Devotions by Meredith

The Temptation

Luke 4:4, 8 TPT

4 Jesus replied, “I will not! For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Life does not come only from eating bread but from God. Life flows from every revelation from His mouth.’” 8 Jesus rebuked him and said, “Satan, get behind me! For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Only one is worthy of your adoration. You will worship before the Lord your God and love Him supremely.’”

The working and leading of the Holy Spirit does not always take us on a season and path that is easy. It is not always ease and comfort. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days. I have done a full fast for around three days, and at other times it has been a partial fast. Fasting has not come easy for me, nor probably for anyone. Jesus was led into a place where He was proven, tested, and made stronger. We are not exempt from these seasons, just like Jesus, to be tested and tried to see what really is in us. God is doing this work in us to make us strong for our future calling and ministry. Testing does not mean you are doing anything wrong. The Lord is doing a deeper inner work in you. Satan was testing Jesus in a very sinister way, to get Him to deny His heavenly Father and the calling and purpose the Lord had for His life. Needless to say, Satan was thoroughly defeated. Always remember, Satan is the Accuser of the brethren, always looking for ways to bring you down. Don’t take the bait! Jesus didn’t. Every question and temptation Satan brought to Jesus He boldly replied, “It is written; It is written; It is written.” Jesus did not water His words down. He strictly replied to the most powerful answer anyone could give, “It is written.” Jesus would not turn stones to bread, yet in the hearts of men He is able to transform a stony heart into a tender human heart and make us living bread that can become food for the nations. We must have revelation of the written Word to be able to stand against the traps and snare of the enemy of our souls. Don’t dismiss or ignore the written Word of God. It is a strong, supernatural weapon against Satan and his kingdom of darkness. Our takeaway today is to not be pushed and troubled by the enemy of our souls. Know the Word of God. Let it abide in your heart and mind so that you will be able to reply to the enemy, “It is written.” You don’t have to have a big emotional surge or outburst. You don’t even have to yell and scream. Just speak “It is written,” when Satan whispers in your ear a tempting thought to betray the Lord by some idiotic act of sin. Daily make it your business to be in His Word and may it be powerful and everlasting within you as an ongoing weapon, just as Jesus used the Word of God to defeat Satan.

What about you? What do you do when you are tempted? Do you cower under the suggestions of the enemy, or do you stand up to him? Get the Word of God in you. Write it daily and meditate on it day and night. You won’t regret it and you will see the enemy leave in the Name of Jesus. Blessings on your day.    

Cast Your Care

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 37:7

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret. 

When we cast our burden on the Lord, we are making a conscious choice to act on what God tells us is true, not just some ritualistic thing to do as a Christian in certain situations of life. Faith requires practice to grow and to become strong. The Word tells us “the just shall live by faith.” Faith comes from being in God’s Word, not just to skim over it as an occasional ritual that makes us feel religious. Abba wants us to know that we can trust Him, that He will sustain us and never let us be moved.  When the Word of God truly becomes illuminated to us by the Holy Spirit, we will begin to realize that as we act in obedience to His Word, He begins to move on our behalf. The enemy will try to make us afraid. This is a gradual, yet powerful temptation. Recognize the slow suggestions of the enemy tempting you to be fearful. Choose to trust the Lord as an act of your will, and not as a response to your emotions. Intentionally, on purpose, be determined to give the sacrifice of praise-filled refusal to be afraid. As soon as you consciously can, quickly release your concerns and worries over to the Lord who has told us specifically that He wants to carry them for you. The Lord can develop a singleness of purpose in your heart. The truth of God’s Word and His heart can be trusted, and He can give us a spirit that endures and stands fast on the truth that He has given to you. It is an act of faith to be looking for God’s Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures to give us deeper understanding and revelation. The Lord will give you clear guidance every day. Let’s not try to live out of our own worldly wisdom, our own manmade wisdom. The unbroken, prideful and arrogant heart of we, as mankind, can hinder our intimacy in growing close to the Lord. In order to be able to hear His voice, and receive His understanding help, we must be humbled, recognizing our sin and our great need of daily cleansing by Him. Fullness of joy and happiness, as well as a deep peace is opened when we live in a spirit of humility. Don’t hinder your prayers and trust by nullifying your prayers by entertaining and even planning or harboring sin or wickedness in your heart. Keep short accounts with the Lord. Then His Word and Holy Spirit will be able to move freely and speak clearly to you as you cast your burdens on Him, resting in Him, and waiting patiently for His plan to come to pass. All along the way, His great admonition and counsel is to “not fret.” This is a conscious practice. You can do it with the help of the Lord.

