If the Bible said it, it is true and it will never change!
When God set the world in place He also set Kingdom Principles in place for all of His creation, and those principles will never change.
The very things that often annoy us and we wish could be different are the very things God has placed in our path for definite reasons. The scripture says "ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28.)
As a child I used to wonder what the world would look like if trees had grown upside down with the branches and leaves covered under the earth and the roots swayed with the breeze. I also wondered what it would have been like if all the grass had been purple or another color! It's amusing to me now how a child could wonder about some of the strangest things, but as I grew I began to understand God had a design, a beautiful one, that we would eventually appreciate in many ways. I began to understand how all things were working together in His world! I began to understand that green grass is much easier on the eyes, always! And God wanted us to watch trees grow in their graceful beauty as well as know when the fruit of each one was ready. Realizing this, I began to notice other principles are also an intertwined part of His design. How wonderful that He could reveal this to a child, and then give understanding about His beautiful world.
We can count on the sun rising every morning,without fail, and the evening bringing on night so that people would rest, sleep and be refreshed for the next day. We know that one could open the petals of a rose but we did not make it bloom. In God's economy certain creations needed time, --His time! We could change the hands of a clock but we would not have changed the time. He already set the time! We could count the apples on a tree but we could never count the trees possible in one apple. Why?...because God set principles on the earth that take care of all of his creation... bringing the night for certain ceatures to find their food etc., and comfort for people with a set time for work, play, rest and communication with Him. His principles rule with perfect precision more than we can comprehend.
A young mother once complained her pregnancy was many days overdue. When the baby was born the doctor showed her evidence if the child had been born earlier, the baby would have been born with a cleft palate (a congenital defect in the roof of the mouth.) The delayed delivery proved God was healing the baby's mouth before the baby's birth... working all things for the good of the new child!
A military friend of ours, planning to take a flight home from Lockerbee, Scotland, had to change flights suddenly and later learned that the flight he would have been on earlier, crashed and all lives on board were lost. God worked His plans to spare the life of our friend!
Delays, disappointments, broken promises or conracts, sudden changes, unjustified offenses and wounds or divine interventions may be a part of an unseen plan that God used to get your attention, to divert a crisis away from you for your good! A promotiom that was not realized, or prayer that was not answered could all be God's way of revealing He has different plans for you. If these issues are on your path talk to God about them, repent with an open heart, then be willing to let Him reveal His plan. You may not have missed His Will,... you may just need His redirection to it.
In Genesis 37, 39-50, we read the intriguing story of the life of Joseph. All things in his life were complex but they were working together for his good.
Centuries before Jacob was born, God knew about the famine that would take place in Canaan and He had a plan to orchestrate every detail to provide food for His chosen people when the time came. God permitted pain to touch Joseph's life even though He had a special future assignment for him. Jacob too, suffered for years not knowing details of what really happened to Joseph, yet God's comfort was sufficient. Though Jacob probably wept, God knew how to comfort him in his grief and sorrow while at the same time working out a very intricate plan to save him, his family and their future generations from starving.
Sometimes pain has to be a part of God's plan for a deliverance.
You and I are very human. We cannot see ahead as God can so we often become alarmed at the unknown. Though people have different personalities and dispositions God knows whom He can trust to bring about His plan, so His unique assignment is entrusted to a person He knows will work together with Him. This was true not only of Joseph but also of missionaries who go to "limited access" nations to share the gospel. While the missionaries know they are surrounded by danger, if God has sent them they know He will protect them until their assignment is finished....and the gospel has been planted in the hearts of people whom God knew were ready to receive it! God looks for people He can trust and He knows who they are. Are you one of them?
God is an awesome God! He has the master plan, but He continues to prepare people to work with Him until the harvest is finished so that Jesus can return to earth! An important truth is that God uses those individuals as examples to show His Church or an individul, or for "future history" His faithfulness and keeping power in any circumstance.
How about you? Do you know that all things are working together for good because you are part of the great company of believers who are the called according to His purpose? It may not appear to be that way in your life today but God's Word is true, so it is true!
The late Edwin Cole said, "Your circumstances combined with God's power means unlimited potential success and victory in every area of your life! Keep trusting God as Joseph did. He is working all things together for your good and His glory! Joseph experienced difficult trials for thirteem years but it prepared him to be a leader in Egypt for eighty years!"
God sees unlimited potential and victory in you and all things in your life really are working together for His glory! God loves you!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wasted Years!
Have you ever wondered what we would do if there were no clocks or calendars? How would we know how to plan our day, or when to plant fields, or celebrate important occasions? How would we know if we were balancing our time well to get to appointments on time? We often take many of life's most important blessings for granted without much thought how we could live without them. Time is one of those blessings. Both the clock and calendar are responsible for the great accomplishments or sad failures many people have experienced. For most of us, our life is told by how we used the time God gave all of us for each day!
Years ago we traveled through many states speaking in behalf of missions and the need to plant churches in the countries of Korea and Thailand. As you can imagine, it was necessary to leave our home at a set time in order to arrive at our speaking appointments with sufficient time to speak to leaders before sharing the needs of Korea and Thailand. I remember several times though we studied our maps, counted the miles, calculated the traveling time and followed directions there were still times when we missed an exit and had to drive an extra 3-5 miles before we could turn around and return to the proper turn-off. There were times too when I felt we were not on the right road but my husband refused to stop and ask directions. He insisted he knew the way, only to arrive just minutes before the service began. Once, we completely circled an area of the Blue Ridge Mountains only to exit at the very place we had entered because we didn't stop to ask directions. We wasted two hours! Has this ever happened to you? (I need not say more....!!)
Wasted time can be the reason for a person's lack of self-discipline, motivation or delayed development of habits that end in lost opportunities. And it all began with wasting time, which developed into wasting days and in some cases turned into wasted years. Sometimes we regret our decisions after it is too late.
I think of Elijah, that great prophet of God who called down fire from heaven in a contest with King Ahab (I Kings 18-19). God had used him mightily, yet after the contest when King Ahab's wife, Jezebel, heard that Elijah had ordered all of her prophets of Baal to be killed, she sent a message to him that she would kill him the next day. And --suddenly Elijah fled for his life without inquiring from God what he should do. His flight took him to a desert! A desert! Think of the wasted days he spent in the desert because he did not inquire from God what to do!
A sure way to avoid a wasted life is to stay in close fellowship with the Lord and the Holy Spirit in prayer everyday! No matter what is happening in your life, the Holy Spirit can speak to you through His impressions in your heart or through the Word of God to give you direction that will sharpen your spiritual insights, strengthen your self-disciplines, and help you to know His plan for your life. A set time of prayer every day will cause you to grow in your faith and know the direction to take to develop the talents and gifts God invested in you. You jusr need to ask direction and you will receive it!
