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| LENT: Preparing the Way - The Spirit of the LORD |
February 25, 2009 |
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" 'Not by might nor by power,
but by My Spirit,'
says the LORD Almighty."
(Zechariah 4:6)
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"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him -
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and He will delight in the fear of the LORD."
(Isaiah 11:1-3a)
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Dear Friend,
Welcome to the beginning of an exciting new journey! Today, marks the beginning of the season of Lent. While it is not the custom of every church to take part in these 40 days of fasting leading up to the joyful celebration of our Lord's resurrection - Easter Sunday - these next few weeks will offer us a wondrous opportunity to prepare our hearts for an extraordinary season in front of us. For the believer, Easter is not where the story ends - it's where our journey of faith begins...and what an amazing journey it is!
Last year when we began the Year of the Lord's Favor, with the 40 day Lenten fast, the Lord provided us a divine opportunity to experience His grace in a profound and unique (and humbling...and sometimes painful!) way. Many of us learned, for the first time, what it meant to truly trust the Lord as provider and sustainer, not out of necessity or force, but out of willful obedience and trust. For many of us, we found more than we could ever hope or imagine as the Lord took us to new, and deeper, levels of intimacy with Him.
That first journey was meant to do more than refresh our perspective and increase our passion for God, it was also meant to lead us to a greater understanding of the level of dependence we need upon the Lord as we walk each and every day down this path of faith. The Lord has been calling His children to wake up and to watch out! He knows what the future holds and we only need to turn on the television, radio, or computer to see that the days of "increasing wickedness" and "the love of most growing cold" is our unfortunate reality today (reference Matthew 24:12-14).
It's only one year later and already the times in which we live have become more difficult and uncertain. As His children, we must not allow ourselves to become fearful and lose sight of the fact that the Lord is still on His throne. He is in complete control and exhorting us to not grow weary or discouraged in these increasingly difficult days (reference Joshua 1:9; Psalm 42:5; Hebrews 12:3). The challenges before us are out of our hands - but His plans and purposes are still in His hands and they will prevail (reference Proverbs 19:21). Two thousand years ago He stretched out those hands on the cross, fulfilling His promised plan, and the time is coming soon when all will be brought to a glorious and grand conclusion.
This year our Lenten fast will be a one-day-a-week fast, leading up to Easter. Your spiritual meals will arrive by email each Wednesday, however, you can choose any day during the week to do your fast. You are encouraged to do a 24 hour fast giving up whatever physical food the Lord leads you to sacrifice, but do not miss any of your "spiritual" meals, remembering to not eat all your meals in one sitting. These next 6 weeks are meant to help us build upon a disciplined lifestyle of being dependent upon the Lord throughout the day, and to prepare us for the 40 day "HARVEST" fast (beginning sundown on Easter) as we journey the 40 days between the Lord's glorious resurrection and His ascension!
If you have any questions regarding the type of fast you should do or how to begin your fast please visit www.trumpetandtorch.org and view our FAQ and Family Time pages for helpful resources and information on the discipline of fasting.
May you be filled as you feast on the portion He places on your plate and may you be refreshed as you drink from His "river of delights" (Psalm 36:8-9)!
Be blessed!
Traci Alexander
Trumpet and Torch Ministries
Psalm 27:4, 13-14; 73:23-26
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 Begin your mealtime by reading and meditating on Isaiah 11:1-16.
"The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him -
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the LORD -"
We live in a world that places utmost priority on the accumulation, and achievement, of power, prestige, and wealth, yet ignores (and defames) the One Who holds the key to the storehouses of heaven. The Scriptures are clear that it is the pursuit of God that will yield the greatest treasure. Even with that knowledge, many believers find themselves caught up in the pull of this temporal world, striving for a position of notoriety in a world that is not their home.
Isaiah prophesied the coming Messiah who would rule with righteousness and justice. When we look at the life of Jesus we find that His relationship with the Father was His utmost priority, and finding quiet time to be alone with Him was more important than establishing a position of power and influence among the populace. His daily dependence upon this vital connection with the Father, in prayer, helped Jesus to remain focused on the reason why He had been sent, but it was the power of the Holy Spirit Who enabled Him to be able to accomplish the will of the Father.
Jesus did not come wielding a mighty sword, nor did He come riding in with a calvary to deliver His people from an unrighteous ruler. Instead, He faced the sword and laid down His life at calvary to deliver all people from the power of sin and death. His reliance on the Father and the enablement of the Holy Spirit illustrates well that "it is not by strength that one prevails" (1 Samuel 2:9).
As we look at the world around us today, we may find ourselves shrinking back in fear or throwing our hands up in defeat, let us instead turn off our t.v.'s and turn our attention to the Scriptures to find hope in the Lord's past victories and His present promises. "I will save them - not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses or horsemen, but by the LORD their God" (Hosea 1:7). He has saved us and we have nothing to fear. Praise God! Let us daily seek the Lord in His Word and remain faithful in prayer so that we, like Jesus, will remember why we are here and continue the work we have been called to do! "...in all things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
During our breakfast meditations we will focus on the "seven-fold" Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). There is only one Holy Spirit, but His ministry is complex as He enables and empowers the servants of God to accomplish the will of God (reference John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15).
