FROM THE KEYBOARD

If we are not hungry for the Lord, chances are our appetite has been filled by the world. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6).

Are you in the midst of a storm right now? If so, don't give up in the storm, rather give way to the Lord. You see, the storm does us a favor when it blows us into the arms of the Savior. However, most of the time, we don’t see storms as something to count as joy, because we count them as an inconvenience--something that has invaded our comfort. Yet that is exactly why suffering and storms come—to move us from being comfortable in the world to being conformable to the Lord. Therefore, "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2-4).

God could have saved us from a distance, but instead He came down to us with His presence. Why? Because He loved us and He proved that love when He gave us Jesus. He truly felt us before He fixed us. “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).

It is not good enough to just know the Bible. True life change comes when you know the Author. Therefore, do not read the Bible as if it is just a book to obtain information. Rather, heed the Bible so as to allow the Author to reach into your life through the pages. His breath can truly revive our soul. "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).

I don't know what you're wanting for, but this is what you need to start reaching for--"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Because when reaching for Jesus in your need, you'll find out that Jesus is all you need.

Jesus said, "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand" (Matthew 26:46). Jesus could boldly stand up before His betrayer because He had already been bowed down before the Father. Thus, before we can STAND UP to the world around us, we must BOW DOWN to the heavens above us. Prayer precedes power!