Why does it take time to know God's leading for one's life? Sometimes we have so many things going on at the same time that we hurry through our time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word. When we do this, we often have not received anything from Him to think about through the day. We assume He knows how busy we are and that He should know we are in a hurry to take care of other needs. Yes, He knows, but He also wants us to develop a close fellowship with Him so that we may truly KNOW Him, not just know about Him. He knows when you are anxious and concerned but by giving God a specific time to be with Him, He will give you peace, speak to you and make His presence go before you that day. He wants you to be aware of His presence during difficult decision-making times, sick times, when several issues are before you and you need to know which of them should have first priority and why. Some people enter their senior years and with an ache in their heart that they have wasted many years, especially because they have not grown spiritually. They feel their life is like an empty well. The good news is if you have felt this way, you can turn the situation around even today by beginning a prayer life again that gives God your best time.
While I was a missionary in Korea, there was a time when I did not feel well because of my heavy schedule. As I prayed about my health, I felt the Lord impressed me to spend more time in prayer and reading His Word, because there is life in His Word! I thought I had been spending quality time in my daily devotions; but I felt the Lord was impressing me to give Him a special time: = from 3:00 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. At first I thought it was my own imagination! How could anyone ever awaken from a deep sleep at 3:00 a.m. (unless the Lord awakened one to pray for an urgent need, and I did know about the times when that happened)? But the thought persisted so I told the Lord if He would awaken me at 3:00 a.m., help me to stay awake for the hour and a half, then help me to sleep again until 6:30 a.m., I would do it. The next morning I awakened at 3:00 a.m. on the dot! I took my Bible and song book to the kitchen (as we always took time to sing before reading the Word), spent my hour and a half and went back to bed until 6:30 a.m. I was amazed that at 3:00 a.m. my mind was clear, I felt refreshed and alert and I enjoyed the new time of devotions. My strength began to be renewed and I spent the last two years in Korea with my new schedule, before retiring from Missions. I think sometimes we make excuses for reasons why we cannot or will not listen and hear what the Lord may be saying to us....and because of that we miss the very special touch from God that He planned to give us.
Do you feel you may have wasted years? If you do not feel the spiritual growth you have longed for, it is important to know that you may be the one who has knowingly allowed "things" to fill your days instead of giving God first priority in your busy life.
There are reasons why some people feel unfulfilled in life. The first priority is to know the Lord by surrendering your life completely to Him and inviting Him to be your Partner in all you do, then establishing a time of prayer and reading God's Word every day as spiritual food for your Christian experience!
There are also reasons why God's blessing is not consistent in some Christians' lives. They may feel they have experienced wasted years too. They may feel that all their prayers did not develop into a growing experience with the Lord as they longed for! It could mean there was a hindrance somewhere that prevented them from having an assurance that their prayer life was what it should be. One hindrance could be that they made all decisions and choices in life without inquiring from the Lord what His plan was for them. If this identifies you and you feel that God's blessing is void in your life, perhaps He has allowed you to go your own way until you asked for Him to direct your way and your choices. Where God guides, He provides!
God desires to lead all believers to His best in all things pertaining to their lives and families; in finding the best job you are most qualified for, which home or car to buy, which person to marry and even which church to become involved in where you will learn to know the Lord, best. When we walk with Him, He walks with us. His blessings overflow daily in all we do, and there are no wasted years!
How wonderful to know when we feel a need for a special touch from the Lord at any time, He reminds us in His Word: "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
(If any of the blogs have been a blessing to you, I would appreciate receiving an email from you or a "comment" following the blog.) God bless you!
Years ago we traveled through many states speaking in behalf of missions and the need to plant churches in the countries of Korea and Thailand. As you can imagine, it was necessary to leave our home at a set time in order to arrive at our speaking appointments with sufficient time to speak to leaders before sharing the needs of Korea and Thailand. I remember several times though we studied our maps, counted the miles, calculated the traveling time and followed directions there were still times when we missed an exit and had to drive an extra 3-5 miles before we could turn around and return to the proper turn-off. There were times too when I felt we were not on the right road but my husband refused to stop and ask directions. He insisted he knew the way, only to arrive just minutes before the service began. Once, we completely circled an area of the Blue Ridge Mountains only to exit at the very place we had entered because we didn't stop to ask directions. We wasted two hours! Has this ever happened to you? (I need not say more....!!)
Wasted time can be the reason for a person's lack of self-discipline, motivation or delayed development of habits that end in lost opportunities. And it all began with wasting time, which developed into wasting days and in some cases turned into wasted years. Sometimes we regret our decisions after it is too late.
I think of Elijah, that great prophet of God who called down fire from heaven in a contest with King Ahab (I Kings 18-19). God had used him mightily, yet after the contest when King Ahab's wife, Jezebel, heard that Elijah had ordered all of her prophets of Baal to be killed, she sent a message to him that she would kill him the next day. And --suddenly Elijah fled for his life without inquiring from God what he should do. His flight took him to a desert! A desert! Think of the wasted days he spent in the desert because he did not inquire from God what to do!
A sure way to avoid a wasted life is to stay in close fellowship with the Lord and the Holy Spirit in prayer everyday! No matter what is happening in your life, the Holy Spirit can speak to you through His impressions in your heart or through the Word of God to give you direction that will sharpen your spiritual insights, strengthen your self-disciplines, and help you to know His plan for your life. A set time of prayer every day will cause you to grow in your faith and know the direction to take to develop the talents and gifts God invested in you. You jusr need to ask direction and you will receive it!
Why does it take time to know God's leading for one's life? Sometimes we have so many things going on at the same time that we hurry through our time with the Lord in prayer and reading His Word. When we do this, we often have not received anything from Him to think about through the day. We assume He knows how busy we are and that He should know we are in a hurry to take care of other needs. Yes, He knows, but He also wants us to develop a close fellowship with Him so that we may truly KNOW Him, not just know about Him. He knows when you are anxious and concerned but by giving God a specific time to be with Him, He will give you peace, speak to you and make His presence go before you that day. He wants you to be aware of His presence during difficult decision-making times, sick times, when several issues are before you and you need to know which of them should have first priority and why. Some people enter their senior years and with an ache in their heart that they have wasted many years, especially because they have not grown spiritually. They feel their life is like an empty well. The good news is if you have felt this way, you can turn the situation around even today by beginning a prayer life again that gives God your best time.
While I was a missionary in Korea, there was a time when I did not feel well because of my heavy schedule. As I prayed about my health, I felt the Lord impressed me to spend more time in prayer and reading His Word, because there is life in His Word! I thought I had been spending quality time in my daily devotions; but I felt the Lord was impressing me to give Him a special time: = from 3:00 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. At first I thought it was my own imagination! How could anyone ever awaken from a deep sleep at 3:00 a.m. (unless the Lord awakened one to pray for an urgent need, and I did know about the times when that happened)? But the thought persisted so I told the Lord if He would awaken me at 3:00 a.m., help me to stay awake for the hour and a half, then help me to sleep again until 6:30 a.m., I would do it. The next morning I awakened at 3:00 a.m. on the dot! I took my Bible and song book to the kitchen (as we always took time to sing before reading the Word), spent my hour and a half and went back to bed until 6:30 a.m. I was amazed that at 3:00 a.m. my mind was clear, I felt refreshed and alert and I enjoyed the new time of devotions. My strength began to be renewed and I spent the last two years in Korea with my new schedule, before retiring from Missions. I think sometimes we make excuses for reasons why we cannot or will not listen and hear what the Lord may be saying to us....and because of that we miss the very special touch from God that He planned to give us.
