I am going through the entire Bible this year, meditating on every word, asking God to teach me and so far…the Lord has revealed through the OT so much of His character, His love which is just amazing. And it’s everything that Jesus spoke of in the NT. How great is our God! Good advice, Levi.
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I am sure I am not the only Christian that struggles to understand what God is doing in my life. What good can come out of my situation? I pray and I pray. I ask God to help me understand. Why am I still in this situation? And God answered me.
Who can know what is on the mind of God? Even Jesus who was with God and is with God said there are somethings only the Father knows. The promise of “R E S T” (rest eternally secure today) is to not receive the grace of God in vain being careful not to fall short of the grace of God…you who attempt to be justified by the law.
At some point in every believers walk he, or she must flat line…that is to die to this world…to pursue the things of the world no longer…to not indulge in its lusts, or desire its sensuousness…to surrender not to its fears, to forsake the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, to consider such things no longer. The carnal man must flat line to allow God in…to accept God’s will…and to surrender our will. Giving up our arms, our weapons for the army of the Lord.
But how can any man possibly surrender all? Surrender does not come easy to folks, at least not to me.
The father and son relationship is the only type of relationship where the giving and taking, (surrendering) comes natural, giving and taking out of love. We learn early on to surrender to our earthly father. It is a relationship not easily broken when established…and still mend-able when broken. As believers, we pray to our Father in Heaven. We cry to Abba, Father because He loves us.
Gal. 4: 6-7 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Quite unlike a marital relationship where the wife gives herself to her husband, forsaking all others, submitting only to him, out of love, out of obedience because of that love, but it can go sour when trust is broken, adultery, not submitting one to another, or honoring one another. The love is what binds them, and when it’s gone it can reap bitterness, resentment, isolation and end in divorce, a broken covenant.
Eph. 5: 22- 33 The Marriage—Christ and the Church
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
God, the Creator, our Maker knows how to restore relationships. He loves unconditionally. We don’t. We can’t. We have expectations, obligations, prejudices, demands. We are easily ensnared by our own selfish desires, our own inadequacies. God’s love, mercy, and grace can restore us to Himself and us to those we must, but he expects us to walk in truth.
Granted, it’s easier said than done, but our God knows that well.
God sent His Son to save us and to show us how to love. It is in the name of Jesus that we can go to the Father. It cost Jesus His life and separation from His Father for us to gain access to God. Likewise, we are to sacrifice our life so that others may live, and that sacrifice can be different for all of us.
God teaches us how to love, and gives us the desire to want to love, but to love others requires sacrifice. If we don’t willingly, He fashions our days…brings us to our knees…still He shows us mercy and gives us grace…even in our disobedience. Jesus promised that no one that the Father has given Him will be lost. Every struggle, every trial and tribulation should reinforce that promise.
God worked six days when He created the heavens and the earth, man, and everything else. On the seventh day, He rested. Likewise, God is creating in us a new creation, a new mind, a new heart, but because we are full of sin and not empty and void, it takes a lot more time and effort to fashion the person He wants us/me to be. We have a will, and our will, our flesh gets in the way of us doing the works God has prepared for us to do… yet He is loving, He is patient, He is merciful and He gives us/me grace to accept His perfect will. In the proper time He will give rest.
Reminds me of a Rich Mullins song.
“Surrender don’t come natural to me I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want than to take what You give that I need and I’ve beat my head against so many walls now I’m falling down, I’m falling on my knees.”
I can imagine myself as the child kicking and screaming to get my way and my Father trying to explain why I can’t…and all I want is my way. His Word is filled with promises and reminders of why we should desire His way.
Matthew 11:29-30
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Heb. 4:10
“He who has entered into God’s rest has himself also ceased from his work as God did from His.”
Thank you, my Creator!
