The title of today’s episode: FAITH IS OUR DEFENSE
How often in life do our circumstances cause us to stumble because we do not trust? How many times do we fall because we look at circumstances instead of having faith? How many times do we let fear override what we know to be true? For example, if there is nothing we face that God cannot handle, why should we fear?
Often, we as humans allow the circumstances, to be bigger than God’s potential answer, to our problems. Our failures all boil down to a lack of trust and faith. When things are good it is easy to say we trust. But when things get tough, we often falter for lack of faith.
But when we get down to the place where there is nothing more we can do, then we are ready to trust God. Learning to trust, before we exhaust all other options, is what faith is all about. When we are to the point we trust God first, we have begun to walk by faith.
HAVING FAITH MEANS BEING FULLY PERSUADED THAT GOD IS ABLE AND WILL PERFORM WHAT HE HAS PROMISED.
Rom 4:20-22 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Just as Abraham trusted God. He had promised him that he would be the father of many nations through Issac. A time later, God told him to take Isaac up to the mountain and sacrifice him. Many of us would fall into fear and question how God could ask us to sacrifice Isaac if he was to be the next link in the lineage. But Abraham obeyed God and believed that He would work it out.
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Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Shields were used in several ways. They could be put together with other
soldiers’ shields to create a wall of defense. They were used as protection for the
individual. Some shields were large enough for a man to stand behind.
Our faith is like a shield; it protects us from attacks by the enemy. But we can
combine our faith with that of fellow believers to create a wall of defense against the enemy. Through our faith, we can be a strength to one another.
Most of us, at some point, have lost faith. It may be a huge thing, or we may have
let a little doubt creep into our hearts. This happens when we let down our guard
or our shield and allow the enemy to place thoughts in our minds. Doubt is a liar, a tool of the enemy to make us question God’s motives and his promises.
When we let fear set in, we have dropped our shield. We are no longer protected from the darts of the enemy.
Never run into battle without all of your armor. We cannot give the enemy the opportunity to make us question or doubt. God will go before us and will fight for us, but we have to keep the faith. So stand strong, be encouraged and keep the faith.
When we think of redeeming, a gift card or coupon normally comes to mind. We trade them for something valuable to us. When we redeem the time God has given us we use every moment wisely. We must seize the opportunities to be a light and a witness to others. Life is too short to have regrets about not doing enough for God.
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
We have no guarantee of tomorrow. That is why we have to seize the opportunities given to us. As we look to God for guidance and direction, he will lead us to where we need to be in life. His plans are not always our plans; however, we need to be able to discern his plans and yield to them. He wants only what is best for us. He sees the big picture when we only see a puzzle piece.
Eph 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
The word circumspectly means mindful, careful, cautious, attentive, and not extravagant.
We are to walk carefully or wisely, not as fools. Making the most of our time because the days are evil. We do this by understanding the will of the Lord and not walking unwisely according to man’s ways.
The best way to know God’s will is to listen for that still, small voice. He says his sheep know his voice. We have to be led by the Spirit. Spending time with him is never wasted; it is the best way to redeem our time. The more time we spend with him, the more we will know his voice.
Col 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
We are to use wisdom when speaking to people who do not know God. We have to show them God’s love through our actions and our words. Knowing how and what to say to people sometimes is difficult. We must always tell them the truth in love. Knowing God’s voice will help us to know how deep and far to go.
We are trading the temporary for the eternal. If we redeem our time, God will use it to build the eternal. We can be a part of people’s stories of how they came to know the greatest story ever told. The story of God’s redeeming grace.
Proverbs 13:20 – He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
The wise redeem their time, but fools waste their resources. If we redeem our time, we will plan ahead. That is being wise. Look at the parable of the ten virgins; five were wise and five were foolish. Five of them redeemed their time and planned ahead, preparing to meet the bridegroom. They had their lamps filled with oil. The five foolish didn’t redeem their time and they were caught unprepared without oil in their lamps.
This is a parable about being filled with the spirit of God. They were all ten good moral people; they were virgins. But five of them were wise enough to have oil, which is a representation of God’s spirit or anointing. We have to be filled with his spirit and be prepared for the bridegroom’s return. This is what it means to redeem the time. We have to make sure we have walked wisely and mindfully of God’s ways, so that we are ready to meet him when He returns.
No one knows how long we have until Jesus comes and gets his bride. We do not know if we will even see sunrise. But God wants us to use the time we have to further his kingdom; nothing else matters.
