He (Jesus) Is More Than Enough! by Myra Boozer

John 14:13, “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.“ That speaks to me about a life without want. Remember, ‘The Lord is MY Shepherd, I shall not want...’ the broader meaning, not lacking, not deficient in proper care, management, or husbandry. But a second emphasis is the idea of being utterly contented in the Good Shepherd's care and consequently not craving or desiring anything more," taken from A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.

As I have been reading in the Book of Mark about Jesus, the disciples, and the multitudes, I really honed in on a question Jesus asked the disciples. They had departed in a ship to the "other side" away from the crowds. As they left, the disciples realized they only had one loaf of bread on the entire ship, a real dilemma for hungry men. This is what Jesus had to say about their reasoning over such a small amount of bread. Mark 8:17-18, "...Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? AND DO YE NOT REMEMBER? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many BASKETS FULL of fragments took ye up? They said unto him TWELVE. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said SEVEN, and he said unto them, HOW IS IT THAT YE DO NOT UNDERSTAND?"

When we have Jesus in our lives, we are covered at all times. He has provision that is MORE THAN ENOUGH! Now these guys are talking about a loaf of bread, not a Banquet. Many may feel that God lets them down or doesn't provide because they do not receive a "Lobster Fest" on a Cruise Ship.

I found this statement a while ago..."God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." When the desires of this world can fade away like a fog lifting off the valley, I believe that we find a new perspective about life, love, and our relationship with others, especially God. He just fills our every longing and desire. We are no longer pushed and pressured into needing anything except Him and His presence. It is no longer about me and what I must attain or receive from this world. He becomes my focus. He brings my life to the fullest, and my heart can sing in the midst of chaos. I know He Is More Than Enough for today, tomorrow, and forever...and He always has leftovers...His storehouse is FULL... 

No Reason To Be Afraid!

Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

How often do we find ourselves in the position to question, “Why are these harsh circumstances developing around us?” We are susceptible to cry out in absolute disbelief, “I can't believe this is happening to me!” This position makes us vulnerable and opens the door for Satan to rush in and steal our faith. In extreme cases, our soul can be seized with such life-altering doubt that our Christian service is totally paralyzed, and we cannot proceed further. In that moment, we should run to God and fall upon our faces in prayer! If we seek His face in submission, He will throw off the chains of dejection and depression as we heed the burning desire of the Holy Spirit that lives within us. We are never alone. Heb. 13:5, “...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

We can easily get caught up in the current climate and events. We may question why all the negative stuff appears to be happening to us! But Jesus said it would be this way in the last days and that He would return to catch His Church away and redeem His people Israel. We must be careful that we are not so consumed with our current distress that we allow Satan to steal away the promise of our redemption and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We can place our total confidence in the promises the Lord has given us. He will never fail us! What He has promised, He will fulfill, so there is No Reason To Be Afraid! 

Jesus Is Our Refuge! by Myra Boozer

You can't travel very far on any given Street or road without seeing a Church Steeple, and sometimes they are side by side. When we lived in Valley Head, a tiny little town at the foot of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, AL., I could look out my kitchen window and see three Churches. We were Pastors of a Church on top of the mountain at Mentone, also surrounded by other Churches.

There are church buildings everywhere. We are living in the middle of the Bible belt, but many people are confused, troubled, and not connected to any Church...Why? This troubles me greatly...an abundance of Churches (places of refuge), but are they giving fresh bread (Jesus is the Bread of Life) to the hungry souls? Are they keeping the Spiritual Fires burning to warm the cold and the lost? Are they teaching Truth...or just some ideas that make people comfortable in their situation? Do they offer Freedom from the chains that bind people?  Do they have the Key to help the enslaved be set free from sin? Are they the Lighthouse to the weary traveler? What is going on in these beautiful buildings that have the lights on several nights a week? Is there revival, renewal, regeneration, and restoration happening? What is happening in all these places?

Our Church buildings are beautiful structures, but will they lead the lost to Jesus? Will they leave rejoicing because of their new Freedom in Him? Will they find Hope and receive Life and direction for the days we have left? Will they desire to leave their shackles and receive the new life of freedom from sin and walk in union with Christ? People need answers! They need love! They need JESUS! 

Do We Really Want God's Help?

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people...then I will hear from heaven...”

