Chiseling at Cherith (I Kings 17:3)
 
I Kings 17:3, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
 
The setting of this story is after God allowed Elijah to announce a drought upon the land in the presence of the wicked king Ahab.  The Lord spoke to His servant and sends him deep into the wilderness at the brook Cherith. The Lord had promised to take care of Elijah as he hides out by the brook. At Cherith, Elijah would find protection, provision, and preparation from the Lord.
 
God faithfully and continually provided His prophet water and food in land of famine. God not only controls the rain but also the whole natural order. He even controls the ravens, ceremonially unclean creatures now used for God’s purposes of sustaining the prophet’s life. We know God provides for the birds of the air, and here He uses the birds of the air to provide for His prophet. Elijah is looking ultimately to the God Who reigns over nature for daily food and water, not to the raven or the brook.
 
God also provides a raven to feed bread and meat every morning and evening. Elijah recalls the wilderness meal plan. God provides “daily bread” in Matthew 6:11 and actually provides it more abundantly than in the wilderness, for Elijah eats both bread and meat twice a day in Exodus 16:8, 12-13.
 
God is hiding His servant in the wilderness so that He can mold his faith. The most powerful servants of God are those that allow time to be alone with God.  We live in such busy times that it seems as if people are afraid to be alone.  The phone is always ringing, the television is blaring loudly, the house is filled with family or friends and we allow no time for God.  I wonder if we are afraid to hear the voice of God.  It is often difficult for God to get pass all of the stuff so that He can speak to His children.
 
We must find our place like Cherith, for in finding this place we can find the voice of God.  In this place God will cut away the unusable and unneeded things from our lives and He will mold us into something useful and wonderful.  Elijah sat by the brook and allowed God to minister to him by sending the ravens with his daily supply of bread and meet.  It must have been an unusual time in the life of Elijah as he watched this take place from day to day.
 
God sends Elijah to Cherith. Cherith means "a cutting place." God puts us through those cutting and chiseling times to mold and prepare us for future service. Cherith comes before the Mt. Carmel’s of our life. The cross comes before the crown. Trials come before blessings. At Cherith Brook God will cut off the rough edges of Elijah's life. The Lord uses His Word, life’s circumstances, or a submissive, meek, and humble servant to minister to us to knock off the rough edges in our life. Cherith was the place of loneliness, uncertainty, waiting, and hardship. God uses these elements to develop our character and knock off our rough edges. At some point in our lives, God will send us to “our Cherith’s”.
 
PRAYER: Lord, help me to never forget the places and circumstances that You place me in are for my good and for Your Glory. Thank You for always meeting my needs. I trust that You will use these times to draw others closer to You, In Jesus name, AMEN!
 
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Is God Able?...He is More Than Able! (Daniel 3:16-18)
 
Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
 
When Robert Morrison was on his way to China, where he would serve as a missionary, the captain of the ship was skeptical of his calling and gave him a hard time. As Morrison was leaving the ship, the captain said to him, “I suppose you think you’re going to make an impression on China.” “No,” Robert Morrison replied simply, “I don’t think I will make an impression on China but I believe God will.”
 
Ephesians 3:20, Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Throughout the Bible there are examples of God demonstrating His ability. The whole point of prayer is to ask God to do what we cannot do in our own strength or ability. If we think that we can pull it off ourselves, then we don’t need to pray. God often puts His people in impossible situations to display His power and glory. God is not just able to do beyond what we ask, but abundantly beyond. But that’s not enough, He is able to do far more abundantly beyond what we ask. But, we still aren’t to the limit: The Lord our God is the God of omnipotent ability. The Omnipotent God operates in a realm that is far beyond our ability to even understand. His ability is absolute. What limitless power! His power is unlimited. He can do anything He wills. Omnipotence knows no obstacles. He is not hanging around and just sitting there—He is working within us. Whatever is required to accomplish the purposes and promises of God, “He is able” to perform.
 
