Floodgates of Heaven Devotions: God's Leading

Showing posts with label God's Leading. Show all posts

New Beginnings

Today’s Reading: Psalm 87-88, Romans 13

Today’s Reflection: Psalm 87:5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

God Almighty has chosen for Himself mount Zion in which and from which to glorify His name and His fame throughout the earth! So significant is this location to Him that in verse one, it is referred to as “His foundation…”.

Much is to be said about foundational works in the earth. In fact, specifically looking at mount Zion, we know that King David took it when it was known as the strong hold of an enemy who boasted of its impenetrability (see 2 Sam. 5:6). But as my Bible so eloquently states, “Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion…”

Could it be that David’s passion for God’s heart may have influenced God’s decision in selecting mount Zion as His foundational location for His works in the earth? I’m simply asking the question. One thing is sure; foundations, birth places, first happenings, breakthroughs, etc. all have one thing in common… they are noteworthy for both God and mankind.

Who doesn’t commemorate such occasions? In most all significant relationships, moves, decisions, etc., we often cherish the beginnings of all such meaningful happenings in our lives.

I said all that to say this; just as this principle is illustrated in the heart and mind of God in our passage, so you should anticipate seeing God’s Divine hand involved in the new things of your life. Learn to look for the significance of what new works God is beginning for you, as they will inevitably lead to some of the most impactful, memorable, and life-altering days of your life. Who knows; the new place in which you find yourself may be, in the mind of God, YOUR “mount Zion”! Trust Him!

GOD knows where the GOLD is!

Today’s Reading: Job 28-29, Acts 13:1-25

Today’s Reflection: Job 28:1-3 Surely there is a vein for silver, and a place for gold where they fine it. Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone. He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection: the stones of darkness, and the shadow of death.

God knows where the gold is! Do you find yourself sitting in darkness of circumstance, needing provisions (aka gold, silver, brass, etc. which is a type of provisions) you know not how to obtain? Then SEEK THE LORD!

Verse three says “He setteth an end to darkness, and searcheth out all perfection…” In other words, God knows where to find the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, and all other precious metals and stones. Yet in all of this searching, the true treasure is not the substance, but The Savior, for in HIM is ALL Wisdom.

And what does Job teach us about wisdom? If you read your entire reading for the day, you will discover in verse eighteen of the same passage that Job said of wisdom, “…for the price of wisdom is above rubies.” You will also learn in verse twenty eight that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

How is this? Because when you know and walk with The Lord, you know and walk with the One who knows EVERYTHING! If you find HIM, you’ve FOUND the gold, for He will give you wisdom, guidance, and direction throughout the maze of life to help you avoid pitfalls, procure prosperity, and live in health and peace for both now and eternity, if you will seek Him with all of your heart.

But the key is, you must seek HIM. Many just want what He knows or does, but they don’t want HIM. But if you don’t want HIM, then neither will you procure His wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and guidance throughout life to assist you in all of your ways.

Furthermore, it is interesting to me that although He knows where the gold is, yet he only reveals the location of gold that requires the refining process. See our text; “…there is a place for gold where they fine it.” And then again, speaking of God, He “searcheth out all perfection.”

What is this? Even God is looking for PURE gold. In other words, He wants to be involved in the refining process, and He has reserved that process for those who are willing to seek HIM! So, God will not give you the end product, yet He will give you the raw materials, and then put you in the refining process. Selah!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 185 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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How to know when it's time to move on in ministry.

Today’s Reading: Job 25-27, Acts 12

Today’s Reflection: Acts 12:25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

So when is the right time to pull up and leave a place of ministry to which you have been called? May I suggest that each ministry assignment given by our Lord has a shelf life and an expiration date. That is, there will be a specific time in which your ministry task must be fulfilled.

For some, it is a long assignment; yet for others, it may be very short. Regardless, see to it that your ministry is fulfilled before you “return from Jerusalem” so to speak. It is one thing to pull out of a ministry assignment due to the fact that you were never sent there by God to start with, but when you KNOW you are where God led you to serve, and you KNOW that your ministry is not yet “fulfilled”, then you should also KNOW that it is not time to leave yet, regardless of how challenging the assignment may be.

So, what does it mean for your ministry to be “fulfilled”? Well, Webster defines “fulfilled” as this: “accomplished, performed, completed, or executed.” But to go even deeper, by looking at the Greek dictionary, we learn that this word further means “to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim.”

