Floodgates of Heaven Devotions: Blessings

Showing posts with label Blessings. Show all posts

When Weeping Turns to Winning

Today’s Reading: Psalm 84-86, Romans 12

Today’s Reflection: Psalm 84:5-6 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

The psalmist seems to be saying that when the strength upon which we rely comes from our Lord, it is only then that we are blessed. Furthermore, when “the ways” (that is, the HIGH ways of life which are elevated above the trenches and ditches of sin) are in our hearts, they too are a source of blessing. So take heed, traveler, how you travel, and with whom you travel! Your blessing relies upon both!

Now, let us look at verse six. Remember that it is a continuation of the state of blessedness in which we find ourselves after having traveled the high ways with our Lord in verse five. Watch it now, “Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well…” In other words, those who are blessed make the valley of Baca (that is, the valley of weeping) a well! Even the valley becomes “higher ground” for those who are blessed by God. But it is not enough here to simply say that we ARE blessed, but the text implies that we BLESS the valleys we walk through.

Do you understand the significance of this passage? You who ARE blessed are also a BLESSING, because God’s blessings are too big for you to absorb all for yourself. You are not meant to simply absorb; you are meant to overflow, so that even your tears make well springs of blessings. Nothing that God blesses shall ever be cursed! So as you walk through your valley of weeping, one day you will see that what looked like pain in the rain shall soon be seen as showers in the sunshine.

What is my assurance? Why, just look at the remaining portion of verse six. “The rain also filleth the pools.” This implies Heaven’s aid in the filling of the wells you dug while in your valley, so that the valley which was meant for harm becomes a harbor of God’s richest blessings. Glory!

~ Pastor Gary Caudill

Rewards for the Journey

Today’s Reading: Psalm 57-59, Romans 4

Today’s Reflection: Psalm 58:11 So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

TRULY there is a reward for the righteous! Here, the word “reward” means fruit, produce, and/or offspring. There are two things about this reward that we need to be sure we understand from our text. First, it most certainly WILL come to the righteous! And second, our great Judge is doing His judging “in the earth”.

Why is this significant? It is significant because we need not think that ALL of God’s judgements are reserved for the eternal realm after which our work on Earth is done. Do you see this? Our judge, who judges justly and righteously, ensures that “in the earth” the righteous receive a reward. That is, we do not need only expect rewards in Heaven, for if we did not have graces and mercies on this side of Heaven, we would be of all people most miserable.

But look at His graciousness, to watch over the affairs of His people, and to reserve rewards for the here and now along our journey to sustain us and to bless us on our journey homeward! For who could survive this veil of tears without His mercies which are new every day?

Does He not “reward” you as you serve Him? Does He not give you strength; sustain you; give you peace; provide for you; protect you; employ you in His services, and reward you accordingly? Don’t get me wrong; in this world we shall have tribulation, but to that Jesus simply said that we should be of good cheer, because He had already overcome the world. This means that the difficulties of this life will not prevail over the overcoming power of Christ in us, Who is the hope of our glory!

Glory to God, He daily loadeth us with benefits! The things we will receive in Heaven will be for use in the eternal, but thanks be to God which giveth us victory in the here and now! For we need that overcoming power NOW, and not then when it’s all made better by crossing over.

I hope you hear this word loud and clear; God plans to reward your service to Him so as to bless you and sustain you in your journey, right here and right now. The burdens may be tough, but our God is tougher! The mountains may be high, but our God is higher! The waters may be deep, but our God walks on water! And the more we understand His rewards program, we understand that in Him dwells all the rewards we need!

----------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven

Follow by Email

----------------------------------------------

---

Home | Meet Bro. Gary | Preaching

Our Beliefs | Why the KJV?

Contact

Blessings Birthed by Burdens

Today’s Reading: Psalm 33-34, Acts 24

Today’s Reflection: Acts 24:27b …Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

What do you do when the pain of serving God comes as a consequence of another man’s pleasure? What reward is this? That a servant is rewarded suffering for sacrifice, abandonment for allegiance, and jail time for preaching the liberating Gospel?

Oh, but before you rush to judgement, know this; the death blows of your enemy are not your reward. It is the lie of the enemy to ask and taunt you while in your chains, “Where is your God now? Is this how He pays?”

If you’re not careful, you will mistakenly classify your suffering as your reward. It may very well be a reward, but make no mistake about it; this reward is not from your Heavenly Father! Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (see 1 Cor. 2:9)!

