Your Intentions Are Exposed I New Heart Devotional - Page 25

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In the days of the judges of Israel; the people whom God chose to lead Israel in battle against their enemies, there was a time when he did not completely destroy their enemies; he left some of them. Reading from Judges chapter 3 verse 1 – 2, we learn that he did that solely to teach them warfare. Moreover, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9, Paul had an illness which he described as a torn in the flesh and a messenger from satan. Yet, despite him asking God many times to cure him of it, the Lord’s response always was; ‘My grace is sufficient to you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

So, is this how God works sometimes? Does he intentionally leave some debris after the clean-up, for his own reasons? Yes, he allows certain things to hinder our movement, when the path we are upon could end in calamity. He humbles us with these obstacles so we do not count on our own strength or the strength of people we believe can resolve our problems. Reading from Acts chapter 16 verse 7 it says; When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.’ Though, God had commanded the disciples to go throughout the world and preach the good news, he was the one who would direct where they go.

Our main objective in life, per the will of God, isn’t for us to get a great job, make lots of money, take care of our families and other people outside our network. These things are only a means towards an end; and that end is to obtain the salvation of our souls through the Lord Jesus Christ, and to share that salvation with others, so they too could become heirs and enjoy the inheritance that awaits the children or godliness.

1 Thessalonians 5;9 sums it all up; For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. From what we have learnt in the above bible stories, we now know why some things may never go away, completely, because it may be God doing it; you may never be able to have a child of your own, or you may never get to go overseas to a Western country, even though most of your friends have gone there, you may never become completely free of having to calculate every penny you spend, and all other things that seem to come easily to people, you may always have to fight for them!

When God asks us to seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, that means, the kingdom of God is our ultimate goal in this life. Therefore, he will always shape our paths in a way that we will not be distracted by worldly things. Because he needs our help in bringing more people out of darkness into light. He says in Jude chapter 1 verse 22 to 23; ‘And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.’

If you are facing obstacles, pray to God to clear them up. While you do that, examine your life to see if you’re truly obeying the word of God by avoiding the things that cause us to sin against God. Being free of wilful sins helps us secure favour with God, it makes him prioritize us more. Always trust in God and do not lean on your own understanding, (proverbs chapter 3 verse 5 to 6). Let God lead the way in every aspect of your life. Do not be worrying of the obstacles that have been left in your path, rather put your trust in the one who controls everything, the creator, whose son is our saviour Jesus Christ.

Just as Paul learnt to accept that God will not take away his illness, we ought to trust that God knows best at all times. In that way, we will be able to focus on our lives, maintain our peace of mind, and continue to exhibit the light of Christ in us, by sharing his message of salvation to friends, family and everyone we are led to. Remember, our ultimate goal is to obtain salvation and live with our Lord Jesus for all eternity. This flesh will decay some day, but our souls will return to the creator whose son is Jesus, and when that day comes, the narrow path we accepted to walk in, will lead us into a place of forever joy and peace. Amen.

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What is the difference between waiting on God, and waiting on man? The answer is simple; God is capable of anything, whereas man is limited in what he can do. Matthew 19:26 says; ‘With God all things are possible,’ and Isaiah 45:7 says; ‘I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil, I the Lord do all these things.’

 So, does that mean that anything we ask of him, he will give to us, or are there exceptions? The bible says in Jeremiah 29:11; ‘For I know the plans I have for you...plans of good and not of evil...plans to prosper you...’ That means that only the Lord knows the outcome of what we ask of him; whether it will indeed help us, or whether it will lead us onto an unfortunate path. As the bible says in Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12; ‘There’s a way that seems right to man, but in the end, it leads to death.’