God is never defeated. Though He may be opposed, attacked, resisted, still the ultimate outcome can never be in doubt. Do you serve a God that can? From Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s mighty power at work. He is the God that walked with the 3 Hebrew children in the fiery furnace and rescued them out of Nebuchadnezzar’s evil hands. He is the God of Daniel who quieted the mouths of the Lions and was able to deliver him from their grasp. He is the God of Moses who parted the Red Sea and drowned the Egyptian army that pursued God’s people. He is the God of David that guided the single stone from David’s slingshot to Goliath’s head. He is the God that raised Jesus from the dead and defeated death, hell and the grave. He is a God that is greater than my understanding or ability to explain who He is. He is the Lord God almighty. How big is your God? Is He a God that can?
 
PRAYER: Father, although I will never fully understand Your Almighty power, I do know that nothing is ever too hard or difficult for You. I know that Your plans for me are far larger than I can imagine. Help me to never hinder limit or hinder Your work in and through my life. In Jesus name, AMEN!
 
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5 Promises, Not to Fear (Isaiah 41:10)
 
Isaiah 41:10, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
 
Isaiah hopes to silence the fears of God’s people and encourage us to confidently trust the LORD in the midst of trouble and adversity. It is contrary to the will and glory of our God for His people to be a timid, fearful, anxious people. In order to conquer our fears, the Lord God graciously assures us of His constant presence, power, and provision.
 
Considering all the fears that we would confront in this world, the Lord gives us five great promises, by which He says to every believer faced with danger and trouble, “Fear not ... be not dismayed”.

1. “I am with thee”.
Were we left to ourselves to face our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil), we would fear; but God says to our trembling souls, “I am with thee”. Take refuge in Him and be comforted (Psalm 46:1-11).

2. “I am thy God”.
The almighty is ours, as truly ours as we are His! A stranger might see a person injured and pass by indifferently. But a husband cannot be indifferent to the pains of his wife. A father cannot be indifferent to the troubles of his child. And our God is never indifferent to the troubles of His children (Zephaniah 2:8; II Chronicles 16:9).

3. “I will strengthen thee”.
We are told that the Lord will “put strength into his people” (Psalm 29:11). He will strengthen you with might in the inward man. Your God will strengthen you to bear your troubles (II Corinthians 12:5-9), endure temptation (I Corinthians 10:13), and do His will (I Thessalonians 5:24).

4. “Yea, I will help thee”.
He “helpeth our infirmities” (Romans 8:26). That means when our burden is so heavy that we cannot with all our strength support it, our God will take hold of it and bear it together with us. In other words, to imagine that any burden is too great for us to bear is to say that it is too great for God to bear! “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” No! And nothing is too hard for those to whom God says, “I will help thee”.

5. “Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”.
What more can we want? The eternal God is our Refuge! Beneath you are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27-29; Isaiah 51:12-13). If God be for us, all the powers of earth and hell combined can exert themselves against us (Romans 8:31-39). With such a God and Saviour as we have in Christ Jesus, we have every reason to be comforted and fearless, even in the face of great trouble and in the midst of great enemies. Our safety is our God!

PRAYER: Father, I can't see any way out of this problem. However, I know You can see many solutions to this problem. I trust completely in You. I know You will bring me safely through. I will not give up because my faith in You is strong and unwavering. As You see me through this trail, may You allow others to see You deliver me, that they may learn from You. In Jesus name, AMEN!
 
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Comfort of the Scriptures (Romans 15:4)
 
Romans 15:4, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
 
Everything that I have read in the Bible and been taught by the Holy Spirit is wonderful. Every doctrinal truth and every principle of Holy Scripture is willfully accepted and submitted to by faith. Yet there are some truths which yield special comfort to my soul. These verses stress the importance of the Word of God in our lives. If we are going to stay revived and minister to others, the Bible must play an important part in our lives. We need to know the Word. Here are three soul-comforting truths of the Scriptures.
 
1. The Lord our God is absolutely sovereign. In creation, in providence and in salvation, God has His way and accomplishes His will. Nothing ever comes to pass in God’s creation except that which He has purposed. We can safely trust a sovereign God. The God of heaven is a God who does what He will, has mercy on whom He will and graciously accomplishes the eternal salvation of His covenant people by His own right arm. 

2. Redemption is accomplished by the finished work of Christ, the sinner's Substitute. When our Lord Jesus Christ cried, ‘It is finished!’ redemption’s work was done. Nothing is left to be completed by us. Peace, pardon, justification, reconciliation, the forgiveness of sin, acceptance with God were all perfectly accomplished for God’s people at Calvary. He did not leave so much as one thread for us to sew into the robe of righteousness, by which we are clothed. He did not leave so much as one ounce of suffering for us to pay to the offended justice of God. He did it all! Accomplished redemption is good news for hell-bound sinners! 

