Today's Bible Reading For Sunday 28 February 10:
Deuteronomy 3
Deuteronomy 4
Thought For Today “Lord Do It For Me”
Deuteronomy 3:21-22
21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest.
22 Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God He shall fight for you.
This morning I wish by God’s grace to share and to show from these verses what God says He will do for us if we don’t get in His way or hinder His Perfect Plan for our complete victory!
The first lesson God taught the children of Isreal upon their entering the Promised Land was to utilize the REARVIEW MIRROR. Our cars are fortunate to have many mirrors that help on our journey to wherever we may be going. From time to time we use the rearview mirror to see what’s behind us and to see how far we have traveled. Yes, in life God wants us to REFLECT back on His goodness and see how far we’ve come from where we were. It’s important to note that God was moving and working when we weren’t aware that He was. This is why He says, THINE EYES have seen all that the Lord hath done.
The day we cease to worry about HOW God chooses to work and which ROUTE He is taking, is the same day peace like a river will flood our souls. Verse 21 places emphasis on what God did to the two kings. As I’ve said many times before, God specializes in working behind the scenes for our good. When we pray to God, the Holy Spirit in us is developing a spirit of prayer that forms a relationship with God not based on getting “that” prayer answered only, but because we sense our deep need and dependence on Him. God simply wants us face our fears, detail it to Him so that the stress and pressure that’s on our hearts and minds, now becomes His concern. Please read Psalms 55:22.
When we unload on God through meaningful prayer, God looks in the past, present, and future of each life so as to make His Providence work for us. We tend to forget that we haven’t consulted God like we should nor asked Him to direct our paths. We did it our way only to discover the pain and heartache it created. Being Spiritual is very important because it shows that we are in a relationship with God based on a love covenant. We’re used to talking to Him about EVERYTHING, not just problems only. To get to this point, the Holy Spirit uses what’s hurting us and causing pain and problems to drive us to God through MEANINGFUL PRAYER! We don’t know what to do, what to say, how to handle it, or even how to act. What we’re going through isn’t as important as what God is trying to do IN US and FOR US. The latter part of verse 21 says what God plans to do in the future in our behalf.
Verse 22 outlines God’s paradigm for our success if we follow Him and follow it. God is keenly aware of ALL circumstances in our lives and how we got in them. He knows we have made bad decisions that has our backs up against the wall spiritually, emotionally, financially, physically, and whatever else. So, when He says He will fight for us, what is He really saying?
We must bear in mind that God works behind the scene to DO and UNDO that which is tangled up, messed up, and need fixing. God uses our prayers to detail HOW and WHEN His next move will be. Remember, He said, ye have not because ye ask not, James 4:2. God is moved when we are moved to seek Him, period! Look at the woman with the issue of blood, who had prayed and did ALL she could possibly do to get well. Out of all the people around Jesus, why did He single her out by saying, not someone, but “SOMEBODY” touched me. How did Jesus FIGHT for this woman whose situation was laid out in detail before Him?
The woman in this Bible narrative refused to give up because her situation looked bleak and hopeless. Please understand me right here. God could have spoke a WORD to clear up her issue. Why did He allow her to go through such pain and humiliation, knowing full well what she needed. Had the woman NOT gone through that experience, we wouldn’t be in position to draw strength from her testimony. How did Jesus fight for her? He swayed the crowd in her direction because He knew she was trying to reach Him but couldn’t because of the anxious crowd. All the while surrounded by others who “touched Him”, but did NOT get their breakthrough. The ability to believe God BEYOND the present circumstances however tangled they may be, positions the Lord to take my faith, then add His Power and Provisions to it.
Watch this saints of God! Jesus knew what she was going to do before she did it. When the crowd STANDS between you and your breakthrough, humble yourself by getting low as you possible can because He‘s moving in your direction. She humbled herself before Him and got what she needed. Jesus exalted her and rewarded her DETERMINED faith to not stop until Jesus worked it out. I can hear he saying, you guys may block my access to Him, but you can’t stop my faith from touching Him or Hem!
If you’ve got the FAITH, God’s got the POWER to make it happen!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Breaking New Ground
Today's Bible Reading For Saturday 27 February 10:
Deuteronomy 1
Deuteronomy 2
Thought For Today “Breaking New Ground”
Deuteronomy 1:5-8
This morning my heart is rejoicing after reading these verses and eventually the whole of the two Chapters for today. It’s important to understand that all the children of Isreal had gone through, God was above them in a pillow of cloud by day and a pillow of fire by night. Ever mindful of their sinful ways and attitudes that blocked their blessings, He still made a way out of no way. God had a destination in mind for His people and was determined for them to get there.
Regardless of the circumstances and situations you’re facing right now, God is bigger than they are. Throughout all their wilderness wanderings, God glorified His name wherever they went. As is the case in these verses, God is ready for His people to Break New Ground. Watch this! An eleven days’ journey took them forty years to complete! Verse 6 says, “The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount”.
A move of God takes place in your life because He is stirring His next move in your spirit that’s leading you to your destiny. When God sees you’ve had enough and you have been in the storm too long, He rises to the occasion and speaks to your circumstances. The prepares Himself to move you closer to the Promised Land. When He recognizes that you have learned from your trials, benefited from your haters, and are humble enough to handle the Glory that’s about to elevate your story to New Ground will He rise up and say, you’ve been in this mountain area too long, it’s time to make a move.
Verse 7 says, He directs them through various mountains, hills, and plains, why? To them, it didn’t look like much of a place to celebrate or get your praise on! You see, the mountains were there to shield them from their detractors who were on the other side and couldn’t get to them. Sometimes in life, God has to “box us in” in order to shield us from those who would hinder our Next Move. Always remember that God is a step ahead of where He’s taking you. He has done the “dirty work”, so we won’t have to do it. The key here is to NOT move until God gives you marching orders.
How do you know when God is saying it’s time to move to new ground? God begins to stir in your soul dreams and visions about where He’s taking you. You feel the need for change! You start seeing yourself in better situations BEFORE you get there. It’s when you start visualizing new beginnings and better opportunities to advance your is stirring on the inside of your heart. It is at this moment God has already gone ahead of your dreams to make them into realities. This is not the time to move in FEAR but in FAITH. Don’t wait for everything to be clear and obvious before you move towards your destiny, that’s why the He sent you by way of the mountains so He could shield and shape you for the next move.
Then God says to us in verse 8, Behold, I have SET the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers….
Praise be to God that He positions us to have it BEFORE we possess it. The “driving out” of who or what may be there when you arrive is NOT your responsibility. God simply says, Possess The Land, it’s your now! When God says move it is time to move. So many times we worry about details that’s squarely in the hands of God to work out. You should know that God specializes in working BEHIND the scenes for us so we won’t take the glory or credit for His doings in our lives. Why do you think when you went go to purchase that car knowing your credit was “sho nuff” jacked up, and the dealer said give him a few minutes and he’ll get back with you. At that moment, God invades the mind and hearts of people and moves them to bless us when we need it the most. Our prayers positions God to work FOR US, but through those who hold the keys to our breakthrough. If you got it all figured out, then God wasn’t in the planning!
When God tells you and me to go in and possess the land, your bags should have been packed and a change of address should have been forwarded to your New Ground. Don’t wait to see it, get to stepping this morning and watch God makes it happen! Faith in His ability enables you to have it before you possess it. We walk by faith and not by sight. God will always give you as far as you can see.
If you can see it, then certainly you can have it!
Deuteronomy 1
Deuteronomy 2
Thought For Today “Breaking New Ground”
Deuteronomy 1:5-8
This morning my heart is rejoicing after reading these verses and eventually the whole of the two Chapters for today. It’s important to understand that all the children of Isreal had gone through, God was above them in a pillow of cloud by day and a pillow of fire by night. Ever mindful of their sinful ways and attitudes that blocked their blessings, He still made a way out of no way. God had a destination in mind for His people and was determined for them to get there.
Regardless of the circumstances and situations you’re facing right now, God is bigger than they are. Throughout all their wilderness wanderings, God glorified His name wherever they went. As is the case in these verses, God is ready for His people to Break New Ground. Watch this! An eleven days’ journey took them forty years to complete! Verse 6 says, “The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount”.
A move of God takes place in your life because He is stirring His next move in your spirit that’s leading you to your destiny. When God sees you’ve had enough and you have been in the storm too long, He rises to the occasion and speaks to your circumstances. The prepares Himself to move you closer to the Promised Land. When He recognizes that you have learned from your trials, benefited from your haters, and are humble enough to handle the Glory that’s about to elevate your story to New Ground will He rise up and say, you’ve been in this mountain area too long, it’s time to make a move.
Verse 7 says, He directs them through various mountains, hills, and plains, why? To them, it didn’t look like much of a place to celebrate or get your praise on! You see, the mountains were there to shield them from their detractors who were on the other side and couldn’t get to them. Sometimes in life, God has to “box us in” in order to shield us from those who would hinder our Next Move. Always remember that God is a step ahead of where He’s taking you. He has done the “dirty work”, so we won’t have to do it. The key here is to NOT move until God gives you marching orders.
How do you know when God is saying it’s time to move to new ground? God begins to stir in your soul dreams and visions about where He’s taking you. You feel the need for change! You start seeing yourself in better situations BEFORE you get there. It’s when you start visualizing new beginnings and better opportunities to advance your is stirring on the inside of your heart. It is at this moment God has already gone ahead of your dreams to make them into realities. This is not the time to move in FEAR but in FAITH. Don’t wait for everything to be clear and obvious before you move towards your destiny, that’s why the He sent you by way of the mountains so He could shield and shape you for the next move.
Then God says to us in verse 8, Behold, I have SET the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers….
Praise be to God that He positions us to have it BEFORE we possess it. The “driving out” of who or what may be there when you arrive is NOT your responsibility. God simply says, Possess The Land, it’s your now! When God says move it is time to move. So many times we worry about details that’s squarely in the hands of God to work out. You should know that God specializes in working BEHIND the scenes for us so we won’t take the glory or credit for His doings in our lives. Why do you think when you went go to purchase that car knowing your credit was “sho nuff” jacked up, and the dealer said give him a few minutes and he’ll get back with you. At that moment, God invades the mind and hearts of people and moves them to bless us when we need it the most. Our prayers positions God to work FOR US, but through those who hold the keys to our breakthrough. If you got it all figured out, then God wasn’t in the planning!
When God tells you and me to go in and possess the land, your bags should have been packed and a change of address should have been forwarded to your New Ground. Don’t wait to see it, get to stepping this morning and watch God makes it happen! Faith in His ability enables you to have it before you possess it. We walk by faith and not by sight. God will always give you as far as you can see.
If you can see it, then certainly you can have it!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Helpless But Not Hopeless
Today's Bible Reading For Friday 26 February 10:
Numbers 35
Numbers 36
Thought For Today “Cities Of Refuge”
Numbers 35:1-34
IN the early history of the world, provision was made for the punishment of the murderer. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," was the decree of Jehovah. (Gen. 9:6)
The one nearest of kin to the murdered man, usually executed the murderer; but lest in the excitement of the occasion undue haste should be exercised and individuals be slain who did not deserve death, God made provision that the murderer might flee and lay hold upon His altar. None could be taken from the altar without an examination, and if it was found that the murderer had presumptuously planned to kill the man, then he was taken from the altar and slain; otherwise his life was spared. (Ex. 21:13,14)
After the children of Israel entered the promised land, six cities were set apart as cities of refuge. These were conveniently located, three on each side of the river Jordan. (Joshua 20:2,7,8) The roads leading to these cities were always to be kept in good repair, that the one fleeing before the avenger of blood might not be hindered in his flight. (Duet. 19:3) The cities were on elevated ground, and could be seen at a distance.