Tucked away in the Old Testament is a book called Amos. It is a small book and like so many in the Old Testament. But it carries a lot of truth. Amos, like so many of the prophets, was sent by God to call Israel to repentance. Anytime a group of people forgets who God is they find themselves in a mess. War, famine, and disease are all side effects of a broken society. When a society embraces God, it is prosperous. America almost went too far; we were close to being destroyed.
A few years ago, everywhere you went you would see two bible verse, 2 Cor 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
They were both reminders that we needed to get our society back on track. As we watched America decline, some of us got the message God was sending. People paid attention to God’s leading and started to pray again in earnest. Prayer is turning around our country. We are not out of the woods yet, but we will see God’s power and glory. Revival is about to hit our land like a tsunami. God will not allow evil to win.
I was talking to a friend of mine about a situation with another friend. This person knows what they need to do. God has showed them, but they are not willing to be obedient, but they keep asking for prayer that God will change the circumstances. If we are not willing to do our part, we cannot expect God to do his. He will not override free will. We have to be strong enough to step out in faith and do what God has asked us.
We have to decide are we going to do what God asks, or are we going to walk in our free will and do our own thing? Israel would walk in God’s ways so far, then when the pressure of life lessened and they became prosperous, they would slowly turn their backs on God. They would turn to lesser gods.
As God gets us through the storm that we have facing us a nation and we get to the revival, we cannot allow the blessings to get us to the point of being complacent. We must continue to dig deep into the Word and to run after God with all of our hearts.
We do not want a repeat of what happened with the children of Israel. We do not need to turn back to bondage because things will look a little different. We do not need to return to the idols that were once at the forefront of our lives. Which brings me to the scripture I want to share with you.
Amos 7:7-9 Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. 8 And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more: 9 And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.
Just as God showed Amos, he was about to get out his plumbline and use it to check Israel, He is going to check the church of today. Before the final harvest can be gathered, the church has to be ready to receive and disciple them.
Many phrases in our culture speak of being right. When people speak of walking a fine line, it is the place where two contrasting opinions meet. It is another way of describing the plumb line. I used to watch my grandpa build cinderblock walls; he would stretch out a line between two points and would hang a plumb line on it. That let him know that the wall was not leaning one way or the other. A plumb line keeps things balanced.
God’s word is our plumbline; it is what we measure ourselves with to make sure we are not leaning on our own understanding or on man’s religion. God is going to separate his sheep from those that say they are his sheep. We can see it happening with some of the mega church pastors and churches already. Sad to say, many more are going to fall because they leaned on their own ideas, charisma, and abilities. They are master manipulators that the enemy has used to deceive many. God has called to them and tried to turn them around. Some have listened but others love their kingdom more than God’s and they will fall. Denominations are splitting over liberal ideas and the truth of God’s word.
Now is the time to check the plumb line and make sure what you are building is not leaning on anything but Jesus Christ. We cannot be guilty of fence sitting or ignoring sin because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. It is better that they have hurt feelings than to end up in hell. We need to tell them the truth and do it in love, from a place of concern. We cannot go about it with a self-righteous and judgmental attitude and then say, “Well, at least I told them.” That is not the love of God. Even if we are loving toward them and show them concern, they still may turn away and reject our words. But if we do it from a place of God’s compassion, then we have done all we can do, except pray for them.
The word plumb means to examine minutely and critically, check the vertical as in a wall. To measure the depth of water.
A plumb bob is used by ships to check the depth of the water. This prevents the ship from scraping the bottom. The plumb line is used to check the to see that the wall is not leaning.
We use God’s word to check that we are growing deeper in the things of God. That we are not in shallow water to get stuck or damaged. We can use it to make sure that we are going up straight in understanding. That we are not leaning on our own understanding. Take God’s word and use it to make sure your life is plumb.
We may never stand in the desert in front of a burning bush, but can we stand on holy ground? God told Moses to take off his shoes; he was on holy ground. Is Holy Ground a place, or is it God’s presence? What did the taking off of the shoes represent? Holy Ground is about being in God’s presence. Holy ground can be anywhere. We could go to the same spot as the burning bush, and it would not be considered holy ground today. Why? Because God’s anointing is not there like it was when the bush was on fire.
God is everywhere, and some would argue that everywhere should be holy ground, but there are special places that God sends his anointing. Just like the tabernacle was just a tent until God’s presence came down and settled on it.
The Damascus Road was just a path that many travelled on daily. Until one day, a light came from heaven and Saul heard the voice of God. At that moment, that road was holy ground.
