TRUST

Placing our complete trust in Christ gives victory over the giants we face.

When King Saul and his army heard the words of Goliath; they fled from him because they were dreadfully afraid.  But young David was incensed that this Philistine should defy the armies of the living God.  He stepped up to the challenge for he believed that just as God had delivered him from the lion and bear; that He would deliver him from this Philistine.  His trust was not in his own ability but rather in the ability of His Lord.

David had come to a point in his relationship with God, that he was able to see things from God’s perspective.  In 2Kings 6:16-17 the prophet Elisha prays that the Lord would open the eyes of his servant in order to see the Lord’s army.

How often we face our own Goliaths in life in which we too are dreadfully afraid.  When we only see the giant that faces us and not the God that is with us; we too will run.

How can we gain the kind of trust in God that David exhibited?

1.  Recall past victories.  David recalled how God delivered the bear and the lion into his hands.  This convinced David in his own mind that God was with him and that God was able.  We too, need to go back into our own life experiences and recall how God has delivered us.  Fear and doubt will flee from us as we recall God’s faithfulness to us in the past.

2.  Reject the negatives.  The Israelite soldiers focused on the size of Goliath.  David’s oldest brother told him to go home.  King Saul saw David as being too young.  Rather than listening to these negative comments and giving up; he placed his trust in the Lord.

3.  Rely on God’s strength.  David did not enter the battle with a soldiers armour and weapons.  David battled with Goliath believing that the battle was the Lord’s and not his!  David did his part and used what was familiar to him; trusting and believing that the Lord would give the victory.

Our battles are not in our strength, wisdom or power but our trust is to be in the Lord Jesus.  Victory comes because of His power over everything.  Our responsibility is to trust Him.  Our life may not turn out as we had hoped or expected, but God will be glorified and our ultimate victory in eternity has been secured.

Read: 1Samuel 17:1-11; 32-51

OPPOSITION

The Christian faces opposition, by taking the battle to prayer.

In living the Christian life, we should not be shocked by the opposition that comes against us!  It often comes at us from people as they attempt to derail us or stop us.  This is what happened to Nehemiah and the people of Israel.  God had given the task of rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem to Nehemiah.  He challenged the people to work with him to filling in the gaps in the wall.

No sooner had the work started and Sanballat along with Tobia mocked them and began to conspire how to attack them and stop the work.

In Nehemiah 4 verses 4, 5 and 9 you see that Nehemiah took that opposition to the Lord in prayer.

Satan is our enemy; but at the cross he was defeated.  Satan may be the prince of this world but Christ has overcome the world.  Satan’s focus is to thwart and oppose all that is of God.  As followers of Jesus it should be no surprise that Satan will come against us using any and all means possible.

How should we respond?  In the same manner as Nehemiah!  The apostle Peter said, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8b-9a (NIV)  James says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” James 4:7-8a (NKJV)    

Both James and Peter are talking about taking the power of prayer to stand and resist our opposition.  Jesus encouraged his followers in Luke 18:1 (NIV) “that they should always pray and not give up.”

There are two points about our prayers that Peter and James highlight for us.  The first is that our ability to resist the devil and to oppose him comes through our prayers in submission to God.  Submitting to God happens when we acknowledge our need of Him and that only He has the power to oppose evil.  So Paul could say Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)   I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Secondly we resist and oppose the devil’s attacks through prayer with faith.  It is faith which believes that God can and will overcome the enemy of our souls.  As we submit to God by placing the outcome of the battle in God’s hands; our faith attests that God can and will defeat the enemy.

We will not be able to resist our opposition for very long unless we believe that in Christ we will and can overcome the opposition!  As we submit to God completely in every area of our lives, we are acknowledging His Lordship over us.  The battle then belongs to the Lord!

Read: Nehemiah 4:1-9

ADVERSITY

God uses adversity to stretch and grow us for good purposes.

Spiritual maturity often makes the largest gains in one’s life through adversity. Yet many only see the hardships and difficulties that come to us as of no value or useless.

In the early 1900s, the city Enterprise, Alabama, was thriving, but its economy was almost completely dependent on cotton crops. In 1916 an infestation of boll weevils wiped out almost all its crops. Financially devastated, the farmers resorted to planting a new crop: the peanut. It turned out that peanuts were resistant to the boll weevil and four times as profitable as cotton. By diversifying and reinventing themselves, just two years later many farmers became wealthy and Enterprise became the largest producer of peanuts in the United States. Others who refused to change went bankrupt and lost their businesses.[1]

Insects had wiped out the livelihood for these cotton farmers.  It destroyed some of them, but others changed their crop and succeeded in a way that would never would have come about without the infestation.

