PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 30

Luke 8:38-39
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Only one person from the Gerasenes knew exactly what happened in his hometown that day. His biggest miracle came in a boat and left the same day.

He had no idea his life was going to change; he had no idea he would be set free from the legions of demons that had owned him for many years; he had no idea he could ever be a normal person again.

There was only one thing he wanted to do, only one thing he felt he must do and that was to be with Jesus. But more importantly, he became a servant of Jesus. He was willing to do anything Jesus asked.

He was a former demon possessed man and a former tomb dweller and now he was a voice speaking about the power and goodness of Jesus to the people of the Gerasenes. In his own way he became a world changer. He changed the minds of his people and he didn't even have to leave home.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 29

Luke 8:36-37
Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

FEAR will cause us to miss many spiritual blessings. Jesus could have done much for the people of the Gerasenes but they were overcome with fear. He knew that paralyzing fear would be the biggest obstacle to their blessings.

A point to consider is that Jesus mission may not have been to the people of the Gerasenes at this time. He already kept his appointment and accomplished his mission. The demon possessed man was fully clothed and in his right mind and the demons were far away from the region.

Jesus will not force his way into our lives. He is content to let the soil of our hearts be prepared until we are ready to let him in. God's will and purpose will always be done. Sometimes it takes a lifetime but it will be done.

May we not let fear be an obstacle preventing God's blessings in our lives.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 28

Luke 8:34-35
When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

The story of the demon possessed man continues with the pig herders as eye witnesses to a most terrifying encounter. One minute the man was screaming at Jesus and the next moment their pigs started a stampede that ended with them drowned at the bottom of the lake.

The pig herders had no choice but to run from this horrifying scene into the town and countryside telling everyone what they saw. This was beyond their explanation. They had no idea what to expect next.

In an era of no internet and cable news the people had to see for themselves what was going on. To their amazement the most feared man of the whole region was sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind.

This brought fear to the hearts and minds of the people. There was something happening that they could not understand and could not explain.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 27

Luke 8:32-33
A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Questions are often raised when we read these verses. Why would Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs? Some answers are: 'pigs are unclean so it did not matter if they died.
Jews are superior to Gentiles so it is ok to treat them inferior and not respect their beliefs.'

It is always interesting that we often interpret situations through our own perspectives but here is another take on these verses. In a parallel passage, Matthew 8:29, the demons said to Jesus, 'Have you come to torment us before the appointed time?'

The demons know that a time is coming when they will be destroyed and they have a very good idea when that time is. It was obvious to them that this was not the appointed time.

Jesus knew he was going to cast the demons out of this man, he also knew that it would do no good to cast the demons out and into the village as they would be free to enslave other people in the region.

The solution was the herd of pigs, not the pig herders. The power of these demons was shown when the pigs ran straight down the steep bank into the lake.

Jesus not only gave the demon- possessed man back his life but saved the whole village from a legion of roving demons.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 26

Luke 8:30-31
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

It seems that this demon possessed man never had a chance to have even a semi-normal life with all his unwelcomed guests. Legion was the name. The meaning of the word is many or multitude. In Roman times legion could mean 3000 to 6000 soldiers.

Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. It didn't matter how many demons were present. They recognized Jesus authority. They begged and pleaded not to be ordered into the abyss. There is another dimension that exists outside of our physical realm. A dimension that includes demons and evil spirits. This dimension recognizes the authority of Jesus.

What a wonderful privilege it is to have the Holy Spirit of Jesus living in us at all times. If we ever need to deal with evil spirits we know that as long as we are in Jesus we have nothing to fear.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 25

Luke 8:29
For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus was having a spiritual confrontation, one that was between him and the impure spirit. The conclusion to this confrontation was never in any doubt. Jesus, Son of the Most High God is Lord and Master over demonic strongholds and every single evil spirit. He speaks, they obey.

Evil spirits are not created equal. They have different roles, personalities and purposes. This particular impure spirit was interested in being in solitary places. He made sure his host would not be able to live in society. No matter how they chained him or kept him under guard he had the strength to break every chain and seek solitary places.

There is a difference between seeking solitary places and needing solitude. God often times uses our desire for solitude to reveal his Presence to us, bringing calm and peace to our hurried life.

There were nothing peaceful in this man's life. He was being completely controlled by the evil spirit in him. The only salvation he had, the only hope when he had given up, was this unexpected encounter with Jesus.