When the murderer reached the gate of the city of refuge, he declared "his cause in the ears of the eiders of that city," before he was given a place within. (Joshua 20:3-6) His case was also tried by the judges of the city near where the murder was committed, and if it was not a premeditated murder, but the deed had been done accidentally or unintentionally, then the guilty man was restored again to the city of refuge whither he had fled. (Num. 35:12,24,25)
The Saviour refers to this judgment in Matt. 5:21. If at any time the slayer passed outside of the limit of his city of refuge, his life could be taken by the avenger of blood, "because he should have remained in the city of his refuge." (Num. 35:26-27) The decree was, "He shall dwell in that city, . . . until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days:then shall the slayer return . . . unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled." (Joshua 20:6)
The cities of refuge served as a protection for only those who had slain a person without enmity. The cities of refuge were cities belonging to the Levites, thus those confined within were under the best influence. They were associated with the religious teachers of Israel, and had every opportunity to reform their lives and establish righteous characters.
The instruction in regard to the cities of refuge was but a part of the great system of Levitical laws and ceremonies which taught the simple truths of the gospel of Christ.
Every time an Israelite looked upon one of the cities of refuge, God designed he should be reminded of Christ, the "tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion," (Micah 4:8) to whom every sin-burdened soul could flee for shelter.
Satan, the accuser, is upon the track of every one; he as "a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) But the person who forsakes sin and seeks righteousness stands securely sheltered by the atoning blood of Christ. (Ex. 12:13; 1 John 1:7-9)
Solomon, who was beset by temptations and sin, understood this when he wrote, "The name of the Lord is a STRONG TOWER, the righteous runneth into it and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) David knew what it was to dwell in the antitypical city of refuge when he said: "I will say of the Lord, He is my REFUGE and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust." (Ps. 91:2)
There could be no delay in seeking a city of refuge. As soon as the murder was committed, the murderer must flee at once; no family ties could hold him; his life depended upon his speedy flight to the city. O that all might learn the lesson, and instead of delaying and trying to quiet our accusing conscience, when we know we have sinned, flee at once to Christ, confess our sins, and dwell in the refuge Christ has prepared. He has made ample provision that all may "have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." (Heb. 6:18)
Thanks be to God! There’s help and hope for the helpless.
Numbers 35
Numbers 36
Thought For Today “Cities Of Refuge”
Numbers 35:1-34
IN the early history of the world, provision was made for the punishment of the murderer. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed," was the decree of Jehovah. (Gen. 9:6)
The one nearest of kin to the murdered man, usually executed the murderer; but lest in the excitement of the occasion undue haste should be exercised and individuals be slain who did not deserve death, God made provision that the murderer might flee and lay hold upon His altar. None could be taken from the altar without an examination, and if it was found that the murderer had presumptuously planned to kill the man, then he was taken from the altar and slain; otherwise his life was spared. (Ex. 21:13,14)
After the children of Israel entered the promised land, six cities were set apart as cities of refuge. These were conveniently located, three on each side of the river Jordan. (Joshua 20:2,7,8) The roads leading to these cities were always to be kept in good repair, that the one fleeing before the avenger of blood might not be hindered in his flight. (Duet. 19:3) The cities were on elevated ground, and could be seen at a distance.
When the murderer reached the gate of the city of refuge, he declared "his cause in the ears of the eiders of that city," before he was given a place within. (Joshua 20:3-6) His case was also tried by the judges of the city near where the murder was committed, and if it was not a premeditated murder, but the deed had been done accidentally or unintentionally, then the guilty man was restored again to the city of refuge whither he had fled. (Num. 35:12,24,25)
The Saviour refers to this judgment in Matt. 5:21. If at any time the slayer passed outside of the limit of his city of refuge, his life could be taken by the avenger of blood, "because he should have remained in the city of his refuge." (Num. 35:26-27) The decree was, "He shall dwell in that city, . . . until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days:then shall the slayer return . . . unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled." (Joshua 20:6)
The cities of refuge served as a protection for only those who had slain a person without enmity. The cities of refuge were cities belonging to the Levites, thus those confined within were under the best influence. They were associated with the religious teachers of Israel, and had every opportunity to reform their lives and establish righteous characters.
The instruction in regard to the cities of refuge was but a part of the great system of Levitical laws and ceremonies which taught the simple truths of the gospel of Christ.
Every time an Israelite looked upon one of the cities of refuge, God designed he should be reminded of Christ, the "tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion," (Micah 4:8) to whom every sin-burdened soul could flee for shelter.
Satan, the accuser, is upon the track of every one; he as "a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) But the person who forsakes sin and seeks righteousness stands securely sheltered by the atoning blood of Christ. (Ex. 12:13; 1 John 1:7-9)
Solomon, who was beset by temptations and sin, understood this when he wrote, "The name of the Lord is a STRONG TOWER, the righteous runneth into it and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) David knew what it was to dwell in the antitypical city of refuge when he said: "I will say of the Lord, He is my REFUGE and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust." (Ps. 91:2)
There could be no delay in seeking a city of refuge. As soon as the murder was committed, the murderer must flee at once; no family ties could hold him; his life depended upon his speedy flight to the city. O that all might learn the lesson, and instead of delaying and trying to quiet our accusing conscience, when we know we have sinned, flee at once to Christ, confess our sins, and dwell in the refuge Christ has prepared. He has made ample provision that all may "have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us." (Heb. 6:18)
Thanks be to God! There’s help and hope for the helpless.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
God Can Use What Broke You To Bless You
Today's Bible Reading For Saturday 20 February 10:
Numbers 21
Numbers 22
Thought For Today “Change Your Focus”
Numbers 21:1-9
Look carefully at verse four, “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way“.
Isreal had it made in the shade literally because the pillow of cloud followed them by day and the pillow of fire by night. They had Jesus in their view but chose to complain and murmur about God’s provisions for them. We undervalue complaining to and about God because His Agenda doesn’t match ours. Isreal saw God part the Red Sea and then drown Pharoah and armies in the same Sea He allowed them to walk through on dry ground.
They witnessed God wreak havoc on Pharoah by way of ten plagues. They saw first His presence, power, and promise be fulfilled before their very eyes. Herein lies their danger. They became TOO COMFORTABLE with God’s blessings. Isreal was so complacent with the supernatural intervention of God, not appreciating the great mercy and love that prompted His every move in their behalf.
Some had the audacity to say to God that it would’ve been better to return back to Egypt, the place of their slavery, the place of their pain, the place of the plagues. Isreal went forward in body, but their heart was still in Egypt. I submit to you today, that it’s hard looking forward and walking backward at the same time. Luke 9:62.
The record says, much people became DISCOURAGED because of the length of the journey to the Promised Land. An eleven days journey finally filtered out to forty years of wilderness wanderings because their murmuring and complaining to God and His appointed leaders. We must learn to be content with what God provides us with. Like the great FATHER He is, it was time to put His children in “timeout”!
What I’m about to share now is vitally important. The Permissive Will of God allowed fiery serpents to come out of nowhere to chastise Isreal. Remember, heretofore, they hadn’t encountered this type of situation before. Whenever God chastises us, the test will NEVER be something He knows we can’t handle if we would learn from the mistake and develop an obedient spirit. God’s ONLY concern is that we learn the lessons He wants to teach us. God sought to teach the power and value of trust, faith, and contentment in His Power and Provisions for them.
God allowed fiery serpents to bite the children of Isreal due to their disobedience and disrespect to Him and His will. God, knowing in advance what He was doing when He allowed the serpents to come in the first, had His solution ready at the same time He permitted the trial. Please get this, God’s solution for their healing and deliverance had the SAME APPEARANCE as that which killed some. They were asked to “Change Their Focus” to the very thing, the brazen serpent, they saw kill their relatives and friends. Trust me, this was an act of faith in God. You saw with YOUR EYES the damage the serpents did and now you’re suppose to believe in a brazen serpent on a pole for healing? Lord, are you serious?
Here is the lesson the Lord sought to teach Isreal then and us now. God can use what BROKE you to BLESS you! The same set of circumstances that brought you hurt and pain, God will place it on a pole in the form of a cross, use it for His glory and your change. Look and live says the Lord. Change your FOCUS and He will change your FAITH. I know it’s hard to believe that you can BENEFIT from what BROKE you. It’s all about TURNING around and turning away from the pain of your past, to the promises of your future.
Satan wrapped himself in the form of a serpent at the beginning of creation to trap Adam and Eve, leading us into the mess we’re in today, SIN. Jesus said, I will utilize a similar type serpent, but this time it won’t be IN the tree, but ON the Cross made from a tree. This is why most medical institutions have the cross and the serpent as its logo, to represent the healing power of Jesus in this story, look and live.
All God wanted them to do was FACE IT, then He would FIX IT! Are you willing to change you focus from what bit you in the past to what God says will now bless you?
Numbers 21
Numbers 22
Thought For Today “Change Your Focus”
Numbers 21:1-9
Look carefully at verse four, “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way“.
Isreal had it made in the shade literally because the pillow of cloud followed them by day and the pillow of fire by night. They had Jesus in their view but chose to complain and murmur about God’s provisions for them. We undervalue complaining to and about God because His Agenda doesn’t match ours. Isreal saw God part the Red Sea and then drown Pharoah and armies in the same Sea He allowed them to walk through on dry ground.
They witnessed God wreak havoc on Pharoah by way of ten plagues. They saw first His presence, power, and promise be fulfilled before their very eyes. Herein lies their danger. They became TOO COMFORTABLE with God’s blessings. Isreal was so complacent with the supernatural intervention of God, not appreciating the great mercy and love that prompted His every move in their behalf.
Some had the audacity to say to God that it would’ve been better to return back to Egypt, the place of their slavery, the place of their pain, the place of the plagues. Isreal went forward in body, but their heart was still in Egypt. I submit to you today, that it’s hard looking forward and walking backward at the same time. Luke 9:62.
The record says, much people became DISCOURAGED because of the length of the journey to the Promised Land. An eleven days journey finally filtered out to forty years of wilderness wanderings because their murmuring and complaining to God and His appointed leaders. We must learn to be content with what God provides us with. Like the great FATHER He is, it was time to put His children in “timeout”!
What I’m about to share now is vitally important. The Permissive Will of God allowed fiery serpents to come out of nowhere to chastise Isreal. Remember, heretofore, they hadn’t encountered this type of situation before. Whenever God chastises us, the test will NEVER be something He knows we can’t handle if we would learn from the mistake and develop an obedient spirit. God’s ONLY concern is that we learn the lessons He wants to teach us. God sought to teach the power and value of trust, faith, and contentment in His Power and Provisions for them.
God allowed fiery serpents to bite the children of Isreal due to their disobedience and disrespect to Him and His will. God, knowing in advance what He was doing when He allowed the serpents to come in the first, had His solution ready at the same time He permitted the trial. Please get this, God’s solution for their healing and deliverance had the SAME APPEARANCE as that which killed some. They were asked to “Change Their Focus” to the very thing, the brazen serpent, they saw kill their relatives and friends. Trust me, this was an act of faith in God. You saw with YOUR EYES the damage the serpents did and now you’re suppose to believe in a brazen serpent on a pole for healing? Lord, are you serious?
