WEDNESDAY'S WORD - DELIVERANCE - Sadell Bradley - 09/25/19

"The more I am in a position to be tried in faith with reference to my body, my family, my service to the Lord, my business, etc., the more shall I have the opportunity of seeing God's help of deliverance; and every fresh instance, in which He helps and delivers me, will tend towards the increase of my faith."   - George Muller      Last Wednesday, I attended the Habitation Conference, a convening of worshippers, pastors and leaders in the presence of the LORD in Orlando, FL. The weeks approaching the event were filled with stress. I was weary and looked forward to the times of refreshing that come from the presence of the LORD. (Acts 3:20) Habitation is an immersion experience - for three and a half days, about a thousand people bask an an atmosphere of worship, the Word, prophetic impartation, signs, wonders, healing and deliverance ministry. DELIVERANCE is the action of being rescued or set free; or to provide what is promised or expected. I experienced deliverance throughout the days of the conference as answers, guidance, and direction were dispensed. Relief, peace, and joy overflowed in an atmosphere of God's love and grace.       Deliverance is another word for salvation. I love the image above of someone reaching up for rescue and being met by a strong hand to save. The person to your left doesn't have the strength to reach for help, but is still rescued, despite the fact that just their cry may have been heard. God hears and answers us. In Psalm 3, an aged king David is in flight because of a coup attempt by his son Absalom. He cries out in his distress, "O LORD, how my foes have increased! How many rise up against me! Many say of me, "God will not deliver him." Selah. But You, O LORD are a shield around me, my glory and the One who lifts my head." David speaks of the LORD's faithfulness to sustain him when he can't save himself, "From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people." (vs. 8, NIV)      George Muller, is an English Evangelist who cared for 10,024 orphans during his lifetime: educating them and changing their futures. Muller established 117 schools that taught 120,000 children. He raised the equivalent of $141 million dollars for these ventures. He never made formal requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt. Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed, further strengthening his faith in God.  George Müller was in constant prayer that God touch the hearts of donors to make provisions for the orphans.In his autobiographical entry for February 12, 1842, he wrote: "A brother in the Lord came to me this morning and, after a few minutes of conversation gave me two thousand pounds for furnishing the new Orphan House ... Now I am able to meet all of the expenses. In all probability I will even have several hundred pounds more than I need. The Lord not only gives as much as is absolutely necessary for his work, but he gives abundantly. This blessing filled me with inexplicable delight. He had given me the full answer to my thousands of prayers during the [past] 1,195 days." Müller never sought donations from specific individuals and relied on the Almighty for all of his needs. He trusted God for deliverance in every area of his life and ministry. May we all be boldly encouraged to do the same.

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - BROODING - Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"You must always be open to new experiences; by this means, your physical and etheric bodies will be brought into a condition which may be compared with the contented mood of a brooding hen." - Rudolf Steiner     Last week I attended a conference called "Conspire," an assembly of Christians called to deal particularly with injustices (racial, economic, etc.). The worship band sang a song entitled"Canopy," which has still been ringing in my spirit. The lyrics were both unique and soothing, "May we dwell in Your tent, O Lord. May we dwell in Your tent, O God. Harbored by brooding wings, held in Your wide mercy, under Your canopy of love."  I was swept away by the music, and the idea of God as a harbor - a place of refuge, was just what I needed. The word BROODING was not only a word you don't normally see in a song, but it's generally used to imply deep unhappiness of thought that appears dark or menacing. But another definition for brooding is a bird, sitting on eggs to hatch them, or a hen nursing chicks under her wings.        King David, in his psalms, cried out to the LORD in his distress. In Psalm 17:8 he asks for protection, "Guard me as you would guard your own eyes. Hide me in the shadow of your wings."  When he fled from king Saul into the cave, "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by." In Psalm 61, the basis of "Canopy", he prays, "From the ends of the earth I call out to You whenever my heart is faint (overwhelmed); Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings." (vs. 1-4)     The image of the brooding hen ensuring the safety and protection of her young, is a powerful one. Yet the same word describes both the negative attention we put into our worries and concerns...and the strong surveillance with which God takes care of us as His children. Imagine the 'wings' of God's love safeguarding and defending you! Psalm 91:4 reassures us, "He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection."

WEDNESDAY'S WORD - INERTIA - 09/04/19 Sadell Bradley - New Life Covenant Cincinnati

   

"So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin." - Ben Stein   

Have you heard? Sitting is the new smoking. The Mayo Clinic cites a number of health concerns that derive from sitting too much. We use less energy than when we stand or move which causes: obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat around the waist, and lower metabolism. Lack of movement seems to increase the possibility of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer. The Clinic surveyed more than 1 million people and found that 60-75 minutes of physical activity per day countered the effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Respondents saw increased muscle tone, movement, and mental well-being, especially with age. They recommended taking a break from sitting every 30 minutes, and standing or even walking on a treadmill while talking on the phone or working at your desk. Moving increases your quality of life. The Apostle Paul told his protege Timothy, "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8)

 

INERTIA is the tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged. In physics, it is a property of matter which continues in its existing state unless that state is changed by an external force. As is true for our physical bodies, spiritual inactivity is deadly. James said, "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds."" (James 2:17-18, NIV) Too many are in a condition of spiritual atrophy. They live degenerated lives that are in a decline of effectiveness or vigor due to under-use or neglect. They say they dream of movement, but love comfort and routine. They desire to get ahead in their thoughts...they say they want fulfill God's call and do new things...but their wishing, wanting, and even hating on others, doesn't move them to real action. Writer Elbert Hubbard wrote, "The reason men oppose progress is not that they hate progress, but that they love inertia."   

 

Sometimes it takes an outside force of Divine intervention to make us shift and make forward progress. Often what initiates transformation is a crisis or adversity that God allows - something that shakes us up and calls us to change our ways. The law of inertia says we'll keep doing what we've been doing (nothing), and things will be as they have been (comfortable and complacent) until an external force changes our focus, speed, or direction. The more immovable we are, the more force it will take for us to budge, grow and develop. Have you been cuddling up with inertia lately? It's a life-killer.