Category Archives: Righteousness / Serving God

Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, His Timing Not Ours, Persecution / Glorifying God, Promises, Protector / Deliverer

The Lord Is Good To Those Who Wait For Him

It is easy to get discouraged at times when we feel as though we are doing what God has commanded, but we do not see the results coming as quickly as we expect. We trust Him, but then we also expect to see results and quickly. We may find encouragement in reminding ourselves to be patient and trust in God while we continue to do what He has commanded. His ways are not our ways… they are better.

Isaiah 55:8-9

      8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.

      9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

As we continue to submit to and follow God in our lives, we come to realize that not only does God do things differently than we expect in terms of “how”… but often He does things differently in terms of “when”. We tend to be impatient and look for quick results. It can be discouraging at times, but be encouraged and place your trust in God and in His timing.

Lamentations 3:25-26

25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

26It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.

Isaiah 40:31

31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Even Moses was discouraged  when things did not turn out well at first (Exodus 5)… and God actually told Him ahead of time that Pharaoh would not let the people go until God compelled him to do so (Exodus 3:19-20).

Exodus 3:19-20

19“But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.

Exodus 5

Israel’s Labor Increased

      1And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” 2But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” 3Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you draw the people away from their work? Get back to your labors!” 5Again Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!” 6So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, 7“You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8“But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9“Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”

      10So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not going to give you any straw. 11‘You go and get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it, but none of your labor will be reduced.’” 12So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13The taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.” 14Moreover, the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not completed your required amount either yesterday or today in making brick as previously?”

      15Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16“There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” 17But he said, “You are lazy, very lazy; therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18“So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, yet you must deliver the quota of bricks.” 19The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, “You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.” 20When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them. 21They said to them, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

      22Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23“Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

Often the immediate results we face when we begin a mission for God do not appear to be successful or turn out the way we expect. We do well to remember to be patient and continue to obey God’s instruction, put our faith in Him, and wait upon His timing.

Are there any areas of your life where you are discouraged? Always good to humbly and prayerfully consider if you are obeying what God instructed you to do. If so, continue to come before Him for help and continue to obey His instruction… and wait upon His timing for the results. God is never late… He is never early… He always completes something precisely when He intends to.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God

Begin Your Mission In Faith And You Will See The Hand Of God At Work

Many of us who are genuinely trying to follow Jesus are at times still intimidated when He asks us to do something that is outside of our comfort zone. Sometimes it may be big, like Moses being directed to confront Pharaoh, and sometimes it may be small, like God encouraging us to reach out and show love to someone by helping or serving them. God often challenges us to do something which will require His help. We can not easily imagine how we could do it on our own.

Sometimes we can get paralyzed waiting for God to start the mission before we begin to obey. God, however, often wants us to begin the journey in faith before He demonstrates His hand at work helping us to complete the mission.

I heard a great metaphor to help think about this from an everyday perspective. Think of God a bit like a night light with a motion sensor… yes, really. If we know there is a night light in the room, and we have faith in its power, it still does not come on until we start to move. Then, and only then, will the light turn on and show us the way forward. So too with God. He wants us to trust and obey… and once we begin, then He will demonstrate His hand guiding and directing the events to help us accomplish the mission.

Consider as an example, Moses. God tasked Moses with a big mission to go and bring God’s message to Pharaoh… a message Pharaoh would not want to hear. Moses had to accept the mission and start moving in obedience before God sent Aaron to meet him as his helper in accomplishing the mission.

Exodus 4:18-23

      18Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

      21The LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23“So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

Exodus 4:27-31

      27Now the LORD said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30and Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.

When God asks us to do something that stretches us beyond our comfort zone, we should faithfully trust that He will help us to accomplish it if we embrace the mission with commitment to obey and do it His way. But we do well to remember that we will often have to begin the mission in faith before we see His hand at work helping us.

Prayerfully consider what God may be calling you to do that seems to be beyond your own comfort zone. What steps can you take to begin the mission in faith and obedience even before you may understand how you will accomplish it?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Pray For God To Defeat Islamic Jihad

Many nations across the world continue to face growing threats from Islamic Jihad. In many cases the threat has increased due to ungodly and ineffective leadership in the countries who could unite and defeat the enemy.

