A Present Help Part 3

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we see another instance where God got to the crisis in a persons life before their crisis got to them.

In this passage the Lord speaks to Elijah and tells him to go and meet with a widow in Zarephath. Now let me stop for just one minute just to reassure you that God does still speak today. Just yesterday the Lord spoke to me and told me to go see a person at a particular place. When I arrived I was welcomed, I had not idea what this person was carrying such a heavy burden and felt all alone. We talked, shared and prayed before I left. It appeared the person was greatly encourages when I left. 

Let me ask you a question? What would have happened had I not listened, and not obeyed? The person would still be discouraged and questioning a lot of things., right?

He was a widow who was down on life. She was in a bad place. She and her son were getting ready to die, but God got there first.

 

You may feel like this woman or the person I visited with yesterday. But you should know God is able to outrun your circumstance.

The great thing about serving God is:

·        You are never placed on a waiting list

·        You are never told that God cannot not see you now

·        You are never told that the best you can possibly expect is to be put on cancelation call list.

·        God’s response to us is immediate

God ran towards this woman and used a man by the name of Elijah to bring provision to her household. But notice this key principle. She had to obey.

 

Over and over I could show you where God got there first. God ran towards the Hebrew children, He ran towards Daniel in den full of lions, He ran towards Mordecai, he reached the Jew before Haman’s assassins could hang him from the gallows.

The prodigal had man’s company on his way to a far country but he had God’s company on the return trip. People flocked around him to help him spend his money but when he landed in a pig pen they deserted him. But the father saw him when he was in rags and poverty and the scripture says HE RAN TOWARDS HIM!  That my friends is the God we serve.

God Himself is running towards someone today.

He got to baby Moses before death could cheat him of his life. He ran to Joshua when he needed more time to win the battle and caused the sun to stand still.

Over and over God has ran towards His children and He will do it again. He will do it for you today if you will allow him.

Present Help Part 2

God was a lot quicker reaching Jonah than Jonah was in expressing a willingness to go God’s way.

Jeremiah said, God has a plan for our lives. But Jonah wanted no part and ran away from God’s will for his life. He wanted to get as far away as money and a passenger ship could take him, and he ran in to trouble. This could perhaps have been Jonah’s last opportunity. The opportunity some of you are being given could be your last opportunity so make the best of it. (Jonah 2:1) Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly.

Prayer has been offered from many strange places under strange circumstances. If we had to wait until we could get to church to pray a lot of us would have never made it. Can you say amen!

Jonah prayed, (Jonah 2:10) And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it spit Jonah upon the dry land.

God reached Jonah in a hurry.

No matter how far out of reach you may seem today, no matter how many times you have went your own way, this moment is about making the right decision...right now! You are loved and you were created for more. Cry out to God right now to from wherever you are, He will answer you as He did Jonah and deliver you.

A Present Help!

Today I want us to look at the eagerness of God towards us. The truth is God gets to us in far less time than it takes us to get to Him. Many times, we linger, we hesitate simply wondering what He thinks of us, and how we will be received upon our return.

But God runs to us, His help is immediate. The bible calls it “help in the time of need Psalm 46:1. There is no other help that will reach you more quickly.

The bible says, Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. God’s attitude towards us is never uncaring, unresponsive, unmoved or unconcerned.

God is looking for any kind of opportunity in your life, and when He sees that opportunity you will see how quickly He reaches you.

Acts 9:1-19

1.   God reached Saul of Tarsus a lot quicker than Saul of Tarsus reached God.

Saul did his best to run from the Lord. He wanted no part of salvation. He had all the religion he could stand. It had become a big business with him. He loved publicity and acceptance by society. He kept the ceremonial law meticulously. He moved in the best of circles, yet he never mover toward repentance. But all the time God was moving towards him.

One might think if I show no sign of interest then maybe He will leave me alone. But that is not what grace and mercy does. It doesn’t force itself upon you but is constantly making itself available.

Saul finds himself cornered, he is able to run no further. And in that moment God ran towards him. He said to Ananias [Acts 9:11,12] “Arise, and go into the street which is called straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one who is called Saul of Tarsus; for behold he prayeth and hath seen a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hands on him that he may receive his sight.

God always got to Saul quickly. He was always running towards him and reaching him where and when others could not reach him. Which is why Saul ended up converted and became Paul.

God ran towards Paul in prison and broke down bars and doors before anyone could pay his bail. God ran towards Paul in shipwrecks, again when a venomous snake coiled around his arm, the bible says, Acts 28:5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

It is the very nature of God to run towards us. I don't know what you are facing today but I do know this. God is nearer to you than you possibly know. Your trial, your crisis is merely an opportunity to do what He does best. God loves a challenge so give Him your challenge today and let Him be praised for the outcome.

