Fantastic Friday #425 - Deliver

Deliver

² And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. ³ But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. ⁴ We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. 2 Thessalonians 3:2-4
 

There are many people and spiritual forces fighting against us daily.  Throughout this, we are expected in life to deliver on a daily basis.  We are expected to deliver our best in many ways and sometimes people require us to deliver quickly without pondering or praying.  When we deliver sub-par performances we can disappoint others and sometimes we can be super hard on ourselves.  When you find yourself around negative and emotionally draining people, do you find it easy to get swallowed in by their negativity?  Do you have it within your own power to deliver yourself from this environment?  I have seen a number of times how God is faithful in my life and sometimes I get so caught up in trying to deliver myself out of a situation where I cannot see how God has been faithful in the past.  We need to remember to daily have confidence and faith in the Lord that He will deliver us from anything that is fighting against us.  Even when the enemy battles against our delivery, we need to rely on the on-time delivery of our Father in Heaven.  For His delivery is always on time.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #424 - Similar

Similar

²⁰ Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. ²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. ²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. ²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. 1 Corinthians 7:20-24
 

Do you remember the person you were when God called you?  Do you remember what environment you found yourself in after God called you?  Most likely you were a person that was a slave to this world and all it had to offer.  You also might have found yourself still attached to environments that might not have been the best in your life.  Since Christ already paid the price for your life, it is important that when God called you that you would leave the other life behind.  What happens all too often is we can easily become a slave to the world and have a similar existence to what we had before God's call. The key thing we need to remember is how God prefaces this scripture and that is found in verse 19 of this chapter. 

"Keeping God’s commands is what counts." 1 Corinthians 7:19b

If we can remember this little tidbit, our life would be one of glorifying God and not ourselves.  We would be in a similar world as the one we left after accepting God's calling, it is just how we choose to live in this world.  Not a slave to the world but a slave to righteousness and God's plan for us.  These two paths have similar tendencies but very different. One is fulfilling and one is not, and we should be alert to these differences.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #423 - Unchanging

Unchanging

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. Hebrews 16:16-18

Have you experienced where a person said one thing and then completely changed their mind and did the opposite?  Have you ever experienced a person in a leadership role or a coach, teach one thing and do completely the opposite of what they teach?  Many in our world would label that person a hypocrite or a liar, but what about you?  Do you find yourself trying to set an example of how things should be done, and then do something that goes against everything you had said?  Self reflection on how you act in these situations might highlight some shortcomings of your own behavior that everyone sees and some might judge.  Now take a moment to reflect on who God is and what He promises.  He is unchanging and tells us exactly what we should do.  Instead of trying to forge or own path, we should follow the path God has put in front of us and quit trying to change it.  God doesn't change, but we should change to become more like God and love our brothers and sisters for who they are, someone just like us.

Have a great weekend.

Fantastic Friday #422 - Protection

Protection

¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you. ¹² Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
    you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

Where do you turn for protection?  Sometimes we aren't protected from things that can harm us.  It may be the random viewing of something we shouldn't be looking at, or it may be some outside random object that can knock us down.  The thing that we need to remember is who we turn to when we are knocked down physically and spiritually.  Sometimes tragic accidents happen, but through all the tragedy God can be seen as the One who repairs and protects us.  God performed some amazing work this week on a young man, and through all the tragedy and pain, I know we can turn to Him and take refuge in Him.  Think about those times when you need protection from tragedy and pain, and look to our Lord who will surely bless the righteous as the scripture states.  Use the shield provided and rely on His protection.


Have a great weekend.