Let The Lord Guide!

To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster. Proverbs 16:1-4 NIV

Everything happens for a reason–even when we may not understand what the reason is. A lesson should be learned from everything we do and one of the lessons learned should be–unless we do things the way God guides us to do them--chances–we won’t see what we planned to happen.

One of the reasons we are often disappointed with people and with self is that we won’t trust The Lord.  We hem and haw about things instead of seeking Him, hearing Him, and obeying Him, and then some even get mad at Him–when they don’t obey.

We are told to not lean on our own understanding, but to trust God. Do we do that? Most of the time we don’t and instead of admitting it, we keep going down a merry garden path that leads nowhere.

How do we know when we’re trusting God? If we do all things according to His Word, we can see how everything lines up with His promises. For example: The Word tells us to honor parents so we’ll have long life. This means we obey–Godly parents who won’t tell us to do the wrong thing–and respect their judgment as they guide us through life. When we don’t–we run into our own self-destructive obstacle courses and then wonder what happened. For some–their lives are cut short and for many others–they end up living beneath the promises of God–simply because of their disobedience.

Parents are the authority in our lives until we develop that right relationship with God. If we cannot obey the authority we see–right in front of us–how can we ever hope to obey God? The role of parents is to guide children–teaching them right from wrong and correcting behavior that needs adjusting and living life as an example to them. When we fail to do this–we leave ourselves open to seeing rebellion and having no foundation by which to make adjustments–other than God’s Word. To think we can expect children to simply “do as we say and not as we do” is the biggest mistake any parent can make. We must be a “living example of appropriate Godly behavior” so our children can and will see God in us.

Do we make mistakes as parents? Absolutely–but most of us are quick to acknowledge the mistake and move forward.  I don’t know of any perfect parents because they’re all human beings–subject to falling short. But that doesn’t mean they should keep falling. For as long as live–we should learn from our mistakes and when we don’t–we keep doing the same thing over and over again–expecting a different result–which is the definition of insanity.

The simplest solution for correcting or adjusting what we do to align with The Word–is to trust God and live according to His Word–no ifs or buts, just doing it. Let Him guide us into the place of excellence He desires and then wait for the victory to manifest itself!

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Who’s Crying Now?

Then they will cry to the LORD,
But He will not hear them;
He will even hide His face from them at that time,
Because they have been evil in their deeds. Micah 3:4 NKJV

There will come a time when those who perpetuate evil, leading others astray intentionally, manipulating people and circumventing true authority will cry unto The Lord, when they refuse to obey Him.

It would appear that people–across the board–choose to ignore God and enjoy the fruits of their wickedness until the time comes when, God exposes the wickedness for what it is and the tables are turned on them. Then, with truth exposed, they call upon The Lord expecting Him to hear and answer, but as the Prophet Micah reveals–He won’t hear them.

What I’ve observed in human nature is that those who say they don’t know if there’s a god or not; don’t know whether they believe in Jesus or not, and then live any way they want to live, back-peddle quickly, when things don’t go their way. And the situation is even worse when those who say they believe God, but don’t want to obey Him. When they have caused others to cry–with their schemes and lies–they are quick to call on Jesus when life causes them to cry.

I wonder–do people really think that God does not see, cannot hear all that goes on in the earth? Do people think God is winking an eye at sin and that truth will never reign? We have in our society those who have no problem causing strife and dissension in the midst of things, but when the tables turn–oh my! “What did I do? O God, help me!”

Those who fuel drama and discord, lead people astray with lies and perpetuate nonsense leading to the deaths of others, will one day pay and we who have been watching them terrorize nation after nation, will see them exposed for who they really are–just as it came to pass when Micah was prophesying to God’s people. It’s amazing to me that those who don’t recognize truth when they see or hear it, are quick to twist their version of truth into lies and they cry–hoping others will never know who they really are.

We need not despair over the fate of those who create one dilemma after another for others. Weeping may endure for us–for a moment, but joy is coming!

On The Journey–SHIN!

Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.

I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.

I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.

Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.

Great peace have those who love Your law,
And nothing causes them to stumble.

LORD, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.

My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.

I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You. Psalm 119:161-168 NKJV

The 21st letter and stanza–acknowledgement, praise and hope in the midst of any trial.

How many times has someone who has authority over us–attempted to misuse their authority and persecute us, simply because we would not conform to doing things their way-in opposition to God’s Word? We were not the first to experience this ploy to get us to be deceitful and dishonest and we won’t be the last.

Whenever anyone expects us to lie or cheat in order to keep a job or to stay in their favor, we should have the same attitude the writer has. We should abhor lying and deceitfulness with a passion and openly denounce it.

Are we in awe of God’s Word enough to keep it–no matter what others do? The more I study and seek God for understanding, the more I realize just how much His Word is so much better than the dictates of man.

In God’s Word–there is Life and Liberty–freedom to live according to God’s Word, knowing we are pleasing God, whether others find fault with us or not.

In God’s Word–there is Justice and Mercy. God’s Word is just–not fair–for His righteousness is just and there is nothing in it we can debate–that will change His intent for our lives. This is why we are constantly reminded in His Word that the wicked shall have their judgment for all the world to see and we are regarded–His righteousness, for we have none of our own.

