Who Will You Partner With?

“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 1:28

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1

Cross references:

1. Genesis 3:1 : Job 1:7; 2:2; 2Co 11:3; Rev 12:9; 20:2
2. Genesis 3:1 : S Ge 2:17

Suppose you had never read any scriptures before and knew nothing of

God or the devil until you read the two verses above.

Now further suppose that you were told you could partner with God or the devil to accomplish things in the earth.

Who would you choose to partner with?

Well, your distant (in the past) relative made just such a choice.

Adam and Eve were blessed by God and given dominion over the earth.

God desired to partner with them but when they were faced with a test Adam and Eve made their choice and the rest – as they say – is history!

Imagine surrendering what was theirs in the Garden.

Imagine surrendering fellowship with God – face to face in Eden.

Imagine surrendering the plans God had for them.

God is prepared to do great things in your life.

He desires to partner with you to accomplish His purposes in the earth.

But just as Adam and Eve did, you too will face a test.

The plans of God always bring the testings of God before the manifestation.

You will always have to make a choice.

Just as Adam and Eve had that choice to make in the Garden; just as Abraham did on the mountain; just as Jesus did – yes even Jesus – in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Shortcuts may work on a computer or they may work on a road trip but they will not work with Gods’ established purposes in the earth.

He desires to partner with you but His power is released in those who have been tested and have passed the test.

Do you want to partner with God?

Be prepared for the testings that will come!  :6 : Ps 1:4; Jer 4:12

May God Alone Be Lifted Up

“My soul glorifies the Lord
     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,”
Luke 1:47

Consider some people God has greatly used.

I think of Corrie Ten Boom, Mother Teresa or perhaps even Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani just rearrested and imprisoned in Iran on Christmas day.

Each of them was, or is, being used greatly by God.

I doubt any of them would have thought of themselves being used in the way they were when they were still teen-agers.

Yet, if you want God to use your life for something great then expect that you will find yourself in circumstances and situations you cannot handle.

However, you will never find yourself in circumstances and situations that God cannot handle.

Knowing this, you can be confident in Him!

God is glorified when what is accomplished through us is not possible without Him.

Anything else is just kudos for us and if there is one thing we do not need it is one more swelled head in ministry.

Here is a resolution challenge for you as we move close to the New Year.

In 2013 look for ways to secretly and anonymously bless others and honor God.

Don’t whine, don’t complain and don’t look to have the “…seat of honor…”

Instead, go out of your way to give God credit for anything that brings honor and accolades.

We looked this week at the life of Mary the mother of Jesus.

She endured much in her life and yet we do not hear a word recorded of her where she seeks to exalt herself or bemoan her circumstances.

Imagine the impact on the world of a life, a family or a church who only sought honor for God and not for themselves!

In 2013 will you let God use you in such a way?

Father:

Make us willing to be used for your honor and glory each day of our life.

May we be changed in such a way that our desire is to see you lifted up. 

We pray this in the matchless name of your Son Jesus Christ

Amen

“R” and “R”

“Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 1:36-37

Life will have difficulties.

We have built the case for this fact over the last couple of days.

So how do you deal with the overwhelming situations inevitably faced by all of us?

Let me offer a couple of helps today and tomorrow.

When you are overwhelmed, reach out to others and rely on God.

Mary received the news of the birth of Jesus from an angel but she was also ‘given’ her cousin Elizabeth as someone she could reach out to.

She was not all alone.

Sometimes, when we find ourselves in difficult and overwhelming situations we can go into ‘hiding’.

 This is not healthy.

We can draw strength and encouragement from others and we can also learn that others want to help and bless you as you reach out to them.

Stop trying to make it on your own.

God never meant for you to do that.

It is no accident that we are called a ‘body’ of believers and the ‘family’ of God.

But understand that as wonderful as others will and can be, your reliance must be on God and not on man.

He can and will bring others into your life when you need them but of God alone can we say: “Nothing is impossible.”

Isn’t that talking out of both sides of my mouth?