May we be mindful that the Presence of Jesus in our lives may be the opening to providing the answer that someone may be seeking.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 24

Luke 8:28
When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”

The very presence of Jesus was able to accomplish something that no one or nothing else ever could.         Mr. Tomb-dweller approached Jesus and fell at his feet. Eyewitnesses to the encounter saw a violent, naked man shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran towards Jesus.
They had no idea what to expect from this encounter but they knew something unexpected was about to take place.
'What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?...'
Amazingly, this man knew who Jesus was and the knowledge was personal. He knew Jesus was not backing down from a confrontation.
'I beg you, don't torture me!'
All  Jesus had to do was allow this man to approach him and the battle began. The very presence of Jesus will torture evil spirits.
Believers today have the Holy Presence of Jesus in their hearts. There is unleashed power dwelling in us and all we need to do is let Jesus have his way.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 23

Luke 8:26
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.

After Jesus miraculously calmed the sea and showed his disciples that he was God over the elements of nature he stepped ashore and was met by a demon possessed man.

Jesus had an divine appointment with this man and he was the only one who knew it. This was the day when purpose and destiny were coming to the man living among the tombs of the Gerasenes.

As far as Mr. Tomb-dweller was concerned, the day started like any other day. He had to foraged for his food and he tried to avoid the pig-watchers because he preferred his own company and they were very happy to stay as far away from him as they could.

As far as pig-watchers were concerned, he was the crazy, violent naked man that nobody got close to. But this crazy, violent, naked tomb dweller was about to have an unexpected encounter.

To be continued...

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 22

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord ; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord .

The Psalmist ended his song with these simple words of encouragement. 'Wait on the Lord'. The child of God waits on the Lord every day. We all have prayers that we only share with God. We all have wishes and dreams that only the Lord can see as he looks in our hearts.

Waiting on the Lord is not passive. Jesus told the story of the master who gave talents to three of his servants and left with a promise to return. Two servants invested and made good returns on the talents but one servant decided to bury his talents as they waited for the master to return.

The master was not very happy that his servant wasted his time and talents. Waiting on the Lord is not doing nothing, it is knowing that God is in complete control and we can go about our lives knowing that in the right time, God's time, our prayers will be answered.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 21

Psalm 27:13
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

When our trust is in God we are always optimistic about the future no matter what our current situations may be.

Like the Psalmist records, we remain confident that we will see the goodness of the Lord as we remain alive.

May we be encouraged to be people of optimism even when there are not too many things around us to be happy about.

Grumblers, chronic complainers and people with critical spirits do not have many friends because people are usually drawn to happy, cheerful optimistic personalities.

Faith in God makes permanent optimists  out of us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 20

Psalm 27:12
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.

One way to deal with our foes is to leave the situation completely in God's hands. He can even thwart the desires of our foes to harm us.

We are living in a world that can be hostile to the followers of Christ and our enemies can use many tactics against us including lies and malicious twisting of the truth.

We must always keep in mind the promises of God to never leave or forsake us even in situations that are less than ideal.

Love conquers a multitude of transgressions and by not retaliating when we are being targeted we are leaving the situations in God's hands.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 19

Psalm 27:11
Teach me your way, Lord ; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

As we go through the ups and downs of life and the winding paths for our feet we may encounter many teachers along our journey.

No matter how logical and rational they may sound we always need to hold them up to the Lord's way.

The Lord's way is the straight line that is used to measure every teaching we hear. If they do not line up we always defer to God's way.

May these words be our sincere prayer: Teach us your way Lord.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 18

Psalm 27:10
Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

Sometimes the human experience leads us down some dark and dreary roads. We deal with loss, heartbreak, abandonment, abuse, sorrow, pain, grief, divorce, betrayal and the list goes on.

The words in Scriptures echo in our souls when we need it most, ' He knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust; there is no temptation that has overtaken you except what is common to man; I will never leave you or forsake you...' But the pain we feel may drown out the compassion and love of our Heavenly Father.

May we be reminded that our situations, no matter how dire, are all only temporary. If we can hold on through the trials and the loneliness of rejection, even the rejection of our fathers and mothers, the Lord stands with open arms to welcome and receive us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 17

Psalm 27:9
Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.

There are times when God may feel far away from us. We feel that we are just going through the motions in our spiritual walk.  We read our Bibles, attend religious services, pray and still feel that God has turned his back on us.

These are the times when we must exercise our faith. We must hold on to the principle that states, 'God will never leave or forsake us; nothing can separate us from his love'

In the past our sin of unbelief had separated us from God but when we accepted Jesus sacrifice as our redemption, God made us his own and will never reject us again.

So when there seems to be a veil between us and our loving Father let us pray for our eyes to be opened to his grace and love.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 16

Psalm 27:8
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord , I will seek.

There is a longing in the heart of every human to be connected to the source of life. It always amazes me to see how a tiny newborn baby will cling to life. Once life is within our grasp we will not let it go.

