Decisions without Regret

As much as the Word of God applies to every aspect of my life, there are times when I have to make a decision without a clear direction from what His Word says. That lack of clarity can cause a great deal of anxiety. If you've ever been there, you know what I'm talking about. Maybe it was a decision about a job, buying a house, or moving to another city. Whatever it is, there just doesn't seem to be a scripture that points one way or the other. Or, perhaps different scriptures seem to support different decisions. Either way, the resulting confusion can test our faith in ways we are not used to.

Paul's comments in 1 Corinthians 7:25 and again in verse 40 give us hope that if we seek God in these moments, He will guide us in His mercy by His Spirit. When I have no clarity about what I should do in a given situation, I can trust that the mercy of the Lord will lead me to make a decision that will not displease Him. That doesn't mean I will always make the best decision, but if I seek the Lord's guidance, I can rely on the fact that His mercy will not allow me to make a decision that displeases Him. Verse 38 says it's possible to do the right thing, but it's also possible to do even better. So, the decision I make may not be the best one, but I can live with that as long as I know it's a decision that did not displease the Lord. That assurance brings me peace so I can make those decisions without regret.

Built and Planted

In Jeremiah 42:10, the Lord says that He will build His people up and plant them if they just obey. That sounds simple enough and should give us reason to hope in His blessing, but think about what it means to be built up and planted. When a house is built, the wood has to be measured and cut. Then the wood is joined together with hammer and nails. Cutting, hammering, and nailing all sound pretty painful, but it is necessary for the house to be bulit. And what about planting? You can't just put a seed on top of the soil or else the birds will devour it. You must break the ground, clear the stones away, and bury the seed. That takes work and the fruit of that effort may not be readily visible for some time. If you're following the Lord with all your heart and you find yourself going through some pain or being broken, rejoice! For the Lord is building you up and planting you so that you may flourish in His courts! Let the wood be cut, let the stones be cleared away.

Man on Fire

Moses was drawn to holy ground because he saw a burning bush, yet the fire did not consume it. Once there, he heard the voice of God and knew without a doubt that He is the great I AM. 1 Corinthians 3 says that Christ is the foundation and we are God's building. This chapter also says that what has been built will be tested with fire. If we surrender to GOD and let HIM build us into who HE wants us to be, the fire will only refine us. But, if WE build OURSELVES into who WE think God would have us be, then what we have built will be consumed by the fire. Make no mistake, fire will come to each of us. You may be on fire right now. The question is not whether the fire will come, the question is what will happen WHEN the fire comes. Will you be destroyed by it or will others see the fire in your life and be drawn to holy ground because you are not consumed by it? Are you letting God build you into who He wants you to be so that you can pass through the test of fire? Fire burns and we would prefer to avoid it, but we can rejoice in knowing that the fire we are tested by may be the burning bush that draws others to holy ground where they may hear the voice of God and see that He truly is the great I AM.

Frustration By Design

Have you ever been frustrated that you’re not seeing “the promises of God” in your life? You’ve been following after Him with all your heart, but you just don’t see the evidence of it in the things surrounding your life. No matter what you do you feel more like a survivor than a conqueror? Take heart because the frustration you feel is by God’s design.

Romans 8:18-21 says the creation (us) has been subjected to this frustration in order to be free from bondage so that His glory may be revealed in us. Anytime we are frustrated it is because things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to or thought that they would. We base our expectation on what we see and understand, so when something doesn’t work out like we thought it would we become frustrated because we don’t understand it. It’s that type of bondage or dependence on our own understanding that God wants to free us from. That’s why He designs the frustration for our benefit so we come to a point where we say, “God, I just don’t understand.” That’s why He says in Proverbs 3:5 to not trust in your own understanding, but to trust in Him with all your heart.

If we could get by and get through based on our own understanding, where would our faith be? Faith is not believing in what you see and understand. Faith is believing in what you don’t see and can’t understand. Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it’s impossible to please God. Times of frustration bring us to the point where we have to throw our hands up and say, “I just don’t get it, God.” Here is where our faith takes hold. We must be willing to say, “I don’t get it, but I trust you, Lord.” When we can learn to trust in the Lord, even when we don’t understand what’s happening around us, then His glory can be revealed through us.

If you are frustrated right now because you have followed the Lord, yet you don’t see the promised results in your life, rejoice! The frustration you feel may be the Lord’s way of telling you to let go of your own understanding and trust in Him with all your heart. Do that and then wait for His glory to be revealed through you.

Sickness Is A Lie, Stop Believing It

Sickness is a lie and attack of the enemy. I’m not saying that people don’t get truly sick and even die, but it’s a lie that your body has to go through sickness at all. Romans 8:11 says that if the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in you then He will also give life to your mortal body for the glory of Jesus.

To think that God uses sickness to teach us humility or anything else is to not understand the character and love of God and it causes you to miss the power of God in you. Don’t point to Paul’s “thorn” and say that it’s God’s way of teaching us that we must suffer in order to see that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Paul, himself, calls it a messenger from Satan sent to torment him. Instead, see it as God’s way of taking something the enemy meant for bad and doing something good with it so He would be honored. In Romans 8:28 this same Paul writes that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Though the devil may have intended to discourage Paul and keep him from completing his mission by tormenting him, God has used it countless times to encourage His people who are going through something where they need to be reminded of His grace that covers them.

The point is, don’t accept sickness as a given part of our human experience. Stop saying, “The Lord is trying to teach me something through all this suffering.” That’s just plain nonsense! Jesus came to heal the sick as part of His ministry and mission because He is so against it. Sickness in our mortal bodies was never part of God’s plan for us.
If you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then the Spirit who raised Him from the dead is in you. The Spirit takes from what is Christ’s and makes it known to us so that He is glorified (John 16:14-16). Moreover, as co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), we can take from what is His (now ours) and make it known to others who are sick so He may be glorified. Reject sickness, accept life, and make His name known among those who are sick. Proclaiming freedom from sickness is not just our right, it is our responsibility as children of the Most High God. As Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Hidden Away

Do you know what great thing God would have you do for Him? Are you frustrated because you know what you want to do - even what He would have you do - but, it just seems so far away? Take courage, because you are not alone.

Consider some of the people in the Bible whom God used to do great things. There is a common element in the lives of these people. Before Joseph was made second in command over Egypt, he was hidden away in a dungeon. Before Moses led the people out of bondage, he was hidden away in the desert. Before David killed the giant, he was hidden away in a shepherd's field. In the New Testament, after Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was hidden away for three years in the wilderness until he emerged as Paul and became the greatest evangelist who ever lived. Even after Jesus was baptized by John, He was hidden away for 40 days in the wilderness until He began His public ministry. Have you figured it out, yet? The common theme here is that before God uses us to do great things, He will hide us away. The hiding is for our benefit. Each of the people mentioned above learned absolute dependence on God during their time in hiding. Each learned to hear the voice of God.

You may know what you're supposed to do, but it can seem so far away. It's possible that God is hiding you right now to prepare you for the race you will run for Him. Instead of letting the enemy frustrate you during this time of waiting and preparation, rejoice that the Lord is giving you time to learn what it means to be completely surrendered to Him. You are a light and He will not hide you away forever. He will place you on a lamp stand so the light of Christ's love can shine through you.