Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer, “God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

At God’s command, Moses removed his sandals. He was in the presence of God, and he obeyed out of reverence and an understanding of his unworthiness to be before his Holy Sovereign God.

We are told often that “God is our friend,” and indeed he is, but he is also our Sovereign Lord. For us to approach God with an attitude of frivolity shows our lack of respect and sincerity. We have lost our awe and reverence for who we are in a relationship with.

When we come to God’s house to worship, are we coming casually, or do you approach as though you will be standing in front of a Great King as a guest or like he is just another somebody?

It is easy when you are a regular churchgoer, or you participate in worship at your church, in a choir, or with a group to get very laxadaisy about it. You no longer take your preparation seriously, and you are constantly late; and yes (sometimes there are valid reasons for lateness,) but if it is just what you do, then you need to think about who you are coming before. I dare say, if it was a famous someone, you would do everything in your power to be on time! If you were called upon to make some speech for aristocrats or your work, you would come prepared. But, too often in churches, people filter in as though they have all the time in the world. They talk and laugh with friends until the very last second they have to get in their seats. Choir members rush in at the very last second. Having not attended any rehearsals because they had other things to do, that seemed more important. (yes, sometimes people are sick, have to work, and so on,) not talking about that, I am speaking to the ones who just do not find participating and preparation necessary. What if the Pastor of your church came in unprepared, not prayed up, having not studied the word? Think about it…

Why is it that you rush everywhere else, breathless sometimes to get to that ballgame, or dinner, or wherever, but to come before the Holy Sovereign God who saved you from your sins, you are casual, you are late, you are unprepared? Is it that you have forgotten to whom you are coming before? You have become so laid back and friendly with God that you no longer understand or stand in awe of His Holiness and Sovereignty?

We need to examine our hearts and repent of our frivolity. We need to remember who we are coming to stand before and return to our first love. Moses understood who it was he was standing before, and he showed reverence and humility.

Another thing, how do you dress to see a King? You get dressed up to dine with friends or coworkers, at work events, a date, a concert, and so on, but so many of you approach the Holy Sovereign God in your shorts, t-shirts, tennis shoes, spaghetti strapped dresses with too much cleavage showing, short skirts, etc., you get the idea.( If it is all you have then that is okay, but for most they have better.)

Again, I ask why. Is it because when -“Jesus is just your friend” you want to wear hang-out clothes? Has He become just another one of the gang?

NO, HE IS NOT!!! JESUS is our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS is THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, JESUS IS HOLY and SOVERIEGN over everything, and every other king. JESUS IS WORTHY OF ALL HONOR AND PRAISE!

There needs to be an attitude adjustment in our homes, in our hearts, and in our private times alone with God, in our coming together to worship and praise him. We need to humble ourselves and remember to whom we are coming.

Why not right now ask God to examine your heart, seek his forgiveness, and ready yourself to stand before THE KING!

Nehemiah 9:16-18

“But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them. 18 Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.”

God continued to be with his people even while they were rebelling and going their own way. They were committing awful blasphemies, they had made themselves an idol to worship, replacing God as their deliverer. They seemed to have forgotten all they had been delivered from and just who did that delivering. They appointed a leader who fulfilled their desires, thought the way they wanted him to think, and did those things they wanted to do. They forgot God, but He did not forget them. Despite their repeated sin and offenses, God remained faithful and true. The same can be said for us, how many times have we wandered away, wanting our own way, desiring those things the flesh cries out for, sinning, sometimes great sins, making the things of this world our idols?

Despite our repeated offenses, just like he was with his people, he remains with us. We are stubborn, prideful, and full of all kinds of lusts and sin, yet God remains, always ready to pardon us when we repent and turn back to him. Why would God do that? Because He is a forgiving God, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love for his children. God waits for us to realize our sins and our need for him. He is patient in waiting for us to say, ‘I’ve had enough, God forgive me!’ He is slow to anger, aren’t you thankful that He is slow to anger? I know I am.
Too many times in my own life have I gone after things that displeased my God, I sinned, presuming upon His grace and mercy. But God waited for me to return, He let his anger burn slow and his compassion burn bright. I am so thankful that He did not treat me as my sin deserved.

