Who Do You Call On?

When it comes to seeking help, we often times forget that God is our ever present help. In Isaiah 7: 7-12, it talks about how King Ahaz actually rejected God's help and placed his trust in man. In verse 9 it says, "....Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." The Lord is telling King Ahaz to have faith in Him and he would be protected. In other words, if you can't believe that God will do it, then He won't do it, solely based on your faith or lack thereof. We have to believe that God will protect us. In doing that, God will honor our faithfulness and protect us just as He promised.

In verse 11, God said to King Ahaz, "Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want- as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead." The king actually refused when God was/is clearly ready to show him/us His power. This showed King Ahaz's lack of faith in what God can do. He depended on man, who can fail you or quickly turn on you. He decided to call on Assyria for protection and because of this, God spoke through Isaiah and told him (King Ahaz) what will happen to Jerusalem (verse 17-25). Looking at those verses, the protection that he sought would turn on him and do tremendous damage to Jerusalem.

Even today, many of us have a similar problem. We use every way except God to help us with our problems. These alternative ways can simply lead to more problems that can overtake our lives. Some people may use alcohol or drugs to help them cope with their problems. Some people might even use social networks (Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) seeking advice or help from people and putting your trust in them more than God.{side note: I won't go hard on the social network issue this time, but I will talk about it very soon.} Those same people could very well turn around and stab you in the back. Now, I'm not saying that it is wrong to seek advice, but really stop and dig into the word of God, talking to and more importantly listening for Him before you do anything else. Let God lead you to where you need to go or what you need to do or who you need to talk to.

So I encourage you to place your trust in God, our ever present help. He can never fail you and will always love you unconditionally. He promised us that by allowing Jesus to die for us (John 3:16). God bless.

Giving Credit Where It's Due

I got this devotion from reading Isaiah 10: 12-15. When I first read this scripture, I thought to myself, "Isn't it just like us to act like the king of Assyria?" We boast or brag about what we can do or have done. Often times, we do this and don't realize that it is by the grace of God that we accomplish things. What we have to realize is that God uses us for His purpose and His glory. In Isaiah 10: 12, the prophet Isaiah says, "After the Lord has used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purposes in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him-for he is proud and arrogant."

What happens when we are proud or arrogant in what we believe we accomplished on our own is a disconnect in our relationship with God. You might ask, "how is that?" By claiming that by your own strength, or your own power or your own wisdom that you accomplished some great thing, you are essentially saying that you did not or don't need God. This is a fatal and foolish mistake because the more you remain boastful and take pride in yourself only, the more you drift away from God's blessings. Look at what it says in Deuteronomy 8 where it talks about remembering God. Verses 16-18 is where it really talks about humbling yourself and realizing "that it is the Lord your God who gives you power to become rich..." (v. 18).

Going back to Isaiah 10, look how the king of Assyria boasts in verse 13-14. Then go to verse 15 where pivotal questions are asked. It says, "Can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a whip strike unless a hand is moving it? Can a cane walk by itself?" These questions bring absolute answers with them. None of those things are possible without someone directing it or using it for its intended purpose. The same thing goes for us. To be used correctly for our intended purpose, we cannot honestly say that it is by our own strength that we receive or accomplish great things. God deserves all the credit, all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise because after all, He is the creator of all things and where would we be if the Creator did not create things for us to accomplish?

Now God will humble those who are proud and arrogant as it says in Luke 18: 14, "....For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." So why not go ahead and humble yourself before God does it? Why not be exalted or honored for being humble instead of being forcefully humbled for being proud? I encourage you to check yourself and take a minute to thank God for the things that you have accomplished or have.

I hope this post was a blessing to you or someone you know. God bless.