It May Happen Different Than We Think

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

The end result of something is always more significant than the process itself.  For example, you may have a task to accomplish and it turns out that you find a way to do it that was different than what you had done before, but you still achieved the desired result.  Or, when you are taking a trip to some place, the route you travel is not as important as reaching the destination is.  If in the process of doing something we find ourselves doing something we did not expect, or traveling down a road that we originally thought we would not be on, would it matter if we had the right result and reached our intended destination?

Some people have the idea that God somehow controls everything so they just say that God will always work things out, some way or somehow.  However, this is not entirely accurate, because God is not some great puppet-master in the sky controlling every detail of our life.  But, God is actively working in our lives and no matter what may come our way He will help us and guide us to what we need to have and where we need to be.  We can be sure that God will help us work everything out, but that does not mean that things will always work out the way that we think they will.

What often happens when we face a difficult situation is that we begin to think about what the answer might be and how we can we can work things out.  But, we either do, or should realize, that we do not know everything.  With our limited knowledge and understanding it will never be possible for us to figure out everything and know exactly what to do and how to work things out each and every time.  This is where we must put our trust in God and allow Him to direct us and show us what to do to find the answers and solutions that we need, which may not at all be what we had expected.

The Experts Are Not Always Right

"saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives."
Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.

Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me."
Acts 27:10-11, 25 (NKJV)

In every area of life there seems to be someone who is considered an expert.  Whether it is in some technical field or an area of study there are people who have spent time learning about that certain thing and because of the knowledge and experience they have about it they are referred to as experts.  They may or may not have some official title, but often these experts are consulted for their views about something in their area of expertise.  But, no one person knows everything and the term expert is very relative, because someone who appears to be an expert to one person may not be to another.

In the Book of Acts, we read about Paul and his trip to Rome.  At one point in this trip, Paul advised the people he was with that he had a perception, a sense, that their trip would have problems.  But, the centurion, who probably was in charge, did not listen to Paul but instead the centurion listened to the professional sailors, the experts, about what to do.  Paul was right and the ship was eventually destroyed.  But, Paul told everyone to "take heart" (to be of good cheer, to have good courage) because God had told Paul that they would make it through the storm.

Paul shared what I believe was a spiritual perception, a leading of the Holy Spirit, that did not agree with the expert opinion.  Paul said this when he was on a ship going through a terrible storm.  The storm was so bad that the people on board, including the expert, professional sailors "lost all hope of being saved".  No matter what storms may come, no matter what the experts might believe or say, no matter how we feel in the situation, we need to do like Paul and believe what God has said.  Standing in faith on God's Word will lead us through and out of the storm, no matter what the experts may have said.

Waiting For Waves

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)

There are a lot of things that can make waves.  The main way waves are created is by the wind.  But, waves can also be created by passing boats or something large falling into the water.  One thing that waves are not really created by is people.  If someone was to stand on the shore of a lake, the ocean, or some other body of water that person could jump up and down, stare intently at the water, or even make a lot of noise, but they would never create any waves.  We may enjoy watching the waves and hearing their sound as they crash on the shore, but we can't really create the waves.

Every believer needs to learn who they are in Christ and what belongs to them as a Christian.  Through Jesus we have been provided with all the things that are necessary for us to live a successful, godly life.  We are not creating the benefits and blessings, that is something God has already done.  Our part is to learn what God has provided through Jesus and receive it by faith.  Then, once we have exercised our faith we continue to stand in faith and by doing so we will receive what we have believed God for.  How long it will take is not the question, we continue to do what we know to do and then expect results.

We can't create the waves but we can keep ourselves in the position to be there when the waves come in.  In the same way, we cannot dictate when and how the answer we need will come, but we can choose to continue to stand in faith and not grow weary while we wait to be able to reap the harvest we desire.  Too many believers expect something to happen sooner than it does and they get tired of waiting and they give up.  Once we have taken a stand in faith we need to continue to stand and expect the results God promises in His Word, in due season we will reap the harvest if we do not give up.

