Make the Complicated Simple!
2 Cor. 6:2 (NLT) “…Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.”
The Lord spoke to my heart at the time He was stirring me along these lines and said, “Tell them to pay attention today. This will help many of them if they will take it to heart.”
Have you ever felt dull in regards to how you are carrying out your life – like you knew you weren’t giving your best effort and it was slowly taking you to the wrong place? Maybe you’re a little overweight and instead of doing something about it, you just keep eating the wrong food and too much. Maybe you haven’t been reading your Bible much or spending quiet time with the Lord but instead of doing something about it; it’s almost as if you are ignoring that leading from within to spend time with Him. Maybe you’ve been wasting a lot of time doing things that add no value to your life and you know it. You’ve been thinking about things you should do that would be a benefit to you and others but lethargy seems to be prevailing. Maybe it’s something else but the bottom line is – it’s making you feel dull and slowly leading you down a path you know is contrary to what you should be doing.
So what’s the answer? How can you break out of this? How can you change directions and feel better about yourself? Deut. 30:14 gives the first clue. “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.”
Sometimes we make simple answers or solutions complicated. Why do we do that? Is it to make it seem more important or have more value? I won’t try to answer that. The important thing to know is this; to obey God and get His help so that you can do those things in your heart is not complicated when you have Jesus in your heart to begin with.
There was a great leader who needed help in his life but who wanted to make the answer to his problems an earth shaking effort when the answer was really simple – too simple for his tastes. His name was Naaman and he was the captain of the King of Syria’s army. He was considered a great and honorable man. He found out he had leprosy. Through a series of events he came to the prophet Elisha for help. Elisha was willing to help him, but he didn’t even need to meet with him. Elisha simply sent his servant to tell Naaman, go dip in the river Jordon seven times. Naaman’s pride almost got in the way of his miracle.
We read in 2 Kings 5:11-14 (NLT) “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would surely come out to meet me!’" he said. "I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren't the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel put together? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed?" So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. But his officers tried to reason with him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!" So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his flesh became as healthy as a young child's, and he was healed!
Naaman wanted to make something simple, hard. God wanted to make what was hard or impossible with man, simple!
God wants to help you get out of that dull place. What’s your answer to breaking the lethargy or from the feeling of being dull? Today’s verse: “…Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” When the word of God says, “Today is the day of your Salvation” it means, “Today is the day of your deliverance, of your victory, of your health, of your prosperity.”
So, what is your answer? First to shape your desired outcome with your mouth as the profession of your faith. Romans 10:8 “"Your salvation is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." You have to learn to shape it and begin to say it. Learn to say, “Heavenly Father, I thank you today, that I am not lethargic. I am not dull. I am your child through the precious blood of your Son Jesus. I thank you that I have your Spirit and your strength to do… “Today is the day of Salvation and it comes to me like it did to Naaman, by aligning my words and then action to my faith – it comes simply. Thank you that you make things simple for me. I rise up in you today and begin to make my changes in Jesus name Amen!”
Now, can you do ten minutes of exercise today? Go do it and thank the Lord while you do. Can you say “no” to something you shouldn’t eat and put something better in your mouth? Yes you can so do it. During one of your breaks can you take a little quiet time and read through a chapter of the Bible and than simply spend a few minutes praying to God and thanking Him for His love, power, and presence in your life? Sure you can. If you know another Christian, go share a verse manna with them. The bottom line, don’t begin the change from feeling dull by attempting to start running a marathon. Make it a walk around the block. Put God’s Word in your mouth. Make some of those simple changes while you are speaking, “I can do this in Jesus name.” Don’t make it complicated. Make it simple. Just go do it in the strength of the Lord. You’ll feel better in no time at all!
Pastor Tim Burt
Fresh Manna
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com
2 Cor. 6:2 (NLT) “…Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.”
The Lord spoke to my heart at the time He was stirring me along these lines and said, “Tell them to pay attention today. This will help many of them if they will take it to heart.”
Have you ever felt dull in regards to how you are carrying out your life – like you knew you weren’t giving your best effort and it was slowly taking you to the wrong place? Maybe you’re a little overweight and instead of doing something about it, you just keep eating the wrong food and too much. Maybe you haven’t been reading your Bible much or spending quiet time with the Lord but instead of doing something about it; it’s almost as if you are ignoring that leading from within to spend time with Him. Maybe you’ve been wasting a lot of time doing things that add no value to your life and you know it. You’ve been thinking about things you should do that would be a benefit to you and others but lethargy seems to be prevailing. Maybe it’s something else but the bottom line is – it’s making you feel dull and slowly leading you down a path you know is contrary to what you should be doing.
So what’s the answer? How can you break out of this? How can you change directions and feel better about yourself? Deut. 30:14 gives the first clue. “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.”
Sometimes we make simple answers or solutions complicated. Why do we do that? Is it to make it seem more important or have more value? I won’t try to answer that. The important thing to know is this; to obey God and get His help so that you can do those things in your heart is not complicated when you have Jesus in your heart to begin with.
There was a great leader who needed help in his life but who wanted to make the answer to his problems an earth shaking effort when the answer was really simple – too simple for his tastes. His name was Naaman and he was the captain of the King of Syria’s army. He was considered a great and honorable man. He found out he had leprosy. Through a series of events he came to the prophet Elisha for help. Elisha was willing to help him, but he didn’t even need to meet with him. Elisha simply sent his servant to tell Naaman, go dip in the river Jordon seven times. Naaman’s pride almost got in the way of his miracle.
We read in 2 Kings 5:11-14 (NLT) “But Naaman became angry and stalked away. ‘I thought he would surely come out to meet me!’" he said. "I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren't the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel put together? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed?" So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. But his officers tried to reason with him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply to go and wash and be cured!" So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his flesh became as healthy as a young child's, and he was healed!
Naaman wanted to make something simple, hard. God wanted to make what was hard or impossible with man, simple!
God wants to help you get out of that dull place. What’s your answer to breaking the lethargy or from the feeling of being dull? Today’s verse: “…Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” When the word of God says, “Today is the day of your Salvation” it means, “Today is the day of your deliverance, of your victory, of your health, of your prosperity.”
So, what is your answer? First to shape your desired outcome with your mouth as the profession of your faith. Romans 10:8 “"Your salvation is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." You have to learn to shape it and begin to say it. Learn to say, “Heavenly Father, I thank you today, that I am not lethargic. I am not dull. I am your child through the precious blood of your Son Jesus. I thank you that I have your Spirit and your strength to do… “Today is the day of Salvation and it comes to me like it did to Naaman, by aligning my words and then action to my faith – it comes simply. Thank you that you make things simple for me. I rise up in you today and begin to make my changes in Jesus name Amen!”
Now, can you do ten minutes of exercise today? Go do it and thank the Lord while you do. Can you say “no” to something you shouldn’t eat and put something better in your mouth? Yes you can so do it. During one of your breaks can you take a little quiet time and read through a chapter of the Bible and than simply spend a few minutes praying to God and thanking Him for His love, power, and presence in your life? Sure you can. If you know another Christian, go share a verse manna with them. The bottom line, don’t begin the change from feeling dull by attempting to start running a marathon. Make it a walk around the block. Put God’s Word in your mouth. Make some of those simple changes while you are speaking, “I can do this in Jesus name.” Don’t make it complicated. Make it simple. Just go do it in the strength of the Lord. You’ll feel better in no time at all!
Pastor Tim Burt
Fresh Manna
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com
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