Crying Out to the Lord

Crying Out to the Lord

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman

"But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer. . ." (Judg 3:8-9).


I often receive requests to help someone whose life is in a difficult place. After a few questions I am able to discern if the Lord has called me to get involved. More often than not, I am not to be involved. Many times I find this person has not experienced enough pain to want to do anything about their situation. Until they are really ready to cry out to the Lord for a solution to their situation, they will simply talk about desiring change but never take the necessary steps needed for change."


If you invest time into someone who has not yet come to the place of wanting a spiritual solution to their problem, you will become emotionally exhausted. The apostle Paul understood this principle when he actually turned such people over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh (I Cor. 5:5).


The people of Israel were finally in enough pain to cry out to God for relief from their oppression. Like so many times throughout the scriptures, God answered by raising up a deliverer. "But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died (Judg 3:8-11)."


Are you in a difficult place in your life? Are you only talking about changing or are you really ready to cry out to the Lord for a solution? Start now the process of changing your situation for the better and asking for help if needed.


 Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders

Rest

Bayless Conley 

In the last several devotionals, we have looked at how we respond to the storms of life. Today and tomorrow we will look at two more principles for handling life when the storms hit.


Today, I want to go back to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. In verses 5-6 we read,


Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.


Notice that in the midst of his crisis, Elijah rested and ate. He took care of his body.


Some of the crises you experience come because you are sleep deprived and you don't eat right. And you know what? Your body, your soul, and your spirit are all tied together. What you do to one affects the other two. It affects the whole.


We are intricately woven together. And the wisest thing you can do when you get into a crisis is just give your body a rest, because it affects every other part of your life.


When you are exhausted and physically weak, it is easy for everything to be blown out of proportion. When you are tired, it can look like your whole world is falling apart when it really is not. It is like Mark Twain said, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened."


You and I do need to rest. If you are in the midst of a storm today, make sure not to neglect the rest you need.


Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to Connect with God

Firecharger, What's your 20?

In this video Firecharger asked about a good resource for listening and learning more

 about the bible while driving on the highway.  Here's my suggestion:

Chuck Missler's 66/40 Bible Study

Getting Serious about the Bible

The great discovery is that the Bible is a message system: it's not simply 66 books penned by 40 authors over thousands of years, the Bible is an integrated whole which bears evidence of supernatural engineering in every detail!