The trail of God at work rarely follows a straight line.
"I prayed that God would help me be faithful even in my illness and I prayed that in my life or in my death the HE would be glorified. I do not claim to know how God works. But this I do know : I was facing death and now I am alive. And with life comes responsibility. Apostle Paul puts it this way "For me to live is Christ - to die is gain." Because I live, I ought to use my life in a way that is meaningful and helpful to my neighbour. This is not for my own glory; it is for God who gave me life."
- Kent Brantley - (a miracle survival of Ebola disease)
Proverbs 19:2
Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who hurries with his feet (acting impulsively and proceeding without cautious or analyzing the consequences) sins (misses the mark)
Repentance : a change of one's old way of thinking, turning away from sin and seeking God and His righteousness
So she asked God to similarly use her "toxic, painful trial (wilderness) to destroy, starve and kill anything in her soul that is selfish, unholy, offensive to Him. "I willingly surrender to His infusion, knowing that He has chosen what will ultimately bring me more abundant life than I could have imagined."
I've concluded that pain redeemed impresses me more than pain removed. We're concerned with how things turn out; God seems more concerned with how we turn out.
- Philip Yancey -
What to do When fear creeps in?
1. DO what God says to do in the Bible.
2. FACE your fear - play it out to the end.
3. ACCEPT where you are
4. RELEASE your life completely to Jesus.
5. GET to know this Powerful God!
If God doesn't step in for you, that just means that he needs you right at the place you're at for some reason.
What to do when doubt creeps in?
1. PRAY (philippians 4:6-7)
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication....
2. PRAISE
With thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God......
3. PEACE
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
4. FOCUS on the positive attributes of God.
"The Christian faith is bi-polar. Disciples live their life between worship and doubt, trusting and questioning, hoping and worrying." Then Jesus gives the disciples what is called the Great Commission... Jesus looks at those worshipping doubters and says, "You go! You doubters, go. You risk your lives for me. You change the world for me..." Disciples are not people who never doubt. They doubt and worship. They doubt and serve. They doubt and help each other with their doubts. They doubt and practice faithfulness. They doubt and wait for their doubt one day to be turned to knowing.
- Frederick Dale Bruner -
# Doubt is part of our normal Christian life.
# Admit your doubts.
# God is never angry with our doubts.
# Open your Bible!
# Hang around people who will lend you some of their faith when you are doubting
# Recognize there are just some things this side of heaven we will never understand
# Trust in the Lord - Not in your doubts!
Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understand"
"So I want you to realize that the Lord your God is God.
He is the faithful God.
He keeps his covenant for all time to come.
He keeps it with those who love him and obey his commands.
He shows them His love.
But he will pay back those who hate him.
He'll destroy them.
He'll quickly pay back those who hate him.
So be careful to follow the commands, rules and laws I'm giving you today.
(Deuteronomy 7:9-11)
When everything looks the worst. Know this.
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Most of our complaints comes because we just want to be happy, but the bible doesn't say we were suppose to be happy, it says we are suppose to be joyful
How in the world do you and I get joy in our lives? Here's how :
You have to get to know God. Not just that, you have to surrender your life to him. When bad things happen to someone who surrendered their lives to Jesus, you can still have joy because our lives is all about God, it's no longer about me, me, me. Read your bible! It's stories in the Bible that gives us the big picture of God. Joy comes from knowing God through Jesus. Jesus is the only to God. If you are trying to get to him by religion or good works, it's just not going to happen. You'll never know the one true God. Give your life to Jesus.
If the door closes here, I can be joyful because I know God is leading me. Joy comes to knowing that I have a purpose in my life. All the happiness in this world will only lasts for a while, after that "now what?" Joy is something that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives and mine, and it's the only thing that will sustain you through really really difficult days. It doesn't mean that there is no sadness. Sadness is an emotion that God has given us, we can be sad and joyful at the same time! Life is filled with things that go on like this...
