Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

I am writing to you in the wee hours of the morning. Mainly because I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and could not sleep. I couldn’t because I am in the middle of helping someone who I deeply care for walk out a crisis in their life. I did get three hours sleep but woke up to go to the bathroom, started thinking about it, and it got me so wound up that even though I have tried to go back to sleep five times, it’s been to no avail. (And yes I do know that I have written about what to do in this kind of situation in past writings, but have to again practice it myself.)

I’ve been praying and as I was, thoughts came that I am confident were directed by the Lord. That is why I gave up trying to sleep and instead record these thoughts that I pray speak loudly to many, and even scream out to others that are in the midst of creating a crisis that will devastate them if they don’t stop what they are doing.

There are times when things blow up in people’s lives. They have given themselves over to behaviors – negative behaviors – behaviors they know are wrong, but for whatever reason, they still do them. For some people it’s eating unhealthy or too much or both. For others, it’s being lazy, for others it’s allowing a negative attitude drive their thoughts, words, and actions. For others, it’s about immoral behaviors that have the capacity to shipwreck their lives. For others… I could go on and on but I think you can figure it out.

When people allow these negative and ungodly behaviors to continue in their life, one reason they do is because they don’t really understand the disaster and crisis that could be awaiting them when it blows up. They might think about it a little bit but quickly push it aside and go on with that they know they should not do.  If they only knew the price that they’ll have to pay for letting these things go on in their life. But usually they don’t until they get there and then it is oh so painful and a crisis beyond what they could imagine.

David, who God dearly loved and declared “I have found David, a man after my own heart…” (Acts 13:22) was a man that loved God and lived for him with a ferocious faith through most of his life. But we read in 2 Samuel 11 about a time where something was going on in David’s life. We don’t really know what. All we know is that he broke out of his good living routine. It was Spring and the time he would have normally gone to war with his men. Was he tired? Was he discouraged over something? Was he depressed? Was he being prideful and wanting to enjoy his success? We don’t know. All we do know is he didn’t go out with his troops like normal, but instead stayed behind at the palace. He was taking midday naps (which really strikes me as not like David’s norm.) After one of those naps, he was walking on his rooftop and saw Bathsheba – another man’s wife bathing. He yielded to a temptation that began to unravel his life and lead him to the greatest crisis of his life. He could have stopped his immoral behavior along the way but he didn’t until he hit his crisis. The bottom fell out; the consequences were horrible, messing up the rest of his life. If he had known what giving into those temptations would have caused, I believe he would have cried out for God’s help and stopped. But because of some funky indifferent mood that he was in, he threw caution to the wind, caved into his lazy fleshly desires. He paid a price that would cost him for the rest of his life.

He finally got caught and the Lord spoke to him. 2 Samuel 12:9 & 12 (NIV)  “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?… You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all…”  David did repent to God and God did forgive him but the consequences were already coming.

As I was thinking and praying about my friend and this story that I had just read, I felt the Lord speaking to me to say to you today, “Tell them to stop the destructive behaviors and attitudes and stop them right now this very second. You don’t have to hit bottom and experience that crisis that is far greater than you want to pay. Make the decision to turn things around now this very moment! You know how. You know what to do. Do the things I’ve shown you to do in the past that helped you become strong in me. Don’t go another day or minute. If you obey my voice, you can rise out of this and I’ll help you. You can put your life back on track walking with me and I will forgive you and help you and restore you. And you will eventually rejoice. So stop. Stop now and rise and turn this around. Read my Word and be instructed and strengthened and encouraged and pray and I will lift you up.”

That was the Word I received from the Lord.

If you know you have been indifferent or had a casual attitude about doing things that could blow up your life, this is a warning of love from the Lord!

I know I said I was on vacation but obeying the Lord takes priority over all!

Micah 7:8 (NIV) “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2013 All rights reserved
http://timburt.org/