37 Days – Anxiety and Worry Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 (NLT)

January 27^th Prayer:

Lord, You are the Shepherd of my life. You are near, and I will not be afraid. Even though worry, fear, dread, and threat of calamity are encircling me, you prepare a table—a meeting place in the middle of threats. Simply because You are with me, I will not be overcome. Your power and willingness to defend and protect— this is comforting to me. My soul will find rest today from all fear, anxiety and worry. I release this to You and worship You victoriously in the midst of it all . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Mrs. Sebring taught me the Lord’s Prayer.  I was no more than 5 or 6 and attending First Baptist Church, Tecumseh.  There was a picture of Jesus hanging on the brick wall in our Sunday School Class and we all sat around these small circular tables.  It’s a prayer that we all have heard numerous times and many have memorized, forgotten, memorized again and forgotten again.  But, looking at the words again now as a more matured adult, I have fresh eyes and different perspective than the small child sitting in Mrs. Sebring’s class. 

Then I was actually a little afraid of it; “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”.  Really, a small child can’t comprehend “valley of the shadow of death”.  I was looking over my shoulder all the time for the shadow of death to be following me (lol).  Seriously though, I have learned to trust in the Lord in all things and have come to realize that no matter where I am in this life, He is right there beside me and will guide me through.  I’m still learning to put my worries upon Him and to let them go.  This is a huge challenge for me, as my pride and determination often get in the way. 

What I am coming to understand is that trusting that God is good and only wants good things for me.  His love is unmeasurable and He is more than willing to pour out blessings upon me and my family.  By accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior, God will guide me along the right paths and provide comfort, protection and safety through the darkest valleys.  I am His child.  Which parent would not do everything they can to ensure the comfort, protection and safety of their own children from the evil in today’s world?  David, in writing the 23^rd Psalm, was clearly in connection with God the Father, and had learned to put all of his faith in the Lord to guide him through the path’s in his life.  We all need to take a moment and re-read the 23^rd Psalm with the eyes of a child looking to God as our Father.  Put all of your trust and faith in Him, and He will guide your paths as well.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – Relational Strife Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Matthew 5:23-24

January 26^th Prayer:

Father, You reconciled me to you through Jesus when there was no other way. I know You have the power to reconcile my relationship with _________________________________________. I ask You to help me. Help them. Soften our hearts . . . and our words . . . and our attitudes. I will forgive them. And I will forgive myself. Help me to release the hurt, anger and resentment of my heart as I walk freely into Your presence to worship . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Bitterness comes forth from ones lips, and once done, it is twice as bitter on the lips upon taking them back.  We have all allowed temporary emotions to drive the words and actions which often times destroy years of a loving, wonderful relationship.  Pride is often times at the root of these issues, and controlling that pride is in most cases very difficult and counter intuitive.  Looking at the examples we have in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, he tells us to “turn the other cheek, love your enemies, go the extra mile to help your brother . . . “  Then again, you recall his words from the cross, “Father, Forgive them; they know not what they do.” He taught us to forgive, regardless of what they have done to us.

We are all given one life to live for the Lord.  Your life is no more valuable than the addict who is strung out in the middle of the alley at night.  In the eyes of God, we are all His children and His desire is for all to be reconciled to Him and with Him in eternity.  Who are we to then determine that someone is unworthy of this plan?  If you are holding a grudge against someone, it is important to take a bigger look at the situation, from the perspective of your Father’s view.  He may see the wrong, but He also sees the good that comes from each of us.  He alone is set to judge good from evil, we are ill-equipped to do so.  Our role is to love our neighbor as our Father loves them, which means swallowing one’s pride and forgiving them.

