Figure it out! – In His Word 1-23-2021
When should I do what God wants me
to do? How do I know if it's really me who He told to do it?
But
the end of all things is at hand; therefore, be serious and watchful in your
prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love
will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another without
grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks let him speak as the
oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which
God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to
whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11
In
case you cannot tell there has been a theme in these devotionals as well as in
our churches and services and Bible studies lately. We need to be at our
Father’s business!
God
has been speaking through many people to your heart and mind. He has been
telling you what He wants you to do with this life He has given you and now
that you know…what will you do with this great knowledge?
When
the Israelites were about to leave their forty years of lessons and punishments
while they wandered in the wilderness, God gave them a sudden change. He told
them that Moses would not be going with them.
This
would have worried many people who had only known Moses as their leader.
Imagine how fearful they must have felt, hearing that their Moses was not to go
to this land, but yet he was going to send them into it? God knew they would be
fearful and that is why He encouraged them not to be afraid, that He would
still be going with them.
“Be
strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord
your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake
you.” … Be strong and of good courage,
for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their
fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. “…He will not
leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:6-8
This was our first instruction to follow God not man! These people had seen the fire of God, the smoke of God, the Spirit of God was among them; yet they still leaned on Moses. They wanted a person they could touch and know that God was with that person and thus with them also, so God gave them Joshua.
He
reminds them of how much He has done for them and explains that it will
continue to be this way. God encouraged the people not to be afraid, but to
know that He is with them wherever they go.
He
wants you to know today that He is with you. He has not left you in the fire,
He has not left you in the sunshine and flowers, God is with you. He will not
leave you alone, He has set the course for you to follow.
He set
Israel up. He planned what they would do to conquer the lands He had promised
their ancestors. He even figured that they would need someone to lead them in
the flesh, in Human form eventually. So God sent Moses to rest and had Joshua
work with the people for a while. God told Moses and then Joshua what the
people were to do. Joshua told the people and God’s people did it.
Once
they knew what to do, they had to do it.
But I
say to you that for every idle word man may speak, they will give account of it
in the day of judgement. For by your words, you will be justified, and by your
words you will be condemned." Matt
12:36-37
The
Word of God says that we will be giving account for what we speak. I am sure
somewhere it says we are accountable for what we know. Once you know that Jesus
died for you, you have the choice of receiving it or rejecting Him. In that
same way once you know your purpose and God’s plan for you; you will either
accept it or reject it. That is basically it.
We
choose to follow God, but then we also are choosing to follow what He wants us
to do. If that means we are to go in and fight the Philistines of our lives, then
so be it. God did not send anyone into battle without going before them that
His plan would play through.
Then just
stop!
- Stop--Sitting around talking about
what God wants you to do but get up and do it!
- Stop--Waiting for God to push you out
the door to your house to go speak to the neighbors.
- Stop--Looking for a way out of it
because of fear!
You
know that is what stops most of us from doing what God wants us to do. We are
afraid that its just us, or we are afraid its too hard for us. Sometimes we are
even afraid that maybe God had pointed to the person next to us and we just
accidentally got in the way of their promise.
After all, if we don’t do it someone else will right?
Not
necessarily so! If you do not go to tell that person on the street corner that
Jesus died for him maybe no one else will?
Or maybe by the time the other person gets around to it the person will
have hardened his heart, or been through so much trauma that they are damaged
for life? Do you want that on your account? I sure don’t! I want to know that I
followed through on God’s plan for me!
We need to be sure that we are
speaking what God wants us to speak. We need to know that we have His Word in
our hearts and minds that when we open our mouth to speak to our neighbor that
it will come out. Let’s not waist time jesting and goofing around, there is
work to be done. There are so many lost and dying in our world, look around you
today and you will see at least one person you can speak to about the Lord. At
least one.
Maybe you had discovered that your
purpose was more of a quiet behind the scenes type of job, that’s okay there is
a way for you to break forth and accomplish ground for the Kingdom there too.
Just do it, don’t be afraid. That did not come from an athletics equipment
company it came first from God!
He
said do not be afraid I am with you. He told the Israelites twice in that short
span, do you think He does not know you are scared? But he has made it okay,
God knows and encourages you to know that He is with you wherever He is sending
you to go. Whatever He has asked you to do; if it is to lead a nation into the
Promised Land, or to teach a child to read. He is with you. He will not leave
you nor forsake you.
God
says that from here to there! Jesus told us the same thing; that He would not
leave us comfortless.
You
are stuck with God! He will go before you, and He will be behind you as well
pushing you along to be sure you get the job done! What a support team! Let’s
get moving and stop wandering in the desert!
Heavenly
Father, thank you for taking me out of the desert and placing me in my Promised
Land. Lord I thank you today for directing me in where You want me to go and
for giving me a servents heart. I ask that you continually encourage me to do
Your will and not my own each day that I may do the things I should and not the
things I should not. Help me to redeem the time, today and tomorrow knowing
that You are with me in all that I do. In Jesus name, amen.
As I
live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess
to God." So, then each of us shall give account of
himself to God. Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather
resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's
way. Romans 14:11-13
Suggested
Readings for this week;
Monday:
1 Peter 4-all
Tuesday: Peter 5-all
Wednesday:
Luke 16-all
Thursday:
John 14:19-31
Friday:
Romans 14-all
Weekend readings: Deuteronomy 31-32-all
***If
for any reason you choose ever not to receive this devotion again please
remember that all it takes is replying with a "Please remove me from this
list." I do ask that if there is a problem with anything I write for you
to feel free to write me back and let me know what the problem was, that we
might go over it together and seek the truth in love.
In His
love,
Teresa
M. Wilson