Thou Preparest a Table Before Me

Psalm 23:5--Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
In our previous studies, we have been talking about walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  If you are a committed Christian, and your are walking with Jesus just as close as you can, junk still comes your way, doesn't it.  Joseph wasn't doing anything wrong, yet his brothers sold him into slavery and then lied about it to their father.  Peter was just preaching away and following Jesus just as hard as he could, yet he got thrown into jail.  David was listening to God and being just as obedient as he could.  He was faithful and obedient to King Saul.  He was a good military commander.  He was anointed to sing and would sing for King Saul when the evil spirit troubled him,  Yet, King Saul tried to kill him and David had to run to a cave for fear of his life.
It's times like these when we ask ourselves the question, "What did  I do to deserve this?"  The answer is a little different than you have probably thought about before.  Are you ready for this?  The truth is, you didn't deserve the valley.  However, you do deserve the prepared table in the presence of your enemies.  If you will read 1 Cor. 10:13, you'll find out that God allows things to happen in the lives of His devoted followers.  If you will read Rom 8:28--And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.  Paul wrote both of these scriptures.  All Paul did was walk as close to Jesus as he possibly could and do everything that Jesus asked of him.  Yet, he was shipwrecked a couple of times, put in jail a lot, beaten and run out of town.  But, in all of these events, he was able to say, "I know that the God that I serve will work this for my good."
Even though Paul went through a lot, he won many, many people to Christ and established church after church after church.  The words that he wrote to several churches are still being read from pulpits today and the same convicting power is turning sin-hardened lives into loving Christians.  He stayed in Corinth for a year and a half until the religious rulers kicked him out.  Two great letters are in the New Testament today.  He was illegally beaten and put in jail in Phillipi, yet one of the greatest letters of the New Testament was written to them by Paul.
Sometimes when the valley hurts a lot, and it looks like nothing good will ever come, we have to pull ourselves together to remember the promise.  God is preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies.  I know by personal experience that it is hard to do.  BUT, if we could look over the pain of the moment and look more to Jesus and His unfailing love, we would be able to see Him working "all things" together for our good.  He brought us to this place, allowed this junk to come our way specifically to turn this junk into treasure.  
While Joseph was a slave and then a prisoner, God was busy working it for the good of his entire family.  When God finally promoted Joseph to second in command and he got married to Pharaoh's daughter, how do you think Potiphar's wife (his accuser) felt?  How do you think his brothers felt when he finally revealed himself to them?  As much as they worked against Joseph, his enemies saw God prepare a table before Joseph that they could not stop.  
Herod thought he had Peter stopped and was fixing to be dead in his tracks.  He had Peter put in jail and chained between two soldiers.  However, in this valley, God brought His people into a deeper realm of prayer than they had ever been before.  Herod, the army, the jail, nor the guards could stop God from preparing a table before Peter in their presence.  God made Peter's enemies look like kindergarten children instead of grown-ups.
David did everything to please King Saul that he could, yet was treated like a law breaker.  No matter what King Saul tried to do against David, God's hand would only allow him to go so far.  Even when Saul was trying to kill David, the news kept coming back to him that David was doing good deeds and that people were thronging to him.  The blessing of God on David's life haunted King Saul the rest of his life.  David was blessed while King Saul lived and died under the curse.
Keep holding on to the promises of God.  As I have said before, spend some  time falling more in love with Jesus than ever before.  He has every intention of preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies.  He has every intention of turning your adverse circumstances into a blessing for YOU.  When it's all over and God shows up like He promised, you will be able to testify to your children, "Surely goodness and mercy has followed me all the days of my life.  It didn't start off that way, but by His grace and mercy, that's how it ended up."
Much love in Jesus.  Pass it on.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 6

I have prayed much about what to write next.  Many thoughts of encouragement have filled my heart.  I have taken many, many notes in my personal diary.  But, as I rose to prayer this morning, some final thoughts concerning the verse Psalm 23:4--Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. came to me.  Indeed there are many words of comfort and encouragement that have been written concerning this passage that have real relevance to our lives.  However, if you keep these following thoughts in the forefront of your walk with Him through this valley, you will find your walk more pleasant and your ability to endure a lot stronger.

