Time Out! Devotions

James 4:6-10 (NCV)

⁶ But God gives us even more grace, as the Scripture says, “God is against the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” (Proverbs 3:34)

⁷ So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you.⁸⁹ Be sad, cry, and weep! Change your laughter into crying and your joy into sadness. ¹⁰ Humble yourself in the Lord’s presence, and he will honor you. Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, make your thinking pure.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” That is an amazing promise! As we open ourselves up to the Lord, He opens up to us. If we come to Him in submission, repentance, and brokenness, He rushes in with forgiveness, love, and faithfulness. There is no room for self-sufficiency or self-protection in this interaction. Only in the humility of helplessness will we discover the sufficiency of His presence.

At first glance, we may seem to be the ones who begin this open relationship, but in reality, it is God who has taken the initiative; we are merely responding to His overture (John 6:44). Many times He uses situations and difficulties to get our attention and stimulate our thirst for Him. What appears to us to be a painful or desperate situation is His invitation to draw near.

Even our greatest failures and sins can lead us to Christ, as we seek forgiveness from the Father. With an attitude of humble repentance, we can enter into a more intimate relationship with God. However, if you and I continue living in rebellion and are unwilling to confess and repent, He will not open up and reveal more of Himself to us. Sin always blocks our ability to know the Lord.

Have you let adversity or failure pull you away from God instead of toward Him? To put distance between you and Jesus, Satan will misuse the very situations that the Lord can utilize to draw you to Himself. Don’t let the Enemy win the battle. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

(by Dr. Charles Stanley from the May 2010 issue of In Touch Magazine)

Psalm 25:17 (NIV)

The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.

Maggie was beside herself with anxiety. The last thing her boss had said to her was that she had to be in the office early the next morning. Her boss and the owner of the company wanted to “have a talk with her about her performance.” What did that mean? Was it good or bad? Surely they would have told her, if it was good. Maggie just knew she was going to be fired.

Isn’t it amazing what we can let our minds do to us? We blow things out of proportion, and it causes such great suffering and distress. When we thrust ourselves into panic and fear, it is good to know that we can turn to the Lord, and He will be faithful to comfort us. Open yourself to His peace, and you will find new serenity.

Prayer: “I let my mind get carried away sometimes, Lord. Please don’t let me get too carried away. I need Your wisdom as an anchor when I set myself adrift in worry and fear. Be my salvation, Father. Amen.”

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up.

(Psalm 30:1 – NKJV)

In God’s book man is heading somewhere. He has an amazing destiny. We are being prepared to walk down the church aisle and become the bride of Jesus. We are going to live with Him. Share the throne with Him. Reign with Him. We count. We are valuable. And what’s more, our worth is built in! Our value is inborn.

You see, if there was anything that Jesus wanted everyone to understand it was this: A person is worth something simply because he is a person.

That is why He treated people like He did. Think about it. The girl caught making undercover thunder with someone she shouldn’t — He forgave her. The untouchable leper who asked for cleansing — He touched him. And the blind welfare case that cluttered the roadside — He honored him. And the worn-out old windbag addicted to self-pity near the pool of Siloam — He healed him!

(from No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado)

“I lie awake at night thinking of You, of how much You have helped me, and how I rejoice through the night beneath the protecting shadow of your wings.”

(Psalm 63:6-7 – The Living Bible)

A cure for sleepless nights is to turn our thoughts to God. There are many reasons we can’t sleep – illness, stress, worry – but sleepless nights can be turned into quiet times of reflection and worship. Use them to review how God has guided and helped you.

“Lord, listen to my complaint. Then everyone shall stand in awe and confess the greatness of the miracles of God; at last they will realize what amazing things He does. And the godly shall rejoice in the Lord, and trust and praise Him.”

(Psalm 64:1, 9-10 - The Living Bible)

We may believe that God wants to hear only certain requests from us. While it is true that we should offer praise, confession, and respectful petitions, it is true also that God is willing to listen to anything we want to tell Him. David expressed himself honestly, asking God to listen to all his complaints. God will always listen attentively and will fully understand us.

Have a great day!