Still not Stagnant
God has spoken before and he is still speaking today "Stand Still or Be Still!, you don't have to be afraid or fret yourself because your victory is at hand. You may need to ask yourself ' how do I stand still? ', or 'what does standing still involve?' Before saying what I think it involves, I want to bring to light that the word 'still' ' is a synonym for 'stagnant'.
Stagnant is a word that refers to (of a body of water or the atmosphere of a confined space) having no current or flow and often having an unpleasant smell as a consequence: oxford dictionary.
So if you are standing still, care must be taken not to become stagnant. We can become stagnant when we:
- Stop believing that God has good plans and everything will work out for our good. Jeremiah 29:11
- Stop looking to Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith Hebrews 12:2
- Start murmuring and grumbling, never seeing the blessings inherent in our trials 1 Corinthians 10:10
- Start seeking our own ways and solutions because we are impatient to see God at work Jeremiah 18:12
- Start comparing ourselves to others in similar situations. Galatians 6:4-5
On the other hand to be still is to:
- Believe God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Romans 4:17
- Against all hope, believe in hope Romans 4:18
- Be fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able to perform Romans 4:21
- Allow the current of thanksgiving and joy be part of our being 1 Thessalonians 5:18
- To know and believe God is with you Isaiah 41:10
The first time I heard the song 'Soar' by Meredith Andrews, I could literally feel myself fly in the air, faith rose up within me and I was able to pray like I should pray.
Testimony:
PASSING THROUGH TROUBLED WATERS
By: Josephine Fitzgerald
It
is truly overwhelming what the Lord has done for me. On one occasion the
children were playing in the yard. It was way past suppertime, but I let them
continue playing. All I had in the house was a box of corn flakes. I was
ironing and talking to the Lord. I remember saying, "Lord, even if you
send in food, I am too tired to cook it." After awhile my neighbor, Wilma,
came over. Her children were playing with mine. She said, "I made some ice
cream. If you come over, I will give you some." I told her I was so tired
and just did not know if I could walk over there. She told me, "Well, I am
not bringing it over to you, because the last time I gave you some, you gave
yours away." We talked and after awhile I said, "Well, I believe I
will walk over for a few minutes; maybe I'll feel better." So, I gathered
the children and went over.
When
we arrived, her supper was still on the table. She said, "Oh, have you all
eaten supper yet?" I replied, "No." So she put clean plates out
and we sat down to one of the nicest meals I had eaten in a long time. We had
ham, green beans, potatoes, sliced tomatoes, tall glasses of ice tea, and
dessert of ice cream and cake. Afterwards, we sat on the porch and talked. I
went home really renewed. Twenty years later, I shared with her how much that
meal meant to us. She had no idea that we had no groceries at that time. The
Lord is precious and He looks after His own. Praise His name!
Another
day when I was working in the garden I became very discouraged. It was our
twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. My husband had said nothing, which was not
unusual, because he always said that was one day he wanted to forget. I was
having a pity-party, feeling sorry for myself, when one of the children ran
down with a package for me. When I opened it, there was a lovely set of
silverware, the prettiest set I had ever owned. Betty, my daughter, and her
husband, Norbert, had gotten it for me even though they did not have a set for
themselves and were still in college on a tight budget.
When I'm at my lowest
point
It
seems that when I am at my lowest point, the Lord moves someone to do something
like that. We have a wonderful Lord! It is true that accepting Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior means a new birth. As the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us,
we are born anew. By God's grace we are given a new spiritual life, an eternal
life to be lived in fellowship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ,
His Son. But the new birth is just the beginning. It is God's intention that we
grow as Christians.
It
is God's desire that we yield our lives to Him. Service to God is not a burden
-- but a glorious privilege. As Proverbs 3:5-6 says:
Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; in
all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
We
are to trust the Lord with ALL our heart, and we are to acknowledge Him in ALL
our ways. When we do this, God promises that He will direct our paths.
Shortly
after I joined Immanuel Baptist Church, my Sunday school teacher asked me if I
would give my testimony. I told her I would. Already, I was forming in my mind
that I would use this verse:
However,
in the middle of the night, the Lord woke me and said:
As
I shared my testimony, I told them how the Lord had led to that church. He
placed me in that church because He knew what I needed for my spiritual growth.
When there was something I could not understand, I would pray to the Lord.
Wonderfully, the next Sunday, the preacher would say, "The Lord won't let
me preach the sermon I prepared, but I must preach on this, so pray for
me." The Lord then used the sermon to open my eyes and answer my
questions. As I shared my testimony, the preacher was listening. I was
perfectly calm while I was talking, but when I got back to my seat, I was
shaking all over. I think it is important for a Christian to share his
testimony. Satan is the one who puts fear in our heart, and if we give in to
that fear it becomes harder and harder to speak openly of our faith.
One
day, I heard a missionary tell about the time that they were taking the gospel
to some people. As they spoke, the people began to stone them and run them out
of the village. A lady in the congregation spoke up and asked her if the
stoning hurt her very much. She said, "You know, it should have, because
we were bleeding, but it was just like the Lord held a pillow between me and
the hurt." In my heart was the desire to experience the same protection
from the Lord.
Years
later ... when I had a car accident, I really experienced that same kind of
protection. God was with me all through the 14 hours I was pinned in the car
and in the hospital. I am so thankful for His comfort in the midst of pain.
We
have a wonderful Lord! He does not take away the hard things but He goes
through them with us. Just like the quiet in the eye of a hurricane, things can
be all wrong all around us, but He keeps us in perfect peace.
As
Christians we need have no fear of death. We can be sure of our salvation in
Jesus Christ. What a wonderful miracle God works within us. Because of our
faith in Christ we can be sure.
God's
Word says:
And
this is the record that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath
not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God. (I John 5:11-13).
I
cannot tell all of the times that the Lord has answered my prayers, but I can
tell you that the Lord cares about all of our needs. There is nothing too
little, nor too big, for the Lord. There are no limits to God's love and care.
He tells us to commit all of our cares to Him:
Be careful for nothing; but
in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment