Trusting as the Days Go By....

Our pastor is taking us through the book of Hebrews on Sunday mornings. It has been so encouraging and convicting. Today we focused on chapter 11:17-22.

As he taught on faith and trust and worship in and to our Resurrected Savior, I was contemplating my early morning devotions. I was thinking about the fact that I have been doubting (AGAIN) and relying on my own feelings for obedience and surrender. I have opened my mouth wide and loud way too often before I speak and hurt those around me; mostly because I have been focused on self...not my Lord.

"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, 

My faith will be tested by God too.

and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, 'Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.' 

My faith should drive me to total obedience.

He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which figuratively speaking, he did receive him back."

My faith should bring a willingness to surrender.

By faith, Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith, Jacob when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith, Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave direction concerning his bones."

My faith should show confidence in things not seen.

This is faith that only God can gift with and bring to fruition in a believer's life. I don't know about you, but oh, how my faith waivers. I want to know this faith more and more. I want to overcome my doubt. So my mornings must start with love and devotion to my Savior by making Him priority. Opening the Word and getting on my knees is the best way to start.

P.S. These points were part of Pastor Shealy's outline.

Watchman Nee

As I am reading through a biography of Watchman Nee, I am struck by so many things.

We, who live in the west, are so shallow in our commitment to Christ. Watchman was always examining his own life with the Word of God. He wasn't afraid to stand against the current of people, especially those other professing believers who seemed to tout religiosity. He ended up leaving two main line denominations he was part of because of religious do's and don'ts that didn't line up with God's Word.

He made some stark comments about the believer's life in general.

This hit me to the core:

"It is absolutely impossible for a person to have light and not shine. As there is no tooth that does not chew, no fountain that does not flow, so there is no life that does not beget life. Whoever has no interest in helping people to repent and believe in the Lord may himself need to repent and believe in the Lord."- taken from Watchman Nee by Bob Laurent, pg. 100

This is one area in my life that I struggle with. I go through times of deep desire to evangelize and other times quite content in keeping to my little life, here on the Ponderosa.

This is a command. I must be proactive, seeking out relationships to develop. Just simply asking how you can pray for someone, who you know is hurting, is an easy way to bring the topic up.

I pray zeal and fire consume me in this area. I must obey.

Day Twelve ~ Ruth and Boaz

The key verse for tonight was Ruth 2:16 "But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God'."

Without Ruth being willing to follow Naomi and received the true Yahweh as her own, Obed, Jesse, David and ultimately King Jesus would not have been born. This faith, this blind faith, resulted in salvation for us. Obviously, God would have worked this another way, yet the obedience of His people is part of His plan to bring things to pass.

If I could meet Ruth, I would say, "Thank you for your devotion to your mother-in-law, and willingness to follow the true God."

Day Eleven ~ Trumpet of Joshua

Joshua was a mighty man of the Lord whom Yahweh raised up to be the leader of the Israelites after Moses died. Our reading for the Jesse Tree tonight was Joshua 6.

Prior to this passage, Joshua had showed himself to be a godly man who was willing to follow his previous leader, Moses. Joshua was one of the brave spies who entered the land to scope it out. He came back with the information that Moses required, yet, strengthened by the Lord to do the task that was asked. Ten of the twelve spies chose not to trust.

If I was Joshua, I probably would have had something to say to the Lord.
"I was willing to enter the land and trust you..and now, not only do I have to wander with THESE people, but I will lead them into the land eventually???"

But Joshua did not do this. He obeyed. Once they entered the land, he continued to obey, even when it seemed as if God's commands were ridiculous, such as the story of Jericho.

I pray when God is doing things in my life that do not make sense, I will blindly obey.