Valley Of Blessing

February 15, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Scripture

2 Chronicles 20:26 “On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.” New Living Translation

Observation

This verse highlights a day when the people of Judah, under the reign of King Jehoshaphat, celebrated a huge victory in the Lord. Just prior to this celebration in the Valley of Blessing, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites had declared war on King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. As they were marching towards Judah, King Jehoshaphat declared a fast and prayed to the Lord for deliverance. The Lord heard his prayer and the Spirit of the Lord communicated that the battle was not King Jehoshaphat’s battle, but rather God’s battle. King Jehoshaphat sought wisdom from God, stood still in the presence of the Lord, and watched the Lord deliver a complete victory. The victory was so great that it took three full days for the people of Judah to gather the plunder from the battlefield. On the fourth day, they gathered at the Valley of Blessing to praise the Lord and thank Him there.

Application

There are times when I find myself just as King Jehoshaphat, faced with an opposing situation that is simply too big for me to handle and I don’t know what to do. It is in those times when I must follow the example of King Jehoshaphat and seek the Lord for His guidance, wisdom, and protection. In a humble posture of complete yielding and dependence upon the Lord, I can position myself to trust the Lord, stand still in His presence, and watch the Lord accomplish the victory on my behalf. As I give praise to the Lord in every circumstance as a child of God, the battle becomes God’s battle and not mine which assures me victory as well as a valley of blessing.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Tsebioth, the Lord of Hosts! Thank You Lord for Your name being a strong tower where I can run to it and find safety in every situation. I place my total trust in You and have no fear of any adverse circumstance prevailing against me because You are for me. Help me Lord to always remember that Your faithful love endures forever. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Valley Of Blessing Copyright 2012, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Valley Of Blessing, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Stillness In The Lord

January 5, 2013

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Psalm 37:7 “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.”

Observation

In this psalm, David encourages people of God to be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act on their behalf. At this stage of his life, David has witnessed the faithfulness of God to deliver him from the hand of all his enemies, provide for him in the most troubling times, and uphold him even in his failures. Through it all, David grew strong in the Lord because he learned how to be still in the presence of the Lord.

Application

Like David, in my personal walk with God, I must learn how to be still in the presence of the Lord if I am going to grow strong in Him. Regardless of the troubles I encounter in life, the opposition I face along the way, or the personal failure I experience on the journey, I can have perfect peace if during those times I am still in the presence of the Lord and my mind stays on Him. I am even reminded that when the storm was raging around Jesus as He and His disciples were crossing the sea, Jesus stayed in perfect peace because His trust was completely in His heavenly Father and His word. In fact, the word of God declares in Psalms 89:9, “You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” When I am still in the presence of the Lord and place my complete trust in Him, He is well able and faithful to still any raging sea around me.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are El Elyon, God Most High, Creator and Possessor of Heaven and Earth! Thank You Lord for teaching me how to be still in Your presence even during the most difficult, trying times in life. As I learn to place my trust in You and You alone, I praise You for calming the raging seas of life and being faithful to complete the good work that You began in me when I first placed my trust in You. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Stillness In The Lord Copyright 2012, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Stillness In The Lord, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Talent Plus

October 5, 2012

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Quote: “At any given time, we must be willing to give up all we have in order to become all we can be!” – John C. Maxwell

One afternoon while my children and I were at a state park near our home celebrating with our church the sending of a missionary friend to India, we were told that there was an eagle’s nest in the park with little eaglets.  Intrigued by the possibility of seeing real eagles in their natural habitat, my children and I walked over to the identified lookout post and began to watch for them.  With the help of some binoculars provided by a professional bird watcher, we were able to spot the eagles and observe their elegant flight patterns in, out, and around their nestled home high up in one of the treetops.

One thing that I’ve recently learned about eagles is that when it becomes time for their eaglets to leave the safety of their nests and learn to fly, the momma eagle begins to pull out all of the cushioned particles of the nest to make it prickly and uncomfortable.  Additionally, she will take the eaglets in her grasp, fly high into the air, and then drop the eaglets toward the ground.  Then right before they hit the ground – if they aren’t flying yet – she will swiftly fly underneath and pick them up under her wings.  This routine will be repeated until each little eaglet learns how to safely fly on their own. Wow!

As a leader, have you ever felt like the safety zone of your comfortable nests with people, places, and positions were being made prickly and uncomfortable because it was time for you to take flight into new realms of faith, promise, and purpose in God?  If you have, then like a little eaglet, you know what it feels like when the Lord calls you to leave the safety of the nest and completely trust Him until you learn how to fly in the good future He has planned for you.  And unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how much gifting and talent that you and I may have been given at birth, if we don’t exercise those gifts and talents with faith in God, the Giver of those gifts, we will never learn how to properly fly into the great destiny that God has uniquely planned for each of us as leaders.