Not at all.

Mary could, and did, rejoice with her cousin Elizabeth but her through it all she needed to rely on God.

So, some twofold counsel if you are struggling with what seems to be an impossible situation.

Reach out to others and Rely on God     

“R” and “R”

Before the Birth is Something Called ‘Labor’!

“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,”

Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.”

Luke 1:30-31; 33-38

What do Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Jesus all have in common?

Some might say that all of them are make believe, there to grant you all of your wishes.

Of course, if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ you ought to know better.

I am not just talking about the fact that Jesus is not ‘make believe’ – certainly we believe in Him and understand He is real – but what about the second part?

Is Jesus in your life just to smooth out all the rough spots?

Is it His job to simply make all your dreams come true?

When you make Him Lord, do all your problems vanish just by uttering a prayer heavenward?

In some ways, not only will Jesus not solve all your problems, He will even bring you a few!

Mary was pregnant – and not by Joseph her betrothed either!

You see Jesus had not even come in the flesh yet and He was already a ‘problem’ for Mary!

 Sure, she was carrying the Son of God but try to tell that to her friends and relatives.

She saw the fingers pointing at her and knew the whispers were about her ‘condition’!

She responded to the angel’s news by saying: “May it be to me as you have said.”

But the very next words were: “Then the angel left her.”

The angelic visitation was over but Mary’s troubles were just beginning!

The angel left without posting his message on the internet.

Sure, Joseph had a dream but what of the rest of Mary’s family and friends.

Maybe God has spoken to you of what He wants to do in you and through you.

But then, like Mary the visit is over and you feel like you are left to deal with the aftermath all by yourself.

I wonder how many times during those nine months she wondered where her ‘super-hero’ was?

I wonder how many times she questioned why she ever said yes and whether or not it was all a bad dream.

After all, God is there to make everything easy and to grant all my wishes; right?

Maybe not.

Yes, His plans for you and I are good.

The ‘working out’ of them is not always pleasant!

Before the birth, there is something called ‘labor’!

Are you prepared to say “May it be to me as you have said”?

It may not always be easy but it will be worth it.

Merry Christmas and Thank You!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14 

I want to take this opportunity to say Thank You to all who regularly read this blog.

Our highest page views come from the United States where the blog is published.

The next highest number of page views (in order) are from Russia,

Germany, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brazil.

Currently there are page views from a total of 54 different countries around the globe.

Our prayer continues to be that this blog strengthens you in your walk with God as we share what the Holy Spirit is speaking to us here at "His Place" in western New York State. 

Merry Christmas!

(United States)

 Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

(Russia)

Fröhliche Weihnachten

(Germany)

Selamat Hari Krismas 

(Malaysia)

Maligayang Pasko!

(Philippines)

Feliz Natal

 (Brazil)

When God Hands Me More Than I Can Bear

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

I Corinthians 10:13

Does God ever give you more than you can bear?

“What a dumb question to ask”, you say, “in light of the verse posted above!”

But look again at that verse.

It is speaking only in the context of temptation.

Walk through the scriptures and it is filled with stories of men and woman who were faced with situations that overwhelmed them.

On their own and apart from God they had much, much more than they could bear.

Let me ask you a question and be honest as you answer it -

If you could handle everything in your life – how often would you call on the Lord?

If life never was too much for you would you grow in your relationship with God?

Remember your child or sibling as they took their first steps?

It was step, step, fall; step, step, fall!

It may have seemed at the time like something as simple as walking was more than they could bear.

But with the steadying hand of mom or dad and a lot of perseverance they got through it.

We must recognize that if we are to do great things for God it requires us to develop that trusting relationship where we learn to rely on Him when difficulties come.

And make no mistake – difficulties will come.

I challenge you to go through the scriptures and find a great man or woman of God who only knew the mountaintop experiences of life.

You won’t find them.

They didn’t exist then and they don’t exist now.

So if you and I settle that question where does it lead us?

It should lead us to God.

