"Abide in the Shadow"

Abide in the Shadow

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.’”

Psalm 91:1-2

 

I remember watching a funny video of a toddler trying to run from her shadow.  No matter where she ran, or how fast, the shadow still followed her.  The toddler ultimately burst into tears.  Unlike the toddler, we should take comfort in knowing that God is like the toddler’s shadow.  Ever present, providing His divine protection.  I don’t want to be like the toddler, trying to run from God’s shadow of protection.  In fact, I need God’s protection.  His word says, ‘He will never leave you nor forsake you.’ (Deuteronomy 31:6)  Friends may promise they’ll always be there, even family.  However, sometimes they fail at keeping their word.  God never fails at keeping His Word.

So, what can you expect to find abiding in the shadow of God?  The remainder of Psalm 91 tells us . . .

[Protection]

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

[Victory]
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

[Refuge]

⁹ If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, ¹⁰ no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

[Power and authority]
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

[Grace and mercy]

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  ¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

[Love]
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Margaret Slaughter

Speak It!

Speak It!

“And God said . . .”

Genesis 1

 
When God formed the foundation of the world, and all that was in it, He spoke it into existence.  Just by speaking, He formed light (verse 3); sky (verse 6); land and sea (verse 9); vegetation (verse 11); day and night (verse 14); fish and birds (verse 20); animals (verse 24); and mankind (verse 26). 

God calmed a raging sea by speaking it, “So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).  But soon a fierce storm came up.  High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion.  The disciples woke him up, shouting ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’  When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence!  Be still!’  Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.” –Mark 4:36-39

And with His words, Jesus healed the sick, “A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man, ‘I am willing,’ he said.  ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” –Matthew 8:2-3

By speaking, Jesus raised his friend from the dead, “So they rolled the stone aside.  Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank you for hearing me.  You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.’  Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth.  Jesus told them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go!’” –John 11:41-44

What a powerful witness for Christ we could be if we learned the power of our words.  What we speak, becomes.   Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  When you speak, are you speaking life, or are you speaking death into your life and the lives of others?

How about this, “Speak what you seek, until you see what you’ve said!”, and watch God work.

Margaret Slaughter

Mirror Image

Mirror Image

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness . . .”

Genesis 1:26a

When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see an exact reflection of yourself.  Nothing is altered, added, or removed.  It is your exact image.  When God spoke mankind into existence, He made us an exact likeness of Himself.  What does that mean?  It means we should look like Jesus.  Since no man has seen Him, it certainly refers to His character.  So what is the character of Jesus? 

Light of the world

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Free from sin

1 John 3:9 “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”

Love

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us and game himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Obedient

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Compassionate

Matthew 9:36 “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Servant

Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Forgiving

Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’”

Prayerful

Mark 1:35 “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”

The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, ask yourself, ‘What am I reflecting?’

Margaret Slaughter

My Will vs. God's Will

My Will vs. God’s Will

“I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.  I love God’s law with all my heart.  But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind.  This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  Oh, what a miserable person I am!  Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God!  The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  So you see how it is:  In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

Romans 7:21-25 NLT

Have you ever had this conversation with God:  “Here I am again, Lord, coming before you with the same thing.  Ugggh, why do I do this?  I know I shouldn’t do this, but I just can’t help myself.” 

 

Exactly!  You . . . can’t . . . help . . . yourself!  Turning from a life of sin is about surrender.  Giving up YOUR will, and surrendering to GOD’S will.  In verse 18b, Paul says, ‘I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  I want to do what is good, but I don’t.  I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.’   Without surrender, it’s an endless cycle of repeated sin. 

 

So now what?  You die to yourself daily.  As Jesus said, “not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)  If Jesus could surrender to the will of God to die for us, then why shouldn’t we?

 

Here are a few steps to help you get started:

Ask.  Start your day asking God to direct you. 

 

Listen.  Really listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Surrender.  Surrender to the voice of the Spirit.  I have been guilty of hearing the Spirit of God, but pushing past to do what I want.  That certainly is not surrender. 

 

If we’re going to truly be changed, we have to live by, “not my will, but yours be done.”  Surrender.  In order to get where God has called us to be, there’s no other way.

Margaret Slaughter

"My Personal Guide"

 

Years ago my family and I went on a black history tour.  We were assigned a personal tour guide.  Someone that would guide us through the city, and give us a few tidbits of information along the way.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area and its history.  I've been on many tours, and the guests generally trust the guide, going in restricted areas and dark places, oooohing and aaaaahing over the facts they provide.  If you went on the tour alone, without a guide, you probably wouldn't get as much out it.  You'd  spend most of your time wandering around the historic site with limited information.  

 

Wouldn't it be great if we trusted Jesus the way we trust a tour guide?  He has provided us with an entire Book of facts and information, instructions and promises, all to 'guide us, and light our path'.  But do we take advantage of it?  Who would attempt to put together an item with hundreds of tiny parts without first reading the instructions?  If you did you probably wouldn't get very far before you had to refer to the instructions.  Let's not start our journey, wait until we're in a jam, and THEN refer to the instructions.  Pull out the instruction Book first, and let Jesus be your personal guide.

Margaret Slaughter

The Ultimate Artist

The Ultimate Artist

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. 

The skies display His craftsmanship.
Day after Day they continue to speak;

night after night they make Him known.
They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world. 
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.

It rejoices at one end of the heavens and follows its
course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.”

Psalm 19:1-6

I enjoy the early morning, and late hours of the day.  Still and quiet.  It’s a good time to hear from the Lord.  Even though I don’t mind rising before dawn, very rarely do I get to see the sunrise.  And because of the hustle and bustle of life, I hardly ever see the sunset.  A few months ago, I had the opportunity to take a much needed girls weekend trip.  We all vowed that we would take time to stop, and ‘smell the roses’.  Get off the merry-go-round of life and just be.  The first night there it was unseasonably warm so we had a chance to sit on the deck, by the water, before nightfall.  None of us were prepared for the show we were about to experience.  And boy did God put on a show for us!  The sunsets and sunrises were amazing.  No human hand could create the masterpieces we saw.  Above are a few of the photos I was able to capture. 

 God is the ultimate artist.  But how many times do we take a minute to stop and experience his magnificent handiwork?  What if you took time, everyday, to create amazing works of art, and people walked by it without a word?  Shug Avery from the Color Purple said it best. ‘I think it makes God mad if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.’  Take some time out to admire God’s handiwork, and not just when there’s a lunar eclipse.

Margaret Slaughter

Run YOUR Race in 2016

Run YOUR Race in 2016

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Philippians 3:13-14

At the onset of each New Year, people generally make resolutions.  The most common vow is to lose weight, or become more serious about this or that.  I have a suggestion for the New Year . . . Run your own race! 

 If you’ve ever watched a track meet, the runners are assigned to a specific lane.  During the race, if the runner strays out of his lane, chaos ensues.  The runner and his opponents are tripped up, most times ending in a heap of tangled arms and legs.  Looking back to see where your opponent is, is also detrimental to a runner.  It slows the runner down, causing him to lose focus and momentum.

Our Heavenly Father has laid out a path for each of us.  Just like our fingerprints, each path is unique to that person.  I cannot run the race given to my friend.  That is not the race designed for me.  If I try to run the race set out for someone else, definite chaos will follow.  

Spend some time listening to the voice of God.  Let Him tell you what YOUR race is for 2016.  And stay in your lane!

Margaret Slaughter