Gaining Insider Information

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOgYFwFemB0&list=RDMOgYFwFemB0&start_radio=1&rv=MOgYFwFemB0&t=5

Better Word ~ Leland 

But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. God is generous. He enjoys giving to all people, so God will give you wisdom. ~ James 1:5 ICB

Thank God He’s generous!

I heard the girls say they needed me, as they changed into pjs. Since I was doing laundry, I assumed they were “out of” something. But they wanted to show me some dark reddish/purplish marks on Elizabeth’s chest. It clearly bothered the girls to see them, so I tried to remain calm, even as I peppered Elizabeth with questions: Did you fall? Run into something? What did you do during recess? None of her answers explained the marks. Since it wasn’t causing her any discomfort, I said we’d watch it...for now.

Do you know that we serve a generous God? He’s so generous that even a plea or thought of, “God, I need You in this,” is enough to get an answer, to gain “insider information.” Later, while checking the girls’ room to ensure I had all the dirty laundry, I found Elizabeth’s shirt from that day...with a reddish/purplish stain. I told Elizabeth to see if the marks would wash off… They turned out to be paint. While it was both a huge sigh of relief and a bit funny, that moment was a great reminder of the generous heart of God.

James 1:5 says God is generous and will give wisdom to everyone, liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding. Though we found a quick fix, not everything is that easily solvable. But in the weeks when the sickness and pain linger, when your body acts in ways that aren’t normal for you, when your kid is acting up, or even when the money runs out before the month, we can ask God for help--for wisdom--and expect to receive a generous amount!

What questions do you have, in what areas do you need help, in which situations do you need God’s wisdom? Ask our generous Father who enjoys giving us wisdom.

©Heather Potts 2021

Wherever-Whenever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UUZXgKo7ic

Dancing on the Waves ~ We the Kingdom

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. ~ Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV

While some days feel great, others feel more like this:  

How NOT to have Quality Time with God in 5 Easy Steps

1. Wake up late

1. Rushing definitely helps clutter and rattle the mind!

2. Get distracted

1. Pulling out the grocery or to-do list will help distract you.

3. Keep your Smartphone handy

1. Interrupting texts, emails, and updates will get you off-course in no time flat!

4. Fuss at yourself

1. Self-condemnation fills the mind with so many loathsome thoughts, there’s no possible way to concentrate.

5. Quit

1. Give up and go on with your life. Who needs quality time with God, anyway?

While this is a little tongue-in-cheek, I bet you can relate to one or more things on that list. The enemy works to distract us from our time with God. He hates it--fears it--when we “get down to business.”

When the girls were very little, I was really missing the hours of quiet time I’d had with God before they were born. But with a toddler and an infant, long-gone were quiet minutes, let alone hours. I remember feeling shameful when I told the women in my mom’s group that I had no time for God, because the earlier I got up, so did my kids. And by the end of the day, I was too tired to even give God my leftovers. One of the women in our group gave me some much-needed wisdom. She said God gives us what we need in each season and stage of our lives. She said God doesn’t care what it looks like or when and where it happens; He just wants a relationship with us. God and kids spell “love” the same way: T-I-M-E. It doesn’t have to be a big production. They just want us to be near and have us “present” with them.

Maybe this isn’t your season for an hour of quiet time. Maybe this season is a prayer-walking during your lunch break, or a worship session in your car during your 30-minute commute. My friend Andrea used to say that God created us all differently, but knows us intimately enough to speak in ways that we need and will hear. Maybe yesterday was a wash and the time you tried to carve out just didn’t pan out like you’d hoped. Brush yourself off, move on, and try again. Or better yet, ask God when and how you can meet with Him. If you’re listening, I bet He’ll both tell and show you. He promised that when you seek Him, He’ll be found by you.

