Finding our way through the Wilderness

Proverbs 3:5-6

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Day Thirty-Six

Perfect Harmony

As we draw close to the end of our forty day journey I realized that we have talked about the different emotions and feelings that can keep us in our wilderness and separate us from God. We have talked about a lot of different topics that has helped us moved forward in our journey through our wilderness. What we have neglected to really discuss is what are we to expect when we reach our promised land. What to do so we can flourish in our new promised land. So let's talk about what is going to happen when we cross over the boundaries of our wilderness and into the fruitfulness of our promised land.

We have talked a lot about denying the desires of our hearts and working according to His, God's, will. However what happens when you are following God's will? Look at what our scripture says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Now wait didn't we say that the desires of our hearts were wicked? Yes, but what this scripture is saying that when we delight ourselves with God, or when we follow His will, His desires becomes our own. So we need to know that when we enter into our promised land all of desires, hopes and dreams will come true. Because we are going to be living according to God's will.

Secondly we need to know that God is going to provide for us. We lived in a time where it is more common to be unemployed than it is to be employed. We lived in a time where thirty to forty years at your job more than often results in termination rather than retirement. We live in a time where layoffs are almost a weekly occurrence. The bible tells us that if we seek the kingdom first all things of necessity are given to us as well. (Matthew 6:33) So while any of these things can happen to us, even in our promised land, we don't have to worry because God will provide. Now that doesn't mean that we can become lazy and do nothing, but it does mean that when God closes one door He will open other. He will always provide us with the opportunities to honestly support ourselves and our families.

We can also live without fear because God is our protection. When I say live without fear I mean the fear of making bad choices and decisions. Fear from the storms of life. God will protect us from all of these things because the bible says He will. (Psalms 23, Proverbs 29:25)

Finally when we reach our promised land and we will reach our promised land, whatever date that may be, we will have an abundance of joy because we will be living in perfect Harmony with our Lord and Savior. We will be a witness to people even if we don't say a word about Jesus, because people will see the change in us and they will want to know how they can have the same joy too.

As we near the end of our forty day journey please remember that our journey through our wilderness will probably go on longer than that. However, we have blessed assurance just like the people of Israel that when the time is right, God's time, we will enter into our promised land. All we have to do is keep Him and His word and continue to press forward until we get there.

I can see the trees starting to thin out, the rocky road is becoming a little more paved, and through the darkness of the wilderness I can make out small speckles of light in front of me. I read my compass, my bible, and I am sure that I am headed in the right direction.

Join us tomorrow. Until then, God Bless

Finding our Way through the Wilderness

2 Corinthians 7:10

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Day Thirty-Five

Regrets

I am at a standstill. I have fallen victim to my heart's selfish desires. Follow my own will and not the Will of my Lord and Savior. I have played this game before and each time I come up with the same results, regrets. Although the regret is not enough to stop my actions when the temptations arise, no it is easily forgotten as is the pain that comes along with it. I want to change and need to change but if I'm to be truthful, I don't know how to change. So I prayed before I wrote these words and here is where God led me.

First of all the regret that I am feeling comes from a worldly sorrow. Like the text above says this only brings death. Worldly sorrow is when I feel bad for after I have sinned. This "bad" feeling in turn causes regret which in turn causes self-condemnation, which in turn makes me separate myself from God, which then separates me from the Holy Spirit, which, because I am separate from the Holy Spirit, leaves me accessible to the same or different temptations, thus renewing the never ending cycle. This is how I had been taught or how I taught myself to repent. God has showed me that this is the incorrect way to repent and, again, it only leads to death.

Colossians 2:23 tells us that self- imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. God led me to this scripture to let me see that everything that I thought I was doing right was wrong. I had done all of those things condemned myself, hated myself, denied myself, and separated myself and nothing work I would still be trapped in the never ending circle of sin and regret.

When I condemned myself I give myself a false sense that I was good again and that I had the power to stop myself from sinning. This is ignorance on my behalf, because only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we deny the flesh. By saying anything other than this, we discredit Jesus' dying for our transgressions because if we could handle it ourselves than he needed not to die.

So after seeing these words I prayed to God and to show me the right way to repent without regret as the scripture said.

To truly repent I had to stop trusting in my own quilt to cause me to stop sinning and start trusting in the fact that Jesus died for my sins. Each time that I sinned I should go closer to Him instead of pulling myself away from Him. I need to start to believe in the power of the cross and the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus and stop believe that I could make myself righteous by my own reactions. This is Godly sorrow because it brings true repentance and salvation.

So while I still do regret my past sins and the pain that they have caused, I no longer use it as atonement or as a way to repent. I will now trust only in the blood of Chris and its healing power. Trusting in the Holy Spirit to separate me from the desires of my flesh and direct me into the will of the Lord.

I will do this by retraining my heart and the way that I think about and react to sin. If you are having this same problem I encourage you to ask God for answers, I promise you He will lead you right to them just as He did for me.

