The Tests of God

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“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.”  (Ex. 20:20)


Oh, how we struggle with the idea that God will test us!  Yet, after God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, the Israelites became terrified.  They had just seen the lightening, heard the thunder, saw the mountain smoking, and heard the trumpet of the Lord.  Of course, they were terrified!  They wanted Moses to remain as the one who God would speak to.  They were afraid, and were happy for Moses to continue in his job. 

Sensing their great fear, Moses speaks to them the words I quoted above.  Jesus also came to test the hearts of all men.  Some will permanently fail the test; others will pass the important test (belief in Him), but fail countless other tests, and never attempt to consistently please the heart of God. 

I pray that I can be found in this last category.  I know that I have passed God’s first test of believing in my need for a Savior, and inviting Him to come into my life and change me.  And I am now in the process of learning how to pass His tests every moment of the day.  These individual tests have only one question that I must answer:  “Who will be in charge right now?”  This one question only has two answers:  The Holy Spirit or my sinful flesh.

God desired that His chosen people would not sin.  He still desires that I would not sin.  They Israelites had no Old Testament or New Testament.  I have both.  Israel had no Holy Spirit inside of them to help them make the right choices and do the right thing.  I do.  I can understand why they struggled so in the tests God brought to them, failing miserably most of the time.  I, however, have absolutely no excuse!

For the Israelites, God used their fear of Him to motivate them toward surrender and obedience to His word.  God uses something quite different in me; He uses my faith and my need of Him to motivate me toward that same surrender and obedience.  In both cases, God has only one goal.  “That we may not sin.”

I desire to pass all of my tests today, and everything is a test!  I surrender to the Lord Almighty, and to His Spirit within me, that I may walk by the Spirit in obedience to the will and command of God.  I desire an A+ at the end of the day!  What about you?

Jesus, Light of the World (12-6-12)

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Advent Devotional, "Jesus, Light of the World" in preparation for lighting the Bethlehem candle) 

Luke 2: 8-14

"In the continuation of the Christmas story as found in Luke 2 we see another picture of God bringing light into the midst darkness.  On a hillside somewhere outside of Bethlehem, with only the campfires of the shepherds lighting the night sky, a most unusual event occurred on the night that Jesus was born.  While the shepherds were watching their flocks of sheep, looking for predators that might break into the fold, the entire area was suddenly lit up by an angel of God who was standing in their very midst.  It was nothing other than the glory of God Himself that shone around them.  The angel was not sent to kings or governors, nor was he sent to anyone else of high class.  The angel was sent straight to the hillside where some lowly shepherds were performing their menial tasks.  The glory of God came not only to light the physical darkness; it cam to light the darkness of a particular class of people.  The light came to the ordinary.  I came to the least likely to be favored.  It came to men like you and me.

Just like us, the shepherds' collective response to this angel of light was one of ear, and not just any fear, but a 'shaking in your boots' kind of fear!  Can you imagine the scene? They were greatly startled by this highly unusual occurrence.  They had never seen an angel before,  and they certainly would not have been expecting such a thing.  Their fear, like our fears, would likely have created an even greater sense of darkness around them as they contemplated both this heavenly being and felt the conviction of their own unworthiness and sinfulness.

Immediately the angel addressed their fears and spoke directly of the purpose of his visitation.  'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people.'  It is possible that God sent this angel to a class of people who were not esteemed, for the message to be completely clear.  The good news is for everyone, no matter what family you were born into, no matter how much money you have, no matter what your social standing.  Because this message was for all, we have no reason to remain in any 'status-induced' darkness.  If God would send this news to shepherds, by-passing completely the rich and famous, it is surely for all of as well.  And where were these poor shepherds told that they could find Jesus?  Ina a palace?  No!  He would be found by  them in  the obscure village in a dirty stable, lying in an animals feeding trough!  The would surely be able to relate to such a Savior, their Savior, Christ the Lord, who had come to earth like them, as a baby.

When the shepherds thought that they had surely witnessed the brightest light their eyes had ever seen, more angels from God arrived before them.  This army of angelic beings glorified God and brought to the lowly and frightened shepherds a message of peace.  If you want to experience the peace that the angels spoke of, you must find time in your busy holiday schedule to listen to the message that God  is speaking to you today.  Spending time in the Word, reading and meditating on it, and praying, will please God and bring peace to your harried hearts and souls.  Don't leave Christ out of your Christmas activities.  He has come to you; now it it your turn to come to Him!"

Following God's Directions

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As children, we were all taught the importance of following instructions. We also learned that there were always consequences when we didn't! How well are you following God's instructions to you?

 In Numbers 36: 1-10 Moses recounts the story of God directions to enter into the Promised Land and spy it out, for the  purpose of bringing an encouraging account to the Jews who would be moving there soon.  Read this brief account before reading this blog, for more clarification.

 "Moses is recounting the story of God sending out the 12 spies into the Promised Land, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to look at the land that the Israelites would soon possess, having made their exodus from Egypt.  Ten of the spies saw that the land was 'flowing with milk and honey,' but they were afraid of the people who already lived there--the people they would now have to dispossess (remove) from the land, according to God's directions.  They came back and discouraged their clans, causing them to also fear going into the the land.  But Joshua and Caleb, the other two spies, followed the Lord's commands to the the letter.  They returned and tried to encourage the people that the Lord would be faithful in all He had commanded them to do.  There were the only spies who completely followed the command of God.  This is our first point to consider:

POINT #1:  God wants our complete and full compliance to His words and commands.

By examining the Scriptural text, you can see that God said this about His people, including the ten spies, who came up out of bondage in Egypt, regarding their response to entering the land and possessing it:  'They did not follow Me fully.'   But about Joshua and Caleb, the two faithfully, obedient spies He said this:  'They followed Me fully.'

Did you notice that God did not praise the ten spies for the time they spent spying out the Promised Land for His people?  He did not praise them for their bravery and courage as they witnessed giants in the land.  He also did not praise them for the gigantic clusters of grapes they brought back from the land or for the pomegranates and figs they found.  Have you ever wondered why it mattered to God to what degree  they followed Him and His commands?  You have to understand what God's purposes and goals were for His chosen people.  It was to give them the Promised Land to live and dwell in.  His goal was to lead His obedient children out of the wilderness that they had been traveling through and lead them into the beautiful and lush land of promise."

Israel's disobedience and unwillingness to follow God meant that His blessing would have to be delayed.  How this broke the heart of God!  The blessings that would naturally flow out of His love for them were trumped by their choice to believe the false report and obey it instead of the report that God was in control and that He would deliver the giants into their hands. 

God requires our complete and full compliance to His words and commands, not to be an overbearing Controller of our lives, but to be able to be our Loving Father who desires to give us all of His best things.  And He always is working to bring about the very best in our lives.  Israel faced the consequences of their disobedient, non-compliance.  They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land for forty more years, and none of the men who were twenty years old or older ever got to enter in!  Forty more years in the wilderness . . . a huge price to pay for desiring to walk their own way.  What price will you have to pay for following in their footsteps instead of bending your self-will to match the Father's?

(The quoted portion was taken from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" d in Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory , available for purchase at www.cherylgnagey.com or www.amazon.com).

What Are You Looking At?

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Numbers 13: 25-33

"What are you looking at, My Precious One?  What is it that you see that is making you draw back from the things I am calling you to do?  Do you see that what you are seeing is not what I see?  Your spiritual vision is both blurry and OUT OF FOCUS!

His words to me are like a daggers to my heart.  I long to follow My Lord where He leads me, but I am finding, right now, that my gaze seems to fall, far too often,  on the giants of my life.  While I am sure that God is able to do the "exceedingly abundant works" in and through me, my thoughts are consumed with what a "grasshopper" I am among my perceived giants.  While seeing my giants I am becoming more fully aware that what my weak eyes behold is not at all what God sees.

The Hebrews had the same problem.  It was time to enter into the land that God had promised them, but instead of believing that that land would be good for them as God had told them, and obeying His call to take the land as their own, they came up with their own "brilliant" idea.  Instead of entering in as an army of 603,550 able-bodied warriors (more than 1/2 a million!), as Numbers 1:46 records, the great plan of the people was to send in 12 men . . . 12 men!  Twelve men versus a half-million men with the Ark of the Covenant, the very Presence of God, leading the way!  Their 12 men brought their unbelief back from the Promised Land, but now it was in full bloom.  Though they had seen the great blessings of the land, the only thing that they truly were looking at were the giant men of the land.  Everything else was out of focus, but to them, the giants were the sharp image that was engraved on their unbelieving minds.  And they brought that picture into clear focus for all of the Hebrews.

