Jesus Calling: August 20

I am a God who heals, I heal broken bodies, broken minds, broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships. My very Presence has immense healing powers. You cannot live close to Me without experiencing some degree of healing. However, it is also true that you have not because you ask not. You receive the healing that flows naturally from My Presence, whether you seek it or not. But there is more--much more--available to those who ask.
     The first step in receiving healing is to live ever so close to Me. The benefits of this practice are too numerous to list. As you grow more and more intimate with Me, I reveal My will to you more directly. When the time is right, I prompt you to ask for healing of some brokenness in you or in another person. The healing may be instantaneous, or it may be a process. That is up to Me. Your part is to trust Me fully and to thank Me for the restoration that has begun.
     I rarely heal all the brokenness in a person's life. Even My servant Paul was told, "My grace is sufficient for you," when he sought healing for the thorn in his flesh. Nevertheless, much healing is available to those whose lives are intimately interwoven with Mine. Ask, and you will receive.

Psalm 103:3
English Standard Version 

Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
 
James 4:2
King James Version

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
 
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
English Standard Version 

⁷ So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Matthew 7:7
English Standard Version

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 


Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 - Ecclesiastes and Solomon's Song

Ecclesiastes 12:14 - For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Message: Overview

Time: Ecclesiastes: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around 930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of his reign, approximately 935 B.C. Song of Solomon: Solomon's authorship is stated. Solomon most likely wrote this song during the early part of his reign. This would place the date of composition around 965 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

Song of Solomon, as I learned from Tom Nelson, at Denton Bible Church, is a picture of love between a husband and wife. It starts at courtship, has dating, and continues to the marriage relationship. It is a book about love, marriage, and sex. Many people have thought the Bible couldn't have a book like this, so they have made it out to be allegory, but there is really no basis for this.

Ecclesiastes often speaks of how pointless life is and in essence, shows that God is sovereign and over all and we must trust in His ways rather than our own because our ways are temporary and futile. Life can be incomprehensible and thus point us to the Lord. 

Promise: A sad face is good for the heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:3)

Jesus Calling: August 19

I continually call you to closeness with Me. I know the depth and breadth of your need for Me. I can read the emptiness of your thoughts when they wander away from Me. I offer rest for your soul, as well as refreshment for your mind and body. As you increasingly find fulfillment in Me, other pleasures become less important. Knowing Me intimately is like having a private wellspring of Joy within you. The spring flows freely from My throne of grace, so your Joy is independent of circumstances.
     Waiting on My Presence keeps you connected to Me, aware of all that I offer you. If you feel any deficiency, you need to refocus your attention on Me. This is how you trust Me in the moments of your life.

Psalm 131:2
English Standard Version

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    like a weaned child is my soul within me.
 
Psalm 21:6
English Standard Version 

For you make him most blessed forever;
    you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
 
Psalm 37:7
English Standard Version 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 



Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Job 42 - The Wisdom of Job

Job 42:1-2 - Then Job answered the Lord and said:  “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted (no purpose can be defeated)."

Message: The Wisdom of Job

Time: The Book of Job does not specifically name its author. The most likely candidates are Job, Elihu, Moses and Solomon. The date of the authorship of the Book of Job would be determined by the author of the Book of Job. If Moses was the author, the date would be around 1440 B.C. If Solomon was the author, the date would be around 950 B.C. Because we don’t know the author, we can’t know the date of writing.

What the Lord is Saying: 

This is one of the oldest stories in the Bible as Job probably lived around the time of Moses. It is a book that discusses suffering and the sovereignty of God.

According to my reading in TableTalk:

Historical narrative open and closes this book. Job is introduced as a man whose uprightness is known in his day. He is a righteous man of faith. There is a dialogue between God and Satan that engulfs a section concerning Job. Satan thinks he believes because he is blessed. God permits Satan to test Job's faith. Job proves Satan wrong. He perseveres. But along the way he still questions God. He wonders why a righteous man would have to suffer. His friends tell him suffers because of his sin. They say many true things but they also imply that suffering and sin always have a one-to-one correlation. God's will is inscrutable (difficult to fathom or understand).

