Category: A Door of Hope

 

1.)  When we SEE the giants, we will cry and weep and murmur.

 

Numbers 13:33-14:2a "And there we saw the giants , the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.  And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.  And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron…"

 

 2.)  When we SEE the giants, we will run away and be very afraid.

I Samuel 17:23-24 "And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.  And all the men of Israel, when they saw, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

 

3.)  When we SEE our God, we will abhor (to cast off or reject) our self, repent and praise God for the wonderful things He does.

 

Job 42:5-6 "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:2-3 "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.   Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not."

 

There's no denying that our giants are many…and they are HUGE:

• failing health
• aging parents
• reversing finances
  
• eroding morals
  
• collapsing nation
• feuding families
• wandering children
• disintegrating churches
• exhausted Christians

 

However, if we are wise, we will not focus on these giants.  We will instead look to our God.

David did not see Goliath.  He never went out to reconnoiter. 

He did not need to gain more military information about his enemy.

David did not need to know about the giant,
because he already knew about his God. 

He knew God's might.  He had experienced God's deliverance, again and again, personally.  He trusted His God to continue to act in accordance to His Divine personality.

David merely heard that the giant was defying the God of Israel and knew that Goliath must and could be defeated.

The more we know about our incredible God, the more we realize that He can do "things too wonderful for me".

We must stop looking at our giants, stop obsessing about them, stop studying them, learning about them, planning how to defeat them.

Instead, we must look to our God…really SEE Who He is.  Read His Book.  Learn His character.  Find out how He delivered His children time after time after time. 

Review our own lives and see how He has protected and delivered us again and again.

May we come to the point when we can say to our giants,

I Samuel 17:45b, 46a,c "I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts…This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."

 

Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

 

Just where you stand in the conflict,

There is your place.

Just where you think you are useless,

Hide not your face.

God placed you there for a purpose,

Whate'er it be;

Think He has chosen you for it;

Work loyally.

Gird on your armor!  Be faithful

At toil or rest!

Whate'er it be, never doubting

God's way is best.

Out in the fight or on picket*,

Stand firm and true;

This is the work which your Master

Gives you to do.

~Streams in the Desert
(* Picket – A guard posted in front of an army to give notice of the approach of the enemy.)

 

Colossians 3: 23-24 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

 

Philippians 4:11-13 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

 

That place where you are – right now?

God put you there on purpose.

Look for Him.  Stand for Him.  Work for Him.  Witness of Him…

Right where you are...for where YOU are, your God is also…as His Spirit dwells IN you.

You will find great joy and peace as you find Him in the middle of your everyday life; and you will begin to see His presence and sense His purpose all around you.

Do not believe the lie of the enemy that you are unimportant today!

Your position is vital to the victorious campaign of the Faithful God.

Do all that you do today…for Him.

(A repost from 2008)

I've been reading in the Old Testament about the different sacrifices that God commanded Israel to offer up to the Lord.

It is amazing how detailed and meticulous the instructions are for each offering:

• burnt offerings
• meat offerings
• peace offerings
• sin offerings
• trespass offerings
• unacceptable offerings
• wave offerings

Each of those categories was divided further into the different types of animals necessary, and the different groups and individuals who would need to offer the sacrifices.

God gave very specific instructions and expected them to be obeyed.

The people could have chosen not to offer the sacrifices, and I'm sure some of them did. That meant, though, that their sins were not forgiven.

The offerings were bloody and messy and tedious and offensive to their senses; but the forgiveness of sins was worth far more than the life of a cow or dove.

Perhaps worshiping an idol would have been easier and less demanding; but a graven image has

• no life to bestow blessings,
• no power to forgive sins and
• no love to be returned.

We are no longer required to offer animal sacrifices for the forgiveness of our sins, because the ultimate and final sacrifice was made for us by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

We are, however, still called to a life a sacrifice: the sacrifice of our will in obedience to the Father.

Because God is Creator, He can pretty much give us whatever instructions He desires. Because He is also Saviour, He can also demand our obedience to those instructions.

It is our decision to follow His commands or to disregard them.

However, when we choose to not follow God's commands, we forfeit the right to receive the blessings.

What command has God given you for your life?

Are you choosing to obey His command?

If you are, I know you are reaping the benefits of your obedience.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to count those blessings; and let the recognition of God's faithfulness fill your heart and mind today.

Have you chosen to disobey God's command to you?

Do you see blessings that you are missing?