1.  It's not as important to know where you are going as it to know Who the shepherd is.  If you find yourself in tough situations that are not of your own making then please understand that you are not the Shepherd.  He, obviously, brought you into this valley and He will bring you out.  That's why the verse says His staff will comfort me.  In the tough situations you have got to trust in a tougher Shepherd Who is carrying a tougher staff.  The children of Israel did not understand why they had to face things in the wilderness.  But, the ones that knew and trusted the Shepherd made it to the promised land.  After all, that's where He said He was going to take them.

2.  We have got to dig down within ourselves and learn how to love and trust our Shepherd more than we do anyone else.  I am going to say something that sounds harsh and demeaning but be patient and think about it for a moment and you'll see the wisdom.  You need to learn how to love and trust our Shepherd more than you love and trust your spouse and your pastor.  Again, I am not putting either of these down or asking you to love and trust them less.  But, neither one of them led you into this valley and chances are neither one of them know exactly  how to get out.  Our Shepherd does.  It was His love for us that brought us to this particular place on this particular day.  Even though things seem hard, His great love for us remains constant.  Everyone of us have heard that thousands of times.  Even though we have heard it over and over again, if we do not take time to fall deeper in love with our Shepherd, we will never develop the strength to walk with Him out of this valley.  Please, please, please try this ONE thing.  Take some very important time out of every day and make it a point to fall deeper in love with Him than you have ever been.  Take time to fall deeper into His love than you have ever been.  There can be joy in the valley of the shadow of death.  That joy can be found in His love that overrides all of the sorrow that the valley is bringing you right now.

3.  God hammered this home to me yesterday.  Our lives are filled with divine appointments.  Every one of us have experienced times when someone has crossed our paths and given us a word of encouragement that changed our direction.  Situations beyond our control and comprehension have "all of a sudden" appeared that have blessed us beyond belief.  Even in this valley, we will meet people that either encourage us or we can encourage them.  Right now, you might be needing some encouragement or you might be waiting on a move of God like I am.  But, has it ever dawned on you that, right here in this valley, and even today, you might come across someone that you could encourage with a word or action.  These are not coincidences.  These are divine appointments designed by our Shepherd.  He not only divinely appointed someone to help us, but He also divinely appointed us to encourage someone else.  When He hammered that home to me, my immediate prayer was, "God, help me to be the obedient sheep and not the aggravating goat today."  

In closing, I know that I need a "God thing" in this valley I am going through.  I need to also understand that He probably has an appointment for me in this valley to help someone else.  Instead of looking  and longing for the way out, my prayer now is "Lord, who can I help to come out with me."  Spend some time loving on Jesus today.  The strength and understanding that you receive from Him will probably help you in your next appointment.

If this blessed you.  Don't just keep it.  Pass it on.  There might be a divine appointment ahead from someone who doesn't even know that this blog exists.  This blog ONLY exists to bless others.  Much love in Jesus, Henry

