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Why God tells us to Remember

All throughout the Old Testament God sends reminders to the people of Israel to help them remember who He is, who they are and all that He has done for them! He would tell them to take stones from the Jordan or build an altar, they would even change the name of different mountains, valleys and cities to always remember what God had done there. Often this wasn’t only to help them remember but also in order to teach to their children and their children’s children to remember all that God had done. I love the richness of this and I think we can learn a lot from these practices of old.

How many times do you and I face difficult situations and those difficulties lead us to a place of anxiety and fear. Too often we may even know what to do but we just get stuck. We forget who our God is, we forget who we are and all that God has already brought us through! It’s in these times that we need to remember! Remember it was God who saw Joseph through both slavery and prison. Remember it was God who delivered the Israelites from Egypt, who parted the Red Sea for them and destroyed pharaoh and all their enemies. Remember it was God who delivered David from Saul and Daniel from the lions den. Remember it was God who provided Elijah with miracle after miracle right when he needed it! Remember it was God who rescued the Hebrew three from the fire and Peter both on the water and in the jail. Remember it was God who healed the blindness from Bartimaeus’ eyes and raised Lazarus from the dead!

In whatever season of life we may be in, whatever we may currently be facing we need to remember that Jesus Christ rose from the grave and the same power that rose him from the dead now dwells in us! We need to personally remember all that God has done for us over the years, his faithfulness, his kindness and how he’s ALWAYS been on time! We need to remember His promises in Scripture, the prophetic words spoken over our lives and the truth’s He’s whispered to our hearts. We need to remember, so when the enemy comes and lies to us we can look him in the face and rejoice because we REMEMBER that our God is with us, for us and faithful to see us through!

Be encouraged today as you remember…

~John

“And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Joshua 4:20-24

PS Pass this message along, share it with a friend, remind those who you know are going through a difficult time and make sure to teach these things to your children! And always remember that the Lord is good and He is always faithful!

(I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/ )

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Are You Listening?

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus says that, “Man does not live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Here Jesus is giving us insight as to how we’re called to live. Life is not merely about eating, drinking and being merry rather there is more to life! We’re called to live not just for the natural things of life, we’re called to live for a supernatural purpose. That word “super” simply means “above” so we’re called to live our lives above just the natural things. So if food is a natural source of strength and something we so often work for and pay sometimes a great amount of money for, then God’s words are our food and our source of strength in life and ought to be sought after regularly. See we are called to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. His words are spirit, they are life, He speaks through His written word and He speaks to our hearts through His Spirit and we are called to live by these words! Jesus said it again in John 4:34 like this, “My food is to do the will of He who sent me.”

God brings life, strength and encouragement to us through His word and He also gives us purpose and direction! He reveals to us the path of life in His presence! He shows us what we’re to do and why we’re here, along with also filling us with joy and peace. So, to bring encouragement to your hearts today I thought I would share some of what the Father has been speaking to me lately:

  • Be encouraged even when you don’t see my hand moving, be encouraged even when you don’t feel like you are doing anything for me and be encouraged when you question where you think you should be, just trust me.
  • I am with you and I am working all this (yes, even this) for your good!
  • I love you with an everlasting love and I am working behind the scenes to make wrong things right! Yes the money of the wicked will be laid up for the righteous, yes the wrong things will be made right. Continue to walk closely with me and you will see all things things take place.
  • Too many are distracted by their surroundings and the negative things in their lives but lo, I am at work in secret even behind the things that you can see. Behold you cannot see this great work but I promise you it will come to pass and it will happen soon. Continue to wait on me.
  • Don’t focus on the negative things you see, for I’ve called you to live by faith, set your eyes on me and rejoice in knowing that I am at work in the earth today.
  • Believe me for MORE!
  • Keep coming back to me, keep praying and believing for there is great power in prayer and I am calling you to a deeper place in prayer, I am calling you to get ready for the things that I am going to do in the earth, pray!
  • Rest in my love for you, do not worry about all these things, simply rest, seek me first and often and I will keep you in perfect peace.

I share these things with you as you most likely can identify with some or all of what God is speaking to me, simply because we are His Church and the Spirit of the Lord is often saying the same thing to different members of the body. For there is one body and there is one Spirit. I share these words in hopes that they will speak to you and encourage you to spend time listening to the words that proceed from the mouth of God this week. He loves you and yes he is speaking, are you listening?

 

(Other Scriptures Referenced: John 6:63, Psalm 16:11, Ephesians 4:4)

 

I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/

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Are you really connected or have you bought a lie?

In a world that advertises it’s so connected through technology and social media I would argue that we have never been so unconnected before! Sure innovation has given us some amazing capabilities and brought some pretty sweet new tech but it has also stolen so much from us and we’ve allowed it to! How many lives have been taken because drivers are busy texting and not paying attention to the road? How many marriages have ended in divorce because of feeling unloved, not valued or not paid attention to? It starts with something small but it builds and builds until they become non responsive. Think about it, how many times does your wife have to call your name when you’re watching a football game or how many times did your wife not hear what you were saying because she was focused looking at her phone? How often have your kids not listened because they were on their devices (and have you’re kids learned this from you)? The problem is real! Sure we can easily point the blame but the problem isn’t the new technology, the problem stems from the human heart. It’s so easy for us to get distracted, forget what’s most important in life and cruise on autopilot living life but really just going through the motions…

Don’t settle with going through the motions, don’t live life half heartedly – not really present in the moment, for that is no kind of life at all! Too many have believed the lie that, “I’m multitasking” or “I’m getting more done!” Are you? Are you really? When’s the last time you REALLY connected in conversation with another soul? (It doesn’t happen when our minds are on other things).

