Be Enlightened!

Be Enlightened!

Psalm 119:130 "The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple".

Sometimes we can "be in the dark" concerning what God might want for our life, but only because we have not yet been "enlightened" on that particular area.

We need to be WORD CONSCIOUS. When we have a situation we need to pray about, first ask "What does the Word say?" Then stand on His Word. "He hastens (watches over) His Word to perform it" (Jeremiah 1:12)

Our walk with God is all about RELATIONSHIP and we must continually base our life on His Word. So, the more we know HIM through His Word, the more we will know and understand (be enlightened) what He wants for our life.

When we KNOW His Word, we KNOW what to pray for. When we KNOW the Word, we can pray in FAITH, otherwise we are just praying "in the dark".

Jesus makes us aware in John 16 that there is a condition in our receiving. Jesus says, "If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. And herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit."

Our faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. Our prayer life must be based on His Word so when praying about something, we should stand on Scriptures that promise what we are asking. This gives us a solid foundation for our prayers. PRAY THE WORD!

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

Connie J. Schmoll

Drive Them Out!

Do you have something in your life that is a real struggle? Maybe it is a big hindrance and keeps you from being what God wants you to be. I have often asked, "Why is it so easy to take care of some issues in life but in other areas, it is hard?" Once God reveals a stronghold to you, in order to change, it is up to you to make the right choice. God gives the answer of what should be done. We just have to find it out and OBEY IT! How bad do you really want to change? Are you ready to give up what the Lord asks of you that will cause the change to take place? Be ready to listen to that inner voice. He has the solution. God led me to a scripture that answered my questions.

DRIVE THEM OUT!

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

In Numbers 33:51-55 the children of Israel were told that once they passed over Jordan into the Land of Canaan, they were to drive out all the inhabitants. And if they didn't, those which they allowed to remain would be "pricks in their eyes" and "thorns in their sides" and would vex (afflict, bind, distress) them. Sounds pretty painful, doesn't it? There before them was Jericho, a fortified walled city, shut up tight. But God told them the city was theirs and for them to go and possess it!

Most of us may have finally "crossed over" but now we must face the "giants". Here we stand now before "our jericho" and we find "enemies" that are still living in our "land". We have simply learned to live with certain characteristics because we've never found a way to permanently drive them out of our lives. But just like God did for the Israelites, He will give us the strategy needed to tear down the walls (strongholds, habits, fleshly desires) that shouldn't be there. He will reveal them to us.

In 2 Corinthians 10:4,5 we read that our weapons of our warfare are not carnal but MIGHTY THROUGH GOD to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

The Bible says we are dead to sin (strongholds, habits, fleshly desires) and if these continue to remain after God has revealed them to us, it is not because we do not have the power to be free of them. We have the power to be rid of them!! The problem is, we have allowed them to remain in our life. We have chosen not to use "the weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." Those not driven out, hinder us from fully possessing and enjoying abundant life. Ask God to reveal your strongholds and He will give you the strategy to tear them down and be free from them forever.

He desires that you be free, because He loves you!

Connie Schmoll

If you are reading this from email, please visit the website to listen to the video, "Our God Reigns" by John Waller.

Engedi: Oasis In The Desert

Engedi-Oasis In The Desert

I Samuel 23:28,29 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that place Se-la-ham-mah-le-koth [29]and David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En-gedi.

I still remember ever so strongly how I felt the night I received God's Spirit in my heart. I was totally changed. Being in His Presence was the most awesome feeling that I had ever experienced. My whole outlook on life was totally changed. I was so on fire and was ready to go change the world. Well, needless to say, that feeling did not last.

I remember another event that happened in my life that was NOT as pleasing and that was the first time I experienced a dry time. I was attending Bible College at the time. It seemed that no matter how much I read His Word and tried to pray, the dead dry barren feeling was there and I could not feel anything. It was a very difficult time for me, but I had learned that one of God's promises was that He would never leave me nor forsake me. It is very important that we hide God's Word in our hearts because there will be dry times like these and we need His Word to stand upon. I knew that this time that had come upon me was a time when I needed to pass through my desert.

This desert we find ourselves in sometimes can be a dry barren uncultivated region without inhabitants, feeling all alone. The way can be hot, sandy, and rough and very little water. There is no way we can make it on our own, in this desert. We need that Living Water, Jesus Christ. He is that Oasis, that fertile place that welcomes relief from difficult times.

Engedi was a refreshing green spot in the barren desert which lies in a deep narrow valley. This is where David hid out when pursued by King Saul. It was a perfect place to hide, concealed in a narrow ravine.

We need to have an Engedi, a place to hide out in, for time of worship to become refreshed. Life can be a wilderness. The heat of difficult circumstances; the barrenness of failure, loss and hurt; the thirst of unsatisfied needs are like being lost in the desert. But Jesus is the shade and thirst-quenching water. He is the Rock from which streams of water flow to make the desert bloom.

Unfortunately, many times our tendency is to rely on self instead of God, so we turn away from the refreshing streams He offers us and we dig our own cisterns that soon fill up with dirty stagnant water.

Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

I have heard it said: To look around is to be distressed; to look within is to be depressed; to look up is to be blessed. We need to quit looking around at the difficult circumstances going on around us and stop looking to self for the answers. Instead we need to look to Jesus who is the Living Water and ALL we need.

We need to remember where to go when our soul gets dry and thirsty. Will our distress drive us to despair and discouragement or to God? When you find yourself in the desert, before you head off in any old direction seeking for something to quench your thirst, first ask yourself, "Will this satisfy my soul?"

Where do YOU go where you're thirsty and dry?

May we, like David, in our desert times, find shade and thirst-quenching Water in the Lord our God.

Connie J. Schmoll

If you are receiving this in your email, You must visit the website to view the Video: "I Go To The River"