What a Wonderful Name it is
How often do we overlook God’s current provisions because we are looking to the right or to the left? How often are we looking around to see what others have that we want, or conversely, do we look back to what we once had? This my friends is a sure way to stay distracted from all the Lord is blessing you with TODAY!
“The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!””
Numbers 11:4-6 NIV
In Numbers 11:4 the term rabble refers to, “The mixt multitude – The word in the original resembles our “riff-raff,” and denotes a mob of people scraped together. It refers here to the multitude of strangers (see Exodus 12:38) who had followed the Israelites from Egypt.”
In Matthew Poole’s commentary he describes it as this, “The mixt multitude, consisting of Egyptians or other people, which being affected with God’s miraculous works in Egypt, and thereupon believing the promise of God to carry them to a land of milk and honey, for their own advantage joined themselves to the Israelites, Exodus 12:38, an now, finding themselves sadly disappointed, they discover their evil minds.”
Corrie ten Boom, a Nazi concentration camp survivor, once said: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” God’s character never changes and his promises never fail. It stands out to me that even though the Israelites had just witnessed and directly benefited from God’s deliverance and continued provisions, they complained as if they still didn’t know HIM. The Israelites were taking their eyes off of a faithful God and in turn began to act faithless.
You must be faithfully focused in order to guard your heart, mind, and soul. In these times when we are surrounded by so much uncertainty we have the tendency to start to wander in the wilderness like the Israelites, looking back and questioning the Lord – BUT – we MUST cling to what is certain.
While we may be in this world right now – we are pilgrims on our way to our forever home with our Father. Do not give in to thief of comparison. The devil has come to steal, kill, and destroy- our Joy belongs to the Lord so do not let the enemy steal it!
““As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be COMPLETE.”
John 15:9-11 NIV
While we are called to love one another, we also need to be discerning and careful not to take on the beliefs of the world or others around us. This gave me some pause for thought this morning when I began to think about those who believed for their own advantage… not for the glory of the Lord, not because their heart needed to change, but for their own advantage… how often do we fall into this trap of having a one sided relationship with the Lord?
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Romans 8:31-33
Our relationship with the Lord should never be contingent. Our God has taken the initiative to come down to us and pay the price for our sins – while we were still sinners and so undeserving! He deserves all of our hearts, minds, and yes 🙌 Lord’s.
HIS past faithfulness demands our present FAITH and TRUST…
““I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:13-17 NIV
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Romans 5:8-9 NIV
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”
Mark 12:30 NIV
Christians, we have every reason and hope to be hilariously-joyful!! We are blessed beyond measure by the saving grace of our Lord Jesus. Be intentional to stay faithfully focused today, holding fast to what is true!
Today Matters for Eternity
Today matters for eternity. Let us not be so arrogant to think that we will joyously run to our Father in heaven, when we can’t or don’t spend time with HIM while we are here.
“Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.”
Psalms 90:1-2 NLT
Today matters for eternity is a statement that should remind us that we are pilgrims passing though, that our days are numbered, and that we should be sharing the good news with as many people as possible due to how quickly this life and world will fade away.
“That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
Romans 1:16 NLT
Today matters for eternity should give us the perspective needed to finish well and to know that Jesus is coming back! This should fill us both with a strong HOPE and a sense of WARNING.
“Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
Psalms 90:11-12 NLT
“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.”
2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT
Important Reminders from the book of Habakkuk
“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” Habakkuk 2:4
It has only been this year, that I have begun to read through some of the smaller, often overlooked books of the Bible. Habakkuk has been a blessing and an opportunity to learn so much more about God and His relationships with His people. This book also highlights something we can all be guilty of, and that is, reasoning from the position of God when we are not content in our circumstances. Faithfully, God responds with great mercy and patience to Habakkuk – God walks with the Prophet through his doubts and confusion. The Lord wants us to take our questions to Him; our questions can often serve as the very vehicles needed to gain a better understanding of God’s character, growing in faith, and trusting more fully in the Lord. Practically, this gives us permission to ask God questions with faith that He will provide answers.
This book is unique in that it is a book where the Prophet Habakkuk makes an appeal to the Lord on behalf of the suffering people. Whereas typically we see God use the prophets to deliver His messages/will to the people. Habakkuk had no small task in crying out to God or in pleading for God to bring justice to His people. Everywhere Habakkuk looked he was seeing immorality prevail: theft, deception, violence, pride, greed, corruption and so forth. I do not know about you, but I have certainly cried out to the Lord asking, “How long Lord?”, as the events of the last few years have played out in the news and in our daily lives.