When we listen to the cry of our heart it takes us back to our creator. He may be hidden from our physical eyes but he is everywhere; we can feel his presence all around us and for the child of God, he lives in us.

Sometimes life is not going the way we want it to and we fall into despair. Our hearts long for something or someone to make it better. This is when we must listen and seek the 'face of the Lord'. A personal God whom we can relate to in a personal way. Not just a force but a God with a face.

May we pause for a moment and seek God's face today.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 15

Psalm 27:7
Hear my voice when I call, Lord ; be merciful to me and answer me.

There is such a profound truth in the simple prayer of asking God for his mercy.  We must first realize that we have fallen short of doing the right thing; we have been walking in our own sinful path; we have broken God's laws and decrees and we know we deserve to be punished. This is when we humbly ask for his mercy.

Jesus told the parable of the proud Pharisee and the humble tax collector in Luke 18. They were both in the temple to pray. The Pharisee was confident that he had no faults and he proceeded to tell God how really good he was. He looked at the tax collector beside him and thanked God that he was not like the sinful tax collector.

The tax collector was so overcomed by his sinful condition that he would not even lift his head upward but he bowed and beat his chest pleading with God to be merciful to him because he was a sinner.

Listen to Jesus' words in Luke 18:15, ' I tell you that this man (the tax collector) went home justified before God.'

May we always be humble before GOD as we ask for his mercy.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 14

Psalm 27:6
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord .

One of the benefits to being a child of God is the security and confidence HE gives us. We serve the sovereign GOD of the universe who sees and knows everything. He knows all the secrets to all the mysteries of the universe. Impossible does not exist in the realm of our GOD.

Time and time again we read of the destruction of cities and armies and know that only God could have caused it.

Walking around a wall for 7 days and making it fall when the people gave a loud shout. Who could have predicted that?

The army of the Midianites destroyed themselves when God put great fear in their hearts and they turned on each other. How did that happen?

The prophet of God prayed and the Samaritan army became blind.

The God we serve is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knows how to exalt his children above their enemies.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 13

Psalm 27:5
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

There is a win-win for us in having a relationship and being in fellowship with our God and Savior. When we dwell in his presence and seek to please HIM continually because we love, appreciate and adore him, HE keeps us safe, protected and cared for all the days of our lives.

There are no storms so big that do not yield to 'Peace, be still'; there are no medical diagnoses that do not recognize the 'Great Physician'; there are no sorrows, griefs or heartaches that cannot be washed away in the flow of his unchanging love.

No insurance policy is needed when we have the assurance of our GOD that HE will keep us safe, HE will shelter us and HE will set us on the highest rock where the storms can never destroy us.

May we pause for a moment and praise our GOD for being our PROTECTOR!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 12

Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask from the Lord , this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

One characteristic of a beautiful love relationship is the desire to continually be in the presence of our loved ones. Even when we are apart we remember conversations, expressions and little things about him or her that make us smile and long for their companionship.

We call this endearing feeling, 'being in love' and when we have experienced this it becomes a most treasured memory. The one thing we must guard against is losing this beautiful feeling by taking our loved ones for granted and forgetting the joy of their presence.

May we always hold on to the joy of our Lord's presence and never take for granted the relationship we have with him. May we keep 'falling in love' with him over and over again.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 11

Psalm 27:3
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

Confidence is defined as 'firm trust' and it can be a synonym for 'faith' as faith defined in Hebrews 11:1 'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see'.

The psalmist so trust God that he is not afraid of a besieging army or even a full-scale war because he knew his GOD.

This kind of confidence, faith and trust must be developed. It doesn't just happen. It is like a growing tree.  The roots must dig deep in order to sustain the tree through the droughts and the storms.

Confidence, faith and trust in GOD must be core values of the believer, growing in our hearts from the first day we believed.

May God grant us the confidence, faith and trust that He wants us to have in HIM.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 10

When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.
Psalm 27:2

There are limitless benefits in making GOD our fortress. He fights our battles and he reminds us that the battles are his. One of the hardest things for us humans to do is to 'be still' and watch God destroy the enemies that come against us and demolish the strongholds of the devil.

When we see people wronged, our loved ones hurt, senseless violence we often react in anger and want to take matters into our own hands and exact our own revenge but we are reminded that, 'vengeance belongs to the Lord'. He wil fight the battles and he will always be victorious. We will see the justice of our GOD!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 9

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?

Stronghold is defined as a place that is fortified against attacks. So, when the Psalmist refers to God as the stronghold of his life it brings to mind safety and security. God, as the stronghold of our lives, remove the need for fear, worry and anxiety.