Exodus 3:4-5 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
God told Moses to take off his shoes, the place he was standing was holy ground. This was symbolic of all sorts of things. One thing God was saying that he needed to honor the place where he was standing, in the presence of God.
His shoes could have represented that old life, the places he had been. He went from the shoes of a shepherd to the shoes of a leader. God was getting ready to give him a new life. He was about to step into his calling. God wanted him to have respect for the place he was about to walk.
The priests of Egypt would remove their shoes as a sign that they were unworthy to stand in the presence of their gods. Moses, knowing their customs, understood that God was revealing to him that He was God. All over the world today, in mosques and synagogues, this practice is still done. The one entering the place where God is will remove their shoes as a sign of unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness.
Moses also covered his face as a sign that he understood that he was unworthy to stand in the presence of God almighty.
Just as their custom to take off their shoes before entering someone’s home showed respect. Because the shoes carried the dirt and debris of where they had walked. We, too, have to remove where we have been when we come into God’s presence.
Joshua had an experience when the children of Israel was about to go against Jerico.
Acts 5:13-15 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? 15 And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
God was about to show up big for Joshua. He was getting ready to prove that he would deliver the enemy into his hand like he did Moses. He was reminding Joshua to be humble before the Lord and follow His instructions. This is when Joshua received specific instructions about how to take down Jericho. It was the strongest and most fortified city. By taking down Jericho first, the people in other cities knew they were no match for the God of the Israelites.
Holy Ground is when the glory of God miraculously comes down to give us a miracle. We are not to take it for granted that we can call on him anytime we choose. Worship will draw the presence of God to us. We must always respect the presence of God. Because in his presence, when you are fully engaged with God, you are standing on Holy Ground.
The title of today’s episode: DON’T FEAR THE STORM
Not every wind that blows through our lives like a storm is from the enemy. We tend to give him too much credit. Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe God allowed the storm to make you stronger. Strong winds will break off dead or weak branches. But the trees are spared. They will have a spurt of new growth once the branches that were a drain of strength are removed. It is for the good of the tree.
Things sometimes happen to give us freedom. God will remove people from our lives that are a drain on our spirit. He knows that it is time to move on from the job we have had for a long time. Even though we are comfortable. When we have done all, we can in a place or to help a person, He will move us on to a fresh place. Somewhere, we can be effective and help someone else.
After a storm, the air smells cleaner, and the ground has been cleansed with fresh water. Maybe the new place has someone who will never find Jesus unless we are there to encourage them in that direction. Maybe the new territory is to give us what we need to grow stronger. There could be someone there that will mentor us to grow stronger.
Life is full of seasons, just as the earth has spring, summer, fall, and winter. We will walk through many different seasons. We can be sure that God is with us and will empower us to do the right thing. We have to listen to his still, small voice that is our guide.
God allowed the storm on the day Peter walked on water. Jesus was trying to get the disciples out of their comfort zone. He was trying to teach them that his power was real. Because of Peter’s ability to push aside his fear, he walked on the water. The rest were too complacent or too afraid to try. They had to learn of God’s power in other ways.
Nahum 1:3: The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
When life’s storms blow into our lives, God will not waste them. He will use it to draw us closer to him. The whole purpose of our life’s journey is to learn how to love God and rely on him. To learn how to walk in his love and show others love.
We are safe in the hollow of his hand. He is our strong tower that we can run to when life gets rough. He is our hiding place, the secret place under his wings. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We can count on him to keep all of his promises.
Some storms are sent by our enemy to rip apart our lives. It pleases our enemy when he sees our lives falling apart. God will often send us warnings about people and situations long before the storm of attack hits us. Often, we can stop the enemy’s attack before it ever comes, or at the very least lessen the damage. By praying against his plans.
God has plans for us, too; his plans consist of good things. The enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. God comes to add to and multiply the good in our lives. If we are obedient to Him, he will see us through any storm the enemy can send our direction.
Things look scary in our world right now. We cannot fall into fear. The enemy will not prevail. God is watching over his people. He will never allow us to be overtaken; he will give us the strength to stand against our enemy. God is our fortress, our safe place to take shelter during the storms of life.
The title of today’s episode: WELCOME TO GOD FOCUS THIS MORNING
The title of today’s episode: OUR FOUNDATION
How solid is your foundation? I have heard people stand and give a warning to others not to go around people who are sinners. Their reasoning, they may make you backslide. But that depends on your foundation. It is possible to be influenced by people good and bad. However, if we are standing on sandstone, it may crumble beneath our feet. If we are sure footed and standing on the solid rock, we will not be influenced by sinners.
