Tag: Faith

HUMILITY

from Pride and Shame on Youversion

What is the radical solution to pride and shame?

Humility.

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If that doesn’t sound very radical . . . it really is. To be humble in this day and age is to defy all cultural norms. Our society (like most societies in history) holds up performance and public opinion as the two great defining bastions of self-worth. Those who perform get applauded and rewarded, while those who fail to do so largely get ignored.

This is not to minimize the value of performance or the opinions of others. Those who have “performed” well have been responsible for many of the great advancements in history. This is not an advocacy for idleness, nor is it a total dismissal of what others think about us. It is, instead, a recognition that performance and others’ opinions can never be the basis of a fulfilled life. Humility is required for that.

What exactly is humility? It is not, as some might believe, thinking less of ourselves (which is a kernel of the shame we are trying to avoid) – it is thinking of ourselves less. It is being so concerned with others that we turn our attention toward them rather than ourselves. And this “attention” is not a disguise for gossip, envy, or jealousy . . . it is an earnest desire to see the best come to those around us – even if it costs us something in the process.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

‭‭James‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Humility is the antidote to both pride and shame because it eliminates (or at least minimizes) the common denominator between the two – self. When self is removed from our mental picture, pride and shame have a hard time surviving – much less thriving. A humble person will still feel good about the things they’ve accomplished, and they will still value the opinions of others, but they will do so not from an insecure place of pride and shame but from a secure place of pre-determined identity and outward focus that strives to fill up others rather than be filled up by them.

‭‭When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:

“When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

“Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭14:17-‬11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is the kind of life that God wants us to live, so much so that He promises grace to those who will humble themselves and live according to it. It is, at its core, a choice, but it is a choice that we are more apt to make if we can grasp a few important truths on the front end. Next we’ll identify those and discover why they’re so important to a life of humility.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to be humble. Help me to learn humility not through humiliation but through a willing decision to put others first and to consider their needs above my own. Your Son did this even though He had every reason not to be humble. He could have demanded service but instead chose to serve and to give His life for those who would die without it. Help me to imitate Him in my everyday life and to know what it means to be humble and to let You do the exalting. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

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SHAME

from Pride and Shame on Youversion

“You should be ashamed of yourself!”

Ever heard those words before? From a teacher, a parent . . . or perhaps even yourself? Shame (and its close cousin guilt) is one of the most effective tools for emotional manipulation, and while it can have an outwardly positive effect on our behavior (at least in the short run), more often it simply reinforces the negative thought patterns that motivated us to do wrong in the first place. Shame in our minds and in our hearts can make us feel bad for what we’ve done, but it’s powerless to ensure we’ll do right the next time. In reality, it churns us more than it turns us.

And that’s the enemy’s strategy.

The enemy doesn’t want us to turn away from wrongdoing, but he does want to make us feel bad for doing it, and he walks a fine line to make sure our negative feelings don’t lead to real action. The longer he can keep us both miserable and unrepentant, the better. Once he’s got us there, he wants us to stay there.

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:12‭-‬14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In light of the misery that shame can bring, it seems a far cry from the selfish pleasure of pride – how can the two possibly be connected? Pride is usually a positive emotion (even if misguided), whereas shame . . . not so much. What’s the link?

The connection is the self. Both pride and shame flourish in the heart and mind of a person who is focused primarily on his or herself. Both of them center around what I’ve done (good or bad) and how I perceive myself (good or bad), and they both tend to ride on the waves of performance and the whims of opinion. When I perform well, I’m proud of myself, but when I don’t perform well, I’m ashamed of myself. When everyone looks at me and admires me and says great things about me, I’m proud of myself, but when they talk about me behind my back, ridicule me, and laugh at me, I’m ashamed of myself. A young girl may feel proud that she is dating the most popular guy in school and then shame when she ends up pregnant.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are we hopelessly caught in this cycle of performance and others’ opinions? Is there any alternative to this sort of existence? Yes, there is . . . but the solution is more radical than you might think.

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1-‬9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Prayer: Lord, thank You for not manipulating me through shame, but for drawing me away with Your grace. Help me identify those areas of my life where shame has a hold on me and help me to recognize that the enemy would like nothing more than to keep me trapped there. You, Lord, offer a different way, and because Your Son made the way – because He is the Way – I can live free of that shame as I cling tightly to Him and the forgiveness He offers. Teach me to do that in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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PRIDE

from Pride and Shame on Youversion

The text message from my wife was troubling: “Our son got in trouble three times at school today.” This was very uncharacteristic of him (thankfully), and while part of me wanted to overlook it as an uncommon occurrence, my wife and I both knew that a consequence was needed to drive home the point that his behavior was unacceptable. When he got home from school that day, we talked about what happened and he received his consequence. My wife and I worried about how he would respond (would his behavior escalate as a result?), but he handled it like a champ. The next morning, we both talked about how proud we were of his response.