In other words, what we learn here is that to fulfill one’s ministry is to leave no stones unturned, and to do absolutely everything within your scope of ministry to which God called and equipped you to perform.

Now, that is NOT to say that as long as there is work to be done, that you should not leave. What it IS saying, is that as long as there is work that YOU have been assigned to by God, then you should not leave. Don’t confuse ALL ministry need as YOUR personal assignment.

Seek The Lord, assess the situation, find out what your unique gifts and callings equip you to accomplish, fulfill YOUR ministry, and once you’ve done all God has equipped YOU to do, regardless of whether or not there is yet more to be done, then don’t overstay your welcome. God has other people!

And if you seek The Lord, He will make it very clear to you specifically what He has sent YOU to accomplish, and once you have done THAT thing, then it is time to move on and seek God for His next assignment for your ministry.

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 184 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Thank God for what He DIDN'T keep me from!!!

Today’s Reading: Job 22-24, Acts 11

Today’s Reflection: Job 23:17b …neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

What is this, but wonder of wonders! When Job speaks of our Lord, one is also reminded of those three dark hours upon the cross in which Christ could have just as easily said the same thing, “Neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.” He did not say it in those exact words, but indeed He DID say, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Do you see the companionship that all who live by faith have with the Author and Finisher of our faith? We see, as Paul the Apostle would put it, a “fellowship of sufferings”. You see, God does not grant us full immunity from the troubles of this dark world. In fact, He would not be doing us any real favors by withholding from us those hours in which we learn most to look to Him for answers.

Are you asking God why? Great! Then your storm is serving its purpose! I think now of this great thought given to us by none other than Charles Spurgeon, who said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.” Oh dear reader, let us learn to thank God that He hath not covered the darkness from our faces!

It is in those dark, dark valleys of the shadow of death that we learn not to fear, but to recognize and rely upon the very presence of God to see us through. For you see, when we can’t see because of the darkness, we are only able to be guided by that Unseen Hand!

Does not the scriptures teach that we are to live by faith, and not by sight? If this is true (and it is), then what better way to teach us to live without sight than to allow the shadows to rob us of our ability to see!

Do not worry, my friend, for he who learns to live by faith and not by sight, also develops a keen sense of discernment and wisdom that will give him greater vision by which to live than ever he could muster up in his own understanding. Just think of the benefits of the night seasons.

We could go on for hours, but let us rest in this thought tonight; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy! This season of darkness and testing in your life, if you are a child of God, is designed ultimately to strengthen your inner man, and weaken your dependency upon self. In the end, you will thank God for the night, because when morning comes you’ll be a new person!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 183 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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God did WHAT?

Today’s Reading: Job 20-21, Acts 10:24-48

Today’s Reflection: Acts 10:33b …Now therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God.

God still sends messengers! I like Cornelius’ attitude, don’t you? He knew that God brought them all together so that he and his household could hear a word from God which was to be delivered by His messenger, Peter. And boy did Peter PREACH JESUS!

Time would not permit me to give too much detail to the results of this church meeting, suffice it to say, they listened while Peter preached and The Holy Spirit had His way in their lives! It was a MIGHTY move of God!

And knowing the context of how this meeting came to be (I encourage you to read all of Acts 10 to get the whole picture), I see a common denominator; both Cornelius AND Peter were very sensitive to the leadership of God’s Spirit in their lives.

Had they not been, it is quite possible that this important meeting might have never taken place! Which brings me to this thought; I wonder how many Kingdom connections we miss throughout our lifetimes because of our lack of sensitivity to the voice of God’s Spirit in our lives.

I simply want you to meditate upon that thought with me for just a moment. Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter, a Jew, were beforehand the most unlikely to ever get together and fellowship, as it simply was not their custom.

However, God told Cornelius to send specifically for Peter (something he would not have been naturally inclined to do), and God told Peter (to prepare him to be able to receive this invitation from the Gentiles) that he was to have no respecter of persons, and to not call that which God had cleansed “unclean”.

In other words, had GOD not spoken to them both, and prepared them both to receive each other, this connection would have never taken place. However, God DID speak to them both, and they BOTH listened and obeyed!

And now for the miracle; a Gentile is open-minded to a Jew’s preaching, and the Jew is open minded to preaching to the Gentile, and both are in good spirits about it, wishing no ill, but only the will of God to be done!

Application? The Gospel will break every boundary set up by men, their traditions, and their man-made religions. In fact, don’t be surprised if God hooks you up with someone you would have never been naturally inclined to connect with. That’s Him!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 182 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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THIS COULD BE THE DAY YOU ARE LOOSED!!