"Why didn't they believe what I had already told them?  Why did they choose unbelief instead of faith?  They were afraid!  Don't you see that you are doing the same thing?  I have called you to a ministry, and I have shown you what the ministry will be.  Will you now come up with your own plan of attack that comes from a place of fear, a place that forgets or disbelieves Me and all I have let you see?"

Again, His painful questions penetrate my heart at just the place that my fear resides.  As I contemplate what He is saying to me, I am beginning to see with His eyes my own fear of the unknown, what my "entering in" is to look like, what the exact plan is to be when I cross into the borders, and the deadly "what if I fail?".   These are my giants that are holding me back, the biggest one being  my need to know the blueprint of His plan.  This is fear cloaked in control.

I don't know where this quote came from, but it has been taped to my bathroom mirror for several years now.  It has ministered to me on several occasions, especially during my book-writing days, but this morning it is an empowered banner that beckons me back to faith. His call to me is to step away from my own unbelief, to fall on my knees, and surrender all my "plans" and all my "giants"  to Him in faith that He will accomplish what He has said He will do.  I pray it is as much of a  blessing to you today as it is to me.

"Never give up on anything God has told you to believe for; never quit doing anything He has clearly shown you to do.  Your diligence will pay off with a blessing from God."

"Now, go My Precious One, and see what I see.  Focus on that!  'For I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope!'"  (Jeremiah 29:11)

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 31

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Day 31:  Mary Magdalene (John 20: 1-18)

Mary’s heart was broken.  How would she ever remove that horrible picture of her Savior’s crucifixion from her mind?  Forever it would be her last memory of Him.  The sorrow she felt seemed to be squeezing the very life out of her.  How could it have come to this?

Not being able to sleep, she did what any true friend would do.  Gathering a few of the other women who had traveled with Jesus while He was ministering, they left before dawn to anoint His body with the spices that they had previously prepared. 

As they arrived at the tomb, Mary saw that it stood opened.  Fearing that her Lord’s body had been stolen or moved, Mary left the others to go and report to Peter and John.  The news brought to them a new despair, and the three ran quickly back to the tomb to see if they could determine what happened.

Arriving ahead of Mary, Peter and John each looked into the tomb.  What were their eyes seeing, they wondered?  Jesus was gone, and only His wrappings remained.  Strangely, the linen cloths He had been wrapped in were neatly folded.  Then, it struck them.   Jesus had raised from the dead!  Leaving Mary outside the tomb, they ran to tell the others.

Weeping and alone, Mary walked back to the entrance of the tomb and looked in.  Looking back, Mary was startled by a Man she didn’t recognize.  Confusion filled her mind as He spoke to her.  Once again, she turned to look at the tomb and the large stone not far away.  Would she ever be able to piece it all together?

“Mary!”  the Man called out.  Turning around, Mary finally recognized Him.  “Teacher!” she exclaimed.  Running to Him, she fell to the ground and kissed and hugged His nail-scarred feet.  Her Savior lived!  He had risen on the third day, just as He said!

What do you do when you feel hopeless?  Where do you look when things don’t make sense?  When your life has been turned upside down, to what do you cling?  Is Jesus your first answer to these questions?

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 30

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Day  30:  Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27: 57-60)

Joseph couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.  How could his fellow Jewish Councilmen have put Jesus to death on a Roman cross?  Why, oh why, hadn’t he been more courageous in his stand against their evil plot?  Sorrow filled his heart, the sorrow that comes from losing someone dear to you.  But another sorrow plagued him even more.  He hadn’t stood up for Jesus when the opportunity presented itself.

Looking at his Savior dying on the cross, Joseph remembered clearly the day he first believed in Jesus and how his heart had been transformed.  His riches and prominent position on the Jewish Council didn’t matter anymore.  His focus was now on Jesus and the good and righteous life he was now called to live out.  He truly had become a disciple of Jesus, and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.  But even then, fear had gripped his heart, and he kept his belief a secret from the Council.

Tormented by the truth of his life, Joseph screamed out in his heart, “Why have I let fear rule my life?”  Wanting to look one more time into the eyes of Jesus, Joseph left his thoughts for a moment, but only discovered that Jesus had breathed His last breath.  “Never again will it rule me!” he yelled to his Lord.

