Fantastic Friday #790 - Empty

Empty

12 He does not answer when people cry out
because of the arrogance of the wicked.
13 Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;
the Almighty pays no attention to it.
14 How much less, then, will he listen
when you say that you do not see him,
that your case is before him
and you must wait for him, Job 35:12-14

How do you reach out to God? Is it with an empty heart, one that feels like you deserve what you are asking for because you are a good person? We all have to remember that we are not good and God doesn't answer to arrogant individuals who don't have anything but personal motivation for what they are asking. When we approach God, He wants a humble individual, with desire in their heart, and a love for others. My assumption is that since I do not know how God chooses to answer, I would think He would answer a humble servant more quickly than an arrogant individual. Humbleness is greater than arrogance, and arrogance only leads to separation from God. Sometimes even the humble have to wait in prayer for the answers to come, and the answer may not always be the one you are looking for and could be no. Keep in mind that God will listen, as long as you come humbly.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #789 - Twisted

Twists

8 The voice of the Lordshakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lordtwists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever. Psalm 29:8-10


Have you ever sat and watched something just twist in the wind? Back and forth, to and fro, circle around, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to which way the item twists. Our lives can be twisted and turned in the same manner if we don’t follow the Lord and the path He lays before us. We have choices and sometimes those decisions can leave us twisting in the wind because they are not decisions that follow God and His teachings. If God can twist the oaks which are some of the strongest trees on earth, don’t you think he can twist you in the right direction and not leave you floundering. Follow God and not the wind, because the wind will only die out and God is there forever. God will strengthen those who don’t want to twist. 


Have a great weekend.


Matt

Fantastic Friday #788 - Hurt

Hurt

3 You said, ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ 4 But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth. Jeremiah 45:3-4

Do you find at times that you hurt for what seems no good reason? Maybe it is something that was said to you, something someone did to you, or maybe your heart hurts because someone left you. We all can hurt for different reasons, but we should take heart that we will never hurt like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, because He hurt more than anyone. Can you imagine the pain and hurt he experienced? We can tell ourselves that He is God so there is no way that He hurt as bad as I do now. The funny thing is, we would be lying to ourselves, because God came to Earth as a man, one that could experience all the pain, emotions and suffering that we all have the capability of seeing and experiencing ourselves. He died for those same things that we think we suffer with, but I know it is nothing close to the hurt and suffering He experienced. Don't focus on the hurt, focus on the healing and you will not suffer.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #787 - Start

Start

5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.

6 Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:5-6


I have seen a lot of people talking about finishing the race that was set out before them over the past week, whether it be elementary school, high school or trade schools and college. What is interesting is how we celebrate the finality of those events, and some are quite extravagant. I certainly am not downplaying the importance of them and the role they play in each of our lives. We are finally done with those tasks, tests and challenges, and now move on to something else in our life. I am wondering how much we focus on these past experiences when we face the troubles of the world and the snares and pitfalls placed before us. We certainly don't avoid every one of them, and can very easily steer off our most current course and race we are involved in. If we look back at the start of those events to see how God guided us, or even people who positively influenced us during those times, it might make things easier to deal with when the challenging times come. Don't fret over the current race you are in, look at the start of others to show how God rewarded you in the end. He loves us and wants us to finish every race we start, and He wants us to finish the final race with honors. Before we finish, we must choose to start. Start and finish strong.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #786 - Path

Path

103
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 

I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
105 

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path. Psalm 119:103-105

We all have paths that we walk on daily, and these paths never lead in a straight line to anything typically, as there are always forks in the road where we must choose the path that is right for us. I love the old poem by Robert Frost The Road Not Taken where two roads diverged in a yellow wood, it offers so much imagery. While he was disappointed he could not travel both, sometimes our paths have a choice between right and wrong. The path least taken by most these days is probably the one we should take, because the world has trodden down the one with distractions and things in our life that are not sweet like the honey we could taste with the right path. God has taught us through the years not to take the wrong path, even though it might be more simple and flat. God will guide us through the challenging path that will bring us closer to Him. So, when you see the paths before you, take the well-lit more difficult path and that will make all the difference.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #785 - Dismayed

Dismayed

3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness
like those long dead.
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done. Psalm 143:3-5

Do you ever get dismayed? Is your courage beaten and battered, so you feel like cowering in a corner? The enemy attacks us from multiple angles and one is when we question our own courage. He will see that crack in our thoughts and try to sneak in which can cause great pain and doubt. We need to remember those cracks of dismay can be filled with something much better, and that is our Lord and Savior. If we turn to strengthen our spirit by ignoring the doubt of the enemy, then we can more clearly see the differences and changes in our life due to God. Don't let your spirit grow faint, but place things and people in your life that make a difference in your feelings in a positive way. Friends become family and family helps with our dismay as well. Don't fill the cracks with the dismay of the enemy, fill it with only the Good of God.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #784 - Fear

Fear

11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land. Psalm 25: 11-13


What do you fear? The dark, being alone, death? These are all fears that the enemy wants us to have, because they are all things that seem to have a common theme. Darkness you can't see, being alone you cannot feel, and death is the end. At least that is what the enemy wants you to think. We should have a healthy fear of the Lord and that is to respect Him and all He has done for us. Tomorrow I will lead a service in remembrance of a dear friend, and the enemy wants me to fear speaking in front of all my friends, her family and extended friends. The thing is, I don't really fear speaking about her or about what Jesus can bring into your life. I fear that I am not reaching enough people with God's Word and there will be many people who will not Fear God but Fear Death. I am not afraid of the Dark, although my brother and sister might tell you differently, but neither am I afraid of being alone or of death. With darkness, there is the light that God shines, with loneliness my friends and family fill that void and with death, I do not fear it because of the faith I have in God and Jesus' resurrection. Do not Fear.

Have a great weekend.

Matt