November 21, 2024

Guidance

October 19, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

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Did you know when people traveled at night in the old days, they would attach a lantern to their sandals?  This way the pathway was lit and they could travel safer.  During the day, robbers would lay in wait for their victims, but at night they were usually home with family and friends.

But, that aside, how can someone travel through life without knowing God?  God designed us for fellowship with Him.  Not for us to be separated from His perfect love. God chose a people to be called his own, a people to be set apart.  As God searched, He found Abram.  God calls Abram to leave his family and go to a land He will give him and will make Abram a father of many nations.  So Abram packed up his wife and his nephew went with him to this new place.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country
and your kindred and your father’s house
to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:1  

Abram never questioned his walk with God.  He choose to follow and believe no matter what…or how long a promise might take to be fulfilled.  Can we wait 30, 40, 50 or more years for a promise to be fulfilled?  We may not think so.  My friends, we serve a God who looks out for our best, not what we think is best.  He knows the bigger picture.

God promised Abraham and Sarah a son.   And, when Abraham was near 100 years old and Sarah was almost 90 years old, the promise was fulfilled.

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age
at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:2

How awesome is God for proving His love for these two.  Sarah may have doubted, believing her body was past the time to provide children, but God had a bigger plan for these two.

My friends, God would do this and much more for us—if only we would believe and follow His good and righteous path for our lives.  We need to cultivate our love for Him by reading or listening to His word and by submitting to the teaching of others.

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Father, I thank You for loving us when we are not lovable.  Thank You for Your Holy Spirit who keeps us from walking too far away from You.  Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, who fulfilled Your promise and showed us how to walk with You.  Do not give up on us.  Do not take your Spirit away from us when we stray or stubbornly look away. Forgive us for our rebellious nature and for sinning against You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Unswerving Hope

June 30, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess
for He who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

When I saw that Hebrews 10:23 was the verse we were writing on, my heart did a little jump inside.  This is my “most favorite-est” verse in the Bible.

When I first got saved this verse held me up through many storms and confused nights.  I’d cry from feeling so close to defeat, but would cling to knowing that “He who promised is faithful.”  Written in my Bible I have a note next to this verse that says “regardless of how things seem!” How true?!

God promises us things that seem so impossible sometimes.  We know that His promises are true.  We know He cannot tell a lie and we know He is faithful.  And yet, what our eyes see and our minds perceive is something totally different.  The question remains: “Which do you believe?” We rely on our eyes daily to show us the world around us. Our eyes are tangible. However, we KNOW that God is to be trusted. Both seem right.

A prime example of this type of situation is that of the story of Abraham.  In Genesis 12:1-3, God gave (then) Abram a command and several blessings. Genesis 12:4 tells us that Abraham was 25 at the time.  In Genesis 21:1-5, God’s promise is fulfilled.  Genesis 21:5 says that Abraham was (now) 100 years old.  Think of it this way: not only did God’s promise take 9 chapters in the Bible to actualize, but it took 75 years.  Say it with me ‘75 years‘!  God promised Abraham that he would have a son.  He told Abraham this while he and his wife were very young – “the optimized time for child-bearing” and yet! God waited until both of them were old and well passed “child-bearing” age to provide them with a child.

From his story we know that Abraham and his wife got impatient with God and (in Genesis 16) took matters into their own hands.  Abraham laid with his wife’s servant and Ishmael, a son, was born to him.  This, of course, was not God’s plan; therefore, strife resulted from this situation.  We must be careful that we are not trying to rush God’s hand while waiting.  75 years. That’s a l-o-o-o-ng time to wait, especially for children, but for anything at all!

What promise is it that you are clinging to from God?  
Does His word support it?  Yes?  Good!  
Now ask yourself: Are you willing to wait 75 years for it?