Who on this earth can ever fight against God and win? The Roman seal on the  tomb was no match for Jesus as he triumphantly broke out of the grave. The guards fell like dead men.

The fire that was heated seven times hotter to instantly kill Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not even singe their hair as God intervened and kept them company.

The demons declared, 'Jesus, we know, ...' Acts 19:15. May we never forget that THE LORD is the stronghold of our lives. There is absolutely no need for fear.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 8

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

Why is salvation so important to us humans? Firstly, we cannot save ourselves. If we were able to save ourselves we would not need salvation, we would be as a 'god' without needing  the help of anyone else.

Secondly, needing salvation implies vulnerability. It shows that we have limitations and that we are not in the 'god' category.

Thirdly, salvation must come from someone higher, mightier, and more powerful than we are. Someone who deserves our worship and adoration. We can serve and worship the LORD of our salvation.

May we always seek salvation from our GOD!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 7

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

In Genesis chapter 1 we first read about God's light. 'And God said, let there be light and there was light'. The verses before spoke about darkness being over the whole earth. God's words and his presence brought light to the dark earth.

The Psalmist in our verse in Psalm 27 makes God's light personal for his children. If God is our light we can never be in darkness. John spoke about Jesus coming into our world by saying, 'In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'John 1:4-‬5

There is no reason for God's children to ever be in darkness.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 6

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

This verse can serve as the anthem for the child of God.  These words contain  the foundation of freedom from fear. For when it seems like the whole world has gone crazy, fear is the natural response.

Fear grips our hearts when we hear of terror attacks, public transportation stabbings, threats and violence in the workplace, shootings and on and on. How do we stop this fear from paralyzing us?

When the Lord is our light and our salvation, whom shall we fear? The answer is NO ONE. Our God is so big, so strong, so mighty - there is NOTHING that he cannot do. No one can stand up against HIM.

Let us pause for a moment and think about how GREAT our GOD truly is!

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 5

2 Peter1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

God does not leave us to figure everything out on our own. He gives us all the instructions and directions that we need. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He gave us a new spiritual nature when we were made alive in our second birth. As children of God we are most privileged!

We have it all because of his love for us!

May we pause for a moment today to thank him for all he has given us.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 4

Psalm 100:5
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

When we enter into a relationship with our Father we rest secure in his faithfulness and his goodness forever. It is a growing, dynamic relationship as we learn daily what pleases him. We trust and obey him seeking always to keep the relationship honest and not hide our sins and weaknesses from him. He will never condemn us for being human and he provided the way for us to always be reconciled to him.

We are always secure in our Father's love!

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 3

Matthew 6:3-4
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Jesus had very revolutionary teachings for his time. The Pharisees would always make sure the common folks saw and knew what they were giving. They exhibited their status and outwardly compared themselves to others in regards to their righteousness and their riches.

Jesus showed the people the type of giving that was acceptable to the Father. 'Do not display your giving so that you are seen by others. Let it be between you and the Father'. The Father knows and sees everything. He knows the motivations of the heart; It is never about the amount; it is always about the heart.

May we learn and practice the teachings of Jesus.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 2

Psalms 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

A favorite verse of mine from the Psalmist states that God knows our human frame and he remembers that we are dust. Our great, magnificient, awesome, infinite Creator knows us inside out, our every thought, our every motive, our every sin and yet loves, forgives and accepts us.

He sees our struggles and he wants us to come boldly to him and have an honest conversation with him, telling him exactly what we are feeling, how much we are struggling and ask him for his help when we need it most.

He does not turn away from our tears, he does not yell curses and condemnation at us as we humbly bow before him. He takes pity on us, he lifts us up in his arms like a gentle Shepherd holding his hurting lamb and he tells us, 'I have all the grace that you need, I will strengthen your heart, I will give you rest unto your very soul, my power overcomes your weakness, be at peace in me'

May we always lay our burdens at the feet of our merciful God.

PAUSE FOR A MOMENT - June 1

1John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

It is human nature to feel fear and insecurity. The first temptation recorded in the Scriptures started with doubt. We doubt when we are not really certain. When the serpent asked Eve, 'has God said?' It made her paused, then doubt stepped in and fear that she was missing out on something good - maybe she misunderstood what God really meant? This is what doubt does to us. It causes fear.

The antidote to doubt and fear is love and trust. When we love completely, we also trust. When we trust, our faith becomes stronger; doubt and fear cannot exist when love is perfect and complete.

May we truly seek to know the God we serve, love him completely and perfectly, banishing doubt, unbelief and fear from our thoughts, confidently knowing that he loves us more than we can even imagine.