Your Sins Are NOT Invisible; You Are NOT Bullet-proof!

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Do you have trouble with temptation and falling to sin?  Are you a disobedient child of God and think that it is invisible to God's eyes or irrelevant to Him?  Consider the Israelites who were disobedient and thought God didn't care.

"Have you spared all the women?  Behold, these caused the sons of Israel . . . to trespass against the Lord . . . SO THE PLAGUE WAS AMONG THE CONGREGATION OF THE LORD."  (Numbers 31: 15-16)

"Israel's downfall was not in the keeping of the women and booty.  Their downfall was the moment that they disobeyed the words of God spoken through Moses.  Gods' commands meant very little, if anything, to them once the temptation was before their eyes.  We disobey in the exact same way, by the same process.  Can you relate to these statements?

1. We like what we see, we want it, and we grab it.
2. We like what gratifies our flesh, even when God has clearly said, 'NO!'
3. We want to be in control and not be told by God or anyone else what to do or not to do.
4. We want to please ourselves more than we want to please God.
5. We lack the desire to be in a relationship with God that will require our obedience.

When I was teaching this material in my small group, one quiet, but thoughtful man added one more thing to this list.  This was his comment:

6.  We think that we are bullet-proof and invisible.

I like that answer.  I find it to be completely true!  We tend to think that we can sin, and get away with it, because God surely wouldn't discipline us harshly, would He?  Or we think that He is paying very poor attention to His children, and we might be able to slip one more sin by Him.

Maybe these illustrations don't fit you.  Maybe they do not describe the truth about why you disobey your Lord.  If not, please take some time to identify why you do not obey God's commands, or only partially obey them.  Understanding why we continue to disobey is an important part of the process of learning to obey."

(Quoted from Chapter 7, "Taking Full Vengeance" from Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory)

One Step at a Time!

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One Step at a Time!

Often we ask God for more information than He is willing to share. Before Samson was born, God told his parents that he would be a Nazarite from birth, and they were to follow all the instructions that He had given them. His father wanted to know what kind of life Samson would live and what his job would be. God's response? "Do the things I just told you to do...obey Me!" One step at a time! Don't get ahead of God!

Haven't you asked those kinds of questions?  I know I have.  Both fear and excitement caused me to ask the kinds of questions that insist on God being our "seer," rather than our omniscient Father.  Sometimes I want to know the full "blueprint" of my life rather than being satisfied with the small, but sufficient, view I am being offered.  

In the last few years I have gone on the amazing journey of writing and publishing a book.  I can remember clearly the day my fear began to overwhelm me when I asked God, "How do I go about publishing this book you have called me to write?"  For sure, both elements of fear and excitement were intermingled in my "desperate to know" request, but also that desire to take the "easy route" of knowing the specifics of what God intended to do.  God certainly answered my nagging question with a loving, but firm response.  "My precious one, begin to write chapter one."

I felt like Samson's father surely felt.  I wanted to reply, "But You didn't answer my question!"  I closed my mouth before I could say that, but God knew exactly what I was thinking.  Then I heard Him speak to my heart.  "I will take you through this process.  You can trust Me.  If I tell you everything, you will be overwhelmed.  Today's work must be done.  Today's work is for you to start chapter one.  I will show you what is next ,bit by bit, as you need to know. . . just take one step at a time."

God called me to simply obey the current command.  By doing that I would be protected from an enemy who wanted to steal my faith and joy.  Needless to say, chapter 1 began to take form that very day.  I know now that He had each step clearly laid out, for now that very book is due to be released May 1 of this year!  Though I have many more "steps" on this particular journey, I know my God is faithful to lead me to the next when the time is right.

This principle was reiterated recently by a doctor giving a surgical update.  While every concerned person involved wanted to know "things in the future" because of their great love for the patient, the doctor could not answer all of their questions (though God knows the answer to each one, for sure!).  His exact words to them were, "We have 200 steps to take, and we are on step one." 

Are you trying to get ahead of God, and gain answers to questions He has not answered?  Think about what the last thing God told you to do concerning your question.  Whatever He told you. . . begin to do it!  Obey everything He has said.  One day you will find yourself at the top of the steps!