3. ‘Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' There are no exceptions, no qualifications, no limitations. The invitation is as free as the salvation it proclaims. Anyone in the whole wide world who will call upon Christ as Lord will be saved, even you, even me! 
​
God's Word tells us that He is holy. Because we are sinners, our sin separates us from Him. Our Heavenly Father loved us so much He sent His only begotten Son to die for us "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) After we have been restored to Him, He tells us how we should live. Through this knowledge of God's Word, we can have hope.
 
Scripture tells us that we will spend eternity with God if we have accepted the free gift of salvation through His Son. His Word gives us promises that we can cling to. We can be confident that the things God has said will come to pass. If we go through this life waiting for God to do what He said He would do, we can be confident no matter what we face. We have the hope that we will be in Heaven with Him. We have the hope that all things work together for good to them that love God. We have the hope that He will never leave us nor forsake us. These truths from God's Word should be a comfort to us.
 
No matter what we may face, God has promised His help and presence, His protection and guidance, and His love and mercy. We know this because He has given us His Word. Take some time today to thank God for the comfort of the Scriptures and the hope we have through them.
 
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, thank You for faithfully guiding me through times of uncertainty. For giving me strength when I was weak. For giving me peace through the storms. For saving my soul and for never forsaking me. In Jesus name, Amen.
 
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sThe Great Encourager (II Corinthians 1:2-5)
 
II Corinthians 1:2-5, Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the LORD Jesus Christ. Blessed be God, even the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
 
Because we are human, we all get discouraged at times. Encouragement is something we all need. Thank God it is something He has promised to every one of us. I want you to know the sweet encouragement that only our Saviour can bring.
 
The Father Encourages Us. God is a Father to the fatherless. He knows, understands, sees, cares, loves, and is present with His children. Hebrews perfectly expresses the way in which He gives encouragement through His Word (Hebrews 12:5). The Scriptures are the means the Father uses to speak directly to us, as to His children. Our encouragement of sufferers, therefore, will simply be the means of bringing to them the encouraging Word of the Father, as we read with them.
 
The Son Encourages Us. Jesus understands. He has experienced the loneliness, the sense of degradation, the pain, the fears, of suffering. That is not simply a thing of the past for Him. Hebrews 4:15-16, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The One who cried out on the Cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) understands the depths of discouragement.
 
The Holy Spirit Encourages Us. He is the One called to our side to give us strength. When your sense of your value to God is destitute, the Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God. When you're discouraged do not cry, "O God!" rather cry, "Abba! Father!" In this way, in the midst of our suffering, we realize we are children. If we are children, we are heirs. If we are heirs, then glory awaits us (Romans 8:15-17). This is real encouragement! We should rejoice in our salvation, in the hope of God's glory, and—yes, even in our sufferings, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  (Romans 5:1-5).
 
As children of God, we should encourage and comfort one another. I Thessalonians 5:11, Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. The Scriptures urge us to encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone (I Thessalonians 5:14).
 
PRAYER: Father, I lift up those You have personally allowed me to encounter. Those who are suffering for Your cause, those who are struggling a besetting sin, and strengthen those who are utilizing all their efforts to make an impact for you. In Jesus Name, AMEN.
 
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Giving Up More…Only to Gain Less (Mark 8:36-37)

Mark 8:36-37, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

American evangelist Peter Cartwright was preaching from Mark 8:36-37 in 1818 at a Presbyterian Church in Nashville. It was a beautiful October evening, and the church was packed. Just as Cartwright shouted the words, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” in walked General Andrew Jackson who was staying nearby.

Jackson (who didn't come to Christ until late in life) was a fiery-tempered, hard-drinking, horse-racing, duel-fighting hero. Instantly a buzz swept over the congregation and heads turned. The host pastor, Rev. Mac, excitedly pulled Cartwright's coattail and whispered, "General Jackson has come in."

Cartwright roared back, "Who is General Jackson? Who is General Jackson?" He then declared that if the General didn't get his soul converted, he would spend eternity in Hell. Rev. Mac was horrified, and the next morning rose at the crack of dawn to apologize to the General.

