After the sober word posted earlier, it only seemed appropriate to post this encouragement from God's Word.
- Cephas
Psalm 27
Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Showing posts with label Getting To Know God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Getting To Know God. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tsunamis
Back around the time of the election I wrote a couple posts that were prophetic in nature. Some of the elements of those prophecies have come true and some have yet to come to pass, but based on the accuracy of the parts that have come true, I am convinced that the rest will eventually be manifested.
In that first post I wrote the following about prophecy:
Modern prophecy is no substitute for the scriptures. It is by the Word of God that all prophecy is judged. Any prophecy that does not agree with the Bible is false. This premise is critical to grasp. This truth, however, does not change the fact that God also speaks to His people about the things that are going on in their lives beyond the written words of the Bible. He is eager to speak to those who are willing to pursue intimacy with Him.
On January 13, 2009 I believe that I had a conversation with God in my prayer time. In that conversation God spoke to me very clearly about judgments that are coming to our nation and about the church's lack of preparedness for what is coming. I have been pondering this message now for several months and feel that the time is right to share it. The message is alarming. There is a very real physical danger that we are facing. The events of this prophecy will be the most distressing that any of us who have only lived in the United States have ever seen.
The purpose of sharing this message is not to create fear though. I realize that such a statement seems rather counter to common sense. However, when there is danger coming, forewarned is forearmed. My prayer is that each person who reads this prophecy will become sober and vigilant and will begin to prepare in earnest for what is about to happen in our nation.
The best way to prepare is to get serious about knowing God. To that end I would recommend greatly reducing the amount of time spent on entertainment. 24 hours is such a short period of time. If eight hours are devoted to work, eight hours are devoted to sleep, three hours are devoted to meals, one hour is devoted to travel, and two hours are devoted to other necessary personal activities, each person only has about two hours' worth of time left for "leisure." A single 30-minute TV program that promotes the godless systems of our world uses ¼ of the time that is available to seek God. Most people watch far more TV than that.
How can we know God? One of the best ways to start is to begin practicing the disciplines that you have always heard about in church: daily Bible study, prayer (both corporate and individual), fasting, meditation on the scriptures, and scripture memorization. These things will not in themselves cause you to know God, but you won't know God without doing these things.
Quiet yourself and remove as many distractions as possible from your life. Part of the reason that we have so much trouble hearing God is that we have too much sensory input. We are so distracted we cannot be still enough to hear God. Get honest with God about the things that are going on in your life. Look at your life and confess every area of sin that you are aware of, and ask the Lord to help you to be free from these sins. Allow God to begin to speak to you about the areas of your life that the enemy has used to hold you back, and allow Him to begin to heal those areas. Most of all, don't give up. Stick to your pursuit of God like your life depends on it - it very well may.
Below is the text of the conversation between God and me from January 13, 2009. The text in bold font is what I believe the Lord was speaking to me and the normal font was what I said to Him.
This is the end of what I believe that I received from the Lord. A friend of mine had some specifics about where some of the attacks may come. This revelation was received on November 10, 2008.
It is beyond time to get ready. If you are reading this and are a Christian, then make your preparation for these events as urgent as if you already saw them happening in your city. There is not time to completely prepare yourself, but you will be happy if you start now instead of waiting for later.
If you are reading this and are not a Christian, then you really should become one. I have explained how to do that many times on this blog. God is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. This is not to say that your life will get easier if you become a Christian - it very likely will not. I will tell you that it will make your life far better in the long run - you will be eternally happy you submitted your life to Jesus Christ. The good news is that those who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. Well, actually that is just the beginning of the Good News.