©Heather Potts 2021

Rinnâ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4KEgwLDLHw

Don’t Tread on Me ~ We the Kingdom

The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

~ Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

I grew up in a pool, and for many years, on a swim team. Though I competed in other events, I preferred backstroke, because I could see my friends cheering me into the wall. It helped to have friends and family cheering. It’s a lot harder to keep up the discipline of a strong finish when no one’s there for you. I use the analogy of swimming, because it’s what I know, but it’s true of every sport and all of life. The reason stadiums hand out annoying noise-makers is to encourage the players, especially when their team isn’t winning. It helps to know you’ve got someone in your corner, someone who’s on your side.

As I sat down to pray this morning, the line “He will rejoice over you with singing,” from Zephaniah 3:17, seemed to leap out at me. The phrase, “over you with singing,” is the Hebrew word rinnâ, which means, “shouting for joy.” I have some friends who are walking through hard battles. Sometimes, especially when the battle is long, it can feel like God is “busy elsewhere,” and has forgotten us. But the truth is, He’s always with us and never loses sight of us. In fact, He’s constantly cheering us on, encouraging us, and shouting with joy and pride at our progress:

Come on, Son! Come on, Daughter! You’ve got this! You’re more than a conqueror! You’re an overcomer! Don’t give up! I’ve got you. Don’t quit! Just a little bit more. Just a little farther. You can do this. I’m right here with you!

Hebrews 12:1 says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, people of faith sent by God to encourage us and show us the way. Just like it encouraged me as people cheered for my swimming, we’re encouraged and strengthened when we know we’re not alone. Regardless of who’s telling us we can’t, God sent His Spirit to dwell within us, reminding us of what we can do in Him. My prayer is that, as we allow God’s love to quiet us, shutting out the noise, we’ll hear Holy Spirit cheering us all the way to a strong finish.

©Heather Potts 2021

Lifted Hands

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8uKldEUrPE

House of the Lord ~ Phil Wickham

Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You... I will lift up my hands in Your name. ~ Psalm 63:3-4 AMPC

In his book, “Give It All to Him,” Max Lucado shares the story of a group of people whose bodies ached and were bowed under the weight of the baggage they carried. Each carried his own - not wanting it, but unable to get rid of it. Then one day, they saw someone they knew, except he no longer had his bags. He stood upright and looked...free! He told them, “The Trashman took my bags -  all of them! And he’ll take yours, too, if you’ll give them to him.” Curious, the group followed the crowd toward the trash heap, where the Trashman stood atop, accepting each person’s bags. They saw the agony in His face and the toll it took on His body, and still He asked for each bag. When it was the next person’s turn, she struggled. She wanted to be free, but not cause agony to an innocent man. Then, the Trashman looked at her with love in his eyes and asked, “Will you give it to Me?”

Jesus asks the same of us. Not just once, but each time we pick up the bags. And when the enemy uses people to hurt us, and heaps bags of pain and shame upon our shoulders, Jesus loves us and says, “That’s not yours. Will you give it to Me?” That’s what He said to me. And, just like the man in the story, when you drop the bags and cast off the shame, you can feel the difference! The joy bubbles inside, bursting to break free and worship the Lord!

Father, I pray for those who are carrying bags, today, who are weighed down by things they were never meant to carry. Whether they have never known You or have walked with You for many years, Jesus, I pray that today they’d accept freedom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I command that the voice of the enemy be silenced! No more will he convince people that they must carry these bags, believing they’re stuck with them because of what they did, or because they picked them up, again. Jesus, shut down and silence every lying tongue! Let only Your voice be heard, Lord. Let only Your offer be received. Let today be the day people would drop their bags, and lift their hands and lives in freedom and praise! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!

So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. So will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My whole being shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips ~ Psalm 63:2‭-‬5 AMPC

©Heather Potts 2021

On the Side without a Shield

 

https://youtu.be/tgw1hIcW34k

Surviving the Game ~ Skillet 

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield]. ~ Psalm 121:5 AMPC

If the right hand is your working side, why did the verse also specify that the Lord’s on the side not carrying a shield. As a warrior, your shield gives you protection. When you feel protected, you won’t run from the enemy. Instead, you’ll either stand your ground, or advance in battle. 

