God’s New Thing for Us

“Forget the former things,

Do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not

Perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

And streams in the wasteland.”

                      Isaiah 43: 18-19 (NIV)                                                 

Have you ever wondered about what God has in store for you? I have a friend who told me she never liked asking God about her future. Her reason was she might not like what could be there for her. I understand her viewpoint.

               Today’s focus verses speak of God doing a NEW thing for those who love Him. He tells the people of that time and us through Isaiah not to dwell on past hurts. As human beings, we have a tendency to keep past things fresh on our minds. God tells us NOT to do that. I had a friend whose husband-at that time-often wondered why things past could not stay there. One day it became clear to me that he always brought up his past. The things he had done and the attitude he had never really were far from his conscious mind. I feel sorry for those who cannot let go of certain events in their backgrounds.            

               What new thing will God do for His children in 2016? I am not sure but I am excited as I watch and wait for God to perform His deeds.    God asks His audience if they perceive what He is going to do. I believe that His children will know when God performs His deeds but only if those children live close to Him and are watchful.

Happy New Year-2016

              

“I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

Out if the muck and mire;

He sat my feet on a rock

And gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

A hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

And put their trust in the Lord.”

Psalm 40; 1-3 (NIV)

               Let me be one of the many to wish you a Happy New Year. God has been good to us this past year. Our son moved back to our home state this past spring. Even in the unfortunate difficult times we have had with my falling twice and breaking a rib, the first time, and severely breaking my right ankle, on the second time God was with us.

               Reflecting on my life, I see our focus passage acted out for us. My husband and I have a great deal for which to be thankful. God did lift both of us up from a difficult and, for me, stressful life. King David caused a lot of calamity in his life but God forgave him. I love the imagery David uses here.

              

               David waited patiently: Yes, we have to wait for God to act.

               God turned to him and heard David’s cry.              

               Our Lord lifted David out of the mess in which he found himself. God did not leave David in that quagmire.

               God set him on a firm foundation and allowed David to stand.                      

               He gave David a new song, a hymn of praise and rejoicing. God does this for every child who claims His name. My hope for 2016 is that people will see, fear, and learn to put their trust in Jesus, our Lord.

               Until further notice, Following My King will publish on Tuesday and Thursday. My motive for doing this has to do with my continued recovery from my accident last fall. Thank you for your patience.

A Message to My Friends

To all my friends. Thank you for your wonderful comments you left me this fall

. Please bear with me as I share a story with you all.

On Sunday, September 20, 2015, I tried to participate in a Cancer Walk-a-thon for Jillian's Journey, the little 11 year old girl who had brain cancer. (She went to be with Jesus early in November.) I took a nasty fall and broke my right ankle in four places. After I had surgery, I went to a local nursing home/rehab center for therapy. I was released from that facility on Dec. 22.  I spent a total of eight weeks flat on my back with my leg up on a wedge, except for my trip to  the therapy gym, my only social activity. Once I could begin to put weight on my foot, things progressed very well.

My husband was great, bringing me snacks each day. Our son was good about calling me on our designated days to talk. I had some very faithful visitors.

I have 3000 emails to wade through to clear my inbox. Any suggestions?


Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Trust in the LORD

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart

and lean not unto thy own understanding.

 In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths.”

 Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

               This passage sends a strong message. In our 21^st Century world, we need strong positive messages that evoke us to rely on God in spite of what human nature tells us.

               When we trust someone, we do not try to second-guess his or her actions or their plans. We

should approach God’s deeds and His plans in the same way.

               Our own understanding is very limited. Humanly we can only put faith in what we see. When God comes into our lives, we learn that He is always trustworthy. In addition, we know God is reliable.

Transformed

“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

 Romans 12:2 (KVJV)

               These words, written by Paul, speak of a way to alter our outlooks. I like the way he used the words he chose.

               Transformed: gives a meaning of a radical change. We need to see our world positively transformed for Christ.

“renewing:” making something better, refurbishing, improving.

               We make our minds into the states we want to be. Some people believe what they hear when they hear disparaging remarks about others. Others think it humorous to talk about perverted subjects. However, God is not glorified in these types of discussion.

               God is only glorified when we radically change for Him. In our 21st Century, we truly need a radically changed world. A prayer group I participate in is praying for revival for our world. We realize that revival begins in our hearts. It begins with confession of our sins.

               Confession, based on humility, creates the basis of transformation and renewal of our minds.

Striving for the Prize

   

                 

wwwgcdaily world.com

“This one thing I do. Forgetting which are behind,

 and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

 Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)

               Paul gives us some sage advice here. He tells his readers how he handles difficult memories of their pasts. He relates that he strives to ahead and expends his time looking ahead rather than what is behind.

               There is excellent advice in these words. We, as a society, tend to hang our hats on something that happened 25 years ago.

               Warren Wiersbe explained the meaning as. “Forget does not mean erase from memory but it means that a person is no longer bothered by the memory.” (1)

               A dear friend preached a sermon on “Living in the Moment.” It got me to thinking differently about my different past experiences, especially the difficult ones. I find myself less weighed down than I have ever been.

1.)    Warren Wiersbe Study on Philippians. I am sorry I do not remember the name of this book.

Perfect Peace

Jesus and the Children. cll4him@sbcglobal.net

 

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.”

 Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

               ”Thou wilt keep him. . .” The prophet Isaiah speaks these words to God. He states a certainty; he believes in these words. He does not say “Thou might” or “Thou should” He tells the LORD. “Thou wilt.” This is the beginning of a faith statement.

               “. . . in perfect peace. . .” Did you hear it? Isaiah says perfect peace. How many things in our lives are perfect? The LORD is the only perfect person ever to walk this earth. I know there is nothing in my life, except my relationship with Jesus, comes close to being perfect, but Isaiah tells us we can have perfect peace. 

               “. . . whose mind is stayed on Thee.” This is the secret to having peace in our daily lives. When things bother us, we look at others; we become upset, nervous, or even angry. We do better in this area if we look to Jesus.

               This is a learned response. It is not in our human nature to look to the LORD. Our human heart tells us to get angry and strike back at the other person or persons. For us to fall into this habit is to allow the enemy to guide our lives.