When life overwhelms you can run from God or you can run to God.

If you run to Him, persevering through the difficult times under the steadying hand of God, you will grow stronger and He will release more of His power and anointing in your life.   

He gives you more than you can bear so that He can pour more of Himself into you!

‘Tis the Season to be Giving!

“Will a man rob God?

 Yet you rob me.

But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’

In tithes and offerings.  

You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me.  

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.

Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty.  “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Malachi 3:8-12 

I know what you’re thinking: “What an odd text just days before we celebrate Christmas.”

And yet, there is no greater evidence of Emmanuel – God with us –

than the giving nature of God revealed through the Christmas story.

We cannot ‘out give’ God and yet we can cause His blessings to be withheld.

You see, you cannot get a blessing from God without first being a blessing to God. 

We are made in the image and likeness of God.

We could state it this was: “We are made in the image and likeness of the ultimate giver.”

It pleases the Father and it reveals the Father to others when we give to God and to His work. 

In our generous and heartfelt giving, He is honored.

We are a blessing to God when we give to Him and to those made in His image and likeness.

If you are a parent you know the joy in giving.

Just think about how much you love your children and desire to bless them.

You gladly sacrifice in order to be sure they have all that they need.

That is the Fathers’ heart toward you as His children.

But first He challenges us to test Him by our giving to Him.

 He asks us to give in order that it might be given back to us in good measure, pressed down shaken together and running over.

In other words – we receive out of the storehouses of heaven an abundance greater than what we can even contain!

So we have learned this week that God is not greedy.

God is not stingy.

But God does requires of us that we sow in order to reap.      

As we move through this Christmas season and into a new year ask God to give you that generous spirit that seeks to bless and seeks to give so that the supernatural power and provision of heaven can be made manifest in your life! 

Stop, Look and Listen!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

 

When fear is what we sow, what we reap is bondage to the natural order of the world.

When faith is what we sow, what we reap is the supernatural order of the Kingdom of God.

Fear says: “Me first!”

Faith says: “God first!”

Fear sows in anticipation of getting.

“What’s in it for me?” is a question fear often asks. 

Faith sows in anticipation of giving.

“How can I bless others?” is the question faith asks.

We often consider men and woman of great faith and presume they were always ‘that way’.

The truth is God did not suspend biblical principles in their lives.

They, just as we must, had to learn to sow and grow in faith.

It may sound cliché (or simply the lyrics from an old love song) but it is true - As I faithfully grow in my relationship with Christ I can say:

“I trust God more today than I did yesterday but not as much as I will tomorrow.” 

Fear has the opposite effect.

Unchallenged fear shrivels up the faith of God in my life.

God moving in supernatural ways not only is less likely, it is also something I begin to desire less and less.

Elijah stepped out when God told him to.

He was willing to take the risk that the trip from the brook to Zarephath would mean.

He knew that in doing so, he would find Gods’ source of provision.    

Elijah was a man of God who lived with the supernatural hand of God evident on his life.

Is that what you desire too?

Then ask yourself these questions:

God what are you asking me to do today that makes me rely on you as my source and not myself?

What are you requiring of me that demands I respond in faith and not fear?

How can I realize the supernatural hand of God working in my life today greater than it did yesterday?

Ask these questions, then follow the instructions of the signs that used to be posted at Railroad crossings:

Stop, Look and Listen!

God will answer!

Taking the Risk, Camping on the Edge!

“Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there.

I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

I Kings 17:9

Yesterday, we began to look at how you can take advantage of opportunities to sow into the Kingdom of God.

Why do you want to do that?

So that God might bring the supernatural into your life and the life of the church.

We said the first step was to step out when God tells you to.

Just like Elijah leaving the brook and traveling to Zarephath.

So how else might we begin to experience the supernatural in our lives in order to impact the lives of others?

Be willing to take the risks that are presented by God.

What does that mean?

Remember in the Bible record that Elijah had been hiding from evil King Ahab.

Elijah was a ‘marked man’.

