by Pastor Cecil | Dec 8, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-5
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high, He lays the lofty city low; He levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.”
We once owned a hamster whose cage had a hamster wheel. Have you ever seen a hamster on a hamster wheel? It runs like crazy, but gets nowhere. Sometimes in the middle of the night you can hear the squeak of the wheel as the little creature runs and runs but remains in the cage.
Many times I fear that we Christians are very much like a hamster on a hamster wheel. Things are making us uncomfortable so we panic and try to do things in our own strength. We’ve gotta worry! We’ve gotta work! We’ve gotta do something!
The problem is that we are doing things our way rather than doing things God’s way. He never desires us to run ourselves ragged in order to please Him or to merit salvation. In today’s Scripture we see that what God wants us to do is to place our trust in Him.
As a boy I used to cherish the times I was alone with my dad. He once worked as a driver for Washington Motor Coach Company. A few times I rode along on his route. The bus may have carried twenty or thirty passengers, but only dad was the driver. Our lives were in his hands. You might say, and rightly so—we were just along for the ride!
From time to time we would make a scheduled stop and dad would sometimes ask me to do a small task for him. I did so, joyfully. But it was only when he asked that my tasks accomplished the purpose of serving him.
I hope you get the spiritual implication. The Lord calls us to ride along with Him and enjoy the scenery until He calls us to do His bidding. Wait expectantly for Him—it is worth the wait!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 17, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Over the years I have found my mind going back to today’s verse. It was one of the first verses I ever memorized. Come to think about it, it may very well be the reason that I am known as more optimistic than pessimistic. It is not me, but the Lord that makes the difference.
God gives us a tremendous promise in this verse. He promises to strengthen us, to help us and to uphold us. Do you realize what that promise should mean to each of us in our daily walk? It means that we can claim victory over every situation.
As I read this verse again, I see that our requirement is very minimal. We are not called upon to do great and mighty works. We do not even have to possess super human abilities.
So what is our part? “Fear not” and “Be not dismayed.” The reason the Lord gives us for not fearing or being dismayed is that He is with us and He is our God. With God in control we are free to praise Him and give Him the glory.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 2, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”
There is an old saying; “He gave me a piece of his mind that he couldn’t afford to lose!” There is a huge difference between “Piece” and “Peace.” Unfortunately far too many Christians are contented with only a “piece” of God’s “peace.”
Just a “piece” of “peace” is certainly not enough. We need the peace that passes all human understanding. A deep and abiding peace that stands firm and strong regardless of the storms of life that we may encounter.
I think most, if not all of us have experienced the storms of nature. It may be when we were on a boat, in a violent thunderstorm, a frightening earthquake, or some other frightening event. After the chaos has subsided, we rejoice in the quiet peace that enfolds us.
Today’s Scripture is God’s promise for each true believer. God promises perfect peace to the believer who steadfastly trusts in Him. That means trusting God in the storms and in the calms. Do you want peace of mind? Remember Jesus is the One who calmed the storm and He can calm yours.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 5, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10 (Amplified)
“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”
It seems like a hundred years ago that I was a small boy struggling to memorize Scripture in a Sunday School Class in Camas, Washington. One of the first verses that I ever memorized was Isaiah 41:10.
Across the years I have recited this verse and meditated upon it. That reminds me that it really is vital to memorize a verse before you can meditate on it. As I have contemplated on the meaning I have been encouraged to stay as far away from fear and depression as possible.
I especially like the way the Amplified Bible explains that in reality there is nothing for the believer to fear. If we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, our next awareness is to be in the presence of the Lord. Either way there is nothing to fear.
Depression is our limiting the ability of the Lord to bring glory out of the most impossible situation. Someone has said, “I can’t, He can! That’s all I need to know—let’s go!”
Another of the verses I memorized so long ago was Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” If we truly believe this verse, we will move from victory to victory—regardless of the circumstances. That is the way to live!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 16, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Did you know that fear paralyzes? Perhaps most of us have heard the expression, “He froze like a deer in the headlights.” Think of the most frightful experiences of your life and you may be able to relate to that poor animal.
I believe that Satan uses fear to keep believers from doing the things that the Lord has called us and empowered us to accomplish. Satan causes us to imagine that we will be laughed at or tormented if we obey the Lord, so we tend to stare into his headlights and do nothing.
In the midst of our fear we are given this powerful verse in Isaiah 41:10. It was one of the first verses I memorized over 60 years ago. There are two things that we are instructed to do: don’t fear and don’t be dismayed.
That may seem simple, but when Satan’s boogyman jumps out, it is hard to control our fear and dismay. But thank the Lord He gives us two reasons why we need not give in to fear or dismay. He is with us and He is our God! Wow! That is powerful, but it does not end there.
The Lord promises what He will do for us if we do not fear or become depressed: He will strengthen us and help us and uphold us with His righteous right hand. The right hand is the symbol of ultimate divine power.
I challenge you to let the Lord fight your battles with the enemy. Trust Him completely and know that He never leaves you or forsakes you but will always be with you.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 9, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ”
Over the week-end, Joyce and I were doing a little reminiscing about our parents. My dad was especially adept at doing just about anything that needed to be done—all the way from carpentry to electronics.
My mom on the other hand was more the director of operations—dad’s operations that is. When one of the family members needed something done, mom would say, “Oh, dad would be glad to do it!” Dad would just smile and moan.
Christians all too often are like my mom. When God has a task to be accomplished they start thinking about others who could do the job. While the words may not be spoken, the message is this: “Here am I—send him (or her)!”
Matthew 9:37-38 indicates that we are to pray for the Lord to send out workers for the harvest. The fact of the matter is that we need to ask the Lord what part we can play in bringing in the harvest.
Some till the soil, some plant, some water and tend the tender plants as they grow, and there are those who reap. When you pray the Lord to send you, what part of the harvest of souls are you personally participating in?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