Where is God Taking Me? Part 5

Let's recap what we have already discussed before we go on with today's lesson.  In the 23rd Psalm, we know that God is leading us on a pathway that He deems the right way for us to go.  I know it doesn't look like it.  We have to keep in mind that this right pathway is for His name's sake and not ours.  We know that this pathway LOOKS like it has taken us to a place of cursing and not blessing.  We learned last time that what we face can, often times, stir us to fear instead of faith. These times of "it doesn't look like" are the times that we have to confess, "I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." 
The question arises, why would God, if He is a righteous God at all, lead us into a place that looks like it is so very, very, wrong?  Why would He lead us into places where it FEELS like He is not answering prayer?  These are valid questions.  And, if these things are happening to you right now, or you have gone through them before, please understand this one important point.  God loves you and has so much faith in you that He has brought you to the place of "it doesn't look like."  Remember what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31--
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat:
Vs 32--But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. He was telling Peter that God was leading him into a valley of the shadow of death.  But, He said that He was praying for Peter that HIS FAITH WOULD NOT FAIL.  There were some things in Peter that needed sifting through the process of trials and temptations. 
The next part of Psalm 23 says I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Yes, evil will come and look like it's going to whip me but it doesn't mean that God has left me.  David said that God's rod and His staff would comfort him.  The staff of God is that long stick with the curved end you always see the shepherds holding.  That staff is for pulling wayward sheep back onto the correct path when they begin to stray.  In essence, David was saying, "I am ONLY traveling through this valley because YOU have brought me here and YOUR divine will for me is going to bring me out."  God will never bring you to a place that He cannot show His mighty power and strength to deliver you.  You are in this valley because God is allowing the enemy to "sift" some things out of your life. 
Remember, the precious metals of gold and silver cannot reach their purest and most valuable potential until they go through the fire. This is why we go through these things.  It's not because God is mad at us.  On the contrary, it's because He loves us very dearly.  It's because of His great love that He brought us to this place.  He sees more in us than we, or anyone else sees.  There are precious virtues in us that God longs to bring out in us.  Not because He's a mean old God but because when those precious virtues are uncovered through the fiery trial, you and everybody else is going to see what God has seen in you all of the time.  The reason you are here in this valley is because God sees good stuff in you that He wants everybody else to see.
Let me challenge you to read 1 Samuel 16 in this light.  When God had rejected Saul from being king of Israel, He gave specific instructions to the prophet Samuel to go to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse and anoint a new king.  When Samuel got to Jesse's house, he said for Jesse to bring all of his sons so he could sanctify them.  He was going to anoint one of them to be the next king of Israel.  You know the story, but listen to this.  Jesse and his sons left David in the field tending to the sheep.  Why?  Because, they did not see in David ANY kingly attributes at all.  God had spoken to Samuel before he had ever left to go on his journey (verse 1) for I have provided me a king among his sons.  God had seen something in the youngest son of Jesse that He loved very dearly.  Nobody who looked on the outside could see what God ever saw on the inside.  It took the valley of the shadow of death for God to bring the precious metals out in David. 
He had the utmost faith in David that David was more than enough to go through the fiery trial.  Please understand that God loves you and knows what is lying dormant in you.  In this valley, He is trying to bring the precious metals in you to the surface.  Love on Him today and allow Him to work His will in you.  Walk without fear because you know that there is a good end in store for you.
If this has helped you in any way, please pass it on.  You'll never know who needs a word of encouragement.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 4

