God Knows

When you are heart-broken and despair looms at your door and your life is filled with trials and tribulation it is only human to ask God “why?  Why me”?  We may never understand why things are happening the way they are and what the purpose might be.  But we must remember that understanding the reason or the purpose is not our job.  It isn’t necessary for us to know why.  It is only necessary to trust that God does.  God is in control and He has already written the last word of the last chapter of the book of our lives.  When we can’t feel His hand, we must trust His heart.  We must remember that we serve a loving, merciful God and His will for our life is better than we could ever imagine or even desire for ourselves.

When life isn’t going exactly the way we planned, that is when we must hold on to the word of God.  He says that He will supply our every need.  Our every need, not just the needs that we know we have but even the needs that we are not even aware of.  Our God is all knowing and all powerful and if He says he will supply all of my need than I believe Him. 

Have you ever attended a church service when suddenly The Holy Spirit starts speaking to you?  The preacher hits a nerve and you are overwhelmed with emotion because you weren’t even aware that you were struggling with that particular issue?  God knew it and that is why you were in attendance at that church, on that day, to hear that sermon.  When the Holy Spirit starts to move in your life it is because your heart is right with God.  Remember, God knows our heart.   

Sometimes it is hard to pray for the things we want because we fear of what it might cost us.  Fear that our children might hit rock bottom, end up in jail, living on the street, or even dead.  Fear is not from God it is from Satan.  So I do pray for my son, Jason, every day.  I pray that he will turn his heart over to God and become the man that God intended for him to be.  Only the Lord knows how long it will take for Jason to repent and open up his heart to God so I pray for strength and continued faith that God will answer my prayers.  I have had good days, bad days and days in between but every day is a blessed day because I am saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. 

SCRIPTURES

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.                                        2 Corinthians 9:8                                                                                                                             

God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.  He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.  Acts 15:8-9

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.  Romans 5:5  

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.                                             2 Corinthians 13:14

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  Mark 11:22

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ""Abba," Father."       Romans 8:15

 

 

 

 

 

Discernment

How well do we know God’s Word?  Do we know it well enough that when someone misspeaks or deliberately misleads us we know it?  Recently I listened to a man sing and do a little preaching in between songs.  I enjoyed it until he told the congregation that God says to test Him.  He said the bible says we are to test God and if we didn’t believe him we should read Malachi 3:10.  At that moment I stopped listening to him and started looking in my bible because I knew that what he had just told us was wrong.  When I opened my bible to Malachi and reread 3:10 I was reassured of my belief that God does not want us to test Him on everything.  He said only test Him when it comes to tithing; in all other matters we are to trust Him.

Had I not known the context of the verse he was speaking about I could have been mislead and could have started testing God in all things and this would have been disastrous.  Did this gentleman try to deceive the audience intentionally?  I don’t think so.  I think he was well intended but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.   We as Christians must know our scripture but we also need to know the context of the scripture to fully understand God’s word. 

I wonder how many people in the audience believed what this man had just told us.  This is a scary thought isn’t it?  But it happens more than we probably realize.  There are literally thousands and thousands of preachers worldwide.  They are in our local churches, on the radio, on the internet as well as T.V.  They preach and teach God’s word according to their understanding.  Some of them teach God’s word accurately and some do not.  It is up to us to know truth from lies.  We must seek God’s discernment as we read and study His word.  The bible is a spiritual book and we must first be filled with the Spirit of God to understand it.

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.  For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.  Romans 18:17-18

Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:15-18

Additional Reading

Deuteronomy 6:16

Matthew 4:7

Psalm 51:11-15

Psalm 139:7-17

 

 

 

 

God Knows Best

Life’s crises are a journey of personal and spiritual growth that can turn our life into an amazing adventure - if we look to God for strength, guidance and faith that His will be done.  For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

God loves us and He will never leave us nor forsake us even when we think He has.  Our lives are all planned out from beginning to end.  We might not like what is happening now or has happened in the past or still could happen in the future but that doesn’t matter.  When Jesus was in the garden “he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."  Matthew 26:39  He didn’t want to go through the pain and torture of crucifixion that was ahead of Him but He was faithful and trusted God unto death.

Not our will but His will be done is sometimes easier said than done when your life or the life of a child or spouse is spiraling out of control.  You see the damage that this can do to your life and lives of the people you love.  There have been times in my life when I have lost control and was unsure how or even if I wanted to go on.  The pit of despair is a dark and lonely place and when tragedy strikes this is exactly where Satan wants us to be - Alone, lost, out of control and in the dark. 

Satan wants us to feel that there is no way out.  That life is not worth living and God doesn’t care about us - but I am here to tell you that God does care and life is worth living.  All we have to do is open our bibles to see that God is all about love, grace and mercy.  When our load is heavy we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother – God.  Proverbs 18:24 

My life is full of stories of God’s grace and mercy.  There are many things in my past that I would never even tell my best friend.  I’ve experienced pain and suffering that could have led me right back to the pit that I came out of but instead it led me closer to God.  When my heart was shattered by death and then again by tragedy, God was there holding me gently in His arms reminding me of His promise that everything was going to be alright.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake:  for when I am weak then am I strong.  2 Corinthians 10:12

We are trophies of God’s grace.  We are forgiven and made righteous before Him because of the blood of Christ.  We all have problems, hardships, dilemmas and yes sometimes even tragedies in our lives but these things do not hinder nor stop the love of God – it reinforces His love by drawing us near to Him and Him to us. Come near to God and he will come near to you.  James 4:8      

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:22

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love forever and ever.    Psalm 52:8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    No matter what we are facing the love of God will see us through.  This my friend - you can count on!!