EXPANDING YOUR TERRITORY

 

All Bible quotations are taken from the New King James Version

September. It is a month of change, a month full of new beginnings, new adventures and new opportunities. We can even think of new beginnings or adventures as expanding our territory. The Lord will build on the foundation He has already laid in our lives as He shows us new opportunities where we can reach out, using our particular gifts which the Lord has given each of us. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10).

As trees go through the changing of the season, so the change of one season gives way to another season or a further expansion in our lives. In order to expand our territory, the Lord often has to shake us out of our comfort zone, either in one, or many areas of our lives. If you look at a single aspect of yours or my life, that is changing, we may wonder how it blends into our lives as a whole. Yet, the Lord knows what He is doing and how all the different aspects will blend together. Sometimes we may know when the Lord is about to lead us into a new territory. Yet, sometimes we might be taken by surprize and suddenly be thrown into a whole new territory we never thought we would be in, even if others around us saw it coming.

 For some people, it may be a change they never anticipated. A change can come at any time, whether we are ready for a change in our lives or not.

I don’t think that I was ready for the change which faced me in February 2020. Before I tell you of the change, I must go back and tell you what precipitated this change in my life. In 2015, I moved to Barrie, into a building which had five accessible apartments for disabled adults. I was assured that there would be PSW staff on site 24/7. It was like this for the first two years I lived there. Then, very slowly, the Head person began to make changes to the “24/7 on site PSW staff Policy.” The staff were required to move about in the community instead of being stationary in one location. This meant that there were several hour gaps when there were no PSW staff on site. I no longer felt safe in that environment. My family and friends also did not feel that I was safe in that environment. I needed the staff more than ever, at a time when they were not always available.

After two years of constantly being in and out of the hospital, one day the Director of Care came to me and said, “The next time you are admitted, you are staying here until a Long-Term Care bed becomes available.”

The Director of Care called for a Family Meeting in which she strongly urged my family to start looking for Long-Term Care Facilities. We could choose five, in order of preference.   

In February 2020, I moved from living independently in a one-bedroom apartment (I remember my brother saying to me as we were leaving the building, “Say goodbye to your apartment.”), to a shared-room at MacKenzie Health Long-Term Care. I knew all the physical and health reasons as to why I had to be here.

What I did not know was why the Lord had me here. For months, I felt like Abram. “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house. To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make you a blessing…So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” (Genesis 12:1-2, 4).

  Just as Abram had to leave his country and his father’s house before the Lord made any promise to him, so the Lord moved me away from family members when I moved to MacKenzie Health LTC in Richmond Hill. My brother and sister-in-law, who had been living in Richmond Hill for ten years moved to Oshawa in February 2022, exactly two years after I moved here. I believe that was the Lord moving my family members away from me. Now, I do not have any family members in close proximity to me. I feel a lot more freedom because of it.

In Genesis 13:14-15, it says, “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him; Lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”  The Lord is saying to Abram, and I believe, to us as well, “Look from where you are—which of course means yours and mine, location. Yet, I see it meaning far more than our location. The Lord also says to us, “Look at, and for all the possibilities which are ours, which I will give you if you are willing to step out of your comfort zone.”    

It has been, since I’ve been living here in LTC, that the Lord has expanded my territory in writing. Since I have been here, I finished writing my book, “Sufficient Grace—Living Victoriously with Cerebral Palsy.” I have also written over forty devotionals here, whereas in Barrie, I only wrote twenty-five devotionals.  One year after moving in, I heard a still, small voice, one night in bed, say, “Create a Newsletter to circulate your devotionals.” I thought I had heard the Lord. To be sure, the next morning, I called Irene, my life-long friend, and told her what I believed I heard the Lord say to me. Irene not only confirmed it was the Lord, she started helping me with it. I have been sending my “Sufficient Grace Newsletters” out for 17 months now.

I believe the Lord wants to expand my territory even further by sending my devotionals and short stories out to various Christian Publications.