In God’s Word–there is Love and Grace–God is love and therefore everything He has done, is doing and will do is based upon His love for us. If we follow His commands–to love Him and one another–the world will be filled to overflowing with Love and we shall peace upon the land because of His favor shown towards us.

In God’s Word–there is Peace–His peace that surpasses all understanding. And because we belong to Him, we too can enjoy blessed peace in the midst of chaos and confusion when we live according to His Word.

In God’s Word–there is Light–that overcomes the darkness that hangs as clouds because of the wicked imaginations of those who oppose God. Wherever there is darkness, light dispels it and exposes the deeds of darkness. We cannot hide from God, no matter what we think we can do that He won’t see or know.

In God’s Word–there is healing–for our bodies and for nations under siege–due to differences of opinion and the ravages of war. By His stripes we are healed of illnesses, diseases and with His peace we are healed of frustration and depression over things we cannot control. If those of us who believe Him would simply pray–earnestly–believing He will answer– and repent of our waywardness, He will heal the land.

In God’s Word–there is Truth–for His Word is Truth and His Ways are the true way by which we should live. Whenever God’s Word is not revealed as Truth, peace is disrupted and chaos reigns.

How often we pray to God or communicate with Him on any level is not a matter of prescription or formula, but it should be a way of life for every Believer. I pray throughout the day–thanking God and praising Him for His goodness–and I have no idea how many times I do it; I just do it.

My soul loves Jesus and all my hope is in Him for there is no hope in any other! How about you?

Have You Tasted Him?

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)

When I cook, unlike many other cooks, I don’t always taste the food I’m cooking, while it’s still cooking. I don’t have a “big spoon” to dish out samples to determine if the seasoning is right. I’ve been cooking long enough to know when the seasoning is just about right. And since I don’t use a great deal of salt or other “spicy” seasonings, anyone who wants to add some after their plate is prepared is welcome to do so. And inevitably, someone either adds salt or pepper to the food on their plates.

The amazing thing to me is watching people who add salt and pepper or hot sauce or ketchup to food without tasting the food, first! How on earth do they determine what’s needed to make the food more flavorable or palatable to their taste buds, if they don’t taste it first?

Now, I also realize that we cannot judge how food tastes by looking at it. Everything that looks good does not taste good. I know this from experience. But then if we’re going to judge a matter–rightly, we have to taste it before we commend or condemn it. I once thought a cake was going to be absolutely scrumptious–based on how it looked, bought a piece and gagged--trying to get it out of my mouth. And then, there are some dishes that didn’t look very appealing, but tasted like a bit of heaven and had me drooling for more.

We cannot always rightly judge how anything tastes or how good a person is by looking at appearances. I’ve known some suited-up folks who looked professional and smiled at all the right times, but they were the devil’s own and I’ve known some folks who only wore sweatshirts and jeans who were so kind and generous, they were absolutely unforgettable. Sometimes our eyes deceive us and we must take a closer look or experience a matter for ourselves before we judge it.

This is why it is so important for those who have experienced God’s goodness to have a testimony and can encourage others to “taste and see” how good He is. “He’s Sweet I Know” is a song, but it tells the whole story–sweeter than the honey in a honeycomb–that’s how good our God is. No matter what our circumstances have been or may be, when we look to Him for the solutions to our problems, He never forsakes us or leaves us with no direction.

We have to trust Him and the only way most of us will ever trust Him is by trying Him–tasting His goodness for ourselves, but we need a witness to encourage us to “taste and see” so they’ll know for themselves.

Let’s get out and encourage others who have been discouraged by the events of life to taste Jesus for themselves and know He is good and we can put our total trust in Him. He is not a man that He should lie nor will He change His mind about who He is in our lives; He is worthy of our trust, love, and obedience to His Word.

O Taste and See just how good He is!

When We’ll Know!

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31, 32 NIV).

What Jesus said to those who believed Him, those who followed Him, when He was here in the form of physical man, still holds true today. “If” we hold to His teaching (what the Father said to Him), we are really His disciples and “then” we will know the truth and the truth will set us free.

This “if, then” proposition is simply one of many we find in The Word. If we do, then God does. There is no mystery, no magic, just understanding of obedience and how God’s principles work in our lives. We must do, then He will do–everything He promised–no matter whether the consequences are good or bad.

God’s promise to us through Joshua–“If you keep my commandments, then whatever you put your hands to will prosper.”

God’s promises to us through Deuteronomy 28–If we keep His commandments and obey, then blessings will overtake us. If we do not obey, then all of the curses will come upon us, even to those not yet named.

Moving forward–“If you love, keep my commandments. If my Word abides in you and you abide in my Word, then, ask what you will and it will be done for you.”

We’ll know we have a right relationship with God, when we keep His commandments and see His promises fulfilled in our lives. Then we’ll know the power we have over the enemy and know we have been set free from submitting to his temptation. When we have a relationship with God, then He can speak to our hearts and guide us in all things, knowing we are His children and He only wants only what is best for His children. When we know we have obeyed and know we have that relationship, then we can be assured of receiving His guidance and cementing the promise of eternal life.

 

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to understand what we must do in order to be in Your perfect Will, receiving all You have for us to do and enjoy. Help us to receive Truth and be set free from the snares of the enemy and know without a doubt that we will spend eternity with You.