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This season of Lent we have been talking about ways to make each day more meaningful before Easter arrives. In recent posts about Lent, I shared that now is a great time to reconcile, reach out, receive revelation, and recycle (by paring back). Traditionally, Lent is about repentance and learning to serve others. Most of the time when we talk about any of the these issues, we think about the work that is involved. Being self aware and taking an inner inventory, takes effort. We can put ourselves in the pressure mode, and then we begin to feel guilty – because we didn’t do, or haven’t done what we planned to do. Sometimes that is a paralyzing position. Instead of just doing a little, we do nothing, and forget to find a way to say yes to God. During this season before Easter, let’s get rid of excuses. When we offer excuses and we miss the opportunity to be God’s hands and feet to our world. So quit making excuses and keep your heart wide open. Find the way to look inwardly and keep readjusting your heart, at the same time find a way to put your love for God into action. He or she who refreshes others will be themselves refreshed, or as it says in Prov 11:25, a generous man/or woman will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Giving time, energy, money, whatever is can feel like work, but it is refreshing work! So get refreshed as you:
“Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as you can!”
Be encouraged today to say YES!

There are times for us to “man our post,” to use a military term. We do have different obligations at different times or seasons of our life, but during each “post position” we can be at rest and have the sense of significance about what we are doing. What is your post position right now? I hope God has been speaking to you throughout this season of Lent as we focus on being aware of giving up, paring back, and being aware of areas we need adjustment, as we continue to say yes to God’s best for us. When we see the big picture, pleasing God is the most important thing in life! Through all these things, as we refocus our priorities we can become more aware of little things that God speaks to our heart. God hates sin, and loves righteousness. We become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, through salvation. He calls us righteous! God wants us to get the revelation of the Word inside of us, that we can live the abundant life Jesus died to give us. One morning I got a fresh revelation in a very simple illustration about how we can become “first class” believers. It is interesting that when you walk on an airplane, they sometimes take you through first class, then business class, and then to economy. The seats and the service are obviously different. It costs you something extra to fly first or business class. Thinking about being a “first class” believer or a “first class” wife, (mom, friend, worshipper, giver, whatever) means you have to use extra effort. First class moms, don’t lie on the couch all day. First class worshippers don’t “sit down on the inside” during worship. First class friends find ways to express their love and gratitude for their friendship. The penny dropped……inspiration happened……I got it. It takes extra effort to be your best. It does cost more. What I also began thinking about was that we had just upgraded one of our credit cards and for a mere $100 more a year, we got all kinds of benefits that we didn’t get on the lower level. So the revelation became even more obvious. It may cost you more, but the benefits are greater too. The extra effort you expend really does pay off. Let’s give our best effort to live full on for God during Lent and all through the year. You’ll be the one who reaps the benefits!

Have you ever put a quarter in a vending machine and nothing happens? There is a malfunction of some kind, and you get nothing. Bummer! I hate wasting money! There is a very important place where we don’t want a malfunction. We really do want the penny (or revelation) to drop from our head to our heart, so we can put into action what God is speaking to our hearts. We call that revelation or insight. Sometimes you do things just because you know it is good to do. We call that head knowledge or just being smart! Then there are sometimes you know on the inside that God has something specific for you to do, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to be obedient. We call that heart knowledge – when knowledge becomes revelation or insight. That is revelation becoming reality in YOU! As people who believe in Jesus, we have a direct line of communication with our Father God, and he wants to speak to you. Prayer is that connection – we communicate to God through prayer. Prayer is just talking to God. The Bible says that God will give revelation to our sons and daughters, and that is who we are! God wants to pour out His spirit on us and let what He is speaking to our heart become real in our life. So, make sure you connect daily with God. He likes to hear from you, and He wants you to listen to Him. One of my favorite scriptures is in John 10:27 where it says that we are God’s sheep and we know His voice. We follow the voice of God. We are obedient sheep. Say BAAAAA! That means when God drops something in our heart, something happens!