This is the good kind of pride, the kind that focuses on and recognizes the value and goodness in another person, especially someone or something we feel in some way responsible for. This is the natural pride of loving what is good and celebrating it among the people around us.

But then there is a different kind of pride – a pride that is more about self than it is about others. This pride centers around me (what I have done, what I possess, how I look – all of my “credentials”) and rather than celebrating others, it can actually work against them. Pride is often the fuel of self-promotion, self-protection, and self-praise, with self being the common denominator. This kind of pride loves to do good not for the sake of the good itself but for how it makes me look. Pride is sometimes hard to spot because it can so easily masquerade as virtue.

‭‭Haughty eyes, a proud heart, and evil actions are all sin.

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭21:4‬ ‭NLT

But when we allow pride to creep in (or when we throw open the front door to it), we find ourselves like the proverbial cat up the tree: enjoying the view from our high perch but unaware that there is no easy way down. Scripture clearly illustrates this: throughout the Old and New Testaments, the proud are typically referred to in the context of being brought low. God simply won’t stand for it; He will deal with it in our lives and get rid of it.

For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning. He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes, however, the most painful consequence of our pride comes not from God Himself but from our own self-criticism – when pride takes a nosedive. When this happens, our self-approval turns to self-judgment, and it’s remarkable how skilled we can be at piling it upon ourselves. And we call the emotion that accompanies this, shame.

Is there an antidote to this deadly, destructive pride? Yes there is, but before we reveal it, we have to give shame a closer look and discover that pride and shame really are two sides of the same coin.

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Prayer: Father, it is clear that You take a very dim view of pride and oppose it wherever You see it. Teach me how to let go of my pride and embrace You instead. Show me in the life of Your Son how to do this, and let me walk in His ways instead. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Where We Must Begin

from Revival Praying by Dr Scott Pauley

Begin with the prayer that leads to all other prayers, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Ask the Lord to teach you confession, intercession, and petition. Above all, pray that God will not leave us where we are now and that He will not let us settle for less than what He has for each of our lives. God identified Ezra as “a ready scribe” (Ezra 7:6). The Hebrew word ready carries with it the idea of diligence. This is the same word used in Psalm 45:1.

My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

Psalm 45:1

This readiness does not begin with what we say-it begins in our heart. It is time for God’s people to be diligent in the attention they give to God’s Word and prayer, ready for revival.

Evan Roberts was a young minister who participated in the great Welsh revival of 1904. It is said that Roberts was not the most dynamic preacher, and often when he came to a church, he did not preach lengthy sermons. But he would stand in the pulpit and teach the people to pray. One of the prayers that he challenged believers to pray was, “Oh, God, bend me. Bend the church and save the world.” This spirit of brokenness led to great spiritual healing in that land.

The church moves forward when people get right with God and each other at home. Revival starts in our hearts and homes. Just days before the revival broke out, touching people all around the globe and resulting in 150,000 people coming to Christ in Wales, Roberts said to a friend, “We have built the altar. We have laid the wood in order. We have prepared the sacrifice. There is nothing now to do but wait for the fire.“

Today, I am afraid Christians are organizing their work and waiting on the fire without building the altar. We schedule revival meetings and say we desire to see God move. Many wonder what it will take. Most complain that the condition of our country is worse than it has ever been, but few are engaged in revival praying.

And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:36‭-‬38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Remember that it was only after Elijah had repaired the altar that the fire fell. But when he prayed, God’s fire came! Elijah’s example of prayer is referenced in the New Testament with this encouragement.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

When we do our part, we can be sure that God will do His.

Thomas Boston was burdened over the cold spiritual state of his church in Scotland. He began visiting the homes of his members and dealing with them about their spiritual needs.

He discovered that some of his people were not even sure they were saved, and many were even led to Christ. In each home, he read the Bible, prayed, and challenged the head of the house to begin a family altar each day. In a matter of months, a revival broke out in their community that filled the church house and changed the lives of people forever. It all started with a family altar. Richard Baxter, the English Puritan, followed the same pattern in his pastorate and found the same results. The church moves forward when people get right with God and each other at home. Revival starts in our hearts and homes.

  • Have you built an altar before God? When was the last time you sought Him for a personal stirring and awakening?
  • Does your family have an altar? When was the last time you prayed together in your home?
  • Is the altar of your church full of people seeking the Lord? When was the last time we united our hearts in prayer for eternal needs?

