Tuesday, February 27, 2007


Direction

Psalm 119:105 tells us that God's Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. Today I press into Him for direction. I am at my office before dawn to work on the operating plan for my new business, and I begin my day by looking to Him for his strategic path for my life -- my operating plan.


As I drove to the office, the Lord spoke to me to begin my day with His Word - James 1:

2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

7For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;

10and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.

11For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.

12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

13Let no one say when he is tempted, " I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

15Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

17Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

Thank God that HE never changes and that I can rest in his direction. In the face of what seems to be incredible opposition, HE prevails.

Lamentations 3: 21-25 says:

Therefore I have hope.
22The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."
25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

I am so greatful for His lovingkindness and compassion in my life. I cling to the promise that He is faithful and that I can have hope in Him that He will finish the work in me that he has begun.

The road before me is well lit by His words -- by His direction. Lord God, give me wisdom, generously and without reproach today. Keep my feet and my heart in the center of your will for me.

I wait for you Lord. My hope is in You alone.


Chicke Fitzgerald

Wednesday, February 07, 2007


Tangible Faith


Matthew 17 20:21 I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I have a daughter that is 8 1/2 and a son that is 6 1/2. When they pray, they know that God will answer. The faith that a child is able to have is unconstrained by life experiences and disappointment and most of all, it is unconstrained by self.

Yesterday, in the midst of a particularly difficult trial in my life, one of my friends from church admonished me to "Stand back and let God be God". It occurred to me that as long as I continue to look for solutions, that I continue to get in his way.

Have you ever had a child try to help you cook? You know what you are trying to accomplish and they have their own way of thinking and doing and they just keep getting in the way and in fact, sometimes they downright mess things up, both figuratively and literally. So as a parent, you patiently wait for them to finish, you gently redo that which they messed up and you clean up the mess left behind. Sometimes you may get frustrated and just say "stand back and let the chef be the chef". You get the picture.

God IS God. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has the recipe and truly, it will turn out better if we just stand back and let God be God.

He can move mountains. We only need to ask and believe that He is capable. He feeds the birds, how much more will He take care of His children.

Today I speak to the mountain in my life. And I thank God that it is in the process of being moved. I eagerly await the outcome of His plan. It is tangible and it is good.


Chicke Fitzgerald