You may have heard of the old missionary couple who had been working in Africa for years and who had returned to New York to retire. As they returned, they discovered they were booked on the same ship as President Teddy Roosevelt, who was returning from one of his big-gaming hunting expeditions.

No one paid any attention to the missionaries. They watch the fanfare that accompanied the President’s entourage, and as the ship moved across the ocean, the old missionary said to his wife, “Something is wrong. Why should we have given our lives in faithful service to God in Africa all these many years and have no one care a thing about us?”

Later that night the man’s spirit broke. He said to his wife, “I can’t take this; God is not treating us fairly.” His wife replied, “Why don’t you go in the bedroom and tell that to the Lord?”

A short time later he came out from the bedroom, but now his face was completely different. His wife asked, “Dear, what happened?” “The Lord settled it with me”, he said. “I told Him how bitter I was that the President should receive this tremendous homecoming, when no one met us as we returned home. And when I finished, it seemed as though the Lord put His hand on my shoulder and simply said; “But you’re not home yet.”

Dear child of God, it’s not over until God says it’s over. Press on, it won’t be very long and we’ll all be home, entering into the joy of our Lord!

----------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 204 of 365

----------------------------------------------

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

---

BLESSED NO MATTER WHAT!

Today’s Reading: Job 36-37, Acts 15:22-41

Today’s Reflection: Job 36:11-12 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

Here, Job’s friend Elihu speaks truth out of balance. Let me explain. Though it is true that blessings come on those who obey and serve God, and peril comes on those who do not, this does not mean that the obedient will never be subject to testing or trials, nor that the disobedient will never experience prosperity in this life.

You see, Elihu and his friends are still under the assumption that Job’s trial is a result of hidden sin and disobedience to The Lord. In essence, you might say that they were preaching the first “prosperity gospel” message in human history, in terms of being out of balance on their teaching and understanding.

They have yet to learn that God’s way of blessing His people often comes in different ways and in different seasons than one might expect or understand. In Job’s case, it was the burden that birthed the double-portion blessing in the long run. God tested him, purified him, then gave him twice as much as he had before.

While in the midst of his trial, it neither felt nor looked like God was positioning him for a double portion, but that is exactly what was happening. But let’s not stop by only looking at Job’s experience. There are others in the Bible that God blessed in different ways, such as the Apostle Peter, for example.

Peter wasn’t blessed (as far as we know) with great wealth and pleasure during his ministry, but with the power of God to preach the Gospel to the nations of the earth and to be instrumental in the building of the church. His blessings were blessings of influence and being used of God in a mighty way.

Oh sure, there were earthly provisions to sustain him when he needed sustaining, but that was not his focus or primary concern. Later, he was blessed to go down in history as one of the greatest martyrs of all times, when he requested to be hung upside down because he thought himself unworthy to be crucified in the same fashion as his Lord.

But was he blessed? Indeed, he was! Here’s the thing; whether we live and experience a luxurious life, or a life of pain while serving Christ, or both, regardless, we need to thank God for His blessings, no matter what!

----------------------------------------------

< Last Devotion | Next Devotion >

----------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 189 of 365

----------------------------------------------

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

---

Giving Back to God is Vital to Your Survival!

Today’s Reading: 2 Chron. 32-33, John 18:19-40

Today’s Reflection: 2 Chronicles 32:25 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

God was good to King Hezekiah; REAL good! God blessed him in all of the works of his hands because of his commitment to The Lord and His Word. However, verse 25 tells us of a moment in which he got in trouble with The Lord, and brought wrath upon himself, and everyone around him. All of Judah and Jerusalem suffered.

And what was the besetting sin? Well, after God had spoken to King Hezekiah while he was deathly sick, to show him a sign that he would recover, King Hezekiah apparently soon forgot about the entire incident after the fact.

And that’s where our selected verse comes in. “But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up…” The word “rendered” here means returned or paid back. It is unclear whether or not King Hezekiah made any promises to The Lord (like so many do), such as “Lord, if you’ll spare my life, I’ll _____!”.

What IS clear is that The Lord fully expected King Hezekiah to acknowledge what He had done for him, and to pay him back or return the favor in some kind of way, so as to express gratitude for The Lord answering his prayer.

This might have been easily expressed in a simple sacrifice of praise or thanksgiving. Regardless of WHAT God expected of him, the point is, whatever it was, he didn’t do it!

