What’s on the Radar?

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind

is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in

the Lord forever, for the Lord, the

Lord, is the Rock eternal.”

Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)

One of my favorite shows on television is the weather channel. No, really. There is always something new popping up on the map. I seriously love hearing about an approaching storm predicted to deliver snow to my community or the warnings of tornadoes forming.

I marvel at the radar showing rain changing to sleet and then snow within an hour. It amazes me that understanding cloud types can help determine the kind of weather to expect. Granted there are times when the weather prediction is uncertain at best and it seems that the meteorologists have spun an arrow on a circle marked with different types of weather and whatever the arrow stopped on was our forecast for the day.

 But overall, just knowing what the radar predicts is coming next gives me a bit of confidence and security over the weather.

I’ve always thought it would be great to have radar predictions for the storms that hit our lives, much like what we see on the weather channel. “Tomorrow there is a 90% likelihood of extreme heat as my husband and I disagree on buying a car but Tuesday looks clear.

“On Wednesday there is a 60% chance that I will lose my contacts so visibility will be low and I will need someone else to pick up the kids after school. Thursday brings a chance of showers and moisture as I step on the scales so Friday will find a high pressure workout at the local gym.”

There is something about our wanting to be in control of our circumstances that keeps many of us from trusting our Father to take care of us at all times and in everything that we face. What that actually means is that, deep inside, we don’t really believe that God has the power to do what He says He can do.

Trust. That’s what it comes down to, doesn’t it. Today’s Power Verses address that very thing. You will have peace, strength and receive help when you trust the Lord. You will be helped when you trust the Lord. Every. Single. Time.

So what extreme heat situations are you trying to weather today? A family crisis? An alcoholic loved one? A career loss? Trust our Father to be 100% accurate as He leads you through the storms in your life with His Godly radar.  

Father, so many times I have tried to determine what is going to happen in my life and to fix it on my own. I trust you now to take care of me and to direct my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• When tough situations in life occur, what is the first thing that you do?

• Do you trust the Lord to handle it for you or do you try to fix it on your own?

Apply

• Look up verses in Scripture that talk about the results of trusting in the Lord.

• Memorize one verse each week and journal how that verse encouraged you.

Power

• Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV) “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”

• Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

• Psalm 28:7 (NIV) “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.”

Don’t Wave Off the Warning

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as

warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”

I Corinthians 10:11 (NIV)

 “What in the world is going on?” I thought to myself the other day as I watched arms waving from car after car as drivers tried frantically to flag down a woman in a little red van getting ready to pull onto the interstate.

 A few seconds later I spotted the reason: a big coffee mug and an even bigger camera were hitching a ride on the roof of the van. The woman behind the wheel kept driving, completely oblivious to the people trying to help the “hitchhikers” on her roof avoid a messy and disastrous end to their ride.

She finally glanced at the drivers but, ignoring their frantic waving and gesturing, she simply smiled, waved back . . . and drove on. Somewhere down the highway as she picked up speed, the coffee mug and camera would fly off the van roof and smash into the highway.

Had she simply stopped long enough to see why the drivers were gesturing toward the top of her van, she would have immediately realized that they were trying to warn her of a sure catastrophe.

God’s Word is full of warnings and caution signs designed to “flag us down” before we, like the van driver, are faced with certain disaster. He knows that decisions and choices that we make as Christians will not be welcomed by those in the world and He continually warns us to hold on to His Word when we feel overwhelmed, vulnerable and weak.

He also knows that our enemy will always be on the attack and we cannot let up for a single minute as we guard against him. We are told in I Peter 5:8 to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Now that is a warning we all need to heed!

Just as an earthly father warns his children about dangers around them, how much more our Heavenly Father continually cautions us to keep our focus on Him as He points us in the right direction for our lives.

And if we don’t heed His warnings? If we ignore all His attempts to get our attention? Then we will face the consequences of deciding to smile, wave and continue down the path we have chosen.

I urge you today not to ignore the “waving arms” in your path. They may be counsel from a Godly Christian friend or a devotional you read one morning or a verse in the Bible that speaks to your heart. No matter the form they may take, please recognize them as our Father’s longing to “flag us down” and direct our paths away from flying mugs and cameras.

Father, how many times have I raced ahead and not heeded your warnings in my life. And how many times could a bad decision have been averted if only I had looked to you. Please help me to spend time in your Word and to seek your will in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you think of a time in which you felt the Lord placing warning signs in your path but you still went ahead with your plans?

• What were your reasons for ignoring those warning signs? What was the result?

Apply

• Ask a Godly prayer warrior who is continually in the Word to be an accountability partner with you and to pray with you as decisions require answers in your life.

• Keep a prayer journal of Scripture that encourages you to seek the Lord in all areas of your life before making important decisions.

