WAIT IN FAITH NOT UNBELIEF

ISAIAH 55:8  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.”

Do you ever think about “God’s ways?”  For many years, it was not something that I gave very much consideration.  However, in recent days, my attention has been turned to this subject once again.  In Romans  11:33, Paul mentions that “His ways (God's, that is) are past finding out.”

The context of this scripture is about “unbelief”, the unbelief of the Children of Israel.  When the Lord led them out of their bondage and slavery, He assured them He had a land flowing with milk and honey.  Their behavior indicated their unbelief and they never got to go into that promised land.

God’s word says that He “brought us out to bring us in” (Dt.6:23)  When our situation becomes miserable enough, we become very invested in being brought out, but often are uninformed that He has a plan to also bring us in “to the land that he swore to give unto our fathers.”

If you are in a situation of misery today, know that you are not there by accident nor is it unknown to God.  Hear me, I do not mean God planned for you to be there.  We are usually in that situation due to our own or other’s unwise choices, and even though it may not be the place God would have us to be, it is still not unknown to Him.

He is definitely not delighting in our misery, even if we brought it on ourselves.  One of the ways of God is that He is always thinking good thoughts toward His children.  (Psalm 139)  Those of us who have parented or nurtured anything, even an animal, know that what we are invested in we are also hoping for the best for them and if it only depended on us and our resources that is how it would be - Best!

Some of us, acting out of our own thoughts and ways, would cut people off who displease us.  We would be smug and make statements like “you brought that on yourself.”  God is not like that!  He waits for us to turn to Him and immediately our deliverance is on its way.

He is delighted to lead us out of that place.  Those of you who may be somewhere unpleasant due to the choice of someone else, be it known that you are not a victim.  If you turn to God in your situation and give yourself to Him, He will lead you out and make you the victor!

Meantime, the question comes to me, “how do we learn God’s ways and begin to think God’s thoughts?”  The answer is same way we acclimate ourselves to anything.  We study that thing; we meditate upon it: we begin in any small way to apply the ideas behind it to our own lives.  Soon, we will find it becoming second nature to think in a different way and to act in a fashion that is in line with that thinking.

Believe God!  Over and over, from the beginning of His word to the end, He states what His will is and His plan for us.  It is for “good, not for evil”.  Jeremiah 29, and especially verse 11.  He promises that even after many years, He is still waiting for the opportunity to give us “an expected end.”

This “expected end” is part of our inheritance and because of our ignorance regarding its existence, we often fail to “possess our promises” and achieve God's expected end.  

My prayer for you today is that thee Son of God is shining in His full strength and power into your situation and revealing the places of darkness that may be unknown to you otherwise.  Many Blessings!

WAITING ON GOD

Psalm 25 – “Let none of us who wait on thee be ashamed.”

Along the line of our inheritance, I believe that every Word of God is something that we can stand upon in faith and believe it for ourselves and our loved ones.  In Psalm 25, the Psalmist is obviously in distress and is, possibly, caught in that place where he really does not know what to do and so he is attempting to “wait on God.”

Waiting on God is one of the hardest things I have to do.  I don’t know about you, but I am a very resourceful person and can often come up with some pretty effective ways to deal with the distresses in my life, or worse yet, in the lives of those with whom I share love.  And yet, talented as I may be in this area, I am instructed to “wait on God” and the promise is that if I do, I will “not be ashamed.”

Andrew Murray wrote a whole booklet on the theme of “waiting upon God” and its importance.  His writings challenge me to the depths of my being, and especially that part that tends to decide what to do without waiting.  I want action now!  It is not my natural inclination to wait on anybody.  No, it will be a supernatural work of God for me to wait!

In this case, I will confess to God my natural tendency to depend on my own understanding and make a decision and a plan of action based upon it.  I will agree together with Him that is contrary to His will for me.  I will ask Him to forgive me and to cleanse me of all associated unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:5)

His part will be to answer the above prayer and to give me the power and the grace to be obedient and to wait upon Him.  A struggle may still ensue between my flesh and my spirit, but it will be in His strength that I will overcome.  The promise, remember, is that I will not be ashamed.

Somewhere along the way, if I continue to wait and listen, I will hear a word behind me saying “this is the way, walk ye in it.” (Psalm 32: 8,9)  Times when I have waited for that voice and then been obedient to the holy direction are times when things have worked out well in my life.  But then, I forget!  Do you?

This morning, dear Father, we seek your face.  We desire your wisdom and your point of view on every situation in which we are tempted to act out of our own understanding.  Lord, give us grace to wait upon you and give us power to obey when we hear from you even if the word is to continue to wait and do nothing except to continue to pray.

Such grace and power and wisdom, the ability to see things from His point of view, as well as the knowledge of what to do are all parts of our inheritance as children of God.  I do not wonder that many people do not claim this inheritance.  It is just so much easier to do what we think best, isn’t it?

Father God, grant to us this day that we may wait and not be ashamed!  I also pray for all the other promises in this psalm to be true of us today.  Show us your ways; teach us your paths.  Lead us in Your truth and teach us.  You are the God of our salvation and on You we will wait all the day!  May this be true of us as Your children today!

Meanwhile, I pray that the Son is shining in full strength into your place of waiting and that until you hear the word you will be able to experience the warmth of His presence.  Amen

MORE ABOUT INHERITANCE

Do you ever wish you had a very rich parent you knew was planning to leave you a lot of money?  Or, better yet, one that was already sharing that future inheritance with you today?  Wouldn’t it be great to know that all that you ever needed could be made available to you today? 

As God’s children, that is the truth about us right now!  Of course, everyone is not God’s child; everyone is one of His creatures, but not all are children.  That only comes by our choice to receive what He has for us, beginning with a vital, loving familial relationship to Him!

In a recent blog, I spoke about having that living relationship with God and how I happened to come into that sweet union. (8/9/2012)  Last Saturday, I wrote about the implications of that relationship and how it brings us into line for an inheritance from God as our Father.  I encouraged you to read Romans 8 for yourself.

In that chapter, Paul shares with us his own testimony and instructs us that when we are born again by the Spirit of God, we become “sons of God” (v.14) and the Spirit we receive is also “the Spirit of adoption  by whom we cry out ‘Abba, Father’  (v. 15).  It is by this process that the Spirit bears witness to us that we are the children of God.  This is how every Christian comes into a vital relationship with the Living God!

In verse 17, he goes on to explain how becoming His child also makes us an heir “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ..”.  Many Christians today do not even think about this inheritance, let alone get in line to receive it.  As I stated last week, being joint heirs with Jesus means all His Father has for Him is for us too.  But what does that really mean?  And, are we claiming it for ourselves and our children?  Claiming what? 

What we are to be claiming is every unclaimed promise of God to His people, starting with the Israelites.  For most of them, they were never fulfilled because of their disobedience to God’s instruction.  That did not make them void!  They are still valid for us as “those who are of faith and are blessed with faithful Abraham.”  (Galatians 3:9)

You see, if we are Christ’s then we are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise and that puts us in line to inherit those same promises which the Israelites never got to enjoy.  If you don’t believe me, study it out for yourself.  We have a wonderful inheritance laid up for us beginning with promises God gave to Adam and Abraham in Genesis and concluding with the book of Revelation.  It may sound overwhelming, but it is really very simple since He keeps promising the same thing over and over – life and life more abundant!

 I know that I can claim these promises for myself and some for my family.  One thing I believe is that it is not God’s will for my children to be in captivity like He told Jeremiah.  It is His will for us to be free and more than conquerors.  Is that the case with you and yours?  If not, you will want to study more on this with me in the coming days.   Begin by reading Jeremiah or in Genesis or even in Revelation, but begin reading about your inheritance so you can begin claiming it too. 

Free running for the gold!

Meanwhile, I pray that the Son, your joint heir, is shining brightly in your world and driving out any and all shadows that dim your joy!  If You are a child of the Living God then He has good plans for you and yours and He has already died to make that so!

DAILY DROPS ABOUT INHERITANCE

Good Morning, Blogger Friends:

This morning I had so much to say that my editors had to redirect me.  Their comment was that it was like reading “War and Peace”.  Well, I got the hint and I am rewriting, but for today I just wanted to check in with you and tell you that God is alive and well and He is still waiting to meet with you as we discussed in one of my first blogs (Isaiah 30:18).

What I was impressed with the most of my time with Him this morning is that we have an inheritance of which many of His people are not even aware.  It’s like inheriting a million dollars from someone and never going to collect it. Have you ever thought about what it means to be “joint heirs” with Jesus? (Romans 8:17)

Some of you may have been fortunate enough to benefit from an inheritance some family member left you in their will.  You actually collected it and so, that makes it easier for you to understand.  It is a gift that is handed down from someone who cared enough about you to want you to have it.

Some of you may have been cheated out of an inheritance in some way.  Perhaps your family member did not make it clear what they wanted you to have and so someone else is enjoying what was rightfully yours.   You, too, may be able to comprehend my topic today.  You are not enjoying your gift!

Let me just say, God has a will and He has made it clear who He wants to inherit what.  Many of us have not been diligent to read the document which would tell us clearly what He wants us to have from Him and that, of course, is His written Word!

Let me challenge you today to look up this scripture in Romans 8 and then read Jeremiah 30, 31 and 32 as well.  We will talk more about this in days to come.  Joint Heirs with Jesus!!!  So, all the Father had for Him is for us too??  Wow! Or, in scriptural terms, Selah, stop and think calmly about that!

Meanwhile, I am praying that the Son is shining into your life wherever you are and you are experiencing the warmth of His love for you today!  Better yet, I hope you are taking advantage of some of what He left for us to enjoy!   Many blessings!

DAILY DROPS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

Good morning, blogger friends!  

It is very early in the morning where I am in the mountains of North Carolina.  It is just now beginning to get daylight, but I have been up for a long time.  I couldn’t sleep.  I wonder how many others are out there this morning who were not able to sleep last night.  I am thankful that when I cannot sleep, I can get up and relate to my Father in Heaven and know that I am not alone in whatever is going on in my life.