Staying in your story Part 2 - The Waiting Game!

Let’s take a closer look at the importance of waiting on the Lord and staying put.

The second time that Saul did not wait on the Lord was in a situation completely opposite. In the proceeding verses we she it was at a time when the battle was going in his favor.

Here God used Saul’s son, Jonathan and his armor bearer to overthrow a group of Philistines by causing the ground to tremble and quake which sent confusion among the armies of the Philistines and they began to scatter in fear.

Meanwhile, Saul was back at the camp. He could see that the Philistines were fleeing but he couldn’t figure out why. So in wanting to know what was going on he called upon Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."  1 Samuel 14:19 (NKJV)

But when God would not answer the priest and the confusion in the Philistine camp kept growing it became obvious to everyone God was fighting for Israel. But that wasn’t good enough for Saul, he wanted God to tell him what was going on and when He would not Saul gave the order to charge into battle and God did allow them to win.

What we must learn from this is that even though things may be going our way, we still need to wait on God. Even though he did not wait for God to answer, the Lord still gave him the victory.

God’s silence was the test! When God isn’t speaking to us doesn’t mean He is not working for us. Saul won the battle, but he failed the test.

The third time Saul did not wait on God was the most worst of them all. It happened during a battle with the Philistines. The Philistines had gathered in a group against Israel with the intent to take Israel out. Saul was overcome with fear, so he did the only thing he knew to do – inquire of the Lord.

Saul was so desperate to hear a word from the Lord, he consulted with those who received divine dreams, he consulted priest and prophets, but nothing worked.

Saul had a hard time learning what to do and what not to do. In this case like the others he should have did nothing and listened.

Ephesians 6:13 (NKJV)
¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

But we cannot withstand unless we have done our duty—unless we have obeyed and prepared ourselves.

Saul should have anchored himself and waited for God to speak. But he didn’t. And by not waiting and listening he made the greatest mistake of his life. He consulted a medium. 1 Samuel 28:7 (NKJV)
⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor."

Since God wasn’t talking to him, he went with other options. He asked a medium to bring Samuel who was deceased back from the dead so that he could receive military counsel from him. And move cost him his life.

God tested Saul repeatedly with His silence, and in these three crucial instances he failed the test. Watching this caused David to develop in wisdom and maturity. He had determined, he said, “When I become king, this much I am going to do – I am going to wait on God.”

And because he did, God was able to write an amazing story with his life. May we each have the faith and grace to wait for God to write our story in His way and time.

 

 

Staying in your story - Part 1

Let’s talk about staying in the story. Unfortunately, there are times when it seems we face years of silence from heaven, when it feels as if our sought-after season will never arrive. This is referred to as the part of the story called the plot.

This is the part of our story that represents the main body of our journey. It points to those seasons in which nothing seems to be happening. What we must realize is God seldom writes short stories, in most instances they are long.

Remember He is a skill author and He knows how to write a good plot. Take for instance Exodus 12:40-41 (NKJV) Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years--on that very same day--it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

For 430 years God took the Israelites on a journey that made for an interesting plot to their story. The reality is God is writing our story we don’t get to choose which parts we want to be a part of and the ones we want to eliminate.
Waiting on God is an important element in everyone’s story. It was in David’s. God taught him by taking him through a special school, Saul’s school.

At first it appears Saul is an antagonist, but he was actually a gift to David. From his front row seat in Saul’s court, David learned the devastating consequences of Saul’s mistakes. David learned best by watching how not to do things.
One of the greatest lessons David learned was by watching how Saul refused to wait on God. It is apparent David learned this valuable lesson so that he could cooperate with God’s storyline for his throne.

The bible records three critical times Saul did not wait on the Lord. The first on was when he was being invaded by the Philistines.

1 Samuel 13:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven.

Not long after Saul had been crowned king of Israel, the Philistines came to challenge his throne with a military invasion. They attacked with an army so large it was compared to sand upon the seashore.

The armies of Israel were intimidated and terrified, causing the people to hide in caves, thickets, and holes. Many of Israel’s warriors fled to the far side of the Jordon to escape the battle.
Saul and Samuel had an agreed agreement. Within seven days, Samuel would come to Gilgal, offer the burnt offering to the Lord, and then Saul and his army would proceed to the battle.

But after the agreement was made, God told Samuel to show up on day eight, God was going to test Saul by having Samuel get there too late. As day seven approached, Saul continued to suffer attrition in his army. He was desperate for Samuel to come and perform the sacrifice because he was not authorized by God to make a priestly sacrifice.

