Isaiah 35: 4”Say to those who are of a fearful and hasty heart. Be strong, fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance: with a divine retribution He will come and save you.”

It seems like every fall when the weather turns cold for the first time, there’s a mild invasion. Little bugs and sometimes critters find the tiniest cracks and holes to get into to make their way to a warmer environment. Little pests just find a small entrance and that’s all they need.

It’s funny. There are things we need to invade our life that we some how create invisible barriers and keep out – like a timely word from God. Everyone has needs they are thinking about and hopefully praying about. They either need answers, assurance and comfort, or understanding and wisdom. God desires to give all of this. He desires to speak into our lives. But, sometimes we treat God or the vessel that God would bring those answers through – like bugs and critters. We work to keep them out. We don’t read our Bible. We don’t pray. We get lazy and don’t go to church. We don’t avail ourselves to godly atmospheres that God would use to speak into our lives.

I am absolutely convinced that God is always wanting to speak into our life. Not just anything. God’s is not casual about what He says or wants to say to us. His Words are anointed and are meant to be life-changing. God wants to get a word – an anointed Word to us to speak into our hearts.

A reader wrote back these words to me this week: “Pastor Tim, Once again, your Fresh Manna spoke to my heart and to my mind – at just the right time!…” She went on to describe her problem and then wrote…”after reading your wonderful message, I feel even better. Thank you for doing what no therapist and medication could do – the Lord id powerful!!”

Trust me, I don’t have the ability to help her. The Word of God is anointed to destroy fears and quiet our hearts. The Word of God will renew our hope and faith. The Word of God will bring faith for miracles and divine intervention from God. God is trying to get that Word to us and instead we let all these barriers shut it out.

In today’s Fresh Manna, God is speaking through Isaiah and He says to Isaiah, “SAY to those who are of a fearful and hasty heart…..” God speaks. He speaks timeless words that speak forever into your heart and mine today just as it was to speak to those of Isaiah’s day. Just as if God tapped us on the shoulder and said, “Joe, I need to tell you something and here it is.” And yet we box God out.

What are the barriers that we set up to keep out those life changing words? First, we just get lazy and undisciplined. We stay up too late, get up too late, causing us to rush to work and forsake time for God when we start our day.

Secondly, we ding around valuing things of no value, and giving no honor to the atmospheres that can bring forth God’s Word into our lives – church and the ministry of the Word, personal meditation on the Word, Praise and Worship music, and voices that minister God’s truth to us.

We value what doesn’t have value, while not valuing what shouldn’t have value. We’ll make coffee, turn on the TV or read the newspaper, and ding around but then be out of time for mediation on God’s Word and prayer.

Thirdly, if we did read or hear something that stirred us for a moment, we blow it off and move past it so quickly, it has no time to penetrate and change our thinking and behavior. God says that when we “meditate” on the Word it will bring us good success. Joshua 1:8

Lastly, we let unbelief undermine God from speaking into our life. We hear but we doubt. We can’t believe that the Word – the promises in Gods’ Word written thousands of years ago, could apply to our situation today. So, instead we wallow in the problem complaining and talking the problem more than praying and thanking God for the promise of the Word that is our answer!

If you were God, (which you’re not,) as a loving parent, would you leave your children abandoned without love or direction? No you wouldn’t. You’d desire to speak into your child’s life and help and guide them. So does God. He wants to speak to you today! Isa 50:4-5 says, “The Sovereign Lord has given me His words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to all these weary ones. Morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding to His will. The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I do not rebel or turn away. “

I encountered a crying woman today that was hurting and said, “I don’t understand what is going on. I am mad at God.” I encouraged her, don’t be mad at God. He is not the problem. He is the answer. Ask God to help you understand what is going on and to help you BUT, once you do, trust that He will find ways to speak to you. Yield yourself to those ways. Give God the opportunity and you will see Him speak to your heart. When He does, it will help you and someone else besides. “The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to all these weary ones.”

Go ahead, box out the bugs and critters, but don’t unconsciously box out God. Avail yourself to Him!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/