and “Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD,
which He will accomplish for you today.”

Diane