Pastor Lucy Paynter Daily Insights

Today I want to start by stating something that may sound like a cliché, especially for us believers. That everything our God does is for a reason. Everything in His design has its own end. His commands, His deeds… everything that has its origin in God has an object and a reason for being how and where it is. It’s supposed to exhibit something; to tend to something with a higher purpose. His deeds are ordained to answer to His original design for them...

Blessings in whatever nature they come in, are an essential part of our growth as believers. But they’re not just meant to bring us comfort. They’re supposed to lead us towards developing a more intimate relationship with our God. You know, there’re those blessings that come to us even when we have not wished or prayed for them and they’re good...

Our reference story today is from Genesis 13:1-4, so if you can, read that and probably the preceding chapters to get a clear story. In this story, Abraham is coming from Egypt where he had gone, despite the Lord having commanded him earlier to go to Canaan. What had happened is, there had been a famine in Canaan, and Abraham chose to go to Egypt to escape it. The fact is, famine or no famine, he did not bother to consult the same authority that had commanded him to go to Canaan...

Abraham did not consider worth the conflicts that were being bred by their abundant wealth. At the height of his communion with God, he sought after peace. He did not yield to Lot in weakness. He could have fought for his property. He could have stood on its dignity. But he chose to leave it to God because he knew that he could prosper anywhere...

God might fulfill our wildest dreams and we still might fall to the sin Eve fell to. Because as luscious as Eden was, she just couldn’t take her focus away from the one fruit that she couldn’t have. Everything she could have needed was right there but she took it for granted because she looked at it through the lens of deprivation not gratitude. And this is what I want us to talk about today as we continue on the talk about the tests of abundance...

We’re like mustard seeds planted in the Lord’s garden. We have the potential for a magnificent growth. But our growth does not stop when we sprout. There are even greater heights to be conquered. And the same way a plant doesn’t stop digging its roots deeper into the soil that provided the conditions necessary for it to germinate, so should we also not forget that it is the Lord who makes it possible for His people to prosper. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify...

Recalling the past, in Biblical context, is an act of being honest to ourselves and to God in reconciling the past and the present and surrendering them to God. This is why Moses cautioned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 8:14-16 that they should not forget that it was God who brought them out of bondage. That they were once in a wilderness with serpents and scorpions. That they were once without food and water and God provided for them...

I’m going to start by quoting what is called the Law of the Monastic cycle. The law states that “Discipline begets abundance, and abundance, unless we take the utmost care, destroys discipline; and discipline in its fall pulls down abundance.” The truth is, abundance can be blinding and a season of abundance might be the beginning of our downfall if we’re not careful. You know, sometimes we live in lack for so long that when we get a breakthrough, we lose ourselves in the moment...

But when you read Job 1:5, you realize that Job did not stop at his wealth. His spiritual life was as outstanding, as distinguished as his wealth. He was so spiritually sensitive that he constantly worried about how his children were fairing spiritually to the extent of offering sacrifices on their behalf. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/support

You know, there are so many models of imitation all around us. People whose lives look perfect. Whose lifestyles look ideal by world standards. But we need to remember that we answer to a higher power. We subscribe to, and are guided by higher principles. And so when the way of the world in times of plenty is to lean towards sheer folly and indulgence, our faith calls us to gratitude --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor...