2018: The Year God is Asking "Will you move with Me?"
In 2017 God said all year long "watch me move" and now heading into 2018 He is saying "you have watched me move all year long NOW it is time to move with me." #LET'S GO!
We can't be a people pleaser (even to ourselves) and be obedient to the difficult things God asks/requires of us.
I can't think of one biblical example of obedience stepping and faith building that did not come at a hefty but rewarding price to those involved.
There will always be someone unhappy with your obedience, ALWAYS!
You just have to be sure the direction your heading in is the direction God is leading you then be sure to step with Him in the moment. We can't move ahead (something we've all done) and we can't linger behind (something we've all done.)
I think because we've heard about Abraham's faith journey so much we have become numb to the actual level of requirement God placed on Abraham and the level of difficulty and stretching it took from Abraham to be obedient, even in the face of failures.
Here's something to ponder as we prepare for the new year. We all know about Ishmael and how both Abram and Sarai (their names at the time) got ahead of God and they put reasoning before revelation! Interestingly (was unknown to me and maybe also to you) it was customary in their day if you could not bare a child and were wealthy enough to have a maidservant, then your maidservant would have a child that you would adopt. So Sarai's idea wasn't this crazy far-fetched idea but it was the way and provision of the world instead of standing and relying on what and how God said!
So, God had spoken to Abraham and Abraham chose to do it his own way and in his own power even though God had already cut a one-sided, unconditional covenant with him. By the way, the effects of this bad choice are still be felt today in the Middle East (Ishmael=Arabs...Isaac=Jews).
Thirteen years pass by without another written record of God speaking to Abraham in any capacity! I'm thinking God was a little upset with Abraham's handling of God's leading. All of a sudden in Genesis 17 God starts talking again, about promise and confirmation and covenant. This time Abraham just listens and decides he'll let God do the doing. God makes sure He delivers the word of promise to Sarah also this time around and commands the promised child to be named Isaac (which means laughter.) I have said before this was God's slight reminder to both Abraham and Sarah that they laughed at what seemed impossible to them and yet now it stands before them in the form of a child shared by their union together!
This was a life and earth changing moment!
The next time God asks Abraham to do something beyond reason (bring Isaac as an offering) you don't hear Abraham laughing what you do see him doing is rising early the very next morning with no hesitation and heading up the mountain with his beloved Isaac fully confident God would not remove the fulfillment of the promise itself!
We can't be a people pleaser (even to ourselves) and be obedient to the difficult things God asks/requires of us.
I can't think of one biblical example of obedience stepping and faith building that did not come at a hefty but rewarding price to those involved.
There will always be someone unhappy with your obedience, ALWAYS!
You just have to be sure the direction your heading in is the direction God is leading you then be sure to step with Him in the moment. We can't move ahead (something we've all done) and we can't linger behind (something we've all done.)
I think because we've heard about Abraham's faith journey so much we have become numb to the actual level of requirement God placed on Abraham and the level of difficulty and stretching it took from Abraham to be obedient, even in the face of failures.
Here's something to ponder as we prepare for the new year. We all know about Ishmael and how both Abram and Sarai (their names at the time) got ahead of God and they put reasoning before revelation! Interestingly (was unknown to me and maybe also to you) it was customary in their day if you could not bare a child and were wealthy enough to have a maidservant, then your maidservant would have a child that you would adopt. So Sarai's idea wasn't this crazy far-fetched idea but it was the way and provision of the world instead of standing and relying on what and how God said!
So, God had spoken to Abraham and Abraham chose to do it his own way and in his own power even though God had already cut a one-sided, unconditional covenant with him. By the way, the effects of this bad choice are still be felt today in the Middle East (Ishmael=Arabs...Isaac=Jews).
Thirteen years pass by without another written record of God speaking to Abraham in any capacity! I'm thinking God was a little upset with Abraham's handling of God's leading. All of a sudden in Genesis 17 God starts talking again, about promise and confirmation and covenant. This time Abraham just listens and decides he'll let God do the doing. God makes sure He delivers the word of promise to Sarah also this time around and commands the promised child to be named Isaac (which means laughter.) I have said before this was God's slight reminder to both Abraham and Sarah that they laughed at what seemed impossible to them and yet now it stands before them in the form of a child shared by their union together!
This was a life and earth changing moment!
The next time God asks Abraham to do something beyond reason (bring Isaac as an offering) you don't hear Abraham laughing what you do see him doing is rising early the very next morning with no hesitation and heading up the mountain with his beloved Isaac fully confident God would not remove the fulfillment of the promise itself!
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