And now for some practical application; admittedly there’s no way that we could technically “return the favor” or “pay” God back for all He’s done for us, at least not in equal measure or value. HOWEVER, God DOES fully expect us to give Him thanks and express our appreciation to Him for all He does for us, either by giving, serving, praise and worship, testifying, or all of the above.

Let it not be once mentioned among the people of God, who are the most blessed people on the planet, that we have an ungrateful, unthankful, prideful and wicked heart.

May we never allow our hearts to be lifted up in pride, as if we ourselves have either achieved or earned any of God’s blessings, forgiveness, or tender mercies. The moment we do, we place ourselves under His chastening hand.

Dear reader, join me today in responding to God’s goodness in ways that show our thanks!

Don't miss another devotion; follow us here!

----------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 160 of 365

----------------------------------------------

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

---

GET YOUR NEXT 365 DAYS OF DEVOTIONS
ON KINDLE NOW!!

Let not your heart lie to you...

Today’s Reading: 1 Sam. 15-16, Luke 10:25-42

Today’s Reflection: 1 Sam. 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

Let God define for you what you need, and what you don’t! Why? Because your own heart will deceive you, and you will lust after things that you will convince yourself you need, even when you actually don’t.

In our text, God instructed Saul to destroy the enemy and all their substance, and not to take any spoil whatsoever. But what did they do? They not only took the spoil, but the Bible says they “didst fly upon the spoil”, meaning they figuratively swooped down upon the spoil as a vulture might swoop down and snatch its prey.

This illustrates their singular focus. They were not focused on obeying God’s voice; they were only focused on how they could get richer off of the advantage that victory would grant them. However, all throughout God’s leading and dealing with His people, He is ever teaching them that “man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live” (see Deut. 8:3). And once again, His people failed the test.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, God has been striving to teach us the proper way of being blessed, and that one can’t simply take what he or she wants, however they want, whenever they want, while ignoring God’s word. It isn’t that God is out to get us, or withhold from us, or make our lives miserable. In fact, the opposite is true, because according to Psalm 84:11b, “…no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”

So, it is not that God doesn’t want to bless His people; He just wants them to be blessed HIS way by HIS Word! I believe it is this tendency we all have to act like we’re desperate, even though our Heavenly Father owns it all, that God wants to rid us of. See them swooping down upon the spoils as if they had nothing? Blessed with advantage, strength, power, and victory, and yet impoverished in their souls.

Oh, children of God, when will we ever let our hearts become filled with the satisfaction of knowing that “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). We do not need to take siege, without any regard to the principles of God’s Word or the honor of His Son, ANYTHING that we need.

When we wait upon Him, this means that we wait for Him to provide in His timing and in His way, with surrendered hearts and resolve to be completely obedient. Let not your heart lie to you and convince you that God has no spoils for you.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 100 of 365

-------------------------------------------------------------
copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

Get Floodgates Volume 1 today for yourself or someone you love!
LEARN MORE BY CLICKING IMAGE BELOW...

---

Two things you MUST know about God's Blessings...

Today’s Reading: Deut. 32-34, Mark 15:26-47

Today’s Reflection: Deut. 33:23 And of Nephtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south.

There are two points I wish to discuss. First, notice the full measure of the blessing that Naphtali had already received. The phrase “satisfied with favour” indicates a state of blessing he had already arrived at, hence the word satisfied.

Also, the phrase “full with the blessing of the LORD” further illustrates that he was already full. In other words, he had already received the fullness of God’s blessing and favor, and was presently living in that fullness.

Now, what intrigues me even more is what happens next, which is my second point; The Lord gave him further instruction requiring more action and more receiving on Naphtali’s end. I see here a man, or a tribe rather, that was “satisfied” but who was also not allowed to settle in the place of satisfaction.

This teaches us something we need to remember; God’s blessings and favor can be so good that we think we have all we could ever want or need from Him, just for Him to say, “possess thou the west and the south”, as if Naphtali hadn’t already received enough.

You see, the truth is, Naphtali was satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord; but Naphtali wasn’t the only one seeking satisfaction in this picture.

We always make the mistake of seeking our own satisfaction, and forgetting that it really isn’t about our satisfaction at all! It is about God’s satisfaction!

It is human nature for us to settle for far less than what God is willing to settle for. Two and a half tribes of Israel, for example, settled for land on the wrong side of the river, whereas the Promised Land was on the other side!

Have you settled too soon? We sometimes have this beggar mentality where we assume the role of a hired servant while our Lord is preparing a feast of celebration for us, bringing out the fatted calf to celebrate our presence in His house.

