Thursday, January 08, 2009

Daily Digest #207

These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. —Revelation 17:14

Allow me to share another enlightening article from the Purpose Driven life as additional reading to reflect on. May we gain wisdom and faith. Pray always.
2007/08/30

"And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth." (2 Kings 19:15, NIV)

God becomes real in your life only when you submit to his sovereignty.

Sovereignty simply means God is in control, and that he has the right to be in control. Regardless of what you believe, the truth remains – God has been and always will be in control. He rules from his heavenly throne, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8).

It's essential that you understand God's sovereignty as you move forward faithfully; otherwise, you won't be able to see the hand of God working actively through the details of your life (Romans 8:28). You're likely to become overwhelmed by the immensity of the task before you and soon you'll be plagued by worry, doubt, and fatigue. By understanding his sovereignty, you'll readily remember that God goes before you and God comes behind you as you faithfully serve him.

You may feel inadequate in your walk with Christ, but God created you for just this very moment, and he believes in you. He is able to take what you give and use it for his glory, andhe is able to handle any of your problems or concerns: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him …" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Why is this important?

· God is sovereign -- and that means he's capable of providing for your every need. If you don't trust that, ask God to show you why? I believe, Lord; help my unbelief.

· God's greatness – Focus on God's sovereignty by remembering his greatness. We have a tendency to maximize our problems and minimize God's greatness. But when we do that, we also minimize - in our minds - God's ability to handle any problem. Instead, praise God for his greatness.

· When you pray, praise God. Begin your prayers by acknowledging God's sovereignty. You could start by quoting I Chronicles 29:11, "Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything." As you get to know God, you can add other praises related to his power, his goodness, and his faithfulness.

· Hezekiah's Prayer -- When the city of Jerusalem faced certain destruction from an advancing army, Hezekiah, the king of Israel, sought God in prayer -- but instead of starting off with the problem of Jerusalem's imminent destruction, he first praised God and acknowledged God's sovereignty: "God, God of Israel, seated in majesty on the cherubim-throne. You are the one and only God, sovereign over all kingdoms on earth, maker of heaven, maker of earth …." (2 Kings 19:15-16). You can find out how God answered Hezekiah's prayer by reading 2 Kings 19:20-35.

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