6/27/08

It takes courage to obey God. What is God prompting you to do?

2 Corinthians 5:7 “We live by faith, not by sight.”

Don’t avoid being obedient. There have been times after receiving direction from God that I have asked myself; Do I step out in faith and trust God? In times past, I have actually reasoned in my mind, and have talked myself right out of obeying God, and then I go on with life as usual. But, because I am a good Christian, I do what good Christians do, I pray things like; “Lord use me.” “God, I want to do more for You.” “God help me to think BIG.”

God’s plans and direction for my life are still the same, regardless of the time I’ve spent trying to avoid that one thing God has been dealing with me. Then out of frustration; “I pray, Lord, speak to me!”

Don‘t you know, the very same thing I had been trying to avoid or forget about comes back? Finally, I say; “Ok, God! I will obey, be with me and give me strength.”

God then says; “Yes, I will be with you. I want you to depend on me. I would never send you off alone to do this, I know you need me, I was waiting on you to ask me for help, but first you had to accept what I was saying.”

And then I say; “Yes Lord, I was trying to run away from that... I’m sorry.” The moment I say I’m sorry. God says; “Forgiven! Now let’s go!”

At this point you have 2 choices; You can obey, walk it out by faith, trusting that God is with you, or you can second guess yourself again thinking maybe it was just your own thinking. Now if you choose the second, you are right back where you started from. You can go around and around needlessly, just like the Israelites. They wandered for 40 years.

Let’s look at Jonah, he avoided obeying God by running from Nineveh , but when he became humbled by his circumstances, he prayed.

Jonah 2:1 “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.”

Jonah 2:10 “And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.”

The very next Scripture to follow is;

Jonah 3:1-2 “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

Notice the instructions remained the same:

Jonah 1:1-2 “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

God did not change; rather Jonah became willing to obey.

How about you? What are you facing? Will you wander, run and hide, or will you obey? I pray you obey.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Be encouraged by His Grace,

Rose
All scripture taken from New International Version

 

6/20/08

We all sometimes face unpleasant circumstances in our lives. The moment that you realize things are not going to go your way, it is at that time that you need to begin thanking God for who He is in your life, rather than to complain.

Psalms 95:2 “Let us come before him with thanksgiving…”

When you are in the presence of the Lord, troubles vanish. Hearts are mended, and strength is given.

Psalms 100:2, 4 “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Complain and remain. Praise and be raised!

I know you may not always feel like giving thanks, it may actually be a sacrifice.

Hebrews 13:15 “ .. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

In His presence is fullness of joy.

Psalms 16:11 “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10 “... for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Become strong knowing that God is in control, not you.

Zechariah 4:6 “...'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.”

Today is a new day, begin to give thanks right now, this very moment say; “Thank you Lord, for you are my faithful God.”

1 Chronicles 16:34 “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Be strong and take courage, the Lord is with you!

Be encouraged by His Grace,

Rose
All scripture taken from New International Version

 

6/13/08

3 John 1:4 “have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

Are you walking in truth or are you paralyzed by a lie? Are you being held back from enjoying the beauty of God all around you because of circumstances in your life or a loved ones life? Deception comes in all forms and in every area of your life. According to John 8:44 Satan is a liar and the father of all lies. His mission is to deceive you, confuse you and get you off course, straying you away from the truth.

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:”

You need the Lord to give you the ability to recognize deception in your life, to open your eyes of understanding so that you may see truth.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

It is so important that you take all of your life to God by presenting yourself before Him through His Word. His word is truth. His truth will open your understanding to the deception in your life and circumstances. As you desire truth and search for truth through His Word you will receive direction for your life.

Psalms 51:6 “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

Knowledge is information; wisdom is when you have an understanding of how to apply information. Only God knows exactly what you need. Seek after truth and receive the wisdom you need to walk in the truth and be free!

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.".

Be encouraged by His Grace,

Rose
All scripture taken from New International Version
 

6/06/08

Joshua 1:1-2 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites

God called Joshua to the position of leader. He was called to lead His people into the promise land.

Joshua 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

The Lord knew the only way for Joshua to become strong and courageous was by obeying the law the Lord gave to Moses. He was not to turn to the left or the right. He was not to compromise but to obey all that was written in the law.

Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Temptation is a powerful tool that the enemy will use to attempt to get you to stray from the path that God has you walking in. When I say temptation, I am not only talking the obvious sin, but also the distractions.

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Things can keep you too busy, keeping you from doing the things that God is calling you to do. God was speaking to Joshua to encourage Him in his calling; God is also speaking to you today. You need to speak the Word of God and think about what it says.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Regardless of your circumstances, the Lord is always with you. Knowing that He will never leave you alone will give you the confidence and the will power to step into your calling, and to stay the course. You can have confidence to walk by faith without looking elsewhere for support.

Hebrews 12:2  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, ...

Keep your eyes on Jesus, and He will lead you all the way to the finish line.

Be encouraged by His Grace,

Rose
All scripture taken from New International Version

 

 

 

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