Here is the lesson the Lord sought to teach Isreal then and us now. God can use what BROKE you to BLESS you! The same set of circumstances that brought you hurt and pain, God will place it on a pole in the form of a cross, use it for His glory and your change. Look and live says the Lord. Change your FOCUS and He will change your FAITH. I know it’s hard to believe that you can BENEFIT from what BROKE you. It’s all about TURNING around and turning away from the pain of your past, to the promises of your future.
Satan wrapped himself in the form of a serpent at the beginning of creation to trap Adam and Eve, leading us into the mess we’re in today, SIN. Jesus said, I will utilize a similar type serpent, but this time it won’t be IN the tree, but ON the Cross made from a tree. This is why most medical institutions have the cross and the serpent as its logo, to represent the healing power of Jesus in this story, look and live.
All God wanted them to do was FACE IT, then He would FIX IT! Are you willing to change you focus from what bit you in the past to what God says will now bless you?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Who Were The Levites
Numbers 18:1-3 “Who Were The Levites”?
ONE entire tribe of Israel was set apart for the service of the sanctuary. As we recall the last words spoken to Levi by his father Jacob as he lay on his death-bed, we might wonder that his descendants were chosen for that sacred work. When Jacob remembered the sins of Levi, he pronounced almost a curse instead of a blessing upon his son, and closed it with these words, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." (Gen. 49:5-7)
The term "Levite" was applied to all the priests, but only the descendants of Aaron were to hold the sacred office. The remainder of the tribe were to do the, service of the sanctuary under the direction of the priests. They were not allowed to officiate at the altar of burnt-offering, nor to burn incense, nor to do any of the priest's work within the veil. The Levites were to serve, or minister to, the priests; but the priests were to minister for the people before the Lord. (Num. 18:1-7)
The Levites were consecrated to the work of the sanctuary by the laying on of hands by the whole assembly of Israel, and then Aaron offered them "before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel." (Num. 8:9-14)
The Levites were chosen by the Lord instead of the firstborn of Israel. (Num. 8:17,18) While journeying in the wilderness, they carried all that pertained to the tabernacle; but although they bore the sacred furniture, they were never permitted even to look upon it. (Num. 4:20)
After the temple was built, the Levites were assigned the work of waiting on the priests in the sanctuary service. They prepared the showbread, often led the singing, collected the tithe, and did a large amount of work in connection with the service of the Lord. (1 Chr. 23:24-32)
In the time of David the Levites began to serve in the sanctuary at the age of twenty-five. At fifty years of age they were to "return from the warfare of the service." (Num. 8:23-26) They were not discharged; they still had an oversight of the work, but were not expected to perform arduous duties.
The work of the Levites was largely confined to the court, and thus typified the work of the gospel ministry of the present day.
ONE entire tribe of Israel was set apart for the service of the sanctuary. As we recall the last words spoken to Levi by his father Jacob as he lay on his death-bed, we might wonder that his descendants were chosen for that sacred work. When Jacob remembered the sins of Levi, he pronounced almost a curse instead of a blessing upon his son, and closed it with these words, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." (Gen. 49:5-7)
The term "Levite" was applied to all the priests, but only the descendants of Aaron were to hold the sacred office. The remainder of the tribe were to do the, service of the sanctuary under the direction of the priests. They were not allowed to officiate at the altar of burnt-offering, nor to burn incense, nor to do any of the priest's work within the veil. The Levites were to serve, or minister to, the priests; but the priests were to minister for the people before the Lord. (Num. 18:1-7)
The Levites were consecrated to the work of the sanctuary by the laying on of hands by the whole assembly of Israel, and then Aaron offered them "before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel." (Num. 8:9-14)
The Levites were chosen by the Lord instead of the firstborn of Israel. (Num. 8:17,18) While journeying in the wilderness, they carried all that pertained to the tabernacle; but although they bore the sacred furniture, they were never permitted even to look upon it. (Num. 4:20)
After the temple was built, the Levites were assigned the work of waiting on the priests in the sanctuary service. They prepared the showbread, often led the singing, collected the tithe, and did a large amount of work in connection with the service of the Lord. (1 Chr. 23:24-32)
In the time of David the Levites began to serve in the sanctuary at the age of twenty-five. At fifty years of age they were to "return from the warfare of the service." (Num. 8:23-26) They were not discharged; they still had an oversight of the work, but were not expected to perform arduous duties.
The work of the Levites was largely confined to the court, and thus typified the work of the gospel ministry of the present day.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Devil's Dilemma
Psalms 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Satan’s greatest fear is knowing that believers know and understand that they have power over him through Christ and the WORD of God! Our text today says, THE ENTRANCE of thy words giveth light. Revelation 3:20 speaks with respect to Jesus knowing at the door seeking ENTRANCE into the heart of His people. A logical and reasonable question could be asked, How did the Savior of the world wind up outside knocking and seeking entrance into the heart and life of His children?
The POWER and LIFE of Christ lives through the WORD He spoke, all sixty-six books. The entrance of the WORD of God handcuffs and shackles negative thinking. Satan’s design is for us to NOT reflect on God’s perspective for our lives. The enemy wants us to lean unto our own understanding, which strengthens the flesh and silences the Holy Spirit. Satan wants us to not read God’s WORD. He comes up with excuse after excuse as to why we should study the WORD. He even breathes on us the spirit of sleep, right when God wants to reveal a revelation of Himself to us. The telephone rings and long lost relatives, exes, and friends call right when you are ready to get deep in the WORD or in prayer.
Satan knows that the entrance of God’s WORD breaks his hold on the mind and life of the believer, thus freeing them to see God’s perspective for the situation or circumstances they are facing. Let’s saying you and I are struggling with unbelief, then we read in the WORD where it says, Lord I believe, but help thou my unbelief. At that moment, the entrance of God’s perspective regarding unbelief enters our thoughts, showing God’s light and understanding on that given subject. In other words, instead of wrestling with our own negative thoughts, God’s WORD overshadows the images and suggestions of the devil that doesn’t have it origin in the WORD. God’s thoughts through the printed page has POWER of any attempts the devil may throw at you. It’s the same way Jesus defeated him by saying, It Is Written!
Satan’s sophistries are so cunning, that he will use GOOD THINGS to keep the mind occupied and busy, that time with God slips to second place in our lives. He knows that down the line, temptations are waiting for us. The enemy likes to get us weak and powerless before he pulls out a temptation he knows we find hard to resist. He cannot read the mind, but he studies our words, actions, and places we frequent and various type people we socialize with, THEN centers his temptations around our weaknesses. Satan studies our eyeball movement, to see what we BEHOLD! He is mindful the type movies we watch, music we listen too, so that he may setup the perfect temptation. Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.
We are NO MATCH for the devil. The devil is NO MATCH for Christ! So, my friends, keep allowing the WORD of God to agitate your flesh, subduing it and keeping it under the control and power of the Holy Ghost. The WORD is designed to shed light on what is sin and offensive to God. The Spirit of God then highlights what is separating us from God. The Spirit of God directs us to the WORD to validate what God said about it. This way, we won’t have our hope in what man said, but in what God said and we read. Please read these very important Scriptures:
Ephesians 1:18; I Corinthians 2:10,11,14; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; Psalms 119:15,16,18,34; Jeremiah 15:16; John 17:17; Isaiah 8:20!
Keep putting God’s thoughts in your mind so you can think like Him, act like Him, and soon be like Him, I John 3:1-3, Amen!
Satan’s greatest fear is knowing that believers know and understand that they have power over him through Christ and the WORD of God! Our text today says, THE ENTRANCE of thy words giveth light. Revelation 3:20 speaks with respect to Jesus knowing at the door seeking ENTRANCE into the heart of His people. A logical and reasonable question could be asked, How did the Savior of the world wind up outside knocking and seeking entrance into the heart and life of His children?
The POWER and LIFE of Christ lives through the WORD He spoke, all sixty-six books. The entrance of the WORD of God handcuffs and shackles negative thinking. Satan’s design is for us to NOT reflect on God’s perspective for our lives. The enemy wants us to lean unto our own understanding, which strengthens the flesh and silences the Holy Spirit. Satan wants us to not read God’s WORD. He comes up with excuse after excuse as to why we should study the WORD. He even breathes on us the spirit of sleep, right when God wants to reveal a revelation of Himself to us. The telephone rings and long lost relatives, exes, and friends call right when you are ready to get deep in the WORD or in prayer.
Satan knows that the entrance of God’s WORD breaks his hold on the mind and life of the believer, thus freeing them to see God’s perspective for the situation or circumstances they are facing. Let’s saying you and I are struggling with unbelief, then we read in the WORD where it says, Lord I believe, but help thou my unbelief. At that moment, the entrance of God’s perspective regarding unbelief enters our thoughts, showing God’s light and understanding on that given subject. In other words, instead of wrestling with our own negative thoughts, God’s WORD overshadows the images and suggestions of the devil that doesn’t have it origin in the WORD. God’s thoughts through the printed page has POWER of any attempts the devil may throw at you. It’s the same way Jesus defeated him by saying, It Is Written!
Satan’s sophistries are so cunning, that he will use GOOD THINGS to keep the mind occupied and busy, that time with God slips to second place in our lives. He knows that down the line, temptations are waiting for us. The enemy likes to get us weak and powerless before he pulls out a temptation he knows we find hard to resist. He cannot read the mind, but he studies our words, actions, and places we frequent and various type people we socialize with, THEN centers his temptations around our weaknesses. Satan studies our eyeball movement, to see what we BEHOLD! He is mindful the type movies we watch, music we listen too, so that he may setup the perfect temptation. Remember, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.
We are NO MATCH for the devil. The devil is NO MATCH for Christ! So, my friends, keep allowing the WORD of God to agitate your flesh, subduing it and keeping it under the control and power of the Holy Ghost. The WORD is designed to shed light on what is sin and offensive to God. The Spirit of God then highlights what is separating us from God. The Spirit of God directs us to the WORD to validate what God said about it. This way, we won’t have our hope in what man said, but in what God said and we read. Please read these very important Scriptures:
Ephesians 1:18; I Corinthians 2:10,11,14; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; Psalms 119:15,16,18,34; Jeremiah 15:16; John 17:17; Isaiah 8:20!
Keep putting God’s thoughts in your mind so you can think like Him, act like Him, and soon be like Him, I John 3:1-3, Amen!
Don't Give Up
Matthew 24:13 But he that shall ENDURE unto the end, the same shall be SAVED.
The word endure in Greek is (hupomeno), which means “to abide under”, “to bear up courageously under suffering”, and “to take patiently”. Additionally, it means “to tarry”, and “to wait for”. Our text this morning is saying, that WHATEVER we’re facing in this life is pale in comparison with SALVATION! Our blessings come at the expense of being patient. The GOAL is greater than the daily grind we face.
In order for us to endure, we must value the Goal more than we do the GRIND. Painted across the canvas of our minds must be a clear picture of the intended goal. We must SEE IT before we SAY IT. We must HAVE IT before we POSSES IT. Vision enables us to be there even though we’re on our way. God is telling us today, that the reality of salvation can be ours, if we simply see our trials and tribulations as stepping stones to our destiny. In life itself, one step won’t take you from the living room to the kitchen. Many steps leads to our ultimate goal and destination.
On the road of life, we’re going to face road blocks and detours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t maneuver “work” that’s leading to progress! The Lord wants us to see the BIG PICTURE, the desired goal and dream He’s birthed in us. The fact that Daniel was locked up for praying three times a day didn’t stop him from praying to his God. His relationship with the Lord and seeing God answer his prayers meant MORE than the threat of the lion’s den. Faith in God and His power to saved and deliver must be greater than the circumstances I’m facing, which is there for a brief season and a brief reason.