What possibilities do you see before you that can expand? Perhaps you cannot see any possibilities in front of you. Maybe you once had a vision of what the Lord wanted you to do, but now all you see in front of you is a vision that has died, and you are in the midst of a valley of dry bones. “The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to passed by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.” (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Is that what you see around you in your valley of depression. Take courage. The Lord may take His time, but He will not leave you there. It is you that needs to take action and speak to the dry bones that they (your vision) may live again.

“Thus says the Lord God to these bones ‘Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.” (Ezekiel 37:5). The vision you thought was dead, the Lord will breathe fresh life into it and cause it to live again. Are you willing to pick it up again and see the Lord’s potential in it?  How far are you willing to go out of your comfort zone to fulfill the Lord’s plan for your life? Like Abram, the Lord will show you all the land He has for your vision to grow and bare fruit in.

 

Would you like to know Jesus as your Saviour and Lord? If you do, pray this prayer: “Jesus, I want to invite You into my life to be my Saviour and Lord. Please cleanse me by Your precious blood. I surrender my life to You now. I also want You to fulfill Your purpose in my life and expand my territory.”

If you have a Bible, start reading in the Gospel of John, the fourth book of the New Testament which explains who Jesus is (the Word), how much He loves you, and what He has done for you in His life and death and resurrection.

SUFFICIENT GRACE NEWS BULLETIN

 

If you would like to read more of my devotionals, please go to my Blog at: http://sufficientgracedevotionals.blogspot.com/ 

 

If you would like to receive my “Sufficient Grace Newsletter” on a regular basis, please provide me with your name and e-mail address and send it to me at: sufficientgrace59@yahoo.com  

 

Sufficient Grace Newsletters are provided entirely free of charge.

 

 If you are a financial supporter, I would like to sincerely thank you for your gift. Your contribution makes it possible for me to produce and distribute this publication.

 

If you would like to become a financial supporter of my writings with your monthly gifts or a one-time gift in any amount, you may send it by e-transfer to: sufficientgrace59@yahoo.com.  (I cannot give tax receipts at this time).  Thank you for your gift and your faithful support.

          I was notified that effective October 1 my room payment will increase by 2.5% or $67.50/month. If you are able to assist me with this additional expense, I will be very appreciative.

 

In March, I entered my book manuscript, "Sufficient Grace: Living Victoriously with Cerebral Palsy" into The Word Guild's Writers' Contest. In July, it was announced I had made the Short List. In November, I was notified that the Judges gave me a score of 93.7%. I give the Lord all the glory!

FOCUSED ABOVE

 

All Bible quotations are taken from the New King James Version

          As human beings, we are very fixated on the things of this world, the things that can be touched, seen, heard, smelt and tasted. The world is very real to us. I would even say the world is too real to us, even as Christians. We can see the things in nature and yes, God created everything for His pleasure and to enrich our lives, yet sometimes we are too attached to the world. We do not even entertain God in our thoughts. We often put our possessions first so that we do not have room for Jesus, just as the rich young ruler did. The ruler’s possessions caused him to turn and walk away from Jesus. (See Matthew 19:16-23). Would you do the same?

          We are told many times in Scripture to keep our focus on the Lord Jesus and the eternal things which will never fade away. There will be a day when this world and all that is in it, will pass away. Paul, the apostle said, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2). As a Christian, we should put our focus on things above. The Lord’s words should be occupying our minds more than worries, problems and pressures that this life brings:

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34).

          If we know that the Lord is taking care of us, and every detail of our lives, why should we be concerned about these things? Scripture says, “The Lord will perfect (complete) that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” (Psalm 138:8).

          We can get overly caught up in our occupations, service or ministry for the Lord that diverts our attention from the Lord Himself. The disciples of Jesus experienced this. On one occasion, Jesus sent seventy disciples out to preach that the kingdom of God had come and to heal the sick. “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven…Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather, rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-18, 20). Here, Jesus’ disciples had returned from a mission Jesus had sent them on. However, the disciples lost their focus. They were focusing on and rejoicing in the results of their efforts, instead of rejoicing that their names were written in heaven.