During this season of cleansing – of heart, mind and spirit, there can be a greater sense of revelation in the Word of God in your life. It’s as if, the penny has dropped and now the horse can start rocking! In other words, the information has become inspiration, and you get it! It is a wonderful feeling when you know the Word of God is coming alive on the inside of you. It is not just with head knowledge, but with knowledge that really has penetrated your heart, and now it can produce in your life. So as a review of what we have talked about so far during this Lenten season, how are you doing? Is all of this becoming revelation in your life? We can look at GIVING UP, PARING BACK. REPENTANCE and taking this opportunity to FAST, or just begin living a FASTED LIFE. As we work on being aware of those sins that so easily trip us up, I hope you have begun to notice areas that you can readjust in your life. Can you give up negativity of all kinds? In paring back, can you find ways to give away your extras? You could sell them on Craig’s list or at a garage sale, and use the money in a creative way. Or you could give them away to someone who needs them and experience the joy of generosity. How you noticed any areas where you need to repent? If we are truly taking this time to concentrate on God and His Word, His Word will bring light to the areas where we need to readjust our thoughts, our motives and our actions. The best thing about doing all these things is, we don’t do it to show off, or to prove we are Christians, or to feel self righteous, we do it because that is what Jesus would do. We are becoming more like Jesus. Let that penny drop, from your head to your heart! That is revelation becoming reality in YOU!

Yesterday I addressed the subject of fasting. I know when I was a kid I couldn’t understand why they called it a fast, because it sure seemed to go slow. When I was young, if our church “called for” a fast, our family usually participated. Doctors generally tell people to be really careful with a fast, because every body is different and they never would want you to be harmed you in any way. So my suggestion to you during this 40 days before Easter is to practice saying no to your appetite every once in a while. Let’s say you really want a bowl of ice cream. You can picture how good it will look in the bowl, and even how smooth it will feel going down your throat. You feel like you really want it. That may be a great time to say no to your flesh, and yes to an apple or an orange. Most of the time we say yes to our every food desire, but this time, why not eat a piece of fruit? It is better for you, and would be just as good for filling you up. Maybe you could even say, “I don’t need anything right now, because I can say no to my flesh”. We don’t do that all the time, because we need good, healthy food, in fact, we can’t live without food. One easy way to condition ourselves to make these actions a common practice, is to just stop eating before you are over full every time. We don’t have to let food have a hold on you. Food is fuel, and meant to energize us and be a blessing. Enjoy what you eat, but stop before you are full. Maybe during Lent, you can begin to make healthier choices about what you put in your body. It will be good for your spirit, and great for your body!

There are times in the Bible when God asked for not only repentance, but for fasting and weeping (Joel 2:12). Most New Testament believers like to think that fasting is unnecessary, but it is a great spiritual practice, and oddly enough, the world of science is now even admitting that taking one day a week to totally cleanse your system by abstaining from food is very beneficial. Just like the Sabbath rest that we should enjoy, the body itself needs a Sabbath from food. Interesting, isn’t it. God is pretty smart! Go figure!
Is 58:6-14 talks specifically about the fast that God chooses. The benefits are amazing:
Chains will be loosed
Yokes will be broken
Oppressed will find freedom
You will share food, shelter and clothes for those in need
Your healing will appear
God will answer when you call
When you cry for help, God will be there
Light and strength will come to you
You will be like a spring whose waters never fail
Ancient ruins will be repaired and restored
You will find joy in the Lord
You will ride on the heights of the land
And you will feast on your inheritance!
Sounds like some amazing benefits from putting our body under through fasting. We always love saying yes to the flesh, but saying no on occasion can bring us into a new freedom in Christ if we take the opportunity to fast. During this Lenten Season before Easter, why not take one day a week, or even one meal a day, and give that time to God. Spend time in His presence when you would normally be eating, and feast on His Word. You may find that areas in your life where you were deficient will begin to change. Benefits will manifest on your behalf, and it will be because of your obedience to repent and fast before the Lord. When you choose the fast that God promotes, you’ll enjoy the “clean slate” feeling, inside and out!

During this week, we are going to stay on the theme of self-introspection, and hopefully, each of us will personally clean up any attitudes or actions that are not in keeping with a our true identity as believers. There is no better feeling than a sense of being totally at peace with God, and being in His divine will for your life. There is no greater sense of purpose and fulfillment than doing what you know God wants for you at this time in your life. How can you know the will of God for your life? Living in the perfect will of God is possible. The hard life, really is living outside of the will of God. Satan has a way of making us think exactly the opposite. If you have lived by your own rules for any amount of time, you know how true that is. There are some very simple practices that can make living in the will of God normal and natural. Be in church! Study the Word of God! Pray and talk to God regularly. Fellowship and hang around people who are growing in the Lord. Making living in God’s perfect will natural also requires us renewing our mind and renewing the spirit of our mind. The difference between our mind and the spirit of our mind is simple. Our mind revolves around our actual thoughts. The spirit of our mind is our subconscious, our reflex thinking, or more commonly understood would be our mindset. Steps to renewing our mindset happens from the inside out. It takes a decision, plus desire. It takes a commitment to be diligent, and to detach from old negative relationships that feed old negative habits. Finally it takes dependence on God and declaring what the Word of God says about the new you, becoming renewed in the spirit of our mind!