The key word is ENDURE. God is asking us to stay focused on Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, if we keep our minds STAYED on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace. His WORD must permeate and saturate our hearts, minds, and soul. The WORD of God in us and the Holy Spirit KEEPS us motivated to press our way through those difficult and dark moments in life. God uses what’s CHALLENGING us to CHANGE us! He’s redirecting our visions and goals to that which is greater than what we presently have. He uses what looks like setbacks as opportunities to develop in us deeper passions to achieve greatness in His name.
So many times we’re afraid to walk on water even when Jesus is the one who called us out of our boats or comfort zones. All Peter had to do was STAY FOCUSED on Him, not the circumstances of the waves and billows. When you know the voice of Jesus, you can trust Him even in a storm. Even though Peter took his eyes off Jesus, what lesson can we glean from this? One valuable lesson is that FAILURE is not FINAL! Failure is an opportunity to see things from another perspective! It helps us to re-evaluate and look at things differently. Remember, winners never quit and quitters never win!
The word endure in Greek is (hupomeno), which means “to abide under”, “to bear up courageously under suffering”, and “to take patiently”. Additionally, it means “to tarry”, and “to wait for”. Our text this morning is saying, that WHATEVER we’re facing in this life is pale in comparison with SALVATION! Our blessings come at the expense of being patient. The GOAL is greater than the daily grind we face.
In order for us to endure, we must value the Goal more than we do the GRIND. Painted across the canvas of our minds must be a clear picture of the intended goal. We must SEE IT before we SAY IT. We must HAVE IT before we POSSES IT. Vision enables us to be there even though we’re on our way. God is telling us today, that the reality of salvation can be ours, if we simply see our trials and tribulations as stepping stones to our destiny. In life itself, one step won’t take you from the living room to the kitchen. Many steps leads to our ultimate goal and destination.
On the road of life, we’re going to face road blocks and detours, but that doesn’t mean you can’t maneuver “work” that’s leading to progress! The Lord wants us to see the BIG PICTURE, the desired goal and dream He’s birthed in us. The fact that Daniel was locked up for praying three times a day didn’t stop him from praying to his God. His relationship with the Lord and seeing God answer his prayers meant MORE than the threat of the lion’s den. Faith in God and His power to saved and deliver must be greater than the circumstances I’m facing, which is there for a brief season and a brief reason.
The key word is ENDURE. God is asking us to stay focused on Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, if we keep our minds STAYED on Him, He will keep us in perfect peace. His WORD must permeate and saturate our hearts, minds, and soul. The WORD of God in us and the Holy Spirit KEEPS us motivated to press our way through those difficult and dark moments in life. God uses what’s CHALLENGING us to CHANGE us! He’s redirecting our visions and goals to that which is greater than what we presently have. He uses what looks like setbacks as opportunities to develop in us deeper passions to achieve greatness in His name.
So many times we’re afraid to walk on water even when Jesus is the one who called us out of our boats or comfort zones. All Peter had to do was STAY FOCUSED on Him, not the circumstances of the waves and billows. When you know the voice of Jesus, you can trust Him even in a storm. Even though Peter took his eyes off Jesus, what lesson can we glean from this? One valuable lesson is that FAILURE is not FINAL! Failure is an opportunity to see things from another perspective! It helps us to re-evaluate and look at things differently. Remember, winners never quit and quitters never win!
Be Still
Psalms 46:10 Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
There are two words worth our attention this morning, (1) Still, and (2) Know. In order to understand and appreciate it’s meaning, let’s break each word down.
The word STILL comes from the Hebrew word “rapah”, a verb meaning “to become slack”, to relax”, to cease and desist”, “to become discouraged”, “to let go”, “to forsake”, and “to abandon”. Throughout the O.T., this word “rapah”(still) appears forty-five times, often with the word “yad”, meaning “hand”, which requires careful translation within the context of a particular passage.
The word KNOW comes from the Hebrew word “yada”, a verb meaning “to know”, “to learn”, “to perceive”, “to discern”, “to experience”, “to know relationally”, “to be made known”, and “to make oneself known”. I can see your faces now, what in the world is he talking about? LOL
This one verse is loaded with Initiatives God proposes to do for us. First, He says Be Still, what does this mean? When you have a semi-colon in a sentence, it means you can read the last part of the sentence first or the first part of the sentence last, which doesn’t change the meaning or context. So let’s reverse it for a minute. I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth: Be still and know that I am God. These are declarative statements from God who ALREADY knows what needs to be done. Look carefully at the transliterations of the word STILL. Remember, the word “yad” gives STILL a “careful translation within the context of a particular passage.
Now, the passage is saying, whatever foregone conclusions YOU have, SLACK off from your ideas in the face of mine saith the Lord that are permanent and fulfilling. RELAX your plans and agenda because mine is the ONLY one that leads to the destination I have for you. The Lord is saying, let me DISCOURAGE you from pursuing a route or a person that’s not beneficial to you. In order to grasp what I’m telling you saith the Lord, meditation is required. Why do you think Jesus did what He did in Mark 1:35. If the mind is constantly excited and active, filled with thoughts NOT helpful towards discerning God, we place ourselves in a difficult position.
We need QUIET TIME to focus on God and His WORD. I’m suggesting we find a place where we can let it all hang out for the Lord. It is when we release ourselves from PRE-CONCEIVED ideas in terms of what believe God is saying to us, that we position ourselves for His greatest revelations. Which leads to the next word, KNOW.
The Lord wants us to KNOW Him, not just about Him. Studying the WORD enables us to zero in on God in ways we never imagined. The WORD will tell us what God thinks and feels about a given situation. For us to just read it and don’t apply it, we fail to LEARN or EXPERIENCE the “change” God is trying to make in our lives.
It’s important to remember, that God is Holy, Absolute, Sovereign, and all the rest. We cannot tell God WHAT should be done, HOW it should be done, WHERE it should be done, and WHY it should or shouldn’t be done! We must become empty vessels before a full fountain, letting Him pour into our lives living waters. God is trying to lead us to a deeper walk with Him where everyday you can KNOW Him and His will. You can walk in confidence because you and the Lord have talked OPENLY about YOU. He wants us to know Him RELATIONALLY, not just religiously!
This word KNOW is based on God making Himself known to us, but are we STILL enough to discern what He’s doing. He has carved a clear path for each of us, even with the mistakes of our past. Romans 8:28 helps us understand that God will cause all things to WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to them that LOVE Him and are CALLED according to His PURPOSE. We can only receive this experience with the Lord when we are STILL, then He will cause us to KNOW that He is God!
There are two words worth our attention this morning, (1) Still, and (2) Know. In order to understand and appreciate it’s meaning, let’s break each word down.
The word STILL comes from the Hebrew word “rapah”, a verb meaning “to become slack”, to relax”, to cease and desist”, “to become discouraged”, “to let go”, “to forsake”, and “to abandon”. Throughout the O.T., this word “rapah”(still) appears forty-five times, often with the word “yad”, meaning “hand”, which requires careful translation within the context of a particular passage.
The word KNOW comes from the Hebrew word “yada”, a verb meaning “to know”, “to learn”, “to perceive”, “to discern”, “to experience”, “to know relationally”, “to be made known”, and “to make oneself known”. I can see your faces now, what in the world is he talking about? LOL
This one verse is loaded with Initiatives God proposes to do for us. First, He says Be Still, what does this mean? When you have a semi-colon in a sentence, it means you can read the last part of the sentence first or the first part of the sentence last, which doesn’t change the meaning or context. So let’s reverse it for a minute. I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth: Be still and know that I am God. These are declarative statements from God who ALREADY knows what needs to be done. Look carefully at the transliterations of the word STILL. Remember, the word “yad” gives STILL a “careful translation within the context of a particular passage.
Now, the passage is saying, whatever foregone conclusions YOU have, SLACK off from your ideas in the face of mine saith the Lord that are permanent and fulfilling. RELAX your plans and agenda because mine is the ONLY one that leads to the destination I have for you. The Lord is saying, let me DISCOURAGE you from pursuing a route or a person that’s not beneficial to you. In order to grasp what I’m telling you saith the Lord, meditation is required. Why do you think Jesus did what He did in Mark 1:35. If the mind is constantly excited and active, filled with thoughts NOT helpful towards discerning God, we place ourselves in a difficult position.
We need QUIET TIME to focus on God and His WORD. I’m suggesting we find a place where we can let it all hang out for the Lord. It is when we release ourselves from PRE-CONCEIVED ideas in terms of what believe God is saying to us, that we position ourselves for His greatest revelations. Which leads to the next word, KNOW.
The Lord wants us to KNOW Him, not just about Him. Studying the WORD enables us to zero in on God in ways we never imagined. The WORD will tell us what God thinks and feels about a given situation. For us to just read it and don’t apply it, we fail to LEARN or EXPERIENCE the “change” God is trying to make in our lives.
It’s important to remember, that God is Holy, Absolute, Sovereign, and all the rest. We cannot tell God WHAT should be done, HOW it should be done, WHERE it should be done, and WHY it should or shouldn’t be done! We must become empty vessels before a full fountain, letting Him pour into our lives living waters. God is trying to lead us to a deeper walk with Him where everyday you can KNOW Him and His will. You can walk in confidence because you and the Lord have talked OPENLY about YOU. He wants us to know Him RELATIONALLY, not just religiously!
This word KNOW is based on God making Himself known to us, but are we STILL enough to discern what He’s doing. He has carved a clear path for each of us, even with the mistakes of our past. Romans 8:28 helps us understand that God will cause all things to WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to them that LOVE Him and are CALLED according to His PURPOSE. We can only receive this experience with the Lord when we are STILL, then He will cause us to KNOW that He is God!
The Price Of Presumption
Numbers 14:40-45 “The Price Of Presumption”
And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we [be here], and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. 42 Go not up, for the LORD [is] not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites [are] there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
44 But they PRESUMED to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, [even] unto Hormah.
I intentionally wrote out the abovementioned verses due to their importance and significance. Let me start by saying, God doesn’t hold ANYTHING against us that we don’t know. Please read Acts 17:30. The Bible says God “winks” at our ignorance. This word “ignorance” comes from the Hebrew word GAGAH, a feminine noun meaning “mistake”, “inadvertent transgression”, “error”. The primary meaning is an inadvertent error performed in the daily routine of life. It is when we come into a saving knowledge of what is truth, then we become responsible for what we know and understand is truth according to God‘s will. When the WORD and the Holy Spirit reveals to us what God said and requires, He expects us to ACT on the truth revealed and understood. There are NO EXCEPTIONS here! It is VERY important to read Proverbs 1:22-33. The above verses does not reflect ignorance on the children of Isreal’s account as we shall see later.
God gave specific, detailed instructions leading to their breakthrough and destiny.
God will NOT do for you what He called, enabled, and equipped you to do for yourself. In other words, He will give you the land, but won’t search it out for you. Numbers 13:17-25. God is responsible for creating OPPORTUNITIES, we’re responsible for asking, seeking, and knocking to see WHICH door He has opened!
If today, you’re wondering WHY God hasn’t moved, then these verses will aid in our understanding of HOW God works. Miracles come from God, but touching the hem of His garment comes from us. Needing monies to pay taxes? God provides the fish and coin, we simply catch the fish and retrieve the coin from its mouth. God needs only two fish and five loaves from a little boy’s lunch, then He performs the miracle of multiplication. If you’re sitting around waiting on God to do YOUR PART, it’s not going to happen. We must give Him something to work with, then watch Him bless and bring it to pass!