I’ve done it before, in person and on the phone. There’s times I’ve had to ask friends and family members to repeat themselves because I wasn’t really listening the first time (I was too busy being distracted and often times those distractions were trivial and meaningless). And so I ask, “Are you trading the most meaningful things in life with those that are meaningless?” May I challenge you today to put your phone down, shut the TV off, stop daydreaming and really listen and engage with the people close to you today. People know when they’re getting your full attention and they know when they’re not! Life is too short to waste, so don’t waste it being busy and please don’t waste it by not really being present around those who desperately need you to be present!

It’s what the Apostle Paul talked about, we can do a whole lot of great things in life but if we don’t have love we have nothing! There is a more excellent way and it is the way of love! I feel most loved by people who listen to me, you know what I mean, people who know you, listen to you and love you! These people are gems! They’ve nailed one of the greatest commandments, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” They’ve discovered that life is all about relationships (especially with those right in front of you)!

A quote that often comes to mind is this, “Wherever you are, be there!” I believe this is true worship! When I read scriptures like “Whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God” or “Whatever you do or say, do it ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus” it confirms it! Jesus said the greatest commandment was to “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength!” Do you see what God is saying to us in all these verses? There is a more excellent way, it is the way of love and love listens, love engages, love responds, in whatever love does it gives everything it has, it uses ALL of the heart! And so I challenge you today, wherever you are be there! Whatever you have to do, do it (with ALL your heart)! For when we begin to make this our daily practice we begin to experience ALL that God has intended for us. Let’s experience ALL that God has for us, let’s fully enjoy our closest relationships, let’s use ALL our heart, let’s be, “All in!”

Blessings,

John

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

(Scriptures referenced: 1 Corinthians 10:31, 13:1-8, Colossians 3:17, Mark 12:30-31)

For more on this topic click here to watch a short video.

 

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/

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The Hour At Hand

This is what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to the Church in this hour: “Don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.” Hebrews 10:35-37

We are living in very exciting times right now, the season that we are going into is going to be filled with joy and promise! Seriously filled! God’s presence is going to be greatly felt in the earth, an awakening is coming (even now I can sense His presence in powerful ways)! So, don’t give up or grow weary, you’re too close now! Great reward is coming for those who believe! Great favor is being poured out upon God’s children all over the world, receive it now by faith! Although the trials have been great and many they have produced things needed for the journey ahead. God is producing great endurance in the hearts of His children and as we endure we receive the promise!

Pray with me, “God, even now I say yes to you and all that you desire to do in me and in the earth today. Come Holy Spirit, fill me and send me where you desire, use me for your glory! Thank you for producing in me things needed for the journey, and now by faith I say yes to joy and promise! Surround me with favor as a shield, fill me with joy and laughter, let these things abound in me, my family and the Church! Come with promise Lord, all that you’ve promised and more! Let it be exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think in Jesus name, amen!”

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Guard Your Heart

You must guard your heart from becoming cold, cynical & jaded. This can be a very difficult thing to do especially in a world full cynics (see what I did there). It’s harder than you and I may think! In Matthew 24:12 Jesus said, “Because sin shall abound, the love of many will grow cold.” As you watch the news or read what people share on social media you can see the evidence of this. Sin is everywhere you turn and because of sin many have become offended and put up walls around their hearts. Many people have stopped loving others because of this and it’s caused very negative effects in the world today.

So how can we guard our hearts from the subtle lies the enemy attempts to whisper in our ears on a regular basis? Well, it’s impossible without God! If we’re left to our own effort we will miserably fail, we need the love of God to keep us! And although this has everything to do with God it also has a lot to do with us in that we are responsible for the thoughts that we think. We have to partner with God and think upon His love regularly. If you regularly think upon God’s love towards you – this will help you have love in your heart towards God, others & yourself. And this is so important! Proverbs 4:23 says, ”Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” EVERYTHING we do flows from our hearts. This is why it is so important to keep ourselves in the love of God, to regularly think upon His goodness and love towards us, less we become ensnared by the cares of this world and our hearts become cold and cynical.

So, be encouraged! Forget the negativity around you today and choose to dwell on God’s love for you and His love for the people around you. As you keep your heart in the love of God it will effect more than just you, it will effect your closest relationship in deep and powerful ways, it will effect your coworkers and even strangers that you encounter throughout your day. It matters more than you think, so guard your heart and think upon God’s great love for you today!

Blessings,

John

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t share with you the regular encouragement I send out each week. If you would like to be encouraged regularly then subscribe to receive my devotionals via email @ http://www.johnsilkauskasministries.com/about/