Do you feel you may have wasted years? If you do not feel the spiritual growth you have longed for, it is important to know that you may be the one who has knowingly allowed "things" to fill your days instead of giving God first priority in your busy life.
There are reasons why some people feel unfulfilled in life. The first priority is to know the Lord by surrendering your life completely to Him and inviting Him to be your Partner in all you do, then establishing a time of prayer and reading God's Word every day as spiritual food for your Christian experience!
There are also reasons why God's blessing is not consistent in some Christians' lives. They may feel they have experienced wasted years too. They may feel that all their prayers did not develop into a growing experience with the Lord as they longed for! It could mean there was a hindrance somewhere that prevented them from having an assurance that their prayer life was what it should be. One hindrance could be that they made all decisions and choices in life without inquiring from the Lord what His plan was for them. If this identifies you and you feel that God's blessing is void in your life, perhaps He has allowed you to go your own way until you asked for Him to direct your way and your choices. Where God guides, He provides!
God desires to lead all believers to His best in all things pertaining to their lives and families; in finding the best job you are most qualified for, which home or car to buy, which person to marry and even which church to become involved in where you will learn to know the Lord, best. When we walk with Him, He walks with us. His blessings overflow daily in all we do, and there are no wasted years!
How wonderful to know when we feel a need for a special touch from the Lord at any time, He reminds us in His Word: "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
(If any of the blogs have been a blessing to you, I would appreciate receiving an email from you or a "comment" following the blog.) God bless you!
Friday, August 1, 2008
The Purpose of the Rod and Staff
(After five months, I'm back with more thoughts on the importance of our prayer life. Due to severe illness of several members of our church, some of us joined our pastor in long periods of heavy prayer and intercession until we saw healing taking place.)
"He restoreth my soul...He leadeth me in paths of righteousness...thy rod and thy staff they comfort me...." Psalm 23.
Sometimes I think of my childhood days and reminisce about the fun times growing up and once in a while the times of correction. In those early years, I used to wonder why I was corrected so much. I would often hide to cry my heart out. Then one day it dawned on me: if I obeyed I would not be punished. What a revelation! After that, I became diligent to do my daily chores until they were finished and I became happy when I heard I had done well! Not only did our parents shower all 6 of us children with love but there was a need for stern correction too because our obedience prepared us for more trust and favor. Strict adherance to family rules had to be inforced all the time! They never changed. Is it not the same with us and our relationship to God? David said God's "rod" and "staff" were necessary teachers in his life also. The rod was to correct him and His staff was to lovingly guide him. They were necesary in not only preparing him but keeping him in line for the destiny God had chosen for him.
It's interesting to read about the different personalities, weaknesses and strengths of people God chose to accomplish His purposes and how carefully He prepared them for their assignment. Joshua is an example of a great leader who was chosen by God to succeed Moses to lead the Israelites into their promised land. He began his career carefully following God's detailed instructions on how to prepare for and to invade the lands before them. Jericho was first. God's detailed instructions stated that the people were to keep themselves from the accursed things in Jericho lest they make themselves accursed and make the entire camp of Israel a curse. Only the gold and silver and vessels of brass and iron were to be consecrated to the Lord (Joshua 6:19) They were considered "devoted" things to be placed in the treasury of the Lord. The battle of Jericho was such a tremendous military success that the heathen nations surounding the Israelites trembled and their "hearts melted" with fear.
At times there have been great men who started out wholly consecrated to God who had sucessful results in ministry or business while depending on Him,only to see them one day suddenly rush into a situation without inquiring for specific directiion or discerning God's timing and going blindly with human confidence because the last battle they faced was so victorious. Their attitude seemed to show an air of pride, "We know how to do this now so we will not need to take time to seek God....but "if and when we need you, Lord, we'll call on you." These people set themselves up for God's correction with His "rod."
After the success at Jericho, Joshua looked toward the next conquest of Ai but we notice that he failed to inquire from God what instructions or strategy God might want to share with Him. After all, because God had given such a great success to take Jericho and since Ai was a smaller city with less people, he may have assumed it was not necessary to take time to seek God for specific instructions! There is great danger in this presumption! Because of his neglect to pray, Joshua sent only 3,000 men of war into Ai, and the battle was lost! Thirty-six men were killed, and the rest fled home defeated and confused. Hearing the news, now Joshua fell on his face to seek the Lord with his elders. He humbled his heart before God and cried out as he sought Him with all his being, "Why did this happen, God?" God Who has unfailing mercy and grace forgave Joshua but spoke sternly to him. "Stand up, Joshua! Israel has sinned!" If Joshua had taken time to talk to God before making plans for Ai, God would have revealed to him that there was sin in the camp. God saw everything that happened during that battle. Then men would not have been killed in the battle..., the heathen nations would not have spread the news of Ai and God would have dealt with sin first! Israel had disobeyed God's commands..., some of the accursed things had been taken and hidden..., devoted things had been stolen and hidden..., and others may have witnessed the items being stolen but said nothing so they were guilty before God too. The devoted things belonged only to God. When Achan took the silver and gold, he stole from God!
Sin in the camp had to be dealt with first. God did deal with Achan. His entire family was stoned to death and after death they were burned with fire. The judgment upon Achan and his family had a profound impact on all of Israel to know that God will deal with sin! God means what He says! If we will not recognize the rod of correction, we will experience God's stronger discipline.
Today, at times we see defeated Christians who seemingly have little or no faith, no victory, no joy, no desire to be faithful to attend God's house and to hear His Word though its God's Word that would reveal the cause of their defeat and His Holy Spirit would lead them back to repentance and to victory! These people attend church only if they feel like it or have time. They appear to live in darkness as if they are bound with problems, habits that cannot be broken and sickness or physical problems that are constantly with them. Defeat can be turned to liberty! Doubt can be turned to faith again! Repentance can bring the glory of God and joy back to a weary backslider and healing can put an end to sickness again! There is no defeat in Jesus! If you have been experiencing these problems, turn to Jesus and heed his correction. Recognize you may be experiencing his "rod."
At times problems are the result of walking far from God because of disobedience. Sometimes problems are caused by ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit, or not making things right with family or friends, or not obeying the leading and direction God has given us. Sometimes problems are a result of making small or great decisions without inquiring for God's direction, but asking God to bless them though we do not have peace that we are in God's will with the decisions we made. When sickness comes, it might be easy to endure the sickness instead of taking all the needs to the Lord in prayer and allowing Him to speak to us of the reason we are sick. Sometimes people are suffering because of eating foods that they know affect certain organs of their hody and in time will cause serious illness. The Bible says, "Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities." (Psalm 107:17.) Also, "To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James. We only need to read of the lives of Old Testament prophets and leaders to see they were very human as we are, yet when God dealt with them, His rod and staff brought them back to full blessing again. How about you?
God's plan for believers is to walk with Him every day, recognize His rod of correction if it comes, repent and humble our hearts so that we may be restored daily with His Words of life from the scriptures and be led by His Spirit. God loves you!
"He restoreth my soul...He leadeth me in paths of righteousness...thy rod and thy staff they comfort me...." Psalm 23.
