Tag: faith

If I Seek Him,

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

I will find him.

It’s true.  And the opposite is true.  If I don’t seek God, I can’t expect to find him.  I won’t know him.

It’s also true that I will never totally know and and understand God because he is – well,

God!

My 3 1/2 pound brain just can’t comprehend all of him.  My goal is to seek to know and understand more of him every day, every week, every year.  I have decided that I will be on this journey towards the Truth for the rest of my life.

And, when my journey on earth ends, I’m going to know God better than I know him now.  I am going to understand him better than I understand him right now.

Because, when I seek him, I always find him and it’s all good.

King David shared this wisdom in 1 Chronicles with  Solomon as he prepared to hand his throne over to his son. “If you seek him, he will be found by you.”

David knew this to be true from his own personal experience.  He also understood that Solomon would need to seek God for himself in order to be the king God wanted him to be.

David realized that Solomon would not hear God, not understand God, not know God unless he spent significant time and effort in seeking him.

The same is true for you and me.  There is no magic to growing in my knowledge of  and faith in God.  It takes a lot of time and effort.   I have to willing to open my heart so God can change the things I love to the things he loves.  I have to willing to open my mind so God can transform my thoughts –  etching his truth over old lies and self-centered thinking.  I have to read and study his Word and then let his Word come alive in my life – effecting the things I say and the things I do.  It takes perseverence and commitment.

But there is nothing that is more worth the time and energy and effort.

Nothing.

You are all I need, Abba Father.

It’s OK

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

That was not my intention.

Nobody’s perfect.

It’s not a big deal.

These are all things we tell ourselves when we realize we have done something wrong but we don’t really want to acknowledge it.  We often rationalize it away – never owning up to it.

We don’t admit our mistakes.

We move on like nothing happened.

People get hurt, we don’t trust each other and we struggle with our relationships.

One of the reasons King David was ‘a man after God’s own heart’ was because he was good at admitting it when he did something wrong.  He was a little blind to how badly he had acted with Bathsheba until Nathan pointed it out to him.  We all need great friends who will lovingly point it out when we mess up.  As soon as David’s eyes were opened to his mistakes, he admitted them and repented.

That’s what God wants me to do when I’ve made a mistake  – own it and try not to do it again. (confess and repent).  God knows my heart so throwing “I’m sorry” around without meaning it doesn’t work.  God can see whether I’m sincere in my apology and serious about not doing whatever it is again.

God wants you to admit your mistakes and repent, too.

Let’s not rationalize it away.

Let’s not say it’s ok – nobody is perfect.

Let’s not ignore it.

God wants us to have trusting, lasting relationships and dealing well with our mistakes is a big part of that.

Please help us to be quick to confess and repent, Abba Father.

A Direct Line

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Have you noticed?

It appears that some people have a direct line to God.  When they call (pray), God always responds.   Stuff happens.

I believe it’s true – some people have a direct line to God.

Why?

Because they pray in line with God’s will.  When I pray for what God wants to give me, I always get it.  He has promised me.

God tells me in James 1, when I pray for wisdom, I always get it – in generous amounts.  When I pray for more of the Fruit of the Spirit, the Spirit that lives inside of me helps grow and nurture those things.  When it’s God’s will for me, he says yes every time.

The key is praying God’s will.  What does God want?  What is best for his purposes?

To do this, I need to know God well.  I need to have his word etched on my heart and mind so that it’s how I think.  And – a tough one for me – I need to put what he wants ahead of what I want.  There are times when God reveals to me through his Word what he wants done in a certain situation.  Other times, I simply pray Jesus’ prayer, “Thy will be done.”

I can’t give God a list of things I want and expect him to say yes to everything.  But when I pray for what God wants – knowing and trusting that what he wants is always best –  it happens.

This doesn’t mean I don’t ask God for things I want.  He tells us to pray to him all the time on every occasion about everything.  It does mean that the answer will not be ‘yes’ when I’m praying out of line with his will.

