Oh devotion, what is it!! Have you heard yourself lately? God I have nothing to give you but problems. All I have to offer God is my hurt. God nothing is going right for me, God you do not hear me, where are you God, why all this strife God. I cannot be your child I am not good enough. At the same time you want to accept His gift of grace, but you feel unworthy of His sacrifice. Maybe that has kept you from coming to God. Oh, you've taken a step or two in His direction. But then you saw the other people who follow Him. They seemed so clean, so neat, so trim and fit in their faith. So you hesitated.
Take your eyes off your circumstances. Take your eyes off others. Take your eyes off other's cirumstances that are all around you. Keep your eyes wholly on Jesus and He will lift you up to ride on the winds as an eagle with Him. Up here where He Is, above all the dross; and everything that would distract you from being in His presence.
I think of the story of the nameless woman in Mark 5, she was considered unclean by her culture, demonstrated her devotion to Jesus by touching the hem of the Savior's garment. And that slight gesture moved Jesus to heal her. She was a shame-struck, penniless outcast who clutched onto her hunch that HE COULD and HER HOPE that HE WOULD. Isn't that what faith is all about?! A conviction that He can and that He will. Sounds similar to the definition of faith given by the Bible: "Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find Him." (Hebrews 11:6)
Come, draw closer. God would so hold you tenderly. He will give you eagles's eyes to see. But you have to keep your eyes upon Jesus. Draw near unto Him that He may anoint your eyes to see as He see's...ride on the wings of these winds that He blows. That He's blowing across the land. Your land; all the land. Fear not the fire. Welcome the fire, though it hurts. Though it brings forth tears. Be not afraid to shed forth the tears, for Jesus changed them into tears of joy, yes, and songs of praise shall come forth like fountains from your lips. Out of your innermost belly. Because you understand that He is touching your sore spots. Jesus is touching those points that hurt,that He may deal with your emotions, and deal with your strengths. That He will purge them, purify them, cleanse them. That Jesus may fill more of Himself within you. And together we as Christians shall ride on those winds. And those winds ...JESUS IS blowing those winds. And if you are riding with Him you will not feel the heat or the judgement that comes with the winds that He is getting ready to blow.
In the last month I have had over 136 people question my belief in God. They asked me, "Melanie, where is your God now, where was he when the WTC in New York was hit, in Pennislyvania where the plane crashed, where the plane crashed into the pentagon?" I had a question too, "Where is your FAITH?" and I had a simple answer "My God is your God too." God is telling you folks this: You shall be lifted up God's Word will empower you to do and say My Father's perfect will, that His will is to be done,lift up your hearts. I AM MIGHTY in the midst of you! trust Me! My Beloved Bride.
Faith is the belief that God is real and that God is good. Faith is not a mystical experience or a midnight vision or a voice in the forest.... it is a choice to BELIEVE that the One who made it all HAS NOT LEFT IT ALL and that HE STILL SENDS LIGHT INTO SHADOWS and RESPONDS TO GESTURES OF FAITH. Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. Faith is the belief that God will do WHAT IS RIGHT. God is ALWAYS NEAR and ALWAYS AVAILABLE. Just WAITING for YOUR TOUCH. So let Him know. Demonstrate YOUR DEVOTION.
Jesus has waited so long to hold you...and see you standing at His side. Dressed in your wedding garments, in the beauty that He has given you. beauty for ashes, and standing with the authority, the full authority of a crowned queen beside His side. How He longs for this moment. Be not afraid. Be not afraid. Trust in Jesus...trust Him!
And in trusting, your faith will show. Do something that reveals your faith. For faith with no effort is no faith at all. God will respond. He has never rejected a genuine gesture of faith. It pleases Jesus and He delights in you. As you are learning to delight, trust, love and help each other...even as if Jesus were in the midst of you.....you are doing it as unto Him and He is pleased and your doing it by faith. God honours radical, risk-taking faith. When arks are built, lives are saved. When soldiers march, Jerichos rumble. When staffs are raised, seas still open. When a lunch is shared, thousands are fed. And when a garment is touched - whether by the hand of an anemic woman in Galilee or by the prayers of a beggar in Bangladesh - Jesus stops and blesses. So make your choice, announce to the whole world your faith to God, and DEMONSTRATE YOUR DEVOTION.