Jesus spent a lot of time with sinners. Never once did they influence him to turn from his purpose. They were his purpose, to save, heal and set free those that were bound by sin, sickness and oppressive spirits. He knew his foundation was solid. The sinners would not cause him to stray.
Jesus our rock is still solid. We need to be sure we are on a solid foundation. Judas was not on solid ground. He was on sandstone. It is more solid than sinking sand, but not as hard as granite. He allowed a root of greed to get between him and his foundation.
It is all about the anchor. A house could be placed on top of the ground, but without being anchored to the earth, it is not stable. When people go to build a house, they will dig down into the ground and create a concrete foundation. This is the solid foundation, and it has anchor points all around.
There is a process called concrete lifting. Companies that do this type of work will dig down below the ground level and build up the foundation underneath a building. This keeps it from sinking and breaking.
There are times we are on shaky ground. We may have made a wrong choice or got complacent about our faith walk. It is not impossible to strengthen our spiritual house. We just need to come in and dig down deep, like the concrete lifting process. We need to return to our roots and pray for God to strengthen our foundation. Studying the word of God and applying what we have learned is a good start to firming up the foundation.
The truth of God is our foundation. It doesn’t matter how solid the rock is under our feet if we are not anchored to that rock. A house that is not anchored can be blown or washed away in a storm.
We have stability for our souls because Jesus is our anchor. He is the one who keeps us from being blown away by the lies of this world. He keeps us grounded and stable. If our foundation is solid, we will not be tossed to and fro by the winds of adversity and false teaching.
I Cor 15:57-58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Being anchored says that we are steadfast in our faith. We will be unmoved when the enemy tries to move us. He will come at us in all sorts of ways. If he cannot confuse us with false doctrines and twisting of scripture, then he will come at us in other ways.
John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
We can be sure of our foundation as long as we know the word of God. Because our bible is the foundation of understanding on which we build our lives.
Many places in God’s word tells us that our words have power. Having the right attitude has to be the beginning of our Christian Walk. If our words are negative and not in alignment with God’s word, then we will cause many things to be out of balance. When we complain and speak negatively then the enemy can use those word seed to grow things in our lives that we should not have to deal with as a child of God.
Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
People use this to portray God as a genie in a bottle, granting our every wish. But it doesn’t mean that at all. It means if we delight in the Lord, our ways will align with his ways. Our desires become the right desires. Then we will pray and ask God for the right things. If we commit our path to following the teachings of the Lord and place our trust in him, he will bring to pass the things we desire.
Nowhere does this say he will give us large amounts of wealth to stockpile and live like a king. God will, however, give us the finances necessary to further the gospel. He gives us wealth to be a blessing, not stockpile material things.
Prov 4:14-18 Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. 16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
We, as God’s children, cannot get caught up in the ideas of man. We have to turn from the wicked ways of man. Our path is like the shining light. He will illuminate our way so that we can see where we are going. We will not be lost in the darkness.
He has given us the power to resist the devil. We have been given the power to overcome evil with good. The words we speak are life to the soul, as long as those words align with God’s word.
Parents do not realize the power they have over the future of their children. Many want to send them to a big-name college and want them to have successful careers. But then they will fuss at them and tell them they will never amount to anything. They will say things about how unintelligent they are when they do not do as their parents wish. They do not realize they are actually cursing the future growth of that child. Over the years I have heard people say all sorts of things to their children that made me want to shake them. I once heard a woman in the store call her child a demon spawn. Knowing how powerful words are, it broke my heart for that child.
Prov. 18:20-21 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
If you receive a diagnosis from the doctor, don’t start saying I have this disease or that affliction. It is ok to ask for prayer and to pray against it. It is ok to say, I have symptoms of this disease or that affliction. As soon as you say, “I have,” you have laid claim to it, and it now belongs to you. Some would think this is extreme. But remember, the power of God lives within you. That power is creative and can change outcomes. Do not speak negatively; speak life.
James 3:2-4 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
This is saying that we can control the direction of the whole body by our words. A horse is bridled so that the rider can control the direction of the horse. A small rudder can control the direction of a large ship. By speaking life-affirming words, we can help to lift up others. We can change the course of our lives.
Negative words are fuel for the enemy to tear down everything we try to build with faith. Faith is pure and there is no room to mix it with doubt. Doubt is created by speaking negative words out of our mouths.
