relying on God Archives - God Cherishes You

Do You Need a Miracle?

It just so happens that God is in the miracle-making business…

After Moses’ unsuccessful attempt to dissuade God, with regards to having to go to Egypt, to be Jehovah’s representative in the process of freeing the Hebrews from the Pharaoh’s oppression, (see my last post Fearless ), he and his brother Aaron made the journey. Moses was eighty years old.

And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and you brother Aaron shall be your Prophet.” Ex. 7:1 ESV

Moses told Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews demanded the release of His children, so that they could gather in the wilderness to worship Him. Pharaoh refused. In answer, God struck Egypt with ten plagues – each a miracle in their own right.

The Nile river was turned into blood, the land was filled with frogs – followed by lice (or gnats, depending upon the translation), and then by flies. The Egyptian livestock was struck by disease, (the Hebrews’ livestock were unharmed). Egyptians were covered in boils. Hail and locusts decimated their crops. The light of the sun was blotted out for three days. Finally, the tenth plague brought death to all of the Egyptian firstborn, included those of their livestock.

However, these plagues were not put upon the Egyptians just to incite Pharaoh into capitulating. God speaks to Pharaoh through Moses:

“For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. For by now I could have put my hand out and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” Ex. 9:14 – 16. ESV

God is in control of everything. He even created Pharaoh just for these events. Jehovah is telling him that he could have killed him and his people at any time; but, He is using him and his obstinate posture to demonstrate His command over the entire earth. Indeed, God even gave Pharaoh that obstinance:

Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, that I may show these signs of Mine before him, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s sons the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you my know I am the LORD.” Ex. 10:1, 2. NKJV

God purposely hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he wouldn’t let His children go, until all of the plagues were completed. One reason, was to show the Egyptians, (and all people who do not believe in God), that their ‘gods’ were no match for Him.

However, God’s major intent was to demonstrate His complete command over the entire universe – both to the Hebrews and all the future generations of the children of God. We saw that He is Lord of the amphibian world, the insect world and the mammalian world. Jehovah proved His Lordship over health, the waters of the earth and sky, and over the nature of the heavens. Finally, God showed us His sovereignty over life itself.

Yet the miracles don’t end there. After the death of the Egyptian firstborn, Pharaoh let the Hebrews go, (after 430 years of captivity), to enter into the wilderness to begin their trek to the Promised Land. However, God hardens the heart of Pharaoh once more – leading him to decide to pursue the children of God with his army.

The Hebrews have approached the Red Sea, when they see the army coming, and they panic, (already forgetting the mighty deeds that their God has done). He speaks to them through Moses:

“Do not be afraid! Take your stand [be firm, confident, undismayed] and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today…The LORD will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.” Ex. 14:13, 14. AMP

What God promises any of His children in the past, also applies to all the future generations of them.

Jehovah parts the Red Sea, allowing the Hebrews to cross, yet when the army follows in hot pursuit, God brings those walls of water crashing down upon them. Problem solved…

God continued to work miracles through Moses and other prophets, like Ezekiel, Elijah and Elisha. They show up again in Samson, for Jonah, Daniel and the Apostles, and finally through Christ (raising the dead, healing the sick, commanding the weather, and walking on water, to name just a few).

Ultimately, the miracles are for you. Jehovah is showing you that there is nothing that could ever get between you and His love(as long as you keep confessing and repenting when you sinfully slip). There is no mountain that He would not move for you, nor would He fail to part any ‘Red Sea’ blocking your path. God will deliver you from your circumstances and bring you closer to Him in the process:

You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. Ex. 15:13 ESV

God will bring the entire universe to bear, to lift you out of your situations. That is BIG love. So, don’t be afraid to ask:

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. 2 Sam. 22:4 NKJV

…know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. Ps. 4:3 ESV

The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Ps. 145:18

God always responds, because He is forever faithful:

“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Ps. 50:15 NKJV

Your deliverance glorifies God. Thus, be sure to give Him credit for it and show your gratitude. Jehovah will meet your every need and surpass them:

…my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19 NASB

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Eph. 3:20, 21. NKJV

There are miracles, even now, waiting for you – because God cherishes you.