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 1-2, Luke 19:28-48

Today’s Reflection: Luke 19:30-31 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? Thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

A prayer that I have been praying for a very long time now (which many of you ministers can relate to) is this; Lord, LOOSE me, and LET ME GO! For the longest time I have felt “tied” down, if you will. I have felt as if there are restrictions and restraints that disable me from pursuing my God-given aspirations of ministry and Kingdom building.

Many times, circumstances seem to stand in our way of doing what we feel we are really CALLED to do. Here, a donkey that could have been put to good use up until now, is still TIED. The Bible says that no man had ever sat upon him. In other words, a beast given to us for bearing burdens has yet to fulfill its TRUE purpose.

But then, before we despair at the tying (because if we’re not careful, we’ll miss the benefit of being tied), let it be known that when The Lord SENT for the donkey, he was in exactly the place The Lord planned for him to be so that he would be ready when called upon.

I’m speaking to someone today whom The Lord hath need of!! You feel as if you haven’t even began to touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fulfilling all of what God has both called you to, and birthed in your heart. YOUR DAY IS COMING! The good thing about being needed of The Lord is that when He gets ready for you, HE knows right where to find you, and exactly WHO to send for you! And He even knows what it is going to take to LOOSE you from your current obligations and circumstance so that the transition will be beneficial to all parties involved.

As for me, today I choose to rejoice and anticipate that moment in which The Lord calls for me to step into that season of ministry for which I long in my heart, where my gifts, callings, and effectiveness are maxed out for the glory of God, the expansion of His Kingdom, and for the benefit of mankind.

Just as the shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night, just manning their ordinary posts, here we are (hopefully) remaining faithful at our posts, awaiting the call that will translate us into our highest calling and destiny.

Those shepherds never knew that THEY would be the first privileged with the announcement of the entrance of The King, baby Jesus!! Then, they had the privilege of making “known abroad” what they had seen and heard. YOUR DAY IS COMING!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 117 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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It just so happens...

Today’s Reading: Ruth 1-4, Luke 8:1-25

Today’s Reflection: Ruth 2:3b …and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz…

So much of God’s leading in our lives falls into the “it just so happened” category. Just think about it for a moment. Although there are certainly exceptions to the rule, most people do not make but a handful of what I would like to call “life-altering” decisions in their entire lifetime.

We grow up, we accept Christ (hopefully), we choose a career, we get married, and we live out our lives. MOST of our lives, though set in course by major life decisions, turn out as much or more so of the result of small, incremental, seemingly incidental decisions along the journey, between or after the major decisions.

We make our plans, and then providence happens! We call it coincidence or happenstance, but it truly is providence; that of God intervening not only in our major decisions, but our day to day lives, interweaving His plans, purposes, pleasures, and provisions into our daily lives as we simply try to make it from day to day.

And so it was for Ruth. The King James Bible says “…and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz…”, which means, IT JUST SO HAPPENED! Little did Ruth know that this “just so happen” moment was so providentially orchestrated that she was meeting her future husband, through whose lineage would come the line of King David, and ultimately, the Christ Child!

I wish to highlight these “just so happens” because sometimes I think we overlook the fact that God so interweaves Himself into our daily mundane living that His supernatural working in the minute details feels normal and all too often without notice.

The Bible even says that the steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord (Psalm 37:23). Think of that! The STEPS…that is, the day to day…no, the step by step, minute by minute decisions of life that seem to be inconsequential to us, are guided by God our Father in such a way that collectively, all of those small moments JUST SO HAPPEN to change our course of history for our good, and ultimately His glory!

Dear friend, in the daily grind of life, have you thought to yourself that nothing Heavenly is happening on your behalf, due to your inability to detect it? If so, let this serve as a reminder to you that it JUST SO HAPPENS God is working all things together for good to them that love Him (see Rom. 8:28)!

Some of your greatest miracles will be birthed from your smallest moments, when you least expect them. In fact, you won’t even see many of them coming until you start stumbling into them; then, you will see God’s hand in it all!

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Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 94 of 365

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The Power of a Dream...

Today’s Reading: Judges 7-8, Luke 5:1-16

Today’s Reflection: Judges 7:13b …there was a man that told a dream…

Gideon was held a hostage of fear before he was heralded a hero of faith. And would you like to know what broke him free from his fear? It was a man that told a dream! In our text, this dreamer had a literal dream, and he had a fellow friend who had the literal interpretation of that dream.