Sometimes I think of my childhood days and reminisce about the fun times growing up and once in a while the times of correction. In those early years, I used to wonder why I was corrected so much. I would often hide to cry my heart out. Then one day it dawned on me: if I obeyed I would not be punished. What a revelation! After that, I became diligent to do my daily chores until they were finished and I became happy when I heard I had done well! Not only did our parents shower all 6 of us children with love but there was a need for stern correction too because our obedience prepared us for more trust and favor. Strict adherance to family rules had to be inforced all the time! They never changed. Is it not the same with us and our relationship to God? David said God's "rod" and "staff" were necessary teachers in his life also. The rod was to correct him and His staff was to lovingly guide him. They were necesary in not only preparing him but keeping him in line for the destiny God had chosen for him.
It's interesting to read about the different personalities, weaknesses and strengths of people God chose to accomplish His purposes and how carefully He prepared them for their assignment. Joshua is an example of a great leader who was chosen by God to succeed Moses to lead the Israelites into their promised land. He began his career carefully following God's detailed instructions on how to prepare for and to invade the lands before them. Jericho was first. God's detailed instructions stated that the people were to keep themselves from the accursed things in Jericho lest they make themselves accursed and make the entire camp of Israel a curse. Only the gold and silver and vessels of brass and iron were to be consecrated to the Lord (Joshua 6:19) They were considered "devoted" things to be placed in the treasury of the Lord. The battle of Jericho was such a tremendous military success that the heathen nations surounding the Israelites trembled and their "hearts melted" with fear.
At times there have been great men who started out wholly consecrated to God who had sucessful results in ministry or business while depending on Him,only to see them one day suddenly rush into a situation without inquiring for specific directiion or discerning God's timing and going blindly with human confidence because the last battle they faced was so victorious. Their attitude seemed to show an air of pride, "We know how to do this now so we will not need to take time to seek God....but "if and when we need you, Lord, we'll call on you." These people set themselves up for God's correction with His "rod."
After the success at Jericho, Joshua looked toward the next conquest of Ai but we notice that he failed to inquire from God what instructions or strategy God might want to share with Him. After all, because God had given such a great success to take Jericho and since Ai was a smaller city with less people, he may have assumed it was not necessary to take time to seek God for specific instructions! There is great danger in this presumption! Because of his neglect to pray, Joshua sent only 3,000 men of war into Ai, and the battle was lost! Thirty-six men were killed, and the rest fled home defeated and confused. Hearing the news, now Joshua fell on his face to seek the Lord with his elders. He humbled his heart before God and cried out as he sought Him with all his being, "Why did this happen, God?" God Who has unfailing mercy and grace forgave Joshua but spoke sternly to him. "Stand up, Joshua! Israel has sinned!" If Joshua had taken time to talk to God before making plans for Ai, God would have revealed to him that there was sin in the camp. God saw everything that happened during that battle. Then men would not have been killed in the battle..., the heathen nations would not have spread the news of Ai and God would have dealt with sin first! Israel had disobeyed God's commands..., some of the accursed things had been taken and hidden..., devoted things had been stolen and hidden..., and others may have witnessed the items being stolen but said nothing so they were guilty before God too. The devoted things belonged only to God. When Achan took the silver and gold, he stole from God!
Sin in the camp had to be dealt with first. God did deal with Achan. His entire family was stoned to death and after death they were burned with fire. The judgment upon Achan and his family had a profound impact on all of Israel to know that God will deal with sin! God means what He says! If we will not recognize the rod of correction, we will experience God's stronger discipline.
Today, at times we see defeated Christians who seemingly have little or no faith, no victory, no joy, no desire to be faithful to attend God's house and to hear His Word though its God's Word that would reveal the cause of their defeat and His Holy Spirit would lead them back to repentance and to victory! These people attend church only if they feel like it or have time. They appear to live in darkness as if they are bound with problems, habits that cannot be broken and sickness or physical problems that are constantly with them. Defeat can be turned to liberty! Doubt can be turned to faith again! Repentance can bring the glory of God and joy back to a weary backslider and healing can put an end to sickness again! There is no defeat in Jesus! If you have been experiencing these problems, turn to Jesus and heed his correction. Recognize you may be experiencing his "rod."
At times problems are the result of walking far from God because of disobedience. Sometimes problems are caused by ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit, or not making things right with family or friends, or not obeying the leading and direction God has given us. Sometimes problems are a result of making small or great decisions without inquiring for God's direction, but asking God to bless them though we do not have peace that we are in God's will with the decisions we made. When sickness comes, it might be easy to endure the sickness instead of taking all the needs to the Lord in prayer and allowing Him to speak to us of the reason we are sick. Sometimes people are suffering because of eating foods that they know affect certain organs of their hody and in time will cause serious illness. The Bible says, "Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities." (Psalm 107:17.) Also, "To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James. We only need to read of the lives of Old Testament prophets and leaders to see they were very human as we are, yet when God dealt with them, His rod and staff brought them back to full blessing again. How about you?
God's plan for believers is to walk with Him every day, recognize His rod of correction if it comes, repent and humble our hearts so that we may be restored daily with His Words of life from the scriptures and be led by His Spirit. God loves you!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
The Choice is Yours
From the day God created man and gave him a will of his own, his life story has been told and continues to be told by the choices he makes every day.
A scripture that we need to meditate on often is a command that God gave His chosen people. "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV).
God recognizes man's power to choose and He will hold him responsible for his choices. Because He sees the end of our lives from the beginning, He would remind us often to choose life by liviing in obedience to all of His commands in the Word, --not just the ones we choose to live by, so that we may rise to our full potential and be a blessing to Him!
Some people dream of lofty achievements in life and eventually become successful pastors who lead many people to the Lord, or become missionaries who open nations to the gospel. Others in the secular work place become presidents, CEOs, authors and international leaders. They didn't allow anything to hinder their dream but chose to put God's commandments first and then work with Him steadily toward making their dream a reality. Others could not perceive a fulfillment of their dream so they succumbed to a life of mediocrity and now they live in disappointment. Those who attained, chose to persist. Those who are believers were diligent in their prayer life and asked God to be their partner, so He helped them make the right choices. The stories of Bible heroes became their examples, whether the Bible characters won battles or reached a higher level of faith to believe God for healings and miracles. They chose to prove God to be faithful
Choices still make the difference in whether you will be successful or not! If your dreams have not been fulfilled or promises God gave you long ago have not come to pass, don't dispair. God is still God! He can put life into your heart to believe Him even now for the dreams and His promises. CHOOSE to let the Holy Spirit resurrect them then believe God for them, and pursue them with all your heart. The decision is yours.
Everything we do requires a choice. The choices usually begin with the smaller concerns. You can choose to be happy every day or you can choose to be gloomy and sad. You can choose to think you are sick or you can choose to take authority over a health issue and claim the Word. You can look at a job you may have lost and accept a challenge to regrouop and pray for guidance for a better one, ---or you can allow the issue to become a wound that you don't want to deal with. If this should happen, you would soon be dealing with a refusal to take matters to the Lord in prayer and permit Him to strengthen and guide you. You can read about the great prophets in the Bible and discern how God made them great leaders or you can choose to neglect the Word so the Holy Spirit cannot help you, thus allowing depression and negative thoughts to bring hopelessness. The choice is yours. Choices are important in making you what you are and what you want to become. They are your decisions. No one can make them for you but you.