As the world was being created, there were already angels here
"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand."
"While the morning stars (angels) sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"
Ezekiel 28:12-17
"Son of man, sing a song of sadness about the king of Tyre (the king had been indwell by satan). Tell him, 'The Lord and King says, "You were the model of perfection. You were full of wisdom. You were perfect and beautiful. You were in Eden. It was my garden. All kinds of jewels decorated you. Here is a list of them. Ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made out of gold. On the day you were created, they were prepared. I appointed you to be like a guardian cherub. I anointed you for that purpose. You were on my holy mountain. You walked among the gleaming jewels. Your conduct was without blame from the day you were created. But soon you began to sin. You traded with many nations. You harmed people everywhere. And you sinned. So I sent you away from my mountain in shame. Guardian cherub, I drove you away from among the gleaming jewels. You thought you were so handsome that it made your heart proud. You thought you were so glorious that it spoiled your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth. I made an example out of you in front of kings."
Isaiah 14:12-14
"How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Revelation 12:4
"His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born."
"A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened."
Revelation 5:11
"Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,"
Matthew 26:53
"Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"
John 8:44
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
John 14:6
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
satan's goal is not wanting people to come to Jesus and experience eternal life, so he's gonna lies, deceives, do things that will even shock you and I.
1. What you need to see is satan also disguises himself as good thing
2. satan instigates false religions into this world. He incites people to start false religion
3. satan shows you things that looks the same, although they are really not, he deceives you into thinking it is normal and right. If he can get you to believe God is like that, then he wins
2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (there are churches, there are pastors, there are church leaders.....)
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
We think satan as destructive and evil. But most of his destruction comes from he disguises himself as light and good. In Galatians 1, you find that Jesus has been dead for about 30 years, he died on the cross and he rose from the dead. But everybody knew the gospel had been going out, the one true gospel. Jesus is the only way to God. But something after Jesus had been gone for 30 years.
Galatians 1:6-9
"I am amazed. You are so quickly deserting the One who chose you because of the grace that Christ has provided. You are turning to a different "good news." What you are accepting is really not the good news at all. It seems that some people have gotten you all mixed up. They are trying to twist the good news about Christ. But suppose even we should preach a different "good news." Suppose even an angel from heaven should preach it. I'm talking about a different one than the good news we gave you. Let that person be judged by God forever. I have already said it. Now I will say it again. Anyone who preaches a "good news" that is different from the one you accepted should be judged by God forever."
How do we know the difference between the works of the angels and works of the demons?
Anything that does not point to the Jesus of the bible, is an angel in disguised (satan disguised as angel)
1 Peter 5:8
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
2. TO RUIN YOUR LIFE BY OFFERING YOU THINGS THAT LOOK GOOD BUT WILL ULTIMATELY DESTROY YOU, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR MARRIAGE AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Here's what God has given us :
Ephesians 6:11-18
"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Everything on our armour are defensive except the sword! The Sword is for us to take up and stab lies, false whispering, negative thoughts....etc. Satan can roam around this world but he is on chain, his power is limited but he can still performs miracles. Once Jesus comes back, He can stalk on this chain.
2 Thessalonians 2:9
"The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders."
Matthew 24:24
"For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect - if that were possible."
Test every work, sermons against the Bible
1 John 4:1
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
Life doesn't always go as planned. Go with the flow, don't fight it.
Alot of christian life is living not knowing where God is leading us. Sometime when we pray and ask God where He wants us to be, then He's silent and that frustrates us. We want to see things ahead, but we can't and that frustrates us.
Moses and the people in the bible is like our mentors. We study the lives of the people in the bible because they are the ones who are mentoring us, teaching us what we need to know about life and about God.
God knows exactly where we are and why we are there.