However, I want to point out that a dream can have a twofold meaning. It not only can be a literal dream you have while sleeping, but it can also be a glimpse into a prophesied or desired future. In this case, it was actually both, because the literal dream was also a prophesy inspired by the Spirit of God, for the specific purpose of confirming to Gideon that he was going to win the battle.

Now that we understand the significance of this dream that was told by this dreamer, I want to draw some practical application for us all. Never underestimate the power of your inspired dreams! Dreams unlock mysteries and release words of knowledge that effect our destiny.

What I’m saying to you is this; keep dreaming, but don’t just dream…take it a step further. TELL your dream! If it is indeed inspired, then it will inspire others to contribute to its fulfillment. But you won’t know until you “write the vision, and make it plain…that he may run that readeth it” (see Hab. 2:2).

Get the picture; Gideon is afraid, but God tells him to bring his servant with him down to the host to hear what they say. He does so, and this man just shows up within earshot of Gideon, along with the interpreter, and so Gideon recognizes that as confirmation from God to move forward into battle.

Do you see how God lined it all up? Now, think with me how different things might have turned out, had the dreamer not spoken up and told his dream, or if he had spoken it, but his fellow had not had the courage to speak the interpretation as led by The Spirit. Both men were filled with courage, and guided by The Spirit, and therefore instrumental in the leadership decisions of their captain Gideon.

Here’s the point; as God’s family, our destinies are tied to one another’s gifts and callings, and where one might have direction, the other might have the confirmation, and both need to be in the right place at the right time exercising the right gift in order for progress to be made in defeating our adversary the devil and expanding the Kingdom of God in the earth.

Question: will you dare to dream inspired dreams, and pursue them boldly and courageously? Please do, because there is a Gideon somewhere awaiting a word that may only come through you.

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Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 88 of 365

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Living between miracles......

Today’s Reading: Josh. 22-24, Luke 3

Today’s Reflection: Josh. 24:7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

“…and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.” Are you between miracles right now? Think about it. The miracle of the red sea crossing landed Israel right into the wilderness. Although the original plan was not for their journey through the wilderness to be 40 long years, they still had to go through it.

Our journey is not going to be void of “in between miracle” moments. You know the story. The next significant move forward for Israel after the red sea crossing was the crossing of the river Jordan into the Promised Land. But it was between those two miracles that they existed in the wilderness a long season.

Let’s talk about that long season for a moment. It is in those kinds of wilderness seasons in our lives that our faith is put to the test the most. In fact, the longer the season, the tougher the faith test. The longer you go between miracles, the more tempted you may be of questioning whether or not you took a wrong turn.

Questions loom that cause you to doubt whether or not God is even with you in your journey anymore. Questions like, “Has God forsaken me?” or “Where did I go wrong?” or “Why must I go through this?” or “When will this ever end?” Sound familiar? If so, you are not alone.

Remember this; after every miracle and after every deliverance, whether it just happened yesterday, or 40 years ago, is a season with an undetermined expiration date before your next miracle. We like to define our life from one mountain peak to the next, describing the miracles, and pretending as if we live on the mountain top at all times, but the truth remains that we actually spend most of our time between miracles, rather than in the miracles.

Miracles are important; they change our destiny. They set us in the right direction. They give us vision, hope, and purpose. But they are meant to be milestones, and not dwelling places. We move on. God does indeed have more for us ahead, but we must not fall out by the way. We must not lose heart. We must not faint. We must press on.

Do what you can to avoid pitfalls, delays, and detours (because God knows we don’t want to spend any more time in the wilderness than we must), but know assuredly that the only reason you are even in the wilderness to start with is because your last deliverance set you on your course, so be encouraged that you are still in God’s hand, still moving on!

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Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 85 of 365

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Lessons learned while living in the desert...

Today’s Reading: Josh. 13-15, Luke 1:57-80

Today’s Reflection: Luke 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.

John the Baptist was certainly one of a kind. He’s the only man in the Bible that was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb. It is obvious that God had John set aside all for Himself.

In fact, as he grew through childhood into adulthood, our text teaches us that, though he waxed strong in spirit, he was yet living in the deserts until God was ready to release him into his primary ministry.

The phrase “…waxed strong in the spirit, AND was in the deserts…” [emphasis added] intrigues me. Here’s why. It is human nature for us to assume that, once we gain the level of strength we need to take on a task, that we begin immediately taking on said task.