We have been dealing with the 23rd Psalm.  Today, let's look at a phrase in the 4th verse that says "I will fear no evil:"  Fear is something that everyone has to deal with.  Some people are absolutely captured by fear.  Some people aren't bothered by it.  If you don't have any fear right at this present moment, just turn on any of the news channels on TV and you'll get a good dose of it.
It has been used from the pulpit many times that the word fear is an an acronym for the phrase "False Evidence Appearing Real."  Satan always uses false evidence to stir feelings of doubt and fear in all of us.  A good strong dose of faith in the Word of God and a strong love walk with Jesus Christ will destroy any particle of fear we face. 
But, how does fear get such a strong hold on everyone, even Christians.  The answer is, we are trained to fear.  Let me tell you a very amusing story on myself.  Now, ladies and gentlemen, don't even start thinking that Bro. Henry sure is dumb.  I am going to share with you how I LEARNED to fear.  If you will think back on your life, you will be able to relate just how you LEARNED to fear.  It probably won't be the same way I did, the the process is the same. 
Back when I was about 10 or 11 years old, there was a program on TV called Shock Theater.  It came on every Friday night at 11:30 after the news.  I begged my parents to let me watch it.  They agreed under the following conditions.  I had to turn the volume low enough not to keep everyone else awake and I had to turn all of the other lights out to conserve electricity.  I agreed and every Friday night found me sitting on the couch in the dark except for the TV, watching scary movies until the test pattern came on.  All of us know that none of the junk on any horror movie is real.  Vampires do not go around at night sucking blood from people and turning them into vampires.  There are no 50' tall hairy-legged spiders destroying large cities.  Nobody starts growing hair on the full moon and is compelled to kill people and things at midnight.  We all know these things are FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.  However, this false evidence not only came through my eyes into my brains, but the EMOTION of fear caused my thought processes to produce scenarios that were just as FALSE as what I saw on TV.  I saw on TV bad stuff happening to people on TV, but the EMOTION OF FEAR began to play havoc with my imagination.
Get ready to be amused and at the same time see a picture of yourself.
Well, when the test pattern came on after the movie was over, the EMOTION OF FEAR kicked into high gear.  Thoughts of "what if" began to take over my actions.  "What if" something "gets" me when I turn the lights off.  Here's the scenario that was played out EVERY time I watched those movies.  I knew I had to go to bed which was down the hall and the second door on the right.  Before I turned the TV off, I walked towards the kitchen to turn it's light on.  By the way, the switch was around the corner IN THE DARK.  I didn't want that hairy-legged spider which was always there to jump on my hand and bite me with it's poison, so I "swooshed" my hand quickly by the switch to turn it on.  Then, I would walk over to the TV and turn it off.  I would walk down the hall and turn the hall light on and walk back to the kitchen where I could bravely turn the light off because the hairy-legged spider was afraid of the light.  I would open my bedroom door so the light from the hall could come in and scare away all of the boogers from the light switch in my bedroom.  I would turn off the light in the hallway and take two steps to the light switch in my bedroom.  Since I slept on the top bunk, I would put one foot on the end railing and grab the top railing with my right hand.  With my left hand, I would turn out the light.  Then it was over the end of the bunk and under the covers before the light faded because everyone knows that boogers can't get you when you are under the covers.
Now, that's funny.  It is to me, at least.  I had NO concrete evidence that any of that would happen.  It was all in my head.  It was my thoughts running amok about something my eyes had seen and deposited into my brain.  If you think long enough, you will be able to come up with some by-gone experiences that caused you to allow fear to run rampant in your own mind.  That's the job of the enemy.  He presents us with FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL.  That's all he has to do.  And, believe me, we--even us Christians--do the rest.  We imagine ourselves right out of the love and providence of the Almighty Redeemer.
Did you notice that the hairy-legged spider was afraid of the light?  Our enemy is the same way.  If the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ gets turned on in our lives, satan does not stand a chance at defeating us.  The Apostle Paul said it this way 2 Cor 10:5-Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  Paul faced more "fearful" situations than any of us will ever face.  But, he had learned the secret of successful soul-winning.  It was "casting down imaginations."  Casting down---that sounds somewhat violent, doesn't it?  That's exactly what a successful soul-winner will do.  VIOLENTLY take that ungodly fear and contradiction of the Word of Almighty God and CAST it down and stomp it until it has no more rule over your thought processes.  Then replace it with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and begin a new meditation process.  One that is based on truth and love.
I'll deal more with these thoughts on the next blog.  In the meantime, if you have enjoyed this one, please pass it on.  You have no idea who needs it next.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 3

