Friday, 22 May 2009

• God plans for us – Fear + Obedience + Trust = Prosperity

  We have to believe that for the task that God gives us, he has given us the resources and the ability to actually do it. He NEVER gives us more than we can handle. We just need to get over our fear of it and believe and trust in God. God always goes before us, he orders our steps, and he always backs us up when we are in trouble. He is the beginning and the end of all, which means he is in the beginning and end of all we go through too. Sometimes we have to go through trials to be tested and taught a lesson. And the pain we sometimes experience in the lessons we learn will be greater than the pain we go through while we endure the actual test.

   

  Isaiah 66:7…9 (new century version)

  7 “A woman does not give birth before she feels the pain:

  She does not give birth to a son before the pain starts.”

  9 “In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord.

  “If I cause the pain, I will not stop you from giving birth to your new nation.” Says your God

   

  David’s life is my favourite story in the bible regarding facing fear and true obedience. In his youth he truly trusted God in all areas of his life. I love reading about his battle with Goliath (1 Samuel 17).  David had every reason in the world to be fearful of this 9 foot tall giant. But God had put him through the test as a shepherd. We need to speak it and declare it. We need to literally speak to our fears and speak out passionately to the people, situations, feelings and emotions that want to put fear and negativity in us.

   

  1 Samuel 17:32 (the message)

  “Master,” said David, “don’t give up hope. I’m ready to go and fight this Philistine.”

  Saul answered David, “You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced – and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.”

  David said, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring it’s neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference – I killed it. And I’ll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.”

   

  Not only did David learn lessons how to complete the task at hand from his past trials, he also learned that God has his back no matter what. Whatever we are going through right now it is teaching us how to TRUST in God. Don’t you notice through our relationship with God grows, our tasks and trials seem to get bigger and bigger. He always pushes us to OUR limit and is there to walk us through. David spoke out against King Saul who said he couldn’t do it. David spoke it! He spoke past experiences that God brought him through; he also spoke (and believed) the promise that God would bring him through safely. We can have the same strength and positive outlook. We just need to trust God!

   

  1 Samuel 17:37 (the message)

  Saul said “Go. And God help you!”

  Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge.

  David told Saul, “I can’t even move with all this stuff on me. I’m not used to this.” And he took it all off.

  Then David took his shepherd’s staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.

   

  We need to be ourselves. We need to work with what God has given us even if it doesn’t seem enough to our earthly eyes. To us having armor and a sword seems like the more logical answer to fighting a giant than a slingshot and a stone, but God gives us the ability and the resources that are specific to our personalities, God Loves us and knows us better than we know ourselves. We just need to trust in the abilities that God gave us and most importantly trust in him. Again he never gives us more than we can bear. And he’s always there with the resources to teach us to gain the experience that we need to persevere on. Push forward!

   

  Exodus 4:10-12 (new century version)

  But then Moses said to the Lord, “Please Lord, I have never been a skilled speaker. Even now, after talking to you, I cannot speak well. I speak slowly and can’t find the best words.”

  Then the Lord said to him, “who made a person’s mouth? And who makes someone deaf or not able to speak? Or who gives a person sight or blindness? It is I, the Lord. NOW GO! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.”

   

  GURL SPEAK IT!! ANSWER THE GIANTS SET BEFORE US!! We need to speak against all giants in our lives; negative people, fear, doubt, situations and spiritual attacks (no weapon used against you will defeat you – Isaiah 54:17ncv) When people, emotions, thoughts or situations tell you that you can’t do something that you know in your soul that God has put this in your heart to do, you need to respond, and not with a meek and mild response but yell back at it, shake it up let them know you mean business. You’ve got God on your side and he won’t let you down. Hold on to that promise! Live by faith and not by sight!!!

   

  1 Samuel 17:41-47 (the message)

  As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David. He took one looked down on him and sneered – a mere youngster, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed.

  The Philistine ridiculed David. “Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?” and he cursed him by his gods.

  “Come on,” said the Philistine. ‘I’ll make road kill of you for the buzzards. I’ll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.”

  David answered, “you come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handling you over to me. I am about to kill you, cut of your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God-he’s handing you to us on a platter!”

   

  Not only do we need to speak it, but we need to have a clear vision of the future. We need to know where we are going and what we are going to do when we get there. We need to see what God has planned for us. Once we can see it clearly we will have even more faith to believe! (Habakkuk 2:2-4 (ncv) The Lord answered me: “write down the vision; write it down clearly on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others. It is not yet time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not be delayed. The evil nation is very proud of itself; it is not living, as it should. But those who are right with God will live by faith.”)

   

  See it! Write it! Speak it! Believe it!

   

  1 Samuel 17:48-50 (the message)

  That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply.

  The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.

  That’s how David beat the Philistine- with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David!

   

  The reason this portion of David’s life is my favourite is because of that one line David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. Like seriously crazy! Imagine a 9-foot giant standing in front of you and wanting to kill you. Would you have enough faith that God will pull you through? David did, and not only did he believe enough to go fight him. He believed God’s promise so much that he ran off as fast as he could, couldn’t wait to get to him. He put his game face on and took on the challenge with all his might. I swear every time I read that line something stirs inside of me. I feel like I want to jump up and fight someone.

   

  We need to start looking at the fears and roadblocks in our lives and take them on with gusto. We need to remember and believe the promises that God has given to us. The best source is the word! Here are a few passages that have helped me through the past few months of moving here to Florida. I’ve clung onto them when I am discouraged or afraid. God speaks to us so speak back! He’ll work it out. His plans are so great for you…

   

  Listen to that still small voice that is telling you:

   

  “I have greater plans for you, you will be bigger and better than you can ever imagine!”

   

  I hear that every day and I chose to believe it… and SO SHOULD YOU!

   

  God knows us like no other and he has plans for us that are unimaginable. We need to trust God and hold onto his promise of guidance:

   

  Deuteronomy 10:9

  Exodus 33:14

  Psalms 25

  Psalms 32:8-9

  Psalms 86:11-12

  Psalms 139

  Isaiah 43:18

  Isaiah 54

  Isaiah 61

  Jeremiah 1:4-10

  Jeremiah 29:11-14

  Hebrews 10:36

  Hebrews 12 1:3

   

  God has not given us a spirit of fear, so we need to grasp onto his promise of protection and provision:

   

  Deuteronomy 9:1-3

  Exodus 23:20-23

  Pslams 23

  Psalms 40:1-3

  Psalms 91

  Isaiah 41:10

  Isaiah 41: 17-20

  Isaiah 43:1-3

  Isaiah 44:1-3

  Matthew 6:25-34

  Matthew 7:7

  1 John 4:4

  Luke 9:23

  Luke 9:62

  Luke 11:9-11

  2 Thessalonians 3:3-5

   

   

   

  God teaches us through trials and tribulations hold onto the promise that there is a reason for the season:

   

  Deuteronomy 8

  James 1

  Isaiah 30:19-21

  Isaiah 48:10

  Isaiah 49:16

  Isaiah 52:1-3

   

   

   

   

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