What about you? Are you carrying your own burdens or is the Lord? Are you constantly fretting and worrying? Wouldn’t you like to be free of that? Give everything over to Him and begin to put in place in your mind and emotions the admonition of the Lord today. He wants you free and loves you so.  

Can You Trace God?

Psalm 105:17 TPT

God had already sent a man ahead of His people to Egypt; it was Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 

I’ve often felt sorry for Joseph, and yet admired him as an example of one having a deep, lasting trust in God. Psalm 105:18 tells us that “His feet were bruised by strong shackles and his soul was held by iron.” This doesn’t sound like an easy time. Yet, somehow he kept his eyes and heart fixed on what God had shown him in a dream that he would one day be a leader for his people, even his own brothers and parents. What does it mean, “his soul was held by iron”? I can guess and speculate that there had to have been a tenacity in his life that was determined to see what God had promised him come to pass. A saying I have often heard is “tracing the fingerprint of God.” What it means is that you can look back and see where God was working and leading in your life, yet, you didn’t even know it at the time. Places you lived, people who came into your life, classes you took, trials you went through. Now you can look back and trace the fingerprint of God and definitely see that He had you in His hands all the time, and was working out His awesome supernatural will in your life. Each trial and every lonely time, each daring act of faith you took, those reaching out moments to someone else, God was building, maturing, preparing you for greater things and a greater calling upon your life. There had to be an “iron” in your soul, or you wouldn’t have made it. What about those seasons of loneliness, or challenges which at the time, seemed insurmountable. Verse 19 tells us “God’s promise to Joseph purged his character, until it was time for his dreams to come true.” God was good to His word, only though when He knew Joseph was truly ready to be the needed leader and ruler that the Israelites had to have. All the suffering, all the hard and lonely times, all the memories faded and almost gone of his family. False accusations, faltering friendships, the list goes on on and on of the traumas Joseph suffered. Yet God was in it all. The enemy wants you to quit, and God wants you to walk by faith, and not by sight remembering all that He has promised you as well. Father knows what needs to be grown in our character and outlook to be able to do what He has purposed for us to do. Trust Him fully today. Tell Him all your thoughts and concerns. He is always with you and He is aways listening. He hears even the faintest cry and knows every thought and concern before you even speak it. Be encouraged today, dear one. If His eye is on the sparrow, be assured His eye is on you and He is carefully watching over you.

What about you? Are you battling emotional fatigue and plaguing discouragement? Remember Joseph. His life was planned out by God to the smallest detail. Remember what he told his brothers, “The enemy intended it for evil, but God intended it this way and turned it all around for His good. Trust the Lord today to turn all that is oppressive around for good in your life as well. He loves you so.    

In the Secret Place

Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

There are three titles for God in these verses besides the personal name of the Lord, (Yaweh), ‘Elyon, (the Most High), Shaddai, (the Almighty), and ‘Elohim (here meaning “the Sublime God”). Psalm 27:5 tells us “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” There are so many reasons to put yourself under the infinite care of our Almighty One. One of the greatest requirements in our lives is to “dwell in the secret place of the Most High.” It is because it will be harder and even unlikely that you will be able to hear Him clearly and assuredly if you are not abiding in His secret place. People can be very cruel and callous in their assumptions about us. Yet our Almighty One is where we are sheltered even from the tongues of others. Psalm 31:20 says, “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your Presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion (fortified place), from the strife of tongues. Almighty means all-powerful, our God Almighty. Mighty, unconquerable. He is the all-sufficient God, eternally capable of being all that you need. There are times when it seems the world is pressing in all around us. Psalm 32:7 says, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” He will direct you. He will teach you. The word “teach” means “to shoot straight.” He will direct the flow of your life. He will give you the guidance and support you need if you will find your place in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of your heavenly Father. This is the place where you will be receptive to the truth He will speak and teach you. This is your Father teaching and instructing you. He is being your refuge and your strength. You can trust Him in all ways and in every situation. Psalm 33:11 tells us, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” You need the Lord. You need to learn how to abide in your thoughts and in your emotions and to stay open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Pay attention to the still, small Voice of the Lord today. You will hear Him speak.

