let me hide myself in Thee

 Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Once in a while, the words of an old hymn will flood through my mind and soul. They are a deep reminder of the promises of God. When we face trials and just life in general, we need those reminders. The words of this old hymm rang in my soul this week. "Let me hide myself in Thee."  

Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Psalms 17:8 KJV

We can be reassured that we find comfort and peace when we hide ourselves in the Rock Jesus. He is a firm foundation and our protector. He saved us and intends to keep us. He will never leave us or forsake us.  David wrote in Psalms about the safety of the Lord.

Deliver me, O Lord , from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

Psalms 143:9 KJV

He is our deliverer and our hiding place. This world and our society is on uncertain ground. Many things cause alarm and fear. Anxiety and unrest can overwhelm us. We may be tempted to doubt and get our eyes off of Jesus and onto the storms around us. We cannot rely on the things around us. Our governments, our careers, insurance companies, entertainment  and even our homes and fail us and cause great stress. Friends and family may not be able to help or may not understand. Our society may even turn against Christianity. Our only true place of rest and safety is Jesus. We can find peace in his arms, under the shadow of his wings.  There are many stories of birds protecting their babies by covering them with their wings. One is when a fire raged through the barnyard. After the fire, the old hen was found burned and dead, but when she was moved, her little chicks were found unharmed safe under her wings. God is our protector.

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psalms 27:5 KJV

Be encouraged to know God is there when when we run to him for safety. He will uphold the righteous. He will be the rock we can stand on. When everything else may fail, we can stand without fear in Christ knowing he is our peace.  We can sing, "Rock of ages, Let me hide myself in Thee," and He will set us on the rock. His promises true and his faithfulness endures.

 

Created In His Image

 In Genesis, God created mankind in his image. We were created to be in his image for a purpose.

Genesis 1:26-27 

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We are created to be in the image of God. He wanted us to be like him and reflect who He is. The original intent was we were to be able to fellowship and commune with God on a personal level. Sin entered and destroyed that plan. Sin separated us from the original intent God had for us. When we come to Jesus and accept his salvation through repentance, baptism and infilling of the Holy Ghost, we are returning to the original intent of man. We can have a personal relationship that allows us to fellowship with our creator. Part of that is to be his image.  An image is a visual representation or the likeness of an object or person. 

We are to be able to have the image of God about us. We are to demonstrate the mighty God who saved us and created us through our words, our actions, and our daily lives. We are to be his image reflected to others on this earth. When they look at us, they should see God. 

Colossians 3:10 

And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

We are made new in him. We are no longer to behave and function as we did before. We are new creatures in Christ. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

New actions, new thoughts, new motivation should flow from us. 

We are changed and no longer subject to previous sinful motivations. Our lives are to be transformed. 

Romans 12:2  

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Others should be able to identify and witness the transforming power of God operating in us. It would be evident that we are no longer motivated by sin, but by the power of the Holy Ghost operating in us. The fruit of his presence should overflow from our hearts and out of our mouths. 

Matthew 7:20 says, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."  The fruit of the Spirit should be evident and available to those around us. That is the image God is looking for. We should reflect his righteousness, his love, his peace, his longsuffering, and every attribute we know of God. There should not be bitter fruit among the fruit of the Spirit.  The image of God should be what we are when we are his children.  

If we do not reflect the image of God, we need to dig into his word and let his light shine deep into our hearts. Let the Holy Ghost dig  around and pull out the things in us that are not of him. He can transform us into the image he intended us to be. He can make us new and restore his intended purpose for us. We need to submit to his will and allow him to change us, mold us and make us in his image until we are in his likeness. 

Do you know why Jesus came?

^{John 1:1-2, 14}

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

^{We need to start and understand why he came.  For from the beginning we can start reading in the book of Genesis that sin entered the world and throughout the Old Testament, we read about the effects of sin.  God gave the law to Moses with a blood sacrifice required to cover sin. This was a temporary fix. In Leviticus chapters 4 and 5 we can read about the sacrificial process: the priest laid his hands on the head, it was killed the blood is sprinkled and the sacrifice burned. The animals were used as a sacrifice but these animals could not forgive the sin. They paid with their lives to push ahead the punishment for sin. The Israelites needed rescue from sin. We are all born into sin and the wages of sin is death.  We need a rescue The Old Testament spoke of the Messiah, the savior.  The prophets foretold of his coming, then, God became silent for 400 years. The New Testament begins with God speaking for the first time in 400 years to Zachariah, then to Joseph, Mary and the Shepherds.  He spoke the prophecies being fulfilled. The first words spoken by God in 400 years were of joy and promise. How amazing it must have been?   Dear old Zechariah hearing those worlds, not just the answer to his prayer, but the promises being fulfilled to the world.}

^{Luke 1:13-17, 27-35}

¹³ But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

¹⁴ And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

¹⁵ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

¹⁶ And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

¹⁷ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

He then brought the good news to Mary. Such a young lady given a great gift but also the burden of being the mother of the Jesus. How much faith she would need to endure.

