Trust and Follow

Trust and Follow

In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. Exodus 15:13 NIV

Where God leads, we must follow. We will all be lead to still waters and pastures of plenty. And the Lord will also lead us to the valley where many wither away from the faith. But none the less, where the Lord leads, we must always follow.

If we go with the Lord, even when He leads us into the wilderness, we are always in a good place because we are with Him. And even when we fall victim to death, He has promised to be there too, protecting us from the second death by the blood of Christ.

God gives us His Holy Spirit so that we have the ability to follow His lead. Not only that, but with the indwelling of the Spirit we have the right to come to God and the uncanny ability to look like Christ in this world. With the Spirit, we convey a life-witness to the world that draws others to Christ. The crowning realization of all who follow and trust the Lord is that someone will find God by experiencing our testimony of the Father. We trust and follow God for our own redemption, but we also do it with the hope of leading others to the same hope we have in Christ.

Our Intercessor

Our Intercessor

…, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Romans 8:26-27 NIV

Some time ago I had become a go-to person for bad news, troubles and prayer requests. During this time I heard anything from a person’s loss of faith, to cancer diagnoses to suicide and rape. Of course, this is not even connected to the anger and insults of people that were ‘disappointed’ with God. And if that wasn’t enough, someone stole a birdhouse in the shape of a church right off of our front porch, on Christmas. Who steals a church from Christians at Christmas?

During that time I was finding it hard to pray. Not out of discord with God, but because my heart was heavy. My heart was breaking for these people, even for the local thieves and the people that slighted me. My heart was so low that I was having trouble finding the words. My prayer time consisted of praise for what that the Lord had done in my life, tears and perplexed silence.

During difficult periods, the Holy Spirit picks up on this and intercedes. He has a way of taking my “inner voice” and translating it into "God Talk", a language between the Spirit and the Father. We have an intercessor in Heaven who is Christ Jesus and we have an intercessor that lives inside of us who is the Holy Spirit. No matter what I endure, the Lord sees, He hears and He understands.     

I was born that way

I was born that way

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

I heard about a song titled, "I was born that way." The song is a reference to the singer’s bisexuality. For homosexuals and their supporters, there is no shame in doing what comes naturally. But with God, it is more than what comes naturally. God calls us to live beyond the impulses and cravings of this body and onto something Supernatural.

Here's the thing... the homosexual's "excuse" is that they were born that way. But we have all been born into "some way" that lures us into a life against God... It’s called sin. No matter what the sin-indulgence is, it is what separates us from God. Sin is the spiritual illness that will lead us all straight to Hell.

There is only one fix for our sin predicament, Jesus. When a person accepts the gift of salvation, God causes a change. The Lord may love you as you are, but He will not allow you to stay the same. God can (and will) do what none of us can do for ourselves; he can change our nature. He alters the things that come naturally and gives us a desire to be connected to Him in the supernatural. We who follow Christ are not defined by our sin; we are defined by the Cross of Christ. You and I were never born for sin; we were born to belong to God. We were not born to be hostile toward Him, but to be at peace with Him because of Christ. 

Fulfilling the Call

Fulfilling the Call

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. Luke 8:38-39 NIV

I went to an evangelism class some years ago. The instructors focused on several techniques and use of the "Roman's Road." ** We even did role playing. On the first turn I got to be the pagan and on the next turn, I pretended to be the "upright" Christian. At the conclusion, our instructors asked if we had questions. I raised my hand and asked, "What do we say if they want to accept Christ?" The instructors looked at each other, and then slowly turned their attention back to us. One of them said, "Um, let me get the Pastor."

Some may think that evangelism is something reserved for pastors and those versed in apologetics. Some excuse themselves from sharing about Christ by saying that they have not been "called" by God for this purpose. Maybe fear is a factor that silences the testimony of the Saints? But one thing is certain, how can they believe unless someone tells them? How can the unbeliever hear about God if no one answers the Lord’s call (Romans 10:14-15)?

I think that the real qualifications for witnessing to the world are a willing heart and a testimony. Ask God for the same attitude he has toward the spiritually needy, then get ready. Don't be surprised when you feel a tug at your heart. Don't be shocked when you find yourself in front of someone needing salvation. God has prepared us for works of service. Or, let me put it this way; “This is the calling we were made for.” Tell them what God has done for you. In this, you are fulfilling the scriptures and the call of Christ. 

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**The Roman's Road consists of the following scriptures:

Romans 3:23 -Romans 5:8 - Romans 6:23 - Romans 10:9-10 - Romans 10:13**

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Rest in the Lord

Rest in the Lord
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:3 NIV

When God ordained the seventh day as a period of rest, it became mandatory for mankind. This is not just a cessation of physical activity; it is a rest for the whole person; the body, soul and spirit. Do you know how to rest, or what is required to properly recharge the soul?

The scripture says that genuine rest comes by waiting on the Lord (Psalm 37:7). When Abraham and Sarah stopped resting on the promises of the Lord and did their own work, they ended up with Ishmael. But when they waited on the Lord, they received the blessing He had promised, Isaac. When we stop resting on the promises of God, we give birth to the Ishmaels’, to unnecessary restlessness, trouble and worry. But when we hold strongly to the promises of God, we gain the blessing of the Lord. We give birth to the things that God has promised. He promised rest, hope and abundant life.

I know it is easy to lose site of the promises of the Lord. We live in turbulent times. And to these the Lord says, "Be still and know that I am God." -Psalm 46:10 Hold on to the Lord and rest in the hope He has given. Wait patiently for the promise to be fulfilled, in His time. He is worthy of praise and of our trust. Your blessing is on the way, your blessing is coming! Amen, amen and amen!

This devotional is an edited excerpt taken from Eric’s Hebrew word study and translation of the creation story of Genesis titled, Key Word Study Creation
*Available for free – just send an email request to eumontgomery@comcast.net