James 3:5-8 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
By saying the tongue no man can tame it seems like an impossible task. This is where being led by the Spirit comes into the equation. We can tame our tongue if we allow our words to be filtered through the Holy Ghost that lives within us and is our guide.
James 3:9-12 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Many verses in the Word speak about having our hearts right. If our heart is right, then good things will flow from it. We will speak life, encouragement and healthy things to others and over ourselves. Our words will align with God’s word and God’s will.
James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
As we grow in our faith, we will become wise and will speak good things. Our works will align with our heart and with the wisdom that God has given unto us. This is all a part of learning to walk by faith, being led by the Spirit of God. When we surrender to the leading of God’s Spirit, we will speak life-affirming things that will be health and life to those around us.
The title of today’s episode: SIMPLE TOOLS BIG RESULTS
We never get to our goal in life without having to give up something. It doesn’t matter if it is natural or spiritual. If we want to learn to play piano, we have to sacrifice time practicing. The same goes for any sport or talent that we develop. We trade time for experience.
In our spiritual walk, we often want to gain strength and be used by God. But it will cost us something. We have to use the time that we would be doing other things to pray and study God’s word. We have to sacrifice something in order for God to give us something in return. The trade is always in our favor. He will never ask more of us than we can give, because he understands our limitations.
Exodus 4:1-5 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. 2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: 5 That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
God doesn’t ask us to do great big tasks that are beyond our capabilities. God had been preparing Moses his entire life to lead the children of Israel. He was raised with the Pharaoh so he was not intimidated by him like a lot of people would have been. He was raised to know and understand the beliefs of the Egyptians.
Moses came to know the God of his real people. He met The Great I AM, in the desert, in a burning bush. The bush was on fire, but did not burn up. Moses had never seen anything like it. He definitely never seen anything like that from the gods of Egypt.
When God told him to throw down his rod, he did. God will often ask us to relinquish something to him, so he can give us the tools necessary to fulfill our destiny.
From that point on Moses’ stick was called the rod of God. Because Moses had given it to God. It was no longer just a shepherd’s rod. It now would be used for the glory of God. During their wandering in the desert that same rod was used to bring water forth from a rock to part the Red Sea and many other things.
In the hands of a nomad, a tent spike is a tool used to keep the tent from blowing over in the wind. But in the hands of a desperate woman, a tent spike killed a leader who was fighting against God’s people. God used simple, everyday tools in many cases to defeat the enemy. Jael used a hammer and put a spike through the temple of the leader of the enemy’s army.
God uses simple things; instead of weapons, he used clay jars with Gideon. All he needed was a trumpet and war cry from his warriors and the walls of Jericho fell. Most people of that day believed that Jericho was a fortress that could not be breached.
God will never send us to battle without equipping us with what we need. He has given us his armor. Like David when he faced Goliath, we have to always go forth in the name of the Lord. Wearing the whole armor of God. We cannot rely on man’s armor. Just as David threw aside Saul’s armor, we have to set aside the worldly armor if we are going to win spiritual battles.
God used simple things to teach his people that victory was not in their weapons, strength and numbers. Their victories came through obedience to the one true God.
We, too, have power through walking in the anointing of God’s Spirit. Being obedient to his will for our lives. He can take foolish things and confuse even the wisest people. Because his ways are not our ways. He will show us the way if we are willing to give him something as simple as a stick or a clay pot. These things were not special on their own, but when given to God, they became tools of victory.
What are we willing to give to God to see miracles? Is it money, tools, canned food, or a blanket for someone who is cold? Anything we have in our possession could be required of us. We cannot outgive God. Whatever he asks of us, he will return in greater measure.
What do I have in my hand that I can give to God? This is a question worth asking ourselves.
The title of today’s episode: STAND STILL AND WAIT
Standing still and waiting for God to move is always a hard thing to do. We pray, and then we have to stand on our faith, knowing God will answer. He rarely answers the way we think he will. His timing rarely happens when we think it should or want it to be. If we wait on him, doors will open that we could not have even imagined.
We are not the first to be surprised at how God chooses to help us in our situations. There is no way the children of Israel could have known that God was going to provide them an escape through the Red Sea. Many of them didn’t even see God delivering them at all. They accused Moses of bringing them out into the desert to die. But God came through for them and saved them from their enemy. I am sure that many responded first with shock, seeing the waters part.