²⁷ To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

²⁸ And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

²⁹ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

³⁰ And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

³¹ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

³² He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

³³ And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

³⁴ Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

³⁵ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

^{Then the Angel spoke to Joseph. Joseph had to be willing to trust and obey, to take the responsibility placed before him.}

^{Luke 1:20-23}

²⁰ But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

²¹ And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

²² Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

²³ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The angels spoke of the great tidings to the shepherds s.  This was the good news. Just poor outcasts of society, the shepherds heard the angels proclaim the mighty words that Israel had been waiting for. It didn't happen as any one could have guessed.  Many didn't believe it. But, the shepherds ran to see because it was news of great joy. They saw the Savior of the world come to earth.

Luke 2:10-12

¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹² And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

These were all real people who walked on this earth. They had been waiting to hear of the promised Messiah. Can you imagine this message being brought forth and what it meant to know the promise was being fulfilled.

With his birth, the prophecies in Genesis 3:15, Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2 Hosea 11:1 are all

fulfilled. 

^{Genesis 3:15} And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

From the beginning, right after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, God spoke of the coming Savior, this see would be the one to crush the head of the serpent.

^Genesis12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The promise to Abraham, that all people would be blessed through him.

^Isaiah7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This speaks of the manner in which he would be born and who he would be.

^{Mica h5:2} But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

This speaks of the place he would be born.

^{Hosea 11:11} Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

This speaks of not only the children of Israel coming out of Egypt, but Jesus himself, was in Egypt. In Matthew 2:14-15 when Joseph took Jesus and Mary to Egypt.

The prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus. There are over three hundred fifty prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold of the Messiah. Jesus fulfilled them all.

He came for some specific reasons. He came to give his life a ransom for many, to call sinners to repentance and to give eternal life. He spoke several times of why he came. A ransom was required. Sin had taken us from our rightful Lord. He paid his life to take back what was taken from Him.  He came to call us home and give us a life with him forever in heaven for eternity.

^{Luke 19:10} For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

^{Mark 10:45} For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

^{Luke 5:31-32}

³¹ And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

³² I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

We were lost and only he could save us. He came to give us life by being the sacrifice for our sin. He took our condemnation and our punishment. We earned death in sin. He came to rescue us from our earned death.

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus fulfilled the required sacrifice completely. He left nothing undone. He loved us so much that he took our sin on himself and died in our place.

^{Matthew 5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

^{John 10:10} The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

 His birth rent the very fabric of time and changed how the world operates. Our calendar is based on His birth. We can now receive complete forgiveness as his blood covers our sin, redeems us and changes our destiny.

He came to take our place, He came to rescue us from the penalty of sin, what we deserve.  Only a perfect man could take that place for another. His body was payment for our sin. His purpose in being born was to die. He lived as a man to understand his creation. He experienced  grief, loss, pain, joy, and love as a person on earth. He knows what is it like to be human. But his ultimate purpose was to rescue his people. We are still waiting for some of the prophecies in the Bible to come to pass. Here we are two thousand years later, with end time prophecies upon our time. While this may cause some to fear, we as the body of Christ  can received this with joy as we know His word never fails. 

^{Hebrews 10:5-7}

⁵ Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

⁷ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

He did the will of God as a man. He walked in our place and gave us the opportunity to return to him. We have the choice. We also have the duty to share this good news with the world. We have the greatest message  the world can ever hear. Unto us a child is born,  the Savior of the world.

But what I do have...

The season of giving  is upon us. At least, that is what many consider the Christmas season; a time of giving.  We become busy and consumed with the many traditions of the season and rush to get the gifts purchased, the decorations hung, the cards sent, and prepare for that one day of the year that is supposed to represent the celebration of our Savior's birth. He is the reason for the season. We do have more giving this time of year. We give to one another, to charities, to those we know that have a need. We consider our blessings a little more and  reach out in generosity more than usual. This is good. But I want to talk a little more about giving and what we really have to give.