It’s hard to carry the image of Christ to the world, but this is a sure way to let them see that God is love.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – Financial Debt Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever! Amen. Philippians 4:19

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5

January 25^th Prayer:

Remember: There’s God’s part, and there’s your part. Both will be needed to attack debt.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that nothing is impossible with You. I ask You to help me eliminate all debt from my life. I ask for the wisdom of God to flow generously in my mind for financial stewardship. I thank You for strategy and conviction to eliminate this mountain of debt. And I also thank You for miraculous provision as I am obedient in my giving to You. I trust You God. And I await Your instruction and provision . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

I was just talking with a friend the other day about material possessions and the fact that everything belongs to God.  Think about it for a second.  Look around you and realize that everything you see are at one point manufactured from natural elements, which only God can create.  Dirt grows plants and food, Water, Metals from the earth, Wood from trees, Fabric from cotton or animals; as just a few examples.  Everything belongs to God in another sense also.  When we die, and we will, we take nothing with us to our afterlife.  You can have it put in your casket, but there it will stay.  So, if it all belongs to God, shouldn’t we be in conversation with Him about our portion?

Financial struggles have been identified as one of the top three reasons for divorce in the family today.  It stems from a misunderstanding of what money is to be used for.  Most of us look at money as a way to enjoy life.  We use it for bills, food, lavish vacations, material things, treating ourselves and buying the favor of others.  It is apportioned to us based on the work and effort put forth to earn it.  This ability to work is based on the gifts that God has given us, at birth, inherent within our very nature.  Because our paycheck comes from the company we work for, we often times put them on the pedestal as our source for everything we have in life, thereby replacing God as our true source of all things.  At the heart of financial struggle is our desire to control the flow of money, thus creating strife between husband and wife, parents and children, and amongst friends.  He wants this and she wants that, and neither is happy unless they both get what they want.  We’ve allowed ourselves to become dependent on money rather than God.

There is a story of Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and wealthiest man on earth, when asked by a reporter about the birth of his first child, “Isn’t it wonderful that you now have someone to leave your wealth to?”  To which Bill Gates replied, “I’m not leaving them with the burdens that comes with this kind of wealth.  They will get an education, find a job, work and find their own way.”  He would rather give his billions to charities and help vaccinate children all over the world.  With money comes burdens that having money can’t solve.  Trust issues, dependency issues and pride filled issues arise.  Look at the 100’s of professional athletes or celebrities that have lost everything because they felt they were in control of it all. 

Realizing that it all belongs to God gives us, as His children, unbelievable privilege to tap into His resources.  God has all authority and will provide as He sees fit for each our capabilities.  To those who have much, much is expected.  Use His provisions for His benefit, to further His kingdom, to spread His glory and blessings and He will enlarge your territory and expand your opportunities.  Us it for yourself and your personal gain, and quickly it can all be taken away.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – The Veil Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

January 24^th Prayer:

Father, I approach You today in worship of Jesus and all He has provided for our salvation. I praise You for opening the eyes of ______________________________________________________. I intercede for them today and ask that You would break the hands of Satan off their life. Open their eyes so that they may receive salvation. Save them Lord today . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

I’ve personally struggled with this for years.  How can something so blatantly obvious to me seem so bizarre and strange to another.  I have friends who are Muslim, Wiccan, Atheists and other faiths; when I talk of God’s love, grace and salvation, they can’t comprehend it.  Satan is a deceiver and humanity is his prey.  In this world we stand no chance against the Prince of Lies without God the Father by our side.  So those who refuse to acknowledge His glory and righteousness are simply blinded by the evil in this world.  It is the Lord, through you and I though, that need to tear down the veil that hangs before our friends and families eyes.  Help them to see the truth that is right in front of them, and return them to a road of salvation.

Do you recall when Christ was crucified, the veil in the temple tore from the ceiling to the floor?  This veil hung from ceiling to floor in the tabernacle to separate the Holy of Holies from the rest of this Holy Place. Prior to Christ’s crucifixion, only the High Priests were allowed behind that veil one time a year during a celebration called the Day of Atonement.  For you see, behind this veil was the presence of God, and no evil or no sin could be in the presence of God, so the veil kept mankind out.  Have you ever thought about why this veil was torn when Christ was crucified?

The tearing of this veil destroyed the separation between God and mankind.  There was a new propitiation for our sins in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In that moment the world changed dramatically forever more.  Eyes were made wide to see that indeed this Jesus was the Son of God, sent as a redemption for man’s sinful nature.  But, in those days, there were still those who were blind to the Good News.  Pharisees, Saducees, Romans, Evil doers, and so on denied the truth of what had just happened, just as mankind are blinded today by the evil one.  The veil to the Lord’s presence is no longer, but the veil before man’s eyes is as real today as it was then.