If so, why not humble your heart to His will today?

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
II Corinthians 10:5-6

The benefit will far outweigh any sacrifice that you will make.

Find hope today in sacrificial obedience.

 

"The way to peace and victory is to accept every circumstance, every trail, straight from the hand of a loving Father, and to live up in heavenly places, above the clouds, in the very presence of the Throne, and to look down from the glory upon our enviroment as lovingly and Divinely apointed." Streams in the Desert

 

Why are we surprised when trials come?  Why is our resolve shaken by temptation?  Why do we feel sorry for ourselves when things go wrong?

Well, because we are human, aren't we?

We forget…

It's all part of a bigger picture.

Our small cog is just a tiny, tiny part of the bigger machinery of God's plan for humanity.

If we are such a small gear in the giant motor, why does it matter if we do our part when troubles come?  Couldn't we just stop for a while, lay down to rest, leave off the discipline of a spiritual life?

No!  We cannot stop!  Do you know what happens when one tiny part of a big motor fails?

Eventually the entire engine grinds to a shuddering halt…

Because of one little cogwheel.

In the midst of turmoil, we must not stop living our lives for God's glory. 

We must continue to trust Him, the Master Engineer, as He applies His annointing Oil of the Holy Spirit in such abundance to the squeaky, grinding, slow-moving, rusty, painful parts of our lives.

 

Psalm 72:5-7 "They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth."

 

II Corinthians 6:9-10 "As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."

 

Paul seemed to rejoice in things that we try to avoid: 

• Anonymity,
• Death,
• Chastisement,
• Sorrow,
• Poverty

 

In fact, these are part of a list that he gives for those who are in the ministry of God:  Not just pastors or full-time church staff members, but all who are "workers together with him." (I Corinthians 6:1a)

 

Bottom line:  If we want to be God's servants  

(in our Home, in our Church, in our Workplace, in our World),

we are going to face difficulties.

Why?

There are 2 reasons:

1. Christ uses difficulties to teach us about Himself, to draw us closer to Him, to chastise us and to make us more Christlike.
2. Satan is going to try to hinder our service.  The more Christ-like we become, the more power we have to reach others for the Lord.

 

So the trials, hardships, tribulations in our lives???  It's ALL good!

Either Christ is doing a work in us because He loves us so much; OR we are doing such a great job of ministring God's grace to others, that Satan is running scared!

Our storms take on a Divine glow when we know they have a greater purpose.

 

I Peter 4: 12-13a "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  But rejoice…"

I Peter 4:14 "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you"

 

"In one thousand trials it is not five hundred of them that work for the believer's good, but nine hundred and ninety-nine of them…and one beside." ~George Mueller

 

Every time…every trial…every pain…God is working it for our good.

Can we trust Him with that?

It's easy to mentally agree with that truth, but when the waves of a crisis are coming fast at us, and we are losing our footing in the crash of the breakers around us…when we feel ourselves falling…out of control…can we emotionally practice that truth to which we have mentally assented?

It is not easy.  However, the more we practice, the more natural that reaction will become.

How, then, can we practice this reaction?

I'll tell you…start small.

 

• Did you wake up late?  Trust God with that.  Do not fuss and fume.  Peacefully acknowlege that He will work it out for your good.  (And tonight, be sure to set your alarm!)
• Did the child spill powdered sugar all over the kitchen floor?  Do not explode in anger.  Practice your "gratitude attitude" that the ants have not discovered it yet. (And place the sugar container out of the reach of the child…and correct the child with calmness…allow God to teach you as you teach your child.)
• Did you stub your toe on the doorjamb?  Don't mentally harrass yourself all day about being clumsy.  Deliberately decide that what's done is done, and thank the Lord that you didn't fall and break a limb when you stubbed your toe.  (And move more deliberately, with less haste…I have to do this a lot, as I get older…my body just doesn't respond as quickly as it used to.)

 

I know these are situations that can get under our skin and turn into what we commonly call "a bad day."  However, if this day is from the Lord, how can it be "bad"?  Even our terminology is not faith-filled!!!

As we practice acknowledging God's presence and control in every situation, our faith in Him grows.  Our responses to situations become testimonies of God's goodness, mercy and grace.  Then when the huge storm sets in, and we have lost all control, we have a seasoned response of faith in our God.

Practice your faith today…not by attending a worship service (although that is fine, too), but rather by recognizing your dependence on God in every situation as you go through the day.