A subtitle to today's blog could be--Who's Responsibility Is It Anyway?  If we have heard the voice of our Shepherd, if we are following hard after Him, if we acknowledge the fact the He is leading us in a path that HE deems the right path for us to be on, then we must fully trust in the fact that it is HIS responsibility to bring us out.  How many times do we fret, cry, get angry and throw down our cross because WE can't figure someway out of what God has lead us into.  The times that frustrate us the most are the times we should be "snuggling" with the Shepherd and not worrying our small, finite brains into fritters. 
1 John 4:16--And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love;  Do you know who wrote this passage of scripture?  The guy the Romans tried to boil in oil.  He couldn't die so they sent him to a place where he wrote the book of Revelation.  John the Beloved, knew and believed the love that God had for him when they were pouring the oil into the cauldron he was about to be put in.  As he watched them build the fire under it, he still knew and believed that God loved him more than he could imagine.  Loving God got him to that point in his life and loving God took him THROUGH it.  Let me repeat the phrase I used in my last blog.  God, who loves me more than I can understand, has a plan for me greater than I can imagine, that will bring more glory to HIS name than I could ever do myself.  The highest form of praise that I could give to God, is to, gracefully, walk with Him through this valley until He works out His purpose in me.
It wasn't the dreams from God that Joseph had that got him into trouble.  It wasn't because he told his family that got him into trouble.  It was his jealous, backslidden brothers and their anger.  God had a greater purpose in getting Joseph to Egypt.  You don't think Joseph would go there by himself, do you?  What if God said to Joseph, "Joseph, my son, my son.  Leave your family and go down to Egypt.  There you must sell yourself to be a slave  to one named Potiphar.  Yea, verily, his wife shall lie about you and you shall be cast into prison for several years., from whence I shall raise you up."  God worked the jealousy of the brothers until HIS will was accomplished.
Let's take a step deeper into faith and God's sovereignty.m m Now, trust me, this is going to be a stretch for you.  When did God give the dream to Pharoah that brought Joseph out of prison and into God's promotion?  When did God open the Red Sea and destroy the entire Egyptian army?  Natural reasoning might say that these two incidents were several hundred years apart.  What do I believe?  Well, I'm glad you asked because I was going to tell you anyway.  In Luke 14, Jesus talks about counting the cost before you go about your business.  We all know those words to be wise whether you are a saint or a sinner.  But, don't you think that God practices what He preaches?  I do.  OK.  Get ready for the stretch.  But, before you dismiss it as junk, meditate on it first.  I believe that Pharoah's dream, and the drama at the Red Sea were originated the very day that Abraham believed God's Word in Gen 15:13--And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;  Verse 14--And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. God, accurately foretold the valley and He also, accurately foretold the abundance that He had planned.  It was NOT the Hebrew's responsibility to bring them out.  It was God's because it was God's plan for them.  It was their responsibility to believe and praise Him for His answer even when they did not know what the answer would be.
As a side note, parents and grandparents--I, also believe, that our faith or the lack thereof will have a direct impact on our descendants.  I choose to have my faith impact them and not my backslidden doubt.
God has a plan for me in this valley.  I renounce my citizenship in the country of doubt and fear and I seek to join the heroes of faith to boldly declare---God is still God and His Word is still true. 
If you have enjoyed this, please pass it on.  You'll never know who might be struggling in their valley right now.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 2

Psalm 23:4--Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

On my last blog, I talked about the 'path of righteousness' that God leads us on. As we listen to the voice of the Shepherd, sometimes some crazy stuff can happen.  I head Dr. Charles Stanley teach it this way.  The things that look unreasonable to man are VERY reasonable to God.  While praying about the blog this morning, this is the way God placed it into my spirit. 

God, who loves me more than I can understand, has a plan for me greater than I can imagine, that will bring more glory to His name than I could ever do myself.  The highest form of praise that we could give to God is to, gracefully, walk with HIM through this valley until HE works out his purpose in us.

Look at Joseph.  It seemed totally unreasonable for a righteous God to allow his jealous older brothers to sell him to the Midianites and tell his father that he had been killed.  Yet, when Joseph became a slave to Potiphar, he worked with the grace of God in his life and was promoted.  It seemed totally unreasonable for God to let Potiphar's wife lie about him and have him thrown in jail.  But, Joseph worked with the grace of God in his life and people took notice.  You know the story.  In one day, Joseph was promoted, by God's divine providence, to the second most powerful (and richest) man in all of Egypt.  Joseph could have NEVER brown-nosed his way into a promotion like that.  In Gen 50:20, he explained it to his brothers like this--But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive. All through those unreasonable years, God had a higher plan.  Even though Joseph could not see it, he went through that valley of the shadow of death, hand in hand with the Jehovah Jireh, the Great Provider.  God worked the unreasonable things he went through into a great blessing to his family.  God's plan was the reasonable thing to do after all.

Look at Lazarus.  It seemed unreasonable for Jesus to stay where He was for a couple of days while his best friend was dying.  Mary and Martha were going through an extremely rough time and it SEEMED like Jesus didn't care as much as He said that He did.  However, when He did show up, He got right down to business and showed to the doubting, jeering crowd that He was the Resurrection and the Life.  Tears turned into shouts of joy and praise.  Doubts were replaced by faith.  Because of a plan greater than he could imagine, Lazarus was able to reach a lot of his friends that he would have never been able to reach had he remained alive and well.  As a matter of fact, he turned so many Jews to Jesus, that the religious idiots, oh, excuse me, 'rulers' of the day looked for ways to kill him, too.  I say, come on, Jesus, come on.  Whatever plan you have for me, let's get on with it.  An unbridled outpouring of His salvation presence is worth the wait.

