“Blessed is he that waiteth—“ (Daniel 12:12) It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God’s warriors than standing still.   There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption?   No, but simply wait. Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God and spread the case before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid.   Wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in Him. Believe that if He keep you tarrying even till midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and not tarry.   Wait in quiet patience. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses. Accept the case as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying,” Now, Lord, not my will, but Thine be done. I know not what to do; I am brought to extremities; but I will wait until Thou shalt cleave the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if Thou keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon Thee alone, O God, and my spirit waiteth for Thee in full conviction that Thou wilt yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower. ( From Morning by Morning)

By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land—
Hebrews 11:29

When Moses found himself trapped between Pharaoh and the Sea, it was the Lord who had led him there. For reasons known only to Himself, God led the Israelites step-by-step into a cul-de-sac where they were suddenly facing Giant Fear. They couldn’t get out of their problem, but they could rise above their fears and flex their muscles of faith.

Whenever we find ourselves facing the same giant in a cul-de-sac, our first reaction may be a surge of panic; but we must “stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish” (Exodus 14:13). Realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons known for now only to Himself. The same God who led you in will lead you out. He allows our faith to be tried. Our trials may seem more than we can bear; but Christ can bear them. When we can’t fight for ourselves, the battle belongs to Him; and when we can’t swim, He will part the waters. (From Turning Point)

It is our duty and interest, when we cannot get out of our troubles, yet to get above our fears.
Matthew Henry

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.–Matthew 5:16

A young girl once consulted with her minister. “I cannot stick it out any longer. I am the only Christian in the factory where I work. I get nothing but taunts and sneers. It is more than I can stand. I am going to resign.”

“Will you tell me,” asked the minister, “where lights are placed?”

“What has that to do with it?” the young Christian asked him rather bluntly.

“Never mind,” the minister replied. “Answer my question: ‘Where are lights placed?’ “

“I suppose in dark places,” she replied.

“Yes, and that is why you have been put in that factory where there is such spiritual darkness and where there is no other Christian to shine for the Lord.”

The young Christian realized for the first time the opportunity that was hers. She felt she could not fail God by allowing her light to go out. She went back to the factory with renewed determination to let her light shine in that dark corner. Before long, she was the means of leading nine other girls to the Light.

Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. – Matthew 4:1

All of us battle temptation on a daily basis. The enemy is relentless in his attacks, which is why you and I must always be vigilant in staying connected to the Lord every day. But no matter how committed we are to our relationship with God, we will still come under fire.

The key to our victory is in our response. When you feel overwhelmed by temptation, how do you respond? Thankfully, God has provided us the perfect example for overcoming temptation by allowing His own Son to be tempted.

Christ’s temptation is recorded in the fourth chapters of both Matthew and Luke. The key to focus on is Jesus’ response when tempted by Satan. In both Gospels, Jesus responds to temptation by quoting Scripture. In fact, Jesus is tempted three times and each time He quotes from Deuteronomy!

Now Jesus probably had more Scripture memorized than you or I do, and at our age it may not be so easy to add a whole lot more. But notice that Jesus responds with verses that apply to the specific temptation. We all know our sin patterns and we know what temptations we struggle with. That’s why it’s so important to commit one or two verses to memory that address your individual weaknesses.

For instance, if you struggle with a lot of negative emotions, it might be beneficial to memorize Galatians 5:22-23, which lists the fruit of the Spirit. Or if you battle an unhealthy relationship with money, remember 1 Timothy 6:10. It will remind you of the consequences when putting wealth ahead of the Lord.

If you just can’t seem to commit a verse to memory, write it down and tuck it somewhere that will be helpful when you are tempted. Keep it in your Bible, your wallet, in your car, or taped to your bathroom mirror.

Nothing rebuffs Satan like the Word of God. Remember it is our sword-the only form of attack we have against the enemy. (Senior Living)

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.–Psalm 119:103   F.B. Meyer wrote,”The whole of Christian living, in my opinion, hinges on the way Christians read the Bible for themselves. We may measure our growth in grace by the growth of our love for private Bible study; and we may be sure that there is something seriously wrong when we lose our appetite for God’s Word.”   So, the logical question is–“How’s your appetite?” Is there “something seriously wrong”? Do you love private Bible study? How much time do you spend each day studying God’s Word? How much time do you spend watching TV? Are you growing in grace? Why not?   Sadly, many people are on a starvation diet. They are depriving themselves of the vital nourishment that only the Bible can provide. They are ailing spiritually and it shows. Some people are wondering why they can’t cope with trials, conquer temptation, and find comfort in their troubles, when the culprit is a lack of Bible study. You can’t starve yourself and remain strong. So, it’s easy to see that serious Bible study isn’t just for enjoyment–it is a matter of survival!——