He had declared the word of the Lord that there would be no rain.

Of course, the King was not the only person impacted by that declaration.

It is probably not too far off target to say that most people had very little use for Elijah.

Here is where the risk comes into play.

There was no clandestine travel route from the brook to Zarephath that would help conceal Elijah.

It was all open plains and separated by 90 miles.

He would be a sitting duck – or at least a ‘moving’ sitting duck!

 God told Elijah He had provision for him in Zarephath.

He would have to risk the trip, placing his trust in Gods’ protection in order to get to the place of supernatural provision God had for him.

Don’t you wish some times there was an easier way?

Those who know me well; know that I am not a risk-taker.

  I am not comfortable ‘living on the edge’.

Left to myself I would camp miles from the ‘edge’.

 How about you?

Serving God faithfully with a desire to see the supernatural in your life demands you take the risks that God presents. 

An alternate way to say we are willing to take the risks would be to say we: “walk by faith!”

Did God speak?

Are we willing to trust Him?

Are we willing to “take the risks”?

Do we believe He can and will keep His word?

If you answered yes, you are halfway to Zarephath already!

Break Time is Over, Back to Work!

“Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.

Then the word of the Lord came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

I Kings 17:7-9

                                                                                                       

“Alright”, you say, “I’ll concede that God is not greedy and when it appears so it requires that I not only dig deeper to understand why He is seeking more from my life but I also must look for opportunities to sow into the Kingdom of God.”

The widow in the story sowed into the purposes of God by obediently

fulfilling the request of the prophet Elijah.

She made him a small cake of bread from what was supposed to be her very last measure of grain.

But we can also discover that Elijah’s actions are a lesson plan for us in how to find those opportunities to sow.

Because of the famine in the land, Elijah no longer had provision at the brook. He had to go to Zarephath.

It was there in Zarephath that Gods’ provision would continue.  

Elijah had to step out when God told him too.   

   Could God have supernaturally kept the prophet provisioned at the brook?

Of course He could.

But we are often directed by God out of those seasons and places in our life where we have become ‘comfortable’ with yesterdays’ provision.

When yesterday’s supernatural and miraculous provision becomes today’s entitlement it should come as no surprise that God requires us to once again step out in faith. 

 In your life, do you want to discover opportunities to sow into the purposes of God?

Then learn to step out when God tells you too.

 It will mean you have to move on from what has become a comfortable and familiar place.

 There may be times in your walk with God that He brings provision to you as you rest by the brook (so to speak); but in all our lives those seasons end at it is time to step out when God says so. 

As you do this you will discover new opportunities to sow.

Is God Greedy?

“Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:

‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry

until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

I Kings 17:13-14

How much of the readership did I lose with the title of today’s blog?

Please recognize that I posed a question, I did not make a statement.

But as long as I have your attention, how would you answer the question?

Does it bother you to even consider it?

Understand that God is not angry or intimidated by honest questions.

So let’s take a look at it together over the next several days.

Greed is defined by Webster’s dictionary as:

“a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.”

Perhaps if you are surrendering your life (and are convinced you have surrendered all) but God is requiring more of you, it might be easy to consider Him greedy.  

However, an important lesson to remember is this –

When God appears to be greedy, look deeper.

At first blush it looks awfully selfish of the prophet of God to demand “…a cake of bread…” from the widow, especially after finding out her dire circumstances.

Too be sure, she was – as we might say today – at the end of her rope concerning provision for her and her son.

Yet, his request also came with a promise attached from no less than “…the Lord, the God of Israel…”

A lesson that she learned (and that we must learn today if we are going to be impacted by God and, in turn, impact others) is that whenever God ‘appears’ greedy it is always because He is trying to open heaven over your life.

She could easily have walked away from the man of God, offended by his request, and never known the supernatural provision that awaited her obedience.

We can do the same.

Or, as this widow did, we can defy ‘logic’ and ‘common sense’ to obey the seemingly ‘greedy’ command of God and see the supernatural in our life.  

Opinion or Truth?