Sometimes it may feel like “you got away with it,” but you didn’t. Even though God is patient and willing to forgive, and will forgive; he does not always remove the consequences of our sin from us, but he does remove the condemnation from us.

If you find yourself in a place where you are going your own way, or you are involved in something that you know is against what God wants for you, or you are in full-blown rebellion and sin, just know our ever-present, all-seeing, full of compassion and slow to anger God is waiting on you to repent and turn, and when you do, He will forgive you and wrap his arms of love around you and say, ‘welcome back my child.’

The devil will try to convince you that God has left you, that you cannot come back from whatever it is, and that you are too far gone. It is a lie! Remember, if he is talking, he is lying! Because he is the father of lies!
He wants to keep you bound in your sin and disobedience because he knows if you ever truly remember who God is, he no longer has a hold on you. Don’t let shame keep you away. Don’t let fear keep you bound. Remember who God is, read his word, and rest assured that when you decide to be done with those things that keep you bound, he will embrace you and love you.

Remembering God’s great forgiveness for us should make it much easier to forgive those who have offended or hurt us in some way. No matter how often forgiveness is needed, even 70×7. We are never permitted to be unforgiving, remember that the next time you feel justified in holding on to unforgiveness. It will do more damage to you than the person you are angry with. Unforgiveness eats away at you like cancer, free yourself of its baggage.

My prayer is that if you are in rebellion and sin, you will come running back to the Lord, you will repent of your sin and seek God with your whole heart, knowing that God is there, waiting and willing to accept you and forgive you. I pray that you will be a forgiver like Jesus and that you will desire the things of God.

People time is running out, our world is falling apart, and now is the time for refreshing in Jesus. We can see how the decision to remove God from everything is playing out in our society and government. We need to repent and return both individually and as a nation. Let it start with you! Don’t become stiff-necked and rebellious.

Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Do you like to wait? We get impatient when we have to wait in line at a store or wait for the traffic light to change. We have things to do, places to be, and people to see, right? Waiting is not something that very many are good at. We start learning to wait as toddlers. We soon learn that there are times when we cannot have it now, do it now, etc.

There are many instances in the Bible where people prayed, trusted God and waited, and waited, and waited. In much of those times, they faced many trials and tribulations that came to them while waiting.

David was anointed as King when he was sixteen, but did not become King until he was thirt. In David’s time of waiting he was chased through the desert by a jealous King Saul, and after David became King he was chased by his rebellious son, Absalom.

Abraham and Sarah desperately wanted a child, and had to wait a long time before they had a son; as did Rachel and Hannah. Joseph waited for a promotion and spent a lot of time in prison even though he had done no wrong. Moses was sent to the desert and waited a long time before God said it was time to lead His people out of slavery. Joshua waited for the promised land. Ruth waited for a husband. Elijah waited for rain. Job waited for his suffering to end, and Paul waited for release from prison. There was a lot of waiting going on.

It is important how we wait. The most important thing is that we seek God. We remember who he is, and what he has already done. We live faithfully in the present, doing those things God calls us to do, serving and loving. Waiting periods sanctify us, grow us, teach us, and stretch us, but they also can reveal much about God.

God heard you the first time you cried out in prayer about the situation or person. He is not slow in answering because he does not care; he is accomplishing something in you that could not come another way. We are to continue to pray without ceasing, to serve and love our families and others; we need to not grumble and complain. But faithfully do the everyday things that are before us.

God knew David needed time and more wisdom before he became King. He knew Abraham and Sarah needed decades to see that God was enough. Moses needed years to learn how to shepherd a flock. Joshua needed to learn leadership, and so on. Their time waiting was not wasted but prepared them for the next chapter that God had written for their lives. As they waited they continued in faithfulness living their everyday lives and listening to the Lord.

