Food For Thought by Jeanette Cory

      I just want to share some pages out of my daily devotional, God Is Faithful by David Wilkerson.  These are just a couple that spoke to me that I like to reread from time to time.  I hope they bring you a blessing in some way.

The Lord’s Mercies Never Fail

     The Bible Tells us that the Lord is no respecter of persons. Because He does not show favoritism –because His promises never change from generation to generation—we can ask Him to show us the same mercies He has shown His people throughout history.

     The Lord’s mercies never fail, and every believer has examples of His past mercies.  So, when you fear you may have sinned too often against the Lord’s mercy-when you think you have crossed a line and God has given up on you; when you are discouraged, cast down by failure; when you wonder if God is putting you on a shelf or withholding His love from you because of past sins-lay hold of this truth with a truly repentant heart: God changes not.

     Bind God to His Word.  Write down every remembrance you have of what He has done for you in past years.  Then go to Scripture and find other instances of His “mercy precedents” with His people.  Bring these lists before the Lord and remind Him: “God, you cannot deny Your own Word.  You are the same yesterday, today and forever.

     Often we rush into God’s presence unprepared, making our requests passionately, but we wilt because we approach Him with only emotion.  We must be prepared with our grasp of His Word to us.  We know the Son, so we can stand before the Judge and bind Him to His own arguments: “Father, I have nothing to bring You but Your own Word.  You promised that I would be complete in Christ, that You would keep me from falling and that Jesus would be my intercessor.  Oh, Lord, have mercy and grace on me now, in my hour of need. Amen!”

     I truly believe that God is wonderfully blessed when we approach His throne with this kind of boldness, binding Him to His own Word.  It is as if He is saying to us, “Finally, you got it.  You see what I want you to have.  You bless Me!”

A Pleasing Walk

     The apostle Paul taught the Colossian church: “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”(Colossians 1:10).

     What is required for a pleasing walk?  Paul says: “Put on therefore, as the chosen of God, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, whoever has a complaint against another; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you”(3:12-13, my paraphrase).

     Paul is telling us:  “Here is my word to you in these critical times.  In light of the hard times you know are coming, you are to measure you walk with the Lord.”

     We must therefore ask ourselves: “Am I becoming more like Christ?  Am I growing more patient, or quick-tempered?  Kinder and gentler, or meaner and more argumentative?  More tender and forgiving or less, holding on to grudges?  Do I put up with the weaknesses and faults of those near to me, or do I always have to be right?  Do I criticize or offer encouragement?”

     According to Paul, in light of the coming hard days it does not matter what works you accomplish or what charitable deeds you do.  No matter how generous you are to strangers, no matter how many souls you bring to Christ, this question remains:  Are you becoming more loving, patient, forgiving, forbearing?

     Examining your walk with Christ means looking not so much at what you are doing, as at who you are becoming.  Such a walk will not come about by self-determination, merely saying, “I am going to become that kind of believer.”  Rather, it happens by the work of the Holy Spirit-through faith in His Word.

Tested By Falls And Failings

    When I speak of tests and failings, I’m not talking about Christians who fall back into old sins and turn back to the world.  Those aren’t tested believers-they are believers who face a shipwreck of faith. 

     Peter warned, “Beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked”(2 Peter 3:17).  Peter is warning believers who are set on following the Lord and are growing in holiness.

     Maybe you have fallen in spite of all the progress you have made with the Lord.  If I asked what caused your fall, you might answer, “I was provoked by my own family and I blew up.  I can’t understand it.  I thought I was becoming sweeter, a little more like Jesus.  But somebody just pushed the wrong button and I lost it.”  If I asked why, you might try to explain, “I’m only human.  How much am I supposed to take?”

     It does not matter that you were provoked or even that you were in the right.  The provoking simply proved you need deliverance.  Scripture says, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor [fighting}, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice [grudges]” (Ephesians 4:31).

     God is going to keep testing you until you say, “I have a spirit that has to go.”  You will see no growth in Christ, no peace at home or on the job, until you can say, “You’re right, Lord-take it out!”

     If you are being tested in this area, or any other area, you may also be feeling unworthy, thinking, “How much ground have I lost?  Does the Lord still love me?””

     Dearly beloved, if you have truly repented, you have not lost any ground whatsoever.  God puts His loving arms around you and says, “I allowed that to happen so you would see what is in your heart.  You are making progress- and that pleases Me.”

The Ultimate Test of Faith

     There comes a time in the life of every believer-as well as in the Church-when God puts us to the ultimate test of faith.  It is the same test Israel faced on the wilderness side of the Jordan.

     This test is to look at all the dangers ahead-the giant issues facing us, the high walls of affliction, the principalities and powers that seek to destroy us-and cast ourselves totally on God’s promises.  The test is to commit ourselves to a lifetime of trust and confidence in His Word.  It is a commitment to believe that God is bigger than all our problems and enemies.

     Our heavenly Father is not looking for a faith that deals with one problem at a time.  He is looking for a lifetime faith, a lifelong commitment to believe Him for the impossible.  This kind of faith brings a calm and rest to our soul, no matter what our situation.

     Our Lord is loving and long-suffering, but He will not allow His people to dwell in unbelief.  You may have been tested time after time, but now the time has come for you to make a decision.  God wants faith that endures the ultimate test, a faith that will not allow anything to shake you from trust and confidence in His faithfulness.

     We simply cannot conjure up faith.  We cannot create it by repeating, “I believe, I really believe.” No, faith is a commitment we make to obey God.

     As Israel faced Jericho, the people were told not to say a word but simply to march.  In short, God asked one thing of the: to obey His Word and go forward.  They did not whisper, “Help me to believe, Lord.”  Instead, they simply obeyed.

     That is faith.  It means setting your heart to obey all that is written in God’s Word, without questioning it or taking it lightly.

     Satan is displaying great power, and hell is unleashing all its fury on this generation.  The enemy’s strongholds are much more fortified, powerful and entrenched than in past generation.  Without a doubt, Satan is becoming better known, less feared and more accepted.

     A basic Bible school knowledge of Christ will not be enough in this final war.  Knowing about Him is not enough-we need to seek for a greater revelation of Him from the Holy Spirit.  That requires one to spend much time at His table sitting in His presence, hearing His voice, waiting on Him for divine wisdom.