Facing a Fork in the Road? Let it Become Cause for Pause until Wise Counsel Speaks

Do you ever wish that God spoke to us like He did to the Israelites? With cloud by day & fire by night, they knew without a doubt they were headed in the right direction!

The other day I saw a video of a little girl talking to her daddy saying, “I don’t have a plan…do you have a plan?” At one point she begs emphatically, “We neeeeed a plan!” When her daddy suggests they talk to someone, she interrupts & says, “Nope. No, that won’t….”, then the video cuts off.

I really didn’t need to hear the rest of it anyway because I’ve had similar convos with God when I’m trying to determine what to do😳

Wondering which way is the best way is not a new conundrum. David prays in Psalm 5, asking the Lord to lead him on the right path, making His Way plain for David to follow. It’s such a simple prayer, but what do we do when standing at a fork of many ways & don’t really know where to go?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned the hard way that most times, the path ahead that SEEMS right, just might end in death, especially if I haven’t sought counsel on the matter.😬

Rather than ploughing ahead in common sense, it’s usually best to let the fork become cause for pause & ask for Divine sense!

When we’re not sure what step to take, it’s best to look back & recall the last thing the Lord said on the matter & continue in it until He says otherwise. And if all you hear is crickets, it might be best to remain at the fork until He speaks!

God still speaks today just like He did in the days of Moses, but it can be hard to hear His still, small voice amidst the hustle & bustle we allow in life! I’ve heard Him speak through His Word, movies, songs, conversations, circumstances, etc. The ways are countless, we just need to carve out some silence so we can hear & be patient enough to wait when it seems to take a while 😉

Father, faith comes by hearing so it’s imperative that we consider to whom or what we are listening! We want to follow in faith the path that doesn’t just SEEM best, but IS best because it’s been paved by The Way!

Jesus, make Your Way plain so we can easily follow, & when it’s unclear, we’ll choose to pause & praise while we wait for You to speak The Way ahead!

#OneYearBible

July 7th One Year Bible Readings

1 CHRONICLES 4:5-5:17

ACTS 25:1-27

PSALM 5:1-12

PROVERBS 18:19

Choosing Peace Usually Isn’t Convenient or Comfortable

This past week we’ve been without AC so not only were we hungry for real food (because I didn’t want to heat up the house by using the oven), we were hot as blazes AND thirsty, making for a fine mix of “thangry”.

Apparently “thangry” is the new “hangry” & means to be SO thirsty that you’re overtaken by anger.

As we all sat in the hot & humid house on Sunday, salty comments began to fly & I knew it was time to get a hotel room until our new AC system arrived.

As I write in the cool air of the hotel lobby, I realize that not all thrangry circumstances will have such an easy solution. We’ve all had moments when anger rises from the recesses of an unmet need & sometimes the only choice is to NOT to let the spirit behind it control us.

David exhorts us in Psalm 4 to not let anger lead, but to think about things overnight & remain silent. Not only that, he pushes us to offer sacrifices in the RIGHT spirit & trust the Lord.

There’s a cool connection between trust & offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving. When we choose to wield our words for gracious praise to God, it’s almost like a confession of trust!

Letting the enemy use external circumstances to woo us into angry land, however, robs us of rest.

When we remain silent before our offender & confess our confidence in God under bit & bridle of the HOLY Spirit, we’re able to do like David did & lie down in peace, trusting God to handle the details.

Choosing peace is oftentimes not convenient nor comfortable, but neither are the consequences that come when we let anger have its way!

Holy Spirit, peace comes as a fruit of following Your lead. When we’re tempted towards anger, remind us that all needs are met by our Father Who owns cattle on a thousand hills!

The next time we’re tempted to be overtaken by anger, may it become opportunity to test Your Word & see that it’s oh-so-good! Help us offer a sacrifice of praise in the right spirit as we trust You to keep us safe & provide for our every need!

#OneYearBible

We Guard Ourselves From Conforming to the World AROUND us, by Planting The Word of God IN Us

My son, Tommas, has this amazing ability to memorize things. He’s been an actor since he was 10 & I’ve always been blown away by his ability to receive a script, read it a few times & then own it as if he’d written it himself!

I, on the other hand, am a gister. I can remember key principles, but am not the best at reciting things verbatim.

Well, you can imagine my conviction as I listened to a man preach an entire message ONLY using key verses from Genesis through Revelation.

He didn’t have a podium or a phone, & the screen in the back of the room remained blank the entire time he spoke!

As a powerful preacher & gifted orator, God’s Word fell through him like a refreshing waterfall! He exhorted us, reminding us that we’re not called to CURSE the darkness, but rather PIERCE it with the Light of The Word!

As an accomplished actor, he shared that the biggest struggle in Hollywood came from well-meaning Christians who undermined The Word-that we can’t BE light if we don’t KNOW Thee Light, & we can’t know Him if we don’t know His Word!

Proverbs 18:15 tells us that intelligent people have open ears that are always ready to learn knowledge.

What kind of knowledge, however, are we willing to commit to memory?

When the message closed, my youngest son leaned over & said, “Boy, does he remind me of Tommas!” I’d been thinking the same thing, attributing his ability to speak the entire message using memorized verses as a divine gift from God 👉🏽which it is!

Brian closed his message, however, challenging my assumption by saying, “I guarantee if I played a Journey song right now, most of you could recite all the lyrics!”😬 Ouch!

Father, like Brian, we want the Word of God to be as true in our lives as it is on paper!

We can become an echo chamber of a whole lotta knowledge, but there’s only One Source that rings true for eternity 👉🏽Your infallible Word! May we commit it to memory, letting it encourage, correct & even rebuke us when we’re veering off course!

The only way we guard ourselves from conforming to the world AROUND us, is by planting The Word IN us! Holy Spirit, open our ears to Truth so that our very lives might echo Your Word, drawing many to You!

#OneYearBible

July 5th One Year Bible Readings

1 CHRONICLES 1:1-2:17

ACTS 23:11-35

PSALM 3:1-8

PROVERBS 18:14-15