Through prayer and loving confrontation we are charged with helping our fellow man tear down the veil before his eyes, so that they may see the beauty, grace, love and glory of our Father.   

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – Strongholds Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

January 23^rd  Prayer:

Lord, I worship You today! I praise You for demolishing the nagging arguments in my mind that attempt to disqualify me and condemn me—these thoughts have been in my mind for many years. Thank You for victory over habitual sin and familiar patterns of weakness and temptation. Thank you for power over resentment, anger, and unforgiveness. All these arguments and thinking patterns that have restricted my growth for so long now—I present them to Jesus this day. Make these thoughts obey You, Jesus. Thank You for demolishing these torturers . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Strongholds are those things that you continue to struggle with in your walk with the Lord.  Through unmentionable anguish and effort we continue to overcome these areas of our own accord and abilities.  First, because of pride and the simple truth that we believe we can handle these items on our own, and secondly, because we are ashamed of coming before the Lord, knowing that our actions are outside of His righteousness.  We need to realize that we can’t overcome these things without God.  We can try to will ourselves into a straight-jacket discipline, but the enemy is so much stronger.  When we reach to God for His help, He is much stronger than the enemy.  Knocking down these strongholds is not difficult for Him, but it takes our acknowledgement of His authority and obedience to follow His ways.

Taking control of your thoughts, taking control of your actions and taking control of your words are all things that the Lord can bring to fruition.  He alone can cast down those negative thoughts, violent actions and inappropriate words and bring your life back into line with His path.  You must take the initiative to engage Him and trust that He is fighting on your behalf.  Lift your concerns, thoughts and fears to Him, and ask that He bring His power to bear on your situation.  Ask that He remove the strongholds that keep you from serving in a richer capacity, and keep you from walking along His path.  Earnestly reach out to Him for as your Father, He will watch over and fight on your behalf.  Realize and acknowledge His sovereignty and authority over all things, including the evil one and those that follow Him.  Your Father is one big, bad dude and despite Satan’s big mouth and deceptive lies, he pales in comparison.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days: Week 4 Foundation - These Walls Must Fall

From Pastor Randy Harvey's devotional for 37 Days Week 4

These Walls Must Fall

And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?” He said, “Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. I’ve just arrived.” Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, “What orders does my Master have for His servant?” God’s Army Commander ordered Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet. The place you are standing is holy.” Joshua did it. Joshua 5:13-15

The situation seems impossible. As Joshua scouts out Jericho, he wonders, “How in the world are going to get past the walls of this city? I’ve never seen walls so thick and tall, and we’ve never fought a battle like this.” And just like that, Jesus appears as a man standing with sword drawn ready for action. Joshua confronts the “man” at first asking, “Whose side are you on—ours or theirs?” “Neither!” Jesus answers. “Me and My army are here to bring about the will of the Father, and you are now under My command.” At this, Joshua falls to the ground before the Master and worships. “What would You have me to do, Commander?” Jesus says, “Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy.” Then Jesus lays out the battle plan. “Joshua, Me and My troops are going to do all the heavy lifting. You and your troops are mostly going to worship all around the walls.”

You see, Jesus instructed Israel to take the Ark of Covenant—the very presence of God—and march around the city with the priest blowing the ram’s horn (called a shofar). This was the horn of worship. Ordinarily, a metal horn was used for military signals and battle communication, but Jesus called for the priest to lead the march and for the worship sound to fill the air. For six days, the priest worshipped while the armies walked with them around the walls of Jericho (about seven acres of walled city). Then, on the seventh day, they circled seven times and began to shout to the Lord.

On the seventh time around, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua signaled the people, “Shout! For God has given you the city!” (Joshua 6:16) And then it happened.  The walls began to crack and the ground shook. Huge boulders were dislodged as the armies of Israel worshipped God and the priest sounded the shofar. The city collapsed and the victory was fast and miraculous. Praise God! 

So how about you? Have any obstacles in your life that seem impossible to remove?  Like Joshua, you and I can keep looking at the issues and try to figure out how we are going to get past them. Or, we can worship. That’s right. A completely illogical plan that seems to make no sense . . . at least not to our minds. However, if it’s impossible for us, then it’s going to be Jesus and His troops who do the heavy lifting. Our job is to cheer Him on as He fights our battles.

