Sovereign GOD - May 11, 2014

Scripture: Job 11-12
7 “Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. 

Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
9 For they all know that my disaster[a] has come from the hand of theLord.
10 For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being.
11 The ear tests the words it hears just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.
12 Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.
13 “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.
14 What he destroys cannot be rebuilt.
22 “He uncovers mysteries hidden in darkness; he brings light to the deepest gloom.
23 He builds up nations, and he destroys them. He expands nations, and he abandons them. - Job 12

Message:

Sovereign GOD, He alone has the power to bless or bring trouble.

Observation/Promise:

GOD is Sovereign. Nothing happens on heart without His approval or consent. Both disaster and blessing comes from GOD. He allows trouble to come into the lives of his children and beloved sometimes to test us or to purify our hearts. But GOD will not give to us beyond what we can bear. Although He tests us, He gives us everything we need to succeed and pass the test. HE is a faithful GOD and He will never fail us when we depend on Him and His power save us.

Application/Command:

Be faithful to GOD no matter what happens, GOD is great He alone is the source of everything and causes everything to will and to act according to His will. Trust in His kindness and love. Cling to the Lord more than anything else in this world. He only want us to be the best that He can transform us to be. His plan is always for our good.

Rest in GOD - April 26, 2014

Scripture: Job 5-6

9 9 He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.
10 He gives rain for the earth and water for the fields.
11 He gives prosperity to the poor and protects those who suffer.
12 He frustrates the plans of schemers so the work of their hands will not succeed.
13 He traps the wise in their own cleverness so their cunning schemes are thwarted. 
- Job 5
8 8 “Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire.
9 I wish he would crush me. I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
10 At least I can take comfort in this: Despite the pain,
I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 But I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for.
12 Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze?
13 No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success. - Job 6

Message:
In troubled times, Rest in the Sovereign GOD whose love and faithfulness never end.

Observation/Promise:
GOD is sovereign, He destroys the plans of the wicked and helps the poor. But sometimes, GOD cannot be comprehendible when He also allows the righteous to have troubles and trials just like Job, and leave the poor to their own ways especially if none of them ever plan to change their ways. GOD is just and sometimes we may not understand His ways because they are mysterious most of the time. But GOD is good always, faithful to the very end and His love never fails and with this we can trust in the character of GOD, we can trust the Love of GOD for us. 

Application/Command:
When in troubled times, we only have to Trust in the goodness of GOD. We have to trust in GOD's love, He has proven this love on the cross. We don't have to ask if He still loves us, the scars on Yeshua's hands and feet prove this. GOD wants the best for us, He has to teach us now so that we can be better in the future. Though we may walk through deep oceans sorrows, GOD will split it this ocean open and carry us through it. Though we may have our own share of troubles, HE will deliver us from all of it. GOD is faithful, even though we are not. When we have no strength to carry on, we can rest in GOD.

Confident in GOD - April 25, 2014

Scripture: Psalm 6-8

8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer. - Psalm 6
1 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; Save me from all those who persecute me; 

And deliver me, 2 Lest they tear me like a lion,

Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver. - Psalm 7
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor. - Psalm 8

Message:

Putting Confidence in GOD.

Observation/Promise:

We may have troubles in this world but we do not have to fear the troubles that rock us because we have someone to rely on who will save us or end our troubles. He not only saves us from our trials but He is Sovereign over everything that happens in our lives because He is GOD, He allows such things to happen for a purpose and for always for a good reason even when we don't understand it yet. If you are confident in GOD even in times of trouble, you will have peace that surpasses understanding. 

Application/Command:

Trust in the Lord at all times. In troubled times, Cry out to GOD and depend on Him. He will surely hear and listen to every prayer in your heart. He will not turn away, He is merciful and kind, compassionate and loving, HE will not turn you away, just as long as you are humble before Him. Put your confidence in GOD alone. When you are rocked and swayed by troubles, cling and hold on to GOD all the more. Don't be confident in anything at all but in GOD alone. 

I am troubled by the little things in life that concern me but everytime I am swayed I always cling to the LORD

Troubled Times

9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
- Mark 13

To be a follower of Jesus you will have to be willing to die and be persecuted in the troubled times which many call as the end times. Jesus promised a life of abundance to those who walk with Him but He never promised a life of bed and roses. In gospel of Mark, he writes the words of Jesus saying You must be on your guard! This sentence should wake us up if we are spiritually sleeping, coz being on guard will require us to be alert, be alert at all times. Jesus is very honest about what would be happening to His followers, some will be handed over to be flogged and punished.

That being arrested or being brought to trial should not make us worry because the LORD will be the one speaking in us through the Holy Spirit. There will be many troubles towards the end, families will be at war with each other. You will be hated because you love and follow the LORD Jesus. This is a very difficult thing to be, but this will test our faith and how true we are to our Lord as we profess with our mouths. We have to persevere, we have to endure whatever trials GOD allows in our lives, for HE has promised that he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Yes Jesus has saved us when we opened our lives to change us but He requires us to be faithful even to the death. 

His Wonderful Ways

8 I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.

- Psalm 16:9-11

GOD is faithful even when we are in the middle of trouble, HE never leaves our side. It is food to our soul and rest for our weariness from troubles when we read David's psalm in the middle of trials. All the more we have to remember who GOD is when we are faced with troubles so we will not be shaken or moved. We can rest in HIS faithfulness when we look back and remember what HE has done for us. For there will come a time when we will be able to understand the storms that come our way or why GOD has allowed some hard things had to happen in our lives and usually this time of understanding comes after the strom has passed from our lives.

The LORD will never abandon His chosen ones, allowing their lives to come to nothing as their bodies rot in the grave. HE always has a wonderful purpose for our lives and will make sure to fulfill it by showing us the best path we should follow, and enabling us to enjoy His wonderful presence as we walk in the journey of life. HE is showing us everyday HIS wonderful ways and if we keep looking up and looking to HIM we will understand and enjoy the pleasures of living with the Almighty One from here until eternity.

Troubles

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

- James 1:2-4

The bible talks about troubles and that it should be a cause for us to have joy. Isn't it weird how it tells us to do the opposite to be joyful when the natural human reaction for having troubles are sorrow? Why? why should troubles be an opportunity to have great joy?! It's just crazy the way GOD tells us to deal with things. But HE says troubles test our faith. How is faith tested when we have troubles? I think it is tested if we could answer yes to this question: would we still be grateful to GOD inspite of the troubles? would we still trust GOD inspite of the troubles? would we still have joy even in troubles? Only blind faith or insanity will enable us to have joy when the world is against us. If we are able to be greatful, to trust GOD and to have in the midst of troubles then our faith is strong and we are surely depending on GOD for everything. Each time our faith is being tested, our faith becomes stronger and each time our faith is strengthened through troubles, our endurance has a chance to grow. For every follower of GOD, we expect this kind of molding in our lives for GOD is constantly shaping us to be the best that GOD wants us to be. A man or woman in the likeness of who GOD is. Of course, GOD has a lot of work to do with us because we are frail, infalliable beings, prone to many weaknesses. But the good news is, GOD will never give up on us as long as we don't give up trusting HIM.

When trouble hits us, the first initial reaction is to wallow in sorrow and misery. It is only natural for anyone to be sad when there's trouble. But even in the darkness of night, isn't it most wonderful to know that GOD is encouraging us to be joyful? HE is Sovereign and everything HE does will achieve great purpose for HIMSELF and for the work that HE is doing. Just think of it this way, we are GOD's masterpiece, troubles are just the tools that sharpen, mold, enhance us to be the best masterpiece HE has ever created.