Two of the ten spies brought back a negative report. Interestingly enough, they all saw the same things, in the same place, but different perceptions and perspectives about what they saw. When God tells us to POSSESS IT, He meant just what He said. There is a difference between instructions that say “search the land”, versus God saying He will drive out your HINDRANCES! God gave them the land, but didn’t move the “physical obstacles” out of their way until He moved the “mental obstacles” out of the heart of the doubters. Negative people see OBSTACLES and OPPOSITION, but positive people OPPORTUNITIES and OPENINGS!
It NEVER pays to move without God. Numbers 14:40-45 shows the folly and foolishness that takes place when we move, when God says DON’T. God tells them to not move, so does Moses, but they PRESUMED to go to the hilltop anyway. When God shows you His will, speaks through people you weren’t expecting Him to use, it’s because He’s giving you fair warning that the situation or circumstances you’re about to encounter isn’t right for you, or that you won’t prosper if you go the route He said don’t go! It’s never wise to flaunt and hold up before God the size of the grapes you saw and brought back as evidence of His goodness and overlook His instructions not to move until He says move to His destination for you!
God and Moses told them that the Amalekites and Canaanites were before them and had not been driven out the land by God yet, until He removed the haters and doubters from within first. Verse 43 says, Because you turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord WILL NOT be with you. As if God’s presence not sanctioning their move wasn’t enough, He further said, that the Ark of the Covenant, which represented His Presence wouldn’t aid them either. They tried to go around God by using that which represented Him. It didn’t work then and it’s not working now!
Then to top it all off, verse 44 says, Moses departed NOT out of the camp. It’s a dangerous thing to move without the Presence of the Lord leading our lives. It’s also bad when we bypass counsel and instructions from those God places in our lives. When the harvest or consequences of our decisions comes back to us as in the case of the children of Isreal in Numbers 14:45, we tend to blame God for the outcome. If we read and re-read chapters 13-14, we can clearly see God tried to avert the situation before it happened. When God tells us plainly and clearly in His WORD that He will NOT be with us, why continue to push God for signs when He has shown you what His WORD said? The fact that He said it is enough not to question it!
Please Read Proverbs 14:12 and Psalms 37:4-5, 31, 34, 37, 40.
And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we [be here], and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. 42 Go not up, for the LORD [is] not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites [are] there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
44 But they PRESUMED to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, [even] unto Hormah.
I intentionally wrote out the abovementioned verses due to their importance and significance. Let me start by saying, God doesn’t hold ANYTHING against us that we don’t know. Please read Acts 17:30. The Bible says God “winks” at our ignorance. This word “ignorance” comes from the Hebrew word GAGAH, a feminine noun meaning “mistake”, “inadvertent transgression”, “error”. The primary meaning is an inadvertent error performed in the daily routine of life. It is when we come into a saving knowledge of what is truth, then we become responsible for what we know and understand is truth according to God‘s will. When the WORD and the Holy Spirit reveals to us what God said and requires, He expects us to ACT on the truth revealed and understood. There are NO EXCEPTIONS here! It is VERY important to read Proverbs 1:22-33. The above verses does not reflect ignorance on the children of Isreal’s account as we shall see later.
God gave specific, detailed instructions leading to their breakthrough and destiny.
God will NOT do for you what He called, enabled, and equipped you to do for yourself. In other words, He will give you the land, but won’t search it out for you. Numbers 13:17-25. God is responsible for creating OPPORTUNITIES, we’re responsible for asking, seeking, and knocking to see WHICH door He has opened!
If today, you’re wondering WHY God hasn’t moved, then these verses will aid in our understanding of HOW God works. Miracles come from God, but touching the hem of His garment comes from us. Needing monies to pay taxes? God provides the fish and coin, we simply catch the fish and retrieve the coin from its mouth. God needs only two fish and five loaves from a little boy’s lunch, then He performs the miracle of multiplication. If you’re sitting around waiting on God to do YOUR PART, it’s not going to happen. We must give Him something to work with, then watch Him bless and bring it to pass!
Two of the ten spies brought back a negative report. Interestingly enough, they all saw the same things, in the same place, but different perceptions and perspectives about what they saw. When God tells us to POSSESS IT, He meant just what He said. There is a difference between instructions that say “search the land”, versus God saying He will drive out your HINDRANCES! God gave them the land, but didn’t move the “physical obstacles” out of their way until He moved the “mental obstacles” out of the heart of the doubters. Negative people see OBSTACLES and OPPOSITION, but positive people OPPORTUNITIES and OPENINGS!
It NEVER pays to move without God. Numbers 14:40-45 shows the folly and foolishness that takes place when we move, when God says DON’T. God tells them to not move, so does Moses, but they PRESUMED to go to the hilltop anyway. When God shows you His will, speaks through people you weren’t expecting Him to use, it’s because He’s giving you fair warning that the situation or circumstances you’re about to encounter isn’t right for you, or that you won’t prosper if you go the route He said don’t go! It’s never wise to flaunt and hold up before God the size of the grapes you saw and brought back as evidence of His goodness and overlook His instructions not to move until He says move to His destination for you!
God and Moses told them that the Amalekites and Canaanites were before them and had not been driven out the land by God yet, until He removed the haters and doubters from within first. Verse 43 says, Because you turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord WILL NOT be with you. As if God’s presence not sanctioning their move wasn’t enough, He further said, that the Ark of the Covenant, which represented His Presence wouldn’t aid them either. They tried to go around God by using that which represented Him. It didn’t work then and it’s not working now!
Then to top it all off, verse 44 says, Moses departed NOT out of the camp. It’s a dangerous thing to move without the Presence of the Lord leading our lives. It’s also bad when we bypass counsel and instructions from those God places in our lives. When the harvest or consequences of our decisions comes back to us as in the case of the children of Isreal in Numbers 14:45, we tend to blame God for the outcome. If we read and re-read chapters 13-14, we can clearly see God tried to avert the situation before it happened. When God tells us plainly and clearly in His WORD that He will NOT be with us, why continue to push God for signs when He has shown you what His WORD said? The fact that He said it is enough not to question it!
Please Read Proverbs 14:12 and Psalms 37:4-5, 31, 34, 37, 40.
Knowing Where To Look
2 Chronicles 26:5 And he SOUGHT God in the days of Zachariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he SOUGHT the Lord, God MADE HIM to prosper.
Twice in the same verse is the word “sought”. Only once in the verse do we see the word “prosper”. Four times in the verse God is mentioned. This verse is all about PRIORITY and PERSPECTIVE. In religious circles today one word in this verse would stand head and shoulders above the rest. That word being “prosper”. You and I should know and understand that God wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health even as our soul prospereth, 3 John 2. This passage clearly shows God’s pecking order when it’s time for us to get blessed.
FOUR times the name of God is mentioned in this single verse. Why? Knowing WHERE to look is valued above “what” we are looking for. Did you notice the word “prosper” is at the end of the verse? What is the Lord saying to us today? The primary reason the Lord’s name is mentioned FOUR times is because EVERYTHING starts and stops with Him. Psalms 24:1 sets the record straight lest we get it twisted by stating, The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. God is the source and resource of EVERYTHING! Seeking Him for who He is the right perspective and seeking Him for His will to be done is the right priority.
We should know that God is concerned about US and how we live our lives before Him. Unlike our religious society today which places emphasis on the dollar amount you sow into a ministry that determines your prosperity and breakthrough level. Not so with God. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t support various ministries and charities, but they, according to our text today, aren’t the source of our real blessing.
The word SOUGHT is mentioned twice before we get to the word prosper. Notice carefully that after the word SOUGHT, comes God both times it’s used. When we realize how much we NEED Him in our day to day life, we might not be reminded at that moment to ask for material things. When in His presence, tears of joy begin to flow. Knowing how wretched and undone we are, yet God forgives us time and time again. Oh what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, I John 3:1-3. It is during relational moments like this when the heart of God is sought because you love Him and want to PLEASE Him. Now, we are lining up with God, seeking His will for us, then watching Him unfold to us His plans and purpose.
The operative word is SOUGHT. In Hebrew, it comes from the word “hayah”, which means “to become”, “to take place”, “to happen”. Get this, it indicates that something HAS OCCURRED or COME ABOUT. The Hebrew form of the verb asserts that SOMETHING came to pass or SOMETHING that comes into being or arises. I feel like shouting right about now! What God is saying is this, if you place emphasis on “prospering” first, then you’ve missed your blessing. When He is SOUGHT FIRST, that which He knows YOU NEED has already happened IN His mind FOR YOU. Notice the latter part of the verse, which stresses what He does for us. Pleaseeee don’t miss this! God MADE HIM TO PROSPER or gave Him success. To get to this level with God is based on who He is and our willingness to keep on seeking Him for who He is and not what we get from Him.
You are connected to the God who moves on your behalf. Because you love and need Him, He will “TOUCH HEARTS” because you have TOUCHED HIS. Your love and obedience propels Him to act and act swiftly because you’re seeking Him. He makes everything you touch BENEFIT you and BLESS others. He brings pre-inspected and pre-determined Prosperity that you and I can handle without losing our souls.
Amen!
Twice in the same verse is the word “sought”. Only once in the verse do we see the word “prosper”. Four times in the verse God is mentioned. This verse is all about PRIORITY and PERSPECTIVE. In religious circles today one word in this verse would stand head and shoulders above the rest. That word being “prosper”. You and I should know and understand that God wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health even as our soul prospereth, 3 John 2. This passage clearly shows God’s pecking order when it’s time for us to get blessed.
FOUR times the name of God is mentioned in this single verse. Why? Knowing WHERE to look is valued above “what” we are looking for. Did you notice the word “prosper” is at the end of the verse? What is the Lord saying to us today? The primary reason the Lord’s name is mentioned FOUR times is because EVERYTHING starts and stops with Him. Psalms 24:1 sets the record straight lest we get it twisted by stating, The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. God is the source and resource of EVERYTHING! Seeking Him for who He is the right perspective and seeking Him for His will to be done is the right priority.
We should know that God is concerned about US and how we live our lives before Him. Unlike our religious society today which places emphasis on the dollar amount you sow into a ministry that determines your prosperity and breakthrough level. Not so with God. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t support various ministries and charities, but they, according to our text today, aren’t the source of our real blessing.
The word SOUGHT is mentioned twice before we get to the word prosper. Notice carefully that after the word SOUGHT, comes God both times it’s used. When we realize how much we NEED Him in our day to day life, we might not be reminded at that moment to ask for material things. When in His presence, tears of joy begin to flow. Knowing how wretched and undone we are, yet God forgives us time and time again. Oh what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, I John 3:1-3. It is during relational moments like this when the heart of God is sought because you love Him and want to PLEASE Him. Now, we are lining up with God, seeking His will for us, then watching Him unfold to us His plans and purpose.
The operative word is SOUGHT. In Hebrew, it comes from the word “hayah”, which means “to become”, “to take place”, “to happen”. Get this, it indicates that something HAS OCCURRED or COME ABOUT. The Hebrew form of the verb asserts that SOMETHING came to pass or SOMETHING that comes into being or arises. I feel like shouting right about now! What God is saying is this, if you place emphasis on “prospering” first, then you’ve missed your blessing. When He is SOUGHT FIRST, that which He knows YOU NEED has already happened IN His mind FOR YOU. Notice the latter part of the verse, which stresses what He does for us. Pleaseeee don’t miss this! God MADE HIM TO PROSPER or gave Him success. To get to this level with God is based on who He is and our willingness to keep on seeking Him for who He is and not what we get from Him.