We expect crumbs, while He provides us with steak, a gold ring, the best robe in the wardrobe, and the finest shoes that money can buy. I said all that to say this; God goes over the top to bless us, and it has absolutely nothing to do with our deserving it, and everything to do with His appetite to bless us!

Isaiah 53:11 says, “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

The truth is, God wasn’t satisfied until He gave us HIS ALL!! So next time you think you can be satisfied with what God has blessed you with, ask Him if HE is satisfied!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 77 of 365

-------------------------------------------------------------

Heaven on Earth

Today’s Reading: Deut. 10-12, Mark 12:1-27

Today’s Reflection: Deut. 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.

Could it be? Take a close look at the last eight words of that verse again… “as the days of heaven upon the earth.” I see two possible interpretations. The first, which most commentaries suggest, is that this verse is simply stating that just as long as the heavens and the earth co-exist, this covenant God made with Israel to give them this land would be in place. In other words, it is an everlasting covenant. I can see that. However, I also want to challenge you to look at it from another perspective. Have you ever used the phrase “Heaven on Earth!” when describing an unforgettable, pleasant experience? I think we all have. That said, is it so far-fetched to consider the possibility that this is what is implied in this verse? Think about it! First, in the context of this chapter (see verses 8-14), Canaan Land is described as a very prosperous, blessed, fruitful land, which “the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” It is a place God was preparing and preserving for His people while they were making their journey there. God was looking forward to blessing them with this beautiful place that He was preparing for them. So keep in mind that it is within this context that our selected verse is spoken. Second, do you remember what our Lord Jesus instructed us to pray, among other things? He prayed in Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Are you getting the picture yet? God’s ultimate desire is for His will to be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven. Is it possible that Deut. 11:21 is an Old Testament picture of Matthew 6:10? I believe that, in essence, God COULD have also been saying that what He had waiting for His children was going to be a taste of Heaven on Earth. It is certainly worthy of consideration, don’t you think? Is that not what it is like when God’s will is done…a touch of Heaven on Earth? Do things not go well with us when God blesses us for obedience and faith? I’m certainly not implying that trouble won’t exist. God knows they had to fight the giants constantly to overcome them in order to procure their inheritance. However, once Victory WAS granted…it was SWEET!! Dear friend, the same is true for us. We indeed will fight our battles, but OH HOW SWEET THE VICTORY once obtained! You CAN experience a taste of Heaven on Earth by trusting Him!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 69 of 365

-------------------------------------------------------------

Keep it in the Family!

Day 65

Today’s Reading: Num. 35-36, Mark 10:1-31

Today’s Reflection: Numbers 36:9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.

Your inheritance is basically the successes of your ancestors being transferred into your possession. In other words, the whole lump sum of their profit or economic value, as well as the stories of struggle and victory that came with them, being now entrusted to you for new management. In Bible days, when an inheritance was assigned, it was typically done so along with a blessing. This blessing apparently was similar to what today we might call a last will and testament. What is most valuable about this “blessing” is not necessarily the economic advantage it will bring, as much as the rich history, customs, traditions, and teachings that they represent. For example, when Esau sold his birthright, in essence, he was willing to forsake his entire inheritance along with its history for a bowl of soup. Then, he was severely punished for this by The Lord, because it was a matter of principle; we are not to simply disregard where we came from and what was passed down to us as if it’s disposable. We are to take what is valuable from our past so that upon such we can build a brighter future for ourselves, and then have something more to leave for our children and grandchildren. The Word says that a good man leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren (See Prov. 13:22). Now for some of us, we do not have much of an inheritance (if any) passed down from those gone on before us, either in terms of economic value, or of a Godly heritage. One might even ask how he or she might even find application for this verse in such cases. May I make a suggestion? If you are that person, I would suggest that you look at what you know about your family’s history, and learn the lessons needed from those gone on before you that will help you live more successfully in life for The Lord’s sake, as well as your children and grandchildren. Even if that means that the only things you can learn from what your forefathers left behind is what NOT to do, then take that knowledge and work it to your advantage. Learn from other’s mistakes first; it’s a whole lot easier on you that way! Furthermore, I believe one of the most important aspects of the tradition of both receiving AND passing down an inheritance, is the aspect of learning to live unselfishly. We should RECEIVE from those gone on before us with humility and gratefulness, and GIVE to those coming after us with purpose and generosity. And remember, KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY!!

✰ PURCHASE 365 DAY DEVOTIONAL BOOK HERE ! ✰

Backed Up Blessings!

Day 51 (Category: Blessings)

Today’s Reading: Lev. 26-27 & Mark 2

Today’s Reflection: Lev. 26:10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.

Backed up blessings are a wonder to behold! God promised His people that if they would walk in His statutes, keep His commandments, and do them (v. 3), then among other things, He would bless them SO much that they would have to eat of their old store. They would have so much new coming in that it would get backed up, and the old would waste if they did not consume it first. Now THAT is being blessed! Earlier I wrote about the expiration dates of blessings and opportunities that God puts in our lives, and we see that principle rise to the surface again here. However, in THIS text, we learn more specifically about the MANAGEMENT of blessings. This means that with blessings come responsibilities, and the truth is, if we don’t get ready for it, the blessings can overflow and overtake us at such a pace, that we won’t have either the room or the natural ability of processing it all completely and efficiently. BUT, in this text, it seems to imply a certain level of wisdom on how to manage those blessings so that they are all utilized without any going to waste. That is my focus for today; are you receiving not only the blessings, but also the wisdom and discipline with which to manage them efficiently? I believe that, according to these principles, no blessing should go to waste. This should make each of us search our cupboards for outdated blessings that have gotten covered up and forgotten by the newer, more recent blessings. Some of us are SO blessed, in fact, that we fail to thank God for every blessing. We’re sometimes like the nine lepers who failed to return to Christ to give thanks for their healings. We should learn from these thoughts that it is important to be not only thankful for, but in remembrance of, each blessing in our possession, with a willingness to use it for its God-intended purpose, without overlooking its importance. Furthermore, when you use up your blessings in the order of the oldest to the newest, it gives your blessings some shelf-life, which can be a season of planning and preparation to seek The Lord for what His purpose is in placing those blessings into your life. Unless it’s needful or obvious, don’t be so quick to spend up those blessings that you may not need to utilize today. Bath their intended purpose in prayer, and plan to use them according to the guiding and leadership of The Holy Spirit. Who would have thought that God would bless you not only with what you need, but with an entire management philosophy to maximize its use!

Blessed? Email Us! testify@floodgatesofheaven.org

Print and Share!

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

✰✰✰ PURCHASE OUR KINDLE BOOK HERE TO SUPPORT ORPHANS AROUND THE WORLD! ✰✰✰

The Shelf Life of Blessings and Opportunity

Day 47 (Category: Blessings)

Today’s Reading: Lev. 19-20, Matt. 27:51-66

Today’s Reflection: Lev. 19:7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

Today I want to write about the shelf life of blessings and opportunity. Simply put, there are some things in life that God places there, which come with expiration dates! This concept is very consistent with how Jesus taught us to pray in Matt. 6:11, “Give us THIS DAY [emphasis added] our daily bread.” God does not simply give us one blessing that lasts a lifetime, putting us on some sort of spiritual cruise control until He calls us home. Rather, He set us up to where blessings come as needed, uniquely tailor-cut for each situation, as it arrives. This keeps us humble, keeps us praying, and most importantly, gives God an unlimited amount of opportunities within our lifetime to make Himself known to us! Please understand, then, that many blessings He puts in our lives are seasonal in nature, meaning, they have a beginning and they have an end. This also goes for divinely appointed opportunities that come our way; they come and they go, so we better cease them and use them while they are here. Sometimes I’m afraid we get so caught up in looking for tomorrow’s blessings or tomorrow’s opportunities that we fail to see the things that are right in front of us, right now, today! As a matter of fact, it could be that each blessing or opportunity, if taken advantage of before its expiration date, can be exactly what leads to the next breakthrough you need in your life. Think of it this way; God puts a series of events, situations, provisions, etc. that, if responded to correctly, serve as stepping stones to your next place in life, ultimately leading you to your destined place of service. It kind of works like a chain reaction, or a link in a long chain of events that are designed to lead you to where you need to be, and any break in the chain, or any missed opportunity, or any squandered blessing, can dramatically slow your progress, or prohibit you from fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose for your life. As the old saying goes, you better strike while the iron is hot! Now, that said, what do you do when you’ve already missed a lot of opportunities, or allowed the expiration date to creep up on you before you decided to take action? The answer is simple; redeem the time (Eph. 5:16)! In other words, make up your mind that from now on, you’re going to make up for lost time by committing yourself to NEVER wasting another opportunity or forfeiting another blessing, or burying another talent in the ground. Get engaged NOW, for the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4)!

