Daily Bible Study for Thursday
August 25, 2016
By: Hanny Lynn Stearns
Fish N
Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying
God’s Word Around The Globe”
Chapter Reading
for Today: Please read in
your Bible before proceeding. Note that most translations are considered
paraphrases. The Young’s Literal Translation provides a more accurate
translation since he is the one who authored a concordance. Others are helpful
for seeing a different perspective, but we cannot always depend on their
wording. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are studying in another version,
that is fine. I am studying from the KJV, but for the purpose of this study, I
will keep it with the New King James Version.
One final note: I will put the scripture in italics to differentiate from my
own writing. I am adding red to the letters when
it is Jesus talking – just like the Bible. Thank you.
Bible
Gateway Verse of the Day
Psalm 119:165
Great peace have those who love Your law, and
nothing causes them to stumble.
Psalm
100:4
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name.
Song: As The Deer Panteth For The Water
By: Donnie McClurkin
Psalm 42
Longing For God
Have you ever felt just
desperate for the Lord? Do you know what it is like to be completely drained of
your own energy and strength and wonder why you are downcast? Sometimes we can
be disturbed greatly without even understanding what’s bothering us. I had just
such an experience this week and the Lord, as always, came to my rescue!
Hallelujah! Come with me on this journey through Psalm 42 today and let’s
discover together what the Lord will speak to us all. I can personally relate
well to this Psalm this week, so as I share my testimony, perhaps the Lord will
show you something that can set you free too. Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father;
Thank You for being there when
we are at the end of our own ropes. Lord, when we come to the end of ourselves
and our own efforts, that is where Your glory, strength and power begin to be
revealed. The spirit in us calls out to Your Holy Spirit and we deeply desire
Your Living Water to flow through us. Father, I ask You to show all of us who
read this message exactly what we need to see. Use me as a witness and
testimony of Your goodness and lovingkindness to Your children. Open our eyes,
ears and hearts to receive a fresh infilling of Your Holy Spirit today. Father,
cause Your message to go out unhindered and unchecked by any outside force or
my flesh. Thank You for causing Your word to be performed exactly for the
purpose for which You sent it when we trust and obey You. Father, we will
purpose in our hearts to be doers of Your word and not forgetful hearers. Thank
You in advance for all You will provide for us today and in the days to come in
Jesus name. Amen.
In this chapter, we see the
deep cry of the Psalmist as he speaks to his own soul. Did you know we should
do that also – in faith? Isn’t that what the Psalmist did when he told his soul
to bless the Lord in Psalm 103? Sometimes we have to speak to ourselves. It should
be a positive self-talk. We need to tell ourselves (our souls) to hope and
trust in the Lord just like the Psalmist did in today’s chapter. If we are sitting
around letting our feelings do all the talking, or our emotions or
circumstances when they are less than cheery, then we are in trouble. Positive self-talk
is very important to the Christian. It does not mean we are insane. That “talking
to oneself” has gotten a bad rap from the enemy. Yes, there are times when
people are speaking out to themselves crazy things when they are overwhelmed by
the enemy within them. That’s a different matter altogether.
Speaking the word of God out
loud in faith over ourselves is what we can call “working the word” because we
are agreeing with the word of God for our lives. That is positive self-talk. When
we do that in faith and call those things that be not as though they are, then
we are on the path for victory and success. Today’s chapter shows a man who is
downcast in his soul. He is troubled. He is crying a lot. He remembers the “good
old days” he thinks, as he remembers the joyous times he was with the
congregation and they were joyfully praising God. He may have “eaten” his tears
more than his necessary food. Sounds like a bit of depression, doesn’t it?
To be downcast is to be sad.
That’s what depression can do to a person. Deep sadness is just another word
for being depressed. Sometimes we can be sad and crying and not even know why.
Maybe things are going pretty good in our lives and we have great hope and expectation
for the things the Lord is bringing to pass in our future, yet we suddenly find
ourselves battling with this onslaught of tears.