Pray with us that God would raise up leaders around the world to oppose and defeat Islamic Jihad. Pray that God would protect and safeguard those persecuted by Islam throughout the world, to the glory and honor of His name. Pray that He would cause even these trying events to work together for the good of those who love Him. Even in this suffering we must submit to God… His will be done.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discipline / Correction, Hearing from God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Obey God In All Things

I will freely admit that there are sections of scripture that I have often overlooked as I read through the Bible. I read them, but do not linger and thoughtfully consider why God chose to include it in the Bible. Exodus 4 contains one such scripture. We are reading a very exciting record of God’s commissioning Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand he set God’s people free. Moses goes back and forth with God many times until finally God has led Moses to accept the mission before him.  Between that moment and when God tells Aaron to go meet Moses in Exodus 4:27, there are three verses that are easy to skip over when reading quickly.

Exodus 4:24-26

  24Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. 25Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”—because of the circumcision.

I will admit again… that I had to read and reread a few times. I remained here and reviewed a few Bible commentaries at BibleHub.com. The message here is actually quite significant.

Moses was appointed to be the leader and lawgiver to God’s people… God’s representative to them in a time of amazing demonstration of God’s power and communication of His commands. Moses had accepted this mission from God and was proceeding on his way. Moses, however, had neglected to circumcise his own son and received a sharp rebuke from God. Circumcision is an important sign of God’s covenant with His people.

We can only speculate about why Moses failed to circumcise, but it may have something to do with being unequally yoked spiritually with his Midianite wife, who appears to be quite unhappy with the concept of circumcising their son. Whether he failed to comply with God’s instruction to please his wife or out of his own carelessness… God was not pleased.

The message for me is quite powerful. God may ask us to take on a mission for Him, but He still wants us to live in obedience to Him in all aspects of our personal lives as well.  It is particularly important for public leaders of God’s people to obey His commands so as to lead by example and maintain a sense of credibility when leading God’s people. Even if you are not a leader in the body of Christ, God still wants you to obey His commands in all aspects of your life. This is how we show that we love Him.

John 14:23-24  23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

Are there aspects of your life that you are not fully complying with God’s instructions? If so, what is holding you back? Prayerfully ask for God’s help to reveal to you any areas you may not recognize and then promptly change your behavior to be in obedience to Him. The desires of God must be first, even before the desires of our spouse or children.

Deuteronomy 6:5  5“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Matthew 6:33  33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

When we seek God first, we do not neglect our spouse or children, but rather we commit do things God’s way and He shows us how to live in right relationship with Him and with our family in a way that is far better than what we would do on our own!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Can God Use Me?, Father / Yahweh, Hearing from God, Obeying God

Yes… I Really Want You To Do It

As a father of four children, I have great appreciation for the comparison the Bible draws between God’s relationship with His people to a father’s relationship with His children. Clearly the father will understand much more than his young children. The father loves his children and wants to guide them and be patient with them and help them to gain confidence in carrying out the duties or missions to which they are assigned. However, there is a point at which the father expects to be trusted based on a history of faithful guidance to and protection of his children. At some point the questioning must stop and the obedience must start… even if the children do not fully understand how things will work.

It may come as a surprise to many that, of all people, Moses struggled with this in receiving God’s instruction. God provided quite a dramatic encounter with Moses involving a burning bush and an extended discussion with lots of details and answers to Moses’ questions… but Moses was very much afraid to take on the task and just kept challenging God that perhaps Moses was not the right choice for the given task of confronting Pharaoh to release God’s people. God was very patient, but at last grew angry. Still God brought Moses through his insecurity and doubt and sent him on his way to complete the mission.

Exodus 3:10-22

The Mission of Moses

      10“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

      13Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 16“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17“So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18“They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19“But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21“I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22“But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Exodus 4:1-23

Moses Given Powers

      1Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” 2The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4But the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5“that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

      6The LORD furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8“If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign. 9“But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

      10Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12“Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” 13But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece

      14Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15“You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. 16“Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. 17“You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”

      18Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

      21The LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23“So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

When God gives you a mission, it is ok to ask Him for help and even honestly share your concerns. If you are uncertain about your ability to complete the task, you may even take comfort in knowing that Moses was uncertain and ultimately became a man of great faith and intimate relationship with God. Remember, you are not completing the mission alone. If God gives you a mission, He will provide what is needed to complete it. However, you must accept the mission and get started in order to demonstrate faith and obedience… even if you do not fully understand what will come next.