Switch To Silent

"My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him."
Psalm 62:5 (NKJV)

With all of the devices that people use today and all the different tones for phones ringing and notifications from different apps, we can sometimes experience an almost overwhelming level of noise.  There are some places that have signs, or there may even be an announcement of some kind given, asking to switch your phone to silent.  Doing this can eliminate distractions in places like concerts, seminars, movies, and in church.  By switching our phones to silent, it can be much easier to focus on what is truly important without all of the extra noise going on.

Just like there can a be a lot of natural noise from things like cell phones, we can have so much "noise" going on in our mind that we have a hard time focusing on what is important.  Our mind can be so busy with different thoughts that we get distracted from what we should pay attention to.  This can especially happen to us in the area of faith and taking a stand on God's Word for something that He has promised us and made available to us through Jesus.  David understood this and it is why he talked about keeping his soul quiet in Psalm 62.

One of the areas where we will have the biggest battles in our faith is with our thoughts and emotions, the soul.  When we take a stand in faith, which is of the heart, the devil will come with contrary thoughts, in our mind (our soul), to try and distract us.  David talked about quieting the soul and focusing on God, because God is where our faith, our expectation is from.  When the wrong, distracting thoughts come, that is when we need to quiet our mind, switch it to silent, by keeping our focus on what God has said in His Word.  This is how we silence our soul and continue standing in faith to receive the things that God has promised us.

No Expiration Date

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."
Mark 13:31 (NKJV)

Many products we buy have a date included as to when the item should be used by.  Normally this type of thing is seen on perishable items such as food, because a time will come when the product will expire and no longer be any good.  Often you will see something like a date showing either when the product should no longer be eaten, or you might see a date given and a statement about how the product is best when used by that date.  Being aware of the expiration date that something has is better than trying to eat or use something and finding out that the item is no longer usable or edible.

In the four Gospels we have a record of the things that Jesus did and said.  Sometimes things are found in one Gospel that are not found in another and sometimes things are found in more than one Gospel account.  One interesting verse is found repeated exactly the same in Matthew 24:25, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33.  Jesus said that heaven and earth would pass away, but His words would not.  Everything we see around us on this earth will one day come to an end, there is an expiration date.  But, it is good to know that God's Word has no expiration date and will last forever!

Some people have the idea that somehow God and His Word may have worked in the past, but it does not work the same way today.  Other people think that only certain people, like maybe the pastor, has an ability to access some of God's blessings while most people do not.  God's power still works today and God's Word is as valid and effective today as it ever was.  We need to simply find out what God has said to us in His Word, put our faith in what He has said, and act accordingly.  God's Word will work the same for anyone, anywhere, anytime, and all the time!  God's Word works and has no expiration date.

When You Seem Surrounded, Attack!

"And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated.
He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his had stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder."
2 Samuel 23:9-10 (NKJV)

There are different types of strategies for different types of warfare.  When I have studied military history and various battles it was often the plans that the different armies had for fighting the battle that led to victory or defeat.  With the right tactics and strategy, a smaller group could defeat a larger group that did not take proper steps to plan and prepare for the battle.  No one would expect success in a battle without some type of planning or strategy that puts into use the best ideas available to be sure of having an outcome of victory.

As Christians we are told to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12), the weapons of our warfare are not natural (2 Corinthians 10:4), and that we need to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).  All of these examples help us to understand that we have an enemy, the devil, who will do everything he can to hinder us from living the life that God has planned for us.  The truth is that the devil has already been defeated so he cannot conquer us, but he will try to make us quit.  Just like the example in 2 Samuel 23, even if some problems make others run, hide, or quit we never do that, we stand our ground in faith.

When problems come into our life it sometimes seems that one comes after another until we feel overwhelmed.  The devil will tell us that things are horrible and that they will never get better so we might as well just quit.  When this happens, rather than run and hide, we need to move forward.  No matter what we face, we need to find out what the Bible says about our situation and focus on that.  When it looks like we are outnumbered and surrounded by our problems that is the time to go on the attack in faith by continuing to speak and act on the truth of God's Word, that is our strategy for victory!

Whose Hands Are We Holding Up?