I don't have room, but think about what Jesus and the apostle Paul went through.  It seems unreasonable that good and Godly men who went about doing good should have to be put through what they went through.  However, God, who is smarter than we are, knew that the best way to reach millions of people was to bring them THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death.  They knew to 'fear no evil.'  Why, because they knew that God had something greater than their circumstances on His mind.  That was the 'comfort' they walked in.  God was still on His throne.  When it looked like everything was getting out of hand,  God showed that everything was working out the way He planned it.

God is always taking his faithful people somewhere.  We're not just wandering around in the valley of the shadow of death.  There IS a plan and a purpose for what we are going through..  It is greater that anything we can imagine.  And, it will take us to places in God that we could never get to ourselves.  Again, the highest form of praise that we could give to God is to, gracefully, walk with HIM through this valley until HE works out HIS purpose in us.  Most important of all.  There are souls at stake.  Please, let's don't quit in the middle of the valley.  Keep praising on, my friend.  If you enjoyed this.  Pass it on.

Where is God Taking Me? Part 1

Psalm 23:1-The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.  Oh, yeah, then where is my Shepherd taking me?  Why does the path that I am on not seem to be headed in the right direction?  These are good and valid questions.  However, to get an answer to those, you have first got to answer this question.  Is God my Shepherd?  Most of us are quick to say 'Yes.'  Jesus said in John 10:27--My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  If we are His sheep, then His sheep know His voice.  Have you heard God say something to you today, or even lately?  Now don't go rattling off all of the things that you do in church or the fancy-schmancy position you might have.  Take a moment to read Phil 3:3-8.  Paul rattles off all of the things that USED to be important to him when he was a CHURCH MEMBER.  But verse eight says--Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:   In verses three thru seven, Paul relates all the THINGS that made him feel important in the church.  And, we do the same thing.  We put positions ahead of an up to date relationship with Jesus Christ.  Listen carefully.  IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO HEAR THE SHEPHERD'S VOICE THAN IT IS TO HAVE ANY POSITION IN ANY CHURCH. 

Oh, yeah?  Well, the path I am on right now doesn't make any sense.  Further down it talks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  I will deal with that on my next blog.  Right now, let's look at verse three--He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Let's also look at Jer.29:11--For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Isaiah 55:9--For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. The Hebrew word "thoughts" also means "plans."  So, Jer 29:11 tells us that God has plans to do us good.  Isa 55:9 says that His plans are greater than ours. 

Let's notice Psalm 23:3 again but with a different emphasis.  He leads me in paths of RIGHTEOUSNESS.  The Hebrew word righteous means --that which is right.  Even though we do not understand why we go through some things, we need to trust our Shepherd that this is the "right" place to be at the "right" time.  Also notice the next portion of verse three--for HIS name's sake.  If you are His sheep and you are following hard after Him, you have to trust that He has you right where you are right now for His purpose and not necessarily yours.  Listen, His faith in you is why you are "right here, right now."  Look around.  Someone walking with you needs help.  Someone around you needs an answer that maybe only you can give.  Someone watching you needs an example to follow.  Are you going to accept God's will and march through the situation bravely until He brings you out?  Or, are you going to wimp out by griping and complaining?  Does that soul that was searching for an answer and looking to you as an example of a Christian give up on Jesus or give in to Him?  Have we acted like His sheep or like one of Satan's goats?  We're all going to stand before Jesus one day.  After He opens the book of Life to find our name, He's going to open up the book of works.  Enough said.