In Acts chapter three we can read of Peter and John heading to the temple.  The day of Pentecost had just transpired with the miraculous filling of the Holy Ghost.  They had been filled and given power. This day, they noticed, perhaps as they had many times before, the lame man begging at the temple gate. This time, Peter was moved and decided to do something. It was no longer business as usual. Peter had something new working in him.

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Acts 3:6 NKJV

Peter did not give him what was expected. He had no money to offer, but he had something greater, he had Jesus. That man was given healing.  Peter had access to the power of God,and he wielded that power to offer the man what he truly needed. Money would have probably helped him for a moment, but healing was his true need. He needed only what God can give. 

When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we have access that same power. Peter was just a man as we are. Yet, he understood the power that now dwelt in Him. Many of us get excited about what we read in the Bible and when we hear about the move of God for others, but do we understand that we have that same power dwelling in us?  We have access to the mighty Name of Jesus. We can offer what we have, what people need. Too often, we hold back out of fear, out of doubt, or out of ignorance. Peter had witnessed Jesus personally perform miracles. We can read all about them. Peter believed Jesus when he said. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." John 14:12 NKJV

It becomes a question of belief.  Do we believe like Peter did? Do I believe like the apostles did?  Do I believe Jesus when he spoke these words?  He said anyone who believes in Him, we will do those works too.  We need to take a good, deep look at our belief in Jesus. He is the same now as he was then.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Hebrews 13:8 KJV

We are the ones who need to believe and act in accordance to the Word spoken.  If we believe that the Holy Ghost in us is the same one the apostles received,  we better start acting on that belief.  When we come across a need,  we have the ultimate gift for that need. We have Jesus. We can speak the Name that is above every name. We can bring healing to the sick, life the dead, salvation the lost. We have power in Jesus name and as Peter spoke,  “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 

We no longer have an excuse. God is calling His people, his body to rise up and walk in the Spirit. We need to put aside the distractions and excuses. We need to get out of the flesh and recognize the call and power God has given us. We have the gospel and the power of the Holy Ghost. 

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8 KJV

We are to be His witnesses to our families, our communities, our world. We are sent to preach the gospel to the world. (Mark 16:15) we are given a purpose and a calling when we receive this precious gift of salvation from God.  We not only receive it for ourselves, we receive the calling of sharing Jesus with others.  We are given the power to do so. We cannot hide that light in us and be in the will of God. We are operating out of His will when we do not access and wield the power he placed in us. When we go about business as usual, we are denying the power of God. We should no longer keep working as if we have nothing to offer. We have the greatest gift of all: the gift of the Holy Ghost. We need to put it to use. Just as Jesus spoke in the parable of the talents. He did not give the man the talent to hide it, but to use it. 

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV

We ought to be walking different, thinking different, speaking different, and operating different. We shouldn't be able to walk past that need any more without doing something about it. We need to use our spiritual eyes and ears to recognize when God wants to move through us and do something out of the ordinary. When Peter spoke, the lame man expected the ordinary drop of a coin, but instead, Peter gave him of the power of God. Extraordinary should not be uncommon amongst God's people. It is time God's people begin to walk in the Spirit and move as the body of Christ effectively.  We have been asleep and disabled by our flesh for too long. We have got to let go of the world for good and put on the new man. 

 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:23‭-‬24 KJV

The hindrance that keeps us from walking in the Spirit is unbelief and being double minded. In James 1:8, we are warned that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. This means we are battling between the flesh and the spirit.  Our flesh  causes our spiritual weakness. We give in to the pride and lust of the flesh. We need to draw close to God and purify our hearts by denying the pride and lust of our flesh.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

James 4:8 KJV

Paul explained this to the Galatians. Our flesh and spirit are contrary or oppose one another. We cannot do the things we desire to do until we keep our flesh under control and give the Spirit freedom to lead us. Our battle with the flesh will be a continual fight, but we need to consciously make a choice to walk in the spirit by saying no to the flesh.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Galatians 5:16‭-‬17 KJV

The Spirit can only lead when we feed our spirit. Praying, studying the Word and, yes, even fasting is required to feed our spirit. If we want to walk in spirit and fulfill the call of God and see the Spirit manifested, we need to pour ourselves into the spiritual matters and set aside the flesh desires.  That is where belief comes to life and grows. Jesus himself said nothing is impossible but unbelief hindered many things he wanted to do. We need to be strong in belief and single minded in unity with the Spirit of God for him to be able to use us as He desires.