"And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed,
But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it.  And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."
Exodus 17:11-12 (NKJV)

There are many kinds of public transportation systems that are found in the European countries that I have been to.  When using some type of public transportation, there have been times I saw someone struggling with luggage, a baby stroller, or something else.  Whenever I had the chance, I would help them.  With my assistance they were able to do what they needed to do.  But, when I helped that person I was not just helping them but anyone they were with and even the overall public transportation system because I helped things move quicker than they would have otherwise. 

When we have the ability to do something that will help another person, with whatever they are doing and we can make their task easier, we should.  In the story from Exodus 17, Moses got tired so two people helped him by holding up his hands.  When Aaron and Hur helped Moses, they were not just helping Moses, these men were actually helping the people of Israel and even helping God's plan come to pass.  When we help someone, like with what Aaron and Hur did, we are directly helping that person, but it can also be that we are involved in something bigger. 

Do we realize that when we help in our church on some team that we are really helping the Pastor and also helping God?  Every person is an important part of their team, each team is an important part of their church, and each church is an important part of God's plan.  Every person on a team is a part of the team, a part of the church, and a part of God's plan.  If we don't work together then we won't fulfill the overall will of God because God's plan is bigger than just one person.  The question for us today is, whose hands are we holding up?

Light And More Light

"For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light."
Psalm 36:9 (NKJV)

If you were in a dark place, with very little or no light, and a distance away from you there was some light, would you move towards that light?  Normally the answer would be yes, usually we want more light and not less.  As you move towards the light you would be able to see things better due to the increase of the light.  If you just stayed where you were you would not have any more light than you did at the beginning, and if you moved in the opposite direction you would have less and less light.  For most people the simple thing to do when it is dark is to get more light. 

God's Word will give us light, it will give us understanding (Psalm 119:130).  Psalm 36:9 tells us how in God's light we get more light.  The more light and understanding we have from God's Word, the more light and understanding we will be in a position to receive from God's Word.  In other words, as we come to better understand what God has said in His Word, we can then receive even more light, wisdom, understanding, and clarity from God's Word.  But, when we do not follow, or even reject, the guidance we receive from God's Word it is like turning off the light.

If we do not receive the light and understanding that God's Word can give us, the less we will understand what God is saying to us through His Word.  This is the reason some Christians struggle, they have received some light from the Bible but they have ignored, rejected, or failed to act on that light and they have put themselves in the dark.  But, no matter where we are today, more light is available to us and God is ready to help us understand and follow His Word.  When we walk in the light and understanding of what we know from the Bible it is like bringing more light into our lives.

Strategic Positioning

"For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another."
Psalm 75:6-7 (NKJV)

Have you ever had the opportunity to watch someone play chess who is very skilled at it?  Some people even get to the level of being a Chess Master.  One thing that all good chess players have in common, especially if someone is a Chess Master, is that they play the game thinking well ahead of their current move.  Often someone who is very skilled at the game of chess is planning their next move while considering several moves beyond that.  Many times what may look like a very ordinary move is actually a setup for something bigger that is coming later. 

Like a skillful chess player, God moves people around and strategically positions people for His plan.  For most people, the movements do not look significant, but there is a reason for every move.  We may not see the purpose to it, but God is orchestrating something.  We may not always understand why God moves us or others into different areas or directs us to get involved in different things, but God knows exactly why.  God is often organizing something that we do not recognize until it all falls into place.  God is strategically positioning and preparing us and others for something great.

God moves people into positions just like a master chess player moves pieces.  There are times that God will move us geographically to prepare us for something that He wants to do and there are times that God will move us spiritually, so to speak, by helping us grow and develop certain things in our life that He will put to use at a later time.  This is why it is so important for us to learn to follow the course of life God has given us in His Word and to learn to be led by the Holy Spirit.  We may not see or understand exactly what God is doing in our life now, but we can be sure that His strategic planning is at work. 