Goodnight and God bless.

Fearless

“It is the LORD who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Dt. 31:8 AMP

Four hundred years pass since the death of Joseph, the original seventy Hebrews who had migrated to Egypt to live with him, and the Pharaoh who had favored Joseph. Now, the Hebrews had multiplied into hundreds of thousands.

The reigning Pharaoh at this time, grew concerned over their number, fearing that they might ally themselves with Egypt’s enemies. So, he enslaved the Hebrews and declared an edict which demanded that all newborn Hebrew males were to be slaughtered.

One Hebrew couple of the tribe of Levi, hid their son until he was three months of age; whereupon they sent him floating down the Nile river in a basket, while the boy’s sister walked along the riverbank, watching. The basket became entrapped in some reeds, where it was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, who took him in as her own son and named him Moses.

Moses’ sister came to Pharaoh’s daughter, (without revealing her identity), and offered to find her a Hebrew wet-nurse, who just happened to be Moses’ birth mother, (who also did not reveal her connection).

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace with the finest education and privileges afforded to an ‘Egyptian.’ When he approached adulthood, he happened upon an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave. Moses intervened. (We don’t know why; perhaps his birth mother told him of his true lineage.) The Egyptian was killed during the fracas, and fearing retribution, Moses fled to Midian (modern-day Saudi Arabia).

Moses became a shepherd, married, and had a son. Concurrently, Pharaoh dies, but unfortunately, he is replaced with another Pharaoh, who harbored equal enmity towards the Hebrew slaves. They cried out to God for help…

One day, Moses is tending his sheep, when he comes upon a bush that is burning, yet not consumed. Curious, he approaches it, when suddenly a voice booms out, ‘Moses, Moses!” You can bet that he almost had a coronary. Then, the voice said:

“I am the God of your father – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Ex. 3:6 NKJV

Jehovah establishes who He is and is also recognizing Moses’ Hebrew heritage. Next, God charges him with the tasks of confronting Pharaoh to demand the release of His children and with leading them to the land of Canaan.

In spite of God assuring Moses that He will accompany him, he begins to balk. Moses tells Him that he doesn’t know what to call Him, and that the people won’t believe him, (at which point Jehovah works a couple of miracles, but Moses isn’t fazed). Moses also complains that the people won’t trust him, that he’s not a good public speaker, and finally begs God to send someone else.

Why is Moses doing this? Why is he trying to defy God? Because he is filled with fear…

No one is born afraid. You rarely see it in children. They are for the most part fearless. Fear must be indoctrinated by parents, schools, governments and the media. The Dark Mind (see my post Evolution of the Dark Mind), feeds off of this fear. This ‘fear mindset’ is the disease of an anxious world.

Indoctrinated children are afraid of the same things as adults, who cling to their malevolent childhood experiences (either internally or externally generated). The world presents itself as a dangerous place to those whose self-worth is dependent upon its acceptance.

Fear is not real; it’s not a solid thing. Fear is an emotional mechanism for avoiding pain from things that might happen to you. It does not protect you. Indeed, chronic fear leads to insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

Someone who is afraid, avoids the unknown, so that they will not have to face punishment from others or themselves, should they not face it adequately. If they ‘fail,’ that voice in their head will do most of the chastisement. Is any part of this experience congruent with the ways of God?

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe. Pr. 29:25 AMP

“Do not be afraid…I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Gn. 15:1 NKJV

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

Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. Ps. 23:4 AMP

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Ps. 27:1 ESV

Fear is not congruent with God and His presence. He delivers you from all fears, He shields you and protects you from evil – including death itself. With God at your side, you can live a fearless life. Unfortunately, those who don’t connect with God are unaware of this; they only know fear.

