Summer is in its full.....and my blog has been empty for weeks! I felt urged today to share a portion of a devotional I started a few weeks ago. I have a special place in my heart for introductions in books. This one in particular is relevant to much of my prayer life the past couple of months....
On Holy Ground - Charles Stanley
Introduction:
“Before you start on a long trip, you usually check to make
sure you have everything you need. Nobody wants to be caught unprepared. The
good news is that the Lord has already supplied you with everything needed for
you spiritual journey (II Peter 1:3)
You are
provisioned to the maximum, with nothing left out or forgotten. And just like a
traveler, you appreciate your full suitcase the most when you have the greatest
need. The times in which you come to the end of your ability are the very times
you realize the abundance of His provision. These special moments can be
defined in many ways. In the Scriptures, when men and women experienced a
meeting with God, they often respond with awe, brokenness, and repentance.
Moses slipped off his sandals. Isaiah cried, ‘Woe is me, for I am undone’
(Isaiah 6:5). All of these fellow travelers, however, inevitably came to the
understanding that, at that special moment in time, exposed and in the presence
of God, they were standing On Holy Ground.
May this be your experience too.
Don’t
try to lug along your own resources for this spiritual journey. Stop striving.
Let the Word of God work effectively in you. Trust God and enjoy your trip.”
January’s Theme:
Trusting God
Hebrews 11:8
“Abraham’s
roots were firmly entrenched in the city of Ur. It was a civilized culture. His
business was thriving. His family lived there. Yet God spoke to him at age seventy-five
to leave all that was familiar and travel to an unknown territory. God promised
to bless Abraham if he started down the road by faith.
Like
Abraham, we enter this year unsure of the paths we will walk, but we can make
our journey in faith and confidence that God will be with us each step of the
way. He has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us: ‘That you may
know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before’
(Josh. 3:4).
Perhaps
God has been speaking to you about leaving familiar territory, making new steps
of faith, or moving on to a new job, a different ministry, new relationships,
new geographical location, or a new spiritual commitment. If so, pack your
bags. Our journey of faith is beginning.”