God is good and His lovingkindness endures forever. God loves His children, and He cares for them. Even when we suffer loss and when we suffer hardship, the Lord uses it to bring us to maturity and to bring us to greater trust in Him and His goodness. During these times God will expose your fears. He will expose everything that you lean on besides Him, and sadly, as Americans we lean on many things besides God - even though we claim that we do not. Our fears are proof that our trust is not fully on God and prove that we do not know and love Him as we should, for perfect love casts out fear. Brothers and sisters, trust in the promise that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Finally, take heart that the judgments that are coming against this nation are not for its destruction but instead for its salvation. God has promised to remove everything that hinders love for Him. The shaking that is coming will help to accomplish this purpose and will usher in a Great Awakening in our nation that all who love the Lord will rejoice to see.
In that first post I wrote the following about prophecy:
I believe that God still speaks to His people. Down through the ages this communication has been called prophecy. And God often reveals his plans to His people through individuals called prophets. Many of you probably have real doubts about whether prophets even exist in the world today. I can assure you that they do. I have known quite a few and can testify that their words have proven true.
A group of prophets, that included one man that I know personally, accurately predicted (in 1999) the current war against radical Islam. (They also predicted that the war would involve China and that it could be averted by prayer. I am hoping that the China part was turned away.) Months ago another friend of mine predicted the stock market crash that we have been witnessing over the past weeks.
What is prophecy? Prophecy is merely accurately reporting what God says about a situation or a person. The real rub is in the "accurately" part. It is pretty serious business to claim to speak for the Almighty. However, it is clear through the Scriptures that God speaks to His people through prophets. It occurred in both the Old Testament and in the New: Jesus spoke to his disciples about the blessing of receiving prophets, Paul commented that he wished that all of the believers in Corinth would prophesy, we are even encouraged to ask for the gift of prophecy.
Modern prophecy is no substitute for the scriptures. It is by the Word of God that all prophecy is judged. Any prophecy that does not agree with the Bible is false. This premise is critical to grasp. This truth, however, does not change the fact that God also speaks to His people about the things that are going on in their lives beyond the written words of the Bible. He is eager to speak to those who are willing to pursue intimacy with Him.
On January 13, 2009 I believe that I had a conversation with God in my prayer time. In that conversation God spoke to me very clearly about judgments that are coming to our nation and about the church's lack of preparedness for what is coming. I have been pondering this message now for several months and feel that the time is right to share it. The message is alarming. There is a very real physical danger that we are facing. The events of this prophecy will be the most distressing that any of us who have only lived in the United States have ever seen.
The purpose of sharing this message is not to create fear though. I realize that such a statement seems rather counter to common sense. However, when there is danger coming, forewarned is forearmed. My prayer is that each person who reads this prophecy will become sober and vigilant and will begin to prepare in earnest for what is about to happen in our nation.
The best way to prepare is to get serious about knowing God. To that end I would recommend greatly reducing the amount of time spent on entertainment. 24 hours is such a short period of time. If eight hours are devoted to work, eight hours are devoted to sleep, three hours are devoted to meals, one hour is devoted to travel, and two hours are devoted to other necessary personal activities, each person only has about two hours' worth of time left for "leisure." A single 30-minute TV program that promotes the godless systems of our world uses ¼ of the time that is available to seek God. Most people watch far more TV than that.
How can we know God? One of the best ways to start is to begin practicing the disciplines that you have always heard about in church: daily Bible study, prayer (both corporate and individual), fasting, meditation on the scriptures, and scripture memorization. These things will not in themselves cause you to know God, but you won't know God without doing these things.
Quiet yourself and remove as many distractions as possible from your life. Part of the reason that we have so much trouble hearing God is that we have too much sensory input. We are so distracted we cannot be still enough to hear God. Get honest with God about the things that are going on in your life. Look at your life and confess every area of sin that you are aware of, and ask the Lord to help you to be free from these sins. Allow God to begin to speak to you about the areas of your life that the enemy has used to hold you back, and allow Him to begin to heal those areas. Most of all, don't give up. Stick to your pursuit of God like your life depends on it - it very well may.
Below is the text of the conversation between God and me from January 13, 2009. The text in bold font is what I believe the Lord was speaking to me and the normal font was what I said to Him.
