Yesterday, a friend tried for half a day to bring up my new devotional without success. Seems
she could pull up the page with the name, music, but nothing else. At one time,she saw my background
to which she announced, "It's like this beautiful sky filled with clouds for a hundred thousand
miles....". I kidded her about that being 'her serenity' that she had needed the night before - maybe
this was GOD working on her behalf.
This episode continued half the day, and she would try to pull it up time and time again, and finally
she got the name, the devotional header which was my second line, no text, but a faint line down the
center. This was just weird, since I wasn't having problems bringing it up or anyone else I had
contacted to try and see if they could get the real devotional.
The thought came to me during the night about 'choking the word'!
Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word , and it becometh unfruitful.
Satan will move in on us as Christians and before we know it, we have 'choked the WORD' and it's working power
right out of our lives. We sit and wonder, "Why me, Lord. What have I done to deserve this?" BUT we should be
wondering, "What have I been doing that was wrong to cause this?".
Just like the episode with my friend's computer 'choking the WORD' right out of her computer, satan
will choke the word right out of you, as a Christian. A doubt planted in your mind by someone, and you
not getting into the WORD to see what GOD really had to say about that particular problem is a kind of
'choking'. It goes on every day of our lives, and unless we are in the word daily, trusting GOD that his
word 'is TRUTH' [John 17:17 KJV], then we are going to suffer the consequences of this 'choking'.
Phillipians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you
We can come to the saving knowledge of His Word, but yet not have fruit growing in our lives. We sit down after we feel
secure that we are on the path to eternity with Him, and don't feed our mind and soul with the sustaining Word. We let our cares
of this world, our climbing the 'success ladder', get in front of what we should put first, our walk with the Lord. We need to
get into the Word, put the WORD into practice every day of our lives. We become careless, and like my friend's computer, the
WORD is choked right out of us and we become the the sour prune you've heard so much about..... 'sour on the world'....'sour
on GOD'....'sour on our friends'.....just plain sour!! BUT it's all our doings. IF we would "study to show ourselves approved unto
GOD" [II Timothy 2:15], and not give a care to what the world thinks about us, our lives would be so much
better, in that GOD would be the center and *I* wouldn't be the center. Do you ever watch the language of another
Christian to see how many times the *I* comes up, never mentioning what "God" is doing/has done in their lives?
Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Nehemiah 8:10........"for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Sometimes we let the cares of this life get in the way and forget from where our joy comes. Seek to bring back the JOY of your life;
let GOD work in your life, by getting back into his word, remembering he is our creator, our provider, our healer, our banner, our ALL!
Without HIM, we are nothing, just a mere human here on this earth, waiting for the next day to come, wondering where life is taking us.
WITH HIM, we are all things.........
I Corinthians 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [ are ] all things , and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [ are ] all things , and we by him.
Why not choose today to serve HIM completely, turning your life over to Him, letting him lead, guide and direct your paths? Why not get into the WORD today and realize WHO you are in Christ, that
you don't have to take what satan hands you? You can be an overcomer in the WORD! Friends, the WORD works!
I John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Father, thank you for your WORD, thank you for sending your SON to show us the way to your Kingdom. Help us to use that WORD you gave us so freely to turn our lives
around, so that satan has no place within us and that he can no longer hinder our work for you here on this earth! I praise you that he can no longer choke the living WORD out of us once we have
yielded to the unction of your Spirit, guided by your hands. We give you the honor, glory, and praise due your name. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Written June 29, 1997.
All Scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Master's
Table-Devotionals
