Making Ourselves Available to God – Purity 1552
Purity 1552 01/10/2025 Purity 1552 Audio Podcast
Purity 1552 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a wintry Waite Rd as the Lord set the horizon on fire with a spectacular sunset comes to us from yours truly as I captured this season while out walking on December 17, 2022.
Well, It’s Friday, Thank God, and I am rejoicing as I will be reunited with my wife, TammyLyn, tonight and am just thankful for all that the Lord has done in my life since I made Jesus the Lord and Savior of my life.
When I first got saved, I was a disciple of a false religion and enslaved to my flesh, addictions, and the wanderings of my wicked thoughts. I was only concerned with pleasing myself and I didn’t make good choice and consequently was in a vicious cycle that always led to pain.
But God changed all that back on March 19th of 2020, when he broke down the door to invade my life through a simple gospel radio message by David Jeremiah. Since then, I have been trying to be a “real Christian” and the Lord has truly blessed me since surrendering my life to Him and trusting Him to guide me through the rest of my life on into eternity. Even Dr Suess’ book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” couldn’t have prepared me for the adventure I have been on since I told the Lord that I was available to do His will.
Speaking of making ourselves available to the Lord, Dr. Charles Stanley’s In Touch devotion for today addresses this topic and I am sharing it on the blog today to share the good doctor’s sage advice. Charles Stanley writes:
“Wholly Available
God is ready to move in the lives of those who trust Him—even when they don’t understand His plan.
Ask yourself, what kind of light am I? Is your glow a little dull—a flicker others can see only if they’re really looking? Or do you brighten everything up when you walk into a room? As Christians, we should shine brilliantly, no matter where we are.
One thing that may dim our radiance is shortsightedness. Before agreeing to obey the Lord, we may think we have to see exactly what He plans to do. But we’re called to be faithful ambassadors who trust His Spirit to work as He wants. It’s as if God were saying, Don’t give Me a schedule—trust Me. Watch Me do things My way in My time, and see what happens.
You’re deeply loved by the Lord. And as a member of God’s family, you are indwelt by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). His light is the radiance within you. You have no idea what amazing things He can do—in the workplace, at school, or with family, neighbors, or friends—through your willingness to shine the light of His powerful love.
If you’ll get on your knees and pray, “Lord, I’m available. Do whatever You want with my life, and show me what You desire,” He’ll reveal the next step. God is willing and ready to move in the life of anyone who chooses to be available for Him.” – Charles Stanley
Amen. I have to admit it. It can be confusing when you decide to “follow the Lord”. While praying, reading the Bible, and going to church are spiritual practices that are obviously things we should do as Christians, what about the rest of our lives? Do I just coast through life like I always did before I came to Christ, or do I try to be a light for the gospel and attempt to represent God’s kingdom everywhere I go? And if I do actually choose the latter, how do I do that?
Well, Stanley gives us great advice here – we are to go to God in prayer (I would suggest continually) to tell the Lord that you are available to do His will on earth and to ask Him what you should do.
This is the foundation to a life lived in the Spirit – we ask God for guidance, “listen” and then act on what we receive or think we receive from the Lord.
We can’t always be certain if we are on the right track until we step out in faith and obey what we are feeling is our call from the Lord.
Also, we have to be actively seeking what the Lord may want us to do. He guides our steps and so if we encounter opportunities to serve His kingdom or to do good works, we need to consider that these things we run into may be where God is guiding us. When you run into opportunities that may be sent from God, ask Him and listen.
The Holy Spirit in you will confirm it – it’s like intuition- in your spirit if it’s a yes or no. If it’s a “yes” say yes. If not, keep looking.
Also, although the Lord may call us to think outside of the box and could challenge our limits, the work He sends you to will be in accordance with His will revealed in scripture.
The Lord never calls us to sin for the greater good, so beware of false guidance from the enemy.
Test the spirits – by asking “Is the thing I’m thinking in accordance with God’s word?”- and you can have some idea whether you are on the right track or not.
And don’t worry if you make a mistake or get it wrong, God will be there for you to help you to recalculate and get pointed in the right direction.
So, tell God you are available and be ready to go and represent His kingdom wherever you go.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Humility (Pride).
John 10:27–30 (NASB) My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.
Today’s verses fall under the seventh point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Humility (Pride).
7. If you have remained faithful to the Lord, it’s by God’s grace and power.
Today’s Bible verse tells us that it was the Father who has given us to Jesus and so we should be humbled and remind ourselves that it is only because of God that we can hear our Good Shepherd’s voice and come into the kingdom.
And we should know that once we hear God’s voice to come into His kingdom, we should keep listening for it to guide us to do the good works that God has prepared for us.
God didn’t save us just so we could go to heaven. He saved us to be in His family and to represent the family business and to do so in humility because we were adopted. We have been given an amazing gift in Jesus and in our faith and we should express our appreciation for it by joyfully serving God’s kingdom purposes and by sharing this good news with others.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 51
He who guards himself takes heed to his way. – Proverbs 16:17b
People guard themselves against physical dangers. They make a point to drive carefully, eat the right foods, see the doctor regularly, stay out of danger zones, and so on. Yet the persons who are most careful are sometimes the ones who are the most careless—about spiritual harm! How much care do you take to be sure that your soul stays healthy? Healthy souls are fostered by what Paul calls “healthy words” (2 Timothy 1:13). Such words are God’s words and those of His children as they speak to one another about them. You must consume all such words. Are you careful about your spiritual diet? Well, if you aren’t, it’s time to consider it. Much of what you unguardedly consume from TV, movies, and the internet, consists of unhealthy soul food. Are you feasting on poison? Or is your soul growing stronger daily as you feed on the healthy words of God? It may be time for you to evaluate your daily diet. And, perhaps, make significant changes. In doing so, you may want to take an inventory of what you listen to in a week and then make some decisions in the light of what you discover.[1]
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 59.
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