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. ~ Psalm 16:8 AMPC

If the left side carries the shield for protection and confidence, then the Lord provides that for you on your right side. He stands at your side and gives you a weapon to wield.

Last week, I had the opportunity to walk one of the 3rd grade classes through the temptations of Jesus. We discussed the importance of knowing scripture as a way to overcome temptation. Just as we weren’t given a sword to hang it on a belt, we weren’t given a Bible to keep it closed on a table. There’s nothing scary about either scenario. But swinging a sword and studying scripture...that makes us a dangerous threat to the enemy.

 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword … ~ Hebrews 4:12 AMPC

But we were created to do more than just fight. We are God’s workmanship, called to do the good works He planned in advance for us, (Ephesians 2:10). That reminds me of Nehemiah and the Jews who worked to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. As they worked, the enemy came against them. Because the opposition was so fierce, “[those] who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked,” (Nehemiah 4:17-18 NIV). That sounds like a rather clunky way to work. But if you are expected to be a warrior--defending yourself and your home--as well as a worker, you’d need to do both. Though the expectation is still there for us, it’s not as literal as this picture.

Most of us will not have to fight and work that way, but we’re still expected to do both. I think, at some point, we have all fallen into the trap of believing that spiritual warfare is for one season, and doing God’s work is for another. But the truth is, we are called to do them simultaneously. God gave us weapons for spiritual warfare so that we could fight and remain standing, while doing the work that God prepared for us.

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that … you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ~ Ephesians 6:13 NIVUK

The Lord is your keeper: your guard, preserver, and Shepherd. 

The Lord is your shade: as near as your shadow for your protection and

refreshment. 

He’s on your right side: on your working side - providing skills, wisdom,

guidance, perseverance, strength, courage, determination, and

encouragement. 

He’s on the side not carrying a shield: on your warfare side -

providing spiritual weapons, like the sword of the Spirit.

The Lord has positioned Himself to be near to you, providing everything you need, in every circumstance. Whatever you need today, receive it from Him and get moving!

©Heather Potts 2021

On Your Right Side

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f4MUUMWMV4

Goodness of God ~ Bethel Music

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand... ~ Psalm 121:5 AMPC

Growing up, my grandparents had an in-ground pool, which, of course, had to be cleaned. The skimmer was useful for catching leaves on top of the pool. The vacuum, however, was best for getting everything that was at the bottom, especially in the deep end and harder-to-reach places. I confess that when I recently read Psalm 121, I skimmed right over verses 3-8 and spent more time on the familiar verses. But God had more that He wanted me to explore, so He took me back and helped me to draw out the deeper riches, especially in verse 5.

Throughout the Bible, many verses refer to the “right side,” which I’ve always heard is the “holy side.” While studying Psalm 121:5, I learned that Bible commentators also believe that it’s the “working side.” As a mom, I could relate to that, because when my girls were both little, I often held one on my left, while trying to do something else with my right hand.

As I continued to ponder the idea of the working side, Holy Spirit gave me a picture of Jesus sitting on God’s right side. Jesus’ last words on the Cross were, “It is finished.” Then, after ascending to heaven, He sat down at Father God’s right hand, demonstrating that the work of salvation is complete. I’m sure you know you don’t have to work to earn your salvation. Hopefully, you also realize that you don’t have to work to earn His love. It’s already freely yours. Yes, we are called to do good works, but as Graham Cooke says, “Work comes after love, not before. Love comes first, and the works come out of that love.”

Everyone is working hard these days, being pulled and stretched. Sometimes God allows the stretching to show off His glory, and sometimes to prepare you for the next step on the journey. Regardless of the reason, He’s always with you, loving you, encouraging you, and giving you the wisdom and skills needed when you turn to Him. As you go throughout your day, stop and thank Jesus for standing on your working side and for completing the work, so that you only have to walk in it.

©Heather Potts 2021