God sees you, God hears you, and God knows all about whatever it is, and when the time is right God will answer that prayer, or that door will open. We will be ready for the next chapter in this thing called life.

We need to spend the time in the “Waiting Room” listening to His voice, reading His word, growing in wisdom and understanding, loving others, working and serving, and just doing the next right thing. We have the privilege of looking back at these lives in the scriptures, reading their stories seeing how God used their time, and rejoicing with them when their time in the waiting room ended.

Don’t let negativity or negative people keep you from reaping the rewards of waiting. Don’t let the world and its distractions rob you of joy in the waiting. Don’t let the enemy of your soul cause you to doubt God has heard and will answer. If he(satan) did not know of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and grace, he would leave you alone. But you see he does, and so that is why he tries so hard to defeat you and keep you out of God’s word and stop those prayers. He wants to rob you of your joy and hope as you wait. DO NOT LISTEN TO HIS LIES, IF HE IS TALKING HE IS LYING, BECAUSE HE IS A LIAR!

I pray that as you are in your “waiting room” you seek God first. You wait with patience and trust. I pray you meditate on all the Lord has done, read His word, and are reminded of his goodness in the lives of so many who are already with him. I encourage you to cling to your joy and hope and know that one day when God says go or now….your time in the waiting room will end and you will come out wiser and ready, closer to the Lord, and full of reflection on all God has done and excitement to see the fruits of that time.

Blessings my friends…wait well!

Psalm 115:11,12-13 “You who fear him, trust in the Lord-he is their help and shield.12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us: He will bless the house of Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron, 13 he will bless those who fear the Lord-small and great alike.”

I get great peace knowing that my Lord and Savior remembers me. There are times when each of us has days, weeks, or months, or maybe even a moment, where we feel lonely, and abandoned; we think no one understands or cares, but His word tells us that he does. Jesus thinks about us, Jesus sees our struggles, our fears, and our needs. He is keeping you and me in his thoughts, and we are told elsewhere in His word that he intercedes for us; so he is always praying to the Father on our behalf. (Romans 8:34)

We are told that we need to trust the Lord, He already knows those things we need and has promised to supply them. I too need to remind myself of these truths. All too often in the waiting, we begin to doubt God’s goodness and that He does hear us and will answer us. We are so fickle in our emotions that we think that if that need or thing we prayed about is not answered immediately God either did not hear us or does not care, both of those are lies.

If God has told you to wait it is for your good. God uses the everyday hard in our lives to draw us closer, refine our hard edges, strengthen us, and deepen our commitment to him. When life gets harder, move in a little closer. Open His word and be reminded of who he is and who you are in him. The same God who provided everything the Israelites needed for forty years in a desert, can certainly supply whatever you need.

Do you have moments where you think about your spouse during the day and it makes you smile, or one of your children, grandchildren, or even a friend? Something reminded you of them and you took the time to let the thought have its way. Well, that is what God is doing, He is remembering you, thinking about His child, looking deep inside of us. The all-seeing God loves to gaze upon His children and provide for them.

If God is thinking about you, and seeing your need, be encouraged that help is on its way. He is so responsive to his children that we have a direct line, we can always reach him. As soon as our prayer leaves our lips, or is uttered in tears and silence, He leans down to listen to your voice.

If you are discouraged today, (I was earlier) and you need to be reminded that God hears you, cares deeply, and will answer, then let this little devotion serve as your reminder. But also get into his word, be reminded of who He is, and who you are in him. If you belong to Christ you are a dearly loved child of the King of Kings, and as such, He supplies all your needs, and more often than we will acknowledge he even supplies all those wants we think we need.

Knowing that Jesus is remembering me as I type these words just gives me the warm fuzzies. I feel held, I feel seen, and I am reminded that whatever it was that gave me cause for pause has already been taken care of…my God is able!

