by David Brenneman
Last year, especially from October 14th til Christmas, was a seriously heavy time in walking by faith for us.
In his Life Principle #28, Dr. Charles Stanley is indeed referring to why it's so important to not make excuses for gathering with other Believers, but it relates to what we read in Hebrews about faith.
Ezekiel had his life changed by Jesus to reflect the heart of God. Think about that.
Jesus was wanting in any and every single way His people to return to Him.
Lives like Ezekiel were lived out in faith to try to reach some, reach anyone, to bring them back to a right relationship with Jesus.
We often go through deep things in life that certainly are not what we wished to experience in life.
I mourn for those who do not have Jesus to lean on. It's heartbreaking when people would rather do what those did in Ezekiel's day and turn to anything or anyone else rather than the one true God. When they turn to new age thinking. It's also heartbreaking when those known to be family won't say anything to them. It reminds me of the many places in the Old Testament where from Priests to watchman were rebuked and or lost their own lives because they didn't warn their own.
We are to live lives by faith in the Son of God who gave His life for us. We are to rest in His promises and not the world's assurances.
Hebrews has what's been referred to as the faith chapters in its showing what many have done in living lives by faith.
An interestingly accurate portrayal is in an Indiana Jones movie of walking on faith when he has only the clue of taking a step onto what surely looks like it ought to be certain failure and death. In his case he figures out enough to toss pebbles in front of him to reveal the way to go.
In our case we often, like those saints of old, are not going to understand exactly why we went through what we did, when we did, when obvious non-miracles existed that were out of reach to us.
For me, why was I born with the physical limits that I was? Why did my Wife have to go through the breast cancer surgery and follow-up? Why was our first-born taken to Heaven before we could see him? Why was that semi running a red light that seriously altered my life? Why was there a massive thunderstorm the night my Dad was leaving this world for Heaven and I wasn't able to go up to see him? There are no easy answers to all of these.
There's just one thought from Jesus concerning all of them: trust me, I know what I am doing. Many things you go through are for my glory, to bring others to salvation. They just won't see any other way. What I do in your life, when you obey Me, they will see. Perhaps right away, perhaps later, they will think on what you have gone through as well as those you love that also belong to Me. Your physical eyes cannot see enough of the Spiritual forces that are fighting to keep others from salvation in Me. Trust me.
We often struggle with life. We have pure motives often to do the right thing. We are often hindered because it's just not for us to be the one to do it.
Consider the prophets of old. Each was chosen by God specifically, in those moments of time, to reach someone. The Spirit thought so much to include those lives in the Bibles we read. So that thousands of years later lives would still be impacted.
We indeed live a different life when living by faith. We do our level best to take the steps that the Spirit directs us to. As Scripture says that the mind of man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
We share what we know of God's work in our lives. We shouldn't keep it to ourselves. We are to bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. We should never forsake being with others because we need reminders of those today seeing the work of God through faith.
People often wonder where these posts come from. I repeated say it's not from me, I am just as amazed as they in reading it later myself. I write what I am told to write.
Obedience often takes us places we never thought possible. Obedience often comes with heartache. Obedience will always grow us in Christ no matter who you are.
Obeying by coming to Christ is always the first step. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith in the Son of God who gave His life for me, I can do nothing. With faith, nothing that God gives us to go through is impossible.
Keeping silent when we put our feelings before our faith only harms everyone who we care about. When we know the right thing to do and do not do it we sin, that's what the Bible says.
Our pain in this life won't truly go away until we who are in Christ step into eternity in Heaven. I am not a believer in that those in Heaven see into time. That's an attribute only of God. There would be a flooded Heaven with the tears of all who went on before us as God's truth is seen by us and we see see the world as He does. We enter into His rest in Heaven. We wait in Heaven for that moment when His Father says it's time. We are separated from this world until we return with Jesus when He does.
Look at your faith today. Look at why you haven't gone farther in life. When we refuse to take the steps that God has in mind for us to take, we are telling the all-knowing God of the Universe that we know better than God.
When we put our feelings ahead of our faith we will just cause our lessons to be repeated until we do. Jonah proved you cannot run from God's Will. Jesus prayed to His Father that His Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. We can run from the criticism of others and fill our lives with supposed success but we will return to the situation and still need to complete that lesson. Our hardening our hearts, regardless of our reasons, is never a good thing in the eyes of God.
Look at your life today and see if you're really living the life that God's desired for you. If necessary, be brutally honest with God and ask Him to open your eyes to see.
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