Today's Devotional

Don't Show Your Hand

 

"But you, whenever you do charity giving, let not your left know what your right is doing. So that your charity may be in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you in public."  Matthew 6:4 (ABPE)

 

Attention!!  This will be my last devotion that I send out on this distro list.  I pray that has been a blessing to you all; if you want to keep up with my devotions, please bookmark my blogspot site, until I migrate over to Wordpress!  The link is below, thanks!  I also post inspirational messages on both Facebook and Twitter as I'm led to do.  Again, thank you for all of your support and love.

 

So after this weekend, I realized that many of my problems are self-imposed.  I have a slight case of diarrhea of the mouth, but with good cause.  I share all of the blessings I've received from God with others by witnessing how great He has been to me.  Unfortunately, I've included a great deal of people from my past, many of you that I no longer talk to or desire to be involved with.  When I prayed about this, God lead me to the above scripture which resulted in the revelation of how this applied to me.  In this scripture and as it relates to this subject, your left hand is the past--past ways, behaviors, people, things, etc. that you no longer conform to.  I've changed a great deal in the last three months let alone the last 4 years through the varied life experiences I have had.  My problem is allowing all that to come with me into my new life and the new place that I am going.  Sadly, I like many young Christians (B.I.C. babes in Christ lol, maybe I am a teenager now, lol) get very excited at all the blessings God is showing and working my life and want to tell everybody...including those in the past.  The even sadder truth is that most will not want to see the blessings or miracles that God is working in your life.  In fact, they will even come to resent you or do everything they can to draw you back to that old life.

 

I don't know if you play cards, but I am an avid Spades player, or any card game for that matter.  Its the desire to win, to conquer, that fuels my strategizing and I can say I've won many a game.  I get really competitive about too, almost hating to lose, lol.  One thing I get told by the opposing team from time to time is 'Don't show your hand'.  They say it to try and make me think I've made some fault or slipped up along the way.  And many times I do, not paying attention to where a person reneges (is that even a word or the right spelling??).  But all in all, I usually win.  And its the same here, sometimes we cannot share the blessings God has given us with those from our pasts.  Why?  Simply because if it was meant for that person to share in the blessings alongside us, they would be right there with us.  I'll say it again because I think I need to hear it again, that person, that thing was not meant to share God's glory in our life with us.  I'm noticing that when we do have diarrhea of the mouth, there will be people to get jealous and envious of those blessings, hating you because of God's light that shines through you.  You cannot your past to drag you backwards.  Don't show your past where you are going, because often times what happens is that the past will come fighting to the forefront to take you right back, kicking and screaming or sometimes if you aren't careful, with an all-access pass.

 

Now, I am not telling you to not share your testimony, because the Word tells us to do so!  Its a part of our Commission to bring and share the Gospel--the best way to minister to someone is through your own life.  But use your God-given discernment tool, the Holy Spirit to know who can receive the glory and go on to proliferate it to others!  In this same set of scriptures, Jesus tells us not to tell everyone we are fasting, praying, etc, so I definitely think that extends to having discernment with sharing our testimony with others.  We should keep these things secret sometimes, because its the things that we consecrate to Him that He rewards.  Its when we respond in obedience and share with those that He leads us to that the reward is the greatest.  Everybody will not be happy for you...especially your past!

 

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  Acts 1:8 NIV

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
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