I had such an experience this
week. The point of me bringing this up is not to draw your attention to me, but
rather to show you a living example of how I could relate to this Psalm today
and how the Lord has helped me. Maybe it will help you. We see that the
Psalmist told his soul to hope in the Lord. He knew where his help would come
from. He deeply longed for God like our bodies would crave water to drink in
the middle of a hot, dry desert. That is a desperate and great longing for
something.
This particular week I had a
lot going on. I run our household and manage the finances. I do the shopping,
cooking, cleaning, and go to church twice a week. In addition to that, we are
setting up a new ministry – hallelujah! Part of this ministry is the Bible
Study that I send out every day, Monday through Friday. In addition to this
study I send out a devotion for people who have struggled with addiction. This
is a great blessing to my heart.
My husband and I are very
excited about what the Lord will do in and through us and the ministry He is
calling us to establish. I have to exercise most days of the week and eat a healthy,
well balanced diet. Another joy I have is to care for our sweet little puppy. He
requires a lot of love and attention, but he gives out far more than we invest
in him. As you can see, like most people, we are very busy. My husband works a
full time job in the marketplace and keeps long hours. We can both get pretty
tired at the end of the day.
Most of you know what it is
like to live a busy life while you are doing the Lord’s work. And you know that
it can be very demanding on your flesh. That’s OK. Jesus never let His flesh
tell Him what He was going to do, and Paul followed hard after Jesus’
footsteps, putting down the desires of his flesh so he could do what the Lord
was calling him to do, regardless of the cost. Well, this week, it was like I
just kind of “hit the wall” so to speak. I was on “overload.” That is never the
Lord’s doing. He is not a slave driver trying to see how hard He can push us.
In fact, He calls us to be like Mary in the following scenario...
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it happened
as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named
Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had
a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But
Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said,
“Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore
tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered
and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried
and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is
needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from
her.”
The Lord showed me this very
verse this morning. I ran around the house as usual trying to get a few things
started before coming to prayer. But He was calling me to just sit with Him and
be like Mary. She took the time to just be with the Master and adore Him. She
looked at Him and listened to Him, leaving all the cares and concerns of the
world behind. Martha, on the other hand, was like me – running around the house
trying to get things done. In reality she could have left the cooking and the
dishes and joined her sister at the Savior’s feet.
She would have been well fed in
His presence and given a drink that would have replenished her soul. That’s
what I have needed more of this week. I have to let the housework go and just
bask at the feet of Jesus. Two days ago I found myself crying before the Lord.
I did not have anything in particular that was concerning me per se. But I
cried and cried. That was a warning sign. It was time to HALT! If we are
hungry, angry, lonely or over tired, there is only one place to go. We need to
run, not walk to the loving arms of the Savior where we will find rest for our
souls …
Matthew 11:29
Take My yoke upon you and learn
from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will
find rest for
your souls.
This week, rather than running
at my own pace in the fast lane, I just needed to stop and learn from Jesus. I
needed to ask Him what to do and to help me better prioritize my day. When He
finally got my attention, He showed me that I have been trying to do all of
this in my own effort. He knows my husband and I need help to run a ministry
and a household, yet we had not properly asked for His help. Friends, the Lord
reminded me this week that when we need help, we must ask Him for it. We
mentioned it in yesterday’s study, however it bears repeating here…
John 16:24
Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who
asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Like the example I gave
yesterday, the Lord may know we need His help, but we have to ask and believe
we receive our petitions when we ask. He is eager to help us, but we need to
seek Him. Deep calls unto deep – the deep things of God are calling to the
deepest part of our spirit to connect with Him. Even if we are in the center of
His will - when we start running on empty, then we can quickly slip outside of
His will into the place of danger and become a target for the enemy. That is
not God’s will, but He will not force us to comply.
I have been struggling with
food issues, ministry requirements, and household demands all week and I knew
that I was at a place where I really needed help. Everything in our lives seem
to be changing (for the good of course) and because of that we need to draw
very close to the Lord to receive His comfort, His wisdom, correction and
directions to be able to move forward. Allowing ourselves to get too tired can
break down our resolve to do God’s will. Just last night when we went to the
beach for dinner with friends, I became resentful that I could not eat what
everyone was having. I do not normally feel that way, but now I see that
because I have been too tired and stretched, I have become resentful.