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10

If you don’t learn how to deal with rejection you will place too much value on the opinions of people and not enough on the purposes of God.

They say there are two guarantees in life: death and taxes.

Let me suggest another one that I think you will agree with: people are fickle.

Those who love you today may be the same ones to turn on you tomorrow.

Did you ever wonder how many of the same people dropping palm branches before Jesus at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem were in the same crowd just a few days later shouting “Crucify him!”?

That’s the risk you take when you place all of your trust in the opinions of man.

Those opinions change.

God doesn’t have ‘opinions’ in the way we would define them.

He is truth and He speaks truth.

The depth of our trust in mans opinion is a good measure of the depth of pain we will feel at mans’ rejection.

All of us face the pressure to conform.

In part, Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders because He did not conform to their rules and traditions.

But Jesus came to do the will of the Father, not the will of man.

He valued the Father more than He valued the opinions of anyone on earth.

That is why He could forgive those who rejected Him and, while on the cross, asked His Father to do the same.

Will you hold on to your rejection or will you surrender it?

Will you esteem Gods purposes as greater than the opinions of man?

It comes down to choices again.  

God advises us to choose Him and choose life.

Focused Like a Laser on Gods’ Plans

“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

 Genesis 45:5

We cautioned yesterday on the importance of moving on and not being focused on rejection.

So how do you do that?

You shift your focus.

You move your attention from the rejection to the spiritual mission God has for you.

In our text above I have underlined that portion that speaks to this very issue.

Joseph realized that years spent in self-pity and a desire for revenge would cost him dearly.

What God had for him to do needed all his energy and he could not spare wasting that energy on feeling sorry for himself and plotting his ‘get even’ strategy.

As a matter of fact, he chose to be free and serve God, not in bondage to his past rejection.

It is in that effort to ‘guard his heart’ from rejection that he was able to move forward with God.

I have many ‘pulls’ from life trying to draw me away from Gods’ best for me.

You do to.

Don’t let rejections from your past do that!

Keep your eyes firmly gazing at the spiritual mission God has for your life.

Joseph probably faced hundreds of times in his life in Egypt where he could have chosen to dwell on those who had ‘done him wrong’.

His life could have been consumed with a passion to see his brothers pay for what they did.

Don’t waste your passion that way.

Focus, not on what is behind you from the hands of man, but instead, on what lays before you from the hand of God. 

When Jesus was on the cross he didn’t focus on those who had rejected and crucified him.

His focus was on the spiritual mission the Father had sent Him to complete.

The words: “It is finished!” testify of His focus.

Will you keep your focus on the spiritual mission God has for you?  

Don’t Feed the Monster!

“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

 Genesis 45:5

So how do you guard your heart from rejection?

Some people believe the best way is to never trust anyone again.

That would prove to be a very lonely response and not one characteristic of a believer.

Certainly, a more effective response, and one of the first ones we must make, is to choose to move on in life; not allowing our walk with God to be paralyzed over what has happened.

It’s essential to move on if we’re to be of any use to God.

And, it’s not a choice God will make for us.

It’s up to you and me.

Joseph recognized this.

That is why he could counsel his brothers as he did in our verse today.

Sometimes we may think God waves a magic wand over us and the pain and hurt of rejection is no longer with us.

Instead, it is a deliberate choice we must make.

Not just once but every time the resentment or desire for retaliation and revenge begins to well up in us.

The more we are committed to making that good choice and the more often we do it, then the strength of the temptation to seek our own vengeance dissipates and the desire to see God’s purposes fulfilled grows in us.

In other words, don’t feed the monster!

Guarding Our Hearts From the Three “R’s”

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

 Genesis 45:4-7

I closed yesterdays’ blog with these thoughts:

“How have you handled rejection in the past?

Let’s look together this week at how it should be handled.

If your past handling of rejection is less than honorable, we can learn how to surrender it to God for His use and His purposes.

Are you ready?” 

So our ‘how-to’ today needs to start with a warning.