You are connected to the God who moves on your behalf. Because you love and need Him, He will “TOUCH HEARTS” because you have TOUCHED HIS. Your love and obedience propels Him to act and act swiftly because you’re seeking Him. He makes everything you touch BENEFIT you and BLESS others. He brings pre-inspected and pre-determined Prosperity that you and I can handle without losing our souls.
Amen!
God Is Positioning You To Be Blessed
Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall GUIDE thee continually and SATISFY thy soul in drought, and make thy bones FAT: and thou shalt be like a WATERED garden, and like a spring of water, whose water fail not.
The Omniscience of God knows the end and beginning of EVERYTHING He created. Was it not He who said, Behold everything was good and very good that He created for His glory. Today, I want each of you to know that regardless your lot or fate in life, regardless of the circumstances around your how you got here, regardless of the brokenness of your childhood, and the pain of your past, God Loves You!
All of the hurt, pain, disappointments, shattered dreams and forfeited hope has left your life in shambles. You had NO CONTROL over what happened to you, but God was IN CONTROL of you. This is why God is in hot pursuit to save you, so He can order your steps and break NEW ground in your life. God’s goal for us requires Him to undo our belief system that’s used to doing “our way”. God takes you right where you are, messed up and all, then POSITIONS you and me towards His Purpose and Plan!
Our text says that the Lord shall GUIDE us continually, even though we might not be mindful of “HOW” He’s doing it, but trust me, He is. God works through EVERY negative thing used against you, to ADVANCE YOU! It’s a paradigm shift in the mind. He turns your pain into power and every disappointment into a Divine Appointment. God seeks to disrupt the flow of sin and evil in us so that His love and blessings can flow UNINTERRUPTED in our lives. God wants our every move to be a blessed one. It doesn’t mean we cease to have trials, but we’re so deep with Him that we didn’t recognize that it was a trial. He is just that good!
Be mindful what God promises to do for YOU throughout the verse. Satisfy our souls in drought? Ever hit rock bottom before? Well, that’s a drought! Everything around you looks dried out and useless, then comes to the Lord to “RAIN ON OUR PARADE” in a good way based on text today. He says, Thou shalt be like a watered garden. Gardens don’t water themselves, but persons who love gardens take time to nurture and care for it. The Lord is ready to EXPLODE our lives into living testimonies of His Power and Glory. He wants the world to know that it pays to serve the Lord.
As God Positions Us, Assigns Us and Realigns Us for His Glory, it might not be pretty or pleasant, but we will come forth more poised, patient, and powerful. The day we stop trying to “understand” what God is doing, the better off we’ll be. Get in position to ACCEPT what He knows is the best route we should take. The goal of the Lord is for us to Let God, then Let Go. He gives us the needed power and strength of mind to fulfill His will on a daily basis. A full surrender of our plans, goals, agenda, and aspirations MUST be surrendered to God in prayer so He can fix our circumstances to match His Will for us.
Saul whose name was changed to Paul was totally made over and his life redirected by God who positioned him to be blessed. When you and I read the New Testament, most of the books were written by the Apostle Paul. He didn’t know that when Stephen was being stoned and he said it, that God was positioning him to be blessed.
When Paul got to the end of his earthly assignment, he had this testimony in 2 Timothy 4:7, I Fought, I Finished, and I Kept…..
The Omniscience of God knows the end and beginning of EVERYTHING He created. Was it not He who said, Behold everything was good and very good that He created for His glory. Today, I want each of you to know that regardless your lot or fate in life, regardless of the circumstances around your how you got here, regardless of the brokenness of your childhood, and the pain of your past, God Loves You!
All of the hurt, pain, disappointments, shattered dreams and forfeited hope has left your life in shambles. You had NO CONTROL over what happened to you, but God was IN CONTROL of you. This is why God is in hot pursuit to save you, so He can order your steps and break NEW ground in your life. God’s goal for us requires Him to undo our belief system that’s used to doing “our way”. God takes you right where you are, messed up and all, then POSITIONS you and me towards His Purpose and Plan!
Our text says that the Lord shall GUIDE us continually, even though we might not be mindful of “HOW” He’s doing it, but trust me, He is. God works through EVERY negative thing used against you, to ADVANCE YOU! It’s a paradigm shift in the mind. He turns your pain into power and every disappointment into a Divine Appointment. God seeks to disrupt the flow of sin and evil in us so that His love and blessings can flow UNINTERRUPTED in our lives. God wants our every move to be a blessed one. It doesn’t mean we cease to have trials, but we’re so deep with Him that we didn’t recognize that it was a trial. He is just that good!
Be mindful what God promises to do for YOU throughout the verse. Satisfy our souls in drought? Ever hit rock bottom before? Well, that’s a drought! Everything around you looks dried out and useless, then comes to the Lord to “RAIN ON OUR PARADE” in a good way based on text today. He says, Thou shalt be like a watered garden. Gardens don’t water themselves, but persons who love gardens take time to nurture and care for it. The Lord is ready to EXPLODE our lives into living testimonies of His Power and Glory. He wants the world to know that it pays to serve the Lord.
As God Positions Us, Assigns Us and Realigns Us for His Glory, it might not be pretty or pleasant, but we will come forth more poised, patient, and powerful. The day we stop trying to “understand” what God is doing, the better off we’ll be. Get in position to ACCEPT what He knows is the best route we should take. The goal of the Lord is for us to Let God, then Let Go. He gives us the needed power and strength of mind to fulfill His will on a daily basis. A full surrender of our plans, goals, agenda, and aspirations MUST be surrendered to God in prayer so He can fix our circumstances to match His Will for us.
Saul whose name was changed to Paul was totally made over and his life redirected by God who positioned him to be blessed. When you and I read the New Testament, most of the books were written by the Apostle Paul. He didn’t know that when Stephen was being stoned and he said it, that God was positioning him to be blessed.
When Paul got to the end of his earthly assignment, he had this testimony in 2 Timothy 4:7, I Fought, I Finished, and I Kept…..
Endless Love
I John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God Is Love.
Love is in the air, everywhere! Especially this Valentine Weekend. I want to share with each of us this weekend God’s perspective on Love based on His WORD. Our text for today emphasizes the fact that when we know Him, we know true love. The very essence and nature of God is love and it doesn’t change or vary with circumstances.
Let’s start with the highest form or expression of Love, Agape. Love comes from the Greek word “agape”, which means “affectionate regard”, “goodwill”, “benevolence”. Get this, it is God’s WILLFUL direction toward man and DOING what He knows is best for man and not necessarily what man desires. A great example of this is found in a very familiar passage of Scripture, John 3:16. The attitude of God towards His Son and believers on the Lord.
Love belongs to the person who loves, and extends itself to serve and please them rather than to be served or pleased by them. In other words, the God in me increases my capacity to love based on the relationship I have with Him. The Holy Spirit, based on Galatians 5:22-23, develops in us the fruit of the Spirit. Notice I said fruit, not fruits of the Spirit. Why? Love is God and God is love. Love is the ultimate and highest expression of Him. What comes after love is simply the fruit it bears, like joyful love, peaceful love, etc….
God’s love is not like human affection which is rooted in selfishness. I Corinthians 13:4-7 highlights the QUALITIES of Love that has its genesis in God. When we say to a person, I Love You, what are we really saying? Is it said from a selfish motive, masqueraded under a false pretense until the selfish goal is realized? Or, are we saying by God’s grace that we have an intense desire to please this person, even with their shortcomings and failures glaring us in the face. Loving people through the eyes and heart of the Lord positions us to love them like God loves His Son, unconditionally and without reservations.
Love Suffereth Long. The meaning of suffereth long is “has a long mind”. It is long in endurance of unkindness, slander, opposition, or whatever may come to it. This type of love cannot be worn down by what it has to endure. Check this out saints, it reaches beyond oppression and all forms of persecution. It is a long-minded virtue birthed in the heart by the Holy Spirit. It devotes itself to the object of its affections and lasts as long as love does.
May God bless us to love like He does EVERYDAY!
Love is in the air, everywhere! Especially this Valentine Weekend. I want to share with each of us this weekend God’s perspective on Love based on His WORD. Our text for today emphasizes the fact that when we know Him, we know true love. The very essence and nature of God is love and it doesn’t change or vary with circumstances.
Let’s start with the highest form or expression of Love, Agape. Love comes from the Greek word “agape”, which means “affectionate regard”, “goodwill”, “benevolence”. Get this, it is God’s WILLFUL direction toward man and DOING what He knows is best for man and not necessarily what man desires. A great example of this is found in a very familiar passage of Scripture, John 3:16. The attitude of God towards His Son and believers on the Lord.
Love belongs to the person who loves, and extends itself to serve and please them rather than to be served or pleased by them. In other words, the God in me increases my capacity to love based on the relationship I have with Him. The Holy Spirit, based on Galatians 5:22-23, develops in us the fruit of the Spirit. Notice I said fruit, not fruits of the Spirit. Why? Love is God and God is love. Love is the ultimate and highest expression of Him. What comes after love is simply the fruit it bears, like joyful love, peaceful love, etc….
God’s love is not like human affection which is rooted in selfishness. I Corinthians 13:4-7 highlights the QUALITIES of Love that has its genesis in God. When we say to a person, I Love You, what are we really saying? Is it said from a selfish motive, masqueraded under a false pretense until the selfish goal is realized? Or, are we saying by God’s grace that we have an intense desire to please this person, even with their shortcomings and failures glaring us in the face. Loving people through the eyes and heart of the Lord positions us to love them like God loves His Son, unconditionally and without reservations.
Love Suffereth Long. The meaning of suffereth long is “has a long mind”. It is long in endurance of unkindness, slander, opposition, or whatever may come to it. This type of love cannot be worn down by what it has to endure. Check this out saints, it reaches beyond oppression and all forms of persecution. It is a long-minded virtue birthed in the heart by the Holy Spirit. It devotes itself to the object of its affections and lasts as long as love does.
May God bless us to love like He does EVERYDAY!
The Power Of Love
I Corinthians 13:7 Love Beareth all things….
Love is the essence of who God is. Through our daily walk with Him and study of His WORD, we are transformed into His image and likeness and grow into that abiding love that beareth all things. It’s easy to say we love God whom we have never seen, yet hate our brothers and sisters we see everyday. Today, we want to look at the power of love and how we relate to one another.
The word “beareth” comes from the Greek word, STEGO, which means “to protect” or “to preserve by covering” and “to keep off something which threatens”, “to bear up against”, “to hold out against”, and so “to endure, bear, forbear”. Additionally, it means “to roof over, to cover with silence or endure patiently”.
God has made us to be social beings. In the beginning He said it’s not good for man to be alone. So He created a helpmeet for Adam. Helpmeet means one suited or fitted to make him complete. Eve was Adam’s second self. Adam was created to reflect the glory of God, but the woman was created to reflect the glory of the man. Seeing she was taken from a rib from Adam’s side, just beneath his heart. Though wired differently, they were designed by God to benefit and bless each other socially, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Because we’re wired differently as male and female, quite naturally we won’t see the same thing, the same way. When shortcomings surface in our lives as we communicate with each other, it doesn’t mean we necessarily abrogate individuals out of ours lives. When two minds disagree, it simply shows two schools of thought about the same subject. We tend not to view it that way in the heat of the moment. God allows people in our lives who are different and may help to make us balanced. If we love only those who agree with us, then our love is partial.
