📃 Bible 📃

God will vindicate you


“Vindication will come from me.” Isa 54:17 NLT

 

Have you been falsely accused? So was Jesus. They called Him a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of low-life sinners. They accused the apostle Paul of being a madman, a fool, and a babbler. The Bible calls Satan the “father of lies” (Jn 8:44 NIV). And when you’re committed to doing God’s will, he will attack you—and use people to do it. Don’t get discouraged and don’t despair. God will vindicate you. His Word says, “No weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me.” If you insist on retaliating, God will back off and leave you to it. But when you put the situation into His hands, the test can result in a testimony to His goodness and grace in your life. So instead of wasting time complaining, pray: “Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. Don’t let me be disgraced…Lord…I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced…Silence their lying lips—those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly. How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues” (Ps 31:16-20 NLT). Simply pray, “Father, I put this situation into Your hands today. Vindicate me.”

Are you at your breaking point?



“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed.” Ps 27:13 NKJV

 

David was a giant killer, a psalm writer, and Israel’s most popular king. But when the stresses of life brought him to his breaking point, he wrote, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Are you at your breaking point today? When you get to that place, one of two things happens: You either break down or break through! It all depends on what you do. David experienced a breakthrough because he knew the right formula: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart” (v. 14 NKJV). There’s an old saying—“The same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay.” When trouble comes, you can turn against God because you’ve served Him faithfully and don’t understand why He’s permitting you to go through such a hard time, or you can turn to Him for the answer! Nothing catches Him off guard, and nothing is too hard for Him. He said, “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isa 46:9-10 NKJV). You may be in a state of shock right now—but God isn’t. Your circumstances can actually become a platform for Him to demonstrate His unfailing love and care for you. So don’t lose heart; He’s going to bring you through this storm and bring glory to His name in the process.

Undercover boss



“I…sat among them for seven days.” Eze 3:15 NLT

 

There’s a popular reality show on American television called Undercover Boss. In it, the company owner goes undercover disguised as a regular staff member, and works alongside the other employees. He or she gets to experience their daily pressures and problems, becomes familiar with their strengths and weaknesses, and finds out what is and isn’t working. Some of the discoveries are truly eye-opening, and lead to major changes that end up making the organization a more efficient, more profitable, and a more enjoyable place for everyone to work. A good definition of the word understand is “to stand in another person’s shoes.” That’s what happened to the prophet Ezekiel. He writes: “Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles…I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days. After seven days the Lord gave me a message. He said, ‘Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman’” (vv. 15-17 NLT). When did God give Ezekiel a message for others? After he’d spent seven days and nights sitting with people who had lost everything, people in deep despair and in need of answers. Referring to Jesus, the Bible tells us, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do” (Heb 4:15 NLT). Your most effective ministry to others can come out of some of the experiences you’re going through right now, especially the painful ones you’d like to escape and don’t even feel comfortable talking about. The truth is, your greatest mess can turn out to be your greatest message. So let God work on you until He gets you to where you need to be.

The law of location



“God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it.”   Ge 2:15 NIV

 

God created the Garden of Eden, placed Adam in it, and told him to “work it.” God said, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Ge 1:22 NIV). In other words, “Be successful.” But notice, there’s a definite sequence. First: God prepares a place for you. Second: He puts you in it. Third: He tells you to “work it.” Fourth: He says, “I want you to succeed.” This is called “the law of location.” You only flourish in the place where you belong, doing what God has called and equipped you to do. And you’ll have to work at it, so don’t expect it to be quick and easy. The law of location is evident throughout the Scriptures. After his life-changing encounter with God, we read, “Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared’” (Ge 32:30 NIV). That’s when God changed his name from Jacob, which means “deceiver,” to Israel, which means “a prince with God.” God spoke to the prophet Elijah in the middle of a famine and said, “Go at once to  Zarephath…I have directed a widow there to supply you with food” (1Ki 17:9 NIV). Eden was the place of fruitfulness. Penial was the place of radical change. Zarephath was the place of divine supply. Question: Are you in the place God wants you to be? If you’re not sure, talk to Him today. “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go” (Isa 48:17 NKJV).