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Sanctuary

May 28, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary
and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16

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From Dictionary.com:

  • Sanctuary – a sacred or holy place
  • Temple – an edifice or place dedicated to the service or worship of a deity or deities

Paul was writing to the Corinthian Church, which was surrounded with idols and other pagan ways.  He was trying to encourage them to keep on the right path.  As with today’s church, we have to be mindful of the teachings that we submit ourselves to.

Oftentimes, when I hear someone speak of ‘keeping the temple pure’, I think of what I eat…not necessarily what I watch on television or what I might listen to on the radio, but those are important, too.  If I allow negative thoughts and feelings to enter my mind and stay there, I will become depressed and will struggle to focus on what is right and true.

It can also be the result of negative words spoken to us as a child.  Those can be overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us to give us the power to overcome.

Just as the Spirit of God was there from the beginning.

Now the earth was formless and empty,
darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1:2  NIV

The Spirit was also there when David fought Goliath and defeated him (see 1 Samuel 17).  David had no doubt that God would be there.  When the giant appeared to insult God, David knew he needed to defend Him. We know God could have struck down the giant, but this was the opportunity David needed to show himself worthy to be chosen as the next king of Israel.

What giants are you facing?  Have you faced them already?  I pray you will have the simple courage David displayed.  His faith was borne out of continued living in God’s presence and seeking God’s help in all situations.  Being a shepherd requires a lot of care and attention to the small things. David was such a man.

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Father, I thank You again for Your wonderful example of how to trust you and how to seek You in all things.  Forgive us when we forget to seek You first.  Holy Spirit, come back to us!  Do not grow weary with our stubbornness to not seek You first.  We need you—like a headstrong child needs a patient, loving, and caring parent—be there with us.  We want to have solid food from our Father.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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Plan A

June 29, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people He has chosen as His inheritance. The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From His throne He observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so He understands everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior. Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory— for all its strength, it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who fear Him, those who rely on His unfailing love.

Psalms 33:11-18

Since the beginning of mankind up until this very day, God’s human creations have questioned His ability, His promises, His motives, His love and His plans. Psalms 33:11-18 reminded me that no matter what our plans, hopes or dreams for the future (or present or past), God’s way is and will always be the way to go. Thankfully, and not so thankfully, we serve a God who gives us freewill and we try so hard to control things in our worlds that we have no power to control.

My mind wandered all the way back to the beginning in Genesis chapter 12. Abraham (then Abram) and wife Sarah (then Sarai) were childless. God came to Abraham and promised him, “I will make you into a great nation…” (Genesis 12:2). In chapter 16, we find Sarah giving her maidservant to her husband to start a family through and Abraham went along with this plan. Then, Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

Both Abraham and Sarah got impatient. I’ve always thought that if God came and told me exactly what was going to happen, but didn’t give me the date that I’d be okay waiting. But, like Abraham and Sarah, I’ve found that to just not be true. Waiting on God’s timing is definitely a learned skill. And through Ishmael, Abraham and Sarah showed that they wanted to control things. Of course, this child caused tension within the household, even before the birth of Isaac. Why? Because this plan was a human plan, not a God-driven plan.

Okay, so I’ve pointed out that Abe and wife had their own plan. We all get our plans sometimes but their plan didn’t stop there. Not only did they concoct the plan and execute the plan, they tried to pass the plan off for God to accept. While God was telling Abraham about His plan, Abraham was telling God about his own plan.

And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!’
Genesis 17:18

Silly, don’t you think? But we do it. We make decisions without consulting God, then ask Him to bless our choices. This is backwards! And God corrected Abraham.

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear you by this time next year.
Verse 21

God even had to correct Sarah when she laughed at His plan (Genesis 18:12).

But the Lord ’s plans stand firm forever; His intentions can never be shaken.
Psalm 33:11

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Lord, help me to remember to come to You, first and foremost, before I make any decision. Let Your plan be my first plan and not plan B or C. Keep me focused on You and Your desires. Praying in Jesus’ name, amen.

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