Many, many years ago I used to have trouble sleeping.  It was awful!  I could not go to sleep at night, but then when morning would be coming around I would get tired and suddenly be able to go to sleep.  Then, I would sleep most of the day and, guess what, that night I could not sleep again.  Now in those days, I did not know the Lord!  The problems which surrounded me seemed insurmountable and I had no resources.  I had no one with whom I could talk things over and solve those issues.

About half way through my life, at age 35, the old Hound of Heaven finally tracked me down.  I realized that while I would have told you that I was a Christian, meaning that I had a relationship with God, I did not really KNOW Him; I only knew about Him!  That was the first revelation I remember having that began to change my life.  Like the Israelites coming out of Egypt, I knew about Him, but I did not KNOW Him for Who He was and wanted to be to me – which was Everything!

As I look back on that time in my life, I realize that all it meant when I said I was a Christian was that I was not a non-Christian.  I did believe in God; I always had as far back as I could remember.  I believed all the right things about Him, too.  He was all-powerful, all knowing, and He was everywhere.  He had sent Jesus to die on the cross so I could get my sins forgiven and go to heaven someday.  And I believed that Jesus was coming again to “save the quick and the dead”. (The Apostles Creed)  Yes, I believed all the right things about Him, but I did not KNOW Him and what I believed did nothing to help me in my everyday  life.

I needed my life to change!  I needed to know how to do that.  I had beaten my head up against a brick wall for most of my adult life trying to make it work.  It only got worse and the sleepless nights increased until I had very nearly despaired entirely of going on.  I was ready to give up!

God was waiting in the wings for exactly that!  He was waiting for me to give up and to see that I needed to KNOW Him, not just know about Him!  I needed to come to the end of myself and realize that I was not in charge.  There was nothing I could do that would make my life what I knew it could be as somewhere in the depths of my being, I knew that my life was not what it was meant to be at all.  I had done all I knew to do, my very best¸ which consisted of pitiful efforts that usually complicated rather corrected my life.   I was at my wit’s end!

That turned out to be a very good place to be because that was where I came to KNOW Him!  As one mentor of mine (Jack Taylor) used to say ”at Wit’s End Corner” God saw to it that I heard the story of the Israelites who were God’s children.   The story-teller shared that they had been down in Egypt 400 years and they had heard about Him, but they did not KNOW Him.  In their bondage and misery, they cried out for deliverance and He heard them and sent Moses to lead them out of their state of slavery.  He brought them out to bring them in - into relationship with Himself!

The wilderness they wandered in was designed to teach them about Him, but like me they weren’t learning much and when they had the opportunity to cross over into the Promised Land, they were still afraid.  Their fear was rooted in the same thing my fear was, an absence of KNOWING Him!  Upon my own realization of my state of only knowing about Him, I also realized that if they had known Him they would have been able to leave that miserable desert and enter a land flowing with milk and honey!  That was God’s will for them; they blew it!  I realized that I had done the same thing many times.  This time I did not want to stay in Egypt or the desert; I wanted to be with Him!

How well I remember that moment when I said YES to God!  I can still hear that Hound of Heaven breathing down my neck trying to get me to surrender so He could get me to relate to Him, not just know about Him, but to truly KNOW Him!  Something happened then that began to change my life forever.  I began to believe in a God who wanted a personal relationship with me!

 I remember stepping up out of my desert of despair and walking down an aisle where I saw a cross and it was there I sat down that old life that had become more trouble than it was worth to me.   It was as though I was carrying a huge bag of garbage which I left at the cross and kept on walking.  I heard in my spirit man “thank you very much; I have been waiting a long time  for that!”  All I can really tell you is that I have never been alone since that day!

Yes, sometimes I am the only human being around, but now there is the Holy Spirit of God living within me and I am never really alone no matter what the situation.  I had been alone my whole life and I did not know that what I sought after and needed so desperately was the very relationship which I now have with God.  I had tried to fill that "God shaped hole" within me with other relationships to no avail.  But that day, He became my Everything! 

By this I mean that He was all I could think about, talk about and He began to teach me Who He really is as we began to walk and talk in the cool of the garden like it was meant to be from the beginning!  In other words, we started relating or communicating!  I talked and he talked!  He listened and I did too...  sometimes.  I was in love with God!  And I began to understand how much He loved me!  I had been born again and God’s Spirit was within me.  I had begun to live eternal life!  (Romans 6:23)

I know this blog is missing some pretty pictures today and even some good scripture references and I hesitate to post one like that, but I must get on with my day.  Anyway, it is the “word of our testimony which overcomes the enemy” so here you have it.  I’m sure many of you have a similar story of how He drew you into relationship with Him.  If so, I hope you will enjoy hearing mine and remembering your own.  

If you do not have a story but can relate in some way to mine, I hope it will help you along the way to come into a deeper relationship with the only One Who loved you enough to give His life for you – Jesus!

This is my story, and I’m sticking to it!!!  Many blessings,

Sonshine in the Mountains!