Joseph was mistreated by his brothers, thrown into a pit and later sold to Ishmaelites who brought him to Egypt where he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. He was cut off from his family for 13 years. We can feel his pain of separation wondering if he would ever see his family again. But as we relive his story with him, we can perceive that he CHOSE to trust God though he could not understand what was happening and did not know all of the events were a part of God's plan, being directed by God. Though he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown in prison and the butler and baker forgot him, we do not read that he ever complained that God forgot him. It is apparent that Joselph CHOSE to trust God in the circumstances and God provided peace. He was patient in his sufferings. It might seem to us that God could have done more to help him, but God was putting "iron" into his soul. God had a higher goal and purpose, an unusual promotion in the making that would eventually be the means of reuniting him with his family in Egypt and the end of the story would be that through Joseph, the nation of Israel would be preserved. In God's plan and sovereignty, it could only come to pass after Joseph was placed in Egypt and God's time had been fulfilled.
The choices and vows you made to God in prayer tell Him whether He can use you for a greater assignment or not. God's final decision will be made by how faithful you were to the choices you promised Him: the easy ones and the difficult ones. If you made wrong decisions, you can still confess them, repent and turn around today and begin to make the right ones. God still forgives a repentant person and grants him another chance. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9).
Bible history tells us in Genesis 41, that (1) God was with Joseph; (2) He delivered him from all of his afflictions; (3) He gave him favor with ALL the Egyptians though their cultures were very different; (4) He gave him wisdom that was noticed by all the Egyptians; (5) He made him governor over all of Pharaoh's house and all of Egypt, and in the end restored him to his family! Through it all we cannot read of one complaint Joseph made. The reason: He CHOSE to believe God was with him in all of his circumstances. Can you say that?
We often speak about trusting God for this and trusting God for that and forget that God looks for men and women whom He can trust, ---to be strong, faithful, obedient and steadfast in the face of difficult circumstances and remember that He promised to be with us always. He is with us even when we pass through times of misunderstanding, or when answers to prayer are delayed or when it seems God is silent. He wants us to CHOOSE to believe Him and His promises.
CHOOSE to believe God loves you and wants to help you make right choices so that you will succeed and be triumphant where you are today. You are ".....chosen of God and precious." (I Peter 2:2-4).
A scripture that we need to meditate on often is a command that God gave His chosen people. "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV).
God recognizes man's power to choose and He will hold him responsible for his choices. Because He sees the end of our lives from the beginning, He would remind us often to choose life by liviing in obedience to all of His commands in the Word, --not just the ones we choose to live by, so that we may rise to our full potential and be a blessing to Him!
Some people dream of lofty achievements in life and eventually become successful pastors who lead many people to the Lord, or become missionaries who open nations to the gospel. Others in the secular work place become presidents, CEOs, authors and international leaders. They didn't allow anything to hinder their dream but chose to put God's commandments first and then work with Him steadily toward making their dream a reality. Others could not perceive a fulfillment of their dream so they succumbed to a life of mediocrity and now they live in disappointment. Those who attained, chose to persist. Those who are believers were diligent in their prayer life and asked God to be their partner, so He helped them make the right choices. The stories of Bible heroes became their examples, whether the Bible characters won battles or reached a higher level of faith to believe God for healings and miracles. They chose to prove God to be faithful
Choices still make the difference in whether you will be successful or not! If your dreams have not been fulfilled or promises God gave you long ago have not come to pass, don't dispair. God is still God! He can put life into your heart to believe Him even now for the dreams and His promises. CHOOSE to let the Holy Spirit resurrect them then believe God for them, and pursue them with all your heart. The decision is yours.
Everything we do requires a choice. The choices usually begin with the smaller concerns. You can choose to be happy every day or you can choose to be gloomy and sad. You can choose to think you are sick or you can choose to take authority over a health issue and claim the Word. You can look at a job you may have lost and accept a challenge to regrouop and pray for guidance for a better one, ---or you can allow the issue to become a wound that you don't want to deal with. If this should happen, you would soon be dealing with a refusal to take matters to the Lord in prayer and permit Him to strengthen and guide you. You can read about the great prophets in the Bible and discern how God made them great leaders or you can choose to neglect the Word so the Holy Spirit cannot help you, thus allowing depression and negative thoughts to bring hopelessness. The choice is yours. Choices are important in making you what you are and what you want to become. They are your decisions. No one can make them for you but you.
Joseph was mistreated by his brothers, thrown into a pit and later sold to Ishmaelites who brought him to Egypt where he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. He was cut off from his family for 13 years. We can feel his pain of separation wondering if he would ever see his family again. But as we relive his story with him, we can perceive that he CHOSE to trust God though he could not understand what was happening and did not know all of the events were a part of God's plan, being directed by God. Though he was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife and thrown in prison and the butler and baker forgot him, we do not read that he ever complained that God forgot him. It is apparent that Joselph CHOSE to trust God in the circumstances and God provided peace. He was patient in his sufferings. It might seem to us that God could have done more to help him, but God was putting "iron" into his soul. God had a higher goal and purpose, an unusual promotion in the making that would eventually be the means of reuniting him with his family in Egypt and the end of the story would be that through Joseph, the nation of Israel would be preserved. In God's plan and sovereignty, it could only come to pass after Joseph was placed in Egypt and God's time had been fulfilled.
The choices and vows you made to God in prayer tell Him whether He can use you for a greater assignment or not. God's final decision will be made by how faithful you were to the choices you promised Him: the easy ones and the difficult ones. If you made wrong decisions, you can still confess them, repent and turn around today and begin to make the right ones. God still forgives a repentant person and grants him another chance. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9).
Bible history tells us in Genesis 41, that (1) God was with Joseph; (2) He delivered him from all of his afflictions; (3) He gave him favor with ALL the Egyptians though their cultures were very different; (4) He gave him wisdom that was noticed by all the Egyptians; (5) He made him governor over all of Pharaoh's house and all of Egypt, and in the end restored him to his family! Through it all we cannot read of one complaint Joseph made. The reason: He CHOSE to believe God was with him in all of his circumstances. Can you say that?
We often speak about trusting God for this and trusting God for that and forget that God looks for men and women whom He can trust, ---to be strong, faithful, obedient and steadfast in the face of difficult circumstances and remember that He promised to be with us always. He is with us even when we pass through times of misunderstanding, or when answers to prayer are delayed or when it seems God is silent. He wants us to CHOOSE to believe Him and His promises.
CHOOSE to believe God loves you and wants to help you make right choices so that you will succeed and be triumphant where you are today. You are ".....chosen of God and precious." (I Peter 2:2-4).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Traffic Signals on the way: "Warning-Unmarked Curves and Exits"
If you ever traveled at night, you probably appreciated signs that prepared you for the unknown on the road ahead. You were even more cautious if you came upon a sign that read, "Unmarked Curves and Exits" ahead.