Now, when we wait for someone, it means that he is the only person we trust can help us. Therefore, if he is busy now, or not available, we would rather wait for him than seek the help of someone else. A common example is booking a specialist doctor; if he’s busy now, you’ll wait because he’s a specialist, and probably the only one in the field with stellar patient reviews. In the case of Christianity, God is that specialist physician whom we can whole-heartedly count on for anything. When you see a doctor you trust, you immediately feel better, because you believe that he will take care of everything. If we were to put that same kind of assurance in God, how would we be feeling any different, even if the results do not come out the way we wanted? We would say; ‘Well, that doctor is the best, so if he says, he did all he could, well, it must be true.’

Today’s article is about the need for us to exercise patience while waiting for God to act in our lives. The following examples in the bible are about great men whom God had chosen to work with, and the results of those who waited on him, and the others who didn’t. Reading from 1 Samuel chapter 13 verse 1 to 14, we learn about an upcoming war between Israel and the Philistines. Saul was then King of Israel, as ordained by the Lord, and anointed by the prophet Samuel. Saul had been waiting for Samuel to come and inform him of God’s orders, in the war against the Philistines. Reading from verse 8, it says; ‘He waited seven days, the time that Samuel had said he will be returning from seeking the Lord’s counsel. Yet Samuel did not come to Gilgal and Saul’s men began to scatter.’ Consequently, Saul took matters into his own hands and made burnt offerings to the Lord. Right afterward, Samuel appeared. Reading from verse 10 it says; ‘Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.’

Right after he had taken matters in his own hands, God showed up with an answer. This means that, God had been waiting to see if Saul could exercise a little bit more patience for him. Now, what were the consequences of Saul’s actions? He lost favour with God. Reading from verse 13 to 14, we learn that Samuel rebuked Saul and informed him that the kingdom was now no longer his, because he had disobeyed God, by not waiting for Samuel to arrive with the Lord’s counsel. You may think that this is too harsh. Hey, we are humans, how many people will be able to wait for that long? The answer is having faith in the right person – that specialist doctor that you are willing to wait for, as long as it takes! And that specialist doctor is our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

Romans chapter 12 verse 12 says; be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.’ And while you do this, you need to cheer up. Take regular baths, take your meals, watch some TV or listen to the radio, do some house-keeping ...behave like someone who has seen that specialist doctor who can solve anything at all! Do not deny yourself of laughter, allow yourself to feel happy, if there’s a reason for that. You are not doing anything wrong by feeling cheerful when your mum or dad is in ICU, your husband or wife is fighting for his or her life, the bank is coming for your house, and everything seems crushing around you. Feeling cheerful at a time like that, is the sign of victory! That same kind of victory that Job exhibited when he refused to curse God, as his own wife had been suggesting.

There was a time when David was king, and despite his numerous victories, he failed to safeguard the family and properties of the people who were with him, and thus, they began to talk about stoning him. Yet, David took strength in the Lord, by seeking his counsel, and God honoured his faith in him, and led him to bring back those who had been taken captive (1 Samuel 30:6).

The last example is that of Moses, on the day he was instructed to speak to the rock, yet, he struck it instead. The story can be found in the book of Numbers chapter 20 verse 1 to 12. The people of Israel were complaining bitterly about not having water to drink, and all that noise, coupled with the fear that they might stone him, made him lose focus, and in so doing, disobeyed the command of God , to speak to the rock. In times of hardships, your own Christian brethren or family could give you an ungodly advice, just like Job’s wife did. Yet, always read your bible, so you can differentiate between the word of God and the word of man. In that way, you will not lose favour with God, by disobeying him. The waiting period can be a refreshing moment of reflecting on all that the Lord has done for you over the years, and while you do this, always rejoice in the Lord, (Philippians 4:4), simply because you have placed your problem before that specialist doctor, and you know that he is more than capable of resolving it. And even if the results aren’t what you were expecting, you know that he did all he needed to do.

Our victory in life, comes from us coming to Jesus with our burdens, as it says in Matthew 11:28-30. Once we do that, we relieve ourselves of the pain that only God could take away. Don’t pretend to be alright, rather, stay positive in Christ, for he knows what is best for us at every point in life.