Finally, when Samuel did show up at the agreed time, Saul felt he could wait no longer because the longer he waited the more soldiers he lost. The situation demanded action, desperate to save his troops Saul offered the burnt offering to the Lord.
No sooner had Saul finished presenting the burnt offering Samuel arrived with some strong words for Saul.

1 Samuel 13:13-14 (NKJV)
And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

In other words, God was saying, “Saul, since you will not wait on me, I will replace you with a king who will.” Saul’s refusal to wait on God cost him the throne.

If we are going to blow the waiting test this is usually when we do it. Like Saul it is when the battle we are engaged in is going against us.

You must understand you are not in this alone, God is in the middle of your story, your, crisis right alone beside you. Be patient, trust in Him, did He not tell us He would never leave or forsaken us?

Induction into the Hall of Fame!

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor a professional can receive, it is more than receiving a bronze plague, it encompasses an individual’s beginning, details their struggles and promotes their successes, and celebrates significant contributions made to advance the field they are in.

When the “cloud of witnesses” are being talked about it indicates a numeric quantity. It means there are a whole lot of people in this cloud. Millions of believers have proven God’s faithfulness and because of that they now stand as witnesses to His trustworthiness.

The cloud is not composed of a tiny elite group of super heroes, but a great company of frail humans like you and I who made their way by God’s grace into a powerful testimony.

Recently I was reading an article about the recovery of Carrie Underwood from and accident at her home. I found something the Christian Country Songwriter wrote to be of encouragement as I in the recent months been teaching on sharing your story.

In the article she wrote, “I think that sharing our stories with each other helps us heal and also helps us know that we’re not alone in our trials.” I think it is important for us to see that no matter who a person is or what platform they stand on in life we all have something in common. It is called the “common place” we are involved in life, and life has the tendency to throw us a curve ball, and at times even knock us down. We have to make the choice whether or not we will stay down or get back up.

That is where our story comes in. By sharing your story, you have the opportunity to be induced into the “Cloud of Witnesses” Hall of Fame. You have the opportunity not only to tell of God’s saving Grace but also allow others to take part in His saving grace.

In the last blog, we were talking about the “cloud of witnesses” and how it relates to sharing our story. I don’t know about you but being induced into the “cloud of witnesses” sounds pretty good to me. It’s a believer’s Hall of Fame.

I don’t know about you, but I want in the cloud. I want God to write a story with my life that shows Him to be faithful and true.

Even though He is a great author it doesn’t mean the completion of our story is guaranteed. Just because we are blood bought, born again believers does not automatically mean that every chapter destined for our lives will be written.

Some believers will get to heaven with entire chapters missing from what God intended to write with their lives. Why? Because we are active participants in the developing story. We chose whether or not to allow our story to be writing.

Paul spoke of having to fight the reach the end of his race. “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” [2 Tim. 4:7]

If we want all our chapters to be complete, we must run the race with great determination.

Although I am the character for my story, I myself am not writing it. How do I know that? Because if we were writing our own stories they would read quite differently.

David spoke of the Lord as “The God of my salvation” [Psalm 25:5]. He was saying. “God oversees my salvation. He is the one who gets to decide how my salvation will look in the end and how I will get there.”

Most of us like to feel in control of our lives. We like to know what is coming next but that is where faith comes in. If we were in control it would not require faith.

If I were writing my story it would look much different from how it looks right now. There are somethings I would have never chosen on this present path. To be honest I have not always understood or enjoyed His authorship in the moment, but I always return to this: He is the author not me. He is to us as He was to John.

The Alpha and Omega! In the Greek language, Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and omega is the last letter. If Jesus would have been speaking English He would have said, “I am the A and the Z and every letter in between. In other words, He is the one turning letters into words and forming the sentences that comprise our stories. We must surrender our lives to His pen.

Remember what Carrie said, “I think that sharing our stories with each other helps us heal and also helps us know that we’re not alone in our trials.”

You story has the power to bring healing and wholeness to others who are facing or have faced crisis in their lives.

God bless you today, and know I am praying for each of you.

Pastor Scotty

The Purpose of Your Story!

What is the purpose of our story?

The hope Christ has for us is that through what He has done in our lives, we will become witnesses of that great work. It is His hope that we will tell others how He led us to victory over our enemy, and completed the good work He started in our lives.

It is His hope that we will in turn encourage others to never give up and never let go of His promises.

It’s not just what is asked of us, it is an opportunity to be a part of something big, and to do something big. There is nothing no more fulfilling and gratifying than leading someone to the Lord or having a part in their coming to the Lord.

 Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)
¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

When the “cloud of witnesses” are being talked about it indicates a numeric quantity. It means there are a whole lot of people in this cloud. Millions of believers have proven God’s faithfulness and because of that they now stand as witnesses to His trustworthiness.