Ephesians 3:16-19 “I pray that out of the glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I
pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

First, I want to touch on verse 18. We need to understand exactly how great the love of Christ is. His love is total, complete, in all, and through all. It reaches every corner of our lives, every experience we have. Christ’s love is wide it covers everything, and reaches out to the entire world. His love is long, throughout our lives it is ever present, we can never be outside of his love for us. His love is high, it is with us in celebration and elation, in our everyday moments of joy and happiness. His love is also deep, it is with us in despair, hurt, grief, pain, and anything that stops us in our tracks and brings us to our knees. No matter where we are in life, no matter if we feel isolated and alone if we belong to Christ He is with us. His love is covering us and active.

How then do we experience the fullness of God’s love? What actions must we take to know him fully? We learn of Christ through reading his word. By studying, digging into scripture, and letting it sink into our hearts and minds. When we do, it activates our faith. We read of his faithfulness throughout all time to his people. And as we read we grow in our relationship with Christ, which should make us more prayerful, understanding that no matter where you are you can speak to Him, knowing He hears you and He answers. Reading and praying, praying and reading as our pastor says helps you to trust God more. We cannot know him outside of his word. It is the table he has put before us.

So, we can appropriate our knowing by activating our faith, through prayer and study of his word. We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill every area of our lives. I know in my life I need to be filled with the fullness of God. I want to know him, I need to see in his word how he has delivered his people in the past, how he has led them through the wilderness and even through moments of the miraculous, full of joy. It grounds me, it encourages me, it reveals to me who He is, and it gives me confidence in my daily walk.

I also believe that we need to be in fellowship with other believers. We need to be in church, surrounded by other saints, to help us, grow us, support us, encourage us, pray with us, rejoice with us, and be our family.
In Hebrews 10:25 it says: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much more, as ye see the day approaching.”

People, Jesus is coming back, but until he does we must live in a world that seems to have lost its mind and all of its morals. The prince of the power of the air is having a blast. We need to stand firm with one another, praying for one another. We need to read His word and talk to Him often in prayers. Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do on this earth as Christians and all too often it is only a last resort. Daily prayer, daily reading, and asking for wisdom and understanding.

I want to be filled to the full measure of the fullness of God. Do you?

Maybe all you can squeeze into your day is one scripture, if that is the case take it, meditate on it, pray about it, and let it start filling your soul, mind, and heart to the fullness of God. His word is living and active, even a nibble has more power than we can even imagine.

Psalm 5:1-3 “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait in expectation.”

Isn’t it wonderful to know that the Lord, the King of the universe is always listening to us, He hears our prayers, our sighs, and every utterance that we send heavenward, He hears and cares. Knowing this do you wait with expectation for His answer? Do you rest in knowing that God has heard you, is working on your behalf, and intercedes for you? All of this while He listens to every other believer, keeps the stars in the skies, the earth, and all of creation doing what He created it to do. Wow! Such an awesome God!

In the margins of my bible, I have these things written:

“Thank you for always hearing me.”
“Help me to wait with expectation for your answers.”
“Be still my heart, for He has heard!”

I need to be reminded of how amazing God is, how intimately He cares for us; and how He always hears me, even when it feels as though my prayers have not gone any higher than my ceiling. I need to remember that I can trust His word; He is listening!

All too often people pray and seek the Lord for answers, whether it is for healing, help, direction, or whatever, and then they go about their day worrying and fretting trying to do it all and figure it all out on their own, carrying a burden that we are not meant to carry.

We each need to seek the Lord, preferably, in the morning before our minds are cluttered with life and everyday issues. If we go to the Lord in the morning we can commit the day to Him, we can find rest for our souls even before our day starts. I’ll admit, I do not always do that. The good thing is, I am not a worrier, I whisper prayers all day long. I find myself having conversations with Jesus often. Again, there is no bad time to pray! We need communication with Him daily, sometimes when life is running us over we may need it hourly, or minute by minute. Just know that He cares, He hears, He answers, He is all we need!

So, in closing, I want to say…BE STILL MY HEART, FOR HE HAS HEARD!