In 1 Chronicles, David was trying to bring the Ark of God back to Jerusalem but he was running into big problems.  One of his men died because he touched the Ark to steady it.  That scared David so he left the Ark with a local family and went on to Jerusalem.  There, he realized the issue with the Ark  was “we did not inquire of him (God) about how to do it in the prescribed way.”

So he consulted God and, when they did it God’s way, they were successful.  David danced with joy in front of the Ark as it entered Jerusalem, the City of David.

When I ask God to do things his way, my direct line to God is wide open.

And the answer is always ‘yes’.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Psalm 57, 2018

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Hold me close, God.

I need to feel the safety of being held by you.  Hold me tightly in your arms while this storm roars through my life.

I cry out to you, Most High God, and you send your angels to save me.  The problems and trials which are overwhelming me are pushed away.  I feel your love and I trust your faithfulness.

People who do not want the best for me surround me.  They desire to take my peace and make me afraid.

But you, Father God, are in control of everything.  With power and love you rule the earth.

People around me try to snare me with their lies and tricks.  They dig pits with their evil mouths and then fall into the pits themselves.

My heart, Oh God, is your’s forever.  I will praise you all day long.  I will sing about your great love which fills the earth.  I will sing about your great faithfulness which reaches endlessly to the skies.

You, Father God, are in control of everything.  With power and love you rule the earth.

I know that Voice

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Has this happened to you?  I’m in a crowded place where many people are talking and then one lone voice clearly sticks out of the noise.

I know that voice.

It’s somebody I know and I instantly recognize it and turn toward it.  In the past this voice has often been one of my children or my husband or a close friend.

That is also how it is for me with God’s voice.  His voice pierces through all the other voices around me.  Because I know him.

Little Samuel was just getting to know God in 1 Samuel so when he heard a voice in the middle of the night, he thought it was Eli, the High Priest.  So Samuel would run to Eli every time he heard this voice and Eli would tell him he didn’t call him.  The third time this happened, Eli realized that God was calling to the little boy.  Eli had heard God’s voice often so he told the little boy what to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”

And God spoke.  Samuel obeyed.

After that, God became Samuel’s constant companion as he grew up.

Have you heard God’s voice?

In my life, the more I study God’s Word and know what he says, the easier it has become to hear him.  I have heard him teach me and reveal truth to me for many years as I have read and studied the Bible.  I know his voice.

I have also been seriously memorizing chapters in the Bible for several years so I have God’s Word etched on my brain.  When he wants to give me direction and wisdom, he will highlight some of the verses I have written in my mind and speak to me through those verses.  There is no doubt who is speaking to me when he’s speaking God’s word.  And I know it’s the truth, not some whispered lies of Satan.

There are occasions when a person is speaking to me about something in the Bible and God will say in my head, “You know that’s not true.  You have read my Word and you know this is not what I have said.”  Sometimes God will give me an opportunity to ask where this person has read this in Bible so we can discuss it and sometimes I don’t get a chance to ask.  Either way,  God is helping me keep in line with his truth.

There are situations where God does the exact opposite.  Someone I’m talking with will share a new understanding or experience they had with God and it will immediately ring true in my brain – that’s  God!  And then I get to celebrate with this person because they are getting to know God better and they will continue to have more and more of these experiences when they stay on this path.

A critical part of creating this open communication with God is what happens after he talks to me.  I need to obey.  If I don’t listen and obey, I will not hear God as clearly next time.  Just like Samuel, I need to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”  And then I need to do what God says – that’s how it works.

God’s voice is the most important voice in my life.

I know his voice.

Do you?

Please open our eyes and ears, Abba Father.

I’m Waiting

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

I know what I want for myself and for others.  I know who is in control of everything.

So I pray to the Creator of the Universe.  My dad.

Right?

And God responds – yes, no or wait.  I like the ‘yes’. I don’t like the ‘no’.  And the ‘wait’ is the hardest answer of all.  I’m not good at waiting, are you?

Why wait?  Did he really say ‘wait’?  Is he ever going to change his answer to ‘yes’?

