A Cacophony of Chaos

 

By Andrea Merrell

After the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:12 NKJV

 

Negative voices scream at us from every direction, trying to bore their way into our very soul. Headlines. News reports. Podcasts. Medical reports. Social media. Sometimes even the good voices can lead us in the wrong direction. 

Who do we listen to? And how do we shut out the negative voices?

In Jesus Calling, Sarah Young writes:

The voices of the world are a cacophony of chaos, pulling you this way and that. Don’t listen to those voices; challenge them with my Word. Learn to take mini breaks from the world, finding a place to be still in my presence and listen to my voice. ~ Jesus

It’s like the proverbial squeaky wheel that gets the oil. The louder the noise, the more attention we pay. And the more frustrated and fearful we become. We have to intentionally shut out those loud, negative voices so we can hear the still, small voice of the Lord. One translation calls it a gentle whisper. That’s where we find our peace and security.

As the old song tells us, He's got the entire world in His hands. Nothing catches Him off guard or takes Him by surprise. When we seek Him first, He is always ... always ... working on our behalf.

In the grand scheme of things—no matter what’s going on around us—God is saying to us, “Simply listen to me. I’ve got this.”

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and imagerymajestic.)

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It’s time to shut out the loud, negative voices in this world so we can hear the gentle whisper of the Lord. via@AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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Angels in the Car Wash

By Andrea Merrell

 

With all the dangerous places in the world, you wouldn’t think the car wash would be one of them.

The Bible says, God sends angels with special orders to protect you wherever you go, defending you from all harm (Psalm 91:11 TPT). For me, that includes the car wash.

On a recent trip through with my dirty car, I was almost rear-ended. The person in the truck behind me must have stepped on the gas instead of putting his vehicle in neutral as instructed. The truck lunged forward, stopping within mere inches of my car.

On another occasion, my car stopped halfway through the giant maze of colorful soap, brushes, and water. The lights went out, and everything shut down. Everything! My mind immediately went into panic-fix-it mode as I pictured myself climbing out in the wet, soapy mess and my car towed from its prison.

Lord, what do I do?

Thankfully, everything came back to life only a minute or so later.

We never know when we might need protection. That’s why we should trust God to watch over us every moment of every day. He is faithful, and He gives His angels charge over us to protect us wherever we go—even in the car wash.

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

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God gives His angels charge over us to protect us wherever we go—even in the car wash. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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A Spirit of Entitlement

 By Andrea Merrell

Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,

and He will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33 NLT

 

It saddens me to look around and see a generation with their hands out, expecting everything to be served to them on the proverbial silver platter.

I grew up in the days when we were taught to work hard and expect nothing for free. If it happened, fine. Consider it a blessing. But never expect everything to come easy. Even the Bible says, Anyone who does not want to work for a living should go hungry (2 Thess. 3:10 TPT). 

Now we have a large portion of our society living on welfare, food stamps, unemployment, and stimulus money. They do so well with all the handouts, they don't need to work. So they don't. Everywhere I look, there are signs that say NOW HIRING. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be too many takers. 

Even when we do work hard for what we have, it's easy to get caught up in the mindset of wanting what others have. We might even whine and complain to God. Lord, why can't I have a new car like so and so? Or a bigger house? Or go on better vacations? Or buy a new wardrobe every season?

Recently, I heard a song that said, “God owes me nothing.” Why? Because He has already given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3 NKJV). He has promised to supply all our needs and to never leave us. He heals, comforts, and provides. He fills us with peace and joy. He even gives us the desires of our heart when we delight in Him. 

God owes us nothing, yet He gives us everything. 

Seek Him first, put His Word to work in your life, and you will never go without.

Photo by Arleen wiese on Unsplash

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God owes us nothing, yet He gives us everything. Seek Him first, put His Word to work in your life, and you will never go without. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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The Best Tutor

 By Andrea Merrell

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father 

will send in My name, He will teach you all things, 

and bring to your remembrance 

all things that I said to you.

John 14:26 NKJV

I faced the task with dread. It required a learning curve I had neither the time or patience to tackle.

As a visual, hands-on learner, I generally need a tutor. Someone to walk me through the process. On this particular day I had no one—or so I thought.

I prayed first. Well, it might have been more like whining and complaining. To my surprise, the process was quick and smooth. The Lord whispered to me, We’ve got this. 

The Bible says, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.  The Amplified version calls Him the Comforter, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby. Author Sarah Young calls Him our "resident tutor."

The Holy Spirit has come to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). He is always ready to assist us no matter what the need happens to be. All we have to do is ask. The best part is no request is too big or too small.

The next time you need help, pray. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. He’s the best tutor you’ll ever have.

(Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos.net and Simon Howden.)

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Need help? The Holy Spirit is the best tutor you’ll ever have. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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God’s Extravagant Love

 

By Andrea Merrell

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him 

should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 NKJV

 

The Sunday school lesson was about God’s love and the excuses we tend to make not to receive it. The teacher said to the class of second graders, “Finish this sentence. God can’t love me because …”

Hands went up, and answers filled the room:

• “I’m not good like my brother.”
• “Mom says I’m a tattletale.”
• “I don’t pay attention in big church.”
• “I took something that didn’t belong to me.”
• “I have bad thoughts sometimes.”
• “Dad saw me kick the dog.”

The answers kept coming until the teacher stood and walked to the blackboard. “Well done, class. Now let’s list all the reasons God can love us.”

The room remained silent as the teacher waited. Then she turned and wrote one simple statement on the board: For God so loved the world that He gave …

As adults, don’t we have our own reasons why God can’t possibly love us? Thankfully, He doesn’t measure His love for us by our failures and mistakes. He doesn’t withhold it when we mess up or punish us for our lack of perfection. We punish ourselves.

We just celebrated Easter, reminding us that Jesus paid the ultimate price to demonstrate His love for all mankind. For me. For you. And nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate or come between us and that extravagant love ... no matter what.

God so loved the world that He gave ... and His love just keeps on giving.

(Photo courtesy of Canva.)

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God's not looking for perfection, and nothing can come between us and His extravagant love. via @AndreaMerrell (Click to tweet.)

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