God enables us to cover with love those whose disposition may be rough around edges. When the power of God’s love is in full operation, we can see the good in the worse of us. It doesn’t mean they we have arrived, but that God has positioned us through our character to help make up the difference in someone’s life. Marriage is a prime example of this. Usually, opposites attract each other, why? We tend to attract people to our lives who have traits of character we desire that make up the deficiencies in us. One spouse may be strong spiritually while the other may be weak. Subconsciously, the weak spouse is attracted to a person who possess a strength they need filled in their life.
God loves through us to help that person get where He wants them to be. Each of us have enough strengths and growth potential that keeps us loving, encouraging, and aiding each other until death do us part. We cover and protect through love the person brought into our lives. Forgiveness and reconciliation is God’s desired goal for all of us. The Lord looks beyond our faults and sees our needs. Bearing one another’s burden through the power of love will eventually produced in the person the desired change needed. Living the life before our brothers and sisters is a seed sown in their lives. It may not germinate overnight, but they have something to think about over time.
Remember, love is love until it’s tested and given away, so let’s give love until it HELPS, not hurts!
Love is the essence of who God is. Through our daily walk with Him and study of His WORD, we are transformed into His image and likeness and grow into that abiding love that beareth all things. It’s easy to say we love God whom we have never seen, yet hate our brothers and sisters we see everyday. Today, we want to look at the power of love and how we relate to one another.
The word “beareth” comes from the Greek word, STEGO, which means “to protect” or “to preserve by covering” and “to keep off something which threatens”, “to bear up against”, “to hold out against”, and so “to endure, bear, forbear”. Additionally, it means “to roof over, to cover with silence or endure patiently”.
God has made us to be social beings. In the beginning He said it’s not good for man to be alone. So He created a helpmeet for Adam. Helpmeet means one suited or fitted to make him complete. Eve was Adam’s second self. Adam was created to reflect the glory of God, but the woman was created to reflect the glory of the man. Seeing she was taken from a rib from Adam’s side, just beneath his heart. Though wired differently, they were designed by God to benefit and bless each other socially, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Because we’re wired differently as male and female, quite naturally we won’t see the same thing, the same way. When shortcomings surface in our lives as we communicate with each other, it doesn’t mean we necessarily abrogate individuals out of ours lives. When two minds disagree, it simply shows two schools of thought about the same subject. We tend not to view it that way in the heat of the moment. God allows people in our lives who are different and may help to make us balanced. If we love only those who agree with us, then our love is partial.
God enables us to cover with love those whose disposition may be rough around edges. When the power of God’s love is in full operation, we can see the good in the worse of us. It doesn’t mean they we have arrived, but that God has positioned us through our character to help make up the difference in someone’s life. Marriage is a prime example of this. Usually, opposites attract each other, why? We tend to attract people to our lives who have traits of character we desire that make up the deficiencies in us. One spouse may be strong spiritually while the other may be weak. Subconsciously, the weak spouse is attracted to a person who possess a strength they need filled in their life.
God loves through us to help that person get where He wants them to be. Each of us have enough strengths and growth potential that keeps us loving, encouraging, and aiding each other until death do us part. We cover and protect through love the person brought into our lives. Forgiveness and reconciliation is God’s desired goal for all of us. The Lord looks beyond our faults and sees our needs. Bearing one another’s burden through the power of love will eventually produced in the person the desired change needed. Living the life before our brothers and sisters is a seed sown in their lives. It may not germinate overnight, but they have something to think about over time.
Remember, love is love until it’s tested and given away, so let’s give love until it HELPS, not hurts!
Understanding God's Silence In Your Life
Psalms 13:1-6
After reading these six verses and reading I Samuel chapters 16-17, you wonder if you’re talking about the David. How did David move from Too Anointed To Be Disappointed to Too Disappointed To Believe You’re Still Anointed? It’s important to remember that David was out in the field minding his own business when God asked for him, according to I Samuel 16:11-13. It is at this time God is speaking and David is “Silent”. David wasn’t aware of God’s Plan and Purpose for his life at the time he was caring for his father’s sheep. Never despise “small beginnings”. Your education qualified you to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, but your anointing has you herding sheep. In life, we tend to get it twisting, thinking God is calling us to “greatness” when He is calling us to BE FAITHFUL, whatever our assignment may be.
When God called and had David anointed, He was mindful of his strengths and weaknesses at the same. He knew the very date of his fall from grace with details to spare. All of David’s failings and shortcomings were considered when God called him to the throne of Isreal. Look at the twelve disciples Jesus called. Each one had unique character traits that God could use, simple because they were HUMBLE and TEACHABLE! For three and a half years, they walked and talked with Divinity wrapped in humanity in the person of Jesus. Just knowing you’re in the presence of the Absolutely Sinless One who veiled His Glory that they might share in His story. They had day to day contact with Jesus, yet Peter was still swearing and cutting off ears, cursing and denying Jesus to His face.
So what made the difference in these individuals lives? God’s Timing is everything! When God called them, He spoke WITH THEM, but when He got ready to transform them for use and His Glory, He spoke TO THEM. The tenor of His messages to them were more direct and challenging. The Lord wanted to make sure they could disc discern His voice under ANY and ALL circumstances. Knowing ABOUT Him wasn’t enough! The assignment God prepared them for required more than book knowledge. They had to know Him through EXPERIENCE. Testifying in church is one thing, but PRAISING Him in the lion’s den is another thing altogether. In the Four Gospels, you read about twelve disciples who were in the very presence of Jesus, but were not transformed by the power of Jesus. The crowd around Jesus did not benefit from Him like the woman with the issue of blood did. God is moved when He is touched by faith. After the four Gospels, you don’t read about the shortcomings of the disciples anymore, why? When you get to the book of Acts and beyond, you read about men who were filled with the Holy Ghost and anointed.
Let’s sum it all up now. In Psalms 13:1-6, David felt the “silence” of God over his soul like the palls of death. The main reason for God’s Silence in David’s soul was because God was listening now! God afforded David an opportunity to get it all out of his system. The Lord NEVER left David, but His silence felt like it. God wants you to recognize what you’ve done that’s outside of His will. In order to bring us face to face with “TRUE SELVES”, we need to think things through. God wants us to be in touch with our feelings. When it looks like He’s no where to be found, He’s right there! David concluded in verse that the Lord had dealt “BOUNTIFULLY WITH HIM. This word “bountifully” comes from the Hebrew word “GAMAL”, which means, “to treat a person well, or “to do him good and not evil”. If God had chosen to interrupt David while in His pain and hurt, we wouldn’t have Psalms 51. When God speaks, we listen, when we speak, God is listening!
Shhhhh.......
After reading these six verses and reading I Samuel chapters 16-17, you wonder if you’re talking about the David. How did David move from Too Anointed To Be Disappointed to Too Disappointed To Believe You’re Still Anointed? It’s important to remember that David was out in the field minding his own business when God asked for him, according to I Samuel 16:11-13. It is at this time God is speaking and David is “Silent”. David wasn’t aware of God’s Plan and Purpose for his life at the time he was caring for his father’s sheep. Never despise “small beginnings”. Your education qualified you to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, but your anointing has you herding sheep. In life, we tend to get it twisting, thinking God is calling us to “greatness” when He is calling us to BE FAITHFUL, whatever our assignment may be.
When God called and had David anointed, He was mindful of his strengths and weaknesses at the same. He knew the very date of his fall from grace with details to spare. All of David’s failings and shortcomings were considered when God called him to the throne of Isreal. Look at the twelve disciples Jesus called. Each one had unique character traits that God could use, simple because they were HUMBLE and TEACHABLE! For three and a half years, they walked and talked with Divinity wrapped in humanity in the person of Jesus. Just knowing you’re in the presence of the Absolutely Sinless One who veiled His Glory that they might share in His story. They had day to day contact with Jesus, yet Peter was still swearing and cutting off ears, cursing and denying Jesus to His face.
So what made the difference in these individuals lives? God’s Timing is everything! When God called them, He spoke WITH THEM, but when He got ready to transform them for use and His Glory, He spoke TO THEM. The tenor of His messages to them were more direct and challenging. The Lord wanted to make sure they could disc discern His voice under ANY and ALL circumstances. Knowing ABOUT Him wasn’t enough! The assignment God prepared them for required more than book knowledge. They had to know Him through EXPERIENCE. Testifying in church is one thing, but PRAISING Him in the lion’s den is another thing altogether. In the Four Gospels, you read about twelve disciples who were in the very presence of Jesus, but were not transformed by the power of Jesus. The crowd around Jesus did not benefit from Him like the woman with the issue of blood did. God is moved when He is touched by faith. After the four Gospels, you don’t read about the shortcomings of the disciples anymore, why? When you get to the book of Acts and beyond, you read about men who were filled with the Holy Ghost and anointed.
Let’s sum it all up now. In Psalms 13:1-6, David felt the “silence” of God over his soul like the palls of death. The main reason for God’s Silence in David’s soul was because God was listening now! God afforded David an opportunity to get it all out of his system. The Lord NEVER left David, but His silence felt like it. God wants you to recognize what you’ve done that’s outside of His will. In order to bring us face to face with “TRUE SELVES”, we need to think things through. God wants us to be in touch with our feelings. When it looks like He’s no where to be found, He’s right there! David concluded in verse that the Lord had dealt “BOUNTIFULLY WITH HIM. This word “bountifully” comes from the Hebrew word “GAMAL”, which means, “to treat a person well, or “to do him good and not evil”. If God had chosen to interrupt David while in His pain and hurt, we wouldn’t have Psalms 51. When God speaks, we listen, when we speak, God is listening!
Shhhhh.......
An Expected End
Jeremiah 29:11-14 "An Expected End"
The Hebrew word for expected is "tik-vaw", which is a feminine noun referring to HOPE or EXPECTATION. It refers to an ATTITUDE of ANTICIPATION with the expectation that SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN! Hope can be equivalent to a longing or a desire.
Isreal refused to comply with the commands of God, which then led to their seventy-years of Babylonian captivity. This unfortunate twist of fate positioned the good to suffer along with the bad. This cognitive logic is how we view it or see it. God's plans ALWAYS have purpose and destination in mind as it relates to us. This means, REGARDLESS the situation we're in, God "OVERRULES" satan's intended purposes! I know you guys want to shout right here, but hold on just a little while longer!
The captivity, or circumstances that has you BOUND has an "expiration date" mandated by God. In other words, God is saying to the enemy, "Best Used Before This Date". In the case of the children of Isreal, their expiration date in Babylonian captivity were to end after seventy year.
God simply used the captivity of His people as a "Teaching Moment" for those who took them captive. In most cases, it's hard and sometimes difficult to see and understand WHY and HOW did my situation take a turn for the worse especially when you and I have prayed and fasted much. It's so difficult to see God, let alone His hands during this dense and dark moment in your life. You just didn't plan for things to turn out this way. Depression wraps itself around you like chords of steel, preventing you from believing that God can get you through this. Saints Hold On, help isn't on the way, it's ALREADY HERE!
When gardeners or farmers plant a garden, they already know WHEN to prepare the difficult and hard ground for the precious seed. Farmers know what type seed they have and what type harvest to expect! In other words, prior to the planting of the seed, the fallow ground, or the hard soil must be BROKEN UP in preparation for the precious seed. I think you know where i'm going with this. God's intended "BROKENESS" in your life and mine, has meaning beyond what humans can comprehend. It's a God Thing! This is not the time to put a period, where God simply placed a comma!