We must learn to guard our hearts from resentment, retaliation and revenge.  

If anybody had reason to ‘get even’ it was Joseph.

He was sold into slavery by his own brothers.

That was only as a concession because their original intent was to murder him!

How easy it would have been for Joseph to count the days until he could pay them back for their evil to him.

But a resentful heart, bent on retaliation and revenge, would have kept Joseph in a personal prison far longer than the prison stay he endured after being falsely accused by Potiphars’ wife.     

There is a high price we pay for taking vengeance into our own hands.

We yield to our desires but in the process God’s purposes in the rejection we suffered are lost.

How tragic.

It becomes a ‘fruitless rejection’ when Gods’ will is not worked through it!

We used to speak of formal education at the primary levels consisting of the:

 “Three R’s” – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic.  

Perhaps we can remember today’s’ point, i.e., that we handle Gods’ rejection properly by guarding our hearts from the:

“Three R’s” – Resentment, Retaliation and Revenge.

When Following God Causes Rejection!

 “Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.  He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.”

 Genesis 37: 5-8

Joseph knew Rejection with a capital “R”.

Why?

Because he had a dream from God and made the mistake? of telling his brothers!

I know you may not want to hear this but rejection was not unique to Joseph.

We all face it.

We all fear it.

We all hate it.

We all experience it.

As a matter of fact rejection is not always just the result of some mean person out to hurt you.

Sometimes its’ Gods’ purposes in your life that cause rejection.

Joseph’s brothers, we are told, hated him all the more because of his dream.

Josephs dream was not from a bad meal the night before.

His dream was from God.

If you know the story of Joseph then you know his dream was fulfilled.

It took many years but, nonetheless, the dream he received from God came to pass.

But, between the dream and its fulfillment there was a whole lot of rejection Joseph had to deal with.

Who knows how different the story might have been if Joseph had not dealt properly with rejection.

He faced it from his brothers.

He faced it at Potiphars’ house.

He faced it in the prison.

But most importantly, he didn’t allow that rejection to form him into a bitter, resentful, retaliatory and vengeful old man.

Instead he allowed it to be used by God to shape him into a vessel fit for Gods’ purposes. How have you handled rejection in the past?

Let’s look together this week at how it should be handled.

If your past handling of rejection is less than honorable, we can learn how to surrender it to God for His use and His purposes.

Are you ready?    

The View From the Cockpit

 “And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.”

I Samuel 2: 34-35

How good is your vision?

Can you see as much of your environment at ground level as you can see from a window on the thirtieth floor of a building?

Your perspective is quite different at those two vantage points isn’t it?

How about the window seat of an airplane several miles up?

It may be a great view on a sunny, cloudless day but it cannot compare to the view the pilot has from the cockpit.

Now let me ask you about your spiritual eyesight?

Can it compare to Gods?

Of course not!

God is Omnipresent and Omniscient.

 There is nothing – past, present or future that is hidden from Him.

The last few days we have been talking about the hardship that Hannah endured and her persistence in prayer.

I wonder if, on her annual treks to the Lords’ house in Shiloh, she ever encountered the bad behavior of Eli’s sons.

Scripture says they were wicked and their behavior contemptible. 

We are not told in the record of any interaction between Hophni, Phineas and Hannah.

Suppose she did observe their evil handling of the sacred priesthood they had been entrusted with?

Do you suppose she would have made a connection between them and her barrenness?

Probably not.

She was looking at life, hers in particular, at ‘ground level’.

If she ever prayed for a restoration of holiness in the priesthood she doubtless would never have thought it would be tied to her fervent prayer for a child. 

She did not have the perspective of God.

Neither do we.

God answered her prayer and she greatly rejoiced in His answer.

Her barrenness was over and God was, through the answer to her prayer, also addressing the spiritual barrenness of the Nation of Israel.

Her prayer answered a need she probably never considered.

How about your prayer?

What will God accomplish when you remain persistent in prayer through the hardships you are enduring?