Gathering every bit of courage that he could muster, Joseph went before Pilate, asking for the body of his Lord.  He refused to think of all the possible consequences of his current action.  It was not the Council that was on his mind, but doing what was right and appropriate for Jesus.  When Pilate determined through a centurion that Jesus had indeed died, he agreed to let Joseph take His body.

Joseph from Arimathea and his friend Nicodemus, who brought the necessary burial spices,  tenderly removed Jesus from the cross,  and prepared His body, and carefully wrapped Him in linen.  Then Joseph placed Jesus’ lifeless body in his own tomb and sealed it.  Finally, he had taken a bold stand for what was right.  Finally he could claim that he was a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph laid Jesus in his own tomb, where he should have been laid for his own sins.  What a great picture we have been given!  Jesus died for your sins.   Are you now living for Him by standing up for Him?  Are you a true follower?  Do you hide your faith behind your fear?

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 12

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Day 12:  Jairus and His Daughter (Mark 5: 21-24, 35-43)

Fear and despair gripped Jairus’ heart.  He had just learned of his daughter’s grave illness.  Quickly, he started for home.  Choosing the route that would take him by the sea, Jairus sought to soothe his mind with the splash of the waves on the shore.  Wondering what would happen to his daughter, he began to cry at the possibility of losing her.

His thoughts and tears were interrupted by the noise of a crowd surrounding a man standing on the edge of the shore.  Jairus recognized Him as soon as He came into clear view.  It was Jesus, the one who infuriated the Pharisees by performing healings on the Sabbath.  He had even overheard some of the Jewish leaders plotting against Him in the synagogue where he also worked.  Then it struck him.  “He HEALS people!” Jairus exclaimed to no one.

Running to the Savior, he fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house to heal his daughter.  Seeing Jairus’ faith, Jesus left with him.  But before they could reach home, in the very midst of yet another healing, a woman with a bleeding issue, Jesus and Jairus received word that his daughter had already died.   Tears welled up in his eyes and they could not be contained.  Seeing his deep sorrow and pain, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, Jairus.  Just keep on believing in Me.” 

When he arrived at his home the circumstances screamed in his head that all hope was lost.  “She is already dead.”  Some of his family even laughed out loud at Jesus when He said the girl was only sleeping. 

Then in the midst of his darkest storm, Jairus remembered the woman that was healed by merely touching Jesus’ garment.  It had happened just minutes ago.  She was healed by Jesus!  With new and deeper faith, Jairus stepped into his dead daughter’s room with Jesus.  And with just a touch and a command to get up, his daughter sat up and began to walk around the room.  His faith had brought healing to his daughter!

When your prayer seems impossible, even ridiculous to some, do you stand in your faith and wait on God?  As you wait, do you recall the faith you’ve seen in others, knowing that with God all things are possible?

I AM . . . The God of the Impossible--Ex. 6

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I purposed to use My servant Moses long before he became My servant.  My plan included 40 years in Egypt, followed by 40 years in Midian, but even that would not completely prepare him to be My servant in the  impossible ministry assignment that I was calling him to.  Between his 40 years in Midian and his Egypt assignment, Moses would have many questions and moments of unbelief.  The fear of Pharaoh and of what I was asking him to do, would cause him to want to run away from his calling.  It was in those "in between days" that I would teach Moses what it meant to be a servant.

Can you hear it in his questioning and unbelieving words?  This is what he said to Me:

• "Who am I to do this?"  (Ex. 3:11)
  
•  "What if my brothers ask who told me to come set them free?"  (Ex. 3:13)
  
•  "What if they will not listen to me?"   (Ex. 4:1)
  
• "What if I can't speak the words out?  You know I am slow of speech and slow of tongue!"   (Ex. 4:10)
  
• "Don't send me; send someone else!"  (Ex. 4:13)
  
• "Why did you bring harm to Your own people, and why have you sent me to help them?  I knew I wouldn't be able to do this.  I told You I wouldn't!"  (Ex. 5:22)
• "My people have not listened to me, so why do You think Pharaoh will?"  (Ex. 6:12)
• "I am not a good spokesperson.  My lips are unskilled.  Pharaoh will not listen to me . . . EVER!"   (Ex. 6:30)

Moses really only had one problem to overcome--his unbelief in Me!  Moses looked at Pharaoh, and then he looked at himself and his people, and he considered the task I gave him to be impossible.  And he was right!   His unbelief, and the  discouragement he felt when he did what I told him, to no avail, clearly show Me what I see over and over again when giving these difficult assignments to My children--that they are more impressed and have more clearly in their sights the problem, not Me.    You see, Moses looked a Pharaoh and was more impressed with what Pharaoh could do than what I could do.  Moses was not even glancing in My direction; he only saw the problem, Pharaoh.