          As well as having focus on possessions and occupations instead of the Lord, there is another factor that can divert our attention in a huge way. That is the area of suffering. Suffering is very real and very painful and all of us have suffered in one way or another. When we are deep in suffering – physical, emotional, or any kind – we become focused on our pain and that takes our communication and attention from the Lord. I remember the extreme pain I went through when my right hip had deteriorated. It was extremely hard to focus on anything but the pain. I will admit that my eyes were not on the Lord as much as they should have been. The pain was all consuming. The apostle Paul went through many trials and sufferings, including having a physical infirmity. Yet through it all, Paul was able to stay focused on Jesus (that is discipline) and in the midst of his sufferings, he was able to make the most incredible statements. Here is a partial list of the sufferings of Paul:

“Are they ministers of Christ? – I speak as a fool – I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;…” (2 Corinthians 11:23-24).

         

Paul also had a thorn in the flesh which he asked the Lord to remove three times. The Lord had an answer for him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a). What the Lord is doing is to re-focus Paul’s attention from his physical limitation and pain, and to put Paul’s gaze back onto Him. I can’t help being amazed at Paul’s response. “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b). I want to have the same response to the Lord as Paul did. Paul also made this incredible statement: “For our light afflictions, which is but for a moment, is working a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:17).  

          There are many times when we need our focus re-directed to the Lord, when He has to become more real to us than the things of this world. Paul encourages us not to look at the temporary things of this world, but to gaze on that which is eternal and said, “We do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  (2 Corinthians 4:18).

          I want my gaze to be fixed on the Lord to the point that the things of this world will grow strangely dim, and the things of eternity will become more real to me. I pray that if you believe in Jesus, this would be your heart’s desire as well.

 

          Would you like to know Jesus as your Saviour and Lord? If you do, pray this prayer: “Jesus, I want to invite You into my life to be my Saviour and Lord. Please cleanse me by Your precious blood. I surrender my life to You now. I also want my gaze to be more on You than on the things of this world.”

If you have a Bible, start reading in the Gospel of John, the fourth book of the New Testament which explains who Jesus is (the Word), how much He loves you, and what He has done for you in His life and death and resurrection.

 

                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

LOVE AND FEAR GOD

                     

                                     

 All Bible quotations are taken from the New King James Version

          How do you view God? Do you see Him as a God of love – a Father who is a loving Father towards His children? The Bible tells us that God is a God of love. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8). Or do you view God as One to be feared? The Bible tells us God is a holy God and He is to be feared and worshipped. “And one (a seraphim – angelic being) cried to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3).

We, like the children of Israel, need to learn how to balance the love of God with the fear of God. There is a very fine line between the two. Yet, the Bible not only tells us to do both, but commands us to do both. We either go too far one way or the other.

God is a God of love as well as a holy God who is to be feared and worshipped by His people. We can see these two characteristics of God merged together in the first line of the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray. “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.” (Mathew 6:9). Here we see God as “Our Father in heaven.” Jesus is instructing His disciples here to call God “Father” which was unheard of in the Jewish culture. When we think of a father, we have a picture of someone who loves and cares for every need his children have. Yet, the Father in heaven loves His children with a deep, everlasting love which is unfathomable. “The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3).   His loving arms are always outstretched to us to draw us to Himself.

In the very next phrase Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, “Hallowed be Your name.” The definition of, “hallowed” is, “made holy, consecrated.” It also means, “greatly revered or honored.” Here Jesus is teaching that, even as God is our Father, His name is holy and is to be “greatly revered and honored.” To a great extent, the church has lost the reverence of God today. Very often, we do not worship the Lord as He deserves to be worshipped.

