0 Keep Stepping: the Same God Who Led You in Will Lead You Out!

You may feel that you are at your end today.  Maybe you’re on your last dime.  Maybe you are saying, “God, I don’t want to work here.”  Or “God, I don’t want to live here.”  Or maybe, “God, I don’t want to go through that.”  Maybe you have waited a long time for your miracle.  Maybe there are things you desire from God and you have waited what seems like forever.

I want to encourage you today to hold firm until the end.  The same God who led you in will lead you out.  The same God who has taken care of you in the past will come through for you again.  He has not changed or lost His power.  Nor has He forgotten you or given up on you.  He will come just in time.  Keep stepping in faith just like Abraham.

Remember how God tested Abraham and instructed him to take his promised child Isaac and sacrifice him on a mountain some distance away.  The Bible states that Abraham, in faith, got up early the next day and set off on the three day journey to the mountain.  Genesis 22:1-4.

God’s plan, however, could not have made any sense to Abraham.  God had promised that through Isaac, Abraham would be made a great nation.  Imagine what was going through Abraham’s mind the entire three day journey.  Imagine how his feelings and emotions and the enemy must have been attacking his mind.  Sometimes reading these stories we forget that these were real people with real feelings, emotions and desires.  Surely Abraham did not want to do what God asked him to do.  Nonetheless, he pushed through his feelings and emotions and kept stepping, trusting in God.  Let’s look at the results of Abraham’s trust in God:

Genesis 22:9-18


9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.  He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 


10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 


11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”  “Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said.  “Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”


13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 


14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide.  And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 


15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 


16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 


17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 


18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Note that when Abraham took that step of faith and did what the Lord had instructed, even though it didn’t make sense, God performed a miracle for Abraham:  The right ram, was at the right place, at the right time.  I like to think of it like this: When Abraham was climbing up the mountain on one side, there was a ram climbing up the mountain on the other side.  And even though Abraham couldn’t see the provision, it was coming – with every step of faith that he took – it was coming.  Not only that, but because Abraham trusted God, God promised to bless Abraham even further.  Genesis 22:15-18.

God has no favorites.  It’s the same for you, if you will hold on.  If you keep stepping, in faith, even when you feel like giving up, even when you do not understand why this is happening to you, God will come through for you.  Blessings friends!

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0 Let God's Dreams for You Outweigh Your Circumstances

Today, I want to speak to you about your dreams – those hopes, desires, and plans for your life that God has placed in your heart -- and the circumstances in which you currently find yourself.  Let me ask you, which are you allowing to control your life, your dreams or your current circumstances?  Or put another way, which is bigger in your eyes?  The reason for this post is to encourage you to again refocus your thoughts and energies on what really matters, specifically, what God says about your life and future.

                     

God has promised you many good things, so why are you letting your current circumstances stop you from pursuing all that God made you to be.  Remember, the Bible clearly states that He is faithful and more than able to do what He has promised you.  Remember also that we only see in part.  But God operates seeing the big picture.  He is working on your behalf in ways that you cannot understand, which is why Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart, and lean not on our own understanding.

 I know that sometimes it is hard to see a good future when so much for so long has been going wrong, but you must stand firm until the end.  You have a part to play in whether God’s future for you manifests.  If you do not believe and walk in step with how He sees your future, you can miss out on His best for you.  God will not make you follow Him.  He will not make you believe.  Will you move forward or stay where you are?  The choice is yours.

Furthermore, Psalm 37:4 says: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.”  The word “delight” is defined as “to give pleasure to or be pleasing to.”  Do you find it pleasant when someone keeps asking you why, why, why, when, when, when?  Neither would God as it does not show complete trust in His plan.  Believe and rest in Him knowing that whatever circumstances surround you will not and cannot change the fact that He is faithful and will do what He has promised you.

In short, the secret to victory is not to just have a dream, but to keep the dream alive.  Exalt in your eyes what God has said above what your circumstances seem to dictate.  Do as Mary the mother of Jesus did in the Bible when people kept prophesying that her son one day would be the savior of the world.  For many years she saw no signs of what God promised her, but she saved up the words in her heart and pondered them.  She kept what God had said before her eyes, not her current circumstances.

Lift up your head.  Keep dreaming.  No circumstance is impossible.  The word “impossible” is not even in Gods vocabulary.  “For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment”  Luke 1:37.

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0 God Hears You When You Call to Him in Faith

Philippians 4:6, 7 give us a sure formula to be heard by God and receive the subject of our petitions, while all the while resting in His peace.  It states:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Today, I want to discuss this formula with you so that you might have a better understanding of how to use it.                   

Lets look at the first part of our text: “DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING . . .”  God instructs us not to be anxious about anything.  God wants us to know that he cares for us and will take care of us.  Also, if we are anxious, we are not trusting God for our needs as He has clearly stated that He will meet all our needs if we only ask.

