Pastor Stephen Dedman

Waiting On The Lord

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
Acts 1:4

No one likes to wait. Especially for something great and wonderful. We want what we want, right now.  And sometimes we jump ahead and force things to happen on our timing. Waiting on the Lord and His promises is not a simple task to do.

Jesus instructed His disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come to them.  That’s all the details that they were given.  They didn’t know how long they would have to wait.  They didn’t even know what to expect. But what we see them doing is great.  They were together in the upper room praying and seeking the direction of God.  

The disciples were spending time together preparing for the next big thing to happen.  They were eagerly awaiting the presence and power of God to come down.  The next important thing was to replace Judas with Matthias. They were focussed on the things of the Lord.

What do you do when you are in a time of waiting?  It is important to focus on the things of God and never jump ahead of God’s timing.  Waiting is sometimes referred to as suffering, but the suffering is part of our character building.  

Patiently waiting on the Lord requires self-control and wisdom.  The reward is worth the wait.  When you are in a waiting period of your life consumeyourself in the Word of God, surround yourself with godly people, and focus on doing the Lord’s work.

Pray

Lord, help me to wait for Your direction. Give me wisdom and courage to wait for You to instruct me and guide me. I will patiently wait on You.

Keep The Faith

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
Psalms 125:1

Those who fully trust in God are unmovable in their faith. Nothing can shake up the one who puts full trust into the Lord. Are you unmovable and unshakable?

Psalm 125 is written with the concept that the people surrounding Jerusalem were on their way to celebrate and take part of the annual feasts of Israel. They would be marching in as families and anticipating a wonderful time with the Lord. They were eagerly excited to travel into the city of David.

Some scholars believe that this could have been part of a chant that took place as they were walking and had Mount Zion and the temple in their view. They knew that very soon they would be worshipping God with thousands of others who trusted in the Lord as well. One can only imagine the intensity and joy.

We, who place our trust in the Lord, are promised security and life everlasting. His love never fails and He never gives up on the ones who belong to Him. Stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Be unmovable and unshakable all the days of your life.

Your faith in the Lord is going to get you through every trial and tribulation you encounter. Your faith, if it’s unshakable, will see you through to some of the best experiences this side of heaven. Keep the faith!

Pray

Lord, I know You are with me and will never leave me. Give me joy in understanding how You alone deserve all of my trust and faith. Fill my heart with peace and love.

The Eyes Of Your Heart

“having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Bible uses the word “heart” to refer to the center of the whole person, the place of all desires.  

The heart is seen as the seat of the will, intellect and feelings. “Character”, “personality” and “mind” are also terms used for the Bible’s meaning of heart. As you may have already discovered, the Bible has much to say about the heart. 

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭17:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:45‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51:10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36:26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We must allow the eyes of our heart to be opened to the spiritual things of God. When our heart is set on God we see things in a spiritual realm and not physical. We need to allow God to speak to our heart so we can see who He is. Is your heart prepared to receive the riches of His glory?

Pray

Lord, open the eyes of my heart so that I may see You in all your glory. Fill my heart with joy and peace that I may have hope.