If we are going to see God do something in our land, it begins with a group of people like Ezra who are sick of themselves, their sin, and the status quo-people who say that, by the grace of an Almighty God, they are going to learn to seek God. We are so glad you have followed along as we have studied through Revival Praying. Please do not let it just be a 5-day plan in your life; let this truth transform your life. So, will you join me now at the throne of grace? It is time for us all to get serious about our own revival praying.

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PETITION

from Revival Praying by Dr Scott Pauley

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Charles Spurgeon suggested that the prayers God answers are the ones that begin in His heart. The Lord prompts us to pray and wants us to pray “according to his will”. A good prayer list contains more than names; it has definite needs. And revival praying asks for more than physical, material, and temporal blessings—it seeks spiritual and eternal help. What are you asking God to do?

In Ezra 9:8, we read,

And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

The second word of that verse demonstrates the urgency of Ezra. He didn’t want to wait any longer; he concentrated on “now.” Wouldn’t you love to see God do something right now? We have read about it in the history books long enough. We need to see it with our own eyes.

What we believe about revival should be rooted in what we believe about God. Some are saying, “We’re just waiting for Jesus to come back.” I, too, am watching for His return, and all of us should love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). But it would be so glorious if we didn’t have to wait until Heaven to see a mighty move of the power of God! He is still “a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). His name is not “I Was” or “I Will Be.” His name is “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).

What we believe about revival should be rooted in what we believe about God. The Lord wants to do something now in our world. He is the eternal, ever-present God who can work in our day. Because He is present, we have a future. It is time for His people to believe Him and begin to seek His face. Use Ezra 9:8 as a pattern for your petition.

First, thank God for present grace. He said, “…for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God…” Praise God for grace! The Lord has graciously given us a window of opportunity to seek the Lord and to seek others for Him.”

Second, we should pray for the remnant. Ezra continued, “to leave us a remnant to escape.” God always has a people. They may be unknown to men, but God knows them. They may be in the minority but vital to God’s work. Romans 11:5 declares, 

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 

Sin is rampant. Satan is ravaging. The world is reeling. But there is a remnant!

Third, we should pray that God will give us the start of something that will make an eternal difference. Observe that Ezra asked the Lord “to give us a nail in his holy place.” What is that nail? It is a starting point like a sharp nail is used to start a hole in an object. Ezra wanted God to start something in him and in His people.

Nails penetrate hard objects. They hold things together. In Ecclesiastes 12:11, God’s truth is described as a nail, “The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.” We need the Word of God!”

Fourth, we must pray for spiritual light. At the end of verse 8, Ezra asked the Lord to “lighten our eyes.” This is the work of the Holy Spirit. He sheds light on our need and on God’s Word. God is light, and only He can illuminate the darkest places.”

Finally, we may pray in the words of Ezra that God would “give us a little reviving in our bondage.” Verse 8 begins and ends with “a little.” A little grace. A little reviving. But why “a little”? At first glance, it seems that Ezra should have prayed for “a lot!” This may, however, be the greatest statement of faith in the entire chapter. Ezra did not have low expectations. He was saying, Lord, we are in terrible shape. But if You will just give us a little bit of Your life, it will be enough to raise us from the dead. Lord, just a little of Your grace will be more than enough! This is faith in God’s sufficiency. A little of God’s resources will be all we need. We just need God.

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INTERCESSION

from Revival Praying by Dr Scott Pauley

As soon as Ezra had made a thorough confession to God above, he began praying for those around him. Notice the emphasis in verse 7 of his prayer,

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

Ezra 9:7

If confession is the doorway to prayer, then intercession is the family room—the place where we bear the needs of others to our loving Father. Nothing reveals the heart like our prayers; very often, when we think we are most spiritual, we actually reveal how truly self-centered we have become. Even prayers can be offered selfishly.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James 4:3

But the heart of true prayer must be the heart of God—a passion for the glory of God and the good of others. Ezra’s prayer list can become our own. He begins by describing the people as in bondage, destroyed, and confused. If we could only see souls and homes from God’s vantage point, it would motivate us all to pray. Remember, the greatest thing you can do for hurting people is to help carry their needs to God. When was the last time you wept over a soul? How long has it been since you fasted and prayed, broken over someone you know who is away from God? Maybe the Lord is breaking up our hard hearts to shake us out of our lethargy and mediocrity, setting aside our “normal” Christianity and “average” faith to raise up people who are once again hungry for Him.