In the springtime many gardeners will bring their seedling plants outside in nice weather in order to harden them up.  Starting the plants indoors provides a safe environment to grow the plants.  But by taking them outside for several hours each day leading up to the transplanting in the garden; prepares them for the reality of outdoor weather.  They are being hardened so that they will survive outdoors.

Adversity is one of the tools that God can use to shape our spiritual character.  It is the wind that blows in order to harden us; strengthening and shaping us for kingdom purposes.

Adversity is also used by God in order to teach us to be dependent on Him rather than ourselves.  Our natural inclination is to be self sufficient and self dependent.  But that is not what God desires from His people.  He is seeking those who will rely on Him and lean on Him for their strength, wisdom and life.  When adversity strikes; it reminds us and points us to our need of God.

Adversity will bring us to the end of our self.  We will have done all we can as we  journey every road we can possibly travel down.  It is when we come to the end of our rope; it is then that we are only able to hang on and ask God.  Often we’ll even ask for the strength to hang on!  It is then; when we come to the end of our own resources and abilities that God in essence says, “Now let me help you and show you the way.” For it is at times like this that our faith proves itself to me more valuable than gold!

Adversity is also used by God to conform us to be more like Jesus.  This is the believer’s foremost goal!  By allowing times of suffering and heartache, the Holy Spirit is able to develop the fruit of the spirit in us (see Galatians 5:22-23).  He uses the hardships of life to get our attention and reveal to us our strengths and weaknesses. Often He will also use these kinds of experiences in our lives in order for us to help others as they face challenging times.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT) So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Read: 2Corinthians 1:3-7; 1Peter 1:3-9

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[1] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242002

HARVEST

We reap what we sow.

The harvest in your life today is the result of what you have sowed in the past.  This was a hard lesson for the Israelites to learn.  In Judges 2:1-4 it records the failure of the Israelite people to follow through with God’s directions.  Their failure in the past results in placing them in a position of conflict and hardship.

In the area of finances for example, those who save wisely today are rewarded tomorrow.  Those who spend foolishly today will be in want tomorrow.  It is short sighted thinking to only focus on today with no thought for tomorrow.

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Every farmer understands the truth of this harvest principle.  They understand that you can only harvest what you sow, more than you sow and later than you sow.

Harvesting what we sow is good news for those with living a God honouring life; but is bad news for those living an un-godly life.  To live how you want with no thought as to how God wants you to live will only bring a disastrous result. It may seem that your lifestyle is paying off in the present; but in the future it will reveal itself for what it really is.

Galatians 6:7 highlights the issue of the careless and indulgent lifestyle of many people. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked”.   They are deceiving themselves by either not believing the truth or just thinking that they are exempt from God’s laws.  To mock God is to turn up one’s nose at Him and to proclaim that you know better!

What we sow becomes more than we sow.  When a farmer plants seed there is an expectation that the seed will produce itself many times over. A single seed can multiply itself into dozens and even hundreds more.  A small decision that we make to sin or to do right can lead to a much larger crop for either joy or sorrow.

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus alludes to this truth as to how God’s Word can affect our lives when we receive it openly. Mark 4:8 (NKJV) But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

What we harvest, comes later than we sow.  The world we live in today is obsessed with instant gratification.  We want results and we want them now.  If the harvest doesn’t come soon enough we may give up. Or others because the harvest of their actions are not revealed now; they continue down the road unwittingly to their own destruction.

Crops of the field are predictable to their timing.  Seed packs will even give you the approximate number of days from sowing till harvest.  Experience has taught us the time needed.  But not so for the harvest of life! Our sowing may come soon or it may take a very long time.  Either way, we should not be deceived as to the timing of our harvest. What we have sown we will reap! 

This is a snare for those living their lives without any regard to what is right.  It may seem that there are no consequences. But the time of our reaping will come sooner or later! 

For those living with faith it should be an encouragement and comfort to know.  Sometimes our struggle is great and overwhelming.  But our faithfulness will be rewarded sooner or later!

Read: Mark 4:1-20

GOD'S WILL

Understanding God’s will for me!

Many Christians have great difficulty in discerning God’s will.  Their desire is to please Him and live their lives according to His guidance but they falter or freeze when it comes to discovering His will for their lives.

1.  We can be encouraged when we understand that God’s will comes not just to those with a mature faith.  It is true that the more we walk with God the better we can discern His mind but it is also true that God desires to guide all his children.

What was said to the Apostle Paul by Ananias is true for all of us. See Acts 22:14  also Hebrews 8:10-11

Every one of us can come to Him with the full assurance of faith.  He delights to make His will known to His seeking children.