This Is Not An Actual Emergency

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;"
Psalm 46:1-2 (NKJV)

When I was growing up, from time to time the television channels we received would run a test of what was called The Emergency Broadcast System.  When these tests happened, an announcement would be made that a test was about to take place and this would be followed by a test signal, a tone.  Once that was over there would be another announcement reminding everyone that this was only a test and if it had been an actual emergency further instructions would be given about what needed to be done.  Because it was not an actual emergency there was nothing to worry about.

Everyone faces challenges in life, no one is exempt from this.  We serve a wonderful, loving God, but this world is under the influence of sin and we will have problems.  But, no matter what difficulty we may be confronted with, God is with us to help us.  When we find ourselves in a difficult situation the devil will always tell us how bad things are and he will do everything that he can to persuade us that we are in a crisis that is too big, even for God to help us with.  This is when it is good to remind ourselves that no matter what we face in life it is no surprise to God and nothing is too big for Him to help us with.

Regardless of what we may face, we can be confident that God has already been working to prepare us for it.  Through His Word and by the Holy Spirit He will help us to overcome any negative situation.  God is constantly working in our life to help us live the life Jesus provided for us, and when a problem arises we can be sure that God has either already equipped us to deal with it or the answer is on the way.  If what we faced had been an actual emergency, then God would have already instructed us about what to do and further instructions would definitely be coming our way.  No matter how bad things may look, we can trust that God is with us and He will always deliver us.

Jump-Start Christians

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."
1 John 4:4 (NKJV)

There were times in the past that I owned cars that were not in very good condition.  Once, when I lived in northern Wisconsin, I had a car that had some problems getting started.  If the weather was good there was no problem, but when the weather was not so favorable I would sometimes need to have my car jump-started.  The main problem was that my battery was too weak and by itself it could not do the necessary work of turning over the engine to get the car started.  Unfortunately, I put up with this problem for a while, but I eventually bought a new battery and that solved the problem.

Some Christians are like that old car of mine, they have problems getting started on their own and operating the way that they should.  These believers are looking for someone or something to get them revved up and motivated to do things the way that they should; on their own they never seem to be able to live the life God has called them to live.  These are the kind of people who are looking for some special meeting to go to or some certain song during the worship service that helps them to get that feeling they need to move them to where they need to be.

If we base our life too much on the natural realm and not the spiritual we will struggle; I once lived that way too.  I remember how I was always looking for something to help me do what I was supposed to do, it seemed like by myself I could not do it.  Then I learned the truth about who I am in Christ, that the Holy Spirit in me is greater than anything I might face and I can do all things through Christ!  Do I still have challenges in life?  Certainly, but once I discovered who I was spiritually and lived my life accordingly I didn't have to find someone or something else to get me going.  I am able, with God's help, to be who God called me to be and do what He wants me to do.

Infiltrators

"casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,"
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)

Throughout history there have been spies, people who work for one group or country but try to infiltrate and get into another group or country, to either cause harm or to try to find ways to influence something in the other group or country.  The way a spy works is to try and somehow blend into the group or country that they are not from by doing everything they can to seem as though they belong.  A successful spy is someone who becomes accepted by the group or country they are working to infiltrate, and once this happens these spies can cause a great deal of damage.

One of the areas we will have our biggest challenges in is in the area of our thoughts.  We have to examine and check every thought we have by the Word of God to be sure we catch any wrong or misleading thoughts.  Not all bad thoughts are easy to recognize, the devil will try to find a way to make the wrong thoughts blend in and seem normal.  The devil will work to try and put thoughts into our mind that seem to be alright, but they lead to something bad.  Through the wrong kinds of thoughts, the devil will try to infiltrate our thinking to lead us into problems.

No one would immediately accept or yield to a thought like, "I should throw my Bible away" or "I would be better off if I never went to church again".  But, thoughts like, "I really don't have time to read my Bible again today, but that is OK, I can read my Bible tomorrow, or the day after that", or "Church is nice, but I have been so busy I need a day to rest, if I miss church just once or twice it won't matter".  Those kinds of thoughts don't seem so bad, but they can lead to other worse thoughts, which will lead us into trouble.  By checking all of the thoughts we have by what we see in God's Word, be can be sure that no wrong thoughts will infiltrate our mind and cause us problems.