I end by saying, though I am not perfect I am no longer at a standstill. I am moving forward pressing towards my prize which is granted to me by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

God Bless

Finding our way through the Wilderness

1 Chronicles 16:12

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹² Remember the wonders he has done,
   his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

Day Thirty- Four

Reflection

Today let us take a moment to reflect all that the Lord has done for us. If you are like me you have so much to be thankful for that even if you had a thousand tongues you would not be able to say thank you enough. Thank Him for the seen and the unseen blessing that He has bestowed on you, your family, and your friends.

Remember what Jesus done for us so that we would have the ability to talk to God and give Him thanks and praise. As we near the end of our journey, only six more days left, we are getting ready to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Think about how life would be if Jesus hadn't died on the cross for our sins. Jesus gave Himself as a ransom, just so we could be free. That is something to be thankful about!

Let us commit to setting aside a portion of the day to show praise and adoration to our Lord and Savior. It will help us realize that whatever our situation is, He has delivered us before and He will deliver us again!

Join us on Monday as we continue our journey. Until then God Bless

 

Finding our way through the Wilderness

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Day Thirty-Three

Momentary Pain, Everlasting Joy

Pain and discomfort are among the first emotions that we feel when we enter this life. They are also often the last emotions that we feel when we exit this life. And in between life and death, pain can constantly greet us like an old acquaintance who we wish we could forget. This pain can be physical, emotional, or psychological. We live our whole lives trying to avoid it, yet just as the sun rises each morning, we know that at any time pain can rear its ugly head again.

The good news for us is that pain is only momentary. It can bother you for years and years, but it is still only temporary. We know this to be true because God's word says it is so, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

So the pain that we feel on earth will cease to be in heaven, for these bodies that were made of dust were designed to expire. However our heavenly bodies have no expiration date on them because they are eternal. So even when we are in pain we should rejoice because we know what is to come. Like the scripture from above says we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is only temporary and what is unseen is eternal. I would gladly go through pain to get to the glory that is on the other side.

Does this make the pain that we go through more bearable? No, only God can do that, this is why we pray to Him to help ease the burden of pain. However what it does do is take away the importance of pain. When we think of pain like this we will find joy, not sadness, even when we have long term pain because we know that it is not everlasting. In fact out of the eight basic emotions, fear, anger, sadness, joy, disgust, trust, anticipation, and surprise, that we carry here on earth the only everlasting emotion is joy.

There will be no need to fear because we are going to be in the presence of God, Jehovah-Jireh (our provider) Jehovah-Nissi (our protector). Anger and sadness are technically everlasting emotions but they are only going to be felt by those Outside of the Gates, so I don't count them (Luke 13:27-28). There will be no disgust because everything will be pure and holy (Revelation 21). There will be no need to trust because everyone will know the Truth! (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10) No anticipation because what we were waiting for has happen (John 14:1-4). And there will be no one in heaven will be surprise because we knew that the only way to the kingdom was through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). That leaves only joy, which we have for eternity (John 16:22)

So whatever pain you have be it physical, emotional, or psychological remember that pain is only temporary but the joy that you have in God is everlasting. Just like our text says though our bodies are getting weaker inside we are renewed day by day. That is something to hold on too.

Please join tomorrow as we continue our journey. Until then, God Bless

Finding our way through the wilderness

Galatians 6:9-10

New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Day Thirty- Two

Good Deeds

Treat others like you want to be treated. This is a phrase that all of us have heard before. However God wants us to add on to that saying, Treat others how you want to be treated even if they don’t treat us the same way. This can sometimes be a tough pill to shallow. There are so many negative people in this world that only want to used, abused and destroy you that it is hard to be kind to them. However this is exactly what our Lord wants us to do.

There is a blessing in keeping this commandment given by Jesus for both the giver and the recipient. When we do good for everyone, even the ones that will not repay our kindness, we are blessed. The text from above tells us not to become weary in doing good because in time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. God is going to bless us because we kept His word by treating our fellow man like we would treat Him.

Secondly, the person that you are being kind to is blessed also. Nine out ten times if someone is rude, obnoxious, or mean to you it is not because they are a bad person. Sometimes life gets people down to a point where they become miserable and the saying misery loves company is true. So though they are not necessary mad at you, they will take it out on you because they need someone to unload on. Now where they receive a blessing, even if they don’t recognize it, is from you remaining kind through their cruelness. They will see the light shining through you and they will want to know why you are so happy. Though the darkness can sometimes be more flattering than the light, once you become accustom to the light it’s hard to go back into the shadows again. So if we keep letting God’s light shine through us they are bound to become intrigue.

Lastly, God put us here to be a beacon of hope to a lost world so we must let our light shine at every opportunity. Helping and being kind to everyone that we come in contact with while spreading the Good News. Jesus told us to let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven. We let our light shine through our attitudes, our words, our actions, and by the way we treat others. Just think you positive attitude, your smile, your kindness, or your joy could cause someone to turn their life over to Jesus Christ.

Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?

Please join us tomorrow as we continue our journey. Until then God Bless

Find our way thought the Wilderness

New International Version (NIV)

Matthew 13

The Parable of the Sower

 ¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear."