Blessed? Email Us! testify@floodgatesofheaven.org

Print and Share!

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

✰✰✰ PURCHASE OUR KINDLE BOOK HERE TO SUPPORT ORPHANS AROUND THE WORLD! ✰✰✰

From Miss-Fit to Perfect Fit ~ Read more...

Day 20 (Category: Blessings)

Today’s Reading: Gen. 49-50, Matt. 13:31-58

Today’s Reflection: Gen. 49:26b …And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

My assignment today is to minister to the one reading this, which has been raised as a miss-fit, so that you might become a perfect fit. Much like Joseph experienced, the place that God is preparing you for requires that you not fit in anywhere else but there. That is why you have experienced rejection after rejection, criticism after criticism, and hardship after hardship; it is because you’re not there yet. It is human nature to settle where we are comfortable, and where we fit in the most. However, when God has something else in mind for you, He will go to extremes, if need be, to keep you from settling too soon in your journey. Although the pain, the loneliness, and the tears are very real, so also will be the destination! You may have wondered all your life why, no matter what you said or did to be admired, liked, or even acknowledged, nothing seemed to work for you. As a matter of fact, the harder you tried to please people and to fit in, the more they rejected you. If that describes you, then let me assure you that you are in a good place. Now, I know that’s not what the devil has told you, and I also know that your natural mind is telling you otherwise, but here me out; your best days are yet ahead! Our text tells us of the blessing that God put “on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.” If you read the entirety of this blessing, it is almost unprecedented in history! God knows how much you've hurt because of how different you are from those with whom you grew up and were raised around, but God also has a special place for you to serve Him, and it is to this end that He will not allow you to be satisfied until you arrive. Now, one might ask the question, “Why couldn't He just have placed me in that place to start with?” I too have asked this question in times gone by, but I've learned that the journey itself is just as important, if not more important, than the destination. The rough and rocky roads I've been down have taught me things about patience, endurance, faith, character, discipline, trust, and godliness, which I would have never learned otherwise. So, welcome to the band of miss-fits; you might have just found the place where you are supposed to fit in! Just keep trusting and believing for your blessing!

Blessed? Email Us! testify@floodgatesofheaven.org

Print and Share!

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

✰✰✰ PURCHASE OUR KINDLE BOOK HERE TO SUPPORT ORPHANS AROUND THE WORLD! ✰✰✰

Flourishing When You Don't Fit In ~ Read more...

Day 19 (Category: Blessings)

Today’s Reading: Gen. 46-48, Matt. 13:1-30

Today’s Reflection: Gen. 46:34b …that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

I find it fascinating how the Lord causes His children to flourish where they don’t fit in. The Egyptians were not too fond of shepherds, which basically described all of Joseph’s family that he nourished at the command of Pharaoh during the years of famine. By all human standards at that time, they were not even supposed to be there, but they were! Isn’t it amazing how our God does that? Right now, someone is reading this that feels like you are in a place where you just don’t fit in. You are uncomfortable with the people you deal with on a daily or weekly basis, and they are uncomfortable with you, because you don’t see things the same way at all. And yet, God has you there for a reason. It is not always easy to serve the Lord, especially when He calls you to a place where you are not even supposed to be. God often leads us into these places because it causes us to grow and mature into the people He is calling us to be. If we do not learn how to flourish in both comfort and conflict, we will not be able to travel the distance God wants to take us. Paul the apostle said that he knew how to be abased, and how to abound. It is not easy to learn either, but both can be learned! So it is in these seasons of our life where we are serving in places of inconvenience, discomfort, and awkwardness that God shows us how to abound even when we feel abased. The Egyptians sort of tucked Israel away over in the land of Goshen to sort of keep their distance; imagine how awkward that may have caused them to feel. None the less, at the same time, the people that resented them were the same people that God used to bless and sustain them! The Psalmist said, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…” This means that even when you feel like you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, God can make even those places a blessing to you. For Joseph, this place for many years was his land of affliction, but as the story unfolds in the scriptures, we see how God brought him from the prison all the way to the palace. Here is your word today; God does not have to wait until you relocate in order to bless you! If you seek Him, serve Him, and praise Him, He will begin to bless your life right where you are, even when you don’t fit in!

Blessed? Email Us! testify@floodgatesofheaven.org

Print and Share!

copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

✰✰✰ PURCHASE OUR KINDLE BOOK HERE TO SUPPORT ORPHANS AROUND THE WORLD! ✰✰✰