This week we are going to target areas of difficulty that we will call “walls.” We will pray and worship and trust God to do the impossible. These walls must and will fall!

January 22^nd  – Blindness Must Fall

When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire (the armies of God). 2 Kings 6:15-17

Heavenly Father, open my eyes. I believe in You, but struggle as the servant of Elisha because of what I see with my natural eyes. Open my eyes to see this impossible situation resolved. I worship You, O God, for Your power to do the impossible. And I will worship You every time I think of this wall in my life that needs to come down. I shout to You Lord for You have given me the victory . . . in Jesus’ name!

(Name your wall. Write down the seemingly impossible obstacles and begin to worship God for His resolution.)

37 Days – Take A Step: Pray

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. James 5:13-15

January 21^st Prayer:

To the God who answers prayer—I repent of my lack of prayer. I ask forgiveness of You for losing confidence that You even hear my prayer. You have called me to pray and I am committing to pray. I will pray for healing— pray for provision—pray for the lost—pray for family—pray for direction and guidance. Father, I am excited today to renew my faith in You. You would not call me to pray if it had no value. You are going to hear a lot from me in 2018 . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Her spine was deformed at birth, but unknown to her mother and me.  When she was 2 she fell and through an MRI at the emergency room the deformity was discovered.  There was one neurosurgeon specialist in the US who could perform the surgery, and he was booked solid for months into the future.  We hit our knees, we went to the church and prayed with our pastors, we reached out to our friends and family for prayers.  Within a few days we received a call from the assistant to this skilled neurosurgeon, and they wanted to see her the next week.  Was it a co-incidence?  No, I believe it was an answered prayer.

She went through 18 months of many visits back and forth to this doctor 900 miles away.  After several visits, she was 3 years old, when the Doctor came into the room after seeing results of that visit and gave us the news that she would need surgery within the next few weeks.  We had drained our savings, we arrived home that week in panic of how to make it back in 2 weeks.  Again, we kit our knees, we went to our church.  Prayers were lifted up, Pastor Randy laid hands upon our little girl and prayed for her healing and successful surgery.  Within a single day we received a call from a close Pastor friend at another local church with a word that our travel was completely paid for.  

That week, we received an invitation for coffee with the parents of a 17 year old friend of our oldest daughter, who had been to this exact same neurosurgeon with the same problem when she was a young child.  Again – could it just be a co-incidence that this girl lived in the same city as us, and was friends with our daughter, and had the same problem and the same surgery that our daughter was going to endure.  No; it was not a co-incidence, it was an answer to prayer.  We left that coffee table fully informed and much more prepared for what lie ahead and comfort that our little girl was going to be okay.

We arrived the day before the surgery, and our family came in from Michigan and met us there.  We were wrapped in love and strength in this trying time.  The morning of surgery the doctor prepared us for what to expect.  A metal brace and halo would be mounted to her head to extend the spine for surgery.  This would then remain attached for 4 to 6 months while she recovered.  As the doors closed and her gurney was wheeled down the hallway, we turned away as broken parents.  If you’ve been in a similar situation you know the emptiness that is felt inside, knowing you are helpless to solve your child’s problem.  The next 8 hours were spent in prayer, in fear and in quiet with our family around us.  The doctor came out and called the two of us into a room.  They were 80% through the surgery and the surgeon’s exact quote was, “..I’ve done thousands of these surgeries and never had one this successful.  She is doing absolutely wonderful, and we will be able remove the metal brace and halo.”  Four hours later he emerged with a huge smile on his face and the wonderful news that the surgery went perfect.  2 weeks later we took our sweet little girl home.

So tell me, does God answer prayer?  Do prayers for healing work?  In total there were seventeen miracles/answered prayers in this 2 ½ year journey.  God answered our prayers then and today our beautiful miracle baby is 14 years old, incredibly smart, playing sports and following the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Her medical records have been logged in Science and Medical Journals as an exceptional case of spinal stenosis surgery.  God is our provider, our healer and our salvation.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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