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.   Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Matthew 17:20‭-‬21 KJV

We need to get hold of the knowledge of Jesus Christ and believe it and live it like we have never lived it before. We have a promise that is meant to change the world around us.  We have the answer for the world today. We have the peace that passes understanding and the joy that no man can contain. What is holding us back? Let us give them Jesus.

Endure

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Matthew 24:13 KJV

Jesus spoke these words to encourage endurance. We need some endurance.  What does it mean to endure? The definition of endure from dictionary.com says:

to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding; undergo

to bear without resistance or with patience; tolerate

to admit of; allow; bear

to continue to exist; last

to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently

to have or gain continued or lasting acknowledgment or recognition, as of worth, merit or greatness

 I think of runners when I think of endurance.  Especially, long distance runners. To be able to run for long distances, a runner must build up endurance.  This is accomplished through consistent, frequent training. Runners start with shorter distances  then build  to longer and longer runs. This isn’t accomplished in a day or even in a week. It takes time. When they finally reach the ability to endure a race like a marathon, they have many days and hours of training behind them.  I have watched runners in marathons. Even some of the most prepared  still face challenges.  Those who cross that finish line have pushed themselves through hardships. Some have blisters and bleeding,  and some may have even fallen and have bruises. They pushed past exhaustion, fatigue, mental tiredness, and many other things to finish the race.  The days and hours of training meant dedication, perseverance, and commitment. Paul explained spiritual endurance as a race as well

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:3‭-‬8 KJV‬

Paul ran his race and crossed the finish line. He did not quit or give up. He endured many hardships and trials. We need to develop endurance in our spiritual walk. We build up spiritual endurance through pushing forward through trials and leaning on God’s strength when we do not have any strength in ourselves.  Jesus wants us to endure. Endurance through trials, hardships and even through good times will grow as we practice turning to God through prayer, Bible study, and faith in Him.  As we learn to rely on Him in one situation, we can apply that lesson of faith to the next mountain. We can resist the next temptation, or pray through the next worry. We can pursue God while we walk in His will and learn He never leaves us or forsake us.  We grow deeper roots, stronger foundations, and reach higher in faith. We grow and develop more endurance. This takes commitment to God.  We cannot be swayed or distracted.  A runner that gets his eye off the finish line, will become distracted , worn down, or swayed to quit.  

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:  Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

2 Thessalonians 1:3‭-‬5 KJV‬

We cannot take our eyes off the finish line  we must be  steadfast in faith to endure to the end.  We must be rooted and grounded (Ephesians 3:17). We must not allow our own frailty, our humanity, to take over and tell us we cannot finish, that we are too weak or not good enough. We must push past the fear, past unbelief, and past temptation.  We must pray our way through, speak His word, hide it in our hearts to carry us through the hard times, and spend as much time as we can gaining strength from the One who called us to run the race God is rooting for us to win. He will give us an advantage when we seek Him and trust in Him.  We cannot quit.  We will endure until the end and like Paul, we will be able to proclaim, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.”  

Whom are you seeking?

 We spend a lot of time looking or seeking for things. We desire many things, spiritually and physically.  We seek after better health, more money, friendships, relationships, and many other things that are good and some not so good. Spiritually, we seek after blessings, gifts of Spirit, wisdom, or even signs of filling of the Holy Ghost. I have heard and seen many seek after the things of God. This is all good. These are benefits of knowing Him, but are we missing the mark?

Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

John 18:7 NKJV

When the Pharisees came to arrest Jesus, he asked them twice whom they were seeking. They were looking for him. The wanted Jesus, of course, not for the right reasons. They still sought him.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV

We are to seek Him and Him alone.  We need to seek Him with all our heart and soul. There is no greater thing we can seek that God himself. Jesus gave us personal access through His sacrifice and resurrection. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He is above all. He is Almighty God. He is love. He is peace. He is our strength. He is our creator and our Savior. He should be our everything. He should be the One we are passionate about. The One who consumes us and our greatest desire.  

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:33 KJV

When we seek Him first and above all else, everything we need is taken care of in this world and spiritually.  Too many times,  we seek an aspect of Him rather than just seeking him. We seek a sign or just a little blessing when he wants us to desire Him. We may want a healing  or an answer to a prayer. We may even ask for a sign, for abilities, or a gift of the spirit. These are all good things, but are those becoming our passion rather than the One who gives them? Our hearts must be fastened on Jesus. 