We have been given an amazing gift in the person of the Holy Spirit - He lives inside every believer to be our Helper as we walk this journey of faith. This morning let us take time to meditate on this wonderful gift and treasure we have been given and give thanks to the Lord for His extraordinary gift made available to us through the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross (reference John 7:39; 16:7). "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7)
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LUNCH BOX
Begin your mealtime by reading and meditating on 1 Samuel 16:11-13.
"So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him
in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on
the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power."
During our lunchtime meditation we will focus on the lives of seven men whom God chose to be deliverers for His people Israel. The Lord prepared each of His servants for their task by empowering them with His Spirit. Today we will look at a man who had been chosen by God for a high and noble purpose: David, who was a man after God's own heart (reference 1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), did not hide the fact that it was the Lord who enabled him to defeat a giant, win numerous battles, and rule over a nation. He wrote many psalms extoling the praises of his magnificent Lord (reference Psalm 19; 21; 23; 24; 27; 29...)!
When the Lord is looking for a servant to accomplish His purposes He does not look at the things the world esteems (reference 1 Samuel 16:7). It is vital that God's servants be dependent upon His strength alone. He does not want us falling back on our own strength or ability - and why would we even consider it, with the power that is available to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit?! "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). The Lord is looking for servants who are completely dependent upon Him and totally available to Him!
Before the Lord anointed David as His servant, His Spirit came upon Saul and changed him into a different person. The Lord had changed the heart of Saul (reference 1 Samuel 10:6,9) in preparation for him to become king. Later, when the Spirit of the Lord came upon David, the Spirit departed from Saul (reference 1 Samuel 16:14). Saul had experienced the power of the Spirit in his life and when he saw that the Lord was now with David he was fearful (reference 1 Samuel 18:12,15). Years later, David would recall that the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul and would plead with the Lord to not allow him to suffer such a tragic fate.
When the Lord calls His servants to a task He equips us with all that we need to fulfill His purposes: the power of His Presence! He is truly all we need, no other pursuit or treasure can compare! Jesus was given the name "Immanuel" - which means, "God with us" and He has promised to "never leave your nor forsake you" (reference Joshua 1:5). As you face the challenges and difficulties and decisions of your day remember that you are not alone and you are not powerless - the same Spirit that changed Saul's heart, and equipped David to win battles, is living inside each of us, as believers, today.
Take time to write your own prayer of praise for His wonderful presence in your life, or maybe a prayer of confession for not allowing Him to express His power fully in your life.
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DINNER TABLE
Begin your mealtime by reading and meditating on 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived what God has prepared
for those who love Him" -
but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit."
As believers, we have been given access to the secret things of God. Through the indwelling power of the Spirit of the Lord, we have been given clarity to see things from God's perspective, and the ablity to hear the still small voice of God whispering to our innermost being (reference 1 Kings 19:11-13). Accessing this knowledge and acquiring this skill requires a daily pursuit of the Lord in His Word and spending intimate time with Him in prayer.
The Spirit of the Lord is at work in every believer to help, guide, teach, and comfort us. We have the unlimited power of God at our disposal, yet too many of us walk around defeated and discouraged, not realizing the potential that is right inside! We are surrounded by a world that cannot discern spiritual matters, yet we find ourselves powerless to face the opposition because we have limited our own access to spiritual truth by neglecting spending time in the Word of God and with the God of the Word. We cannot afford to waste any more time on pursuits that have not eternal value!
Isaiah was God's chosen prophet to warn His people Israel of their need to repent and return to the Lord. Israel's ears were closed, their eyes were shut and Isaiah was sent with a warning: "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed" (Isaiah 6:9-10). God's chosen instrument for discipline and instruction has always been His Word, but when we don't heed His Word, when we ignore the importance of spending time meditating on His Word, and when we neglect studying His Word, we risk His chastisement. For His beloved nation Israel the resulting discipline was devastating destruction and exile. May we not suffer the same fate!
May we be given ears to hear and eyes to see so that we might respond and return to the Lord with whole-hearted devotion and experience the fullness of the gift we have been given through the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit! Write your prayer of commitment today!
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Heavenly Father, we praise you for the gift of your Spirit.
Thank you that your Spirit lives inside each of us and is always with us
to guide and direct our path. We ask that He will lead us into all Truth.
May we rise up each day to seek you in your Word and learn to abide in you fully.
Help us to meet with you throughout the day as Jesus, Himself, patterned for us.
Let your Word take root in our lives and give us confidence
to boldly proclaim your gospel message to this lost and fallen world.
Lord, give us courage, to stand against the evil forces of the day
and enable us to wield the Sword of your Spirit with
precision and power to cut through the deception of this world and
bring your glorious light to this world lost in darkness.
We offer our lives for your use.
May everything we do and say bring glory to your holy name.
In the wondrous name of Jesus. Amen.
(Isaiah 50:4; Luke 6:12; John 14:17; 15:4-8; 16:13; Ephesians 6:10-20) | |
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