Lord, give us some grandparents who know how to pray and some young people who can reach Heaven! Give us some fathers and mothers who will take responsibility for their own families and pray for a hedge of protection around them! Give us some believers who will learn how to bombard Heaven for lost sinners and prodigal souls!

Ezra’s reference to “our kings” and “our priests” was an acknowledgment of his day’s political and religious leaders. Civil authorities still need our prayers.

‬First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭2:1‭-‬2

Spiritual leaders need our prayers more than ever.

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.

Hebrews 13:17-18

It is always easier to talk about what we don’t like in our leaders than to talk to the only One who can do something about it.

The Holy Spirit is looking for those who will join Christ in the great work of intercession. According to Romans 8:34, the Lord Jesus “is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Intercession is the highest form of prayer because it is the kind of praying our Savior does!

Hebrews 7:25 says of our Mediator, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” There is a prayer meeting already in progress at the throne of God, and we have the privilege of participating with Him in the work of intercession. You cannot do everything, but you can do something. You can pray.

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CONFESSION

from Revival Praying by Dr Scott Pauley

For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭9:2‭-‬4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Confession starts in the heart and comes out of the mouth. We are told that Ezra was “astonished” by sin. Are we astonished at sin? In verse 6, Ezra said he was “ashamed” over the sins of his people. Sin has become so socially acceptable that people have lost their shame. The conscience of a nation has been defiled, and even believers have grown callous to sin. This is not just true in the vilest elements of our society. The most deceptive and dangerous wickedness is not the evil around us but the sin and filthiness that subtly creeps into our hearts and homes. We must see our sin as God sees it. We must see ourselves as God sees us. Then we must say about our sin what God says about it.

Ezra was a holy man of God, but he included himself in the prayer of confession. He confessed not the sins of others alone but “our iniquities” and “our trespass.” No one can be right with God without seeing the sinfulness of his own heart. Revival is not sinners getting saved—it is God’s people getting right. 

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.

1 Peter 4:17a

What does it mean to “confess?” Many people think that confession means to plead and beg God for forgiveness, but it simply means “to say the same thing.” When we finally say the same thing about our sin that God says, when our heart is turned to agreement with God’s heart, then we can be right with Him.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

You don’t have to convince God to do what He already wants to do! You simply need to be convinced that what God already said about you is true: you are a sinner. The moment that you agree with God is the moment of forgiveness and cleansing. When a sinner comes clean with God, then God makes the sinner clean (Psalm 51:1-7).

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭51:1‭-‬7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Ezra made no excuse for sin. He called sin by the strong, descriptive words God frequently used: “iniquities” and “trespass.” Iniquities suggest the idea of crookedness. The righteous God is always straight, but sin is a failure to walk in God’s straight way, a perversion of truth. To trespass is to cross God’s line. We must confess that our lives have fallen short of God’s perfect standard and gone beyond His holy law in so many ways.

It is much easier to confess someone else’s sin than to confess our own. We can spot another person’s sin at 100 yards and tell them all about it, but the most difficult thing is to see the sinfulness of our souls and the coldness of our hearts—our pride, lust, arrogance, our stubbornness, our rebellion. As the old spiritual so well expresses, “It’s not my brother or my sister, but it’s me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”

Do not begin with what your family or our country needs to confess, but instead, whatever might be between you and God at this moment. Are you, as an older generation used to say, “on praying ground?” That is the first step because you cannot pray with confidence while holding on to unconfessed sin. How can we expect God to answer us while we are ignoring Him? 

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Isaiah 59:2

There is no exception to this prayer principle: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18).

Is this your desire? Revival is not everyone else getting right with God; it is us allowing God to do a thorough work in our hearts. Confession is the doorway to revival praying.

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Build the Altar

from Revival Praying by Dr Scott Pauley

Throughout Scripture, an altar pictures access to God and is always the beginning of divine blessings. This is why Abraham built an altar wherever he journeyed—he knew he needed God everywhere. Matthew Henry said of this pattern, “Wherever man pitches a tent, God should have an altar.” Most men spend their time building a home, a career, a life, a retirement, and a reputation. Discerning men understand that an altar is the most important thing they will ever build.

This does not mean that we must construct a physical structure; it means that we build the priority of prayer into our schedules and routines. The altar can be anywhere because God is everywhere. For the first-century church, an upper room became their altar as they sought the Lord’s direction and enabling. All of God’s power and purpose came out of that meeting with God!

The Old Testament historical book of Ezra is a book of return and revival. Ezra was dealing with a small group of God’s people whose nation had been in bondage. They were in danger of losing another generation and longed to see the Lord work again. What was their first order of business? They built an altar.

and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening.