During our missionary work in Thailand, which followed after our ministry in Korea, we experienced some unmarked sharp curves in our travels. Bangkok was our home and base for a ministry in Church Planting. To plant churches my late husband, Henry, began with tents. As people attended a Good News Crusade in their city, heard the gospel and responded, the nucleus of new believers formed a new church. Newly graduated Bible School students traveled to that city later and became the new pastors.
Church planting required careful driving in a foreign land, following a map and being prepared for the unexpected. To each meeting, our huge Hino evangelism truck carried a large quanset-type tent and its equipment, platforms and seating while a small Volkswagon followed with the organ, sound system, mikes, a generator for electricity, food supplies, correspondence material, banners, posters and sleeping bags. When fully loaded, driving the Hino to cities or remote areas was often a challenge because of winding roads and sharp curves. Usually signs were posted along the way to indicate when a curve or mountain was ahead.
Enroute to one Good News Crusade scheduled for the city of Trang in southern Thailand, Henry and his evangelism team drove several hours on winding roads, crossed a long narrow bridge and crossed a steep mountain. They usually stopped at the peak of the mountain to let the vehicles rest before descending down on the other side. The mountain was so steep that at times several clouds were actually below them as they drove.
On this ocasion, the meeting was successful. Many people heard the gospel clearly for the first time and joined the small church already in that city. After it concluded, the team decided to dismantle the tent earlier than usual, pack the heavy equipment and head back to Bangkok though it was after midnight. Singing and recalling all that happened in that meeting kept them awake and alert on the way home.
But, after crossing the last mountain and before descending down the other side, the usual sign, "Sharp Curve Ahead," was missing! Since no one saw a sign and everyone forgot this would be one of the last two dangerous sharp curves before the bridge, the evangelism drivers continued the descent at the same speed. All of a sudden the sharp curve appeared ahead! They remembered these were dangerous turns. They would have to make a sharp turn right, and immediately make a sharp turn left to enter the bridge. Heavily loaded and descending, it was not easy to shift gears quickly. They remembered if they missed that first curve at the bottom of the mountain, just ahead the truck would plunge into the river below. If they missed the second curve, they would miss the entrance onto the bridge.
In seconds, as they approached the first curve with the truck still descending, instinctively the driver made a difficult sharp right turn and a few feet away he made the sharp turn left, hoping to make the entrance to the narrow bridge. Seeing the possibility of not being able to slow down sufficiently, everyone prayed in desperation, "FATHER, HELP US! FATHER, HELP US!" As they prayed.....suddenly they realized the truck was at the entrance of the bridge, but it was straddling the entrance sideways and pressing against the cables that held it up on both sides. "How can we possiblly turn it safely in the lane to cross the bridge?" they asked. Suddenly, as they looked, the truck was turned away from the cables, and was in the proper lane to drive across safely! "What happened," the men asked? "How did the truck turn straight ahead so quickly without our help?" An Angel of the Lord had been dispatched as they prayed and in a second He took control, miraculously moving the loaded truck easily in place! It was a miracle! And they crossed the river without incident. On the other side, they stopped and everyone followed Henry in a march around the vehicles, praising God for His supernatural intervention. Fortunately there was no traffic on the road that night and they arrived in Bangkok safely. What a difference prayer made in seconds!
Warning signs can appear in a believer's life very much like signs that inform a traveler of "Unmarked Curves and Exits," especially if the believer has wandered away from God and is living with sympathetic thoughts of temptation and compromise. Warning signs are there for a believer's safeguard and guidance and they are to be heeded. If ignored, tragic and irrepairable consequences could result that would affect his testimony for years to come. If someone does not perceive his problems, God can speak into his life by His Word, and cause him to understand what He is saying.
How can one know God's leading so he can deal with the unmarked dangers or problems on his Christian journey? He can know by continuing steadfastly in the faith through prayer and a consistent Bible reading plan. God's desire for you is: "Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." (I Corinthians 15:58) God gives specific insights and help to all of His children who obey His Word and make Him Lord of their lives.
What a difference signs or the absence of signs can make on our roads and highways.
What a difference signs can make in your life. What a difference prayer can make!
As you endeavor to live the plans you made for your New Year, ask the Lord for guidance so you will stay on course for your journey Home. We are nearing the end of this Race! Jesus is coming soon! Let's stay focused and ready!
During our missionary work in Thailand, which followed after our ministry in Korea, we experienced some unmarked sharp curves in our travels. Bangkok was our home and base for a ministry in Church Planting. To plant churches my late husband, Henry, began with tents. As people attended a Good News Crusade in their city, heard the gospel and responded, the nucleus of new believers formed a new church. Newly graduated Bible School students traveled to that city later and became the new pastors.
Church planting required careful driving in a foreign land, following a map and being prepared for the unexpected. To each meeting, our huge Hino evangelism truck carried a large quanset-type tent and its equipment, platforms and seating while a small Volkswagon followed with the organ, sound system, mikes, a generator for electricity, food supplies, correspondence material, banners, posters and sleeping bags. When fully loaded, driving the Hino to cities or remote areas was often a challenge because of winding roads and sharp curves. Usually signs were posted along the way to indicate when a curve or mountain was ahead.
Enroute to one Good News Crusade scheduled for the city of Trang in southern Thailand, Henry and his evangelism team drove several hours on winding roads, crossed a long narrow bridge and crossed a steep mountain. They usually stopped at the peak of the mountain to let the vehicles rest before descending down on the other side. The mountain was so steep that at times several clouds were actually below them as they drove.
On this ocasion, the meeting was successful. Many people heard the gospel clearly for the first time and joined the small church already in that city. After it concluded, the team decided to dismantle the tent earlier than usual, pack the heavy equipment and head back to Bangkok though it was after midnight. Singing and recalling all that happened in that meeting kept them awake and alert on the way home.
But, after crossing the last mountain and before descending down the other side, the usual sign, "Sharp Curve Ahead," was missing! Since no one saw a sign and everyone forgot this would be one of the last two dangerous sharp curves before the bridge, the evangelism drivers continued the descent at the same speed. All of a sudden the sharp curve appeared ahead! They remembered these were dangerous turns. They would have to make a sharp turn right, and immediately make a sharp turn left to enter the bridge. Heavily loaded and descending, it was not easy to shift gears quickly. They remembered if they missed that first curve at the bottom of the mountain, just ahead the truck would plunge into the river below. If they missed the second curve, they would miss the entrance onto the bridge.
In seconds, as they approached the first curve with the truck still descending, instinctively the driver made a difficult sharp right turn and a few feet away he made the sharp turn left, hoping to make the entrance to the narrow bridge. Seeing the possibility of not being able to slow down sufficiently, everyone prayed in desperation, "FATHER, HELP US! FATHER, HELP US!" As they prayed.....suddenly they realized the truck was at the entrance of the bridge, but it was straddling the entrance sideways and pressing against the cables that held it up on both sides. "How can we possiblly turn it safely in the lane to cross the bridge?" they asked. Suddenly, as they looked, the truck was turned away from the cables, and was in the proper lane to drive across safely! "What happened," the men asked? "How did the truck turn straight ahead so quickly without our help?" An Angel of the Lord had been dispatched as they prayed and in a second He took control, miraculously moving the loaded truck easily in place! It was a miracle! And they crossed the river without incident. On the other side, they stopped and everyone followed Henry in a march around the vehicles, praising God for His supernatural intervention. Fortunately there was no traffic on the road that night and they arrived in Bangkok safely. What a difference prayer made in seconds!