Power

• I Corinthians 10:11 (NIV) “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”

• I Corinthians 4:14 (NIV) “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children.”

• Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

The Ultimate Do-Over

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come.”

II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

I love a “do over.” Just that phrase itself promises the opportunity of a fresh start. For example, if I hit a bad note while singing in a music contest, I would love a “do over” to try to sway the judges to give me a good score.

And, heaven forbid, if I accidentally ran over the neighbor’s cat, wouldn’t a “do over” be a wonderful thing, especially for the cat?

Consider if my hair dresser gave me a new haircut that I thought would look great but didn’t. A “do over” on my new “do” could restore everything as it was before my poor decision.

And, my goodness, what about my golf game? Through the years I have given myself countless near-hernias because I have swung (with proper form, I might add) and missed the ball at least a thousand times.

A “do over” would give me one more chance to hit the ball and avoid a hernia in the process. Who wouldn’t love the idea of a “do over”?

Astonishingly, our Father has given us a one-of-a-kind “do over” in the precious gift of Jesus. As Paul writes in today’s Scripture, when we accept Christ, we become a new creation.

Forget the old person that we were with all our mistakes and near hits and misses. Bury the old self that just could not quite hit the note or the ball or, Lord have mercy, miss the cat!

The difference between our “do over” and our Father’s is that even though we try and try to get it right, we are never going to do everything perfectly. All the “do overs” in the world will not make us without sin. Jesus, once and for all, became the “do over” in our place.

No matter what your heart looks like, we all have the opportunity to have a “do over” in Christ and to allow the forgiveness and mercy only He can give replace the old with the new . . . forever.

Do I wish that I could have one more try at hitting that note more clearly or knocking the golf ball yards away or turning left instead of right when I saw the cat? Sure I do. I would love one more “do over.”

But may I never forget that the Ultimate Do Over is Jesus.

Father, with all my heart I thank you for Jesus, for allowing Him to die for me, for allowing Him to take my place. How excited I am to be a new creation in you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Is there anything in your life that you want to “do over” and make more presentable before you turn it over to the Lord?

• Why are you hesitating to allow Him to replace all the old with His forgiveness and mercy?

Apply

• Memorize the power verses for today’s devotion.

• Any time that you feel the need to “do over” before coming before the Lord, speak each power verse to your heart.

Power

• II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

• Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

• I John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purity us from all unrighteousness.”

Word for Word

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day

of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

It’s amazing to me how changing just a letter or two in a word can give it a completely new meaning. For example, a student came to my school nurse office and wanted to go home. I saw her on a daily basis and questioned whether she was truly sick.

 “What exactly is wrong with you,” I asked her.   I could tell by her face that she was searching for a terrible ailment that would allow her to leave when she suddenly grabbed her tummy and said “I am having pains in my stomach and have to go to the bathroom a lot.  I have loose vowels.” Forgive me but there was a part of me that wanted to ask “A, E, I, O or U?”

I also remember a former student who was helping me load my car with some heavy purchases. “Did you know, Nurse Nancy, that I have secret powers?” he asked. I responded “Oh, really, David? I never knew that about you.” He slammed my car truck and gave me a knowing look. “I can predict the future. I . . . am . . . psychotic.” Lord have mercy.

Both of those comments were just an innocent mistake and no one was hurt. Both people simply used the wrong word. Today’s Scripture, however, talks about something totally different. Now, before you say “Well, yes, I know that I shouldn’t gossip or tell a lie,” let me share what I believe “careless word” also means.

We can hurt people by comments that we make when we are trying to pass judgment on them. I’m sure that we probably don’t see it that way. Maybe we just think that we are giving an opinion. But careless comments truly can damage a heart and chip away at God’s promise that we are priceless to Him. Here are just a few that come to mind:

“He will never be the athlete his brother was.”

“Everybody else seems to have learned the math concepts but you.”

“Dating only 2 months after his wife passed away. Isn’t that interesting.”

“Yes, I know she was baptized this week. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

“Are you really going to wear that dress?”

I have been guilty of making careless comments without thinking about the impact they could have on that person. And while I am so thankful for the forgiveness that Jesus offers each of us when we sin (Romans 4:7-8), I want more than anything to replace the careless with the caring . . . word for word.

Father, forgive me for those words that I have spoken that were hurtful and did not glorify you in any way. Help me to control my tongue. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Have you ever made a questionable comment and then realized that the person was within hearing distance.

• How did that make you feel? How do you think it made him/her feel?

Apply

• When you are in conversations with people and are about to comment, picture the person who is being talked about standing next to you.

• Now decide if what you are about to say would hurt or help them and respond accordingly.

Power

• Matthew 12:36 (NIV) “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.”

• Psalm 39:1 (NIV) “I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth, as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

• Proverbs 10:19 (NIV) “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”