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭3:2‭-‬3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The foundation of the Temple could not be laid, the worship could not be reinstated, and the work could not move forward until the altar was restored. Each day they began to meet God at the altar. In the first six chapters of Ezra, we see the initial return from Babylon, led by Zerubbabel. Beginning in Ezra 7, we read about the next phase of their return under Ezra.

Repeatedly, we are told that the hand of God was on this man (Ezra 7:6, 9, 28) and on the people that he influenced (Ezra 8:18, 22). Why was Ezra used so mightily in the return and revival of God’s people? One verse gives us some insight into his life: Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, do it, and teach in Israel statutes and judgments.

‬‬For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭7:10‬ ‭ESV

Here is the divine order:

  • Preparation–“For Ezra had prepared his heart…” Ezra demonstrated a genuine humility and hunger to know God.
  • Saturation–“…to seek the law of the Lord…” The Word of God is God’s revelation of Himself to man. If we truly want to know Him, then we must seek Him in His Word.
  • Application–“…and to do it…” We must move from simply being hearers of the Word to being doers of the Word (James 1:22-25).
  • Instruction–“…and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” A heart that has been transformed will always desire that others know the truth. Only as we obey can we teach others what God desires (statutes) and why He demands it (judgments).

‬‬But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

‭‭James‬ ‭1:22‭-‬25‬ ‭ESV

The easiest thing for all of us to do is to stand and tell others what they should do. The most challenging thing is kneeling and asking God to make His Word and His will powerfully real in our lives. This is the essential truth found in Ezra.

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Facing the Storm

Storms in life are inevitable. Not all storms are destructive; some are heaven-sent.

While we want to avoid trials or storms, they are a part of life. However, God uses every circumstance in your life to strengthen your faith and trust in Him. In fact, storms can move you toward your destiny—if you learn how to trust God during them!

During intense weather, bison turn and face the storm. It is said they are the only animals known to do so because heading into the storm shortens the length of the storm out in those vast open spaces. Michael Hodges, author and photographer, took this photo demonstrating this.

We all have storms in our lives, some more than others. We all have things we must overcome. In this scene, out there with this magnificent, legendary animal in Yellowstone Park, my lens froze over with ice and my fingers stung from the cold. The winds almost knocked my tripod over and I knew I only had so much time to get this right.

Michael Hodges

Follow the bison’s lead, turn and face the storm. Take what life gives you head on. Because the bison knows how to shorten the storm. And then it heads for the light.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:17-18 ESV

How to you head for the light? Instead of fixating on the storm, we can focus on God and know that He will see us through whatever comes our way. My mom always said input garbage, output garbage. What you read, watch and listen to will impact your attitude toward yourself, others, and the world. Make sure you are feeding your soul a nutrient dense diet of good ‘ole biblical truth.

Listen to Christian music, and watch Christian movies and TV shows. These things can help to remind you of who Jesus is and what He stands for. It also can be a good distraction from the storms of life. Go on a retreat or a mission trip or volunteer in your community. This can help you to get away from the storm in your life and help you focus on helping someone else who is struggling.

Here are 6 more action steps you can take to help get through the storm.

  1. PRAYER – Pray and read your Bible consistently. When you do this, you are reminded of who Jesus is and what He has done for you. Plus the Bible says that we renew our minds by reading the word of God.
  2. FELLOWSHIP – Spend time with other believers. They can encourage you and help you to keep your focus on Jesus. Your sisters in Christ can help pray you through!
  3. STUDY – Attend a Bible study or a small group. This is a great way to learn more about Jesus and to be encouraged by other believers. Remember, we renew ourselves by being in the word of God.
  4. SERVE – When you serve others, you are reminded of the fact that we need each other and God will use us too bless and help each other.
  5. GIVE – This is a way to show your love for Jesus by loving others. This doesn’t have to be money. Make a meal for someone who doesn’t have much. Offer to babysit for a single mom. Know of an elderly neighbor that needs help with lawn care? You can donate clothes or even your time.
  6. SHARE – Witness to others about Jesus. This is a great way to keep your focus on Jesus and share His love with those around us. We all need someone to come along side us and encourage us along the way.

Focus on the positive. When you focus on the positive, you are reminded of all that Jesus has done for you and all that He will do for you in life. The classic song “Put On A Happy Face” from the musical “Bye Bye Birdie” always helps pull me out of a funk. If you haven’t heard it, I encourage you to take a listen, just click here. As the song says “Take off the gloomy mask of tragedy, it’s not your style”. I love that because it’s true! Turn your head toward the sun, my Friend, and let the shadows fall behind you. And don’t forget to smile. Life is too short not to. 

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