Not so for John the Baptist. This verse seems to imply that though he waxed strong, he also still lived in the deserts for a period of time WHILE he was strong. In other words, he was ready to go and on high alert, just awaiting his orders to step into the limelight, but there was a waiting period still to endure.

I think it can be said that God not only wanted to build up his strength, but also his endurance. What good is strength, if it cannot endure the test of time? That said, what kind of “desert living” are you having to endure as you serve Christ?

I know sometimes it feels like your strength is almost gone, but the truth is staring you in the face; namely, that you’re still here. Through many dangers, toils, and snares you have already come.

You have endured hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ, and just when you thought the long, harsh elements of the desert were going to finish you off, God gave grace and strength to get you through another span of sweltering hot days and bitter cold nights.

The locusts and wild honey have not been easy to stomach, especially having had such meager supplies day in and day out, but yet you have been sustained. In other words, though you haven’t always had 12 oz rib-eye steaks for supper, you have none the less been kept alive and taught to survive the harshest of circumstance.

Now, here’s why. God trains His soldiers to be tough, when they have tough assignments ahead of them. If you are still in preparation stages, rest assured that it is for a reason beyond your immediate and limited understanding.

John the Baptist had no way of knowing that he would end up in prison facing execution for preaching the Gospel, but do you think harsh living environments intimidated him? Not after having been raised and prepared in the deserts. Know this; where you are is strengthening you for your future!

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Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 82 of 365

Insufficient Funds

Today’s Reading: Deut. 16-18, Mark 13:1-20

Today’s Reflection: Deut. 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

In today’s selected text, we walk into a set of instructions that God has for Israel’s future king. Among other things, he is not to look to Egypt for the purpose of multiplying horses. To do so would be to cause God’s people to return to the place that He delivered them from. This was forbidden. God brought them out so that they could stay out! But isn’t it true that often, when we leave a dark place in our lives, it is human nature for us to be attached to some things, no matter how dark that place of bondage is? It seems as if the devil always wants us to remember the things we think we might need, or might not want to give up, to either keep us bound or to pull us back into bondage after we have been delivered. However, the truth is, for whatever we have lost in our pursuit of following God, we have gained all the more with our Heavenly Father. What God wants us to learn is, just as He didn’t want Israel to start trusting in the provisions of Egypt for their survival and success, so He doesn’t want us to trust in anything linked to our past that would prohibit us from letting go and moving forward in faith. God wants to do a new thing; a peculiar thing; a unique thing with us, and this requires faith on our part in order to cooperate with God’s plan. It would be so tempting to try to draw from “Egypt’s” way of life as a guideline for our success, since that’s all we had known up to meeting Christ. However, God has His own NEW plan for us, and we are simply to follow Him, and not fall into the trap of going back to our past to make a withdrawal for our future. Learn this today; the last and only withdrawal God was interested in taking from your past was YOU. You ARE the withdrawal. There is nothing else back there for you; if there were, God would have taken it with you when He pulled you out. But, because there is not, if you were to try to go back to make a withdrawal, yesterday’s ATM machine would return a slip reading “Insufficient Funds”. I’m telling you; yesterday has nothing else to offer you. Look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith! Today will start a brand new day for us, when we decide that instead of spending our time looking back, we choose rather to look forward, anticipating that whatever comes our way, God will make a way to overcome every obstacle and achieve every objective He has for us!

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Floodgates of Heaven, Volume 2, Entry 71 of 365

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God can handle the Day or the Night! ~ Read more....

Day 25 (Category: God’s Leading)

Today’s Reading: Exodus 12-13, Matt. 16

Today’s Reflection: Ex. 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:

Whether you go by day or night, The Lord has you covered! I love this truth, as I have traveled through the years during many “day” seasons and “night” seasons with my Lord. Each season has its own set of comforts and conflicts to deal with. The day, for instance, is often thought of as the preferred season; that is, until one grows weary in his labor and becomes faint under the heat of the blistering sun. It is then that he prefers for the night season to make haste, so as to get some rest for his journey. And yet, while one is looking forward to the benefits of a night season of rest, yet others cannot enjoy rest for fear of what lurks in the shadows, or what unpredictable circumstances that daybreak may hold for them. Depending on where you are in your journey of faith, you may be either content or in conflict, no matter whether it is a day season or a night season for you. Regardless, however, rest assured that God has covered all the bases for you. No matter what is going on, He will both protect you and lead you on your way, as you seek Him and trust Him! I love the old saying I learned as a young boy in church many years ago, which goes something like this; “I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know WHO holds tomorrow!!” You see, our text says that the Lord “went before” them. This means that He is ahead of you. That means that He is already in your tomorrow waiting on you to get there! That means that whatever you have to face, He has already faced it for you! That means that you’re going to make it. God provides a covering, a way, and a light by which to travel. He brings you all that is necessary to make the journey. Just keep traveling. I know you get tired and weary, but He will sustain you. I know that it gets dark at times, but He will impart wisdom to you. I know there will be times you feel like you can’t take it anymore. There will be times that you doubt whether or not you’re going to make it at all. There are times that you just want to give up. Yet, The Lord reminds you of His power to sustain you through the toughest times of your life. My word for you today is this; don’t give up! Don’t quit! Keep on moving! God has you covered!

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Day 23 (Category: God’s Leading)

Today’s Reading: Exodus 7-8, Matt. 15:1-20

Today’s Reflection: Ex. 7:7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh.

It’s never too late to make an impact for Christ! Here, Moses was 80 years of age, and his sidekick Aaron was 83. To me, this is absolutely fascinating. Often is the case that we are led to believe that our “best” years are during young adulthood, when we are at the top of our game physically speaking. However, God often does things much differently than we would. I believe that God chose this age at which to use Moses and Aaron, if for no other reason, than to ensure that all beholding would know that it was not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God that Israel would be delivered from Egyptian bondage! Just think about it; would you send two elderly people to the super power of the world, demanding they relinquish their power over their entire slave trade? If it were me, I admit that I would pick out the brightest, healthiest, stoutest individuals I could for the task, and yet God waits until Moses and Aaron are not at their best either mentally or physically. This just goes to show that God does not worry about the things that we often worry about. Sometimes, we just don’t get it do we! After all the times God does things like this in the scriptures, and yet we still find ourselves taking into consideration OUR abilities when God calls us to a task. We should, however, understand by now that any time God calls us to a task, He never relies on our strength to get the job done; He always depends upon His own! Given, He does choose to use us to be His spokesmen, but even then, we are only speaking what He instructs us to speak. We then learn that the ONLY power that exists in the exchange between God’s purpose, and His call on us to be involved in that purpose, is found in His word. The only thing that matters is what HE says, and whether or not we respond appropriately to His words. This is really all He has ever asked of us, is to respond to His word in faith and obedience. The rest is up to Him to complete. So, how about you? Is your mind filled with all the reasons why God shouldn’t ask you to server in the capacity you feel He is calling you? Or, like Moses and Aaron, are you willing to simply trust and obey His instructions, no matter how limited you may feel, either in age, or strength, or anything else for that matter?

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Day 22 (Category: God’s Leading)

Today’s Reading: Exodus 4-6, Matt. 14:22-36

Today’s Reflection: Ex. 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

Nothing can be more disturbing to your soul than to be in a situation where people look to you for answers, but your words come up short at best. In our text, Moses was very nervous at the prospect of being God’s spokesperson so as to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage. Thoughts of uncertainty and insecurity led him to tell The Lord, “I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” In other words, he not only felt like he couldn’t speak with excellence and clarity, but he worried about his whit, or his ability to speak concisely, clearly, and quickly. His reference to having a slow tongue is not necessarily limited to a speech impediment, as some might suggest, but can also imply that he has a lack of knowledge from which to draw the proper response. His fear may not be founded as much in his physical inabilities, as in his lack of knowledge. Remember that he grew up in and around the palace, and was exposed to the great orators of his day, and it seems here that he was intimidated, because he knew the demands that an environment like the one God was sending him to would require. He knew he couldn’t just go in and say whatever came to mind, and so his concern was not just associated with the actual act of speaking, but also in knowing what to say. In either case, The Lord reassures him that He will be with his mouth, and that He will teach him what to say. However, the most important thing that God instructed Moses to do at this point was to go! In other words, you won’t have to say anything until you are put in the right place at the right time anyway, so you might as well get on your way, so that by the time you arrive, God will have taught you what it is that you will need to say. Often, we try to cross over bridges that we haven’t even arrived at yet, but what we need to learn is to follow God’s commands one step at a time. You may have an assignment that will require a great deal of speaking for God, but perhaps what God would have you do is to make all the necessary preparations for now, and while you are preparing, He will be teaching you what to say. Just start going, and He will start teaching. It is best not to speak until you are prepared!

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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