Daily Wisdom

 “the LORD said unto me, I will be still, and I will behold in my dwelling place…” Isa 18:4 RV

 As Assyria marched unopposed towards Judah, God appears to make no effort to arrest them. Often, we too see our enemies marching, approaching from the distance unopposed to work their will. But know the Father is still watching from His dwelling place. And while the sun still seems to shine on them, before the harvest the Father cuts them off as a branch with pruning shears. The Father’s stillness is not an acquiescence, He’s not consenting towards our enemies. His timing is perfect in design; and when the enemy is confident in their design – find peace, patience, and power in the Father’s marvelous words… “be still, beholding”

 Don’t get distracted by that which marches towards you, rest in Him that dwells within you!

Daily Wisodm

 “because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:  I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Gen 22:16-18

IF man could grasp the fullness of God’s goodness. Learning that when, at God’s voice, they surrender to Him the one thing above all else that was dearest to their hearts, that same thing is returned to them by Him a thousand-times over. Abraham gives up his one and only son, at God’s call, but Isaac is restored, and Abraham’s family is greatly blessed. This is how God meets every one of us, when we surrender our will to His, God restores, replenishes, and rewards with His blessings greater things that we could garner on our own. Think not that Abraham was unique and solitary, he was the example of surrender we’re all called to.

Intimacy with God isn’t the result of trying harder, but of surrendering more… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 “God... calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Rom 4:17b

In (Rom17) we see Paul’s discourse concerning Abraham’s faith. The one who doubted he could have a child is the one God said he would the father of many nations. Such is the faith Paul is referencing, and Abraham struggled with. Faith is asserting what God says over your thoughts; “faith steps on seeming void, and finds the rock beneath.” As the baby bird must face the day of launching itself out of the safety of the nest and into the appearance of nothing; so must one's faith knowing the air is there to lift them from the fall, if they flap their wings of faith against their fear.

Remarkable thing, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; when you don’t fear God you fear everything else... HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10

Faith grows amid storms – four simple words, but oh, how full of importance for the soul! Faith is that grace and mercy given faculty and ability, when exercised, brings the unseen into plan view, and by which the impossible things are made possible when we stand on God’s promises. But again, it grows amid the storm, right in the midst where it the fiercest. Yet, don’t shrink back... go in! Walk into the furnace because that’s where God is waiting. Not to come out to you, but to call you in; that in your faith you come forth shinning as gold.

Gold never reveals its beauty until it's been through the crucible of fire... HSAY

Daily Wisdom

Isa 40:31 “… they shall mount up with wings as eagles…”

There’s an old fable of how God made birds without their wings at the beginning. Then God created the wings and called the birds to take them up. And though they loomed heavy and burdensome, in doing so the birds then saw above their challenges and all that the Lord had for them. As a parable we too are spiritually wingless as well. It’s not until we choose likewise to mount up with wings that we’ll see above our own challenges and all the Lord has for us. There is no burden which, if we lift it cheerfully and bear it patiently, will not become a blessing to us.

God doesn’t promise a burden-less life, but He promises a blessing for every burden… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 “And he… made me a polished shaft;” Isa 49:2

There is a very famous “Pebble Beach.” The surf continually roars and crashes against the point, relentlessly beating against the stones that cover the point. Tourists are drawn to gather the beautiful round stones carved and shaped by the endless waves. But, when you go beyond the point to a nearby cove, while the pebble beaches are still present, the crashing waves are dormant and docile, and the stones are jagged, sharp, and never chosen.  Why are they left unsought? For the simple reason that they escaped all the turmoil and attrition of the waves, and the quiet/peace have left them unpolished, blemished, and lacking beauty… Polished through perils. The Father sees our beauty within, let Him shape us to it. Many of God’s jewels are crystallized tears.

The waves are simply obeying the Lord, with the same faith comes our beauty… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 “… neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” 2 Chron 2012

 A life was lost because a pair of human hands touched the Ark of God (2 Sam 6). While placed upon it with the best of intent, to steady it from falling; but they touched God’s work presumptuously and lost their life. Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone with the Lord. If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than we can help Him. Simply rest in the Lord’s omnipotence. When things seem to be falling apart, the Lord has them falling into place, when left to God.