My people are not ready. They have not been heeding the warnings. They need to dig down into Me. Be ready. The first waves will catch most of them by surprise. They will need for you and the others that I have prepared to show them where to go. They will need you to help them to get their feet back under them.Later that night there was more:
It is going to be a lot like the tsunamis that hit Asia a couple years ago. The judgments that are coming will come in just like that, but there will be multiple waves. If My people will respond properly when the first wave comes in many can be saved. Keep your head and direct people to safety.
(I keep seeing images of the tsunami. It will be destructive just like that. I sense that there is a military element to it, but I am not sure if it is terrorist or actual militaries.)
How long do we have?
Not enough time.
Can it be averted?
No.
How do I pray, Lord? What do I pray for?
Pray for their eyes to be opened.
Father God! Open their eyes! Help them to see the truth!
"As in the days of Noah..." life will be going on just as normal and suddenly calamity will come.
Open our eyes Lord! Open our ears that the alarm may register!
Your nation has grown complacent. They do not believe that they are vulnerable to attack, but attack is coming. Their sin has caused Me to remove My protection from them. How I would love to protect them, but they have refused.
You must begin to pray protection over those that you love. Be ready at a moment's notice to pray for your brothers and sisters around the country. For I will arrest you at different times to pray for them. Be ready even in the middle of the night.
Father, will You not help your prophets to warn the people? Will You not help them to uncover the enemy's schemes?
Son, I will tell the prophets, but those in authority won't listen. My message to the prophets will end up saving the lives of the elect.
Father, this is a fearful word.
Remember it is for good. This will end in the liberation of your nation. Your nation will be liberated from the bonds that the enemy has used to enslave it and to derail its destiny. I am rescuing Your nation through My love and mercy, but sin is costly. Its wages are death. They have sown wind, but they will reap the whirlwind.
How do I guard my heart, Lord? How do I prevent the despair and the sorrow from being too much?
You must press in to Me. You must give it to Me. You must come to Me for perspective. I promise that I will be here when you come. I promise that I will comfort you.
Defend my family, Lord. Defend my friends. Defend my brothers and sisters. Defend the helpless and the widows and the orphans. Defend the poor. Protect them from this wave. Let it wake them up. Let it drive them to action.
Much of the damage intended against your nation can be mitigated, but it will not be averted. Even mitigated the damage will be severe.
Father, I pray that the damage done by the attacks will be minimal. Please spare us - especially in the first wave. Give people time to recognize that the prophetic words are true and give them the chance to repent and seek Your face.
There will be loss of life. The degree to which that happens will be determined largely by how effectively and diligently the intercessors stand in the gap.
God, help us to stand mightily.
Many of you will, son. Many will, but there will not be enough to avert the judgment. My people in America largely do not know how to seek My face. They have not been instructed. They have allowed themselves to be distracted by entertainment and by the worries and cares of life and by the desire for things. This initial shaking will wake many of them up from their slumber. Shake as many as you can before the time comes. Wake them up!
Father, anoint my words. Grant them the power to wake them up. Help them to understand the urgency of the hour. Help me to be a faithful watchman. Give me the courage to tell them the truth. Father, break the teeth of the enemy and smash his hands and fingers. Cause him to loose Your people. Force him to uncover their ears. Send Your angels forth to enforce this. Teach me how to pray. Teach me how to unleash Your wrath against the enemy. Teach me how to unlock the passion of the hearts of Your people. Call Your people to action. Uncover their ears so that they can hear the call of the trumpet. Break off of them the spirit of slumber - the spirit of slothfulness - and cause them to respond to the call.
With the inauguration of President Obama my protection will be lifted. It has remained because President Bush has loved Me and fears Me. You and the other intercessors will help to replace that covering, but it will not remain over the entire nation until the nation again returns to Me with a whole heart. The intercession will produce covering in different regions. Some will be as large as entire states and others will be as small as even individual households. Still, you can accomplish much through prayer and even more through prayers of agreement with other saints.
