How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use (Part 2) He Allows a Life and Death Struggle Exhibiting His Providence

02 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by eisakouo in How God Creates a Man or Woman He Can Use

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called with a purpose, destiny and future, don't waste your opportunities, faithful parents, John the Baptist, John Wesley, Luke 1:57-66, Martin Luther, passed away, providence, the hand of the Lord, why God allows His plans and people to be threatened

This issue blows my mind. Why would God allow threats to wipe out His plans? Yet, this is the Lord’s modus operandi. Little Moses was sent down the Nile in a homemade boat constructed by his parents. Can you imagine the Lord putting the next great spiritual leader under such peril? Samuel’s mother, Hannah, almost didn’t conceive him. It was only through ardent prayer she prevailed. Think about it, the next prophet or great leader might not even be born if the mother succumbs to discouragement, depression, and stops praying. John the Baptist faced a similar situation. His faithful parents kept at it and ultimately believed the angel’s word to them. King Herod tried to wipe-out all males born in and around Bethlehem when Jesus was born. A dream told Joseph to flee to Egypt. God allowed his very own Son’s life to be threatened. The question is….WHY?
We are given some insight in the birth narrative of John the Baptist. After he was born and dedicated to the Lord, his extended family, friends, and community were amazed. Listen to the words of Luke.

57 Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zachariah, after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him. Luke 1:57-66

When God’s plan faces total annihilation but prevails, it is sign to everyone that the “hand of the Lord” is certainly upon these men and women of God. Martin Luther, John Wesley, and numerous others almost passed away before they were used of the Lord. Are you one of these people who has faced death only to be preserved by the hand of the Lord? This is providence. There is destiny in your future. Don’t waste your sorrows. Don’t waste the opportunity which has been afforded you. It is time to seek the Lord and discover exactly your purpose, destiny, and future. The Lord is not trying to keep this information from you. He is desperately trying to get you to understand why you have been left here on earth, when so many others are still asleep.

Blessings,

Pastor

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Abraham: Life of Faith, The Strange & Unusual Voice of God

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American Idol, bring glory to God, Colton Dixon, destiny and future, end of the flesh, formulas, freely gave himself, honor the Lord, Lady Gaga, Leonard Ravenhill Christ is all I need, line of demarkation, living sacrifice, Lord's heart and voice, mourn a bad decision, old altars, quickly confess and repent, spiritual priniciple, the altars we build, voted off

I watched American Idol last week and was sad when Colton Dixon was voted off. Being from Nashville, knowing he was both a believer and a Preds fan, I was pulling for him.

While watching, the Lord reminded me of a spiritual principle all believers must eventually realize and assimilate into their lives. It goes something like this… Just because we are given the freedom to do a certain activity doesn’t mean we should participate in that same activity. Let me give you some examples.

Just because you can go on that date, doesn’t mean you should go on that date.
Just because you can attend that party, doesn’t mean you should go to that party.
Just because you can attend that college or graduate school, doesn’t mean you should attend.
Just because you can attend that church, doesn’t mean you should join there.
Just because you can listen to that particular music, doesn’t mean you should.
Just because you can go to that movie, doesn’t mean you should go.

The list is endless….

In Colton’s case…Just because he could sing Lady Gaga, didn’t mean he should sing Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. Some would say Colton veered from the formula that got him into the top seven. This is true to a certain extent. Following the Lord is more than following formulas. It is about knowing the Lord’s voice and following His heart. The Lord gives us the freedom to choose. It is those choices which reveal how well we know Him and follow His heart.

Somewhere in every believer’s walk with the Lord, he or she crosses a line. It is a line of demarkation. They know from that point on …their life is no longer their own… they are the Lord’s. The decision is made to only honor the Lord and bring glory to Him in everything they personally accomplish. In other words, they have chosen to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. It is not about bringing glory to themselves, but only the Lord. By the way… the Lord doesn’t force anyone to make this decision or cross this line. Everyone gets to freely choose to walk this road.

Back to Colton… I could see it in his eyes, even before the he was voted off… He knew he didn’t honor the Lord the previous evening. Other believers could have sung Lady Gaga and everything would have been fine… but not Mr. Dixon. The issue was not about Lady Gaga’s music, it was about the decision Colton made long before he went on American Idol. There was an altar somewhere with Colton Dixon’s name on it. At some point in the past, Colton knelt at an altar and became a “living sacrifice” to the Lord and that was the end of Colton Dixon’s flesh. He didn’t have surrender but he did. He didn’t have to offer himself up to the Lord, but he did. He freely gave himself to the purposes of the Lord. He knew from that point on, just because he could do certain activities, didn’t mean he should participate.

In the interest of full disclosure, I too have a long list of occasions when I failed to honor the Lord with the decisions I made. I have had to learn the hard way, the best course of action is to quickly confess and repent. There is no need to sit around and mourn a bad decision. The Lord doesn’t require it. The Lord requires we acknowledge our sins and move on in humility. I believe that is what Colton did and so should all who have crossed the line and given their entire lives to the Lord. The altars we build and sacrifice upon determine our destiny and future. They continually speak to us throughout our life. What do the altars you have built reveal about you? Sometimes like Abraham, we have to go back home to worship and sacrifice on those old altars again.

Blessings,

Pastor