When I give an impossible assignment, it is to teach one thing--that I Am the God of the impossible and that I am to be  trusted, Me alone.  I am utterly faithful to bring about what I say I will do.  It is up to My servants to put their faith in Me, not in  themselves and what they can do on their own.  They must even put the responses of their family and friends aside, and listen only to Me.  It is up to My servants to look to Me alone, not to the circumstances that I have allowed, for in doing so, they will experience fear instead of having complete trust  in Me.

Do you see that you have done this same thing?  I have given you an assignment that is bigger than you, bigger than your ability, bigger than the "helpful tips" others can give you.  But it is not bigger than Me!  Your trust and faith in Me has been growing over the years, but this assignment before you is to help you learn that you need ME!  I want to strip you of your self-reliance and self-sufficiency.  For My plan to be accomplished, you must surrender yourself to Me.  If you do not, then you are tying My hands, and My plan will fail.  I am waiting for your full surrender.

Are You Dressed Appropriately?

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The Full Armor of God

If you are a believer, you are engaged in a vicious battle.  I bet you didn't need me to tell you that!  As Christians we know that there is a battle raging in the heavenlies over our souls.  God has us; Satan wants us.  We have been schooled in this topic; we know that we are often attacked in the area of temptation.  But there is just one problem that I can see, in my life as well as in the lives of the believers I know.  We do not often WIN the battle at hand.  What is it that keeps us from winning?  Simple.  We are not wearing the proper attire for battle!  All to often we find ourselves in the midst of an all out attack, and our armor is still hanging neatly in our closet!  Or maybe this sound more like you. . .You always have your helmet of salvation on, but the rest of your armor has gone missing.  You are not even sure where you left your sword!

Today while I was reading in I Chronicles 12, I came across a description of David's military force.  Think again of the picture in your mind of you, as a warrior against the enemies of God, inappropriately lacking pieces of your armor.  Now consider David's army as described in the  Word:

• Mighty men of valor
• Men trained for war
• Men who could handle both shield and spear
• Men whose faces were like that of a lion
• Men who were swift in action

As I considered how often I go out each morning to battle, with my helmet of salvation tightly strapped on to my head and the Word of God, my sword, in my hand ready to fight if necessary.   Yet, I lack the rest of my armor.  Realizing this,  I began to understand just why it is that I am prone to lose my battles with temptation.  You see, I know I am saved; but I set out each morning, knowing the enemy desires to do battle with me, leaving behind the rest of my armor except for the study I have done that morning.  Though having my helmet on and my sword in my hand, it is not sufficient armor to win.  On these days, dressed inappropriately for battle, I cannot win.  

In my case I must go to that closet, take out and put on the pieces I so often leave behind.  There is the breastplate of righteousness, that covers and protects my heart, and the belt of truth that helps me discern the lies that the enemy tells me.  Going barefoot is of no military help when I leave my shoes of the gospel of peace on the floor of my closet.  Those shoes are a reminder that God and I are on peaceful terms now because of the shed blood of His Son on my behalf.  And what good is a soldier without his shield of faith?  One cannot walk in both fear and faith at the same time.  It is one or the other.  Without faith in full bloom, the enemy will terrorize us fear, shooting us with one fiery dart after another.  With no faith in place, no truth in place, no righteousness in place, no peace with God in place, our relationship with God and His word will not prevent us from being hit over and over again by an enemy seeking to destroy us.

We must learn that it is vitally important to our walk with God that we be Mighty Children of Valor -- trained to fight, able to use our shield of faith and sword of the Spirit together, with a face of strength, being willing to act quickly against every temptation of our enemy.  

This was the description of David's mighty men.  Is it a description of you?  If not, you need to go to your closet and drag out that dusty armor, and put it on!  Don't leave home without it!