Father, I ask that prayer become a foundational pillar of our new vision at (my church). Please put in the people's heart a desire to pray. Please put a burden in their hearts to pray. Help us, Lord, to spare this county. Help us to join with the other believers around our county to spare us. Help us to desire intimacy with You and not just deliverance from the calamity that is all around us. Help us to seek Your face and the joy of Your presence and pleasure. Forgive me for not seeking this place more often. Captivate my heart - captivate the hearts of Your saints and show them that You are more precious and fascinating than anything that has held their attention before. Help us to connect to Your heart so deeply that we tremble from the joy and passion that we find there....
Who is like You, O God? There is none like You at all. You are glorious and beautiful beyond comprehension. Your love is amazing and overflows to Your creation. Who are we that You have loved us? You are merciful and gracious. Thank You for the treasures of Your mercy and grace.
This is the end of what I believe that I received from the Lord. A friend of mine had some specifics about where some of the attacks may come. This revelation was received on November 10, 2008.
You will see cities burning....Because of the personal nature of other parts of this revelation I left them out, but one of the things included the failure of a major bank. It also talked about the dark times that some have suffered in recent times and how that is part of their preparation for the coming darkness. The struggles that many of God's people have faced will have prepared them to rescue many during these extreme times.
It will be a terrible time for Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Detroit, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Wyoming, and Raleigh. “They” will go after the capital cities in every state, trying to bring down the governments. Austin will be ready because of My prophets there (in TX). Alabama will be ready. Detroit will suffer greatly, as there are many poor people there....
It will not come severely in the first year, but it will crescendo toward 3 years from now. This process will take longer than you would like, but stay faithful. You will see the Great New Awakening that I AM bringing to America, and indeed to the whole world. This is the last great harvest before the end time events are loosed.
Things are no longer “business as usual.” They never will be again. They will first be much worse, then much better. You will rejoice to see it....
It is beyond time to get ready. If you are reading this and are a Christian, then make your preparation for these events as urgent as if you already saw them happening in your city. There is not time to completely prepare yourself, but you will be happy if you start now instead of waiting for later.
If you are reading this and are not a Christian, then you really should become one. I have explained how to do that many times on this blog. God is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. This is not to say that your life will get easier if you become a Christian - it very likely will not. I will tell you that it will make your life far better in the long run - you will be eternally happy you submitted your life to Jesus Christ. The good news is that those who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved. Well, actually that is just the beginning of the Good News.
God is good and His lovingkindness endures forever. God loves His children, and He cares for them. Even when we suffer loss and when we suffer hardship, the Lord uses it to bring us to maturity and to bring us to greater trust in Him and His goodness. During these times God will expose your fears. He will expose everything that you lean on besides Him, and sadly, as Americans we lean on many things besides God - even though we claim that we do not. Our fears are proof that our trust is not fully on God and prove that we do not know and love Him as we should, for perfect love casts out fear. Brothers and sisters, trust in the promise that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Finally, take heart that the judgments that are coming against this nation are not for its destruction but instead for its salvation. God has promised to remove everything that hinders love for Him. The shaking that is coming will help to accomplish this purpose and will usher in a Great Awakening in our nation that all who love the Lord will rejoice to see.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sonnet VII
My Treasure – A Sonnet To My King
By Jonathan D. Eller
Oh Lord, how sweet Your presence is to me.
Its worth exceeds by far the whole earth’s gold!
And yet I find sometimes I run from Thee
To cherish something not worth laying hold.
A foolish man I am, and there’s no doubt
To think that the created may compare
To He who made and stretched the heavens out
And notes each fallen sparrow’s end with care.
Yes, fool was I to choose something ‘fore Thee
When lovingly You wanted me to wrap
Up tightly warm within Your arms safely
And snuggle there with You upon Your lap.
“My son if you into My arms will fly
Your joy will grow as each new day draws nigh.”
October 14, 2008
By Jonathan D. Eller
Oh Lord, how sweet Your presence is to me.