Warning signs can appear in a believer's life very much like signs that inform a traveler of "Unmarked Curves and Exits," especially if the believer has wandered away from God and is living with sympathetic thoughts of temptation and compromise. Warning signs are there for a believer's safeguard and guidance and they are to be heeded. If ignored, tragic and irrepairable consequences could result that would affect his testimony for years to come. If someone does not perceive his problems, God can speak into his life by His Word, and cause him to understand what He is saying.
How can one know God's leading so he can deal with the unmarked dangers or problems on his Christian journey? He can know by continuing steadfastly in the faith through prayer and a consistent Bible reading plan. God's desire for you is: "Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." (I Corinthians 15:58) God gives specific insights and help to all of His children who obey His Word and make Him Lord of their lives.
What a difference signs or the absence of signs can make on our roads and highways.
What a difference signs can make in your life. What a difference prayer can make!
As you endeavor to live the plans you made for your New Year, ask the Lord for guidance so you will stay on course for your journey Home. We are nearing the end of this Race! Jesus is coming soon! Let's stay focused and ready!
Friday, December 21, 2007
CHRISTMAS - The Greatest Story of Love
To love and be loved is the greatest joy in the world!
Who understands the mystery of love? Where did it originate? Why is it the force that makes the world go round and round?
Love began with God for God is the author of love! (I John 4:8.) It began before Christ was born in Bethlehem on that first Christmas morning. "For God so loved rhe world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
God flung the galaxies and stars into space. He hung the sun and moon on nothing. He spoke the worlds into existence and when everything was ready, then He made man. God knew the future of all things and knew nothing could move and motivate mankind like knowing someone cared for him and loved him; so He invested in man the capacity to love and be loved and ordained it to be the powerful force that moves the world.
The Bible tells us "...love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love. Rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." (Song of Solomon 8:6b-7 NIV New Student Bible.) A commentary on these scriptures tells us further: "Death sweeps all things away. It yields to no one, and once you are in its power you cannot escape. The same is true with love. It takes control of your life, and like a gigantic fire, it cannot be doused. Love must be treated with the greatest caution and respect." (Commentary on Song of Solomon 8:6, NIV New Student Bible.)
The Holy Spirit inspired this translation and commentary in order to show us the power and depth of human love in words we could understand. The reason: so that we might comprehend the power and depth of God's love, expressed in His Word, that we could understand, --love so great that we could grasp the awesome purpose of Christ's birth: to be born as a baby, to grow up into manhood experiencing the problems of life, then to die on a cross to redeem us from the power of those problems when we accepted Him to be Lord of our lives. His ultimate purpose was that He might dwell in our hearts with peace, joy and a knowledge that His salvation offers and promises all that He desires to be to us. To confirm this, the Bible says, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height and TO KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST, which passeth knowledge." (Ephesians 3:17 and 4:16.)
It's Christmas, the greatest story of love! It's the time of giving! Familiar carols and songs are filling the air wherever we go. Decorating, baking, reproducing the drama of that wonderful day, shopping for gifts and remembering those we love and appreciate have taken priority for these exciting days. While busy with your details be sure to prepare a gift for Jesus. After all it's His birthday. Since He is not physically here, give a gift to someone in need who may not be able to return the favor. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40) If you cannot bless someone during the holidays, support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by praying peace into their lives while they are far from home and praying that many of them will be able to get long distance calls through to family and loved ones from wherever they are on Christmas Day.
To all who are reading this post, God bless you today! Merry Christmas!
Who understands the mystery of love? Where did it originate? Why is it the force that makes the world go round and round?
Love began with God for God is the author of love! (I John 4:8.) It began before Christ was born in Bethlehem on that first Christmas morning. "For God so loved rhe world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
God flung the galaxies and stars into space. He hung the sun and moon on nothing. He spoke the worlds into existence and when everything was ready, then He made man. God knew the future of all things and knew nothing could move and motivate mankind like knowing someone cared for him and loved him; so He invested in man the capacity to love and be loved and ordained it to be the powerful force that moves the world.
The Bible tells us "...love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love. Rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." (Song of Solomon 8:6b-7 NIV New Student Bible.) A commentary on these scriptures tells us further: "Death sweeps all things away. It yields to no one, and once you are in its power you cannot escape. The same is true with love. It takes control of your life, and like a gigantic fire, it cannot be doused. Love must be treated with the greatest caution and respect." (Commentary on Song of Solomon 8:6, NIV New Student Bible.)
The Holy Spirit inspired this translation and commentary in order to show us the power and depth of human love in words we could understand. The reason: so that we might comprehend the power and depth of God's love, expressed in His Word, that we could understand, --love so great that we could grasp the awesome purpose of Christ's birth: to be born as a baby, to grow up into manhood experiencing the problems of life, then to die on a cross to redeem us from the power of those problems when we accepted Him to be Lord of our lives. His ultimate purpose was that He might dwell in our hearts with peace, joy and a knowledge that His salvation offers and promises all that He desires to be to us. To confirm this, the Bible says, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height and TO KNOW THE LOVE OF CHRIST, which passeth knowledge." (Ephesians 3:17 and 4:16.)
It's Christmas, the greatest story of love! It's the time of giving! Familiar carols and songs are filling the air wherever we go. Decorating, baking, reproducing the drama of that wonderful day, shopping for gifts and remembering those we love and appreciate have taken priority for these exciting days. While busy with your details be sure to prepare a gift for Jesus. After all it's His birthday. Since He is not physically here, give a gift to someone in need who may not be able to return the favor. Jesus said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40) If you cannot bless someone during the holidays, support our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by praying peace into their lives while they are far from home and praying that many of them will be able to get long distance calls through to family and loved ones from wherever they are on Christmas Day.
To all who are reading this post, God bless you today! Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Traffic Signals on the way - Warning - A Need to Wait
Waitng is an important part of God's plan for everyone whether we want to believe it or not. We may not always know the reasons for it until after the fact, yet the reasons for waiting are as important as a bank account for security and success.
Who likes to wait? At a traffic light, in line at the supermarket or in front of our microwave we glance at our watch several times in the few minutes we are waiting. We are classified as impatient people though we have the most modern technology in the world for accomplishing twice as much in one hour or one day than our neighbors across the oceans. It's because we don't understand God is working in our behalf while we are waiting.
One difficult area for many people is waiting for answers to prayer. When we have presented a need or prayer request to the Lord we exercise faith that He heard our prayer and we we expect to receive the answer quickly. Between the promise and its fulfillment are the most difficult hours. The tech world has given us so many modern conveniences that can cut a person's work load in half the time so we expect God to understand that and do the same. If we pray about an urgent financial need, because we know that God heard the prayer and He knows the emergency, we want a divine intervention on our time schedule. If the answer does not come when we expected it, our faith begins to disappear; but what about God's reasons? Does He have reasons for delay?