There are three basic fears. First is the fear of death, which no one knows anything about, because no one that has died has come back relate their experience. For the non-believer, it is the idea that things die, that causes their suffering – worrying over what happens next, or even if there is a next. These are the same people who anxiously cling to people and stuff, not realizing that it is their engagement in the fear of death that hastens their due date.

Yet for a believer, God tells us plenty. The death of our flesh is nothing to be afraid of:

“Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself with be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more…” Rv. 21:3, 4. CSB

The second is the fear of abandonment, which stems from believing that you are unlovable or unacceptable. You look to others to create meaning in your life, which leads to the fear of being alone. Even when you are with someone, you’re preoccupied in being afraid that they will leave. Thus, you become a people-pleaser. More suffering. A relationship with God is nothing like that (see the scripture under the title of this post).

Finally, we have the fear of impermanence (change). Yet, the only thing life guarantees is change. It unnerves most people because they want to know exactly what is going to happen next. They want to be in control. GUESS WHAT? We don’t know what’s going to happen next and there is no control!

The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. Pr. 16:9 NASB

God is the only unchangeable force in this universe:

“For I am the LORD, I do not change;” Mal. 3:6 NKJV

Humankind’s desire to wrest control from God, immerses everyone in a background of anxiety because they know that it’s impossible. God is the only reality; and all suffering comes from resisting what is real.

Change is good, because it means we have new possibilities to look forward to. Trying to resist change ends up in paralysis. We scramble from the present moment and hide from the next. We can’t be happy because we are waiting for the ‘right conditions’ to coalesce – for that perfect moment that never comes.

We react to life instead of evaluating it. We are afraid of being ourselves. Most people think that there is some secret to figuring out life, believing that everyone else knows it but them. Everyone is so afraid of not getting it all together. NOBODY GETS IT ALL TOGETHER! We are all a work in progress.

Fear needs to be uprooted so that we can make conscious choices. Would anyone consciously decide to hurt themselves and others, to invite suffering? Of course not! Admitting your fear is the first step towards becoming fearless. You are only afraid because you forgot your perfection…

The last thing I want to say about fear, is that its worst effect is that it deafens you with regards to hearing the call of God, due to your preoccupation with the world.

There isn’t anyone that God cannot use for His kingdom purposes. Furthermore, He has already equipped everyone to do so:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:10 NKJV

We tap into these innate God-given skills by becoming intimately acquainted with His word and by exercising our willingness to step out in His name:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. NKJV

God is calling you to your own purpose in Him:

Only, let each one live the life which the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has called him [for each person is unique and accountable for his choice and conduct, let him walk in this way]. 1 Cor. 7:17 AMP

We have seen that fear is only an illusion, an emotional reaction that we construct. It is time to deconstruct those fears, because we have seen the damage that fear causes, yet we know that God has our backs at all times. So, let them go and take that fearless walk with God:

…walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called… Eph. 4:1 NASB

Amen.

Goodnight and God bless.

You Can Rely on God

Jacob eventually married two sisters, (being tricked on his wedding night into marrying the older one first, as was the custom at that time). Both competed against each other to try to give their husband the most children. When all was said and done, Jacob had 12 sons and 1 daughter.

The second youngest son was Joseph, his father’s favorite. Joseph’s brothers hated him for that. Moreover, Joseph had two visions from God at the age of 17, showing him a prophecy, whereby he rules over his brothers. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Joseph’s brothers took his jacket that Jacob gave him, dipped it in blood, and told their father that his son was killed by a wild animal. In reality, they sold Joseph to slave traders, who carted him off to Egypt. There, Joseph is sold as a slave to Potiphar, an officer in Pharaoh’s army. As bad as it looks, God backs him up:

The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man… Gn. 39:2 ESV

Immediately, Potiphar observed that God placed His favor over everything Joseph did. So, he made him master over the house (Gn. 39:5). Potiphar could see that he could rely on God’s favor with His servant, Joseph, present in his dwelling.