But later in the day, Cartwright and Jackson met each other on the street. Reaching out his hand, General Jackson said, "Cartwright, you are a man after my own heart. I am surprised at Mr. Mac, to think I would be offended at you. No, sir; I told him I highly approved of your independence. A minister of Jesus Christ ought to love everybody and fear no mortal man. I told Mr. Mac that if I had a few thousand such independent, fearless officers as you are, and a well-drilled army, I could take old England." A fear of God will inspire you to share the Gospel and lose your fear of men.

These two verses about the soul of man are some of the greatest verses in the Bible to show the importance of salvation. Mark 8:36-37 stresses the incomparable value of the soul, worth more than the whole world. If one should forfeit his soul and die, there is nothing with which he could hope to reclaim it. The loss would be irrevocable.

Jesus puts the matter in financial terms. Paraphrasing, Jesus essentially said, ‘For what profit is it if a man shall become the richest man in the world, but lose his own soul?’ If it were possible for one man to own the entire world, what would be his gain in losing his soul? The devil had in effect offered Jesus the same ‘bargain’ in offering Him all the kingdoms of this world on the mount of temptation. Only a foolish person would sell his soul to the devil for the gain he can give. Nevertheless, men do it all the time. Many are giving up far more to gain far less!

No earthly gain will compensate for a lost soul. There is nothing in this world that can be exchanged for the soul, because the soul is of more value than anything in the world. The price of the soul is so great that all the things of the world put together do not equal its value. There is not enough money in the world ten times over which can compensate the loss of one’s eternal soul. To live for self and fortune while losing one’s soul is not only foolish but fatal.

PRAYER: Father, I thank You for sending Jesus, Who shed His blood on the cross, died in my place for my sins, and rose again the third day, that I would have eternal life. Help me, to share the Gospel message with others. In Jesus name, AMEN.

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Persecution, Perseverance, and Payday (Revelation 2:10)
 
Revelation 2:10, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
 
In 1995, Damare was captured by Islamic soldiers when his Sudanese village was attacked. Only 7 years old at the time, he was sold as a slave to a Muslim family. He became a camel boy even though he knew nothing about caring for them. His master enforced his learning with beatings. One day a camel got away. The master threatened to kill Damare for this mistake, but something restrained him. The next day when he found out that Damare had sneaked away to attend a Christian church in the village he became determined to punish this boy. The master found a large board, several rusty spikes and a hammer and dragged Damare out to the edge of his compound. He forced Damare's legs over the board and drove the long nails through his knees and feet. Then he turned and walked away, leaving the boy laying in the field screaming from pain.
 
A man passing that way heard Damare's screams and sneaked into the compound and carried this boy to the local hospital where the nails and board were removed. A year-and-a-half later, Damare and the man who saved him were in a village that came under attack, and they were separated. After the defense forces managed to drive away the Islamic soldiers, Damare was left standing alone. When the commander heard him speak, he realized that he was from the Dinka Tribe and took him back to their camp. After hearing his tragic story he tried to locate some of Damare's relatives. When none could be found, the commander adopted the former camel boy and took him to his home.
 
At age 16 years old, Damare began life again in Mario Kong, Sudan. He cannot run fast like the other boys, but he said he has forgiven the man who nailed his legs to the board. He knows that Jesus was nailed to a cross so all our sins could be forgiven. He has asked the Christian children in America to remember to pray for the children of Sudan.
 
We are living in an age of drop outs, and many professing Christians have lost their enthusiasm and stopped serving Christ. Persecution, indifference, and other temptations caused this breakdown, and ultimately John was commissioned to send messages to the churches in Asia. It was significant that at the conclusion of each of the seven letters, Christ urged His readers to persevere to the end, to resist becoming a drop out! That message is relevant today. The sufferings of this present time cannot be compared with the glory about to be revealed to us.
 
PRAYER: Father in Heaven, I pray for the strength all believers who are facing some form of persecution to remain firm in the faith that they may endure the sufferings for Your sake. May Your peace and love reign in their hearts and the seed of Your Word be planted in the hearts of those persecutors. I know Jesus is coming soon for His Church, help me to remain faithful and fruitful until He comes. In Jesus name Amen.
 
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