Hannah was in this same situation in 1 Samuel.  She was in misery because she had no children and she wanted a son.  Women at that time were looked down on if they had no children.  What’s wrong with her?  Other women picked on her.  And “this went on year after year”.

It sounds like Hannah was consistently ‘pouring out my soul to the LORD.”  “I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”  Lots of conversations with God.  She didn’t give up.  She kept asking.  “So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.”

It might have seemed like God was saying ‘no’ to Hannah because it took years.  But he was waiting for the right time.

God knows the right time – I don’t.  So I have to wait.

This time of waiting is not wasted.  When I am faithful and tuned into him, he uses this time to grow my faith and grow my wisdom and grow my understanding.  I see that with Hannah – God was preparing her while she waits to be the mother of Samuel – a great man of God.

So I will wait.  I will pray for God’s will to be done in my life.  I will trust that, at the right time, he will give me what is best for me.  He has always been faithful in the past, he is faithful today and he will be faithful for eternity.

Thank you,  Abba Father.

When It’s Big…

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

and bad…

and scary,

even people who don’t love God will turn to him, pray to him, cry to him.  Because our souls know who he is even if our minds won’t acknowledge it.  He created us and the heart he molded inside of us cries out to its maker when we’re in significant trouble.

In Judges 10, the Israelites are on one of their downward spirals of sin.  They have stopped serving God and have started serving Baal…..again.  So God let the pagan kingdoms who also served Baal crush them and oppress them.

It was bad.

So the Israelites cried out to God and he replied, “Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.  Let them save you when you are in trouble.”

Sometimes, as a Good Father who wants to teach us life lessons, God says that to us today.  If we have placed things other than God as our top priority, they are our gods.

There are situations where God lets us learn the hard way that money is not our security.  It disappears, it turns into a nightmare when we use credit, and the stuff we buy with it only makes us happy for a little while.  Have you and I learned this yet?

Relationships – people are flawed.  Unconditional love only comes from God.  My husband, my wife, my friends, my children cannot be my first priority.  God didn’t create it to work that way.  Have you and I learned this yet?

Careers – money, recognition, power, prestige often distract us from God.  Sadly, tragically, we can find that we were struggling so hard to climb a ladder that was up against the wrong wall.  At the end, there’s a huge, disappointing fall.  Have you and I learned this yet?

Anything we put before the One True God in our lives becomes a false god as we serve it and love it and focus on it.   These false gods will be no help when the bottom falls out of our lives.   Then our hearts will cry out to their Creator God just like the Israelite’s hearts did.

The Israelites had been taught well and they knew exactly what to do to get back in line with God.  They repented and got rid of their false gods.  And God responded by helping to deliver them from their enemies.  They still had to fight and struggle (consequences for their bad decisions) but God gave them victory.

God has told us he is a jealous God and he will not tolerate his people serving other gods.  When its big and bad and we need help, none of these false gods are going to of any use to us.

Have you and I learned this yet?

You are the only God in my life, Abba Father.

With Me

On By Judy GlasserIn March3 Comments

Every day…

Every situation…

Every trial…

The Spirit of the LORD is with me.

In the Old Testament, there were times when God would give his Spirit to someone when he had a tough assignment for them.  We read in Judges 9 that Caleb’s little brother, Othniel, became a judge for the Israelites.  God raised him up to deliver the Israelites from slavery to the King of Aram Naharaim.

“The Spirit of the LORD came on him” and he led the fighting men into war.  God’s Spirit made Othniel strong and courageous.

As believers today, we live under the New Covenant with God.  Now, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of each of us when we accept the salvation Jesus freely offers to each of us.

God’s Spirit is with me every minute of every day.  His Spirit wants to make me strong and courageous, too.

And loving,

joyful,

peaceful,

patient,

kind,

faithful,

gentle and self-controlled.

All of this is inside me – I just need to let God’s spirit have his way in my life.

If you are a believer, all of these great things are inside of you, too.  It’s time to nurture them and let the Spirit show.