An example in the Bible comes in Acts chapter 8.

And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,  Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.  But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.  Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

Acts 8:18‭-‬22 KJV

When Simon saw the Holy Ghost fall on the believers he wanted that power so much that he wanted to buy it.  He did not understand the truth that he really needed to seek God. Peter told him his heart was not right. Our hearts may not be right. I am not saying we are wrong to desire gifts or things of God because he did tell us to desire the best gifts. But when the gift is of more importance than Him, we have misplaced our desire on a part of the benefits of knowing Him rather than just knowing Him. He is all we could ever need.  All the other stuff comes when we know Jesus and seek Him above all else.  

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on  You, Because he trusts in You.

Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

So I examine my own heart. Whom or what am I seeking?  Am I seeking God or just a benefit? I want to keep my eyes stayed on Him. My only real desire is to know Him.  I want to trust Him for everything else. My heart will cry, "I only want You, God!" When we keep Him first, he will provide all the benefits we need in the spiritual and in the physical. We can truly trust that he is doing what is best for us for He is good. When He is the center, he will lead us, use us, protect us, and give us the desires of our heart.  Seek Him first.

Just a little thing?

 When you start to bake, it's really important to pay attention to the amount of each ingredient that goes into the recipe. Just a little bit of the wrong thing can change the recipe or ruin it.  Just a little too much salt can ruin your whole recipe.  I remember as a kid making cookies and accidentally putting way too much salt. The cookies were ruined. No one wanted to eat them. Spiritually, the same thing is true. We can allow just a small thing to enter into our heart or our mind that will cause our whole heart and her whole mind to not be right with God.

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

Song of Solomon 2:15 KJV

A little fox can  spoil the vine as mentioned here in Solomon. What this means is that a small thing can destroy something much larger. We might partake of something so small and not realize the full effect that it could have on our lives. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts for from it come the issues of life.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23 AMP

What we allow to come into our hearts and our mind affects what we think and believe. One small thing can come in and create unbelief and doubt that changes the way we see ourselves and God. Sin comes mostly from unbelief. When we allow a small bit of unbelief or doubt to enter in, it changes our entire perspective.

Put away from you a deceitful (lying, misleading) mouth, And put devious lips far from you.  Let your eyes look directly ahead [toward the path of moral courage] And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you [toward the path of integrity].  Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet, And all your ways will be steadfast and sure.

Proverbs 4:24‭-‬26 AMP

Just a small seed of unbelief can grow and affect a whole life. We must be diligent in guarding our hearts from anything that will take us away from the truth of who God is. We can see that we must keep our eyes looking directly ahead and our gaze fixed straight. Our ways will be steadfast and sure when we keep our eyes fixed on the truth of who Jesus is.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other way that we can live a truly successful and blessed life than to know Jesus as our Savior. Anything that comes in and tries to convince us that he is not the truth , we must put away and not allow it into our hearts. We must keep ourselves aware of anything that tells us otherwise, cast it away from us quickly and immediately. I recently read a story about him father who was trying to show his children this truth. He made brownies and they were so excited to have the brownies, but before he let them eat them, he told them he had included a surprise ingredient. He told them it was just a small amount. They probably would even notice it. He had included a small spoonful of dog poop. His children were shocked and said they would not eat the brownies. He said, "Why not? You won't notice it." They still refuse to eat the brownies and wondered why he did such a thing. He explained that just a small amount of something can taint and ruin a whole batch. His point was made that our souls are also affected by a small amount of any sinful thing that we allowed to enter. We must guard our hearts and our minds from any sinful thing, no matter how small it seems, that attempts to distract us from serving God.

 There's an old song that we used to sing as children that said, "oh be careful little eyes what you see." This song taught me at a young age that what comes into your eyes and our ears can affect our heart. It reminds me that we must guard our hearts and minds from the things that we see in here because it will affect us in greater ways than we realize. God knew this so he put it in his word. We can be aware to guard our hearts and minds. What enters our eyes and our ears should always be what will build us up. We  need to pray that God will keep us and protect us from all things. We need to ask God for Wisdom and discernment about what we listen to, observe, and partake in. We need to guard against little seeds of sin that may attempt to plant themselves and grow in our hearts. Rather, plant the Word of God and may it bring forth His fruit.