On busy expressways at times there will be unexpected construction, slow traffic for many miles, or even detours but the signs are placed in those critical areas to assure the end result: the safety of drivers and a safe arrival at their destination, not to cause him anxiety for not keeping his personal time schedule. We never question the wisdom of placing signals, signs and detours on busy roads because we know the delays and waiting was for a purpose.
When I returned to Korea to continue my missionary work after my husband went to be with the Lord, I was privileged to be invited to work with Dr. David Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel (Assemblies of God Church) in Seoul, Korea. In Dr. Cho's daily mail there were usually many letters from young potential pastors looking forward to graduate from college or a university who had great visions and goals to build a great church of thousands of people for the glory of God. But they wanted to know how they could accomplish this in less than the 30 years it took Dr. Cho. These were very impressive young people of a high-energy level and with outstanding personalities. They had heard that membership at the Yoido Church had reached 750,000 (at that time). They heard that people being saved and healed and others delivered from many kinds of diseases was a common occurance in many of the services. Visiting pastors and church leaders said the example of the Yoido Church resembled the story of the early church in the book of Acts.
We wrote to each young man in detail. We explained that great accomplishments begin with faithfulness in doing menial tasks first, with excellence. When God saw their heart and their readiness He could give them more anointing and power but God is the One Who decides.
We asked them how much time they spent in prayer daily. They did not give clear answers. We told them there is a reason why it took 30 years for Dr. Cho to arrive at this juncture. Most important of all he was learning to KNOW God intimately, not just know ABOUT Him. He was daily searching the scriptures, memorizing them, studying the plan of salvation, healing, growth and development of believers and the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. He was learning to recognize the difference between God's voice and passing thoughts. He learned these truths from the Holy Spirit in great detail, in his steady daily prayer time. He learned the meaning of obeying God when God spoke, not later at a more convenient time.
We suggested that the young men use their time wisely in college to learn to know God while they were not under the pressures and cares of a young family, work, or other needs. We asked them, "If God should open a door of ministry for you today, do you feel you would be ready to step into the role of pastor today? Would you know how to find God's direction for the church and the people you would minister to?"
We explained the long "waiting" period is not really too long. When they would be ready, God would place them in His great harvest field where they would bring the most glory to Him. When He did, the potential would-be pastor will have learned accountability, responsibility, readiness and obedience.
The waiting period is God's personal preparation time for the developing of a life that will feel what He feels and know Him, not just know about Him.
Time is not lost when we give it to God. The farmer waits for his harvest but because of his careful care of his fields, the harvest does come. A Mother waits nine months for the birth of her child but because of care and preparation, the child does arrive. When God gives a promise we may have to wait for the fulfillment but with careful care, preparation and obedience the answer does come in God's time.
Are delays and/or waiting periods always necessary in a Christian's life? Most of the time they are. The waiting time is for you, not God. You are not ready for your answer! Use your waiting time. Learn from it. Watch new potential abilities grow, develop and mature in many ways during the waiting period. If you give God more quality time in prayer the Holy Spirit can prepare you to be ready for you answer earlier than you expected. He is the One Who decides!
Who likes to wait? At a traffic light, in line at the supermarket or in front of our microwave we glance at our watch several times in the few minutes we are waiting. We are classified as impatient people though we have the most modern technology in the world for accomplishing twice as much in one hour or one day than our neighbors across the oceans. It's because we don't understand God is working in our behalf while we are waiting.
One difficult area for many people is waiting for answers to prayer. When we have presented a need or prayer request to the Lord we exercise faith that He heard our prayer and we we expect to receive the answer quickly. Between the promise and its fulfillment are the most difficult hours. The tech world has given us so many modern conveniences that can cut a person's work load in half the time so we expect God to understand that and do the same. If we pray about an urgent financial need, because we know that God heard the prayer and He knows the emergency, we want a divine intervention on our time schedule. If the answer does not come when we expected it, our faith begins to disappear; but what about God's reasons? Does He have reasons for delay?
On busy expressways at times there will be unexpected construction, slow traffic for many miles, or even detours but the signs are placed in those critical areas to assure the end result: the safety of drivers and a safe arrival at their destination, not to cause him anxiety for not keeping his personal time schedule. We never question the wisdom of placing signals, signs and detours on busy roads because we know the delays and waiting was for a purpose.
When I returned to Korea to continue my missionary work after my husband went to be with the Lord, I was privileged to be invited to work with Dr. David Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel (Assemblies of God Church) in Seoul, Korea. In Dr. Cho's daily mail there were usually many letters from young potential pastors looking forward to graduate from college or a university who had great visions and goals to build a great church of thousands of people for the glory of God. But they wanted to know how they could accomplish this in less than the 30 years it took Dr. Cho. These were very impressive young people of a high-energy level and with outstanding personalities. They had heard that membership at the Yoido Church had reached 750,000 (at that time). They heard that people being saved and healed and others delivered from many kinds of diseases was a common occurance in many of the services. Visiting pastors and church leaders said the example of the Yoido Church resembled the story of the early church in the book of Acts.
We wrote to each young man in detail. We explained that great accomplishments begin with faithfulness in doing menial tasks first, with excellence. When God saw their heart and their readiness He could give them more anointing and power but God is the One Who decides.
We asked them how much time they spent in prayer daily. They did not give clear answers. We told them there is a reason why it took 30 years for Dr. Cho to arrive at this juncture. Most important of all he was learning to KNOW God intimately, not just know ABOUT Him. He was daily searching the scriptures, memorizing them, studying the plan of salvation, healing, growth and development of believers and the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. He was learning to recognize the difference between God's voice and passing thoughts. He learned these truths from the Holy Spirit in great detail, in his steady daily prayer time. He learned the meaning of obeying God when God spoke, not later at a more convenient time.
We suggested that the young men use their time wisely in college to learn to know God while they were not under the pressures and cares of a young family, work, or other needs. We asked them, "If God should open a door of ministry for you today, do you feel you would be ready to step into the role of pastor today? Would you know how to find God's direction for the church and the people you would minister to?"
We explained the long "waiting" period is not really too long. When they would be ready, God would place them in His great harvest field where they would bring the most glory to Him. When He did, the potential would-be pastor will have learned accountability, responsibility, readiness and obedience.
The waiting period is God's personal preparation time for the developing of a life that will feel what He feels and know Him, not just know about Him.
Time is not lost when we give it to God. The farmer waits for his harvest but because of his careful care of his fields, the harvest does come. A Mother waits nine months for the birth of her child but because of care and preparation, the child does arrive. When God gives a promise we may have to wait for the fulfillment but with careful care, preparation and obedience the answer does come in God's time.
Are delays and/or waiting periods always necessary in a Christian's life? Most of the time they are. The waiting time is for you, not God. You are not ready for your answer! Use your waiting time. Learn from it. Watch new potential abilities grow, develop and mature in many ways during the waiting period. If you give God more quality time in prayer the Holy Spirit can prepare you to be ready for you answer earlier than you expected. He is the One Who decides!
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