Its worth exceeds by far the whole earth’s gold!
And yet I find sometimes I run from Thee
To cherish something not worth laying hold.
A foolish man I am, and there’s no doubt
To think that the created may compare
To He who made and stretched the heavens out
And notes each fallen sparrow’s end with care.
Yes, fool was I to choose something ‘fore Thee
When lovingly You wanted me to wrap
Up tightly warm within Your arms safely
And snuggle there with You upon Your lap.
“My son if you into My arms will fly
Your joy will grow as each new day draws nigh.”
October 14, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
A New Beginning
Well, it has begun again. January 1 has rolled around, and I finished my One Year Bible about 30 seconds after the gunfire began to erupt around my parents' house. (I live in a rural area where folks still get excited about making loud, booming noises at 12:00 AM on New Year's Day.) I think someone must have had a cannon going off, because I heard a few eruptions that sounded louder than the typical 12-gauge shotgun! In my opinion, New Year's Day is a pretty ridiculous holiday, but, hey, it is a day off, so who's complaining?
Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I finished up reading through the Bible about 30 seconds after midnight on the 1st. Now I am beginning again all over again. Last year I used the New American Standard version. This year I am planning to use the New Living Translation. I like to switch versions each year because it gives me a little different perspective each time - something that is helpful to someone who doesn't read in the original languages yet. Of course, it makes it hard to find verses using concordances sometimes, because I end up grabbing a word here and there from each version that I have read. It gets very annoying when you can't find a verse that you know good and well is in there!
Each year I also concentrate on one theme as I am reading. That isn't to say that I don't notice other things, but it helps to keep me focused as I am reading. It also helps me to get a good feel for what the Bible says about that topic "globally," which is one of the main keys to correct biblical interpretation.
Last year I payed particular attention to what the Bible says about the nature and character of God. How does God describe Himself in the Bible? What sorts of things will He do? What sorts of things won't He do? What is God like? It was a very good theme and I learned a lot - especially as I was reading through the prophets. This year, I plan to pay special attention to the theme of fear. What causes fear? What are we supposed to fear? What are we not supposed to fear? How can fear be defeated?
I am already a little bit behind, because I forgot to take my NLT Bible with me when my family went to celebrate Christmas (on New Year's Day) with my Grandmother, but it really won't be hard to get caught up. Each reading only takes about 15-30 minutes. I have also gotten a little bogged down meditating on the opening chapters of Genesis. I really love reading the Pentateuch. There is so much great stuff in there. But who am I kidding? There is a lot of great stuff in all of the Bible. The Word of God is truly a treasure. I wish I saw it that way even more than I do now.
If you have never managed to read the Bible through from cover to cover, I would heartily recommend it. The One Year Bible is a great resource. I like it because everything is already set up for you. Each day you get an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a Psalm, and a Proverb. The good thing about that to me is that when I hit a passage that is dry to me or difficult, I know that it is only a little bit of reading until I get to something where the "fruit" is a little more accessible. Of course, if you can't afford one, there are daily Bible reading schedules that will carry you through the Bible in a year too.
Regardless of what method you use, I hope that you will make it a daily discipline to spend time in the Word of God this year. It will bring great dividends!
Happy reading!
Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I finished up reading through the Bible about 30 seconds after midnight on the 1st. Now I am beginning again all over again. Last year I used the New American Standard version. This year I am planning to use the New Living Translation. I like to switch versions each year because it gives me a little different perspective each time - something that is helpful to someone who doesn't read in the original languages yet. Of course, it makes it hard to find verses using concordances sometimes, because I end up grabbing a word here and there from each version that I have read. It gets very annoying when you can't find a verse that you know good and well is in there!
Each year I also concentrate on one theme as I am reading. That isn't to say that I don't notice other things, but it helps to keep me focused as I am reading. It also helps me to get a good feel for what the Bible says about that topic "globally," which is one of the main keys to correct biblical interpretation.