Promise: May I always accept what I know, and still trust God for what I do not understand.

Jesus Calling: August 18

Expect to encounter adversity in your life, remembering that you live in a deeply fallen world. Stop trying to find a way that circumvents difficulties. The main problem with an easy life is that it masks your need for Me. When you became a Christian, I infused My very Life into you, empowering you to live on a supernatural plane by depending on Me.
     Anticipate coming face to face with impossibilities: situations totally beyond your ability to handle. This awareness of your inadequacy is not something you should try to evade. It is precisely where I want you--the best place to encounter Me in My Glory and Power. When you see armies of problems marching toward you, cry out to Me! Allow Me to fight for you. Watch Me working on your behalf, as you rest in the shadow of My Almighty Presence. 

Revelation 19:1
English Standard Version

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out,

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

Psalm 91:1
English Standard Version

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 


Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Psalms 51 - Psalms

Psalms 51

Message: Psalms

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

To be wise, one needs to have a strong prayer life.  I have said earlier, that wisdom comes about by the fear of the Lord. It is honor and love for the Lord. It is to have reverence and awe. It is to resolve to apply what God has revealed in order to live a life that pleases Him in thankfulness for the salvation that He has provided.

Part of learning is also deepening oneself through the act of prayer. It is leaning on the Lord and trusting Him and His ways. It is talking to Him in an open and honest manner. It is being transparent and allowing Him to be transparent with us. What we want is wisdom. What we want is learning to see life from His perspective.  

Psalm 51 was read recently in church during the confession of sin part of the service. It was very good. Ryan does this and does this so well. I love his perspectives. 

Have mercy on me, O God, (I have sinned, but look past it)
    according to your steadfast love; (You can, because you Love)
according to your abundant mercy (Your mercy is great)
    blot out my transgressions. (Erase my sin)
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, (Your washing yields no more sin on me)
    and cleanse me from my sin! (I am clean)

For I know my transgressions, (I confess and I see my sin)
    and my sin is ever before me. (It is clear)
Against you, you only, have I sinned (My sin is a sin against you)
    and done what is evil in your sight, (It is evil in your sight, not simply bad)
so that you may be justified in your words (Sin does not belong in front of you)
    and blameless in your judgment. (You are free from sin and its result)
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, (Sin marks my beginning)
    and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Sin marks my beginning)
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, (But instead truth is your delight)
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (You teach me wisdom)


Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; (Make me clean)
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (You make me white)
Let me hear joy and gladness; (You make me glad)
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice. (You take the broken and make it joy)
Hide your face from my sins, (My sins will be far from you)
    and blot out all my iniquities. (My sins will not even be seen)
Create in me a clean heart, O God, (May my heart be clean)
    and renew a right spirit within me. (Make my spirit right)
Cast me not away from your presence, (Though I deserve to be far, bring me close)
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me. (Keep  your Holy Spirit near me)
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, (Bring back the joy of my salvation)
    and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Bring willingness to me)

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, (I will show sinners what your ways mean)
    and sinners will return to you. (Many will know you)
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, (Deliver me)
    O God of my salvation, (God of my salvation)
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. (You are the righteous one)
O Lord, open my lips, (Give me speech)
    and my mouth will declare your praise. (I will praise your Name)
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; (You do not need a sacrifice)
    you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. (Or an offering)
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; (What you want is a broken me)
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (I want to be contrite before You)

Promise: Come to the Lord when I sin. Do not run away. Hide myself in Him.

Jesus Calling: August 17

Find Me in the midst of the maelstrom. Sometimes events whirl around you so quickly that they become a blur. Whisper My Name in recognition that I am still with you. Without skipping a beat in the activities that occupy you, you find strength and Peace through praying My Name. Later, when the happenings have run their course, you can talk with Me more fully.
     Accept each day just as it comes to you. Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances. Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes. Remember that nothing can separate you from My loving Presence; you are Mine.

Philippians 2:9-11
English Standard Version

⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Isaiah 43:1
English Standard Version 

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 


Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.