Thank you for the awesome gift of your Spirit,  Abba Father.

Stepping In

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

Stepping up.

Making the first move.

I often ask God to direct my steps.  My prayers regularly include requests for him to show me an opportunity to do something I think he wants me to do.  Because I’ll do it, I just want to know that its his direction and his timing.

And he does it.  Right before my eyes, he will give me an opportunity to do something he wants done or say something he wants said.

Every time one of these opportunities presents itself, I have to take the first step of faith forward, not knowing what the next step is and never knowing how this is all going to work out.

I just have to take that first step and obey.

So the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land is special to me.  God told the priests carrying the Ark of the LORD to go first.  God told them he would make a way for them but, first, they had to step into the Jordan which was running at flood stage.

The overflowing water of the Jordan river was roaring down its path…..

and they had to step in.

An act of faith.  An act of obedience.

As soon as the priest’s feet touched the water’s edge, the water stopped flowing.  They had to commit and then they saw God respond.  In the middle of a rushing river, God opened up a path for them to the Promised Land.

This is significant.  Too often we want to see God move in our lives but we haven’t stepped out in faith.  We haven’t stepped up to the plate in obedience of the things we already know God wants us to do.

Jesus told us clearly, “Love God and love others.”  These are the two main things I need to be about – I already know that.  When I am focused on doing these things,  I see God part the waters for me.  He blesses my last step and reveals my next step.

But the first step of obedience is mine.

Where is God asking you to take that first step of obedience?  Go ahead – step into the water and watch it part in front of you.  It will be worth it.

I believe, Abba Father, so I’m stepping in.

Courage

On By Judy GlasserIn March4 Comments

What does courage look like in my life?

What does it look like for you?

What do I need courage for?  What is God asking me to do that a little scary and out of my comfort zone?

I know God is challenging both you and me – it’s his nature.  As our Good Father, he wants us to grow and develop a strong, courageous character.  So he provides opportunities for us to be stretched.

Where is he stretching you?  If you don’t think he is, I recommend spending several hours with him as you read and meditate and listen to him speak to you through his Word.  You will come away from that time challenged by something – I guarantee it.

God gave Joshua a huge challenge by giving him leadership of the Israelite nation after Moses was ‘gathered to his people’.  They were finally ready to enter the Promised Land.  And they were facing the daunting task of conquering the land and taking control.

There seemed to be a lot of  valid reasons to be fearful and worried – except God had already declared victory.  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you where ever you go.”

God was in total control – there was no reason to be afraid.

Have you ever experienced a situation like this where you knew you didn’t need to be afraid because God had already declared victory?

I had a major experience like this several years ago when I thought I had just caught a weird respiratory bug on a trip to the Midwest but then found out, when I finally went to the doctor and then the emergency room ending up in ICU, that I had a dozen blood clots in my lungs.  While the doctor in ER was explaining to me that this was a life-threatening situation, God spoke into my mind.  He told me that he had already taken care of this – I was not going to die from it.  I was going to have to go through all the tests and months of blood thinners and days in the hospital but God was going to go with me, every step of the way.

I was not afraid.  My doctor was amazed at my attitude – she kept reminding me that I was going through a life-threatening experience.  Four other doctors told me that this should have killed me – they were afraid for me.

God had already declared victory – there was no reason to be afraid.  I obviously didn’t die from it and I realized that God had given me a new story to share about his faithfulness and love and care.  He is still doing miracles today!

It was a truly amazing experience to watch God’s victory play out in my life right before my eyes.

So I have some knowledge of how Joshua must have felt when God told him that he had to lead the way in conquering the Promised Land and God would give him victory.  Joshua was going to have to wake up every day and show up, but God was going to be with him, making it all happen.

Where is God challenging you?  If he’s asking you to do something, he will be right there beside you helping you accomplish it.

Be strong and courageous.  Experience God’s victory in your life today.

Thank you, Abba Father, for the miracles you are doing right now in our lives.