Easter is just a month away. That means we are in the season of preparation for Easter called Lent. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. I love celebrations of all kinds, and Jesus’ resurrection is the best reason of all to celebrate, because His life changed history forever. We can live in the victory of the cross, today and everyday. My theme for this season of Lent is No More Excuses, Just Say YES! Let’s say yes to God’s best life for us. One important way to do that is by looking inside of our heart and motives, and becoming more self aware. We will discuss that this week. Here is today’s dailyeword.

The season of Lent (40 days before Easter) is a great time to look at our lives and see if we need to adjust in any area. For some, there may be out and out sin that needs to be forgiven. That is when we must make a choice to repent. For others it can be a time of adjusting attitudes, adjusting life choices, or adjusting focus. During Lent is a time to be remorseful for the things we have done wrong. If we haven’t asked God to forgive us, that is the first step. Then we must be truly sorry, not just for being caught, but for hurting the heart of God by our actions. Then we decide to turn from what we have done, and go the opposite direction. When we say I’m sorry, it should be with the attitude that I will never walk down that same path again. It is saying, “I have chosen to live on a higher plane, and I will ask for God’s help to make the right choices in the future”. If you do commit that sin again, make a miss step, or goof up…..repent. Do it quickly, immediately if possible. Be quick to ask for forgiveness. We know God is more than willing to forgive! I John 1:9 is the place to start. We confess, God forgives and cleanses us. Once we have experienced God’s forgiveness, we can begin to walk in His righteousness. Making right decisions, right choices, and right actions are really a result of staying in our position of right standing with God. Aware of who we are in Christ is the best kind of self awareness. We put thought to what we do, how we respond, what we say….really everything, because we belong to Christ. When we walk in that awareness, we don’t easily fall into self deception. Self deception happens when we think we are ok, when really we are holding onto unforgiveness, or not living in truth. Just say yes to forgiveness. Just say yes to the truth. Just say yes to being aware of our true self positioned in who we are in Christ. And remember, the best apology is changed behavior!

It takes faith to be an overcomer. And as we have discussed, faith only comes from one place. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If faith came another way, I would tell you. But it doesn’t – it comes from reading your Bible and doing what it says.

I’ve heard people say, “If I could just see a miracle, then I would have faith.” If seeing miracles were enough in themselves, then the children of Israel would have had more faith than anyone, and they would have believed God about entering the Promised Land.
The book of Exodus records tons of miracles: water turns into blood, sticks transform into snakes, seas part. There are hundreds of miracles in the Old Testament and the New Testament, yet Hebrews 3:19 says, “We see that they could not enter in [to the promised land] because of unbelief.”

Faith doesn’t come from seeing miracles or hearing other people’s testimonies; rather, it comes from hearing and believing the Word of God. The children of Israel didn’t believe God’s words; they believed more in the giants they could see. So they didn’t get to enter into the Promised Land.

Determine that you’re going to keep your eyes on the Word, no matter how difficult your situation. Determine that you’re going to believe it, no matter what else is happening all around you. Don’t believe more in trouble than you believe in the Word.

What does it mean to believe the Word? It means that in the face of everything you encounter, you refuse to quit. You stand firm (Eph. 6:13-14). First Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

How do you remain steadfast? Instead of focusing on the negative aspects, decide to think on God’s Word. Choose to believe the promises it contains. Opt to hide the Word in your heart concerning your situation, and continue to speak what it says until there is a change.

Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” God’s Word never returns void. It always accomplishes what God has sent it forth to do. If you quit, you won’t gain anything. Keep putting your trust in God, even if you’ve suffered a loss, a surgery is pending, or the bank is calling. You have everything to gain because the promises in the Word are true, and they’re yours to claim. When trouble comes your way, it is not the time to let go of the Word or drop your faith. Keep reading, and keep believing!