As a parent, wouldn’t you feel bad if your child continually worried whether you would provide them food and shelter despite you telling them that you will?  Of course you would.  God is no different.  He is our Heavenly Father and has promised to provide us all we need if only we ask.  Do not worry.
                   
Now lets look at the next part of our text: “ . . . BY PRAYER AND PETITION, . . . , PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD.”  Ask!  Talk to God.  Prayer is just talking to God.  It’s that easy.  Just ask.

As a parent, if you knew your kids needed something and they came and asked you for it, would you turn them down?  No, of course not.  God is the same way as a loving Heavenly Father.  Just ask.

Lets look now at the last part of our text: “. . . BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD.”  If you really believe God will provide that which you asked, you would be fine with thanking Him in advance.  Thanking Him before you receive whatever it is you requested demonstrates trust in Him.  And we know according to Hebrews 11:6 that trust, or stated differently, faith, pleases God.

As a parent, does it not please your heart when your children get excited and thankful when you have promised them something or promised to do something for them?  Sure you do.  Their excitement and thankfulness proves that they trust you.  God is no different.  Be thankful.

Will you receive the peace of God today for every situation and circumstance in your life?  It’s easy.  Commit yourself to implement these principles and you will see a difference.  You are blessed our friends!

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0 God Cares What You Think about Him

Just this past week I spoke to a youth group at Faith Fellowship Church in Wirtz,

Virginia. Just before stepping on the platform, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and told me to emphasize how much we matter to Father God and how much He cares what we think about Him. The verse He gave me was Hebrews 11:6. It says in part, “And without faith it is impossible to please God . . ..”

We have discussed before that “faith” is just another word for trust. Or stated another way, it is a belief that what a person says they will do, they will do. So why is faith so important to God? Why does it really matter to Him? Because it is important to Him that you believe He loves you and that He will care for you as He has promised in His Word.

Imagine this, a parent tells their child that this Saturday they will take the child shopping and buy that thing that their heart has so desired. Now imagine how the parent would feel if the child walked around the house all week gloomy and dejected, saying, “my parent said they would take me to the store and buy me what I want, but I do not know if they really will follow through with it. I am not really sure if they will.” Any parent would be hurt. But imagine the opposite. Imagine how the parent would feel if the child bragged confidently to their friends how good the parent is and what the parent is going to do for them. Obviously this would please the parent.

As our heavenly Father, God is no different. When we act gloomy and dejected, doubting God cares, not trusting in His many good promises in the Bible to take care of those who love Him, He hurts. It assails His character. It as if we are calling Him a no good liar who neglects His children. But just the opposite is true when we believe that He will do what He has stated in His Word He will do. As recorded in Hebrews 11:6, He is pleased with us as any parent would be.

We encourage you this week to lift up your head and walk and talk in confidence regarding your God and the good He has in store for you. Your God cares for you even more and in a better way than any natural mother or father rightly could. He desires that your needs are met (Philippians 4:19) and your desires are fulfilled (Psalms 37:4). Bring a smile to God’s face this week. Yes, it is in your power to do this by simply declaring to God, yourself, and others that you love God and trust Him no matter the circumstances that arise. You are blessed and highly favored our friends.

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0 Be Still and Know That He Is God

Did you know that you have much to do with whether this year is full of peace and satisfying?  I was reading a passage of scripture the other day and the Holy Spirit showed me something that I had never seen before, something that proves my point.  I was reading Psalm 84.  It says in verses 5-7:

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
 he refreshes my soul.  Psalm 23:1-3

First, you should know that the “Valley of Baka” can literally be translated in Hebrew as the “Valley of Weeping.”  In other words, the “Valley of Baka,” as used here, represents any tough, painful place or season along life’s journey.  As I read “they make it a place of springs,” the Holy Spirit stopped me and asked me who makes it a place of springs?  I looked again and saw something that I had never seen before.  It is not God who makes it a place of springs, but those who go through the valley.  Yes, God does have His part to play.  We see in the next phrase that He sends the autumn rains to create pools to refresh us.  But the first phrase is clear that we also have a part to play in the refreshing process.

So what is our part you might ask?  The Lord himself clearly gave the answer to this question in Isaiah 30:15:

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

   “In repentance and rest is your salvation,
   in quietness and trust is your strength . . . .”

Trust.  It all comes down to trust.  If you truly believe that God cares for you, you will not fret.  If you really believe that He takes care of His own children, then you can have peace, even in the valley of weeping.  Remember in these troubling times that your God is for you and not against you.  He is with you.  He has not forgotten you.  Rest.  Be at peace.  He is mighty to save.  Be still and know that He is God.

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