In fact, do you know that it is impossible to please God without faith? Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  Furthermore, John 15:5 states, “I [Jesus] am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Therefore, regardless of our talent and gifts from God, it is clear from the Bible that we will never fully step into our true destiny unless we trust the Lord completely with our entire lives and abide in the shelter of His wings. Like eagles, leaders are created to fly; however, leaders of righteousness in God are created to fly in the abiding presence of the Lord as they put their total and complete trust in the shelter of His wings. With a spirit of faith and excellence, lead as an eagle of righteousness in God with a heart like King David expressed toward the Lord in Psalms 61:4 stating, “I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”

The Make It Happen Risk-Taking Value: “Make It Happen” People Take Calculated Risks In The Pursuit Of Excellence!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Talent Plus Copyright 2010, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Talent Plus, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

The Make It Happen Moment ® Simplified Life

October 4, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede The Make It Happen Moment ® , , , , , , 1 Comment

sparrow

Sparrow

Quote: “If you want a simpler life, you must learn to develop a more trusting life!” – Joyce Meyer

Several years ago I was traveling on a commuter express jet with some colleagues to visit the corporate headquarters of one of our company’s corporate business partners when all of a sudden our plane encountered some very turbulent weather.  In a matter of seconds the plane dropped about a thousand feet and then began to violently shake, rattle, and toss around in every forward direction.  Our drinks flew into the air, people began crying, praying, and thinking that we were going to die in a fiery crash.  After about five minutes of magnificent maneuvering through the troubled weather, the pilot was fortunately able to regain a normal and steady flight pattern.  Relieved that we were going to be fine, one of my colleagues turned to a young boy around twelve years of age whom was traveling alone and had been in the bathroom during the mayhem and said, “Boy, I bet this is the worst plane ride you’ve ever been on, huh?”  The young boy looked at him somewhat bewildered and responded, “No man, this is the coolest plane ride I’ve ever been on…I was in the bathroom and flew up so high that my head hit the ceiling…” ☺  So I guess the moral of this true story is that life is not that much about what you experience, but rather how you simply view and respond to what you experience! 

Why is it that different people can experience the same exact bitter lemons of life, but yet some find a way to turn them into a sweet taste of lemonade while others can only taste the bitterness of lemons?  What’s the difference?  Personally, I have found the difference to be in the ability to trust that God is good and that He is in complete control of everything in our lives.  In Romans 8:28, the Bible states, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  If we really believe this promise from God, then no matter what, we can find peace knowing that God has us in the palm of His hands and will not allow us to suffer any circumstance that He cannot turn for our good.  In fact, Matthew 10:29-31 states, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” 

When we learn to trust God to take care of us the same way that He takes care of the sparrows, we will begin to live a more peaceful and simplified life with an eager expectation of what God will do for us and through us each new day.  The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:7 of the New Living Translation, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.”  Imagine that the Maker of the Universe cares so much about you and I that He invites us to cast our burdens on Him.  If we actually learn to do this, there is no reason that we should not wake up each morning saying, “Good morning, Lord!” rather than barely rolling out the bed with a groan and a moan, saying, “Oh Lord, it’s morning!”  With a spirit of wisdom and faith, let us trust Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider, for He cares for us and will never fail us!

The Make It Happen People Value: “Make It Happen” People Possess A Positive Attitude!

Have a blessed “Make It Happen” day!

Edited by The Make It Happen Moment ® Editorial Team

The Make It Happen Moment ® Simplified Life Copyright 2009, The Make It Happen Learning Institute.  You have permission to reprint The Make It Happen Moment ® Simplified Life, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

Related articles

Most High Trust

May 28, 2011

Gary J. Borgstede Faith And Family , , , Leave a comment

Scripture

Psalm 56:11 “In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Observation

In this passage, David wages war against the fear of man by declaring his trust in God Most High. Even though the enemies of David who desired to take his life were many, David knew that his life was completely safe in the hands of Almighty God.  Whenever he became afraid, David would advance directly against his fear by crying out to the Lord and placing his trust in Him.  In the safest place of the Lord’s Most High Trust, David knew that God was for him; therefore, he need not be afraid of anyone who was against him.

Application

At times, when the fear of man unlawfully encroaches upon my life to rob, steal, and kill the destiny that God has planned for me, I will do as David and remember that the name of the Lord is a strong tower I can run to and be safe. With faith and humility, I will place my trust in God and not be afraid of man when doing what God has told me to do in Christ.  Even if others place their trust in chariots and in horses, as David wrote in Psalm 20:7, I will remember the name of the Lord our God.  For all my days, I will praise the Lord with humble courage for His abundant goodness, His saving grace, and His enduring mercy.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I praise You for You are Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner! May Your Banner rule and reign over my life this day and all my days as I place my total trust in You. May Your favor surround me as with a shield as I take steps of faith to walk in the direction of Your good plan for my life. I love You Jesus! Amen!

Most High Trust Copyright 2010, Gary J. Borgstede.  You have permission to reprint the personal devotion, Most High Trust, in its entirety only, and forward to your colleagues and friends, provided the copyright notice remains part of the reprint and transmission.  All other rights reserved.

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