The cloud is not composed of a tiny elite group of super heroes, but a great company of frail humans like you and I who made their way by God’s grace into a powerful testimony.

When God chose to use people, it was hardly ever the ones who were perfect and had a well put together resume. But rather those who were imperfect and undeserved and felt incomplete.

The application of the word “great” carries this ideal. Access into the cloud of witnesses is attainable. It is available to all.

Look at it like this. Each of you have a story, your story is a ticket that gives you right of entry into this cloud of witnesses. Your story is your opportunity to be a part of something big. In the secular world, we have a Hall of Fame for just about any category. Each of these groups consist of individuals in a particular category who have been selected and celebrated as great infamous people.

By sharing your story, you have the opportunity to be induced into the Cloud of Witnesses Hall of Fame. You have the opportunity not only to tell of God’s saving Grace but also allow others to take part in His saving grace.

Give it a try today. Look for an opportunity to tell someone how God made a difference in your life.

Our Assignment

 

God said to Jeremiah, I have given you a job. Your job is to go open your mouth, speak, tell your story to others. And as you do I am going to pull up, tear down, take apart and demolish strongholds in people’s lives and then I am going to start over building and planting.

In Hebrew 12:1 believers who told their stories where described as “a cloud of witnesses.” Chapter 11 describes some of them by name, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Samuel, David. What must be recognized is the cloud is not limited to just them, It is comprised of overcoming saints of all ages.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

Paul is saying, Hebrews 12:1-2 (MSG) ¹  Don’t you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat.
²  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

I used to think the “witnesses” in the cloud were looking down on us from the balconies of heaven and saying, “We’re watching you.” But now I realize they’re not witnesses to our lives, they’re witnesses to the grace of Christ Jesus.

They were living witnesses to the goodness and faithfulness of Jesus. The story of their lives testified, “He is a good God!) He is a merciful God, He is an upright God. I went through the fire, - through rain, the flood and a storm. - I couldn’t see my way - and at times I feared for my sanity, - But I clung to God’s unchanging hand - I held on to His righteousness, and He brought me through. - He led me to victory over my enemy, - and He completed the good work He had started in my life, His grace was more than enough.

Can’t you see how that when we are obedient in publishing our story, It is like running to a phone booth changing into a super hero outfit and then God anoints us with Holy kryptonite, the power of the Holy Spirit and empowers us to tell it and empowers our stories to penetrate the hurtful past of others and brings salvation and restoration.

Given the proper tools for the job.

First, l want to say I am sorry I have not posted since last week, I officiated 4 funerals last week along with preparing for Easter. I hope to stay consistent and keep you all looking forward to the next devotion. If I should miss a day from time to time please be understanding that things come up and prevent me the opportunity to sometimes post.

Mark 16:15 (NIV2011)
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Isn’t it clear through the scriptures, God is not going to send us out without the tools to do the job. That is why He said what He did in John 14:26.

That is why we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

What Jesus is telling them is look you guys you are worried about all the wrong things. If you go to tell you story, what you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. If you go you will get power to witness.

God is saying look a here Clark Kent. Go out and play your role, tell your story, do what you are supposed to be doing and when the time is right I am going to put Holy Kryptonite in you and your story is going to explode in as you tell it and people are going to get saved.

What kryptonite was to Clark Kent is what the Holy Spirit is to a believer. It transforms us into a spiritual super hero enabling us to do and accomplish things we ordinary could not.

So often we sit back hide our story while asking God what is your purpose and will in my life? We already have the answer, we just need to act upon it. 2000 years ago, He gave us the answer, and the answer has not changed. GO!

It is as simple as telling someone, “Let me tell you something that happened to me last year, 5 years, 10 years ago.”

The bible is filled with people whose lives demonstrate the power of a story. Look at Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:5 (MSG) "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations— that's what I had in mind for you."

Notice Jeremiah’s response in verse 6, But I said, "Hold it, GOD! Look at me. I don't know anything. I'm only a boy!"

Jeremiah 1:7-10 (MSG)
⁷  GOD told me, "Don't say, 'I'm only a boy.' I'll tell you where to go and you'll go there. I'll tell you what to say and you'll say it.
⁸  Don't be afraid of a soul. I'll be right there, looking after you." GOD's Decree.
⁹  GOD reached out, touched my mouth, and said, "Look! I've just put my words in your mouth—hand-delivered!
¹⁰  See what I've done? I've given you a job to do among nations and governments—a red-letter day! Your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart and demolish, And then start over, building and planting."

 

I want to encourage you to stop looking at the things you do not have and start focusing on what you do have, and that is a Story. Your tool box is equipped with what you need to get the job done successfully.