Last year I payed particular attention to what the Bible says about the nature and character of God. How does God describe Himself in the Bible? What sorts of things will He do? What sorts of things won't He do? What is God like? It was a very good theme and I learned a lot - especially as I was reading through the prophets. This year, I plan to pay special attention to the theme of fear. What causes fear? What are we supposed to fear? What are we not supposed to fear? How can fear be defeated?
I am already a little bit behind, because I forgot to take my NLT Bible with me when my family went to celebrate Christmas (on New Year's Day) with my Grandmother, but it really won't be hard to get caught up. Each reading only takes about 15-30 minutes. I have also gotten a little bogged down meditating on the opening chapters of Genesis. I really love reading the Pentateuch. There is so much great stuff in there. But who am I kidding? There is a lot of great stuff in all of the Bible. The Word of God is truly a treasure. I wish I saw it that way even more than I do now.
If you have never managed to read the Bible through from cover to cover, I would heartily recommend it. The One Year Bible is a great resource. I like it because everything is already set up for you. Each day you get an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a Psalm, and a Proverb. The good thing about that to me is that when I hit a passage that is dry to me or difficult, I know that it is only a little bit of reading until I get to something where the "fruit" is a little more accessible. Of course, if you can't afford one, there are daily Bible reading schedules that will carry you through the Bible in a year too.
Regardless of what method you use, I hope that you will make it a daily discipline to spend time in the Word of God this year. It will bring great dividends!
Happy reading!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Don't Give Up!
The prayer that sparks revival begins long before the countryside seems to awaken from its slumber in sin. It starts when men fall on their knees and cry out to God. That's where true intimacy with God takes place and we begin the journey of being transformed into the image of Christ. And as men are transformed, the course of a nation can be changed.
— Wellington Boone, pastor, speaker and author
— Wellington Boone, pastor, speaker and author
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Attitude
Attitudes:
Tonight Bruce was praying for our attitudes and something that he said spurred this thought:
Good, bad, or indifferent, our attitudes are a direct reflection of our faith and belief in, and knowledge and understanding of God's claims about Himself.
Time and time again - in the Scriptures, in my own life, and in the lives of others around me - I see the evidence to support this claim. The degree to which we understand God's claims about who He is and the degree to which we BELIEVE those claims is constantly played out in our attitudes. In fact, our attitudes become a billboard on which the world can see how well we know (and trust) God. Sadly, all too often our "billboards" are advertising something that the world around us just doesn't want. If John Piper is right in saying, "God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him" then how much glory is God receiving from our lives?
Although several scriptural examples come to mind, the story of the Israelite spies' report of the promised land provides both good and poor examples of attitudes in action. The account can be found in Numbers 13:25-33 and Numbers 14:1-12 The text quoted below comes from the New Living Translation.
Yet on the heels of the acknowledgment that God had been truthful about the goodness of the land was a BUT. Had the spies left the "BUT" out they would have been fine as they described the strength of the inhabitants of the land. Their attitude showed right away that they didn't believe that God would keep His promise to them.
Now enter a good example. Caleb was one of the twelve sent out to survey the land. As the other spies began to horrify the people with tales of fortified cities and even GIANTS, Caleb tried to calm the people, "Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” Caleb's attitude demonstrated his FAITH that God would do as He had promised and deliver the inhabitants of the land into their hands.
As Caleb's words began to calm the crowd, the fear of the ten other spies rose, and they persisted in their declaration that the war was a lost cause before it even began.
These are the same people that had seen the ten plagues that God brought against the Egyptians, resulting in their freedom. They were the ones who had walked on dry land through the midst of the Red Sea and had witnessed the destruction of one of the mightiest armies in the world at God's hand - they hadn't lifted a finger in the battle. These people had eaten manna every day and they had quail without hunting for it. Their flocks and herds were fed and watered as they passed through the wilderness by God, and yet they accused God of wrongdoing.
I hate to admit that I too have committed this great sin. I have allowed myself to accuse God of not loving me and not caring for me in the midst of a great trial - and I used the very air that He gave me to breathe to do it with. My attitude was reflective of how little I knew and trusted my God.
