What God Has for Me.....
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- Category: Minister's Mansion
- Published: Monday, 12 March 2012 02:00
- Written by Mark Neddeau
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2 COR. 11: 21 Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Friends,
So often we sing "What God has for me, it is for me!" under the mistaken thought that it must somehow all be sunshine and roses. We reach for the glitz, the fluff, and the surface blessings that make our life better. That is an emotional worship and an emotional Christianity based on a false understanding that God never has challenges for us. The true will of God is always confirmed by God and God's Word. Those living in the true will of God understand that circumstance does not dictate salvation. Salvation is an act of faith and mercy combining to provide you with a way out of this life and into the presence of God. What is for you will be confirmed by God as you come through the challenges of life, and overcome them through the FAITH that God means well.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
It does not say that all things ARE good, or that only GOOD THINGS will come your way! It says God works out those things in our life FOR our good. Things that you encounter (circumstance), will be worked out by the God of circumstance. His purpose will work out as you accept and walk in what he has for you.
JAMES 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
AND - LUKE 17:33 Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
The key is in the wording. Your life. His life. Once you begin to believe that you own what is given you, that your life is actually YOURS, it becomes too precious to believe that God would send harship to you, and if he did he must somehow be punishing you. Nothing could be further from the truth! God wants the best for you, and wants all things to work out for your Good! But until you sacrifice it; until you recognize that it is HIS life he gives you - you will never be able to overcome in the true fashion that rises above emotionalism! You must live in the moment without letting the moment overwhelm you.
The separation of the flesh and the spirit is the key to victory. Losing the love of this life and gaining love for the life he has for you, hidden inside him, is what will separate you from the emotional beings that fall when the challenges hit. And, friend, the challenges are going to hit. You will no doubt be afflicted by illness, unemployment, bad friends, false friends or just plain enemies. You will find yourself crying out for direction, deliverance, hope. You have a choice: Accept this challenge as the will of God for your life - or quickly fall away when the going gets rough. Paul made a decision. He chose to set aside WHAT was happening and focus on WHO would bring him through. He had eternal vision, the sight that kept him moving forward when he knew certain death was at the end of his journey to Rome! He had the grit and determination brought on by the unshakeable faith that, come what may, God was in control and he would be delivered in the end! Praise God! We pray for you to have that faith. We pray for you to develop the stable situational awareness that moves you past emotionalism. Let God be God and give you the chance to overcome emotions and see your challenges as just that - a challenge to overcome through faith in God.
In love,
Elder Mark and Sister Dana