Today the Lord showed me this
and I had to repent. I am so grateful that I get to eat a healthy, well
balanced diet. I am grateful to be able to exercise my body and be strong and
healthy. I often say to the Lord I feel like a 60-year-old going on 20! It is
wonderful. But can you see how our thinking and overall mindset can change when
we allow ourselves to get into the danger zone of exhaustion with not enough
rest or time sitting with Jesus? That’s where I have been this week. My soul
was getting downcast. I did not realize what had been happening. My husband
could see it, but I couldn’t. So rather than approach me, he took it to the
Lord and the Lord came through, shining like the morning sun to bring light to my
situation. He opened my eyes to see what I was not seeing. Glory to His name
forever.
I have been like the Psalmist –
longing for God, much more of Him but not knowing how to fit it into my busy
schedule. Maybe you understand this struggle a bit yourself. Maybe you have
been running all your errands, taking care of a job, a family, a household and
other things that you are involved in and you just feel like there isn’t enough
time to really sit with Jesus. My friend, when we get to that point, something
in our schedule needs to change. We need to put Jesus first! If we have too
many things on our plates, then something needs to go. We have to seek first
the kingdom…
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added to you.
Just
last week our pastor was used of the Lord to remind us to put first things
first. And the first thing for the Christian should be the Lord! In our time,
our money, our work – everything about our lives and in our hearts should exalt
the Lord to first place. There is only one first place and the Lord alone is
the One who deserves and requires it. If He is not first place, how can we call
Him our Lord? He is not someone we just squeeze in when we have time. We need
to make the best time for Him and then whatever else He leads us to do – the things
that matter the most, down to the least, will be accomplished, with His help.
If I am to be in the ministry, I have to
have all the time that I need to be with the Savior. If I don’t have that,
nothing else matters. Does that describe the desire of your heart? Are you
longing for more of God? Are you putting your hope in Him and not in your own
busy efforts or other people to help you? We can all get trapped in these “spin
cycles” if we are not careful. And that is the place where the enemy dwells.
Like the Psalmist said in verse 10, the
enemy’s sword was piercing him and the same thing can happen to us if we open
the door with “busyness and exhaustion.” He can come against our minds and
taunt us if we allow him with accusing thoughts like, “So where is your God now
when you need Him the most?” He will throw every possible negative and accusing
thought at us that he can whip up – if we are open to them. That’s why we have
to find our rest, refreshment, peace and strength in God alone.
Sitting around thinking about the past as
if our best days are behind us is a dangerous place to go. We have to know and
believe that our best days are in front of us and know that if we walk in faith
in God, His word and His promises, then He will bring us into the best shape of
our lives. We have to stay in the faith realm. Exhaustion can cause us to
quickly slip over into the reasoning realm – that’s where the enemy’s domain
is. If he can get us to reason things out in our minds, then he has already
whipped us! But if we keep him in the faith realm, then we have the victory
already, before we ever see anything in our circumstances change – hallelujah!
Depression is a spirit. Yes,
there is a spirit of depression. If we sense that, we need to resist it. Here’s
what the Bible says about resisting the enemy…
James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
We hear many Christians saying
the second part of this verse without the first part. But we cannot do that and
succeed. The first part comes so the second can come. We must submit to God.
Submit to His will, His ways, and His leading. Then we resist the devil by
submitting to God, and the enemy will take off. Not that he won’t ever be back
to try to steal, kill and destroy again, but when he comes, we can just so the
same thing – submit to God and resist him. When that spirit of depression tries
to come on us, we can say to it, “I resist you in the name of Jesus!” and we
can quote what God’s word says about this, like the Psalmist today who said, “Hope
in God; for I shall yet praise Him.”
Here is one of the verses the
Lord showed me this week and it really encouraged me as I remembered that the
battle belongs to the Lord; when I give it to Him to fight that is…
Romans 16:20
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
My job is to keep running my race and trusting Him, moment by moment,
day by day. He will squash the enemy under me. If I do my part, He will always
do His. We need to seek the Lord in prayer and find out what He wants us to do –
and when and how. Unless we do that, we will miss the mark. We must also
maintain an attitude of praise. I didn’t realize last night how much I had
allowed my thinking to slip about my eating and I had to repent and reel it
back in today. I had to get back to thanking God that I get to eat really
healthy foods and I am not sick and broken down because of a poor diet. I have
health and energy. I can run with our puppy dog and keep up with kids. I like
that. Doing things God’s way always produces magnificent results.