Moses and Aaron knew it was time to duck. They fell on their faces before the Lord as one last effort was made to curb the bad attitude of the congregation of Israel.
Now, if you aren't reading closely, you might think that I am advocating a sunny disposition in the face of all of life's trials. That isn't my point. My point is that our attitude is a REFLECTION of our belief in God's goodness and His care for us. As I have endured the trial of the past year, I have gone through stages very much like the children of Israel. There have been moments, as I confessed earlier, that I have accused God of wrongdoing. Thank God that He is patient with us and understands why we do things better than we do ourselves.
It is evident from the scripture that good things follow those whose attitude reflects a firm belief in God's goodness and His care for them. Just consider Job, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel, and Paul and Silas. All saw glorious deliverances on their behalf because their faith was reflected in their attitude, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY they saw the people around them influenced to believe in the Lord God as a result of their rewarded confidence. You see, their attitudes were powerful tools in the hands of God to bring people and glory to Himself. However, if we seek the attitude as a means to the faith we will encounter futility as certainly as a dog sledder who tries to hitch the team behind the sled and coax them to push.
Their attitudes were the direct result of what they had learned about God through the Scriptures, and, perhaps just as importantly, by their experience and remembrance that He had always been faithful to keep His covenants and promises.
How can we attain to this knowledge of God, this godly confidence, this faith and belief? Ephesians 4:21-24 exhorts us:
What better season than Thanksgiving to ponder the many blessings that God has poured out upon us - the many provisions that He has made on our behalf? When we focus on the promises already fulfilled, we can patiently endure while we wait for the promises that have not yet been fulfilled. GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! GOD LOVES ME!!! GOD LOVES YOU!!! HIS PLANS FOR YOU ARE FOR GOOD AND NOT FOR CALAMITY TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE! It is hard to have a bad attitude when you meditate on all that.
Go get to know God. Spend time with Him. Consider all of the things He has done for you. As you do, you will find that your belief is growing deeper and deeper and your confidence will not be so easily shaken in the next storm.
Tonight Bruce was praying for our attitudes and something that he said spurred this thought:
Good, bad, or indifferent, our attitudes are a direct reflection of our faith and belief in, and knowledge and understanding of God's claims about Himself.
Time and time again - in the Scriptures, in my own life, and in the lives of others around me - I see the evidence to support this claim. The degree to which we understand God's claims about who He is and the degree to which we BELIEVE those claims is constantly played out in our attitudes. In fact, our attitudes become a billboard on which the world can see how well we know (and trust) God. Sadly, all too often our "billboards" are advertising something that the world around us just doesn't want. If John Piper is right in saying, "God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him" then how much glory is God receiving from our lives?
Although several scriptural examples come to mind, the story of the Israelite spies' report of the promised land provides both good and poor examples of attitudes in action. The account can be found in Numbers 13:25-33 and Numbers 14:1-12 The text quoted below comes from the New Living Translation.
After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”As the leaders of the tribes who had gone to spy out the land returned they brought back tremendous reports of the goodness of the land. They even brought back a bunch of grapes that was so big that it had to be carried on a pole between them! They began their report by acknowledging that the land was every bit as good as God had told them that it was. So far so good, right?
Yet on the heels of the acknowledgment that God had been truthful about the goodness of the land was a BUT. Had the spies left the "BUT" out they would have been fine as they described the strength of the inhabitants of the land. Their attitude showed right away that they didn't believe that God would keep His promise to them.
Now enter a good example. Caleb was one of the twelve sent out to survey the land. As the other spies began to horrify the people with tales of fortified cities and even GIANTS, Caleb tried to calm the people, "Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” Caleb's attitude demonstrated his FAITH that God would do as He had promised and deliver the inhabitants of the land into their hands.
As Caleb's words began to calm the crowd, the fear of the ten other spies rose, and they persisted in their declaration that the war was a lost cause before it even began.