Fact Finding Mission

"He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him."
Proverbs 18:13 (NKJV)

One thing that I consider to be a very bad practice is when news stories are reported without all of the information being completely known or understood.  Many times, in an attempt to get ahead of other news organizations, things are reported at first that are later found to be inaccurate.  In our society today, everyone seems to be in a hurry and no one seems to want to wait for things, and this can lead to problems.  Rather than just being in a rush to find out whatever we can, from wherever we can, everyone would be better served by waiting until all of the information was gathered before saying or doing anything about it.

Sometimes people will go on what they call a "Fact Finding Mission", to check into something and investigate it to find out what is really true.  These Fact Finding Missions can be very beneficial in learning all of the necessary information to make a wise decision based on all the available facts.  In Proverbs we are told that if we answer or respond to something without really hearing and knowing all the facts we are acting foolishly and the result will be shame.  We can have ideas about what the Bible has to say about a certain thing, but if we really don't know what the Bible actually says we can have problems.

Just like people go on Fact Finding Missions to learn all they can about a thing, we need to be on a continual mission to learn and understand all we can about God and His Word.  This means we need to have a regular time that we spend reading and studying the Bible, as well as regular attendance at a good Bible-believing church that teaches the truth of God's Word, and learning what we can from men and women of God who have insight and understanding of biblical truth that we can benefit from.  By doing this, we will keep ourselves in a place of spiritual growth and development and we can be a help and benefit to others.

The Place Of Provision

"Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
1 Kings 17:3-4 (NKJV)

There is a saying about how there are three very important words for people involved in selling real estate, location, location, location.  Being in the right place at the right time is very important; it is definitely one of the keys to success in life.  When we are in the right place, and at the right time, we will do much better than if we are in the right place at the wrong time or in the wrong place at the right time.  If we are not in the right place at the right time we can miss out on some very important, and some very necessary things.

Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament who was led by God to places where God was able to work through Elijah to help others.  In 1 Kings 17 God gave Elijah direction to go to a certain place where what Elijah needed would be provided.  Some of what Elijah needed was already at that place, and some of what Elijah needed was going to come to him when he was there.  If we continue reading the story, we can see that the time came when Elijah's provision where he was came to an end, but Elijah did not change his location until God told him to do so. 

What if Elijah had not followed God's direction?  Elijah would have missed what God had wanted Elijah to have. There are times when God is directing us to a place, and when we get there we don't see what we think we should and we don't find what we think we need.  But, if we follow the direction that God gives us, all of the things we need, and even things we don't know we need, will be provided.  By following God's direction to go where He wants us to go and do what He wants us to do, until He tells us something different, we will always be in the right place at the right time, the place of provision.

Faith And Wisdom

"Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour."
John 4:6 (NKJV)

Having the right tools for the work you need to do is essential, and you need to know how to use each of the tools you have and what they are best suited for.  You may have one tool that you like more than other tools, but that does not mean that this tool is always the best tool.  You could have a tool that is good for several applications, but that does not mean that it is good for every application.  While you may prefer one tool above another, or one tool may work in more settings than others, you still always need to have the proper tool to get the job done right.

One of the main elements of Christianity is faith.  But, faith is not the only thing necessary for a successful Christian life.  One of the most important, and often neglected, things that we need is wisdom.  The Bible repeatedly talks about wisdom and how valuable it is.  We may think that wisdom is not as important as something like faith, but faith and wisdom both have their place.  Some people think that they can do whatever they want and then somehow just take a stand in faith and overcome any negative consequences that they have as a result of their actions.

We can have problems if we somehow think that faith can overrule wisdom, even if we make poor choices with things like our health or finances.  But, for example, as we see in John 4:6, even Jesus got tired and He was wise enough to take the opportunity to rest.  Jesus did not just try to use faith to have more physical strength.  In the area of finances, David set aside gold, silver, and other materials in preparation to build the temple; he did not just expect that somehow the financial resources would be there when he needed them without any effort on his part.  Make sure you use all the tools available, including wisdom, to have a successful walk with God.