What about you? Are you abiding in the Lord? Or is He a spare tire you pull out when you are in a crisis moment? Learn to abide in Him and how to hear His Voice, even His softest whisper in your heart and mind. He then can and will be your refuge and your fortress throughout your day and life. Have a great day abiding in Him.   

Stoop Down

Galatians 6:1-3 TPT

1 My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault, may the one who overflows with the Spirit seek to restore him. Win him over with gentle words, which will open his heart to you and will keep you from exalting yourself over him. 2 Love empowers us to fulfill the law of the Anointed One as we carry each other’s troubles. 3 If you think you are too important to stoop down to help another, you are living in deception. 

Have you ever made a mistake? I have many times. Growing up in a highly critical environment caused me to be super hard on myself. I suppose a lot of it was not wanting to be confronted by a parent or other authority because I wasn’t living up to their expectations, and them not truly concerned my with my own inner convictions at all, just that I was doing and living what they wanted. I hate that feeling of condemnation, not kindness or gentleness, but harsh and even loud rebuke. When talking with someone who is struggling over a slip up or a failure, harshness is not the way to go. It’s fine to let them know you are upset, even angry, but hold it down to a tone that is still gentle in your choice of words, showing them you truly love and care for them, but are very concerned and even hurt by their actions. When someone has knowingly participated in moral failing, for example, it is important to think about the long journey of inner repentance, getting to the root of why this happened. If the root causes are not dealt with, the root will spring up again. Time out is not the only answer. There are reasons why someone fails. Is it a weak walk with the Lord? Is it past happenings in their life that were never dealt with? Can we, as the Body of Christ, be filled with the Holy Spirit to overflowing in such a way, that with the awesome leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, draw close to them and walk with them to help them come through to full restoration? Can we be firm, yet gentle? Can we believe God to open this one’s heart to see those who have reached out, are reaching out in humility and reliance on the Lord? God’s love can help us and with the help of our blessed example, Jesus, we can carry each other’s troubles. As our verse states, if you think you are too important to stoop down to help another, you are living in deception. I remember a young man in my youth group years ago who came from a broken home and strange upbringing by those not his parents, loving the Lord, yet truly struggling with addiction. He would go missing for two or three days and then would call for help. I would pick him up and bring him to our couch where he would sleep it all off for the next few days. This happened several times. His father came to me and told me not to reach out or help him in any way anymore, that he needed to suffer. How sad! Eventually this young man went to a Teen Challenge and became drug free. He now works with other addicts leading them to the Lord. What screwy ways people think. I’m so glad Jesus didn’t take that haughty, self-righteous view with me. Jesus stooped down and raised me up. I know He has and will always stoop to pick anyone up. I pray you will, too.

What about you? Have you been harsh and critical in your judgment of someone who is struggling? Do you find it hard to reach out to someone who is not living for the Lord? Let’s ask the Lord to give us His heart for those struggling and to give us a gentle heart that is will to stoop down for others. Have a great day in Him.  

If You Don’t Go with Me

Exodus 33:12-15

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You have said ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with Me.’ If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. Remember that this nation is Your people.” The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