The seed is placed in a cold, dirty, and isolated position, in the ground. Sometimes, it's walked on, unbeknowing to individuals who pass by. Out of the public's eye, placed in a position of "stillness", the seed is benefitting from the "dirt" surrounding it. Remember, seeds are on assignment to be bound in captivity to the ground for a season and a reason. Pretty soon, evidence for what was once hid out of sight and view begins to show some sign and evidence of growth. Farmers NEVER plant a garden without having an ATTITUDE of ANTICIPATION with the expectation that SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN! You must know that God's purpose is far GREATER!
Let me come to where you are now! God says, I allowed you to be separated from others, placing you in a "dark spot" where you could GROW. I watered you with my tears, while you were going through your germination period. I used the dirt they had on you, to grow you. Now, you're starting to bud, you're starting to brake through the ground that once had you bound. I the Lord nurtured you, loved you, when EVERYBODY gave up on you because of "WHATEVER". From the time I planted you, I ALREADY had an "Expected End" for you. I'm the one who gave you PEACE, when they gave you a pink slip. I'm the one who gave you HEALING, when they wouldn't give you health care. Check my resume in Psalms 37:25 if you have any doubts!
For I know the PLANS I have for YOU, (yes YOU, yes, EVEN YOU), declares the Lord, to PROSPER YOU and NOT to harm you, PLANS to give you HOPE and a FUTURE. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV. (my emphasis)
Please remember this, for 38 chapters in the book of Job, God was silent while Job talked, but the last three chapters, Job was silent while God talked. It was then that God prospered Job and gave him double for his trouble. Not only that, but the Bible says, Job's Latter End was BETTER than his beginning, why?
God gave him "An Expected End"
The Hebrew word for expected is "tik-vaw", which is a feminine noun referring to HOPE or EXPECTATION. It refers to an ATTITUDE of ANTICIPATION with the expectation that SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN! Hope can be equivalent to a longing or a desire.
Isreal refused to comply with the commands of God, which then led to their seventy-years of Babylonian captivity. This unfortunate twist of fate positioned the good to suffer along with the bad. This cognitive logic is how we view it or see it. God's plans ALWAYS have purpose and destination in mind as it relates to us. This means, REGARDLESS the situation we're in, God "OVERRULES" satan's intended purposes! I know you guys want to shout right here, but hold on just a little while longer!
The captivity, or circumstances that has you BOUND has an "expiration date" mandated by God. In other words, God is saying to the enemy, "Best Used Before This Date". In the case of the children of Isreal, their expiration date in Babylonian captivity were to end after seventy year.
God simply used the captivity of His people as a "Teaching Moment" for those who took them captive. In most cases, it's hard and sometimes difficult to see and understand WHY and HOW did my situation take a turn for the worse especially when you and I have prayed and fasted much. It's so difficult to see God, let alone His hands during this dense and dark moment in your life. You just didn't plan for things to turn out this way. Depression wraps itself around you like chords of steel, preventing you from believing that God can get you through this. Saints Hold On, help isn't on the way, it's ALREADY HERE!
When gardeners or farmers plant a garden, they already know WHEN to prepare the difficult and hard ground for the precious seed. Farmers know what type seed they have and what type harvest to expect! In other words, prior to the planting of the seed, the fallow ground, or the hard soil must be BROKEN UP in preparation for the precious seed. I think you know where i'm going with this. God's intended "BROKENESS" in your life and mine, has meaning beyond what humans can comprehend. It's a God Thing! This is not the time to put a period, where God simply placed a comma!
The seed is placed in a cold, dirty, and isolated position, in the ground. Sometimes, it's walked on, unbeknowing to individuals who pass by. Out of the public's eye, placed in a position of "stillness", the seed is benefitting from the "dirt" surrounding it. Remember, seeds are on assignment to be bound in captivity to the ground for a season and a reason. Pretty soon, evidence for what was once hid out of sight and view begins to show some sign and evidence of growth. Farmers NEVER plant a garden without having an ATTITUDE of ANTICIPATION with the expectation that SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN! You must know that God's purpose is far GREATER!
Let me come to where you are now! God says, I allowed you to be separated from others, placing you in a "dark spot" where you could GROW. I watered you with my tears, while you were going through your germination period. I used the dirt they had on you, to grow you. Now, you're starting to bud, you're starting to brake through the ground that once had you bound. I the Lord nurtured you, loved you, when EVERYBODY gave up on you because of "WHATEVER". From the time I planted you, I ALREADY had an "Expected End" for you. I'm the one who gave you PEACE, when they gave you a pink slip. I'm the one who gave you HEALING, when they wouldn't give you health care. Check my resume in Psalms 37:25 if you have any doubts!
For I know the PLANS I have for YOU, (yes YOU, yes, EVEN YOU), declares the Lord, to PROSPER YOU and NOT to harm you, PLANS to give you HOPE and a FUTURE. Jeremiah 29:11 NIV. (my emphasis)
Please remember this, for 38 chapters in the book of Job, God was silent while Job talked, but the last three chapters, Job was silent while God talked. It was then that God prospered Job and gave him double for his trouble. Not only that, but the Bible says, Job's Latter End was BETTER than his beginning, why?
God gave him "An Expected End"
God's Unusual Directions
Exodus 14:1-14
You followed what you believed was the voice of God saying, go this way and that way, only to discover it lead you to a dead end road leading to nowhere. You know without a doubt God led you there, but why? And what's next? Where do we go from here, Lord?
God's desire and design for Isreal was to move them from feelings to faith! When God is ready to ELEVATE you to another level and dimension in Him, He spares us the details so that complete trust is placed in Him. He deliberately creates "NO WAY OUT" situations and circumstances that are designed to grow us up in Him. From our vantage point, we feel like the children of Isreal, wondering if we had stayed in the "comfort zone" of Egypt, things would be far different.
As we walk with God on a daily basis, we soon discover, that He won't let us settle in our comfort zones, when the best lies dormat within us. Like Italian Dressing, when seen at the store, the main content is settled on the bottom. On the back, near the bottom, sometimes on the side are written these words, "Shake Well Before Using". The bottle doesn't shake itself, but the one who has use for it does. God is too wise to shake us with the top removed, knowing full well our substance would be lost.
1. STAND STILL AND SEE-- verse 13
It doesn't matter where you are right now and how you got there, God says, Stand Still and See. Why does He ask or demand that you and I stand still when Pharoah's army is closing in on us, huge mountains on both sides, and a Red Sea in front of us and He says STAND STILL?
Humanly speaking, it's easy to question God when you can't see a way out. In cases like this, Isaiah 55 comes to mind which says, My Ways are not your ways. Trusting God when the evidence around you isn't conducive, is right where He wants you and me. Oswald Chambers in his book, My Utmost For His Highest said, "If you got it all figured out, then God wasn't in it"!
The Lord ask us to be still and see, primarily because He put us in the situation from the beginning, based on Exodus 14:1-2. God said what would happen BEFORE it happens (v-4). He gives VICTORIES before the games are played. He ask us to be still so as not to mar His PERFECT PLAN for our deliverance and breakthrough that's set to happen at the appointed time His Providence has already worked out! God will so humble us and delay us, that when we come out of it, ALL GLORY goes to Him, and not us.
2. THE LORD SHALL FIGHT FOR YOU-- verse 14
This is a hard lesson, but a fair one to learn. When God says, He will fight for you, it doesn't mean our trials will decrease. Look at Joesph. God didn't stop his brothers from dumping him in a pit and leaving him to die. The developed Joesph through the pit experience that prepared him for God's destination and assignment for him. Man was responsible for putting Joesph in the pit, but God was responsible for ELEVATING him to the palace.
There are times when God will allow the enemy to take your coat and lie on you in the process, but will keep your character and integrity intact. The substance of Joesph's life rose to the top when shaken by the trials he faced. God used EVERY negative thing against Joesph, and regulated them to fit His design for Joesph's ULTIMATE GROWTH and prosperity. God developed his prayer life, his study of the WORD, and his dependence of Him. This is why He wants us to not try and figure it out, but trust His Plan to part the Red Sea, enabling us to walk on "dry ground" to our destiny. He only ask that we raise the rod He placed in our hands, then He will be responsible for parting the Sea, enabling us to crossover to the other side of our trials.
Remember, they didn't sing the New Song until they got over to the other side. The Battle Is Not Yours, But God's! Please Read II Chronicles 20: 3-4, 12, 15-18
You followed what you believed was the voice of God saying, go this way and that way, only to discover it lead you to a dead end road leading to nowhere. You know without a doubt God led you there, but why? And what's next? Where do we go from here, Lord?
God's desire and design for Isreal was to move them from feelings to faith! When God is ready to ELEVATE you to another level and dimension in Him, He spares us the details so that complete trust is placed in Him. He deliberately creates "NO WAY OUT" situations and circumstances that are designed to grow us up in Him. From our vantage point, we feel like the children of Isreal, wondering if we had stayed in the "comfort zone" of Egypt, things would be far different.
As we walk with God on a daily basis, we soon discover, that He won't let us settle in our comfort zones, when the best lies dormat within us. Like Italian Dressing, when seen at the store, the main content is settled on the bottom. On the back, near the bottom, sometimes on the side are written these words, "Shake Well Before Using". The bottle doesn't shake itself, but the one who has use for it does. God is too wise to shake us with the top removed, knowing full well our substance would be lost.
1. STAND STILL AND SEE-- verse 13
It doesn't matter where you are right now and how you got there, God says, Stand Still and See. Why does He ask or demand that you and I stand still when Pharoah's army is closing in on us, huge mountains on both sides, and a Red Sea in front of us and He says STAND STILL?
Humanly speaking, it's easy to question God when you can't see a way out. In cases like this, Isaiah 55 comes to mind which says, My Ways are not your ways. Trusting God when the evidence around you isn't conducive, is right where He wants you and me. Oswald Chambers in his book, My Utmost For His Highest said, "If you got it all figured out, then God wasn't in it"!
The Lord ask us to be still and see, primarily because He put us in the situation from the beginning, based on Exodus 14:1-2. God said what would happen BEFORE it happens (v-4). He gives VICTORIES before the games are played. He ask us to be still so as not to mar His PERFECT PLAN for our deliverance and breakthrough that's set to happen at the appointed time His Providence has already worked out! God will so humble us and delay us, that when we come out of it, ALL GLORY goes to Him, and not us.
2. THE LORD SHALL FIGHT FOR YOU-- verse 14
This is a hard lesson, but a fair one to learn. When God says, He will fight for you, it doesn't mean our trials will decrease. Look at Joesph. God didn't stop his brothers from dumping him in a pit and leaving him to die. The developed Joesph through the pit experience that prepared him for God's destination and assignment for him. Man was responsible for putting Joesph in the pit, but God was responsible for ELEVATING him to the palace.
There are times when God will allow the enemy to take your coat and lie on you in the process, but will keep your character and integrity intact. The substance of Joesph's life rose to the top when shaken by the trials he faced. God used EVERY negative thing against Joesph, and regulated them to fit His design for Joesph's ULTIMATE GROWTH and prosperity. God developed his prayer life, his study of the WORD, and his dependence of Him. This is why He wants us to not try and figure it out, but trust His Plan to part the Red Sea, enabling us to walk on "dry ground" to our destiny. He only ask that we raise the rod He placed in our hands, then He will be responsible for parting the Sea, enabling us to crossover to the other side of our trials.
Remember, they didn't sing the New Song until they got over to the other side. The Battle Is Not Yours, But God's! Please Read II Chronicles 20: 3-4, 12, 15-18
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