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Focus?

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV) When I am not at peace, it is because my mind is not dwelling on God, but it is dwelling on the circumstances of life. If I lack peace and look to God, then I really do not know God, and I am really looking at a God I have created in my mind. Knowing God and choosing to be close to Him, and to listen to Him, yields a peace that passes all understanding. Peace is a barometer, and barometers do not cause conditions or even predict conditions. They inform you of the existing conditions, allowing you to prepare accordingly. The lack of peace tells us that our priorities are off. When my focus, my mind, is on God and how the circumstances of this life point to Him, and the fact that He loves me and has a plan for my life, I am at peace. When I focus on the problem, I am overwhelmed, and I become the problem. https://www....
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Proximity Matters

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. Isaiah 25:1(ESV) For one to say, "You are my God" and truly understand what that means is incredible. Some circumstances make no sense to us. Having God as our God is the only hope we have.   Those who have no God can only talk of circumstances and hope that those circumstances change, so they may endure the day. Those who know God can obtain a rest, a "faith rest" life, that He alone gives to those who dwell in His presence. Those who are experiencing the "faith rest" life are fine, regardless of the circumstances. If Satan cannot use the circumstances of this life to destroy his enemy (those who love and walk with God), then his arsenal is severely limited. Our proximity to God matters at all times, and our proximity is not accidental. God is worthy of our praise, for He, today, as in all days, has done wonderful ...
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Where’s The Hope?

“In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 22:25 (ESV) What is thought secure, is not. What is safe is secure, even when you feel it is not. It may never rain on the person who has saved money for the rainy day. Retirement may never come to one who has lived their life for such a time. Health can change in a moment, accidents can easily alter plans, and natural disasters can render life as we know it today no longer available. When we place our hope for security in things that are not secure, we abandon reason. Reasonable people put their hope in something that gives them cause for hope. This world and the things of this world cannot offer hope, for all of the components of this life are to be used, not loved. It is only that which can be legitimately loved that can give hope. For now, the choice is ours. https://...
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Watchmen

For thus the Lord said to me: "Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees. Isaiah 21:6 (ESV) A watchman watches. There were several times when God addressed a watchman and commanded them to be vigilant. A watchman sets themselves up to watch and to proclaim what they see. When there is no danger, they remain silent. When they see danger, they proclaim danger. This proclamation can be heeded or discarded, but it must be made. The watchman must be faithful to his/her task. While I was in a major retail store, a screeching alarm began to sound. I started to ready myself for evacuation, but I observed that all of the store employees were going about their work as if nothing was happening. Therefore, I ignored the alarm, finished my shopping, and began the checkout process. During that process, I asked the clerk why nobody responded to the alarm, and was told that it was meaningless because it happened all the time. Watchmen need to carefully proclaim the truth in a time and pla...
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God doesn't need us; He wants us.

And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. Isaiah  19:21-22  (ESV) In that day, the Lord will make Himself known. All men are like grass. All men will fade, weaken, and one day be declared helpless. Those who trust in God will never be truly helpless, for their help comes from One who can never be rendered helpless. One day, all who have ignored God will wish they had not, all who love God will be proven wise, and faith will be the only measuring stick used to evaluate success in this life. God doesn't need us; He wants us. Those who allow God to love them will never be ashamed. I am thankful for His love, mercy, grace, and provision. It truly is in God whom we trust. https://www...
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I Am Limited

"An oracle concerning Moab. Because Ar of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone; because Kir of Moab is laid waste in a night, Moab is undone." Isaiah 15:1 (ESV) " Man has but a little day to work in, but God's working hours never cease; man becomes weary with his day's work, and lies down to rest, and whilst he is in slumber destruction swiftly overtakes him, so that the morning looks upon a branch cut off, a city laid to waste and brought to silence. Men should diligently consider this in musing upon the judgments of providence. They cannot always be awake; they cannot always be upon the walls defending the fortress; they must retire for a time to renew their strength, and whilst they are resting the enemy acquires additional power, and comes down upon their boasted masonry, and hurls it to the dust." (Biblical Illustrator) I am limited; God is not. I am vulnerable; God is not. I would be wise to know and trust Him, and to rest assured that all wil...
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False Hope Is Evil

"I will rise up against them," declares the Lord of hosts, "and will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity," declares the Lord. "And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord of hosts. Isaiah  14:22-23  (ESV) A prophet often talks of destruction because man usually ignores God. To give people false hope is evil. Truth always sets us free to live in a way that will reflect that truth. Sometimes, we like it when people lie to us so we can feel good about what we know is destructive. A true prophet of God is just that—a true prophet. They deal in truth and love and are confident about both the present and the future. Their job is not to make people feel good. It is to make people "good" by getting them to know and live right. A prophet's primary responsibility is to declare the Word of God. It seems that many of them, the way t...
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