Everything is looking good for Joseph, but then Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him. Joseph rejects her, and in anger she claims that he was the seducer. Enraged, Potiphar has Joseph imprisoned. Things look really bad; but God steps in again:

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Gn. 39:21 ESV

As with Potiphar, the keeper of the prison recognizes God’s favor over Joseph as well, and he too relies on that favor, and positions him over all the other prisoners. In time, God grants Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, which he does for Pharaoh’s cupbearer, who had been imprisoned for some infraction while in his master’s employ. Joseph successfully prophesies that the cupbearer will be released from prison, and he asks him to tell Pharaoh of his innocence, so that he too might be freed.

The cupbearer forgot. Two more years pass. But then Pharaoh has a troubling dream that no one could interpret. Suddenly the cupbearer gets his memory back. Joseph is brought before Pharaoh and rightfully interprets his dream through the power of God, with a prophecy, that, because Pharaoh obeyed its meaning, and placed Joseph in charge of it’s instructions because he was relying on Joseph’s God), nations were saved from famine.

Seven years pass, and Joseph is reunited with his family. And because Joseph saved them from famine, his lineage continued – saving all of God’s children. Joseph relied on God, trusted Him, to bring his family safely and give them a new place to set down roots.

His brothers were afraid because Joseph was a very powerful man in Egypt. They feared retribution; yet Joseph trusted in God, and because he did so, regardless of his circumstances, all his actions were laced with wisdom and love. He addresses them:

“And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” Gn. 45:5 ESV

“So now it was not you who sent me here, but God…” Gn. 45:8 ESV

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Gn. 50:20, 21. ESV

Joseph’s many years of trials and tribulations were turned around – used by God to serve a grander purpose; and in that process, Jehovah made good come from bad.

Whatever comes at you in life, God will step in to help you, if you call Him to your side, in faith. He will make a way even when it seems like there is none. His desire is only that you seek His will in all things and do your best to act on it. That’s why we can always put our trust in Jehovah God. We can rely on Him.

Can you relate to Joseph’s experience? Have you gone through a stage in your life that didn’t make sense? Are you having trouble seeing the hand of God in your life? These are tough questions; and most of us entertain them at times in our lives. He never said that life would be fair or easy. However, if you keep the faith, Jehovah will be front and center in all of your circumstances:

“Shall we accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” Job 2:10 NKJV

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made one as well as the other… Eccl. 7:14 ESV

Yes, good and bad days; but it’s up to us to keep focused on God’s big picture:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jer. 29:11 NKJV

We can count on God; so, we can certainly keep our faith in His word:

“…not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you…” Jos. 23:14 NASB

So, we see then that God is truthful, faithful, and He wants to lovingly lead you into a great future. Why then, does He allow the bad times?

It brings you closer to Him. I know for myself, it took 42 years of ‘worldly living’ and 2 broken marriages before I would even consider that there was a God. He lifted me out of my old ways through adversity.

If you suffer in life, I believe, that God is trying to get you to change – to return to whom He created you to be, instead of being that person that the world has stepped upon. Jehovah wants all of His children to be with Him and receive His love, especially when they are not feeling it. He gently shakes us (some less gently than others), to get our attention, so that we can become conscious of our choices:

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity…” Dt. 30:15 NASB

God allows you to experience the consequences of your bad choices; and in the end, He considers that a good thing:

Count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let the steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Jas. 1:2 – 4. ESV

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. Ps. 119:71 NASB

Blessed is the man whom you discipline O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble… Ps. 94:12, 13. ESV

Thus, many of our trials are God’s ways of nudging us onto the right path.

We can always place our trust in Jehovah. He wants you to have a life where you are completely fulfilled and loved. Yet sometimes that life will have dark seasons. I believe that these are the times were God wants you to ask yourself, ‘What can I learn from this?’ It’s usually about a change that needs to be made – one that leads towards your greater good.

When you turn to God and rely on His answers, your dark season will come to an end:

For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever. Ps. 9:18 NASB

Even to your old age, I will be the same. And even to your graying years I will bear you…and I will deliver you. Is. 46:4 NASB

You can rely on God…

Goodnight and God bless.

relying on God

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