Moses was a “friend of God.” Poor Moses was called to lead a bunch of grumbling, dissatisfied people, who consistently mumbled and complained, finding fault with everything. When the Lord told Moses to take the people up to the Promised Land, but that He would not go with them because He would destroy these very people as they traveled, Moses said, “No way!  Absolutely not!” Moses wasn’t going anywhere unless the Lord was going with him. How did God respond to Moses when he had this outburst? God agreed to do the very thing Moses asked because He knew Moses was His friend. He knew Moses by name, and God was very pleased with him. Like Abraham who had come before him, Moses was hungry for more of God, wanting to know Him more and more. Moses’ desire was for even more than hearing God; He wanted to see God. Think about. God was speaking to Moses and the Israelites from the pillar of cloud whenever he entered the Tabernacle and that Moses’ face shown so brightly with the glory of God that Moses had to cover his face when he left the Tabernacle so people could talk with him. Moses wanted to see God face to face. Think about what Moses said! Wow! God walked past Moses so closely! What else could Moses do but bow to the ground and worship the Lord. The glory of the Almighty had been seen by him. This solidified the very thought even more to Moses that he didn’t want to go anywhere if God was not going with him. Are you with Moses? I am! I can’t imagine trying to do life without His Presence and leading. The Word tells us that our heavenly Father even busies Himself with our every step, and that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Somehow, I don’t believe we have a great enough understanding of the greatness and Almightiness of our God. How can He be everywhere at one time? How is it possible that He can do anything, and I mean anything, like parting the Red Sea and over a million people cross over and then drown Pharaoh and his army in the same sea? How can He know every thought and every intent of every person that has ever been and ever will be, let alone everyone who is alive and well right now here on earth, and all at the same time? I’m speechless just thinking about it. I am with Moses. I don’t want to live without our God. That would be most foolish. I pray you feel the same.

What about you? Do you sense your need of Father God? Do you long for His Presence? Would you like to pray as Moses prayed that you would be able to see Him? Let’s cry out to Him that we may draw closer and closer to Him each and every day. Blessings on your day.   

Help Me, I’m Stuck

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

There are those pesky thought patterns that begin as little buzzing flies in our minds, that eventually form lasting life pathways. These patterns can literally become walls of hindrance limiting our interaction and intuitive abilities along our life’s journey. Our thoughts are an important aspect of who we are. In Mark 12:30 God has given us all some capacity for thinking and has called us to love Him with all our mind. To love our heavenly Father with all our mind is to grow in knowledge and in thinking, to take responsibility for how we think, becoming aware of negative, hindering though patterns that can shape our lives in a very hindering, negative way. Thinking with polluted thought patterns will hinder the development of our minds in our day to day lives, as well as our spiritual growth and interaction with others. An example of this is how we interact when in a group setting. Maybe a person can develop an avoidance to being in social settings where they are expected to interact with complete strangers or say, workmates who they feel unsure of in interacting with them. Because of these negative, depressive thoughts, they become reclusive and will only attend this type of function if coaxed and cajoled by those they are somewhat comfortable with. Parents can allow their children to not have to learn to intermingle with others, even in informal settings which are a great place to grow in personal confidence. As time goes on, self-pity develops and isolation patterns become a way of life. On top of this pattern comes the pattern that others and even God Himself, should make the world the way they perceive it should be. Say for instance, they would like to date and develop a relationship with the opposite sex. Yet this is impossible because of their inability to conquer their inhibitions for mingling with others socially. Yet now they perceive it as everyone else’s fault with no effort put forth to meet and greet, to develop skills to be able to interact comfortably. These are all arguments that need to be demolished. These are pretensions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. If the Lord has given someone a desire for a mate, or the desire for fellowship with others, then He is more than able to help you to learn how to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Let’s take any inhibitions, any hesitations to the Lord, asking for His help in pulling these strongholds down. Ask the Lord to surround you with supporting friends who will be a fence and prayer partners for your fears and places of hesitation to be gone in Jesus’ Name. The Lord has much for you, yet you need to work with Him. Cry out to Him today.

What about you? Do you have thought patterns that hinder you from growing and moving forward in all that the Lord has for you? Maybe you don’t, but you know someone who does. Can you become a support person, an encourager for that one to be able to be set free and grow in all the Lord has for them? I pray you can. Have an encouraging, faith filled day in the Lord. Blessings on your day.  

Attacking and Judging

2 Corinthians 7:10 

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”