Life is not random :
- God has His reasons why it is taking so long to find that right guy
- God has His reasons why it is taking so long to find that right job
- God has His reasons why He allows you to struggle in your marriage
- God has His reasons why we aren't getting healthier sooner
- God has His reasons for taking the Israelites the long way around. Because for 430 years the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and they know nothing about fighting a battle. If God were to take them the short cut way to the promised land, the Israelites would have to go through Philistine and the Philistine would fight them. In the end, the Israelites would run back to Egypt for fear. God knows this will happen, therefore, He sent them through the wilderness to go to the promised land.
How important it is for us to be happy in the season where God has us. God is trying to teach us everything we need to know before we take that step.
During your wilderness encounter :
1. Do you rely on yourself or on God?
- we can never see what He can do until we are put in a situation where we have no control
2. Are you living in the natural and trying to manage things yourself or Are you living in the spiritual and trusting God with what you have no control over?
- when you live in the spiritual you will have peace. Peace is not the absence of conflicts, it is the absence of inner conflicts 3. Do you trust God when the door is shut?
- God always answers when we pray : Yes, No, Wait, Trust me you have no idea what you were asking for
- when a door closes, God is protecting us from something that we don't see but He can see in the future. When He slams the door, we need to stop and say "Thank you God"
4. Do you trust God to change that person's heart?
- our job is learn to focus upward saying "God I cannot but you can"
- if you don't have that kind of situation, you won't ever know God can do it
- so much of our lives is God trying to get us to think His way
- maybe your long way around is God trying to reboot your mind
- in the wilderness you will learn so much about how He Feels About You
5. Have your surrendered?
Don't Settle In Quite Yet
No Matter What Happens In Our Life, God Has His Eyes On Us
It's What We Trust In But Don't Yet See That Keeps Us Going
God Knew Exactly What He Was Doing In Your Life
God Wants Us To Learn To Be Content No Matter What Happens
Fear Can Be So Irrational
Don't Take Things Just Because You Are Fearful That Something Else Isn't Going To Come Along, Wait On God
Promote Faith Instead Of Fear
When Something Happen,
1. FEAR NOT
2. INSTEAD OF GOD'S INTERRUPTION, WE NEED TO SEE IT AS GOD'S INVITATION
3. AN INVITATION TO TRUST AND NOT TO FEAR
4. THERE REALLY IS A PLAN
5. FEAR IS WHEN WE CAN'T SEE GOD FROM OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. FAITH IS WHEN WE SEE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT THROUGH GOD
6. STAND STILL
7. THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU
8. FAITH IS NOT BUILT WHEN THINGS ARE GOING GOOD. FAITH IS BUILT WHEN WE ARE HEMMED IN WITH NOWHERE TO GO
When Blessings become an idol
- How Do I know when my blessings become an idol?
Rocks or Sand?
1. Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sins are not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
2. Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise bring healing.
3. Proverbs 19:11
Sensible people control their temper, they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
4. Proverbs 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
Is it really spare the rod and spoil the child?
The bible did not mention that
In the Old Testament....
The rod was constantly in the shepherd's hand as he walked in front of the sheep and led the way
The rod corrected the course of the sheep. Because the sheep were distracted the rod was used to push and guide them back into the way they were supposed to go
Striking the sheep would actually be counter-intuitive, as it may slow down the animal, or make it wary of the shepherd
A rod was used to remove sheep from harm or corral stubborn sheep
A rod was used as a weapon against predators - it was NOT to hit the sheep, but rather to hit the wolves and mountain lions that threatened the sheep
A rod was used as an extenstion of the hand - it was sometimes used to lift and carry a sheep, or to push back the wool to examine the skin for injury
Give yourself a break sometimes, Pray and trust :
- Dear God, I give my kids to you
- God, you can change their hearts, I can't
- God, if my kid is doing something that I don't know about, please let me know
- Don't freak out on your kid, buy into the whole thing
- Train them, pray for them and trust God that He will change their hearts
Do not be legalistic
Don't be so lenient either that your kids won't know what it means to follow Jesus
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