Is there something you believe God has told you to do, but you are fearful to proceed? First verify what you feel He is asking is consistent with scripture… an important part of ensuring you are hearing from God and not Satan… or your own selfish nature. Then seek God humbly in prayer and ask for help. Then stop coming up with excuses, trust God, and get started.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Can God Use Me?, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Hearing from God, Miracles, Obeying God

If God Calls You To A Mission, He Will Help You Complete It

When God calls us to complete a mission, He will often test and grow our faith by challenging us with something outside of our comfort zone. God does this intentionally. It requires no faith if God asks us to go do what we can do on our own. Imagine if God asked us to tie our shoes… does that have any opportunity to bring glory to God? to build our faith? No. It is something we can do by ourselves without God’s help.

When God calls us to a mission that is obviously stretching us beyond our own ability, we must obey and rely on Him to successfully accomplish it. It can be more than a little intimidating, even for those we think of as heroes or legends of faith.

Exodus 3:10-22

The Mission of Moses

      10“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” 12And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

      13Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 16“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17“So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18“They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19“But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21“I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22“But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses is immediately intimidated by the instructions. He humbly questions if he is the right person for God to send.

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

God’s response is to reassure Moses that God will be with him and to give specific instructions. God was not upset or surprised that Moses was fearful.

12And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

God continues to reassure Moses that he will not be alone and also shares specific details about what is to come and how Moses will succeed with God’s help.  God will not always share the details with us before the mission begins, but in the case with Moses it was in deed an imposing mission and God took extra care to encourage Moses.

God will not ask each of us to accomplish such an intimidating mission as He asked Moses… but He does call us to obey His word and at times He still gives His people specific missions to accomplish in His name. We can find comfort in knowing that God will be with us and help us to accomplish what He asks of us so long as we obey Him faithfully. We do not have to complete the mission alone on our own strength.

Do you feel like God has called you to accomplish a specific mission, but are afraid to step out in faith and begin the journey? You are not alone. Even Moses was fearful when God asked Him to take on a mission.  Trust in God and obey.

If you don’t believe you have heard from God for a specific mission, then you can start by focusing on the commands He has provided to all of us who follow Him in His word, the Bible.

Identify one specific task you can undertake immediately (today or this week) that is consistent with God’s word, but you have put off because you are intimidated by it. Ask God for help in prayer and get started! (Hint: You do not need to start by confronting Pharaoh, perhaps something simple like sharing your faith with someone or helping someone.)

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Angels, Hearing from God, Prayer, Suffering / Adversity

Here’s Your Sign

There are many times in my personal walk with Christ that I have hoped for and even asked for a clear and dramatic sign to ensure I was hearing correctly from God.  However, the signs and wonders which accompany the instructions from God often reflect the magnitude of what He is asking you to do. There are a great many opportunities we have in life to honor God with our lives and obey Him that we should not require any additional sign or wonder. He already provided a detailed record of His instructions in the Bible, including many great examples of how those truly devoted to Him have lived out their lives in submission to Him. We do well to study and apply that in our lives daily.

However, there are times when God will provide an additional sign or wonder when He communicates to His people. Often this will accompany a particularly big challenge such as those given to Moses and Gideon. When God revealed His will to Moses through the burning bush, He was asking Moses to do something which was unthinkable for a humble shepherd.  God was directing Moses to go to a hard hearted Pharaoh, king of powerful Egypt,  and tell him to let God’s people go.

Exodus 3:1-9

The Burning Bush

      1Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

      7The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8“So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 9“Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.

As we submit our lives to God and seek His guidance in our lives we are right to come before Him and prayer and ask for His guidance. We should also study and apply His word in the Bible. We can of course ask for a sign, but should not demand one as a condition of obedience. He has already provided great signs and wonders throughout the Bible, not the least of which was dying on the cross and coming back from the dead so that we can be forgiven of our sins when we repent. He did so with countless witnesses and then documented it for us to have for generations as reference.

Is there something in your life you feel God wants you to do, but you are holding back, waiting on a clear sign? Prayerfully consider applying what God has already revealed in His word to help guide your decision. You may ask for a clear sign, but you may not receive one so obvious as the burning bush. Be still and listen carefully for how God may be answering you in more subtle ways.

Learn more by reviewing other devotions about Hearing From God. Click the link and scroll down to review as many as you want.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Hope, Worry/Anxiety

When Should A Christian Worry?

We are all subject to be tempted to worry about a great many different situations. There are many trials and sorrows in this world. As a Christian, however, Christ calls us to faith in Him rather than to dwell in worry over whatever situation we find ourselves. That does not mean we are pretend bad things do not happen or fail to make wise decisions to seek out positive outcomes… of course we are to plan carefully and make decisions wisely. The Bible, Proverbs in particular, provides much wisdom and guidance for helping us make good decisions and actively honor God with how we live our lives and the choices we make. However, we are not to dwell in worry and give Satan a chance to use it to defeat our walk with Christ. Worry steals our joy and reflects weakness in our faith. We must instead focus our efforts on seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness in our lives. Don’t take my word for it… let us explore what Jesus taught in regards to worry.