If you need God to open and close doors, keep your hands off the doorknob… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 Hosea 2:14-15 “I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness… and I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope...”

 A strange place to find a vineyard, in the wilderness! And that the riches a soul needs would be obtained in the wilderness, which means “lonely place.” And it’s located in the Valley of Achor, which means “bitterness.” Not the two places that come to mind concerning one’s hope. The Lord knows the wilderness experience can bring out that which is enduring. When our soul becomes adulterous, rebellious, self-willed, or damaged God will call “allure” us into the wilderness and speak to our soul, which brings forth hope. We never know where God hides His vineyards that spring forth our hope, even in the “lonely, bitter place” of the wilderness at times.

The Lord calls us into the wilderness not to abandon us – but to be alone with us… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Hab 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Power of patience… There’s an old story of a man who was allowed to see heaven. And while there was shown the “Delayed Blessings Office,” where God kept prayers until the appointed time. It can take a while for believers to learn that delays are not denials!  Isa 30:18 “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you…” The Father is watching in the hard times/places and will not allow one trial too many. Lift your head and praise Him knowing His promises will not tarry, so neither let your faith. His appointed time, it will surely come!

Don’t confuse redirection with rejection, time is God’s paint brush working His masterpiece in your life… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Isa 28:24 “Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?”

Man so desires the beauty and riches life can spring forth. He can pass a meadow of soft, thick green grass, as if a rug, and become transfixed on how God’s hand orchestrated such beauty and results. Yet, the very next view he looks upon the land and sees distressed, upturned soil, exposing dried dead roots filled with grub worms. Then his eyes again are drawn to a beautiful harvest of a ripe beautiful crop that’s so inviting and satisfying. But, between the two beautiful scenes is where the Great Plowman (Amos 9:13) furrows through man’s soul, uprooting and turning under that which he thought was fair, and leaving for his gaze the bare and the unbeautiful. We can’t avoid the bare season of the Great Plowman’s hand, de-weeding and upturning that which hinders the abundance and beauty He desires to bring forth in our life.

Be patient while under the plow, it’s the process that brings beauty from ashes… HSAY

Daily Wisdom

 Pro 4:12  “When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.”

The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler. If the Lord built a bridge across great divides for the eye to see, it wouldn’t require faith; that which is seen isn’t of faith. Country bridges utilized self-opening gates. If the approaching wagon stops at the gate it won’t open. Yet, if the wagon continues to move straight ahead the wheels press the spring-loaded lever and the gate opens; such an illustration for the child of God… “when thou goest.” Meaning obstacles are only illusions that cause the believer to swerve from the path the Lord built, causing them to stumble.

Fix your eyes on God and you’ll be less likely to try and fix things yourself… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

Lk 1:45 “… for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."

Mary only had a prophetic promise from the angel, and now Elizabeth, concerning her caring the Messiah in her womb. What hope, strength, and faith we can all have knowing we can depend on the performance of the promise and not requiring our own; confidently knowing, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Cor 2:20) A promise is only as good as the one who made it, including our own.  Thank you, Lord we don’t have to depend on any of them spiritually speaking, we can trust in Your performance!

Find hope and strength in that the power of God’s love for you will never be based on your performance for him, but rather His towards you… HSAY 

Daily Wisdom

 Num 13:33  “And there we saw the giants…”

Yes, they saw giants, but Caleb and Joshua saw God! There are two consistent perspectives in such life matters: those who doubt say, “We be not able to go up” and those who believe say, “Let us go up” and possess what God has for us. Stalking giants plague life and they cause the believer to overcome or be overwhelmed. Understand it’s when we are in the way of duty that we find giants; Israel was moving in the Lord’s will when the giants appeared. Recall that Paul in his missionary journey’s was not carried by some mighty providence above the power of storms and enemies (2 Cor 4:8-10). One cannot fail if only they dare to believe, stand fast and refuse to be overcome. Spiritual perspective is the ability to not focus on the giants, but rather the promises of God. 

David wasn’t concerned about Goliath’s strength; he already knew God’s… HSAY