God sometimes shows up in ways we cannot even imagine. He is never late, but always right on time. There is often a wait between the realization of the problem and God showing how He will deliver. Moses told the people to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Standing is the hardest thing to do. I am sure the time from the revelation to the time that the answer was revealed was quick for the children of Israel. For us, sometimes it takes days, weeks, months, or even years to see the solution. But he is still God. It is in the time of the “standing still” that our faith is tried. We cannot be guilty of doubting the Lord. Doubt and worry are not faith, but break down our faith. He will see us through if we stand strong on his promises. I want to share a few verses with you.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord is not slack but is long-suffering. He wants what is best for us. He loved us so much that he didn’t want to see us perish and die in our sin. So, how much more is he willing to do for those who are his children and have accepted the work of the cross? Those who carry his Spirit inside of them. We should have faith to believe He will do what He has promised. It may not happen the way we think or want it to happen. But He will take care of our situations and answer our prayers. He has promised us eternal life if we choose to follow him.
Number 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
If God says He will do something, you can be sure He will do it. He is incapable of lying. Because God is the truth.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
God tells us to not fear because He goes with us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He says He will uphold us with the right hand of His righteousness.
Is 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
This verse says If we wait on the Lord. In other words, stand still and be patient for him to work out our situations. If we wait on him and not try to fix things on our own, He will lift us up as if we are carried above our circumstances. Soaring high above the issues like an eagle would fly. He will give us the strength to run this race that is set before us. We will keep going and will not faint or give up. Because He gives us the strength to keep going. But it takes standing and waiting on the Lord. His timing is not our timing.
There is nothing in this life that we will ever face alone if we are His children. He has promised to provide for us. He has promised us power over the powers of the enemy so that we can stand strong. The comforter will be our peace, our guide, all we need to empower us to stand still and wait on the Lord.
The title of today’s episode: CLOUD OF WITNESSES OR CHAOS
It is nice to have people in your corner. One’s that you can rely on to see you through the tough times. To laugh with you in the good times. The bible refers to a cloud of witnesses. That phrase means like-minded people who support the same ideals and causes that you do. As Christians, we should be a cloud of witnesses for other Christians. People of like-mindedness are those who hold to the truth of scripture.
Heb 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Those in the body of Christ can be our cloud of witnesses. Those who encourage us, to walk in the truth of his word. Hebrews says to lay aside every weight. Man is notorious for complicating the things of God. Look how many laws the Pharisees made out of a few commandments that God gave them. We, too, have complicated things with the religious rules of mankind. We need to get back to the basics.
These rules of man only add chaos to our faith walk. Some people would die on the mountain of their religious belief about the word of God, before they would yield to the truth of his word. These people are clouds of chaos in the body of Christ.
It is better to be in a cloud of witnesses instead of a cloud of chaos. I am not advocating that we give up on the truth so that there could be peace. Giving in to man-made religion is the problem with the body of Christ already. We have to stand strong on the foundation of God’s word.
We are supposed to run our race with patience. How do we develop the fruit of patience? By walking through tribulations and trials. We can get through it all with Jesus by our side.
Romans 5:3-5 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
This verse says that tribulation works patience. With patience comes experience and then hope, once we have walked through a few hard things. We know that if God saw us through that moment when we were at our most broken, he will come through again. It gives us the hope we need to walk in faith.
If we do not handle the tribulations well. We will not develop the fruit of patience like we need to develop. Without the fruit, it is harder to have hope. It is harder to walk by faith and not by sight.
Without the experience of the trials, we have nowhere to draw inspiration from except others. This is why we need the word of God. In it are stories of people who walked through difficult things. When they trusted God, he blessed them and helped them. When they didn’t trust God, they got an Ishmael.
Abraham and Sarah lost patience, waiting for the promise. We cannot lose sight of the promises of God and try to do things our way. We will end up in chaos. We have to wait upon the Lord. In his perfect timing, we will receive the things God has promised. We will not end up with our own version of Ishmael.
Today is the day you want to ask yourself: Do I want a cloud of witnesses? Those who encourage me in the Lord and give me encouragement to endure the trials. Or do I want a cloud of Chaos that walking in the flesh and trying to fix things my way will bring?
We have been promised that as long as we walk in the ways of the Lord, he will be with us and strengthen us. The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy. He wants nothing more than to destroy our peace and steal our joy.
Surround yourself with a strong cloud of witnesses. Those who have walked through the fiery trials of life. They can encourage you and help you to go through your own fiery trials. Because no one wants to live with a cloud of chaos.