Matthew 6:25-34

      25“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31“Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32“For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

      34“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We are reminded elsewhere in scripture as well to remain firm in our faith even when we face difficult or disappointing circumstances.

Romans 8:28  28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

When we face trials and circumstances where we may feel overwhelmed… trust in God. Our God is bigger than any circumstances we face.

Romans 8:31  31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Psalm 34:4  4I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 42:5  5Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence.

I never want to trivialize the difficulty of overcoming worry, but rather point to God’s word and remind us of the truth that we are not to worry, but put our faith in God and trust in Him. Part of trusting in Him is studying and obeying His word in making our decisions and how we live our life. We also are called to pray and seek His help with humility and confident faith.

Faith in God is not just collapsing in a ball and doing nothing to improve our circumstances and then blaming God for a poor outcome. Faith in God is obeying His word and then asking for, listening to, and obeying His instruction.  Faith typically requires action on our part. Noah heard God and built the boat. Gideon heard God and led the army, repeatedly sending soldiers home. Moses heard God and then went before Pharaoh.  David demonstrated faith through action even as a youth by coming against Goliath.

None of these Bible heroes asked God sat around taking no action. Noah did not tell God to build the boat for Him. Gideon did not just ask God to defeat the enemy without getting involved. Moses did not tell God to just free the Hebrew people without him going to Pharaoh. David did not just sit down and complain about the giant, Goliath, and ask God to make him go away. Neither did they dwell in worry about the situations they faced. They sought God and then took action consistent with faith in God and God’s word!

Matthew 7:7-8 also provides a good reminder that we are to be active in seeking and obeying God, not passive and filled with worry.

Matthew 7:7-8  7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others

Pray for Christian Leaders

When we look at the disciples and at Paul, we see that they faced trials and adversity as they proclaimed the truth of the gospel. They asked for prayer from others on their behalf that they would continue to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ boldly and would not give in to watering down the gospel or preaching it quietly. Let us pray the same way for our Christian leaders today, whether they be small group leaders or leaders of international ministries or anywhere in between. All of our Christian leaders need this prayer.

Acts 4:29  29“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,

Ephesians 6:19-20  19and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Colossians 4:2-4  2Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with all of you.

To pray with us regarding additional prayer requests or submit a prayer request, please visit our website Prayer Requests section.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassion, Prayer, Promises, Suffering / Adversity

God Hears The Prayer Of The Righteous

Have you ever felt distant from God as you experienced suffering in your life? Perhaps you think there is hope and help coming from man, only to be disappointed by man. The answer, even when we may feel distant from God, is to cry out to Him and rely on Him rather than on man. God will hear the prayers of the righteous for help and will answer in His way and His timing.

Psalm 34:17  17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Proverbs 15:29     29The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

John 9:31   31“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.

1 Peter 3:12     12“FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, aND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, bUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”

Most of us can only imagine the suffering and hardship the Hebrew people endured in Egypt as slaves. Many of them must have felt distant from God as they labored. Perhaps some put their hope in the situation becoming easier with the passing from one Pharaoh to another, but the relief did not come as they hoped. Only God would deliver them from this bondage and He was prepared to do so in a mighty way… to fulfill His promises and in response to the cry for help from His people.

Exodus 2:23-25

23Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. 24So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

This verse is not to be taken in such a way as to literally convey that God had forgotten His covenant. That is not the case. Rather it likely emphasizes that the cries for help from His people were important to Him and, it would seem, influenced His timing on bringing His people out of Egypt. His people were turning to Him for help in the midst of their great suffering. Perhaps they were ready to leave bondage and continue in the next steps toward becoming a great nation as He promised.

We do well to remember that God wants to hear from His people. He wants to hear from us as individuals as well. He wants us to ask Him for help in our trials and suffering. That way we may know that it is Him who delivers us from bondage and suffering rather than our own efforts.

What difficult or even painful situations are you dealing with in your life for which you have yet to cry out to God for help? You may have turned to other people for help or tried to help yourself, but have not yet succeeded in resolving the situations. Reflect on your life and your obedience to God’s commands, submit to Christ and live your life according to His word. This is called righteousness. Then cry out to God for help in whatever situation you need help.  He hears the prayers of the righteous and will respond.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.