But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”Their words were the last straw and the unbelief of the congregation was revealed through their response.
Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”First it began with grumbling against Moses and Aaron and they let themselves get so carried away that they even accused God of plotting their destruction.
These are the same people that had seen the ten plagues that God brought against the Egyptians, resulting in their freedom. They were the ones who had walked on dry land through the midst of the Red Sea and had witnessed the destruction of one of the mightiest armies in the world at God's hand - they hadn't lifted a finger in the battle. These people had eaten manna every day and they had quail without hunting for it. Their flocks and herds were fed and watered as they passed through the wilderness by God, and yet they accused God of wrongdoing.
I hate to admit that I too have committed this great sin. I have allowed myself to accuse God of not loving me and not caring for me in the midst of a great trial - and I used the very air that He gave me to breathe to do it with. My attitude was reflective of how little I knew and trusted my God.
Moses and Aaron knew it was time to duck. They fell on their faces before the Lord as one last effort was made to curb the bad attitude of the congregation of Israel.
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”But the people would not be restrained. Instead, they became even more irrational. They were hysterical, acting as if the armies of the promised land were encircling the camp, when in reality there is no evidence that they were even aware of or concerned about any pending Israeli invasion.
But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?Why was God angry? Because they had treated Him with contempt and refused to believe someone who could not lie after all that He had done for them. The end result? Everyone over 20 years old died over the next 40 years in the desert except for two people - Joshua and Caleb. Why? Because they believed that God would do what He said and their attitudes demonstrated this belief. God said of Caleb, "But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land." Numbers 14:24 NLT
Now, if you aren't reading closely, you might think that I am advocating a sunny disposition in the face of all of life's trials. That isn't my point. My point is that our attitude is a REFLECTION of our belief in God's goodness and His care for us. As I have endured the trial of the past year, I have gone through stages very much like the children of Israel. There have been moments, as I confessed earlier, that I have accused God of wrongdoing. Thank God that He is patient with us and understands why we do things better than we do ourselves.
It is evident from the scripture that good things follow those whose attitude reflects a firm belief in God's goodness and His care for them. Just consider Job, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel, and Paul and Silas. All saw glorious deliverances on their behalf because their faith was reflected in their attitude, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY they saw the people around them influenced to believe in the Lord God as a result of their rewarded confidence. You see, their attitudes were powerful tools in the hands of God to bring people and glory to Himself. However, if we seek the attitude as a means to the faith we will encounter futility as certainly as a dog sledder who tries to hitch the team behind the sled and coax them to push.
Their attitudes were the direct result of what they had learned about God through the Scriptures, and, perhaps just as importantly, by their experience and remembrance that He had always been faithful to keep His covenants and promises.
How can we attain to this knowledge of God, this godly confidence, this faith and belief? Ephesians 4:21-24 exhorts us:
Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21-24 NLTAnother thing that has helped me during this period of trial in my life has been to acknowledge the wonderful ways that I have seen God move on my behalf. I have majored on not focusing on the worries of tomorrow - there have been plenty of worries for each day! As I have done this, I have been less blinded to the many provisions that God has made for me, and I have begun to trust Him even when I have no idea from where the next provision will appear. The confidence that I have is this: "God is good and His lovingkindness is everlasting."
What better season than Thanksgiving to ponder the many blessings that God has poured out upon us - the many provisions that He has made on our behalf? When we focus on the promises already fulfilled, we can patiently endure while we wait for the promises that have not yet been fulfilled. GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! GOD LOVES ME!!! GOD LOVES YOU!!! HIS PLANS FOR YOU ARE FOR GOOD AND NOT FOR CALAMITY TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE! It is hard to have a bad attitude when you meditate on all that.
Go get to know God. Spend time with Him. Consider all of the things He has done for you. As you do, you will find that your belief is growing deeper and deeper and your confidence will not be so easily shaken in the next storm.
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. Romans 14:17-19 NLT
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