God is a holy God, and for that reason, He taught His people, Israel that they should not have any other gods before Him, or make any craved image, or bow down to them. We get a picture of God’s holiness by the way God instructed Moses to construct the Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Tabernacle was constructed very carefully according to the detailed design God showed Moses on the mountain. The Tabernacle had three main sections: the Outer Court, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. All of the children of Israel could go into the Outer Court, but only the High Priests who were appointed by the Lord (Aaron and his three sons) could go into the Holy of Holies once a year under very strict restrictions. Every Priest who entered the Holy of Holies had to wear special garments which had bells in the hem. These bells were to tell the children of Israel if the Priest was still alive in the Holy of Holies. If the bells stopped ringing, that meant the Priest was dead, as he did not meet the requirements of entry into the Holy of Holies of a holy God. The High Priest’s annual entry in to the Holy of Holies was a serious and exacting requirement to fear the Lord as they were instructed to do. 

           As Christians we can learn something from this. First of all, Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price, it was His blameless sacrifice that paid the price for all of our sins, making the annual blood sacrifices obsolete / or no longer necessary.  Only God was able to provide such a covering for us through the Blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ blood not only covers our sin but blots it out forever. “But Christ came as a High Priest of good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:11-12). It was when Jesus yielded up His spirit on the cross that the veil of the temple was torn in two (the veil which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies). (See Matthew 27:50-51). This means that we can now have full access into the very presence of a holy God. Once we have applied the precious Blood of Jesus to our lives, we can come boldly, but reverently into God’s presence. “Therefore, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscious and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19, 22). 

Sometimes we are so casual as we enter the church. It's alright for us to socialize while drinking our tea or coffee in the church lobby, the outer court. Yet, we think we can continue to socialize and bring our drink into the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. Let us have a fresh vision of God’s holiness and show Him the respect He alone deserves. Remember that if the Priest in the Tabernacle made even one mistake, he was instantly dead. I know that is not our vision of God today, but He has never changed. “For I am the Lord; I have not changed. Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” (Malachi 3:6).

          I like the way Jesus merges the two greatest characteristics of God together in the first two statements of (what we call) the Lord’s Prayer. What I also find interesting is Jesus mentions God as, “Our Father” first before He mentions that God’s name is, “hallow” or “holy.” One would naturally think that when we come to God in prayer, which is what’s happening here, we should reverently worship Him before we call Him, “Our Father.” For a long time, when I prayed, I started with, “Abba Father” but then I changed my praying to put worshipping God first. I had it right when I was putting, “Abba Father” first. I am just seeing this as I am writing it. Now, when I pray, I’m going to put it back in the correct order and fellowship with my “Abba Father.” Once I come to God as my “Abba Father,” then my heart breaks out into worship to Him for being a “holy” God who deserves even more honor and reverence than I could ever give Him.

          God wants us to see Him as “Our Father” and the One who loves us with a deep, everlasting love. God showed us how much He loves us when He sent Jesus, His Son to die on the cross for our sin. God had to satisfy His holy demands so we could come boldly, yet reverently into His presence as He is a holy God. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).  As our holy God, He is to be revered, honored and worshipped from the depths of our being.

 

          At the beginning of this devotional, I asked, “How do you see God?” Do you view Him as a loving Father who takes care of His children? Or do you perceive Him as a Judge ready to make you pay for every mistake you have ever made? Then, I have good news. God sent His Son, Jesus to take yours and my punishment and blot out our sin forever by dying on the cross and shedding His blood. If you are serious about receiving Jesus and following Him, you must first repent of all your sin, turn from it, and live fully for the Lord. By accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord, He will cleanse you from your sin so you can come into a right relationship with God the Father. If you would like to accept Jesus, pray this prayer or one similar. “Jesus, I ask You to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin by Your precious blood. I surrender my life to You and ask that You will bring me into a relationship with my Heavenly Father.” If you have a Bible, start reading in the Gospel of John, which is the fourth Book of the New Testament. In the Gospel of John, it will explain how much God loved you and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you from your sin so you could have a relationship with both Jesus and your Heavenly Father.