A simple outline of this brief book:
- Faith tested (1:1-17)
- Faith taught (2:1-20)
- Faith triumphant (3:1-19)
God responds to Habakkuk by giving him a vision of five woes that could be outlined as follows:
- Habakkuk 2:6-8, Greed and oppressive financial practices.
- Habakkuk 2:9-11, Prospering through dishonest means.
- Habakkuk 2:12-14, The use of violence and slavery to build cities.
- Habakkuk 2:15-17, Indulgence in drunkeness and lewdness.
- Habakkuk 2:18-29, Practicing idolatry.
At the end of these woes, Habakkuk responds by acknowledging God is HOLY. By the end of the book, Habakkuk offers up a final prayer to God and resolves that his strength is from God.
Some of the things we can learn from this book:
YOU can Trust God’s justice in the midst of injustice.
YOU should Hope in God when life feels hopeless.
YOU can Find joy in God’s salvation when we feel stuck in our pain.
YOU can and should keep running to God even when we don’t get the answer we expect.
YOU should Wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled even when our suffering feels endless.
These are important reminders in a time such as the one we are living in. Habakkuk’s conversation, seen here with the Lord, is a good reminder that our faith walk often involves lament, complaint, and raw emotions poured out to God. Questioning God and/or His ways, when done with the right heart posture and attitude, can often lead to a deeper faith, a greater understanding of God, and a more fuller relationship with HIM.
True faith leads to boldness before God – but we must also remember to come humbly before Him and in submission to His sovereignty, even when we do not fully understand.
This is the Gospel
How it started: Fourteen years ago, TODAY I was lost in addiction, self-harm, living a sin-soaked life and daily wondering will this get better? I now know I was asking spiritual questions but was looking to the world and man’s answers trying to find the cure. Fourteen years ago, today was the last time I used.
How it’s going: TODAY I am walking with the cure! And His name is Jesus!
The greatest physician, counselor, father, all sufficient God who sees me, created me, & loves me.
Today I am not seeking the next fix – I am seeking Him! A closer relationship to Him and getting to know Him more all the while learning to DENY myself. I am learning that in obedience to Him, I have ALL I need; He is sufficient!
Are you asking yourself the same spiritual questions?
– When will this get better?
– Will my marriage continue to fall apart?
– When will the world no longer be broken?
Ask Jesus – Ask Him to show Himself to you, invite Him into your heart, & admit how much you need Him. In your rock bottom, you can rebuild with a stronger foundation, and Jesus is that foundation, the cornerstone on which ALL stands & is held together. He loves you; He will receive you and deliver you!
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 NLT
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NLT
This is HOPE, this is REDEMPTION, this is the GOSPEL.
“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (NIV)
Psalm 40:1-2, “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (NIV)
Perfect Peace
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)
The key is Christ IN us – not us in a different set of circumstances.
Many of us are searching for rest, and for peace. When we look to our own situations for stability, we can not find it, or at best it will be very temporary.
But!! We have a faithful and unchanging God who can be our place of stability when we face unknowns. God is the one who is able to not just keep us in peace but in perfect peace. Peace is found in His presence.
We can find this peace when we fix our thoughts on Him – instead of our own situations or circumstances. How can we fix our thoughts on him?
👉🏻 Remind yourself of His faithful character, remember His past faithfulness
👉🏻Soak in His word – believe He is true to His word and that He will be faithful in the future
👉🏻Be aware of our own thoughts, fixing our thoughts on Him means we say no to, and reject any thoughts that do not line up with God’s character or His word
When we fix our thoughts on Him, He promises He will give us perfect peace, and in this peace we can rest confident in who He is.
❤️ “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
❤️ “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 NKJV
❤️ “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Psalms 4:8 NKJV
❤️ “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
Psalms 23:1-6 NKJV
A strong woman places her faith in Jesus – not her feelings
Are you praying as many words about it as you are speaking about it? Our emotions are not truth.
Many of us can find ourselves in “our feelings”, as we become weary or as we battle the same difficult circumstances for a long period of time.
The true fear we are battling, is a fear that He won’t answer us when or how we want and a fear of no control. These feelings, aid our growing doubt! We must look to the places that God can speak to us the clearest.
God’s word is the TRUTH & how HE can best speak to us.
God’s ability to resolve our problems are always bigger than the problems themselves. Scripture reminds us, God is Who He says He is! Never changing! So we can always, in assurance, choose to believe He is Who He says He is! He is faithful when we are faithless.
We have the choice to believe God is who He says He is, no matter what He allows in our lives.
God will always work out all circumstances for the eternal good of those who love Him.
As I continue to find myself in difficult circumstances, I too am crying out, “Lord, increase my faith!” (Mark 9:22-9:24)(Luke 17:5).
The Meek Momma 