I have to share a testimony about last night. Before I went to the beach
to dine with our friends and then walk the beach to enjoy the beautiful
southwest Florida sunset, I had prayed and asked the Lord (2 days prior) to
give us a wonderful sunset. They are from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I wanted them
to experience the best while they are here. I believed when I prayed I had
received my answer and looked forward to our evening.
Once we finished the dinner meal, they asked if we still wanted to go
out to the beach because it was completely overcast. I said, “Sure.” So we all
walked out and when we looked to the right, the sunset was a brilliant red. I
had not seen a sunset here in a long time. Even though we live in a beautiful
place where people from all over the world come to enjoy the splendor, we never
get out there because we work all the time. To our left it was cloudy and there
were flashes of lightning off in the distance.
Then I turned around and looked up as the Holy Spirit drew my attention
around to the beautiful rainbow that was painted in the sky just ahead of us.
It was so beautiful! I marveled at the Lord and smiled and then I gave Him
thanks for answering my prayer and for the beautiful sunset and topping it off
with a rainbow. Then I saw another rainbow form right next to it. It was as if
the Lord was reassuring me that He keeps His promises. As I pondered these
things in my heart today, Holy Spirit revealed to me that the Lord had given me
a “double portion” of His goodness last night! I was overwhelmed by His
goodness once again.
When we returned to the condo from our walk on the beach I went into the
restroom and Holy Spirit said to me, “When you focus on the physical you can
miss the miraculous.” We almost did not go out to the beach because of how
things looked from the window. But once we were out there, we saw the miracle
unfold right before our eyes. As I walked away from the place where the rainbow
had been, there was an unusual illumination of the cloud that was there. I
looked up and pointed, saying, “That’s You Lord – I know that’s You!” What a
day. What a week! What a Savior! Praise His name forever.
We need never allow ourselves to be downcast. Spending enough time with
Him can cure that problem real quick. When we are hungry in our souls, He is
our bread. And when we are thirsty…
John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered and said to
her, “Whoever drinks of this water
will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks
of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I
shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life.”
I was longing for more of God
this week. In my prayers I asked Him for more time with Him. But that is really
my own choice. If I take the time, He will never send me away empty. I was thirsty
for His Living Water to refresh my soul. I was worn completely out. After I
spent time with Him and “cried it out” it felt like someone had lifted the lid
off of a pressure cooker in my heart. I felt calmed and relieved. He is
faithful. When we come to Him we will never come away wanting for anything.
Questions:
Has your heart been longing for the Lord more lately?
What warning signs have you noticed in your own life recently?
Have you been feeling sad or over tired?
How much time have you been spending with the Lord? List ways
you can improve.
What concerns about your schedule do you have?
In what ways has this lesson helped or encouraged you?
What changes will you make as a result?
There are three main points to
consider from today’s study…
God must be first place in our lives
The Lord wants to help us with every
aspect of our lives, including our schedules
Time spent in His presence will always
bring refreshment
Let’s
pray…
Heavenly Father;
Thank You for showing me what is really the most
important thing in my life – seeking You. Father, I have learned in times past
that when I seek You I will find You. Father, forgive me for the times I have
placed other things in front of You as if they were more important. Show me how
to prioritize my time and my tasks so that I can seek You first above all else
every day of my life. Apart from You I can do nothing, and Lord, apart from You
life has no meaning. I give You all the glory, honor and praise for helping me
to see what I could not see. I ask You to continue to reveal to me the truth so
I can be free and walk in the center of Your express purpose for me. My soul
longs for You O God! Thank You in advance in Jesus name. Amen.
What have
you been longing for the most in your life?
And God Said… You fill in the blanks.
Psalm 42:1
As the deer pants for the water brooks,
so pants my soul for You, O God.
so pants my soul for You, O God.
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