This verse is all about God intervening in the lives of His people. God wants us to invite Him into the affairs of our lives. He loves His creation and desires to intervene in our needs. In verse 13, God offers a litany of circumstances that would warrant His intervention. In this text, the first is, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain...” He is literally addressing a physical lack of water. However, I believe we can also apply this in a spiritual sense, such as spiritual water. Jesus referred to Himself as the living water and referred to all who believed in Him as having rivers of living water flowing out of their belly. He was talking about His flowing through the believer by the Holy Spirit to give spiritual refreshment to all who are willing to receive.

I believe that our world needs spiritual rain, spiritual rain flowing from the throne of God, spiritual rain consisting of the power and presence of God in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! How long has it been since we have seen a genuine move of the Holy Spirit? I’m not talking about an exhibition of emotions or a series of religious meetings fraught with a supposed divine encounter. What I am talking about is an undeniable, unmistakable, genuine move of the Holy Spirit that affects not only our emotions but also has an overwhelming effect on the way we talk, behave, and live. A work of God that changes attitudes as well as actions. A work of God that changes people, churches, cities, states, and nations. God help us to lay hold on such a move of God!

Have we become void of that intense, sustained, convicting presence of God? Have we walked away from God’s perfect will for His Church and us? Have we become satisfied with a trickle of spiritual water when He wants us to experience a spiritual river? He wants to lead us out into the deep! He wants to bless His Church by His presence, and He wants to flow out through His children by the Holy Spirit to bring His refreshing to a dry and thirsty land.

I would suggest to you that our world is in the midst of a spiritual drought. The Holy Spirit is calling the Church to bring life-giving water to the thirsty and dying souls in this world. We can only do that as we seek for and participate in God’s intervention for the salvation of lost souls. Jude said, “...pulling them from the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

In our beginning text, after solidifying His relationship with His people, God challenged them to trust and believe in Him. He said in verse 13, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain...” and in verse 14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Are we willing to do our part so God can do His part?

Prayer Is Not A Spare Wheel! by Myra Boozer

God help us to remember this..."Prayer is not a 'spare wheel' that you pull out when in trouble...But it is a 'steering wheel' that directs the path throughout…" To want God's attention only when in trouble is not really wanting God at all; it is that a person wants the problem solved and right quick. God forgive us all for not talking to you more and giving you control in so many situations of life. We need you MORE than Yesterday, more than words can say. Oh, we NEED YOU in everything, we need YOU! 

Seeking God's Face!

Do I want God’s blessings or do I want Him? I make the conscious decision here and now that I want Him! More than anything, I want my life to be governed by Him, totally! Am I willing to pay the price? What price? You mean there is a price, an investment on my part?

To have God govern our lives totally, we must abandon any and every thing that resembles the old life of flesh. That means that my will is submitted in every sense to His will. That means He is living His life through me, not as a puppet but as a dedicated servant.

You mean I am to be a slave to God, and that is the only way I am going to have Him? 1 Cor. 9:19, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” The word translated here as “servant” in the Greek text means “to make a slave of, reduce to bondage.” Paul was saying that he had become a slave to Christ. He simply meant that his life was consumed with obeying Jesus’ leading.

When we were in sin, we were servants to sin. We were made slaves under the bondage of sin. Sin controlled all thoughts and actions. We have put away sin and no longer serve sin. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Therefore, we are no more slaves to sin but servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seeking God’s Face! 

Jesus Take Control! by Myra Boozer

There comes a time in all of our lives when the things we thought would happen just didn't happen for whatever reason. But God wants us to be still and know that He sees every tear and every challenge we have faced. He is telling us to "Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10.

Being still is very hard for a child, and sometimes, as adults, we become anxious, acting like little children, wanting what we want, and thinking we have everything figured out. We may think we have grown into maturity and believe we have everything figured out. We have not! We must stand and look into the face of our great and mighty Maker and say Woe is me, for I am still childish.

“Take control of my life, Lord, and bring me to the place you want me to be, even though I may be kicking and rebelling all the time against you and your plan for my life. Yes, Lord, please pick me up and correct me, as I know you are a good Father and what you do will be for my own good. Times are changing fast, and I lose my way. I must have your supervision to make my way to the place you have prepared for me and my family. Change me, Lord, into your image and into the Christian adult you want me to be. In your Holy Righteous Name, I do humbly ask." Jesus, Take Control!