Wednesday, March 10, 2010

God's Faithfulness

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” (Hebrews 6:18)

Did you know that it is impossible for God to lie? In fact, the Bible says that if God were to fail to make good on any one of His promises, even once, for any one person, at any time in history, than He would literally cease to exist as God, and all of creation would also cease to exist (Hebrews 1:3, 6:13, 18). Therefore, we can be fully assured that what He has promised, He is also able to perform, if we can only believe (Mark 9:23, Luke 1:45, Romans 4:21).

Jesus told us that as soon as we receive the Word of God, that Satan will immediately launch attacks in order to uproot it out of our hearts. He knows that he cannot stop the Word from bearing fruit in our lives unless he can get the Word out of us. He attempts to accomplish this through affliction and persecution, lusts of other things and the cares (worries and concerns) of this world (Mark 4:14-20).

This is wisdom for us, but also an encouragement, as it demonstrates to us that we have a part to play, a choice concerning our own fruitfulness. He told us that those of a violent (fierce, forceful, and passionate) spirit will lay hold and possess the things of the Kingdom (Matthew 11:12, James 1:6-7).

Joseph received dreams from the Lord, but the more he attempted to pursue after the plan of God and to do what was right, the farther away from the promise he seemed to get. He had favor in his own house, but then he was sold into slavery, and when he finally began to increase in favor and authority in Potiphar’s house in Egypt, he was suddenly thrown into prison (Genesis 39:1-20). I can hear Joseph now, “It’s over for me!” “Did I really hear God?” But through all of this, Joseph never let go of his faith, and he never stopped dreaming and believing.

Moses was a man with a vision; he had it in his heart to deliver the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt, and thought that his brethren would understand his calling, but they did not! (Acts 7:27) He killed an Egyptian, and then fled into the land of Midian where he remained for forty years. When God finally visited him, he was no longer the young man of zeal and fleshly confidence; “Who am I to go to Pharaoh?” he replied to God. “Send Aaron!” When Moses had sent himself forty years earlier, he killed one Egyptian, but when he was sent by the hand of God, the whole Egyptian army was wiped out, and a nation left in ruins (Acts 7:23-36).

What has the Lord spoken to you? What dream has He put in your heart? What has He said to you through prophecy, in His Word, or through dreams and visions? Don’t ask God anymore about these things, as far as He’s concerned, it’s already settled. But go back to your notes
(I Timothy 1:18) and allow what God has said to get big on the inside of you, just as He told Abraham to look at the stars, “So shall thy seed be…” (Genesis 15:5) Then get forceful in your faith; rise up with vigor and authority, and begin to declare it done! (Job 22:28) Don’t allow the devil to mess with you; beat him senseless with the Word of God, and run him out, just as Abraham ran the fowls off the sacrifice (Genesis 15:11), and then obey God in whatever He tells you to do!

David was anointed by the prophet Samuel when he was a young boy. He was destined to be the king of Israel, but it would yet be many years before he would see the fulfillment of the promise. First, he was given favor before King Saul, and had become his armor bearer. David must have thought, “This is it!” “I will be brought up in favor with the king, and he will someday turn the kingdom over to me!” But it would not be so. In envy, David would be rejected by King Saul, and eventually forced to flee as a fugitive.

My friend, if we pursue hard after the Lord, He will even cause our own mistakes and blunders to work for our benefit, and for His divine purpose (Romans 8:28). God will make the impossible possible for us if we continue to believe!