Let's look at the lives of some of our heroes of faith.  Joseph. the favorite son of Jacob did not deserve to be sold as a slave and taken away from his family.  When he served Potiphar as a Godly man should, he did not deserve to be lied about and thrown into prison.  In everything that happened to Joseph, he firmly believed what he told his brothers in Gen 50:20--But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive. Here again, the words "thought" and "meant" are the Hebrew word for "plan."  Sometimes, people PLAN junk against us and we wonder why God let bad stuff happen to good people.  That's because He has the ULTIMATE plan in mind for us.  If we can just stay close enough to hear his voice to know that we are on the right track, God will take what's happening to us and "work" it out for our good, Rom 8:28. 

Now, who said that?  Paul did.  In 2 Cor 23-30, he lists all the things that God brought him through for the cause of the gospel.  He never, never, never deserved the things that he went through.  But he had an up to date experience with Jesus Christ and knew that he was right where God wanted him and doing exactly what God wanted him to do.  Remember, no one outside of Jesus Christ has done more to spread the gospel and reach the lost than the apostle Paul.  Through the letters God had him write, people are still getting saved and churches are being built.  He heard from the Shepherd and that's what it is all about.  If this has helped you, pass it on.  Someone else you know needs it, too.

What is God Doing?

Yes, it's been a couple of months since I last posted.  If you have followed many of the previous posts, you might remember that I have been praying for an unbridled revival.  As a matter of fact, I have been praying for an all out move of God's Holy Spirit for close to eight years.  God began getting me up at 4:30 a.m. and a couple of times at 3:30 a.m. just to pray and seek Him for revival.  So, where is this revival and where is this mighty move of God?  That's a good question.  The only answer I can come up with is----it's coming.

I have had two of the hardest, darkest months I could ever remember.  God seems so far away at times.  There is no outward evidence of answered prayer.  Have you ever wondered like I do---What is God doing? 

Did you know that between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew was a long dry period of about four hundred years?  No prophets prophesied, there were no open visions.  There was no mighty move of God or even a small move of God.  What was God doing? 

Around 334 B.C., Alexander the Great began to conquer that part of the world.  He took slaves of the cities and nations he conquered and made them soldiers.  Since almost every place he conquered spoke a different language, he made all the countries learn to speak Greek.  That way, he and his troops could easily communicate with the conquered nations.  Around 264 B.C., the Romans began their conquest of the Mediterranean World.  To better facilitate their ability to conquer and control these areas, they built roads.  The original intent was to make their own progress to the conquered areas easier.  They not only built them, but they maintained and guarded them.  Keep in mind that the Roman rule did not end until around 450 A.D.  That's a long time.  I'll get back to that.

So, here's the picture of the land of Israel.  They were conquered by two armies.  Some of them were made slaves.  They all had to pay taxes.  They were no longer free.  So, where was God all of this time?  I am sure that Godly people prayed.  I am sure that they were hurting and needed deliverance.  Yet, for four hundred years, it seemed that heaven was shut up and God had gone on an extended vacation.  Have you ever felt like that?

Here's the rest of the story.  Just before He ascended, Jesus gave this command in Acts 1:8-But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Because of Alexander the Great, His disciples could easily spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Everybody spoke Greek.  Communication was no problem.  Because of the Romans, they had easy access to travel.  Remember, the Romans not only built them, but maintained and guarded them, also.  The early Christians enjoyed four hundred years of safe travel to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.  And the Romans thought that God's people were their slaves.  No, No, No, No, No!  On the contrary, the Romans did just what God wanted them to do.  They thought they were conquerors but they were actually slaves to a Sovereign God.  The Romans didn't have a plan.  It was God's plan all along.

What was God doing during the silent years from Malachi to Matthew?  He was busy getting the area ready for HIS PLAN.  What was God doing when He let Joseph be taken as a slave to Egypt?  He was busy getting Joseph and Egypt ready for HIS PLAN.  What was God doing while the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for four hundred years.  He was busy making Canaan land fertile and prosperous for HIS PLAN that He had spoken to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What is God doing when it's all quiet on the Heaven front?  He's busy doing exactly what He said He would do.  He hasn't forgotten any one.  He hasn't forgotten His Word.  Instead of looking at how bad it is now, let's set our hopes and dreams on His Word.  Let's give Him praise in advance for what we KNOW He is working on for us right now.  He's got a plan and it's a doozey. Pass this word along, will you?