You may never understand the full scope of the answer to that question but don’t let that stop you from persevering.

Hannah didn’t!

Are We There Yet?

“Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast. Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

I Samuel 1: 17-20

 

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Are we there yet?

Maybe you are a parent and reading this.

If so, the familiar refrain is apparent!

You are on a long car trip, the children in the back seat anxious to arrive at the destination.

Their anxiousness and eagerness is trying your patience but you simply say:

“No, not much longer though!”

Their anxiousness and eagerness translated into the refrain above doesn’t make the trip any shorter though does it?

I know what you’re thinking – “No, it makes it seem longer!”  

Like Hannah, our persistence in prayer causes us to await God’s perfect timing.

I know how we view it though –

Immediate need = Immediate answer

Our immaturity sometimes makes us think all our requests are answered immediately.

Like the children we expect that as soon as we are in the back seat

(God is in the drivers’ seat of course) we should be where we want to be.

We perceive the need (our destination in prayer) as immediate but God is refining our lives through persistent prayer.

Persistence in prayer allows Gods’ purposes to be fulfilled on His calendar and not ours.

So the next time you go into your prayer closet and are tempted to ask about your petition:

Is it answered yet?

Is it answered yet?

Is it answered yet?

Consider all that God wants to accomplish in you and perhaps in others

through the process of answering your prayer.

Your prayer closet conversation may change from a question to a statement –

Thy will be done!

As Plain As The Nose On Your Face

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord…

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.

 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard...

I was pouring out my soul to the Lord...

I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

I Samuel 1: 10-16 (selected)

So what do you do when hardship comes into your life?

Well, I tried to make the answer a ‘no-brainer’

-or-

As the title suggests; as plain as the nose on your face…

You remain persistent in prayer!

Of course, Hannah’s example is highlighted above.

You can pray or you can pout.

But keep in mind that pouting won’t capture the attention of God as prayer does.

There is an interesting testimony to Hannah’s perseverance found in verse 7:

   “…this went on year after year…”

True, this is actually speaking of the repeated provoking of Hannah by her rival.

Nonetheless, she remained fervent and faithful in prayer.

I know it is easy to say but tougher to do.

We grow weary or our faith wavers and we forget to pray.

Pouting is easier work!

Hannah didn’t forget, she didn’t pout, she persevered. 

Don’t take my word for it though, listen to Jesus –

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them

that they should always pray and not give up.”

Matthew 18:1

What hardship have you been facing?

What trial has been pushing your buttons?

It is never time to throw in the towel.

Redouble your commitment in prayer!

When hardships come into your life, be persistent in prayer.

After all, it’s as plain as the nose on your face!

God Has a Purpose in the Hardships He Brings

 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving

for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

II Corinthians 4:17

 

Not all hardships we may experience are from God.

Most of us would confess to doing some stupid things in life that then

created problems for us down the road.

Those would be examples of hardships and difficulties we have brought on ourselves.

In the life of Job we find trials and afflictions brought, not by God or through wrong actions on Jobs part, but by the devil.

Certainly, one way we can distinguish grief and struggles brought on by our own actions or the actions of the devil is to recognize that any hardships God brings in your life, He does so with a pre-planned purpose.

God is not cruel and He does not bring trials, afflictions and hardships just to watch you suffer and squirm.

In our example yesterday He brought, through Hannah’s hardship, a prophet to the Nation of Israel.

God declared in I Samuel 2:35 –

“I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.”

Now if you say that God accomplished more than that one thing in the life of Hannah, Elkanah and others, you would be right.

Often we can learn and grow much from the trials we endure. 

That, in itself, is another distinguishing feature of Gods hardships in our lives.

But it is equally true that what we learn and how we grow can impact,

not only our own lives but also, the lives of many others.

You need look no further than the life of Christ and His work on the cross to understand how the hardship of one brought blessings to many!

If God has brought hardship into your life, persevere through that it might

accomplish all He  purposed it to do. 

You will be blessed and so too will many others!