When there is something we are battling within ourselves it is often one can take a posture of degrading, attacking and judging ourselves. This is the way of man’s thinking. We do it with others we see struggling many times with “bad” things going on in their lives, so why wouldn’t we do the same with ourselves? Judge and condemn, speaking such things as “I’m stupid” or “I’m no good” or “I’m bad.” This is self-condemning and very hurtful to who we really are. This is what the Bible calls “worldly sorrow.” When we are sorrowful over the badness that surrenders to repentance, that is godly sorrow. When we attack and heap condemnation on, whether it be ourselves or someone else, this is how the world deals with badness. Judas, upon truly realizing what he had done, went out and hung himself. Peter was totally different in dealing with his mistake. Peter was repentant, feeling sorry for turning his back on Jesus, denying Him as if He never knew Him. The Word tells us in judgment to always remember mercy. Judgment never cures anything. People love to condemn others and often will enjoy just venting and carrying on and on about someone else’s failures. It must be that internally, there comes a false sense of their own self, being better than the person dealing with their badness. Wow! I honestly don’t want everyone knowing all of the nasty skeletons that have been in my closet, that have been forgiven and dealt with because of God’s great grace and mercy. The law judges without mercy. It behooves us to see the good and the bad in not only others, but within ourselves. Honesty is the best policy is the old saying. We are human. God is supernaturally divine, yet He sent His only Son, while we were yet sinners, to die for us, and make a way into the very Throne Room of our perfect heavenly Father. What mercy! What love! Can we extend to ourselves and to others, at least some measure of mercy and love that He has extended to us? Let’s remember truth can be rigid, critical, negative and harsh. It truly and surely is truth, but Jesus in His great love, speaks truth blended with His great grace and forgiveness, with a new path of hope. Can we extend that to include ourselves, not beating ourselves, becoming mired in a deep pit of despair and failure? Can we come under the cleansing flow of our Father’s forgiveness, immerse ourselves in His strong Word and the help of the Holy Spirit? As well, let us extend to others who may be struggling, mercy, grace and encouragement of who we serve—the God of truth and grace who has so much in store for each of us because He loves us so. Let’s press into Him today with new vigor and hope.

What about you? Are you beating yourself up over some failure, some slip up? Ask for His great forgiveness and receive His powerful love and hope. And reach out to someone else today who may be struggling that the great love and forgiveness of God is for them as well. Love others around you big today!

Father’s Great Love For the Nations

Psalm 72:8-11 TPT

8 May He subdue and take dominion from sea to sea; may He rule from the river to the rim. 9 Desert nomads are bowing at His feet, every enemy falling facedown, biting the dust! 10 Distant kings will surrender and come with their gifts from every continent and coastland; they will offer their tribute to You. 11 O King of kings, they will all bow before You. O King of kings, every nation will one day serve you.

The nations are our Father’s great treasures. Revelation 7:9 NKJ says, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” The Hebrew text includes in our psalm reading the kings of Tarshish which is Spain and kings of Sheba and Saba which is Ethiopia. Picture it with me! A huge map of the world. God subdues and takes dominion from sea to sea. He rules from every river to every rim. Imagine dusty desert nomads bowing in the sand at His feet, bearing gifts from every continent, and every coastland with their own unique treasures of beauty and great worth! Their uniqueness blending together to create a masterpiece of contrast, yet yielded togetherness for even greater beauty. Our Almighty God, King and Creator of our Universe! Every nation, tribe, and tongue; every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that You are Lord! Every nation will one day serve You!  It will not be all white people, or black people, or brown, or yellow or red! We will worship Him as one mighty concert of praise and adoration! It is so easy for any culture to fall into the trap of thinking that their culture is the brightest and best. Every culture, every single one of them has their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Everyone! It is sad to see when a culture can become so enamored with itself that their culture is worshipped, and others are made to feel “less than” if they are not part of that particular culture. What an ignorant travesty! It has even become such a powerful undertow that if a person of a particular culture is running for political office, others of that culture will cast their vote for them simply because of the culture they deem themselves from. Forget what they stand for. Abortion? Ok. They’re from my culture! Mutilation of children and every other ungodly, devilish fad will be OK because that candidate is from my culture. Bluntly, THINK! Our standard for choosing a candidate is the precious Word of God, not someone’s culture! We all, every culture will bow at the feet of Jesus! Every knee! Is there any culture without sin? is there any perfect culture? You already know the answer to that question. Let’s be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. He is our all! He rules and reigns! EVERY CULTURE is precious in His sight and should be in ours as well. Oh, how He loves us all!

What about you? Where is your heart set today? Are your eyes on Him? Can you see the beauty of God’s creation and the beauty of the people He has created to live in it? Each one is precious in His sight. Have a day filled with His great love for you and for others. Blessings on your day.