Day Thirty-One

Become rooted in the good soil

I am not a farmer however I do know that their livelihood depends on the quantity and quality of the crops they produce. Also a large part of their results are based on how good the soil is where they planted their seeds. That is about as far as my agricultural knowledge goes, however it is all that we need to translate this to our spiritual lives.

In the text above Jesus is talking to a crowd of people and He is speaking in a parable, which is what He usually did when he spoke to a crowd. He told them a parable about a farmer that went out to sow (plant) his seeds. To the crowd Jesus only said that some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Later on after the crowd had dispersed He explained to his disciples that this seed were people that hears the message of the kingdom and do not understand it, the enemy then comes and snatches it away from them before it a can take root.

Then Jesus said to the crowd that some of the seeds fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil and those seeds sprang up plants quickly, however when the sun came up they were scorched and they withered because they had no root. To His disciples explain that this was about people who hear the word and instantly receive it with joy. However since they are not rooted in word when trouble and hard times comes they quickly fall away.

Jesus continued telling the crowd that some of the farmer's seed fell among the thorns which grow up and choked the plants. Later He explained to His disciples that these were people who hear the word and receive it but the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth chokes it out of them.

Let us take a look at that verse for a moment. First understand that here unfruitful means not being able to produce more of what was giving. So when Jesus said that the worries of this life can make us unfruitful was He telling us that when we worry we can't produce for God? Yes and no. Worrying is a natural human emotion that we all have. The more we try to fight worrying the more we will, for lack of a better word, worry about it. What Jesus is saying that we should cast our worries to the Lord whenever they come so that we can focus on being a good plant and produce. Like we said on day four, Don't Worry, when we worry we are separating ourselves from God.

Secondly, notice that Jesus said the deceitfulness of wealth. This confirms that our true wealth awaits us in heaven so we distance ourselves from the kingdom when we are preoccupied with chasing wealth here on earth. Yes God wants you to live an abundant life but we need to understand that we can live that life with or without riches and wealth.

Jesus finished His story to the crowd by telling them of the seeds that fell on good soil. These seeds produced a good crop a hundred sixty or thirty times what was originally sown. He later told his disciples that these were people that heard the word and understood it. They were rooted in the word enough that when storms came they were able to withstand it. When the enemy came and tried to snatch the word away by causing destruction and confusion; he could not take it because the word was rooted in their hearts. These people did not let the cares or worries of this world cause them to falter because they know that though they had to endure pain and grieve in this world, joy and eternal comfort was waiting for them on the other side.

    We need to take a look at ourselves and asked this question, if God were to come today and cultivate the seeds that He sown in us what would He find? Would He find that His seeds had hit the pavement, rocky ground, thorns, or good soil?

Having good soils is the only way we are able to produce for Him. And the only way that we can have good soil is if we are rooted in the Word of the Lord.

Each day that we spend study, reading, and absorbing the word of God, the more we move out of our wilderness and closer to our Promised Land!

Please join us tomorrow as we continue our journey. Until then God Bless.

Finding our way through the Wilderness

John 14:25-27

New International Version (NIV)

25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Day Thirty

Peace & Serenity

No matter who we are, what our backgrounds are, what we believe in, or our emotional state we all strive for peace. We all know the uncertainties that this life can bring so we are constantly praying for the next moment to bring some peace. However the peace that some of us seek, is rarely found.

Peace stands for everything that the enemy opposes tranquility, harmony, and serenity. The enemy relishes in chaos, conflict, confusion, disorder, and disarray. This is why peace and the enemy cannot coexist in one's soul. For this reason alone we should always actively pursue peace for our souls. However in order to find true peace we must know where to look, or better yet, who to look for.

In the text Jesus tells us that true peace lies within Him, and He has already left this peace with us! He says that He will not give us the peace that the world gives us, which is a false sense of peace. His peace is everlasting.

In John 16:33 Jesus tells us that we will always have trouble in this world, so we must know that we will struggle, we will have pitfalls, and we will have hard times while we are walking this earth. However, Jesus goes on to tell us to have joy because He has already conquered the world. What He is saying is that since we are in Him and He is in us we can overcome anything that will happen to us in this world. Just the thought of that gives me peace in my soul because I know that no matter what I face it will not beat me. No matter how difficult it may seems, no matter how impossible it may look, or how grim the outcome may seems I can rejoice and have peace through it all.

This is the true peace that God wants us to have. Will we get nervous, anxious, and worried when the enemy tries to attack? Yes, this is human nature and this is how our brains work. However, all we have to do is remember His words and His peace will settle over us like a white cloud on a sunny day, and then we will be comforted. Because the bible tells us that God gives strength to His people and He also blessed them with Peace. (Psalm 29:11)

If you are feeling relentless and if there isn't any serenity in your soul or life, all you have to do is pray to God for Peace. I can guarantee you that He will listen to and answer your prayers. No matter where you are in your journey with Him, He loves you and He will provide for you. All you have to do is ask.

Once you have experience true peace you will want to walk closer with the Lord just to feel that feeling again. No one on this earth can grant you rest and assurance like He can, for he is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, The Everlasting, and The Prince of Peace! (Isaiah 9:6)

Please join us tomorrow as we continue our journey. Until then God Bless