Who can know the things of God? No man! Except… for the man to whom God will reveal His truths. God shows us the path we must walk. Sometimes it is for us to understand, and sometimes not. We cannot fathom the ways of God. And only when we die to the things of this world, only until we flat line can we begin to truly understand the nature of God and begin to accept the the unfathomable thoughts and the perfect will of the living God. God have mercy on me and mine. To God be the glory.
Be blessed.
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Honestly, waiting on God is not easy. It never seems to build patience. It tries our patience more than anything…because “we” wait with anxious anticipation that He will deliver us from whatever ails us…it is what we are trained to do…It can be a selfish kind of waiting. And when things don’t work out like we’d hope…well…often times we get mad at God. We question our faith, our walk, we may even question His existence, especially if we see that other Christians, who may not be as “Christ like” are being blessed. God is answering their prayers, so why not mine??? Waiting on God can be about answer to prayer, but waiting on God is truly about being still and knowing that God is.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.And when God does move…He gives us grace to accept His will, to carry on. We surrender our selfish will for His perfect will. God may not provide the answer we want, or the solution, or the outcome, but God will always make the best move that will draw us closer to Him.
“Be still and know that I AM GOD!
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My faith fails me more often than I am willing to admit. Mostly, it fails me when it comes to me, because I have no problem keeping the faith for others. I am confident that God works in the lives of others, of those that I lift up in prayer, and that their struggles are designed to draw them closer to Him in a more intimate way. When it comes to me, sometimes, I feel like He does not even like me. I struggle so much, in so many different areas, but God does not see fit to open doors, or to open even a window to bring me out of these struggles, still… He provides, protects, directs, comforts, and gives me peace of mind, guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. His ultimate goal…to get me totally dependent on Him. I hear it often, that faith is not faith, until it’s all you are holding on to, well…at this point it’s all I hold on to, so when it fails me, I weep. It’s easy to keep faith when you have resources to work with. Lack, on the other hand, makes learning to be content in all situations quite difficult. Thank God for His faithfulness.
It’s going through and coming through difficult times that builds character, the character of God, that is. Jesus said that His followers would suffer persecution. John 15:2, tell us that “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” I know that we cannot separate from this world, but we can separate ourselves from the love of the things of this world. The birds need to eat, the flowers need watering, so too… we need provision in this world. How does God expect people survive without a job, or basic necessities? Yet, He tells us not to worry about such things.
I have learned and accepted that God can remain silent for a long time, and I believe that He speaks to those that are willing to listen. These last days, it’s the rare believer that can call on his heavenly Father and have Him answer him. It’s the rare believer that truly hears from God. More often than not, when we call on our heavenly Father, we are not always prepared to listen. It’s like the whiny child that whines only to get his way…so goes our prayer life.
In His silence, I pray, Lord, I am here. How am I suppose to help all these people in need, when I have no means? There is so much need. Sometimes, I don’t even know what to pray for, or how to pray for certain people, or in certain situations. No one reaches out.
How can I be friends with so many Christians and still feel alone in my battles. They call me friend, sister in Christ, but In my situation, I too feel like an outcast, inadequate, insufficient, lacking confidence. Surely, I must be deep in sin…search my heart, my Lord. It is overwhelming. It’s this whole idea of “toxic people” that even Christians have turned aside. No one wants to deal with “toxic people.” The poor, the weak, the downtrodden, the broken, the people You came to save…are crouched outside…like the paralytics, the lepers…all looking for something, they don’t know…You bring these people into my life, so I lift them up in prayer to You. It’s that their situation fails to change that Christians turn a deaf ear. If you will not allow me to help them, teach me how to pray for them.
So many people claim to know You. They call on your name, but their hearts are far from You. It’s quite evident with every word that proceeds out of their mouth. Still, all of us fall short of the glory of God. Have mercy on us. People are calling on Your name, my Lord. In the name of Jesus save us. Amen.
In these last days, in our ever increasing perverse and noise-ridden society, we have to fine tune our spiritual eyes and ears to see God moving about.
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