Category Archives: Surrender

When God is Silent

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Surely there have been times in your life that you have asked the question of the ages:

Why is God silent?

Does He not hear me? My prayers are not being answered, maybe He doesn’t love me. Have I done something wrong?

  • I don’t feel Him.
  • I don’t hear Him.
  • I definitely don’t see Him.

I am surely all alone in this world!

when God is silent

Haven’t we all been there? Maybe we have even lived there for a time? It isn’t easy.

Can we say it can be just plain difficult?

I am not one of those that is fortunate enough to hear the Lord speak in an audible voice to me every morning and say, “Good morning Nannette, time to get up, Sweet Daughter of Mine! Here is what I have planned for you today…”

But He does speak to us, in a variety of ways, mostly through His Word and prayer. And the two of them together? Even better chance you will hear that still, small voice of the Lord.

But sometimes, there is silence; and He is teaching us to trust Him.

Do you remember Thomas? Poor Thomas is still getting picked on as The Doubter. He said he wouldn’t believe that Jesus was alive unless he could see the nail marks in his hands and put his hand in his side. But Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 NIV.

Compare it to a marriage relationship. If your spouse is away on a trip, are you panicked that they don’t love you anymore?

  • You can’t feel them next to you.
  • You can’t see them.
  • You can’t talk to them if they are busy or in meetings.
  • You can’t hear them.

Does that mean that just because there is silence that their love means nothing any longer? Of course not.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Would it not be wonderful to think that the Lord is preparing us in the silence, to teach us to long for Him?

Of course, we want to be sure that there is not something keeping us from hearing from the Lord.

  • If there is sin, repent.
  • If there is anger, get rid of it.
  • If there is someone you need to forgive, go do it.

Clean up the heart. Draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to you. His Word promises that.

Can we trust God even when we don’t hear from Him? When we don’t feel Him every day? He promised to never leave us or forsake us, when there is silence we lean on His promises!

Can we keep on loving Him, serving Him, telling others about Him, just because we love Him, and not because He owes us anything in return?

C.S. Lewis said, “Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”

He never changes, He is always the same. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8. And in an ever-changing world that is full to the brim of uncertainty, we can encourage one another by reminding ourselves of His faithfulness and remembering prayers that He has answered in the past.

You can trust Him, even in the silence.

Fighting Temptation while Fasting

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Have you just started your fast? You can catch up on our 31 Days of Fasting in January here!

I’m giving a little encouragement to those who are fasting today. Let’s get out our sword, the Bible, and fight some temptation!  Any time you decide to draw closer to Jesus, long to be more like Him or desire to hear His voice in your life, the enemy is going to be right there taunting and doing everything in his power to cause you to fail.

eeyoreEven Jesus was tempted! But He didn’t walk around like Eeyore with his head hanging to the ground and mumbling, “Woe is me…nobody likes me, everybody hates me…” You get the picture.

So, how did Jesus fight temptation when He was fasting?

With the Word of God! 

You have the best weapon in your arsenal to fight temptation and that is your SWORD, the Word of God. Let’s look at some powerful scriptures today that you can pray as your own.

“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 KJV.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIRV.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 NIV.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NIV.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 KJV.

“And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13.

It doesn’t matter what type of resistance you are up against, what kind of temptations are coming your way. Maybe it is your favorite food or your morning coffee, sure, it is difficult to drive past your most loved coffee shop on the way to work; but that is what makes it a sacrifice. When the temptations come, quote the Word out loud and the enemy has to go because the Bible declares it.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16.

There is so much power and authority in the Word of God; He has left it with us as a weapon against the enemy of our souls. Greater is HE that is in YOU than he that is in the world! So, whether your temptations are physical or spiritual, God is able to give you strength to overcome.

I’m sharing a recipe that is a win-win! Go to my post here on Overnight Oatmeal in a Jar! It is the best breakfast with so many variations and it is Daniel Fast friendly. Enjoy!

The Daniel Fast DevotionalIt’s never too late to purchase The Daniel Fast Devotional! It is such a help to you during ANY FAST. Twenty one devotions and three days of preparation devotions, you will be encouraged and learn about nearly every fast that took place in the Bible. The good and the bad! Yes, there were those whose fasting was NOT unto the Lord. You can click on any of these links and order from Amazon on the Kindle or paperback.

Zonk

When you can’t decide

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The last ten days have been a challenge for this little blog. We have been down for more than a week and the technicalities of getting back up and running were almost more than I wanted to tackle. I am thankful for my son, Korey, who spent countless hours on the technical side helping me fix everything and for The Sweetheart who finally made it go live again. I appreciate you both! Now on to #FiveMinuteFriday and DECIDE…

When I was little, I used to sing in the shower. Now, I make LIFE DECISIONS in there.

Door #1.

Door #2.

Door #3.

I can remember Monty Hall asking the contestant who had made it to the Big Deal of the Day, “Which door do you want?”

Monty Hall is long gone and replaced by Wayne Brady but the show lives on. Let’s Make a Deal is chock full of decision-making. Some of those decisions leave you with a super nice prize, maybe even a…wait for it…BRAND NEW CAR!

But sometimes, unfortunately, you could be left with what is infamously known as a ZONK. (For those that are not familiar with the game show, a ZONK is a not-so-nice prize and you never get to take it home.)

Zonk

Life is like Let’s Make a Deal in so many ways. We are bombarded with choices on a daily basis and some of them are just trivial things that we must do but others could be life-changing.

Joshua lays it out in the Old Testament, reminding the Israelites of where God had brought them from and then asks the important question, “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 NLT.

As for me and my house

It had come down to just that. The Israelites were always waffling and forever going back to their idols of worship. But that day they made the right decision and put away their worthless idols to serve the One True God.

It comes down to just that for us today too. We have so many things facing us and so many things clamoring for our attention that it is easy to put God on the back burner. He becomes a choice, but a lesser choice; when nothing else is available or whenever we can fit Him in.

But He must be first. He always has been first and He forever will be whether we choose Him or not. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:7-8.

Let’s put Him in His rightful place today and not make Jesus a choice. Let Him be Lord of all and everything else fall in behind Him. Then the rest of our decisions will be easy ones to make.