2.  We can discover God’s will when we earnestly seek Him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Also, Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  A person’s faith is revealed in their persistence in seeking Him through prayer.  The one who doubts will stop praying very soon.  The one who believes lays hold of God until they get an answer.  God honours earnestness because it is the product of a strong faith.  We cannot receive that which is precious from God without intensely desiring it first.

Jesus sought the Father’s will in the garden and He prayed again and again.  See Hebrews 5:7 .

Is it not true that often when we seek God’s guidance we go about it half heartedly?  How casual is our seeking God’s will in comparison to Jesus?  Many do not seek God’s will anymore than if  they were looking for a lost loonie coin!  No wonder they don’t find it!  If we value God’s will as the greatest treasure then we will seek it with all our hearts.

3.  We discover God’s will by waiting patiently.

One of the greatest temptations when seeking God’s guidance is to fret and become impatient!   Some decisions do not require as clear a direction from God as others.  For instance;  whether to leave for a trip on the 15th or on the 16th of the month.  But some decisions do require a clear direction from God.  When choosing a spouse or deciding on a institution for education.  The effect of these decisions have a more far-reaching consequence.

 The more important the decision, the longer we usually have to wait to be sure of God’s will.  If you trust God, you won’t be afraid to wait.  Stepping out ahead of God’s direction may cause us to lose the best which He had waiting for us.  Often we fear that if we do not move on a particular decision now that we’ll lose the opportunity.  This is a simple lack of trust in God.  Surely God is able to safeguard that which He has for us!

4.  We discover God’s will by having no confidence in self. See Proverbs 3:5-6

   

Our wisdom, cleverness and abilities need to be distrusted!  This is a fundamental lesson in the Christian life.  It goes against the norm of human desire.  (See also Phil. 3:3ff)

Human self wisdom is a hindrance to knowing the will of God.  This does not mean we park our brain in the garage!  It does not mean we should not get a full education.  What it does mean is that we do not rely or trust in ourselves.  A self confidence or reliance is a danger to the learned and the unlearned alike!

The bible likens us to sheep.  Sheep are a foolish animal being unable to find their way and are extremely short sighted.  Their safety is found in following the shepherd.  This is a humiliating fact for a self dependant person to acknowledge their need of a shepherd.  This is what I believe keeps many away from coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is a pride that says “I need no one to show me or help me with anything”.

Yet this utter lack of confidence in our self is the very basic step needed  to discover God’s will.  Unless one humbles himself to the need of God, one will never know the will of God.

Read: Jeremiah 29:10-14; Hebrews 13:15-17; 20-21

SERVANTHOOD

In all we do; we are to serve the Lord.

If you want to get the most out of life; here are three fundamental steps:

1.  See yourself as a servant.

In our time, few of us have exposure or fully understand the life of a servant or slave.  Yet, Jesus calls his followers to be just that.  Servants place the needs of their master/employer over their own.  Their job is to serve others.

Jesus himself did not come to be served but to serve and He is calling His followers to the same attitude.

Colossians 3:22 is telling us that we are to give one hundred percent in all we do.  Whether it is our place of employment, at home or in the community, we must be giving it our all.  If we’re being paid for eight hours work; then we work eight full hours.  In our homes we place our family needs above our own.  In the community we give of our resources and talents to help others.  The servant heart is focused on placing others first.

2.  Understand that we serve God Himself.

Colossians 3:23 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

As servants we may work for an employer, look after our families and help in our communities but ultimately we do all this unto Jesus!  He’s our real boss!  He is present in all our work; in all our interacting with others for He sees it all.  He is always present with us and the Holy Spirit is there to spur us on in honesty, integrity and so much more.

In Matthew 25 Jesus gives a symbolic account of the final judgement, as one group of people ask the king to explain when had they fed him, given him a drink, clothed him or visited him? The king responds in verse 40:  'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

The Christian life cannot be compartmentalized in that on Sunday you serve the Lord and then the rest of the week is our own.  Every moment, of every day of your life is to be lived for Jesus.  Can you fathom what this means?

3.  Our rewards come now and later.

Colossians 3:24 (NKJV) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Naturally we should receive an income from our work in order for us to be able to take care of our families.  However, if we are completely committed to a servants heart and life, we will never really get paid all that we’re worth.  But we should  know that Jesus will reward us beyond measure in the life to come.

Getting the most out of life is about getting our focus of life unto others and unto God.  Realize Jesus is calling us to be servants to Him.  We will serve others but in reality we are serving Him.  The Christian life is to be a life focused on others and serving them when in reality we are serving Jesus! It’s all about servanthood.